the princess bride

so what do you think? i think waity katie looks totally stunning...a true princess, but a modern one. the dress is BEYOND and she looks at ease, confident and beautiful. my favorite part is the veil. i love the way it looked in front of her face, and most especially when it was just pushed back.

kate looks like herself, just as a beautiful bride, and isn't that what we'd all like to look like on our wedding days?

it looks kind of like a wedding at disney world, doesn't it? i bet their wedding sales are going through the roof this week...

and the prince's red jacket is pretty spiffy.

and despite all the pomp and circumstance, they look like any couple in love on their big day - humbled by all the kindness and well-wishing, surreal in the fact that it's all actually happening, and truly hopeful about what lies ahead.

mazel to will and kate. mazel.


image, image, image, image, image, image, image

in tiny bloom

 i love little floral arrangements like this, if you could even really call them that. they're simple, inexpensive and surprisingly impactful in settings ranging from your desk at work to your dinner table at home to even a wedding.

i always think that a single bloom in a simple vase or even a drinking glass looks so charming and understated at restaurants, and really there's no reason we can't do that on our own, all the time. you can get a bouquet at the grocery store for around $5 and create a few single-bloom vases like these, or you could go into a florist and treat yourself to s single gorgeous specimen and put it in your prettiest glass.

i think a lot of times people shy away from doing things like this, especially for weddings and big events, because they don't want to look cheap, but really, if you do them tastefully and with confidence, i think they make a strong, classy statement. in some ways, their stark and subtle appearance speaks volumes. 

if i were doing this for a party, i'd probably go with mono-chromatic blooms (like i did here) and perhaps mix and match simple glass vases or glasses. for a wedding, the go-to would be white, but for a christmas dinner i'd use red, and for a spring brunch, definitely pink....i would split up the single blooms in these pictures and place them in a row down a long table or stagger three of them in the center of a round one.


playing with flowers is so cathartic and lovely feeling, isn't it? my favorite flower moment so far was when i got home from the hospital after my surgery, i reworked all the beautiful flowers that had been sent to me so i could have them all over and enjoy them for the weeks to come while i was home. they are a true moodlifter.


image, image, image,

speak up

good morning sweet readers! 

first, i want to share with you a good discovery from the weekend - dramatics nyc hair salons. it's a chain, and they have a deal where if you're willing to walk in for your appointment and walk out with wet hair, a cut is $19.99. works for me. so after meeting my lovely, pregnant college roommate for coffee and tea here, i popped in to the 74th and Columbus location of dramatics where lulu cut my hair. she did a great job and it was, sure enough, $19.99. greatest new nyc discovery ever.

but what i really want to talk about this morning is the temperature of the water when electra washed my hair (p.s. electra was a lovely girl who couldn't have been older than 17 or so, and she was wearing very thick rimmed glasses with no lenses in them. but i digress...)

it's not so much about the temperature of electra's water, per se, but more those moments we all encounter when the water is too hot or too cold or too whatever...and it takes strength and self-respect to speak up. my mind always goes back to a lesson my mom taught me a long time ago of never being afraid to speak up for yourself. the two examples she used are ones i'll always remember because, in one form or another, these situations arise day after day throughout our lives.

1. babysitting money - never be afraid to ask for money you worked for. when my mom said it, it was about being paid $5 an hour for watching a kid who never stopped crying or asking for soy milk. today, it's about any number of things and no matter how hard you know you work or how generously you know you lent, asking for money isn't easy, is it?

2. the water at the beauty parlor - my mom taught me not sit and wince through a too-hot shampoo...it's your head and your body and you need to make sure that you're being good to it. well, that lesson has a lot more history and baggage for me, and is something i'm still learning every day, and is even more complicated, to me, than the money one.

but this time when i sat down, i told little electra just what i needed. i said "i usually like the water pretty cool," and she made the water nice and cool, checking in with me so it was just the way i liked it.

i felt proud in that moment that i spoke up comfortably for what my head and my body needed and i felt thankful that my mom taught me that lesson good and young, even though i might first be learning it for myself now.

do you feel awkward speaking up in money or hot water situations?

image

lean + laze

how fun is this lean + laze lounger from pb teen? i'm a full-fledged grown up and i love it. as is often the case, it's way less expensive than it would be if it were marketed towards adult spaces, so i think it's a great find.

this week i'm loving

loving so many things this week and want to share them with you. to name a few...

the better-than-ever sunglasses selection at old navy.

the most delicious smelling soap. EVER.the coconut scent is the most authentic vacation-in-a-bar i've ever experienced, thanks to my lovely aunt jackie.

i love this bag from banana because it's a rather serious bag in a very spring-ready color. love that combo, and LOVE the color. it also comes in a terrific grass green.

also in the world of colorful accessories, how much fun is this enamel watch? i'm actually rather fond of a few of the watches on hsn. and for only three easy payments....

and welcome to the world of this enamel bracelet. and this perfect set of mismatched bangles. 

okay i'm done.

ok wait, just one more. 

i can't help it! i'm a bracelet addict and all mine are too big on me now. good problem to have, i suppose. i'm loving that this week too.

have a great weekend full of things you love.

label whore

do product labels or packaging make you want to buy them? right now, my label crush is tammy fender's line which has caught my eye in a few mags and then this morning on goop. it's the opposite feeling i have when i want to peel off the labels (also a great visual effect).

the packaging itself is very simple...whiskey-bottle style vessels, clean white labels and a kick-ass typestyle.

 

some other favorites at the moment are my precious mrs. meyers labels...

and the vintagey feel of the organic lemon label at trader joe's.

it pays to notice the little things, don't you think? they're all around us!

image, image, image

i want to go to there, novogratz edition

were you a fan of 9 by design on bravo last year? i was. i loved it and was so heartbroken when a second season wasn't ordered. luckily, the novogratz family will be back in an HGTV show soon (possibly this summer). here are some images of the house they lived in while the show was being shot, and i find them inspiring. nothing in the novogratz home is too perfect or precious - and with seven kids, that's probably wise.





i feel like their home conveys the same things their lifestyle does - unpredictable, stylish, funny and ever-changing. i love pretty much everything they do - here is a link to their site which has great and extensive pictures of all their projects. i want to go to there.




all images

hats off

there's something about sunhat collections that always gets me...they're so casual and seem to suggest a vacation or just a generally relaxed atmosphere.

i also love the feeling that they're there in case anyone needs one...it's a very sharing kind of display, especially in an entry way, don't you think?





images

i do and beyond

this week, while working on some posts for BRIDEfinds, i came across some items from the wedding world that i rather fancy myself, even with no wedding on my horizon (been there, done that).

i love the idea of using crystals to spell out "i do" or your initials or something else meaningful on the soles of your shoes. and i want a pair with my initials for every pair of shoes i own.

i love these vintage reserve spreaders....how fun for a cheese platter.
 

also on that front, how adorable are these personalized wine labels? i love the whole "drunk with love" angle, but you could also easily do "drunk with holiday cheer" for holiday bottles of wine or "drunk with appreciation" for thank you bottles of wine. at $.48 per label, pair it with an inexpensive bottle of wine and you're golden. aka, "drunk with gift idea."

how cute are these cookies? what a sweet way to save the date or send wedding guests off with dessert!

and since cupcakes are already a little overdone, how sweet is the idea of a cake made of macarons like this one?

top image

weighing options

kitchen counter space is always at a premium, but i think this would be worth the real estate. how perfectly vintage and industrial is this kitchen scale? it's regrettably no longer available at anthro, but i keep the picture as a reminder of a wish list item for the future. what i find special about this one is that it goes a step further than your run of the mill antique scale in that the stainless steel finish has a high gloss which makes it look special and important.

love!

sweet stuff from the weekend

did you enjoy the weekend? i did!

 

for my grandmother's birthday party, i doctored an angel food cake in a new and different way and it was a hit! i sliced a sugar free angel food cake (my grandma can't have sugar) in half the long way (so there was a top half and a bottom half). then i spread sugar free cool chip in between the layers and placed some sliced bananas in there. then i topped it with the other piece of the cake and covered the whole thing in sugar free cool whip, sprinkling sliced almonds and banana slices all over it. done! i had kept the cool whip in the refrigerator overnight and then out on the counter for a few hours before prepping the cake. that made it soft enough to spread but not so soft that it drooped or dripped.

in other sweet news, i made sugar water over the weekend for the hummingbirds and put it in my feeder...now i just wait! i dissolved a few tablespoons of sugar in hot water and added red food coloring. here birdies!!

then yesterday mitchell and i sat on our town's dock and watched the canadian geese and swans make their way across the water. it was overcast and a little cold, but we had a sweet time anyway.

what did you do over the weekend?

top image , hummingbird feeder image, dock image

friday links and thoughts

hello friends. i don't normally say TGIF, but TGIF right? what are you up to this weekend?

tonight, i'm watching this movie with my mom and sister and brother's girlfriend. my sister is excited because her name is molly. 

tomorrow, we're celebrating my grandmother's 90th birthday and the grandchildren are supplying two dozen pink balloons!

i celebrated a birthday too this week. my gift...

i think a lot about how i'll handle food with my future children since it's an issue mitchell and i both struggle with. i loved this interview with actress, model and food blogger catherine mccord about ways to instill healthy eating in children. its sort of the opposite of jessica seinfeld's method of hiding the good-for-you foods in other, more kid-preferred fare. catherine's model is about involving kids in the process so they feel ownership and a connection to their choices and the food they eat. for the mamas out there...do you think catherine's outlook is easier said than done? i hope it's totally doable cause it sounds so smart.

i've held off long enough on a mani and this color is it. i've been eyeing all the poppy reds i'm starting to see and i need my fix.

this video and song still make me smile, and i think michael buble is totally adorable. and those horns!! he got married last week to the blond girl in the video, and she wore purple! 

and while we're on weddings...

 

celebrity wedding reporter dishes on colorful wedding gowns...what are your thoughts? i thought i was taken with the pink ones until i saw the yellow one. so pretty, so different, so LOOKATMEI'MTHEBRIDE. love.

 

BRIDEfinds went behind the scenes at bridal week and chatted with theia designer don o'neill...check out some of the looks...i love this flirty cocktail length one!

the broke-ass-bride picked out some mother of the bride dresses that are decidedly unmatronly...nicely done! and lots of them even address the classic mom concerns (read: arms). 

 WOW. you're definitely going to need to treat youself to a few uninterrupted minutes of drooling over the vintage indie bohemian style dictionary shoot featured on every last detail.

ok now what bride brings us seven tips for grooming the groom...i don't know, this groom looks okay to me. 

look how beautiful!! it's an amazingly lovely ranch wedding brought to us by the wedding chicks.

and look at bwed's beautiful inspiration board by and for bridesmaids. love those neutrals with the light orange. and polka dot balloons!!

have an inspiration board kind of weekend.