Life: Goings On

Such a busy week! From stressful study sessions to date night and even Relay for Life, my week has been  crazy - and the weekend should be even more hectic! With finals and graduation right around the corner, I'm feeling the heat.

But here are a few pictures from my busy week!

|| Starbucks while studying ||

|| PSB hoodie || 

|| New necklace || 

|| Office views || 

|| Relay for Life || 

|| Wearing pink in honor of my mom || 

 || In honor of my grandpa ||

 || Favorite restaurant - 112 Eatery || 

  || Mussels....yum || 

Style: Trendy Tints

I'm all about color. And I'm absolutely loving Pantone's color trends for spring 2012. A perfect mix between pastels and bold hues, these colors mix classic spring tones with bright hues for summer. My personal favorites? Sweet lilac, cockatoo and starfish. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL.

|| Pantone || 

And for fall? Pantone predicts BOLD. While I typically wear the blacks, creams, burnt oranges and browns associated with the autumn season, Pantone's predicting the bright hues will last well into the end of the year. What do you think of these colors? I can't wait to wear the French roast! 

|| Pantone || 

Life: Song of the Day

Ray LaMontagne's God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise is the perfect 'get me to summer' study song. Seriously.

Enjoy!

|| Ray LaMontagne - God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise ||

Style: Summer Lovin'

My favorite summer romance? Jeans and white lace. 

I'm not sure two fabrics can compliment each-other better than these two. They literally sing summer. And as today and tomorrow's temperatures are supposed to be in the 70s, now is the perfect time to sit outside on a patio wearing jean and lace. Drink in hand, obviously.

What do you think of these fabrics that are a match made in heaven? 

Enjoy!

set || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 

Style: Bold Baubles

One trend I'm loving this spring? Bold necklaces. 

From pastel pinks to turquoise, yellow and mint greens, this spring is all about adding a little something extra to your look.

Enjoy!

set || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10 || 11 || 12 || 13 || 14 || 15

Life: Goings On

Just a few snapshots from my weekend trekking around the Midwest!

 || Coffee at the Guthrie || 

 || Adorable notebook || 

 || Wedding || 

|| Lunch in Ann Arbor || 

|| Starbucks, of course || 

 || Michigan wineries || 

|| Wine tastings || 

|| Chicago ||

|| Milwaukee ||

|| Breakfast at Alterra ||

Style: Lovely Loafers

Lately, I've been loving loafers.

Having purchased my first pair of loafers a couple weeks ago, I am now OBSESSED. Both retro and modern, the loafer can be dressed up or down and makes the perfect spring shoe.

Personally, I'm loving the leopard pair. What pair is your favorite? 

Enjoy!

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

Life: Easy Listening

After a day-long hiatus from Twentyapolis, I officially made it to Michigan! After a long morning at the airport, a quick drive to Plymouth and a beautiful wedding, we're getting ready to head to Milwaukee. With a four-hour drive ahead of me, I need a playlist. And since I'm still feeling the wedding love, I'm in need of some good mood music.

Here's what I'll be listening to on the drive!

1. There She Goes - The La's

2. Sunshine - Matt Costa

3. Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison

4. Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson

5. Love and Some Verses - Iron & Wine

6. Paper Weight - Schuyler Fisk & Joshua Radin

7. Trouble - Ray LaMontagne

8. Home - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

9. Life Is Wonderful - Jason Mraz

10. Everything - Michael Buble

11. Show Me - John Legend

12. Honey and the Moon - Joseph Arthur

13. You & Me - Dave Matthews Band

14. Maybe I'm Amazed - Jem

15. The Heart of Life - John Mayer

16. In the Sunshine - A B & The Sea

17. Each Coming Night - Iron & Wine

18. Lovers in Japan - Coldplay

19. Everyday - Dave Matthews Band

20. You are the Best Thing - Ray LaMontagne

Love: Wedding Etiquette

Wedding season is finally here! Just hours before I board a plane for Detroit (yes, I should be sleeping) it dawned on me that attending a wedding with a significant other and his/her family does come with a few etiquette rules.

As a member of a gigantic family with one family wedding after another, I've seen boyfriends and girlfriends come and go. And the ones who stay? They impress the parents and master the rules.

Since it's my first time in that situation, I thought...what is the etiquette for attending a wedding of your significant other's family?

After careful thought and deliberation, here are the set of rules I plan to follow this weekend. Enjoy!

1. Don't fuss over getting ready or obsess about what you look like. While you definitely want to look nice, you don't want to come off as being high maintenance. And besides, the most important person in the room is the bride, anyways!

2. Be sure to comment on how beautiful the bride and the ceremony are. 

3. While you're at it, compliment your boyfriend's mother's dress - everyone loves a compliment!

4. Meeting family members you haven't met previously? Introduce yourself! Nothing says 'great first impression' like a confident girl.

5. Ask your boyfriend's parents about their love story - how they met, their engagement and their wedding. They'll love to reminisce and you'll be able to learn more about their family.

6. Don't drink too much! Remember, class is key.

7. Mind the PDA. While subtle kissing and hand holding are obviously accepted (hello, it's a wedding!) keep it classy in front of his family.

8. No complaining! If there's something you don't like or aren't impressed with, keep it to yourself. Remember, you're a guest!

9. Don't be afraid to dance! Bring your boyfriend out on the dance floor too - if you took the time to come to the wedding as his date, he'll happily oblige when you ask him to dance!

10. Have fun! Everybody loves a happy girl.

Travel: Let's Fly Away

I love when I get to say this: I'm in packing mode.

I've always loved packing. But as a chronic worrier, I'm always afraid I'm forgetting something. My driver's license? My boarding pass? My glasses? Phone charger? The list goes on and on.

The one thing I am confident in packing? My carry on.

And considering my flight is less than two hours, packing this time was easy. Detroit, here I come! Wedding season begins!

set || bag || passport case || kindle fire || energy bar || gum || sunglasses || ear buds || phone || chapstick || makeup

Style: Rainy Day Woman

I have to say, there's something I love about a rainy day.

On rainy days, it's completely acceptable to not leave your apartment all day long, or your bed for that matter. And if you do decide to venture out, make-up is optional, and doing your hair is silly. It's as if everyone lets their guard down for the day and agrees that comfort is key.

My favorite thing to do on rainy days? Cozy up with a mug of tea, a candle or two and a good book or movie. I recommend Sex and the City!

And as I pack for my trip to Detroit this weekend, that's exactly what I'll be doing tonight. So should you!

Enjoy!

set || umbrella || hair product || trench || candle || mascara || tea pot || foot warmer || socks || sex and the city || rain boots

Life: Home

Just a little love song to get you through the day! 

|| Home - Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros || 

Love: Little Bit of Love

For some reason on this cloudy day, I'm feeling the love. 

Starting off the morning watching my favorite movie, Pretty Woman, might be the reason for that. But my entire spring semester has been filled with love and planning. In the past few months, two of my very best friends have gotten ENGAGED. And even more exciting, it'll be my first time being a bridesmaid!

Just thinking that my best friends have found the person who they'll be spending the rest of their lives with is incredible to me. I'm so happy and excited for them to begin the wedding planning process (and to let me plan their bachelorette parties, of course!)

I just have so much to be happy about! Are you feeling the love? 

Career: Doing Business

As graduation is right around the corner (less than a month away, but who's counting...) I've been trying to get into a business mindset. As a young, Twin Cities professional, how can I prepare myself for the real world and the job market?

My answer: personal business cards.

Whether this is the best idea I've ever had, I'm not really sure. But I have heard from a few classmates and media professionals I've come in contact with that if you have your own personal business card, you mean business. Well, I'd like to think I mean business. With that being said, my personal cards will be here in about a week! And yes, Twentyapolis did make it onto the business card. 

But the best part about having your own business cards is that you have an excuse to buy a fashionable little business card holder. My motto was that if I was confident enough to have my own personal business cards, I better have a fabulously stylish case to put them in.

And it wasn't an easy decision! Which one do you like? I just placed my order for Kate Spade's "Let's Do Lunch" on the bottom left!

What do you think of personal business cards?

Enjoy!

set || pink || yellow || green || orange || metal || black || brown || anchor

Style: Posh Purple

This Monday could not be any gloomier - being a little down after having just helped my mom pack up her car to return home to Wisconsin, this gray, rainy weather isn't helping me feel at all inspired today. 

The cure? A little bit of lilac and lavender. 

While I've been craving coral lately, purple has definitely been catching my eye. I normally overlook purples, but this spring, purple is more posh than ever. From lighter shades of lilac and lavender to deeper gem-toned hues, I am becoming a little obsessed with purple.

Not only does purple look good on every skin tone, it's perfect for sunny or rainy spring days. And on this  rainy morning, a little bit of purple is just what I need. 

Enjoy!

set || pants || shoes || towels || polish || candle || dress || brushes || polish || glasses || earrings || jewelry set 

Dine: High Tea

Today was the day - high tea at the St. Paul Hotel!

While I've attended high tea before, every time I go, it's even more amazing than the time before. A five course meal, endless cups of tea, a personal fashion show from Melly, a women's boutique at the Galleria, and mother-daughter time with my mom - a fabulous afternoon indeed!

First of all, St. Paul is beautifully historic, and the St. Paul Hotel is no exception. An enormous brick building on a cobblestone street, it was the perfect place to spend an afternoon with my mom and sisters. Tea, nosh, fashion, great conversation and my favorite people - what more can a girl need? (Seeing as how we finished high tea with a champagne martini at W.A. Frost & Company, I would say absolutely nothing!)

While high tea, dinner and drinks all weekend was amazing, what made it perfect was spending time with my mom! Living in another state is unbelievably difficult, considering how close my mom and I are. That's why every time she comes to visit me in Minneapolis or I head home to Wisconsin, I always have an amazing time and can't wait for the next time we see each-other! Luckily for me, I'll see her in a few short weeks - graduation is right around the corner!

In the meantime, here is a little look into our afternoon in St. Paul! Seriously, high tea - pick up your phone and make your reservation...right now. I swear, you won't be sorry! 

|| Table set for 8 ||

|| Tea || 

|| Menu ||

|| Desserts Round 1 ||

|| Desserts Round 2 ||

|| My favorite ||

|| St. Paul ||

|| Peanuts statues || 

|| W.A. Frost & Company ||

Life: Weekend with Mom!

The best weekend ever has just happened - my mom made her way to Minneapolis - rental car included! After a little run-in with a deer, she promptly hopped in a rental car to drive all the way to Minneapolis for our mother-daughter weekend!

I have to say, my mom might just be my soulmate. If I could have her here in college with me.. let's just say words couldn't even describe. After making the five hour journey, she finally arrived in my favorite city. My favorite person in my favorite city... what could be better?

The day clearly started with unpacking and drinks at B. Loco! Followed by dinner at Stellas, where I introduced my mom to sushi, and late night drinks at the Library with the boyfriend. Aren't they lovely?

NOT TO MENTION: One of my best friends is engaged! So absolutely thrilled about this entire day. Bridesmaid dress pictures to come!

But in the meantime, here is the beginning of my fabulous weekend with my mom!

|| My pretty mom ||

 || Celebrating the engagement ||

 || Love her ||

 || Stellas ||

 || Moms' Weekend ||

|| Not terrible ||

Travel: Guthrie Theater

If you're looking to experience Minneapolis theater at its finest, look no further than the Guthrie. 

Nestled on the Minneapolis riverfront, the Guthrie offers breathtaking panoramic views and amazing theater performances. The riverfront, mill district and Gold Medal Park add the perfect amount of history to contrast the modern building. 

This morning, I was lucky enough to tour the theater inside and out. From its three distinct stages to its restaurant, cafe and endless bridge, the Guthrie is the perfect Minneapolis day trip. The best part? There's no admission fee. Thank you, Guthrie Theater. 

 || Breathtaking city views ||

 || Guthrie Cafe || 

 || Endless Bridge ||

 || McGuire Proscenium Theater ||

 || Gold Medal Flour ||

|| Gold Medal Flour ||

 || Stone Arch Bridge ||

 || Reflective interiors || 

|| Stone Arch Bridge through yellow windows ||