Work gets in the way!

I've had a crazy work week and thus my reasons for being MIA this week. All my body wants is food and sleep...thanks for still being my friend! Tomorrows Friday..yay!! Looking forward to reconnecting next week :)

Madewell

Thanks for joining me this week!  On Sunday my mom and I went shopping and I found myself stopping into the Madewell shop for the first time.  Loved the cool vintage styling of this place and all the beautiful wares are well!  Too bad I had already purchased these prior to stepping into this place...
I picked up their Spring catalog on the way out and today I share with you some of my favorites from this issue.  Are you familiar with this shop?  Do you frequent it often? Because I can see myself coming back to shop here once my account allows me to :)

Photo layouts: Pugly Pixel

It's the Weekend!!

Book Review: Nest for Two

I pulled this book off the shelves this weekend to help spark some ideas on organizing and after browsing through it I knew that I had to share some of my favorite pages with you!  I bought Nest for Two way before me and Joe moved in together, mainly because I liked the way the book is divided into the different living categories of eat, sleep, work, play, and relaxing (my fav)!  But it does give some great tips on how to mesh his and hers home goods together to create a cozy and livable home. I especially love the many practical (and budget friendly) office and closet storage solutions they showcase.  Makes me want to get a jump start on my closet cleaning!  

Are you inspired like I am yet?  Any practical storage solutions you love to share?

Because I'd love to know :)

Nail Files

1. Sally Hansen, Brilliant Blush/ 2. Revlon, Peachy/ 3. Revlon, Make Mine Mango/ 4. Revlon, Cherries in the Snow/ 5. Sally Hansen, Commander in Chic/ 6. Ulta, Deep Desire/ 7. OPI, Holiday Glow


Since getting engaged a few months ago my new favorite thing is changing my nail polish color to reflect my mood, outfit, time of day, oh yay and to highlight the bling I am happy to wear!  To start this Monday off, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite colors I have in rotation right now.  I'm currently liking the Revlon Top Speed brand for its lighting fast drying time (about 60 seconds, until you can touch them) and the Sally Hansen Manicure in a bottle collection, which packs a base coat, top coat, strengthener, and grow treatment all into one bottle!  And with this secret weapon that I recently discovered, I always have time to do my nails!

Do you have brands/colors of polish that you are loving right now?  Please share!

Leaving the City!

I'm taking the day off to go and enjoy the early summer like weather we've been blessed with this week! Joe and I are packing a picnic and heading to Lake Geneva, a quaint little town about 1-1/2 hour drive from the city!  I'll post photos of our day and share with you next week!  Enjoy your weekend peeps!!

Tilt Shift Focus App

Today I wanted to share with you a Mac desktop app I've been playing around with for a while.  It's called tilt shift focus app that mimics the old view cameras we practiced on in photo school.  But this is way easier and you don't need a whole semester to master its skills.  All you need is a Mac computer (sorry pc's) and a few of your favorite photos!  The best part about this app is that you can control the focal point and intensity of the soft focus feature.  But don't take it from me, you can learn more about this fun app and it's other included features. Simply download the app application to your desktop and start searching for the tilt shift focus app.  It's amazing how easy it is to change the feeling/mood of your photos just by redirecting its focus!  Have fun :)

I found this quote today while browsing through my Pinterest feed.  I couldn't find the author of the quote but I knew I had to share it on the blog today because it rings so true to me.  As you know Joe and I have been working on getting Coach House Pictures up and running which has lead me to experienced many out of comfort zone moments, but I know that they are good for me/for us. And I know that they are a super important step to creating anything new in this world.  Plus when I am shooting for CHP, I can't help but smile because my heart feels like it's about to explode (at times) because I get so excited and inspired when we have a photo shoot! It's amazing to see the results come to life and I can't wait to shoot more and share it with you all here!

So I have to ask....what have you done lately that has brought you out of your comfort zone? Would you do it again, now that you see that it's not as scary as you have played it on your mind to be?

DIY Fabric Covered Potted Plants

To jumpstart the week I wanted to share a simple project I worked on this weekend.  I recently bought a few small potted plants from my local home depot to add some color to our bay window.  And instead of transferring the pots into a better looking pot I decided the quickest way would be to just cover them with materials I already had on hand.  A few pieces of fabric and yarn did just the trick!  I like the way these came out that I'm thinking of incorporating a handful of these fabric covered potted plants  (big and small) into the wedding decor. I'm digging the casual and rustic vibe these will bring to our day. Plus they are super affordable to boot! Wishing you a happy start to your week :)

Happy Friday!

Hooray!  We made it till Friday!  Did this seem like the  l o n g e s t  week to anyone else?  It was worth it to be able to see these guys perform tonight at the Allstate Arena with some of the gals from work!  I'm SO looking forward to hearing them.  I saw them last year for the first time and they are so great live.  They really get the crowd going and they sound just as good or even better live on stage!  Thanks for joining me this week...wishing you a joyful weekend!!

Spring is on it's Way!

It was amazingly warm today in Chicago at around 64 degrees..in March!  That's almost unheard of really, in these Midwest parts.  We think 40 degree weather is nice this time of year.  I got started on my indoor bulb planting to celebrate the weather today and I hope these babies bring much needed color and brightness to the place because in all honesty we need it!  What's the weather like in your neck of the woods/rainforest and what are you doing to celebrate the changing of seasons?

Inspired by: Utterly Engaged

Photography: Utterly Engaged

After taking our first venue tour last weekend at a local barn, let's just say that I left feeling underwhelmed by the feeling on the space.  It seemed nice from the outside with a big red barn door and silo but the inside seemed dark and too country picnic-ish for a wedding.  What we did decide on is that we want to have the ceremony and reception all in the same place, so our guests don't have to shuffle around.  Needless to say I was in need of some major wedding decor inspiration.  I got my fill with the help of these two very different wedding styles found via Utterly Engaged.  I love the modern, sleek feel of the first space and the romantic and laid back vibe of the second.  The hunt continues for a venue.  Next up we are looking at possibly renting a tutor home located on a few acres of wooded preserved land. And I also got an idea from a co-worker to see about possibly renting out a bed and breakfast to serve as the venue.  Any out of the ordinary venue ideas you might have for me would also be greatly appreciated.  Wish me luck on my hunt!

*A few more wedding details:

  Guest List: 75

  Wedding Colors: Mint & Poppy with accents of Ivory & Yellow

  Honeymoon: Thailand

  Date: TBD

Free Photo Download

To celebrate the weekend and to show my love for my blogging ladies and gents, I thought I'd give you a freebie photo print of mine to download.  It's a closeup of my newly redesigned header (thanks for all your sweet comments).  Click here to find it in my Flickr album.  I'm signing off for the week, have an inspirational weekend! xo, Liz

Dinner with Trader Joe's

The other night my main man Joe was out for the night, which left me to fend for myself for dinner.  This is one of my all time fav dinner for one recipes and *bonus* all the ingredients are a one stop shop at your local Trader Joe's! In my version I use 3 egg whites and only 1 yolk.  I make the egg omelet first and then set it aside and while the pan is still hot I throw in the greens and wait a few minutes until they get a bit wilted.  Then I spread the feta and red pepper spread on top and savor each bite!  HHmmm..I can taste it now.  Do you have any quick dinner for one recipes?! Please share.