Happy Valentine’s Day!!

This year Valentine’s Day really caught me off guard!

We did our spontaneous Valentine’s date on Saturday and decided to stay in today. Restaurants get way too crowded on a night like today so we are just making a yummy roast and enjoying some quality time.

I promised to do my best and stay away from the computer. Which means minimum twitter, instagram, and blogging (good thing for scheduled posts!). Of course I don’t mind staying away on love day.

Oh and just in case you didn’t know, I love you all for all the support, kind comments and tweets, and friendships that you bring to this blog. Hope you have a beautiful day – and eat lots of chocolate! ;)

xo,

Meli

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Jelly Loves: Bloom Design Studio

I know it’s Monday but we need to have a serious talk. It’s about a flower crown – when can I wear something as beautiful as this? The movies? A birthday party? Or would this only work for the day I receive an invite to the Grammys (because singers can get away with fashion murder and no one points and stares).

Regardless, I will find an event in my life where I could wear one of these beautiful flower crowns from Bloom Design Studio. They are totally gorgeous and every lady should wear one. :)

To see more beautiful flower creations visit Bloom Design Studio’s Etsy shop.

xo,

Meli

UPDATE – I received a lovely email from Laura offering a 20% off coupon code for all Blush + Jelly readers. Make sure to type “XOXO4ME” when purchasing from Bloom Design Studio.

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My Insta Weekend: 02.13.12

Friday night adventure with Melissa Chic and our very kind and understanding Husbands.

Early morning baking while waiting for the in-laws.

My Honey having an indoor skydiving experience.

Tied my scarf in a bow. Think it might make people think I am fashionable.

The Honey and I. Ready for a spontaneous date night.

Sparkling sangria totally rocks my world!

An extremely cold Sunday afternoon walk around town.

Love our new town. :)

This weekend was filled with fun adventures. Friday night The Honey and I got together with Melissa Chic and her Hubby for dinner and a Breaking Dawn adventure. We were so psyched to watch a sneak peek of Breaking Dawn Part 2. ;)

My in-laws came into town on Saturday morning and we went to iFly, which is an indoor skydiving experience. I decided to sit it out, but enjoyed watching the Honey spin in mid-air.

We also enjoyed a late night spontaneous dinner date and celebrated Valentine’s Day at the local wine bar with paninis and sparkling sangria. Yum!

How was your weekend? Did you celebrate Valentine’s Day ahead of time or planning something special for the weekday?

xo,

Meli

Images by Blush + Jelly

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The Cookie Challenge // Week 6: Chocolate Turtle Cookies

Let me tell you something about these cookies – if you are on a diet, trying to avoid sweets, or breaking up with chocolate then I suggest you skip to the next post.

But for those of you who enjoy living on the edge then these cookies are for you!

They are soft, crunchy, gooey, and just the right amount of sweetness. Plus, they are super fun to make. At first I thought this was going to end up being a cookie fail because a few cookies broke when removing them from the tray – turns out it was the complete opposite.

A total cookie win. Try these!

Original Recipe: Chocolate Turtle Cookies by Pixelated Crumb

xo,

Meli

Image by Blush + Jelly

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Latest Obsession: Vintage Barware

The moment that The Honey and I found our new apartment I already knew what had to go in it: a bar cart!

All the bar carts that I feel in love with were over $300 and I just can’t bring myself to spend so much on a cart. Instead of buying one I plan on creating one with a little kitchen cart (this might call for a DIY post). ;)

So I’ve been browsing Etsy’s vintage section and I am absolutely obsessed with vintage barware. When my cart is ready I am going to have to stock up on a few of these pretties.

What do you think is a must have item for a bar cart?

xo,

Meli

Sources: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

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Be Inspired: Keep Calm

Let me honest for a minute – I’ve been feeling extremely overwhelmed. My new job has been challenging and when I get home I get straight to work on some web projects for Jelly Design Studio. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining. I know I am extremely blessed.

I am enjoying my new job and my co-workers are really nice. And the fact that I have some web projects happening with some very talented people makes me feel so excited and eager.

My issue is that I feel like I am in a pool of to-do lists, post-it notes, emails, and calendars that never stop. Tomorrow I plan to bake when I get home. Baking is always a great outlet for me and helps me relax. I know everything will work out and I shouldn’t stress things as much as I do and I promise to try to keep it together.

How do you keep calm? I really need your secrets. :)

xo,

Meli

Image by Jocelyn C Photography

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What I Wore: Lucky Outfit

I’ve wanted to share these images for a while now but haven’t had the time with all the commotion that has been going in the past few weeks. This was the outfit that I was wearing while hanging out with my Honey after my big interview. About an hour after these pictures I received the call that changed everything (in an amazing way!).

That same day we found an amazing apartment in our new city.

Lately this has been my favorite outfit, maybe because I feel like this is my lucky outfit. Think I should wear this when buying a lottery ticket? I’ll let you know how that goes. ;)

Details of What I Wore: Dress from Forever21, Belt from Francesca’s, Sweater from Old Navy, Jeans from Urban Outfitters, Flats from Target, Purse from Kate Spade

Do you have a lucky outfit? I would love to see it!

Xo,

Meli

Images by The Hubs

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Home Decor: Colorful Chairs

Lately I’ve been obsessed with home decorating. Moving into a new place is challenging but definitely fun when it comes to finding new places for your goodies and buying a few new things to display. ;)

Our old apartment was very tiny so our furniture was very tiny as well. We didn’t notice this until we placed our dinning table in a bigger space. Now it looks like it’s meant to be a table for two or the seven dwarfs.

My latest project is to invest in a nice dinning table that can fill up the room a little better and the chairs will definitely be colorful and unmatched like in this picture from Bright Bazaar.

Are you into mixing things up at home? Any tips on making this look just right? Would love to hear about it!

xo,

Meli

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Jelly Loves: Vapor.Qualquer

One of my favorite things about Etsy is all the amazing prints you can find for your walls. It’s affordable art and truly unique and beautiful.

This is where Vapor.Qualquer comes in.

I first feel in love with Vapor.Qualquer when I spotted this “Let’s Get Lost” print (which is totally on my birthday wish list!).  The rest was instant love. How can you resist a print of a penguin with the words “Be Cool” – you just can’t say no. ;)

To see more work by Vapor.Qualquer visit their Etsy shop or Blog.

xo,

Meli

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My Insta Weekend: 02.06.12

Early Saturday morning, heading to the flea market (P.S. – I’m wearing makeup)

Picked up this trunk (which is now a coffee table) for only $10! Love it!

Doing a little decorating

Late night at the local Pub

Stripes on Sunday morning

Sunday Church.

Superbowl food! Yum!

This was the first full weekend that we spent in our new home and it was amazing. Saturday we discovered the local flea markets and ended up with a super bargain! We found a shabby chic trunk for only $10. I freaked out when I saw the price and grabbed that trunk like a mad woman, even though no one was trying to steal it from me. We then took the trunk home and I went on a decorating craze.

Sunday we went to the local church for a lovely mass and then did a little shopping. We then spent most of the day at home and I prepped some delicious loaded nachos for Superbowl viewing (read: Honey watched the Superbowl while I worked on a new website project). Haha!

So how was your weekend? I would love to hear about it! ;)

xo,

Meli

(Images by Blush + Jelly)

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