cheers to a long weekend.

hip. hip. hooray.

it is a gloriously long weekend.

having a grand ol' night with my lovie.

in our new home. in our jammies. eating our fave take-out.

i mean. really...

does it get any better?!

Tweet

the heart of a servant.

lovie & i are officially moved into our 

brand. spankin. new. forever. & ever. home. 

how fun is that?!

we have truly been up to our elbows in boxes.

& sprinkled with paint from head to toe.

we may have cold water showers. craftsmen co-existing beside us. 
& the dirtiest of all floors.

but we would not have it any other way. 

we are totally & completely nesting together.

in our most perfect pretty little home. 

when we bought the house the landscaping was in need of some extra. extra love.
& every room in the house needs a fresh coat {or two} of paint.
we knew that looking forward. every weekend on our calendar from here on out
 would be filled a great abundance of projects.
 planting projects. painting projects. placement projects.
just plain fun projects. 

and what better way to kick off all of this great fun.
than with some of our most dear friends & family.

let. me. tell. you.
lovie & i are surrounded by such loving. giving. thoughtful people.
words fail to express how wonderfully generous they are.

i'm talking friends that show up & demand to help with all the needed work.
friends that offer. & they won't accept no thank you for an answer.
friends that clear their weekend schedules to help.
showing up in their grubbiest of clothes. 
paint brushes in each garden-gloved-hand.
giving up hours & hours of their saturday. 
just to help. just to help us. 

why we are so deserving of this outpour of love... i will never know.

so tonight my heart is overflowing with gratitude for you.
our big strong tree chopper. our horticultural expert & adviser. 
our energetic weed puller. our personal landscape artist. our resident raker. 
our treasurer-hunter-clay-potter-finder. our pro baseboard painter.
our master paint roller. our meticulous window scraper. our superb cutter-inner. 
our woodwork detailer. & our tiniest little cheering section. 
you make my heart overflow with happiness.

thank you all- and you know who you are- for all of your help.
you have helped create the start to our happy home.
& you have created such beautiful memories that we will forever cherish.
you. my friends. exemplify the heart of a servant.

spending my evening writing thank you notes to the loveliest of all lovelies.

{and of course, on the loveliest of all lovely papers a la sugar paper.}

thank you for the hard work. thank you for the laughs. 

thank you for the conversations. 

thank you for you. 

Tweet

john wind giveaway winner.

giddyup. girlfriend.

ms. jennee. of camo meets couture. 

you are the lucky winner of the latest c'est si bon giveaway.

you will soon be donning the john wind equestrian chic necklace. 

congrats. sweet friend. 

please email me at kristen{dot}brett{at}gmail{dot}com

with your shipping information. 

thanks for being a c'est si bon reader. 

xoxo. 

Tweet

houndstooth fashions.

i happen to adore a houndstooth print. 

oversized. mini. head-to-toe. pop of accessory.

any way it is styled. i simply love it. 

there is just something so classically terrific about this print. 

i am thrilled to see this black & white pattern sprinkling the stores this fall.

vince camuto. the limited. nordstrom. kate spade. and the like.

everywhere you look you will spot a little houdstooth drama.

if i could only get my little hands on this pretty.

how stunning is this top?!

the neckline & the wide sleeves are just magnificent.

the oversized print & the cinched waist are perfection.

this look is so impossibly chic. 

love. love. love. this extra-oversized houndstooth blouse.

blair waldorf sure does know a thing or two about chic simplicity.

everything about this blouse has my name written all over it.

the high waisted skirt. the bow neck tie. oh my!

menswear is so on trend this fall. 

especially when it is paired with houndstooth.

i am swooning over this blazer & clutch. 

black & white & chic all over. 

i can hardly wait to get my hands on some houndstooth pieces.

& thankfully. this black & white print blends perfectly with my fall theme.

a closet full of black. red. & tan.

i am totally coveting a number of the items in vince camuto's fall collection.

{available now at nordies}

well, hello. houndstooth blouse perfection.

i will certainly be donning this top with a pair of black skinnies.

& a pair of red ballet flats would complete this looks.

tres chic. 

also adoring these vince camuto houndstooth ankle pants. 

the print is to teeny-tiny that you cannot see it in this image...

but trust me. these are surely houndstooth & they are terrificly chic. 

the limited also has a great selection of houndstooth pieces.

especially when it comes to accent pieces & accessories.

i can think of a million ways to style this houndstooth scarf.

i would don it with a monochromatic black get-up.

perfectly chic. perfectly jackie o. 

and how stinkin cute are these little houndstooth tights?! 

they would be darling with a little black shift dress.

love. love. love. 

these are just a few of my all-time fave houndstooth pieces.

i could go on & on sharing every pretty piece i am swooning over.

but what about you?

do you love this trend?

{images courtesy of nordstrom. limited. vince camuto. chic department}

Tweet

chic collection.

per usual. jcrew nailed their fall collection.

i am currently coveting each & every piece.

especially these three chic get-ups. 

you belong with me. little pretties.

oooh.la.la.

{images courtesy of jcrew}

Tweet

ashley brooke designs.

every girlie girl loves a great papery.

and yours truly is surely no exception.

in recent days.

we have shared a deep penchant for chic stationery. 

we have swooned over exquisite thank you notes.. 

& we have lusted over the most lovely of all invitations..

it is so perfectly clear to see that 

i. adore. paper. goods.

most simply put. it just boils down to the glorious truth that...

every c'est si bon girl loves spending free moments jotting hand written notes.

relishing in the pure joy that comes from beautiful penmanship on beautiful paper.

savoring the moment of sealing the envelope. picking a stamp. & dropping it in the mail.

knowing that in a few short days. someone will be overjoyed to find that

they have a personalized letter waiting just for them.

to friend. with love. 

so i have just the best news. hear me now. sweet friends.

i have found the most darling of all personalized stationery designers.

the lovely. adorable. and terrificly talented.

little miss ashley brooke. of ashley brooke designs.

oh. and did i mention she is so stinkin beautiful. too?! 

you see. 

i stumbled upon ashley's designs months ago. 

& it was love at first sight.

her simplistic & sweet style instantly stole my heart.

every since then i have been terribly coveting a set of her darling customized cards. 

following her blog had me smitten with her designs.

but following her facebook left me admiring her sweet disposition.

a woman who loves the Lord. & spends time in His words.

a woman who is a loving wife. & a sweet mama to her pups.

a woman who knows how to live life with the utmost grace & kindness.

i knew we just had to be friends.

so. i emailed her with my most unnecessary necessity of wanting to be pals. 

and i would like to think we are now blogger friends forever.

ashley was so generous to take a moment & allow me to interview her.

and so here i am tonight. to share with you. the girl behind 

ashley brooke designs. 

i am married (almost 3 years!) to the most adorable man.

 he is most definitely my better half. 

plus… his name is pretty awesome, it’s Manolo… like the shoe!? 

so how could a girl resist?! 

plus we have two adorable little pups that complete our family, sam and lucy!

if I am being completely honest 

ashley brooke designs came about through a series of unfortunate events. 

when i graduated i had a fantastic job at a fancy interior design firm.

my dream job. 

as we all know, the economy and market took a turn for the worst, 

meaning the last hired (me) was laid off. 

for weeks i literally knocked on interior design firm doors.

 all dressed up handing out my resume left and right. 

no one was hiring, everyone was in pure panic mode. 

so i did what any newly college graduate does with out a job, 

i moved home! 

luckily for me, my parents have a beautiful photography studio 

where they desperately needed a re-touch artist (or so they said!).

 i, of course, took the job! 

my dad taught me a little bit every day about photoshop, 

since they hired a retouch artist who had never used photoshop before, 

he had a big task a head of him. 

photoshop and I clicked, there was something about it that I just loved, 

and I became quite a good little retouch artist. but, we all knew, including me that this was just until I figured things out. 

my parents encouraged me to experiment with my art, 

using photoshop and their large printers. my dad constantly said 

“just play around, see what happens” 

so that’s what i did. 

and of course my birthday rolled around and i needed some stationery to write thank you notes. i sketched out a few fun illustrations, scanned them in to my work computer, my dad showed me how to crop everything and print! 

voila! homemade stationery.

 from that day on, i had a new vision, a new passion, and definitely, a new obsession.

the success of ashley brooke designs is certainly a collaboration of

a lot of hard work, a great support team, many long nights, 

and a few wonderful bloggers who took a chance on me. 

i will forever be grateful to erin from blue-eyed bride and 

nina from according to nina for giving me my first big chance to shine!

since then things have just taken off.

i get my inspiration from fashion, typography, layout design, textiles….. 

the list could go on and on!!

 and if i could collaborate with one designer,

it would most surely be

kate spade!

my faith means everything to me. just everything.

right now my fave scripture is 1 John 4:18. 

"there is no fear in love. but perfect love drives out fear."

but it’s subject to change ;)

i have been loving the devotionals on my Bible App lately! 

at the moment I am doing the Promises for Your Everyday Life. 

i really try to live out my faith in my everyday business life.
and i try to do this by the way i treat people.

 

finally, i have so many dreams and goals. 

the business has come leaps and bounds from the first year, 

and the funny thing is that it’s not at all what I thought it was going to look like. 

well. sweet. sweet ashley.

i think it your darling little brand has turned out to be such a hit.

& isn't it always amazing when things turn out so much grander than we

ever could have imagined them to be?!

the Lord's providence far surpasses even our greatest hopes & dreams. 

so. my friends. 

if you are ever looking for some sweet paper goods. 

or are wishing to treat yourself to some customized cards.

be sure to swing by ashley brooke designs to see her pretties. 

here are a few of my all-time fave picks. 

i think i need this little pretty.

a customized change of address card is surely a necessity. 

how impossibly sweet are these baby shower invites?

i just adore that polka-dottie dress.

lovely from the desk of notecards.

perfect for a friendly note to say well, hello.

tell me friends.

which ashley brooke design is your fave?! 

take a sneak peak & let me know.

{i am certain they will inspire you to jot a few handwritten notes}

Tweet

tracy negoshian giveaway winner!

congrats, ms. margaret.

you. my little dear. are the lucky winner. 

soon enough you will be donning your fave tracy negoshian dress.

you will be the talk of all the town. & the envy of every gal around. 

email me to coordinate the deets.

kristen{dot}brett{at}gmail{dot}com

excited for you. sweet girl.

thank you for being a c'est si bon reader. 

Tweet

equestrian chic a la john wind.

there are few things i love more in this world than 

the glorious season of autumn & john wind  jewels. 

so. naturally. combining the two together simply makes my heart flutter.

autumn just makes me feel warm inside. 

big scarves. cozy sweaters. & riding boots.

there are hardly words to express my fondness of these things.

especially my likeness for a great pair of riding boots.

over the knee. rich leather. an abundance of equestrian chicness. 

equine excellence.

in every possible way.

i just love the rich cognac color. the ankle strap. & that great buckle.

this get-up is chic to {riding} boot. 

menswear edge reigns in this look. 

giddee-up. girl.

this is so polo-esque.

bohemian meets equestrian. in a rustic palette.

swooning over all of the equine details here.

& simply coveting that hat.

love. love. love.

whether it is with boots. leathers. hats. or the like.

it is just a necessity that every fall wardrobe incorporates 

some little {bit} of equestrian edge.

and what more appropriate way to do so than with a little john wind {bit}.

the fabulous & ever-so-talented john wind

has designed this gorgeous equestrian bit necklace.

& is giving one away to a lucky c'est si bon reader.

simply follow these steps to enter in this giveaway:

one. "like" the john wind maximal art facebook page.

two. post this link on your facebook page.

& three. leave a comment sharing what you would wear with this necklace.

winner will be announced august 27.

good luck. sweet friends. 

{images courtesy of refinery. sugarplumpretty. unknown}

Tweet

girlie girl birthday.

birthday girls are most certainly allowed to stand on velvet settees.

wearing their prettiest dresses. sipping on bubblies.

 & carrying around her birthday bouquet.

they just are. 

so la-tee-da.

happy birthday to me.

{images unknown. but totally fab}

Tweet

27 lessons learned.

this birthday weekend has been so full of joy.

and as i bid farewell to twenty-seven & say hello to twenty-eight.

i reflect on the many lessons i have learned during my twenty-seventh year.

it has been a year of love. a year of growth. & a year of tremendous faith.

this year i have learned. and re-learned. that...

1. being married is even more fun that i had ever imagined.

2. but saying goodbye to my old last name was hard.

3. a very best friend is one that you can share everything with. good. bad. ugly.

4. and great friends really do make the world go round.

5. God never. ever. wants us to be afraid.

6. and in the darkest moments. we have never been more secure in His grip.

7. it hard to start sharing the power of making decisions with your partner.

8. but there is great reward in submission.

9. my dad is still my biggest hero.

10. but my husband is absolutely my number one man.

11. i still miss patrick. and on any given day it can bring me to tears.

12. and i couldn't love my two little brothers any more than i do.

13. God really does work everything- even the baddest of the bad- out for good.

14. and He really is full of grace.

15. i am overly critical of myself.

16. and i don't realize some of my greatest attributes.

17. i really am stronger than i ever thought i was.

18. my mother is still always right.

19. and she usually will take my husbands side.

20. God's plan is sovereign. even when it doesn't seem like it.

21. eating frozen yogurt every night is not a smart choice anymore.

22. the power of forgiveness is huge. forgiving others. forgiving yourself.

23. finding the good in every person is truly a treasure hunt. finders keepers.

24. i am not exempt from any form of temptation. big or small.

25. men truly do have more dirty laundry than women.

26. my husband always works to make me happy. i mean always.

27. the recipe for the worlds best chocolate cake.

looking forward to all the lessons. blessings. joys. & experiences that 28 brings.

Tweet

fashion spotlight. tracy negoshian.

little lovies. 

i have a new fashion obsession that i just have to share with you.

meet the darling & terrifically stylish designer.

tracy negoshian.

she is just darling, right?! 

a florida native. a lady of panache. & a fabulous designer. 

tracy is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.

i am so tickled to have struck up a friendship with the lady behind these great designs.

with a keen sense of style. an awareness of silhouettes. & a penchant for color.

tracy sure knows what she is doing when it comes to designing dresses.

universally flattering. beyond cute. and easy on the piggy bank.

these dresses are sure to be a new staple in your wardrobe.

having been a wardrobe consultant at saks fifth ave.

and working closely with high-end designers.

tracy knows a thing or two about polished & chic style.

she has beautifully transformed her love for fashion into her own brand 

& it has quickly become so wildly popular with women all over the country.

{including yours truly}

tracy just launched her new fall line. & i am completely swooning over the designs. 

they are so comfortably chic. practically begging to be worn all day. everyday.

3/4 sleeved mini dress? yes, please.

and did someone mention black. red. & tan?!

i simply adore this oversized houndstooth shift dress.

{check out her website for houndstooth goodness background. amazing}

i see this dress paired with black tights and black boots. 

so chic. to boot.

i love this dress for so many reasons.

the houndstooth. the elephants. the mod vibe.

so stinkin cute paired with black tights & flats. daytime chic.

and of course. like every other florida gal. tracy is a college football lovin' gal.

it is most appropriate that she has designed some darling college game day dresses.

this orange & blue dress is my all-time fave. so cute. 

these are only a handful of all the dresses tracy has just launched 

to kick off the coming fall season. 

don't you just love them all?

i thought you would.

what was that you said? you would love to have one of your own?

funny you should mention it.

tracy. in all her great sweetness. has offered to giveaway one dress

to a most terribly lucky c'est si bon reader. 

so. here is your chance girlies.

head on over to the tracy negoshian website to find your all-time fave dress.

then leave a comment on the blog telling me which one you would choose.

it is that simple. 

winner will be announced on thursday. august 23.

happy shopping. 

thanks, sweet tracy. so thrilled to be friends. xoxo. 

Tweet