Happy APRIL! I can’t believe I’m saying that… weren’t we JUST toasting to the new year?

I had about 100 good April Fools pranks planned today, and I just didn’t get to any of them. I’m a little bummed but I guess there’s always next year! Watch out, roommate and boyfriend.

Our Europe trip is getting closer and closer and I couldn’t be more excited. I’m going crazy planning out our itinerary, trying to plan my outfits, finding new luggage, etc. Isn’t it crazy how planning for a trip is SO stressful? I guess I shouldn’t complain because I’m literally going to Europe and the fact that I can do that is such a blessing. But I digress.

I finished such a good book this week: Educated by Tara Westover. It’s such an incredible memoir and this woman is so strong. I highly recommend, especially on Audible (which is where I listened!). I’m also in the middle of this book and just can’t put it down.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter, Passover, or weekend!

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This Week’s Links:

This is dark and hilarious–Garfield strips minus Garfield (the cat). Thanks to my brother for sending me this one!

I recently joined Book of the Month Club and have been LOVING it. Side note: I didn’t realize this club was, like, 100 years old until recently. It was definitely a d’oh moment when I found out! I thought it was a new, hip, millennial, algorithm-based thing, ha!

Camille Styles shares her top tips for throwing the perfect party.

I finally used my KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker attachment and honestly it’s my new favorite toy.

I am such a big fan of Lucy Cuneo’s photography work and just found out she has a really amazing blog! She goes over her best Instagram tips here and I think they’re worth looking at. Now to start a gofundme for a piece of hers…

A few tips for keeping conversations going at dinner parties (or any other social situation, really). Keep people off their phones!

I’ve always wanted one of these: a DIY Holly Golightly sleep mask!

This GORGEOUS cake makes me even more excited for our Paris trip next month!

Speaking of Paris, this ultimate guide to Paris helped me so much with my itinerary.

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From The Blog:

Know someone traveling this summer? The perfect gifts for the travel bug.

Your health questions, answered by a naturopath.

How I spring clean my body, space, and mind.

A cute lil’ spring tea party with Paper Source!

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Quote of the Week:

There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise.

-Unknown

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Summer 2017 in review:

May started with my cousin Melissa’s bachelorette party in Chicago! The Cubs game got rained out so we went axe throwing instead. This was a perfect alternative and such a good time!

Tori and I spent Memorial Day in Cincinnati with her friends from college. These people know how to party and it took me days to recover.

Taryn and I went to Beadniks in Wicker Park and made jewelry!

I went on a girls trip to NYC with some of my girlfriends from Phoenix. I miss them so much!

June began with Taryn’s bachelorette party in New Orleans. I’m obsessed with her and NOLA.

Then it was my cousin Melissa’s wedding in Chicago! It was truly the best wedding ever and the whole weekend just could not have gone better.

The next weekend, Idan’s sister and brother in law came to town so we did allllllll the touristy things with them.

Taryn’s bridal shower was that same weekend at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba. How cute is she?

Then, Idan and I escaped for 10 days to Mexico City and Cabo. You can read all about that trip here.

The weekend directly after that, Idan and I went to Ann Arbor to move him into his apartment – he started business school this summer!

A few short days after returning from Michigan, I went off to NYC (again) for a quick 24-hour work trip. That trip being the New York office’s summer party!

After all of that madness, I relaxed. For a bit. I went on some boats, watched movies, joined a new gym, and tried to settle in a bit.

Then…

I threw a 30-person sunset rooftop Shabbat dinner.

I went to my first (but not last) Lollapalooza and saw two of my favorite bands (The Shins and Grouplove).

We celebrated Tori’s birthday at Park & Field in Logan Square.

Tori and I went on an adventure to explore Pilsen (so cool).

We watched the air and water show AND refurnished/redecorated our entire apartment.

I went home for my dad’s bday and got a lot of family time in. I even made a Cubs fan out of my 6-year-old nephew!

And finally, I headed to back to NYC once more for…

Taryn’s wedding. It rounded out the summer on Labor Day and it was perfect and magical.

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Summer of 2017 did not have any dull moments and even though it was completely exhausting, I don’t know if I would have had it any other way. Although next year, I think I’ll try to be in Chicago a liiiittle more. ;)

What were the highlights of your summer?

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This gift guide was created with my guy in mind, but I have a feeling that his potential wish list isn’t much different than other men this year. Comments and links below the image!

Also, if you missed it, gifts for ladies, gifts for your parents, and stocking stuffers.

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The Bespoke Box is a subscription set that guys practically swoon over. Think of it as Birchbox for dudes, except with full-size products. Sign up for a membership for your guy here!

Idan has a MVMT watch just like this and loves it. It’s sophisticated and looks really nice on him!

The FitBit Charge HR tracks his steps and his heart rate! Perfect for the fitness junkie, or someone looking to up their game through the cold winter months.

This Bose Bluetooth speaker is perfect for traveling — a few of my friends have it and love it!

Speaking of Bose, these Bluetooth in-ear noise cancelling headphones are perfect for pretty much anyone!

Got a music-lover on your hands? This Crosley turntable set looks awesome as decor, and you can sneak some of your own records in there ;). Need some record ideas? Try this Fleetwood Mac album or this Beatles album.

This U.S. map holds bottle caps for those who love to try craft beers (and prove it).

Another MVMT watch — I seriously love these things.

This Shinola wallet is an investment for sure, but a good one. Guys will appreciate the craftsmanship and the brand itself.

This is the men’s version of my favorite Patagonia jacket, and I promise he’ll love it, too.

I bought these Ugg slippers for my Dad a few years ago, and he still wears them every day. They’re so comfy! I’ll admit that I steal them every time I’m home (my Dad has impossibly small feet, ha!).

Light Blue is Idan’s signature scent, and therefore my favorite. This set is perfect!

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Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Watching Hocus Pocus and eating candy for hours with a black flame pumpkin candle lit in the background is where I’m at my happiest during the whole month of October. My roommate and I decided a bit last-minute that we’re going to throw a Halloween party — better late than never, right? Obviously I want to make decorations myself, so I rounded up these cute, easy projects for the occasion and thought I’d share! Enjoy!

Hocus Pocus Quote Pumpkins

Scary Jars

Ouija Board Serving Tray

Ghostly Cake Toppers

BOO Printable Halloween Treat Bags

DIY Floral Skull Centerpiece

Bat Branch Centerpiece

P.S. If you liked this post, you’ll probably like this one and this one too!

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Mondays, am I right? Hope everyone had a good weekend! Click through for this week’s links!

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Kelly created my absolute dream bathroom, and was very honest about the time/cost/work that went into it. Have a look!

Kind of a personal question to ask yourself–do you love your body?

Take a stroll through Anna Wintour’s secret garden.

Simone Biles is SO FREAKING INSPIRING.

Take a tour of my city: the Instagrammer’s guide to Chicago.

This artist’s home will blow you away… it’s so fun!

Make the most of these 10 fresh ingredients before our beloved summer runs out.

Do you dare? Here’s how to go super bold in decorating a small bathroom.

These DIY etched drinking glasses look super easy to make!

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Happy weekend! It’s been a good one so far–I enjoyed dinner last night with some girl friends at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba in Lincoln Park. One of my favs! You HAVE to check it out, especially if you like Spanish tapas. Today I’m off to help my cousin look for a wedding dress! Can’t. freaking. wait. Before I go, though, here are some things I’ve been reading this week:

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How 6 young women became CEOs before the age of 30.

This House of Cards star is a freaking QUEEN.

What was your favorite Rachel Green outfit?

Taryn wrote about the 10 types of friends you have in your 20’s… naaaaailed itttttttt.

Headed to San Fran next month. Watch out, because I’m compiling ALL of the travel guides.

This woman knows a thing about long distance relationships (give me all the advice, please).

On another sappy, romantic note: how do you know he’s the one?

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My new place has a huuuuuge windowsill just begging for some houseplants. I’ve been doing some research, and found some great ideas on Pinterest! Which displays do you like the best?

via Lobster and Swan

via Poppy Talk

Sun Stream Basket, $108

via

via Apartment Therapy

Azure Swirl Hanging Pot, $48

via Amber Interiors

Glowing Arbor Pot, $22

via A Beautiful Mess

via Lonny.com

Metallic Crackle Herb Pot, $68

via Apartment Therapy

via Target

via Lobster and Swan

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I’m a serious fan of saving money. I skip straight to the sale rack, shop a ton of clothes secondhand at Crossroads Trading Co, and sign up for every email service in the book just so I don’t ever miss a special. Now this isn’t to say I don’t enjoy the occasional splurge – I indulge when I feel good about it, but other than that, I’m a money-saving machine. That being said, I also cut a looooooot of corners and try to do the majority of life’s hassles by myself. Recently, I learned the hard way that this is probably not one of my best qualities.

The past few months, I’ve just been dying for a headboard. I have a perfectly good frame, but I really want a nice headboard that screams “I’m an adult!!!” Just my luck (or so I thought): while perusing Wallapop (a Craigslist-type app that I love) last weekend, I found a gorgeous tufted headboard for the right price. It was located in the Loop, and the owner was available the next day! Hollaaaaaa.

Lesson #1: Always double check the address in your Google Maps. And charge your phone before you go anywhere.

The next day, I went to pick up the headboard – I was on my way there when the owner texted me saying she was going to be an hour late. Back home I went. Then, when I finally got there, my phone died just as I was looking for the place. I knew the address, and the grid system in Chicago is pretty easy to figure out, but I just COULD NOT find this place. With a dead phone, I asked people for directions and even stopped in Dairy Queen only to figure out that this building simply did not exist. When my phone warmed up a bit and came back to life, I called the owner – I had put the address in wrong on my Maps app, and the address was on NORTH Wabash, not South. Turns out that Wabash was almost completely closed for construction, so I was unable to hail a cab. Enter me sweatily walking 10 blocks in my heeled booties. Cute.

When I finally got to the owner’s apartment, I was in such a rush that I barely even looked at the thing. I hurriedly handed over the cash and got outta there – I was already an hour late in the schedule of my day, and my type A self was not going to have that.

Lesson #2: Ask a friend to help instead of trying to do it all yourself.

I called an Uber XL (which was surging, btw. Don’t you just hate that?) to help me haul the headboard home. The driver couldn’t find the building for a solid 10 minutes, and then when we finally were on our way back to my apartment, the entrance to Lake Shore Drive was completely blocked by a huge accident. We made our way around the Gold Coast, through Old Town and Lincoln Park, and finally arrived at my apartment. Now, I live in a 4th floor walkup, so I had to make two trips to get everything up. Then I booked it back to the Red Line to go up to Evanston for dinner with my family.

Lesson #3: If you’re severely allergic to cats, don’t buy anything from anyone else without asking if they have a damn cat. Or, ask more questions.

When I returned from dinner, I put together the headboard (which I did wrong the first time, so had to completely redo at one point. This took several hours.). Then, my eyes started itching. My eyes only itch when I’m around cats, which I am severely allergic to. Uh oh. I checked the headboard with a finer eye, and sure enough, there were plenty of long white hairs all over it. Shit.

As much as I loved the headboard, there was absolutely no way I could keep it. Pet dander sticks on upholstery forever, and I literally couldn’t breathe in my own bedroom. Luckily, a friend wanted the same headboard, so she took it off my hands. The transaction was bittersweet– I absolutely loved that headboard, but was so happy to get it the hell out of my apartment. When it was gone, I could breathe a little better. Literally.

Here’s the overall lesson I learned from this whole debacle: sometimes, shortcuts and doing things myself are just. not. worth. it.

I could have bought a headboard brand new and delivered to my door for maybe $75 more. The amount of stress I endured during that day was well worth the extra money, and it would have also saved me a whole Sunday (I savor the hell out of my weekends). Most of the stress was totally my fault – I put the address in Google Maps wrong, I wasn’t patient enough to ask a friend for help, and I was so frazzled that I didn’t look at the headboard longer than a glance. But none of this would have happened if I wasn’t trying to take a shortcut in the first place. Consider yourself schooled, self.

The post 1 Day, 4 Lessons appeared first on love always, audrey.

Happy Friday, friends! This has been such a long week for me – I’m looking forward to a lot of relaxing and DIY projects this weekend. I might even be going boating… stay tuned. Enjoy these links to get you through to the weekend! 

My birthday isn’t until January, but I’m pretty sure I need this donut hole croquembouche right now.

We have, like, 10 different keys to get into our apartment, so I want to try these ideas to accessorize and identify keys!

I’ve actually crossed off a few items on my “25 things before 25” list. Check it out here!

Does anyone want to host a coloring party with me? Not kidding.

The Bruce Lee method for learning a new skill caught my attention this week! P.S. I just bought a subscription to Inc. magazine.. how adult am I? 

I loved these tips on how to style your first grown-up space from The Golden Girl!

Lastly, Mindy Kaling talks about having killer confidence in Glamour mag. She’s the best.

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Thinking about: My donut floatie and s’mores. Yep, this girl is going camping on a lake this weekend! Bug spray, check. 

Listening to: This badass remix of Bad Blood. 

Watching: Ugh, I’m still on season 4 of Gilmore Girls. I’m the slowest Netflix binger ever.

Eating: Sudden realization I haven’t had breakfast yet. BRB. 

Reading: I just finished Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll (which was fantastic – I finished it in 2 days and recommend it if you liked Gone Girl), and now I’m almost done with Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari. Modern Romance has made me think about dating a lot differently, and I would love to shove it in the face of every person bugging me about why I don’t currently have a boyfriend.

Thankful for: My job that allows me to occasionally work from home! There’s nothing better than sleeping in an extra hour and working from your couch every so often.

Loving: #SummertimeChi.

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