friday's fancies #71.

happy friday! its HOT in chicago so i am looking forward to a rooftop pool date and a low-key cookout in the burbs. my bridesmaids and i are getting together on sunday to do some wedding crafting (we're only 15 days away from the BIG day!) with the wedding quickly approaching i am still trying to sneak in time to enjoy the summer -- which is why i need to make burgers + italian ice happen!

tank dress $129 - espadrilles $105 - earrings $48 - watch $250

have a great weekend!

xo, 

jillian 

ps don't miss the fiscally chic $50 giveaway AND the fashion for home giveaway!

fashion for home giveaway!

happy thursday! today i have a special giveaway from fashion for home, a site that sells chic designer furniture online (they have a UK site too!). i love all the modern furniture and interesting art pieces - it makes me want to redecorate our whole place. fashion for home has generously offered to give one winner the luke coffee table (in their choice of color) i'd probably go with yellow!!

how to enter:: mandatory

follow cornflake dreams via GFC or Bloglovin

visit fashion for home and comment on your favorite piece

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

like fashion for home on facebook

follow fashion for home on twitter

tweet about the giveaway! please include @cornflakedreams @ffh_uk in your tweet

this giveaway is open to domestic and international readers - a winner will be announced on july 5, 2012 

bonne chance! 

xo, 

jillian 

ps congrats to no.89, alexa you won the blue bird bride necklace giveaway! please email me. 

wedding wednesday- bachelorette party recap.

ready for some rainbows?! chicago celebrated pride weekend and my bridesmaids embraced it and threw the BEST bachelorette party ever (full of LOTS of pops of color). 

we started the night at a smancy mexican restaurant in the South Loop -- i had empanadas and a delicious mojito. i opened up birthday and shower gifts from the girls and after dinner we moved the party to my maid of honor's condo. there was a crazy amount of sweets -- a giant rainbow cake, rainbow twizzlers, lemon squares, chocolate carmel squares and funfetti cupcakes (my fave!)... and quite a few drinks. 

we played a few games and there were even more gifts. before heading out we had a champagne toast on the rooftop deck (there were fireworks!!) the rest of the night was spent dancing downtown. 

by the end of it i looked like a barbie doll in hot pink dress with a sash, crown, beads and a fake neon braid... so basically everything i've ever wanted. i am SO grateful to have such wonderful bridesmaids, family and friends. thank you all for making my 27th birthday + bachelorette party one to remember.

xo, 

jillian 

ps one more day to enter the blue bird bride bubble necklace giveaway and don't miss the $50 fiscally chic etsy giveaway! 

rainbow birthday cake.

this past weekend i had a birthday/bachelorette party with close family + friends. one of the biggest surprises of the night was my cake. it was MASSIVE and RAINBOW!!! all the bright colors and frosting made my 7-yr old my little pony-loving-self v excited. it tasted pretty spectacular too. a huge thank you to my matron of honor (my cousin shai) for getting the cake and making my night sweet::

i'll share more photos + stories from my bachelorette party tomorrow! 

xo,

jillian 

ps don't forget to enter TWO great giveaways:: blue bird bride necklace giveaway and fiscally chic $50 gift card giveaway !! 

fiscally chic $50 giveaway!

hello and happy monday! i am super excited to announce yet another giveaway! this time it's with fiscally chic, a chicago-based etsy shop (and blog!) that makes gorgeous pillow covers with Marimekko Kirsikka fabric. the bright colors and fun patterns are an easy way to update any room. cathy from fiscally chic is generously giving away $50 to her esty shop.  

red and gold metallic gold marimekko - metallic silver, white, gold dots - red flowers 

green, teal flowers - green blue yellow polka dots - gray, blue black flowers

how to enter! (mandatory)

follow cornflake dreams via gfc or bloglovin

visit Fiscally Chic on etsy and comment on your favorite pillow cover

for extra entries:: (leave a separate comment for each)

follow cathy's blog - fiscallychic.com

follow on Twitter - @FiscallyChic

like Fiscally Chic on facebook
tweet about the giveaway - please include @cornflakedreams and @fiscallychic

want to shop now? use the code "CORNFLAKE10" at check out before 7/31/12 for 10% off

this giveaway is open to domestic and international readers, a winner will be announced on monday, july 2nd.

best of luck! 

xo, 

jillian 

ps congratulations to no.15, viviana you won the goldyn $50 gift card! 

friday's fancies #70 - birthday/bachelorette-party-palooza

this saturday i celebrate my 27th birthday AND bachlelorette-ness with my best friends. i can't wait - we're starting off the night at a mexican restaurant.. bring on the margaritas! the rest of the evening is a suprise so i can't wait to see what they have planned. on sunday i'm sure i'll spend the day recovering (i already have the freezer stocked with pizza rolls and gatorade).

dress $40 - necklace $140 - sandals $65

via - via

have a happy weekend!

xo,

jillian

ps don't miss the goldyn $50 gift card giveaway - a winner will be announced on monday, AND the blue bird bride necklace giveaway - a winner will be announced next thursday.

blue bird bride necklace giveaway!

happy thursday! as a pre-birthday treat i bought myself a gorgeous statement necklace from blue bird bride on etsy. diane creates beautiful necklaces that look great with just about everything! now you can win a bright yellow or bright blue necklace- perfect for summer!!

via - via 

want to win a necklace?! - here is how to enter (mandatory)::

follow cornflake dreams via GFC or BlogLovin

visit blue bird bride on etsy and comment on your favorite piece

additional ways to enter::

follow cornflake dreams on twitter

like on blue bird bride facebook

tweet about the giveaway! - include @cornflakedreams in your tweet

a winner will be announced on thursday, june 28th - this giveaway is open to domestic and international entries

BONUS:: blue bird is offering a 10% discount for all readers -- just enter CORNFLAKE10 at checkout. 

bonne chance!

xo, 

jillian 

And finally, CONGRATS to lucky #22, ANN you won the amykathryn giveaway! please email me to claim your prize.

good things.

-we have less than one month until our wedding! 

-h and i picked up our marriage license last week... when the woman at the office gave us back our paperwork it had mrs. m on it = happy tears. 

-i have the sweeeeetest readers! thank you ALL for your wonderful comments on my bridal shower post. 

-speaking of sweet readers, a HUGE THANK YOU to amy, after seeing my craving cinnamon rolls post she sent me a batch of her own cinnamon rolls! her family company, RoRo Cinn-A-Rolls, makes DELICIOUS homemade cinnamon rolls that are easy to heat up! the dallas based company ships the goodies nationwide.

-i had a great time at my family cookout and i was able to spend some quality time with my brothers and see the cows.

-i finally got my carrot cake craving fix with a delicious homemade cake (thanks mom)!

- it's my BIRTHDAY week! whoot whoot! i'm sooo excited about my bachelorette/birthday party this weekend :)

-my summer = aviators, mojitos, maxi dresses, bike rides and sunshine!


-lately i am loving instagram! (follow me:: @cornflakedreams)

-you might have noticed there have been lots of giveaways popping up on cornflake dreams! a huge thank you to my generous sponsors!! (psst: one more day to enter the amykathryn $50 giveaway AND don't miss the $50 goldyn giveaway)

lots of love

xo, 

jillian

floral favorites.

i am a monthly contributer to houzz (an online home and design site) and this month my houzz board for june is alllll about flowers and FULL of floral finds. here are a few of my favorite picks::

to see the full collection, visit my june houzz board. 

click here to see all of my houzz boards!

xo,

jillian

ps don't forget to enter the goldyn giveaway! AND there's still time to enter the amykathryn giveaway. 

goldyn $50 giveaway!

meet goldyn: an edited selection of up-and-coming designer clothing, typically reserved for boutiques in New York, Los Angeles and Paris. Goldyn's website offers a perfectly-curated collection of dresses, tops, bottoms and accessories with big deal designers: See by Chloe, Loeffler Randall, Rag & Bone, Rebecca Minkoff.. the list goes on. here are a few of my favorite picks from their site::

cateye sunglasses - flats

leather bar bracelet - shape rings - sandals - ikat zipper pouch 

want to win?! (leave a separate comment for each):

follow cornflake dreams via GFC or BlogLovin

visit goldyn and comment on your favorite item or designer

follow cornflake dreams on twitter
like goldyn's facebook page

tweet about the giveaway! please include @cornflakedreams in your tweet

a winner will be announced on monday, june 25th - this giveaway is open to domestic and international entries

bonne chance!

xo,

jillian

ps congratulations to our lucky #8 love jenny xoxo, you won the love obsessed giveaway! please email me to claim your prize.

friday's fancies #69 - family cookout.

happppy friday! this weekend i am heading out the burbs for a father's day family cookout. i can't wait to see my younger brother (he is in town on leave before he is deployed overseas). i love cookouts and it's my first one this summer so i am looking forward to somthing grilled and quailty family time. it's going to be hot this weekend so i plan to keep it simple:: 

tank $20 (i have this tank in 3 colors...obsessed!)- shorts $18- sandals $40 - necklace $35 - studs $38 - watch $225 (this watch is at the top of my birthday wishlist!)

have a great weekend!

xo, 

jillian

ps don't miss the TWO giveaways that are going on right now: love obsessed (winner announced on monday, june 18) and amykathryn (winner announced on thursday, june 21).

amykathryn $50 gift card giveaway!

surprise -- it's another giveaway!! this time it's with amykathryn, an online boutique that sells unique handbags. the bags are fabric (animal friendly!) and there are lots of creative patterns to choose from. i love that some of the bags are made by women in Rwanda and proceeds go directly to Gahaya Links (and the women that made the handbag!) you can enter to win a $50 gift card!

grocery tote 

daisy forest clutch  - daisy maroon - daisy tiles - lily denim

want to win a $50 gift card?! - here is how to enter (mandatory)::

follow cornflake dreams via GFC or BlogLovin

visit amykathryn and comment on your favorite bag

additional ways to enter::

follow cornflake dreams on twitter

follow amykathryn on twitter

tweet about the giveaway! please include @amykathrynbags and @cornflakedreams in your tweet

a winner will be announced on thursday, june 21th - this giveaway is open to domestic and international entries

best of luck! 

xo, 

jillian


ps don't miss the love obsessed giveaway!

wedding wednesday - bridal shower recap.

this past weekend my aunts graciously hosted my bridal shower! it was at fox valley winery in the western suburbs of chicago and it was absolutely wonderful. we enjoyed a wine tasting with food and dessert pairings (my favorite was the reisling and strawberries). i was so thankful to spend the afternoon with family and close friends. at the end of the day i was a little tipsy and so happy to have such wonderful people in my life (we also went home with lots of goodies for our condo!) here are a few of my favorite photos::  

this is one of my favorite photos! my aunts, mom, me and my grandma :)

my bridesmaids! they were wonderful helping me with my gifts, taking photographs and making my ribbon bouqet that i'll use during our rehersal. 

i loved all of the DIY decorations! my aunt made clever frames by attaching a clip onto a block of wood and everyone got to go home with something special. we sampled four different local wines with fruit and sandwich pairings.

my family was very generous with their gifts! we even got the prized kitchen-aid mixer (i opted to register for a classic almond color instead of trendy mint). 

my grandmother surprised me with a silver jewelry box engraved with my new initials and a pair of pretty pearl earrings! h made an appearance towards the end (he was sad he missed all the wine!)


thank you again to my aunts, grandma, mom, and bridesmaids for planning such a wonderful day. i love you all!

xo,

jillian

ps don't forget to enter the love obsessed giveaway!

{guest post} - color issue.

today Aarean from The Color Issue is guest posting and sharing a fun DIY recipe perfect for a summer party! enjoy:: 

 

Take the colors you want to create your design...I liked doing circles. The great thing about this is that each cupcake will be different! Like a work of art **wink

thanks for having me!! stop by the color issue for more DIY and color inspiration!! 
- Aarean




ps - don't miss my guest post on alla fiorentina today -- i am sharing my domestic travel wishlist. AND there's still time to enter the BRIGHT and COLORFUL love obsessed jewelry giveaway!

LoveObsessed Jewelry giveaway!

hello there and happy monday!! i am excited to announce another giveaway! this time it's with LoveObsessed - a unique etsy shop that sells vintage one-of-a-kind hand neon painted jewelry. the pieces are so fun and BRIGHT - perfect for summer!

 rhinestone bib - yellow neon bib - 

neon drop earrings

via - via 

want to win?! (leave a separate comment for each):

follow cornflake dreams via GFC or BlogLovin

visit the LoveObsessed etsy shop and comment on your favorite piece

follow cornflake dreams on twitter
follow loveobsessed on twitter

tweet about the giveaway! please include @cornflakedreams and @loveobsessed80 in your tweet

a winner will be announced on monday, june 18th - this giveaway is open to domestic and international entries

best of luck! 

xo, 

jillian

ps congratulations to lucky #160! - Cathy, you won the shabby apple giveaway! please email me to claim your prize!

friday's fancies #68 - bridal shower.

this weekend i have some exciting plans! saturday i am getting together with girlfriends to chill out by rooftop pool (HORRAY! crossing one off my summer bucket list) and then im heading to a cookout! on sunday im going to the burbs for my wedding hair trial and bridal shower (at a winery!) eeep! i can't wait!!

dress $60 - sandals $148 - kate spade bangle $88

have a great weekend!

xo, 

jillian

ps there are a few days left to enter the shabby apple giveaway! 

cover up.

this weekend i have a rooftop pool date with some of my best friends and i cannot wait to chit chat and (hopefully) take a dip! i have very light skin so i have to be careful about too much sun exposure (i'll be slathering on the sunscreen!) i also like to wear beach coverups... and i have my eye on a few new ones::

eberjey seychelles bianca $197 - double-strap dress $30 - via

peach net halter cover up $40 - open back cover up $40 - floral cover up $52

xo, 

jillian 

ps there's still time to enter the shabby apple giveaway! 

wedding wednesday - monograms.

i am excited to have new initials later this summer and as silly as it seems i am looking forward to having a few monograms to celebrate the new mrs. m! 

rifle paper and co monogrammed floral notecards -  zinc letter - alphabet hook (we have similar ones from madrid!)- kate spade monogram cards 

say yes mrs necklace - alphabet ring - initial necklace

xo, 

jillian

ps don't forget to enter the shabby apple giveaway! 

simple salsa.

salsa is my summer obsession... i seem to always crave it. it's only the beginning of june and h and i have already made (and eaten) 3 batches of homemade fresh salsa. the recipe is simple and the ingredients are cheap:: 

what do you crave during the summer?!

xo, 

jillian


ps don't miss the shabby apple giveaway!

Shabby Apple giveaway!

happy monday! today i am teaming up with shabby apple for a giveaway! shabby apple is a great online spot to find adorable dresses, skirts and accessories. here are a few of my favorite dresses::

 yellow days dress $84 - serenade maxi dress $80

 headliner dress $86 - waterfront dress $88 - desert modern dress $82

want to win a $50 gift card?! - here is how to enter (mandatory)::

follow cornflake dreams via GFC or BlogLovin
like shabby apple on facebook


more ways to enter::

visit shabby apple and comment on your favorite dress

follow cornflake dreams on twitter

follow shabby apple on twitter

tweet about the giveaway! please include @shabbyapple and @cornflakedreams in your tweet

a winner will be announced on monday, june 11th - this giveaway is open to domestic entries

best of luck! 

xo, 

jillian


ps want to shop now?! use the code cornflake10off for 10% off your shabby apple purchase!