so happy together

When I heard the news that my cousin was getting hitched, I jumped at the chance to help out with the decor for their big day!! I absolutely love weddings. . .  true love, endless drinking, dirty dancing, and complete happiness all wrapped up in one night!! With all of that aside, decorating and styling a wedding honestly warms my heart and tickles my fancy. Along with my aunt Alice from Moss to Moon, we created a little magic and had a blast doing it. . .

Floral Design :: Moss to Moon

Chalk Art :: Mystics + Mint

Design and Styling :: Alice + Laura

bitter sweet

This past weekend, my beautiful sister, and co-author of this blog was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. According to her doctors, they think that she has had this for years!! Due to her extremely healthy and active lifestyle, she was able to manage it on her own, naturally. But her poor body couldn't keep up and finally broke down. Last night, as our family gathered for a birthday celebration for our older sister Katie, Mary was unpacking and testing her new "swag" as we call it. Of course, my parents were bickering over the instructions, while Mary had snot running out of her nose to my left and Katie was eating her birthday dinner alone to my right.  Meanwhile, I forgot about the birthday cake that was slowly burning in the oven. Needless to say it was a little bit of a stressful celebration!!  

Anyways. It was incredibly heart breaking for me to watch the tears pour down Mary's face as our dad pricked her finger and injected her leg with insulin for the first time. I want to dedicate this post to Mary and all of the strong, beautiful people in the world living with this disease. Mary is the most compassionate, loving, and self-less sister in the world. This girl amazes and inspires me on a daily basis. She will be posting diabetic friendly recipes as well as tips + tricks that she uncovers throughout her exploration into the world of diabetes.

We love you Mimi

photography: wild{whim}photography

illustration: design.love.fest

happy things

I had a very inspiring talk with a co-worker today who told me about a personal challenge that she created for herself. It involved writing a list of all of the things that brought her happiness and a list of the things that conjured negative energy. When the noise of daily life grows louder and louder, she refers back to her  list and tries to focus on her "happy things". Here are a few of ours. . .

image credit: ffffound tumblr , bourbon and pearls ,  my life coach sparkles ,  wishflowers , note to sarah , paris 2 london

iDiaries : CHAPTER 1

snowballs . art room . flower crown . pug love . 

chalk drawings . mama bear moments . paint therapy . memories . 

laying in the grass watching clouds.

hello i love you

I am a lover - slash - addict - slash - snob when it comes to packaging! I find myself dropping more money for the amazing bottle or label, even if the product inside is the same as the ugly cheap sister sitting next to it on the shelf. So when I bought the 4 piece test tube Valentine's day sprinkles I already had an idea of how I would reuse those cute little tubes! What cuter way to say I love you than a message in a bottle? I hand wrote 4 little notes to hide around the house on Valentine's day for my husband. This is a great way to surprise someone with a little love and tenderness. . . 

here are some other ways to say i.love.you

credit: the cherry blossom girl . shanna murray . corn flower blue studio

licorice love wands

Valentine's day = sweet treats from your lover, finding a secret surprise from an admirer, or sitting in your bed alone with a box of chocolates stuffing your face singing "all by myself!!!!!!!!!" Yes, this is the day that we all give in to that love/hate relationship with sugar and indulge in one too many hershey kisses and shovel down half a dozen of those delicious chocolate covered strawberries. What about those "fat-free" red vines that come in a tub that seems like if you grab 5 no one can tell?? Well this year, we decided to make LICORICE LOVE WANDS. . .  magically dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with sugar dust to conjure Cupid's affection. These are fun, easy, and make the perfect project for your little helpers (if you have em) . Get dipping. . .

what you need:

1 tub o' red vines

1 bag white dipping chocolates

3 tubes of sprinkles

Prepare your work surface with wax paper to place your wands on while they cool. Melt the chocolate according to the package. Dip licorice in the melted chocolate and tap on the side of the bowl until you get a nice and even coat on the end of the licorice. Sprinkle toppings onto the licorice as you turn, covering the chocolate evenly. Place wand on the wax paper to cool.

Once your wands are cool, place them in a large glass jar and enjoy! This makes about 150 wands, so go ahead and package some up to give to your co-workers, friends, or lover! XOXO