friday faves: 9.2.11

ohhh my sweet friday faves feature, i have such a love/hate affair with you!  really, i LOVE these posts!  i love to highlight some of my fave things i've seen over the past week (or even longer) without putting together a "full post."  i love starting the weekend with some beautiful, inspiring images.  i love spreading the word about giveaways!  love, love.  so what is the "hate" bit?  i hate how i have not had the time or energy to do this feature regularly.  i hate how sometimes i even dread writing a post because it usually takes me significantly longer as i am such a perfectionist.  i hate how terrible i have been the past couple months at regular friday faves posts.  UGH.

so i've decided to take some of the pressure off myself.  i've been pretty good at consistency with the wedding wednesday feature so i guess i can be a little more lax with friday faves.  right?!  let's hope so.  i'll post when the inspiration strikes and schedule permits.  and hopefully you will enjoy what i share!  and without further ado, a few faves from the last few days of august ::

design/decor

comfy-cozy attic nook

want.this.space.  i want the chandelier, the white chest, the location -- the whole nook.  and we all know how i feel about nooks!  {via belle vivre}

fashion

a mint & rose outfit

as put together by lana over at lanalou style.  want it all... especially that dress!

etc

oscar de la renta ad campaign

came across this ad on one of my fave catch-all blogs, a spot of whimsy, and fell in love.  i have a little experience doing ad/marketing campaigns and understand how important an ad can be.  all you have is a picture.  one image and some text to show your brand and product.  but ODLR knocked it out of the ballpark with this ad for their new campaign.  i mean, who doesn't want to be an oscar's girl?!

personalized embosser for books

do i really need to explain why this is so stinkin' incredible?!  i'm pretty sure i need it...

{found on be merry, kate}

enjoy your labor day weekend!

xx, kait

p.s.  i'm actually at the lake right now on a full four day weekend of relaxation and fun so this post was written yesterday and scheduled for today.  i hate doing this and only do it once in a blue moon.  forgive me?

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

etc: i'm off!

okay one last post, i promise!  and then it's off - to o'hare, to my 15.5 hour flight, to hong kong! 

i had to do a quick last post because i am just so proud of myself and needed to toot my own horn here on my lil bloggy.  why am i so proud, you ask?  because of my mad packing skills!  a week and a half, another country, both work and play... and i only have two tiny carry-ons and one medium checked bag!  i used to huge suitcases of junk wherever i went but apparently the years of getting made fun of from family members paid off and i have done a complete 180!  now i'm a savvy packer - prepared for different situations but not loaded down with a ton of baggage [hmmm... i bet that would make a really good analogy...!]. 

how i used to be!

i have: 1. my purse with all the essentials [wallet, iPad, little pillow, etc.]; 2. a little backpack with 3 days of clothes [in case my checked luggage gets lost - like i said, prepared for all sorts of different situations!]; 3. a medium sized suitcase to be checked.  now here's the awesome part! : inside the medium suitcase is another small, carry-able suitcase.  this way, i can buy whatever i want and still get it all home!  now, i don't expect to necessarily spend all my hard-earned money while in china but like i said - all different situations.  after i saw how little i packed i was at first worried that i forgot some essentials, but after many double, triple, quadruple checks, i realized that somehow i really did have it all - and in a super compact way!

so TOOT TOOT!  props to me - proof that it is possible to teach an old(ish) dog new tricks. 

here's to hoping this confidence high carries stays with me during this huge adventure!

xx, kait

etc: flashmob aweseomness

flashmob highlighting all forms of dance ~ in berlin this march.

seriously - just awesome. watch the whole thing & thank me later :)

[discovered on dancers are the athletes of god]

etc: giveaways this week

typically i include the week's best giveaways during my friday faves feature, but this week there were sooo many fab ones that i felt they needed their own post!  i woke up sick and ended up doing something i never ever do - i took a sick day.  while bed-bound all day, i of course took to my google reader and scanned through all my fave blogs.  i realized that there are a LOT of giveaways going on right now, so i wanted to compile a list for you all :)

so here it goes, great giveaways from around the blogosphere, most of which are ending soon [so get on it!!] ::

 ~giveaways~

~ lovely kimono-style robe ~

 

robe by plum pretty sugar loungerie, courtesy of the sweet blogger dawn, aka the alternative wife.  enter for yourself -- here

~ homegoods gift card ~

the sweet domestic jenny is giving away an awesome $25 gift card to the affordable & still fabulous HomeGoods - sweet!  head on over & enter here

p.s. she'll be picking a second winner if she can get 100 followers by the end of the giveaway next friday.  soo, if you're not already a follower, get to it! 

~ another fab stella & dot stylist sponsored giveaway! ~

#1 for a turquoise & coral bangle, courtesy of stylist tara ermark. enter here at the zhush!

~ hand stamped cards ~

the blog alice's adventures in wonderland is giving away a set of beautiful hand stamped cards, made by blogger suze [enter here]

~ curly calligraphy thank you stamp ~

 lovely thank you stamp by primele, from the blog lee la la [enter here]

~ cute bag giveaway ~

IHOD is hosting yet another fabulous giveaway, this time by the company odyssa.  the winner gets their choice of a shoe or lingerie bag!

~ a positively perfect pillow ~

dilly dallas is hosting a giveaway for this awesome A-Z pillow, made by magpie lovely

~ bright & personalized phone cover ~

6th street design school is giving away an adorable monogramed iPhone cover by dani notes.  if i were to win, i would most likely choose either

this or this cover:

~ filigree hair pins ~

 adorable hand-made bobby pins - perfect to add a great pop of color into a messy bun!  pins made by etsy crafter sandy.  

enter on the great blog, be merry kate

~ advanced copy of the book - a collection a day ~

even though this great project-turned-book doesn't come out until march, micaela at the always-amazing blog, the drifter and the gypsy, got her hands on an advanced copy and is giving it away to a lucky blog reader!  i had not heard of this cool project prior to her blog post, but now that i know about it, i soooo want this book!

~ print by magalerie ~

head on over to moon face to enter to win your choice of prints - personally, i would choose the sweet life is beautiful print

~ adorable pillow ~

enter at danielle oakey interiors to get your very own adorable pillow by simple sage

my fave is the pink giraffe pillow, shown in the bottom left corner in the above photo

~ cute AND practical leather purse ~

one lucky gypsy*diaries reader gets their very own jet set purse - in either black, tawny, or nude pearl.  personally, i would definitely get the nude pearl - love its soft pink color.

just head on over to gypsy*diaries to enter for yourself!

not one, but TWO giveaways for credit @ joss & main!

~ $50 to joss & main ~

this is a great website, offering quick deals on home goods.

if i won, my credit would go towards a coffee table book, most likely living in style: paris

awesome giveaway courtesy of JourneyChic

~ $150 e-spree ~

$150?? WOAH!! this giveaway is found over at deliciously organized

whew!

time to get yourself entered into all these incredible giveaways - fingers crossed at least one of us wins at least one of these prizes!!

happy thursday, hope you are all feeling better than i am :)

i want: cute & quirky laptop case

 by kate spade.

website description: "add a dash of whimsy to your work life with our new laptop sleeve-cheery cherry red is the backdrop for a quirky keyboard print, while a vertical stripe gives the interior a playful pop that's sure to brighten your day."

agreed. 

 

need?

i think yes.

first discovered here.

random: gorgeous table centerpiece

i think this centerpiece is beautiful.  end of story.

photographed by hannah suh via style me pretty

{i hope you all had an incredible christmas, full of joy & laughter & love}

random: creative gingerbread structures

pretty & intricate houses ~

unique ~

famous homes ~

the white house

SF houses from full house!!

etc. ~

{merry christmas eve!}

photo credits:

- pretty/intricate: 1. from; i found it here; 2-5 via

- unique: mobile home from; via

- famous homes: 1. white house: via; full house: via

- etc.: laptop: from; via

link love: 12.23.10

 design/decor

great dining room - lovely shades of purple, comfy arm chairs & a fireplace. oh yes.
[from here, via]

desk with canopy?  awesome.  [design by nick olsen, via]

even though i'd prefer an actual mirror above my own sink, i have to admit that this bathroom "after" is beyond cool. see more of the whole house's transformation at design*sponge

fashion

1. love this jacket. love the off-the-shoulder style. love the structure. loooove the bows.  man, dior is awesome!  [picture = georgia may jagger for vogue uk jan '11]
2. not a big flannel fan but definitely a fan of unexpected pairings.  go here see cool examples of how to pull off this look.

 sparkles on our first lady? yes, please! [image via]

florence = awesome. [image via]

true, true, truuuuuuue. [via]

photography

lately i've been really into photographs that juxtapose winter bareness and snowfall with bright blossoms reminiscent of springtime.  these photos certainly fit the bill . [1. via; 2. via]

i like this photo lots.  simple as that.  [via]


random

i desperately want these bandages from UO.  & i would wear them all at once.  which wouldn't be a problem because i am prone to extreme paper cuts.  [discovered here]

 me too.  print by etsy artist stephanie fizer [discovered here]

*need to remind myself of this fact often* [image via - i found it here]

just now starting to get in the holiday spirit... & this spirited bike certainly helps spread the cheer! [image via]

hilarious!  my personal pencil would probably be the itty bitty nub of a pencil.  sigh.  [via]


{merry christmas eve eve!}