friday faves: 7.8.11

back to friday faves, my lovely readers!  and oh boy do i have some good ones this week!

design/decor

chic nook

this lil nook by designer melanie coddington is my idea of perfection - classy, simple, feminine, relaxing.  i could absolutely see myself curling up here and reading the day away...

 found on design*sponge

kitchen window nook

more nooks!  clearly i'm obsessed :)

that green color, the cream everything else, and that thick cushion that looks oh-so-comfy.  want.

from my home ideas

fashion

elle fanning in marc jacobs

the girl can pull off couture like no other youngin' and i just love her retro-pretty style.  plus she's just so pretty! {think if i compliment her enough she'll let me borrow this gorgeous dress?!  hey, worth a try!}

picture from getty images, via

SJP channels her animal side in D&G

at the 25th anniversary of "annie" where she presented an award

not always the biggest animal print fan, but when it's done right it's amazing.  and if anyone can "do it right," it's the superstar-fashionista sarah jessica parker herself!

{sorry, best pic i could find.  from rcfa}

p.s. the gown helen mirren wore a few months back was also animal print and also dolce + gabbana - they must be on a roll!

etc

le petit prince journals

all-time fave book in journal form = love

{you can buy it for me - and make my day!! - here}

i want to be a monkey

if i could be any animal, i'd be a monkey.  i would climb trees and enjoy still having fingers and show love by cleaning my friends... and hug little girls like this.  and be happy :)

i mean really, who wouldn't want to be a monkey?!

found on best week ever blog but first posted on cute overload
**correction: this is a sloth not a monkey!  but i would still be a monkey.  and i would still hug little girls and it would still probably be just as cute as this.

giveaways

i'm back to spreading the word about some GREAT giveaways in the bloggy world - whoo hoo!  here's a few ending soon soon soon, so get on it!

preppy personalized platters

 

by dani notes, selection found here.  the always fabulous kiki's list is offering up this giveaway.  if i were lucky enough to win, i would choose the prettypretty platter pictured above.  then again, i would be just as happy if one of my sweet readers one so head on over to enter for yourself :)

fabulous flower accessories

wild & precious always highlights the cutest things!  this time it is the etsy shop the lovely poppy, who makes truly lovely headbands and necklaces and other cute accessories with bright and pretty flower accents.  i definitely encourage you to check out this etsy site and to go to wild & precious to enter for the $20 gift certificate!

have a lovely lovely weekend!

i'll be spending it with my lovely friends downtown checking out a blues club i've never been to, then off to waverly island soaking up the sun.  oh, and then sunday at the office.  can't ever totally get away from my workaholic ways!

xx, kait

 

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

celeb style: fan bing bing in atelier versace

yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!  i could not be happier right now!  okay that's a bit dramatic.  i could definitely be happier - if i weren't sick, if my dogs weren't barking, if i had complete faith the bulls would win this game... but anyways, as far as red carpet fashion goes, i couldn't be happier about this: the gorgeous and always fashion-forward actress fan bing bing stepping out at cannes wearing one of my fave gowns from the atelier versace ss 2011 collection.  it's even slightly altered to make it even more amazing than the original! 

not only did fan choose a breathtaking gown, but her beauty and poise really brings the dress to life.  stunning, stunning, stunning.

my love for ombre continues to grow...

[picture from red carpet fashion awards]

friday faves: 5.13.11

before going on to all the other pretty things i found this week, i must share how big & beautiful my tiger lillies have become!

last tuesday they had yet to bloom.  one week ago they were just starting.  and now?  they are the definition of full and vibrant.  by far the best thing about being cooped up in an office on these sunshiney days!

but anyways . . .  a few things that have caught my eye over the past seven days . . .

design/decor

~ perfect way to display coffee mug collection ~

pretty sure i need this type of storage in my life.  yup, definitely need! 

i love coffee mugs (and have a huge mis-matched and totally awesome collection myself!) but hate that they are typically stowed away in a traditional kitchen cabinet with - sigh - doors.  but this solution from a canadian quirky-candyland, a.k.a. amy and keith's fabulous home, is beyond perfect.

 fashion

~ my faves at cannes, thus far ~

karolina kurkova ~ shining in armani privè

salma hayek ~ gucci glam [première couture]

fan bing bing - atelier versace

diane kruger ~ calvin klein

gong li's purple perfection ~ roberto cavalli couture

uma thurman as the feather goddess in versace

can't wait for more!  all images from red carpet fashion awards

etc

~ but i like, really can't wait to see this movie ~

bridesmaids!  hopefully one day next week... pic from the super hilarious site, but you're like really pretty

lovely links

~ a super cool photo series of feet on vaycay [feet first]

~ tree branch + lace + wedding = simply love

~ can someone please buy me the dude's cardigan at this auction??!  if you do, i'll get you princess beatrice's fascinator in return...  deal?  deal.

a weekend reminder...

the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

- eleanor roosevelt

p.s.  sorry for no giveaway tips this week!  i'm sure there's some fab ones going on right now but i just haven't had the time to search around.  hopefully next week all will be back to normal :)

fashion: atelier versace s/s 2011 - gowns

i just can't get over how gorgeous the atelier versace s/s/ 2011 gowns are.  here are the ones we've seen on the red carpet so far ~

jessica biel at the 2011 BAFTA awards

charlize theron at the 2011 vanity fair oscar party

jessica biel, also at the 2011 vanity fair oscar party

and anne hathaway, ALSO at the 2011 vanity fair oscar party!

but there are still many more breathtaking dresses that have yet to pop up on the red carpet . . .

 

but this gorgeous gown has to be my fave --

 

clearly i've been love, love, looooving ombre lately!

 
images of model abby lee kershaw in the atelier versace s/s 2011 look book via fashionising

* head on over to see more gowns plus some adorable shorter dresses, too!*

pictures of celebrities via red carpet fashion awards & zimbio

fashion: elie saab fall 2011

belts, draping, high slits.  ohhhh yessss.

~ flowy florals ~

~ bold & beautiful RED ~

 ~ head to toe shimmer ~

of course, due to my hectic work life, i am most drawn to the clean & crisp professional-wear showcased in this collection (kinda pathetic, i know) ~

 oh yes, i would looooove to rock these sharp outfits at work!

[all images via]