Hair New Era

Photo by Elizabeth Messina

Friends, I've been gone for a while; I've missed you all. I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday. Some happy news:

WE'RE ENGAGED!

Thanksgiving was a good one this year. :)

It all started with a photo of a bride and her bridesmaid. Totally cute and sweet. But then I looked closer and I realized: "is that bridesmaid sporting a perm? And oversize, hardcore nerd glasses?" She's like the Steve Urkel of the wedding party here. What?

Then, the more I thought about it, I realized I've been seeing these giant nerd glasses popping up all over fashion blogs. Behold, hipster-itis in full effect:

Do you think these people just woke up one day and said, "I think I will personally campaign to bring back the 80s, and I'll do so through my fashion choices. Fugly plaid, canvas sneakers, and giant corrective glasses, here I come!"

Why have just one hipster with giant nerd glasses when you can have two?

I wonder if they shop at the same glasses store.

Anne Sage of The City Sage is brilliant and adorable and I do think she actually kinda pulls off these glasses, but really? You too, Anne? Three hipster cliches in one? (I'll let you count for yourself...)

(Hint - #1: giant nerd glasses; #2: red lipstick; #3: pictures in front of lucha libre masks (from Mexican wrestling). Isn't she so ironic? ;)

And finally, hipster glasses for the more mature set. See, pairing anything with a vintage quilted Chanel bag makes you super grown-up and super hip, didn't you know? It also strongly reminds me of my grandma...


So there you have it. Please pardon my snarky tone. I am only (kinda) kidding. :) I do think some of these examples are pretty cute... And let's be honest - my fashion stylings tend to run more preppy than edgy so I can't really talk (though I did rock the gold loafer look - so trendy now - back in 3rd grade - does that count?).

Are you feeling the huuuuge glasses?

Photo credits: 1- Sean Flanigan via Style Me Pretty, 2- The Sartorialist, 3- Emili Vesilind for the LA Times, 4- The City Sage, 5- The Sartorialist.

For some non-nerd glasses, check out this round-up.

For some more hipster goodness, take a look at this or these.

While we're on this wedding idea kick (stop sweating, B, it's just a quick trip!), here's one more thing I just had to share.

Isn't there something so sweet about including a bicycle in a wedding?

I'm not sure what it is - whether it's the down home-y-ness or the quaint feeling or just because I'm kind of an outdoorsy girl - but I think they're so adorable.

(It doesn't hurt that these people are model-perfect):


See? Cute, I tell ya!

Photo credits: 1- via Mary Ruffle, 2- by Jose Villa, 3- by Dana Grant, via from Hello to Hitched.

That concludes the wedding portion of our program. Posts will now return to your normally scheduled content (or whatever you want to call the odd menagerie of things I usually post here!). ;)

I'm totally about to out myself here.

No, no, I'm not about to tell you all about some secret lovechild or a trashy tattoo or even an obsession with crap TV (okay, that last one was true). No, really I'm kicking myself for sharing this amazing find because I was planning to buy it for all my friends who are getting married in the near future (ahem, first up: Sara and Dan) and now they'll all know about this. Boo. Oh well, they'll still like it, right? (Or maybe someone will buy one for me some day...)

What I'm blathering on about is this adorable custom wedding dress hanger:

The ever-adorable and brilliant Joy creates some awesome "this & that" posts over on her blog, Oh Joy! Each "this & that" post includes a fashion wear and a home/life item that echo each other in some way, and they're always perfectly paired.

Here's a cute stripey example:

Original post here.

And one in plaid:

Original post here.

In an homage to Joy's creativity, I was inspired to make a match of my own. When I saw an amazing homemade wedding dress (based on a vintage dress form, to boot) recently, it sparked an image in my head of some Vera Wang note cards I had seen at Paper Source. The two sort of reminded me of each other, each with their vintage-y, doily-inspired feel, and a "this & that" of my own was born:


Wear this sweet eyelet dress, write a lovely note with that note set.

What do y'all think? It was kind of fun to make, actually! I just hope I'm doing Joy justice and not shaming her. :) I love the idea of the "this & that" - thanks for the inspiration, Oh Joy!

(And isn't that homemade wedding dress amazing?!?)

Today feels like a bit of a ramshackle day. It's the end of a much-anticipated holiday weekend, we're all trying to get back into the workweek, it's way hot again, and I have a dentist appointment (fun stuff).

Instead of trying to wrap my head around one singular, cohesive theme or concept, I thought I'd be a little fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pantsy and give you some of my favorites from the week. I hope you don't mind the visual menagerie. Maybe you're even in the same place I am and feeling a bit flighty? Well, if your brain can take it, here is a visual mix - a few things I'm loving right now:

I love a bride and groom with a sense of humor.

Photo by Braedon Photography, via Snippet & Ink

I love the subtle peek of lace, especially with a modern neckline (pic on the left).

Images from Stella McCartney's Resort 2011 collection

I love wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling bookcases, and the perfect neutral couch.

Photo from Domino magazine (RIP), via Shelter

I love a tufted chair (especially with nailhead trim!) and a cheeky pillow.

Photo from Style Files

I love a cheery door (especially in blue) and I looove quatrefoils.

Photo via Caitlin Creer Interiors

And with the lovefest concluded for now, I'm off to the dentist (love! not.). Please stop by again a bit later for a fun end-of-day post/query. Hope your day goes swimmingly. Ciao for now!

Photo by Elizabeth Messina, via Snippet & Ink

B and I have a wedding to go to today, so we are on our way up to Philadelphia as you read this. I'm excited to hang out with friends, to celebrate the lovely (and miniature) couple, and to enjoy what will no doubt be a gorgeous and fun wedding.

With that being said, I'm out like a trout (hello sixth grade, I'm bringing that saying back!) a bit early today. Hope you have a great weekend in store - be sure to check out the USA World Cup game on Saturday at 2pm! - and see you Monday!

xo, r.

We're heading to a wedding this weekend (baaack to Phila), so I've been plotting my outfit. Given the current (and oh-so-fun) economic situation, I'll be wearing one of the dresses I already own - which is totally fine, since I own 8 gajillion (yes, that is a technical term) dresses from the 11 weddings we attended in the past two years (true story). Not one to do a full repeat, I'm looking for something to mix things up a bit. Accessories to the rescue.

I'm thinking of adding a belt and maybe a cardi for the ceremony, and of course, I'll layer on scads of baubles to make it fun and festive. I won't be buying a new purse, but if I had a few extra duckets (42 to be exact), I'd snap up one of these adorable purses from Bagatelles & Co. to compliment the ensemble.




At only 42 bucks and offered in a plethora of adorable patterns, wouldn't they make excellent gifts? (I'm thinking they'd be the perfect bridesmaids gifts.) Aren't they sweet and fun?

(And don't you love my excessive use of parentheticals in this post??)

Originally spotted via With This Ring.

Photos via 1- Me Oh My and 2- Bryan Sheffield on flickr

Hello, girls and boys! I'll be honest, this post is coming to you from my iPhone because, well, it's Friday and it is bea-youu-tiful out. It's a big weekend - we're celebrating a friend's birthday tonight, then I'm off to Phila for a bachelorette party and Sunday is Father's Day for everyone. Yikes, busy busy! Fingers crossed this gorgeous weather continues, and here's wishing you a great weekend!

See you Monday!
xo, r

...with a pair of shoes (sorry B, love you too...).

It's Thursday. Not quite Friday. It's midday. I'm kind of tired. How about you? In need of an afternoon wake-up? Want to know why I have a strange shoe obsession all of a sudden? Get ready for it...

Here it is: Oh holy moley, I pretty much need these shoes immediately (no wedding dress - or wedding, for that matter - required):

Aren't they amazing? The pop of the bride's red pedi with the gorgeous gold bows makes me swoon. Screw the puffy white dress, I'd wear these to go jogging, to fill the car with gas, to the office, anywhere. (This sounds familiar...)

Here's an even better shot of these Valentino peeptoe beauties:
Photos by Aaron Delesie, via {this is glamorous}.

B- leave this site and go to espn.com now. Ladies- take a deep breath, wipe the shoe-induced drool off your chin, and then go here for more pics of this incredible wedding. Yowza. You can thank me later. :)

Remember when I espoused my love for good stamps (they really are icing on the cake to a beautifully hand-written note!) and the round-up I did of my favorite stamps? Well things in the stamp department just got even sweeter.

The new 64-cent butterfly stamp - designed especially for square envelopes - was introduced in May and is available for sale online or in post offices.

I know this is the dorkiest thing ever, but I'm really excited to go out and get some of these stamps! I love square envelopes and always end up having to use two stamps to compensate, plus I think this butterfly design is really pretty. Kudos, USPS!

You can learn more about the stamp here or buy it for yourself here (or just go to a post office).
Originally spotted here.

Three, two, one - it's almost Memorial Day weekend - woohoo! And yet these numbers aren't just a countdown to the holiday weekend (aka the official start of summer - yesss!), they're actually really cool stand-up vintage aluminum numbers.

There are letters too:

These are obviously being shown with a wedding in mind, but I think they could be cool for lots of things. How about on your desk, or one letter for each guest at a dinner party, or even on the wall above a coat hook to delineate your kids' belongings?

For some reason the font choice is so appealing to me. I especially love the ampersand:

Sets of these vintage numbers or letters are available to buy on Etsy (just use the links to the left). Can you think of some other cool uses for these? Or are you too busy counting down to Memorial Day? ;)

Originally spotted on d. Sharp Journal.

I can only see the outer portion of these invites by Unruly Things, but I can already tell the whole wedding invitation suite must be drool-worthy. The slightly rustic kraft-paper color of the envelopes is perfectly offset by the more formal, yet totally gorgeous calligraphy and the amazing collection of colorful, vintage stamps. I wish I were getting one of these in my mailbox!

Invites by Unruly Things, calligraphy by Kathryn Murray, stamps from various eBay sellers. So cool.

Aren't these two sentiments/photos/quotes/thoughts so sweet? I couldn't not share them. The top idea is so true, oh and wait, so is the bottom. Right, B? ;)

Image 1- le love; image 2- Truly Smitten

Oh, holy moley, Jordan Ferney has done it again. These DIY mobiles are amazing:

Can you believe she made them herself? They're simply sewn-together strips of vellum, hung from the ceiling on their own string and weighed down by a fishing weight. I love that you can make these mobiles in any combination of colors you want so that they match your party!

Also, she made all of these for less than 25 bucks, so that's a huge amount of impact (it basically transforms the space) for not a lot of dough. I'm a little intimidated by the sewing aspect, but it seems pretty simple overall.

Thankfully, Jordan was kind enough to provide instructions and photos for how to do this yourself, here.


Wouldn't these be perfect for a wedding shower or modern grown-up birthday party? Just tweak the color scheme accordingly and you're seriously set on decor. Love, love, love.

I've been a huge fan of the succulent arrangements that Kelly from Yes, Please creates for, like, ever now, but she's blown me away all over again today.

Kelly came up with three amazing guest posts for 100 Layer Cake where she focused on using "everyday objects...to create some unique centerpieces." She even created DIY step-by-step instructions for each one (links at the bottom of this post).

Peonies in pegboard - who knew the thing that once held your grandpa's tools could look so soft when paired with frilly peonies? These two are so perfect I almost thought they were fake.


These yellow "billy bobs" are so cute when coupled with succulents, and even more unique and rustic when housed in a railroad tie. I also love the modern metal table number leaning casually on the wood.


A cement block as an arrangement holder? Sure, why not? Looks lovely with these anemones, fragrant rosemary and field flowers. Nice (and cheap!) use of a cinder block, Kelly!

You can see additional pics on Kelly's site here, or get the DIY instructions here, here, and here - let me know if you attempt any of these - so pretty!

I've recently developed the most intense desire to visit Hawaii. I think it would be the best honeymoon locale ever. Watching LOST every week doesn't help squelch this desire either.

I just saw pictures of these incredible rainbow eucalyptus trees from Maui over on Benign Objects and had to share. Aren't they amazing?

I didn't even know trees like this existed. They're absolutely beautiful.

First wish: an engagement. Second wish: two tickets to Maui to see these (and all the other amazing stuff Hawaii has to offer), please!

Photo by A Bryan Photo, via Martha Stewart Weddings

What do you think of a bride having her bridesmaids wear white dresses? I think the girls above look amazing, but it's kind of hard to tell which one is the bride (she's in the long dress and black shoes in the middle, btw [and her dress is actually off-white, while the girls are in white]).

You can click on the photo above to see the photo slightly larger; I literally had my nose to my laptop screen checking out how each girl accessorized her white dress so differently - it's kinda fun!

Would you ever put your bridesmaids in white and don off-white yourself?