{guest post} - greedy girl.

i am thrillllled to introduce a week of guest bloggers while i am away on vacation. first up is one the first bloggers i started reading! caroline from greedy girl has an amazing sense of style and i am smitten with her getaway girl series!  
----------------------------
i'm so glad jillian asked me to contribute while she's away. turkey's been on my to-go for a long time, so it was fun to get into the istanbul mindset. all those beautiful colors and patterns and amazing markets, not to mention those incredible mosques... i'm so jealous, jillian!  well, here's a look at what i'd pack for my own byzantium getaway. the weather sounds so nice this time of year (warm days, cool nights), so i tried to keep that in mind. also, i stuck with a generally conservative look and added in a scarf—to wear for warmth at night and to use as a head-covering when visiting mosques.  

+ Top, Antik Batik + Trousers, J.Crew + Sunglasses, Topshop + Scarf, Forever21 + Necklace, Bellissima + Ultra Wide and Slim Camera, Photojojo + Wallpaper* Istanbul City Guide, Phaidon + Flats, Geewawa + Bag, Madewell 

 happy travels to the happy couple! and i'm serious, jillian—don't forget to instagram!

- Caroline of Greedy Girl

friday's fancies #63 - in the air.

tonight we're off to istanbul, turkey! we've got a late flight but it's non-stop!! i am hoping to sleep on the plane and finish the second (and maybe third hunger games book (the flight is almost 11 hrs long!) i promise to take lots of photos (h bought a new paparazzi camera just for our trips!) i'll also be sure to eat lots of tasty turkish sweets and meats...mmmmm... here's what i am thinking of wearing on the plane:: 

tee $24 - sweater $10 - black leggings $36 - tory burch flats $179 - luggage $279 - passport cover $24 - earrings $38

 note: no sweatpants or pj's on the plane! leggings are just as comfortable! 

have a great weekend and don't miss all the wonderful guest bloggers i have scheduled for next week! 

xo, 

jillian 

our vacation to-do list.

eat. walk. see. shop. sleep. repeat. 

that's what i plan on doing all next week in turkey. i have had quite a few people ask me why.. why am i going to turkey? what is there to do there? why not europe? 

i always have the same response - h and i wanted to go somewhere NEW, somewhere different but with food we love. we also scored a sweet deal on non-stop flights last august - so that helps! 

it's the perfect time to go on a trip - a break away from wedding planning, and a mental break for both of us from our busy jobs. i can't wait to spend seven days with my man, eating kabobs and cheese, and fresh bread; exploring the city and seeing all the gorgeous architecture and shopping in the grand bazaar... (i already have a mini shopping wishlist!) 

via - via - via - via - via

where do you want to travel?

If you have been to Istanbul are there any sites we should put on our must see list?!

xo, 

jillian

wedding wednesday - be our guest.

when i was younger i always got excited to sign my name in the guest book at a wedding. i thought it was a fun way to be involved in the wedding and make sure the bride and groom knew i was there! now that i am planning my own wedding i have discovered lots of unique ways to welcome our guests and get them involved right away. i am smitten with these ideas:: 

map - fingerprints -  wine corks -

 quilt - typewriter - wedding wish tree 

my mom is a fantastic quilter so we're going to have quilt squares for our guests to sign as they arrive at our reception! i have no doubt it will be a keepsake that i will treasure for years. 


how did you welcome your guests at your wedding? 
with a traditional book for them to sign? or something a little more unique?  

xo, 

jillian

ps have you heard?! the StyleMint, ShoeMint peeps are up to it again-- and this time they have recruited Justin Timberlake! bring sexy back and, sign up for early access.

i love you like...

it's no secret that i have a thing for carbs (evident here and here). one of my favorite carbs are fluffy buttery, biscuits! i have great memories of sunday breakfast at my grandparent's house and my grandpa would always made me biscuits and gravy. it was always a special treat and i STILL crave the warm homemade sausage gravy and fluffy buttermilk biscuits... 

biscuit sign (i have this in my kitchen!)- classic biscuits and gravy - green chili biscuits and country gravy - cheddar and herb biscuits

other recipes to try:: {vegetarian gravy - gluten-free gravy}

what is your favorite breakfast comfort food?

xo, 

jillian

good things.

good morning chickadees! i can't believe it's already monday again... the weekend went by too fast but it was full of good things:: 

-friday night netflix date night. we watched beginners - i loved the music and the dog

-i got my necklace in the mail - it was on my wishlist for months and it did not disappoint in person.

-saturday morning workout! i finally got to do some yoga and kettlebell after a long break

-taco bell! so much for working out... i got the new dorito taco and it was goooooood. 

-titanic in 3D! saturday matinee with a good friend

-dinner with friends (with the perfect dinner music - iron & wine) 

-sunday shopping with my mom, grandma, aunt and cousin (we found my mom's dress, grandma's dress and the flower girl dress for the wedding!) 

-sunday dinner at a Bosnian restaurant - lots of rich meats, cheese, and bread

-this time next week we'll be in Istanbul, Turkey!! (we leave this friday and i've got some great guest posts lined up)

how was your weekend?

xo, 

jillian

friday's fancies #62.

this weekend my heart will go on.. and on. i'm seeing titanic 3D with my friend doula on saturday - she and i had a ridiculous crush on dicaprio back in the 8th grade so i am looking forward to a good cry. on sunday i'm going shopping with my mom and grandma to find my wedding veil! earlier this week i tried on my wedding dress with my new shoes (heels and sandals!) and jewelry and i am so excited about how everything is coming together! the rest of the weekend will be low key and i am looking forward to checking a few things off my to-do list. i'm also hoping it warms up in chicago so i can wear some shorts and simple sandals::

sweater $65 - shorts $60 - sandals $187 - necklace $45 


have a great weekend!

xo,

jillian

iphone.

this week i joined the rest of the cool kids and i finally got an iphone! which means i have my own instragram app (i used to borrow h's iphone and snap pics with his). i already bought a cute new case (the pink one below) but i am tempted to buy another one:: 


aqua $35 - electric haze $35 - solara $35 - stripes $40 - nebula $35

what are your favorite iphone apps?! 
anything i should download now?

xo, 
jillian

wedding wednesday - the cake!

spoiler alert! at our wedding we're going to have a dessert room. o yes, that's right a ROOM with lots of sweets for our guests. i don't want to ruin all the surprises so i'll keep the actual treats a secret, but we will have a wedding cake. at first i didn't think it would be a big deal if we skipped the cake --- insert collective nooooo's from my family. okay then, bring on the sugar! if we're going to do it, i want something v tasty AND i want it to look good (so no fondant frosting that doesn't taste good!). ideally i'd like a multi-layer cake with carrot (a hearty carrot cake with shredded carrots, nuts, raisins, and heavy cream cheese frosting) on one layer, chocolate with nutella on another, and classic white on the bottom. i'm not sure if this combo is possible and i'll have to wait until we have our food + cake tasting appointment next month. hopefully we can make my cake dreams come true. as for the outside of the cake - i like these pretty cakes::

green - pink - ombre

piped buttercream - drippy - gold stripe

what's the best dessert you've had at a wedding?

what has your favorite cake flavor?

xo, 

jillian


ps hop over to aspiring kennedy today! i am sharing my dream 'if i could wake up anywhere' trip :)

nona e rose accessories.

lately whenever i go shopping i check out shoes, accessories and jewelry first. i really believe a great accessory can make an outfit special. so i was thrilled to discover nona e rose. rachel sax is the designer behind the shop and she has dreamt up beeeautiful belts. here are my favorites:: 

lucky you! rachel sax has generously offered cornflake dreams readers a special discount off select belts! the special sale is valid for one week and ends on 4/24, so be sure to check it out! connect with nona e rose:: facebook - twitter - shop sale

do you like to wear unique jewelry, shoes or accessories? 

xo, 

jillian

good things.

this weekend was full of good things... 


-friday i cheered on five co-workers who were picked to go to vegas. they are some of the sweetest people at the office so i was thrilled for them! 
-saturday the girls and i traveled to Milwaukee to visit our stomping grounds. we made a pit-stop at the outlet mall - i found some adorable periwinkle blue shorts, sandals, and a black top. 
-when we arrived in milwaukee we stopped at sobleman's and had some ammmazing burgers. 
-later that night we visited campus favorites:: caffs + murphy's
-we tried a few new drinks...did you know they make vodka that tastes like fruit loops?!
- i also got my fill of super addictive salty popcorn.
-we ended the night by dancing with the kiddos...apparently the song 'call me maybe' is a HUGE hit. and i feel old.
-it was a great time with the girls and it only took me a half a day to recover :)


how was your weekend?
xo, 
jillian

friday's fancies #61 - mystery trip.

odds are that i will be in milwaukee this weekend with the girls. much like our trip last year we'll spend saturday shopping at the outlet mall, eating amazing burgers, visiting our favorite alum bars, drinking a few strongbows and dancing! there is also a (slim) chance i will be in vegas! either way i am excited for some fun and i want to wear something BRIGHT!

maxi dress $253.00 - brown sandals $109 - wrap dress $169 - pink sandals $69 - 

have a great weekend!!

xo, 

jillian


ps you HAVE to watch this adorable video about a super creative little kiddo in LA - they even set up a scholarship fund for him!

guest contributor on houzz.

have you heard of houzz? it's a pretty sweet site with lots of home design, decorating and remodeling ideas and i am honored to be a guest contributor! every month i submit a special collection of items all with a common theme. this month i am fixated on black, and white. here's a little sneak pick of my lookbook:: 

click here to see more and to browse my other lookbooks.  

xo, 

jillian

wedding wednesday - vintage veils.

happy wedding wednesday! this past weekend i made some progress on our wedding to-do list. i finally bought my shoes (and got them two days later- endless has crazy fast shipping!). now i am on a mission to find the perfect veil. i keep changing my mind about how i want to do my hair...so once i finally decide on that, veil shopping should be easier. here a few vintage-inspired veils that i love::

dotted veil - mini pearls - bridal blusher - seaspray veil - scalloped veil

what's your favorite style? 
do you think veils are old-fashioned or a pretty addition to the big day?

xo, 

jillian

suitcase party.

images via

a few weeks ago i received an email in my work inbox that was titled "suitcase party!" ehhh, what? i was a little suspicious before i opened it, i thought it might be spam but it was from our office's main receptionist. the email was an invitation from the firm to attend a suitcase party on april 13th, with the tagline "what happens in vegas, stays in vegas." okay you have my attention. 


the email went on to explain that the firm is giving away an all-expenses paid 2-night trip to vegas (airfare, hotel, and $500 spending cash) to four lucky employees. the catch is you have to sign up for the drawing a month in advance and you won't find out if you're going to vegas til the night of the party when you leave immediately from the office and fly to vegas! o, and you're traveling with 3 co-workers you may or may not know (there's about 150 people at our office). 


the suitcase party is this friday at 5 pm and you BETTER believe i signed up to win! i also made realllly fun plans to visit milwaukee with my best friends on saturday - so whatever happens it's a win, win situation.

would you sign up for this sort of thing?

xo, 

jillian


ps i should mention the last (and only) time i have gone to vegas i was in eight grade. random! i'm certain a grown-up trip there would be much different.

adventures in puppy-sitting.

happy monday! tonight we return little dougie, the corgi, to my parents. it was an entertaining weekend puppy-sitting and we had fun taking dougie out for walks. he is a country dog so he was v distracted by the cars, other dogs, plastic bags and SHINY things!. when we weren't outside dougie slept. a lot. and he barked at the washing machine. and that's about it. overall he was a pretty well-behaved dog and i am glad we got to watch him. dougie is adorable, there's no denying that - but after this weekend i realized that i'm not really ready for a dog in the city. i liked taking him for walks, but it's also spring and the weather is gorgeous. fast forward a few months to winter and freezing temps: would i be super excited to take him on walks then?! eh, not so much. good thing he already has a good home! we'll adopt a pup when we buy a house with a bigggg fenced in yard! 

do you have pets? 
was it a big adjustment to bring them into your home?

xo, 

jillian

friday's fancies #60.

happy friday! i am sooo ready for a cozy weekend! we're puppy sitting my parent's corgie dougie this weekend so it should be a lot of fun (and a great test to see if we're ready to adopt a dog of our own)! it's chilly again in chicago so i'll probably wear a light sweater (i love this one from topshop) and some jeans...

sweater $64 - jeans $76 - flats $98 - necklace $85

what are your plans for the weekend?

xo, 

jillian

beauty bee.

via - makeup bag

on tuesday i spilled about my recent obsession with benefits they're real! mascara, so today i thought i'd share some of my other favorite beauty products!

let's start with hair. i LOVE just about every bumble and bumble product i have used. i am addicted to their prep spray and shampoo and conditioner, hair spray... and a few others. 

i generally don't wear a lot of makeup. i go with the basics- eye shaddow and eyeliner and i love urban decay eyeshadow in sin and urban decay 24/7 glide-on liner. for a sheer overall coverup i just started wearing smashbox camera ready bb cream and i mix it with clinique dramatically different moisturizing lotion. it creates a a super light foundation that hydrates my skin. 

when i am feeling fancy, i'll put on some fresh sugar passion tinted lip gloss  to give my lips a little color. 

do you use any of these products? 

what's in your makeup bag?!

xo, 

jillian

wedding wednesday - 100 days.

via - via- via

we've got 100 days left until the big day! i have a top ten list of to-do's before the big day:

1. my accessories: i still need to shop for my shoes, veil, and jewelry.
2.  favors...so far i have some ideas but i need to make it happen. sounds like craft time!
3.  photo display. i'd like to display some photos of h and i growing up and together as a couple.. i have most of the photos now i just need to figure out how to display everything
4. finalize the menu. we have our food tasting in mid-may, by then i think we'll have a good idea of what food we'll serve.
5. finalize the invitations. i got a gorgeous set of proofs back from mae mae  but i need to send in a few edits before they can go out. i'd also like to find some cute vintage stamps!
6. suits. h and his groomsmen still need to order their suits... and we have to decide on what ties or bowties to get.
7. our rings. we're in the process of designing our wedding bands, next step is to decide what to have engraved inside.
8. the playlist! we have a list of songs but we need to narrow that list down to ceremony, cocktail hour, reception and dancing.
9. rehersal dinner. book it! send out invitations or e-vites.
10. allll the little details. once we send out invitations and get back rsvp's we have to get working on that the seating chart. 

whew! to keep myself on track the next few wedding wednesdays will be dedicated to these ten to-do's! hopefully we can make some progress on that list.

xo,

jillian

loving lately...

cropped bright coral jeans - i snatched up a pair over the weekend.
our new upholstered bed! it changes the whole look of our room.

benefits they're real! mascara - by far the BEST mascara i have ever owned, it makes my lashes long and doesn't clump... pssst- more from my beauty bag on thursday!

C.O. Bigelo Lemon & Pomegranate Body Wash - it smells just as good as it looks

the color pink - i can't get enough.
sweet cadbury eggs - my all-time easter favorite. 
savory empanadas... surprise, surprise i'm craving something else full of carbs, but who can resist a perfect pastry of meat and cheese?!


what are you loving lately?!

xo, 

jillian

good things.

via - via


another weekend full of good things...


looking through old baby photos of h, he was such a cutie!
playing personal stylist and shopping with my mom - we picked out some great pieces for her upcoming trip to the bahamas! 
i found a great dress for our wedding shower.
dinner with my parents, brother and his girlfriend.

cheddar biscuits from red lobster. talk about addictive...after dinner i wrapped one up for later. judge away. it was good.

a lazy sunday - complete with an at home pedicure, mud mask, and a nap.

h's dad returned safely from visiting family in iran... he brought us pistachios and we spent sunday dinner at his place where we got to see photos and videos from his trip. 

how was your weekend?!

xo, 

jillian