my big BACHELORETTE {weekend}.

// //  photo via  // //

that's right folks... this weekend is my bachelorette party weekend! so my favorite gals & i are heading to Santa Barbra for a weekend full of wine tasting, night clubbing, and hopefully showing off our inappropriate & slightly embarrassing dance moves! my girlfriends have kept this weekend under wraps pretty well... so all i know is to bring tons of white & a one country wine tasting outfit! ((with all this wedding planning, it's so nice to just sit back and go with the flow!)) i can't wait to party with my gals & show Santa Barbra what these ole babes are made out of!
... i'll be packing my advil & yellow gatorade, for sure.


have a great weekend!

country wine tasting: 

white dress  //  fringe bag  //  green earrings  //  boots

gals night out:

white dress  //  gold clutch  //  hair clip  //  blue pumps

check out what to pack for a Bachelorette Party here!

RUSTIC BITES... yum.

//  //  Rustic Recipes  //  //

when the fireman and i went to one of our favorite dinner spots ((Tin Roof in Manhattan Beach)) we got to chatting about some of our other #1 spots... and what we love most about each of them. it turns out that we dig the rustic bites! one who's menu is based on seasonal produce, some type of grass fed meat, and cocktails that contain some type of herb... like a basil martini or anything with rosemary! YUM YUM! we are due for another adventurous date night here soon... so hopefully we'll find a new cool new spot to check out. any ideas?

*check out more food spots here or here!

breakfast: 

Vanilla, Fig, & Pistachio Parfait recipe via

lunch:  

Walnut, Grape, & Gorgonzola Salad recipe via

snacks:

Fig, Gorgonzola & Honey Tartines recipe via

dessert:

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream recipe via

not too shabby right??!

yummmm yum!

BACK-to-SCHOOL.

///  //  /  library card notebooks via  /  //  ///

one thing i used to love about going back to school was all the new fresh n' cool school supplies i would collect before our first big day back. it's like a couple brand new perfectly sharpened pencils could help me feel a little better that the freedom of summer was coming to an end. but now that the good old first day of school is a thing of the past... i now miss all the fun back to school shopping that came along with it. so here are a few things i found on Etsy that could be perfect in our office... and still give me that fresh new start feeling.

princess bride pencil via

geometric notebooks via

vintage chalkboard via

colorful washi tape via

green canvas backpack via

how awesome are those pencils? 

pretty cute right?!

COZY PRINTS.

first things first, happy friday!

this weekend we have some fun plans lined up... a day with my family at the Del Mar horse races ((aka: 1st annual "Surf Meets the Turf" yes, it's actually called that)) and then a cozy day in on sunday... which i am personally {super} excited for. sometimes you just need to make a day to be home and enjoy your home! so what ever your plans are... i hope you find some time to kick your feet up and relax!

these could really round out my cozy sunday in.

images via

hot weather HAIR DO's.

 //  //  mermaid tail braid tutorial via  //  //

for the past week or so the weather in LA has been extra hot & super sunny! it's been warm at 7:00 am when i roll out of bed and warm enough to sleep with all the windows open at night. so to stay cool ((and try to look kinda cool too)) i've been playing around with a couple new do's! anything that keeps my hair off my neck & looks cute too during these long summer days. i've been wearing the perfect knot and the messy bun most days... but want to try the three twisted buns & pretzel braid this week. 

*here are a couple killer do's from Cup of Jo's hair gal...

three twisted buns tutorial via

the perfect knot tutorial via

pretzel braid tutorial via

braided crown tutorial via

perfect {french} messy bun tutorial via

 what's you new summer do?

our WEDDING INVITES!

/  /  photo's & invitations by me... the fashion gal  /  /

the invites are out... which means this fashion gal & that fireman are officially gettin hitched! when it came to the invitations i wanted to keep things simple, but original and us. i wanted our invitations to set the tone of our wedding and give our guests an idea of what to expect at our big day. so i ordered a simple square rounded edge kraft invitation with a matching rectangle RSVP card from Wedding Paper Diva's. then to add a little homemade touch I bought {& cut} gold foil polka-dotted papers that laid in between the two kraft papers, wrapped the three papers with a mint & white bakers twine, and finished it off with a homemade ((hand typed)) tag that our wedding website was on. once it was sealed with a stamped return envelope, glued shut, and sprinkled with a little gold glitter, i then did my best semi-calligraphy and topped the invite with mixed matched stamps. and........ ta-da!

check them out...

t h e   d e t a i l s...

1. RSVP Card- I added a fun (& helpful) question, "What song gets you moving on the dance floor?"

2. Extras- These three pieces (the mint & white bakers twine, typed out accommodations tag, and a little sprinkled gold glitter made our invites all that more special... and have a semi homemade touch!

(side-note: the gold glitter was lightly sprinkled on the back closer of the envelope)

3. Mixed & Matched Stamps- I think this small detail adds an eccentric and pretty touch.

4. A Little Mint- The slight pop of mint in the " V & T " and throughout made our invites a little more modern.

check out more invitation-inspiration here!

FALL FASHION, MADEWELL 2012.

/ /  Fall Fashion 2012, Madewell  / /

it's that time of year folks.................. Fall Fashion fascination time! it's time to grab your September Issue's ((of your favorite fashion magazines)), start browsing the web for Fall inspiration, and maybe even pull the trigger on your first Fall purchase! i like to get one new n' fabulous piece that is good quality and can be a main staple throughout the season. last Fall this piece was a new pair of riding boots... and this year i'm thinking a killer new trench may be in the cards. so, for a little cozy Fall inspiration, here is the Madewell Fall Collection! enjoy.

ps: and have a happy friday!

so good, right??!

which look do you like best?!

{i  l o v e  that leather dress in the 1st set. amazing.}

WEDDING WEDNESDAY.

/  /  photo's via Honestly WTF  /  /

as you all {may} know by now, i am 1,000% submerged in the wedding planning process! while still juggling a busy work load and planning our European honeymoon, this wedding is getting planed a little bit each day... and with ONLY 44 days left!!! (eeeeeeek!) now with a fiance ((still sounds so strange)) like the fireman, i have 100% creative freedom to create a wedding  filled with details & DIY's of my choice. he has been so supportive of my ideas and overall vision of our special day. i wonder what he would say if i wanted to get hitched in a teepee while wearing a feather vale and a beautiful backless dress???? maybe in another lifetime... as for now, i'll just fantasize i was this cool.

*check out some wedding deet's here.

how amazing, right?!

((wish i was that cool.))

5 things: SUMMER BRIGHTS

one. bright ikat bag... i love this ikat print. especially when paired with leather & bright contrasting pom poms!

happy monday! how was your weekend? hopefully warm, relaxing, and full of BBQ's & pink lemonade's! this summer has been super sunny and full of brights. from the my bright ikat printed purse to the bright n' beautiful flowers in bloom... this summer actually feels, like summer! here are a few that have been making my summer a little brighter.

*check out more 5 things here.

two. peach English Roses... these make any summer day bright.

 three. bright statement necklaces... these are the perfect addition to any simple summer outfit.

four. Kate Spade wallet... i love my new wallet. chartreuse + gold... i dig it.

five. charlie's new summer blanket... this blanket has brightened up charlie's bed and our home.

Olympic Athletes, NAILED IT.

photo via

has anyone else noticed the fabulous nail trend in the London Olympics???! these babes are not only stellar athletes competing for their country... they are also fashion forwards ladies that have totally embraced the current nail polish trends! one thing i love about the Olympics most is that no matter what country you are representing, all the athletes competing have the same dreams, fears, hopes, ideas, and insecurities as the next competitor... even the same trendy nails! so at the end of the day, we're all just human ((wearing crazy nail polish)) trying to do our best!! 

*now here are my top fashion-y sports from gold to bronze...

In the NAIL category:

GOLD: Swimming!

SILVER: Volleyball

BRONZE: Track & Field

collage by the me & photo's via

which sports do you think are the most nail-trendy???