A Little Room Tour

Ok. So when I say "little" room tour, I really mean little!
I recently organized all my favorite photos and trinkets on my new dresser and I thought I'd share some photos.
I love having a little space where I can look at photos of people I love and pretty little things that make me smile.




I also have my hat collection, a container with my favorite scarves, my lipsticks,
a wooden box full of Bible verses (Tim made it for me when we first started dating!), and a few fancy bracelets on display.


It feels so nice to organize a lovely "me" space in our room.
Does anybody else get a bit giddy over pretty spaces?

Stenciled Summer Cups DIY

ONE: The supplies you'll need are: Martha Stewart Satin Paint, Martha Stewart Adhesive Stencils, a sponge for each color, and a pallet for paint. TWO: Be sure to get different sized sponges. I wasn't sure if we'd need the super small ones, but they came in handy so much with little stencils! THREE: You can also stencil on wood. It looks mighty adorable. FOUR: Don't forget a few good friends to join the fun ;)
***After you've done all your pretty stencils onto your glasses, you've gotta seal those beautiful designs up! Place glasses in cool oven; set oven to 350 and bake for 30 minutes. Turn oven off and allow glass and oven to cool. Remove glasses when completely cool.***

**side note: this cup already had the white star designs on it.**

Send me a link if you end up doing this!
It's a really fun project for a craft night with the girls.
Have fun and happy painting!

All The Pretty Horses

Today has been a beautifully relaxed day.
 We went grocery shopping and got a movie for a night in together.
Tim's been working nights a lot lately, so when we have evenings in together, it's quite a treat!
 We snuck into the woods after we went grocery shopping and snapped some photos. This afternoon, Tim & went out on a frozen yogurt date!
There's a new place here in town called Yo Amazing. As the name implies, it is...amazing. Now we're settling in for a homemade steak dinner and a movie.
We went out on a limb and got War Horse. Neither of us have heard anything about it...any of you seen it? What was you opinion?
I'll let you know what we think. I mean, it can't be too bad. It's about a horse, right?!

Have a beautiful evening filled with magical things!
You all are such a wonderful source of inspiration for me. Thank you for being part of my blogging life. xoxo

A Perfect Picnic

Tim, Casey, and I went for a little afternoon picnic yesterday.
We didn't have much time before I had to shoot off to a party, and Tim had to start work...
but we managed to squeeze a relaxing picnic into our busy day!
We got some food & coffee and drove to a lovely park.
Such a nice way to have a bit of quality time during the week. I highly suggest a work-day picnic with your love(s)!
I got this fancy new lipstick that my friend Alayna suggested.
It's Siren from Revlon. I love it. Such a fun, summery shade! Shirt & shoes: Thrifted, Dress & tights: Free People, Hat: Urban Outfitters

I hope you're all having a beautiful week.
If you're feeling a bit stressed, go on an evening picnic!
It's the perfect remedy for the mid-week blues ;)

A Chicago Date : Music & Coffee

We headed into Chicago for a day full of delicious food & coffee from Lovely bakery, and a show by our friends in Blouse.
It was such a fun and relaxing day.
We were able to meet up with our friend Paul, who we haven't seen since our wedding nearly 2 years ago!
He's Tim's friend from New Zealand, but he lives in Portland now.
He was telling us how much he loves Portland, and that we should visit this summer.
I think we're gonna take him up on that offer! I've only been to Portland once, but I absolutely loved it.

Anyway, here are some photos from our day.    We had brunch at Lovely Bakery in Wicker Park.
It has delicious coffee and tons of yummy food.
And the place is loaded with amazing vintage decor! Check it out if you're in the Wicker Park area. It's definitely worth a visit!

Happy weekend, everyone!
Anyone have exciting plans?
Kylie and I are heading up to Milwaukee for our dear friend Krista's bridal shower!
We're having a twin-date-drive up there. It should be pretty darn fun!

Night and Day, You Are The One

Happy Sunday, everyone!
We've had a lovely day of church time, friend time, and now husband & wife time.
A pretty perfect day if I do say so myself.

Today I delved into the unknown waters of 1920s/30s hairstyles.
I spent most of last night looking up how-to videos for vintage hairstyles.
I was really intrigued by finger waves.
I've always loved the way they look in movies, and I thought it would be fun to give it a go!

After a few failed attempts, I finally got it.
I'll have to share a tutorial soon.
They're actually super simple.
[Sidenote: I only did the one side of my hair.
I didn't really think it was gonna work when I was doing my hair this morning!]










And a little 30s fun for ya. Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers.
How adorable are they?!
Oh goodness, I love when they dance together.
Also, her dress is so beautiful in this.
[Skip to about 2 minutes in to see them dance!]


Wishing you all an evening full of good times!

A Perfect Little Day

Okay...okay. I'll admit that these photos are over a week old. I kind of forgot about them, to be honest!
I finished the last book in The Hunger Games series about a week ago.
I don't want to give anything away for those of you who are still reading it, but I'll just say I was pretty content with the way things ended.
It's definitely worth your time to finish the series ;)

And here are some photos from today for you.
Tim and I went out to our favorite ice cream spot this afternoon!
We rode our bikes into downtown Valparaiso and indulged in some local goodness.


Tim ordered a double-scoop cone with blueberry cheesecake and peach.
And I got a double-scoop with mint chocolate chip and birthday cake.
Although we did share in order to fully indulge in the deliciousness ;)

Happy Thursday!
Go read a good book and eat some ice cream.

Twin Style : All About the Jackets

My twin Kylie and I had another fun "Twin Style" shoot today!
We were able to go out to breakfast together this morning, which was so great.
Afterwards, we went out to a pretty willow tree near my place. The lighting was so lovely.
There are lots of photos (again!). It's just so fun to take photos together.
We tend to get a bit carried away ;)

We both found our jackets at the thrift store the other day.
Kylie has been searching for the perfect denim jacket for a while now. I would say she scored big with this gem!
And my jacket totally reminds me of a flight attendant's.
My Mom works for Southwest as a flight attendant, so I though I'd make her proud in this faux-stewardess-number.

(Also...this first photo...Funny? To us, yes. Nerdy? Oh yeah. haha)







Christen's details: jacket, blouse, skirt: thrifted, shoes: Cotton On, bag: Jo Totes








Kylie's details: jacket, purse, shorts: thrifted, shirt: Love Nail Tree, necklace: Hunter Gatherer, shoes: Kohls

I hope you enjoyed our second version of Twin Style!
Kylie is kiiiind of into doing these posts, so expect more ;)

Have a beautiful day!