3/28/12

SO SIMPLE

As much as I loved our wedding (well most of it, anyway) -- if I had to do it all over again, I think I would just head over to the courthouse in a pretty vintage dress, say my vows, kiss my man, and invite friends and family to a big dinner at someplace like this.

Courthouse, kisses, margaritas, honky tonk music, and shots of silver tequila with lime -- sounds good to me.

But maybe I am just thinking that way because I just looked at pictures from this wedding. So simple. Such sweetness. Pure loveliness.


















| spotted on Style Me Pretty | photos by Tana Photography |

3/26/12

LOVELY + LACE

Slowly, over the last few weeks, I have been adding vintage doily's to EMMELINE'S collection. They are harder to find (in good condition) than dishware and furniture -- but I love a good hunt. And every time I see this picture, I know EMMELINE'S collection just would not be complete without millions of lovely lacy doily's!














| One Fab Day |

3/23/12

IT'S LIKE RAIN ...

Yesterday, after noticing deep gray clouds rolling in quickly from the west, I decided to drive to pick up Bone from school -- not wanting to get caught in the rain. I grabbed the umbrella, in case the rain started before we were all back in the car, but crossed my fingers that the rain would wait. It didn't. Just seconds after Bone burst through the double doors onto the playground, the rain started to fall -- cool and light at first, and then quickly -- the way it always does in a rainstorm.

I popped open the umbrella, covered Bird, and called out to Bone to hurry as I started to run to the car. But as I was running, I realized how good the rain felt. It has been unseasonably warm (HOT!) here, the house has felt stuffy and suffocating, and I spent most of the morning/afternoon standing over a steaming sink washing china for EMMELINE. The rain felt cool and crisp, and without thinking about it too much, I ask Bone if we should walk home in the rain. He is seven -- so of course he said YES!

We walked, the water soaking us, making everything feel heavy -- but we just laughed. Laughed at how we looked. Laughed at the sound of our feet sloshing through water and mud. Laughed at the look of wonderment on Bird's face as the rain beat down like a percussion band on the nylon umbrella covering him.

It was impossible, on that walk, not to feel that flicker of childhood magic that is so easy to forget. The flicker of  wonderment at how something so simply -- something like rain -- can be transformed into something extraordinary. Something beautiful. Something magical.

As I dried off back at home, I thought of this wedding I spied a while back on Once Wed, and it was official -- I was smitten with rain and the magical-ness of it. I mean really, aren't these pictures just perfect?

3/22/12

BUNTING LOVE

I don't think I will ever get over bunting. I love it. It is the perfect party decoration. Wedding decoration. Whatever decoration. These are some buntings I am lovin' right now. Seriously, how cute are those little retro dresses? And the glitter -- perfect!

3/20/12

LIKE A BIG PICNIC















I took a picture of our wedding suite today (something we never got around to doing two years ago). I was missing pieces of it – the cute felt heart that we tied with twine to each one, the accommodation information, the matching drink flags and favor tags …

As I snapped pictures, I couldn’t get over the fact that it has been almost three years since I got married. Or that it took me three years to get around to taking a picture of the invitations – the very first thing I ever designed on my own.

Anyway, it got me thinking about our wedding. The things I loved. The things I didn’t.

 Here’s what I loved:

  • All the DIY we did BEFORE the big day. Most of it was fun. It felt good to make + create. I was proud.
  • The barn. We got married in this barn and it was lovely.
  • The burgers. We kept the food simple. We ate burgers, fried chicken with honey, biscuits, cupcakes and fruit pies. It was like a huge picnic.
  • The band.  They were good + fun. And a band is always better than a DJ.
  • The bar. We had beer + two signature cocktails. One of them was this, and it was AWESOME.
  • My dress. It was under $500.00. It was still gorgeous.
  • Our budget. Our wedding was cute + fun + cheap(ish).

Here’s what I didn’t:
  • All the day-off DIY. We did everything ourselves. Everything. Before the wedding, it was fun designing details, buying mason jars in bulk, filling glass apothecary jars with rock candy and lemon drops. But doing things ourselves on the day of your wedding is AWFUL. We spent the morning hanging lanterns, setting up the bar, unfolding chairs (the list goes on) … We spent the (late) night (after all of our guests had gone home) clearing tables, rinsing mason jars, and taking down lanterns. If I could go back I would hire a day-of-coordinator in a second. In less than a second.  But we survived.

Mostly, I try to remember what I loved. And there was a lot to love.

3/19/12

ONE ... TWO ... FLEA!

The weather is warm. The sun has been shining brightly for the last three days. The flowering tree outside of our condo is blooming bright pink.  It is perfect flea market weather, and I can’t wait to spend mornings -- the sun hot on my back -- scouring stands and finding favorite vendors.  
Flea market must haves:

1.       A cardigan. Even in summer, early mornings can be cool and damp
2.       A tank top. Preferable with cute cats.
3.       Comfy (cute) pants.
4.       Shoes you can walk in. Really walk in. Like a good mile.
5.       A colorful bracelet
6.       A big tote. For all your purchases.
7.       A wagon. For anything you buy that won’t fit in your purse.
8.       A picnic blanket (+ a picnic lunch)