alexa chung

i know that alexa chung's new line for madewell has been all over the blogosphere already.

but i cannot get over her blouses. i want them all, but especially the black polka dots.

so simple. so pretty.

holga.

guess who just got this

taking it out for a try today.

pictures to follow.

last days of summer.

happy weekend!

no sense in complaining, but i'm just going to say once:
i don't want this summer to end.

this has been one of the best summers i've had in a long time. full of wonderful people, amazing trips, lots of music, dancing and laughter.

so i am convinced to spend my last weekend of this glorious summer celebrating some of the things i love most about this season:

roadtripping

sipping lemonade

soaking up the sun
cocktails on patios

laying in the hammock
swimming

discovering new places
wearing sundresses

handstands in the grass

car dancing with the windows down

hope y'all have a wonderful last few days of summer!

photos: anna verlet, tim robinson, layka

cookie time.

i stumbled across this amazing chocolately chocolate chip cookie recipe over at cupcakes and cashmere two weeks ago.


i'm not usually a huge chocolate cookie or chocolate cake fan, but these are soft and chewy (bake them for only 8 mins) with the perfect amount of chocolateness. (chocolateness, prob not a real word)

(pictures via cupcakes and cashmere)

make these soon. share them with your friends.

don't forget the milk!

summer reading list.

(image kate spade)

one of my favorite things to do in the summer is read outside -- on the back porch, poolside, wherever. give me a book and sunshine and i am a happy girl. below are the books i am spending my summer reading.

1. the guernsey literary and potatp peel pie society
finished this one a few weeks ago -- this book is full of the most charming characters and makes you want to escape to the guernsey islands circa the 1940s.

2. the girl with the dragon tattoo
oh, hey bandwagon! yep, this is me jumping on.

3. clean by alejandro junger
i already tried out this cleanse for a week and it made me feel amazing after about day 4. plus gwyneth paltrow recommends this book and after watching her in on the road again, i basically think she's a goddess.

4. the summer we read gatsby
currently reading this book and perfect for the summer. tells a story of half-sisters who inherit a aging home in the hamptons and the adventures and love they find over one eventful summer together. a tale about sisters seems only fitting for our family vacation book club choice :)

5. the girls from ames
recommended from one of my oldest friends from home. AND it's a story about women from IOWA who maintain a 40-year friendship.

weekend plan:

(blake himsl hunter)


happy friday! enjoy the weekend.

summer playlist.

some tunes for summer: perfect for sitting on the back porch sipping arnold palmers or road trippin' back up north.

image via katie coleslaw

rocket - goldfrapp
solsbury hill - peter gabriel
inside and out - feist
airplanes - B.o.B
too young - phoenix
never too late - michael franti
two weeks - grizzly bear
ginger snaps - dean & britta
maneater - the bird and the bee
this must be the place - talking heads