Paper heart

I am a sucker for fun and pretty party decor, and Ashley Meaders paper goods are just that.  This is one maker of things that really knows how to have a party. 

Happy Friday!

There are some great sun tea recipes over at Design Sponge today.  The perfect summer beverage for the weekend.

Butterfly room

I went to an event last week at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Musem and spent most of my evening oohing and ahhing at the over 1,000 butterflies in the Butterfly Room.  Here are a few snap shots of my favorites...
this leaf is really a butterfly!


This little guy was pretty hyper, he finally stopped fluttering around so I could get a quick picture. Now I see he has freakishly long legs.

I love the pattern on the wings of this one. 

This is the largest butterfly in the world.  It will only live for 5-6 days, because it looses its mouth during metamorphosis.

Alright alright alright

Sound Opinions at the Movies screened Dazed at Confused last week at the Music Box Theatre. So we got the chance to see the cult classic on the big screen! It was a blast seeing it with a theatre full of people who, like myself, had seen it just a few times before. We all sang along to all the great songs, and laughed together at all the witty lines that we all know by heart. So I thought I would continue the fun and put together my own little "Living In" segment, a la Design Sponge.


Living in: Dazed and Confused




Wanted...

Someone willing to pay my rent in the interest of freeing me from this silly day job that takes up way too much of my time. I would much prefer being at home cooking something, making something or reading something. You would be handsomely rewarded with homemade meals, upholstered goods, and crafty doodads.
For this new job I would need the perfect uniform, and nothing I have is quite right. So I would also need you to get me this...

I have been looking for the perfect pretty house coat for a very long time.  I can't think of a better one than this. 

Millions of Peaches...

Peaches for me! My Aunt and Uncle in Texas sent me a box of Big Peach soda this week. This is hands down my favorite drink around.
There are many reasons why I love Big Peach. The most obvious reason being that it has the delicious flavor of a peach, and it's the most refreshing beverage I could possibly imagine, but most of all it's because it evokes a sense of nostalgia. It has a way of reminding me of being a kid, visiting family, and the long hot days of a carefree summer.
If you don't have amazing family in Texas to send you some Big Peach soda, here are a few ways you can enjoy the sweet nectar of a peach this summer...


Thank you Sherri and Ron!!!

Sneak peek

They are filming the new Transformers movie right outside of my office building.  It makes it hard to work when you get an email saying there will be low flying helicopters and parashuters outside of your window.  Here are a few shots taken by a coworker...

Pitchfork Music Festival

Here are some shots of just a few of my faves at the fest (please note my great spot up there in the sound booth!), and then some of the posters I'm fond of from one of my favorite aspects of Pitchfork, Flatstock poster alley...






Midnight Marauders

Last weekend I had the chance to participate in an all night bike ride with the Midnight Marauders. This group of bike enthusiasts is the most fun loving welcoming bunch I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. The group meets monthly to ride through the streets of Chicago. Each ride takes a different route, with lots of fun stops along the way, and ends in a special surprise for sun rise. This particular ride ended at a nature preserve on the lake with a nice swim and a beautiful sun rise over the water.



photo credit midnight marauders


photo credit midnight marauders


photo credit midnight marauders






A beautiful end to a great night

Weekends are too rare



I pushed myself to the limit this weekend. There were a million things I wanted to do, and I did them all! Friday night with the girls, Saturday full of estate sales, all night bike ride Saturday night, Pitchfork music festival on Sunday. I even fit laundry in there somewhere too. I am exhausted. Pictures of all of these notable events will be coming soon.

First I sleep.

Happy Friday!

A Lyric a Day: an everyday project by Luke Beard.

Recycle...everyone's doing it




Queen Elizabeth originally wore this dress adorned with the Scarlet Ibis and Cocrico, the Caribbean country's national birds, to a state dinner in Trinidad. The dress was 'recycled' for an event hosted by the Canadian government in honor of its Queen. The Queens dresser had maples leafs made of Swarovski crystals stitched onto the dress as a tribute to Canada. The Queen described it a 'a very useful dress'.

If I'm not mistaken, those are the same shoes too!

Rich and rare were the gems she wore,

and a bright gold ring on her hand she bore.
~ Thomas Moore


the original hipster



Fun and interesting photos by Julia Chesky. I don't normally take the time to read through comments on blogs, but today my work load is less than exciting. It's crazy to me how some people will take any chance to get on a soapbox about something (comments here). I guess I should stop complaining about how boring my job is. It seems to me they have it much worse!




lions and tigers and bears oh my


apparently there's a new craze in China to dye your dog to look like an exotic animal!  



Camping


We are going camping this weekend and I plan on taking lots of pretty pictures with my new camera!

I believe in luck


Lucky lucky am I!  I won a $100 gift certificate to allmodern.com from the wonderful Lake Jane.  The last time I was the lucky winner was in high school.  I called into a radio show and won two tickets to a Tim McGraw concert.  Needless to say, this trumps that!  Sorry Tim.

I already know what this fabulous gift will be put towards.  I have wanted a set of Dwell bedding for a very long time.  This set in particular...



Doesn't that make you want to curl up in bed and never get out? 

To top it all off, I'm almost done painting my floral curtains for my bedroom.  It's all coming together!


Thank you Lake Jane!


Green with envy


Who at one point or another has not dreamt of living in a tree house? I would love to live in a whimsical recycled home built by this man!