Easter Dress: One (and two) Stop Shopping

If you don't know what your wearing yet on Easter Sunday you have four more days to dig around in your closet, head to the mall or at least get in on two day shipping. I can't think of a better time to wear your favorite spring colors and prints!

If your Easter dress is ready and pressed (like the good Easter Emily you are), then perhaps you have some time to spare on Martha Stewart's darling Easter egg crafts?

1. Sunday Brunch Cardigan, Mod Cloth

2. Paper Bag Lunch Date Skirt, Mod Cloth

3. Gussied Up Heel, Mod Cloth

1. Joelynn Dress, Kate Spade

2. Blume Metalic Leather Peep Toe Pumps, J.Crew

3. Crystal Nebula Bracelet, J.Crew

1. New York New York Dress, Anthropologie

2. In Season Peep Toes, Anthropologie

3. Unpredictable Prism Earings, Anthropologie

All pretty easter eggs via Martha Stewart (naturally).

Wanted: A place to call our own.

A cottage with a lush, rambling garden? yes please.

Fig Tree Cottage as seen on Hooked on Houses

After living in a tiny apartment in down-town Boston and a spacious in-law suite at Matt's parents house, we are finally ready to start looking...REALLY looking, for a place of our own.

We will be meeting with realtor this week to begin our search. (Weeeeeeeee!)

I know there are practical things we need to keep in mind when we buy our first home...like child safety and structural soundness...but I cant help but day dream about things that would be, you know, just fun to have.

Heavenly harp music play now.

I would love to find a home that has character.

Like built ins, and original stone and hard wood floors.

I'd love a home with a white kitchen, white marble counter tops and a big old farm house sink.

I'd be ecstatic if our new home had enough extra rooms for a library, an office nook, an art studio, and a sun room/green house.

And if the yard could be big enough for kids to play in, a garden to plant, and maybe just maybe, a chicken coop (which I will have to discuss at later date and time), I would be elated!

In some day dreams we live in a beach cottage and others in a huge English estate though we will most certainly end up in neither (*sigh*).

A townhouse built in 1998 is more likely to become the place we call home, but hey a girl can dream and this girl does.

What sort of houses are in your day dreams???

Weekly Bunch: Crocus

A Crocus is a sweet hello from spring in color....

Shireen Dress, Calypso St. Barth

In pattern...

Easter Basket Tag, Blue Bird Lane, Etsy

And it's own delicate form.

Crocus Necklace, Shop Something Blue, Etsy

Crocus Photograph, The DocIsIn, Etsy

Have a lovely spring weekend!

In search of a pretty tablescape

Hello? Where are you pretty table decor???

Since I've been back from vacation I've been touring around in search for the perfect table elements for my sister-in-laws shower. And naturally I had to do a site visit to see what I would be working with. Upon visiting the home of the shower hostess I was presented with a slight design challenge.

You see originally I had envisioned this:

Clean, white, and bright minimalist with Pom Pom bursts of color to create a celebratory mood. Martha, I love your pom poms, but not everyone has a plain white dining room, squared drinking goblets, and gold chiavari chairs laying around ok?

The home of the lovely hostess just doesn't seem to jive with this vision. Her walls for one thing are various shades of pink. Mauve Pink. Carnation Pink. She has many, MANY, floral paintings hung about and an eclectic collection of antiques. No nook and no cranny has been left undecorated. I don't know what one word best describes this venue, however I do know that contemporary is not it.

So, I have new inspiration, seen here:

It's eclectic, feminine and still has a sense of continuity. I only wish this shower could be out doors!

My new shopping destination went from Ikea to our local Thrift and Antique store in a snap and I generally prefer it like that anyway.

The photos above were style by JOY di VIVRE events. I think I could spend all day on her website ooooogling over her positively gorgeous wedding designs. Can I move to Santa Barbara and get married to my husband again, pretty please?

Back to life, back To reality...

I've been back for a week and am now ready (I think) to re-enter the real world. My bags are unpacked, summery clothes washed and put away. My once tan legs are starting to look a little blotchy. Oh Tan! Must you go so soon?

Sometimes when I've been away I find it hard to get back into my regular routine---I want to keep the essence wherever I was with me as long as possible.

Do you have this trouble when you return from a trip? I say trouble, but I suppose it's a lovely little problem to have.

Gone Surfing...

Check out Cynthia Rowley's line for Roxy.

She has her little design hand in just about everything doesn't she?

Books, Baby Gear, and now Surf Style.

Works for me!

I'm off to get a little sunshine in the happy land of Puerto Rico!

We'll be surfing in waters so warm we will

 most definitely not need a wetsuit. 

 I do love those neoprene colors though!

See you in a week!

Exit Strategy

I'd like to say I'm a pretty organized person. Many people may think I was born that way. I wasn't really...but overtime I have developed orgaizational skills that are neccessary to preserve my sanity.

Two things that drive me nutso are:

1. Running around like mad the night before I go somewhere looking for my bathing suit/beach bag/air line approved baggy.

2. Getting to a place and realizing I forgot my favorite bathing suit/beach bag/airline approved baggy. I've lost too many tubes of fancy lip gloss to the merciless clutches of airline security. 

So, to avoid these unfortunate events I have my exit strategy down to a science. I'm not perfect, I don't do it EVERY time I travel, and sure...there are some times when life takes over and my suitcase is a mess, but mostly I make an effort to:

1. Start thinking about what I'll need waaaaay in advance...the amount of time I give myself relates to the length of the trip. If I am going away for a weekend, I usually get into trip mode the week before. If I am going away for a week, I start thinking about my trip about a month before. Doing this helps me save time by picking up little things while I am out...sunscreen, baggies, travel sized goods. This way there is no scrambling at the last minute. Ew, scrambling.

Picture {found} here

2. Make a list. At the beginning of that preperation time I make a list. What clothes I am bring (I list outfits and items), toileties, rain/cold weather gear, sports stuff, and misc. like my camera, hair dryer, address book for sending post cards etc. 

3. Hunt and Gather. As time gets closer to the trip, I gather things I need. My printed email confirmation for flights or rentals, passport, travel magazines or guides, books I want to read while away etc. I collect these things and put them all in one spot.

4. Get out my suitcase a week before and start building my wardrobe. I gather the clothes I am bringing, wash and fold things that need to be laundered, fold and stack by outfit. Yes, by outfit. Packing by outfit helps me know what I will have to wear each day I am away and what I can re-wear. It also makes finding things easy once you get there. My suitcase serves as a dumping ground for all things trip related....positioned conveniently by the foot of the bed I make regular drop offs when walking by. 

 picture {found} here 

5. Two nights before departure, I fold and organized everything in my bag. This way if I am missing anything I have time to grab it. The only things that aren't in there yet are things that I need to use right up until departure like make up, shoes, hair dryer and brush etc. 

6. The night before departure I take care of last minute items, print itinerary updates, collect things for my cary on (magazines, books, a pashmina or wrap, socks, i pod etc). I try to keep cream or paste lotion and make up in my cary on so they don't raise trouble with the airport authorities.

picture {found} here

7. Finally, I try to maintain a normal lifestyle, before taking off. This means refraining from constantly googling cool restaurants and day trips, making last minute trips to the mall for that little number from J.Crews "Resort" line that I clearly don't need, and blogging constantly about my vacation because that is ALL that fills my mind until the minute I get there!!

I know it seems like a lot of effort, but it really isn't. And it saves me much grief in the end. 

Do you have an exit strategy...or you one of those lucky people that fare better without one??? 

Weekly Bunch: Beautiful Blooms at the Philadelphia Flower Show

I wanted to share with you this marvelous installation by Beautiful Blooms at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

The theme of this years show was International Flowers. Each vendor set up a scene depicting scenes set from different countries. Donna O'Brien and her team used their imagination to create a topographical map----by using these bud vases hanging from the ceiling.

You'll notice the different colors of flowers and water represent sea, land, tree lines and mountains.

My poor attempt at event photography does not do this installation justice! But can you see how beautiful it was?

I also attended Donna's workshop on "Fashionable flowers." Below is her inspiration board using fashion spreads from magazines...showing how color and texture flows through clothing lines, to home design to the Floral industry.

Here Donna creates a purse out of moss and flowers.

Her statement necklace is a long strand of vintage crystals carrying a live Delphinium pendant.

You can see more work by Beautiful Blooms on their website and blog. If you live in the Philadelphia area her boutique is fabulous and also hosts floral design workshops. Their artful designs are unique and so worth taking a look at!

Pink and Yellow Showers

Thank you all for your suggestions on Shower invitations earlier this week!

Below is the inspiration board I created for this shower back in January. I was "dreaming of dahilas" at the time and made it part of the theme, however since Dahlias are more of a late summer flower we will most likely be using ranunculus or peonies. 

The bride is using blue and green for her wedding colors so I wanted to choose a color scheme that was different. Light pink and yellow with a pop of aqua for a cool down will work very nicely I think. 

Sparkly Salt

Salt Cellars - Czechoslovakian with Handblown Spoons

I am developing a thing for salt shakers of all sorts and I think that these would be such a lovely addition for a evening dinner party. 

"Would you please pass the salt?"

"Why certainly, which type would you like?"

I suppose one could be for salt and the other for pepper? Or, they could just be an opportunity to display a duel sampling of salts from the rather extensive salt collection that I don't have yet...but dream about often.

Invitation Indecision

I've been on the hunt for the perfect shower invitations and I came up with a few very lovely options. 

All I need to do is decide the look I am going for...

Simple and Lovely

Wedding Paper Divas

Romantic and Traditional

Wedding Paper Divas

Sweet and Modern

KM Thomas Designs

Illustrative and Fun

Anders Ruff

The beautiful Bride is  young and has such a quiet elegance about her. I am so looking forward to pulling together an event that makes her smile. I think I am leaning towards the last one because it is very "Lyrical" as my drawing teacher would say...but I think the are all very sweet.

Which one do you like the best?

Sing a song of chevron

When it comes to style, mine is much more romantic than modern but sometimes I long for a punchy graphic print to make my heart go boom.

A chevron stripe fits into this category and for these peaks and valleys I might just ask my ruffles and linen to move over and make an exception...

Fabric from Brunschwig & Fils

I know this has been floating around for a while, but don't you just love it???

Personalized calling cards from Pixelimpress

Zippy Bag from Rubie Green

Pillow from Snuggledown