Wedding Hair

In anticipation of Kristen's wedding tomorrow (I can't believe it's already here!), I wanted to show off the work of Meaganne McCandess, the hair and makeup stylist Kristen has coming to make us all pretty for the big day. I think the MOH Jennifer and I are getting up-dos, which is fortunate because the weather forecast predicts strong winds. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

 

Stripey Straw Banner Tutorial

Here's a quick little 10 minute project I accomplished today while waiting for Ava to wake up before running an errand to our new favorite place, the Restoration Hardware outlet. More surprises to come along the same lines as this, but first you have to endure a pictorial tutorial... (All you need are washi tape and scissors, and the straws of course.)

 

 

 

 

I've been wanting to make these for ages, so I'm happy I finally sat down and did it. I bought these gray stripey straws for Ava's birthday party, purposely choosing a neutral color so I could use them for some other parties lately too. And the fuchsia floral washi tape adds the perfect feminine touch for the vintage backyard picnic baby shower in my parents' amazing garden.

Italian Leather Sofa

Alex and I decided to make an impromptu trip to the Restoration Hardware outlet last night. They just received a big shipment, so we were looking forward to checking out some chairs and a coffee table to finally finish furnishing the sitting room.

Now, before I go on, there is something you must know. We spent a good portion of the evening before leaving for RH taping out the dimensions of the pieces we were hoping to buy. We decided that only the smaller sized chairs would fit in the space available.

But upon our arrival, just as an identical one was being carted away, Alex spotted a Lancaster sofa with two right back cushions and a missing leg. He inspected it thoughtfully and it otherwise appeared to be in perfect condition (well, relatively speaking since the distressed look is intentional; and fortunately ours isn't as distressed as some). Then he carefully examined the price. He had to -- it seemed too good to be true. So we bought the couch anxiously before someone might realize an error had been made. (This makes it almost as good a deal as we found here and a much better deal than during our Black Friday shopping spree here.)

96" Lancaster Leather Sofa in Brompton Cocoa, Luxe Depth

So, if we were planning on purchasing a pair of small chairs, how, might you ask, will this poor crazy over-sized sofa fit in that space? That was a question we were willing to ignore... until we got home. We taped out several alternate arrangements and no matter how we sliced it, the entry into that space would be less than two feet. Not acceptable, no matter what kind of deal we got on the couch.

Then I had a marvelous revelation. Why don't we just pull the existing sofa out from the wall and use it to divide the two rooms? That would leave us with two parallel sofas. Of course we'd need to remove a leaf to condense the dining table and rotate it under the chandelier as well as move the china hutch to another wall. But this also creates the separation between the two areas I'd been struggling with for ages.

I'm excited to share the new arrangement, just as soon as I tidy things up a bit...

Keep Calm You're 30

My bestie since high school and MOH Jennifer had some of the girls over the other night to break in her new condo and celebrate a couple significant birthdays...

Don't you just love these gift tags?

Jen really is a hostess with the mostest. She prepared the most perfect spread of green olives, brie and crackers, spiced lime cashews, veggies and hummus, spinach and kale dip that I seriously could not get enough of, turkey meatballs, juicy cherries, and some addicting sugar free(!) dark chocolate covered almonds. All from Trader Joe's -- the king of yummy fare for entertaining.

A true domestic goddess, Jen even decorated for the occasion! (Unfortunately, I was too busy eating and catching up with my favorite ladies to take pictures of everything, but I at least have to show off her gorgeous mantle and some of her tranquil and elegant home decor.)

Time to Celebrate!

Life can be pretty hard sometimes. But once in a while, if you work hard enough, things may just fall into place. This is how I've been feeling since I just accepted a great new career opportunity on Friday... So we did a little celebrating!

Breakfast at Tiffany's Bridal Shower

Yesterday I had breakfast at Tiffany's... or at her uncle Joe's amazing garden anyway. Tiffany's long-anticipated bridal shower was so much fun we're already talking about a shower reunion party. It was so exciting to see all the planning come to fruition.

Here are just a few of the pretty party details:

Framed pics with quotes and pics of Audrey lined the expansive outdoor kitchen bar.

The dessert bar included (right to left) aqua and pearl gumballs, rock candy sticks, Hershey's kisses, and some yummy cupcakes made by Katherine of Irish Italian Blessings.

We had bagels with cream cheese, croissants, blueberry and melon fruit salad, and Sarah's delicious egg and sausage casserole.

Of course no breakfast party is complete without mimosas.

The beautiful bride poses in the background as the MOH Megan leads the bridesmaids in a toast of Dom P. c. 1996.

Tiffany's mom created the gorgeous centerpieces with glass pebbles, green moss, and pink roses.

Tissue paper pompoms are a really easy way to tie in a party's color scheme and make it feel more festive.

I couldn't get over how insanely beautiful this yard was. 

Double-stuffed Oreo cookie favors also created by Katherine (a seriously talented DIY mom and an incredible person).

Gifts to match the theme.

This garden was so inspiring as we're starting to dive into our own landscaping.

 

 

 

Our Mixbook Wedding Album Has Finally Arrived!

I have always loved pictures -- for the fleeting, happy memories they capture of the people I love, like a capsule I can treasure forever.

When Alex and I met, I was a scrapbooking extraordinaire. In fact, his first gift to me on our first Christmas together back in 2005 was a photo printer -- for my scrapbooking, he said. It was the sweetest thing. (My first gift to him was an iPod.)

But then for some inexplicable reason, I stopped taking as many pictures. Maybe I was so busy appreciating all our happy little moments together as we were living them I didn't feel as much of a need to savor them in an album.

Whatever the reason, when it came time to make our wedding album, the idea of spending hours on end adhering photo mount squares to each picture into a traditional scrapbook was overwhelming to me.

A digital album that could be printed into a beautiful, professional-quality hardbound book, however, had so much more appeal. So I went the Mixbook way.

First I created custom books for our parents. We gave them as Christmas gifts our first year as husband and wife.

Then I created our book. It took me until the following Christmas to finish because I knew this would be a book of photos I would treasure more than any other. It would be passed on from generation to generation.

But when we received it in the mail, we noticed the top of each page was cut off. So we had it reprinted. Same issue. By this point, I was so frustrated with it that I had to take a step back and forget about it for a little while.

Then, as our three year anniversary was approaching, I placed the order for the reprint. I even upgraded the book to a leather cover. We finally received it last week and am pleased to show it off!

The front cover, in the vineyard next to the small chapel where we exchanged our vows.

I glued one of our invitations to the inside cover.

Getting ready shots with detail of my dress.

I also glued two programs (to show off the front and back) to a page I designated for that purpose.

Some of the wedding details.

I love this spread of the cake cutting and family and friends' reaction to us smashing cake in each others' faces.

I took advantage of the fun effects Mixbook offers, like the film reel on this page. 

Our group shots were really fun... Lots of running and jumping.

I added the lyrics to the meaningful songs we played for the special dances. 

The back cover, as we were leaving the church after the ceremony.

(View the full album here.)

Vintage Backyard Picnic Baby Shower Invitations

My mom and I are hosting a family-style baby shower for my brother and his wife (also Ava's godparents) who are expecting their first -- a little girl who will undoubtedly become Ava's favorite playmate. I have lots more to say about my brother's sweet little family and my sis-in-law's adorable baby/mama style. But without further ado, I am excited to share my latest project in anticipation of their vintage backyard picnic shower... 

 

I wasn't given much notice to design these invitations (seems to be a trend lately) but was really happy with the finished product. My sweet little brother had started working on them himself (he didn't want to bother me as I was deep in the interview process for a new position I just accepted today!) and Lulu had a specific design in mind, so he provided the image of the vintage buggy. They're printed on 65 lb. Kraft paper and wrapped with a doily and pink ribbon to give it a feminine touch.

Home Makeover Update: The Back Deck Completed

In addition to our recent curbside improvements, finishing the back deck was a major accomplishment that transforms the lumber yard that has been our backyard for weeks into a relaxing space we are so ready to enjoy.

We decided to paint the deck the color of the house (Gray Silt). In the future, we'll probably end up painting the spokes on the railing the white trim color as well as the top of the banister, especially now that we've added the white picket fence underneath, which was a nice add-on project that you may or may not have noticed...

We had been going back and forth between a pool cover and a fence around the pool. But we figured there are many other dangers in the yard besides the pool (the stairs leading up to the deck, the side gates going out to the street, a drop-off point in the back of the yard that still needs landscaping, etc.) that we'd need to protect little ones from. Then some friends had some fencing they were throwing away, so we jumped on it and it really is the perfect solution. We added a self-closing lock to ensure the gate is always kept closed. Now Ava can play in the completely childproof patio area behind the fence while we're working in the yard.

We've created several spaces around the yard where we can sit, relax, and toast to the fruits of our labor.

Curb Appeal Makeover Update: The Planter Boxes

We've completed a major phase in our curb appeal makeover. The entire house is painted, the planter boxes are done, and we even finished a couple other extra projects I'm excited to share with you in the coming weeks.

  

It's hard to tell in these pictures, but we painted the center area of the planters the color of the house (Valspar's Gray Silt, which we're actually really happy with) and the trim the house's trim color.

We also painted the front door Valspar's Very Black, which is a perfect accent.

Now we're ready to plant those bushes along the pathway and hopefully find some taller, complementary plants to fill in the space up to the house. We have lots more gardening to do but it will have to come gradually.

Festival de Cannes Dinner Party Menu

Alex did an amazing job with the delicious and authentic Provençal meal he prepared for my birthday dinner.

Sautéing the vegetables and garlic for the soupe au Pistou.

We did not have a cheesecloth to prevent the bouquet garni used to flavor the soup from mixing with the more edible parts, so we used a strainer and it actually worked out pretty well.

The Pistou was my absolute favorite. It's meant to garnish the soup but we also used it as a salad dressing; although I could (and did) eat it by the spoonful.

Rosemary lemon chicken getting ready to be baked in the oven. The best chicken I've ever tasted. Ever.

Also on the menu was a California take on the Niçoise salade with fresh, sushi-grade ahi tuna that looked something like this (minus the festive serving dish)...

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Bon appetit!

Festival de Cannes Dinner Party Decor

Although the work we've been doing on the house came to a close before the party as promised (well, that morning, so it counts), we weren't quite sure the yard and pool would be in party condition, so we decided to make it a dinner party instead. And honestly, it was so hot I think everyone appreciated the escape from the sun in the comfort of our nicely air conditioned dining room.


Alex turned out to be an amazing party planner, and seeing him working so hard to throw me a perfect birthday party was the sweetest thing ever. 


But of course I had to add a few of my own little touches to the decor...

I put together little door prizes to make it official.

I printed photos of some of the iconic Cannes Film Festival looks throughout the ages (found here) and strung them across the foyer.

One of my new favorite party decor ideas... I printed postcards of Cannes and the film festival. This one is my favorite.

I realized I am not fully equipped to set a table for 12, so that's something I'll need to work on if I plan to host more formal dinner parties of this size (which obviously I do!), or even Thanksgiving dinner with my immediate family for that matter. 

The beautiful bouquet of roses a good friend had delivered to me on my actual birthday (such a fun surprise since I don't remember the last time I had flowers delivered!) were the perfect addition to the table. The palm tree candlesticks were on clearance at Target. I recently found the Italian garden napkins on eBay. See the rest of my table setting here.

My awesome friends came bearing gifts of peonies and French macarons from La Boulange. They know me too well.

Thirty is treating me very well so far. There's quite a lot going on around here so more updates to follow...