This past weekend, I was originally planning to go out of town but wound up cancelling the trip at the last minute (nothing’s wrong — just too much coming up at once for me to get away).  Chad was already planning to be gone for the weekend, so when faced with the somewhat unappealing prospect of being in our house for three days by myself, I came up with a plan: I threw a party!

Our pool wasn’t finished until November, which is getting chilly (even in Texas), so we haven’t had much time to really enjoy it in the last few months.  So I figured that now that the weather is in the 70s and 80s pretty regularly, I’d have some friends over to chill out poolside for some cocktails and light summery dishes. 

Sadly, I got married in the days before Pinterest, when I had to scour bridal magazines for little bits of inspiration — but now I channel all those lovely pictures into party ideas!  Lately I’ve been loving whimsical, eclectic pieces — so I wanted this party to have a soft, feminine feel.  For the tables, I tons of gorgeous pieces from BHLDN, which has pretty much the most beautiful, unique pieces I’ve ever found.  I fell completely in love with these mix-and-match plates and bud vases, and threw in basically every champagne glass I could muster up.  Fortunately, they all look great together! 

Since we had a big fashion blogger contingent, obviously we had to do a group pic!  I bought balloons with the idea that they’re be effortless and pretty, but they mostly just ended up in the pool.  Fortunately, we fished them out for at least one photo!

On the table: BHLDN bud vases (these are a steal at $8!), BHLDN votive candle holders (I mixed strawberry and gold, and filled them with flameless LED candles), Williams Sonoma serving dish, BHLDN cake platter, BHLDN petit four plates.  Champagne glasses: BHLDN coupes, Vera Wang Love Knots Toasting Flutes, Tiffany & Co. flutes, Noritake Rockford Goblets.

I’ve gotten the most amazing sweaters from Chaps — you guys may remember this one, which has been on heavy rotation for months now!  But honestly, their selections this spring are even better! 

I’ve fallen in love with their pretty bright-color cardigans, and they’re perfect for adding a little sweater onto a cute outfit!  You’ve already seen the blue one, but this tangerine-colored one is a major favorite too!  (And at $32.50, there’s no excuse to own just one color!) Texas is so hot in the summertime, but restaurants, stores and offices are air-conditioned to the max — I never leave home without something to keep me warm!

And is there anything better than colorblocking pastels?  Just looking at these photos puts me in the mood for summer!

Chaps cardigan and capri pants, J. Crew tank top, Shoemint heels, Samathna Wills bracelets, Canvas by Land’s End necklace.

Another quiet weekend — I’m enjoying this little lull between months of total insanity.  Calvin is doing much better, so thank you all for sending good wishes his way! 

This weekend was the first where it really felt like summer — I actually wanted to sit by our pool for longer than it took to snap these photos!  I’m looking forward to enjoying it in the coming months, since even in Texas, January and February weather isn’t exactly poolside-accessible. 

This dress was actually from a holiday colletion last year, but I think it works even better for spring.  It’s the perfect lightweight shape and material, and just needs a couple of key accessories to shine.  I fell in love with Mark.’s Total Studs bag the second I saw it, and knew this dress would be a perfect match!  Throw in a cute bracelet and earrings, and you’re ready for spring.

Madewell dress, Mark. Total Studs Bag, Mark. Style and stones bracelet, In The Mix earrings.