living a little

Friday: for the first time in a lifetime, err, a long time, Jeff and I randomly had coinciding days off! It was such fun to live life at turtle pace: Sleep in, eat Cheerios, run, relax, then spend a lovely afternoon painting the town! For awhile now, I've been collecting names of shops and places to visit in this little notebook. (I always find/see/hear of great places scattered throughout the city, but don't always have ample time to make special trips to visit each.) Alas--The perfect day to run around, hitting all the charming places on my wish list! One of my new absolute favorite places in the city is the Union Street Papery. The collective shops on Union are delectable enough, but this place is a diamond among jewels. It's overflowing with gorgeous ribbons, original letterpress, stamps, stationery, everything! Plus, the very kind clerk gave me the skinny on a great place that offers letterpress classes here. I am signing up ASAP! :)

Love bugs: I adore the classic look of these newish baby-blue VW convertibles. There is just something about the blue and black color combo. I spot them all over the city! I always liked VWs, but I've never felt this passionate about them before. I am in love.

After hearing lots of buzz about Lisa Congdon's work here in SF, I decided that it was high time to hop over to CandyStore in the Mission to check out her art show for myself. (Jeff was so disappointed that it's not actually a candy store. Just an adorable shop full of hand-crafted goodies, art, adorable clothes and home accessories.) Anyway, Lisa's new Rare Device store is opening here in October. *Adding it to my list!* To get a great intro to Lisa and her successful design career, check out the fun interview here.

swell's update

*Watching Dancing with the Stars, Martha, and am bumming about missing Grey's last night.

*Listening to Pedro the Lion.

*Savoring bananas with Nutella.

*Loving the fact that Jeff just rearranged his work schedule and is now working 3 extremely long days a week in order to make time for filmmaking and chilling with his wifey.

*Wishing for Amazon gift cards to fall from the sky so that I can order this book and this cookbook to get me going. You see, the problem with checking out craft and cookbooks from the library is that it takes you apx. 1.8 weeks to get around to actually making anything out of the book and you are 100% broken-hearted to return the books after becoming so attached.

*Attempting to live a healthier life. I've started to run again(!) after almost a year of lame excuses, occasional walks and bike rides. I had a major kick-in-the-butt from my marathon-running friend Mel on Monday! (So if you're reading this, thanks Melissa!) Although I won't be running marathons anytime soon, I am attempting to do a couple of miles each day. And if I can, anyone can, because I'm the most unmotivated girl ever!

*Still searching for 10 more boxes of green jell-o.

*Excited about sharing spell with flickr with you! (I used this website to create the word art above!)

j'adore

Lately I've been driving myself crazy with admiring other crafters', designers' adorable, lovely work:

J'adore microwave girl, for this funky blue blossom hadebag, argyle christmas trees, and more.

J'adore jill bliss, for unique design, functional crafts that perfectly blend modern life with sentimental handmades...

And j'adore pink bathtub designs, for this clever, simple, darling birthday card.

That is all. For now.

for the idea book

Domino magazine is hosting an interior design competition for real people's real decorating. From now until October 23, you can submit a photo of your best and brightest room here for a chance to win a shopping spree, spa retreat, or have your work featured in their mag! I'm not sure any of my rooms could ever compete, but I am having a ball perusing through the entries! These are some of my favorites:
I recognized this room right away! It's from sfgirlbybay's charming apartment. I'm in love with her shabby chic whites, with yellow and pink accents, and her collection of etsy art!
The orange and fuchsia are so unexpected in this very elegant room. I think that's what I love about it most. I also adore the springtime silhouettes painted on the door panels.Who wouldn't love a wall of built-in bookshelves in their living room or study? I can't think of a better, more personal way to decorate a wall! I'm also loving the coffee table.
And my favorite for last. Parisian bliss! The bed, the chandelier, the dreamy aqua and warm reds and pinks. Love it all. Tucking these ideas away in my dreamy little head!

all is full of loveliness

These sunflowers on my kitchen table are still in full, vibrant bloom after over a week! What a great investment! Funny how a little clean sweep through your home makes you see its little corners and character through new eyes. Actually, I am reluctantly cleaning this afternoon and I needed to take a little break and remind myself that having a sparkling apartment is a very good and necessary task!
As a housewarming gift, my friend Amy gave us one of the pottery pieces she threw at a class last summer. It's in the window right now, full of yarn that's begging to be used! *Thank you, Amy, I love!* Speaking of which, it's time for an update on my late-year's resolution to be more crafty: I re-learned to crochet and made this little lavendar flower this week. It took me about 13 attempts and 3 hours altogether, but the important thing is that it looks like a flower and I'm not afraid to make lots, lots more! Now back to cleaning...

craving

Craving Amy Butler's fabric. I would love to hoard yards and yards of this to make gorgeous pillows for our apartment and purses for my shoulder! I think I secretly idolize her for being such a hip, successful designer from the good old Midwest! I still need to check out her new book.
The whimsical French accents in these fresh, fun fabrics are definitely bringing me one step closer to defining my style. :)

weekend, already?

Is it Friday already? This week was a speedy one. *Apologies* for being a bit of a lazy blogger! I admit I've come down with a small case of bloggers' block and haven't had much to say.

Friday nights are my absolute fav...Since moving here, Jeff and I make it a point to have a date night to try something new and delightful at least once a week. I can't get over the fact that there's always so much to do here in S.F.! So many great new neighborhoods to explore, posh restaurants and foods to try, music, art, and entertainment to sample, and splendid little shops to get lost in. I love that there's simply no excuse to hang in, except for the sake of hanging in. Tonight we did a little of both.

I hope that your weekend is restful, peaceful, indulgent, exciting, productive...any adjective you need it to be.

[Photo by *cate*]

ready, set, craft.

Wow. I am so very inspired by this post from marta writes yesterday. It is just what I needed to remind me that there's no time like the present! I'm very good at contriving lame excuses to suppress the creative juices churning within me: "Too messy. No time today. Need to do laundry, clean, and make supper. Need to go shopping for new supplies. No ideas. My ideas are not good enough. I'm very bad at sewing and I always tangle everything when I'm not hemming unsightly seams. My grandma is not here with me to hold my hand and help me graduate from knit-purl. I forgot how to crochet. " Then, I drool over blogs and etsy where crafters everywhere are coming up with the most darling things and I feel sad, inadequate, and left out. Honestly, I haven't actually crafted much at all since last year at Christmastime. The last time I picked up my knitting needles I was making the winter hat above for my dear little Kristen, one of the kiddos I nannied for during college. What I really need is an attitude adjustment. From now until Christmas, I will do one small, thoughtful, creative thing every day. There. I said it. There's no backing out! If I'm ever going to live the crafting dream, if I'm ever going to become proficient with my(Amy's) sewing machine, if I'm ever going to graduate from knit-purl, if I'm ever going to re-learn to crochet, and if I'm ever going to be caught up with scrapbooking, I must begin with a few small, determined steps. Truly, there is a time for everything. We simply must prioritize, recognize that our time and talents are gifts (from God!), and use these gifts wisely and fully as we pursue lives of happiness and contentment. Really, it is selfish to not, and remarkable to do and to share! Sometimes I like to tell myself that there is no purpose to my life, except maybe to serve as a warning to others, and I really have nothing authentic to offer...I heart this passage, because it totally shows that God has instilled unique gifts in all of us and promises to give us the dreams and drive to use these gifts for Him:

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37.3

is it really fall?

I must say, this is the oddest fall I've ever experienced! First, it is getting warmer here by the day. After wearing sweaters all summer, I'm finally starting to break out some Ts and capris. Second: fall colors? Not a chance! The closest I've seen is the wreath on my front door and the advent of Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks. Third, for the first time in my life since age 4, I am not going back to school. Oh how I've been pining to buy new pencils and jeans, crack open fresh notebooks and spend an eternity and fortune in line at the campus bookstore. Well, scratch that last one. :) In order to console my confused internal calendar, I've undergone a little retail therapy. Included in my alternative back-to-school purchases:


1. A lovely green REAL SIMPLE address book--it's about time I updated, converged, and organized all of our contacts. This will make Christmas cards a breeze!

2. A tiny purse notebook--perfect for jotting down all of the things and places I still need to see and do in S.F.! Also intended for ideas, sketches, and inspiration while on the go.


3. Cheap-ola chipboard letters from the Target one spot. Scrapbookers, hurry! These letters are adorable, self-adhesive, and only $1!

4. Cozy, corduroy, calico sneakers. We're getting along so well!

5. This textbook (?). Thought I was done splurging on these puppies, but it's time to start studying up before I begin my nursing job on the Pediatric Cardiac ICU!

5 down, 10 to go!?

It seems a bit foreign to me to get back to writing about the mundanes in life after a trip to fantasy wedding world! It was such fun to scour the world wide web for creative new wedding ideas, I've concluded I don't even need to dedicate just one week to it...Since my blog aims to share the swell beauties in life, I have the liberty to post about weddings any day of the year. So trust me, wedding week will not be the last of it!

Last Friday night we hosted a little soiree for many of our awesome church friends. It is always a treat to get together more often than Sundays! We had an Italian feast at our little apartment and finished the evening out with some of the best entertainment ever at this swanky jazz club.

Upon returning home from our sensational evening on the town, I discovered a peculiar, out-of-place box of green jell-o in my kitchen cupboard. Weird. "6 of 15, What in the world?" Mike has totally retaliated from my 4th of July mischief. Allow me to share the cliff notes: (June) Mike helped us move in, teasing me about a certain box of cookbooks filled with Minnesota-Lutheran jell-o salad recipes. (July) Mike requests that we bring a green salad to the 4th of July BBQ. I bring green jell-o. I am proud of my witiness until now. Now the joke's on me again. Now I am still looking for 10 more boxes of jell-o, cleverly hidden in the depths of this apartment. Now I am seeking vengence...Time to take this practical joke up a notch. Any ideas?

{swell weddings} tying together

As I sit down to write my concluding post to this swell week of weddings, my mind is clouded with thoughts like, "ugh, I totally should've written about this," and "why didn't I include that?" and "I don't think that this really came across the way I expected it to." Ha! These thoughts are like tiny echoes of making real wedding plans. It's easy to feel overwhelmed when planning after you've sorted through the mags, websites, shops, and suggestions offered by your friends and fam just trying to make sense of it all. It is easy to feel discouraged about your own limitations in budget, site, etc., after watching InStyle: Celebrity Weddings. It's easy to fret over the tiny details; "Will it rain?" "Will the bridesmaid dresses clash with fill-in-the-blank?" But it's tough to let go of these perfectionistic tendencies, especially on such an important day! The truth is, there is no such thing as a perfect wedding, at least not in the sense that each and every plan you make plays out perfectly. Rather, the day will be perfect because you and your spouse(!) are declaring your love and commitment for each other before and with Christ at the center. Your guests are there to share in the beauty of your bond and as witnesses, to help hold you accountable in the future. The rest, the aesthetics: the flowers, fluff, frill, cakes, gifts, and goodwill all play a supporting role in this simple setup. Don't let these things overwhelm and distract from what truly matters. Yes, it's the first day of the rest of your life together and should be celebrated and made memorable, but after all, it really is just one day. Remember to spend ample time planning and preparing for your marriage. It can be very beautiful and meaningful to hand-select the Word and music to be shared at your ceremony. What better way to let your light shine as a couple than to select Scripture readings that have especially shaped your personal relationship with God and your spouse? Now wait--here's my favorite part...It all ties together: God created marriage as an earthly picture of the intensely intimate, perfect relationship He desires to have with each one of us, and will have when we move home to heaven! Beautiful picture, right? So go ahead--your wedding day is a blank canvas, use it to give glory to Him. With your heart in the right place, your wedding day and every day of your marriage will turn out to be more beautiful & perfect than you can imagine! *So sit back, relax, and enjoy the experience.*

{swell weddings} tips from a been-there bride

Please welcome a very special guest post from my SIL (sis-in-law), Katie Sumey! Above are a few gorgeous photos from Katie & my brother's wedding, November 26th 2005. Since it was the Saturday after Thanksgiving, they had a natural and beautiful Christmas theme! I had never seen a krumkakke (photo: bottom left) at a wedding before, but I will never forget it! Katie's grandma makes these traditional Danish cakes by hand for all family celebrations. {AMAZING!} I think that the rings are so fitting and symbolic for a wedding. Katie says that it's made mostly of almond paste and...it's the best dessert she's ever tasted. So without further blabbing, please take heart to Katie's words of wisdom:

Wedding Advice:

1. Think of 5 or fewer pictures that you really, really want to have the photographer do on the wedding day, and at least make sure those get done. Although you may give him a long list, even prioritized, you will still need to watch and keep him accountable. You can assign someone to do this, but if you can stand to, it's best to do it yourself.

2. Pick a location that really works for you for your reception. If you can decorate a larger space well, then do that. Otherwise, try to find a place that has its own natural beauty (indoors or outdoors) so that you are less-pressed to make it extra-special.

3. If you tend to be the worrying-type, forgo outdoor activities for the day of the wedding. At the very least, have a wonderful backup plan that you absolutely can live with.

4. Remind yourself every single day that this is about your promises to God and one another. As long as that happens, everything else will be okay. If you lose that focus, you are losing the whole point of all the decorating and planning.

5. Relax. Truly, no one but you and your mother will know if something goes wrong. The most beautiful decoration of the day will be the beautiful, smiling bride. All your guests will enjoy whatever you do, but what they really want to see is a happy, relaxed bride and groom.

For my own wedding, I loved having it during the Christmas season (Thanksgiving weekend), because it was unique and far more true to my own personality than a spring or summer wedding could have been. Fall and winter are my absolute favorite seasons, and I had a beautiful long-sleeved dress that definitely was unique to me and and the season. It was also perfect for having our honeymoon over Christmas vacation.

{swell weddings} gracious gifts for guests

How special to arrive at a destination wedding--whether you've traveled near, far, to the tropics, or back to your roots--and be greeted in your hotel room with a thoughtful welcome basket from the bride and groom? It's just another little detail that will make memories of your event shine and show your guests how much they mean to you. If you're up to the challenge of creating guest welcome packages, here are some ideas of things you might include:

• water bottle(s)
• fruit
• map of the area
• a welcome note from you and your fiance
• snacks or baked goodies
• mints
• lists or brochures of fun attractions in the area to engage guests during down time
• tiny toys for kids, such as jacks or an UNO deck
• soaps
• sunscreen?

For extra pizazz create the basket in keeping with the theme of your wedding. *Example: for a beach wedding, perhaps you could fill up a beach bucket with goodies and a shovel!*

{swell weddings} sweet spots

Everyone knows that the best part of attending a wedding is...the cake of course! (Perhaps the one exception is the vows exchanged by the bride and groom!) So prepare for sal-i-vation city...It's time to consider the cake! These days cakes are getting more and more creative. It's not that those traditional tiers of round buttercream goodness are out of vogue, it's just that a myriad of other cake styles and decadent dessert options calleth. And to answer the age-old question of fondant vs. creme frosted cakes...I really think that my pastry chef friend Becca needs to grace us with a guest post. Stay tuned!

I dream of attending (and/or planning!) a wedding with a sweet buffet of confections and cakes. How magical is this photo(and the one above) from Rebecca Thus? I crave it all.

True confession: I've had a lifelong fetish for the cupcake tree. Ever since spotting this idea while watching the dream wedding week on Oprah with my mom when I was, like 10 years old, I've been head over heels in love with cupcakes! I love the flags topping the perfectly piped chocolate frosting on the cakes above (also from Rebecca Thus). What a simple way to incorporate your new monogram or a special symbol into the reception.

I promised my friend Kayt that I'd also include this pic of the cupcakes at our wedding! I ordered the cardboard(!) frame for the tree from cupcaketree.com and added the half doilies and other embellishments with the help of faithful friends. :) After searching high and low, I decided that the cardboard frame was definitely the way to go for displaying large quantities of cakes.

However, lovely ceramic cake stands are definitely the most beautiful way to display cupcakes at a smaller-scale event. Find this one here.

Last but certainly not least, I enjoy the idea of using monogrammed sugar cookies, macaroons, truffles, you name it, as favors! These will not clutter shelves of the sentimental as certain chotchke favors tend to do. Rather, they will send your guests home with a sweet, lingering moment of your perfect day. (Photo by flickr.) Sweet dreams!

{swell weddings} here's proof

While thinking of fall colors, I realized that I could not pass up an opportunity to share these photos from my dear friend Becca's wedding. Here is PROOF to any and all DIY'ers out there: You CAN be chic on a shoestring without anyone ever knowing. Becca was lucky enough to have an "in" at a floral warehouse and talented enough to do all of the bright bouquets and mod test tube pew decorations by herself!!! Just you watch...She is going to be a professional crafter someday and I'll be happy to be famous by association. :)
Oh, and did I mention she's a pastry chef and created her very own cake!?

{swell weddings} just in time for fall

Turns out it's perfect timing for weddings on the brain...We just found out this weekend that Jeff's sis Heather is engaged! CONGRATS--we're so happy for you & Justin! They're planning a gorgeous Pacific Northwest wedding for November. It's definitely time to whip out the fall wedding ideas. This post's just for you, Heather! Note the fall foliage boutonierres, above from Martha (of course!).

Here are just a few table decorations that I am absolutely loving right now...Many of these I discovered on Absolute Wedding Store's flickr page. What's not to love about using a pumpkin (or any gourd for that matter) as a votive holder? I also think that the canisters wrapped with ribbons (lower left) make awesome arrangement holders that serve a dual purpose of emphasizing the hues of your day. They remind me of hand tied bouquets.
I love the orchard feel and monogrammed pumpkins in this wedding from pollen atlanta (via frolic's stash of beautiful ideas!).
This fall bouquet is drop dead gorgeous! I absolutely love how the florist incorporated bright leaves and hypericum berries.

And P.S. Isn't this boutonierre the coolest? Source: Details event planning

*DO* check out these swell sources:

The Knot: Fall wedding trends

What Junebug Loves (a sensational wedding planner based in the Seattle/Tacoma area!)

{swell weddings} making it personal

There are limitless ways to personalize your wedding and create your most unforgettable, perfect day. One of my favorite places to find these personal touches is in the day's minutest details. If you don't know this already, you will know now, and I hope you never forget it: Martha Weddings is the quintessential resource for sweet, handmade wedding crafts. Truly, there is no better way to show your guests how much their presence means to you than to send them a handmade invitation, or set a handwritten place card at their setting for the reception.

Here are just a few of my favorite craft ideas from Martha's archives. DIY wedding projects do not have to be stressful or overly time-consuming. You can make them fun and memorable by gathering all of your 'maids together to form a favor-making-ribbon-tying assembly line or sitting your family down at the dining room table for an afternoon with scissors, glue, and place cards. Plus, there are so many great resources and (kits!) out there to help streamline the process.

And the best part is: Martha Stewart Weddings just got better! The magazine's editor, Darcy Miller, has officially started an adorable wedding blog, The Bride's Guide. It's such a fun place to find answers and the inside scoop to what my idol, I mean, this wedding expert is up to!