sneak peek: new sheriff in town.

just a little sneak-peek-a-roo at a very fun baby shower i'll be sharing later this week ... i know you can't wait! ;)

i'll leave you drooling over this {fab} cake and return as soon as possible.

14 days of love. fanciful fonts.

i hope you've had a very happy valentine's day. i am preparing for a night out with the mister, so i will leave you with my new obsession: compendium by alejandro paul. love. love. love it.
i wish i could take credit for the gorgeous layouts above, but you can find them on myfonts.com

14 days of love: coats.

i adore coats. i could have closets filled with coats in all different colors, lengths, and cuts. i'm especially enjoying coats that have a bit of a ruffle detailing to them, like two of the pictures below.

victoria's secret

victoria's secret

anthropologie

i've looked all season long for a mid-length pea coat/trench in a baby blue but have been unsuccessful in my search. if you spot one, let me know! maybe i can even catch a great end-of-season sale.

free printable: weekly meal plan.

earlier this week, i shared the free planner jenny collier was giving away. she was participating in a bowl full of lemon's weekly challenge of creating a home management binder. i thought you might like another planner for your own binder, so i created this weekly meal plan.

2011 is the first year i've really taken the time to sit and plan out a week of meals and a shopping list. while i haven't been 100% consistent, i have really enjoyed the weeks when i've had the plan laid out and a shopping list ready to go.

i would love to see how your binders turn out. please send me pictures, and i'll be happy to feature them. and don't forget to link up to a bowl full of lemons.

14 days of love: wrapping paper.

i love wrapping paper. i just think a gift wrapped box looks so special, with crisp lines and beautiful ribbons and tags adorning it. one of our vendors has new wraps that i.am.loving. wouldn't your day immediately brighten if you found a package wrapped in one of these beautiful prints on your desk or at your front door?

all images belong to waste not paper

14 days of love: cookbooks.

in addition to the subscriptions i received this year for the food network magazine, southern living, and food & wine, i've also been busy perusing cookbooks. i love a good cookbook. i can read them almost as if they were novels. they have to have excellent photography, though. my absolute favorite cookbooks are those that show a picture for every recipe they feature.

what cookbooks do you go back to time and time again? any favorites?

14 days of love: blurb.

blurb is a platform that allows you to import your blog and publish it as a hardcopy book. i very first started writing my personal blog because i saw a friend of mine publish her blog into a book every year.

i started blogging, but then i never got around to publishing the books -- the whole reason i first started my blog. this year i decided to get serious about it, and i officially completed my very first blurb publication.

i still have to order it, but i'm so excited to see my book. i plan to go back and do the same thing for 2008 and 2009, and then of course every year moving forward.

free: a planner printable.

today jenny collier photography shared a fabulous page she created for her own planning binder. after failing to find the perfect page, she created one that was just-right. the page helps track projects including recipes, crafts, and other miscellaneous projects you have in the works {or hope to get to someday}. be sure to check it out and get your own copy!

14 days of love: scarves.

my mom gave me a lovely grey scarf for christmas and now i rarely go anywhere without it. it goes with just about any outfit i put on, and it's kept me surprisingly warm during all our snow storms.

not a day less will do.

did you get a chance to see ruffled's blog yesterday? they were featuring the sweet wedding of two teachers. there was a rustic vibe to their event as well {in keeping with the other inspiration i've posted lately}. there were some beautiful pictures by ryan ray {including the one below} and i mean be-au-ti-ful!


the reason i picked this particular picture is because the phrase just really stuck out to me -- our forevers go together. it sounds like something i would say, but i don't remember ever having heard it.

be sure to check out truly beautiful portraits from the day!

14 days of love: ornate frames.

i almost always use black frames, but this season, i've really gotten into light-colored ornate frames.
i especially like these frames from two's company. personally, i think they're gorgeous.

i saw this frame hanging in my friend jenny's house. it was love at first sight.

jenny collier photography

14 days of love: kindle.

last week i got a kindle and so far i've really enjoyed it. i think i will always enjoy reading books because i like the way the smell, and i also like watching the progress i'm making as i travel through the book.

i do like that i can immediately get a book on the kindle without having to make a trip to the bookstore, and i'm sure it will come in handy when travelling. i couldn't believe how light and thin it is.

so far i've downloaded shape magazine, anne of green gables, pride & predjudice, and several children's story books.

14 days of love: handwritten fonts

i've thought about creating my own handwritten font, but have yet to do so at this point. however, the other day, i stumbled across a sweet little blog by the name of kevinandamanda. i have only read through a few of amanda's posts, but i really like her blog. what i like even more are the cute, cute fonts she offers for free. many of them are handwritten fonts -- and unlike some systems that make you pay to have your handwritting turned into a font, amanda selects submittals and turns them into a font for free!!! and let's be honest, who doesn't love free?

spicy sushi roll is one of my favorite new fonts, but you can find lots more here. check it out and then let me know what some of your favorites are.

14 days of love: olive & cocoa.

i am seriously in love with this bag. seriously. it's the ruby weekend bag and you can find it at olive and cocoa. i hate it when i can't remember how i found a new site. all i do remember, is that for olive & cocoa and me, it was love at first sight. if you're looking for a fun gift to send someone, you have to check them out. their packaging is exquisite and the recipient of your gift will feel so special when they open their box and explore the unique {and beautiful} contents.

where are some of your favorite shops to purchase gifts? do you shop online when purchasing that special something or would you rather be in a shop?

14 days of love: scentsy.

because i didn't feel i had expressed my feelings enough in previous postings ...

i love this stuff! still don't know how i got by without it for so long.

14 days of love: tristan prettyman.

how i didn't know about this sweet crooner until she recently found herself engaged to jason mraz is beyond me, but i am definitely a fan. sad that she's taken dear mr. jason off the market {because we were totally meant to be ...} but love, love, love the style of her music. to sound totally cliche, but true, she and jason will make beautiful music together. i'm looking forward to hearing what they create.

{image from her twenty three album cover}

14 days of love: snow.

not the greatest picture ever since i took it while standing inside, but still oh, so pretty to me. oklahoma is experiencing a blizzard, and we're receiving record-breaking amounts of snowfall. it's divine. i am of the opinion that if it must be cold, then let it be cold for a reason. i don't mind being in the house and don't feel like i'm getting cabin fever.

there's plenty to do and enough to keep me entertained. and i love the snowscape outside my window. mmm. life is good.

14 days of love: food network magazine

it's that time of year again. time for fourteen days of love. my friend jen began this project several years ago and when i began my o.wn personal blog, i loved it so much, i followed in her footsteps. it's fun to look back at the items i was over the moon about a year ago.

01. the food network magazine.




i have recently been on a cooking/baking kick. the food network magazine is my go-to place for easy weekly menus, fun drink ideas, and special treats. i've already tried {successfully} and loved several of the recipes in the january/february 2011 edition, including the mac & cheese soup i shared before. this particular recipe is definitely a keeper. we've made it a couple of times already! i love that it comes together so quickly and is made with ingredients easily on hand.