E is for Emersonmade.

Today, E is for Emersonmade. Why? Well, have you seen their products?






...for say, maybe a bridesmaid gift?

Click here to see their apparel, fun wedding items and accessories.

Adorable!

Freck's Friday Fancies LXXII

When TF (no longer TBF, TF now, get it? The Fiance) and I got back from Santa Monica, he had fresh flowers waiting in the apartment, how sweet is that?! The other day I was admiring them and couldn't help but think of the flowers at our wedding someday, which then lead me to wonder about the bouquets.

You guessed it, this week's fancies are bouquets. :)

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my fave.

Have a wonderful weekend :)

Yep, Still Savoring...

I hear the best thing to do after you get engaged is savor it.

Welp, see ya later. Here are some images of head pieces to hold you over for now.

I've been a huge fan of Myra's line at her store Twigs & Honey for so long, I can't help but head her way when considering head pieces.

All images via.

Stunning, yes?

Overwhelmed and Touched

...about all of your comments about TBF and my engagement!! We're so thrilled and excited. I don't even know where to start!

Well, I think I'll start with sharing the fact that I received a VIP Vera Wang fashion show invite at Trump Tower next month from a very dear friend who's the trendiest of the trendy and most beautiful of the beautiful. I'm one lucky friend.

Naturally, I think we should check out some of her beautiful dresses. I'm more of a fan of classic dresses, but these are pretty fantastic, yes? In Rachel Zoe's words, I. Die.

All via.

So fetch.

We're Back and It's Just Begun...

Get ready, this is a long post, but I swear it's worth it and you must read until the very end because there's a surprise!

Well, we loved Santa Monica. I will always have a warm memory in my heart from this trip, but I'll get to that a little later ;)

We loved it! Why?! It's charming and you cannot beat the beautiful weather. I ventured out solo, (TBF had to work until he could come out Friday) and arrived late Wednesday night to a dark Santa Monica. When I awoke on Thursday morning I walked out the door and was in awe. Immediately I was greeted by the beautiful beach and after soaking it in, I meandered through the adorable 3rd Street Promenade, grabbing some coffee at a quaint shop on the way.

I then walked to the office which was an open villa-like place; not like my office in Chicago at all. I couldn't believe I was expected to work in a such a relaxing atmosphere. The two days of working in that office went by quickly, I couldn't get over how I was treated so sweetly by my coworkers, and then...TBF finally arrived (yayy!!!). I know this sounds silly, but I really missed him and never want to travel without him again (fat chance, but still). Needless to say, I was so excited for him to be there finally, even if it was just for a day.

Saturday, we woke up early and ventured to Huckleberry where we ate delicious sunny side up dishes and mingled with the locals. Just. Adorable. (And nummy!)



We then explored the neighborhood and eventually made our way back to the Promenade and then over to Santa Monica Pier for some sight seeing. Gorgeous, right?



After the pier we enjoyed some delicious fish tacos, lobster and oyster yummies with TBF's best friend's jovial (and hardcore) younger brother who lives in LA with his sweet sweet girlfriend. It was so wonderful to see them! I can't believe I forgot to snap a picture with them!

We followed up lunch with some happy hour margaritas at a local gastropub near our hotel, then said our goodbyes to our friends and decided to freshen up back at the hotel before dinner.

Psst..Here's where the surprise begins...

While I was teasing my hair in the bathroom attempting to maneuver it into an updo, TBF hollered that he wanted me to see this video on the computer. I skipped over to him with my light-socket-crazy hair, thinking I'm the most hilarious person ever, and he turned around and chuckled, so I smoothed my hair adorably and he asked me to sit down in front of the computer.

The movie that TBF played took me on a journey through the past two and a half years of our relationship. The song that was playing was one of our favorites, I didn't put two and two together until near the end, which became even more sentimental and kind, with comments about our future together. By the end I was in tears, and he proceeded to get down on one knee and propose...


Yep, we're engaged!!!


This was his grandmother's ring (on his father's side). As he proposed he explained that it was the only item he ever had that belonged to her. He had spent the last couple of months arranging and asking permission from family members to obtain it for the proposal. I was touched not only was it beautiful, but had a long history and sentimental value.

It's all a blur, the proposal, the rest of the night, I'm so thrilled and excited for our future together. The overwhelming amount of love has been touching to say the least. I hope you're all ready for some wedding-related posts because holy moly now I have a reason to post about them and it's on. ;)


Now you know why Santa Monica and 1.22.11 will remain such a fond memory in my heart forever.


Have a wonderful week :)

Up, Up and Away

I'm off to sunny Santa Monica until Sunday! Thank you again for all of your recommendations. You know I'll take tons of pictures and share when I return.

Until then, I leave you with this amazing weather comparison. When people ask me why I'd ever want to move from away from Chicago, I think I'll just show them this ::

Chicago's weather

Santa Monica's weather

Yep. I'm excited. I've got the SPF, sunglasses and optimism packed. Here I come LA!

E is for Elephant.

Have I ever shared how much I adore elephants? They've kind of been stuck with me all my life because my first name starts with an E, and ever since we were little, E was always for elephant! Plus, come on, they're adorable.

Right? Right.

Aren't they cute?

salt and peppa


salute scarf


piggy bank


necklace


toy

Did you know it's bad luck to have the trunk directed down? I recently learned that!

Psst! Send some birthday love over to beautiful Grace!

Happy Tuesday :)

She Works Hard for the Money

This is a new subject on the ol' blog. Money. Let's talk money and budgeting.

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I graduated from college almost two years ago and ever since I, like most people, have had the anxiety of what would happen if I lost my job and didn't have a source of income. Finally, as of recent, I feel comfortable with my financial situation. I'm also very blessed to say I graduated with no debt. (Thank you again mom and dad.) No, I didn't win the lottery, and no, I didn't get a raise. I simply have added up some decent savings that would last me a couple of months just in case something happened.

I found an awesome budget chart via DailyWorth that I happily noticed I loosely follow...



Using this type of breakdown has helped me build a decent savings slowly over time (remember, I said two years) without having to sacrifice my social life and love for shopping and traveling.

Don't know how much you're spending each month? Try Mint.com!

By the way, I totally recommend bookmarking DailyWorth for a great, quick and informative read on a rainy day. After reading DW, I always feel inspired to shift some more money into savings. Just sayin'. :)

Do you have a strict budget you follow? Do you have loose guidelines like I do? Tell me! :)

Freck's Friday Fancies LXXI

Well, of course my fancies will have to do with Santa Monica this week! I can't stop dreaming of the warmer weather with lots of sunshine. I can feel it already!

One of the little luxuries that come along with warmer weather is trading in my heavy pashmina for a light, colorful scarf! I'm not sure if I've shared this before, but scarves are kind of my thing. I wear them a lot, and I probably have too many.

...but what's a couple more? :) Here are this week's Fancies!

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Look at the Santa Monica forecast for next week! Perfection!



Give me an iced chai, a fedora, SPF 150 and the beach and I am one happy girl.

TGIF!