resolutions for the new year.

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my five resolutions for 2010::
1. spend more time with the girls.
keep up with monthly brunches, dinners, and lunches with my favorites. 
2. walk-it-out with h after dinner. 
once the weather gets warmer, h and i have decided we need to start going on little walks after dinner. 
3. workout 4x a week. 
i am looking forward to this one. i have a gym in my office building so i actually enjoy leaving at noon and working out for a bit-- it's a great stress reliever. 
4. no more online shopping. 
this includes etsy. ughhh this might be rough. i need a way to keep my shopping in check and online sales are pretty hard for me to resist.
5. only one trash-tastic reality show per season.
jersey shore. jerseylicious. keeping up with the khardashians. kendra. guiliana and bill. downsized. real housewives of atlanta... omg, i watch wayyy too much of this crap.

do you make new years resolutions? do you tend to keep them? 

jcd

celebrate in style.

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celebrate in style tonight and have a wonderful (and safe) new years! 

xoxo jcd

my top ten in 2010.

i cannot believe that it is almost new years eve! this year has gone by wayyy too fast but i have had some pretty sweeet memories:: 

1. multiple birthday celebrations!! starting with a thursday night summer concert at ravina with h {swoooon}, a french-inspired dinner with my favorites j,j & k, and finally a charity walk followed by brunch with the girls.

2. our trip to NOLA.

3. celebrating the bff's birthday in wrigleyville-- i think everyone dance that night.

4. summertime cubs games.

5. girls weekend at the lake house in july (boats, tubing and a townie bar).

6. h's graduation from medical school (whootwhoot!)

7. get-togethers with the girls:: cookie exchange, thanksgiving, and jk brunch, movie and dinner dates.

8. anniversaries galore: my parents 30th, my grandparents 50th and my other grandparents 60th.. wowzah love is all around.

9. moving in with h and making the apt our own.

10. finally starting a blog. i am loving every minute of it! thank you to everyone who follows, i appreciate all of your support and sweet comments more than you will ever know.  

it certainly has been a good year and i am looking forward to 2011!

xoxo jcd

game, set, match.

these classic looks by hermes make me want to take tennis lessons...or just watch the royal tenenbaums::

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jcd

take a walk.

i had a french professor in college who told us stories about walking his kitten named theo (i wish i was joking). this photo made me think of him... mon dieu! 

have a lovely day!
jcd

becks.

victoria beckham was on the view yesterday (i know i know... but i'm on vacation this week and that means i get to watch trashy daytime tv)... anyhoo she showed a few dresses from her fall/winter line. the dresses were gorgeous- simple silhouettes with striking details (like exposed zippers on the back). 

jcd

so thankful.

i am thankful for so many things and people this year. two of my favorite christmas gifts were from h:: juxtapoz handmade and listography journal: your life in lists. both books are v entertaining. jh is a great coffee table book filled with images of handmade art (the paper cut outs by peter callesen are amazing- he makes plain white paper appear to be alive). listography is a fun journal full of questions and topics to fill out (for example: list bad things you did as a kid). i have already started filling out some of the lists and i plan to ask h the questions and fill out his answers in another color. 

santa (my family and h's family) was super generous this year and apparently reads my blog. a few of my favorite gifts included: this bag, locket, shoes, calendar and coffee table. h and i also got a new crock pot (JOY!) and i want to get cookin...anyone have any good recipes or crock pot blogs? what was your favorite gift this year?

jcd

victorian love.

i watched the young victoria the other day, while h was at work, and i really liked it. (not a huge surprise since my favorite film is sense and sensibility---another British period love story). i cannot stop thinking about how sweet albert was and how much i liked emily blunt as the pretty, outgoing, and spirited queen victoria. i really enjoyed watching their relationship develop through letters and occasional visits. if you're into period dramas, british accents, beautiful clothing (it won an oscar for best costume design) and sets, love stories loosely based on historical events and people then watch this movie. 

jcd

ps i LOVE the "living in" blog posts design sponge puts together---and was happy to see one devoted to the young victoria.

gatsby gowns.

i am a huge art deco fan and as soon as i saw these dresses i was smitten... 

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jcd

snow in the city.

kinda loving the snow right now.... not sure how long that will last, but it's a nice change. 

jcd

pucci petals.

in love with these pre-spring looks from pucci... 

jcd

velvet elvis & holiday cheer.

a few of my favorite photos from the weekend... 

we celebrated christmas day at my uncle's house with my mom's side of the family. the day was filled with kids running all over the place, lots of presents and way too much food. the adults exchanged white elephant gifts (the favorite prize was a snaaazzy velvet elvis poster). h and i were lucky enough to get a hand-mixer--something we actually needed! i hope everyone had a lovely holiday :) 

xoxo jcd

ps something to brighten your day:: rollerskating babies!

with love from chicago.

{holiday} link love.

my favorite holiday posts of the week::

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living in: a charlie brown christmas ah d*sponge is the best.

i want this puppy...aaaaaadorable.

freebie:: download holiday tags.
classic:: the rockettes.
non-traditional trees.
besties really are the best.
another freebie:: christmas typography sign
fun with cookie dough!


jcd

fashion on the frontline.

this is the first year that my whole family isn't going to be together for christmas... so weird. it has always been my parents, and the three of us -me, my older brother andy and my younger brother nick.

this year i'm bringing h home, and andy's girlfriend amy and her two (adorable & hilarious) kids will be celebrating with our family on christmas eve. i have no doubt it will be a nice holiday but i know everyone will be missing nick... i got an email from him and thought i would share::

first a little side note-- my little brother has always been stylish. he is the type of person who can pull off anything-- an ugly christmas cosby sweater? check. cowboy boots? check. a ridiculously tacky Hawaiian cubs shirt? checkkkk. so i was thrilled to see that his style hasn't been stifled even while he is stationed in Afghanistan...

Hey JEEEEIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!
So i have an interpreter assigned to my platoon. his name is Sam and he is from Kabul Afghanistan.  Anyway he gave me this scarf and I wear it almost all the time.  I know this picture is dark but i figured you'd like it since you're such a fashionista!  (i was looking at your blog).. haha and you'll note my hair is probably as long as it's ever been in my life. (well except in the mullet days.)

miss ya sis!

love you,

Nick

ah cute. so a big thank you to everyone serving overseas and merry christmas!!

jcd

buttons and ruffles.

love the pretty little detail on this dress:: 

photo via

jcd

love where you live.

tomorrow, h and i are going to my parents house out in the far western burbs for christmas eve and christmas. i love visiting them because the country is so peaceful and quiet-- sooo different from the city. visiting the country also has the tendency to remind me of all the things i love about my home in the city.

chicago magazine listed '40 reasons to love chicago' these are my top 5 picks::  

1. because every neighborhood is its own awesome universe (i have lived in lakeview, logan's square & ukrainian village--all uniquely awesome)

2. because at least we can dress stylishly in local fashion. 

3. because there's awesome food on almost every corner. (h's family is a good influence and this year i have become more adventurous in the food dept- Cuban, Indian, Ethiopian, Persian)

4. because as a center of architectural innovation, we can still strut our stuff. 

5. because chicago's own wgn morning news makes my day (every morning). ...ok this wasn't on chicago magazine's list but it should have been. 

what do you love about your city?

jcd

pretty in plum.

i am in love with these purple runway looks...

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jcd

make time to laugh.

oliva palermo in vouge espana

jcd

sweet little shift.

how sweet is this little shift dress from veronica beard? it reminds me of something twiggy would wear...

photos via, via, via

jcd

easy appetizer.

last night i went to a friends house for an early christmas dinner. the hostess did a fantastic job putting everything together and dinner was delicious. the thing i loved most about her dinner parties are always the appetizers-- especially the crostinis. this little treat combines three of my favorite things: bread, pesto and goat cheese. it is an easy appetizer with a lot of flavor.

photo via.

jcd

tea towels.

confession: i have a mild obsession with tea towels.*
i have an embroidered set my mom gave to me for my birthday and now i keep finding others i just adore...

1. yummy tea towel $14
2. blue urban type screenprinted tea towel $10
3. honeycomb with bee flour sack $6
4. pinched mosaic mug $14
5. monogram mug $6

6. rooster tea towel $16

7. kitchen towel orange bicycle $11

8. crab set of 2 hand printed tea towels $20

 

*not everyone in my apt feels the same way. h hates tea towels... a lot. he doesn't think they dry your hands v well. ah well we just won't tell him about this wishlist.

jcd

the wrigley building.

i just realized the other day that i am way behind on my architecture posts-sorry!
chicago is full of gorgeous buildings and i am lucky enough to pass quite a few of them on my way to work. one of my favorites is nicknamed 'the jewel of the mile' (aka the magnificent mile). the wrigley building has beautiful detail and a lot of history and it looks particularly pretty during the holidays::

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jcd

thankful.

at least in this cold we have some sunshine...

stay warm and smile.

xoxo jcd

weekend review.

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good morning and happy monday---i hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! h and i spent a lot of quality time with family. saturday we got together with his dad, brother and girlfriend exchanged gifts and watched christmas vacation (i forgot just how funny this movie was!). on sunday we went to my grandparents on my dad's side for christmas dinner. we played apples to apples with my older brother andy's girlfriend's kids-- austin is 13 and lexie is 10. h and i love spending time with the kids--they are hilarious... and they got v competitive during the game which made it a lot of fun. i am looking forward to seeing them again this weekend. christmas is in 5 days!!! are you ready?!? 

jcd

ps i was super bummed our internet was down ALL weekend! wahhhhh i didn't realize how addicted i was to the internet! hopefully it starts working again soon.

bumble and bumble.

i am a little obsessed with b&b. every time i browse their style book i want to run to the hair salon. loving these short looks:: 

amanda

katie

last minute gift idea:: live fully travel bag $24

jcd

friday link love.

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hello lovelies and happy friday!! this weekend we have a whole lotta family plans. on saturday, h and i are hanging out w his dad before he leaves to visit family in Iran. sunday we are celebrating Christmas with my dad's side of the family before my grandparents fly south to Florida for the winter (lucky ducks!)

a few of my favorite posts this week::

mmmm peppermint pie

another ahhhmazing wishlist.

NPR's 50 favorite albums of 2010 (h's list coming soon!)

the perfect appetizer
is it weird that im not engaged but i like to look at wedding photos? didn't think so... love these vintage bottles centerpieces AND feathers!
quite possibly one of my favorite giveaways to date
cute date ideas for you and your man (ow ow!)
love love the luis vuitton lookbook
how fun are these festive pieces?!
how is it my wishlist seems never-ending. blogs are bad news bears.
what a refreshing challenge.
one of my absolute favorite songs on the singoff!

also--a BIG thank you to everyone who follows and has posted such sweet comments this week. i am so happy i started this blog and i really appreciate all of your suppport!
have a lovely weekend!
xoxo- jcd

nola.

after we booked our trip to portland h and i started to reminisce about our visit new orleans last year. it was our first real trip together, and the first time either of us have been to the city. we fell in love with the weather, music, architecture, and gorgeous gardens. here are a few of my favorite photos:: 

the city is alive with music.

hahah love love this pic of h... we had fun in the mask shops



loved the architecture and detail in the french quarter

our little voodoo doll! (he is hanging out in our christmas tree now)



the streetcars were SO much fun

dinner on a second story patio

if you haven't visited new orleans i would highly recommend a trip. what is your favorite city to visit?

jcd