TTFN

Hello there! Sorry to say that I'm without a personal computer (and will probably be without one for the next weekish) so no posts for a bit. But I promise you I'll be back asap so stay tuned! Have a good week all!

Artemis + Nao (who else?)

I'm obsessed with every detail of this wedding: the brides shiny hair piece; the grooms shorts; the beautiful (mostly liberty of london) fabric everywhere; the tiny jars with flowers; the cow! For heavens sake. Glorious.




Right?! Amazing. Love the shell holding the rings. How clever.
And this is their wedding tent. They got ready in it and had it open for the party. It's so lovely.

The day looks magical. And this lovely brides site is also magical. Check her out.

Rooftop Gardens

If I ever live in the city I know that I'll miss all of the green space that I'm accustomed to. Even though I've never been much of a gardener, I fully appreciate everyone around me that is and enjoy their yards immensely. Even my over grown bushes and often too-long grass brings me a lot of joy. I do, however, really appreciate a secret rooftop garden. There is something so magical about being surrounded by huge iron buildings while sitting among flowers and other plants—especially 10 stories up!



Sources: Design Squish // Out Next // Inhabitat // Chicago Gardens // Apartment Therapy // Kathleen Ellis // Charles & Hudson //

Meet: Deanna Staffo

Deanna is a Philadelphia based illustrator whose work reminds me of the lovely Kat Macleod with bits of Shel Silverstein thrown in for good measure. Her work is retro and modern, charming and disturbing and I want to hang every piece she's created on my wall. The more you stare at it the more it stares at you and the more emotional it becomes. She is definitely another illustrator that inspires me to get out my sketchbook and give it a go.



Have you seen these blogs (curated by people far more fashionable than I) dedicated solely to what they wore that day? Part of me hates it for being so self-centered and the other part of me loves it for being so inspirational and brave. That said, our new friend Deanna created a series of "what I wore today" that I would love to subscribe to.

She was somewhat recently married (to another illustrator of course) and she illustrated images for the invitation. The hot air balloon was the save the date (my favorite piece).

The top left drawing was done by her husband and was the RSVP card, Deanna drew the top right and it was the invitation. Do you see that in the RSVP he's drawing her and in the invite she's drawing him? Cute huh? I thought you'd enjoy that.

The finale. I am obsessed with the couple in the boat (a portrait she drew for a friend's wedding). If you frequent the local Starbucks at the Plaza like I do, you'd definitely agree with me that this handsome fella looks just like one of the baristas: glasses and all. And the Sofia Coppola portrait is spectacular. I love the horses in the background, particularly the masked horse.
Visit Deanna.

Beachy Interiors

What I wouldn't give for a beach house. The sand and the salty air and the breezes—nothing more lovely. I'd have a hard time knowing which direction to decorate in though. Would I want it to be more fun and bright and vibrant or more neutral and calming? Luckily I can imagine both ways and not actually have to invest in anything.



Which do you prefer?
Images from: Coastal Living // Beachy in the City // Simply Natural // My Home
capiz chandelier // adirondack chair // tiki sign // sail pillow // ship in a bottle // felted urchin // rope knob // sea bottles // driftwood candleholder

Sunday Suppers

Sunday Suppers is this amazing, lovely event that happens once or twice a month at a beautiful downtown loft in Brooklyn, New York. Fourteen to twenty strangers get together to learn from a local chef how to cook a meal using market fresh, organic ingredients. After the cooking, the group sits down to enjoy the meal together. What a great way to make new friends!




Oh boy did I have a hard time stopping with the graphics on this one! Sunday Suppers was started by photographer and stylist Karen Mordechai so of course all of the images on the site are beyond enchanting. The event encompasses my favorites: beautiful food, styling, decor, paper goods, aprons. And would you just look at how sweet Joanna Goddard (of a cup of jo) looks with her pregnant belly wrapped in a lovely apron. Gorgeous. Visit Sunday Suppers for more stunning imagery and delicious recipes.

The Glory of Anthropologie

My city has a pathetic excuse for a shopping mall. It's mostly kiosks of eyebrow shaping and sunglasses and "designer" purses. So when I decided I wanted to try and find some end-of-the-summer deals, I asked a sweet friend of mine to take the trip to a much better mall about an hour away. Because she's a sweet friend (and her husband is out of town), she agreed. My favorite thing? Always Anthropologie. I don't usually buy much (if anything) but I love to wander around the store admiring the displays and smelling the toiletries and touching the luxurious fabrics. We walked out of the store agreeing that it was a little depressing to not have the money to purchase the beautiful items, but ultimately there was so much inspiration at Anthropologie that it was totally worth it. It's like a gallery more than a store.
Anthropologie has a Flickr stream with some of their display designs and I thought you'd enjoy them with me? Good.



Don't you love the eraser maple leaf from their Ontario store? Such a good idea. Check out others in the photostream. A handful of these images are also from the small (but inspiring) Anthropologie window displays Flickr pool. If you have an Anthro in your mall, count your blessings and visit often. If not, it's worth the drive for sure!

Abandoned Houses

Kevin began photographing abandoned houses in his Detroit in the 90's. He was intrigued and also a little confused by so many large, (at-one-time) stately homes that had just been left to rot and collapse. So, he began documenting them. You should definitely read his personal statement if this is something that interests you.

Pretty Ladies

Neryl Walker has a fun, retro style of illustrating that I'm (of course) super attracted to. I remember seeing her package design for Bloom and Bare Escentuals and being really drawn in by the flirty and fun art.


I can't get over the Sophia Loren olive oil bottles. And I really have to agree that manners are the "ultimate fashion accessory".
Good ol' Design*Sponge featured Ms. Neryl's Melbourne house and it's just as inspired as I would've imagined. Such glorious retro detailing and fun collections.

I apologize for the late post my friends. Hope you had a great week and are gearing up for a greater weekend. See you Monday!

In The Market For...

I am getting ready to buy a new laptop. Actually this will be my very first personal computer - can you believe it? I've always just used the school's or my mom's or the one work gave me. I'm super excited to have one of my very own (not super excited about the cost of a mac, but let's move on). That said, I'm in the market for a laptop sleeve or bag or something other than a towel to keep the precious darling safe. I'd take any of these...


sources: alexander girard city // london // grey wool + tan leather // grey city // vines // grey wool + dark brown leather // orange accents // houndstooth // denim rinse // yellow // espresso leather tote // white

Gorgeous Guests

A good party isn't about the hosts, it's about the guests. And there's nothing more lovely and endearing than a happy wedding guest.

Images from once wed // our labor of love // brandon kidd

Photobooths are an awesome trend in weddings and Smilebooth has really impressed me the most. Check out their site for more pictures and to find out about getting a booth at your event.


Don't you just adore that man in the sailor hat and life jacket? That's why I love these things—you give people a choice of props after serving them liquor and a huge dose of true love for a few hours and you get some amazing portraits. And it's a fun way to get pictures of all of the people that mean the most to you. Love it.

Meet: Jessica Hische

Prepare to be amazed. Even if you've already seen her work, I imagine that seeing it again will inspire and intimidate and awe you (as it did me while I was putting this post together). Jessica designs type. Oh, and illustrates and does graphic design and is awesome at all of it. She's just out of school (BFA in 2006) and has had the opportunity to work with great clients, creating beautiful work. I'm going to shut up so you can get to the ooh-ing and ahh-ing.




Ugh. She's so good. And apparently quite cool. Look at this tattoo of hers.

Lovely. I'm trying not to get jealous. Although according to Ms. Jessica, "envy can be a big motivator." I'd have to agree. She's motivated my socks off.

Ruffles

Ruffles are so sweet and feminine and in the right environment can be modern at the same time. Keep it simple, surround them with clean lines and try to keep the floral ruffles to a minimum and you'll create a delicate and flirty space that will make everyone comfortable.


Sources: grey ruffle pillow on chaise // sun room // bathroom curtain // kitchen scallop // bedroom // table cloth // pendant // orange pillow // grey curtain

After months of summer sun I'm feeling particularly girly and no one does ruffles and cute girly clothes (on a budget) better than Ruche.

Ruche has a great section on their site called "decadent ruffles" that you've got to check out. The "flavours" are "pink lady", "chocolate and peanut butter" and "peaches and cream"—they're so lovely.

Spectacles

I've been in need of a new pair of glasses for about 8 years now. I know, it's a long time. I'm a contacts-wearer and haven't really wanted to spend the money. But now I have vision insurance so it seems a waste to not use it! That said, I went to the eye doctor yesterday (ps. I HATE that little puff of air! They've got to be able to figure out how to test what they're testing for without doing that. Someone get on it). I was sitting in the doctors chair performing all of these tests (trying to answer correctly) and then he pulled out this little booklet and I got super distracted. How did I never notice how lovely the color-blindness test circles are? I almost forgot to tell him the number I saw because I was thinking about how I could get some of these framed in my house. Do you think he'd sell me that little book?

I found a really cute pair of glasses that I think I'll actually enjoy wearing (unlike the glasses of my youth. Sigh.). And I'm so excited to find a case to put them in.


I really like the one with the screen printed spectacles. And I think the little clutch in the shape of glasses is really clever, don't you? I'd never seen anything like that before! Pop over to Etsy to see even more great options.
Sources: peacock // puppies // violet flower // penguins // grey with applique // cars // road // screen printed eyeglasses

A Collection a Day

This is something I've been following since the beginning of the year. Lisa Congdon is a collector of things and she's decided to take this year to document them. She's posted one photograph, drawing or painting every day since January 1st and plans to continue until December 31st. She has a gift for arrangement and color and luckily her collections are fun to look at. See...






I really love the bread ties. How clever and lovely they are all grouped together like that! Check out her blog to see some of the other collections.