Friday loveliness.

It's the weekend already? Time for more pretty inspiration:

In a perfect world I could rock this amazing pink bob. So good.

California in 1940, as seen in National Geographic. Take me here now please!

 

Mint green floors! This is the best idea.

 

Mission for spring: find the perfect pair of skinny ripped jeans. Any suggestions?

 Pretty peach party.

Do you lovelies have any weekend plans?!

XO

52 weeks. 52 books.

Like I shared earlier this month, one of my goals for 2014 is to read a book every week.

52 weeks, 52 books. 

I have made it a habit to turn off the television and rather pick up a book, and every night before I go to sleep I try to read a little more. Once a month I am going to do a blog post both to share some of my favorite reads with you guys, as well as to hold myself accountable! If you guys have any good suggestions for books that I should read, please let me know! I'm pretty excited that I made it through the first 4 weeks, and look forward to the next 48 books that I plan on reading!

The first book I read was a doozy. It's called "Walk Across the Sun" and it's by Corban Addison. It's a pretty heavy duty read about two sisters who lose their entire family due to the tsunami and are then abducted and thrown into a brothel in Mumbai.

In the second week I read the book "Attachments" by Rainbow Rowell. It's a cute story about two women that work together and write each other witty emails knowing full well that their emails are being monitored. Little do they know, a boy named Lincoln is reading them and quickly falling in love with one of them. It's a pretty charming book.

I got a little behind in the third week, but got through "Orange is the New Black". I bought the book right after I binge-watched the show (which is incredible), but like most books-turned-movies/television shows, the book was even better. If you're not familiar with the show, it's a memoir by Piper Kerman who spent a year in a women's prison. 

For the fourth week I finished "The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared" by Jonas Jonasson. This book starts out on Allan's 100th birthday when he escapes the old folks home and starts out on a crazy adventure involving a briefcase full of cash, murder and many criminals. There were so many times I laughed out loud during this book, and I had a hard time putting it down. I highly recommend this one!

Ok, I'll be back here four weeks from now with another update! 

XO, Erin

Pretty planters.

Oh summer, where are you?! Since we've been trapped indoors for what feels like an eternity, we are trying to add as much greenery as possible to our interiors. Here are some pretty unique plants and planters that we would be more than happy to incorporate into our decor:

This may be the coolest plant stand ever.

This is a fantastic idea; get a collection of different types of plants in a mix of complimentary pots. I'm really into this eclectic look.

These geometric planters are pretty incredible. I especially love their pretty pinky tones.

Whoa, a lamp garden?! I didn't know such a thing existed!

Gahhh these retro wire plant stands are to die for!

Soup's on.

So our temperatures here in Winnipeg this Winter have not been pleasant to say the least, but we've managed to stay warm (for the most part) thanks to the mass amounts of soup we've been making lately. 

Here are some recipes that we are planning on trying out soon:

Tomato, chickpea and coconut soup. Yum!

Mmm...buttnernut squash soup with smoky chickpea croutons? Sign us up.

This white bean and potato soup looks incredible.

Another one from this great blog, broccoli & pistachio soup!

This sweet potato soup with harissa and greens looks really tasty too.

Do you have a favorite go-to soup recipe? We're always on the lookout for new recipes to try!

Chicken and spinach soup with pesto.

Oh man, it is still frigid in these parts, so soups have been on heavy rotations for meal options for us. This is one of my favorite hearty soups and is guaranteed to warm you up on a chilly day:

• olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup carrots, chopped
• 2 large chicken breasts, cut into quarters
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons marjoram
• 1 cup of baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup basil leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup croutons for garnish

Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch over over medium-high heat. Add carrot and chicken; cook, turning the chicken and stirring frequently, until the chicken begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Stir in broth and marjoram; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the chicken pieces to a cutting board to cool. Add spinach and beans to the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for about 5 minutes to blend the flavors.

Combine about 1 tablespoon of olive oil, parmesan and basil in a food processor and blend until a coarse paste forms, adding a little water as necessary. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Stir the chicken and pesto into the pot and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with croutons.

Serve piping hot and enjoy!

XO

original recipe found here.

Stay hungry. Stay foolish.

Yay! It's Friday! Man, January is flying past pretty quickly, and we couldn't be happier about it. The sooner that Spring gets here, the better. What are you guys up to this weekend? Stef and I are going for our tattoos tomorrow and we're pretty excited! Other than that, we plan on being pretty lazy.

Here are a few things we're loving lately:

Over at Free People they launched a new feature about love stories, and the photos from the first story are so incredibly lovely.

Love this print of a Steve Jobs' quote.

This pendant available here is pretty fantastic.

This kitchen is what my dream kitchen looks like. How amazing are those shelves!? Check out the rest of the incredible home tour of Emily Wright and Robert Dabal over here.

Speaking of hungry...don't these 4 different recipes using pitas look delicious?

Bubblegum pink.

Today we are kicking it old school with a good old fashioned Hues-day post! We figured that we were long overdue for this post to make a bit of a comeback, so without further adieu...

Such a cute idea for a mini card.

This dreamy pair makes us miss our Olive! Man, it has been awhile. This summer she for sure will be making numerous appearances! Can't wait!

 Pink from head to toe.

Love this screenprint.

Just the most perfect little pink sofa. I would be more than happy to have this sitting in my living room.

XO

Party planning!

Bored of doing the same ol' thing for dinner parties? Well here are some fun unique meal ideas that you should try instead!

Make a giant cheese board and pair each piece of cheese with a complimentary fruit, veggie, or chutney. Try aged gouda and cucumber or goat cheese and cantaloupe.
Source found here.

Make breakfast for dinner! This recipe for apple and greek yogurt pancakes looks pretty delicious.

 Instead of having a formal dinner around your dining room table, just plan an evening of heavy appetizers. Try this recipe for kale & white bean crostini.

Set up a sandwich bar with fancy toppings like this incredible looking croissant with figs, proscuitto and arugula.

Ever tried raclette? Because if you haven't then you definitely should! If you like eating lots of melted gooey cheese then this is for sure up your alley.
Photo source

Natural wood in the kitchen.

Happy Monday you guys! We hope you had a wonderful weekend.

Everything about this kitchen is exactly what I hope to have someday. From the built in cabinets, to the plywood counter tops and all of the white everything else, it's just perfect.

Love the handles on these cabinets. 

(original photo source unknown, sorry)

I absolutely love the look of these raw wood cabinets! So simple and so perfect.

Love how clean these white cabinets look, especially with the built in on top. How perfect are the drawers, wine holder and cookbook space?

This kitchen is small, but I love the open shelves and old cabinets.

TGIF (seriously!)

Whoa, it's already Friday again... really? Wow. Was your week as busy and hectic as ours? Here are a few pretty things to help you unwind. Enjoy your weekend!

Since we've been on such a tattoo kick lately, we thought it only appropriate to share this photo of gorgeous leafy branch tattoos.

This enamelware collection is beyond dreamy and believe it or not it's currently available at Urban Outfitters!

Love this look.

There is something so dark and pretty about this photograph.

Just the best couch ever. I would be a happy camper if this was sitting in my living room.

Happy weekend lovely friends! Stay warm! :)

XO

Winter wardrobe necessities.

I don't know about you guys, but we have had a ridiculously cold winter here so far which can make getting dressed a little bit challenging. Some days it is just so cold that what we are wearing doesn't even matter as long as we are cozy and warm. We made a little list of a few must-have staples in both of our wardrobes lately; plenty of toques and knit sweaters layered with plaids. We have also been really into metallics this season and we think that gold nails paired with dark red or purple lipstick is a pretty deadly combo.

Do you have any favorite go-to winter items?

toque //  gold nail polish  //  cozy knit sweater  //  skinny black pants  //  plaid shirt  //  ankle boots  //  burgundy lipstick

Erin's new years' goals.

I love the start of a new year. I know that a lot of people think setting goals/resolutions is kind of a joke, but for me, it works and I look forward to setting new goals and sticking with them. This year I have a lot of plans to better myself and I thought I'd share some of them with you guys. So, here they are:

- Run the half marathon

I recently got a membership at the gym so that I continue running, and I'm really excited to sign up for my first half marathon this Spring!

- Pay off my credit card
This one's kind of a no-brainer, but my credit card has somehow gotten away from me over the past year, but it's time to take control, put my head down and work and pay it off!
- No more redbull!
So I typically drink a redbull every other day, which is disgusting and expensive, but 2014 is going to be redbull free. I'll start drinking more tea and running more to gain more energy.

- Read a book a week
I saw this idea from my friend Cory, and thought this would be the perfect challenge for me this year. I love to read but never do it unless I'm on holidays. It's time to turn off the tv and pick up a book. So far I'm off to a good start.

- Be patient.
If there is one trait that I have that really bothers me, it's my lack of patience. I need to learn to take a breather and not get so frustrated when things don't go as I planned. This is going to be a hard one.

 - Trim the fat. 

Purge my closets, empty out my cupboards, just generally down-size! I don't need so much stuff. It's ridiculous.

- Skate to work as much as possible!

 When I was younger, I played hockey (on an all boys team) for 7 years and hadn't bought new skates since I was a teenager. During Christmas I broke down and bought myself a brand spankin' new pair and intend on taking full advantage of them and the river trail that starts outside of my house by skating to work whenever I can.