Sunday Southern Days

  A small strip of magnet from Hobby Lobby ran about $4 and I used gorilla glue to stick it to the inside of the Bathroom drawer. 5 minute project I hope will save me lots of time not having to fish them out of every corner of every drawer in the entire house.

You may have gathered by now our home has a vintage-y vibe to it. I've been looking for a non-modern option to sweep back bedroom curtains and came across these old doorknobs at an antique store this past weekend. Three screws in each and they were ready to go!

Project of the week! I took soft burlap from Hobby Lobby, stuffed with down, and hand painted the map coordinates of our friends' wedding location on an island in Greece. A personal, meaningful wedding gift. Of course, if you're not into sewing, you can hand paint the coordinates onto a pre-made pillow or other item. I also think this would be a great project if you paint the coordinates onto fabric, allow to dry, then frame the fabric piece. Crafter Tip: Sketch the coordinates out first in pencil for spacing purposes. Create your own project by finding your coordinates here:  http://itouchmap.com/latlong.html

Part II of our Cruise -- Key West!! This was THE destination of the cruise for us and we had a BLAST (even if we were only there for a day). Here is a little glimpse of our time at the U.S.'s Southernmost Point: Welcome to the Conch Republic! Mallory Square Hog's Breath Saloon Sloppy Joe's Bar Captain Tony's Dirty Harry's Southern Cross Hotel The Key West Margaritaville Hey Jimmy. Conch Tours Train We found the tiny little unmarked building where Jimmy Buffett records! Having a KillDevil at the Rum Barrel (with our cruise ship staff friends) At the Rum Barrel  Departing Key West:

While I have a fabulous job professional planning events, it's even more fun when I get to personally host an event for a friend. This past fall, my dear friend, Kira, celebrated her wedding to Nat, and, of course, a Bridal Shower was on the horizon to celebrate her! (And it's her Birthday Weekend so Happy Birthday!) The other bridesmaids and I finalized our plans for her baking-inspired Bridal Shower, and here are some of the details: Make Your Own Mimosa Bar - complete with champagne, sparkling cider, sodas, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, orange slices, lime slices, lemon slices, orange juice, cranberry juice, and grapefruit juice. Fool-proof instructions Guests were greeted with personalized champagne flutes. The nametags doubled as glass tags so all of the ladies could keep track of their flutes. Sweet signage. Fun buffet with lots of brunch items! Salads, finger sandwiches, fruits, and the muffins. Oh the muffins (see more below),

When you live in Chicago, you never get used to the winters, no matter what "people say". So mid-winter this past January, we were lucky enough to take a week off from boots and parkas to cruise the sunny Caribbean. For 5 days, the Majesty of the Seas was our new home. With destinations in Nassau, Bahamas, Coco Kay (the private island owned by Royal Caribbean), and Key West, we departed from Miami on Monday evening and set sail (literally) into the sunset. (This first post will cover the trip excluding Key West. So many photos in Key West, it'll need it's own post). Our Vacation Photos: The Captain, mom, and dad in the Miami Cruise Terminal Me with the in-laws at the Miami Cruise Terminal The Captain and I before we set sail. Majesty of the Seas -- it was a great ship! Mom and dad on deck ... with a pear. Departing from Miami On deck. First night's dinner First night's dinner Cocktail of the cruise - caipi