friday faves: 5.20.11

i was sick most of this week with what can pretty much be described as a non-stop migraine.  ugh.  when i wasn't drugged up, asleep, or whining in pain, i've been working on some long-term plans currently in the works.  lots of big life decisions coming up, to say the least....

but anywho, between all the researching and phone calls and hours spent in bed hurting, i did happen to find some fabulous pretty things to share ~

design/decor

~ a great diagram to help start your gallery wall staircase ~

as you may remember, i love me some stairwell gallery walls! but as incredible as i find these spaces, the work of actually creating such a masterpiece seems, well... daunting.  where to start, how to make it just right, try to balance the difference size frames... ugh.  but this post on everything fabulous, filled with lots of beautiful stairwell gallery walls, gave me this handy dandy diagram!  appareantly the trick is to: "measure the same distance from the collage to the stairs every second or third step, to keep the distance consistently."  not so daunting anymore!

~ surprisingly chic yellow striped walls ~

i never would have expected to like yellow striped walls anywhere other than a nursery, but man do i love the way the soft yellow pops in this living room!  absolutely lovely.  [via hooked on houses]

fashion

~ everything about this outfit/image ~

everything.  i love all of it, especially tiiu kuik's fabulous pose - & laughter! she is such a talented model [remember this editorial? and she was laughing in that one too!]  but it's not just the model/pose, it's the great outfit - especially those nude lace heels by azzedine alaïa - perfection ~

photo shoot from marie claire australia, march 2011, shot by walther chin [via]

~ fan bing bing in lavender ~

man i must really have a girl crush on fan bing bing!  or at least on her stunning fashion choices.  i love lavender, i love elie saab, i looooove fan bing bing in this gown!  stunning 

[image via red carpet fashion awards]

etc. 

101 followers of pretty things

 

 chicka-whaaa?!  

this is even better than a dalmatians!  

i started blogging about a year ago but kept it all to myself.  it wasn't until mid-june that i decided to do it "for real."  i created a new blog called pretty things and made it open to the public.  i didn't tell any of my friends and thought no one would ever find it - i just figured these pretty images would be out in the middle of nowhere, seen by no one but myself.  and really, that was fine with me, because the whole point of blogging for me was to create a virtual scrapbook where i could stow away all things i find beautiful for the one day i may need it.  but somehow you all found me!  and now, 101 followers?!  wow!  thank you to all you dear readers for making me feel so special today and every day :) 

link love 

 ~ gorgeous ladies in red [my faves = dianna agron in michael kors & brooklyn decker in escada] ~

~ speaking of red, a stunning ODLR dress that is exactly my style! ~

~ some beautiful beautiful mantles ~ 

~ the origin of the bathing suit ~

~ messy buns galore ~ 

xx, kait

friday faves: 4.15.1

here ya go, friday faves for mid-april day!  lots of pretty things for lots of pretty followers ~

design/decor

~ distressed pink bathroom cabinet ~

just love this - simple as that!  by graham & green [via]

~ suitcase stool & hatbox ottoman ~

 completely awesomesauce.  tons more similar upcycled furniture by REcreate

[discovered on lottie loves]

~ DIY twinkle light headboard ~

 unique, whimsical, seemingly easy to make.
see the directions here

fashion

~ leather & sundresses on marissa miller ~

 love this juxtaposition of hard and soft, and desperately wish i could pull it off - not quite sure i could... the leather would just look too out-of-place on my typically super fem self.  

image via the vogue diaries.

{pssst - want more? check out blake lively in a similarly awesome outfit}

fashion photography

~ circus love ~

*cite previous post on jessica stam @ circus

gorgeous photos from the editorial "magical mystery tour," shot by the incredible ellen von unwerth for vogue nippon.  

found on the terrier and the lobster

{psst - want more?  remember jessica stam at the circus??}

~ mirror-shot-love ~

i'm really just in love with this shot - everything about it, but mostly the awesome angles.  this is definitely something i'd like to try out in our next photoshoot!!

from elle uk april 2011 - model sessilee lopez shot by karen collins

see the whole breathtaking photo shoot here

 ~ elie saab editorial love ~

i'm pretty sure it's impossible not to fall in love with the designer after seeing gowns photographed this beautifully.  

[1. elie saab haute couture photographed by benjamin kanarek, from harper's bazaar china april 2011 - via; 2. olivia palermo wearing elie saab for elle mexico. photographed by steven gomillion & dennis leupold- via]

~ happy model love ~

i've previously expressed my love for happy models {exhibits: A, B, C} and this one definitely ranks way up high.  i mean, a bathing suit model doing something other than pouting or giving some other "sexyface" is a true treasure.  can't say it enough - love this pic!

model marloes horst

[via] 

etc

~ a double decker dress shop ~

woah, woah, woah... i read the story of the bus and now desperately want to find it!  not just to shop what will most likely be one of the cutest collection of dresses ever, but also to meet this erin character, who would most likely be one of the coolest and most inspiring women ever.  see more on happiness is..., where i first read about this bus.

~ paperie: papél new york ~

a little q & a with owner raegan hirvela ::

What is your aesthetic? I always had a vision of the shop aesthetic having a classic concept with a modern edge.   From our store fixtures and window displays to the products we carry, I look for items and ideas that are timeless. 

How does your studio style convey your professional aesthetic? Although the music is fun, the cards on the shelves get more than just a giggle, and Francesca my daughter is constant amusement for the customers, but when it comes to collaborating with a client, it’s all business.  We have a dedicated space in the back of the shop where the bride & groom can sit down, relax and flip through our edited selection of wedding vendors.  We created this space so that it was secluded enough for client meetings, while un-obstructing the flow of the store.   It allows first time customers a sneak peak into the customized world of stationery and invitations that we offer.  We achieved this with our room divider made of reclaimed coffee tables that I picked up at thrift shops and the Salvation Army across the city.  It is simply awesome!

 ~ *--*--*--*--*--*--* ~

must be added to my "maybe one day" file... [via]

- psst : the divider she speaks of is in the pictures i included above -

giveaways

~ lovely green necklace ~

by Friedasophie.  head on over to bijou and boheme to enter (with lots of chances for extra entries!!)

~ free blog header ~

i already have my own beautiful blog header from debby @ inspired design, but if you're in need of one, head on over to HERE and enter to get a gorgeous header of your very own!

*note: the header pictured above is just one of the many up for grabs!

~ adorable pink stand ~

loooooooove!  this cute stand is by stands for all seasons and is being generously given away over at moon face.  hurry on over to enter... no really, hurry -- the giveaway ends tonight!

~ a book on social change ~

for anyone interested in something a little more substantial than just pretty things, there is a giveaway going on over at from the right bank for the book, Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan.  i read the excerpt and this is seriously powerful - and way inspiring - stuff.

head here to enter

one last thought... 

“all you need is love. 

but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”

- charles m. schulz

hope your weekend is filled with lots of love & lots of chocolate as well!!

~ kait

fashion: forever new a/w 2011

confession time: i had never heard of the australian brand forever new before i came across their autumn/winter 2011 collection on fashionising.  i immediately felt very in the dark because my-oh-my this style is my style!  what a treat!   i mean, the show started with ballerinas!  if that isn't perfectly "kait-esque," i don't know what is!

but anways, on to the main show - the fabulous fashion --

and the TWO looks i most want (usually i can narrow it down to one... not this time!) --

 ~ ONE ~

that neckline!  that belt!  that silhouette!  whoooah baby...

 ~ TWO ~

 pretty sure i need this soft rose jacket in my life.  i mean, that back tie-bow?  perfection.

head on over to fashionising to see much, much more.  

truly - i just skimmed the surface of this collection's loveliness!

side note: also in love with the styling for the models.  especially the soft wave-curls.  woah.

* expect to see more of forever new here on pretty things in the future! *

-kait

wedding wednesday: claire la faye bridal

okay, major wedding wednesday epiphany - the accessory designer of garden of whimsy that i just posted about last week is the same lovely woman i posted about way back in september!  i'm pretty embarrassed about this epiphany, i definitely should have put two and two together way sooner, but regardless, i am even the more impressed with this woman after learning more about her expansive talents!  she is, of course, the uber talented claire la faye, and today i'd like to show a few pics showcasing her newest collection . . .

 wedding dresses in soft pastels ~

delicate rose detail ~

rosy feathers ~

 (and of course she also designed the beautiful headpiece!)

* photo shoot by rebecca lindon of Deville Photography *

discovered on junebug weddings

pretty pictures: progression - beauty to mess

this rocker of a beauty spread from elle france december 2010 is just beyond cool, and model daria werbowy completely rocks it.  mostly, i love how the images create a sort of progression - from natural to all dolled up to total morning-after mess.  check it out --

blank slate . . .

*hands down my favorite picture from this shoot.  she is such a natural beauty and this shot is just perfect.  kind of a shame she has to ever put on makeup*

starting to put on makeup . . .

love this styling!!  gorgeous makeup & love the soft curls

but then she adds even more makeup . . .


and dances the night away . . .

and has quite a few shots . . .

. . . and then wakes up looking like this!

 i'm pretty sure this "natural beauty to hungover hot mess" wasn't exactly the photographer's goal, but when organized this way i just think it's hilarious!

by photographer dusan reljin
- via -