{festive fridays} fall to winter.

“The quiet transition from autumn to winter is not a bad time at all. It’s a time for protecting and securing things and for making sure you’ve got in as many supplies as you can. It’s nice to gather together everything you possess as close to you as possible, to store up your warmth and your thoughts and burrow yourself into a deep hole inside, a core of safety where you can defend what is important and precious and your very own. Then the cold and the storms and the darkness can do their worst. They can grope their way up the walls looking for a way in, but they won’t find one, everything is shut, and you sit inside, laughing in your warmth and your solitude, for you have had foresight.”

- Tove Jansson, Moominvalley in November

i have been down and out with a cold and nasty cough all week, another unmistakable sign of the autumn to winter change!  i'm starting to recover though, just in time for the first weekend of December :)  i'll be finishing up our Christmas decorating, finally seeing Breaking Dawn Part 2 (important to finish up the series, no matter how much I'm hate-watching at this point!), and having some friends over on Sunday evening for a drink (or two!) before a trip into Lincoln Park's ZOO LIGHTS together.  all good things. 

have a wonderful weekend.

xo. di.

*image via

{holiday} wrapping.

red, white, gold and kraft: my Christmas wrapping color scheme this year!  my inspiration: 

{top: 1,2,3; middle: 1,2,3,4;bottom: 1,2}

it's been a couple of years since i shared my favorite resources for wrapping supplies; hope you enjoy browsing my updated lists below :)

Online 

Olive Manna

Shop Sweet Lulu

Paper Source

Rifle Paper Co.

Besotted Brand

Sugar Paper

Knot & Bow

Bespoke Letterpress

For Local Chicagoans

Greer

Elizabeth Grace

Foursided/Twosided

xo. di. 

{holiday} gorgeous.

we're less than a month away from what looks to be an incredible adaptation of Les Miz.  who else is excited?!  i am also loving all the recent editorials featuring members of the cast, like this amazing Vogue spread by Annie Leibovitz or the below images of Amanda Seyfried for Vanity Fair.

perfect holiday style, albeit on the expensive side!

xo. di.

*images via

{much love monday} nov. 26, 2012.

i like to use monday as a way to reflect on the previous week, to start anew, and to send a little love into the world.  won't you join me?    

today i am grateful for:

such a fun and exciting thanksgiving weekend: great food and relaxing moments with the family, catching up with tons of old friends at my high school reunion, and the IRISH are going to the national championship!!

pictures worth a thousand words:

 {ready for the food!}

 {senior yearbook review before the reunion}

 {6 of the 7 high school bests were able to make it!}

 {in love with my mom's paperwhite planter}

{woke up to snow on sunday morning - but the flowers are still blooming!}

this week's blog love:

• want: this entire holiday ensemble by lox papers.
• ashley nicole catherine's thankful post on thanksgiving was so sweet.
• this is actually a couple of weeks old but too cute not to share: remember these images from the old (late 80s/early 90s) american girl catalogues?  via babble
• design*sponge shares a great looking recipe for a winter wonderland room spray.

here's to another grateful and love-filled week.  

xo. di.
    
*images belong to Diane Crary

fall for fridays: twinkling lights.

hope you all had wonderful thanksgivings yesterday!  it's now time to drag out the twinkling lights!  tonight is also my 10-year high school reunion.  yes, that is happening.  and then saturday my boys in blue & gold take on USC for the right to go to the national championship.  and yes, i am freaking out about this!!  

have a wonderful weekend.

xo. di.

*image via

Give Thanks.

"It is a miracle if you can find true friends, and it is a miracle if you have enough food to eat, and it is a miracle if you get to spend your days and evenings doing whatever it is you like to do, and the holiday season - like all other seasons - is a good time not only to tell stories of miracles, but to think about the miracles in your own life, and to be grateful for them."

- Lemony Snicket, The Lump of Coal

happy thanksgiving!

xo. di.

p.s. my thanksgiving tradition is in full swing.

*image via camille styles

Disney by Harrod's.

alright, it's 2 days before Thanksgiving: my holiday spirit is... tingling?  twinkling?  like i said yesterday, it's here, so i'll start the season by sharing Harrod's gorgeous fusion of Disney Princesses and high fashion, which first appeared in Harrod's Magazine's November 2012 edition and now graces the windows of Harrod's London store.     

if i have any London readers, go see these in person!!

xo. di.

*images via harrod's magazine november 2012 via

{much love monday} nov. 19, 2012.

 like to use monday as a way to reflect on the previous week, to start anew, and to send a little love into the world.  won't you join me?    

today i am grateful for:

what an absolutely gorgeous weekend in the midwest!  i hope you all got to enjoy the outdoors before winter really hits.  good news on my end: my holiday spirit has arrived!  Christmas music is back on the iPhone and the wreath is on the door.  and we so enjoyed exploring Saugatuck, Douglas and Holland, Michigan on their holiday preview weekend.  hope you enjoy my images from the festivities below. 

pictures worth a thousand words:

this week's blog love:

• creature comforts offers up an awesome holiday guide on the cards + wrapping.
• did you see these pictures of venice under water on a cup of jo?  man, they sure do know how to handle a flood.
• creativity takes courage: some good career discussion by a glimpse of glamour.
• a delicious sounding cider rum punch from the sweetest occasion.
• now this is how you do an african safari, via elements of style.

here's to another grateful and love-filled week.  

xo. di.
    
*images belong to Diane Crary

fall for fridays: getaway.

well friends, another work week almost in the books.  i'm unfortunately under the weather at the moment.  particularly frustrating because i have a lot of fun planned for this weekend, starting with seeing louis ck, my absolute favorite comedian, live for the first time tonight with c.  then it's off to the western side of michigan for an overnight girls' getaway with a few friends from law school.  by the way, can you even believe thanksgiving is less than a week away?!   
have a wonderful weekend. 

xo. di.

*image via

{wedding} thank yous.

another little tidbit from my sis's wedding for you all today: the thank you cards.  one of my projects pre-wedding was creating wood slabs with "thank" and "you" painted on them - and sidenote, a diy post on how i made all the wood pieces for the wedding will eventually happen, i promise - and we made sure their photographer got a few shots with them for the cards (they then made their way to the favor table: repurposing like a champ!).

when my sister began creating the cards with her designer, my mom came up with a great idea for a little something special inside: the recipe for their signature cocktail, the Tie the Knot Lemon Drop!  in my horribly biased opinion, the thank yous came out as perfect as the wedding for which they were created :)
  

xo. di.

*images property of Diane Crary

Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre.

i saw the above image on pinterest several weeks ago and found it so clever, i then spent the next half hour tracking the artist, wilhelm staehle, down and searching through the rest of his witty hand-cut silhouettes (prints of which you can purchase here).  the dandy-lion is still my favorite, but the sampling i chose below is just as brilliant.  

xo. di.

*images via silhouette masterpiece theatre - go thru them all when you have a minute, they're all so astute!

{much love monday} nov. 12, 2012.

i like to use monday as a way to reflect on the previous week, to start anew, and to send a little love into the world.  won't you join me?    

today i am grateful for:

what i said on friday, i suppose: another calm, relaxing weekend, with progress on projects and a little bit of fun.  

pictures worth a thousand words:

 {another week, another beautiful fall flower bouquet from trader joe's.  this one a surprise from c :)}

 {organized my knitting projects and had a "come to jesus" moment on what i could really get done as christmas presents this year}

{my Notre Dame Fighting Irish nails - we're 10-0, i cannot believe it!}

 {made this apple cider sangria recipe for saturday's game watch get-together}

{ok i am legit obsessed with my new nike+ gps watch system, an early christmas present from my parents for my half marathon training}

this week's blog love:  

• the evergirl's indoor workout for small spaces will be really handy in the dead of winter!
• i am over-the-top in love with classy girls wear pearls' behind the scenes look at the Boston Ballet's Nutcracker.
• hip hip gin gin shares her 7 things she loves about november.
• the city sage's sick day essentials are super cute, even though you hope you never have to use them!
• definitely would like to try the lifestyled's bourbon bomber while it's still fall.
• totally in love with this pink diamonds ad campaign shared on dustjacket. 

here's to another grateful and love-filled week.  

xo. di.
    
*images belong to Diane Crary

fall for fridays: calm.

i'm really appreciating how quiet last weekend was and this weekend is shaping up to be.  allows for lots of sleep, long runs, and fully enjoying being cozy on the couch, watching football or the backlog on the dvr.  the calm before the holiday storm.  have you started your christmas shopping yet?  i've picked up a few things here and there, but know i need to start being more proactive.        

have a wonderful weekend.

xo. di.

*image via