Wedding Wednesday: Bridesmaids in Boots!

I L.O.V.E. this wedding. The bevy of bridesmaids in blue is stunning. What a great idea to have them all wear cowboy boots. Very cool.




(Via Once Wed, photos by Our Labor of Love, Event planning by Epting Events)

Birds birds birds

I saw these bird paintings a while ago and even planned to blog about them, but then, alas, I couldn't find who the artist is was or where to find them. Thanks to Sunset magazine's blog, I found them again and can now give credit to the artist: mincingmockingbird. The titles are almost was fun as the paintings!

Clockwise from left:
"Will You Please Put Down That US Magazine And Listen To Me"
"All This Leering Makes A Girl Tired"
"You May Think You Can Play Games With My Heart, But I Will Own You At Scrabble"
"He Thinks My Sudden And Terrifying Mood Swings Are Kinda Cute"

Pickled Fiddleheads & Other Discoveries

I finally checked out the Saturday Portland Farmer's Market at PSU and it was fabulous! So many booths with so much Oregon bounty! We discovered one stand called Picklopolis where they sell fresh pickled veggies, kraut and even fiddleheads. For $8 we bought a variety pack and started eating it on the spot. Along with pickled delights, we also brought home natural morel mushrooms, a huge bag of green beans, and a $10 bouquet of peonies. What a treat! I highly recommend visiting the market if you are ever in Portland.

Flashback Friday: Vintage Vacation

Happy Friday!

(Via thepointol.com, truusbobjantoo, www.ultraswank.net)

Wedding Wednesday: Sisters Doing It For Themselves

Such a great story, courtesy of the Etsy blog. Five sisters worked together to create one fabulous day. Everything was DIY, including the silver wedding bands inspired by a gumball machine ring one sister (a jewelery designer) crafted. So sweet!

The Good Life

The good life, according to Slim Aarons...

Flashback Friday: Pretty Swanky

The 70s really knew how to get mellow. Dark woods, subdued lighting, clingy polyester... A recipe for some sweet, sweet, moments.


Yeah, those are cheese graters as light fixtures...


Better to use bundt pans:


This room makes me feel weird.

Weirder.
Beware of putting your love tub outdoors where the neighborhood mountain man can find it.


Have a very swanky Friday. See you next week!

(Top photo from a 1970 Look magazine, all others from the Flickr group 1970s Interior Design Pool)

For the love of pink

I love that this room shows the color pink looking classy and grown-up instead of Barbie. Fabulous!

(Originally printed in Domino)

For the love of chartreuse

Yummy room!

(By Amy Lau Design)

For the love of brown

There are so many things to love about this room: the giant letters, the tiny boots, the cowhide rug, the guitar... Adorable!

(via Inside Out's blog--Australia)

Wedding Wednesday: Fabulous Flowers For Free (-ish)

My husband loves getting things for free--or more precisely, he likes to find free things. He'll drag home wood, dirty clothes, tape measures, even plants pulled from sidewalks. I find his Freegan tendencies endearing as I've been known to save perfectly good furniture from garbage piles.

But today, we're talking about weddings and more precisely, flowers. Of all of the areas in the wedding budget to get for free (or really cheap), this is a good one. Here are some ways to save:

1. Have your wedding in a botanic garden or park with public flower gardens.

2. Have a gardener friend build flower pots and boxes filled with plants grown from seed. This is especially good for outdoor weddings.

3. Build bouquets with grasses and wildflowers you find in nearby fields. You could even let your own grasses grow and then harvest.

4. Supermarket flowers make great bouquets. Using carnations and rose sprays will stretch a small budget without sacrificing style. Expensive blooms such as orchids and lilies are overused anyway, this is a perfect way to show your individuality.

5. Use fruit, candles, and natural elements such as branches and pine cones make great centerpieces. Add flowers as necessary. (Or what about feathers?)

6. Make your own corsages. This is super easy and the materials are readily available at Michaels: florist tape and pins. Take a bloom, add an accent foliage, tape them tightly together, and voila! You've saved your money!

(Photos: Real Simple, Shelly Huynh Lewis, Southern Weddings, Our Labor Of Love)

It's bike season!

Bicycling is a religion here in Portland, especially this time of year as people pull their cruisers out of the garage and take to the streets. This year, I'm thinking of getting a bike of my own and joining the masses. Here are some of my faves:

Schwinn "Classic Three" is a classic riding-around-town three-speed:

Velorbis very Euro, made in Denmark:



Gary Fisher "Simple City" is light and lovely with a fabulous basket on the front: