tears of joy

So you're at your friend's wedding. You're in your folding chair. You've got your program (it's rolled into a telescope). Your eye makeup looks pretty. Your under-eye circles have been masterfully camouflaged. You're enjoying the show... then the vows. You get choked up before they even start. The tearing reaches situation critical very quickly. You're dabbing repeatedly at your eyes with a wadded up kleenex so that you don't get mascara streaks down your face. But dabbing never works. No, never. Always with the streaking.
You know what does work? Evaporation. The fanning works. Fanning, not streaking. I swear.
You know what else fans are great for? Cooling hot wedding guests at outdoor ceremonies. Pretty sandalwood fans work well. They're great as functional favors, just distribute before the ceremony rather than after.

pretty embossers

PSA Essentials make these gorgeous embossers, some with very modern looking initials, some with more of an "Anthropologie" type flair like the ones above. These are perfect for personalizing note cards, envelopes, or any other paper products for your wedding. They also make a really nice gifts for newlyweds.

more favor tins...

I know I've been very focused on favor ideas lately, but I just keep bumping into great stuff. I can't help it. These customizable mint tins come in 21 different colors and are great for stuffing with any number of tasty little dealy-bobs. Also available from the same shop are these great CD tins: decorate any which way you like.

great chandelier

Thought these would make such a great chandelier for a party. Each balloon is lit by a small LED light (which I suppose don’t get as hot as conventional lights.) and is powered by small batteries which last up to 100 hours. I love the clustered organic look of these.

labels anyone?

Anyone got anything they need to label in a jaunty fashion? I think I might sense a placecard brainstorm coming on. Or perhaps an escort card epiphany? Fancy wooden tags and red and white striped bakers twine both available at Bell'occhio.

BTW: Escort cards sit all together at a table near the entrance to the reception space, telling your guests which table is theirs. Placecards sit at the dining tables, telling your guests which seat is theirs. As someone who deals with this distinction on a daily basis, I notice that the two names are often used interchangeably. They are indeed different. I realize that this fact will only be important to you for a very short time in your life, but I thought you might like to know. Please excuse the smarty-pants moment.

love to label

These adorable labels from Remake would be perfect for labeling favors, table numbers, or as part of a place setting in a place-card type fashion. I love that they're each a bit different, but all look great as a collection. Via Oh Joy!

dresden trims

I have lots to be thankful for, yet I am NOT thankful that my pants are ALREADY feeling squeezy, and I have an entire holiday season of delicious home-cooked fun ahead of me. It annoys me that I would even entertain the idea of avoiding my mom's white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies in favor of my slender jeans. I'm ashamed. *hangs head, changes subject*
Dresden trims are die-cut, embossed, three dimensional, paper embellishments that have been made for about a hundred years in Germany. Mounted on cardstock, these would look amazing as favor tags or hung from a wine glass as a placecard. I'm sure Martha could think of a million other things to use them for... I found these gorgeous examples at The Tinsel Trading Company, along with several other varieties in a range of sizes and shapes.

panography

Today’s PhotoJojo newsletter had a tutorial written by the very talented Mareen Fischinger about creating your own Panographies. These have an effect much like looking at a scene, taking it all in without looking through a camera. The instructions are very well-written… can’t wait to try taking some of my own. These would look beautiful printed oversized on archival paper and pressed between glass.

great chandelier

Thought these would make such a great chandelier for a party. Each balloon is lit by a small LED light (which I suppose don’t get as hot as conventional lights.) and is powered by small batteries which last up to 100 hours. I love the clustered organic look of these.

Mapping The Way

Artstream Studios introduced their new exhibition to me earlier this week. Six artists have created work based on the idea, “Mapping The Way.” The work is all on paper and will be for sale after the opening reception tomorrow, Friday, dec 2 on the Artstream online store.

The prices are extremely affordable with work starting at $40. The artists in this show are Heather Smith Jones, Anna Corpron & Sean Auyeung, Edibeth Farrington, Susan Schwake and Stephanie Levy.

ork posters

Loved these gorgeous typographic posters from Ork. Designed by Jenny Beorkrem, they are affordable, large and simple… they definitely make a statement. Cities currently available are Chicago and Brooklyn. The Manhattan poster is coming out soon as is one for Boston

flower in bulk

If you're looking to save money on flowers you might want to check out Grower's Box. Loads of different floral varieties are available in bulk, all waiting to be shipped to your doorstep, all you have to do is arrange them. Granted, not all of us have the time or inclination to create our own flower arrangements. Even if you are hiring a florist, consider supplementing with a box of 10,000 rose petals

places to see

sometimes my need of photography overwhelms me. it catches me off guard. it only started happening recently, after shooting became secondary in my schedule. i used to shoot almost every day. at least every week. taking pictures and my life were entangled. yet, here, in a new city i find myself without a camera and in desperate need of one.

and i do need it. i need the familiar weighty feeling of metal and plastic in my hands, the tinny click of the shutter in my ear. i need to hide my face behind its mechanisms and experience this new place in metaphors.

words words words

some words i learned this week...

dendrite
main entry: den·drite
function: noun
date: 1751
1: a branching treelike figure produced on or in a mineral by a foreign mineral; also : the mineral so marked
2: a crystallized arborescent form
3: any of the usually branching protoplasmic processes that conduct impulses toward the body of a neuron — see neuron

limn
main entry: limn
pronunciation: \ˈlim\
function: transitive verb
inflected form(s): limned; limn·ing Listen to the pronunciation of limning \ˈli-miŋ, ˈlim-niŋ\
etymology: middle english limnen to illuminate (a manuscript), probably back-formation from lymnour illuminator, alteration of lumenur, from anglo-french aluminer, enluminer to illuminate, ultimately from Latin illuminare
date: 1592
1 : to depict or describe in painting or words
2 : to outline in clear sharp detail : delineate
3 : to suffuse or highlight with a bright color or light

torque
main entry: 2torque
function: noun
etymology: latin torquēre to twist
date: circa 1884
1: a force that produces or tends to produce rotation or torsion ; also : a measure of the effectiveness of such a force that consists of the product of the force and the perpendicular distance from the line of action of the force to the axis of rotation
2: a turning or twisting forc

8

danny freakin' tagged me. i've never been tagged before. i'm still in shock. i was a blog-tag virgin. blogging is such a strange world. i can't help but wonder if i was included in her list as a secret ploy to get me to blog about something (anything) again. so here goes:

1/ i obsessively twirl my hair. to the point where strangers have come up to me to tell me how mesmerizing they find watching me do it.

2/ i have a scar down the center of my tongue from when, as a four year old, i hit my head on a diving board whilst trying to do a flip. i've never been able to flip since, and this includes a three year stint on a diving team (just so you know, a basic flip is the basis of almost every dive).

3/ i love christmas.

4/ i'm a fraternal twin. our birthday was tuesday.

5/ i don't like ice cream all that much. the massive combination of sugar and dairy makes me kind of sick. i do however like cookies. a lot.

6/ i still wear my retainer.

7/ i once broke a girl's nose. we were goofing off during swim practice and our game went awry. she was gushing blood. i didn't accept that it was broken until five years later. i sincerely thought she was joking, but she pulled me aside one day and was like, listen, you really broke my nose.

8/ i am currently staying on the couch of a friend in brooklyn, as i don't have a home. searching for an apartment is worrying the devil out me and consuming my entire life.

wedding style goldmine

I came across the portfolio pages of photo stylist/crafter/designer Rebecca Thuss via Oh Joy!, and couldn't resist posting them here. Her site is truly a treasure trove of wedding related photographs and ideas, (mostly due to the fact that she's the former style director of Martha Stewart Weddings), and would be a great style resource for any bride. Check it out!

nightmare

last night i dreampt of taking photographs. i was taking pictures of a line of laundry, but i kept thinking, i don't want to be taking pictures of this anymore. i guess it's time to move on from that project.

as hard as it is for me to accept, this is the first time in my life that i can't find time for picture making. even when i was stock piling film all last year (still unprocessed by the way), i was at least still shooting. i hope this doesn't last long. this terrifies me.

blooming boxes

Publish Post
Oh, these are just precious! These beautiful flower boxes are from Parapluie, (that means umbrella, in french). The paper petals open to reveal whatever tiny treat you decide to tuck inside. For little more than folded paper, these could really add some pop to your place-settings. Available in pink, baby blue, white and red.

out with cold

i started writing this post well over two weeks ago, but got sidetracked (as often happens). i think that posting it on new years eve is quite fitting though:

i processed film for the first time since graduating (june 06) thursday night. it sparked an avalanche. yesterday i processed 6 times in a row, officially working through half my pile of neglected film. my aim is to get through the remainder by this friday.

i intentionally threw all the film into one bowl refusing to differientiate the newer work from the older because i knew if i knew which ones were which i might never have touched the older ones. of course this made the experience of looking through the images much more difficult. very scary. i didn't even want to look at the older ones because i feel such a strong urge to move on, but then when i finally saw that some of those images were rather stunning compared to the newer ones in which none of my ideas are fully developed yet, i was rather demoralized. but over all i think the new work is headed in an exciting direction. and i still have 12 plus rolls to process so the adventure continues.

special thanks to lisa elmaleh for constantly nagging me to process my film at her house and for subsequently driving my chemicals back to my apartment (and for getting that stupid filter off my faucet). the diptych below is hers.

floral inspiration

I found out about Brooklyn based SAIPUA thru Oh Joy!, and thought that even if you weren't in the Brooklyn area, you could use a shot of floral inspiration. If you are in the Brooklyn area, lucky you! SAIPUA also has a fun blog you might want to add to your morning circui

1154 lill studio

I discovered 1154 Lill Studios thru my sister, who has one of their custom, design-your-own purses on her Christmas list. Love the creative styles and formats they have to choose from, and their prices are very reasonable. Today I worked on some beautiful invites with a yellow and pewter color scheme, which I'm totally smitten with now. I created these three combos on the same clutch, but there are quite a few templates to choose from as well as a huge selection of fabrics. Might come in handy as bridesmaid's gifts, or for yourself. They have more formal options as wel

out-of-towner's totes

Thanks to sender-inner Pam for letting me know about these adorable little totes. Wouldn't these make excellent little welcome gifts for your out-of-towners? Fill them with maps, local restaurant menus, area attractions, maybe a local treat or two... instant welcome kit. Who doesn't love a tote bag? The trick is deciding which letters to get. Word on the street is that ink colors can be customized, two letters can be added, and they come in three sizes. Here for the deets.

handmade

The nice folks over at Poppytalk Handmade inform me that this month's theme is "Love Transforms", a market for all things handmade and geared toward the romantic. Some of my favorite pieces are the print above from elegantmusings, and the ceramics below by dolamakes, but there are many, many more things to see. Check it out for something one-of-a-kind for your sweetie on Valentine's day, something sweet for the bridesmaids, something fun just for you. Don't pass up the opportunity to support independent artisans in their creative pursuits.

thats somethn to savour

You may feel as if this blog is morphing into a glossy-obsessed mosaic - well - for now anyway, it kind of is! I am just finding so much to delight me in the pages of some of my favorite magazines right now; like these beautiful images from nov '07 British Homes & Gardens...

omg

I stumbled across Estate Diamond Jewelry.com by accident, and found some of the most beautiful engagement ring settings I have ever seen. I absolutely love the setting with the Asscher cut diamond on the left hand side. The princess cut one, surrounded by the sapphires is also just amazing. Granted, if it were me, I might not want quite such an enormous diamond. I might even substitute the diamond in some of these settings for something else. An aquamarine? A sapphire? A citrine? I can't imagine any stone looking bad!

great gift

great gift

Posted by Mackenzie on Thursday, January 24, 2008

We've received so many nice housewarming gifts since we've moved in to the new house. One of my favorites was this collection of five white vases by Rosanna (they also have a colored collection of the same vases). If you're looking for thoughtful off-registry wedding gift, a great item to add to your own registry, or just a treat for yourself, these are awesome. I love mine so much that if I know I'm having people over and we're going to be hanging out in the kitchen, I'll move them all to the kitchen. If we're going to be playing games in the living room, I'll bring them in there. They're like a traveling side show! I sort of wish I had a few sets so I didn't keep having to take them with me.

king pod

while browsing aimlessly today, i came across the most amazing artwork. amy karol of kingpod makes playful quilts that could more accurately be described as collages made entirely of fabric. i love artwork that employs craft techniques that inherently refer to woman's role as nurturer without being in-your-face feminine or feminist. amy also has a blog adorably titled, angry chicken.

top: friendly deer (print), bottom: king bird (a small quilt)

guess wat ????

So my excuse would be that my b'day is tomorrow and I tend to just buy myself beautiful things around my b'day - yes - that works. Sub-Studio recently left a comment on one of my posts, resulting in this amazing discovery - and yes, purchase. Check out both the site and the Etsy shop for gorgeous prints and cards. {above: 'abyssal' by sub-studio}

*edited: okay, i guess i live in a box as they have been covered on the major design blogs - where in the world have i been??

bird and banner

i've been posting mainly about photography recently. or really exclusively about photography and not at all about anything wedding related. but since we are wedding photographers i think i really need to represent both aspects more fairly, and since i spend an equal amount of time looking at wedding sites as photo sites, balancing the posting between the two should work out rather well. so in an effort to even the score:

let me start by saying that in recent times i have become a stationary fanatic. i guess it started with my own endeavors into printmaking (see: blue | print), but i have developed a great deal of respect for well-designed, paper goods (i.e.: expect to see a great deal of posts about wedding invitations). i especially love handmade stationary and anything letterpressed. bird and banner, a team of two women graphic designers, is by far my personal favorite. they offer less traditional invitations that often incorporate such handmade craft elements as sewn and embroidered embellishments or using fabric in place of paper, and often they hand-write the text into the design. they also incorporate personal aspects of each wedding into their designs: for a wedding in philadelphia (the city of brotherly love), they used a heart shape that seems reminiscent of a handcut valentine card, and for the above hydrangea image for a wedding in vermont, they printed directly onto maple wood. but however craft-inspired their ideas, their execution is flawless leaving you with the impression that you are holding something precious that deserves to be treasured.

well spun weds

well spun weddings creates the best wedding videography i've ever seen. based in philadelphia, jon gangwer documents weddings in an ethereal and beautiful way. he started the business after being dissatisfied with the videography options available for his own wedding. shooting digitally, jon creates films that have the look of 16mm film, espcially those of his films in black and white. He also offers the photography services of a talented photographer named monika broz who is a member of the wedding photojournalist association (although i highly encourage you to higher us, bluebird photography, instead).

sweet pea

sweet pea started out primarily as a florist, but has grown to include a wide selection of fine gifts (like the soap top right, and the 10" decorative plate in the bottome left) and they also offer registry services. like many other professionals in the wedding industry (including both well spun weddings and bird and banner), philadelphia native and owner, shelby fraser, started out by designing the floral arrangements for her own wedding; she had previously spent time in new york working in the photography industry.

Gorgeous jewelry

Gorgeous jewelry over at Raul Frisneda Jewelry. My favorites are the earrings, no wait, the bracelet. No! Wait! The ring. It's the ring. Who cares, they're all amazing. They leave me wishing for an occasion for dressing in jewels.
That reminds me. Today, is a very special day. Today is the LOST premiere. I'm a total LOST junkie. So much so that whenever I type LOST, I must use all CAPS, like in the logo... LOST! I must admit that the event is bittersweet. When we lived in Brooklyn I would host "LOST Night" every Wednesday. My friends would all come over and I would make dinner. It was the highlight of my week. Now that we're in Rhode Island, and my dear friends are far far away, LOST Night is sure to be a little sad. Luckily I have Sawyer to distract me from all the sadness.

in the night

Sometimes, late into the evening - when the house is quiet - I love browsing through flickr - it never fails to inspire. I had marked this photographer as a favorite sometime ago, but have not had the chance to enjoy flickr in so long - I had forgotten. The incredible depth of emotion and obvious drama called out to me this evening - I am once again awe struck... check out seventytw0dpi's portfolio here - Haanaah is another not to miss.

wedding dresses

Maybe not all for the same wedding, but Neiman's has some beautiful wedding accessories if you're looking to splurge on something really special. That shawl would be just as beautiful on your grandaughter in fifty years as it would be on you. And those shoes? Hot, yet the peep toe makes them surprisingly demure. The red soles are all sass.

lanterns in the shape of the eyes

OK. I'm back. Whoever, (Mom?) made the comment about morning sickness, HA! Not so much. I'm fine, just a touch of the flu maybe? Anyway, got a great tip today from Luna Bazaar about their awesome lantern collection. I love, love, love their selection of shaped eyelet lanterns, and think they all would look amazing hung low over guest tables, lit from within in groupings of three or so? At these prices, you can afford to get a bunch. The light coming through the little holes in the eyelet will be fantastic!