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adios





signing off early this week. we're heading down to florida for my little brother's wedding.

this picture just makes me happy. i took it earlier this year at standard. still one of my favorite places to go, even among all the newcomers to 14th street. and hey. did you know they're open late (and serve food late) on sunday nights? 

that's a rare thing in the district. 

enjoy your weekend. i'll be back tuesday.

how to: boutonniere


making your own boutonnieres is quick + easy. and it's one of those things where once you know the basic method, there are no limits to what you can create. 

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you'll need a few things before diving in:

a few bunches of whatever type of flower, berry or herb you're planning to use

floral tape

floral shears

floral pin

some type of fabric (ribbon, twine) to cover the floral tape

_ _ _

start by getting a single stem of whatever you're going to be using (step 1).

separate out all the branches (step 2), and remove the excess leaves (step 3).

get your additional supplies ready (step 4) and gather a few individual clusters together and, using the floral shears, cut it to a length that looks good to you (step 5).

holding the bunch very tightly, slowly wrap with floral tape (step 6).

cover the floral tape (step 7). i used twine.

here's the step-by-step with pictures:





with the help of some bridesmaids, we made these the morning of the wedding and it was no sweat. and when it was time to pin these on the groomsmen, i used the little floral pin shown in step 4.

the good thing is you can make boutonnieres with pretty much anything you like. other natural elements such as feathers, herbs (rosemary and thyme look great), wheat stalks, leaves, or flowers would also work well here.

if you're planning to do this for a wedding, this is a great way to personalize. i used twine here since we got married at eastern market and i was going for that whole "brown paper packages tied up with string" feel. but if you have colors or a theme, this is a good way to tie that in to the rest of the decor.

have fun with it. you'll make something awesome. i just know it.

back that ring up

somewhere along the way, jewelry makers decided to mess with earring backs.

these vital -- yet overlooked/unappreciated -- components of ear candy haven't changed much over the years, even as earrings have evolved and changed with the times.

making the earring back part of the look instead of a silent partner is something that's never occurred to me. so thanks to the fine people who came up with these numbers:

polyvore set here


i purchase new earrings a couple times of year. it's something i buy frequently. and i have never heard of anything reversible until now. 

brilliant.

and hey. even if no one but you notices your fancy new lobes, it's something special. and looking good from every angle never hurts either.

potw: geometry


on a postcard, a coaster, as the main design element in a wedding suite, it just works.


1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 



those envelope liners are just killer, too. 

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looking for more letterpress goods? check out my press of the week series here. a new potw is posted (almost) every monday.

sunny october

i love driving around town this time of year. i happen to think dc's always beautiful, but with these stunning blue skies and leaves in every shade fall has to offer, it's almost not fair.

you're just showing off now, dc.

but seriously, the weather this weekend was incredible. and i was happy to be outside enjoying it.

big yellow tree by my office, friday afternoon 
k street, colorful trees
park sign + mirrored building downtown
early saturday morning 
sunday afternoon on pennsylvania ave. looking pretty perfect
waiting to get our segway on
hey canada
safety first!
lincoln columns 
two monuments in one
a statue behind the sun always looks dramatic 
just enjoying the day

if you've never been on a segway tour, i can't tell you how much fun it is. my first experience with a segway was a few years ago. i had a friend coming to town who wanted to try it, and i, somewhat begrudgingly, agreed to go ("that is SUPER tourist," i thought). but i had the best time. those things go fast! 

so when she came back to visit a second time, we brought our dudes along with us and it was just as fun as we remembered. 

there was a groupon for bike & roll a few months back, making yesterday's outing  with some other good friends of ours much more affordable.

seriously, it's a blast. if you're looking to do something fun with out-of-town guests (can you imagine how long it would actually take to WALK from the library of congress to the lincoln memorial?)or maybe you just wanna take a day to remember how gorgeous our city is, do the segway thing. 

and happy monday!


i hear a symphony

it's taken me a while to want to post about the wedding. the planning went fine, the day of the wedding had the most awesome non-humid weather, and i had a blast that night, but i needed a mental break. 

it was all wedding (almost) all the time for about a year and a half, and i wanted to take a breather and not launch right into wedding post after wedding post. also, it's super personal and i didn't know if i was ready to share it with the internets. 

but i'm ready now, and i thought i'd start off by sharing the music we played. 

first off, we didn't have a dj. i'd been to a few weddings that opted to use an ipod instead of hiring one, and after seeing how smooth those events went, i was sold. and not having to pay for another vendor was awesome too.

i'm not gonna post the full playlist here, but finding songs to play during the reception was something the boy and i did together. and it ended up being my favorite part of planning.

it took a while to get that list together though. i mean, it's hard to think of five hours of music -- good music -- in a short period of time. so we worked on this throughout the engagement to make it easier on us. 

if we were in the car and heard a song we liked? we added it to the list. we kept a note on our iphones handy and slowly added to the music, song by song, until it felt like we had enough.

then, we downloaded all the songs from itunes, and assigned them 1 (cocktail hour) 2 (first part of reception) or 3 stars (party time). this made sorting the music a breeze, and it was easy to tell our friend who was operating the ipod what "star" playlist to play.

the flow of the night was important to me -- you don't need nicki minaj blabbering about starships during cocktail hour and nat king cole might feel a little too slow for the end of the night -- so having these different lists helped keep the night going smoothly.

i'd also mapped out how long each portion of the event would take, so we knew, for example, that the cocktail playlist had to be AT LEAST 45 minutes, the second playlist had to be at least an hour, and so on.

so let's move on to the music we played before the reception, starting with the pre-ceremony set. we also made playlists for each of these categories (and named them accordingly) so our friend would have no trouble knowing when to play each playlist.

this first set below is what we played while people were arriving, signing the guestbook, filing into their seats and waiting for things to start. we didn't know how early people would arrive, so i tried to err on the side of "they might arrive early as shit" and made this extra long. dead air was the enemy and my worst nightmare.




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then it was time for the bridal party entrance. here's what we played. 


only you - joshua radin (bridesmaid entrance)

i can't find the exact version of songbird we used, but that one is pretty close. and, this is going a little out of order here, but our first dance song was you are the best thing by ray lamontagne


so what did we play during the actual ceremony?

this stuff:


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i love music and having it play during the ceremony really added something special. my best friend from college did that during her ceremony and man! it really adds a new level to an already-emotional event.

if you're considering ditching the dj to spend money on other things, just remember to start as early as possible. it's tough to come up with enough songs to get you through the night  (and have a well-rounded playlist you feel good about) at the last minute.

but most importantly, there's a lot of boring parts to wedding planning and this was fun for me. having a custom playlist makes your wedding so personal, and that was important to both of us.

nicely noted


i'm always buying cards. 

sometimes i'm looking for something specific--a birthday card, a thank you note--and sometimes i just like to look through the pretty letterpress designs and find something that catches my eye.

 do you do that too? 

if you're a paper snob/design nerd like me, you might consider opening an account with nicely noted, a subscription service that delivers a surprise selection of cards to your mailbox each month. 

the cool thing is that they also send stamps, making it super easy to send a little love in the mail.

below are some sample mailings, to give you an idea of the high-quality, handmade products they offer.




good stuff, right?

you can also check out their faq page for more info.

i love this concept. if you find yourself sending a lot of cards (or maybe you're just a big fan of pretty paper goods), check out nicely noted.

chain gang

a coworker of mine wore a chain link necklace with a simple sheath dress the other day and i really liked the way it looked on her. i like jewelry with a bit of a tougher edge, and these in-your-face pieces are really doing it for me right now.



1 | 2 (sold out) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 



i'd pair these necklaces with a high scoop neck dress, making sure that there isn't too much else going on (cowl neck, pleating, zipper/leather detail work) so the necklace can truly be the focus.

as for the title of this post? it's the only thing i could think of when i looked at these guys, but that song has got to be in my top ten least favorite of all time ever. that and anything that lenny kravitz has ever played.

and now i'm way off topic.

chain necklaces, guys. check em out. 

potw: announcing

my sister and her husband are expecting a little baby in december.

i'm not sure whether they'll send out a birth announcement--is this something people always do? 

i'm not a parent myself, so i guess i'm not too sure. but here are a few examples of announcements that i happen to love. 

from top: 1 | 2
from top: 1 (printed by studio on fire) | 2 (printed by sycamore street press)


all of these are well designed + not too cutesy.

and best of luck to any other new or soon-to-be parents out there!

_ _ _
looking for more letterpress goods? check out my press of the week series here. a new potw is posted (almost) every monday.

lazy weekend

brussel sprout time
bright sunlight
bundling up for brisk late-afternoon walks
sunlight + our rosebush
a grey sunday
a tired lucy at the park
acorns everywhere

i struggled with dressing for the weather this weekend. at times, it was hot, it was pleasant, it was humid, it was chilly.

fall in dc can be a little crazy at times.

i'm ready to take on the week now though. hope your saturday + sunday were a lot of fun.

tray chic

do you have 27 remotes in your living room like me?

it's ridiculous. 

so, in an effort to try to corral everything, i've been looking for a nice lacquer (easy to clean in case of spills) tray for the living room.

to purchase: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

i like that it can double as a serving tray if i need it. you'd be all hostess with the mostest, carrying out a tray of mimosas on one of these babies. (bonus points if you worked in a restaurant at some point and can pull off this move without spilling.)

i'm a little partial to the orange one, and it would fit in nicely with my mostly cool colors living room area.

yep. i think i need it.


potw: no reason at all


sometimes the nicest kind of card to get in the mail is one that's just because.

no birthday, no congratulations, just 'you're my friend, i'm thinking of you, here's a note.'

here are some cute ways to say hello.


purchase: ink meets paper 1 | 2 | 3




it's a simple act, reaching out to a friend or relative with a quick little note. but it's something small that's bound to make someone smile. 

and you gotta love that. 

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looking for more letterpress goods? check out my press of the week series here. a new potw is posted (almost) every monday.

extra day

my love of the brooch continues into 2012 | last worn here
early friday morning 
friday afternoon
still buying mascara from across the pond
dogsitting | lucy has a friend
meet ledo the pug
still addicted to standard
and their corn | try my homemade version
"just act cool, ledo. she'll give us some bacon."
still loving this packaging from here
cleaned the whole house yesterday | from our guest bathroom
riding around town



for those of you who had yesterday off, i hope you enjoyed the extra time. 

we had a lot going on this weekend: babysitting on friday, watching a pug for a friend, running errands, cleaning the house from top to bottom.


i love that feeling of a clean house. especially when you have the time to really get in there and tend to the gross places that really need attention (behind the toilet, under the fridge, ceiling fan blades. gross.)


i mentioned last week that were were going to boston for the long weekend, but we decided to push that trip back until next month - better for everyone involved. can't wait to see boston in the fall again.


hope your days were awesome. 


jewels on a plane

a few days ago, i was running late and completely forgot to put on earrings.

i felt naked all day.

i'm a person who always wears accessories. no matter what. and because i travel somewhat frequently, i need to bring my jewelry with me. 

a few years ago, my sister got me a foldable jewelry case as a gift. at the time, i'd never used one before, and usually stuffed my rings, bracelets and earrings into a not-currently-being-used makeup bag. but i've come to really love the case my sister got me; i use it all the time when i travel.

here's a few more that i like:



to purchase: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5



most of these roll-up cases are made from leather or cloth and lined with suede. and they all have nice compartments for sorting and organizing your travel jewelry needs.  this case and this one here are also a little cheaper.


i should also mention that if i'm traveling by plane and need to check some luggage, i always throw my jewelry case in my purse or with some other carry-on items. luggage gets lost, things happen, and your jewelry collection is usually something that's been slowly accumulating over many, many years. i don't want to risk losing pieces -- some of great sentimental value -- by shoving my jewelry in a suitcase.

just be smart. carry it on. 

and enjoy your trip!

 

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