Memorial Day

Yummy berry lemonade punch with frozen fruit! 

Me, Tyler and my parental units

I kinda love throwing parties. 

And I'm so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends to invite to them. 

The whole evening was pretty magical....pretty flowers, good food (kabobs and coconut rice, my fave), friends, card games, amazing Oreo trifle dessert AND lemon blueberry cheesecake cupcakes AND chocolate covered strawberries and oh so much more. I mean, did I mention the food??!!! 

I guess I was too busy eating all of it to take pictures. Will do better next time, promise. 

And I owe a big huge thanks to my sister and her friend Megan (fourth photo from the bottom) who showed up early to help get the food ready. They rock as my little kitchen helpers, yes they do. 

As does my friend Kelli who I found in my kitchen doing all of the dishes and putting the food away after everyone left....it made my Monday so much better to wake up and not have all of those dirty dishes sitting in the sink and all over the counters (and I don't use paper plates, so that was A LOT of dishes!)

I owe them, seriously. 

Like I said, so blessed. <3

**edit: paint sample card silver ware holders found here, only I used staples. Is that cheating? Oh well.**

roll call: days of the week through instagram

Heyyyyyy friends!! 

What a gloriously fun and happy weekend we had, how about you? I feel like Memorial Day weekend is the perfect kick-off start to summer, am I right? I woke up this morning with exciting thoughts of pool time, drive-ins and beach vacations. Love that summer has finally decided to grace us with her presence. So happy! 

I had a full and busy weekend that involved a Civil War reenactment and wedding (that totally deserves its own post, look for it soon) and our annual Memorial Day BBQ at our house with family and friends. Fun fun, but busy busy. 

I thought I'd kick off the week with a little snapshot of the last week or so, it had been a bit crazy what with getting our yard/house ready for the big party on top of all the usual busyness. I'm really looking forward to this quiet week ahead, to finish editing the last of the wedding photos and maybe read the rest of Mildred Pierce out on the back deck. 

Wildflowers on the farm, making dinner, reading outside at the parents, Tyler, dinner, Civil War battle, kitteh, night out, the little monster at the ice cream stand, excitement!, back deck dinners, party food, four--wheeling, Gaga, sunny skies, thrifted treasures. 

 

Happy Monday lovelies. 

<3 Renée

summatime flowering

I love stopping by my favorite little flower shop when summer is just beginning to pick out the flowers for our yard!! It's so fun!

 My friend Niki takes care of the flowers and every year they bloom beautifully. 

Seriously, I sometimes forget to water them for a few days and they still thrive! 

She's got the magic touch for sure. And a creative eye...her hanging baskets are always so pretty!  

Last Saturday my little sis and I had a yard sale-ing/flower buying adventure together. Coffee included of course. We stopped by my friend Terra's house and picked up a few fun books at her yard sale and then headed to Springtime Flowers.  

 

Do you guys get overwhelmed when buying flowers? I always always do. Husband and I had spent the previous two days mulching and adding shrubs to a few of our flower beds so my mind was spinning with places that needed a bit of color and all those darn sunflowers. 

They get me every time. 

And I really don't have the perfect place for them (i.e. a big open field) so right now they are just hanging out at the edge of our yard. 

Note to self: Buy large acre of land for field of sunflowers. 

Anyway, our backyard is looking quite nice....all that's left is the front yard. Ya know. That's all. :)

This Saturday the sister and I are off on another adventure.... a Civil War reenactment adventure to be exact! That same cousin of mine who got married here a few weeks ago is doing a Civil War ceremony this afternoon.
And guess who gets to go and get all dressed up?
ME!!!!!!!
So excited. Pictures to come. For sure.

Have a happy happy happy Memorial Day weekend friends!
xoxo, Renée

Friday Fancies with Long Distance Loving!

So I thought I would play along with AV from Long Distance Loving and her Friday Fancies...as in, come up with something your heart desires, no matter what the cost! Dream big, as she puts it. 

So guess what I picked? 

A trip to Italy. 

I know. So predictable. 

But this time of year really makes me crave gelato and fresh pizza, true Italian style. And sunshine. And cobbled sidewalks. And cerulean blue seas. 

Gaaahhh our next trip is too many months away, I can't stand it!! 

So to keep me happy on this rainy Ohio morning, I put together six days of outfits, no cost considered. And in all reality, I'd probably include many more vintage pieces, but since we're not considering cost I thought I'd have a bit of fun at some of my favorite online shops. 

I could have put together two weeks worth of outfits but laundry and dishes are calling.....

Check out my Polyvore for more details on the outfits! 

Happy Friday friends!! 

Day One: A Walk to the Coliseum, Pantheon and Roman Forum, dinner at an outdoor café. 

Day 2: Museums, Lunch on the Spanish Steps and Gelato at the Trevi Fountain

 Day 3: Strolling through Sorrento with a glass of Limoncello

Day 4: Boat ride to Capri for dinner at sunset. And more gelato. :) 

Day 5: Day trip to Florence, strolling through the markets and over the Ponte Vecchio. 

 Day 6: Tour through the ruins of Pompeii, pizza in Napoli and a nighttime walk through the Piazza Navona to see the artists at work.....and one more stop for gelato! 

And who is proud of me for utilizing some of the items more than once?!? ME!! I am an expert packer. Not kidding. :) :) :) 

ohhhhh this is love. love. love. love.

I found these pictures in an album marked "random" on my computer. 

Ohhh how I cherish these goofy moments from our third year of dating. 

Seems like ages ago.

Love this man of mine.  

And yes my hair was black. Though I swear the box said black/brown. 

Lovely lady friends of mine....

The other night I had the opportunity to meet up with a few local Akron bloggers at a great local restaurant/bar, The Lockview.  I was so excited because all of their blogs are on my "daily read" list and it's always fun to meet people in person that you enjoy reading about in this little (big) blog world! 

So, without further ado, let me introduce you. To my party people. In the cluuuuub. 

Sorry. That song has been on repeat in my head lately. 

Anyhoo. 

These girls pretty much rock my socks. So inspiring, we had a great conversation about blogging and fashion and who takes our photos for our blogs (big thank you to the men in our life!) 

Big things are gonna happen with these girls, I just know it! 

Stop by and say hello to my lovely lady friends. 

Sarah from Sarah's Laundry, Lyndsey from A Lovely Little Blog, Stacy from Goodwill Huntingg and Jessica from Dresses for Dinner. 

-xo, Renée

lookbook: summer picnic

I pretty much didn't want to take this outfit off when we got back from a family picnic on Sunday....but alas, according to Tyler, yard work could not be done in a skirt! 

And there was much yard work to be done. 

Like I said though...comfortable. And fun. Annnnnd comfortable. 

I'm really digging the stretchy highwaisted waistband thing. Makes eating large amounts of picnic type foods all the more enjoyable. 

P.S. I may wear this hat all summer. Get ready to be really good friends, okidokie?! :) 

thoughtful thoughts....

here

For a day....

I want to wear this outfit, take photos, sit in the sun, read and preferably eat some sort of ice cream/gelato concoction. In Italy. If I'm going to be precise. Now I just need a plane ticket....

*so glad summer is here*

Otherwise I'd most definitely wear this outfit while sitting on my back deck listening to Italian music and eating a pint of Ben and Jerrys.
How about you?!

:)

Summer Day by reneeallison 

Striped top, $23

Silk short, $88

Women's Xhilaration® Tavia Crochet Flat Sandals - Cream : Target, $25

Amazon.com: The Conde Nast Traveler Book of Unforgettable Journeys:..., $11

New Arrivals - Francesca's Collections

New Arrivals - Francesca's Collections

a lovely week.

this week's favorite links: 

*Jamie Beck's photography.... found on Mervi's blog. awesome. 

*this crazy app for my iphone. kinda addicted to it.

*these super cute labels to use when mailing photos. love it! 

*fun fun fun giveaway over at my best friend jules. don't miss it! 

*annnnnnd this grilled cheese sandwich. already on the grocery list, stat. 

this week was *lovely* because: 

- I photographed my first wedding of the summer and it went really well. 

-date night with the hubby. twice.
-my little seester in law went to her junior prom and look oh so much a pretty grown up lady....what happened to the time? I wanna know!
- I have been crazy 1. editing photos allllllll week from the wedding I shot last Saturday and 2. teaching art almost all day on Friday. Two of my most favorite things to do!
-coconut creme frapuccinos. need I say more?
-yard sale-ing/flower buying adventure with my sister. an adventure that ended with a truck bed full of sunflowers......LOVE.
-those stripes on that dress. though according to my mom, apparently it looks like I just broke out of prison.
- AND FLIP FLOPS! woot.

Happy happy ohhhh happy weekend!
xoxo

today. today.

sunshine, coconut creme frappucino, reading by the window, thrifting,  new setée/photo shoot prop (thank you rach), art class. 

Thursday. 

and obviously a post from me would not be complete without a photo of my feet. 

love, r*

Birthday Smirfday!

If ya'll get a chance, skip on over to Mason Jars and Fireflies to wish my lovely lady friend Charlotte a Happy Birthday! 

Love her. Love her. Love her. 

(sorta like Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice only she won't appear after I say it. which is sadness)

Man I am TIRED. 

Anyhoo. 

Just do it. 

Nighty Night! 

loves, renée

blossoms.

"Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places." Roald Dahl

One of the two thousand and fifty three reasons why I love being a photographer. You never know what you'll catch through your lens or what moment you'll capture without realizing it. It's always those in between ones that end up being the most memorable. 

I've been editing like a crazy woman over here and am just thrilled with how the shots from this past Saturday's wedding turned out.....beauuuuutiful. Though really, what wedding isn't? 

And happy day, I actually made dinner tonight! I was oh for two so far, but tonight it's mexican chicken and rice. 

Annnnnnd the hubby decided to stay late at work. Of course. 

So I put Britney Spears on Pandora and decided to bust a move around the house for a bit until he got home. Dinner at nine is okay, right? And then ice cream after? Never too late for that! 

Oh wait, Genie in a Bottle just came on....

Thank goodness the husband isn't home to see this! Please tell me I'm not the only one who dances with a wooden spoon around the kitchen. 

Kthanks. 

:) 

lookbook: lunch on the lake

Shoes: UO, Skirt: Swapped/Tulle, Top: Target

We had a lovely lunch on the lake the other day with Tyler's parents and it was deeeeelightful! 

I love eating outdoors during the summer and enjoying the sunshine. I think that was one of the reasons I fell in love with Italy. We ate every meal outside. And since people watching is one of my favorite pastimes it worked out rather nicely. 

Today we're car shopping.

*yikes*

 I'm so bad about making big time decisions like these....especially when there are technical terms like "miles per gallon" and "five speed manual vs. automatic" involved. 

Okay maybe they aren't that technical, but all I know for sure is I want it to be black, preferably with a moon roof. 

Unless we're getting a VW bug, then light yellow with a convertible top. 

Tyler can figure out the rest. 

Just sayin. :) 

Happy Tuesday friends! 

And don't forget to check out the giveaway I'm doing over at My Best Friend Jules. 

Check it. 

i love this. how can i get one?

 I love Fossil and all of their vintage glory. 

And this was really only a small portion of the display.....there were birdies and owls too! 

Heaven. 

:) 

P.S. I want that signage. 

sunday sundaaaaaay

Holy smokes friends, how is it already Sunday?! HOW!??!!

This weekend flew by faster than the last weekend I said flew by. I'm serious. 

But it was fun. Fun fun fun I tell you!

Friday night I went to see Sugarland play at our local outdoor amphitheater with my friend Nikki. I had seen them for the first time in concert when they were touring with Keith Urban a few years ago. 

SO GOOD. And the rain and lightning held off until after we got back to the car. EVEN BETTER. 

My favorite song off their new album is Incredible Machine. The video animation they played on the screen behind them was really cool and I love the meaning behind the song....Jennifer Nettles is such an amazing artist. 

Saturday I shot my first wedding of the season with my SIL/photographer friend!!

 It was a beautiful wedding and the rain held off until after which was just perfect. 

I love shooting weddings because they are such joyful and happy events...there's so much happiness to capture and memories being made right in front of me. 

I was also excited to get to use my new camera... I know, I'm a nerd. :) 

Shooting a wedding is also a lot of work and stress and ended up being a long twelve hours...by the end of the night we were both exhausted to say the least!  

Annnnnd needless to say, I slept in for quite a while this morning while Tyler went to work for a few hours. 

I can't wait to share photos after I'm done with the editing process though! They are looking pretty darn good!!!

Today we celebrated our niece's First Communion with Tyler's family and then had a nice dinner with mine before my dad is off on another business trip. Good family time always makes for a nice end to the weekend. 

Do you guys have anything fun planned this week? How was your weekend? 

I'm off to catch up on my blog reading, now that Blogger has decided to play nice again. :) 

Happy Sunday!!!