boutique crush.

i have a major crush on just about everything that is emersonmade:: flower pins, flower clutches (the goldie is perfection), retro jeans, and sweet little dresses and blouses.  o and i think its adorable that the designer models most of the pieces on the couples farm. 

jcd

hoosier mama.

lately pie has been my go to comfort food-- i have a bit of a sweet tooth (understatement of the century). when i discovered there was a homemade pie shop within walking distance of my apt i had to check it out... and the result was pure bliss. hoosier mama is tiny but very cute, and the pies pack a lotta flavor. i have tried the pecan, pear and apple (pictured above) pies. the chocolate cream with bananas and the lemon meringue pies are next on my list. they also make savory pies for those of you who worry about cavities. the chicken pot pie or quiche luann (creamy quiche with bacon, onion and cheddar) both sound like a delicious dinner options. 

do yourself a favor and take a break from the cupcake and try a piece of pie. 

location: 1618 1/2 chicago avenue, just west of ashland... def worth the trip.

enjoy-

jcd 

trim the tree.

now that thanksgiving is offically over it's socially acceptable to put up and decorate your christmas tree. h and i put ours up the day after halloween... judge if you will but we were too excited to wait! it was our very first christmas tree together and the first one we have had outside of our parents house. our tree is tiny, it's 3ft tall but it fits perfectly in our living room. we used a lot of our own things around the house to decorate the tree (keepsakes from trips) and bought itty bitty bulbs from target. next year we'll get lights and maybe a few of these decorations::

1. your christmas letter ornament_Anthropologie $8.00

2. pink cupcake christmas ornament_malnclem's shop etsy $10.00

3. box of vintage red and green christmas balls cattales_etsy $8.00

4. santa lucia snowflake set_anthropologie $20.00

5. block word ornament_urban outfitters $12.00 (i like the classic 'love' in gold)

6. six-point star ornament_West Elm $8.00

7. christmas tree skirt creme de menthe_orangeroomshops_etsy $130.00

holiday review.

happy monday! i hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. i got to celebrate thanksgiving twice, first on thursday with my family (25 people!) and then on saturday with h's family (5 people). both dinners were v memorable, with wayyy too many leftovers.

i am a sucker for traditions and i was happy to participate in a few of theses over the weekend. at easter, christmas and thanksgiving my family always gets together for dinner and afterwards we sign the table cloth. weird huh? once you sign the table cloth with a sharpie your autograph is embroidered in holiday appropriate colors. it's fun to see who attended and how our signatures have changed over the years. one easter i signed my name 'jillian dicaprio'...needless to say i had a bit of a crush on leo in middle school. 

jcd 

have a cozy weekend.

happy friday! i am spending the day with my family, getting my hair cut (yah!!) and then heading back to the city. stay warm friends.

link love for the week::

d*sponge living in: my all time favorite movie

ammazing locket

vintage matchbooks

leopard clutch giveaway!

texas style wedding (i love the hanging bottles and succulents!)

yum yum yum a new holiday recipie

glitter and bold (check out that sparkley outfit!)

could you stop shopping for an entire year?!

issue two of rue magazine

the sweetest save the date. 

mini pumpkin pies?! yes please.

xoxo jcd

day and night.

good morning and happy black friday to all those brave shoppers out there! i'm sticking to online browsing...two styles from zara:: 

ballerina with metal details_zara $49.90

leather wedge with cuts_zara $99.90

jcd

it's turkey time!

happy thanksgiving ya'll! as previously mentioned thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and this year i am lucky enough to celebrate three times! so today be thankful, spend time with loved ones, and get your turkey {and pumpkin pie!!} on!!! 

 

i am thankful for h {he really is the best}, my family, friends and my health.

xoxo 

jcd 

bETSY.

i think by now anyone can tell that i am etsy-obsessed. it is my go-to place when i want to shop for gifts or browse for unique finds. i always seem to have something on my wishlist from these shops:: 

1. thevamoose unique jewerly

2. laura lombardi jewerly local jewerly! their HQ is in chicago

3. yeehaw hand printed, hand made, art & paper products

4. colette paperie calendars, cards, tea towels 

5. beau ideal editions cards & prints 

jcd 

lovely ladies.

aren't these illustrations pretty? i think they would be lovely in a dressing room...

jkldesign

jcd

culinary chic.

hey good lookin... check out these adorable aprons, just in time for the holidays. {the perfect gift idea for your favorite hostess or cook}

1. betty apron_crate and barrel $26.95
2. love is bliss half apron_pamwares etsy $28.00
3. vintage inspired black and white polka dot half apron_boojboo etsy $18.75
4. 3-D toile full apron_anthropologie $32.00
5. tea-and-rumpet apron_anthropologie $32.00
6. ladies classic apron wallflower blue_wonderlandavenue etsy $28.00

jcd 

countdown.

two days until...

so ready.

jcd

teenage dream.

i am pretty positive that i am too old to shop at american eagle outfitters and aerie (aka my faveee store in high school) and yet i find myself reconsidering after stumbling along these classic (and affordable) finds... 

1. ae military hooded cardigan $49.50

2. ae bow cami $34.50

3. ae shawl collar waffle cardigan $44.50

4. aerie natural-spun mohair cable knit sweater $49.50

5. aerie shawl collar cardigan $44.50 

6. aerie slouchy scoop neck t $39.50

7. aerie military t $24.50

so try not to judge when you see this 25-year old running around in something your younger sister might own.

jcd

weekend review.

brunch invitation_greencard etsy

good morning and happy monday! this weekend was another relaxing (and productive) one. i got a little more christmas shopping done and finally found time to work on my parents present (more on that after the holidays so i don't ruin the surprise).


on saturday i made chicken enchiladas, h approved and almost ate the whole pan (standard!) later that night we treated ourselves to a mass amount of ice cream (i finally took care of that craving from the other week). on sunday i met the girls for our monthly brunch at milk and honey cafe, i've been wanting to go here for a while and it lived up to my expectations (i split banana walnut waffles and an egg/bacon panini with a friend). for sunday dinner h and his dad finally convinced me to conquer my food fears and we got Ethiopian! it reminded me of Indian ...and it was delicious (go figure). so yeah...lots and lots of eating- i guess i'm just trying to prepare for the upcoming holiday. 

happy monday- i am ready for a short work week!

jcd 

a bit of leopard.

okay- time to cheer up. the lavin for h&m line hits stores soon and i noticed a few touches of leopard here and there. it might just be the right time for me to finally invest in some classic leopard pieces::

photo via marie clair au

1. sunglasses_mango $29.90
2. mia medallion flat_endless $33.03
3. hunter welly pattern cuff socks_nordstrom $40.00
4. sofie l steve madden_piperlime $69.99
5. maria sharapova by cole haan air bacara flat_nordstrom $168.00
6. leopard patent belt_jcrew $39.50
7. kristin metallic leopard clutch_coach $298.00
8. sam edelman gili sandle_nordstrom $59.95

have a wonderful weekend!
jcd

crab cakes.

babble.com

i am a bit of a crab cakes today. i am having a rough morning- even tho it's friday and payday. anyhoo i saw this pet peeve post the other week and it made me laugh a lot. it also inspired me to do some healthy venting:

things that bother me wayyy more than they should
1. subscription cards stuffed in magazines
2. people who get up on the bus or train and rush to the door LONG before their stop (only to push aside other people who are getting off at the SAME stop!)
3. the sound of nelson's haw-haw laugh from 'the simpsons'-- UGHHH grates my soul.
4. sniffing and snorting... i beg you PLEASE just go blow your nose.
5. drinking straight out of the milk/juice/water/whatever its-not-just-yours-container..yechs.
6. losing things. so so frustrating.

ok done raging...promise. what are your pet peeves?

jcd

siren's song.

goood morning and happy friday- let's all go to greece!! this photo shoot is gorgeous...

David Gubert photography, styled by Jana Polomy for Marie Claire Australia Dec 2010

jcd 

dressing room.

welcome to my dressing room! after reading this post on haute apple pie about mom-caves i thought --hey! i have one of those! well sorta like a glorified closet space but i think it still counts.

the room is tiny (9ft x 6ft) and holds the only closet in our apt (h has a similar size dressing room with an amour and lots of shelving AND he has a man/reading cave upstairs that doubles as a guest room). my dressing room was a blank slate when we started to decorate the apt. h painted 3 walls gray and one wall a pretty periwinkle color. i added sick-on circle floral graphics, moved in the furniture and everything was orgainzed v quickly. if i had a little more space i would love to have a desk, but the room works well as a closet.

1. we found an old switch plate when we moved in and i painted it with the perwinkle paint we used for the accent wall
2. i found these amazing (and easy to use!) wall stick-on graphics here: bloom graphic_byrdiegraphics etsy
3. the iron fleur-de-lis hook is from our trip to new orleans and is perfect for hanging up necklaces
4. custom labels to keep my office, gift wrapping supplies, and photographs organized
5. a basket for all of my scarves (it's usually a bit messier than this...)
6. i store some of my shoes in white plastic boxes from the container store. in order to see what is inside i cut down old plastic photo protecter pages down to size, taped them to the boxes and inserted photos of the shoes

jcd

lela rose.

the lela rose ready to wear spring 2011 line is sooo pretty... i am particually in love with these dresses::



see more here



jcd

bebe zara.

i visited the michigan ave baby gap last weekend to buy a gift and i was blown away by all the adorable clothes. the collection of tulle ballerina skirts, retro jackie o-esq leopard coats, and ity-bitty cable knit sweaters made me wish i had more little ones to shop for. sooo imagine my surprise when i stumbled on the the baby zara collection in the november zara lookbook (by accident of course)! i love the little capes::

jcd

once upon a time.

good morning! these paintings by trafalgar's square are too sweet...

jcd

swiss miss.

i love this look {sans cigarette}... so easy and chic. 

via vouge italia

striped sweater dress_forever21 $24.90

spotted stockings_zara $19.90

jcd 

big hair.

emily beecham in vouge italia :: love the hair. love the makeup

via vouge italia

jcd

j'adore zara.

the first time i shopped at zara i was in paris {studying for a month during college} i fell in love with the unique styles, friendly european sizes and reasonable prices. i am thrilled we have two zara's in chicago. 

jcd 

a darling weekend.

via jiliallen

h was a sweetheart and took me out to brunch saturday to our favorite spot cornerstone cafe, wowzahs i love pancakes. this weekend was v relaxing with lots of naps, football games, a movie and quality cuddle time. i feel recharged and ready for the week- happy monday.

jcd  

an american family.

H and I watched a really great documentary the other week that i forgot to include in my top doc list... this one is absolutely fascinating and explores multiple themes of a not-so-ordinary but v interesting and loving american family.

pov can describe the film better than i can: the story of Brooklyn teenager Avery, a track star with a bright future. She is the adopted African-American child of white Jewish lesbians. Her older brother is black and Puerto Rican and her younger brother is Korean. Though it may not look typical, Avery’s household is like most American homes — until Avery writes to her birth mother and the response throws her into crisis. She struggles over her “true” identity, the circumstances of her adoption and her estrangement from black culture. Just when it seems as if her life is unraveling, Avery decides to pick up the pieces and make sense of her identity, with inspiring results.

off and running_pov

jcd

the beatles or the rolling stones?

i am a beatles fan and i think Yoko looks cute in her wedding ensemble (almost child-like in a tiered skirt and knee high socks). Bianca Pérez-Mora Macias aka Mrs. Jagger (1971-78) looks v chic annnd they were married in saint-tropez, france! i think the rolling stones win this one.

jcd