Inspiration #85: Engraved Vintage Flatware

Really, someone needs to deny me access to Etsy. I just discovered WoodenHive's shop and I want to buy so many beautiful things. I was especially tickled to find a fork engraved with the message "Give Thanks." That's Rule #1 for the supperclub I help run in the San Francisco Bay Area AND our other motto is "Hold onto your forks." It's perfect, because without the Ghetto Gourmet, I never would have met Guitar Fred (aww).

I'm tempted to buy these his and her forks (and they're $14):

Bride & Groom Fork Set, $14, WoodenHive

Give Thanks Fork, $15.99, WoodenHive

Table Numbers, $6.50 each by WoodenHive

Free download: Monogram crest from the WC

I love free downloads, especially this one from The Wedding Chicks -- the Custom Monogrammed Crest!

We have printed these on 5x7 note cards (papaya) from Paper Source for the backs of our programs. We'll glue the actual program to the front. They turned out really awesome! Get yours here.

How adorable are these?

I just purchased these adorable rosettes of crepe paper and vintage sheet music from Lucky Girl Goods! I'm going to wrap the candy bar/buffet jars with ribbon and attach these to the front of the jars. Total cost: $3.00!

P.S. I have lots of other details in the works right now, like making yummy favors with Slow Jams (who nabbed Sunset Magazine's Best of the West), ordering custom made goodies for the bridal party (Chouettes on Etsy) and getting Guitar Fred's gift. Can't wait to share!

XYZ Blocks

Fred & Friends makes awesome kitschy gift items, like the Bananahandle (I just got one for my birthday!) or Pick Your Nose party cups.

New to the lineup are these XYZ blocks -- the alternative to ABCs. Perfect for an offbeat couple. I can see spelling out the bride and groom's names or some cute message, like "Gather" or "Just Married."

Real Wedding: Woodland Theme

Just coordinated a really cool wedding for A + A on Saturday in Stern Grove (San Francisco). The bride and groom enlisted the help of their family and friends for major DIY and vendors like Indie Cakes and Gorgeous and Green added to the beauty of the event! Check out these fab details:

{Woodland themed tiered cake by Indie Cakes}

 {The wedding and groom's cake (a delicious chocolate with fresh peach-buttercream filling) sat atop cake stands made by the bride and groom. A lace curtain served as a table runner.}

{Bouquet by Gorgeous and Green}

{Tin can table number on a twig! Table runners were a variety of vintage fabric the bride purchased and cut with pinking shears.}

{The groom's mom led a team to bust out natural arrangements in mason jars.}

{Trocadero House at Stern Grove}

5 Retro Ways to Package Your Favors

**For the Mid-modern pop girl**

{Above from Bake It Pretty}

 {Above from Hey Yo Yo on Etsy}

**For the Girly Girl**

Vintage inspired brown bags

{Bit of Vintage on Etsy}

Blue and White Straws

I bought a 50-pack of vintage looking blue and white paper straws a few months ago. I really didn't have a plan for them, I just knew they'd be adorable and match our color scheme. Then I saw this on the Wedding Chicks (a lovely wedding designed by Jesi Haack). AHA moment!

Paper Crafting Progress

Paper Source is having a 50% off sale on a bunch of their seasonal paper and I picked up scallop edge 5x7 flat cards and slightly smaller gray cards that I can print our program/menu on.

I got to work on our placecards, which is funny because I haven't even sent out our invites yet. I used:

- Martha Stewart boning tool (I saved money by buying small flat cards and folding them myself versus buying "placecards")

- Martha Stewart long-edge punch tool

- Paper Source "You are seated at" stamp

- Paper Source scroll stamp

- Ink pad in the color "Harbor" aka teal

- Paper Source flat cards

Here's how they turned out! I really like them and the teal looks great against the gray. I plan to write each individual/couple/family's name on the outside. Haven't decided yet how to display the cards.

Happy 4th of July!

Have a safe and fun day! Today's post features a real red, white and blue wedding shot by Jen Lynne Photography:

{Photos by Jen Lynne Photography}

A useful window

There's a fab store in Berkeley called Urban Ore which sells salvaged and used goods. I purchased an old window for $20 and right now, it's perched on our vintage wooden desk at home. I taped Rex Ray prints behind the panes for now.

I spotted this on With this Ring via Snippet and Ink, and I just love the idea, especially for a garden wedding I'm planning in August!

 {All photos by Studio 222 Photography}

I love buying secondhand

I love buying secondhand. Not only do you save money, you prolong the life of an object!

On Friday, I dropped by Mignonne -- a boutique that specializes in giving old furniture facelifts -- especially with bold paint jobs. I picked up a newly painted table in metallic silver for $40 (as-is). I didn't mind its condition because I plan to use it as our cake table, which will be onstage with me and Guitar Fred -- no one will see that the back is missing except for us. Here's the table, including a bouquet from Gorgeous and Green and two bluebirds and a nest I picked up as potential cake toppers (yes, I bought a vintage bride and groom but I'm still attached to the bird motif).

Today, my friend, Brittany, and I met up to do a little party planning. We dropped by one of my favorite places for bargains -- the Center for Creative Reuse in Oakland, CA -- and scored some pretty fantastic deals on photo booth props. We got a lime green "Irish" wig still in the package, 100 sheets of black scrapbook paper, dowels (for our black paper mustaches), Mardi Gras beads, vinyl carnival posters, plastic cowboy hats, a large frame, and goggles for $8 including tax.

If you're planning on making liqueur favors, run over to the Center now! They have petite glass bottles with cork stoppers for $1.00 each (or 25 for $18.00). They'd be fantastic for Meyer Lemon limoncello di crema, or an herb infused olive oil.

Inspiration #77: An Altar Made of Bookcases

Happy Friday. This idea is swoonworthy. Guitar Fred reads a book everyday and an altar made of books could be one way to pay homage to his reading addiction on our big day. 

We have our first meeting with our minister today. I doubt he'll let us bring books onto the altar. Boo. 

If I were to achieve this look on a budget, I'd scour second-hand or salvage stores for bookcases and glue gift wrap to the back of the bookcases. Buy a box of old books for $20 from Half Price Books or Salvation Army and decorate with fresh flowers or potted petunias and hydrangeas.

{Design, concept and styling: Megan Gray of Honey and Poppies, as seen via 100 Layer Cake}

Inspiration #73: Aisle style

Hello my lovelies. Sorry I've been MIA this past week -- it's been busy with lots of events offline (including my own birthday party on the tennis courts)! I recently coordinated a beautiful wedding atop the hills overlooking the San Francisco Bay Area. The couple played up a garden theme with citrus colors, such as lime green, yellow and orange. I loved how they used fairly inexpensive paper lanterns to line their aisle (prepared by floral designer, Pilar Zuniga, of Gorgeous and Green). Oranges, limes and lemons weighed down the various lanterns.

{Photos by Vera Devera}

Inspiration #68: Take your seat

Very cute escort card idea (library card catalog) from Ginger + Adam as shot by One Love Photo. The bird motif works very well too!

{All photos by One Love Photo}

Inspiration #66: Fabric Swatch Escort Cards

Thank goodness for the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, "an ecological treasure trove of art & craft materials, educational supplies, vintage furniture, home décor, paper goods, fabric, and much more." A treasure trove indeed! At today's visit, I left with a fabric swatchbook of  beautiful upholstery fabric for only $5.00 (see below)! So, what are my plans with this fabric? Escort cards!

{Above: some of the patterns I get to play with from the $5 fabric swatchbook}

Here are my inspirations:

{Source: Style Me Pretty; Pictures by Alders Photography}

{Source: Elizabeth Anne Designs; Created by Inchmark}

Inspiration #65: What to do with my birdcage?

 

{Source: Jordan Ferney 'Oh Happy Day!'}

Our "musically romantic" save-the-dates feature a pair of lovebirds tweeting to each other on music bars. I had been resisting the urge to buy a birdcage but I finally gave in when I found a rather unique one at TJ Maxx a couple weeks ago.

So, what's one to do with a birdcage? Most people use it to collect love notes from their guests or to hold candles. I like the idea of creating a terrarium (above) or floral arrangement (below). If you're also using a birdcage, what are you planning to do with it?

{Source: Mints Flower}

{Source: Hostess With the Mostess Blog}

 {Source for above 2 photos: Snippet and Ink}

Inspiration #64: Grubbin' Favors

 

{Photo of Grub from Bryant-Terry.com}

A few years ago, I picked up Anne Lappe and Bryant Terry's cookbook, Grub: A savvy and practical guide to organic eating for urban dwellers. It was the first time I had ever owned a cookbook that also recommended a music playlist (by the way, Bryant has since written his own book, Vegan Soul Kitchen, that focuses on animal free Southern inspired food).

Since music and food are passions for me and Guitar Fred, Grub has inspired me to create favors that reflect them. 

I was heartened to find recipe card favors by Sunday Suppers of New York (see below). These will be perfect for tying to our Stumptown CD covers.

The cost of 100 3x5 index cards at Sam's Club is only $0.56. I would need at least 600 cards for 5 recipes for each of our 120 guests -- that's less than $4.00. Printing may be the most expensive cost in terms of ink cartridge. Fortunately, I've already got natural fiber twine, but I should probably look into purchasing colored twine.

As for the recipes, we're going to share our favorite comfort-foods, including a potato-bacon pie, a succulent wine-braised pork roast, the Goodyear family's Brunswick stew, dino kale with a ginger-soy dressing and a couple favorite dishes from our chef friends, Peter Jackson of Canvas Underground and Efrain Cuevas of Clandestino Chicago.

{Photo from Sunday Suppers}

Inspiration #61: Birds of a Feather

Southern Weddings featured this real wedding (Kyle + Chris) and I just adore the clever use of a bird's nest -- from the groom's boutonniere, bridesmaids' bouquets and the cake flowers. Very organic and down-to-earth -- the kind of look Guitar Fred and I are striving for.

This weekend, I'm off to the Marin Headlands in Sausalito for a board retreat with Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT). If I get any time to myself, I'll be doing some more recon of good places in Sausalito for a rehearsal dinner, wedding party photos and a dive bar for the wedding after-party. Have a great weekend!

{Source: Southern Weddings: Kyle + Chris, Part II}

Inspiration #60: Odile

I love San Francisco Ballet and my favorite full-length program -- Swan Lake -- just completed its run. Today's inspiration is Odile.

{SF Ballet's Odile; Maria Kotchetkova, Principal Ballerina}

Top left/bottom left: JL Designs Urban Glam Shoot

Top right: Rising Vapors dress by Anthropologie

Bottom right: Eddie Ross Events

How it turned out

Wow, dinner last night was wild and fantastic. The menu was delicious and included parsnip and meyer lemon soup with pickled and crispy ginger; vanilla butter poached black cod with Oregon black truffle on a celery root puree; and smoked wine poached egg with crispy pork belly. The chef -- Peter Jackson --behind this fabulous dinner is also going to cook for my and Guitar Fred's wedding.

Our dinner was filmed for the Fine Living Network's new show, Extreme Dining (the episode will air on April 10). We hosted dinner at my friends' (Karman and Bjorn) beautiful mid-modern century chic house in San Francisco. I paired the IKEA Petronella fabric (already hemmed) with teal blue Salong vases and Blomster vases with green mums. For the menus, I used a Martha Stewart paper puncher on the top and bottom margins and slid them into black cloth napkins. Here's the before and after look: