a simple {but pretty} treat

{Phillis Kirk}

hello, loves :)

how was your weekend?

spooktacular, i hope! {cheeseball, i know!}

i definitely watched WAY too many scary movies

and in major need of some slapstick comedy, stat!!!

i am having a quiet day {kind of, sort of} on the blog...

my weekend was dedicated to the return of my love :)

i will be back in action tomorrow, though

with the latest and greatest color crush!

i hope your week gets off to a fantastic start!

xoxoxo 

brynn

i'll take a treat, please

helllllllllllllllllllllllooooooo!!!!!

oh, friday...why did you take so long to get here this week??!!

i don't know about all of you, but this has felt like an extremely long week!

i think the anticipation of dan's arrival home from new zealand

made my week feel much longer!

i just can't wait!!!

especially with all of the celebrating we have yet to do :)

{in case you missed yesterday's post (here) we are celebrating 13 years together!!!}

anyhow, with him getting home saturday afternoon,

we decided on indoor halloween festivities...

dan's bestie's girlfriend and i are picking them up from the airport

and she and i will be cooking them a lovely fall meal 

and then we will just watch scary movies :)

i am a little sad to not be dressing up this year

{may be the first year, EVER}

but, next year we will be back at it!!!

in the meantime, 

i've managed to collect some pretty pins

that i find very inspirational in the halloween costume department!

{i am definitely a diy kind of costumer...i love making my own!!!}

imagine the possibilities of the costume ideas that could come out of these gorgeous treats...

are you dressing up? what will you be?!

what is your most favorite halloween costume ever?

have a fantastic weekend!!!

i hope it is filled with lots of amazing things :) 

xoxoxo

brynn

{ images: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 }

lucky number 13

hello, how are you today?!

i have a very special post for you all today :)

today marks the 13th anniversary for dan + me!!!

can you believe that number??!! 

WOWzers! i have been with that man forEVER ;)

then, i realized that this would be our last

pre-wedding anniversary! 

and then we start all over at 1 for our wedding years...weird!

i have quite a bit to say {go figure!} so i'll paste the pretty stuff here first,

and blabber all about it below :)

here is our relationship, at a glance, in photos over the last 13 years...

{oh, yeah! i pulled out the big guns today...going all the way back to 1998!}

let me just tell you a little bit about what 13 feels like for us...

we were babies...

i was 16 {for the first month} & he was 19 {robbin' the cradle!}

we have grown up together...

explored, experienced, laughed, cried...

you name it, we've done it...all together in these last 13 years!

these years have been the most amazing...

to grow up with your best friend is simply the best :)

dan & i truly are best friends...we have so much fun together, 

whether it is a simple movie night at home or a trip to japan...

dan listens to me, teaches me, loves me just the way i am, 

supports me in my passions, makes me stronger...

i love this man and am ridiculously head over heels in love with him!

i am not a sugar-coat kind of girl, though...

this relationship {as all relationships} has taken work...

things are not always easy breezy, peachy keen...

when you are growing up in a relationship, you are not only growing together...

you are also growing individually...

for us, we reached a point in our relationship where we decided to take a little space.

we never officially broke up, we just decided not to live together for a while

to be able to get to know ourselves better, have the experience of living with friends,

and to {hopefully} grow stronger as a couple...

lucky for us, this was just the ticket...

it was the smartest, best {most grown-up} decision we could have made.

we became stronger individually and together...

and now, here we are...totally, madly, deeply in love...

dan is my love, my best friend, the man i am going to marry...

i love you, my love...you make me happy beyond words...

and i am so excited to spend the rest of our lives together...

i can't wait to see what is to come :)

p.s. did i mention how much i love this man??!!

unfortunately dan is not back from new zealand until saturday...

i hate for us to spend this day {so far} apart...

but we'll make up for it this weekend and have a big celebration!

{hopefully i will have pics!}

have a LOVEly day :)

xoxoxo

brynn

WEDnesday : aDRESSing details

bonjour, loves :)

{just feeling a little frenchie!}

how are you today?

surviving the week okay, i hope :)

i am surviving...

counting down the minutes and seconds

until dan arrives home from new zealand on saturday!!!

good thing i have had all of you to help keep me company 

while he has been away ;)

as some of you know, 

i already have my wedding gown...

{& i am 100% in love with it!}

but that doesn't keep me from admiring 

the other lovelies out there...

there are just so many gorgeous gowns!!!

the details of a gown can completely captivate...

from intricate beadwork, to lace, to ruffles, to color...

all of these pieces contribute to the individuality of the gown,

which i think should also reflect the bride's personality.

i am personally drawn to beading details... 

sparkly things tend to catch my attention quickly ;)

{can anyone guess what might be on my gown?!}

lace can be quite lovely, too...so sophisticated

...a gown with ruffles is fun & frilly,

while a colored gown is more unexpected.

{ruffles: 1 / 2  beads: 1 / 2  lace: 1 / 2  color: 1 / 2}

what is your favorite detail in a wedding gown?

if you are married, what were the details of your gown?

have a lovely day!

xoxoxo

brynn

color crushing: persimmon + patina + chestnut {+ the BIG 100!}

{persimmon / patina door handle / chestnuts / dresses at bottom - 1 / 2 / 3 / abstract paint splatter}

hello :) how are you today?

eh hem...i am about to go on & on in a mushy rant...

so, let me quickly speak to my current color crush...

persimmon + patina + chestnut

completely inspired by my boss :)

he sent me the photo of the fabulous girl at the top right

and told me that he was crushing on the color combo...

well, naturally, i immediately developed a crush too!

how could i not??!!! 

the depth & the richness of the colors...the boho feeling of it all...

just completely gorgeous :)

{thanks, jeff, for this lovely inspiration!}

. . . . .

i have to say...i am absolutely ecstatic today!!!

& i am not just crushing on color...

there are some very exciting things going on around this ol' blog of mine :)

i just reached the BIG 100!!!!!

yep, that's right! 100 friends of chartreuse & a twist!

i can't tell you ALL enough just how much i appreciate your blog love!

i am crushing on all of you :)

i started this little blog just over a year ago and really had no clue

what this blogging world had to offer...

i have never felt so inspired!

so many of you have opened my eyes and shown me 

incredible & beautiful things...

i have made so many amazing friends 

that i would have otherwise never known about...

you all keep me smiling...you all keep me motivated :)

thank you so much (x100)!!!!!

i heart every single one of you!

{elements of collage: gold / balloons}

have a lovely, lovely day!

xoxoxo

brynn

new york : part two

hello :)

happy monday to you!

did you have a lovely weekend?

i certainly did...

on saturday, i met up with dan's mom & aunt 

and one of my bridesmaids, katie 

to hit the antique capital of washington, which is snohomish...

there is this one little street in snohomish that is adorable 

and filled with cute shops and antique malls...

we found so many great pieces for the wedding!

i can't wait to share the finds with all of you on thursday :)

on sunday, i spent some good girl time

with my friend, terresa...

we did some arts & craftiness in the morning

and had some pretty amazing dim sum for lunch!

all in all it was a great weekend!

{it was nice to keep so busy with dan being away!}

so, i have part two of my nyc trip for you today!!!

from prom to the empire state building to williamsburg...

i had such an amazing last few days of my trip!

{and, of course, the entire trip was fantastic!}

tamra {walks with bella} made my trip so much fun...

thanks a million, lady :) 

now it's your turn to visit me in seattle!!!

i heart you, tamra, and i heart nyc!!!

xoxoxo

any travel plans for any of you?

i can't help but already start to think about the next destination!

p.s. if you missed part one, you can find it here

have a great day!

xoxoxo 

brynn

new york : part one

hello, my lovelies!!!

happy friday :) 

{hooray!}

what are you up to this weekend?

i have lots of girl time planned

{with dan being gone & all!}

and i am looking so forward to it :)

so, i thought that i would get all nyc pictures 

up at once for you, but after filtering through

i realized i had a lot more than i thought!

so, today i have part one for you all...

look forward to part two on monday!!!

have a fantastic weekend!!!

xoxoxo

brynn

little treasures : NY thrifts

hello, friends :)

how are you today?

i just got back from vacation, 

but still feel so ready for the weekend ahead!!!

i am so excited to share with you 

my 6 favorite thrifted finds from my nyc trip!

i have to say... one of the highlights of my trip was

 williamsburg, brooklyn...

thank you so much, tamra {walks with bella},

for taking me to the brooklyn flea market

and introducing me to this fantastic neighborhood!

i felt immediately at home in williamsburg...

{i told my fiance that we must live there...just for a year!)

it was the perfect amount of artsy, funky & hip...

and loaded with tons of vintage goldmines!!!

i found all of the above at the flea market...

it's hard to name a favorite, but it might be those

sweet little polka dot cordial glasses!

though, i am also quite smitten with the eyewear frames...

ever since the eye doc told me i needed glasses, 

i have been on the hunt for the perfect frames...

well, i think i found them :)

now i just can't wait to get my prescription put in!

to my thrifting friends out there...

have you found any new treasures recently?

have a fantastic day!

xoxoxo

brynn

WEDnesday : for the love of books

hello, loves!

happy WEDnesday!!!

i have SO much to share from my NYC trip...

i can't wait! 

but, i {and you all} will have to wait just a couple

more days...still filtering through pics!

in the meantime,

i was walking down 5th and came across the new york public library...

come on sex & the city fans, i know you know what i am talking about...

THE {totally gorgeous} library that carrie & big were to be married at...

well, it got me thinking about the idea of a library wedding {just in general}

so i found some adorable inspirations 

for all of you book worm lovers out there!

1. library card invites

2. adorable library engagement shoot

3. new york public library

4. clever, crafty table numbers

5. wedding party

6. library altar

have a lovely day!!!

xoxoxo

brynn

lots of love

{image via design lovefest / by angela+ithyle}

and i sure am going to have a hard time leaving you!!!
ta ta for now my new friend :)

xoxoxo
brynn

{the weekly eight will as regularly scheduled return next monday}

the wallpaper

hello & happy friday!!!

are you ready for the weekend?!

what kind of fun might you be getting up to?

i am still in ny...loving every minute...and still have days to go!

if you saw yesterday's post, you will probably recognize these little birdies...

{get your very own here}

and some of you might remember a time where i was going to take on 

some diy wall art in honor of some of my bare walls...

well, as you may also remember i decided that {at the time} 

it was too much of a commitment...

now {in my own time} i have been able to work on one project!

actually, it was a very random project that i didn't think through at all

and just instantaneously got inspired to do...

i had friends coming over and i was so tired of looking at this one wall...

so i hopped, skipped & jumped down to my little neighborhood shops

scouring to find something...anything that would fill the space!

first {naturally} i checked the antique mall & other thrift stores...

nothing...

then, i walked into one of my favorite little boutiques, burnt sugar...

and there it was...the answer to boring walls...

the charley harper coloring book of birds

so, i hurried back up the hill as fast as i could &
started ripping pagesfrom the book...and then...
knock, knock, knock...
my friends were at the door...
i was too late!
{after all that!}
so they came upstairs, i grabbed us all a beer & we created this
little birdie wall installation together :)
{simply pinned to the wall with silver metal thumbtacks...easy breezy!}
some days i think...
hmmm...maybe i will actually color them...
{maybe one day when i am finally bored of the black & white}
and then i think...
perhaps i should frame them all...
or perhaps i just love the way they so organically flutter about the wall...
just perhaps :)

have a fantastic day!

xoxoxo
brynn

little treasures : 3 favorite {vintage} coats

hello, friends :)

today, i share with you 3 of my all-time favorite vintage coats...

and i have brought all of them along with me to NYC!

1 > i found this retro mama nearly 13 years ago...truly, cross my heart & kiss my elbows! i purchased this coat at a thrift shop in my home town for $45...got it home & found $20 in the pocket...a true find, to say the least! do any of you remember the brand casual corner? that is where it originates from...and i am going to take a stab in the dark that it dates back to the 70s??? it still makes my heart go roar!

2 > a more recent find...i purchased this leather lovely in a thrift store in brussels a little over a year ago for 50 euro...so about $68 american. i wear this baby with everything from jeans to dresses...i just love it :) i am going to say this is definitely 80s.

3 > this luxurious vintage mink is a very special piece...i did not personally find this one, it was actually handed down to me by a friend/co-worker. it was her husband's grandma's - or mother's - {i can't quite remember at the moment}...but either way, she said that she couldn't see it go to anyone else but me...i felt so incredibly special to receive such  an amazing coat...and it is in perfect condition! i am pretty sure it probably dates back to the 40s.

so, there you have it...a few of my favorite finds...ever!

what are some of your favorite {ever} vintage/thrift finds?

have an amazing day!
xoxoxo
brynn

WEDnesday : old, new, borrowed & blue

{old, new: personal photos / borrowed & blue: hankie / stitch / ride / polish}

hello, loves!

happy WEDnesday to you :)

as you are reading this, i will most likely be en route to NYC!!!

i am so excited i can hardly contain myself...

though, at the moment, it is likely that i am conked out!

a 7am (seattle time) flight means a 5am house departure...

which means little to no sleep the night before :(

trying to tie up all loose ends when i am solo is tough!

but i plan to arrive fresh in the city when my flight lands at 7pm (ny time)

:)

ANYHOW...

onto what this post is really about!

a {traditionally english} wedding tradition 

that dates back to the victorian era... 

old, new, borrowed & blue

{put a sixpence in her shoe}

old & tired or tried & true?

survey says...

personally i am not a very traditional girl...

it's just not really in my nature

BUT

there is something that i actually really love about this tradition...

i think that the symbolism of each piece is special

old = continuity of the bride's heritage

new = optimism & hope for the future

borrowed = remembrance that you can count on your family & friends

blue = ancient Roman brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty & fidelity

{i am not so sure about modesty...eh hem...but love & fidelity i've got!}

and lastly...the sixpence in the shoe...

i actually never thought much about this one, 

but it is meant to represent wealth and financial security...

well, in that case, count me in!

so far, i have my old & new...

my old is an amazing vintage pouch that my mom got for me

my new is an amazing pair of earrings given to me by my grandma

{apparently, they are replicas of marie antoinette's earrings {ooo la la!}...

not the real deal diamond wise...

but that's okay, because i have the real deal on my finger!}

still in search of my borrowed and blue...

loving some of the blue ideas above...especially the car! {dreams}

borroweds are much harder to find inspiration for... 

i guess because it would be so unique to each bride...

what was your borrowed item?

what are your thoughts towards this wedding tradition?

have a lovely day!

xoxoxo 

brynn

color crushing : fig + spice + everything nice

{ watercolor dots / girl at top / girl at bottom / fig / cinnamon / gloves }

hello, friends! 

how are you today? 

this fall weather is making me craaaaaaazy for this palette of 

deep fig, cinnamon and a touch of blush...

isn't it just so nice?!

what colors are you crushing on right now?

have a lovely day!

xoxoxo

brynn

weekly eight : cat eyes, coziness, epoxy & more...

one > to sweeten me up: apple pie oatmeal

two > for my blank bedroom walls: "blue window" by michael carson

three > to feel beautiful: smudged cat eyes

four > because mine have a few snags: new back seam hosiery

five > to be cozy: wanted it so much i bought this cozy cowlneck!

six > to nourish my body: fettuccine w/ shrimp, roasted tomatoes, basil & parmesan

seven > possible diy: epoxy coated vintage desks 

eight > to come home to: these gorgeous floors & beautiful white decor

hello, lovelies!

how was your weekend?

mine was pretty uneventful...

with dan gone i just ran errands and cleaned house on saturday.

then, i came down with a terrible cold on sunday :(

so, my sunday consisted of homemade chicken soup with kale, ginger & brown rice,

loads of hot tea with honey, a sex and the city marathon and a few naps...

oh! and i definitely played the new feist album over and over...

have you listened to it? 

it is definitely melancholy, but nothing short of beautiful...good fall music :)

that was about it for me :)

fingers crossed that i will kick this cold's booty before i fly, fly away on wednesday!

what did you get up to this weekend?

anything you might be wishing for right now?

have a fantastic day!

xoxoxo

brynn

. . .

{ 1 / 2 }

have a beautiful kind of weekend :)

xoxoxo

brynn

adventures ahead : nyc

happy friday, loves!!!

we made it...hooray :)

what are you up to this weekend?

i will be taking it easy & preparing for 

my NYC adventure that i depart for on wednesday!

 yes, i have never properly been to NYC...

can you believe it???!!!

i have traveled abroad several times

but have never actually vacationed in new york.

i was there for work in february of this year,

but definitely did not get to explore and breathe in the culture...

this time around i am doing it right!

i will be staying with a friend in brooklyn...

& spending much of my time with my friend tamra from walks with bella!

this will be our first time actually meeting in person...

so far we have only communicated via skype & e-mail...

tamra is one of the sweetest, kindest, funniest people i have met...

and {obiviously} one of my favorite bloggers!

i can't even explain how excited i am to hang out with such a cool girl :)

oh! & i am ecstatic to be visiting in the fall!

...though my trip is looking like mostly rain...

oh well...i am a seattle girl...i will manage!

what do you love most about new york city?

have a lovely weekend

xoxoxo

brynn

{all nyc images via / fall leaves via / fabulous sequined girl via}