Alphabet poster round-up

Inspired by the National Stationery Show, a few of my favorite alphabet posters. Perfect for a nursery, child's room, or (let's be honest) an office. Do you have a favorite I'm missing?


JenOaks ($45, 13 by 19 inches)


PetitCollage (18 by 24 inches, $50)


Beauchamping ($75, 30 by 22 inches)


Modern Pop ($28)


Rifle Paper Co


Wee Doodle ($28, 13 by 19 inches)

Dream Home: Outdoor living spaces

Wraparound porches; wide front steps; deep, cushioned swings; plantation shutters; draped wisteria; indoor furniture outside: these are a few of my favorite things. Comfortable, stylish outdoor living spaces are an absolute must for me in a future home.

P.S. Anyone have a good source for those slatted, folding garden chairs that are so very chic? I'd take either the metal or wooden variety.


{Southern Living}


{Southern Living}


{Elle Decor via Black*Eiffel}


{House Beautiful}


{Martha Stewart}


{Martha Stewart}




{Southern Living}


{House Beautiful}


{John Derian}


{Southern Living}

Miyuki Sakai

My eyes almost popped out of my head when I flipped the page to the "Vive la tarte!" spread in the most recent Martha Stewart Living. What I thought were gorgeous pencil sketches turned out to be gorgeous "sewing illustrations," created using more than 200 colors of thread. See for yourself:





You can click to enlarge a bit, but I'd really encourage you to buy the issue in order to see the rest of the article and appreciate the piece in all its glory! You can also click over to Miyuki's site to take a look at her portfolio and the artwork she created for Living.

Favorite fabric sources

{Pottery Barn}

I'm in need of some help today, friends. I really want to make a few sets of curtains, but I'm stymied on the whole fabric purchasing situation. I don't even know what I want, exactly, but I do know that JoAnn doesn't have it and that I'm not sure where else to look. Where do y'all go when you need stylish, reasonably priced fabric?

Honeysuckle perfume

{flickr}

J and I have been inhaling clouds of honeysuckle every night on our evening walks, and every time we pass a particularly fragrant bush I can't help but wish for a honeysuckle perfume. Perfect for summer, no? Here are some options I found...




1. Jo Malone Honeysuckle & Jasmine Cologne ($55, 30 ml): Fragrant honeysuckle spiked with sandalwood rests of a layer of sweet jasmine

2. Vera Wang Bouquet ($70, 1.7 ounces): dew drops, Sicilian bergamot, black currant leaves, paperwhite narcissus, honeysuckle, lavender musk, Moroccan cedar, white iris root

3. Britney Spears Believe ($48, 1.7 ounces): guava pulp, golden tangerine, honeysuckle, linden blossom, patchouli, amber, pink pralines

4. Burberry Sport for Women ($48, 1 ounce): mandarin, sea salt, vetiver, freesia, honeysuckle, solar sand notes

5. Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy ($45, 1 ounce): Wild berries and mandarins, honeysuckle, gardenia, and jasmine

6. Burberry Summer for Women ($65, 3.4 ounces): black currant, pomegranate, mandarin, white peach, freesia, honeysuckle, lily of the valley, white rose

7. Juicy Couture Couture Couture ($50, 1 ounce): Pink grape, orange flower, mandarin, blushed plum, honeysuckle, star jasmine, sandalwood, amber

8. Calvin Klein euphoria ($40, 1 ounce): Sicilian bergamot, lush green accord, persimmon, champaca flower, lotus blossom, white honeysuckle, white sandalwood, amber, Bailey's cream

9. Trish McEvoy Sexy No. 4 Gardenia ($52, .5 ounces): gardenia, honeysuckle, Neroli orange petals, tuberose

Without having smelled any of these, I think my favorites are nos. 1, 5, and 6. I guess a trip to the department store is in order! Anyone have any experience with any of these scents? I'd love to hear what you think.

Board No. 71: Hamptons Pool Party

{Click to enlarge!}

I guess the only way to begin this post is to say, a girl can dream, right? Let's start with the location: the soft, deep green, rolling back lawn of a Hamptons estate, punctuated by an oversized pool. The weather? Perfect: warm and dry, blue skies as far as the eye can see. The bride arrives in a vintage Rolls, wearing a polka-dotted Melissa Sweet (my favorite!). The groom and male guests are in classic black tuxes, the attendants are all in white. Of course the hedges are in bloom, and they only add to the lush, loose arrangements on the tables dotted across the lawn. And the cake? A delicious multi-tiered confection by Sylvia Weinstock.

Sigh.

The Details
First: pool photo from Martha Stewart Living, reception photo by Aaron Delesie via Style Me Pretty, shingled house photo by Christian Oth via SMP

Second: all photos by Meg Smith

Third: cake photo by Aaron Delesie via SMP, bouquet photo by Meg Smith, first dance photo by Melissa Musgrove from Martha Stewart Weddings

Happy weekend!

Kind of loving these stripes, but especially the big hair and super wide, stretchy black headbands. What do you think -- is this a look one could pull off in every day life? Something to ponder this weekend...

{via Black*Eiffel... love both pairs of glasses in the first image, too!}

Daybreak

{via flickr}

On the tidal mud, just before sunset,
dozens of starfishes
were creeping. It was
as though the mud were a sky
and enormous, imperfect stars
moved across it as slowly
as the actual stars cross heaven.
All at once they stopped,
and, as if they had simply
increased their receptivity
to gravity, they sank down
into the mud, faded down
into it and lay still, and by the time
pink of sunset broke across them
they were as invisible
as the true stars at daybreak.

--Galway Kinnell

Summer dresses

I would live in dresses all summer if I had enough of them. No shorts, no jeans, no capris -- I would forgo them all for a rack of breezy cotton sundresses. I just ordered three to try from Victoria's Secret and am waiting for them to come in to decide which to keep (probably just one with my budget, sadly...).


I have yet to try on a shirt dress that has fit me well (and I've probably tried on 15 at this point). Yet I keep trying. I have high hopes for this one, though.


Promise I won't wear it as scandalously as this model!


SO CUTE! Just between you and me, I'm pinning my hopes on this little number.

Which is your favorite? And do you have a great source for reasonably priced summer frocks?

Lobster welcome dinner

{Erin Hearts Court via 100 Layer Cake}

K + C aren't having a traditional rehearsal dinner, but will be inviting guests to a welcome dinner at a local lobster joint the night before the wedding (hence, my beloved lobstah dress). We're not yet sure how much will be left in the budget for fun details -- and honestly, how many details do you need when you have lobster and surroundings like this -- but here are some ideas I've collected over the last few weeks should the need arise...

An adorable lobster-claw invite:


{Martha Stewart Living}

Customized napkins:


{Snap Photography}

Place cards or escort cards, held down by stones:


{Martha Stewart Living}

Lobster place mats and red and white striped runners from Carrot & Stick Press:


{Thayer Photo and Alison Events}

Dessert (strawberry shortcake, of course!):




{Eat Drink Chic}

Lobster lollipop favors (or how about sacks of gummi lobsters?):


{Martha Stewart Weddings}


{Brian Phillips}

And a bag to pack the evening's essentials:


{Alexandra Daley-Clark via Style Me Pretty}

Dream Home: Exposed beams, open feel

I love old homes, and one of my favorite characteristics of them is their tendency to have gorgeous wooden ceilings with exposed beams. I love when you can see the "bones" of a house.


{this is glamorous}


{via Urban Grace Interiors}


{House Beautiful via The Inspired Room}


{via Elizabeth Anne Designs Living}


{House Beautiful}

Sailor's knot bracelet, v. 2

Like last week's nautical bracelet, I'm loving this one from The Vamoose on Etsy that my cousin Meghan emailed to me. $18 and available in natural or white rope and gold or silver trimmings. See it here!

Board No. 70: Red and orange ranunculus

{Click to enlarge!}

Love red and orange, and love the idea of bowls of cherries and brightly colored citrus fruits as centerpieces. Lots of patterns in this board, too, from the seating chart by Cheree Berry to the fabric homemade jam jars. Who's ready for summer?

The Details
First row, left to right: Johnny Miller, Martha Stewart Weddings, 100 Layer Cake

Second: flickr via Creature Comforts, The Knot, The Knot

Third: Minted, ElseaChelsea's flickr

Fourth: red and orange dresses, ElseaChelsea's flickr, Martha Stewart Weddings

On Turning Ten

{via flickr}

The whole idea of it makes me feel
like I'm coming down with something,
something worse than any stomach ache
or the headaches I get from reading in bad light --
a kind of measles of the spirit,
a mumps of the psyche,
a disfiguring chicken pox of the soul.

You tell me it is too early to be looking back,
but that is because you have forgotten
the perfect simplicity of being one
and the beautiful complexity introduced by two.
But I can lie on my bed and remember every digit.
At four I was an Arabian wizard.
I could make myself invisible
by drinking a glass of milk a certain way.
At seven I was a soldier, at nine a prince.

But now I am mostly at the window
watching the late afternoon light.
Back then it never fell so solemnly
against the side of my tree house,
and my bicycle never leaned against the garage
as it does today,
all the dark blue speed drained out of it.

This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself,
as I walk through the universe in my sneakers.
It is time to say goodbye to my imaginary friends,
time to turn the first big number.

It seems only yesterday I used to believe
there was nothing under my skin but light.
If you cut me I would shine.
But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life,
I skin my knees. I bleed.

--Billy Collins

P.S. This one's for Jenna. Once upon a time she wrote about loving a poet whose name she couldn't remember. I guessed Billy Collins and it turns out I was right! Plus, she has a new little bebe of her own.

The non-toss ceremony exit

My buddy M currently has about thirteen girlfriends planning weddings. True story. Several of them got together last week, and one conundrum followed them home:

"Mary and DJ are saying 'I Do' at our university chapel, which unfortunately does not permit any thrown celebratory items post-ceremony. (Au revoir rice and confetti!) The bride, however, is attached to the image of walking out of the church doors with her new husband with celebration literally in the air. She and I have been brainstorming other options and she is thinking streamers, however we are struggling with ways this idea can be a. not too feminine for male guests to participate in, and b. not too homemade-seeming. Do you have any inspiring images or ideas for ways we could logistically piece together streamers for waving, or other items that would photograph well in the air --short of being tossed?"

My wheels instantly started turning, because as much as I love the image of streamers waving in the air, I've always had a hard time swallowing that men would voluntarily participate in such an activity. After putting some feelers out to friends, here are the best ideas we came up with.


{Kim Box via Southern Weddings}

First, let's take a moment to pause and mourn the loss of moments like this one. Jenifer and Kenny had a confetti canon. Yep, that's pretty cool.


{Amy Squires via Style Me Pretty}


{Catana Photography via SMP}

Okay, moving on. The first option is streamers. They do make for lovely photos, and the guests in these photos appear to be participating wholeheartedly. They seem simple to make, too. The bride above suggests buying dowels from a home improvement store and cutting them into thirds (leaving each about 16 inches long). She then cut one inch thick organza ribbons into 20 inch sections, dabbed a bit of hot glue on the top of each rod, tied a loose knot at the end of each ribbon, and then tightened it over the top, over the glue.


{Beaux Arts Photographie via Style Me Pretty}

Fairly similar to streamers are pinwheels. You could do the standard size, or you could go oversize. Certainly whimsical, but depending on the paper used, could also be sophisticated.



Hooray flags! You can purchase them from So Inviting on Etsy, or figure out the DIY. I also like the idea of making triangle flags from colored paper or fabric, like so:


{Feather Love Photography via SMP}


{Kristin Vining}

Wedding signs! Never seen this before, but it looks very cute here!


{Martha Stewart}

And finally, wedding bells. I have to say, this is my favorite option of the bunch, even if it isn't the most original. I think the sound of hundreds of tinkling bells would be magical, it's not as girly as waving a ribbon streamer, and your guests will definitely "get it." (Which they might not with, say, wedding signs.)

What do you think? Which of these options is your favorite? Do you have a better idea? And how about it -- are ribbon wands just too girly to be practical, or have you seen them used successfully?

P.S. Of course, there's always sparklers, but the logistics of getting them all lit at the same time is a little much for me. I also love the idea of kazoos or those party blowers that unroll, but I couldn't find a good photo to illustrate!