flowers for friday #121 and #122

i was too stuffed to move my fingers to post last week's (after thanksgiving),

so this week, you get 2!

happy weekend!!

JILL

{via oncewed, and one kings lane}

various things

this is a series of random various things that i'm unloading from my brain.

first, my sewing machine was indeed broken.

you never realize all the sewing projects you had in the wings until you can't do anything about it. looks like my tree garland will be made right in time for christmas day. wah wah. and not only does this sewing machine repair place take like 2+ weeks, they cost half of what my machine actually cost!

i'm no sewer. i use the manual settings. i get my machine out, use it how it came, and put it back, occasionally changing the thread color... somewhere in there it broke.

but on a happier note,

i don't know what about this time of year brings out the tartan in all of us

but it does and i'm hooked all over again.

so is j.crew.

and speaking of j.crew, have you seen their sparkly etta pumps?

those would some happy holiday parties make, my friends.

i love the fat heel on them, and they come in a million colors.

unfortunately they are more than i spend on shoes.

maybe i'll ask santa.

har har.

santa husband prob wouldn't go for that.

we still get each other things we need/want for our house.

unless we kept these on the mantel...................

next week i have a few budget holiday gift guides to share with you!

i've been out shopping for my list and realized there

are some really great little gifts to give this year.

happy friday.

JILL

spotted.

found this diy for polka dotted jeans

on a merry mishap

yesterday afternoon.

i have a pair of old worn skinnies....

am i bat shit crazy for wanting to try this out?

i think.

i'm going to try it.

they just look so cute.

and i think they'd pair really well with a fat chunky ivory sweater.

at least it does in my head.

JILL

berry christmas

wrap me up in some black and white ribbon,

some cranberry and magenta garland (or any berry color for that matter),

with a cinnamon white russian in hand,

and a gold star (brass is even better!) on top...

and consider my christmas perfected.

do you guys ever get into something and then love it so hard?

it's consuming my christmas.

but i'm ok with it.

they = my christmas spirit circa 2012.

what does your christmas look like this year?

JILL

{images via my pinterest page}

b+w

cyber monday is hard!!

i think it might be a bigger shopping day than the day after thanksgiving.

i got a million and one emails telling me all the great deals to be had and how easy it was to do with a few clicks....

i don't shop on black friday because i don't like the hoards of masses of people. so that's easy. i just don't go.

but i found it really hard to sit at my desk and not shop for myself.

for me, not for christmas gifts. for me!

so i decided, one thing.

i'd get something small to get it out of my system.

and then sit on my hands for the whole rest of the day unless i was being selfless and buying a gift for someone else. or in fact, getting some real work done. at work, ha.

so i headed to f21.

i'm into the whole black and white stripes thing more than ever right now... remember here. and they didn't disappoint in that arena:

here

here

here

here

here

here

this faux leather was tempting...

but you have to be careful at f21. some of their stuff can look so cheap (bc it is), so this one i had to see in person.

and i haven't seen it in person, but you can get yours here.

here

and finally settled on this:

here.

it was free shipping.

and the sweater itself was only like $17.

after that, i made it through the whole rest of the day without spending all of my savings account :)

did you find it as hard as i did?

online shopping is so dangerously easy.

soo, happy post-cyber-monday-tuesday.

hope you survived.

what did you get!!!??!!

i wanna hear.

JILL

christmas!!!!!!

bring on the wreaths, and trees, and sparkly stuff.

it's officially christmas season!

i was feeling the spirit all weekend long.

(from house and garden)

put up my tree!

with a million glass balls i've been collecting for years. both vintage and new.

then i brought out my sewing machine to make a garland

fashioned sort of similar to this in colors.

i was just going to cut out squares and sew them together in a string. 

but my sewing machine is rejecting my efforts.

i think its broken.

i know the bare minimum on my sewing machine, just enough to not know how to fix it.

i use all the standard settings and try not touch it....

just use it.

didn't work this time.

so long story short, i don't have a picture to share.

wah wah.

i know.

i have to get my dumb machine fixed before i can get on it.

but i have a cute wintery plaid, cranberry, gold, magenta and black and white fabric.

should be cute, right?

hope you had a great thanksgiving.

i did.

JILL

deals and dishes.

i came up with an entire thanksgiving table for you...

in case you are waiting until the day before.

and it all came from world market!

down to the very last drop.

it all started this morning when i got an email saying all their napkins are on sale for $0.99 each.

that's kinda a steal.

they have something to please everyone...

plain, ethnic, glammy, colorful, not-so-colorful.

to start from scratch or to mix in with what you already have.

my faves were the sangria sofia jacquard ones i used above.

i think i'mma get me some.

12 of them.

{coupon's good online, too.}

anyway.

i ran from there.

i love dishes, as you know, and i love setting a table.

it's the little things in life, people.

get all the things above, here:

silverware.

napkins.

dinner plates.

salad plates.

soup crocks.

table cloth.

wine glasses.

goblets.

tumblers.

seriously.

do any of you want to buy all the pretty dishes in the world, too?

i think it's an issue.

but. i. just. love. them.

i hope you have a great thanksgiving.

i'll be back here on monday.

headed to wichita to stuff my face full o goodies

and i'm signing off for a few days.

i'm thankful.

for you and lots of things.

JILL

a festive white russian with a twist.

hey jill. what's your favorite cocktail for this holiday season?

so glad you asked.

that would be a white russian, of course.

with cinnamon!!

usually you make em with vodka, cream (or milk in my case, and lots of other people's cases), and kahlua.

but i recently made one with kahlua's cinnamon spice flavor and

holy moly.

so damn good.

it's my official 2012 holiday cocktail.

don't you always have an official holiday cocktail?

me neither. but this year i do.

and it's this:

i do equal parts of all 3.

but there are lots of differing recipes. i know when i was a bartender

i did equal parts for ease and they always tasted delish.

make your own.

spice em up.

drink em up.

{responsibly of course.}

they're like dessert.

or the perfect night cap.

i bet if you just had plain kahlua, you could just sprinkle a little cinnamon on top.

and then go watch the big lebowski.

he prefers them, as well.

JILL

easy as pie.

har har.

famous last words.

but i just found 8 different ways to top your pie and make

it taste just that much better.

and make you look that much more like martha stew.

chevron and herringbone are kinda fun.

but i think my fave is the plaid.

i'm so excited for this upcoming holiday.

all my favorite food, and plenty of it.

JILL

flowers for friday #120

this is my last 'thanksgiving'-esqe, fall inspired post because

i'm putting up my tree tomorrow and i'm not looking back :)

ok. it probably won't be be my last thanksgiving inspired post,

but i will be crankin mariah carey. and i will be puttin up my tree.

so excited.

happy weekend.

JILL

{flowers via martha stew} 

in a land of color....

sometimes less color is a little bit more.

and i have to remind myself that, here's why:

cool neutrals mixed with warm neutrals.

even without an overload of colors,

a perfect mix can still feel very textured, very full, very colorful.

to achieve this yourself:

mix shades of grey with wood, copper, brass, gold, cream, camel and/or brown.

(and i'm telling you, brown and grey is one of my favorite combos.)

JILL

and sorry for the lame blogging this week.

no excuses.

will do better.

happy friday.

{images via apartment therapy, brittany stiles, brittany stiles, west elm blog, marcus design, inc, and the niagra novice}

this holiday....

i'm adding these to the festivities.

because the holidays, they're here!!

i cannot even believe thanksgiving is next week.

NEXT WEEK!

must be why i'm singing christmas music already :)

JILL

{dressings via the katie ermillio, pillows on one kings lane, ribbon at the hob lob.}

hmm.

bizarre-oh.

or

bizarre-ah?

i'm kinda liking it but

i also like weird stuff.

the whole bed situation is grand.

textured black headboard with the pillows. all of em.

the coral wall color is perfection.

and perfect coral is hard to reach.

(this one is bm tangerine dream!)

but that little deer makes it all the merrier.

or bizarre.

but bizarre bad, or bizarre good?

like does it scare you a little to sleep with that above your head?

my vote's for good.

from matchbook.

happy monday, ya'll.

JILL

flowers for friday #119

oh why yes.

i have the perfect spot for these.

on my toilet.

happy friday.

have a good weekend.

be good.

eat your veggies and don't do anything i wouldn't do.

JILL

{via design*sponge}

holla.

i'm on vacation today.

but its not nearly this glamorous.

i'm getting caught up on photography and we're painting our house.

(working on your day off? you ask.)

so exciting, i know.

but it isn't going to do itself!

JILL

{via this is glamorous}

lovely. so lovely.

sharkpig strikes again.

i so wish wedding videos like these were popular 3 1/2 years ago when i got married.

maybe they were and i was just oblivious, but i would watch mine over and over.
and over.

they show the complete joy from the whole day in under 3 minutes.

and dare i say, it shines a little more than even photography can portray?

maybe that's what i'm going to start doing next!!

until then, just enjoy this one.
you can see more from this lovely wedding here.
{shot by my idol, max wanger}


JILL

one room, two ways.

sort of.

not much difference.

the top one was published in lonny this past summer. (the whole house is a-maz-ing.)

the second in elle decor. it's older than the lonny issue but i can't find the original publication. but i said how much i already love this space here.

i have to say, i like the original from elle decor a scotch better because of those ties.

they bring in a little more lived-in quality, and color and pattern (2 things i never shy away from).

i mean, that taupey-mushroom woodwork slays me.

with white walls and floors.

dark wood and black counter surfaces.

antlers.

fit for a dude, but could be loved by any lady.

{more 1-room-2-ways here and here}

whether you like how the election turned out or not,

i have to say, i'm kinda glad it's over.

campaign commercials are over!!

ha.

JILL

bohemian holiday

i look forward to the anthropologie catalog arriving in my mailbox

just like any of the other magazines i get.

it's always fresh.

always creative.

always a little edgy and daring.

and it makes me wish i could afford to shop there for my entire wardrobe.

i am running the risk of sounding like a type-a hoarder,

but i keep them. all.

stacked in my bookcase. next to my dominos.

they are so inspiring.

and this past one, for november does not disappoint.

(minus the creepy kids in woodland masks.)

don't really love these.

don't like them at all in fact.

especially seeing how they're nearly $300 a piece

but they used the cutest little taxidermy animals i ever did see through the whole thing.

look at that fluff bunny!

want the clothes.

want the feel.

i don't even mind the hair.

(but the best part was the goose on her golden eggs)

happy tuesday.

JILL

it's what's for dinner.

i don't think i've been this excited to run home and make dinner. ever.

sweet potato gnocchi.

with balsamic-sage brown butter sauce.

and spinach.

and parmesan cheese.

i.

can't.

wait.

seriously, my mouth is watering.

you can get this recipe here.

happy monday.

now hurry up and get to dinner time.

JILL