cornflake dreams.

friday's fancies - #55.

2012-02-23T23:00:00.027-06:00

Happy friday! Wowzah this week has been exhausting! I am ready for the weekend and some relaxing. Tonight we're staying in and catching up on season 1 of Happy Endings (we started watching this show a little late in the game but I love it. Its full of lots of randomness and occasional Chicago references. Saturday night we're going bowling and drinks. And on Sunday we are heading out to the burbs to meet my family for my mom's birthday brunch. Later that night we have our weekly Sunday dinner with h's family and I'm hoping to watch some of the Oscars...

jenny packham spring 2012- jimmy choo shoes - hair

I love seeing Hollywood get all dressed up (and it'll be a great opportunity to scope out more makeup and hair ideas for the wedding!) If I were attending the Oscars, I would love to wear something bright, stylish and feminine. this jenny packham dress would glide on the red carpet and i don't think it would be trashed on Fashion Police, (another great thing about award shows-- joan has the best one-liners!)

Who do you think will be the best and worst dressed stars on Sunday?!

XO,

Jillian

shoes!

2012-02-23T08:00:00.041-06:00

remember a while ago when i posted about shoemint?! well, i finally got my hands on a pair of shoes and i loveeeee them! i went with hattie-- a black leather + snake skin print combo flat. they are surprisingly comfy and have the perfect little point. the snakeskin is an unexpected surprise...making them a little (dare i say), sexy!

and how cute are these little videos!? i love that you can see the shoes in action::

have you signed up for shoemint yet?!
what style of shoes make you feel sexy?

xo,
jillian

wedding wednesday - the perfect playlist.

2012-02-22T08:00:00.017-06:00

via, via, via

happy wedding wednesday! one of the most challenging parts of our wedding planning so far has been coming up with our playlist! (a project i thought would be easy since h and i have similar tastes in music). we can't seem to agree on what songs will make the cut. with a limited amount of time for cocktails, dinner and dancing-- i want to make sure we have all of our favorites included but i still want to leave room for our dj to do his thing. we also haven't decided on THE song. (our first dance song). thankfully we have a few months to edit the list-- until then i would love to hear your suggestions!

what songs do you love hearing at weddings?!
what songs would you put on a 'do not play' list?

xo,

jillian

gumdrop studs.

2012-02-21T08:00:00.040-06:00

lately i have been alllll about stud earrings. these kate spade gumdrop earrings are a steal at $38! i just can't decide what color i like the best...

colors - black - white

i also love the heart studs $48 and signature spade studs $38

what's your latest jewelry obsession?

xo,

jillian

ps happy mardi gras!

funny girls.

2012-02-20T08:00:00.043-06:00

one of my favorite things in life is to laugh. on the weekends, if we are home, h and i try to watch snl for the weekend update skit with seth meyers. this weekend maya rudolph hosted the show, and it was pretty hilarious -- i loved the bronx beats skit with amy poehler. (if you want to see other highlights of the show - click here).

amy poehler is one of my favorite funny girls--especially on parks and recreations, and after bridesmaids i finally gave in and admitted kristen wiig is out of control crazy cakes funny. maya, amy and kristen all seem like the type of strong, smart and funny women you'd want to be friends with.

who makes you smile?!

xo,

jillian

pst: here are more snl photos - tina fey, john hamm, amy poehler, gwyneth palthrow, justin timberlake, emma stone, zooey deschanel

friday's fancies - #54.

2012-02-16T23:00:00.044-06:00

happy friday chickadees! this weekend looks like it's going to be another low key one (YES!) with some wedding planning thrown into the mix.

okay now let's talk friday's fancies. {av} has teamed up with lisa from el em bee etc for this week's theme is fly away! i absolutely love traveling and i am beyond excited for two major trips this year-- Turkey in May, followed by our honeymoon in Paris and Prague in July! h and i are constantly dreaming of where to go next... we already know that 2013 will be the year of our adventure in Italy! he is a huge AC Milan fan so we'll go there for a game, and then travel to Rome and another (still tbd) italian city. here is a dreamy outfit for the trip::

dress $125, sandals $235, bag $345, ring $48

xo,

jillian

ps stop by the yuppie files - i am sharing my answers to ten questions!

etsy wishlist.

2012-02-16T08:00:00.019-06:00

lately i have been spending a lot of time on etsy... i blame it on the wedding but to be honest i have found a LOT of other stuff i neeeed for our new home. here is my current wishlist::

1. large chevron tray $60 - 2. pasta print $38 - 3. french lemon print $35 - 4. ice cream shopping bag $19 -
5. large turquoise and white ceramic bread bowl $40 - 6. sailboat tea towel $18

do you have any favorite etsy pieces? do share! i would love to check out a new (to me) shop!

xo,

jillian

wedding wednesday - hearts!

2012-02-15T08:00:00.030-06:00

happy wedding wednesday! today in the spirit of valentines day i have picked out a few of my favorite heart details::

dinner menu - invitation - ring

ban.do clips - shoes2

shoes!

i think i'll try to incorporate a heart (or 2) in my wedding decor-- or on my shoes!

what do you think about adding hearts to a wedding? sweet? or sappy?

xo,

jillian

lots of love.

2012-02-14T08:00:00.021-06:00

lots of love to our last valentines day as a dating couple. today also marks a 5 month countdown to our big day (holy moly)! we are staying in tonight and making a greek pizza together and watching the season premiere of cougar town (laugh if you will...but we love that show and i loveee that he is just as excited about our low-key plans as i am).

snapshot - ampersand

happy valentines day to you!

lots of love,

jillian

confessions from the weekend...

2012-02-13T08:00:00.059-06:00

blankets

on a sunday skype date with marissa (from the boot) she reminded me of galmour magazine's 'it's ok' series and it made me laugh. in that spirit, i decided i had a few things to confess from my lazy weekend.

it's ok...

to look forward to a pile of blankets, a comfy couch and a glass of wine after a long week of work.

to be more excited about a new box of golden oreos than the kitschy valentines day treats.

to convince your man you need to buy ingredients for a fancy pizza on tuesday since you're going out to dinner to celebrate the holiday.

to spend 10 minutes in the cereal aisle trying to find something healthy...only to walk away with lucky charms *they are made with whole grains!

to take long hot showers but dread blow drying your hair afterwards.

to find yourself watching a disney classic -- the lion king -- and singing along to every song.

to wake up early-ish on sundays because you know you can squeeze in a nap later that afternoon.

to get v excited about the return of television shows - the walking dead, real housewives of orange county, cougar town. hello friends, welcome back :)

to think your guy is smooooookin hot in his new suit and imagining your future wedding photos in your mind.

do you have any weekend confessions?

xo,

jillian

friday's fancies - #53.

2012-02-09T23:00:00.002-06:00

this weekend we don't have too many major plans..which is nice for a change :) i think we'll have a little movie date, and catch up on wedding planning. IF I had somewhere fancy to go i would loveee to dress up and wear something like this (and i'd need a chicago heatwave too)::

dreamy dress $645 - sandals $69 - cuff $22

xo,

jillian

treats for your sweetie.

2012-02-09T08:00:00.039-06:00

sooo h doesn't have a huge sweet tooth but i do. that being said, i'm pretty sure if i made a sweet treat or two for valentines day they wouldn't go to waste in our house and he would have a few. with the "holiday" right around the corner this weekend is the best time for me to get baking::

hazelnut toffee chocolate chip cookies - chubby hubby rice krispies treats (w/ chocolate, peanut butter & pretzels) - salty sweet valentine pretzels

OR i could just order some cookies from momfuku in nyc (they deliver). the compost cookie (perfect for my pro-recylcing & composting fiance!) and the cornflake cookie both sound like perfect picks. {they also sell pies & cake truffles}. ampersand via

do you celebrate valentines day?

what is your favorite sweet treat?

xo,

jillian

wedding wednesday - save the date!

2012-02-08T08:00:00.044-06:00

happy wedding wednesday - let's talk about save the dates! right after we got engaged (the last day of our weekend trip to portland) h and i went to the Ace Hotel and jumped in their photobooth to capture the moment. i knew we would use these photos for our save the dates. that's not to say i didn't find a LOT of other ideas. here are a few of my favorites:

mad love - b&w photobooth - balloons

vintage postcard - matchbook - modern travel

after much debate i stuck with the photobooth photo and (with a little nudge from my mom and friends) i decided to make our save the dates a magnet. i used magnet street's photo booth save the date layout to start and then uploaded my own design. the magnets ended up costing about $1.29/per magnet + envelope! kinda a steal, right?!

jillian

inspired design - big comfy beds.

2012-02-07T08:00:00.012-06:00

our bed frame broke recently (oy! don't ask) and so now we're living like hippies with our box spring and mattress on the floor. i've got a nice idea of what i would like our bed to look like::

mixed patterns - a splash of color and modern headboard - an oversized map

with a new duvet + cover, quilt, and pillows on our wedding registry i think we'll be able to make this happen later this year. i am still in search of the perfect headboard (that h doesn't think is too girly and i don't think looks exactly like our couch pillows!)

what does your dream bed look like?

lots of pillows? an oversized headboard? or something simple?

xo,

jillian

good things.

2012-02-06T07:30:00.003-06:00

via

good morning! how was your weekend?

mine was pretty sweet :) friday we had a netflix movie date and watched The Ides of March {with George Clooney and Ryan Gosling}. i am not a huge fan of politics in general but this movie was really fascinating and fast paced. we saw Clooney's other big film, The Descendants, and i am not sure why that one is getting all the oscar nominations and not The Ides of March. ah, well.

on saturday we met with our wedding officiant, Casey, and we discussed the ceremony. i am SO excited to get married and i think he is going to a wonderful job (if you're getting married in the chicago-area and need an officiant recommendation- email me. he is fantastic so far). afterwards, we got to indulge in some suburban panera for lunch (hooray bread bowls!) and we took a trip to barnes & nobel so h could study for a few hours and i could blog. after that, we squeezed in a quick trip to the outlet mall before we went to our friend's place for dinner and drinks.

super bowl sunday was full of food (as predicted). i succeeded in making my mom's cherry crunch (turns out the recipe is even easier than i realized). i loved the m&m's commercial but i got a little bored with all of the car commercials...and the actual football game.

how was your weekend?!

xo,

jillian

friday's fancies - #52.

2012-02-02T23:00:00.002-06:00

happy friday!! this weekend we have LOTS of fun plans! we're meeting with our wedding officient tomorrow morning and then having dinner with friends later that night. on sunday we are hosting a mini super bowl party (full of lots of tasty dips + appetizers). I am pretty excited to watch the commercials...and the game. for the super bowl i want to be comfy in an outfit that has room to breathe :)

top $52 - pants $76 - flats $36 - bag $56 - ring $160

what are your plans for the weekend?
xo,

jillian

when i grow up...

2012-02-02T08:00:00.005-06:00

i was talking to h the other night and i asked him when he was a child what did he want to be when he grew up? he said doctor. and he is a doctor. boom! way to make it happen! well, i wanted to be a dolphin trainer. im not terribly upset that my dream was never realized (not sure i'd look great in a wetsuit) but it got me thinking about how we change as we grow up and how our dreams evolve (or don't).

a chef - ballet dancer - little mermaid - astronaut

i'm curious when you were little what did you want to "be" when you grew up? and what do you do now? are you on the road to your dream job?

xo,

jillian

wedding wednesday - flowers.

2012-02-01T08:00:00.062-06:00

happy wedding wednesday! as i mentioned on monday- we met with our florist over the weekend and she was just fantastic. our florist is a family friend and she had a LOT of great ideas for our big day but still listened to everything i wanted.

when h and i got engaged last march (wowzah- time flies doesn't it?!) i had a clear vision of what i wanted for our big day: lots of gold, pinks and blushes and the dreamy pale flowers to match (with rustic succulents thrown in).

blushes - succulents - pinks

fast forward 10 months later and now my mind is set on something completely different. i have nixed my muted palate for BRIGHT bouquets and flowers. here are a few of my favorites:

ranunculus - bright bouquet - little buds

the bright flowers will serve as the main pop of color in our reception space so i want something bold and graphic (something a little more fun...like us!) i am confident our florist is going to help make our big day bright & beautiful- i can't wait!!

xo,

jillian

game on!

2012-01-31T08:00:00.029-06:00

for me (and i know i'm not alone) super bowl sunday is an excuse to make a rediculious amount of appetizers and dips and watch commercials. this year i convinced h to let me host a little party for the superbowl where i plan on finally making a few of my pinterest recipes that have been hiding out on my 'foodie' and 'sugar sugar' boards.

queso dip - avocado, cream cheese and salsa stuffed pastries - bacon wrapped cream cheese jalapeno bites - buffalo chicken rolls

i am determined NOT to have another bake fail this weekend...and i will be attempting to make my mom's cherry crunch recipie (in all of it's buttery glory).

do you have any special treats planned for the super bowl?!

xo,

jillian

good things.

2012-01-30T08:00:00.046-06:00

happy monday chickadees! how was your weekend?

mine was full of lots of good (and tasty) things.

vintage bowling

friday: bowling party downtown...turns out i am a great bowler (when the bumpers are up and i have a few fancy drinks)

saturday: meeting with the florist to talk centerpieces and bouquets (more about that on wednesday!)
lunch with my parents (mmmm chicken pot pies are THE BEST)
seeing dougie (aka the cutest corgie) and izzy (she just loves to nap).
movie date! 50/50. JGL has come a long way since his 3rd rock from the sun days
homemade lemon orza with aspargus, tomatoes and feta (it was the first time i zested a lemon...whoa feeling grown-up!)

sunday skype date with marissa from the boot AND {av} from long distance loving

dinner with the family at pasta d'arte (a place we have wanted to go to since we saw it on the show check, please!) the restaurant was a bit of a drive but the portions were HUGE and it was pretty tasty!

xo,

jillian

friday's fancies - blog swap!

2012-01-27T07:00:00.003-06:00

Hello lovely readers of Cornflake Dreams! I am Anna from A Newfound Treasure, and Jillian and I have swapped blogs for this week's Friday's Fancies. We thought it would be a fun and different idea to use 1 piece and give it 2 looks. What better than a classic black blazer?! So here it goes...

Dressed up: Black and gold is a classic color combo -- I find it to be a match made in heaven! The color-blocking trend is one of my current favorites, and this amazing dress with a gold leather band is stunning! Add a clutch with nods to subtle animal prints, a sexy wedge shoe and a statement necklace -- you're set for a night out. You'll be turning heads right and left, no doubt!

Dressed down: I love the conventional blazer paired with casual pieces for a little juxtaposed look. I have something similar that I wear almost weekly. This outfit is comfortable and casual with a touch of sophistication. A black blazer takes an everyday tee and jean outfit to a new level! Don'tcha think? Personally, I love the look!! Slap on minimal accessories and fun flats. Done.

Thanks for letting me crash the blog today! I hope that I've made some new friends here. Be sure to go visit my blog, and while you're there, go check out the 2 looks that Jillian is sharing with my readers!

Have a great weekend everyone!

etsy finds - cosmetic bags.

2012-01-26T08:00:00.060-06:00

okay, it's true...i have been allll about etsy lately. on my last etsy browsing marathon i stumbled on BabyPenelope a shop that makes the cutest pieces for a momma on the go [diaper & wipe cases, bibs and changing blankets]. since i don't have a mini-h (yet!) i gravitated towards the fabric cosmetic bags. they come in fantastic prints and would make a cute present (with the perfect shade of essie nail polish tucked in!) these are my favorites:

leopard print $7.00 - chevron gray print $7.00 - blue stripe print $12
essie peach daiquiri - mango bango - aperitif nail polish

red wine ikat print $11.00 - blue ikat print $9.00
essie chinchilly - smokin hot - fishnet stocking nail polish

xo,

jillian

wedding wednesday - bridesmaid jewelry!

2012-01-25T08:00:00.077-06:00

as you know i have been searching for the perfect bridal jewelry- for myself and my bridesmaids. after scouring etsy i fell in love with a pretty pair of earrings that i just had to have for my girls. the earrings are from le petit ruban, a french bohemian bridal & casual jewelry shop. Le petit ruban is French for 'the little ribbon' and the shop is described as "a romantic and elegant version of a cross between French bohemian and Shabby chic, a Jane Austen meets the Great Gatsby"...swoooon. the jewelry is light and pretty and it will look gorgeous with all the bridesmaid dresses. {and bonus- i have no doubt the girls will be able to wear the earrings after the wedding!}
here are a few of my favorite pieces::

rose opal earrings $38 - crystal clear faceted glass earrings $40 - clear crystal quartz faceted earrings $40 - faceted black swan glass earrings $34

mont blanc colorblock faceted champange earrings $34 - light green jade faceted glass stone earrings $26 -
deva sapphire blue faceted glass stone earrings $34

xo,
jillian

ps the newly engaged, marissa of the boot, was sweet enough to feature me in her great women series today!

AND a very special happy birthday to my maid of honor jen!

inspired design - life magazine covers.

2012-01-24T08:00:00.030-06:00

i have a whole pinterest board full of ideas for our future home

but this photo has me dreaming of long-forgotten photography:

a blown up vintage life magazine cover = instant art with some history thrown in- what a fun idea! i searched the life magazine archive for a couple of interesting covers and these are my favorites::

[i'd love to put either of these covers in our living room]

[art for your dressing room or walk in closet]

[perfect for a nursery or child's bedroom]

want more inspiration?
check out LIFE's 75 best photos and laugh along at the worst covers ever

xo,

jillian

in the mood for mediterranean.

2012-01-23T08:00:00.051-06:00

good morning chickadees. my weekend was taken over by kleenex, sneezing and sleep...not fun. i missed out on some fun plans but one bright spot was a super fresh Mediterranean lunch- a pita pocket inspired by this recipe. my version was a pita stuffed full of hummus, cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley and tons of feta. now i am craving everything mediterranean! i bought the ingredients to make lemon orzo with asparagus and tomatoes and i have these on my to-make list:

lemon chicken, orzo and spinach soup - crazy feta dip

lemon orzo with asparagus and tomatoes - greek pizza - shari's feta dip - greek meatballs

what have you been craving lately?!
xo,
jillian