There is nothing quite like being able to wake up and have a nice long breakfast and coffee while letting your feet cool off in the pool, sitting in the sunshine with family and friends. This past weekend was the perfect way to spend my last weekend in the midwest before moving back to New York. It was the perfect way to soak in the sun and water and family time.

Wishing you all happy feet on this Memorial Day * I’ll see you tomorrow! xx

This is a fantastic weekend because being the official kick off to summer, I am officially in the summer mood. There is nothing quite like long sunny days, a more carefree feeling, iced and smoothie drinks, sandals, time by the water, and time with friends and family relaxing in the sun or on the deck outside. Here are some photos from years past and present that make me think summer and bring back those memories from summers past that make me smile and ready from summers to come. * This weekend I am looking forward to taking a trip to St. Louis, spending the weekend with extended family and watching my uncle throw the first pitch at the Cardinals game for being an amazing surgeon. Here’s to more memories to come!

I would like to share with you all a company that is very unique and refreshing in terms of floral design. If you have been following for a while, you will know my mom owns Floral Accents, a floral design company, and so I already have a love of flowers and using their beauty to make beautifful designs and watch my mom as she creates her magic. This company I want to introduce you to is a company out of Waldorf, Maryland that primarily works a lot in the south, but of course the trend is expanding and moving to the midwest and Rocky Mountain states. The company is Floral Cotton. They produce their own cotton with third generation cotton farmers within the company. All of the cotton bolls are cleaned by hand so they are perfect and fluffy and ready for production. You may have seen their work in Southern Wedding Magazine. They work with different floral designers in the area to create simply lovely and truly unique arrangements from bouquets, to boutineers, and more.

With wedding season reaching it’s peak in the late spring, early summer months, the company is staying busy. Just one look at the designs using the cotton and I instantly think of a charming and simply gorgeous southern wedding. Take a peak at some of the photos below of some of the designs, they are truly unique and lovely. You can also find them on facebook here http://www.facebook.com/#!/Soft.Natural.Beautiful and on their website here http://www.floralcotton.com/  I hope you enjoy the pretties! Floral design by Wildflowers by Design and Petal’s Edge Floral Design.

Something I love about New York City are the little spots in the city where you can go to get away from the hustle and bustle and sit and relax. Don’t get me wrong, the energy of the city is also something I absolutely love as well, but like anything, you have to find time to relax and feel at peace to re-energize for what the day brings or has brought. Bryant Park and Central Park are my two main go-to spots in the city to relax and get in some nature time that makes me happy. This past week on my visit to the city before my move back to the big apple in a few weeks, I decided to walk to Bryant Park for a simple and delicious breakfast and explore the area. Even though it is nothing new to me, it is always a nice spot to relax.

I think in each of our personalities, there are certain things we see that just make us say “OoO that’s me, I love it,” and that simple image can put a smile our face. Just like the term “Get Carried Away,” was the perfect line for Carrie Bradshaw with her free floating, fun, and hopeless romantic personality. It’s amazing how images that stick in our minds of things we like can be so small in comparison to what is going on in our everyday lives, but if all of these little smiles add up, it can make for a pretty great day. Sometimes it only takes one of these images that we see to brighten our day. Here are a few this past week that made me smile.

Get “Carried Away”

Flowers my mom is doing for a wedding

Beautiful wedding dress sighting while trying on a stunning bridesmaid dress for my sister’s weddingA few neons in my closet…will be featured in an outfit post this month : )Lovely pages in the Lilly Pulitzer catalog

Flowers on the Country Club Plaza

Colorful cards from Kate Spade

As I’ve mentioned before, I take my camera with me everywhere. This is always true, because there are always beautiful images or moments to capture. I’ve found it’s these images that bring back memories and give us that warm fuzzy feeling, the same one we felt in that moment. Here are pictures from the past couple weeks that made me smile in the moment, and still do when I look at them.

I am spending the day searching for inspiration for the June issue with Her magazine Kansas City http://herkansascity.com/home and the pieces I will be searching for already have me in the mindset of a vacation. There is nothing quite like the feeling of waking up slowly but early enough to get a full day starting off with maybe some juice and coffee and something to eat a little different from the everyday routine at home. Whenever I go on vacation I like to have the perfect mix of relaxation, excitement, and trying new things. Trying new things is something I enjoy the most on vacation actually. Variety in life in my opinion keeps things spicy and fun. Since I will be finding inspiration today for the shoot, and the fact that I am in the vacation mind-set for pulling pieces, here are some photos I’ve taken that inspire me and make me happy just looking at them. Even though I may not be enjoying a beach vacation today, I’m going to find a fun treat for lunch at a nice cafe or shop just to treat myself to something different. Give it a try yourself! It might make all the difference if you need a little pep in your step on this Tuesday * Cheers

Each year, my family and I like to attend an event called DIFFA. It stands for Design Industry Foundation Fighting Aids. The proceeds go to the foundation, and it is a wonderful evening full of inspiration, delicious little bites and drinks, good music, and great conversation. The amount of detail that goes into each table is just breath-taking. So many ideas pop up from viewing these tables for different party ideas, which always come in handy. Here are some photos from the night *

There are so many things in life that make us smile, but it seems to me, the things that make us feel most happy and complete are the little things in life. It can be so much as taking a walk and stopping to smell a rose bush, turning off all electronics and having breakfast and coffee outside on the patio on a morning with beautiful weather and bright sunshine peeking through, walking around a new area you find beautiful, or just relaxing on a blanket in the grass at the park after a long day. Even though these things might not be significant, I always seem to remember my favorite moments in these little things. Here are some pictures from the week or me out enjoying those little things.

I love those days when you don’t have any plans and you can make them up as you go. The camera man and I decided to take Daffy & Lilly, my adorable corgi mixes on a trip to Dean & Deluca followed by the park and then my parents house. It was a perfect combination to make a day of relaxation. Here are just a few photos from the day. I hope you’re all having a great and relaxing weekend.

I am happy to be partnering with GuiltyStar.com to share a giveaway with two of my favorite necklaces from the collection. Both of these necklaces can add so much color and spirit to a look.

To enter for your chance at the giveaway, it is really simple. All you have to do is like the GuiltyStar.com fanpage on facebook here http://www.facebook.com/GuiltyStar?ref=ts as well as my fan page here if you haven’t already http://www.facebook.com/#!/mystyleloft and leave a comment on this post or on the designated photo on facebook telling me if you would like the Central Park necklace or Kremlin necklace and how you would wear it. I will be partnering with GuiltyStar.com to select the winner.

The winner will be announced this coming Wednesday, April 18th. If you have any technical difficulties posting a comment here, you can post on the MyStyleLoft facebook page as mentioned above.

Make sure to enter your email address in the comment box, it will not be public. I will need it to reach you  if you are the winner.

Thank you so much to all of my fans and readers, you are so much appreciated. Good luck!

Lindsay

There is something about visiting a chocolatier, whether it is on a day of with a friend or loved one just for a little treat while walking around, or on a day when you just need a little pick me up for a little treat. There is just a certain charm about chocolatiers, which is why I believe they are so successful, when you could really just go right down the street and get yourself a little treat. Something that makes me appreciate the little chocolate treats are all of the details and preciseness involved in the process. They are similar to wedding cakes in my mind in that it almost doesn’t seem like food, but more like art, which I always appreciate. Pananche is a local chocolatier in Kansas City on the Country Club Plaza and the charm is definitely there, with a quaint little shop on a tree-lined and beautiful store lined streets, lovely bright decor, outdoor seating as well as a few chairs inside to sit at, choices of coffee and tea, and delicious delicate little chocolates. I stopped in this past weekend, and being Easter weekend there were spring treats and decor all around.

Last year was my first Easter with Daffy and Lilly, my two little corgi mixes. Little did I know Daffy would have such an affection for the Easter eggs my parents set up for my sisters and I. Yes, all of us are above the age of 22 and we still Easter egg hunt…I know, but the competition for the most eggs gets pretty serious. Since Easter is tomorrow, I thought I’d share a few pictures of Daffy and her newly found love of Easter eggs from last year. Can’t wait to her with her beloved Easter eggs again tomorrow. Lilly didn’t care for them as much, she was more into relaxing in the sun.  : )

One of my favorite things to do on a nice day is wake up early and walk around any charming area, depending on where I am, order a coffee and breakfast from a cafe so I can have my dogs with me and sit outside. Of course, being accompanied by my camera man, a sister or other family member, or friend is always nice, but sometimes it’s even nice on my own to just relax and reflect and after coffee explore and window shop. One of my favorite stores to do that with of course is Anthropologie, I can’t get enough of the delicious smelling candles, warm shabby chic atmosphere, and lovely feminine dresses and clothes. These are just a few photos from a morning a few days ago I was able to walk around with Daffy & Lilly, grab a coffee, sit outside, and enjoy the weather and the sights. After all, the little things really are what make us the happiest sometimes. Especially compared to those mornings that are anything but relaxing with our to do lists, it’s nice to just sit and enjoy. : )

I am so happy to share the six month anniversary of mystyleloft.com with you all. Mystyleloft.com is a way for me to share my creative writing, photography, fashion styling, food adventures with some recipes thrown in every so often, travel adventures, and photos from the weddings I assist Floral Accents with. I have enjoyed so much sharing all of these things with my wonderful readers and followers and look forward to  sharing more of what I am passionate about in the future on mystyleloft.com.

It is amazing how much beauty truly is around us, and it is the beauty in the world in which we all need to be reminded of sometimes, that is the constant source of  inspiration behind the photos I enjoy taking, and also the way I invision style by finding ways to incorporate the beauty I see around me into a fashion sense. After all, life and fashion always have a place to connect when talking about style.

One of my favorite color combinations to wear is blue and coral or pink. The reason being, is it reminds me of a floral lined coastline with the sparkling blue ocean in the background. After all, style is not just about the clothes, it is the inspiration behind the designs, the passion, the culture, a way of showing our personality, creating beauty, and giving us a sense of what makes us feel the way we do when sharing our personal style. 

Six months ago when I was trying to figure out what to name my blog, I was trying to think of a name that described all of the things I mentioned above. I wanted my name to reflect the way I feel about style, and how it is more a lifestyle than the just the clothes we wear. I was thinking about when I first moved to New York City for the first time and I was searching for apartments with my mom. This specific one we went into, was near Union Square in the city and we were warmly greeted by the owner, who was a very kind older woman who showed us a bright and very spacious loft with white walls and tons of windows. It was exactly what I pictured a New York City loft to look like. The great thing about this apartment is that this woman was an artist, so not only were the walls clean and pretty with tons of exposed light, but there were beautiful paintings on the walls and green plants all over. Plants I feel add so much to a space, adding the element of freshness and color.

I will always have this clear image in my mind of this apartment that my mom and I went to visit, because it was so beautiful to me and somewhat like a serene indoor oasis to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. For some reason this image kept coming into my mind when I was trying to think of a name for my blog and mystyleloft hit me, because I had this image in my mind of all the things that inspire me in one dream loft. Mystyleloft.com is kind of like the loft, in the fact that I’m sharing all the things that inspire me in one place.

Funny thing is, I actually ended up in an amazing, but completely opposite of serene apartment in Times Square on 47th st between 8th and 9th avenue above a brazilian restaraunt with a serenading doorman. Now this apartment was a great size for New York, but I shared it with two other roommates, so it was definitely not luxury living by any means, in fact it was complete chaos, but it was exactly what I wanted for my adventure so it was perfect.

I can’t wait to share more inspiration with you all, and thank you for following.

Lindsay

Everyday this week has been rainy, but it’s actually a great thing. It is making everything so green and lush outside. After the second day, I was ready for the rain to go away, and when I didn’t I actually started to embrace it. After all, there is nothing like a rainy night where you can stay inside, enjoy a good movie, and drink some yummy tea. Will & Grace was actually my choice to watch last night, and I had forgotten how much I love the show. It reminds me of my best friend Joee (modern-day Jack) and I. Anyways, here are some photos I took yesterday in between the rain storms that made me smile.

There is nothing like the first sightings of spring, when the leaves on the trees start to bud, the grass starts getting a little greener, the park is full of people enjoying a picnic, a jog, maybe kite flying, or walking their dogs. The one thing that absolutely captivates me always, is when the leaves on the trees start to bud. There is just nothing like a bunch of trees full of little flowers. I was happy to discover as I was at the park yesterday with my little ones, to see so many trees beginning to bud. Cheers to spring *

Music Inspiration: Neon Lights by Natasha Bedingfield * Give it a listen, it will make you want to jump like this also  : )

This photo captures how happy warm weather, a sundress, great company, the ocean, and not wearing sandals on the beach makes me feel. Captured by one of my best friends, thanks Katelyn!

I know it is not the official day of spring yet, but something about today being the first day of March, it feels like the first day of spring for me. Yes, it is still a little chilly out, but the seasons have definitely seemed to shift. It is staying lighter outside later, winter pieces are being put aside, and in stores brilliant bright colors and spring inspiration are popping up everywhere with some of my favorite color trends. The reason March makes me so happy I think is because ever since I can remember this is the month that makes me think of vacation. Although this is the first year in a while I am not taking a trip this month, for some reason the feeling is still there. The excitement of getting on a plane with mostly sundresses, sandals, and floppy hats packed after wearing winter clothes is just such a great feeling. I think the culmination of wonderful memories I have had with friends, family, and of course the camera man this time of the month on small adventures just make me happy and get me excited for the start of warm sunshine, patio seating at restaurants, longer days, and sundresses. Sundresses alone make me want to go on vacation, definitely my favorite thing to wear.

Side Note * On March 25th it will be my six month anniversary for MyStyleLoft! On that day I will be sharing how I came up with the name for my blog, it has to do with NYC : )

I decided to dedicate a post of some photos I have not yet shared yet that definitely bring a smile to my face. Sometimes we have those days or mornings when we just need a little pep in our step. It seems whenever I take a look at some photos that remind me of all the beautiful and simple pleasures in life, my day is instantly brightened and I’m ready to tackle all the obstacles that might occur in the day. I hope these photos bring a smile to your face, as they do mine. After all, what better combination than flowers, puppies, and cozy coffee?

This past weekend, after my sister’s baby shower as we were all relaxing, I was thumbing through my mom’s photos and came across these. Now, I have not been to the French Laundry, but after viewing these photos, it is definitely at the top of my list. The chef I learned decided to open his restaurant in Napa Valley because it reminded him of the countryside of France. I just wanted to share these photos because they inspired me. I hope they inspire you as well.