Plants even I can keep alive AND a new great blog...

So, not only are Kelly and her husband darling, she is super talented, loves cupcakes and she can grow things. She just started a new blog {Yes, please} and it looks like it will be a good one. I love these succulent centerpieces and escort plants she made for her recent wedding. She also made 800{!!!} darling yarn pompoms for her guests to throw when they came back down the aisle. How cute!! Check her out, she's got style I tell you...

{click images to enlarge}

{yes, please}

Why oh why can't I sew?

I would totally make this for Lillie! I think it would make a darling party dress or even great casual flower girl attire. Anybody want to make it for me? 

Oh and that's just one of the darling things that Katie Did...great blog! Check her out.

I'm a fool for...

Artfool

I'm always impressed how their work can look effortless AND put together at the same time. Everything they do is great, but I'm in total love with this wedding at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in NY. They did all white flowers in low arrangements and they almost look potted, don't you think? Of course, now I want to learn how to make the little white bowls they used on all the tables! They're so cute and delicate looking. You know...like me. {Ha!} They would look great on the gray linen runners I'm planning on making {or buying when I chicken out} Also, I'm digging the potted plant and lantern look for the outdoor tables during cocktail hour and the ceremony. Maybe plant herbs in them, a little rosemary or basil? I could totally do that myself, right? I might have a black thumb, but my mother and aunts don't! The only thing I would change is less greenery and more flowers.

So what do you think? Too simple? Just right?

{click to enlarge}

{here}

My first DIY project...

Monogramed Dinner Napkins for 75...

{Maaartha, of course}

I've decided that I'm going to hand embroider white linen hemstitch napkins with our monogram. They'll be used for the rewedding dinner, then we can reuse them for dinner parties, etc. at home. Since we're having a number of different colors {grey, white, orange, maybe teal and yellow}, I was thinking I would do a dozen of each color. That way I'd have a set of each to match with other dishes and decor at home. I think they will look great and add the personal touch I'm looking for. None of the colors will be too bright {the orange and yellow are going to be soft} and I'm going to do a smaller monogram then shown above, so I think they'll kind of blend in to the decor, but they'll stand out just enough to be noticed. Now, I just need to learn to hand embroider and find a good source for linen napkins!

So what do you think? Too many different colors? Would you do them all grey or white on white? Am I think only person who thinks these are cool? Any idea where to buy the napkins in bulk? I don't want cheap quality ones, but I would like to pay as little as possible. :) In a perfect world...

update~I don't think I explained this right, so let me try again. :) When I say different colors, I mean the thread. So, they would be all white napkins but each with a different color monogram. Still like the idea?

Stuck on You...

I'm kinda {STUCK} on these...

How cute and easy! They'll make any DIY projects look super professional.

{here}

How darling are these?

I mean...Come on! Too much cuteness!

{there via here}

A place for everything...

and everything in its place...

{1,2,3}

New and improved...

Elizabeth Anne Designs has revamped their site and added TONS of new features. It's so cute! They added new vendor pages in the Library and a Community section with a message board and a bulletin board! Make sure you stop by and check it out and give the girls a big pat on the back for all their hard work. I can't believe they do all of this and both work full time! I'm tired just thinking about it!

You only turn 5 once...

which is why I'm planning on throwing my only child a HUGE ridiculous party. :)

 Lil's birthday is at the end of June and she never gets to celebrate with her school friends because of that. So, to make up for the fact that mommy and daddy didn't get busy earlier, I tend to throw her very large complicated over-the-top birthday parties. They're a blast to attend, but they kill me! I'll be tired for a week afterwards, but it's totally worth it...for the most part. Anyway, this year with her turning 5 AND starting Kindergarten in the Fall, we're having an even bigger one than usual. I don't know who will be in her class next year, so I'm inviting BOTH classes from her school, so that's 32 kids to start with. Then add the 10-12 kids of our good friends outside of school and you've got one hell of a par-tay! We're renting a local park/house for the party because our backyard isn't flat enough for kids to play and have the bouncy house that she so desperately wants. I was going to do a Mexican Fiesta theme at first, but decided to spend the money I save on not having to buy a bunch of Mexican themed decorations on another bouncy or I can have the ice cream man come by. How cute is that? So, these images below are some that have been shaping the party in my mind. More to come in a few...

I {heart} all of this*...

Blogging has been pretty hard lately. Not sure why, but I haven't been very inspired lately. Everything seems to look the same and while I know that you can't reinvent the wheel, if I see one more funky sock/cute shoe pictures or a damn bird cake topper, I'm going to scream. So, I've let all the re-wedding stuff slide and have been taking a break from blogging as well {I'm sure you couldn't tell right?}. But, this all changed the other day when I saw this darling party on Inchmark. I raced out and bought all the supplies to make the candy favors for Lil's class this Valentine's Day. How cute are they? How cute is the whole party? Hell, Brooke's whole blog is great! Check it out!

Also, if you have any inspiration to share, send it my way...I hate being in a rut.

I'm going to try and recreate these for Lil's class, though I'm such an Illustrator dummy, we'll see.

Simple and sweet. It was for a friend's 4th babe, which I think is so sweet of them to do. Every baby deserves a shower!

I love the garland that she hung over the dining table. I might have finally found a use for my sewing machine!

I can't bake, but these make me wish I could!

She picked the drink flavors to match her color scheme...a girl after my own heart!

*You know I had to use heart in the title...just too easy!

{all images from here}

Bag lady...

Since this isn't a "real" wedding, we feel like our friends are really going out of their way for us, if they join us in Seaside. So, because of this, we're doing a lot of extra little things during the weekend. The first thing they'll receive is a welcome bag. I have no idea what I'm putting in them, but I do know what I want the bag to look like. I also know I want to make them myself! Yay...I love a huge DIY project to drive myself nuts with! I had been planning on doing one of these bags for each family, then I woke up! Ummm, hello!!! There are so many other things I could spend that $20 on, like copious amounts of my favorite bubbly. 

So months ago, I came across Mary's fantastic wedding and after that I found her blog and etsy store. Score! I wish they wrote more, because they have some really great work. I actually chatted with the two of them over the phone this summer and was supposed to meet with them on my ill-fated NYC trip and they couldn't be sweeter. Even though, we never met during that trip...I came away with a better and more budget friendly bag idea. Silk-screened canvas bags! I finally get to silkscreen something! I've been wanting to try it ever since Maartha featured it on her show and in the mag.

I've fallen in love with the idea of doing this kind of bag with some sort of shield/logo hybrid like these two examples. I'm thinking something with a lime slice and maybe croquet mallets...

{I love the two deers...it looks like a old family crest}

{I've always wanted to order something from here}

{I would be great at this, I'm just sure of it.}

{So simple, but so special at the same time}

{Love the ferris wheel on this..}

{all photos from Ice Cream Social}

X marks the spot...

Seaside is a walking town, with darling cobblestone streets, not wide enough for cars and is basically built around a central square with the streets going out from it like the rays of the sun. All of this makes me think that we need a map to include in the welcome bags and I also adore hand-drawn maps, so I'm looking for any excuse to have one. :) I've been worried about size though, because I want people to be able to actually use it during the weekend, since we're having multiple events at different venues that aren't known by the general public, such as specific houses, location of our rental beach chairs, etc. So enter this darling pocket size example found on {Darling Dexter}. How cute is the size? It will totally fit in a pants pocket, beach bag and it's also looks small enough to carry in your hand without totally annoying you. What do you think? Yay? So, does anybody have a favorite map maker? I think I'll do a map post later today, instead of getting ready to leave tomorrow.  Also, does anybody have any idea how in the world to fold this? I'm not a good map folder!

{check out the rest of the invite here}

Eddie Ross, where have you been all my life?

These darling pumpkins are just one of a million things I just found on this new {to me} blog that I'm obsessed with. LOVE this man!

Wall o' Family...

I'm getting ready to finally start putting stuff on our walls and I really want to do this! This would be great to add to all the family pictures. I used to have a bookmark of a place that did silhouettes, but I can't find it anymore. Anybody have any sites?

{from here via here}

Really really really early...

This is really early planning, but we're planning on having a huge Halloween party NEXT year and I love these. I know that they can be made for cheaper than Maaartha would like me to pay, but wondered if anybody had ever seen any sort of template anywhere on the web? Thanks!!

Also, how cute is this invite from Dingbat Press? It comes as a whole Ghoul's Night Out party package...very cute idea. 

Ugly free chair + great fabric= Fantastic

I've had Studio Bon on my mind for about a year, ever since Jordan blogged about it. Now that I'm ready to recover an old chair from my parent's house and make a homasote inspiration board for my office/living room, I can finally order some!! Yay! Aren't they great? Bonnee designs them and then they're all hand silkscreened in her workshop in Dallas. I can hardly pick just one! 

{Ellen}

{Bellows}

{Oodles}

{This actually looks a lot like the chair I'm redoing}

{other good uses for this great fabric}