spring wedding photos and other mushy gushy stuff.

After an unsuccessful search to find the perfect quote about how much time it takes to plan a wedding and how little time you feel you have after you've married, I'm afraid I'm left to my own abilities.

I'll start by saying that my hat goes off to those up for the task of planning a wedding in less than a year. It took me a year and a half and I can't imagine the amount of time needed to dedicate for anything less.

Next, for those wondering where the heck I've been for the last three months, it's been a mix between planning a wedding and enjoying being a newlywed. For the record: getting married is totally worth it. Even if you think you're the type of person that's not interested in everything that comes with a wedding, have one. I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to marry my best friend in front of our closest family and friends. It was absolutely magical.

room idea: radiant orchid and neutral patterns.

It's official. Home residence = under a rock if this is the first time you've heard of this color. 

Everywhere in 2014 fashion, I thought it'd be fun to try and translate into a bedroom. The trick is keeping the space feeling adult and balanced vs. princess palace for a 9 year old. To accomplish, I mixed modern floral patterns with neutral geometric ones. This allowed me to use a "pop of color" (phrase courtesy of my mother) without making the room feel overly vibrant or bold. 

tip: Continue to balance bold color with neutrals when choosing artwork. Avoid competing with the patterns by opting for line drawing with a minimal color palette - like this ampersand or street print. Thank you, Society6!

headboard / duvet cover / poppy pillow / orchid pillow / floral pillow / side table / side table drawers

trend alert: bomber jackets.

A bomber jacket is simply a zip front jacket with two pockets and - in most cases - elastic banding around the waist and cuffs. It was also one of the hottest jackets on the spring fashion runway. I need one of these immediately.

tip: Play with the masculine vs. feminine undertones where possible. Opt for a version that uses a more delicate fabric or has a floral pattern, pairing with boyfriend jeans and a sassy pump. Or, pair a bold jacket with a softer dress or skirt.

olive linen / geo and floral / sequins and beading / sheer panel / chambray / quilted floral

interior inspiration: mixed pattern outfit.

It was really fun to browse all sorts of interior spaces in hopes of finding inspiration for an outfit. One of the big "aha" moments I had was with pattern mixing. I'm a huge fan of mixing patterns regardless, but with outfits I've been more hesitant to take risks because of the smaller canvas size. Using an interior space as inspiration gave me the direction I needed to pull something together that is cohesive yet visually interesting. 

Oh - and this just in - totally fine to mix brown and black. 

tip: Keep pattern styles similar to each other when mixing. It will help tie all of the fabrics together without having to match the color palettes exactly to each other. 

interior / clutch / bracelet / sandal / blouse / skirt

three ways: using an ottoman as a coffee table.

We have an ottoman instead of a coffee table. It's nice because - given the way our furniture is positioned - we can use to rest our feet on, Ruby can take a nap on it and we can even eat quick dinners on there. 

So while we love having an ottoman instead of a coffee table, it would be nice to have the leather version to avoid staining. And I wish it was large enough to be able to rest our feet on while holding a tray for decor and resting drinks on.

tip: Limit tray to 2-3 objects, making sure one is relatively heavy to weigh down the ottoman padding.

ottoman / gray vase / white vase / yellow tray / watercolor vase

ottoman / owl vase / planter / blanket / mercury glass jar / raffia tray

ottoman / ceramic bird / tealight holder / mirrored tray / it / unbored