pretty lights from uncommon goods.

if you are a blogger/blog frequenter and you don't live under a rock, i'm guessing you have heard of Uncommon Goods. but if not, you should do yourself a favor and check them out. Uncommon Goods is an online marketplace that's an awesome place to find a gift for anyone you can think of, even those super-hard-to-buy-for people in your life. the items are unique and clever (and often hilarious), with a wide range of price points and lots of variety. know anyone getting ready to graduate? check out these awesome grad gifts. i also really love their green gifts and home decor items. here are just a few favorites i came across while browsing their site. 

tube wringer | come in, go away doormat | man candles | hand embroidered state pillows | micro green kits

i recently acquired these gorgeous solar-powered string lights from Uncommon Goods, and i am a huge fan. i had never used anything solar-powered before and was unsure of how well they'd work, but after just a couple of hours of being in the sun, they were fully lit. i strung them on a tree in our backyard for a soft, romantic glow. the colors are gorgeous! definitely highly recommended. 

i also got these wildflower seed bombs, which are inspired by a really great concept called "guerilla gardening." basically, they're designed to pretty up a run-down urban space. i haven't used them yet, but i plan on  throwing a couple on the unused/(ugly) part of our backyard and also finding a couple spots in Detroit that could use some sprucing up. they sprout wildflowers native to the Midwest region (how cool is that?)

 i definitely plan on using Uncommon Goods for future gift-buying. hope you find something you like! 

peony love.

peonies are hands-down my favorite flower. as you may have noticed in my last post, i wore one in my hair on my wedding day, and they were in my bouquet, on our cake and in flower arrangements. so naturally they create nostalgia for me. i get ridiculously giddy when i have my first peony sighting each spring. if you don't have them growing in your yard (which i fully intend on once we have our own place) fresh-cute peonies are not so easy to come across (at least among these parts). so you can imagine my delight when i spotted them in multiple shades of pink at our local whole foods market (which, by the way, i am now kind of obsessed with, considering i have just switched to a whole foods diet).

(wow, i use way too many parentheses. but it totally makes sense, because if you know me in real life, you know that when i talk, i often go off on tangents, or cause the person who i am talking to go off on tangents).

moving on. since i got my iPhone, i have become rather lazy with my photo taking, but i thought these flowers deserved some love from my DLSR (which by the way, i really still have little clue on how to use).

hope you enjoy :)

four years.

today, joel and i celebrate four years of marriage(!)

and though i am not going to pretend it's always been easy - heck no (we are both first-born, stubborn perfectionists), i can say it's been an incredible and incomparable blessing. i simply can't imagine doing life without him by my side. 

i love you Joelie and am excited to see our next chapter of life unfold!! wherever it may take us. oh, and i'm also freaking excited to have your babies :)

{end cheese-fest}

pre-anniversary weekend.

our anniversary (May 30) always falls sometime around memorial day weekend, so every year we take advantage of the long weekend and get away to celebrate, always road tripping it. first year, Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario; second year, Toronto; third year, Saugatuck.

this year, we were planning on taking an epic road trip to Asheville, North Carolina and i was ridiculously excited about it because we've been wanting to go there for years and have heard so many good things about it. i was pumped to be surrounded by mountains and experience a new part of the country. and for a beautiful drive. sadly, the trip fell through because we were relying on a free hotel stay through my job, which didn't end up panning out. so we ended up having mostly a stay-cation, with one night away in Lexington (a small town on Lake Huron), where we stayed at a friend's cottage. 

hanging at the beach in Lexington on a beautiful day. 

Maggs LOVED the beach. he did lots of running around and swimming. the only reason he is not either running or swimming in this picture is because he is chained up after being naughty. 

walking home from town at sunset. notice Maggs in the water. 

maggs tired out after our trip. 

brunch at my favorite breakfast joint, Toast. and yes, i ate it all. (i am now back to eating dairy and grains, just in much smaller amounts. this weekend, i splurged. more on my transformed eating habits soon.)

a pretty notepad (by Rifle, of course) i picked up at Paper Source (such a beautiful shop!). i'm going to use it to finally start making to-do lists! (they are usually mental). 

raspberry wheat beer at my new favorite BBQ joint (i am kind of obsessed with BBQ) recently featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (with Kid Rock, haha)

a very dark/weirdly lit picture of us at our anniversary dinner. 

{you can follow along on instagram here.}

though i still very much wish we were able to go to Asheville (and to stop over in Greenville and meet this cutie), i am grateful that we were able to spend so much time together and really reconnect. with Joel's mad schedule, it's so important that we take time to do so. i am feeling refreshed now and already looking forward to our next opportunity to have some extended quality time together & hopefully get away {last week of June, Joel has the week off, woot}. 

sad story.

so as I mentioned in my last post, I got a pretty epic deal on a vintage Schwinn bike at a garage sale. it seemed to good to be true, and turns out, it sorta was. 

i noticed when buying it that the gear thingy was broken but when I test-rode it seemed to ride fine. when I took it for a ride through our neighborhood the other night, it felt glorious at first.. it seriously had been so long since I'd been on a bike ride and it made be oh-sohappy. but as soon as there was any sort of incline at all (I mean any), it was not happening. It ended up being an epic workout when what i was looking for was a leisurely, peaceful ride and a chance to clear my head. all that to say, I am still on the market for a bike. I think I'll just get this one, what do you think? it pretty much screams my name. as you can expect, the price tag does not. 

a girl can dream, right? it's back to craig's list I go. 

week in instagrams + links

this week absolutely flew by. actually this whole month has. can't believe next weekend is our anniversary weekend! still up in the air how we will be celebrating, but it will definitely involve some kind of road trip - hopefully a big kind. we are in serious need of some unadulterated alone time, that's for sure. having a hard time coping with Joel's schedule.. it is more chaotic than ever. we have barely had a chance to talk this week.. I saw him for a total of about 5 minutes yesterday and have had very little time with him tonight (Friday!) oye. but there is still so much to be thankful for. and it won't be long until Joel's weeknights free up (this fall!!!)

my new bike I picked up for a whopping $5 at a garage sale | bubbles with the most precious 2-yr old that I babysit for a couple times a week | garlic naan with mesh mozzarella and tomatoes (I'm saying goodbye to gluten, grains & dairy for now - eep!) | a handmade wreath for mother's day | a pretty package from oh, hello friend | | mother's day lunch at french laundry :: eggplant napolean | a new outfit

some noteworthy links from the week ::

- rifle paper co. national stationery show preview

- how to avoid genetically modified foods

- Easy Instagram canvas wall art

- adorable bow clutch DIY

- an awesome storage idea for music

- Jesus napped, you should too

have a happy weekend! i'm off to the farmers market this morning (time to get my herb garden started!), then to my parents to help my sister get ready for her friend's bridal shower (lots of baking & making fruit kabobs!), then a date night with Joel (gasp). tomorrow will be for tackling my to-do list. and of course, i'll be spending plenty of time outside, as it's supposed to be sunny and in the 80s! what are you up to this weekend?

paris pop-up shop!

I am stoked to be a part of the PARIS online POP-UP-SHOP on One Sydney Road, running now through June 30. Piper did a beautiful job putting it all together (I need a Photoshop lesson from her!), and I love the other vendors she selected. Here's a little sampling, starting with my linen ruffle necklace :)

Wander through Paris here.