Happy birthday, Lucy!

Wishing the happiest of 31st birthdays to my twin sister, Lucy. It has been so much fun to grow up with you. xoxo

Have a fabulous weekend!

My darlings, what are you up to this weekend? If you must know, I will be turning the grand old age of 31. We'll be celebrating with a maternity massage and lobster rolls (and hopefully something peanut-butter-and-chocolatey). Have a wonderful weekend, my lovelies, and here are a few great posts from around the web...

A Paris onesie!

The Unhappy Hipsters tumblr makes me laugh out loud.

Cute pink blush.

The making of the Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Grandpa's wedding.

A magic curtain!

Love Anna Bond's shopping round-ups.

What a RAD identity for a design firm.

Yahoo, Tina Fey will be on the March cover of Vogue.

Now THAT'S a log cabin.

A black wedding dress. So chic.

A hilarious website about the Facebook updates of annoying married couples.

The Mast brothers are making me hungry. (Mmm, a salt + pepper chocolate bar.)

Side braids.

This Sixx family has seven kids but amazingly still finds time to renovate homes...and write a new book.

Pretty blouses. (Do people still call them blouses?)

Loved Abbey's post about those moments of “absolute and perfect happiness--the ten to twelve that comprise a whole life." Beautiful.

Plus, five Cup of Jo posts you might have missed:
* Floating houses.
* Cute summer dress.
* A day in the life of Abbey Road.
* Awesome parents.
* Staring contest.

Tea submarine

Now that I'm not drinking wine, I've returned to my British roots and am drinking tea. Every evening, Alex and I make a steaming pot of cinnamon-y Bengal Spice. So I laughed when I saw this funny submarine tea infuser. Genius!

What kind of tea do you like?

(Via Swissmiss)

Street Style Memory Game

Funny news: When I posted about Barbara's Amsterdam street-style blog last summer, I joked that it looked like a hip version of the game Memory. Well, lo and behold, Barbara told me she was actually inspired to make it into a Street-Style Memory Game, which comes out this March. Yay, how fabulous! It looks like so much fun to play.

Emma miniseries

Have you been watching Emma, the new PBS miniseries? It started last Sunday night, and it's AMAZING. Emma is so charming and adorable with her gossip and matchmaking, and the show stays really true to the book. And don't worry if you missed the first episode; you can watch it online here. I absolutely love it!

Prisms

The Wild Unknown sells prisms containing beach sand, feathers, stones, driftwood and other natural wonders. Aren't they beautiful? I'd love to have one on a dresser or desk.

(Via Happy Cavalier)

Backyard wedding

Backyard weddings always seem so intimate and charming. Kelly and Steve tied the knot in their neighbor's garden, where they wrote the seating chart on chalkboards and strung up sparkly cafe lights.
This new J. Crew wedding dress, with its flower trim, would be perfect for such an occasion, don't you think? Where would you want to get married?

(Wedding photos by Sarah Yates and event design by La Partie, via OnceWed; dress layout by Lace and Tea)

Baby's first pajamas

We just got these organic cotton train pajamas for the baby, and they are so cute, my heart hurts every time I look at them. It's amazing to imagine a wriggly baby wearing them in just four months.

Silhouette business cards

Postal Press just designed new silhouette business cards. You send in a photo, and they whip them up!

P.S. They also have a great imagination poster.

Heart ring

This heart ring would make a sweet wedding ring, don't you think?

Daydreaming

New York is rainy today, so here are a two pretty photos to remind you of sunshine-y days, when the breeze smells like flowers and the air feels so good on your skin.

P.S. The bottom photo is of France's Dordogne river, where you can canoe next to castles.

(Photos by Aya Brackett)

Typography prints + tattoo

Brooklyn graphic designer Jessica Hische is my new girl crush. Not only does she sell beautiful prints, but she also has the raddest type tattoo.
And wouldn't this alphabet print be sweet for a nursery?

(Thanks, Lee!)

Have a fabulous weekend!

My darlings, what are you up to this weekend? Alex and I are heading to Williamsburg tomorrow to have brunch with the Hovey sisters and do some exploring. I always love going to New York neighborhoods that I don't know very well; it feels like you're traveling. Hope you have a wonderful weekend, and here are a few great posts from around the web...

Two girl crushes.

Have you ever had chocolate and churros? Delicious.

Hitchcock meets Hollywood.

Modern-day pin-ups.

What a pretty wedding dress. (And her groom gazes at her so sweetly.)

This optical illusion made me laugh out loud.

Fascinating photo.

You dropped food on the floor. Do you eat it?

Cute flats.

Remember this Great Gatsby save-the-date? Well, here's an entire Great Gatsby wedding!

Alex tried out this lasagna recipe last weekend and I'm still daydreaming about it! I'd highly recommend it for any lasagna addicts out there.

Plus, five Cup of Jo posts you might have missed:
* Twenty-four accents
* Pups in bow ties
* Funny wedding invitation
* Topiaries
* Waterfall madness

Have a good one! xoxo

(Photo by Johnny Santo Domingo)

Jackets and bookmarks

Rad book jacket + bookmark combos. I love Sherlock's pipe.

Thursday Giveaway!

Today's giveaway is from Pretty Mommy, a wonderful online shop for moms. They're offering this cotton and silk Matta Dupatta ombre scarf with hand-tied tassles. The bright colors would brighten up any winter ensemble, and in the spring, you could pair it with a white T-shirt and jeans. And, funnily enough, Jennifer Aniston, Rachel Bilson and Julianne Moore have this gorgeous scarf, too!

Bonus: Pretty Mommy is donating 10% of all sales through the end of the month to the American Red Cross for Haiti Relief.

For a chance to win, please visit Pretty Mommy and leave a comment below. A winner will be chosen at random tomorrow.

Update: Francine is the lucky winner. Thanks for playing. xo

Calligraphy tattoo

Betsy Dunlap does gorgeous calligraphy for weddings and invitations. But her cutest project recently was a man's tattoo with his daughters' names. How tough and sweet at the same time.

Hobbit house

Oh my goodness, look at this amazing hobbit house--and it's for real. A Welsh man built it himself, along with his father-in-law, and now he lives there with his wife and two little sons. What a magical place to grow up! (Can you imagine ordering a pizza there?)

(Via Lace & Tea)

Tomboyish charm

At first glance, I thought this Milan cutie was a dude (with rad shoes!), but then I realized it was a lovely lady with the cheeky expression. What great tomboy style!

The baby

Last week, Alex and I went to the hospital for our second sonogram. The doctors smeared warm gel on my belly and looked at the baby on the monitor. He was wriggling all over the place! (I've been feeling him kick SO much lately, which is adorable and kind of feels like bubbles.) It was totally sci-fi to see his tiny spine with all the intricate bones, but the most exciting part was seeing his teeny profile. Alex jokes that he looks like a Dr. Seuss character at this point, but we think he's beautiful and are totally enamored. This little photo makes me smile every time I look at it. I love his tiny hand just hanging out there. :)

Thanks for all your lovely comments about everything so far; it's so much fun to share everything with you. xoxo

French style

Jezebel's recent post about Anthropologie made me laugh out loud. "Attention all Amélie wannabes," they wrote, cheekily. "The January Anthropologie catalog knows that you secretly wish you could be a quirky, insouciant French gamine living in Paris. Or at least: Dress like one." Um, guilty as charged.

Heart tea towels

What sweet tea towels. It's the little things, right? (And cute for Valentine's Day.)

(Via Chelsea)

Have a wonderful long weekend!

My sweets, what are you up to this weekend? Alex has been working like crazy this week, and I can't wait to have him home during waking hours. Now that the weather is a few degrees warmer, I'd love to go on a bike ride, and a seafood restaurant opened right below our apartment, so we may try out their hush puppies. I've also felt kind of hormonal due to pregnancy, so I'm hoping for a relaxing weekend without too many emotional moments. :) Have a lovely weekend, and meanwhile, here are a few great posts from around the web...

First off, ways to help the people of Haiti. xo

Ballet photos always make my heart swell.

Hairstyles for every day of the week.

A wallpapered dumpster!

A beautiful cheese table.

These passive aggressive Wifi notes made me laugh out loud.

How a modern girl can wear vintage.

Funny dating survey.

Living in: Gosford Park.

A pretty print.

Anna, of swimsuit fame, also had a beautiful wedding.

Gorgeous DIY ice lanterns.

The Catorialist. (It was just a matter of time.)

Oooh, I'd love this vintage velvet dress.

A simple and heartfelt proposal + a proposal written in lights. (Thanks, Amanda)

Sushi dos and don'ts.

Remember this adorable family? Their Brooklyn brownstone was in Vogue!

Conan, we love you.

Plus, five Cup of Jo posts you might have missed:
* Marshmallow willpower.
* Winter cyclists.
* Polite umbrella.
* Nutella croissants.
* Braid Wednesdays.

Travel Fantasy: Treehouse Point

Newlyweds Jasmine and Scott stayed at Treehouse Point in Washington for their honeymoon, where they hiked through the woods and slept in a treehouse among the stars. Jasmine said everything was "magical," despite her "pretty fierce fear of heights." One night, when a crazy storm blew in, they gazed at the lightning through the skylights. What a fabulous place! Wouldn't you love to go?

(Photos by Treehouse Point and Jasmine. Via Pia Jane Bijkerk)

Deer notepad

This month, I've been using this baby deer notepad for random scribblings and grocery lists. How cute is he? Those wobbly legs!

(By Sharon Montrose)

Pregnant and fabulous

Yesterday, I was feeling shy about possibly wearing a bikini while pregnant, but then my friend sent me these gorgeous photos of Anna, who is rocking the sexy-mama look in Australia. She shows off her bump proudly, and I love that! I'm so inspired!