scenes from the weekend

♥ polaroid taken by ty, of their pup Mac.

♥ wrapping paper serving as a tablecloth, for a bday party sierra & i threw.

♥ apparently salt shakers have steel tops. i liked the dent.

♥ our newest thrifted purchase. a vintage sofa for our new home.

♥ happy heart bracelet from ted.

♥ the ever popular pink victoria's secret, after a very dreaded bra shopping trip.

♥ the best toast in the world from cracker's & co...of course.

♥ zach serenading us on the guitar.

♥ cutey mac dog.

how was your weekend? what did you do? anyone start Prison Break after my post? ha!

olivia blogsits

i have a dream, and in this dream i meet olivia. she makes dinner for me, and bakes a dessert, and then we walk around charleston.

through olivia's blog, i have truly fallen in love with her life. her photos are GORGEOUS. she has great friends.

she loves to bake and to cook (good girl! i love those things too!) and she lives in such a beautiful place.

and olivia is sooooo sweet. you will just love her.

1. Who would win in a fight, Harry Potter or Chuck Norris?

In high school, I was an active member of the Harry Potter club and I once made a Harry Potter birthday cake. Enough

2. What is your favorite way to spoil yourself?

Buying flowers regularly, manicures, long baths, wine and cheese dates, sunset walks, dinner parties with friends, caramel salted brownies, brunch every Sunday... I could go on. I am all about self-spoiling.

3. What is your favorite photo of yourself?

Currently this one of me looking out over the rooftops of Charleston. I think it captures my content but thoughtful spirit as of late.

4. If you could meet any celebrity, who would it be?

Ryan Gosling. I feel fairly confident we would fall in love and get married.

5. What makes you feel pretty?

I feel prettiest when I'm happy and smiles come naturally - when I'm proud of the things I'm doing and I'm spending time with the people I love.

6. What is your favorite smell?

The scent of honeysuckle and jasmine that linger in the air during Charleston in the springtime. Pies and bread and biscuits fresh from the oven. Also garlic!

7. What is your happiest memory?

So many happy memories, but lately I've been dreaming about my family's Thanksgiving spent at our beach house, a little sanctuary from the world. We all felt so content and happy just being together -- cooking and talking and hanging out in a gorgeous setting for a week. My sister made an awesome movie about it.

8. What is the most useful gadget in your house?

My oven! It is my favorite thing in the world, considering it allows me to bake things like triple-stuffed oreos.

9. What room in your house makes you feel the happiest?

The kitchen! If I didn't have to, I would never leave.

10. Who is your favorite person?

I have an indescribable closeness with everyone in my family, but for the sake of this question I will say my younger sister Isabel. She is the most beautiful and elegant 17-year-old I've ever met (I am not biased) and she makes me spit out drinks from laughing too hard on a regular basis. I love her.

thanks, olivia!

you can find olivia's blog here and twitter here.

PS...i will be back tomorrow! big thank you to michelle, mara, stacey, nicole and olivia...you girls were lifesavers!

a few questions...

have been getting a few similar requests through emails, so i will answer here, and then update my FAQ section, so that you can always quick reference it.

how do you do your eye makeup?

this is an incredibly awkward video i made for you guys...and the volume sucks. so turn it up full blast:

what are some of your favorite places to buy vintage online?

there are many vintage stores online that i love to browse, but these are the ones i have purchased from more than once. they all have great packaging and speedy delivery and a wonderful selection of items:

vanda vintage

fine and dandy vintage

twitch vintage

sally jane vintage

opal vintage

i'm visiting phoenix, where are some great places to eat?

i live in the suburb city of mesa, that borders phoenix, and we rarely venture into the big city, because we are lame. so i can give you our favorites from our neck of the woods.

cracker's & co - blogged here & here & here

flancer's - blogged here

sweet cakes - blogged here

venezia's - blogged here & here

rigatony's - blogged here

queen's pizzeria - blogged here

asia - blogged here

liberty market - blogged here

i am in need of some new blogs to read. what are some of your favorites?

all of my favorites are listed here. i am constantly updating it, so i would check back often.

and that's all :)

nicole blogsits

hope everyone is having a glorious sunday!

today i am so thrilled to introduce you to my beautiful friend, nicole!

she finds happiness in everything, and truly writes beautiful, inspiring words.

nicole is a great example to me, and i am proud to call her a friend!

plus...she has the cutest blog name ever. "teacups in peony"...CUTE!

1. Who would win in a fight, Harry Potter or Chuck Norris?

i feel like i'm supposed to yell "chuck norris ftw!!" but my loyalty lies with harry:) a wizard over a martial arts muggle any day!

2. What is your favorite way to spoil yourself?

like any girl i could shop every day of my life, but it always leaves me feeling a little guilty to spend the money i really don't have! one thing i always love to do is splurge just a bit on new bath products and then go home and take the longest bubble bath in history. hooking up my ipod, lighting a few candles and adding a few drops of lavender oil to my bathwater is the perfect way to spoil myself and cure any bad mood.

3. What is your favorite photo of yourself?

i have two! the first one (of my beautiful friend katie and i) is from early in the morning on black friday. that whole night was so much fun and it captures such a great moment. it's nice to look back and remember. the second photo is from this past summer with one of my absolute favorite kids of all time, America. this little girl changed my life and every time i see this photo i notice the joy in my eyes and her silly little smirk and it never ceases to encourage me.

4. If you could meet any celebrity, who would it be?

garrett hedlund! swoooon. this is one of the many things i love about lauren is our shared appreciation for garrett. ever since country strong and his deep yummy voice i've dreamed of hearing it in person!

5. What makes you feel pretty?

i feel prettiest when i take the time for me. it might not even be getting all dolled up but if i cancel out all the other things going on in my life and take a morning or afternoon alone it re energizes me and makes me feel good about myself. being around people i love also does it. i think the happiness inside me from being around these people just shows through everything and in turn gives me confidence.

6. What is your favorite smell?

ever since i was little my mom wore a perfume called noa. she still searches out perfume outlets to find it because it expired years ago. it's such a wonderful smell and the memories attached to it are pretty great too:)

7. What is your happiest memory?

i'm sure there are a bunch that could compete for my happiest memory, especially from years ago but in the last few years there's one that sticks out the most in my mind. i had a long drawn out break up from my boyfriend of 4 years. during one of our very low points i had taken off time from work to deal with everything going on. one night after going through this for about a week, one of my best friends went into labor. (katie, the girl in the photo with me above.) she delivered her sweet little girl, hartley at about 2am. that whole night and everything tagged to it is my happiest memory. after feeling so low and down that little baby lying in the nursery brought me so much hope.

8. What is the most useful gadget in your house?

the most useful gadget in my house... hmm... ha! honestly, it's probably my dvr box. i wish it were some cool new gadget that no one's ever heard of but let's admit it... he brings me episodes of friends every night and i don't know what i'd do without him.

9. What room in your house makes you feel the happiest?

our kitchen. it brings in the most light and whether it's watching someone else cook/bake or it's me playing music and baking something i love it's such a happy place.

10. Who is your favorite person

i have so many! i'm definitely surrounded by amazing people every day. my favorite person out of everyone would have to be my dad. he's always been so special to me but after his stroke last year and our huge life change after, i've witnessed such bravery and strength in a man i already held on a pedestal. he's always in a great mood and works hard to take care of our family. i owe him a lot.

thanks, nicole!

you can find nicole's blog here, and her twitter here.

stacey blogsits

my girl, stacey, is seriously the most darling and fashionable girl on the planet.

her and her husband Chris, just moved to chicago, and i am so jealous of their new life adventure!

her blog is full of pretty photos, love, restaurant reviews and great fashion.

oh, and did i mention she has AN AMAZING online shop?

basically stacey is the bomb diggity bombspice :)

1. Who would win in a fight, Harry Potter or Chuck Norris?

DUH!! Harry Potter of course! I mean he has a lightning bolt on his forehead!!! He can do anything!

2. What is your favorite way to spoil yourself?

Go thrift store shopping by myself, and buy something amazing for our home! I literally get giddy with excitement, and dance around when I find something I love & actually get to bring it home with me! I also love going to a really nice restaurant with my husband, and eating the best meal of our lives!!!

3. What is your favorite photo of yourself?

I have two! The first is a photo Chris took of me where I have no make-up on, and my face is clear (See answer to number 5)! This rarely happens, so I love it for that reason.

The second one is of me and my husband, taken by the uber talented film photographer Jonathan Canlas.

4. If you could meet any celebrity, who would it be?

Ina Garten! I have loved her for years! I would die to have dinner with her at her house!! I literally think about her daily!

5. What makes you feel pretty?

A good nights rest, a long shower, and a pimple free face!!

6. What is your favorite smell?

The anthropologie candle that is constantly burning in my house. It is literally the best smell in the world! I also love the smell of my kitchen when I am roasting a chicken!!

7. What is your happiest memory?

I have the worst memory, so I will tell my most recent happiest memory: Our first night in Chicago (where we just moved to), eating at the most amazing restaurant right around the corner from our new house, and realizing this was the best move we ever did! Knowing this is the place we are supposed to be in at this moment, and having it feel instantly like home!

8. What is the most useful gadget in your house?

The TV remote control. I think we forget how amazing that little thing is, because who dares think about how annoying it would be to have to actually move to change the channel!??!

9. What room in your house makes you feel the happiest?

My front room, because it feels like home, and hosts the most comfortable couch in the world (note comment above... I am the ultimate couch potato)!

10. Who is your favorite person?

My husband, Chris, of course! No one makes me laugh harder, or makes me feel prettier! Love him I do!

thanks, stacey!

you can find her blog here, twitter here and shop here!

mara blogsits

i am happy to introduce you to the gorgeous and incredibly sweet, Mara.

seriously, if we were to give an award to the sweetest blogger, it would be her.

her relationship with her fiance, Matthew, is so sweet. their love shines through her blog.

i love having her as a friend, and i know you all will love her too!

1. Who would win in a fight, Harry Potter or Chuck Norris?

While Harry Potter does have an edge with magic, I'd have to go with Chuck Norris every time. Did you know that China was once bordering the United States, until Chuck Norris roundhouse kicked it all the way through the Earth? And when the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night he checks his closet for Chuck Norris. I think if I don't pick Chuck Norris he'll beat me up..

2. What is your favorite way to spoil yourself?

Going to get a manicure! It's such a little and often short lived luxury (having them chip a couple days later is no bueno) but it's so nice to just sit back and relax for a half hour. Also I love picking out fun colors!

3. What is your favorite photo of yourself?

I love the photos that Jose Villa took of me and Matthew last summer. This is one of my favorites!

4. If you could meet any celebrity, who would it be?

hm I'd say Natalie Portman. I think she's just such a beautiful and smart person. I have a feeling we'd be friends!

5. What makes you feel pretty?

When Matthew gives me a certain look I feel pretty! He tells me I'm prettiest with no makeup on, which is hard to believe, but super sweet! I also feel pretty when I'm happy and smiling :)

6. What is your favorite smell?

I love the smell of my mom's perfume. It brings me back to these old and wonderful memories. I just want to hold onto them forever!

7. What is your happiest memory?

My happiest memory was last September 17th. Matthew proposed to me in the city where we met and fell in love. While I was expecting it in the next few months, I didn't see it coming that evening. He told me all these sweet things and I just remember how I felt and how he looked. Such a great memory!

8. What is the most useful gadget in your house?

I'd say my letter opener! It's nice to not have to rip open letters and get those nasty paper-cuts. It also serves as a paperweight, and if anyone breaks into my house I can use it as a weapon! haha

9. What room in your house makes you feel the happiest?

While I love my bedroom I think I'm going to pick my kitchen. It's small but is full of so many great tools and it fosters a lot of creativity and inspiration. I love cooking and baking, it's when I feel the happiest!

10. Who is your favorite person?

Matthew is my favorite person in the whole wide world! I'm so lucky to have found a man that loves me for who I am and accepts my weird little qualities. He truly is my best friend and I can't wait to say, "I Do" in a couple months!! As for my favorite animal, that would be my dog Ginger!

thank you, Mara!

you can find her blog here, and her twitter here!

michelle blogsits.

i have been feeling extremely run down, and incredibly uninspired lately.

instead of being down in the dumpies about it, i am going to take a few days to regroup and relax.

i have interviewed five of the coolest and sweetest girls in the universe.

you will be hearing from one of them each day for the next few days and i'm so excited for you guys to meet them!

today you have the pleasure of meeting my beautiful friend, Michelle.

she has the cutest blog, that has beautiful photos and happy stories about her and her boyfriend.

i am so happy to have Michelle as a friend!

1. Who would win in a fight, Harry Potter or Chuck Norris?

Harry Potter. Obviously if he can beat Voldemort with expelliarmus, he can defeat a muggle.

2. What is your favorite way to spoil yourself?

My very favorite thing to do is to put on my pajama pants, make a big mug of hot cocoa, grab a little snack, and catch up on TV shows online. And maybe a little bit of online shopping while I'm at it...

3. What is your favorite photo of yourself?

I have 2 favorites right now. The first one is of me and my boyfriend Jordan in Vegas last month. Oh, and Fake Elvis.
My other favorite is of me and my cousin Nic when we were little. Apparently my outfit is a result of Nic playing dress-up with his younger cousin. He was obviously a child of good taste.

4. If you could meet any celebrity, who would it be?

Darren Chriss. He created A Very Potter Musical and now he's in Glee, both are some of my very favorite things to watch. Oh, and the fact that he's ridiculously cute doesn't hurt either.

5. What makes you feel pretty?

Taking the time each morning to do my hair and makeup the way I like and thoughtfully choosing my outfit for the day. It's really simple, but if I start off my day confident about how I look, I feel pretty for the rest of the day.

6. What is your favorite smell?

Montana in the springtime. No matter where you go, everything smells so alive and fresh and natural. I grew up loving it and it's still my favorite thing ever.

7. What is your happiest memory?

You should know that my brothers will kill me for telling anyone this, but it's too great to keep to myself. When I was 12, me, my sister, and my brothers were opening presents on Christmas morning. There was one present left and it had all four of our names on it. It hardly weighed anything, so we didn't think it was going to be very interested. Finally we opened it, peeled through what seemed like a million layers of tissue paper and finally found our...tickets to see N Sync in concert!!! We were all screaming and jumping around the room because we were so excited! It was the greatest day ever!

Even though my brothers will never read this, I feel like I should mention that they were 10 and 8 at the time, so they weren't too cool for boy bands yet. And it was the greatest concert ever.

8. What is the most useful gadget in your house?

The dishwasher. I detest washing dishes with all my heart.

9. What room in your house makes you feel the happiest?

My bedroom. It's light, my bed is insanely comfortable, I can see all of my clothes and shoes while I'm still in bed in the morning, and it's where I cuddle with my cat.

10. Who is your favorite person?

My family and Jordan. I can't pick just one because they all make my life so wonderful.

thank you, michelle!

here is michelle's blog and twitter :)

happy birthday...

happiest of birthdays to my bestest friend in the whole wide world...

my mama! today my mom turns 29...can you believe it?!

just kidding...add 20 years to that. sorry mom, i just told the internetz your age.

but seriously, i love my mama, and i hope all of you wish her a happy birthday.

because she moderates all of my comments and she will be reading them anyway!

so get to it :)

oh, and here is a birthday song, ya filthy animal:

getting to knoooow you.

i have noticed there are a lot of new readers lately, and i think it high time we all got to know each other better :)

i will list 10 things you might not know about me, and then YOU can list however many things you'd like to tell me about you :) it will be fun!

1. i hate the sound of velcro. it LITERALLY makes me gag. it always has, and probably always will.

2. i was born and raised in mesa arizona. i will live here my whole life, and probably die here. this sometimes makes me sad to think, but this is where family is...and family is the most important thing to me.

3. i love taco bell, and it is my fast food restaurant of choice. the baja chalupa is the best. i recognize that it isn't legit mexican food. i would know this...i live in arizona, surrounded by a lot of legit mexican food. however, it doesn't discount the fact that taco bell is in fact, delicious.

4. people often mistake ted as being only my boyfriend...we have been married for over 2 years :)

5. i never follow recipes when cooking. it makes it hard to give people my recipes when i don't really know what to tell them. haha! i usually guesstimate for people that ask, and pray it turns out for them.

6. i am REALLY good at geography. i won the geography bee for my grade level in 5th grade

.

7. i haven't been any farther than texas in the united states. but i have been to europe.

8. i am double jointed and can bend back my thumbs to catastrophic angles. it's awesome and disgusting.

9. i am a very good listener. i can listen to people for hours. but im not very good at advice.

10. i have a serious love for the website, IMDB. i often wonder how i lived my life before this database came to pass. i mean, how would i have known Wentworth Miller starred in a Mariah Carey music video, had it not been for IMDB? the same goes for wikipedia. they bring tears to my eyes. not really, but just roll with it.

now your turn! i look forward to getting to know you! xo

scenes from the weekend.

♥ sketch book

♥ cake pop from treats by traci

♥ fav new dress from fine & dandy

♥ pretty mesa temple

♥ homemade rolls by me

♥ fav little beatles pins from karen

sponsors for march.

would you like to sponsor busy bee lauren in the month of march? all of the cool kids are doing it.

february was a fabulous month, and it brought about over 500 new followers...cuh-raze-eee!

anyway, there are a few options here:

a. if you are a shop owner, artist, musician, photographer or all around awesomespice human person, and would like some exposure for your website, email me for affordable rates. if you would like to reserve a spot for a giveaway in the month of march, email faster because those spots go like hotcakes. i don't even know what the means, but i hear it in movies alot. okay, i know what it means...but it should be, "they go fast like ipads for sale at target" or something like that.

b. if you would like me to wear an item from your shop, and then link to your site when i feature it in a daily outfit post, you can email me and we can chat. we can even chat about other things too if you are bored. i am down for that. i am also down for eating a cookie right now, but that is a different story.

the end.

how to draw a domo.

oh hai...i got bangs.

i seem to do that twice a year. i get lazy. grow them out. then need an easy change.

but this time they are a little thicker than normal (per my request to my mama)...so getting lazy and growing them out probably won't be an option...teehee.

anyway...so how was your weeked? was it awesomespice? i know mine was.

i watched entirely too much "Prison Break"...actually scratch that...there is never TOO much of that.

seriously...i love love love, guys. best show since watching LOST, in my opinion!

anyway anyway...

i was on tumblr today, and i saw this glorious little doo-da and basically had heart palpitations.

check it ouuuuuut:

darling. awesomespice. and RADICALLLLL!

so i said, "lauren...you are going to draw a Domo." and i rushed off to find my sketch book!

and here is how it went down...

man...Domo might be hungry...but i'm ravenous!

so, peace out suckkkahs!