anya hindmarch

though i have been disappointed with most of the accessory designer collaborations target has offered i still find myself checking my calendar to see if i am going to be free on the day of their release. despite them picking some of my favorite makers of accessories (hello botkier, loeffler randall and gryson) the faux leather and poor stiching tends to weigh down all of the bags, and don't even get me started on the shoes. anyway anya hindmarch is debuting her collection on-line on the 8th of october and i will be there to check it out. it also hits store on the 12th which means i will mostly likely hold out on purchasing anything (assuming there is something to be purchased) until i see it in real life. you can check out the collection now here.

do i need any more diy projects???

not really, but i do so love them. i saw this image on a desert fete (originally found here) and couldn't help but imagine a bunch of these lovelies hanging from the trees around the ceremony, or maybe scattered about the tables? so many options and all so fabulous.

a bit off topic

maybe it is because i have a secret crush on michael cera but i have found a new way to occupy myself during the downtime i don't have. check out clark and michael here.

finally ...

we have done it. we have actually booked our honeymoon tickets. it took a lot of searching and planning and rearranging of schedules, but we figured it all out in the end. and where are we going? ICELAND!!! i cannot wait. with the promise of lagoons, fjords, and fantastic fashions i can hardly contain my excitement. we spent the weekend pouring over travel guides, websites and various other resources to discover this little jem pictured below.


we are hoping to hotel hop a bit but this is at the top of our list and i could see our plan of two nights here turning into three, or four, or maybe a lifetime ...

table trends

emily from once wed has started a new feature that will appear twice a month and will devote itself entirely to the most wonderous and creative tablescapes. she along with other members from the blogging communtiy will create a completely finished tables for $250(or maybe less). and they will try to use as many easily sourced items as possible making it simple for you and me to get the look.


the first table is from chelsea fuss the lovely lady behind {frolic!}. you should just go ahead and click over to once wed right now to see what i am talking about. hurry along it is just fabulous!

a new way to grocery

i am excited to say that i have signed up for a green grocery plan. it isn't exactly a garden but with no yard what can i do? turns out the college just up to the street (cal poly) has a huge agriculture department and a interest in being part of the community. so from now on every week i will head up the hill, around the bend, and the back down the other side of the hill to pick up my box of very fresh straight from the farm produce. this makes me very happy.

minted.com quickfire menu challenge

i submitted a couple of designs to this contest so you should swing by and vote! plus there are some fabulous menus to be seen and lots of inspiration to be had.

escort card love

aren't these amazing and wonderful and just fantastic?!?!

{found on brooklyn bride via parcel post}

we solved our escort card problem long ago, we just aren't going to have them. people are going to be seated as they saunter into dinner. however, i do so love it when people stray from the typical table set up and if i thought i could come up with something like this i would do it in a heartbeat.

compendium

i received an email for this new font, compendium, from veer and i am two steps away from adding it to my font book.

oh karl

karl lagerfeld's 2009 for rosa clara. need i say more? found here.

i love scavenger hunts ...

and i need a reason to step away from invitations every once in a while. so i signed up for this.


it is going to be a blast and there are still spaces available so sign up! but hurry you only have till the 15th of october to do so.

oh what a day

sorry to be off to such a late start, i had a crazy morning. things are back to normal and i am sitting at my computer once again. ohh and look at what i came across.

{inside out champagne glass set available here}

i could see these gracing our tables, but they aren't cheap and i have this feeling that our rental company isn't exactly stocking them. no matter, we aren't even doing a toast so i guess all of the wanting is for nothing. they are very pretty though.

eternal spring

because i live in a climate that seems to have a temperature range of about 15 degrees year round, i see outfits like this i wonder why they don't start selling spring lines in september ...

{nathan jenden spring 09 via the shiny squirrel}

how quickly i forget.

letterpress goodness

{the printing studio}

it was a beautiful couple of days on the central coast and i spent most of it with the lovely megan from nutmeg press (the maker of the most beautiful handmade paper i have ever seen). saturday megan was kind enough to help me with a wedding a project ... our menus. you see we are crazy food people and we are hands down obsessed with fancy food. we are working with our most fabulous caterer (and family friend), laurey masterson, to create the perfect menu for the evening, and it is turning out to be a piece of art. we are tying in the stories of every ingredient (well almost) starting from the farm so what began as a menu has turned into a book, literally.

and this weekend megan and i were making the book covers. we used a file i created that resembles the inner envelopes and then brings back my oh so favorite font from the save the date. i had originally planned on just using a blind stamp, but the paper is the palest grey and we couldn't get the detail in the trees to pop without a bit of ink. we ended up going with a layer of white and it was the perfect compliment.

{the stacks of paper waiting to be pressed}

{megan trimming the plates}

{the mixing of the ink ... we added a touch of transparent to the mix}

{preparing the press}

{inking the rollers}

{inked plates are oh so pretty}

{a look at the trees, once i have scored and folded the covers and then binded the books you will see the final product, oh i just can't wait}

sneak peek

just a peek into the rewards of a saturday well spent. i'll have a longer much more informational post monday.

and it is the weekend

well almost. i have a few finishing details to put on a couple of projects and then i must prepare for my wonderful adventures in DIY wedding projects and letterpress tomorrow (much more on that next week). i hope everyone has a fabulous and very relaxing fall weekend. until monday ...

{the midget frances doing what she does best}

avast, me hearties!

it is national talk like a pirate day ... don't forget!

{pirate cards from etsy seller rainyplanet and available here}

hello fabulous

i saw this picture (really one just a shutter click away) by jenny jimenez over at what junebug loves and it makes me want to toss the dress i have and never look back ...

is that so wrong?

i kinda want some of these

maybe a wall full of them in fact. available here ... what can i say veer just sucked me into their site.

fonts

i'm thinking i love this font and could potentially have the perfect use for it. would you say it could fit in with a 1920's glamor art deco theme?? canterbury old style font from veer + available here.

read this

i am sorry, my energy is lackluster today. it was a very stressful morning which involved a big deal meeting and then the delivery of a REALLY big deal piece of jewelry for someone else, oh the joys of being the only person within two states that works from home. the two events looked as though they were going to destroy one and other but fortunately it ended up working out famously (thanks to a truly lovely ups man). i am off for the rest of the day to finish up this book, which i would say everyone must read if they have not already.

{book available here and more fun stuff found here}

doughnuts

do i need a reason to make doughnuts? i'm thinking no, but maybe i should run first. images from this most fabulous discovery (click here for the recipe).

i don't mind if i do

hello cake toppers! thanks to emily over at once wed i now have step by step instructions on how to make the most fantastic cake toppers ever. i am so happy i would say i am giddy.


we aren't having a wedding cake, but instead have acquired four (maybe more) of our favorite cakes, being made by family and friends, that will be served after dinner. the thought of enough critters to top all the cakes was quite enjoyable to me, until i added up the prices of such lovelies. but now i have another option. i am going to venture into the world of crafting one more time and see if i can't concoct a wedding party of sorts out of yarn.

what my office walls need to be

{photo via the style files}

i am seriously beginning to consider covering my office walls in chalkboard paint. i have recently been scrawling on scrap pieces of paper all over the place only to look at them a day later, think they are nothing important, and send them straight to the recycle bin. three days later i go looking for something that i swear i wrote down and well ...

plus chalkboard walls are so freaking cool.

i love invitations

i fell in love with the linda & harriet zig zag cards the moment i saw them. my jaw then hit the floor when i saw these invitations which take the zig zags to a completely new level. i think i need to start throwing more parties that involve invitations ...

BluLima

i love this poster from BluLima, and could totally devour some cake (of nearly any flavor) right now. available in their etsy shop.

rings

it took us a long time but we have found them and they are perfect. made by the lovely sarah perlis.

the venue

about 18 hours after mas asked me to marry him we started the wedding conversations. the first of which was all about location. we both thought about it for approximately three seconds and at the same time we said "the farm."

{the ceremony will be held on the flat piece of land directly above this little stream}

you see my parents have this lovely little plot of land out in the middle of nowhere north carolina (40 minutes outside of asheville) that we all refer to as the farm. it is no longer a working farm, but when the property was still new to us there were cow grates and barns all over the place.

{dinner to take place on the flat spot below these trees}

sorry these pictures were taken during the end of winter, hence the naked trees. hopefully they will be a bit fuller and loads more colorful at the end of october.

the inspiration board

no, this inspiration board is not of my making. it is one of kathryn's wonders and it is exactly what we are hoping for. (funny since our save the date is actually part of it ... kudos to kathryn's keen eye and amazing board skills)

heading south for the day

i am heading to santa barbara for the day to run a couple of wedding related errands. the first being my dress fitting! and the second being a meeting of the minds with megan from nutmeg press, who is helping me with our menus. i cannot wait for this project, it is going to be fantastic. i have a couple of posts scheduled today with a sneak peek into our upcoming nuptials so stay tuned ...

{after much deliberation i have decided to go the grey and sparkly route for my shoes. this decision was made after having no luck finding these in my size and seeing mas' eyes light up when he saw them. i have these in mind for when my feet give out, which will be earlier rather than later i am sure}

sycamore street press

i love these "little beasts" that are ready to guard any book you hold near and dear. from sycamore street press located in ohio, these letterpress bookplates kinda want to start hanging out in my books. available in ssp's etsy shop.

itunes 8

for those of you who use itunes ... have you updated (click here if not)? there is this spiffy new feature called genius and it is in fact genius. click a song and then hit the genius button and it will search your library and create a playlist that is perfectly matched. i have spent way too many hours trying to make decent playlists only to be disappointed with the results. so this feature seems as though it was made just for me.

current play list based on the song sea legs by the shins :

my very favorite fall outfit

i am not sure if it is exactly age appropriate (is 27 too old for a mishmash of bright colors and pom pom tights?) but never-the-less i would add it to my closet in a heartbeat. my favorite part of this fantastic ensemble ... those gloves. who would guess that i would have to leave freezing chicago for temperate california in order to figure out i am in love with the idea of gloves ...

view this outfit and others created by the stylist of gossip girl here.

anna laura perez

so beautiful and so delicate. above illustrations from argentinian illustrator anna laura perez. view her portfolio site here and her etsy site here. a few prints are also available at beklina.

payless

i was a fan of the payless designer collaborations a while ago and have since scored 4 pairs of shoes from the lines that fetch loads of compliments. would these do the same? i think so. available here and originally tipped off here.

i love invitations

i guess that isn't too bold of a statement coming from an invitation designer, is it? but it is true i do. i love everything about them, the envelopes, the printing methods, the colors, the sheer creativity that people must have to be capable of coming up with these ideas ... oh i just get a bit dizzy thinking about it all. here is my new favorite invite found over at the darling, darling dexter.

{yes that is a real dried flower included}

{hooray for the translucent pocket, i don't typically go gaga over anything translucent, but this is different. the pocket actually serves a purpose and you don't have to read through it as the items are meant to be taken out.}

{best script font EVER ... and the same one i used for my invites}

shameless consumerism

{nalgene bottle available here.}

do you frequent the onion's merchandise haven? if not you should. a few years ago my mom found some boxes like these only they were labeled as a years subscription to the salt of the month club and a usb toaster. when mas saw the usb toaster he thought my parents had gone completely loopy (they are both kinda computer oriented so a usb toaster wasn't completely far fetched). anyway i found this bottle on this blog and i love it. i admit to carrying a nalgene with me everywhere and i also admit to going camping once or twice a year ... all times accompanied by at least one and sometimes five nalgenes.