wine labels

How darling are these photo wine labels from Pinhole Press?  They're the perfect party favor idea for my girlfriend's upcoming bridal shower!  Or for any event that requires a hostess gift - the perfect personal touch.

thaumatrope on a stick

What's a thaumatrope, you ask?  Well staying on my Valentine's Day kick, Ithought I would share this brilliant idea for homemade valentines! To me, handmade anything is the best kind, especially for holiday cards.  As clever and witty greeting cards can be (trust me, I had an addiction to the Hallmark aisle in grocery stores for quite some time, stocking up for "future" events), there's nothing as cute or meaningful and one made with tender love and care. Even more so when they're in action!

Side one : your love

Side two: your charming self

1 + 2 = Voila!

Use this thaumatrope-on-a-stick on Made by Joel, as inspiration.  A great arts & crafts project for the weekend!

Materials:  Paper, cardboard, double-stick tape or glue, round chopstick or kebab stick, photo prints or drawings of kissers in profile.  Line them up carefully so that they work together when you spin the stick, and test it out before you glue!

paper monkey press

 Obsessed. I love letterpress everything.  In my opinion, invitations and business cards should only be done in letterpress.  I can't wait to have my own set of cards! I love the details that Rori from Paper Monkey Press puts into her designs, like the green trim and pretty polka dots below:

tying the knot

I am such a sucker for sweet stationary.  Paper goods are such a vice of mine!  Especially charming ones like this creative wedding invitation by urbanINFLUENCE.  I love the take on summer camp, it even came with a map inside.

new york invites

These may be the cutest wedding invitations I've ever seen. I usually lean more towards the overly romantic, but these are just so fun and personable!  These two met working at a magazine, if you couldn't tell already.  The text and attention to detail are fabulous!  I love the little icons and map they included with the invitation. Ridiculous amounts of joy, indeed!

via

call me!

Obsessed with these letter press calligraphy calling cards by Dingbat Press. I want a stack for myself right now! Now what color...all of these look so lovely!

cheree berry + kate spade

Stationary extraordinaire Cheree Berry has wowed me with her charming papers in this interactive exhibit at a Kate Spade boutique. The walls were covered with hundreds of these brightly colored envelopes with mini cards in them saying sweet phrases like, "Sing outside the shower", "Laugh out loud", and my personal favorite "Eat cake for breakfast". What a witty delight!

postcard garden

How brilliant are these? Simple paper postcards magically transform into mini gardens! It would be so fun to receive one in the mail. Just pop-out the frame, add seeds, give it some tender love and care (i.e. water) and you'll have a delightful little garden in no time! See the demonstration here.

anthropologie+weddings= LOVE

Now I know how everyone, including myself, loves J.Crew's wedding line. Well get this: In a recent press release the darling designers behind Anthropologie announced that they will be launching a wedding brand, complete with wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, jewelry, shoes, lingerie, invitations, decorations, gifts- all of the frills. Just one year away, in Spring 2011! If I like it as much as I like everything else in their store, it's gauranteed to be spectacular! I can not wait to see what they come up with. Look out J. Crew, you've got stiff competition.

Photos by Max Wanger

bailey doesn't bark

I found Bailey Doesn't Bark and love all of their pieces! The company's housewares, jewelry and paper goods are all cute and cheeky at the same time. Check out that postcard mug! How clever, "Think of me when you drink your tea". It would be perfect as a little gift or just for yourself to sip out of something pretty.

wedding: karen & nick

I really like when the bridal party takes picture before the ceremony as opposed to after. There's so much more range in photographs you can take sine you aren't on a limited time crunch in between the cermony and the reception, so you can get more creative. This bridal party took photos in the Marin Headlands, how pretty!

Karen and Nick used mini (wee!) clothespins to attach seating cards to the balloon strings. What a cute idea! They were on a budget but with their attention to detail, you couldn't tell at all. Buttons were customized with quotes and photos about Nick and Karen, things like "Virginia is for Lovers," "I Heart NY," and "Coke tastes better out of a glass bottle". These personal touches were a hit, and guests could wear the buttons all night.

Details:

Venue: Acqua Hotel, Mill Valley, CA

Bride's dress / shoes / headpiece: La Sposa / J.Crew / K. Autumn

Bridesmaid dresses / Groomsmen vests: J.Crew

Flowers: Yasmin at Wildflower Event Florals

Cupcakes: Teeny Cake

Photography: Aubrey Trinnaman

be mine

I love homemade valentine's! I actually love homemade everything, especially cards, but that's because I have a penchant for arts&crafts projects. I just think these accordion-fold heart invitations that Erin Jang did,are so adorable! Simple, sweet, and heartfelt (ignore the pun), they say so much more than any store bought card could. Except for the wickedly funny ones that I buy in advance and have a collection of just in case an occasion calls for one.

save the date, i'll lead the way!

How precious are these save-the-dates? This couple photographed themselves lying on grass, printed their wedding date on the suitcase, and sent out the photo as postcards. This would be such a great alternative to the usual save-the-date and would be so cute on the fridge, almost like a vintage photograph.

Then they made these signs of themselves, like leaving breadcrumbs to follow to the ceremony. How adorable is that? Stop it, you two!

Photo by Kyle Hale

the great gatsby affair

the great gatsby was one of my favorite books in high school. i'm crazy about this gatsby themed wedding! just look at the invitation (and the stamp closure), how darling is it!


the bride's sparkly Marchesa dress and the bridesmaid's Burberry sequined dresses give the wedding a roaring 20's, jazz age kind of feel. her gown is so lavish and old-school glamour, i'm weak in the knees!


the ceremony took place at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Soho, with the reception at MILK Studios (where the groom is an owner). how extravagantly swanky! zanna (what a cute nickname for suzanna) is the fashion editor at Marie Claire (lucky, no wonder she's so stylish. louboutins anyone?) and you can see more pictures of her fancy wedding in their febuary issue. i'm buying it.

courtesy of 100layercake