Randolph Street Market

This weekend I visited the Randolph Street Market, a weekend event that hosts tons of vintage, antique, jewelry, art, and clothing vendors.  There was so much eye candy! I managed to leave with a few beautiful old vases that will perfectly suit the last of summer gladiolas.  Check out the scene... 

Lollapalooza 2013

We had an awesome weekend at Lollapalooza - 23 performances, 1 great trip. Ryan and I had a great trip visiting S & P & Theresa.  Our favorite shows include Family of the Year, St. Lucia, Local Natives, The Lumineers, The Killers, Atlas Genius, Tegan & Sarah, Two Door Cinema Club, Vampire Weekend, and Phoenix.  And of course, it's always the best to visit family in Chicago.  And we got a gif made!  One of our best Lolla's yet :)

Lollapalooza 2013 Playlist

Rinksters are headed to Lollapalooza again this year for another great festival weekend!  Here's L's mix for Lolla 2013.  I'm really excited to see Family of the Year, Blondefire, St Lucia, and Mumford and Sons.  Get ready, Chi-town!!

Lollapalooza 2013 from laurenrink on 8tracks Radio.

Too bad the weekend is over...

We had an awesome Sister Weekend in Chicago - we had a Gatsby date night with a champagne dinner, played at Dose Market (check out our handmade flower crowns!), had lots of amazing food, visited with family, & enjoyed some well-needed good sister time.

Hope you have a happy Monday!

Project Apartment: S's Apartment Tour!

Finally! It's only a few months late, but now that I feel settled and (mostly) decorated, I'm ready to share my living space with all of you- and I'm so excited about it.

I just finished this gallery wall yesterday! I love how it incorporates a lot of textures and shapes.  I'm planning on using that white canvas for an art project... It will be shared here of course! 

Do you remember this rug?

I was so lucky to have family in the area who helped me collect items to furnish my new place.  This gorgeous armoire is such a wonderful statement piece in my living area! I don't have a TV right now, so instead I filled it with some books, journals, DVDs, etc. to keep the entertainment concept in place.  And set up two colorful posters to brighten up the dark space. 

I filled the cubbies of this coffee table with tons of books, since I don't have any bookshelves.  It is mostly full of cookbooks, but you can see there are some nerdy academic books in there too.  A healthy mix!  I love how they fill the cubbies almost perfectly, and look almost a little purposefully chaotic with some books stacked vertically while others are horizontal.

A small ledge that was meant for photo display has now become a great inspiration area above my desk.  The votive candles are great for extra ambiance when entertaining.

The hanging candle holders add a nice soft glow when I'm reading or catching up on Hulu.  I like to fill them with beeswax candles from The Foundry for a nice, natural scent.

So there it is! Welcome to my home. I hope you find it as warm and appealing as I do.  Wishing you all a magnificent weekend!

Chicago Restaurant Week

To my fellow Chicagoans- did you know it's Restaurant Week!?

For those of you who don't know, Restaurant Week is a citywide celebration of the culinary expertise and artistic vision of restaurants throughout Chicago.  Over 240 restaurants participate, choosing a prix fixe menu priced at a fixed $22 for lunch of $33/$44 (depending on the restaurant) for dinner.

Last night I was lucky enough to try out Boka, a one michelin star restaurant in Lincoln Park with a fresh perspective on modern cuisine.  The dishes were amazing, atmosphere flawless, and service a totally pleasure.  They even brought us complementary cocktails, since we expressed interest in their bar program!

Take a look at the Boka Restaurant Week Menu...



You had better believe we got that mac and cheese.  There are no words.

If you are in the area, look out for restaurant week specials all over the city! It's an amazing opportunity to try out restaurants while they are in their best form.





*All photos from the Boka website

S's Project Apartment: Odds and Ends...

This weekend was finally the big move here in Chicago! I am officially moved into my new place, and am in the process of getting settled.  I have some furniture and accessories from my previous living spaces, and have been lucky enough to have family that is ready to part with some of their pieces, but there are still a few holes to fill.

I have super tall closets- and a lot of them (luckily!).  Since I'm a bit vertically challenged, this cute Ikea step stool will look stylish as an accessory when piled with books or with folded blankets on each step, but will be well appreciated for the height help too!

I have some counter space, but not as much as I would like.  I'm thinking of going for a rod over my sink that can hold a hanging dish rack for my drying dishes, as well as some cute containers for cleaning supplies, herbs, or even flowers.

I have lots of tables in my living area, but I think one more would be nice to hold a small lamp near the seating area.  I was looking for something that is small, cheap, and would blend into the scene.  This small white side table might be the perfect solution! I can put my smaller scale silver lamp on it to bring light to the area, but it won't overwhelm the space.

My bedroom has some unused space that I would like to fill with an area that is calming, and would be good to use for reading, nail painting, generally hanging out.  I think a small table and chair would be the perfect solution.  Still on the lookout for the perfect fit... any suggestions?  Maybe this small table would work nicely...

I'm still working on the settling and organizing process that inevitably takes forever with a new apartment.  I'm always appreciative of new sources for design inspiration and budget-friendly pieces.  If you have any, pass them along in the comments!

Happy Monday everyone :)

friday musings 10.19.12.

Happy Friday!  We are so so excited to have a sister (and fam) weekend ahead of us! L is joining me here in Chi-town to help me get settled into my new place.  With such a interior design guru on hand, it's sure to look great by the time the weekend is through :)

Besides the moving, we will have some fun walks along the lake, strolls along Michigan ave (read: window shopping alert!) and of course taking full advantage of Chicago's great eats.  On the menu: The Purple Pig for dinner and The Oak Tree for a casual brunch.  

Wish me luck with the move... Expect an update next week! Here's to the best weekend ever!

Logan Square Market

I have been spending Sundays in my new hometown of Chicago exploring the city's beautiful farmers markets, which are still packed with local produce.  My new favorite tradition- Sunday market roaming in Logan Square, followed by a leisurely sunny brunch at Lula Cafe.

Sorry about the recent MIA status here on SLR- both L and I have been up to our eyelashes in all of the newness of our new digs, new jobs, new friends, and more.  Your patience has not gone ignored- updates to come! We can't wait to share!