{three little things} thankful thursday

{local love} the denver aquarium

on saturday we were supposed to go skiing with some friends {and by we were supposed to go skiing i mean A was going to ski and i was going to sip cocoa in the lodge of course}...

anyway those plans fell through and so A took me on a surprise date instead - to the aquarium!  if you know me, you know i live for aquariums and other such "kids'" stuff, so this was absolutely the perfect date. and there were FOUR otters. four!!! also, a tiger, seahorses, jellyfish, sharks, and a mermaid show....

{20 items or less} the oscars red carpet

two questions for you this morning: {1} did you watch the oscars and {2} what did you think?  i actually watched the entire thing, from red carpet to 'here's to the losers,' for the first time in many many years {thank you, mountain time zone!}.  that's six and a half hours of academy awards coverage. let's hear it for my husband, ladies and gents.
anyway, i don't know why we watched it all, considering we'd only seen one of the best picture nominees and all i really care about is the fashion pre-show... speaking of which, here are my favorites {and not-so-favorites} from last night's red carpet:

jennifer hudson in roberto cavalli; sandra bullock in ellie saab;  naomi watts in armani prive;

jessica chastain in armani prive;  jennifer lawrence in dior haute couture 

kristen stewart in reem acra {crutches not pictured}; 

salma hayek in alexander mcqueen;  melissa mccarthy in david meister;

helena bonham carter in vivienne westwood;  anne hathaway in prada

{photos via}

{20 items or less} oscar party

who's excited for the oscars tomorrow? ...the red carpet, the beautiful people, and most of all, an excuse to throw a gorgeous party!  i'm all about that truffled popcorn...

oscar night smash cocktail recipe;  printable oscar ballot + DIY;  gold mums fine paper;

truffled popcorn recipe;  sequin chevron table runner;  rose gold flatware;

macarons & edible gold leaf;  bedazzled bon bons;  gold star cake toppers

{20 items or less} chocolate

well, valentine's day is behind us now, but that doesn't mean we can't still have our chocolate, right?  besides, who can resist this gorgeous packaging?

mast brothers;  marou;  dude, sweet;  wild ophelia;  sweeteeth;

chocolove;  droga;  vosges;  divine;  taza

{holidays} happy president's day!

happy president's day!  a little bit of wisdom from honest abe:

{just because} happy weekend!

happy {president's day} weekend!

{20 items or less} happy valentine's day!

happy heart day friends! if you're here because you just don't know what to get me for valentine's day, you're in luck! below, in 20 items or less, are some of my favorite love day gifties {in fact, i'm wearing that heart sweater as we speak}... 

hope your valentine's day is filled with hugs and kisses!

heart intarsia sweater, $23;  love poems, $12;  woven tassel bag, $30;

neon belt set, $25;  sterling silver heart ring, $24;  floral mirror compact, $3;

macaron soap set, $16;  pink boat shoes, $78;  peach jeggings, $40;

hot pink lace tube, $38;  peach sunglasses, $6;  topshop lipstick in saint, $16;

stila all you need is love blush palette, $14

{pinteresting} valentine's day

i love love and i love any excuse to celebrate it! here's a little inspiration to get you in the mood for love...or maybe just cookies... {thank you, pinterest!}

{pinteresting} sweet home new orleans

happy mardi gras y'all!  don't mind me, i'll just be daydreaming about my favorite city in the united states... {thank you, pinterest!}

{20 items or less} happy chinese new year!

2013 is the year of the snake - and here's what the internet told me:

this 2013 year of snake is meant for steady progress and attention to detail. focus and discipline will be necessary for you to achieve what you set out to create... [the snake] is the enigmatic, intuitive, introspective, refined and collected of the animals signs.

sounds good to me!

{1} 2013 mini calendar, $12  {2} whiskey and snakes screen print, $18  

{3} vintage gold snake bracelet, $450    {4} year of the snake dictionary print, $10  

{5} fold over leather snake clutch, $99   {6} etched rocks glasses, set of 4, $60

{local love} lucile's

last night we celebrated my mister's 31st birthday with friends, and this morning when we finally woke up {thank you, cats, for letting us sleep!} i took him on a surprise brunch date to lucile's in boulder. it's a precious yellow victorian house {with pink hearts!} that just happens to serve incredible chicory coffee, beignets and eggs pontchartrain...

{design nerd} our travel gallery wall

just finished working on our travel gallery wall in the basement and i kinda heart it! the hardest part was trying to pick our favorite photos and souvenirs...good news is, there's room to grow!

what do you think?

{party animals} elysa's fondue birthday party

i recently had the honor of designing a party invitation for my dear friend elysa of genpink! she's 31 today and celebrating with fondue and wine... sadly i can't make it to dallas to party with her, but here's a peek at my inspiration and the finished invitation!

{thank you, pinterest! mine and hers}

p.s. if you haven't already, check out my etsy shop!

{stateside} L.A. story

we just got back from a long weekend in LA visiting friends and family, celebrating the life and love of A's aunt ann, watching the super bowl and soaking up the california sunshine...

{pinteresting} super bowl sunday

it's super bowl sunday and we're in LA where we'll be watching the game from the comfort of our friends' couch, drinking champagne and cooking fish tacos...here's some game day pin-spiration for you {thank you, pinterest!}

{shop} valentines

customized printable photo valentine cards are now available at my etsy shop - ready to print {or send in an eco-friendly e-card} in 24-48 hours!