116,904: page views at this little ol’ website here in 2012.  I suppose that’s small potatoes for some larger blogs, but I’m pretty impressed that the blog keeps growing and people keep finding my little spot of internet.

42,644: unique visitors.  Amazing (to me!) that so many folks have stumbled on the site in just the past year.

732: new pins on the Pinterest boards — check ‘em out!

498: photos taken in pursuit of my 2012 New Year’s resolution to be better about documenting life.  I’m still no photographer, and my friends are still amazed whenever I actually stop what I’m doing to take a photo, but that’s 498 more photos than I took the year before. :)

68: new posts in 2012.  Check out the top 10 most popular.

58: new friends on our facebook page. If you haven’t liked us yet, do it now!

8: trips taken this year — nothing too exotic, but I spent some fun times this year in Gaitlinburg, Tennessee; Key West, Florida; Rehoboth Beach, DE, two trips to Charlottesville, VA; two trips to Richmond, VA; and one weekend in New Jersey.

6: months in which I didn’t post anything new to Sweet and Lovely Life — ack!  That’s not a good number, but hopefully this year I’ll be more consistent with new posts.

5: architecture licensing exams passed!  I started studying for my first professional licensing exam in April of 2011, and so far I’ve passed 5 and have 2 left to go.  It’s been a big challenge, but the end is in sight!

3: times an aunt, now that my brother and sister-in-law have their third little boy!  Little Spencer was born in November and now their lives seem like one constant storm of cute and crazy chaos.

…..and…..drumroll please……

1: beautiful, sparkly engagement ring!  That’s right, my sweet and lovely boyfriend is now my sweet and lovely fiance!  He proposed during a beautiful fall weekend in Charlottesville, VA and everything about it was totally sweet and incredibly lovely. :)  So I’ve spent most of my time the past two months doing this:

I think I’ll ramp up the wedding planning once I’m done with those architecture licensing exams, and perhaps I’ll share some ideas and brainstorming here (without giving too much away!)  But even more than the wedding, I’m just excited about starting a life together with this wonderful guy.

Happy 2013 everyone!  Hopefully I’ll be around posting a little more often next year!

For a wedding, grey bridesmaid’s dresses would look so lovely with fun yellow heels and bright yellow bouquets.  There are yellow flowers available any time of year, so this is an easy color palette no matter what season you’re planning your event: daffodils in the spring, yellow daisies in the summer, or yellow mums in the fall.

If you’re looking for some additional inspiration, check out some other grey palettes here and here and another yellow palette here.

[photo source: Yellow Sky Over a Grey Sea, Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1844]

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I know, I know — brass is usually so shiny and cheap-looking and not very awesome.  But recently I’ve been noticing a more modern brass.  This brass has a matte finish, a darker patina, looks entirely unexpected and completely luxurious.

I fell in luuuurrrve with the modern brass in this kitchen.  The dark gray cabinets pair perfectly with the brass hardware.  The result is sophisticated and rich without looking like every other kitchen you see.  It’s just a little detail, but it makes a huge difference.

So, my current life plan: buy a house, renovate the kitchen, get some awesome grey cabinets and brass hardware, be very happy. :)

UPDATE: Oooh, the exact hardware from this kitchen (the Gilmore Pull) is on sale at Restoration Hardware!

Here were my favorite parts, so I can be sure remember for my next visit:

• Cape Neddick, Maine: Beautiful views of the cliffs and the lighthouse.  It was pretty overcast when we were there, but still great views, cute beach houses, and that awesome salty ocean smell!

• Ogunquit, Maine:  Adorable!  Another beach town with lots of cute shops, seafood restaurants, fun boats, and a particularly pretty path along the ocean overlooking the rocky cliffs.

(The ocean was just to the left of the trees along the path.)

(Took this photo from the backseat of the car — loved the pink door!)

• Portsmouth, New Hampshire: My favoritest (yeah, that’s a word) all of the places!  Old brick buildings with so much character and charm; small, friendly shops; and a hip artsy vibe.

(And the Starbucks had chandeliers!  We all know how I feel about chandeliers…)

• Other: Parts of the trip that I really enjoyed but don’t have any photos of — the Big Bean Cafe in New Market, NH for delicious breakfast, the Salmon Falls Stoneware shop in Dover, NH for stocking up on rustic pottery, Durham, NH for a cute (and tiny!) college town, Adelle’s Coffee House in Dover, NH, and Blue Man Group show in Boston – so fun!

I’d love to explore more of New England on another visit.  It’s just a quick flight to Boston from Washington and makes for an easy weekend trip.

And then I saw this cake:

And then I stumbled upon this, this, and these:

And now, I’ve been noticing pretty aqua and gold details everywhere.  It’s not a particularly Autumn/Fall color combination, but it looks breezy, relaxed, and glam at the same time.

As for the dress that started this whole obsession, I’m trying to do the responsible thing and talk myself out of buying it right now….

These are from their Affinity line, which is a great palette of colors.  Each color has grey-ish undertones, so the end result is a set of soft colors that coordinate well with each other without being too dark or too bright.

If you don’t want to use Benjamin Moore paint, you can always pick up the Affinity sample chips from the BM store and take those to your local hardware store and have the colors matched.  Also, many hardware stores have Benjamin Moore colors already programmed into their system, so they might be able to generate these paint colors just from the name/number listed below.

(And see the original purple + grey wedding palette here and a purple + grey wedding inspiration board here!)

One interesting part for me has been seeing what posts get the most traffic and are the most popular.  Here’s a list of the top 10 posts that have had the most hits over the past six months.  I was certainly surprised to see that color palette ideas appear to be so highly sought after and are far and away the posts that attract the most people:

1. Wedding Color Palette / Purple + Grey

2. Wedding Color Palette / Purple + Pink

3. Tuesday’s Top…iPhone Cases

4. Sweet and Lovely Closets

5. Wedding Color Palette / Peach + Gold

6. Inspiration: Purple + Grey Weddings

7:  6 Glamorous Party Ideas

8: Sweet and Lovely Hair Bow

9: Wedding Color Palette / Rose + Beige

10: How To: Winged Eyeliner

Enjoy these top posts today and I’ll be back with some sweet and lovely things tomorrow!

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Clearly it’s been a while since I’ve posted here, but in honor of the site’s six month anniversary today (woo woo!) I figured I’d make my return to posting. Rather than go on about how I’ve been neglecting the blog because I’ve been crazy busy at work, or studying for some professional exams, or trying to clean and organize my apartment from top to bottom (if you don’t already know, the Magic Eraser is just about the greatest cleaning product ever), I’ll jump right to the thing I really wanted to post about:

Michelle Obama’s dress from this past weekend’s 2012 Washington Correspondent’s Dinner.

[image source]

[image source]

So great.  Love that she wore a patterned dress to a black tie event.  Such a rare thing for anyone to do, but she totally pulls it off (like everything else she chooses to wear.)

She was particularly smart is skipping a necklace and going with some large, but simple, earrings.  A necklace would have just been way too busy.  The earrings help to make the outfit look funky and hip.

The dress was designed by Naeem Kahn, who I had never heard of, but whom I’ve decided has really lovely aesthetic in his designs — lots of intricate bead work, interesting colors, and pretty details:

[image source]

Anyway, just wanted to spend a few minutes gushing about how much I love Michelle Obama’s sense of style and this dress in particular.  Not sure how many people outside of Washington, DC pay attention to the Correspondent’s Dinner, but I know people have been talking about this dress!

[photo source]

Often people complain modern design feels too stark and cold — but the Robins Way Residence in Amagasett, NY is beautifully modern while also maintaining a soft and inviting feel. Designed by New York firm Bates Masi + Architects this lovely house does a perfect job of taking a modern design and warming it up with rustic elements. (And we know how I like some rustic elements.)

And my favorite photo of the interior: the kitchen!  I love the mix of rustic + industrial + modern elements.  I’d be pretty happy if got to spend my time cooking in this space:

 [photo source]

I just saw the April 2012 cover of Elle UK with Ashely Olsen and love her dress — all of the jewels, all of the colors.  It’s beautiful.  Such a fresh look for spring.

If you want to incorporate some fun (faux!) jewels into your wardrobe, here are some great accessories to brighten things up:

1: Chandelier Earrings, kate spade // 2: French Blush Crystal Cluster Ring, Sorrelli // 3:  Jewel Tone Necklace, Sparkling Sage

4: Jolie Cocktail Ring, Stella & Dot // 5: Warm Jewel Tone Drops, Bauble Bar //6: Pippa Stone Earrings, Stella & Dot

7: Beaded Statement Necklace, Forever 21 //8: Estate Chandelier Earrings, Stella & Dot // 9: Bejeweled Hinge Bracelet, Forever 21

[Top Row: Gown, Invitation, Desserts]

[Middle Row: Suit, Bouquet]

[Bottom Row: Cake, Tie, Flowers]