Napa Wine Picnic

my dear friend kim will be celebrating her 50th birthday. consistent with her giving nature, she has chosen to make this birthday about "Celebrating a Lifetime of Friendships" I love her thought and theme. she wanted a casual yet tasteful invite to invite her friends to celebrate. i was excited to design this fun invite for her.

good stuff found here...

i am always exploring for great places to purchase unique items that can make weddings or homes a more beautiful experience.

farmhouse wares is such a place. i am featuring this inspiration board of their items. each item made me smile.

check out their site:

http://www.farmhousewares.com/

"tea for two before the i do..."

the brides grandmother collected tea cups from all over the world, which helped to direct the theme and honor the legacy of the family.

the fold out of the "Tea Bag" reveals an actual tea for the invitee to enjoy.

this design was for a tea wedding shower for the beautiful bride-to-be jackie.
i wanted to make the invite whimsical, vintage and romantic.

sigh.....

happy valentines day....

i am inspired by red today.

i celebrate love today.

the love of my 25 year valentine "mr. l"

the love of friends and family

and...."The One" who has shown us all the meaning of true love.

olives oh my!

(click photos to enlarge)

a worthy photographer i would like to feature today is, aaron delesie. thanks to style me pretty i got a good gasp of wow today!


check out the rest of the details:


http://www.delesieblog.com/day-and-max/

who says you have to print on paper

just had to share this...a save-the-date that is silk screened on a vintage hankie. (the guests can bring it to the ceremony to shed a sentimental tear or two) love it. it set the vintage feel for the wedding.

a guests guide to the ceremony...

programs, just another detail that makes the guest feel welcomed and informed of the goings on of the ceremony. each one with a unique flavor that shows the style of the couple.

shower the baby

i just finished this fun baby shower invite

for a client who asked for something clean and classy.

love is the color

valentines is in the air....

i love the original red and white ideas.

show your id please....

a couples logo makes the wedding uniquely their own. i have used couples logos in everything from lighting to water bottles.

ring that inspires

inner message

A few years ago a Korean singer wrote a song about the sunburn mark that he found on his finger after he broke up with his girlfriend and removed a ring he had been wearing for a long time. This is the story that inspired Jungyun Yoon to make ‘Inner message’, a ring with hidden letters on the inside. Inner message is a ring that leaves an impression on the finger.
Imagine that your boyfriend giving you a ring that on the surface seems plain, but later when you take the ring off; it says, “Marry me.” Or imagine that even though you take off the ring to clean your hands you are still wearing an impression of the words, ’always’
http://www.yoonjungyun.com/

love this.

save the dates

the beautiful meghan wanted a more 'gothic' look to her wedding (red and black) this is what she and her fiance decided on.

k&b's save the date cards

this wedding season has been so enjoyable, working with great families and fun couples
here are some save-the-date card ideas i am designing right now.

annie and curtis are a beautiful couple i am working with right now. annie sent this stunning photo to use in their date saver cards. here are some options i am working on for them.

it is really pure joy for me to be able to design for my beautiful niece Kristin and her fiance Dimitri. i love this fresh idea that they came up with, so fun!

not just any wedding shoes...

my daughter often inspires me to think beyond the ordinary, as she did with wedding shoes. gone are the days of the generic white 'wedding' shoes...yep, i love this. the brides shoes are now part of the unveiling, along with the garter. no rules, just a reflection of the inner joy of the day. (check out kendall's fabulous "betsy johnson's" in the upper right corner)

thinking outside the stick

never settle for the ordinary! gone are the numbers on a stick, really, why do what is expected? take your theme and think outside the 'stick', if your theme is organic then write your numbers on rocks. if your theme is a woodsy garden, then, use a little nest and twigs. if you have a digital camera, go around your area and take pictures of house numbers and print them out. numbers or names on wine bottles serve a duel purpose. my daughter and her groom named their tables after their favorite surf spots in our area. i always love hearing your ideas!

the "new" something blue...

the new soft blue/silver tones with black vintage accents are my new favorite.

i like to recommend to my clients to find an inspiration and build on it.

it could be something simple as a flower or a vintage postcard.

thanks to "ritzybee" for the inspiration board

escort cards....something so small with such impact

thank you "the brides cafe" for photo inspiration.

(great blog! that gives you that "beautiful wedding fix")

what is it that makes me excited about an escort card table?

maybe, it is the fact that every guest at a wedding will take part in it.

an expression of the design and 'feel' of the event.

expense really is not the factor...it is the personalization and time in preparing for a guests arrival and comfort, that make the real impact.

for k+b's escort card table....

each guest was welcomed with a filled chartreuse green champagne glass. their escort card attached to the stem with table assignment and dinner choice. having done many escort cards in my business i wanted to bring in a more whimsical approach to the dinner choice so, we used the vintage cow/chicken.

all things lovely...

thanks for the girlie inspiration a.t.l.




i love a good 'lose yourself for an hour' wedding blog. and "all things lovely" is just such a site.


so much eye candy and inspiration...thank you kristen nichols for your beautiful addition.

http://all-things-lovely.blogspot.com/






from martha stewart weddings... beautiful.

details for the cocktail hour....

for the cocktail hour the couple decided on two signature drinks and selections of beer and wine.

i created a logo for each signature drink...this makes the drink feel extraordinary.

first, was the kb martini, a "sour apple martini" and the second, the "m&m margarita"

by placing simple custom signage at the bar, communicates to the guests they are in for a treat, and for the bartender, the turn around time is much quicker.

the look..

In the movie 27 dresses, the main characters kevin and jane, have a moment when they discover they have something in common....their favorite part of a wedding.

It's "The Look", when the groom sees his bride for the first time. Sissel Byington captured this "Look" perfectly. the photo says it all....

check out the sneak peak...

the talented sissel of sisselbyingtonphotography.com

has a few sneak peaks into the day.

check them out.

fresh details for a winter wedding...

kendall and brandon 01.03.09
rancho santa fe, california
instead of the traditional seating set up, the couple emphasised a 'one family' approach to the wedding. (no grooms side or brides side) so, rather than 20 rows they had a round of 5 rows and this made the 220 person wedding seem intimate.










kendall and brandon wanted their guests to be the focus of the day. so, they included many touches that would make the guests feel special.
to make everyone comfortable in the outdoor january ceremony, each guest was offered a mug of spiked or unspiked cider to warm their insides.





the guests were also given a blanket, to keep warm during the outdoor ceremony, and take home to remember the day.

not an ordinary vegas wedding

one of my favorite invitation designs was for a cutting edge couple, jakki and jerry. their unique styled wedding gave me the freedom to think outside the wedding 'box'. this was placed in a dramatic black 'envelopments' pocketfold as a self mailer.

weddings that inspire

my friend emily showed me her brothers beautiful wedding photos
the location was in santa barbara. el capitan is a camp/seaside tent 'resort'

seth and dionna's wedding definetly falls into the extraordinary out of ordinary file,

braedon photography did an amazing job.

take a look at this beautiful down to earth couple:

http://braedonsblog.com/2008/12/25/seth-and-dionna-el-capitan/

let's start with wedding showers....

copyright©
the tiki bar shower
believe it or not we have an original tiki bar from the 60's in our backyard. (i am not proud of this fact) but it works in our little funky beach community. so, embrace what you can't change. the funky tiki bar set the tone for lava drinks and worked with the vegas wedding the couple was having.
here are some other ideas inspired by some common objects.

copyright©

the kitchen shower invitation

this invitation was inspired by the client who wanted the guests to bring a jar of spice to the shower. (cute idea) so, taking the simple pepper shaker i created a logo for the couple along with a recipe card for the guests to bring their favorite recipes.


copyright©
the retro flamingo

this shower invitation, was inspired by a napkin. the fun retro colors and type make a light and fun feel. so look for cool napkins and expand your creativity