Summer Celebrations

Originally, I had complained about the 4th of July being on a Wednesday -- only ONE day off? Middle of the week? Boo! After the fact, I am actually glad it happened that way. The week was split up and we all got a little fun day in the middle. Not so bad after all (mental note to be more positive...)

Going back to last weekend... My husband and I cruised the river in an electric boat with our friends. A few months ago, we saw a Groupon for a two hour electric boat rental. Bring your own food, drinks and drive the boat yourself. Sold! The outing was so much fun. We caught up with our friends and had a few great boat snacks and bottles of wine while cruising up and down the river. Here are a few photos from our voyage:

On the 4th of July, we met up with our friends Hannah & Tyler and their friend Andrew for a rooftop cookout. Hannah prepared some yummy dishes (like mini fruit pies and BLT salad) and we got to see the tippy tops of the Navy Pier fireworks over Soldier Field.

How does Chicago celebrate the 4th?

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Chicago friends, I'd love to hear how you celebrate the 4th of July here in the windy city! This will be my first 4th here in the city. Do people actually go out to see fireworks? I've been told that Navy Pier has a spectacular show, and have also heard that you can view fireworks from the beach. I'm looking forward to hearing your suggestions!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Weekend Highlights

On Friday night, we met up with good friends at Bar Toma for wine and pizza. It was our first time there, and despite a few mixups with the wrong food being brought to our table, we had a great time (and enjoyed a complimentary app and gelato for the mixups!) I highly recommend the arancini appetizer and the chocolate gelato! Following dinner, we had some more wine on our friend's deck in Old Town while wrapped in Snuggies.

Saturday was a bit gloomy and rainy, so my husband and I headed to Macy's on State Street to do a little shopping for a wedding we're attending in June. I picked out a pair of wedge sandals, which will be perfect for the sandy beach ceremony. On the way out, we spotted a Marc Tetro print of a Boston Terrier and decided we could not leave without it (it's named "Chicago Boston Terrier"!) We also stopped at Intelligentia for some much needed caffeine.

On Saturday night, we met up with Hannah and her guy, Tyler, at Au Cheval. The atmosphere in the tiny euro-style diner was great, and the food was delicious. The house-made root beer floats were to.die.for. Seriously, the best I have EVER had. I'd go back there just for another!

Sunday was gorgeous in Chicago - the weather was perfect. We lunched on our deck and soaked up some sun before getting ready for a new week.

How was your weekend?

The week ahead: Heading to the Phillies vs. Cubs games on Wednesday and Thursday (we'll be routing for the Phils, our hometown team!) & a visit from my cousin and her fiance this coming Friday-Monday!

Celebrating Wedding Week with The Everygirl

Last night, The Everygirl celebrated Wedding Week with a little soiree at Chicago's BHLDN. It was my first time in the store, and I was instantly dazzled by the gowns, decor and lovely bridal accessories. Cocktails by Femme du Coupe, flowers by Hello Darling, sweets by Sprinkles and Celestial Kitchens and a fun photo booth by Smilebooth added to the celebration. Here are a few photos I snapped during the festivities:

Thanks for a blissful evening, The Everygirl & BHLDN!

Aloha!

I've been a horrible blogger lately, tsk tsk! For those of you that don't know, I write another blog as part of my job -- The Finer Things. Between blogging over there, designing emails and site graphics for my consulting job, designing and creating beautiful wedding invitations for my husband's cousin and his fiance and getting ready for our Hawaii trip, I just haven't had the time or energy to post over here at Darling Notes. Shame! Before I say bon voyage and depart for Hawaii tomorrow, I thought I'd share a few pics that I've taken on my phone recently:

My brother in law and his girlfriend visited Chicago for Easter weekend. We checked out the sites of Chicago and ate a ton of food. I cooked Easter dinner for 6 people. While they were here, we dined all over the city, including dinner at q (which was amazing!) and brunch at Cafe Babareeba (create your own bloody mary bar!)

A sneak peek at the invitations I designed and created for my husband's cousin and his bride-to-be. We're looking forward to their wedding in June!

On a whim I had my hairdresser give me long bangs. I love them.

Bean has been extra mischievous lately. I folded all of the throw blankets and she had to make a bed on top of them. Somehow, she always finds the most comfortable spot in the apartment to take her naps.

We leave for Hawaii tomorrow morning, and we could not be more excited! I am guessing that my phone should work on the islands, so I should be able to post a few photos on Instagram. So, aloha for now!

Catching Up

I feel like life always gets busier this time of the year. People are out and about, and the city feels more energized -- I love it! The quiet and cozy winter gave way to spring summer temperatures this week, with the high reaching 82 the last two days! The sliding doors were open all week long to let the fresh air in, and I was able to enjoy some time in the sun on our deck. Since Darling Notes has been a little quiet, I figured a little catch-up post was in order.

1. Did you know that I'm a paper person? I'm head over heels for nice papers, pretty stationery and invitation design. I've been working on my husband's cousin's wedding invitation ensemble. The bride selected a pretty shimmering pink and green palette with starfish and shell motifs. We're in the design process right now, but I have no doubt they'll be beautiful!

2. The warmer temps have me thinking about flip-flops and being barefoot. I need a new polish color for the spring, and I'm thinking about this strawberry pink color from Essie. I'll definitely need a pedicure before our Hawaii trip.

3. I could not resist posting this photo of a pug in a bowtie in front of a ship. I mean, is he cute or what? Sweet Paul is hosting a giveaway for your choice of the bowtie or flower collar from Etsy shop Rover. I'm hoping to win the flowered collar for Bean.

4. Have you been keeping up with The Everygirl? I'm loving all of their daily features, and today's post is no exception. Click over to see two pretty and delicious drinks for St. Patrick's Day. Since this is our first St. Patrick's Day in Chicago, the husband and I are going to head downtown tomorrow morning to watch the river be dyed green. Apparently it gets VERY green, and I think I need to see that (maybe with an Irish coffee in hand?)

5. Last Friday, my old iPhone 3GS jumped right out of my hand onto the sidewalk (imagine!) and the screen sadly shattered. Although the phone was sort-of working for a few days, it took a turn for the worse and cracked a little more on Wednesday night. . Since it was over 3 years old and I was eligible for an upgrade, I headed to AT&T on Thursday morning and selected the 4S. IT'S AMAZING. I should tell you that it's currently being held in a massive Otterbox case that is probably bomb-proof. Knowing how clumsy I am, I'm willing to carry around the phone in a bulky case to keep it safe.

Have a great weekend and a very happy (and lucky!) St. Patrick's Day!

West Elm + Etsy Find

This past weekend, I stopped by our local West Elm store for the West Elm + Etsy event. Chicago-based Etsy shop owners set up mini-shops inside the West Elm to show their wares, while yummy treats, drinks and a DJ were on hand. I picked up this fun Chicago pillow from the Etsy shop Red Bird Vintage Home, and I love the way it looks on our couch:

Chicago Bloggers & Creative Girls

Last night, I had the pleasure of toasting to the launch of the The Everygirl with a group of Chicago bloggers and other creative gals. Can I just say that this city is FULL of amazingly talented young women? There, I said it (and it's true!) Until moving to Chicago, I had no idea that "blogging friends" actually met in real life. To be fair, I was living in Delaware, where there seemed to be very few bloggers. Perhaps you need to live in a large city to realize that bloggers really do gather together to hang out. Anyway -- I walked in to Old Town Social to meet a group of girls who had all come together to celebrate the success of two friends. Some of them were girls I had previously met, but I was meeting a good handful of them for the first time. This might sound weird, but I felt like I already knew them, since I read their blogs daily. I immediately recognized them from their photos, and they recognized me, too. So, after a couple of hours of meeting and chatting with other bloggers, it is clear to me that Chicago has such an amazing population of creative and driven young women. I love the sense of community and the fact that blogging has allowed me to meet so many like-mined people here in Chicago.

So, I'm curious -- have you found that other big cities have a nice blogging community? Have you met the people who write the blogs you love? I encourage you to reach out to any local bloggers and plan a get-together -- it can be so inspiring!

Image source

Snow Day Necessities

Danielle and I might be the only people in Chicago that are excited for a nice dose of SNOW. Bring on the white fluffy stuff! I've been itching to see a gorgeous snow storm all season, and it looks like Mother Nature is bringing one our way today. I'm lucky enough to work from home, so I'll be trying to position my computer so that I can watch the snow while I work. Today's necessities include giant cups of warm coffee + a good book on my Kindle Fire + my navy wellies for walking through flurries to my workout class later this afternoon + a cozy sweater to lounge in when my friend stops by tonight for some takeout and catch-up. Sounds like a great snow day to me!

A Feature & Holiday Cheer

Today, Alison of Long Distance Loving is featuring yours truly and the Mr. as part of her ongoing series {Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder}! I am so thrilled to be a part of her series. You can read the whole post here. For those of you who don't know, my husband and I have known one another since kindergarten. It's true! The 4th grade class photo on Long Distance Loving today proves it. A huge thanks to Alison for including us in the series, and putting together such a lovely post! Be sure to check out her blog for more great posts!

Last night, Danielle had a small holiday gathering at her place (which is fabulously decorated!) Liz and Danielle made yummy cranberry margaritas and a very festive baked brie. Alaina, Taylor, Anne and Farrah were there to join in the Christmas cheer. We ate lots of other goodies, played Apples to Apples and, of course, swooned over Buddy in his Santa suit.

Today I'm finishing up some work and getting packed up for our trip back east for Christmas. The Mr., the pup and I will be in the car for a solid 12-13 hours tomorrow. How many times do you think I can get away with listening to the N*Sync and Glee Christmas albums? We haven't been back east since moving to Chicago in July, so we are really looking forward to seeing the family!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Chicago's First Snow of the Season

This morning when the Mr.'s alarm went off, I hopped out of bed to peek out the window. I usually roll over and fall back asleep for a few minutes, but knowing that it was supposed to snow through the night made me get up to check it out. A beautiful dusting of white snow was covering everything -- Chicago's first real snow of the season! This morning when I was heading to Barre Bee, I snapped the above photo on Armitage. The entire city is decorated, and it is so gorgeous & festive! I've been in the holiday spirit for a few weeks now, but this makes it even better.

City Love

kate spade really knows city girls. bright lights, busy streets, amazing atmosphere.

umbrella, bangle, scarf, mittens

Blogger Meetup, October 2011

Last Wednesday, I met up with 9 other Chicago bloggers to attended my first Blogger meetup. I Wish put on a wine and cheese pairing class for us at a small, cozy Lakeview wine bar called Fion. Thank goodness it was cozy inside, because the wind was howling outside, and the rain was coming down at all angles! Shari of The Daily Dish organized the event, and did an amazing job getting everyone together. Thanks, Shari!

(L to R) Kelly of The Pink Apron, Maris of In Good Taste, me, Katy of The Gluten Free Girl's Guide to Chicago,

Lara of Simply Irresistible, Tess of Tea Time with Tess, Cara of City Girl Chicago, Cait of Cait Hates Cake,

Shari of The Daily Dish, Hannah of A Little Big Life

We tasted four wines -- two white and two red -- and four cheeses. The wines were interesting, with the Cabernet Sauvignon being my favorite. I'm not a big fan of cheeses (I stick to cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan... boring, I know), but the other girls tasted all of them. The sommelier instructed us to taste the wine first, then taste the cheese, and end the pairing by placing a small piece of the cheese in our mouth followed by a sip of wine. Since I just returned from a trip to the Napa Valley, I was able to pick up on a lot of the different notes in the wines as we tasted.

Once the tasting was finished, we stayed at the bar to enjoy another drink and talk about our blogs and who we are outside of blogging. Some girls enjoyed another glass of wine, but I went for the Pumpkin Pie Martini that was Fion's fall specialty. As with all pumpkin flavored treats, it was yummy.

It was so nice to meet the other bloggers in person. Being new to Chicago, it was especially nice for me to meet others that have recently moved to the city. We chatted about meeting up again before the holidays (and picking a day when the weather is looking a but nicer!) Thanks again to all of the girls that made it out to the event! If you haven't stopped by their blogs (listed under the group photo above), I encourage you to do so!

It's Thursday

Good afternoon! I thought I'd just share a sweet little photo from Pinterest today. I feel like I resemble that pup today -- hunkered down at my computer, glasses on, wrapped up in a scarf and sweater. I returned home last night from a fantastic Chicago blogger event only to find that the power had gone out from the high winds here in the city. It was downright COLD in the apartment (could be the fact that the windows in the bedroom let air through, which we recently discovered... *ring, ring, landlord?*) Power was eventually restored around 11 a.m. this morning, just in time -- the dog was wearing her coat, and I knew I was missing precious hours of work time. Casualties of the outage included a few items from the fridge, including coffee creamer and yogurt. A trip to Starbucks made up for it. The place is now warming up nicely, and with the exception of the internet mysteriously going out a few times, I'm back up and running.

I promise to post about the Chicago blogger event once I download the few photos I took, and get caught up on work. It was such a lovely time, and some of my "internet friends" became "real friends".

Enjoy your afternoon!

Rainy Days

It's been rainy and gloomy in Chicago since yesterday. I don't particularly mind, since it gives me the chance to wear my new wellies, and makes the apartment seem much cozier inside! Although, I am headed out this evening to meet up with a group of fantastic Chicago bloggers (more to come tomorrow!), and I'd like to stay dry until then! Inspired by the wet, dreary forecast, I rounded up a few lovely wellies to brighten the day.

1, 2, 3 -- Plaid

1, 2, 3 -- Playful

1, 2, 3 -- Preppy

This is a Red Line Train

Living in the city means public transportation. Yes, we brought a car with us to Chicago, but it remains parked on our street unless we go all out at Trader Joe's, or venture outside the city. At first, I was quite nervous about riding the train and figuring out the CTA system. Now, I can easily hop on a train knowing which line (in Chicago, there are different colored lines that will take you in different directions) I need to take in order to get where I'm going. I actually like taking the train -- is that strange? It's so easy, and let's face it... it's great for people-watching.

When I saw this print, I had to have it. At first glance, it looks like a simple line drawing of the CTA system. When you look closer, each line is made from the names of the stops along each line -- how neat!

As soon as it arrives, I'll be framing it and hanging it in our new home. Good news -- if you don't live in Chicago, there's no need to fret. Fadeout Design has created prints in the same fashion for Boston, NYC, London, DC, and San Fran.

A Nice Holiday Weekend

Image source

I hope that you all had a lovely long weekend! We had out of town guests arrive late on Thursday night and stay through Monday morning. Since it was their first time in Chicago, we braved Friday's heat and humidity and headed down to Millennium Park to snap a few photos at the Bean, see Michigan Avenue and walk State Street. We then ventured to the West Loop to check out the French Market and escape the sun for a little while. A few macaroons later, we were headed back home. We dined at Paris Club that night, and then went out for some late night fun. Saturday's beach plans were dampened by the rain, but we had a great time at Hop Leaf in Andersonville later that evening. On Sunday, we went sailing on another friend's boat, and then exposed our guests to Pequod's deep dish pizza. Yum. The insanely long line at the Hancock building prevented us from sipping a cocktail while checking out the views that night, but we made a stop for fro-yo on the way back to Lincoln Park, which perked all of us up. The guests left on Monday morning, and the Mr. and I headed out to Whole Foods in Lincoln Park. Since the weather was crisp and sunny and perfectly fall-like, we walked. It was our first time there, and we loved it -- we lunched and shopped, then headed home. An icky, congested cold has set in since then, so I sniffled while the Mr. made a huge pot of gravy (sauce for those of us who aren't Italian!) Today we're all back to work, even if that includes a side of tissues and tea. It was such a nice holiday weekend, and a great un-official end to the summer season.

A Photo Session

I was recently asked to write an article (more to come once it's published!) and provide a headshot. A headshot? Besides wedding photos, I've never been professionally photographed before, so I was left thinking... should I have some photos taken? After thinking about it for a little while, I reached out to Danielle, a fabulous Chicago blogger that I recently starting following since moving (check out her blog, Breakfast at Toast, here). I admired Danielle's work for the Glitter Guide, and tweeted to her to ask if she takes headshots. She replied right away, and we set a date for a mini photo session. I instantly liked Danielle -- she is so sweet and bubbly, and we had a great time during the shoot. I'm usually a little shy, but she made me feel relaxed and we got a few really great shots! From meeting eachother to almost getting locked outside on a patio during the shoot and then becoming buddies with her a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e pup Buddy, we had a great time! Here are a few of the photos she took for me (which I feel a little silly posting on my blog, but what the hay!):

Thanks again, Danielle! I love them!

Visitors!

Image via Pinterest

My parents arrive in Chicago tomorrow -- hooray! The Mr. and I are looking forward to showing them our new place and the city. Since we have not been here long ourselves, we'll be doing touristy things and then sticking around Lincoln Park, which is our neighborhood. We're looking forward to the Air & Water Show (loud!), seeing the Bean, the lake, Navy Pier, the architecture, the zoo, etc., etc. On top of some sightseeing, we have a nice downtown dinner planned, followed by a drink atop the Hancock building. It will be so nice to have them here in our new city. Once they've explored the Windy City, they're off to see my brother in Portland, OR! Jet-setters, if you ask me!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Sailing and the City

If you know me personally, you know that I adore anything and everything that is nautical. I especially love anything related to sailing. I really don't have any idea how to sail -- I know certain keywords and such, that's all. I am just obsessed with the idea of it. I've always wanted to be a sailor.

Last weekend, our (new to me, the Mr. already knew them) friends took us for a sailing trip out on the lake. Sailing alongside the city was so wonderful -- the best views! Although it wasn't the most windy of days, we had the sails up for a while before we motored around. We've been promised another trip once the Windy City is being true to its name. I can't wait! I've been seriously considering taking sailing lessons now that we live on the water. Can you think of anything more fun?

Personal photos