bits + pieces

if i got married again, this would be my inspiration. i pulled my favorite photos from recent real weddings on style me pretty to create a theme and style. remember, you want your wedding to reflect both you and your groom. here are my loves...

whimsy, simple, yet elegant typography

intimate calligraphy for placecards or favors

fun, casual menu board

and a taco bar sounds delish!

wonderful candy colors, fun display and easy favors for your guests

outdoor seating with the sun setting in the background...

so romantic!

of course i would pick succulents :)

non-typical flowers in a big, beautiful bouquet

brian and i ride bikes almost every weekend

at the beach during the summer.

a cute photo on a bike would be fitting!

forever yours plate... maybe as ornament favors?

just thought it was really sweet

colorful bridesmaids bouquets with fun flowers

brooklyn bridge chocolates...

i would probably do the love statue or the benny frank bridge haha

all greens boutonniere

low, twisted/curled hair that sits at the nape

very similar to my real wedding hair!

i would find really fun places to take photos like this barn!

happy thursday! goodbye march!

oxox

tandem love

i love this personalized tandem bike cake topper! found on etsy here.

will you have a cake topper? where did you find yours? how does it reflect your personalities?

let me know on facebook!

cherry blossoms

now is the time for the national cherry blossom festival! this year it is from march 26 - april 10 and is the nation's greatest springtime celebration. a bit of history... in 1912, japan gave the united states 3,020 cherry trees as a symbol of friendship between the two nations. the first cherry tree was planted by first lady helen harron taft and the viscountess chinda, wife of the japanese ambassador along the tidal basin. today the monuments, memorials, and cherry blossoms on the national mall represent unity, equality, freedom, beauty, brevity of life, and the enduring friendship between the citizens of the united states and japan. check out more information and over 150 festival events at www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org!

washington monument

thomas jefferson memorial

thanks to my in-laws for providing these great photos from their trip to see the cherry blossoms!

oxox

happy birthday kacie!

stemware

i love the shape of these champaign glasses and the skinny stems from kneenandco.com. if you are looking for a different place to register for your wedding, check out kneen and co.

have a great weekend!!

oxox

lovely items of the week

here they are!!!

love this blue romper by collective concepts found on south moon under

perfect for the beach!

to have, to hold bowl personalized with your wedding date

also from the same shop...

discover happiness bowl

cute!

peacock feathers

i want to use these somewhere!

alfresco chairs and table by crate and barrel

might remodel the patio based on this peacock color...

family silhouette portraits

carved lace bowl

the detail is fantastic!

happy thursday!

oxox

phil hansen

this guy, phil hansen, has done amazing works of art... some of them controversial, most of them on a extra large scale, and all of them fascinating. his medium spans the gamut... paint, pens, his hands, photos, matches, and so on. this statement on his website is very interesting, "my present approach evolved out of what seemed at the time to be an artistic cul-de-sac: damage to the nerves in my forearm from the single-minded pursuit of pointillism. forced to think of other ways to create art, i began pushing myself to experiment with new mediums: my torso, a tricycle, x-rays, dandelions, the bible, key phrases out of audience stories, and so on. the selection of the medium became integral to the art, as much a part of the story and the holistic experience as the selected fragments themselves." he gets his audience involved, and the art becomes their own. check out this video summary of his work...

120 inch diameter, written with moments that changed people's lives

phil painted his chest with over 30 layers of paint.

the thickness of the final piece was the coolest part.

check out the video... it's pretty neat.

if you would like to see more of phil's crazy art,

check out his website: www.philinthecircle.com

happy rainy wednesday!

handmade weddings

i love this book created by eunice moyle and sabrina moyle, owners of hello!lucky. handmade weddings is great for multiple reasons... lots of great ideas for a do it yourself wedding, each craft spells out all the tools, time, and budget you will need, and each chapter is a theme (girly romantic, happy graphic, modern classic, etc.) with different projects depending on the style for your wedding. an awesome wedding resource!

here is an inside look at the cute book. check out the side bar that makes projects easy. best to buy the book on amazon where the price is much lower. happy planning!

papercuts

so much you can do with a sharp exacto knife! check out these papercuts by woodland papercuts. here is the etsy shop!

ship

peonies

birds and deer

big flower

happy rainy monday!

lovely items of the week

here they are!!!

outdoor chair in plum

birdcage stationery

penguin messenger bag

plant markers

seed bag

happy friday!!

have a great weekend!

st. patty's day

i created a cute invite for a friend's beer tasting party in honor of st. patrick's day. i thought asking guests to bring a 6-pack of a certain category was a smart idea... variety! hopefully the invite set the tone for a fun night... bring your green hat!

i'm craving a guinness... happy patrick's day!

oxox

rawr!

rawr! i can't post images on my blog today. boo.

i found a neat store for all the brides out there. the online store is called lo boheme and features bridal finishing touches such as garters, veils, vintage jewelry, and hair decor. i love the hair flowers and sashes. so pretty! check it out!

succulent garden

i have wanted to create a succulent garden for a long time now. i finally got the chance this weekend. i went scouting all day on saturday. i have also been looking for a solution to cover my radiator (or at least make it look appealing) because its so long and spans the entire wall in my kitchen. i had a candle and tissues on it and they looked terrible. i was thinking of a long planter, but i couldn't find any that were six feet long. i thought maybe two window boxes next to each other would look ok, but they were so big and bulky. i finally decided on four long vases from ikea (i knew i would find something there). so after a hefty succulent bill, i got everything ready to make my garden.

i used some rocks from my "garden" outside for drainage purposes.

i arranged each vase with five succulent/cactus plants.

this is my six foot long ugly radiator, now covered with pretty, oxygen-providing plants.

the best part is that if i forget to water them (which i definitely will)... they won't die (cross your fingers)... because they live better in dry soil (i'll mist them tomorrow)

i placed rocks on top of the soil for drainage and aesthetic purposes.

a few of the succulents even flower... yay!

how does it look?

happy tuesday!

oxox

japan

over the weekend, we've been flooded with news about japan. the photos and videos are saddening. now its time to do something. here are a few items i found on etsy. proceeds go to japan and the disaster relief.

hope strengthens ring

yummy chocolate chip cookies

classic beauty bowl

red bracelet for japan

other places to donate: doctors without borders and american red cross

our hearts go out to the japanese people.

side note: i'm getting my popcorn ready for tonight's bachelor finale.

go team emily!