Weekend Inspiration

What do you have up your sleeves for weekend plans? Whatever it is, I hope you make room to do something that inspires you...

Summer Soup

This flavor combo of chilled cucumber and avocado soup sounds so refreshing for a warm evening. Love this super easy recipe and you better believe I'm ready to give it a go this weekend... a little un-rushed time in the kitchen sounds perfectly relaxing & inspiring to me!!

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A sentimental DIY

A little art project always stirs some inspiration within me. As a bride to be, I'm totally loving this DIY from Nalle's House. What a simple and timeless piece to hang on our walls!! Is it too soon to paint the 09-22-13 to have it ready and waiting?!

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Get your nose in a book

Reading {at the beach, in the yard or anywhere else} is my prime time to relax. You better believe I plan to catch up on one of the FOUR books I'm in the middle of... that's what weekends are for, right? This time is dedicated to the book that we're digging into for pre-marriage counseling called, Preparing for Marriage. I'll let you know how I like it! What books are you relaxing with this summer?

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Happy Weekending!!

Pretty paper: Jennifer & Brian

From the very first meeting with Jennifer & Brian, we felt a click. They were aiming for a classic nautical color palette of navy blue and white and were in love with letterpress. Through using hand drawn icons, funky fonts and bold patterns their invitation suite evolved. Today, I'm excited to share this beauty with you all! Hope you enjoy & feel inspired!!

Happy Wedding Wednesday!

*All photos courtesy of Laura Ashbrook Photography

Vendor Crush: Naked bouquets

Now that I've got your attention {eh-hem, must we use the word 'naked' in the title to do so?!} I am dying to share with you a huge vendor crush I have. Yes, today I am going to dish! I've been in the market for a florist for my big day so as of late, I've been paying much more attention to arrangement styles, vessels and what blooms are in style during various seasons. While scouring Pinterest for direction, I fell upon Naked Floral's blog and I haven't been able to stop thinking about their stunning style ever since.

*all photos courtesy of Naked Floral

Weekend inspiration

Another week has passed- is it just me or is this summer completely FLYING by? What are your weekend plans, friends? If you're looking for something fun & new to do, check out some of these ideas:

Try a new summer 'do

With all of this hot weather {and humidity} it's so tempting to default to the sock bun. If you're in the same boat as us, you're probably growing restless of this go-to style like we are. This weekend, join us in trying out one of these new summer styles! 

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When life gives you lemons

Make something fabulous and refreshing out of them! Regardless of if your week was long & strenuous or if you've been relaxing on vacay, try some of these fancy lemonade recipes from Glitter Guide to freshen things up! This recipe for rosemary lemonade is making my mouth water!!

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Make something pretty

If you'll be hiding from the heat inside, take advantage of the opportunity to make something fun! We're loving this DIY from the SMP at Home blog. SUPER cute and SO simple! 

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Happy weekending!

Pippa purseday

One of my dear friends is a huge fan of the Royal Family and ever since the wedding of Price William and Kate, she's adored Pippa Middleton... along with the rest of the world. :) Just the other day said friend was mentioning the ever popular Pippa Purse by Modalu {have you seen this?!} and I was instantly intrigued the moment I laid eyes on it:

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Gorgeous, isn't it? If this color scheme isn't for you, the Pippa purse comes in a range of colors and even different types of pretty leather. Happy purseday!!

Constructing a beverage bar

For the big day we're putting together a beverage bar, so naturally I've been looking for ideas and inspiration on how to spice it up and make it special. While it never occurred to me to put an emphasis on non-alcoholic drinks, going this route will create a balance between our friends & family members who don't drink at all and those who do can obviously enjoy something from the other bar. :) Everyone wins, right?! In searching for inspiration, I've been obsessed with this picture ever since my eyes met it:

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So if we brought it to life, this is how it would all go down:

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Whether you're planning a beverage bar for your wedding, a shower, a birthday party or a summer picnic, consider spicing up the presentation to make guests feel extra special.

Pink bows + peep toes!

When it comes to picking bridesmaids shoes, I'm all for the approach of every gal for herself. Between comfort and keeping costs down, it's hard to rationalize the maids having matching shoes... until photos like this pop up:

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A mess of bright fuchsia peep toes with sassy bows?! I'm pretty certain that every one of those gals was thanking the bride for the opportunity to own such adorable shoes. Don't you think?

Color Crush!

Over the last couple of weeks, my man and I were talking quite a lot about honeymoon spots. We're aiming for somewhere in the Caribbean and I am SO EXCITED because neither of us have been somewhere tropical. Crazy, right?! All this talk has made me dream of serene, bright blue water and pure relaxation. You know the kind of water I'm talking about...

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Well it's gotten in my head and I've been drawn to all things reminiscent of the tropical blues- teal and aqua- that I've only e ever seen on postcards. Hence today's Color Crush... :)

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What color are you dreaming of?

Weekend inspiration

Happy friday, friends!! What do you have planned this weekend? I'm looking forward to a weekend at home sanwiched between New York {last weekend} and Seattle {next weekend}. It's high some for some beach time... and I don't care what form that comes in. This girl is ready to relax alongside the water with book in hand...

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Be on the water...

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It's been way too long since I've been sailing and to say I'm craving it is an understatement! But at this point, I'm also game to get  in that water and go for a refreshing dip. A little crazy perhaps, but sometimes the feeling of the warm sun soaking into your skin after being in cold water makes it all worth it. :)

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Sooo now that you know what I'm up to this weekend, it's your turn!!

Hammocks & High Tea

If you've been following us for awhile, you know how I LOVE clutches. Well today friends, get ready to see something amazing!! I can hardly believe it's taken this long to stumble upon it, but I'm in love with this reversible fold-over  clutch by Hammocks & High Tea!! Completely adorable, isn't it? And the fact that it's 2 purses on one makes $199 price tag seem a little more reasonable.

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If you're not digging the gold & black chevron, here are some of their other colors & patterns:

Happy purseday!

Pretty Paper: Kim & Dan

When it comes to setting the tone for a formal wedding, you can't go wrong with simple black paired with bright white. Kim & Dan fell in love with the idea of an "icon heavy" custom map Save the Date to introduce Newport, RI to their out of town guests. Sent in a black envelope with white calligraphy, it was elegant yet still a little playful!

We set the tone for their Belle Mer wedding by working with a hand calligrapher to write out the entire invitation. Incorporating icons, stripes and the blind impression of a rose throughout their royalty sized invitation gave way to some of the details that were to be seen for their wedding day:

What do you think of the diagonally written text?! I know it's not for everyone, but we're kind of loving it!!!

* All photos courtesy of Laura Ashbrook Photography

Sassy sandals

With all of this hot weather we've been having in Boston, I'm reminded that it's pretty challenging to stay simultaneously stylish and cool. We're talking temps in the 90's WITH humidity... yea, that's not quite the summer weather I've been longing for. While we're forced to devote our efforts to covering odd tan lines and cooling off from stickiness, the thought of cute summer sandals gives hope to at least having chic looking feet... :) Check out our recent round up of some neutrals that we're crushing on: black & gold!

{1} Steve Madden

{2} Isaac Mizrahi

{3} Dolce Vita

{4} Miz Mooz

{5} Cynthia Vincent

Sweet, sweet caffeine!

Monday is upon us once again and I don't know about you, but I'm ready to carpe diem every single day of this week! Naturally, we have to start things off with a healthy serving of coffee to kick start the week. This photo reminds me of the cafes in Seattle, where foam art {an art medium that is far too overlooked in my opinion} is a regular occurrence.

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I hope your week is off to a lovely, energized start! Hope to see you tomorrow!!

Weekend inspiration

We're all sunkissed and relaxed after yesterday's festivities! How was your 4th? Hopefully you're not working too hard today as you head into the weekend ;) Here's a little inspiration to get you going!!

Embrace tourism

The man and I are heading out of Boston this weekend to meet up with some friend in New York! Since it's their first time visiting the city, we get to play tourist as well and I couldn't be more excited. Whether you're headed out of town or staying in your 'hood for the weekend, be a tourist! Take lots of pictures, visit museums and soak up the intricacies of wherever you're at.

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Get some stunna shades

Sunglasses are a daily necessity for summers in New England and I'm currently looking to spice up my collection. Some of these new styles by Kate are catching my eye but I'm also kind of craving some traditional Ray Bans! Any suggestions?!

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Impromptu picnic

In light of our trip to NYC, I'm getting my hopes up for a picnic in Central Park. What could be a better way to enjoy a beautiful summer day?!

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 Happy weekending!

Independence Day party prep

This time of year I can't help but to fall into the trap of thinking that everything red, white & blue is appropriate to buy, make or eat. Seriously, it's what we do in America, right?! Well in honor of the grand celebration tomorrow, I'm finding these easy summer treats pretty irresistible. If you're headed to a celebration of any kind, consider whipping one of these up...

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Whatever you end up feasting on tomorrow, may it be filled with deliciousness!!

Patriotic stilettos

With independence day right around the corner, we've been contemplating the perfect ensemble for the holiday. Sadly, we'll probably end up sporting something more casual and practical {Emily being with child and I'll likely be at the beach} but should the opportunity arise to get fancy, these patriotic heels would be our first choice!!

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Stationery trends: painted edges!

When it comes to spotting trends we usually think in terms of fashion, but believe it or not there are stationery trends too! The beauty of custom design is trying new things and when there's something we've never done before, we love the challenge! One thing that Emily and I have been obsessing over for the past year is painted edges. This "add on" looks best when using double thick stock {so you can really see the punch} and it's exactly what it sounds like... we paint the edges of the paper with a bold, contrasting color. Seriously, few things get me psyched about stationery in the way that painted edges do. Here are some suites we've recently designed that showcase the awesomeness of PAINTED EDGES... enjoy!

Step up the elegance

Bring in a pop of color

 Add some polish to a simple style

Call us nerdy, but it was really fun to read about the process {here} and get the scoop from a printer's perspective. After years of adding these pops of color, it's fun to get a better understanding of the art!