The Barnes Family

Just a quick sneak peek at what Coach House Pictures has been up to!  As I announced a few weeks ago, this is our new photography adventure that Joe and I have been growing.  We had so much fun photographing the Barnes family!  There boys are so energetic and lively!  We loved following them around there Bucktown neighborhood (which just happens to be ours too) and capturing them in the moment. Here are a few of my favorite shots.  Check out our blog to see the full posting of this photo session. Happy Monday and a great start to your week!

Photography: Coach House Pictures

Summer Comforts

What I love most about the summer months is enjoying all that comfort food can only bring as the temps stay high.  This summer Joe's been in the kitchen a lot cooking up the yummiest of comforts for his food portfolio!  And the best part is that after all the food styling and photos have been taken, we get to enjoy the ones that didn't make the cut.   How about indulging in a little comfort yourself today?

Styling & Photography: Joe Bankmann

There's still time....

I've been spotting quite a few fall posts invading the sunny summer blogland air.  I don't know about you, but I'm holding on to the very last bloom of summer.  I can't get enough of the heat and warm breezes.  If you feel like summer has come and gone and you feel like you have yet to partake in summertime fun, here are a few things that are awaiting your company. 

 

Like these DIY picnic invites found over at Eat Drink Chic. Something so sweet and simple to hand out to your closet friends.  Joe and I have been enjoying picnics at our local park nearby and at Ravinia this past weekend.

Create a celebratory pinata!  I thought this would be fun to make and not just numbers too! Drop by Oh Happy Day to get the full DIY scoop!

And last but not least take a popcicle break and sit back and enjoy the dog days that only summer can bring. Find the complete recipes over at Chez Beepers blog.  What is still on your to do list this summer?

Summer Loving and Happenings

  Hello blogland!  I bet your wondering where I've been for so long?!  I've been throughly delighting and basking in the warm summer air.  I really can't get enough of it.  I've been spending time with my loves in my life, doing away with cable television, devouring one library book after another, packing picnics to view movies in the park, experiencing my first country music concert, camping and hiking through Starved Rock,  taking neighborly strolls to the local dog park, keeping my cool with frozen treats, joining my brave sis for Sunday morning long runs along the lakefront (she's training for the Chicago Marathon). And last but not least,  I've been working tirelessly on our place and was super excited to have our home featured on Apartment Therapy last month too!  It was fun working towards getting our place to feel more lived in (with the help of countless DIY's) as well as adding a jolt of color happiness on the surrounding kitchen walls. Joe and I loved how everything came together and we just renewed our lease for a second year!!  Yay :) We are here to stay!!  How's your summer been?  I hope you've been getting the most out of it and enjoying as many experiences as well as creating new memories along the way.

  Below and above are a few snapshots of our flourishing succulent garden display in our front bay window.  These babies are thriving like you wouldn't believe!  And with so little effort on my part, once a week watering is all they need!  I highly recommend all variety of succulents for the green thumb impaired :)  I found mine at my local Home Depot, all under $6 a piece.  And the wood containers I found at a local Goodwill store for a $1 each! I covered some books with brown craft paper and splurged on some fun wrapping paper from the Container Store to give the display some height and pops of color.

Keep the Summer loving coming.....

Photos by EV Photography

Happy Start

Butterfly Moss

I have so much to be happy for to start off the week. I spent the weekend with little down time (for which I was grateful when I did have time to devour the Sunday Trib) and spent it with family at a bar-b-que, at dinner and a movie, drinks at a friends, and at the Botanic gardens for an afternoon photo shoot. I'm still going through my files today, but would love to share with you some of the portraits we ended up creating. How was your weekend?

Revisiting the Summer List

How's your summer shaping up so far? A friend inquired about how my summer list productivity so I decided to take another peak at it. I have 13 items so far completed out of my 30 things to do this summer, horray!

1. Rock climb
2. Watch a movie in the park
3. Pack a picnic
4. Visit a dog park
5. Bike ride along the lake
6. Watch fireworks
7. Take a couples photo
8. Make sangria
9. Host a dinner party
10. Dance like no ones watching
11. Wear SPF daily
12. Go camping
13. Swim in a lake
14. Design and build a custom shelving unit
15. Buy fresh flowers bi-weekly
16. Open up to new color schemes
17. Ditch diet coke
18. Build a campfire
19. Create minty/citrus flavored cocktail
20. Find couple to play doubles tennis
21. Wake up early to see the sun come up over Lake Michigan
22. Throw an open house
23. Plan and host craft night
24. Visit farmers market
25. Drive less
26. Walk in the rain
27. Be more social
28. Spend a weekend with my nephew
29. Plant outside
30. Eat 2 meatless meals a week

Wednesday Wishes

At 60 miles per hour print

For this weeks Wednesday wishes post I am wishing that all my fellow bloggers are squeezing the most outta the long days of your summer! As I pack to head out to Spring Green Wisconsin for a long weekend of camping and canoeing, it will surely be a most deserved time off from work and a nice chance to escape the city landscape. The title of this print feels exactly like the pace I've been charging at all summer long to say the least. Nothing that a cozy camp fire, big open fields, and afternoon swims in the river won't be able to remedy!

30 List for Summer

P is for Party

30 things I vow to do this summer:

1. Rock climb
2. Watch a movie in the park
3. Pack a picnic
4. Visit a dog park
5. Bike ride along the lake
6. Watch fireworks
7. Take a couples photo
8. Make sangria
9. Host a dinner party
10. Dance like no ones watching
11. Wear SPF daily
12. Go camping
13. Swim in a lake
14. Design and build a custom shelving unit
15. Buy fresh flowers bi-weekly
16. Open up to new color schemes
17. Ditch diet coke
18. Build a campfire
19. Create minty/citrus flavored cocktail
20. Find couple to play doubles tennis
21. Wake up early to see the sun come up over Lake Michigan
22. Throw an open house
23. Plan and host craft night
24. Visit farmers market
25. Drive less
26. Walk in the rain
27. Be more social
28. Spend a weekend with my nephew
29. Plant outside
30. Eat 2 meatless meals a week

Are you planning on keeping summer new and exciting? I'd love to know what your list/plans include!

Lovely Clusters: Summer Catalog 2010

Happy Monday to everyone! It's a beautiful partly sunny (my fav) day in Chicago! Rachel from lovely clusters wrote me today to let me know that her Summer Catalog is out and free for browsing! Each page is catagorized by color, which makes it a delight to flip through its virtual pages. If you see something that catches your eye just click on the photo for more information about the seller. Oh, and be sure to linger around the green page to see if anything looks familiar to you?
Enjoy!

{ Urban Garden Party }

{Photos by EV Photography}

Today is my friday! I have family coming in from out of town this weekend and want to catch up on some unfinished chores at home in time for the their arrival. That being said, I plan on doing a whole lot of fun and relaxing over my long weekend. These photos totally reflect the kind of laid back weekend summer vibe I'm referring to. My weekend starts off tomorrow with a family picnic in the park over at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. They have free concerts every Friday in the summer as part of their music festival series. Saturday night I plan on heading over to the Sheffield Garden Walk for more live outdoor entertainment and ice cold beverages! Cheers & have a great weekend.

{ Summer in the City }

Leave it up to us Chicagoans to know how to take advantage of the short summer months. With so many festivals, outdoor concerts, sandy beaches, movies in the park, and cool summer nights one can't help but feel nostaglic about our great city. Especially when they are captured by the great photographer Terry Evans. These shots are taken as part of her Revealing Chicago series. Make plans to carve out a bit of summer in your favorite city this season!

{ Photos by Terry Evans }