well spun

wedding season is coming, so i have to share this incredible company with you, well spun weddings. they will shoot video of a wedding, or they will work with video already shot and then they edit it into a one-song or three-song wedding film, or a longer documentary style version.

that alone is not original, but it's the style they use that is just transporting. their films evoke a vintage-style, intimate portrait of a wedding day, and they capture a feeling i've only ever experienced before watching time-worn, generations-old film...long before the slick stylings of typical wedding videos were ever born.

to me, a wedding film like this is a worthy investment for a bride and groom, or would make a beautiful, generous gift (even for an anniversary!) the facial expressions and moments captured are priceless, and they're not the kind that ever make their way into a traditional wedding video because they're slow and they reveal themselves subtly. and that's to say that they most perfectly capture the emotions felt on that special day - by the bride and groom, but also by their parents, their friends, and their children. those are the moments most precious, and most glowing in well spun's films.

take a few moments when you can relax and browse through the gallery of films. there are six of them, and they each display a different style wedding with different (excellent) song choices and i think you'll love them all.

in the closet

i'm thinking this: until i have a closet that looks like this, i'm thinking of a few of these for bag organization in my closet. it's from the new real simple line of organization products at bed bath & beyond.

looks sort of sad in comparison, i know, but i think it would do the trick. any suggestions/past experience/thoughts?



photos from http://www.carlottascloset.biz/, http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/, http://www.bagsnob.com/, www.craveonline.com

flipping for spring

it's nice to know, in times like these, that some things don't change. old navy flip flops - still $3.50 a pair, and if you buy more than one (and who doesn't?) they're $2.50 a pair. nothing better is the feeling of open air on your toes after a long winter. love.

what colors are you thinking?

photos from www.oldnavy.com

do not disturb

one of my readers forever changed the way i look at bathrooms (thank you ester!) by telling me something her grandmother said - that bathrooms should be beautiful because people are in there alone. isn't that such a nice sentiment? it's so true - it's one of the only places you are utterly alone, hearing and seeing things that surround only you at that very moment. it's so intimate, and yet it's an easy place to overlook when decorating a home.




i love seeing interesting light fixtures, mirrors and art in bathrooms - why not, right? and of course, flowers! these are details that anyone can do - you don't need a new bathroom or a renovation, or even much of a budget. taking things from other spots in your home and incorporating them into your bath's decor could bring a whole new life to the space.








for so many of us, our bathrooms are where we begin and end our days in so many ways...they should be gorgeous!

photo 1 from www.thedailygreen.com, photos 2, 3 8, 9, 10 from www.houseofturquoise.com, photo 4 from www.flickr.com, photo 5 from www.filfreshbathrooms.com, photo 6 from www.decorpad.com, photo 7 from www.casacaudill.typepad.com, photo 11 from www.marthastewart.com, photo 12 from www.absolutelybeautifulthings.blogspot.com, photo 13 from www.kitchenbathideas.com

happy weekend!

i hope whatever your weekend plans are, you'll be able to include some pure enjoyment with the true arrival of spring in most places (except the rockies...what do you mean SNOW?). i'm looking forward to trying to make a little place for myself on my new balcony...you might remember what a haven my old balcony was, and i really do miss it. but it's a new season, full of possibilities and a new outdoor space to create and love.

we're starting our weekend with dinner at this restaurant with mitchell's aunt and uncle, so we'll be in good company. (and the restaurant doesn't look bad either).

i'm looking forward to a manicure and am debating between going light (sheer petal, to be exact) or dark with an OPI color like my private jet, which is a dark, glittery charcoal. my inspiration is this picture of khloe kardashian...hers is this deborah lippmann color, but my private jet might do the trick. do you think if i splurged for the $16 lippmann color, khloe's bling would come with it? what are your mani plans?

and while we're on the idea of dark...check out these beautiful pictures from an all black and white wedding...not sure i'd go that way, but it sure is gorgeous to look at.

i also encourage you to read this insightful, thoughtful post from one of my favorite blogs, concrete magnolia, about the wonder of blogs and the internet, as an addition to the magazines we all love so much. she's just such a lovely writer and i think you'd really enjoy her style.

since i already linked you to a song this morning, let's switch gears...check out this amazing youtube video of the creation of a totally incredible cake...in the shape of a dog. and it looks like a real dog, i tell you. the baker is elisa strauss of confetti cakes, and her work is highly regarded and pretty special to see. (she actually went to my high school and was a senior when i was a freshman, so i feel hometown pride for her too).

seriously, take a look around her website and marvel at it the fact that these are CAKES and not really a platter of sushi, a hat on top of a hatbox, or a toy train.

see this lobster? CAKE.

have a sweet weekend, and i'll see you back here on monday.

khloe photo from www.people.com, wedding photo from www.sty;emepretty.com, cake pictures from http://confetticakes.blogspot.com/

i'd rather be...

these photos from country living evoke the exact sentiment of what i'd rather be doing today than being inside, behind a desk.

here's what i would love: to be sitting on my balcony, or in the park across the street from my house, sipping iced coffee, listening to music like this and reading a big old pile of magazines. i have to try and make this weekend resemble that in some way...what do you wish you were doing right now?

photos from country living

tiny treasures...self-talk

you know when you're browsing through greeting cards and you stumble upon that perfect message that really speaks to you at that moment? a lot of times it's not appropriate for the occasion you're searching for and you can't think of who you'd send it to at the moment, so it slips away. well i have an idea of who to give it to...you! there are so many beautiful, inspirational cards out there, and at any given time, you're sure to be able to find one that speaks directly to you - who you are on that very day, in that very moment.

this week's tiny treasure is to do just that - take a few minutes (like the artist's date i took myself on to papyrus many months ago) and to to the nicest card shop you can. try and make it one that plays nice music and has kind cashiers. choose the section you'll explore -- encouragement, get well, congratulations, love...whatever feels right, and look through all the glorious cards...the pictures, the fonts, the special messages crafted of meaningful words and suspended moments in time.

i have bought myself two cards recently, and they both speak to me so gently and so deeply. one of them says on the front "there are years that ask the questions while other years answer," and then inside it says "listen to your heart and you'll know just what to do." when i bought it a few months ago, it meant something specific to me, and now it means something entirely different. i love how simple words can camouflage themselves that way.

and the one i bought myself just yesterday says "when the winds of change feel too strong, close your eyes and let the breeze blow through your hair."

sometimes a sweet card with such an honest, simple statement displayed somewhere prominent can change the direction of a mood or a day just enough. (i have one inside my medicine cabinet and the other, i'm using as a bookmark). for the sweet card to be from yourself speaks volumes about loving and caring for ourselves the way we do for others.

give yourself a card today...you can even send it in the mail if that's your pleasure.

photos from www.vromansbooks.com

mobilize

how sweet and colorful is this mobile? i love how it's a little zany, a little unexpected, and mirrored underneath! and just at the time a baby would normally outgrow the idea of a mobile overhead, the toddler that baby becomes would probably find themselves giggling at the quirky animals which detach to be standalone toys.

love this as a baby gift, don't you?

photo from www.giggle.com

taking our sweet time...snap it

okay, so remember last week i introduced a new feature, taking our sweet time? it's something we can take just a few minutes to do that can change our lives for the better.

so in that spirit...today, take a few minutes to snap a picture of something pretty and springy, and then change it to be your phone's homescreen image, or your computer's wallpaper, your facebook profile picture, or all of the above!

i sort of stumbled upon this thought by accident, because i saw some amazingly open anemones and didn't have my camera with me so i snapped it with my phone's camera. though the picture isn't an award-winning one, it looks so bright and cheerful on my phone and each time i see it, i feel a little rush of happiness. cheapest thrill i've had in a while.

turning something as mundane as making a phone call or checking your email into a moment of pleasure...how's that for taking our sweet time?

spring is in the air (and on the table)

since we find ourselves at the beginning of prime tulip time (as evidenced by last week's tulip explosion here on honey living), i figure it's a great time to look at all the ways we can display them at home. below are some tailored, tapered looks - some are even getting the high-style treatment with unique ways of tying them and even full submersion! edgy for sweet old tulips, don't you think? the nice part is that even in these most fashion-forward contortions, you could kind of see being able to do it yourself. and you kind of could - just follow the pictures and don't be afraid to experiment.

the really special thing about tulips is that they look just as good droopy and freestyle...and the more you use, the better they look. and they look good in any vessel so there's no need to worry about the right vase.

tulips are so emblematic of spring, that with just a bowl, vase or vintage pitcher of tulips and some candles, you have a simple and elegant centerpiece for a casual dinner at home or a spring wedding in all its glory.

using seasonal spring flowers like tulips in especially wedding decor is such a pleasure because they tend to be affordable (no need to ship them in from far-off locales), they underscore the natural beauty and life of the season, and most of all, they work with the wedding's time and place, rather than against it.

and as such, what a treat to have a perennial reminder of your wedding day each time spring rolls around and the tulips come out. how personal and universal all at once.

to me, tulips are at their most utterly gorgeous when they're monochromatic (love love love them in white), en masse, and in full bloom.

it doesn't get better than tulips in spring.

photos from http://www.lenoxhillflorist.com/, http://www.acecon.cn/, http://www.osheasflowers.com/, http://www.416-florist.com/, http://www.kellerstein.com/, http://brightdesignlab.com/ , http://www.bizbash.com/, http://www.theknot.com/, http://www.ftdmarketplace.com/, http://www.yia-yia.org/, http://www.weddingchannel.com/, http://www.theknot.com/, http://www.art.com/, http://www.bellefleurny.com/, http://www.evetspo.com/