wedding wednesday: white polka dot love

the sweetest little vintage-y wedding dress, with beautiful little white-on-white polka dot all over.  just too sweet.  {by etsy designer pure magnolia couture}

full shot

detail of polka dotted mesh

purely lovely.

*find it here

i want: christian louboutin double noeud

4 inch heel.  leather.  beautiful light brown color.  bows.  my ideal shoes!

meet the christian louboutin double noeud sandals...

goooooorgeoussssss!

*buy them [for only $995!] here

friday faves: 7.15.11 - a personal post

first of all, this is what i have been dealing with all week . . .

 

in case you can't tell from the picture, that is a massive tree, snapped in half, next to my house.  it's technically my neighbor's tree, and she is unfortunately dealing with the majority of the consequences, but that is not to say that we aren't as well.  the clean-up crew has yet to arrive so the tree just continues to break and fall and is now half in our yard.  debris is everywhere from the crazy storm that hit chicagoland monday, but i didn't expect it to hit so close to home.  people drive by and just stare - i smile and wave.  because really, what can we do?!  of course, we have been without cable, phone, internet, and since yesterday - now electricity of all forms.  not such a great week.  so please forgive me that this week's friday faves has to be canceled.  i just haven't had time, not just because of the power/internet outage, but also because of some HUGE changes going on in my life right now... more of that to come!

i'll leave you with my greatest "fave" of the week - a truly inspirational speech given by steve jobs at stanford in 2005 ::

 

this video was sent to me by a friend who said it truly captured what i am going through right now.  and wow was he right... without getting into great detail, a friend of mine died in a very tragic and public way last week.  although we had not been close in the past year (since i got my all-consuming job and had to move out of the city and pretty much give up my social life), it still affected me.  realizing that it could have been any of us, realizing how many dreams he had that will now never happen, realizing the pain his friends are going through... realizing a lot.  and rethinking a lot of my own personal decisions.  

then i was sent this video.  and i listened to this incredibly successful and creative man say :

"i have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'if today were the last day of my life, would i want to do what i am about to do today?' and whenever the answer has been no for too many days in a row, i know i need to change something.  remembering that i'll be dead soon is the most important tool i've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.  because almost everything, all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure, these things all just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.  remembering that you are going to die is the best i way i know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.  you are already naked, there is no reason not to follow your heart."

i was wow-ed.  and then i took some steps towards following my heart.

like i said, more on that to come :)

i hope you all have incredible, electricity-filled, weekends, spent with those you love, doing the things you love.

wedding wednesday: toilet paper bride

toilet paper + wedding dress = fun bridal shower game.  but a contest with $1,000 going to the winner?  apparently so!  thanks to ny mag online, i found out about the florida contest that just awarded its seventh winner, susan brennan from michigan.  here's her chic TP sheath :

then again, my personal fave (out of the top three i was able to see on the blog cheap chic weddings) was this couture-ish concoction :

cool picture, too -- i only wish i could see more of the dress because it honest looks fab!

friday faves: 7.8.11

back to friday faves, my lovely readers!  and oh boy do i have some good ones this week!

design/decor

chic nook

this lil nook by designer melanie coddington is my idea of perfection - classy, simple, feminine, relaxing.  i could absolutely see myself curling up here and reading the day away...

 found on design*sponge

kitchen window nook

more nooks!  clearly i'm obsessed :)

that green color, the cream everything else, and that thick cushion that looks oh-so-comfy.  want.

from my home ideas

fashion

elle fanning in marc jacobs

the girl can pull off couture like no other youngin' and i just love her retro-pretty style.  plus she's just so pretty! {think if i compliment her enough she'll let me borrow this gorgeous dress?!  hey, worth a try!}

picture from getty images, via

SJP channels her animal side in D&G

at the 25th anniversary of "annie" where she presented an award

not always the biggest animal print fan, but when it's done right it's amazing.  and if anyone can "do it right," it's the superstar-fashionista sarah jessica parker herself!

{sorry, best pic i could find.  from rcfa}

p.s. the gown helen mirren wore a few months back was also animal print and also dolce + gabbana - they must be on a roll!

etc

le petit prince journals

all-time fave book in journal form = love

{you can buy it for me - and make my day!! - here}

i want to be a monkey

if i could be any animal, i'd be a monkey.  i would climb trees and enjoy still having fingers and show love by cleaning my friends... and hug little girls like this.  and be happy :)

i mean really, who wouldn't want to be a monkey?!

found on best week ever blog but first posted on cute overload
**correction: this is a sloth not a monkey!  but i would still be a monkey.  and i would still hug little girls and it would still probably be just as cute as this.

giveaways

i'm back to spreading the word about some GREAT giveaways in the bloggy world - whoo hoo!  here's a few ending soon soon soon, so get on it!

preppy personalized platters

 

by dani notes, selection found here.  the always fabulous kiki's list is offering up this giveaway.  if i were lucky enough to win, i would choose the prettypretty platter pictured above.  then again, i would be just as happy if one of my sweet readers one so head on over to enter for yourself :)

fabulous flower accessories

wild & precious always highlights the cutest things!  this time it is the etsy shop the lovely poppy, who makes truly lovely headbands and necklaces and other cute accessories with bright and pretty flower accents.  i definitely encourage you to check out this etsy site and to go to wild & precious to enter for the $20 gift certificate!

have a lovely lovely weekend!

i'll be spending it with my lovely friends downtown checking out a blues club i've never been to, then off to waverly island soaking up the sun.  oh, and then sunday at the office.  can't ever totally get away from my workaholic ways!

xx, kait

 

wedding wednesday: a hoola-hooping bride

too cute & fun not to share!  meet a bride who really knows how to have a good time on her wedding day ~

yes, yes, yes!

*photo by beaux arts photographie, styled & posted by kelly oshiro

i want: dior 001

{note: sorry for being such a terrible blogger!  i've actually driven roughly 25 hours in the past seven days - back and forth to iowa - and when i'm not on the road, i'm working.  but i promise to be better!}

today's obsession . . .

meet the dior 001, the modern woman's weapon of choice!

what exactly is the dior 001, you ask?  it's a flippin' awesome "weapon of beauty" that contains everything you could possibly need for a night out - meds, an antique hairpin (although i would prefer the garden-variety bobby pin), lipgloss, even a usb stick and silver bar (which i don't quite understand.  but whateves).  plus it's super chic with 18 carat gold and all.  plus it looks like a gun which is always good for us city gals out late at night. 

my fave part - the lip gloss component

like i said, awesome-sauce.

*found on design crush