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 :)

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

celeb style: elizabeth taylor

i'm going to make this short and sweet.  rest in peace to dame elizabeth taylor - thank you for your words, your charity, your courage, and of course, your signature beauty.

images via

"a woman has got to love a mad man once or twice in her life to be thankful for a good one." 

 -elizabeth taylor herself

want more?  read:

- elizabeth taylor's most outrageous fashion statements

- celebs remember elizabeth taylor on twitter

dita meeting elizabeth. so much glamor in one picture.

- our fascination with the much married woman

- elizabeth taylor's life in front of the camera

quotation: believe in yourself

for many months, this image was the background of my computer, reminding me of my inner strength during times of the greatest stress . . .

that was a year ago, when i was stuck in a dead-end job and feeling confused and even slightly hopeless about the quality of my future.

well now the background has returned... situations are different but obstacles are more intense than ever.  i just need to remember to:

believe in myself & all that i am.

know that there is something inside of me that is greater than any obstacle. 

maybe if i say this enough times, see it on my computer enough times... maybe then i will believe it.  i'm starting to already :)

decor: you make me happy cloth

the simplistic beauty of this sign makes me happy (and yes, the skies are gray)

 from house*tweaking blog

- via -

celeb style: ashley olsen - "absolutely ashley"

article from fashion magazine, 2009.  love this photograph, love the hair/makeup, love the true-to-ashley style boho clothes, love the quotation on fashion.  lotsa love this valentines day...

first discovered via

read the full interview here

reblog: i dream of big closets

yes, yes, yes!  me too.  [image via -- go here to see blogger megan's ultimate dressing room!]

quotation: dr. seuss on truth

i have always loved this dr. seuss quote.  

so i seriously love this bright green poster.

image via

[no idea where i got i can buy this but man do i want it!]

quotation: hemingway - before you...

while the rest of the world is relaxing or having fun today, i will be working a 12-14 hour day and reciting this quotation to myself.  saturdays are my hardest of the week.  my store is open and it is always chaos.

so anyways... i must remind myself to listen, think, earn, wait, forgive...

but most of all, try.

as difficult as it gets, i will never give up or let the stress defeat me.  i will always try.  and because i refuse to quit, because i commit to trying - i will succeed.

that's my affirmation for the day ~

image via

quotation: on reading

"there is only one way to read, which is to browse in libraries and bookshops, picking up books that attract you, reading only those, dropping them when they bore you, skipping the parts that drag-and never, never reading anything because you feel you ought, or because it is part of a trend or a movement. remember that the book which bores you when you are twenty or thirty will open doors for you when you are forty or fifty-and vise versa. don’t read a book out of its right time for you."  [doris lessing]

and a beautiful image to accompany the quotation . . .

^ that's pretty much me.  except with glasses.  and lighter, less frizzy hair.

but her expression, deep in thought; her hand on the page that initiated this expression; the newspapers stacked up waiting to be read; the posture, slumped on the floor even though there is a comfy couch empty...

me.

[and i kinda love it]

by recently discovered [by me] photographer, lucie hugary - her official site

image via

quotation found on wet behind the ears

quotation: wendy whelan on grace

words can't put into words how much i love this quotation.

& this image.  beautiful.

image via

[original source unknown]

link love: 12.23.10

 design/decor

great dining room - lovely shades of purple, comfy arm chairs & a fireplace. oh yes.
[from here, via]

desk with canopy?  awesome.  [design by nick olsen, via]

even though i'd prefer an actual mirror above my own sink, i have to admit that this bathroom "after" is beyond cool. see more of the whole house's transformation at design*sponge

fashion

1. love this jacket. love the off-the-shoulder style. love the structure. loooove the bows.  man, dior is awesome!  [picture = georgia may jagger for vogue uk jan '11]
2. not a big flannel fan but definitely a fan of unexpected pairings.  go here see cool examples of how to pull off this look.

 sparkles on our first lady? yes, please! [image via]

florence = awesome. [image via]

true, true, truuuuuuue. [via]

photography

lately i've been really into photographs that juxtapose winter bareness and snowfall with bright blossoms reminiscent of springtime.  these photos certainly fit the bill . [1. via; 2. via]

i like this photo lots.  simple as that.  [via]


random

i desperately want these bandages from UO.  & i would wear them all at once.  which wouldn't be a problem because i am prone to extreme paper cuts.  [discovered here]

 me too.  print by etsy artist stephanie fizer [discovered here]

*need to remind myself of this fact often* [image via - i found it here]

just now starting to get in the holiday spirit... & this spirited bike certainly helps spread the cheer! [image via]

hilarious!  my personal pencil would probably be the itty bitty nub of a pencil.  sigh.  [via]


{merry christmas eve eve!}