Totally M.I.A. and High Five (or 4) for Saturday?

I'm sorry I've been so spotty with my posting lately. Life has gotten crazy busy, I've been sick and dealing with doctors (and the lifestyle change of no milk and no soy, whaaaaaa!?) and haven't had a free moment to myself let alone to my blog. Sad face.

To make up for it, here are a few pretty pictures to look at. I'll do my best to keep up next week! Happy weekend everyone! I haven't forgotten about you! 9 more followers and it's giveaway time! ;)

:::one:::

I had a Stella&Dot party at my apartment and I bought peonies for the occasion. (see below) I got to use my guy's grandma's vintage white milk glass vase for the first time since she gave it to me. I'm so in love with it I can't even handle it! It makes me happy.

:::two:::

Gorgeous. 

:::three:::

This came in the mail today... been on backorder for a while! It's even prettier in person!

(www.stelladot.com/sites/karachase for more info)

:::four:::

I've been lacking in outfit posts, I know. Here is a quick shot of my most recent favorite outfit that I wore to my friend's bridal shower. Sorry for the terrible iphone photography and pasty white skin!

busy busy saturday!

It's almost Easter, and my entire day was dedicated to prep. I'm not hosting, but I was helping my mom get things ready (in exchange for doing my laundry at her house)!

Here is my day through photographs!...

First, I HAD to wear something comfy. I knew I would be running around and arranging flowers and moving furniture- no time for beauty!

My first stop was at Trader Joe's for flowers. Thankfully they bulked up on their stock, so I was able to get a bunch of pincushions and the prettiest orange/yellow tulips around. Score.

After I loaded my trunk with the flowers, I noticed the back of a road sign that looked super cool. I had to take a pic! Seriously, that is something I would hang in my house!

Anyway... my next stop was to Crate&Barrel for a few new vases, and new chairs for my mom's dining room. (shown below) 

I fit 3 in my car... 2 trips. Pretty easy.

 While I was running around, my mom offered to pick up lunch for me... I asked for a happy meal (don't judge) and this is the new size of french fries for the kiddos. I had to take a pic because it was SO funny. I mean really? Look at the size in relation to one nugget!! Ha! Serves me right I guess for eating terrible food! 

 Then the floral arranging got started. (the fun part) Tulips and pincushions yay! 

 Here was my trick for not having quite enough tulips for my last arrangement. Nothing a little tape can't fix! I added the leaves to the edges to make the arrangement look fuller. See below.

Tiny little mason jars to add to the buffet area tomorrow. Super easy, super cute.

Here is the final set table (yes a whole day early!) Can't wait for tomorrow's brunch!

Happy Easter everyone!

Fridays=Flowers

Is there anything better than fresh flowers? 

It's amazing to me how quickly they can brighten up a space, or someone's day for that matter! One of the super fun (yep, I said super fun) parts of my job is that during the month of February I get to create $50 worth of floral arrangements for the weekends. The best part is that I get to do the arrangements on Fridays...what a wonderful way to end the week! I always say that I go to my "happy place" when I'm arranging flowers. I'm no expert, but I love to play.

I am slightly limited with my selection of flowers for 2 two reasons: First, I only have $50 to spend (which is a lot for flowers I understand, but I would LOVE to spend more!) and second, the only reasonably priced retailer in close proximity to my work is the local Trader Joe's grocery. I love TJ's, but their selection can be hit or miss.

This season, they have tended to have a good amount of Hydrangeas which is a "go-to" option for me... big bang for my buck, and most people love them. This week they had beautiful Calla Lilies, in white and green for only $3.49 per bunch. I scooped them up! Here are a few pictures I took yesterday...

Here's what I purchased

Here are some of the arrangements. 

This arrangement of Callas was hard to photograph. There isn't a good place to take pics at work, and this vase is 20" tall. I love the terrarium feel of the arrangement! I used a "frog" and hid it with river rocks. So pretty and artful.

For $50 I was able to make 6 arrangements. Not too shabby!

Have a wonderful weekend!

-kara

Oh and by the way... the weather is still nice enough that I was able to spend my morning blogging on my balcony with my coffee listening to a little Cee Lo and Jason Aldean. In my Pj's. My kind of morning! :)