announcements...

These sweet announcements spotted on ampersandity this morning made me smile. They feature Cathie's calligraphy & Tokketok's letterpress designs (love! those clouds are the cutest).

(images: tokketok)

Speaking of announcements, we're traveling today to see my brother swear in as an officer in the Navy. Very proud of him and happy to support him along side my Air Force hubby!

weekend inspiration

style inspiration from the wikstenmade blog


pretty botanical inspiration (via washington post)


lisa rupp's new 2011 calendars on fabric

warby parker: eyewear collection

Q and I could both use new glasses and I completely adore the vintage inspired collection of prescription frames by Warby Parker...


(images via warby parker, found via oh joy)

They're also a steal at only $95 a pair, (and donate to a great cause for every pair sold, too). You can also virtually try on any pair by uploading your photo here (of course I've "tried on" nearly every one already!).

kate spade: occasions

I borrowed this book by Kate Spade from the library and now I'd like to own it! It's a simple book all about parties and how to be a good host (or guest). It also includes sweet little illustrations by Virginia Johnson.

Occasions is part of a lifestyle series of books by Kate, which also includes Style and Manners.

deer watching

The place we camped at is part of a private retreat center, which sits on 1000 acres of forested land along the water. Q and I went deer watching a few times and once he got so close he was able to capture these fawns on our Nikon.

sunset walk

On vacation, we took the most picturesque sunset walk along the beach of Lake Huron...practiced skipping stones in the water, sat on a huge rock to watch the sky, shared a bowl of cherries & chocolate, and took tons of silhouette photos with our friends when the sun was setting at just the right place. A sweet ending to summer.

weekend inspiration: MAV

MAV has an inspiring portfolio to look through - she's worked on styling, design & art direction for various projects including the vs pink collection. I love all the little behind the scenes peeks she shares of each project on her site, it's definitely worth checking out (just be prepared to browse for awhile!). Happy weekend!

(photos via marie vettese, found via oh joy)

{this is a scheduled post while I'm on vacation}

photography: anna williams

Holly did a great feature about Anna Williams on decor8 last week. Her portfolio is fun to browse - especially all of the food spreads. Here are just a few favorites:

(photos: anna williams, found via decor8)

{this is a scheduled post while I'm on vacation}

grown-up playhouse

After picking up the book, Sailing Style (mentioned here), I looked up a bit about the author Tricia Foley online, and found this feature from Country Home. She has a garage on her property that she converted into an amazing work/play/entertainment space...

(images: country home, found via housemartin)

Okay, I'm a little jealous...but also very inspired. I'm pretty sure that giant window would be welcome in any room of my house, let alone my garage. Love those sliding doors, too.

{this is a schedule post while I'm on vacation}

weekend inspiration: sailing style

We're off for a week long trip and since much of it will be spent on the beach, I'm bringing a huge stack of books, magazines, & catalogs to look through. One that I can't wait to peruse from the library is Sailing Style, by Tricia Foley:



(images scanned by me, photo credits: michael skott)

The styling/photography is very classic & simple, and it will make a perfect read in between doing some actual sailing on my dad's sailboat (aptly named Over Easy). Hope you have a fun weekend planned!

camping + anorak nautical line

With our annual camping trip coming up, I've been looking through the Anorak online store dreaming about the mini camper* I'd like to fix up one day.


(images: anorak)

*My goal is to find a little vintage camper (like a Shasta or airstream). For now, we camp in our tent or with my family in their pop-up.

land's end fall & wishlist

I'm loving some of these new pieces from land's end canvas. It's hot here now, but one thing I can't wait to wear again are scarves...and jeans...

(images: land's end canvas)

PS. Lana from lanalou asked me to share my wishlist on her blog today, and she puts together the cutest inspiration boards to go along with it. See the entire series here.

weekend inspiration: love

I think this banner (by Amy of sweet sweet life) really is the sweetest thing, not to mention the rest of the bedroom. Isn't the color scheme pretty?

(photos: sweet sweet life, found via lushlee)

In honor of her awesome banner, I hope you have a weekend full of love! I'm going to two weddings, and hanging out with my best friends, so I will be getting my share :-)

(PS. If you'd like to win the striped dress from Shabby Apple, you can still enter here until Monday morning)

saturday in downtown

We finally made it to the Eastern Market in downtown Detroit this past weekend. It was a bit overwhelming to choose from so many booths, since it spans nearly 6 blocks, but overall it was fun to explore for the first time. Below are a few photos we took...

We left with our hands full of cucumbers for making pickles, brightly colored peppers, & big bunches of irises, among other things. Then afterward, I convinced Q to stop at the Milano Bakery down the street, where we shared a sandwich & cupcake that was so hard to actually share.

And finally, we did a few other things while downtown, like visit the art museum & walk to the Paris crepes cafe (thanks, Krystle for the recommendation) for our second dessert of the afternoon. We ultimately decided that all of the walking we did that day entitles us to at least another week of limitless desserts. I'm kidding! (not really).

shabby apple giveaway: striped boat neck dress

You're probably familiar with Shabby Apple & their adorable dresses. I've tried to win them a few times on other blogs and have always adored their French inspired collection. So when they asked if I'd like to give away one of their dresses here on Hooray, I couldn't resist saying yes.

I've chosen their striped boat neck dress for one of you to win! I can't help but love this dress because it has a classic striped top, simple solid skirt, and bonus: handy pockets. It claims to have a generous, comfy fit and it's the kind of dress I would honestly wear just about anywhere.



(images: shabby apple)

If you'd like to win this dress for yourself, simply visit Shabby Apple and then leave a comment on this post telling me which color you'd prefer (black, red, or blue striped). Extra entries are allowed for tweets or posts mentioning the giveaway, and entries are open until Monday at 8 am EST, to US residents only. Good luck!

*This dress is currently sold out in most sizes, but will be available in all sizes again by mid-August. The winner can then select the dress color & size of their choice.