pinspiration: a fresh start [january 2017]

Once the holiday decorations have been put away, I like to really dig in to envisioning the new year, spending some time with my planner, and focusing on finding ways to simplify my life, streamline my routines, and boost my productivity. My professional goals this year deal with celebrating success and strengthening community, and my personal goals are all about getting ready to be the best working mom I can be. Today, I'm sharing some inspiration for the new year and the fun playlist I've been playing 24/7 while working on my plans for 2018.

“The need to prove who you are will vanish once you know who you are.” - Danielle Pierre

"Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach." - Tony Robbins

this week's clicks.

get your week off to a colorful start...

SWOON.

Melissa Oholendt

• A classic wedding with fun details from Melissa O.
• Bridesmaids in black make a ranch wedding chic. 
• Tips for creating a serene home from The Everygirl.
• An eclectic San Francisco apartment tour via SMP.

SMILE.

• A timely reminder: how to handle stress like a boss.
• Really considering getting blunt-cut bangs this spring.
• My go-to Spotify playlist - constantly adding soul tracks.
• Do you eat fish on Fridays during Lent? Recipe ideas!

FLASHBACK.

• 2016: reflections on my first-ever reader survey, fave Oscar looks, and the "gateway fandoms" that made me the geek girl I am today.
• 2015: custard yellow picks for spring, Christa Parrish's Still Life, spring IG faves.
• 2014: a blast from my high school past and my March favorites.
• 2013:a Sunday Social about the 5's and emerald wardrobe inspiration.
• 2012: #FebPhotoADay, chocolate marshmallow cupcakes and soft gray + blue decor.
• 2011: wedding planning thrift store adventures and our bridesmaids' dresses.

this week's clicks.

get your week off to a colorful start...
SWOON.

Kate Ignatowski via Style Me Pretty

• From SMP, a chic Washington DC wedding.
• A Chicago loft with mod black and white decor.
• Jennifer's inspiring before & after home photos.
• Adore these Quaker wedding vows from S&I.

SMILE.

• Desktops: Smashing, Red Stamp, Amber Lotus.
• Meryl Streep's mic-drop Golden Globes speech.
• Beauty and heartbreak in NatGeo's photos of 2016.
• From Yes and Yes, traditions to start 2017 strong.

FLASHBACK.

• 2016: January favorites, winter TV, fave Golden Globes looks, and goals for the year.
• 2015: my first Stitch Fix, winter Pinspiration, and the PMT Style Challenge.
• 2014: favorite Golden Globes styles and beauty, and reflections on 2013.
• 2013: all about blogging, favorite Golden Globes looks, and ideas for bridal portraits.
• 2012: the big wedding trend was side braid hairstyles.

 I'd love to keep in touch - share a link to your favorite recent blog
 or Tumblr post, Tweet, or Instagram pic in the comments!

this week's clicks: happy boxing day!

get your week off to a colorful start...

• I hope that you're all having a wonderful holiday week with your families. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to actually rest and relax with a good book (currently, The Queen of the Tearling) - that stack of papers to grade can wait until 2017, right?

LISTEN.

• Hat tip to my hip mom for telling me about this amazing year-end Carpool Karaoke from James Corden and friends! How did he keep this a secret???

SWOON.

Michael and Carina Photography via Style Me Pretty

• Speechless over this elegant Charlottesville wedding.
• I look forward to Lia's NYE printable hats every year.
• Sparkly, fun New Year's inspiration from Swooned.
• The perfect low-effort, high-glam hairstyle for NYE.

SMILE.

• Desktops: Dawn Nicole, Oh So Lovely, Soggy Musings
• Love these unique birthstone necklaces - New Year's gift?
• Interesting: Planned Parenthood donations are up 40%.
• Pinning all the best last-minute New Year's Eve ideas.

FLASHBACK.

• 2015: inspiration for a cozy rose gold NYE, Literary Junkies, December in Instagram, most popular posts of 2015 and personal faves.
• 2014: most popular posts of 2014 and personal favorites.
• 2013: most popular posts of 2013, my personal favorites, and a NYE tablescape.
• 2012: avorite posts of 2012, gold and blush NYE inspiration, favorite movies and books of 2012, organization goals for 2013, gray wardrobe picks and home decor ideas. 
• 2011: gold/champagne inspiration for New Year's Eve and organization goals for 2012.

sunday simplicity.

Lauren Fair Photography via Ruffled

"I thought maybe we could make gingerbread 

houses, and eat cookie dough, and go ice 

skating, and maybe even hold hands." - Elf

Marissa Lambert Photography via Style Me Pretty

welcome, winter.

Lauren Miller Photography via Junebug Weddings

"One need never be dull as long as one has friends to help, 

gardens to enjoy and books in the long winter evenings.”

― D.E. Stevenson

Lauren Miller Photography via Junebug Weddings

sunday simplicity

Mishelle Lamarand via Intimate Weddings

“How we need that security. How we need another soul 
to cling to, another body to keep us warm. To rest and 
trust; to give your soul in confidence: I need this. 
I need someone to pour myself into.” ― Sylvia Plath

sunday simplicity.

Nancy Ray Photography via Style Me Pretty

"All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love." -Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace

sunday simplicity.

Shea Christine Photography via Style Me Pretty

“True friends are always together in spirit.”

― Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

sunday simplicity.

Cassidy Carson Photography via Ruffled

“Life is worth living as long as there's a laugh in it.”

― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

sunday simplicity.

Erin Hearts Court via Green Wedding Shoes

“Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole 

world around you because the greatest secrets are always 

hidden in the most unlikely places.” ― Roald Dahl

sunday simplicity.

Christa-Taylor Photography via Style Me Pretty

“Love knows no limits to its endurance, no end to its 

trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. Love 

still stands when all else has fallen.” ― Tim McGraw

sunday simplicity.

The De Jaureguis via Style Me Pretty

“I was made and meant to look for you and 

wait for you and become yours forever.” 

― Robert Browning

sunday simplicity.

Kristina Curtis via Style Me Pretty

“There is a very real relationship, both 
quantitatively and qualitatively, between what you 
contribute and what you get out of this world.”

― Oscar Hammerstein II

sunday simplicity.

Sarah Kate Photography via Style Me Pretty

“Some things you know all your life. They are 
so simple and true they must be said without 
elegance, meter and rhyme...they must be naked 
and alone, they must stand for themselves.” 
― Philip Levine

sunday simplicity.

Nancy Ray Photography via Southern Weddings

“We can only be said to be alive 

in those moments when our hearts 

are conscious of our treasures.”

― Thornton Wilder

clicks of note: we're home...

get your week off to a colorful start.

LISTEN.

• One of the great mysteries of the music world to me is that Matt Nathanson isn't a household name yet. "All We Are" came up on my Pandora and I realized I'd forgotten what a lovely song it is. I'm linking up with Musical Mondays at My So-Called Chaos.

SWOON.

• Jennifer Blair photographed this perfect beach wedding.
• DIY marbelized ribbon from Oh Happy Day - so pretty!
• Style Me Pretty features an elegant Rhode Island wedding.
• SW shows off a simple, lovely Memphis restaurant wedding.

SMILE.

• Digging a painted geometric welcome mat from The Crafted Life.
• Lovely Indeed's new series is so clever... art and style combined.
• Thrifty Decor Chick shares ways to fit storage all over the house.
• Vogue presents a history of the coolest French It Girl hairstyles.

FLASHBACK.

• Last year I shared a Sunday Social all about the 5's, joined the Literary Junkies link-up, rounded up beautiful bridesmaids in white, let Mr. Q take over the blog for a day, and recapped my April in entertainment.
• Two years ago I recapped my entertainment favorites from April and my spring in Instagram photos.
• Three years ago I shared my big goals for the future and wardrobe inspiration featuring Pantone's 2012 Color of the Year, Tangerine Tango.

currently inspired by:

style challenge: new hairstyle, oscar inspired casual outfit, and grace

Audrey's fourth style challenge over at Putting Me Together was to try a new hairstyle.  I decided to go big or go home with this one and booked a color and cut appointment. You see, my Pinterest hair and makeup board had started to look like this...

so I booked an appointment to get two inches cut off the bottom of my hair and attached a picture of beautiful balayage highlights. My stylist Tess loved the idea of very subtle dark caramel highlights. She did use foils, so these aren't strictly balayage highlights, but she did go from subtle at the roots to more intense on the ends for an ombre effect. Instead of painting highlights on the top layer of my hair (where roots growing in would be really obvious really fast), she did three "peekaboo panels" on each side and a "mohawk section" at the crown.  She also left the toner on for a bit longer than usual so that the highlights would be fairly dark, since it's still winter - they will lighten over time with repeated washing.

I love it so much! My hair gets so dark in the winter that the white hairs that are coming in around my temples really stand out. I don't hate aging, and I don't really hate my white hairs, but highlights make them a lot easier to live with until they grow out enough to be in full Susan Sontag/Bonnie Raitt/Stacy London/Rogue from the X-Men cool streak mode:

Here's the very casual outfit I put together for Oscars night dinner with Mr. Q and Breeze - I definitely wanted to get some gold in there, and my art deco necklace always reminds me of Old Hollywood glamour.

Cardigan: Merona for Target  Tank: Old Navy (Similar, Similar) 

Necklace: Lia Sophia (Similar, Similar) Jeans: LOFT  Boots: Merona for Target

I also wanted to share something from a celebrity I love this morning. I have a little addiction to Fashion Police and usually agree with Giuliana Rancic on all things red carpet. However, I thought young actress Zendaya had one of the most beautiful looks at the Oscars this year with her faux locs, rosy makeup, and goddess-worthy dress.  G, on the other hand, made some comments that were meant to be humorous but came off as reenforcing negative stereotypes. I saw her apology to Zendaya on my Facebook feed this morning, and thought, "Now that is an example of grace." Check it out:

Linking Up With:

PMT Style Challenge at Putting Me Together

I Feel Pretty at Get Your Pretty On

Manic Monday at More Pieces of Me and The Daily Express

Style Sessions at Style Elixir

Style to Inspire with Rhea Et Cetera
Style Me Wednesday at Shopping My Closet
Oh Hey Girl at Pumps and Push-Ups
Let Your Light Shine Thursday at Made With Zeal

sunday simplicity.

Todd Pellowe via Style Me Pretty