a new season of necklaces

I am all about the new necklace trends out this season. I really like the mixed materials and layered style that is cropping up. Here are just a few of my favorites that can liven up any outfit!

left to right: Sun Rise Nectar Necklace from Anthropologie, assemblé from dejarnette new orleans, Pretty in Pink from Dejarnette, Windflower Necklace from Anthropologie.

breaking out some old zooey

what i will being doing on july 17th

this is a dinner party I would like to be a guest at

via Sweet Home Style

wedding invites...in process

I am in the process of designing my friend's wedding invitations and I took advantage of a very rainy morning to make the map that will be included in the invite booklet.

making old traditions new

My love of weddings started early because my first job was as a caterer at the local golf course which hosted about 60% of our town's wedding receptions. Each weekend (sometimes twice a weekend) I got to see an entirely different approach to the traditional wedding reception. Each couple had a different style, theme, or idea for their big day and it was interesting to see how they each took the same space and made something completely different out of it.

These days it seems that weddings are becoming more tailored to the individual style of the bride and groom. The creativity and do-it-yourself-ness can be overwhelming but creates some great new takes on some old traditions.

Why stick to just one style of wedding cake when you can choose several? Or why have cake at all? It is becoming customary to use family recipes and serve bundt cake, angelfood cake, pie, or pound cake at receptions. The left from Zack and Lauren's lovely rustic wedding, who also served cookies and milk shots to guests. The right is from OnceWed as well.


Fabric backdrops are popping up to spruce up the traditional required posed pictures. This one is from Lena Corwin's wedding which was featured on Martha Stewart. As the first impression that your guests get of your upcoming wedding, the wedding invitation lays the groundwork for the theme or feeling of your event. I see a definite shift from the traditional wedding suite to more creative look at what you can accomplish with paper and unusual goods. This invitation is from the wedding of designer/illustrator Anna Bond of Rifle Design. (Go look at her cake, it is the world's greatest cake!)


Unique wedding favors to thrill guests. From OnceWed

shop additons

Two new additions to my shop this week. Finally finished the rug I've been meaning to make for MONTHS. I am also embarking on a line of correspondence goods. I posted some fun mailing labels and they will soon be joined by address labels and other fun paper items.

Hop on over to my shop and see more pictures of both items!

illustration goodness

I've been really inspired by illustrations lately and finding that I am incorporating hand drawn elements into my work as much as possible. Watching Antiques Roadshow a few months back I realized that I was introduced to one of my favorite artists at a very young age. Madeline was one of my favorite books as a child. I think the series is what initially drew me to my love of France and probably had a lot to do with my choice of studying French as my foreign language throughout school. I had never realized that the author and illustrator, Ludwig Bemelmans, had a career far beyond that of Madeline and Ms. Clavel. A quick google search showed me a lifetime of his illustrations just waiting for me to fall in love with.

The original illustrations brought to Antiques Roadshow that inspired my search. Very jealous! They are absolutely stunning. From pbs.org


Illustrations from the Madeline Series, from http://www.vinland.org/scamp/nuns/clavel/


Additional illustrations by Ludwig Bemelmans. Left: Children's Book Gallery, Right: From The Books of Exlibris


Eric Sturdevant's Flickr Photostream

shop update

Hand carved Mustach-io Rubber Stamps just posted on my etsy shop. You can see that everything looks better with a mustache! (or sadly, not)

Styles offered: The The Trucker, The Connoisseur, The Undercover Brother, and The Porn Star. More styles to come...

chanel numéro cinq

To me, the Chanel name means chic, sophisticated and worldly. The new Chanel mini-movie is breathtaking. I've always had a bit of a crush on Audrey Tautou and love absolutely everything she does. I think she is a lovely choice for Chanel and wish I enjoyed the scent enough to wear it myself. The movie makes me want to hop on a trip and travel across Europe. Watch it here.

And doesn't it sound so much more beautiful when in french...Chanel numéro cinq.

the curse of a rental

One of the downfalls of renting are the overwhelming white walls that I must live with. I have always relied on wall color to be the main focus of my rooms, but I have had to learn how to make the most of my furniture and accessories. In my own apartment I am far from succeeding when it comes to embracing white interiors but the following interiors get it just right. I hope that if I stare at them enough just an ounce of their loveliness might wear off on my own apartment.

I am finding the key might be pulling in white accessories to make the white look more planned. I notice that each of the pictures that I like have additional white elements in the room. I think I have always shied away from buying MORE white items, afraid that I would turn my apartment into too sterile an environment.

L: Sneak Peak of Malene Charles' home at Design*Sponge R: Home of Karly Depew on Design*Sponge



Clockwise: Design*Sponge Sneak Peak of Andrew Sidford's home, Desire to Inspire, Design*Sponge Sneak Peak of the home of Chad Maltby of Sandbox Studio.


From Desire to Inspire


From Desire to Inspire

sandal season

One of my favorite things about summer is the summer sandals that become a stable of my wardrobe. Here are just a few pairs that I am currently eyeing.

L-R: Urban Outfitters, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie

L-R: Banana Republic, Urban Outfitters, Urban Outfitters

a bit of a brown thumb

One family trait which I did not inherit is a green thumb. My mother's knack for killing plants was the butt of many jokes growing up, but next to me she is a regular Martha Stewart. The bf is quite the gardener, and when he visits he takes pity on my plants and tries to doctor them up. This past weekend, in addition to stocking up on plant food, I also added 2 new plants to my little, green family.

My new additions are a beautiful Sea Pink Splendens and a Stevia plant. I just love that the Splendens have grass along with it! It's just like having a little piece of yard inside!

We'll see how long I can keep them healthy.

the splendens




















my Stevia plant




















Maybe it's better if I just stick to my dried flowers.

new etsy item

I just finished a new item for my etsy shop. It is a cross stitched blue bird sitting on a branch. I've become intrigued by cross stitch because when completed it is a pixelated version of the image. I look forward to playing around with it using more modern images. This is my first attempt at cross stitch since I was little and would do it as my 4-H project. I stitched it from a custom pattern I created using the image and graph paper. I'm proud of it for my first try and I also think I worked out a lot of the kinks I encountered along the way.

the art of writing

As much of a font nut as I am I will always have a soft spot for the handwritten word. I think it makes things look more personal and gives work a special feel that cannot be matched by computerized text. I am not a fan of fake handwritten font either. It's just not fooling anyone and has a tendency to look a little tacky.

I've been working on my own calligraphy lately and am inspired by the unique styles that have surfaced that separate themselves from the typical calligraphy style that is reminiscent of the illuminated manuscripts that I studied in art history. I like the current trend of calligraphy representing your personality just as an individual's handwriting does. Whether illustrating playfulness, elegance, or timelessness, you really have the ability to match the style specifically to the project.

Some examples of my favorite work are below. They are all inspiring my own study of calligraphy.

Addressed envelope calligraphy by Love, Jenna from Love, Jenna's blog

Wedding Program by Rifle Design from rifledesign.com

Wedding Invite by Rifle Design from rifledesign.com

left: Crystal Kluge lettering from crystalkluge.com right: Penelope Dullaghan from penelopeillustration.com