allister bee

weekend jello shots

2012-02-09T08:50:00.001-07:00

i was online last night on pinterest and found some lovely looking little jello shots. i have to admit, that i have never had one! so i'm thinking that sometime this weekend, marcos and i are going to have to make some and try some of these recipes out!

i did want to share, however, a few of the best sites i came across with fun recipes! let me know if you give them a try, and how they came out! (now you can start looking forward to a crazy weekend!)

happy almost friday!

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good morning | pretty pictures

2012-02-08T07:25:00.000-07:00

i am a huge fan of everything that has to deal with pretty images. i have a tumblr account and a pinterest and my bookmark bar is full of gorgeous things that i have saved. yesterday i ran into a gorgeous blog on tumblr called m0rtality and i found a whole bunch of pretty pictures. i had to share some of them with you here!

i hope that you all are having a beautiful, relaxing wednesday morning.

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ps. don't forget to enter my giveaway! it ends on friday!

brand new suit | brand new me

2012-02-07T06:56:00.000-07:00

i have had my eye on these suits ever since i ran into them a few weeks ago at the mall while marcos was getting his hair cut. but let's start from the beginning.

the only aerie location around me is about half way to slc, but we were up there for a few reasons.

- marcos' hair dresser is allergic to some of the fumes in the salon and so he quit about a month ago. so we were searching for a new, quality hair dresser to cut and style his hair.

- i wanted to go to z gallerie so that i could get my faux deer head

so while he was getting his hair cut, i was left to wander around the mall, by myself, for a whole hour! i ended up in aerie and after about 30 seconds of browsing around i found my dream swim suit (see below).

so. not that i wasn't already dieting for the wedding, but after seeing this little number, i have decided that i would be really strict about my eating habits and work out habits so that i can fit (beautifully) into that suit for our honeymoon cruise in april.

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highlighter shorts

2012-02-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

i've been searching for some fun clothing to wear on our honeymoon cruise this april and came across these fun, bright shorts. i couldn't resist them. and then i fell in love with the cute striped shirt that was shown with these shorts. it is just the perfect outfit and it's completely my style. i'm thinking that this outfit, with my cute new toms would just be adorable.

i hope you all have a happy monday.

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project w.f.t.

2012-02-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

the fiance and i have been contemplating starting a new business venture and have finally come across the perfect idea. we like to call it project w.f.t.

we have mapped it all out and determined that this is the way to go. it has taken a lot of planning and research and we are finally in the stages of putting it together. we will be releasing it in the near future! so keep your eyes peeled for something super bad ass!

enjoy your saturday!

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also - don't forget to enter my giveaway!!

triangle necklaces

2012-02-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

ever since i saw this cute necklace diy on sincerely kinsey, i have been in love with chevron and triangle necklaces. i went on a search to find the perfect one for purchase and found some really cute ones.

i hope everyone has a relaxing friday!

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* be sure to enter my giveaway and win an adorable summer dress!!

giveaway | from allisterbee & shabby apple

2012-02-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

i am excited to be hosting a great giveaway from shabby apple! when i saw this dress i immediately fell in love. with the cute ruffled top and the way that it just flows, i knew that i had to...

...give it away! [to one lucky winner]

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to have a chance of winning this dress you must:

- follow allisterbee through google friend connect

- like shabby apple on facebook

- visit shabby apple and share which dress is your favorite

that's it! and if that isn't easy enough, for additional entries you may:

- follow me on twitter

- follow shabby apple on twitter

- follow the shabby apple blog

[giveaway open to u.s. readers only]

good luck! a winner will be randomly selected next friday (2/10/12)

toms ballet flats

2012-02-01T09:34:00.001-07:00

ever since november i have been waiting for february 1, 2012 to roll around. and at that time, it felt SO far away... "why?" you ask...

well - i was awaiting the release of toms ballet flats. and today is the day, my friends, in which i am running to nordstrom and picking up a few pairs of these chic flats.

although there are some really cute ones with leopard print, and linen, i do have to say that i am completely in love with these black and cream burlap ones! they're so cute! i can't wait to get my hands on them!

happy, happy february 1!

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giveaway winner

2012-02-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

the shabby apple giveaway is now close. and we have our winner....

congratulations, amber!!!

amber has a gorgeous blog, that i visit frequently, replicating his love. thanks to everyone who participated!

amber, contact me with your shipping info and we'll be sure to get your dress out to you as soon as possible.

decorating with heads

2012-01-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

this weekend, i went on up to the z gallerie in slc to purchase some heads for my wall. i had seen these online and completely fell in love with them. then after doing some searching around online, i found that these were the cutest and the most cost effective for what i was looking for.

you'll have to take a look at them, here! happy monday!

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happy friday

2012-01-27T08:54:00.001-07:00

happy friday! i hope that you all have something fun planned for the weekend! i'm thinking that i need to try some of these nail designs!

don't forget to enter my giveaway and win an adorable shabby apple dress!

have a great weekend!

wedding table settings | natural

2012-01-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

yesterday, while i was just browsing through some of my favorite blogs, i came across this gorgeous set of pictures showcasing a simple, yet very chic table setting. my fiance and i have been debating over whether to use or not use chargers at our wedding. the only reason that we had been debating the fact was because our caterer didn't have any that really fit our style, and some of the ones that we had found were upwards of $40/pair [1 | 2 | 3]. and to get enough for each place setting at our table, it would be completely outrageous to purchase them. also - what would we do with them afterwards?!

so from the inspiration in these images, i have gone out and found some decent table mats that i feel comfortable with using. i am excited to just have everything put together for the wedding, but it's coming along pretty quick. we'll see how it all comes together! i'm crossing my fingers that it turns out the way i'm hoping!

ps. i'm waiting on a few items for my living room before i reveal the new look! keep your eyes peeled!

pss. dont' forget to enter my giveaway for an adorable shabby apple dress!

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giveaway | from allisterbee & shabby apple | closed

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

i am excited to be hosting a great giveaway from shabby apple! when i saw this dress i immediately fell in love. the cute bow at the waist and the fun detail in the skirt! i just knew that i had to...

...give it away! [to one lucky winner]

to have a chance of winning this dress you must:

- follow allisterbee through google friend connect

- like shabby apple on facebook
- visit shabby apple and share which dress is your favorite

that's it! and if that isn't easy enough, for additional entries you may:

- follow me on twitter

- follow shabby apple on twitter

- follow the shabby apple blog

[giveaway open to u.s. readers only]

good luck! a winner will be randomly selected next week!

*** if you see something that you love on shabby apple, use discount code: NEWYEAR and receive 20% discount off of most items.

balloon wedding

2012-01-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

my fiance and i were looking for cute ways to display our desserts at our wedding and he actually came across this photo. we both fell in love with the simplicity of the whites and the gorgeous yellow flowers. we are doing a similar color scheme and so we have been out on the hunt for these humongous balloons, as we absolutely have to have them at our dessert table and our sweetheart table!

so after this picture was discovered i started doing a little more research on balloons at weddings and found that they're super popular right now, but they're so super cute!

so this weekend, we're going out on the search to find which size of balloon that we will need. are we interested in the 17", the 24" or the 3' ?!??

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ps. be on the lookout for a shabby apple giveaway coming soon!

gold antlers

2012-01-22T07:22:00.000-07:00

i have been following a gorgeous blog put together by a lovely lady named jenya for quite sometime now. her professional, clean photos are inspirational and have a certain feel of calmness to them that i just love. the way that she captures her subject is amazing and i'm super jealous of her talent!! her blog is called evaforeva, and it is full of inspirational photos, diy ideas and more!

more recently, i was searching online for THE perfect little basket for decorating my new living room. and i came across a little etsy shop called gold antlers and i fell in love with quite a few of the products listed, especially this little basket. it was exactly what i was searching for and the pictures were absolutely gorgeous and displayed the basket how i plan to display it!

after doing a little bit of research on this vintage etsy shop, i found out that it was jenya's! no wonder the pictures are so beautiful and the products are presented so perfectly!

well - needless to say, the little basket is on it's way to my home and now i'm trying to decide which of the other products below that i need to purchase! take a look!

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temporary antler solution

2012-01-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

so yesterday, i was doing a little bit of research and found a really cute solution to my antler dilemma that i spoke about yesterday.

TAPE ANTLERS!

i simply love this idea. it's cute, it's chic and super simple! (not to mention super cheap!) i found this wonderful etsy shop which has THE cutest tape.. if you're planning on doing something cute like this - i would definitely suggest their store! happy weekend!

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decorating with antlers

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

i. want. antlers! i have been searching high and low for some really cute antlers that i can use in my newly decorated (almost finished) living room! i have searched online at ksl, craigslist, etsy, ebay, etc, etc and have only found either really HUGE ones, or ones that cost like $400. which is outrageous!

if anyone finds some cute antlers for a decent price, please let me know!!!

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sewing: pillows

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

on monday night, i didn't have school due to the holiday and so i decided to sit in front of the sewing machine and figure out a few things:

1. how to even work the machine
2. how to sew a super simple, but quality looking pillow

i sat down for about 15 minutes and after that time decided that sewing was just not for me. i can hand sew because at least i have control of things. i didn't know how to use the machine and so - i quickly gave up!

my fiance sat down at the sewing machine, and figured out how to use it sometime within the following 30 minutes. i was so happy that he figured it out because my next step was the actual sewing.

we had purchased some material (like the b&w below) and i googled: simple pillow covers and came up with a really cute envelope pillow cover. using a little bit of velcro and a whole lot of patience, i completed 2 pillows in about an hour last night.

all i have to do is complete the other 10 pillows. i think i'll just sit down on saturday and finish them! and yet again... pictures to follow! (i want everything to be perfect!)

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artificial plants & more!

2012-01-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

marcos and i went out shopping this weekend, and we found some really cute artificial plants over at the local ikea. i had seen them on a blog and fell in love with them. we went out with the intention of getting a few items that would make our living room feel a little bit more cozy. we didn't really have anything on the walls and our small decor was limited/none (we have cats).

so. we got these little plants, along with a whole bunch of other things, and decorated our room! i am so excited to show it off... i just need to finish sewing the pillows!!

not enough yellow

2012-01-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

my boyfriend and i went out this weekend to find some cute things for our home. we are re-decorating our living room so that it's more simple, and so it all matches. we're thinking of this color scheme... i simply love it! it's so bright and so fun. there's just not enough yellow anywhere in our home!

i'll be posting pictures once we're done!

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knuckle rings

2012-01-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

i. love. rings. that's just one thing that i have to have before leaving the house or else i feel naked. i have a plethora of rings but ever since i got engaged, i haven't been wearing them as much because the ones that i have are so big, and so sparkly that it almost takes away from my wedding ring.

when i came across this picture and realizing that i haven't bought a big bulky knuckle ring for about 4 months, i decided that i would do a quick search online to find some cute rings to swoon over.

i came across the following and am thinking that the few that are not so shiny and bulky might be acceptable to wear with my ring. but we will have to see...

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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

decorating with fire

2012-01-13T08:20:00.000-07:00

my fiance and i have been looking for houses online a lot lately. we definitely want to purchase a home sometime soon. there are a few requirements to this house, though and one of them is that it has to have a fireplace. and not just any fireplace, a sexy fireplace. i think that a fireplace is kind of a piece of art in the room, depending on how nice it looks. it just kind of speaks for itself. simply put.

i have found some of the potential fireplaces for our home below:

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save the date | balloons

2012-01-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

although this post is a tad bit dated, being posted back in 2010, i love this cute save the date wedding idea. the guest would receive this cute card with a balloon attached. when they blow up the balloon - poof! they get their invitation with who, where, date and time! i love it.

if you have not been over to ohjoy, you definitely need to go and take a look at her diy's! they're clever and adorable! enjoy!

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collection: etsy finds

2012-01-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

i was on etsy the other day and came across a beautiful store where the main focus was vintage & industrial decor. i completely fell in love with quite a few of their items and i couldn't pick only a few of them. so i grabbed my top 12 and have listed them here for you all to view! be sure to go check out their store! you will love it!

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wedding cake ideas

2012-01-10T14:30:00.000-07:00

it has been quite the hassle searching for and finding the perfect wedding cake. marcos and i have been debating whether or not we want to have a cake. we were thinking to supplement the cake with some really cute and chic cupcakes. they're easier to eat and then people can take them home.

we found a few little cakes that we though would be cute and we had decided that we would get them. we then found the most gorgeous cake while working with our wedding planner at our venue. of course we had to call the cake creator and see how much the cake would cost and it was upwards of $400-$500 - i know that's not too bad for a wedding cake, but i just didn't expect to pay that much for a cake for 35 people.

so at this point, we have an appointment to sit down and meet with this lady tonight and i will bring her some of my ideas so that we can get the perfect cake, and still have it be gorgeous. here are some really broad ideas for wedding cakes.

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collection: inspiration

2012-01-09T12:40:00.000-07:00

for the past little while i have been completely in love with blacks and whites with a hint of color. and the color of my choice has been yellow and orange. my bedroom has gray and white all over it with some yellow splashes while my living room is black, white and brown with orange.

i found all of these pictures on tumblr and decided that i had to make a collection of things that i find beautiful and things that inspire me.

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wedding champagne

2012-01-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

marcos and i want to have his dad give a toast at our wedding, so we have been looking for a good way to distinguish between the alcoholic and the non-alcoholic champagne. my family does not drink and marcos' family does, and we want everyone to be able to participate in the toast.

we didn't know how to distinguish other than placing a card or a tag on the flutes. so i saw something like this in a magazine and kind of adjusted it to work for our wedding. the 2 colors would represent the content of the glass. tell me what you think!

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[gorgeous cards from ohhappyday!]

ready for pink

2012-01-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

after seeing this post over at ohjoy, i remembered that the best holiday of the year is coming up. i am so excited for valentines day. these pictures were just so pretty with all of the pinks and reds. ban.do. always has adorable things! this shoot was just too good not to talk about... enjoy!

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diy pom pom dandelions

2012-01-04T08:13:00.000-07:00

marcos and i were over at his brothers' house the other day and i was speaking with his girlfriend, ashley. she was telling me about this blog that she followed and some really cute diy's that she found there. of course i had to look.

she showed me one diy in particular that she was going to be working on. she showed me a diy by black velvet chair; diy pom pom dandelions. and they're just adorable! i immediately fell in love with them and wanted to create some for my desk at work to fill my mismatched bottles.

well - marcos and myself were over at their home last night watching their little kitty, oscar and she had completed some of these little dandelions and put them in a vase by her couch. and they look perfect! so i decided that i would find the originals and share them with you all! enjoy!

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wedding photographer

2012-01-03T10:04:00.000-07:00

marcos and i have been searching for a little while for a quality photographer for our wedding. we found a few that we might be interested in and started reaching out to them to find the best option for our needs.

while we were searching, we found an amazing and super talented photographer, emily lesher, and we fell in love with her style of photography. we were nervous that she might have already booked the date that we needed and if her prices would match with our budget.

we spoke with her this past week and we have actually signed a contract and put down our down payment! we are so thrilled that we are going to be able to work with someone who is so talented and so personable. after speaking with her on the phone, we both got a really good vibe from her and we're excited to meet her soon!

things are slowly falling into place for our wedding and we couldn't be more excited! visit her website here to see her wonderful work!

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table no.'s

2012-01-02T11:58:00.001-07:00

as i was browsing for extra 'things' to put on our tables at our wedding reception and after looking at candles and votives and flowers and just stuff... i naturally came across pictures of weddings and was able to look at some of the decor that other people had used.

i forgot about the table numbers!!!

i couldn't believe it! and i found some really cute ones in adorable off-white standing frames. i did my research and looked high and low for the perfect frames and found that they are available at ikea. i found some that were used for about $2.50 each and then looked them up on the ikea website and found something that was super exciting!

these adorable little tolsby frames were available at ikea, right down the street from my home for a whopping $0.99/each!! i couldn't believe it! i ran into the bathroom and told my showering fiance that we HAD to go to ikea ASAP!!! so of course we did and i got some perfect little tolsby frames for a perfect little price! and i plan to use them like so...

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new year // 2012

2011-12-31T11:43:00.000-07:00

i cannot believe that it's already the end of december and the new year is almost here! there were so many things that happened this past year, good and bad.

- i turned 21 [and took my first trip to the liquor store]

- i got engaged!!!

- my grandpa passed away

- i went on my first cruise

- my brother returned from his mission

- i got to see mexico for the first time

- i have started to plan a wedding

- i jumped back into school

- i did well in school

- i have chosen a major and look forward to working towards it

i'm sure there's more... but these are the things that stand out for me in 2011. i cannot wait to see what 2012 brings my way!!

i hope everyone had a wonderful 2011 and i wish everyone an [early] happy new year!!!

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mexico

2011-12-29T12:59:00.000-07:00

i have been away for the holidays for the past few weeks on vacation. i first off want to thank everyone for all of their comments while i was away!! it was so fun to get back and read all of them!! but, i wanted to share a few pictures and stories from our recent cruise to mexico... enjoy!

marcos and myself were going to go on a cruise about a year ago... we ended up canceling the cruise and therefore had a $500 credit. when christmas started rolling around this year, we decided that it would be something fun that we could do. neither one of us had been on a cruise and we had the credit, so why not, right?

we scheduled our cruise and made it to long beach, ca on saturday december 18, 2011. when we got checked in and finally got to see the ship, it was amazing. it was so huge! i was a bit nervous to be out at sea, in the middle of nowhere... it was just a tiny bit scary. but we did it! and we had the greatest time!

this was the view outside of the deck where we ate lunch on the first day. it was so pretty and the water was so dark. it was scary to think that we were just out in the middle of the ocean on a ship and just to think of everything that was below us, was kind of creepy.

after 1 day at sea, our ship arrived in cabo. we went through the crazy process of getting off the boat and on to the tenders so that we could reach land. after walking may 1/4 of a mile, there was a little stand with some cute pictures of little baby lions. we knew exactly what was happening. as we walked closer we discovered that some people in mexico had purchased 2 little baby lions and were charging tourists to hold them. of course we had to do it.

these little baby lions were the cutest things... they made the funniest sounds, too. nothing like you would think a lion would make.. it was more of a squeal than a 'meow' or a 'roar'. it was funny. after holding him for a few minutes, he became agitated and he was set in the crib with his brother for the next group of people to hold him. it was really a fun experience.

the next stop we made was in puerto vallarta. when we got off the ship and walked just a few hundred feet, there was a man who had a baby donkey and was charging a small amount to hold the donkey. and of course i had to do it!! just look how cute she was. although her hair looks super rough and wire-y, she was incredibly soft and she was the sweetest thing! she was just plopped on my lap and sat there. she didn't move or fight at all. she was adorable!!

marcos played in the casino on the ship a few times. i lost my $10 and he played with $20 one of the first days on the ship. we later went back to the casino and he went in with $30 and came out with $150. i was pretty excited. :)

this is a short clip of some pictures i took outside of our balcony. the water was so gorgeous.

we had a really good time on the cruise. the only complaint that i would make is on the way back from puerto vallarta, we had 2 days at sea. by the second day at sea, we were so ready to get off of the ship... it was just really boring that last day. all we did was sleep and watch movies! ha. but i would definitely do a cruise again!

i hope that all of you had a lovely holiday season!

yummy holiday pomegranate recipes

2011-12-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

who doesn't LOVE pomegranates, especially during christmas-time?! i found some amazing pomegranate recipes for all to try this holiday season! click on the links below to enjoy a lovely pomegranate treat!!

pomegranate chocolate dessert recipe
pomegranate martini
pomegranate granita
pomegranate jelly
pear & pomegranate salad
apple & pomegranate crisp
creamy pomegranate ice cream

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lights bring memories

2011-12-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

one of my favorite things about christmas is all of the fun lights everywhere. they liter the town and it's always so pretty. i remember being a young child and going out with family to see all of the magnificent homes with gorgeous lights all over. it was so much fun! lights always bring back memories of good times with family.

this is the first christmas without my grandpa. he would invite everyone over for dinner at his home. we would have a lovely feast and then everyone would help clean up after dinner. grandpa would then go over to his over-sized recliner and pull out the bible so that we could read the christmas story together before we opened presents. he always wanted the kids to understand the real meaning of christmas, and not the superficial christmas that includes santa, gifts and ribbons.

this happened every year. without fail. it's one of my most favorite memories as an adult, now, because i can appreciate what he was trying to do. when i was a child, all i could think of was what was under the tree for me and when i was going to be able to open it. i'm glad that my grandpa shared this tradition with our family.

did you have any fun holiday traditions or certain things that spark and bring back holiday memories?

[images from we♥it]

mini wreath holiday cards

2011-12-16T08:25:00.000-07:00

i saw these cute cards on another blog a few weeks ago (and i actually posted about them here)... i wanted to do them so bad because i thought that they were super unique and really adorable. so last night, i went over to wal-mart and got the supplies with my fiance.

when we got home, we put some of them together and thought how cute they would be hanging around a bottle of wine for a cute christmas gift for friends and family. so... of course i had to share my cute little idea... and give you the link to those adorable baby christmas wreath cards!!

black + brown + white

2011-12-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

i love the color combination of neutral colors. anything black and brown should be together. worn together. placed together. merged together. just... together.

i found some gorgeous images of packages, homes and decor all themed around the combination of white, black and brown! one day, when i have a house, i want it to look similar. clean. beautiful and all shades of the following:

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cruise for christmas

2011-12-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

marcos and myself decided that we would go on a cruise, just the 2 of us, for christmas. we need to start packing so we can leave right after work on friday and drive to st george. we will stay with his family for a few hours and then head to california on saturday. i am super excited. i have never been on a cruise. i have never been to mexico.

i hope that all goes well and we love this cruise, because if so, we're thinking of a cruise for the honeymooooooon.

thank you for all of your awesome comments about the finals yesterday. i think it went decent. i'm not 100% thrilled with it, but i don't think it went 100% terrible, either.

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finals week > study study

2011-12-12T08:57:00.003-07:00

i'm boring today > i'm studying. i have a history final tonight that i'm super nervous about. i hate history! wish me luck!

perfect knot pillows

2011-12-09T09:58:00.001-07:00

i am going to be making THESE couch pillows this weekend. i went shopping with my aunt and got some pillows and when i took them home, they didn't quite match the look that i was going for in my living room. i found these online yesterday, and completely fell in love. so... i'm going to make them!

diy pictures to come!

happy friday > happy weekend

2011-12-09T09:00:00.001-07:00

have a fabulous day!

clothes for him >

2011-12-08T10:06:00.000-07:00

marcos and i decided that we don't want him to wear a tux to our wedding. it's just 'not our style'. so we have been searching high and low for a super cute suit for him to wear that would fit our style and fit him well. we found this faded black suit from jcrew and thought that it would work well with our wedding colors.

we are headed out on a cruise in 8 days and we plan on taking some time in california to find a jcrew wedding and take a look at this suit. we are super excited!

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socks & boots

2011-12-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

while doing my daily blog stalking yesterday, i ran into a blog and found some adorable socks that i knew i just had to have. ever since i found some thick wool socks at h&m, i have been wearing boots and socks every day... most literally.

i saw these cute socks and had to have them. so i went home and showed the fiance, and i bought them! they will be arriving in the mail in just a few days, and i'm so excited!

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[click on the lines above to find some adorable over the knee socks to wear with your boots!]

do you wear socks with boots?!

wedding favors

2011-12-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

marcos and myself have decided what we want to do for our wedding favors. we were trying to think of something that wasn't ghetto and something that wasn't tacky and something that our guests could really use and enjoy.

we went searching online for the perfect favors that would fit our style because the last thing that we would want to give someone is a little bag full of m&m's. i would rather not give a favor than give something that wasn't 'us' and wasn't memorable.

so we came up with this idea. well - we found this idea. and i wanted to share!!

what favors did you give your guests at your wedding?

presenting > our wedding flowers

2011-12-05T14:08:00.001-07:00

this weekend, marcos and myself sat down for to make a tough decision. after many hours of contemplating what would fit our style and how we would make it work with our venue... we decided on our wedding flowers.... the ones that made the cut are the ones that we now present to you as...

it's amazing how everything is really starting to fall into place.

wedding checklist:

1. dress - purchased
2. ring (mine) - purchased

3. ring (his) - found
4. venue - selected
5. suit (for him) - found
6. bridesmaids dress - found
7. flowers - found
8. caterer - looking
9. guest list - chosen
10. honeymoon - looking

11. invitations - (should be done)

12. colors - selected

13. hair style - selected

14. shoes - looking

15. cake - selected

16. wedding favors - selected

i'm sure i'm missing a few things... but they'll fall into place sooner or later! happy [late] monday!

the venue +

2011-12-04T09:44:00.001-07:00

so yesterday, the fiance and i woke up and went on the search for the perfect venue for our wedding. seeing as though our wedding is going to be TINY, probably around 40 people in attendance, we wanted something that fit our needs. we went to a few places and found that they didn't really fit our style and wanted something more simple, yet elegant. also - there were a lot of places that wanted to charge us for a whole day when we only will need to venue for about 3-4 hours, maximum.

we had made an appointment to go see the sleepy ridge golf course and their amazing venue and we were so thrilled that it was more of what we were looking for. they don't have the greatest pictures on their website, but there are some gorgeous videos of some other weddings that took place there, and i just had to share. enjoy!

password is: McClain (case sensitive)

Renae {+} Kenny // Sleepy Ridge Highlights from Chris McClain Productions on Vimeo.

my wedding hair ------o

2011-12-01T08:52:00.001-07:00

so with my dress all purchased and paid for, and my fiance and i starting to get things for our wedding, i decided that it would be a good idea to start looking for the hair-do that i want to have. it has to match the dress and the style of our wedding.

so as i was searching, i found this messy bun, and decided that this would be it! i think it's just simple, and it would allow me to show off the flowers and the back of my dress. i must go with an up-do.

so tell me what you think!

// wedding dress \\

2011-11-30T09:58:00.001-07:00

so i got my wedding dress last night... i didn't think that i would find the absolute perfect one on my first night of trying on dresses, but i did. and i am so in love with it. it's so simple and perfect and just my style. more pictures to come. ♥

unique diy christmas cards

2011-11-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

i completely fell in love with these cute little diy christmas cards that i found online today! they are so simple, and so elegant that i decided that i need to try them for my christmas cards this year!!

and of course, i wanted to share with all of you! enjoy! ♥

wedding ideas

2011-11-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

my fiance and i decided this past weekend, that we didn't want to elope anymore. we want to have very, very small wedding. just for our immediate family. so, we started looking for some cute wedding ideas and i ran across this wedding from 'style me pretty' and completely fell in love. i love the colors, i love how simple and small it looks. of course, ours would be up a scale, being able to accommodate about 40 people.

we are very excited and are starting to plan for sometime this spring! our date will be decided soon! tomorrow i will show you what we found for our center pieces... just you wait!

jcrew cute

2011-11-26T15:26:00.000-07:00

i found this adorable girl from last season jcrew and i fell in love with her cute outfit, her perfect hair and i love her accessories. i knew i just had to share with everyone.

i hope you get inspired, with sequins, again. and just in time to start thinking about christmas.

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>>> click on image for source <<<

i love confetti

2011-11-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

i was on etsy the other day and found these gorgeous paintings from lulu & drew. they're simple, and very unique and would be cute in any room of a home. they're definitely inspiration for a possible diy... but we will have to see if and when i get the time. until then, i will just admire these.

<< click on image for source >>

photo personality //

2011-11-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

just a quick, fun quiz that i found on hudson's happenings yesterday! i thought it would be fun! everyone should give it a try! enjoy!

my name | paislea
my favorite food | greek salad
my favorite color | red-orange
my favorite tv show | the walking dead
my celebrity crush | ryan gosling
my dream vacation | paris, france
my favorite drink | boba tea
my favorite pet | saki, our siamese
my favorite holiday | christmas

just some of my all time favorites... tell me some of yours!

shopping for sequins >>

2011-11-22T16:55:00.001-07:00

[ 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 ]

i need more sequins in my closet. i'm debating between a few of these.
i'm really in love with #2 and #5... what do you all think?!

crate & barrel love //

2011-11-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

i am completely in love with these gorgeous wall panels! my fiance was searching through crate and barrel and found these. i would love to have them in my kitchen right above my brand new table. i seriously am thinking that i will add these to my christmas list this year!

pillow hunting >>>

2011-11-21T15:37:00.000-07:00

my aunt was in town this past weekend, and we went out on saturday and shopped til we dropped. really. it was so much fun!!! well - she is super sweet and took me out to find some throw pillows for my couch, as it only has 2 little guys and looks quite bear.

the color scheme is brown, orange and black. and can i tell you how difficult it is to find cute throw pillows that just 'work' with our current scheme?

we are going to take back our pillows that my aunt bought me after work tonight and grab some plain black or white ones. but... the point of my post is that there are NO cute pillows out in the real world like there are online. it's crazy. it took me about 3 minutes to find all of these pillows... all which would work in my house. but going out to shops around my home is a disaster. but we're going to give it one more shot tonight to find 'the' perfect pillows!!

wish us luck pillow hunting!! ♥

photography lovers ++

2011-11-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

these fun little mini calendars would be perfect on an office desk or hanging from some string as seen above. they're simple, but so adorable!!

this vintage tripod with leather case would just be gorgeous sitting in a corner. i just love it!

this cute picture of a polaroid camera would be a fun, unique gift! and it's under $10!!

i fell in love with these adorable polaroid inspired coasters! perfect for the kitchen table, or the coffee table. these are a must have for that photography lover who also likes to keep their tables kept pristine!

this is a very unique mixed media piece of art which incorporates the rugged with the classic.

this little beauty is an old polaroid case which was transformed into a little lamp! perfect for any desk!

etsy // my favorite find

2011-11-16T10:09:00.001-07:00

i always see people finding THE absolute cutest things on etsy, but i have never really spent a good amount of time searching through all of the products. so i decided that i would have to take a few moments to see if i could find something to share.

after about 45 seconds of being on etsy's home page, i came across this lovely little piece. and i fell in love. it's a mason jar chandelier!! how clever! and how adorable! i would LOVE to have this suspended over my brand new kitchen table! i might just have to invest in this sometime soon!!

have you found anything on etsy recently?!

\\\ click on image for source ///

+++ new things

2011-11-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

about 2 weeks ago, marcos and myself invested in a brand new, gorgeous kitchen table. we had been wanting one for a long time because our kitchen had been occupied by a treadmill for far too long. it was just about time...

we went searching for the perfect kitchen table and found a few used online, but they were asking [what we thought] was quite a bit for something used. we ended up going to oak express one weekend, just to look and see what we could find.. we weren't sure that we would find one that is our style and if we did, we were scared that the cost would be over our budget.

we fell in love with a square counter height table. it can fit 8 people when the leaf is in use. we had to have it. so we bought it.

since then, we decided that we need something on the table, too. it cannot just sit there and not have decorations. this was really the first time that we got to decorate anything in our home. we have kittens and we didn't want to risk them ruining our decorations, so we've only ever bought pictures and things that were tall enough to keep out of their reach.

but - we are going for the 'rustic' kitchen look. if you have any ideas or suggestions, they're welcome!

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h & m + utah = ♥

2011-11-11T09:50:00.001-07:00

all the utah people >> get ready to go crazy! yup! h&m opened it's first store in utah today. you had better believe that i'm heading over there tonight after work to snatch me some cute clothes!! i just hope that there's some left when i get there. wish me luck on my hunt! and happy friday!

>>> click on image for source <<<

fashion gal vanessa

2011-11-10T10:07:00.001-07:00

alright guys - i recently had someone visit my blog and of course i had to check hers out. i love finding new blogs with fun things and super spunky writers! i went on over to 'a fashion gal & a fireman' - a blog owned by a lady named vanessa. her blog is wonderul!!

and she is just adorable! if you like my blog, which if you're here, i assume that you do ;) then you will definitely love hers. she has adorable fashion do's and don't's along with recipes, mixed tapes and diy's. head on over and show her some love! ♥

toms flats // spring 2012

2011-11-09T15:57:00.000-07:00

ever since reading about the new toms that are to hit the shelves (and my closet) this spring, i cannot take my eyes off of them!! i think that these flats are definitely the absolute cutest shoes toms has created so far.

i am absolutely dying over the black and white burlap ballets! i have myself signed up to receive notification when these babies come out so i can be one of the first to strut around with them on!

i say 'good work tom!' check them out!

creative giveaway > >

2011-11-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

how long has it seriously been since i did a giveaway on my blog!? i think it's been over a year! i do have a fun and creative giveaway coming this week! so keep your eyes peeled and be sure to tell all of your friends! it's going to be great!! ♥

stetson came to visit

2011-11-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

my brothers were in town this weekend. it was so great to see them. my little brother came and spent all day saturday with marcos and myself. we went to the animal shelter and played with all of the little cats and dogs. he loves animals! it was so weird. we were never allowed to have animals at our house when we were little and i have never really seen him interact with animals.

marcos and myself have 2 little siamese cats and they were both in love with him. they followed him around. our little boy cat, sushi, he hates to be held and is always a little skittish around people, but he let stetson hold him and pet him and he was rubbing on his leg, etc. it was cute.

we found the cutest little black cat at the humane society and i wanted him to have it so badly. but when he graduates and moves out and has his own thoughts and can have an animal, i'm sure he'll get one! and i can't wait for it for him!

halloween costumes

2011-10-31T09:31:00.000-07:00

ever since we first saw "Up" in theatres, we thought that marcos looked just like little russell. so when halloween came around, of course, we had to dress him up like him.
we didn't decide until the night before last friday that we were going to dress him up for our work party, but i think that it turned out pretty good. take a look!

My Ring...

2011-10-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

so, as promised, i have put a picture of me and my ring. it's gorgeous. you can't tell from this picture but it is a circle cut diamond atop a circle halo, atop a cushion halo.

i am in love with this ring. it's sooooo gorgeous. but i have some sad news.

the reason that i do not have a magnificent picture of this ring, is because...

my boyfriend got the ring a few weeks ago, and to keep me from finding it in our home, he kept it at his brother's house. while his brother was wearing it (ha) he noticed that there was a tiny little stone missing on the profile of the ring...

at this point it was too late to send it back and have the jeweler fix it as marcos wouldn't have gotten it back in time for his planned proposal. so he proposed and told me that eventually we would want to have it fixed.

i didn't want to have a piece missing and it tore at my brain knowing that there was something missing. so on tuesday evening, after only 3 days of having the ring, i parted with it. the jeweler is fixing it as we speak and i am going to be able to go pick it up tomorrow!!!

i will have more pictures then!! but you can kind of get the idea here... ps - sorry about the crazy hair and tired eyes. it was late!

So... uhmmm...

2011-10-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

i got engaged this weekend... ya know. no big deal ;)

pictures to come!

Past, Present & Future...

2011-10-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

My Past...

so every pay period i have a portion of my check set aside for me as an allowance. this helps me not spend a ton of money through out the pay period. i guess i just never realized how much money i spent until i sat down with my boyfriend and brought out the calculator.

last month i was extremely excited to get an extra pay check which meant... extra allowance!! i took a cash advance and bought a few nice things from an outlet in park city including the following 'past purchases'. you will then be directed into what i have purchased so far this pay period... and what my future purchases will be...
all i can say is that i am so thrilled that i was able to find some really cute clothes for fall. with my new pants and boots and coats, i will be cozy and warm all winter long!

what is on your fall wishlist?

these pants...

...these boots
...this trench

this skirt...

...this cardigan

these tights...
My Present...

this coat...

...this dress[ps. i was super stoked about this dress because it's not even in stores yet. the day i bought it they had them stowed away in the back. i had a young gentleman help me return a few items and i made mention to this dress that was out on a manequin on the floor. and he said that he would run to the back, get me my size, and let me purchase it so he could see if it looked cute on or not. so of course, i did. and i'm in love with this dress. it's so cute.]My Future...
these flats...

diy doily stamped dishes

2011-10-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

so i completely fell in love with these amazing diy dishes found on sodapop-design. but i am really completely in love with the amazing job that my friend over at the veda house did with "doing it herself" and taking these gorgeous pictures. i just had to share.

i hope that everyone is enjoying their friday and this weekend, go out and try this project. i know that i'm going to, and will take pictures of my own to share. but until then - enjoy these!

{{{ click on image for source }}}

blake lively

2011-09-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

as i was looking for some cute hair tutorials online today, i came across a blog that had some gorgeous pictures of blake lively. ever since i first saw her on gossip girl, i have been in love with her. i think that she is so pretty. she has the best hair and gorgeous eyes. and her clothes!!!! she has the best clothes ever. she is definitely my girl crush.

anyways - after seeing these pictures, although they are a few months old at this point and do not fit the season, i had to, HAD to share them with you. [the first 2 are my favorite]
enjoy! ♥

<<< click on image for source >>>

celebrating life

2011-09-26T15:25:00.000-07:00

this past friday, september 24, 2011 around 1:08pm MST my grandpa, Galen E. Williams, passed away.

we will never forget the laughter and fun that he brought us. we will always thank him for the many ways in which he supported our family and loved each of us indefinitely. he gave everything he had to help anyone in need. he was loving and caring and kind. his endearing nicknames are ones that i will never forget. he was smart, witty, bright and happy.

its hard to believe that he has left us. its hard to take it all in. it seems so surreal. marcos and myself are flying out thursday to colorado to be at the funeral. i'm sure that then it will hit me and i'm nervous for that feeling.

i have located some pictures that remind me of my grandpa and wanted to share them with you all. we will miss him and think about him always.

chai tea ♥

2011-09-22T11:37:00.001-07:00

yesterday on my way to class i stopped by the cafe in the library of UVU for something to drink. i was thinking of possibly a coffee or something of that matter to keep me awake during my 2.5 hour class. looking up at the menu and wanting something cold i thought of an iced coffee and then it hit me.

chai tea latte.

i love chai tea. it is getting close to october and no matter what month of the year it is - chai tea always reminds me of fall especially halloween and thanksgiving. so even though it was insanely hot yesterday i had woke up and put on skinny jeans, boots, a sweater and a scarf. so i think the need for chai tea was enhanced. i just felt fall-ish yesterday.

well i'm here to tell you that i drank that chai tea latte and enjoyed every second of it. i got a tall just because i wasn't sure if i would like it but by the time i was finished, i wanted a few more. it was probably the best chai tea latte that i have ever had. so - in short - if you're near UVU and are craving some chai, my first recommendation would be the UVU library cafe! ♥

<<< click on image for source >>>

Our Future Home > >

2011-09-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

i don't think that i have to say much to describe what this post is about and these amazing pictures are going to speak for themselves... but each and every one of these pictures captures what i want our future home to look like.... one day, right?

[click on image for source]

always madewell ♥

2011-09-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

so while i was blogging yesterday of course i had to go joanna's blog, a cup of jo, to see what new things she had posted. she had written a post high lighting maxi skirts and the fact that they're super cute for fall. she had this picture posted and i fell completely in love with the skirt and the style of pictures.

i am so glad that she had sourced her images properly because i was able to find the cutest website with the worlds' cutest clothes.

i don't know how many of you are familiar with madewell, but i wasn't until yesterday and i admit that i am completely in love. they have the cutest and most stylist clothing. check them out here!

i listed a few of my favorites below! enjoy!! ♥

ps. check out my guest post over at 'dancing in the rain'!

coming soon // tattoo tuesday ♥

2011-09-13T12:14:00.001-07:00

i have written many posts about a tattoo that i found online a few years ago. i have been completely in love with said tattoo and it took me a few months to actually be directed to the lovely lady who is adorned with this gorgeous piece of art.

after i found her blog, i became obsessed. i wanted to get another tattoo but was struggling with what i want to get. until now. i have been thinking about this tattoo for the past year because it is a huge committment. i want to make sure that i am completely in love with it before i go to do it.

i have been searching high and low for the perfect pattern as i would not want to completely copy the work of art that is on someone else's arm. that is just not cool. so i found a similar piece on a shirt at one of my favorite stores... none other than the good ol f21.

after seeing this shirt, of course i had to buy it. i have worn it twice and have only owned it for 4 days. i am in love with this shirt. but back to my tattoo story - i am 99% sure that this is the piece that i want to get. i'm going to wait til my birthday in march before i do anything but this is what i'm leaning towards...

tell me what you think![click on image for source]

my wedding ring

2011-09-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

my boyfriend and i have been looking at wedding rings the past few months. we would go and try some on, then fall in love with one for a few days and think about it and talk about it for a few weeks. then i would find another one the next month that i would be in love with.

i wanted a princess cut diamond for the longest time. a huge gaudy princess cut ring that i could show off. as of late, i have been completely in love with round cut diamonds on a halo.

while marcos and i were searching for rings a few weekends ago, we came across a round cut diamond on a double halo. it is the most gorgeous ring and i fell in love with it completely. we knew that we had to have it. so..... guess what?!

we put a down payment on the ring!!!!!!!! and i am so excited!!

[my ring is the top right image. it wasn't the best picture so i got some others that were similar.]

<<< | >>>

color me fall >>

2011-09-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

i am so excited for fall clothing. although it is a little bit too warm to start wearing heavy cardigans and tons of layers, i am super excited!! i went shopping this past weekend and hit up all of the sales for labor day but i wanted to see what the fall colors are for 2011 and if i'm going to be 'trendy' this fall.

i did a little bit of research to find the colors for fall and ended up finding quite a few adorable items that are in the fall colors for the season at jcrew and banana republic.

i have never really been into following color trends, but with some of these adorable pieces, and great colors... it wouldn't be difficult!!

happy friday! ♥

humanities: 101

2011-09-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

last night after attending humanities at UVU my boyfriend and i were sitting in our office on our computers. i was blogging and he was talking to his brother. we had just got back from the art museum at BYU. i thought that it was going to be a small, ghetto museum but there were actually some really unique pieces there.

we had been given the assignment to select a piece of art and analyze it using emotion. writing a paper on how the piece made us feel. only emotion. it was a really fun and interesting assignment.

to get back on track - after we got home and marcos was chatting with his brother ricardo, he told me that his brother had shared a website with him that was kind of rad. i went to antony gormley's website only to find the most unique sculptures. i just had to share them with you. and i wanted to prose this one question: how do these sculptures make you feel?

<[click on image for source]>

lazy tuesday

2011-09-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

trip to colorado

2011-09-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

i had an amazing opportunity to fly out to colorado and visit my family. well - most of my family. there were some members of my family that did not wish to see me and there were other members of my family that were not 'allowed' to see me.

it was the second time that i had taken my boyfriend home to see my family. my grandparents and my aunt & uncle have always been kind and sweet and willing to accept him. my parents ... well not so much. they didn't care to see me and they don't allow my other 3 siblings to see me as a 'punishment' to me.

just a forewarning - some of these pictures are not super glamourous. my grandpa is closing up his business of 30+ years. he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer a few months ago and was given 6 months. my aunt and uncle have been there for him the entire time. helping him clear out his business and figure things out. marcos and myself were in town friday august 26 - sunday august 29 helping clear out everything that we didn't need any longer for the business.

we are sweaty and hot in most of these pictures but i'm just glad that i was able to capture the family working together to help out my grandpa. i know that grandpa galen really appreciated all of the love, support and help that he got from the family.

[wilson, angie, grandpa galen, me, grandma helen]

[angie, marcos, grandpa & grandma]

although he may not admit it, marcos was so excited to get to try out the forklift. he loves machinery and mechanics and loves to mess around with things like this. he had a really good time working with wilson.

aunt angie & me - just being goofs

we also had the opportunity while we were there to take my grandpa and grandma to the animal shelter in commerce city. my grandparents had a little kitty, snow toes, that ran away about a month ago. my grandparents loved this kitty and me being an animal lover thought that it would be fun for them to go and see some animals and see if they could find the right kitty for their home.

there was one kitty in particular when we went into the sitting area that came up to my grandpa and just hopped up on him and sat on his lap. it was so cute. my grandpa just has a way with the cats... they have always loved him. whenever he comes to my house and sees my cats, they are always drawn to him. it's really cute.

i loved this picture. i thought it was the cutest thing. just my grandparents. talking about kitties.

my grandpa and marcos have always gotten along. whenever my grandpa was in town, and he would stop by to see marcos and myself we would all go out to lunch and they really hit it off. it was the cutest thing - the first time they met, my grandpa was here in utah and wanted to take us out to dinner after work. we all met up and were trying to decide where to eat.

i had previously told marcos that my grandpa LOVES sizzler. while we were brainstorming for places to eat, marcos brought up sizzler as an option. my grandpa's face lit up and said, 'marcos, do you like the sizzler? let's go there!' we just thought it was so cute. and since then, they have had many nights of chatting and getting to know each other.

this last time that we were in colorado, marcos decided to bring a book of pictures from when he was a child to show my family his family and where he came from. it was cute to see grandpa and marcos sitting together looking at the pictures and talking about family.

i am really glad that we were able to see my family and share some fun memories with them. we had a great weekend and captured some great moments that we will have forever.

3 day weekend ///

2011-09-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

i have to say that i am so excited for the three day weekend that is about to come upon us. i am so excited to just relax. there are a few things that i want to do.

i plan to go shopping to find some really cute outfits at the outlets in park city, ut at the banana republic sale on monday. their sale is 40% off and an additional 20% off on monday if items purchased total over $100. i say, 'yes, please'.

i'm thinking that i might have some ice cream, as we have a ton of ice cream in our freezer that is just sitting there, tempting me. we have lot of sweet condiments that i want to get rid of before i start my diet next week. ;)

i want to kick my feet up and read some books. now i'm not super rad and mysterious and just read books all the time. i am only reading books this weekend, well... because they're text books. for school. ha. but i plan to study quite a bit for class next week.

also - i want to get some music or something that i can listen to at night that is relaxing and helps me to fall asleep. i can no longer stand the white noise of our fan blowing all over the room at night. i need something soothing like... the ocean.

that's just what i want to do this weekend... how about you? any fun plans?

Fall Clothing 2011

2011-09-01T11:15:00.001-07:00

i have to admit that i have never watched mad men. my boyfriend's brother watches it with his girlfriend all the time and they tell us how good that it is. i'm a bit familiar with the plot but i think that i just need to watch it to get the whole thing.

while i was browsing for what i was going to purchase with my allowance this weekend, i came across banana republic's site. of course. and i saw that they had a whole section dedicated to the mad men collection. of course i had to take a look and see.

i have to admit that i fell completely in love with the items listed below. i think i have to have the leopard print trench. it's so cute and not super expensive. it is a soft enough color scheme that it could work with a lot. it's more classy leopard. not so GAH! in your face. i love it.

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emerson.made.

2011-08-31T12:11:00.000-07:00

i have always been in love with the products from emerson made. i was reading a blog yesterday and was prompted to take a look at their new fall collection. i am currently completely in love with the following products from emerson made. i would definitely suggest that you all go and check out their new items for fall. i'm sure you'll fall in love...

the briefcase > > >

2011-08-29T12:15:00.001-07:00

so i have been searching high and low for a new bag that i could carry my books to school in. i'm only taking a few courses this semester just to get my feet back in the door. having only a few courses only makes sense that i would only have a few books. the only bag that i have that would fit my books but not be too small, is a backpack that is quite large in size. i decided that i needed to find something a tad bit smaller so i didn't look silly taking my backpack with 1 item in it.

so my boyfriend and myself ended up finding a really unique messenger bag for himself but i was not as lucky. this past weekend we went to colorado to see my grandpa. while we were there, we found my grandpas old suit case. it was old and torn up and he actually has replaced it with a new, less beat up version. i thought it would be perfect for my laptop and my few books as it is so unique and has such character.

i asked my grandma if i could have it, and she let me take it home. it is gorgeous. and i am excited to have a piece of my grandpa with me everywhere i go.

waterfall braids > > >

2011-08-24T10:01:00.001-07:00

i have had a picture saved on my desk top at work for the longest time. i always wanted to figure out how to braid. when i was younger, i never learned how to braid cause i would just have people do it for me. i would sit there on the floor and let them braid away. never really caring how to do it or anything except what it looked like when it was complete.
so with my braiding knowledge [or lack of] i went on the hunt to find out how to pull off this hair style. i soon found out that it is called 'the waterfall braid'. i think that it is simply the prettiest hair style that i have ever seen. i found a tutorial on love maegan that perfectly showed how to pull off this hair style.

and i can say that it took me a few hours trying to figure out how to french braid first of all... then how to figure out my fingers and arms and hands and the best way to start wrapping my hair around the back of my head without letting go of my braids etc... it was difficult at first... but this morning i woke up and i think it worked out pretty well. i think it's cute at least, and i have gotten a few compliments!

i hope that this tutorial will work for anyone who wants to try! pictures to come...

new fall background >>

2011-08-20T11:28:00.001-07:00

i took some of my favorite fall pictures and made a new desktop background. [click on the link and you can save it, too! i would suggest setting it as a tile background or it will look a bit funny.]

as i have stated before, i am completely ready for everything fall. i have quite a few other desktop backgrounds that i have made and they typically will go with the season. but i didn't have one for autumn. so of course, i had to make one using some fun fall images from weheartit.com. enjoy!

happy friday >>

2011-08-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

i hope everyone has a happy happy friday!!!

boot boot dilemma

2011-08-17T18:36:00.001-07:00

i have been searching high and low for the perfect pair of fall boots. i was thinking a few months ago that i wanted to get some cute chukka style boots. i found the perfect pair and have been thinking about them ever since. they are short ankle cut boots and would be cute with dresses or skinny jeans... whatever. i love them.

but now that fall is approaching, i am thinking that i want to get some tall, flat, cognac boots. i am 5ft10in and don't really wear heels around much because even some of my shorter heels make me over 6 feet tall and i'm not a fan of feeling that tall. and heels are just not that comfortable.

so - i went on the search for my next pair of flat boots and was so excited when i ran across chinese laundry's women's night owl boot. i am now debating between the chukkas and these.

which pair would you buy?

messy messy messy

2011-08-16T19:45:00.001-07:00

i don't know about anyone else, but lately i have been really lazy with my hair. i always want to get up, shower and make it perfect for the day, but i forget how perfect hair can look when it's just simply messy.

i was able to come up with a few images that portray some messy hair and some styles that i am going to be trying out here in the next week or so to change things up a bit. the completely straight, long look is getting a little boring for me. i need some lift. i need some volume. so - messy hair, here i come!

my allowance wishlist

2011-08-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

so i went shopping this past weekend with my allowance. i had a really hard time coming across something that 1. i didn't already have and 2. i really needed. i find myself always buying the same type of clothing. on a typical day, you will find me wearing a little dress, maybe some leggings, a long unique necklace and some flats. so when i went out shopping i tried to steer myself away from buying that style of clothing...
and it was so hard. i could not find anything and did not purchase anything except a really cute pair of cognac lace up brogues. they were a steal and i love them. but i still have quite a bit of my allowance left over, and i want more.

i found this necklace at a/e and had to have it. i bought it and have worn it a few times since. it is definitely my style and it goes with a lot of my outfits. so i got hooked into wanting other things that would suit my necklace... which of course means, other things that look just like other things that i already have. while online shopping, i found myself at u/o and couldn't resist the following:>>>>>>>>>
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autumn please +++

2011-08-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

i think that i easily could say that i am tired of summer. i am tired of shorts. i am tired of flip flops and swim suits. but i can also easily say that i am ready for fall. i am ready for jeans and boots. i am ready for hot chocolate and pumpkin flavored everything. i am ready for big comfy sweaters and thick blankets.

so, summer please be over soon. i'm ready for autumn.

<<< click on image for source >>>

a playlist for you >>>

2011-08-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

i have been listening to 'foster the people' for the past 2 days. on repeat. all day. at work. i am almost 99% sure that some of my co-workers that sit around me are getting very annoyed. but i love it. and that's what matters, right?!!?!

enjoy!!

preparing the workspace >>>

2011-08-09T18:54:00.001-07:00

i love seeing all of the cute posts that other bloggers post that show what their work space looks like or what they carry in their purses. i have never done anything like this and so i thought it would be my turn. with school coming right around the corner, and finding myself at the university a lot frequently, it motivated me to clean up my work space so that i could come home and complete homework with ease and without having to shuffle through papers.

as you see in my pictures, the theme of our office is black and white. marcos and myself are fortunate enough to have a desktop and a lap top for each of us. i am so excited to be able to take my laptop to school and put it to good use.

one of my favorite items in our office is the hand painted portrait of abe lincoln that we scored at a garage sale for $20!! a college student was moving to the east coast and did not want to try to get it there in a truck unharmed so she was letting it go at a garage sale. sad for her, but so good for us. we have loved and even fought over this picture ever since. it's really quite amazing. nothing you could find at ikea or a local boutique. it's one of a kind and we love it.

other than that, we have a bookcase with all of our books and things.... we love our office. it works great for us.

looking forward to school . . .

2011-08-08T19:02:00.000-07:00

wednesday marks the day that this fabulous bag is going to show up in the fossil store at the fashion place mall in salt lake city, utah. wednesday marks the day that my boyfriend gets to run up to that mall and pick it up so he has a bag to carry his laptop and books in to school. wednesday marks a very important and exciting day.

i just absolutely love this messenger bag. it's super chic and it looks super good on him, too. i am really excited for him to get his hands on this bag. he has been dying for a messenger bag for quite some time now and he has saved his allowance and has decided that he must do it.+++

2011-08-07T17:53:00.001-07:00

i wanted to update everyone on my life for the past few weeks. i have been a terrible blogger and there are a few reasons why. i got a new position at work. i work in the customer support department of a company that assists people in building and maintaining their online websites. the call center in which i work is based off of inbound calls of people needing assistance. so when the phone rings, you answer.

i am on a new division of customer support where i am actually assigned a number of accounts to manage. right now i am working with 65 people once a week. therefore i do not have the time to dedicate to my blog during the week. and that is typically where i would find my inspiration for new posts and i would have time to act on them.

now all of my posts will be coming from my home. i just needed a few weeks there to figure everything out, but we should be back on track now.

so - the most exciting thing that i want to share with you all is .......

my boyfriend and i have registered for classes and are going to be attending the fall semester at uvu!! we are really excited. i have not been in a classroom since high school. so there are a few nerves, but i am overall super ready, and super excited to get going.

so the next few months will also consist of me working in the classroom some nights and studying as well. we are going to be taking intro to writing as well as a political science course. we are taking them together also which will be really fun. so wish us luck!

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lazy friday >>

2011-07-29T12:30:00.004-07:00

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i hope this weekend is fun and full of travel. go someplace new. be inspired. the summer is almost over.

happy friday! ♥

via coffee

2011-07-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

i have never been much of a coffee drinker. only if the drink consists of at least 1/2 sugar. i love anything and everything sweet. so the bitter taste of coffee without sugar or sweetener is just too much for me to handle.
my boyfriend drinks coffee and in fact, he got a keurig for his birthday last year. we had a whole bunch of k cups that i could never get used to. some french roast. i went out and bought some products to make my coffee sweet and it always ended up with either too much cream, too much sugar or not enough. i am by no means a bartista and i just stopped drinking coffee for a while... until...
a few weeks ago, my boyfriend and i were walking through wal mart and a kind old gentleman was at one of the little stands offering/promoting products. and he had starbucks via iced coffee. i had myself a little cup just to try it, and my oh my, i fell in love. hard.

i have gone through about 4 packs of via iced coffee. it is just what i need. it's just what i like. i wanted to share with anyone who might like their coffee a tiny bit sweeter... it's the best thing yet! definitely give it a try!

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h&m love

2011-07-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

for all of you h&m lovers out there that are near the murray, utah area... wish no further. yes, it is true. h&m is opening a 2 story, 23,000 square foot shop of goodness scheduled to open this fall. so. save your allowances, prepare for fall clothing and head on over to h&m soon!! maybe pick up a few of the following items.. for me?

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happy weekend ↕

2011-07-22T12:05:00.001-07:00

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happy friday!! ♥

Modern Wallpaper

2011-07-21T12:46:00.003-07:00

this is obviously NOT your grandmother's wallpaper. when i think of wall paper i think of the hideous, tacky old cream with floral flowers in the shapes of hearts running up and down the wall. i'm not a fan of wallpaper like that. but i am a believer that some wallpaper can look amazing given the room and the decor that goes with it.

i have conjured up a few images of what i would say are gorgeous wallpapers. the last picture is probably my most favorite just for the simple fact that i would be a tad bit scared to dedicate a whole entire room to one wallpaper as i have never done it before. but what you can do is mark off a small section of the wall behind a couch, table...anything and frame it! adding the wallpaper just in the center of the frame will make it look like a lovely framed piece of art. i quite like it!! ♥ enjoy!

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