la quaintrelle giveaway!

happy halloween!! i have a special treat for you today!! La Quaintrelle contacted me and is offering my readers a chance to win a $25 gift card to their vintage chic online shop! whoever wins the gift card will probably have trouble deciding what to buy... here are my favorites: 

polka dot dress $44, classic ebony dress $48, flapper dress $64

how to enter:

follow cornflake dreams via GFC or Bloglovin

visit La Quaintrelle and comment on your favorite piece

additional ways to enter: (please leave a separate entry for each)

follow La Quaintrelle on twitter
like La Quaintrelle on facebook

like cornflake dreams on facebook

follow cornflake dreams on twitter

this giveaway is open to domestic and international entries! a winner will be announced on monday, november 7th.

bonne chance!

xo,

jillian

ps the winner of the JewelMint giveaway is #11, elle from elle sees -- congratulations! please email me.


if you are interested in sponsoring a giveaway on cornflake dreams please email me.

friday's fancies #39.

happy friday! i am super excited abou this weekend! tonight h and i are going to visit ikea to try to find some shelves for our living room and a few other odds and ends (like cinnamon rolls!) saturday we're visiting our wedding coordinator to discuss a few wedding details (YAH!) and then later that night im going out with the girls. on sunday i plan to attend a bridal expo (if sat night isnt too crazy...) and then later sunday night my parents will be joining us for our weekly family dinner and they will finally meet h's dad! 

this friday's fancies is a fun one! {av} has invited bloggers to dream up their dream halloween costumes. i going with the creative/inexpensive route this year with my costume...but if i had all the money in the world i might dress up as audrey hepburn from breakfast at tiffanys::

lbd $238, heels $200, clutch $275, colorblock necklace $88, jcrew crystal brûlée necklaces $68/each

do you have any fun holiday plans this weekend?

xo,

jillian

ps if you havent already be sure to sign up for the JewelMint Giveaway! I'll be announcing a winner on Monday, October 24th!

{guest post}-the curtis casa.

Hi Jillian's readers! I'm Whitney from The Curtis Casa and I have been loving Jillian's blog for quite a while. When I read that Jillian and her fiancé got a place of their very own, I was so excited for them! I know how crazy / fun / intimidating it can be to move into a new place. I thought it would be really fun to pull a little something together for the engaged couple so I emailed Jillian and couldn't wait to get in on the fun!

Jillian shared with me the overall feel and function of the dual home office + guest room, as well as their wedding registry, favorite trends, color schemes and pinterest boards! From those ideas, I decided to focus on the "work space" side of the room and I came up with this inspiration board!

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

I did take Angela's great advice and picked the rug {and fabric swatches} first. Well, let's be honest, I really picked that lovely Room & Board blue chair first, but that's okay. Jillian could use that lovely grey and white chevron for some drapes and the coordinating fabrics for throw pillows on the bed. This Twiggy knockoff floor lamp pulls in some bright red, to coordinate with some sentimental red artwork that Jillian & H will have in the room. {Meaningful art is the best kind of art!} And I love this cheap, simple + sleek Ikea desk for for a workspace in this room. What's great about it is that you can customize it, spray paint the legs and paint the top to suit any room! 

Thanks for having me, Jillian, I hope you guys have a blast settling into your new home!

Thanks for reading, y'all!

xoxo,

Whitney

the curtis casa

ps: there are a few days left to enter the JewelMint giveaway!

all together now!

i can hardly belive how quickly this month has gone by! halloween is this weekend and i am v excited to celebrate with my friends. we started dressing up with group theme costumes in college and i am  happy the tradition has continued. past favorite costumes included nurses, disney characters, bears players and coaches (i was ditka!), the village people, and the wizard of oz! this year we're going for a creative theme that also happens to be inexpensive...we're dressing up as dominos! black dresses, white dots and we'll be falling over eachother all night :) sounds fun right?! i have my black dress but i still need to DIY some dots!

i love dressing up for halloween and i love the parties...because that usually means lots of fun appetizers and desserts! my friend jen is hosting a little pre-halloween gathering and i want to make one of these tasty treats::

praline pumpkin dessert, pumpkin pie dip, pumpkin cake roll, pumpkin banana bread

do you still dress up for halloween? if so what's your costume this year?! see more halloween inspired posts over on breakfast at toast! 

xo,

jillian

ps: don't miss your chance to enter to win jewelry from JewelMint!

wedding wednesday - aris + al.

happy wedding wednesday! today is a special post dedicated to my friends aris + al's wedding. i was lucky enough to be a bridesmaid and i had so much fun helping them celebrate their big day. aris + al had a gorgeous traditional greek orthodox ceremony and it was wonderful to have a spot up on the alter to see the priest do his thing. the ceremony was filled with symbolic gestures--which the priest explained at the end. after the ceremony we moved onto the reception (after a champagne filled limo ride...) and the rest of the evening was filled with Greek dancing, fantastic food, tears and a lot of smiles. it was the first wedding i was ever apart of and i loved every minute of it! 

aris + al had an incredible sweets table (it went on forever!) and they gave guests huge candy apples as favors! their playlist was ahhhmazing and i am considering 'borrowing' a few songs for our wedding next year.

congratulations to al + aris and thank you again for letting me apart of your special day! 


opa!

xo,

jillian


ps i am sharing my top ten posts over on project gadabout!! 

barcelona on bikes.

we started our spanish adventure in barcelona, then went to madrid, and then returned back to barcelona for two days. on our last day in the city we went on a bike tour, and it ended up being one of my favorite days. i love a good story-teller and our bike tour guide was pretty interesting. i learned all sorts of things about monuments, churches, spainish history, and the catalonia culture. if i could do the trip again i would START with the bike tour so we would have a little context when we were running around the bari gotic and stepping into random churches. i love getting "lost" and finding new things when i travel but i also appreciate the history behind a city's art and architecture. [the bike tour finally got us out to the beach too...MAJOR plus! it was gorgeous and the weather was perfect]

do you like to go on tours when you visit cities? or do you prefer to explore on your own?

xo,

jillian

ps don't miss the ginormous JewelMint Giveaway!

and a huge happy anniversary to my parents! xo!

jewelmint giveaway!

good morning chickadees! the move went well this weekend but i am exhausted!! we have almost all of our stuff unpacked but we still have to decorate... i'll post some photos of the new place in a few days. 


til then i have a real big treat for you today! JewelMint contacted me a few weeks ago and introduced me to their gorgeous site. all of the pieces are all priced at $29 and have a personalized story. i am thrilled to be able to give away three of my favorite pieces from the JewelMint collection - 
the art deco inspired savory bracelet, pomander pendant necklace and the lady noir rings!

here's how to enter to win all of these gorgeous pieces:

follow cornflake dreams via GFC or Bloglovin

visit JewelMint and comment on your favorite piece

extra ways to enter: (please leave a comment for each entry)

follow cornflake dreams on twitter

like cornflake dreams on facebook

follow jewelmint on twitter

like jewelmint on facebook

this giveaway is open to domestic entries only and a winner will be announced on monday, october 31st.

good luck! 

xo, 

jillian

ps the winner of last week's easy canvas giveaway is lucky #71, Emily from Simply Southern. congratulations, please email me! 

friday's fancies #38- move it, move it.

happy friday! its MOVING weekend!! we got our smancy new appliances delivered to the condo last night and i am just smitten! is it normal to get that excited about appliances?! anyhoo, this weekend we'll haul over the rest of our belongings (with the help of some strong moving men) and start to make our condo our home. i cannot wait. i really love unpacking and h and i even created an upbeat playlist for the occasion. i also think since we'll be busy working all day saturday and sunday we will just have to treat ourselves to the best roast beef subs which happen to be right around the corner! so this weekend won't be particulary fancy...i am leaning towards a comfy outfit for the occasion, something like this::

lands end canvas sweater $40 (on sale!), jeans $25, boots $198

what are your weekend plans?

xo,

jillian

ps - a huge thank you to my interior design guest bloggers! your posts have given me inspiration and i am SO excited to start decorating! miss a post? check them out again!

danielle moss from breakfast at toast

michelle from ten june

angela from diary of a chair
alex from things that sparkle

pps - there's still time to enter the easy canvas print giveaway! i'll announce a winner on monday, october 24th.

españa snapshots- madrid.

hola chickadees and happy thursday! october is flying by and i haven't shared my madrid photos yet--many apologies! we arrived in madrid on a monday afternoon and as soon as we got to the city we were in love. it reminded us of chicago, everyone running around to somewhere important to be. i loved the public parks and squares--if you walked for five minutes you were bound to run into one! the city was full of cars and scooters zooming around but there were large streets dedicated to pedistiran traffic (and full of restaurants and shops!) we did quite a bit of shopping while we were in the city. we discovered a modern market where we shared churros and went back for tapas.

on our last day we ran into an artsy area of the city where they were holding an outdoor showcase of interior design shops and botiques. if i could carry more on the plane it would have been an expensive afternoon! 

xo,

jillian

{guest post} - things that sparkle.

I have enlisted alex from things that sparkle to put together a dream wedding registry list! alex is a fellow chicago blogger, she's super stylish and recently started her interior design career AND she's planning her 2012 wedding!
--------------------------------------
Hi all! I am so excited to be here today sharing my must have registry items! I think the most fun part of registering for your wedding is that you can register for things that you would love to own, but wouldn't want to buy yourself.

These 6 items are on the top of my must-have registry list:

1. Gold flatware

2. Le Creuset Pot

3. High-end Towels

4. High thread count sheets

5.  Basic, white Dinnerware

6. Kitchen Aid Mixer (in pink of course)


xo, 
alex from things that sparkle


ps there's still time to enter the easy canvas print giveaway!

{guest post} -diary of a chair.

Hi Cornflake dreamers!  I'm Angela from Diary of a Chair.  I was super excited when Jillian asked me to guest post for her interior design series, and I'm thrilled to share some of my favorite decorating tips with you.

Last year, my husband G. and I moved into our Boston apartment, and being an interior design grad student, I couldn't wait to get decorating.  Here are my top 3 tips I've learned over the past year:

Anchor your room with a dramatic chandelier that is totally you.  This sets up a gorgeous focal point, lifts your eye up, and gives your space an ambient glow.

via, via, via, via

Pull together a color scheme for your space from the palette of a great rug you want to lay in the room.  (Trust me, you don't want to hunt for a rug to match your decor scheme after the fact.  I learned this one the hard way).

 via

Think outside of the box to find fun ways of infusing your personality into your home.

via

Hopefully my tips help to get all of you inspired and that you stop by Diary of a Chair soon! Thanks for having me, Jillian! Congrats to you and H. on all the exciting news!

xo,

Angela from Diary of a Chair

ps be sure to enter the easy canvas prints giveaway!

easy canvas giveaway!

Happy Monday Chickadees! i had an ahhhmazing weekend at my friend's wedding! the bride was absolutely gorgeous, the food was tasty, and the other bridesmaids were a lotta fun to celebrate with (i'll post some of my personal pictures this wednesday!). after the wedding, on sunday we tried to clean up the condo to get it ready for our big move this weekend. everytime we are there i start to think about decorating ideas. we have a lot of wall space in our living room and i would love to put together a wall gallery of our travel photos blown up. once i figure out what photos to use i am going to use Easy Canvas Prints to print them.

via, via, via, via

if you wanted to try out easycanvas today is your day! easy canvas has graciously offered to donate 
one giant canvas (11" x 14") to one lucky reader!

here is how to enter::

mandatory: (please leave a comment)

follow cornflake dreams via GFC or Bloglovin

extra ways to enter:: (please leave a seperate comment for each)

like easy canvas on facebook 

like cornflake dreams on facebook

follow cornflake dreams on twitter

this giveaway is only open to US residents- excluding Alaska and Hawaii due to shipping costs.
 a winner will be announced on Monday, October 24, 2011. good luck!

xo,

jillian

update: emily from simply southern is our lucky winner! congrats!

friday's fancies #37 rehearsal dinner.

one of my closest friends is getting married this weekend!! i'll be heading out to the suburbs for the rehearsal this afternoon. the wedding is on saturday and i'm sure i'll cry a little bit during the ceremony. i have known the bride since 5th grade and i am positive she is marrying her match :) eeeep! i am so excited for the whole weekend and thankful that i get to be apart of the big day! as for friday's fancies...here's my dream outfit for a happy wedding rehearsal dinner::

dress $200, heels $150, clutch $138, bracelet $118

what are you up to this weekend?

xo, 

jillian


ps looking for more outfit inspiration? check out my friday's fancies guest post on chic glamourous and splendid

{guest post}- ten june.

Hi Cornflakers! I'm Michelle from Ten June. 

I'm over here today at Jillian's blog to talk about one of my favorite things... interior design! Whether I'm renovating and decorating my 1952 ranch or drafting e-designs for clients, home design is most certainly my favorite topic. 

Needless to say, I'm more than excited for Jillian and H... not only are they getting married soon, they've got a new condo! I'm here to give Jillian some input on a design dilemma she has in her new living room.

Here's the fireplace in Jillian's living room.

 

And here is my idea for the space!

My big idea for the space is to cover the awkward walls and hole with a board and batten treatment. This will give Jillian and H the freedom to hang whatever they want above the fireplace, like a television or this gorgeous mirror. Here's an idea of what it would look like:

Jillian and H can paint the walls a soft gray and the board and batten treatment a bright, fresh white for a nice contrast. Add a few fun and romantic accessories for the soon-to-be-newlyweds and voila! You've got an updated mantle : )

See what I mean... I could talk design for days! Thanks for letting me ramble on, Jillian!

xo, 

michelle of ten june

a huge thank you to michelle for guest posting! and pssst...i am featured on creme de la creme today- don't miss it! 

wedding wednesday - bridesmaid dresses.

as you know my little brother got engaged over the weekend, he called me yesterday with more happy news! 
he wants me and my older brother andy to be in the wedding. 
the bride will have her sister and brother in the wedding party too. fun right?!

via, via, via, via

this saturday one of my best friends is getting married and i am ecstatic to be apart of the wedding party, i get to wear a pretty purple gown and greek dance the night away :) 

with all this bridesmaid buzz i thought it was about time that i reveal a few details about my wedding party and what they will be wearing next july...

after much debate i decided to go with different styles of jcrew bridesmaid dresses from the chiffon collection. i let my bridesmaids choose their favorite style and i picked two colors (i am trying to keep that part a surprise!) i love the idea of wedding parties and i think it's even more fun when the bridesmaids or groomsmen get to show off a little bit of their personality with their outfit. 


what do you think- do you like mismatched bridesmaid gowns? or do you miss the traditional matching look?!


xo, 
jillian

{guest post} - breakfast at toast.

Hi everyone! It's Danielle of Breakfast at Toast & I am so excited to share some budget friendly and DIY bedroom inspiration on Jillian's blog! I hope this inspires Jill + her fiance with the design and decor of their new bedroom.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

The nightstand is actually from Ikea. My best friend actually took this photograph and sent it to me! I love how it turned out and think that this could easily apply to any dresser. I love the grand embroidered sheets from Pottery Barn. The perfect way to add a touch of color and a monogram. 

Thank you again for having me, Jillian and a big congrats to you and H!

xo, Danielle

weekend review.

before h and i went to spain we bought our first place- it's a 2bedroom, 2bath with parking, a deck and a gorgeous kitchen! here is a quick sneak peak:: 

we still have to buy appliances and paint but i cannot wait to move! we worked on the condo all weekend and visited home depot more times than i care to share. hopefully we'll be able to start moving in our stuff soon. i doubt we will have a lot of extra money left to decorate but that is always in the back of my mind. i have been pinning things like crazy onto my 'when we have a house board' on pinterest and i have a few special interior design guest posts scheduled this month to get inspired. i also started cleaning out my closet and i have a number of coach bags + wristlets to sell (email me if you're interested in more info). new condo aside---i got some v happy news from my baby brother--he is engaged!!

how was your weekend?!

do you have any great interior design blogs you'd like to share?  

xo, 

jillian


ps congratulations to lucky #29, Drew from Coral Cafe you won the acute designs giveaway-- please email me!

friday's fancies #36.

horraaaay for friday!!! it's been a long week at my new job (loving it!) but i am ready to relax and sleep in. there won't be too much downtime for me this weekend, h and i are going to be busy painting our new condo (i'll share photos next week!) anyhoo i stumbled along this photo of alexa chung for madewell and i am smitten with this outfit. 
it's classic and comfy, perfect for fall.

sweater $98, cords $70, moccasins $40, necklace $68

what are your weekend plans?

xo, 

jillian


ps there are a few days left to enter the acute designs giveaway!

siesta and sweets.

hola chickadees! i am excited to share with you my two favorite things from my trip to spain:: Siesta and Sweets! during our trip to Barcelona and Madrid we did a lot of walking...which justified my afternoon naps and sweet fix. i ate a whole lotta croissants, churros and chocolate, cakes and ice cream. i even visited mcdonalds to try the spanish version of soft serve (it's on a waffle cone with a kit kat!. three times. judged. i know. but it was soooo good.

one of my favorite sweet shops was Antigua Patileria del Pozo in madrid. the pastry shop with decor from the 1830's sold tasty little cakes at a super affordable price (so you can try a few!).

spaniards are all about the siesta. who wouldn't be?! after my sweet fix i indulged in an hour nap. if only i could get the siesta started in the states... 

xo, 

jillian 

españa snapshots- barcelona.

the first part of our trip to spain was in barcelona. we landed in the city on saturday morning and we spent the day running around seeing as much of the city as possible. i was immediately smitten by the famous gaudi homes (especially the casa batllo) and all the other intricate architecture at every corner. 

the city was bustling with visitors for the La Mercè festival (an annual party to celebrate the Roman Catholic feast day of Our Lady of Mercy). during the festival we saw a parade filled with paper mache 'giants' (gigantes y cabezudos), neighborhood bands, the sardana (a large circle dance), and a castell competition (human towers!) it was a fantastic way to see local traditions and celebrate the weekend.

have you ever visited a city during a major festival or event?

xo, 

jillian


ps don't forget to enter the acute designs giveaway! and upper metal class is launching a new website soon...check out their giveaway!!

let's talk tv.

since we were in spain for the big fall premiere week on tv i feel a bit behind but fear not our dvr is full of new episodes of our favorite shows:: 

via, via, via, via, via, via

h and i have similar tastes when it comes to television (outside of sports!). we tend to watch a lot of comedies. 

here is a short-list of our favorites::

cougar town - parks and recreation - modern family

chopped - house hunters - mad men (please come back!) - the walking dead (don't ask)

and i hate to admit it but i occasionally get sucked into real housewives of orange county...and new jersey, and atlanta. o and millionaire matchmaker. ugh. so addicting! 

what's on your dvr? 

xo, 

jillian


ps just in case you missed it:: i was featured on aspiring kennedy!

acute designs - giveaway.

good morning chickadees! i have SO many great stories and photos from our trip to spain...but i am still recovering. jet lag is a killer! i promise i'll have a few recap posts for you this week. until then let's do a giveaway:: gina from acute designs is generously donating $20 credit to her etsy shop full of vintage hair, jewelry and bridal pieces.

navy and gold necklace $22 , trio of vintage pins $18.50, vintage flower ring $13.75, tiny bright white dahlia earrings $10, vintage mustard necklace $28, the rebekah headband $45, plum purple dahlia earrings $11

how to enter: mandatory
follow cornflake dreams via GFC or bloglovin
stop by the acute design etsy shop and comment on your favorite piece


additional ways to enter: please leave an additional comment for each
follow cornflake dreams on twitter
follow acute designs on twitter
follow acute designs' blog via GFC
tweet about the giveaway! (please include @cornflakedreams and @AcuteDesigns in your tweet!)

a winner will be chosen on monday, october 10th. this giveaway is open to domestic and international readers. good luck! 

xo, 

jillian


ps a huge congratulations to #123 Tamra from walks with bella you won the ayofemi necklace giveaway and #98 Aubrey from all things bright and beautiful you won the inspired house of wright giveaway!! please email me with your mailing info!


if you are interested in sponsoring a giveaway on cornflake dreams please email me.