from the weekend: lake michigan winter wonderland

No. 369

I got my white Christmas after all! We arrived in Michigan to a fresh blanket of snow that continued to grow as the week went on. If you’ve been following me along on instagram, you may already be sick of the wintry photos but I can’t stop!

Where my parents live, in the southern part of Michigan, they don’t usually have this much snow this early in the year, so I am in heaven! We hiked, sledded, and walked along the frozen shore until the sun went down. Not a bad way to spend the last weekend of the year.

Image by me, instagrammed here: @sarahshermansamuel

smitten studio top 10 posts in 2013

No. 368

Events

2013 has been a wild ride! Here’s a round-up of Smitten Studio’s top 10 posts this year.

1. The launch of my line A Sunny Afternoon definitely takes the cake as one of the top moments of the year. See the original post here.

2. We finished work on the cabin (well, for now at least) that we slowly renovated ourselves, where the kitchen went from this, to this.

3. Rupert and I spent my birthday in New Zealand where we road tripped around the north island in a vintage Kombi. It was the trip of a lifetime (see part 1 & par 2).

4. One of the top DIY projects from this year was this garment rack. (see all the DIY’s posts here)

5. My “Stop and Smell the Roses” print was featured in Glamour Magazine. I also spotted it in the home of Anika & Ken Yael Natori in Lonny Magazine, and in Julia Engel’s abode.

6. The other top Smitten Studio DIY of the year was this simple Ikea hack.

7. A big change in 2013 was with the selling of our home and the buying and moving into a fixer upper. Glitter Guide sent over a photographer for a Style at Home feature just weeks before we moved out. It was the perfect way to say goodbye to the first place Rupert and I owned together.

8. In the new house we started renovating by refinishing the floors, knocking down a few walls, and painting so that right now at least the living room is livable.

9. We sold out of the first collection of A Sunny Afternoon products much quicker then anticipated so I added new designs, stocked up on some of the favorites, and launched the winter collection with a pancake brunch with friends.

10. And finally, we started on the kitchen in the new house by completely gutting it and putting in new cabinets and countertops.

Happy Friday, and here’s to a happy 2014 to you all!

xo sarah

Happy Christmas Eve

No. 367

Events Shopping

Only one more sleep until Christmas! This year Rupe and I weren’t able to have a Christmas party at our house because of all the renovations, but oh how we made up for it by attending a whole lot of them. Of course Smilebooth was present at most of the soirees, which is always a hoot. At this one, my fellow girls in gold and black and I turned it into a dance booth to properly document our accidental coordinating outfits. Clearly Santa Rupe wouldn’t be left out.

Happy Christmas Eve!

Images from Smilebooth from the Dart office holiday party.
Post-it tree backdrop by Jesi Haack Design

Shop the look. On me: Black quilted faux leather skirt from Asos // Gold top by BcBg (old) find similar in silver here // On Kendra: Black & Gold dress by Adam, find similar here // On Catherine: Shimmer skirt by Madewell // Leather top by Helmut Lang

shopping for new years eve

No. 366

Shopping

I’ve picked out a few of my favorite shiny and sparkly numbers for New Years Eve dress options. There is not that many times a year when head to toe sequins are encouraged and I always take advantage. :)

Sequin maxi be Free People // Metallic headlines dress by Need Supply Co. // Sequin mini by Milly // Beaded mini by Love Sam // Sequin Shift by Asos // Gold Fringe by TopShop

from the weekend: holiday crash

No. 365

From the Weekend Instagrams

This weekend I was down for the count with some kind of bug that has been going around Rupe’s office. He had it a couple weeks ago and somehow I was able to stave it off until now. I think your body knows when you just can’t afford to get sick and the past few weeks were it.

The holiday rush of A Sunny Afternoon orders were amazing to have (thank you guys) and happily kept me up to my ears in saw dust and order fulfillment, and I’ve been working late nights on the blog all while managing the renovation (we broke ground on the addition! more to come on that.). Finally, this weekend I was ready to slow down and finish my holiday shopping when BAM the sickness knocked me into bed and I don’t think I hardly even left it Saturday. Thankfully I’m feeling better today and looking forward to a less hectic couple of weeks.

Top left image at Menotti’s (my fave coffee shop) and top right is the beginning of our foundation for the addition.

Images by me via Instagram (I’m @sarahshermansamuel)

my style: patterned knit & coated denim

No. 364

Style

I recently stocked up on cozy sweaters for my trip to Michigan. I have been living in this leopard pullover from Anthro for the last week (see what I mean) and scored some great basic ones from Madewell’s big sale. Now here’s hoping we get some snow while we’re there!