First Beach Day of 2013

The sun is finally out in Chicago!!!  Although it may be a bit early to shed the winter parkas, due to the nasty wind, we are getting that springtime feeling!

Blue sky over the Hancock Building on my way to work!

Last night we broke out the bikes and rode on the Lake Shore Trail.  It was fantastic!! Hunky, Mocha, and I bundled up and got on the bikes for the first time since the fall.  Mocha was a little hesitant to get back in her basket on my bike, but after we made it to the dog beach she was okay.  We were having so much fun until the sun went down - then we rode as fast as we could back home to avoid freezing. (There are no photos from this fun adventure as I was not going to be taking my mittens off for fear of loosing fingers to cold)

This morning we revived another one of our warm weather rituals - a walk to the local beach.  Dogs are happily welcome there before 9 am when the beach is open.  I guess this time of year, since it is not officially open, you might be able to stay all day.  If Mocha had her way we would probably stay there forever.

Easter Bonnets by White House Black Market

Elephants Spring Trend Alert

I just love this great little elephant basket from Kate Spade! I'm pretty sure that I would destroy this bag - I'm far too rough to do anything but admire this lovely wicker friend. It got me to searching for other elephant items - these creatures are certainly hot for spring...

This lovely little belt comes from dbaer - love the pattern!

A seriously cute pillow from ekofabrik - such a great way to add interest to your space!

These elephant towels from PataPri would make such great host/hostess gifts!

Have a fabulous day! Hop on over to Yes, Teacher to share what has been tickling your fancy!

Spring Break - Hooray!

Today is the first official day of my final Undergrad Spring Break. I am celebrating it by nursing a cold... ha ha! Hunky is celebrating by cleaning his room. Tonight we are cake tasting, which should be interesting considering I can't taste - hopefully Hunky will still be cold free and we'll be able to rely on his pallet and I'll be the texture guru.

I know what you are thinking, our spring break agenda so far is making you think that we are just two party animals that can't be tamed. It's true.

There are some very exciting things in the works this week - banking on the fact that I recover from this head full of congestion.. :D. Today I thought I would share with you some of my new favorite Etsy shop obsessions, enjoy!

Heather of dahlhaus uses fabulous retro feeling motifs to decorate her ceramics. The shapes of these ceramics just leave me with a good feeling.

Iwannabe does such great things with acrylic. I just love the play on pattern and shape.

I am pretty much in love with thewheatfield - The colors and typography are notable, it is hard not to mark everything in the shop as your favorite!

I hope you click around these shops, it has been a blast admiring their bright color pallets and unique designs.

J. Crew Spring Flats

Dear J. Crew,

Your spring flats are fabulous.

Love, Anna

(Don't drool too much!)

Say Yes to the Dress... The Sundress that is...

I am so happy that is has finally decided to be spring in Michigan. Although now that I am trying this, we'll have a snow storm this evening - just my luck!

I love spring for several reasons... Flowers in Bloom. The end of the Spring Semester. Graduations and Open Houses. Getting to keep the Windows Open. Oh yeah, and my most favorite part of spring: Sundresses! I have scoured Etsy high and low to find some lovely looks for spring - Enjoy!

This little dress has such great character! Love the bright yellow and accent button on the sleeve! This comes from the shop of michalsclothes


I love the vintage feel of this floral frock! The tie in the front is a great touch! MissDandy stocks this lovely little bargain at $35!


This check pattern is gorgeous, but I'm sure that violavintage would make it for you in any fabric!

Such wonderful simple lines in this dress - How flattering! A lovely dress made by PoorJean.


Ok, so I want to put this number on and run through a field of flowers or have a tea party! priscilladawn makes such beautiful things!

I am just so inspired right now... I am planning on having a daily chronicle of the dresses I have in my closet in order to motivate me to wear them... Last time I looked I could go about 2 months and not wear the same dress twice - so stay tuned for that!

I am leaving you with the rendering I finished last night for the Doctor's Office project we are working on in my Synthesis Class... This is a view of the Nurses' Station that I designed. The view is down the hall towards the patient rooms. This rendering is done in PhotoShop

Let's Talk about Pleats...

... and how much I love Stella McCartney's spring line!







My trip to Chicago lead me to Nordstrom's... when I stumbled upon a few of these fantastic pieces. I love the way that pleats look when draped on the body. Paired with these florals and bright colors - it's a great way to celebrate Spring in your wardrobe!

For those who don't have thousands of dollars to spend I found some great alternatives from Forever21!




Almost as cool as what Stella created... :)

This week is full of projects and recovering from a super fun weekend in Chicago!