{And The Winner Is...}

Yay!!!!! Natalie and Colin won - wooohooo - so well deserved!!! So did you guys watch the Oscar's last night? I really enjoyed the opening skit, the scene with Kirk Douglas, and the Lena Horne tribute, but I have to be honest that the show was a little dry this year. As you know I watched all of the nominated movies before the awards and it really made watching them more enjoyable {if I hadn't, I probably would have went to sleep}. If you followed me on Twitter last night you know that I tweeted mostly about the fashion, so without further ado here are my two-cents on who I thought were the best dressed...

Gweneth by far was my absolute favorite, with Camilla right behind - STUNNING! Next year for sure I'm having a party!!!

{Good Sunday Morning}

... I usually don't post on the weekends, but the sun is shining, the windows are open, me and Addy have been sitting on the balcony reading the paper {Addy barking at everything that moves}, and this picture makes me excited for the fresh squeezed oj I'll be getting at brunch soon. So far this day is fantastic! Enjoy your Sunday...

{Weekend Plans}

TGIF Peeps!!!

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Check out some of the links that I've been diggin this week...

~ For my Raleigh Peeps - you should check out Midtown Olive Press at North Hills! They offer a wide variety of authentic, fresh olive oils & aged balsamic vinegar. Mmmm....reminds me of Italy!

~ My next coffee table book purchase - American Fashion Designers at Home

~ I'll take any one of these Kate Spade bracelets - just close your eyes and pick one {I kinda love the No Sleep Til Brooklyn bracelet, #beastieboyschic???}

~ Ummm...I bet these are quite genius

~ I purchased this chambray shirt and LOVE it!

~ Now these might be good...sweet potato, pecans, and goat cheese...

~ Do you believe in magic?

~ Lady Gaga Children's Book

Enjoy your weekend Peeps!

{If I Knew How To Sew...}

...I would so do this. Dana's Chevron Pillow tutorial looks amazing. {via}  BUT - since this next project requires no sewing, and I know how to braid - I'm so doing this project this weekend! Click here to get the step by step process...

Great ideas right? Makes you say to yourself "why didn't I think of that"...lol!

{The Making of a J.Crew Italian Leather Shoe}

J.Crew is one site that I visit several times a week - and yesterday I was pleasantly surprised {being the shoe addict that I am} when I saw the front page feature of a trip that Jenna Lyons and her team took to Italy to watch their shoe creations come to life. Click here to watch the video ~ some of the scenes definitely remind me of my lovely trip to Italy several months ago. Below are some pics from their trip...check em out:

{Wear This - Decorate That}

Lately I've been obsessed with blush tones and literally by chance I came across both of these pics {separately} and knew I had to do a Wear This - Decorate That post. I know that this blush tone is still considered a neutral color - but for me it's color and I can't get enough. Look how perfectly this outfit compliments this living room....love. 

{Five Weekend Lessons}

1. So I signed up for a 7-day vegan challenge last Tuesday with some friends......and........I quit after 2 days! I can definitely become a vegetarian because I hardly ever eat meat, but to give up dairy: eggs, cheese, yogurt, sour cream - I just couldn't do it. After quitting I did feel like a little loser, but through my 2 day "ordeal" I definitely learned some lessons ~ a) leave the fake dairy products alone - yuck, no good., bad. b) Whole Foods vegan cookies are SH-MAZING {sooooo good} as well as their Mock Chicken Salad {I don't know what was in it, I didn't ask any questions, but it's really good and I will continue to eat it}. c) There are more vegan-friendly restaurants here in Raleigh than I thought...there is {of course} Whole Foods, Irregardless Cafe,  Neomonde, and Harmony Farms - I had amazing meals at each. d) I may actually try the challenge again, knowing all the options that are out there that are good for you and are really tasty!

2. I really love this quote - it's not the amount of years you live on this earth - it's what you do with them...

3. I've been obsessed with finding feminine blouses and I actually found the look for less at Target! This blouse comes in stone/beige {which I purchased of course}, black, and army green for $16.00. Can't beat that right?

4. I have this lovely MacBook Pro computer and I have no idea how to use it! It took me forever just to learn how to cut and paste. I've never worked on mac before so I'm having to learn from scratch. I need a tutor!!!

5. You know my obsession with food trucks, right? Well just found out that there is a grilled cheese food truck running around in Durham. O.M.G right? I'm sure it's not WW friendly - but I'm definitely going to save up my points for this treat! When I go, I'll be sure to take pics and share the love!

So what did you do this weekend? Did you learn any lessons? Have any ah-ha moments?

{Weekend Plans}

TGIF Peeps!

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Check out some of the links I've been diggin' this week:

~ I love these shoe clips!
~ Over at Rue Magazine - starting on page 46 - I'm lovin Jess LC's home tour {honestly this is exactly what I thought her home would look like...lovely}
~ Shut up! Chocolate mousse in 5 minutes - using only 2 ingredients!
~ I love this message - and need to listen to it...
~ Handmade fringe streamers...LOVE this DIY project!
~ Lovin this summertime outfit...

Enjoy your weekend Peeps!

{My New Obsession}

Say hello to my new baby! Get ready for even more fantastic posts because this puppy has all the bells and whistles....now I just have to figure out how to use it! Sorry for the short post but I need to spend some quality time with this thing...I'm sure you understand!

Enjoy your day peeps!

{PS. Yes - for those that know me well, I said "this puppy" above. I know it's on my list of words that drive me crazy...but I couldn't resist, lol!}

{Etsy Seller: Wonton Love}

While surfing through Pinterest, I stumbled upon a necklace and was excited to know that not only was it handmade, but it was available for purchase on Etsy! Cynthia over at Wonton Love is an early retired Creative Director who decided to re-pursue a career in metal-smithing. I absolutely love her designs and am keeping an eye on the locket {you know me and lockets} with the blue or the yellow beads...

{My Style: I'm A Neutral Girl}

I get a lot of flack for wearing neutrals all the time, but I can't help it - if I see a bright colored shirt next to a gray or neutral one, hands down I will pick the neutral one. I do like to add in splashes of color with my accessories {especially scarves}, but for the most part I'm all about my grays, browns, blacks, and mustards. I love pieces that flow, I don't like things that cling, and I love the ability to mix and match. I put together what my style is below, and on any given day this is what you will see me in...

So what do you think? Do you tend to reach for color or more towards the neutrals {like me}?

{Happy Valentines Day}

I’ve always loved Valentine’s Day and not because of the sappy romantic stuff {which I am a sucker for} - but I guess it's because I love all holidays and I love the process of doing little things for other people. So for my 26 Valentines this year - I hope you enjoy your gifts. I loved making them and will definitely make this a tradition here at Flourish. No matter what your plans are today, carve just a little bit of time {or a lot if you have it} and do something just for you....even if it's just a bubble bath. Happy Valentines Day loves!

{Weekend Plans}

TGIF Peeps!!!

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I know you will be out and about this weekend, but if you have a chance to relax - check out some of the links I've been diggin' on this week:

~ My new blog crush is Mimi + Meg
~ Love love love {like almost obsessed with} Blair's style...pages and pages of inspiration ~ Atlantic-Pacific blog
~ This Chanel necklace makes my heart melt
~ Gucci's Pre-Fall 2011 line is AH-mazing...check it out here
~ Creamy Life's Pinterest boards are...beyond. really!

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PS. THANK YOU to everyone who agreed to be my Valentine this year! 26 of these lovely packages below {or something very similar - I couldn't find enough brown envelopes} have been shipped to your mailboxes, ready for you to open on Valentines day. If for some reason you do not receive your package on Monday, PLEASE let me know. For those that missed the deadline....well there's always next time!! Again THANK YOU and I hope you love them.

Enjoy your weekend!

{GUEST BLOGGER: Food Nerd Extraordinaire - Eleanor Haley}

Hi everyone! My name is Eleanor and I am excited to be your guest blogger today! Food is one of my biggest passions in life, and with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, Jessica wanted me to share some menu ideas with you. 

My love and I have started a tradition of ordering a pizza (pineapple and jalapeno on my side, anchovies and black olives on his side) and drinking Champagne to celebrate Valentine’s Day, but there is nothing quite like a homemade meal to show someone you care. But, for those of you who are single or broken-hearted, this can be a pretty tiresome holiday. So I have prepared two menus for you all… One for the lovey-dovey snugglekins, and one for the haters:

I Swear I'm Not Still Bitter Greens Salad                                                 Roasted baby (making) Beet Salad

Why Did You Have To Be Such a Jerk Mahi Mahi                                I Love You With All My (Artichoke)
                                                                                                                                  Heart Stuffed Shells

I Was Such a Sour Lemon Fool                                                                    Let's Make Whoopie Pies                                     
{Click each item above to be directed to the recipe} 

Whichever camp you are in, I hope you, at the very least, enjoy your dinner!

{Wear This...Decorate That}

As I've said several times before, if you can put together an outfit, you can decorate a room. {and vice versa}. Domino magazine {oh how I miss that magazine} used to have a monthly feature where they would turn an outfit into a room and, in the spirit of that concept, I've attempted again to show you how you can "dress your room". Check it out and feel inspired...

{Outfit + Room Image}

{Outfit + Room Image}

{Lovin' Pink}

If you can't tell - I'm really lovin' pink these days and with Valentines day right around the corner, I thought I would come up with a few pics that screamed pretty in pink... enjoy!

{Image 1, Image 2, Image 3, Image 4}