what is your favorite street style blog? i always love finding new ones.

i always love when bloggers show detail shots of their accessories. today we are giving away & beautiful ariel gordon friendship bracelet & love knot ring over on my facebook page! i was looking for a little gold ring i could wear all the time with my other rings. this rose gold one never comes off now. click here to win them!

KATIE’S ANSWERS:

someone on pinterest that inspires me:
kate spade new york’s boards bring a lot to the table

favorite font website:
i’m a frequent user of what the font. i am attracted to a lot of type is see out in the world so i snap pictures and upload them to the site. it doesn’t always work, but it’s nice to have.

a site you might not know about:
amass blog a collection of beautiful type and design

a designer i love:
i have a design crush on the team at house industries

a resource i can’t live without:
my google reader. everything i want to read and save in one place.

BRI’S ANSWERS:

someone on pinterest that inspires me:
anne louise & paperfashion

favorite font website:
i really like youworkforthem

a site you might not know about:
cargo collective is a great place to build a stylish portfolio for free!

a designer i love:
that kelli anderson is legit!

a resource i can’t live without:
i might be late to the game, but i just found out about using google images to track down my photo sources (so that i can credit properly!) if you simply drag the photo over the magnifying glass here, it will bring up all the places that photo lives on the internet. pretty cool.

(illustration by katie evans. lots more advice over here!)

this is when i called in my favorite balloon trooper, jihan from geronimo balloons to create a dreamy tulle balloon. she knew exactly what to do. and that flowing beaded wonder of a dress? that’s an anna sui creation from BHLDN! the sequin details on that dress were beyond impressive. and i will say, it felt a little like my wedding day when i put that gown on…

the second neutral look was this short lace dress with lots of layered jewelry. and this vintage parasol added a nice texture.

when we are shooting these style shoots, i will say there are a few things that make it easier for me. since i am not a model, i sometimes find these shoots difficult because i am not sure what to do with my body or my face. something that makes it more natural is to have props. having something to interact with makes the photos less “hey i’m a model and i’m posing” and more like a story.

i love how max takes the direction that i give him and creates this dream world with the photos. he has such a talent for seeing a scene and looking at it in an abstract & artful way.

and speaking of art…my boyfriend shot a behind the scenes video that literally made my jaw drop. he has created a very very special video that i am excited to share with you next week!

as usual, here is how you can get the look (wouldn’t this be an adorable bridesmaid outfit?)…

delicate rings / lace dress / chiffon pom shoe clips / bracelet / star tiara / vintage parasol

…and make your own collection right here. it’s a great way to pull items for a shoot and keep them all organized! this was outfit my mood board.

photography: max wanger
art direction: bri emery & jen gotch
styling: jen pinkston
hair & makeup: alex michael may
sponsored by: beso

courtesy of BHLDN: spirit of the moon heels, star tiara, sheer dome food covers, anna sui gown

you can take a look at all of the past style posts here! like last week’s floral explosion.

1 the weaver house postcards / 2 washi tape / 3 neon string & metallic twine / 4 polaroids / 5 little gold scissors / 6 penguin book postcards / 7 yellow balloons

shop: artwork / necklace / shoes / laptop case / keyring / book / arrows / eyeglass case / collar / ring

(need more color in your life? see all the colorfest posts here!)

see the full house tour over here!

i will be headed to san diego to spend some time with my boyfriend’s family for mother’s day (happy mother’s day to YOU in chicago, mom. love you!). arian’s dad is persian and his mom is spanish and there’s always wonderful authentic home cooked food whenever we visit. i’m full just thinking about all the rice i am about to consume. here’s to everybody eating well & sending love to their moms this weekend!

i love this photo of my grandparents, my mom & her brothers & sisters. check out her red hot shorts!

what you’ll need:
- sewing machine (don’t be scared, this is easy)
- 1 1/4 yard of fabric (for an 18×18 pillow)
- coordinating thread
- pins
- scissors
- ruler and straight edge if you have one
- yarn
- yarn needle
- 4 medium sized beads (we used a wooden one)
- cardboard cut to roughly 3×4 inches
- 18 x 18 inch pillow insert (we got ours at west elm)

how to make the tassel (reference photo below)
- wrap yarn around a piece of cardboard. I like a nice pouffy tassel with lots of attitude so I do this
about 50-60 times.
- slip yarn off cardboard being careful to keep the loops neat.
- take a piece of yarn about 18 inches long and slip bead onto it. now use that piece of yarn to tie one end of your loops with the bead on the inside. tie it nice and tight, maybe even take the yarn around a second time to really secure the loops.
- now cut the bottom of the loops in half.
- smooth the yarn around the bead and tie a piece of yarn at the bottom of the bead. (the bead helps the top of the tassel to have a very round shape)
- now trim the bottom of the tassel so that the ends are all even. this is my favorite part, it’s like a little tassel hair cut.

how to make the pillow cover (reference animated photo below)
- measure and cut three pieces of fabric: 1 piece at 18.5 x 18.5 inches and 2 pieces at 18.5 x 13 inches
**helpful tip, I like to make a pattern out of a thick piece of paper so that I can easily make new covers in the future. I also find it a little easier to measure straight lines on paper than on fabric.

- on the two smaller pieces fold one long edge over twice and sew flat
- lay your larger piece with the right side up.
- now lay one of the smaller pieces down so that the unfinished edge lines up with the top, right side facing down and then lay the second piece down in the same way so that it lines up with the bottom edge. The two pieces should overlap several inches in the middle.
- pin around the edges and then sew together giving yourself a 1/2 inch seam allowance on all sides.

then:
- clip corners on a 45 degree angle taking care to leave a little fabric between the stitching and where you cut. This step helps your corners stay sharp.
- turn pillow cover inside out.
- to attach tassels use a yarn needle and feed the long loose ends of your tassel through the corner of your pillow case. I like to feed one through each side of the pillow so that I can make a nice secure knot on the inside with just a little bit of fabric in between.

finally!
- insert pillow form
- throw them all up on your sofa, pillow party!

let us know if you make them & tweet @designlovefest some photos of them!

(photos & creations by natalie shriver – see more DIY projects here!)

what to do:
•  first, do not be alarmed by the ingredients. they are for several different butters.
•  always start with the base of the 8 tablespoons of softened butter in a small food processor.

and then mix in…
•  lime juice, lime zest and chili powder and spread it on some corn. yes, please!
•  or, garlic and rosemary to smother on grilled bread (and maybe sprinkle some parmesan cheese over the top)
•  curry and cumin to spice up baked fish (i put a square on top of a piece of fish, loosely wrap in foil and then bake)

•  honey and vanilla for waffles
•  cinnamon and sugar. i like to add this to quinoa and strawberries for a breakfast treat

•  salt and pepper for just about anything.  if you’re a meat eater, a dab on top of a steak is pretty supreme.

don’t be afraid to play around with your own ingredients.  the possibilities are endless, and these guys are really hard to mess up. good luck and let us know what fun combos you come up with!

{ column + photos by jen gotch, design by designlovefest – want more recipes? go here! }