Obsessed: Easter dresses

Dresses: Old Navy / Pim + Larkin / Gap / Target / Boundary & Co. / Daniel Rain / Pim + Larkin / Modcloth / ASOS

TGIF, 3P pretties!  As with any occasion, I love dressing the part.  Easter Sunday is no exception, and I always find myself wanting a special dress to wear on this holy day.  This year with spring sunshine brightening each day, spring dresses are definitely on my mind.  I still have yet to figure out my Easter outfit, but polka dots will definitely be included!  Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. John 3:16-17

Snapped- signs of spring

Blooms, blooms everywhere! I am loving the color that is popping up in nature. The cool mornings and evenings have been delightful and the days have been filled with sunshine, glorious sunshine! My snap-happy hands just can't help but capture some of this beauty on my handy little phone, and as I was scrolling through my photos the other day I just wanted to share these spring moments with you. So here you go, a little 3P spring to fill your screen! (Note: no allergy medicine required for enjoying these blossoms!)

Cuisine creativity

< main dish inspiration >

As a woman who cooks almost every night, I am always looking for new and delicious items to whip up for dinner (or any meal, really).  Find yourself in the same boat?  To the rescue, any cookbook, food magazine, or these days- of course- the amazing Pinterest!  I have pinned and pinned tasty looking items on this board, and am just revisiting it and picking some of my favorites to inspire my creativity in that 'central hub' space in our house with the beloved fridge, detested counters, and ever-helpful cooking appliances.  You can check out some of my past culinary successes here, and let me know if there are any great recipes you have recently tried!

< appetizer ideas >

< desserts to crave >

Spring flats and fun necklaces

Doesn't spring (even if its a snowy spring in your area) always have you itching to put light, bright, sweet spring pieces in your closet?  Lately I have been on the hunt for cute and comfortable spring flats, and shopping online is great when shipping is free both ways just in case something doesn't fit right! I am not usually a flats kind of girl, but some upcoming trips and events have me thinking I will definitely need a practical (yet cute!) shoe for these happenings! Here I have gathered a few flats (all under $100) I am currently eyeing as potential spring additions to my closet- won't these be great for warm sunny weather sans tights?  I also had to include a few of my favorite necklaces for spring- and they will be the perfect addition to an outfit with their coordinating flats!

Flats:
Wanted / Steve Madden / Cole Haan / Wanted / Luxury Rebel

Stella & Dot necklaces:

Dot Bloom / Spring Awakening / Avalon Fringe / Sanibel / Dakota

Wonders from the weekend

< beautiful greenery scenes on the road >

How is it that the weekends always fly by? This one started off with a quick little road trip, contained a few birthday celebrations, allowed time for planning and relaxation, and was absolutely beautiful with sunny, 70-degree days. Oh, if only every day could be just like that, right?  This last week if March is going to be jam-packed, but (obviously) I am planning to make it a great one, 3P style! 

Whatever your week is containing these next few days, you make it a great 3P kind of week too!

< birthday celebrations for my little sister of my heart- can't believe she is 18! >

< spied some sweet spring blooms in the cutest little vases >

< a fantastically decorated cake at another birthday party this weekend >

< a beautiful, pink sunset bidding farewell to the weekend > 

Obsessed: flowers on Friday

Ahh, Friday!  TGIF, 3P wonderfuls!  Just a little white flower love here today, as this is the color palette for flowers I am currently craving in arrangements.  With white, everything goes- decorations or wardrobe, it works with everything.  And brightens up life!  Just as an FYI, if you hadn't already guessed, you will probably be seeing some actual 3P all-white-flower arrangements here in the blog soon.  Hooray for spring!

Have an amazing weekend, 3P style, and I will see you back here next week!

* All photos in this post via

Corned beef and cabbage soup

Even though it is officially spring, the cooler evenings still have me craving hot meals at dinnertime. One of my favorite things to do is cook up a big pot of soup on a Sunday night, and store it in the fridge to reheat throughout the week. Last Sunday, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, I whipped up this quick and easy batch of corned beef and cabbage soup. Mmm, mmm, it's so delicious!

Spring Style: Stella & Dot Statement Necklaces

As any of you faithful 3P family, friends and followers know, I am a fashionista at heart.  Clothes, shoes, accessories- you name it, I love it!  While I do always appreciate a great deal, quality is the qualifier for me, bottom line.  With Stella & Dot I have found great, stylish jewelry, at affordable price points, with unbeatable quality and craftsmanship.  The details, my friends, are to die for.  With so much love for this brand in my heart, I cannot find myself not wearing at least one piece of Stella & Dot jewelry each day!  And with so many fabulous necklaces in their spring line, I was totally inspired to create spring outfits with some of the enticing statement necklaces.  Dressed up or down, Stella & Dot necklaces can make your outfit and even your day!  With each necklace styled in this post for spring, I created one office appropriate outfit, one casual outfit, and one outfit with fancier attire.  I am so excited to share all of this, and hope you find some inspiration here just as much as I did!

The Stella & Dot Jolie necklace

This statement necklace in green is the perfect piece for 2013- emerald is the color of the year, and shades of green in the fashion world are now seen everywhere!  This necklace works great over both prints and plain tops, and is definitely the best necklace to wear when you want to get kind compliments all day long!

Shop looks to go with the Jolie necklace:

The Stella & Dot Fiona Bib necklace

The Fiona Bib is a slightly glamourous, totally striking, yet not loud and demanding statement necklace.  It pops against black, adds the perfect dose of fun to white and cream, and is a dream to wear with animal print.  The fun aspect of this necklace is not only in the big smile it can bring to your face, but also its versatility- you can wear it facing out, so that the sparkling glass stones face out (easy way to add a splash of fancy to your outfit!), or you can wear it with the sparkle facing toward you, so that all that shoes is the beautiful ivory bezel detail.  

Shop looks to go with the Fiona Bib necklace:

The Stella & Dot Kimberly necklace

The 3P man does not usually love me in long necklaces, but the first time he saw me wearing this Kimberly necklace, he gave me the sweetest compliment.  And guess what?  He likes this long necklace even more when I wear it over prints! Florals, stripes, spots, you name it- the Kimberly goes with it all.  And yes, it is also a great statement piece with solid colors.  Because of its length, it is totally appropriate to wear dangly earrings with the Kimberly.  Work day or fancy dinner, this is a great necklace to have in your collection!

Shop looks to go with the Kimberly necklace:

The Stella & Dot Maldives necklace

With loads of my favorite colors (blue, aqua, green, and gold), this Maldives necklace is basically my all-time favorite necklace.  Seriously, it is definitely a good day whenever I don this beauty.  And it is not heavy at all, which means wearing it at the office and then taking it out to an evening event is totally doable.  Dressed up or down, this stunning piece makes a statement all on its own against plain colors, but is so inspiring and fun to pair with prints.  You can also easily extend this necklace with the handy Christina bracelet, to make yourself a longer statement piece.  So fun to wear in the spring, and this will definitely be an ideal necklace in summer as well.

Shop looks to go with the Maldives necklace:

My Birchbox: March

I love it when a Birchbox delivery arrives in my mailbox, and it's a little bit like Christmas morning when you get to open this little box of surprises!  This month, the awesome Birchbox team sent me my favorite box so far- it included a lip/face stain that I love, a hairband that I have forever been wanting to try out, a perfectly 3P scent, and one of my absolute favorite beauty products- Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream.  With a few upcoming trips right around the corner, these little samples are going to be the perfect travel companions.  Have you tried Birchbox yet, or shopped their site?  You can sign up here, and do your own little happy dance each month that your Birchbox arrives at your doorstep!

 < A Birchbox perfect for this 3P girl! >

 

< Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream is great for dry skin, chapped lips, cuticles that need a little love, and ideal for soft feet during summer sandal season- I love it!  And this Benefit Benetint stain is a newfound multitasking favorite of mine- I will be purchasing this for sure >

< A little smirky 3P smile with my new Benetint lip stain and my Fiona earrings >

< Other fun contents in this shipment incude a beautiful Madewell for Birchbox nail file (so girly and fun!), a headband that is going to be stylish in my hair and also fun to wear on my wrist, and a new scent- Miss Me- which is light, sweet, and a wonderful spring scent! >

Wonders from the weekend

Happy Monday, 3P pretties!  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  It is hard to believe that March is now more than halfway over!  My weekend was busy, bright, and went by way too quickly- with so many events to run to on Saturday and Sunday, I was just a busy bee buzzing from one thing to the next!  Seen above are some snapshots from me weekend- a delicious brunch meal I enjoyed, catching the rays and the beauty of this water fountain, channeling St. Patrick's day celebrations with one of my favorite movies, lemon bars (Paula Deen's recipe!) that a friend made and I will have to try my hand at them too, and the fun Mardi Gras themed centerpiece and a charity luncheon I was lucky enough to attend with some awesome women. Now I am ready to rock this Monday and make it an amazing week!

Are you a busy bee this week too?  Let me know how you are going to make it a great one!

Obsessed: planting plans

With springtime basically here, (heck, the 80-degree days this week made me think it was already summer!), the 3P team around our house is planning a major backyard landscaping mission.  Or, well, a minor one.  Either way, I am obsessed with finding inspiration for plants that will grow, withstand all kinds of summer heat and sun, and magically transform the bark areas that are our backyard as of now. So here are just a few of the planting plans that I am currently finding inspiration in... Now if only we had a weekend or two to devote to planting!  Well, that will happen one of these days, but in the meantime, it is on to finding plants and creating a little garden design!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, 3P style, and I will see you back here on the blog next week!

* all images in this post via

To the birthday girl go the spoils!

 < A whole shelf of birthday cards- I feel so loved! >

Last week I celebrated my birthday.  A milestone of a birthday, at that.  And don't get me wrong- the celebrations have just begun (yes, I am one of 'those people-' I will make a birthday last a whole month long (or longer) if I can)!  I feel so blessed to have such a loving man in my life, a fun family, and the best of friends.  No day would be complete in my life if I was missing any of those people.  Especially a birthday!  Here's just a peek at all of the wonderful birthday spoils I was spoiled with as the birthday girl. (Happy face!)

< Yes, I am still like a kid in a candy shop... And see that cake? Its my Gram's secret recipe and my most favorite cake in the whole world! >

< My very first La Mer watch- I adore it! (similar available here) >

< A J.Crew keychain I have been swooning over (get yours here) and a new gold bowl (by Nate Berkus for Target- get one like it here) that is just too cool! >

 < This adorable Pottery Barn bunny pillow case is too cute- you will definitely see this with Easter decorations! (This is now sold out, but other options are available here and here) >

< Soft pink, fragrant azalea blooms- this little thing is going to be planted in the backyard! >

 < Crisp new sheet set and a fun bulb kit to nurture >

< A cd full of family photos that warmed my heart, and a Starbucks gift card and new book from a sweet friend who knows me all too well! >