My china pattern

From Martha Stewart Weddings

I am not getting married right now, but if I were, I think this is the china I would register for. Dinner plates and bread and butter plates from Martha Stewart for Wedgewood "Moss Garland" and salad plates from Pickard "Signature Monogram." Anyone else with me on the whole registering for fine china thing?

Navy and Yellow Bunting

Y'all know I love bunting. If you love bunting, too, you might want to think about snatching up a few lengths of my newest Etsy offering! It's the bunting from Kate's wedding, and though I think the navy + yellow + white palette is crisp and classic, I'd be happy to pull together a custom combo for you. Just so you know, this stuff is top of the line, with tons of fun patterns including blue and yellow madras, rope knots, polka dots, and seersucker. It doesn't get much better than this in the merry world of bunting!











P.S. I'll be offering up a few more items from K + C's wedding in the next few weeks, so if you like their style, keep your eyes peeled!

P.P.S. All of these photos are the handiwork of the super-talented Jenna Cole and & Unlimited! I can't wait to show you even more of their beautiful images soon!!

More relaxed portraits

Y'all know I love relaxed portraits at weddings, so I thought I'd share these fabulous examples from a recent wedding shot by Jesse Leake. Aren't they just natural and gorgeous?

Gorgeous recipe styling

My good buddy Caity sent me a link to this post on today and tomorrow, and I was instantly mesmerized.











They're all images from IKEA's new book Homemade is Best, photographed by Carl Kleiner. I love when people take the time to see the beauty in overlooked things, and recipe ingredients definitely fall into that category. Happily, the styling (by Evelina Bratell) is just lovely here.

Thanks, Cait!

Fall Fashion Week: J. Crew

I'm not as enamored with J. Crew's current line as I usually am, but there were a few outerwear pieces + accessories that caught my eye. What do you think of their offerings this fall?


J. Crew Double-Cloth Lady Day Coat ($298)


J. Crew Icon Trench ($298)


J. Crew Metallic Sperry Top Siders ($98)


J. Crew Brompton Hobo ($298)


J. Crew Crystal Pebble Earrings ($45)


J. Crew Pearl Jewel Box Earrings ($68)

Fall Fashion Week: Old Navy

Old Navy might not be the fanciest brand out there... and it may not have the highest quality wares... but they still have some pretty fun basics. My faves:


V-Neck Tee ($8.99)


Striped Boat Neck Tee ($12.50)



Tie-Belt Wrap Cardigan ($36.50)


Hooded Wool-Blend Toggle Jacket ($69.50)


Old Navy Ruffle-Collar Wool-Blend Jacket ($69.50)

Your faves?

Fall Fashion Week: LOFT

Really, really impressed with both these looks from the current LOFT collection as well as the styling of their website. Clean, classic, feminine, crisp -- I love it! In fact, out of all the clothes I've perused online over the past few days, these tops have made me most eager to head to a mall...


Ruffled Trim Tee ($15)


Patterned Blouse with Pleated Bow ($54.50)


Patterned Sleeveless Shell with Knot Detail ($49.50)


Bow and Chain Cardigan ($59.50)

Fall Fashion Week: Land's End Canvas

Hey, friends! I hope you're having a happy Monday! It's come to my attention that there's something called Fashion Week going on north of here (or maybe it's already over... I'm not really in the know). I have to say, I'm usually underwhelmed by runway images, and find it difficult to translate the high-fashion looks to my everyday life. So, I thought I'd join in with my own version! I've been craving fall fashion, but the 90+ degree days we've been having (with no end in sight... yikes!) mean my cravings must be satisfied online, at least for now. So P&P Fashion Week it is.

First up? Canvas by Land's End. Though I do not own a single piece of clothing from them, I like their style and think one of these pieces could be in my future...


Rugby Shirt ($39.50)


Softest Cowlneck ($29.50)


Nautical Shorts ($12.99)


Low Heel Boots ($225)

But tell me: where do you most like to shop?

K + C Get Married: The Film

Kate and Cormac Get Married from Emily Ayer on Vimeo.

I feel terrible for holding out on you for so long, but here's the video John and I put together for Kate and Cormac's wedding. It was definitely a labor of love (20+ hours to edit), but it was one of those things where once we started, we almost couldn't stop until we finished it!

It takes you through our whole week in Maine, from loading everything onto the Island, to lots of preparations, to the wharf jumping, the welcome dinner, and finally, the wedding day. I hope you enjoy, and that it only whets your appetite for much for to come!

Dark August

{via flickr}

So much rain, so much life like the swollen sky
of this black August. My sister, the sun,
broods in her yellow room and won't come out.

Everything goes to hell; the mountains fume
like a kettle, rivers overrun; still,
she will not rise and turn off the rain.

She is in her room, fondling old things,
my poems, turning her album. Even if thunder falls
like a crash of plates from the sky,

she does not come out.
Don't you know I love you but am hopeless
at fixing the rain? But I am learning slowly

to love the dark days, the steaming hills,
the air with gossiping mosquitoes,
and to sip the medicine of bitterness,

so that when you emerge, my sister,
parting the beads of the rain,
with your forehead of flowers and eyes of forgiveness,

all will not be as it was, but it will be true
(you see they will not let me love
as I want), because, my sister, then

I would have learnt to love black days like bright ones,
the black rain, the white hills, when once
I loved only my happiness and you.

--Derek Walcott

Breakfast Jewelry

Clearly, I needed to share this scented (scented!) pancake ring as well as these croissant earrings, both available on Etsy. Thoughts?!

The Ribbonerie

{via The Purl Bee}

The Ribbonerie bills itself as "the ultimate ribbon store," and I have to say, I think I agree. They're based in San Francisco, and any of you lucky enough to live nearby should make a visit immediately. Happily, they will sell you ribbon over the phone if you don't. I was on a mad hunt for coral ribbon for a Peach & Pearl project and was coming up empty-handed in my usual haunts. Then I saw these color options:








And that's just for satin ribbon. Hallelujah! The ordering process was quick and easy, and I would highly recommend! What's your favorite ribbon source?

Out to Dinner: Vin Rouge

As many of you know, I spent many hours collaborating with Kate on her and Cormac's wedding. I was happy to do it (thrilled, actually -- I love weddings, especially weddings for my favorite people!), but they still felt a gift was in order when all was said and done. I have to say, they made an excellent choice. They're both very rational people, and decided that since the biggest sacrifice I had made for their wedding was spending time (or at least attention) away from J, they wanted to give us back some of that meaningful time. I will let them explain:

"Here's the deal: every month for the next year you'll get a $50 gift card to take yourselves out to dinner. There are a few stipulations: 1) You have to go to a different place each month. 2) You have to send us a picture of the restaurant, yourselves, or your food for each trip. 3) If you don't use all $50, you can spend the rest however you want."

Very generous and very thoughtful, no? J and I were delighted to take our first trip to a French restaurant in nearby Durham, Vin Rouge. We had both been to Vin Rouge previously -- me about a year ago on my first trip to the Triangle area, and J many years ago when first visiting colleges with his sister.



The restaurant is in kind of a strange area, with busy Ninth Street right next door. However, there is plenty of free parking in front.



We made our reservation on Open Table, which turned out not to be necessary, as we were almost the only ones on the side patio when we arrived around 6pm. It was a gorgeous day with blue skies and dry air, and we definitely felt a bit Parisienne sitting at our bistro table and nibbling on crusty bread and olive oil. Our waitress was happy to refill our bread basket as many times as we finished it without making us feel like crazy carbivores, which earned Vin Rouge high marks in my book.



We had fun trying to remember our high school and college French as we perused the menu. Poisson, boudon, roti, oh my!






Having dined at Vin Rouge before, we knew the portion sizes were something to be reckoned with, and so decided to skip an appetizer. Our service was wonderful, and our entrees came not to soon nor too late.

John ordered the Steak au Poivre with sauce bearnaise and pomme frites. He ordered it medium to medium well and it was cooked perfectly. The frites were delicious, crispy and sufficient without accompaniment.





I ordered the Gratin de Macaroni with bacon and Gruyere cheese and oh my it was delicious. As you can see, the portion sizes were more than hearty -- I ate half of my dish that night, and enjoyed the rest as leftovers the next day.





Our bill with tip came to exactly $50 by (happy) accident. We are already plotting out next month's meal and have been asking everyone we know for recommendations in the meantime. Thank you again, Kate + Cormac! What a wonderful gift.

P.S. We finished the evening with ice cream at Hillsborough's Maple View Farm. Delicious, and brings the meaning to "farm fresh!"