EASY BREEZY SPRING STYLE

Just when I think spring is here to stay, BOOM it's 35 degrees again. What's up with you, Minnesota? In the spirit of wishful thinking, I've started mentally planning out what I hope to wear this summer. After working from home all winter, I'm completely over black yoga pants and sweatshirts. Missing my lighter San Diego wardrobe. Since I had to get rid of most of my clothes in order to move on a budget, I'm (very) slowly starting to rebuild my wardrobe. Trying to keep it neutral and classic, while splurging on a few quality pieces to anchor it all. Here's a peek at the look I'm going for!

1. Macey Dress by Parc Boutique (and it's local!)

2. Stylish Glasses (Had these pinned and can't find the link anymore - share if you know brand!)

3. Linen Scarf by Uniqlo

4. Scallop Bag by ASOS

5. Madrid Birkenstocks

Can I just say how happy I am that Birkenstocks are coming back in style? About time for some comfy sandals for these tootsies!

OH, HELLO THERE

Excuse me while I dig myself out of hibernation. This is officially the first time since being back in Minnesota that I’ve blogged on here. Kinda embarrassing. And no, you’re not seeing things - it’s redesigned as well. A fresh start. Ahhh.

Quite honestly, I’m not even sure where to begin. Moving from California to Minnesota in the first place is a big change. This is especially true when you move from California to Minnesota during the worst winter in the current century. Oh, and right at the beginning of it. But hey, we’ve almost survived it. Spring gave us a little tease last week but now is continuing to play her harsh tricks on us with 30 degree weather...in mid-April.

The biggest change, however, has been going from a city with millions upon millions of people to a town of about 100,000. This has its ups and downs. On the upside, our neighbors no longer hear every last conversation we have in our own home. Everything that is posted on @targetdoesitagain isn’t sold out within 30 minutes (my Target shopping has reached an embarrassing level). My road rage has subsided. On the downside, I miss my friends in the baddest way. I can’t find even decent sushi. And I sometimes MISS the hoards of people. Pros and cons aside, it’s an adjustment, we have our good days and our bad days but we’re slowly settling into this new life.

Might sound cheesy, but it really is a whole new lifestyle. Kim and I are both now officially working from home. This has been “interesting” to say the least. Luckily we both have offices on different floors. Another perk to the Midwest - basements!  I’ve taken on freelance as a full-time job, helping companies with their communications, marketing and social media. Slowly but surely taking on more and more local clients and learning boatloads about industries I never thought I’d be a part of. Freelance is liberating in some ways but it’s been a major adjustment after working outside of the house for 60+ hours a week in San Diego.

In a few weeks we’re actually packing up AGAIN and moving across town. The place we’re in now was temporary from the get-go. It’s been a great place to adjust to the move but I never really settled in because we knew it was temporary. We’ll now be closer to town and have a lake just a few blocks away that I can take Mr. Otis on walks around all summer. This house is an older one and a lot more me. I’m getting excited to get in there and finally hang things on the walls, paint a bit and hopefully finally feel settled.

Overall, this move has been great for us. We’re spending a lot of time with each other, our family and our not-so-long-lost Minnesota friends. It’s been fun to get back home and be in a state where we can hopefully reestablish ourselves and rediscover everything I’ve always loved about Minnesota - the people, the pace, the roots.


Missed you!


This picture was from a weekend cabin getaway we had with some of my siblings in Hayward, Wisconsin.

WE ARE HEADING NORTH

Promise there is a reason for my recent silence. Some big things have been stirring in our life. A few weeks ago, Kim and I made the ENORMOUS decision to leave California and head back to our roots in the Midwest. In two days we will be packing up our car, putting Otis in the back seat and heading home - just in time for the holidays. It's a really exciting time but it also comes with a lot of mixed emotions. On one end we are starting fresh in a place we are pretty familiar with, we will be very close to family and Kim is starting a great new career. On the other hand, it's cold, we are leaving everything we have known together as a couple and it's going to be incredibly hard to be so far from the friends who have essentially become family.

I know change is typically a good thing and I'm looking forward to all these next few years have in store as we make the big transition. I figure if I can make it through this first Minnesota winter I can make it through the rest. It's crazy how quickly things change but can't wait to give this blog a little more attention in the upcoming months and share our journey a bit more. I probably won't be blogging much until we get settled but you can follow along on Instagram (@LovelyStruck) as always. Here we go!

(The print above is from YouDollDesign on Etsy and seemed very fitting)

OUR WEDDING PHOTOS // PART ONE

Hard to believe that it's already been almost four months since we tied the knot back in August. I've been itching to share my wedding photos by We Call This Love Photography and am thrilled to do so today. Kimberly and Andre did a ridiculously great job and I'm so happy we had them there to capture every moment of the day. After planning every last detail of our big day for over a year, it was amazing to see it all come together. It was such a labor of love from my friends, family and vendors. Although much of our family is from the Midwest, we wanted to share our city with everyone - considering California is really all we have known together as a couple - and decided to have it at Leo Carrillo Ranch in Carlsbad. It was the perfect backdrop for our laid-back, rustic wedding. And although it's true what they say about the whole day being a blur, I can say with certainty it was one of the happiest in the books by far. Hope you enjoy! (Vendors listed below)

Vendors: Venue: Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park, Photography: We Call This Love, Coordinator: The Green Ribbon Party Planning Co., Flowers: Green Fresh Florals, Rentals:  Party Production Rentals, Catering: Bar None BBQ, Bartenders/Servers: The Traveling Tavern, DJ: Sunset Mobile Music, Acoustic/Vocals: Billy James Blue, Cupcakes/Cake: Pure Cupcakes, Vintage Rentals: Other Sister Design & Restoration, Minister: Lisa Reynolds (message me for her info)

I also accumulated most of the vintage linens, air plants and vases and made the fabric garland and wood table runners. Kim's mom handmade the flags. If you have any questions about our wedding, leave a message below!

LOVING: H&M HOME

I'm having a bit of fun nesting into our apartment. We have been there a year but with all the wedding plans and a busy year in general, I failed to make our house a "home", if you will. I'm apparently really late on the H&M home bandwagon (let alone H&M now being online -what!) but am in love with their current choices. A little industrial, a little rustic, a little glam, affordable - sold. My favorite picks at the moment include:

1. Hand Towel $72. Hanger 2-Pack $10
3. Linen Pillow Cover $18
4. Clear Candle $7
5. Fox & Owl Candles $4
6. Linen Tablecloth $50
7. Storage Basket $15
8. Metal Jar $13

BUILD A BRASSY BAR // FAB $15

One of my favorite 50s revivals has been the bar cart. I don't know, maybe it never really went away but I do love how they are popping up in stores all over the place over the past few years. A few years back I found an old one at a yard sale for $7. It's nothing special, but I always have fun stocking it and styling it. It's the perfect way to display great glassware and to get people gathered around at a party to mix up a cocktail. I dream of someday owning one from Society Social but am loving the new bar cart collection they have going on at Target right now. If you have read this blog for any period of time, you know I'm a sucker for all things gold, brass or copper and these foxy bar-tastic accessories are no exception! All accessories (sadly not the cart!) are under $15. Cheers.

Buy these gems for yourself:

ONE: Bar Cart, $130
TWO: Faux Marble Coasters, $15
THREE: Brass Fox Wine Accessory Set, $13
FOUR: Brass Dot Cocktail Decanter, $15
FIVE: Brass Fox Cocktail Shaker, $13

THE CAN CAN CLUB

Some days, you just need to let out your inner Martha. A few weeks ago I was invited to my friend Melissa's canning club. Having never been a canner myself, but always being intrigued by the process, I made sure to clear the day for it. 

First, let me tell you - Melissa is the hostess with the mostest! Not only does her fabulous bungalow set the perfect background for a gathering, but the girl knows how to entertain. The guests were lovely, the drinks were flowing, the food was somehow simultaneously simple and over-the-top good and she still managed to be a great canning teacher for us newbies.

On this particular day, the menu consisted of Prosecco Passionfruit (fresh from her backyard garden!) Jam and Brandied Cherries. For the jam, I've had it on toast, on cheese plates and maybe even snuck in a few spoon-fulls of it by itself - it's wonderful. For the cherries, we've so far mixed them into a few Old Fashioned drinks and plan to keep playing around with them in other cocktail recipes. We used the oven to seal the cans and it was so simple once it got going. Thinking I might do a few batches of each for Christmas presents!

Lucky for us, Melissa has graciously shared the recipes with us (end of post) and my friend and uber-talented photographer, Angie, the lady behind the camera at Infatuated Eye Photography, has shared some of her beautiful pics from the day. Thank you ladies, you really are the best!

Enjoy.