happy monday.

Eeekkkk, is it Monday already?!?  Where did the weekend go, seriously!  Well we had a great one and I hope you did too.  We tried out a new restaurant that I think might become one of my faves, Bar Jules.  Simply amazing!  We spent Sunday afternoon sipping on coffee at The Mill and then walked down to Bi-Rite to try out their famous ice cream (can you believe we hadn't tried it yet? SO good).  Isn't it the best feeling to discover new amazing food and drink spots in your city?  I love it.  So, while I'm not ready for Monday to begin quite yet, I'll be dreaming of the treats we consumed over the weekend. (psssst...get my new long sweater here.  I'm obsessed with it.)

{dining outdoors at bar jules}, {my sweater}

summer begins.

YAY, it's officially summer!  It's sunny out today and all I feel like doing is taking a good book outside to soak it all in.  Any fun Friday plans for you?  G and I plan on spending the rest of the weekend just hanging.  We don't have any plans for Saturday, which I can hardly believe, but I am trying to embrace a bit of non-planning (well, at least try to embrace it as much as I can. I am a planner at heart).  Here's to a dreamy weekend.

{photo}

home pretties.

I'm currently coveting these two items for our home.  That amazing marble + wood cheese board (which would also make a great hostess gift) is high on my list.  I'm also loving this plant riser.  I have managed to keep most (but not all) of my succulents alive, so I have a little ways to go until I'm ready for a full on riser filled with plants.  But I'm slowly on my way.

{plant}, {cheese}

fashion inspiration.

Some weeks I just keep reaching for the same thing in my closet day after day (yep, I'm talking about you white maxi dress).  So yesterday I started scouring the web for some new fashion inspiration and these gems caught my eye.  Jean on jean, aka the canadian tuxedo...thoughts?  Well I wore a similar version of this last night and actually kind of liked it.  And an all black ensemble during the summer?  If you pair some chic black shorts with a loose top, I'm all about it.

{jeans}, {black}

fashion rules.

I couldn't agree more with this quote.  I like to experiment with fashion.  Why not?  I once worked in a showroom for an amazing furniture manufacturer.  It was a modern furniture company and they were fine with us dressing a little more fashion forward.  One day I wore a super ruffly dress in a bright color (with a blazer) and one of my fave clients came in.  He said to me "wow, that's quite the dress.  It kind of looks like something my daughter would wear to school...on wacky wednesday...she's in kindergarten".  I laughed out loud.  While my co-workers seemed to look on in horror, I was smiling from ear to ear.  I liked the fact that I was dressing a bit crazy, dressing just the way I wanted.  So I completely agree, "forget the rules, if you like it, wear it"!

{fashion}

dinner by me.

This might not sound like breaking news, but believe me it is...I made dinner last night.  Yep, all by myself (note: I did have to call my sister once to verify the cooking time).  Ha!  So, in case you didn't already know, my husband is the chef in this home...but he might have some competition now.  What I made wasn't anything fancy or crazy (I made vegetarian enchiladas), but I gotta say they were darn good.  And I actually kind of enjoyed being in the kitchen.  Here's to more dinners cooked by yours truly (but I'm not making any promises).  p.s. How pretty are these kitchens?  A girl can dream.

{marble}, {white cabinets}

summertime salads.

Summer means lots and lots of gatherings with friends + family...friends + family who actually have some outdoor space.  ha!  I love getting together for potluck style dinners in the early summer evening hours.  This year I want to try out some yummy fresh salads and these two are high on my list.  This tomato and watermelon salad looks so refreshing.  This mexican corn salad already has my mouth watering.  yum!

{watermelon}, {corn}

new heels.

Well I've been trying to incorporate more heels into my wardrobe and so far so good.  I decided I needed to add a nude heel into the lineup and stumbled upon this pair.  I just ordered them, so once I've received them and given them a whirl, I will let you know what I think.  I feel like a nude heel is one of those staple closet items that I've been missing for far too long.

{heels}

flower love.

Do you have a favorite flower?  Well the peony is up at the top of my list (along with ranunculus and dahlias).  I mean, they certainly bring a lot of happiness to any home.  Ummmm and if you haven't heard, they are now at Trader Joe's and the price can't be beat ($6.99 for a bunch).  Get over there immediately and brighten up your Monday.

{my instagram}