peaches & dream

what i wore // adventures up north

hello, my sweets! yesterday my dear friend lona and i took a sweet little advernture up to northern new hampshire. we drove up for an estate sale at her friend's family home and took home some lovely things - i snagged a basket full of various glass jars to use for the wedding and lona scored a gorgeous antique ironing board to use as a sideboard/table.

on our way back we stopped to check out a beautiful old abandoned estate that lona had pointed out to me earlier. while wandering around the grounds we stumbled upon this adorable little peach shed at the back of the property that just so happened to match the vintage dress i was wearing! i jumped on the opportunity to take outfit photos and lona sweetly snapped away...

DRESS - vintage // TIGHTS - urban outfitters // MINNETONKAS - kittery trading post // LACE PINKY RING - charlotte russe // EARRINGS - vintage // NAIL COLOR - revlon "elegant"

oh, i just realized this is the first time some of you will be seeing my engagement ring! it was quite cloudy out so it definitely wasn't at its full sparkle potential, but i think it's pretty dreamy. i will post photos of the glorious estate we stumbled upon tomorrow!

dreamy wedding // current inspiration...

so, we potentially (already?! i know!) have a location locked down. things are being planned! it's a year and a half away but we are taking care of putting things into place now so that yours truly doesn't go totally nutso at the very last minute. i've also decided, having done this before, that this time around i will be utilising an event planner. i'm meeting with my sweet friend kristin of by emily b. event design on monday to chat about our wants & needs for our big day - so exciting!!!

as for right now, i decided to put together a little inspiration board for you to peek at (those of you who follow me on pinterest have already seen these sweet things posted on my "dream wedding" board) - this is what i'm feeling right now for our big day! the color palette will be shades of blackberry, plum, lighter pinks and blushes and tons of gauzy ivory and glittering gold accents... enjoy!

1 COLOR PALETTE & FLORAL INSPIRATION VIA // 2 GOLD GLITTER CAKE VIA // 3 SILVER-CAST LACE WEDDING BAND VIA // 4 LACE STENCIL MASON JARS VIA // 5 GARDEN PARTY RECEPTION INSPIRATION VIA // 6 FLOWER GIRL INSPIRATION VIA // 7 MESSY MILKMAID BRAIDS VIA // 8 DRESS PERFECTION VIA // 9 LACE-WRAPPED CUPCAKES VIA // 10 KATE FORRESTER CALLIGRAPHY VIA // 11 BOCCI LIGHT RECEPTION DECOR VIA

dreamy giveaway // silver quartz studs by concrete polish

what time, you ask? time for another giveaway! this month's giveaway is very exciting for me for so many reasons. let me tell you, little peaches, i am so excited to be giving away a pair of silver quartz studs from the oh-so-talented angela monaco, designer behind the stunning brand concrete polish. i've posted items from the shop before (each time in a seven lovely things post) and constantly find myself drooling over all of angela's gorgeous creations.

these little beauties are a $75 value! from the concrete polish etsy page:

*Beautiful Crystal Studs cast in Sterling Silver
*LIghtweight and perfect for adding a little edge to your look.
*Sterling Silver earring post

like what you see? here's how to enter:

you must be a follower this blog and you must add the concrete polish etsy shop to your etsy favorites along with at least two of the following (plus one extra entry per each of the following beyond the initial two):

join the concrete polish mailing list - www.concretepolishstudio.com
like the concrete polish facebook - facebook.com/concretepolish215
follow concrete polish on istagram - Instagram! @concretepolish215
follow concrete polish on twitter - Twitter.com/concretepolish1
follow the concrete polish blog - concretepolish215.blogspot.com

also! two extra entries for sharing this blog post via facebook or on your blog (just make sure to leave two comments with the link to where you shared it)!

please leave a comment for each entry - duplicate entries (with the exception of linkback entries) will be removed. this giveaway is open to us & canada residents only. a winner will be chosen at random on friday, may 18th 2012 and announced in a separate post. good luck, my loves!

happy may & some exciting news...

i know, i know. i’ve been such an awful blogger... so much has happened in the world of peaches & dream over the past month and i kept telling myself i had to jump back on the blogging bandwagon. now i’m writing this and i realize that my beloved birthday month has come and gone with not a word to my sweet readers.

but it is with very exciting news that i make my return to you! i had the most romantic birthday weekend with my dreamboat... we went down to boston, stayed in a swanky hotel, spent the day wandering around holding hands and shopping... and came back engaged!!!

it's true! my sweet dreamer asked me to be his forever lover (and of course i said yes)! he gave me the most beautiful ring i have ever seen and we are so very excited and happy to start planning this wonderful event. if you're wondering whether this is going to turn into a full-on bridal blog, the answer is no. on the other hand, of course there will be no shortage of wedding related posts! i have so many ideas to share...

as for now, stay tuned for this afternoon. we're starting this month off with a giveaway!

what i wore ~ life in technicolor

the warm weather feels like a reflection of my state of mind lately. i want to cover myself in bright, airy clothes and wander around our beautiful town with my sweetheart. i can't wait for so many freckles, beach days, bike rides and the farmer's market (where i will be heading every sunday morning before work this summer)!

lots of people have been asking me lately whether or not i wear a sock bun (since my hair is so flippin' huge), but the answer is no! it's all real. i'm planning on doing a topknot tutorial at some point, but until then i can tell you that i pull my hair up into a tight ponytail, tease the hell out of it and then gently twirl it around itself into a bun. i pin it in place piece-by-piece and then hairspray all of my flyaway strands to make sure they don't frizz out in the humidity... et, voila! that's the recipe for my higher-to-heaven-closer-to-god topknot.

i love this metallic cobalt nail polish. i bought it for $1.99 at rite aid along with the coral lipstick i'm wearing in these photos. they're both pretty bold colors that i'm not accustomed to wearing but i love them and i'm digging the idea of breaking out of my comfort zone. plus, lbh, blue nail polish totally makes me feel just a little bit like beyonce. who can complain about that?

HI-LO SLEEVELESS BLOUSE - charlotte russe // SECOND SKIN JEANS - cheap monday via urban outfitters // JEFFREY CAMPBELL WEDGES - gift from alex // MESH & CHAIN FRINGE EARRINGS - forever 21 // BLACK RING - h&m // BRONZE RING - inpink.com // LIP COLOR - revlon "coral crush" // NAIL COLOR - sinful colors "miami heat"

what i wore ~ bright as yellow

as i'm writing this, the dreamboat and i are sitting in our living room with the windows open, singing along with fleetwood mac. it's so strange that this early spring day feels more like early summer. we walked all over the place yesterday and i thought this magical warm weather was the perfect opportunity to bust out the brightest piece of clothing i own.

do you see this? i'm wearing sandals! i had to take them off after walking around all day in them, of course, because i started to get blisters... but i wore them! something else amazing? freckles:

eva gifted me this nail polish at some point and it's my current favorite! i love the contrast of wearing bright red lipstick and having bright pink nails. i've also been wearing a more dramatic cat-eye and even though it feels a little more risky i am totally digging it.

FAUX LEATHER JACKET - bar iii via macy's // NEON RACERBACK TANK - bdg via urban outfitters (similar here) // JEANS - pilcro & letterpress via anthropologie (super sale) // SANDALS - pour la victoire (gift from marissa) // EARRINGS - fallon for j.crew // NAIL COLOR - essie "cute as a button" (gift from eva) // LIP COLOR - mac "ruby woo"

what i wore ~ keeping it simple

my sweet friend kim and i decided to take a little shopping trip in boston this week and i came away with seriously great scores! this maxi skirt and drapey tee are two new items that i think will become staples in my warm weather wardrobe, as well as this bar iii jacket from macy's. i love my black leather jacket but i needed something similar to bring me into spring, and this taupe number totally does the trick!

it's been so mild out lately and even though it's march in new hampshire i feel like summer is just around the bend! i can't wait to frolick around with the dreamboat and pup everyday. things are getting so exciting!

MAXI SKIRT - silence & noise via urban outfitters // DRAPEY GYM TEE - mouchette via urban outfitters // TAUPE FAUX LEATHER JACKET - bar iii via macy's // BOOTS - guess via marshall's

so i have a little reveal. in the spirit of being healthy, i decided to join weight watchers. i had my first weigh-in two saturdays ago (march 10th) and this past saturday was my first weekly weigh-in. without giving the gorey details (maybe after i've lost a significant amount i'll feel more comfortable revealing my starting weight), i lost 6.4 lbs within my first week. i'm pretty dang proud of myself!

i feel great, my skin looks (and feels) amazing and i have so much energy. i will say that i'm focusing on making very healthy decisions in changing my eating habits first, and in another week or so i'll be joining a gym and making that a serious part of my lifestyle as well. my dreamboat is being amazingly supportive, too! he's the resident chef and has been adjusting our meals to fit my goals. what a guy.

i know that it sounds silly (and isn't noticeable yet), but every healthy choice i make really feels like its own reward. i am being kinder to my body and my body appreciates it. what more can i ask for?

carolina herrera wedding gown for sale!

on being healthy

as the weather gets warmer (um, frighteningly warmer) i have decided it's time for me to get my tush into gear and start living a sustainably healthy life. i've given up drinking for the most part over the last few months and in that sense i feel amazing... but winter months leave me wanting to stuff my face with delicious comfort food and, incidentally, feeling not-so-great in my own skin. it's not about losing weight or being skinny* - in fact, i actually feel better about myself when i'm curvy. it's about being healthy. i have been battling with disordered eating for as long as i can remember and i'm exhausted of it.

i think that the most difficult part for me is getting the dreamboat to work with me on this. he doesn't need to lose weight and he doesn't like public displays of exercise (i don't either, really, but i realize i need to overcome this in order to succeed in my goals) so getting him to do the buddy system with me is not so simple. however, my friend bee has already jump-started her healthier-life-overhaul and i have chatted with her about being my buddy! this is very exciting. i need help staying motivated. this is not going to be easy.

so, here goes. i am writing this publicly because i feel as though i'm holding myself more accountable for my actions. it's a bit embarassing, but most people i know would change something about themselves if they could. for me, i just want to be healthier. i want to eat more whole foods. i want to drink more water. i want to make up for abusing my body through disordered eating for all of these years.

today is the day it starts. i'm excited and i am very scared. wish me luck...

*i want to take a moment to mention that this is in no way about size for me. i think that beauty transcends dress size or thigh circumference (and i am lucky to have a partner who feels the same way). that being said, i have been diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder, so for me it's not about my physical size. the healthier i am, the better i will feel about the way that i look.

quick glimpse ~ daisy's valentine's day adventure (& a cute blog award!)

i just wanted to take a minute to share a couple of photos from our sweet valentine's day walk around pierce island. it was such a lovely way for us to spend our day as a family. enjoy!

look at that sweet little puppy! i can't stand that little face.

as a side note - my lovely friend emily of emily is an adult has gifted me with this sweet award...

Upon receiving this award, you are to:

1) Link back to the person who awarded you

2) Answer all of the award questions

3) Tell something about yourself that you haven’t told anyone on your blog yet

4) Award as many bloggers that you think are worthy of this award and make them aware of it.

What is your go-to makeup brand?
this is a difficult one to answer... i have specific products from different brands that i am completely addicted to! i would say in general, though, my go-to makeup brand is stila. i have more products by stila than i do by any other makeup brand.

What was your favorite fashion trend of 2011?
um, this is the easiest question to answer. high-waisted jeans! the j brand maria & cheap monday second-skin jeans have specifically totally changed my life... they feel so good and make me feel so hot.

What is your favorite dessert?
all of them. seriously, i love dessert so much... but let's try to break it down. i love mostly pies, things with fruit and cheesecake.

What is your favorite color?
peach/rust/blush... you know.

What is your middle name?
vivian!

The last song you listened to?
let me love you by mario (no, this is not a joke).

Dogs or cats?
i love all small and furry animals! i love my dog the most, but i really don't discriminate based on species.

Something I haven’t mentioned on my blog before..
i make up songs about everything. the dreamboat is washing dishes? i'll sing a song about that. the pup is trying to dig through the bedsheets? i'll sing a song about that, too. showering? yeah, i'll sing about that.

Now it’s time to pass it on!

in the spirit of sharing is caring, i am going to pass this little award on to abby of sharks make bad pets. her blog is (like her) totally amazing and unlike any other out there. i love it! so, my dear, enjoy...