{monday, monday + the winner . . .}

. . . there was much reminiscing about grandmothers, sad stories about never having had an engagement ring, attempts to sway with flattery and even a little bribery, a few brave men, one of whom wanted to give the prize to the woman of his dreams, but in the end, there could only be one . . . and so, the very warmest congratulations to . . . kristina from texas, the lucky randomly selected winner of the stunning, stunning diamond stacking band give-away:

*** congratulations, kristina! ***

thanks to everyone who entered & hope you're having a perfectly lovely {holiday} monday,
xo

{p.s.} most hilarious comment goes to anne @ the city sage, with offers of foot massages & chocolate chip cookies . . . and more fun photographs by hans van brakel here

{images: photography by hans van brakel}

{have a beautiful weekend}

. . . this weekend is strawberries and sunshine, a glass of champagne {or two} and most of all, summer dresses and sunsets . . .

hope you're having a perfectly beautiful {long} weekend,
xo

{a few lovely links:}
* at the office: compartmentalized
* things to love: butterflies {via lovely}
* fashion inspiration: pretty, fluttery pleats
* instead of plastic: here & here
* living in: pride & prejudice
* warmest, warmest congratulations: joanna & alex
* summer inspiration: softly seafoam
* a lovely look at london: here & here

{as always, a few things you may have missed:}
* nostalgic for: scrapbooks
*colour inspiration: buttercream
* perfectly pretty: shoes, shoes, shoes
* hello & photographer lucas allen
* party inspiration: summertime martinis
* runway inspiration: burberry prorsum, london
* a charming mix of things: three

{p.s.} next week, the winner of the diamond give-away, and a new glamorous give-away . . .

{images: 1, 2 & 4 - scans, style at home, photography by edward pond, produced by margot austin; 3 - j.crew via a glamorous little side project}

{a charming mix of things - three}

. . . oftentimes things come together perfectly and there is endless inspiration at every turn, but sometimes, and especially during exceptionally busy weeks, inspiration is elusive . . . happily, one thing that fell beautifully into place was this collection of fluttering thoughts -- and so, on this early friday morning: a charming mix of things . . .



. . . cozy reading corners





. . . raindrops on the ocean



. . . smokey eyes & windswept hair



. . . seaside inspiration



. . . pretty underthings {from agent provacateur}



. . . skylights




. . . white blouses & summer sandals



. . . perfectly ornate



. . . eiffel tower pillow cover {via ephemerette}



. . . topknots & lacy summer dresses



. . . fires in the springtime {via ephemerette}



. . . pretty packaging



. . . elegantly hidden




. . . gracefully gilded {via aubrey road}



. . . chandeliers in entryways



. . . palest pink seashells



. . . palest pink lace {via definitely golden}



. . . grand ballrooms





. . . masquerade balls





. . . settes & staircases


. . . sea & sky


. . . secret doorways


. . . always & forever, butterflies


. . . and these french words -- il n'est jamais trop tard pour être ce que tu veux être: it is never too late to be what you want to be . . .

*****************

{p.s.} past collections > original | one | two


{top image via [design] relevant], masquerade ball photographed by steven meisel, natalia vodianova photographed by michael thompson for w magazine march 2005, french print discovered via madebygirl}

{runway inspiration: burberry prorsum, london}

. . . have begun the momentous task of spring cleaning the closet {a little late, it's true, but where has the time gone?}, in hopes of finding a mysteriously missing pair of favourite summer wedges, but hopelessly sidetracked by christopher bailey's resort 2011 collection, with its trademark ruching and always elegant details, beautifully paired with clean lines and cinched waists and a perfect mix of rock and refined . . .

{images: style.com; via [design] relevant, more of this collection at the side project}

{party inspiration: summertime martinis}

. . . already imagining leisurely sipping fizzy drinks poolside, but for now, inspired by the idea of creating a rustic italian martini bar for summertime guests with crisp white linens, antique glassware and charmingly tarnished sterling silver bowls of ice . . .

{images: sunday suppers via the sweetest occasion}

{hello + a few things}

. . . hello! apologies for the rather sporadic start to the week -- one of those dashing about days, meetings and appointments, a quick stop at the market on the way home for a bouquet of champagne-coloured roses and now there's much catching up, but also a few wonderful things to share a little later, as well as another beautiful give-away, so check back if you like -- would be lovely to see you xo

{p.s.} shall never tire of marble table tops or staircases

{images: photography by lucas allen, via ephemerette}