Hand-Me-Down

My grandmother recently gave me her old Lily Pulitzer dress. Usually Lily dresses are not my style (at all) but this dress had such a vintage vibe to it I fell in love. It makes me want to be on the set of Mad Men drinking a cocktail and smoking a cigarette.

Grandmothers old (and kick ass) snake ring

Hair ties from anthropologie!

Chicago, Friends, and a new car!

Welcome to Chicago Martha!

One of my dear friends, Martha, was in Chicago this weekend and it was a real treat. She came to get her visa before she heads over to Paris to be an au pair ( I know, she's living the life ). We celebrated her arrival by visiting some classic Chicago spots and enjoying the short but wonderful time we had together. My favorite spot we checked out was the top of the Hancock building. We ordered drinks and  dessert and took in the gorgeous view of the city. 

ALSO - This past weekend my sister bought her first car! Its a Honda Civic and it is a beautiful fun car to drive. Go Annie!

What makes a good man?

Good question...maybe The Heavy can help you all decide.

jam jam jam!

Margaritas!

I stopped in our local thrift store today and found some kick-ass margarita glasses. I love glasses that have character and a pop of color. These glasses were wider than average marg glasses (yes I just abbreviated) and had a beautiful blue rim! I also loved the imperfections in the glasses- air bubbles and different sized blue rims. Major thrift store score!

Taste of Chicago

My father, sister, and I have a annual tradition of attending the Taste of Chicago. Other than thanksgiving it's the most delicious tradition we have! The Taste is when local Chicago vendors put up tents along Columbus Drive and sell their favorite dishes. Since there are so many vendors it can get tricky deciding what food to spend your money on. My family follows two rules: We have to be adventurous when trying dishes and we must share everything. This way we can taste a lot of different foods without getting too full.

Jerk chicken with red beans and rice at Vee Vee's African restaurant

Irish Eggrolls- Cabbage, mozzarella, and corn beef.

My FAVORITE dish we get every year (Hence why I took the picture after eating most of it)
Mustard fried catfish from BJ's Market

Eating Jollof and Oxtail from Iyanze

Family :)

Friday Jam

Kickin' it old school...and by old school I mean the 90's.

Bonfires

Good beer, great friends, and bonfires = summer. To me, nothing says summer like waking up to the aroma of bonfire smoke in my hair. It always reminds me of the wonderful night I had before. So far I have been lucky enough to have some wonderful bonfires. There was one night where a few of my girlfriends got together, collected dry driftwood, and made a fire on a beach. Later in the night we watched a red moon rise from the horizon over the lake. It was completely unexpected and a perfect addition to our intimate night.

I Was Just A Card

I can't stop watching this video. First off, Laura Mingling is a goddess of a singer. Then, with Kate Jablonski's choreography the song is taken to a whole new level. This makes me realize how much I miss dancing and how I wish singing came easily to me. Enjoy the amazingness you are about to see.

DIY: Dreamcatcher

Ever since I was a kid I have slept with dreamcatchers hanging from my bed. I love the idea that good dreams pass through the holes and slither down the feathers into my dreaming mind. Recently, at the Free People store where I work, my girl Casi made dreamcatchers to give to our customers. It inspired me to do a DIY dreamcatcher post!

Supplies Needed:
-Craft hoop or twig
-Thin string thats is at least 12 ft
-Ribbon (if desired)
-Beads, feathers or other adornments

Step 1: If you are using a twig: Bend the twig into a circle then, where the ends connect, wrap string around and tie off.

If you have a craft hoop: Spice it up a little by wrapping ribbon or string around the hoop. Once you have wrapped the whole hoop tie it off! 

If you have a twig feel free to wrap ribbon around it!

Step 2: Using the string you want to weave with, tie a knot at the bottom of the hoop.

Step 3: Let the weaving begin! Take your string and put it under the hoop. 

 Then bring the string around and over the hoop. Note how the string goes under your original move with the string, creating a loop.

 Once you have the loop tighten it against the hoop. (So many oops!)

Step 4: Repeat these loops all around the hoop. So once again: take the string and place it under the hoop.  

Then bring the string around and over the hoop...

 ...making sure the string is under your original move with the string.

Then tighten!

Make more loops around your hoop if you want a more intricate weave and less loops for a less intricate weave. You should end up with something that looks like this:

Step 5: Repeat your loop pattern on your previous loops. It sounds confusing but the pictures below should clarify!

Keep looping around previous loops!

By the time you are done with the second round of loops it should look like this:

Step 6: Keep looping around your previous loops until you get all the way to the center.

By the end it should look something like this:

Step 7: Put a bead on the string and tie it off using one of your loops.

Step 8: Decorate! Tie some feathers, beads or whatever you want to the bottom! After that you are ready to hang it wherever you may please!