J.Crew

Anyone that knows me, knows I adore J.Crew.  I have to admit, it's about 75% of my closet, but how can you not love everything they design?  The colors, patterns, I especially admire the unexpected way they mix casual and formal items together.  Jenna Lyons, Creative Director for J.Crew, appeared on Oprah's "Dream Jobs" episode.  Here is a short clip from the interview.

via odds and sods

MinusOne

I love these vintage lockets from MinusOne .  

Check out this post from 100 Layer Cake for a great gift idea.  

An Education

We watched this movie over the weekend and while it was a good film, the clothes and decor are what struck me.  Absolutely magnificent.  Also, her infatuation with everything French hits very close to home.

9 By Design

This is my new favorite show.
Not only do Bob and Cortney Novogratz have seven kids (yes, you read that right-SEVEN!), but they renovate and design the most amazing homes in NYC.
I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
They wrote a book as well, Downtown Chic.  I'm going to buy it immediately.

My New Obsession

Last weekend, while I was showing my mom our reception venue, I spotted this in the window of a near by shop.  I knew I HAD to have it.  It's a little hard to tell because of the lighting, but it's a really light pink.  Love love love!

Eddie and Nicole's Save the Dates

I started creating a friend's Save the Dates tonight.  I didn't get very far, but I wanted to post it anyway. Isn't her dog funny?  Her name is Brit and she's a Shitzu, but you can hardly tell where her little nose is!  I think it's super cute.

Wedding Brain

I'm a little fried from a long weekend of family and dress shopping.  Who knew it could be so exhausting?  Oh well, it was definitely worth it to spend a long weekend with my wonderful mom.

rifle

Rifle Paper Co. has out done themselves this time.  Absolute perfection.  Can you believe she sewed the design on and hand painted the letters?  

Love of Type

Just bought these wonderful typefaces for an invitation I'm working on.

Looking for good typefaces?  I think My Fonts has the best.

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday to everyone!  What will you be doing this weekend?  I plan on doing a little decorating, working on some invitations and enjoying the wonderful weather.  
My good friend, Erin, and I kicked off the weekend by going to the dog beach.  I love days like today.

Wedding Inspiration: Decorating with Paper

More paper inspiration...
I love these pretty paper flowers that could hang from the ceiling or from chairs.  You could make these or buy them here.

If you choose to go the diy way, it is pretty easy as well.  I made these for my best friend's wedding shower (isn't she the cutest?!).  Thank you Martha for another great idea!

This is a great way to personalize your space too. 

I think this is my favorite though.  Adding a large graphic to a blank wall can do so much to cheer up your space and help personalize it.  These are from MS Weddings.

I love love love this one.  You have to check out her entire wedding here and her fantastic stationery shop.  

True Connection

If I were having an outdoor wedding, I would buy this...you could even hang the top portion over your bed or in a hallway after the wedding.  They make other pretty things out of recycled wood here.

Hornbill Hill Design Studio

more lovely invitations...
you can find Hornbill Hill on etsy

Wedding Inspiration: Color and Invitation

Ok, it's time for some serious inspiration and that's why this week is all about paper!  I tend to love WAY too many styles, so I want to start narrowing down what is going to work for us.  Here are some invitations that I find drool-worthy and just the perfect inspiration pieces.  I also included our colors as a starting point...but if you already saw my bridesmaid's dress post, you'll know that I'm a little stubborn when it comes to picking exact colors and these are just starting out colors, I'll probably use different shades of each.

images are from Oh So Beautiful Paper *the fourth one down is from MS Weddings

I have to admit, I think these colors are just lovely.

Wedding Inspiration: Save the Dates

Love Love Love these Save the Dates!  I like when people incorporate different materials in their invitations.  This is perfection.

Alan Valek via Oh So Beautiful Paper

jumping out of my rut and into jcrew

I think these photos are just what the doctor ordered...inspiration galore!  I love how they are all very different, but you can still tell that it is JCrew .  I love the typography in each photo as well.

a little uninspired

I am sorry I have been MIA lately.  I have been extremely busy at work and sick on top of it, blah!  So, I'm going to leave you with a picture Tootsie...I think this will help me get out of my funk.  I mean, how can it not?  Look at that face!

Bridesmaids Dresses

This subject is somewhat touchy for me because for the longest time I have been against putting my besties in matching dresses.  It seems very cookie-cutter to me and more than anything, I want them to be comfortable and I want them to be able to show their wonderful personalities.  So, as it might not be for everyone, I want them to pick their own dress in a shade of green that they prefer.
We will be buying them at the factory/ discount JCrew store in Lynchburg (note to readers-  if you're ever in central Virginia, you HAVE to stop.  All the new items at 75% off).  My bridesmaids gave me a few options they liked and I'm going to have my mom find them there.  And the kicker-  they are only $60!  They all seem to prefer strapless dresses, so I guess we'll have some consistency there.
Here's what we have so far:

I've done a lot of research on this option and here are some examples that I think work well.  Images courtesy of Lovely Morning (one of my faves)