And just like that, it’s Friday (and Valentine’s Day to boot!). I proved to myself this week that when I don’t make a work plan, it’s super hard to get things done!
I kicked off this week on a surprise trip to Florida with my four sisters and niece to celebrate my Mom’s birthday. It was 36 hours of Palm Beach sunshine and stories and laughter and being kids again. We really did nothing but just enjoy each other because we rarely get this kind of time together and it was everything to see my mom so lit up having us all around. At one point, we all piled into our rented SUV as my Dad (who was also surprised to see that we crashed their vacation) drove us to breakfast. “Just like the old days, right, girls?” he asked from the front seat. And for those 36 hours it WAS like the old days and it was awesome.
But re-entry on Tuesday was a beast! Since I hadn’t done my usual Sunday planning for the week, I’ve spent the last several days just trying to catch up. While I managed to stay on top of the deadlines for my “real job,” my blog took a sad back seat. I did, however, keep a running list of small things I wanted to share with you in this week’s “A Few Friday Faves.”
Paloma Contreras is the Honorary Chair for the 2020 Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens: This news made my week! I have been a long-time follower of Paloma Contreras, an award-winning interior decorator, tastemaker, and design blogger based in Houston, Texas. If you haven’t yet read her book Dream, Design, Live–you must! I’m so excited to get to interview Paloma at the end of this month (I’m a total fan girl!). We’re very lucky to have her headlining this important fundraiser for the Infant Welfare Society (IWS) of Chicago. Founded in 1911 with a mission to provide fresh milk in response to high infant mortality rates, IWS now provides an array of services to women and children of Chicago’s working poor through its Logan Square clinic. The Showhouse & Gardens is a biennial event and the only one of its kind on the North Shore. Mark your calendars for April 25 through May 17, 2020 to see the house. Tickets will be on sale March 1. I had a sneak peek of this year’s Showhouse in Lake Forest and it’s another showstopper for sure! Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more about this incredible house, the talented designers, and the benefactor that is changing the lives for so many.
Get Glowing with the Nars Afterglow Overlust Cheek Palette: If you need a little sunshine on these below-zero winter days, hurry on over Bluemercury and pick up one of these Nars Afterglow Overlust Cheek palettes. Anna at Lake Forest’s store told me to use a large application brush and swipe all of the top colors all over my face as the bronzer and use the bottom row all together as a blusher on the apples of my cheeks. It gives my pasty-white face the healthiest glow and just the right amount of color.
Raleigh Bird Totes: As if Lake Forest’s Rebecca Asfour didn’t have enough going on with owning two Dailey Method studios in Lake Forest and Vernon Hills, she’s now stepping her very fashionable toe into fashion with her line of customized bags called Raleigh Bird Totes. These darling durable canvas bags come in two sizes and may be just the accessory you need for spring break! (You can click here to order you own.) If you aren’t already following @dailey.lakeforest on Instagram, please do, as Rebecca often plays hostess to a variety of pop-up shops within her studio where she features other local creative artisans and makers.
Before I let you go, here are a few other things I’m obsessed with this week:
Currently reading: Modern Love, The Best of the New York Times “Modern Love” Column (So amazing! Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s ‘You May Want to Marry My Husband’ is still the best one I’ve ever read and is included in this collection.)
Currently listening to: Open Book, a Memoir by Jessica Simpson (She reads her own story and it’s incredibly moving. And don’t forget to download this from Libro.fm if you decide to take a listen. You support Lake Forest Book Store when you use this service.)
Currently following: My sisters and I can’t stop talking about @sassyconfetti on Instagram. Starring Lake Forest’s Alex Stewart (an alum of the School of St. Mary and Woodlands Academy,) she is out and about and all over downtown Chicago tasting all the food and seeing all the shows. We don’t know how she does it and still manages to work a full-time job. We love her and her cute dad Jim who makes regular appearances!
That’s a wrap! I promise to be better about posting next week as the coming months have so many great things in store for all of us. Happy weekend! And happy Valentine’s Day!
xo,
