March is kind of a tough month to get through. There aren't many holidays, special occasions, or days off to look forward to, and we're sooo close to spring but not quite there yet (at least in Seattle). So I put together a little "because no reason" party in partnership with Chambord and Refinery29, to help me get through the month! After all, who says you need a specific reason to celebrate?

I was inspired by Chambord's sense of odd luxury, as well as the bottle itself (isn't it the prettiest?). For dessert, I baked a white cake with blackberry filling and decorated the top with fresh blackberries. I also picked up some delicious macarons from a local shop I recently discovered.

I whipped up some simple and delicious cocktails with Chambord and champagne, and made some fun, modern drink stirrers out of gumballs and wooden skewers.

For decor, I covered some white helium-filled balloons with black tulle. I have to confess: they didn't turn out quite like I'd envisioned. The tulle weighed the balloons down so I had to tape them to the wall. But I still think they look cool!

I also made a quirky arrangement with a mix of flowers, greenery, and fruit on skewers.

It's funny, throwing this little party really did put me in a good mood. So if you feel like March is dragging by, I recommend throwing a spontaneous "because no reason" party, too!

It doesn't have to be fancy, either. Colorful macarons + Chambord + champagne = instant celebration.

Hope you like these ideas and feel inspired to throw your own celebration, reason or not!

Thanks to Chambord and Refinery29 for sponsoring this post! (Brown-Forman Corporation, Louisville, KY, Black Raspberry 16.5%, 21+)

Last year, I posted my personal photos from Instagram almost every month, but I haven't done one of those updates in a awhile. You guys still interested in them? Or do you already follow me on Instagram and/or not care? Let me know, so I don't totally bore you! I also thought I could mix in a few of my iPhone photos that didn't make it onto Instagram, so there's at least something new for those of you that already follow me. Here's what my February looked like, according to my phone!

We started off the month with a family trip to beautiful Whistler. I didn't ski or snowboard (I know, what a loser), but I still had a lot of fun checking out Whistler for the first time. Ben and I are thinking of coming back sometime in the summer, when it's less crowded and less expensive, so we can explore the area a bit more in the sun (looks like there's great hiking, beautiful lakes, and plenty to do). But it was definitely nice to be there in the winter too! All the snow-covered trees were absolutely gorgeous, and it was fun to watch all the really good snowboarders and skiers.

We also rode the Peak 2 Peak gondola one day, which is the highest and longest lift in the world. It spans the distance between Whistler and Blackcomb peaks, and is 1,427 feet high at it's tallest point!

Of course, while we were in Canada, I had to get some Canadian candy. Their chocolate Smarties are so much better than our powdery, sugary ones.

We didn't have the greatest weather while we were in Whistler, but it was absolutely gorgeous on the day we drove back--sunny and clear. We stopped for ice cream at a cute family-owned dairy right after we crossed the border. They had the best ice cream for $2 a cone (!!). It really felt like we went from winter to summer in one day.

The good weather has (for the most part) continued since we got back to Seattle. I feel like we're definitely superclose to spring! The cherry trees on our street already started blossoming last week, and I've seen lots of other flowers starting to bloom around town.

We've still had a several rainy, cold days though...and on those days, I've just been holed up inside, reading and watching movies (I posted some suggestions in this post).

My other favorite rainy day activity? Getting coffee with Ben and chatting about all of our plans for this year!

One of those plans is to buy a house, as I've mentioned a couple of times. I now scope out houses every time I go for a walk. I've been playing a game where I try to guess how some of the cute houses in our neighborhood are worth, then write down the address and see how close I am on Zillow. That's not creepy or anything, right? Haha. Anyways, there are very few houses for sale in our target areas right now, so we're keeping our fingers crossed that spring looks better, or we'll have to keep renting.

A few other photos I took this month and never posted? These conversation hearts, for Valentine's Day.

These yummy and colorful macarons, which I bought for a blog post (coming soon!).

This adorable backdrop my sister-in-law put together for my niece and nephews' birthday fiesta.

And this yummy cinnamon roll that Ben made! He's actually made two batches of cinnamon rolls in the last two weeks, and they are sooo good. I'm gonna get really fat.

How was your month?? Does it feel like spring yet, where you live?

Happy March! I'm super ready for spring, for multiple reasons: sunny weather, longer days, flowers blooming, and (hopefully!) more houses on the real estate market. So I decided it was time I updated my mantel for spring, because as the  old saying goes: "If you decorate for it, it will come." Or something like that. Since I joined the Michaels Makers program, I've been really impressed with their selection of seasonal decor, so I went to my local Michaels and picked out some fresh new pieces for spring. I also grabbed some faux flowers from their new Floral Market to make the house feel more springy. I actually prefer fresh flowers, but they die so quickly...so it's nice to have faux flowers as well. That way, you always have some cheery blooms in the house!

I grabbed some rancunculus in various bright colors and trimmed their stems down to fit in the vases I picked out. I also got a lovely white peony, but it's kind of hiding against the white brick! I might need to move it somewhere else.

As you can see, we also moved the floor lamp and the leather pouf from Ben's office into the living room. We didn't really need two lamps for his desk, anyways.

I also got a mix of decorative pieces from Michaels, including some beautiful mercury glass votive holders and some geometric wood taper holders (which I used as vases since after all, faux flowers don't need water!).

I'm so glad I finally packed away all of our winter mantel decor, which had been up since before Thanksgiving. Yikes, this update was way overdue!

Simply swapping out a few decor pieces made our living room look totally fresh and ready for the new season! Want more ideas to springify your house? Check out these fun projects on Michaels.com or the other 49 Makers’ ideas on The Glue String.

Have you updated your house for spring yet? I'm not doing much this year. Since we're looking for a new house to buy, I'm not very motivated to make any changes to this house, since we may not be here too much longer! But I felt like redecorating the mantel was the least I could do...super quick and easy, but still impactful.

Thanks to Michaels for partnering with me on this post. Psst: they are currently giving away a trip to this year's Makers Summit--get the details and enter here!

February is the perfect month for hanging out inside with a good book or show, some snacks, and a hot drink. That's basically about all I feel like doing until winter is over. When the weather is nice and sunny, I like getting outdoors. But when it's dreary, wet and cold, I feel no guilt about staying cozy inside! Here are some of my recent favorite books and shows. What about you? What have you been reading and watching?

Recent Favorites  The Bachelor: I should probably be embarrassed to admit this, but I'm not...I'm a big Bachelor fan! It actually makes Mondays a little more bearable for me. And Ben Higgins is probably my favorite Bachelor so far. For those of you who are watching this season, who are you hoping he picks in the end? I'm rooting for Lauren B. / The Slow Regard of Silent Things: I loved Patrick Rothfuss' first two books, The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear. While I'm waiting for him to come out with the third book in that series, I thought I'd check out this short story, which is all about the world of Auri (one of the characters). I liked it! I would recommend starting with his other two books though...without the context of the main story, this one would probably be confusing. / Where'd You Go, Bernadette? I put this book on my "to read" list awhile ago, but didn't get around to it til recently. I see what all the fuss was about! It really is a great book. Unique, funny, poignant, and insightful...and it's based in Seattle! / The Lake House: I love Kate Morton books. Every one I've read so far has been great, and this was no exception. Full of layers of mystery, interesting characters, and a beautiful historic setting. /  Foyle's War: Some friends of ours recently recommended this show to us. It's a detective show set in England during WWII, and it's really good. Plus, it has nine seasons available to watch instantly on Netflix! You know what that means...binge watching. / Why Not Me? I'm currently reading Mindy Kaling's newest book and am loving it, of course. It's hilarious!

On my list  See Me: I really love Nicholas Sparks books (they are way better than the movies, ok?!) and have read every one. I put his newest book on hold at the library--hope it comes in soon! / Brooklyn: This movie looks beautifully done, and has great reviews! I'll probably wait til it comes out on DVD, but I'm looking forward to watching it.

So, what have you been up to this month? Any book/movie/TV show recommendations for me??