What A Day For A Daydream

Yesterday Tim and I drove into Chicago for a date night.
I cozied up in my Wildfox Couture sweater and a newly-thrifted houndstooth blazer.
We drove around downtown, shopped, and ate at our favorite pizza place near Wrigley Field.
(It's called Bacci Pizzeria. If you're in the neighborhood, hit it up for delicious 'za!)

I've been to lots of big cities around the country...and Chicago continues to top the list for me.
I love living so close and being able to have adventures in such a beautiful place.
I just wish it wasn't so cold sometimes!!










Oh, and I'm honored to announce that I've been nominated for a 'Blogscar' on Janette the Jongleur's adorable blog!
How sweet is that?!
So please, please pop on over and cast your vote! It would mean the world to me. For real.
Thanks, friends!

ps. A little animated fun for ya. Because I love them so much!

Fakin' It

Lazy days off? The best. For sure.
Here's what I wore on a relaxed day with my husband.
We did some shopping for our nephew-to-be, I did some sewing, and now we're cozying up for a night in.

This blue shirt is THE softest, coziest thing I've ever had the pleasure of wearing.
And I was in a polka-dot mood today. Sooooo...perfect addition ;)

I thought it would be fun to wear these faux glasses I bought over the summer.
I've never needed glasses, but I think the whole faux glasses trend is pretty fun.
And I couldn't pass up these adorable floral rims!!
So in the words of Simon & Garfunkel...





A little bit of rain started to fall while we were taking photos! Eeeek!

Have a magical evening <3

Gray Skies Can't Bring Me Down

The cure for a gloomy, gray day? Lots of colors, of course!
I threw on this super-soft, pretty turquoise blouse and paired it with my favorite skirt.
And the Anthro coat was the perfect extra pop of color!

Tim snapped some photos while we were walking Casey.
Let me tell you...the man is a pro when it comes to taking photos while holding an impatient pup ;)










Shirt: Thrifted, Coat: Anthro, Skirt: Gift, Necklaces: Betsey Johnson & Gift

I hope you're having a beautiful evening!

Covered Up In Snow

Goodness gracious! What a snow storm!
We had a HUGE storm yesterday here in Indiana.
Since we haven't had much snow this winter, it's actually been a fun change.

Tim & I braved the snowy streets to snap a few shots!



I hope you're all having a beautiful weekend!
And if you're covered up in snow too...Enjoy it ;)
I'll be back soon with another pretty dress I've been working on!
xoxo.

Dress-Making Progress

Yep. It's happening! My sister and I are turning our dreams into reality.
We are finishing up some mighty-fine dresses. It's so exciting!
Every spare moment I have, I've been sketching and cutting and measuring and sewing.


Soon enough, these beauties will be for sale.
I can't wait to see where this leads.
Dream come true? It sure is.

Oh, Such Pretty Paper!

As my sweet sister's baby shower approaches, she & I have been having lots of fun with plans!
Yesterday we drove into Chicago to get some supplies for her invites from Paper Source.
Let me tell you...we had SO much fun looking at all the beautiful paper supplies.
I can't wait to show you the finished product!
We're designing the beauties tonight ;)

We snapped a few quick photos while we were shopping:





Such fun!
If any of you live near a Paper Source. and haven't checked it out...I HIGHLY recommend it!
It has so many beautiful products, and they offer card-making classes!
Which seems like the perfect kind of nerdy/grandma fun for me.

Have a super-duper, magnificent evening!

My Sweet, Sweet Twin Sister

Tonight has been full of sewing and spending time with friends!
Which is wonderful, but I thought I'd pop in quickly to share this collage my twin & I have been doing to track her growing tummy!

Right when we found out Kylie was pregnant, we knew we wanted to do something like this.
So about every other week, we've snapped a photo! It's pretty crazy to see how much she's growing.
It honestly doesn't hit me how much she's grown week-to-week until after I compare photos!
She's currently at 30 weeks, so we've got another photo to take ;)


Ummmm. Yep. She's adorable, for sure.
Her due date is Mid-March. We're all anxiously awaiting the arrival of this little boy!

All Dressed Up In Winter's Best

Hello snow!!
Goodness gracious, can you believe it?!
Just yesterday the sun was shining and it felt like autumn. Today is quite a different story.
I guess we've been spoiled by a mild winter so far though.
So I can't complain too much!

Ok...truth be told..I love the snow.
It so beautiful and magical. And it makes me want to drink hot chocolate and stay home and watch movies with Tim.
Oh, and Tim is still in love with snow.
Growing up in New Zealand, he was never really around it.
So the past few years with him have really brought the fun back to snowy days ;) Thanks, darling!

Anyway...on to what I wore!
My favorite part of my outfit today (besides my first-ever fishtail braid!!)
is this beautiful collar made by my friend Lindsi from People Webs.
It's so dainty & pretty. It adds just the right amount of "cute" to any outfit!





I found this nail DIY on The Dainty Squid last summer, and I've been wanting to try it out for ages.
I LOVE the way it turned out! It was super easy.
If you've got some spare time for nail fun, I definitely recommend this one.

Well I'm off to start sewing up a new dress!
Kylie & I are working on our summer line.
I'll be revealing our 'winter wears' pretty soon! Hooray!!

Stay warm if your town is covered in snow like mine ;)

For I Love A Merry Life

Last night, some of my best friends & I had a post-Christmas gift exchange.
With one of our friends traveling to see her family for the holidays, yesterday was the first day we were able to get together!
Among some of the most amazingly thoughtful, beautiful presents (which I'm sure I'll be sharing within the week!),
my friend Aston gave me this beautiful pleated skirt!
Ok, first off, I had just been telling my sister how I wanted to get a pleated skirt.
Secondly, this skirt is the SOFTEST thing ever. It's amazing.
So naturally, I planned my whole outfit around this skirt today ;)

I found an equally soft, beautiful shirt that my sister had given me for my birthday.
and let me tell ya..this shirt & skirt were made for each other!!
I was pretty excited about this combination. And that BOTH beauties were gifts from two girls I love?! Bonus.
And another bonus? They look perfect with my favorite coat. Which was ALSO a gift from a gal I love..my Mom <3









Oh, and my hair was inspired by the lovely Audrey Hepburn.
I thought I'd try out a simple beehive-esque ponytail!
I was watching Charade last night, and her hair was adorable all. the. time.

[Cary Grant & Audrey Hepburn.]

If you've never seen Charade, you definitely should!!
It's a murder-mystery that's pretty funny & quirky.
And watching Audrey is magical. Of course.

Well I hope you're all having the loveliest Wednesday!
Tim & I have been having a nice morning together.
But I must be off to work now ;)

XO,
Christen

Sewing Up Some Gems!

The past few months, my sister and I have been working on a little project.
We've been making the loveliest dresses with beautiful fabrics and patterns!!
We're still working out the kinks on starting a website and getting these beauties up for sale!
But, believe me, it will be set-up in no time!
We are so excited about this new adventure.

So, I put together this little sewing station in my apartment.
It's right next to our TV, so I've been watching old Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers movies while I sew!
They are so beautiful and inspiring with all their walking-on-air tap dancing!






Oh, and it helps when you've got a cute pup hanging out with you all day ;)

Hope you enjoyed this little sneak-peak.
I'll be sure to share more of my dressmaking adventures!
My sister & I have been making some gems, I promise ;)