Tissssue!

Crazy week this week which explains why I haven't posted. I'm writing a speech for our CEO at work ... well, attempting to ... it's not really happening. Then, every night has been 90+ and hectic. Amidst cleaning and running errands, I have found time to start on the tissue paper flower displays for the cocktail tables indoor and out at the wedding. Sample pics are below. Initial instructions were from Martha Stewart, but then I improvised with my own materials and designs.

Now she sells a full kit on her craft page for $19.99.

Here are mine! (Well, one down seven to go!)

My vases are glass wrapped in 1.5 inch brown grosgrain ribbon.

French Lessons

I'm putting together a style board today for one of my bests who is planning a wedding in Sonoma for September '08. In the meantime, I thought I would post a few inspirations, courtesy of French General and this semi-francophile.

I love these old school writing notebooks:I also recently found this Louisiana bag. Seeing as how I'm a native, I think I should purchase it!

Dresses...

While my mom still decides which of her FOUR newley purchased dresses she will wear for the wedding, I've decided I will provide you all with some inspirations in the meantime. Whether you're the bridesmaid or just a guest, these are fabulous, trendy, rewearably gorgeous (yes, I make up words) options:

Jenny Yoo silk and chiffon:If only my hips were smaller! I LOVE this Anthropologie dress (Hunnewell):

I go ga-ga for anything in seersucker, like this perfect garden dress by Thread:

And last, but not least, how 'bout a little black and white element for that evening summer black tie wedding:

They're invited!

The invitations are being received, so I can safely post a few pics without ruining the surprise! ... Hand made and embossed by moi!

One of MW's "assignments" for the upcoming wedding festivities was to work on the weekend soundtrack, which will be included in the out of town baskets/boxes. On my way in today I heard a great piece on NPR that could provide him inspiration (and I think he needs it since he's lagging behind). Wedding theme music is everyone, but finding the right, un-popular, slightly off the wall beats is difficult. So, here's the list that NOR came up with:

The right wedding mix not only captures the joy of the occasion, but also reflects the bride and groom's own musical likes and dislikes. Here's what NPR music producer Stephen Thompson came up with for his niece's 2005 wedding.

1. Clem Snide, "Forever, Now and Then"
2. Old 97's, "Question"
3. Josh Rouse, "Nothing Gives Me Pleasure"
4. Death Cab for Cutie, "Passenger Seat"
5. Jimmy Scott, "When Did You Leave Heaven?"
6. The Lemonheads, "Into Your Arms"
7. Ron Sexsmith, "Moonlight Becomes You"
8. Nick Drake, "From the Morning"
9. Radney Foster & Abra Moore, "I'm In"
10. Norah Jones, "Come Away with Me"
11. Sade, "By Your Side"
12. Matthew Sweet, "I've Been Waiting"
13. Neil Young, "Harvest Moon"
14. Chet Baker, "Embraceable You"
15. Iron & Wine, "Ab's Song"
16. Low, "The Plan"
17. Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash, "As Long As the Grass Shall Grow"
18. Clem Snide, "Find Love"

What do you think?

Photo journalist

I'm compiling some photograph inspirations for our wedding photographer, and I came across a fabulous site: The Wedding Photojournalist Association. Our photographer has a really unique and casual style, and I can't wait to suggest some of these shots! I love the ones that capture the raw emotion.

I lied...

So I said I bored myself most of the time and wasn't going to post stuff that was narcissistic. I lied. Turns out, sometimes I crack myself up. Discovering old photos is just the best ... and my mood needed this pick-me-up today. Okay ... I'm done over indulging.

fat ass baby (9 lbs. 9 oz. thank you very much!)

but, at least I was happy :)

My latest crazy pursuit

So, the invitations were placed in the mail this afternoon. Once I'm assured that everyone has received them, I'll post pics. It was insanely fulfilling, and I actually felt sad putting them in the mail today. I've had nightmares all week about people throwing them away. God, I'm a control freak.

With my largest wedding undertaking to-date completed, I thought I'd move straight along to the next! My wedding cake ... or at least the final design. Here are some of my inspirations du jour:

Tis' the season

This weekend is my birthday, and I've asked MW (fiance) to take me strawberry picking. When I was little we used to drive to Butler's Orchard, and I have insanely fond memories of the experience. We always ended up with WAY too much fruit, and were already sick from all the strawberries we ate along the way. At the end of the day we'd celebrate with strawberry shakes or my mom's famous strawberry shortcake (yum!). This year, I thought something savory might be fun to try. Luckily, New York was thinking the same thing and printed this recipe in this week's edition!Sfoglia’s Spaghetti with Strawberries

1 pound good-quality dried spaghetti (like Setaro)

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing

1 pound ripe strawberries, cleaned and halved

2 tablespoons good aged (eight-year-old) balsamic vinegar

1 cup San Marzano tomato purée4 ounces reserved pasta water

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in rapidly boiling salted water until al dente. (1) In a large sauté pan, warm the olive oil and half of the strawberries over medium heat. Cook until the strawberries start to release juice. Add balsamic and reduce by half. (2) Add tomato purée, the rest of the strawberries, and the reserved pasta water, and reduce by half again until the sauce thickens. Season to taste. (3) Toss with spaghetti. Finish with olive oil and black pepper.

Lunch break

In 90+ degree weather, I headed out for lunch today, thrilled to find that Bandolino was having a sale. I was in need of some cute shoes that could pull double duty at work and for my rehearsal dinner. I got the dress at JCrew outlet yesterday:

Navy Blue. We decided against the brown and pink "theme" for the rehearsal dinner so as to save everyone from disgust (admittedly, I've gone a little overboard).

OOP!

One of America's hidden gems, in my opinion, is Providence, RI. Home to Brown, RISD, Fire water and gorgeous homes, this quaint New England "city" also has some really great shopping. Another fab find recently was that Oop Stuff has an online store!

He he he ... how many of you keep (or kept) record of every boyfriend, hook-up, crush, you name it? I'm guilty of that! It's fun now that I'm "settled" to go back and look at my lists (yes, multiple). I wish I'd had this book back when..."Keep track of all your boyfriends in this fill in the blank dating journal. Start this journal as a tween and you will have a cherished memory for life. A treasure to be read and roared over on the eve of your wedding night or any night spent with a close friend."

I'm also a huge fan of their jewlery collection.

Elum Designs

My fabulous friend, Morgan, and her husband came for dinner al fresco Friday night. She's just the most thoughtful person and always comes bearing little treats. This time she gave me a pack of beautiful "thank you" cards from Elum Designs, purchased at Anthropology. Here they are:

Of course I had to pop online first thing this morning and poke around the Web site, which just has some incredible designs. I'm particularly found of the following:

And, as I'm always on the hunt for a good buy, be sure to check out the sale section, chock full of good holiday cards at reduced prices!

Ceramic Addict

In my search for the perfect wedding gifts, I discovered Kim Westad Ceramics.

A New York-based, former graphic designer, Kim's pottery is flawless and colorful. I particularly like the "pebble" series:
And the brilliant part is, you can buy her stuff on ETSY!

16Sparrows

I just discovered a fabulous stationer 16Sparrows. In addition to really cute and whimsical paper designs, there's also a fab page of downloads like the labels here. Check out their "Fun Stuff" page for notecard, label and greeting card designs!

Etsy

Along with being a late bloomer to the blog world, I think I'm also lagging behind in my discovery of Etsy. Handmade jewlery, fabrics, glassware, purses, paper goods, you name it! It's all there, just at your finger tips for easy internet purchases. Just set up your PayPal account and you're on your way!

I especially recommend Katherine Reichert's stuff.

Intro

I am of the belief that blogging about the daily occurrences in one's life is pretty narcissistic. I'm a late bloomer to the blog phenomena, but have recently become addicted to a number of crafty, artsy blogs (see links at right!). With two months to go before my wedding, and more insane drama than you can possibly imagine, I'm desperate for creative outlets, and I hope to provide some people out there with daily inspirations for craftiness, not mundane details about myself. Save for the following...my one indulgence:


I can't spell; I'm addicted to all things salty; I attempt most of the Martha Stewart crafts; my friends are insanely talented and my family pretty dysfunctional; I make frequent music recommendations, as I'm slightly obsessed with discovering new artists; I'm marrying a lawyer (a do-good one who works for the "man," but a lawyer, none-the-less); my secret dream is to open up a bakery; if I could eat sushi every night I would.