Happy Friday!

Or should I say happy birthday weekend! I am truly looking forward to every second of this weekend. It started with a nice 18 mile run this morning. 18 miles! I know. I'm training my boyfriend for the Chicago marathon. I ran cross country in college and did the marathon last year, so it's time for some "time off." But I still enjoy the long runs. My best friends fly into Chicago tonight, we're going to act like tourists tomorrow (even though we all grew up here), and then it's dinner for 16 tomorrow night to celebrate! You never know what is going to happen when we all get together... I will be back on Monday, thoroughly exhausted!

Just a couple fun things from cyberspace.

The greatest idea ever. Ever.

Makes me want to be homeless.

A chic use for Grandma's old wallpaper.

Super fun photographs, especially the food.

Add something quirky to your daily to do list.

Bring the [fake] outdoors in.

An amazing story of life.

People on the walls.

Ginger and coconut

I finally got a chance to visit art effect today, the sweetest little boutique by my new apartment. I needed a pretty thank you card and knew that it was just the place. As I was browsing the store (side note- they have everything at this store- gorgeous clothes, adorable home accessories, jewelry, and things that you could not find elsewhere) I came across the beauty and cosmetics area. A cute, tiny box that said "ginger & coconut" immediately caught my eye, as these are two of my favorite smells and tastes. I thought, "oh good, a delicious lipgloss," and snatched it up. Later, only as I was applying it to my lips, did I notice the words "solid fragrance" at the top. I still love it and will enjoy the scent on my body, just not so close to my nose!

Home sweet home

How do you make your home feel like home? Etsy has some great finds.

No place like home.

{Image from darlingArt}

A perfect little shelf for the tiny area between my bed and door.

{Image from LittleFishFurniture}

A sweet print for a shared bedroom.

{Image from krisblues}

Together like salt and peppa.

{Image from ArtMind}

An enviable house, for the birds.

{Image from birdhouseaccents}

A pretty mirror for a pretty face.

{Image from RowansRoom}

What are you doing this Fall?

I hope that everyone had a fantastic long weekend! It was certainly not a restful weekend, more like packed with fun, hence my semi-lazy post tonight. I came across this article on time.com- 50 Things to See, Hear and Do This Fall- and thought I would share. I love to do lists, so I might just have to a special one out of this list!

Irish it was the weekend...

It has been such an insane week that I don't have any fun things to share for the weekend, I'm sorry, but I hope everyone has a fabulous long weekend!

Here is a hint as to what I will be up to...

Gooooo Irish!

las margaritas

After a long day, my boyfriend and I decided to try a cute Mexican restaurant by our new place. Sometimes you just need to sip a margarita and pretend the summer is everlasting.

Welcome to September

It's September!! This is my favorite month of the year for several reasons- it has always marked the start of a new school year, the month ushers out summer and welcomes in autumn, and, most importantly, it's my birthday month!

{Image from ccgd on flickr}

{Image from Erik on flickr}

{Image from Montgolfier on flickr}

Happy moving weekend!

Happy moving weekend! Well I hope that everyone else is staying put for your own sake, but I will be changing zip codes (same city) on Sunday. My Internet access might be questionable for a few days, but here are some great parting links from across the Web.

Bring the outdoors inside.

Sweet little notes.

Is it cocktail hour yet?

A love story that is better than Romeo and Juliet.

You say tomato, I say...food fight!

Must have LBD.

A slot machine for home objects.

Some yummy looking jewelry.

I need this woman in my life, asap.

A 28-year-old making the most of living with his parents.

The sweetest save-the-date yet.

Move my house, please.

{Image from www.herohill.com}

Smookies

Tonight I'm making combining two of the most scrumptious desserts to ever exist- cookies + s'mores. Smookies? Co'mores?

{Image from marthastewart.com}

The oven is about to ding, so here is a link to the lovely Martha recipe! Just a side note, in place of some of the dry ingredients (namely the flour), I crushed up 1/2 cup of graham crackers to add to the batter to give it a graham cookie taste.

Cozy with a capital C

I feel like I'm on a role with my blog posts, so even though I did just take a little cat nap on the couch (at 10:30pm) and probably should just watch Oprah and go to bed, or perhaps pack since I'm moving in, oh, 3 days and have approximately 4 boxes packed, I'm feeling dedicated to my blog.

As I mentioned before, my new apartment is super cozy, so I have a couple goals to really enhance its coziness factor.

Always have a candle lit in the evening. My favorites are Voluspa and Skeem Design pillar candles. These candles smell amazing, burn for a long time, and come in gorgeous tins and jars.

Paint the inside of my bookshelves. It adds an extra pop and depth to any room. I'm thinking of using this exact color.

Have fresh, seasonal flowers in at least one room. For summer: hydrangeas. For autumn: mums.

{Image from apartmenttherapy.com}

{Image from countryliving.com}

Invest in some untypical wall art. Check out Janey Mac's vinyl embellishments on Etsy, they're precious.

{Image from Janey Mac Press}

Try to cook more in the hand-me-down Crockpot from my mom, which I have used approximately one time in the past year. Barring any major disasters, it just makes the kitchen smell wonderful.