this week's clicks.

get your week off to a colorful start...

SWOON.

Michael and Carina Photographers via Magnolia Rouge

• I fell in love with this classic country club wedding in Virginia.
• From Beka Price, a dreamy maternity shoot in a lavender field.
• A sweet, romantic couples photo sesh. In Hawaii. With a puppy.
• Love Alicia's convenient and chic do-it-yourself office nook.

SMILE.

• Desktops:  The Everygirl, CrossCards, Flipsnack, Sarah Hearts
• Rifle Paper Co.'s new collab with Keds is here + includes kids'!
• Love peeking at Bridget Beth Collins' creative floral artwork.
• Currently pinning inspiration for Holy Week and Easter.

FLASHBACK.

• 2016: spring reading challenge recommendations, tattoos I'd love to have
• 2015: my March favorites (and OUAT obsession).
• 2014: inspiration for a sweet mint and baby's breath wedding.
• 2013: memories of Ireland and citron wardrobe inspiration.
• 2012: inspiration for a moody pastel country wedding.
• 2011: creative ideas for wedding card storage and thank you signs.

this week's clicks.

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

• Thank you, James Corden, for the gift to humanity that is Carpool Karaoke! Have y'all seen this one with Michelle Obama and Missy Elliot yet? These folks are having so much fun with "Single Ladies" and "Get Ur Freak On!"

SWOON.

• So jealous of Tara from Braid Creative's writing shed.
• A pastel vineyard wedding from Christine Sargologos.
• At Style Me Pretty, a chic San Francisco city hall wedding.
• SMP presents a cool visual history of engagement rings.

SMILE.

• Have a small window of free time? 15 productive things to do.
• Let Read It Forward's Book Apothecary prescribe one for you.
• Playing Pokemon Go? Check out these new tips from Vulture.
• For a laugh: 40 things everyone but you is doing this summer.

FLASHBACK.  

• 2015: favorite summer reads and picks for fall, Part 1 of our Charleston vacation.
• 2014: my favorite 3's, style picks for a tropical getaway, and inspiration for a modern Alice in Wonderland inspired wedding.
• 2013: a Sunday Social about food, beach bag essentials, quirky ceremony backdrops, and summer blog loves.
• 2012: President Obama's rally in Roanoke, wardrobe inspiration in shades of gray, inspiration for a destination beach wedding, and the Sunshine Blogger Survey.
• 2011: thoughts on what makes a wedding fun.

this week's clicks.

get your week off to a colorful start...

SWOON.

Chris Isham Photography via Style Me Pretty

• The classiest HP inspired wedding.
• New travel goals: amazing Airbnbs.
• Current decor obsession: entryways.
• Isn't Liz's office makeover lovely?

SMILE.

• My new April desktop via Flipsnack.
• Um, have y'all seen Drake on Cake?
• Love Sarah's DIY scallop beach hat.
• ROTFL at these McDonald's tweets.

FLASHBACK.

• 2015: I shared a Sunday Social all about the 5's, joined Literary Junkies, rounded up bridesmaids in white, let Mr. Q take over, and recapped April in entertainment.
• 2014: I recapped my entertainment faves and my spring in Instagram.
• 2013: I shared my goals for the future.

January Fab Favorites

Rather than make New Year's Resolutions, for the past few years I've adopted the practice of choosing one word for the New Year. For 2016, my word is going to be horizon - I feel like it kept presenting myself to me, so I accepted it! I'm not sure what's on the horizon for me - the future is a blank slate for me to fill with my hopes and dreams for the future. Will I buy a house, write a novel, get a pet, travel the world, or make a new friend this year? I'm making positive changes in my life and habits and hoping that positivity will come back to me. Here are a few favorites making those changes a little easier to adopt.

1. Creative women building each other up - I've kicked off the year with two memoirs by funny women in creative fields (who are not too much older than me), Everyone's Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day (read my review from yesterday here) and Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling. Both share a common theme: boss ladies shouldn't be competing with one another, we should be building each other up - Felicia addresses #Gamergate and Mindy tackles topics from "Who Wore it Best?" magazine columns to Instagram friendships. Two of my favorite essays in Mindy's book are "(Minor) Fame Has Changed Me" and "Things to Bring to My Dinner Party." My favorite passage in Mindy's book comes from the essay "Some Thoughts on Weddings" (she kind of hates them due to the sense that the bride is leaving her behind):

With my friends, the sad truth is that our best "best friend" days are behind us. In college, we used to be able to meet each other in the common area of our off-campus housing, excited about our evening ahead, which consisted of someone making an enormous tureen of pasta and drinking wine from a box while we took turns regaling each other with details of our terrible love lives. Playful arguments would become fits of uncontrollable laughter, and like magic, that experience would get crystallized into a private joke, and the private joke would get boiled down to a simple phrase, which would become a souvenir of the entire experience. For years to come, the phrase alone could uncork hours of renewed laughter. And as everyone knows, the best kind of laughter is laughter born of a shared memory.

2. A routine that helps me glow - When I finally got my long-awaited Clarisonic Mia2, it came with a bottle of Fresh Soy Face Cleanser which I've been using religiously. Not only has my cystic acne improved, but I think my face looks glowy and my skin looks plumper in the mornings when I wake up. In addition to the obvious soy proteins, this cleanser is full of healthy ingredients like cucumber extract and borage seed oil.

3. Fashionable accountability - I've wanted a fitness tracker for a while now, and Mr. Q got me the Jawbone Up2 for Christmas. I liked the Up2 a little better than some other trackers because it includes a smart alarm feature than I can set to wake me up during the lightest part of my sleep cycle! So far, I'm using the Up2 to track my sleep, daily step count and workout lengths, and food (the Up app has a barcode reader feature or the option to type in what I've eaten and search through a database). I also have an idle alert set so that the wristband vibrates when I am still for a set length of time - currently, I've got it set for 45 minutes. I like that the app gives suggestions to help me reach my goals - for example, on Saturday night, we went out to eat, and when I opened the app to log my meal there was a suggestion from Smart Coach to take a 17 minute walk in order to maintain my average step count for the week - a short stroll was easily accomplished by doing some window shopping after dinner, but probably wouldn't have happened without the gentle nudge. I've lost two pounds since Christmas and I think the Up2 has definitely helped!

4. A cozy glow for cold winter nights - Mr. Q's aunt got us the Bath and Body Works Winter 3-wick candle for Christmas and it's my new favorite smell! The main notes are pine, mandarin orange, and "winter woods," and it's perfect for creating a cozy atmosphere in the evenings when we get home from work.

5. An inspiring calendar - If I have to look at something for 12 months, it had better be cute! I chose the Illustrated Bible Verses calendar from Workman Publishing, which I found at Barnes & Noble. If you still need a calendar to get your 2016 organized, Style Me Pretty has a roundup, and Lauren's featuring the best planners for boss babes at Style Elixir.

Linking Up:

Friday's Fab Favorites at Style Elixir

clicks of note: if you say that you love me...

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

• I'm definitely going to be watching The Voice this season - did y'all catch Morgan Frazier's audition? It's a little late, but I'll be linking up with Musical Mondays at My So-Called Chaos.

SWOON.

Lushana Bale Photography via Ruffled

• Gorgeous fall bouquets from Bridal Musings.
• Ruffled features a bright bohemian wedding.
• At SW, a beautifully bold Oklahoma wedding.
• SMP features a must-see boho lace wedding.

SMILE.

• October desktops: Sarah Hearts, Smashing.
• The Everygirl's 3 ways to style a modern desk.
• From PopSugar, 30 costume ideas for BFFS.
• At the TED blog, Elizabeth Gilbert on creativity.

LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE.

• Apt. Therapy's 5 things to do in a new city.
• Lia Griffith's cute moving announcements.
• Dreamy! Nancy Meyers' Pinterest boards.
• Do you deal with seasonal depression? 9 tips.

FLASHBACK.

• Last year I rounded up my October favorites and participated in the last Sunday Social, which was all about blogging.
• Two years ago I put together some casual high school reunion outfit ideas.
• Three years ago, I shared honey gold and camel wardrobe ideas for fall, rounded up ponytails that are pretty enough to be wedding hairstyles, and recapped the #Septemberstories Instagram readers' challenge.
• Four years ago, I shared a peek at our cocktail hour, our outdoor wedding party portraits and couple portraits.

My January {Fab} Favorites

Disclaimer:  Amazon links contain an affiliate code.  Thank you for supporting Beyond the Aisle!

1. Marc Jacobs Salty Pretzel Stud Earrings - These were my special Christmas gift from Mr. Q this year.  I'd had them on my Pinterest forever, but apparently they'd gotten really popular and he had to order from a store in London, England to get the rose gold - which, to me, makes them even more special.  I had a pretzel (and beer cheese, let's be honest) obsession in 2014 that I don't see stopping any time soon.  They're a great conversation piece - I wore them on a teacher workday and got a lot of "are your earrings pretzels?!?!"

2. Xhileration French Terry Lounge Pants - My mom got me these pajama pants for Christmas and they are the greatest - they are styled like jogging pants but made of super soft jersey.  I pretty much put these on every single day when I get home from work (sorry, Mr. Q.)

3. Orange Circle Studio 2015 Wall Calendar by Katie Daisy - I've seen several of Katie Daisy's lovely watercolors online (her Etsy shop is full of awesome), so when I saw a whole wall calendar of her work with nice big boxes for writing I knew it would be perfect for the new year.  It includes quotes from Shakespeare, Rumi, and Emerson among others and it's so cheerful!

4. Old Navy Fleece Dress - My love of sweatpants material really knows no bounds and this dress is my own personal heaven.  I wore it with tights, boots, and a cardigan to a baby shower and no one called me out on basically being in sweats.

5. Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater - Finally got around to the newest book in my favorite YA series.  This one's got a lot of material from Blue's point of view, as well as Adam's, which I appreciated because I missed his voice in The Dream Thieves.  I'm hoping that the fourth book will have more chapters from Gansey's perspective.  

6. Bath and Body Works Cinnamon Caramel Swirl 3-Wick Candle - Another Christmas gift from my mom, this candle is the current key to creating cozy in my house.  Be careful, though - with all three wicks lit, it doesn't take long for a whole room to smell like the inside of a cinnamon bun, and it can be a little overwhelmingly spicy.

shopping guide: the prettiest 2013 calendars

I am a little bit crazy about finding the perfect calendar every year.  If I have to look at the same thing every day, I want it to be beautiful, stylish, and functional.  Here are some of the prettiest 2013 calendars to suit almost every personality.

For the traveler...

  

Little Low Studio A New Tribe Calendar

Small Adventure Houses of the World Calendar || Rifle Paper Co. Cities Calendar from Paper Source

For the design junkie...

 

Paper Source Foil Embossed Desk Calendar || Modern Printed Matter Flora & Fauna Calendar

winter color: pink flambe for the holidays

If today's style board doesn't make you happy, I don't know what will.

One of the most vivid Pantone colors for this season is Pink Flambe!

1. LOFT drop-waist peplum party dress  2. LOFT drop earrings (sold out - similar earrings)  

3. J. Crew neon bubble stud earrings  4. The North Face striped boatneck tee  

5. Mossimo juniors v-neck cardigan from Target 6. Tod's loafer-style mocassins  

7. Webster's dictionary from See Jane Work

I've shared my fear of pink on the blog before, but I would happily wear/carry any of these pieces - especially that North Face tee!  Keep reading for some hot pink accessory inspiration!