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Best part of my job? I never *actually* have to choose what kind of wedding to go with.  One day I can be all about the whispery pinks and cloudy blues, the next I can focus on the black wedding dress and dramatic black and white flowers.  Today I have a need for a burst of energy to get me going into a busy week.  A no-fail aromatherapy helper for me is always a whiff of citrus.  I love the jolt of energy that lemon or grapefruit can give you.  That sunny smell can bring a bit of brightness to even the cloudiest (Mon)day.

Here I bring you a palette of sunny oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits to add some zest (ha!) to your week.  The inspiration can be literal, like with that fantastic cake with whole fruits or in that centerpiece with the fruit slices accenting the vases.  Or the inspiration can be just taking the aspect of color, like those fantastic Tux and Tulle ties or that amazing ModCloth Dress (sadly, not available, but a good seamstress should be able to help you out if you love it!).  It reminds me of the unlikely combination of candy, Saturday morning cereal, Lily Pulitzer, and fun.  What do you think?  Is this the tone you’d go with for your sweet day?

More sunny and sweet ideas, as well as sources for these images, can be found on our Pinterest Board.

It’s a quiet weekend around here, so I’m thinking of a million projects I want to tackle.  The one bad thing about Pinterest is that I end up with more crafty stuff to do than there is time in a hundred lifetimes.  I can only choose one for this weekend, though. And I think it’s going to be turning something into a chalkboard.  It’s crazy easy to do–we’ve got a link to a tutorial on our Pinterest Board–and you can make it in any color.  I think I’ll go with the standard black/slate for an ever changing art piece in my living room

Chalkboards like these are popping up everywhere!  They’re easy to find in shops, they’re easy to make with a little bit of time and a well ventilated area.  Regardless of how you track them down, they add a little bit of fun and whimsy to your party (and answer the eternal question of “Is that my drink?”)  They offer endless options for personal expression or art work.  How about one in a photo booth?  Or a cake shaped chalkboard centerpiece? How would you use one?

Sources for these ideas and lots of other great DIY projects, check out our Pinterest Board!

While roaming around Pinterest playing “Fantasy Wedding,” I stumbled upon instructions for how to easily peel hard boiled eggs.  I cannot state the following strongly enough:

This is REVOLUTIONARY INFORMATION in my life.

My skills in peeling hard boiled eggs are rudimentary at best.  I always end up with very unpretty, pockmarked eggs that are suitable for egg salad, but not for deviled eggs.  It’s a shame, too, because they’re always a hit at parties, lunches, brunches, Bunco, game night, tailgating, weddings, weddings, weddings…

They have that coveted retroish-yet-elegant-yet-comfort-food-yet-light-yet-substantial-yet-modern-yet-retroish vibe that make them perfect for any occasion depending on how you dress them up.  And there are SO many ways to dress them up!    Our Deviled Egg Variations Pinterest Board has a couple dozen variations (including a link to the Cadbury Creme Deviled Egg!!), but here are some links to some interesting options that might be a  welcome addition to your upcoming Super Bowl Bash or Oscar Night Shindig or your engagement party/shower/wedding celebration.  They aren’t too hard, so they will make you look very kitchen capable, even if you’re just getting past boiling water in your culinary skills.   I’m trying the Caesar Salad Eggs recipe this weekend, but I’m so intrigued by the Pimento Chesse version that I may give those a go.  Southern to the core.

Row 1: Creamy Deviled Eggs from Martha Stewart, Dirty Deviled Eggs from Martha Stewart
Row 2: Caesar Salad Deviled Eggs from Smitten Kitchen, Avocado Deviled Eggs from Eating Well, Living Thin
Row 3: Anchovy Deviled Eggs from Bon Appetit, Sriracha and Wasabi Deviled Eggs from Food and Wine
Row 4: PIMENTO CHEESE DEVILED EGGS!! from Brandy Boils Over, Pickled Beet Deviled Eggs from Epicurious, Caviar Topped Deviled Quail’s Eggs from Fine Cooking

How beautiful is kale?  How stunning is broccoli?  I had never thought of it before, but my eyes have been opened!

Vegetables of all kinds are perfect for wedding decorations and inspirations.  Here I focus on the kale and broccoli, but carrots, artichokes and eggplant all work brilliantly, too.  The word “harvest” often equates with rich autumn colors, but here I look at some of the spring garden colors.  These colors are all natural, yet stunning and vibrant.  The shapes are interesting and bold, especially that spiky, fractal looking broccoli Romanesco.  Vegetables are organic symbols of abundance, the results of hard work and good fortune. I’ll admit that it’s an unusual theme, but your guests will notice the beauty first and then do the double take.

“Is that…kale?  I had no idea it was so beautiful!”

More veggie wedding ideas to celebrate the riches of our world are on our Earth’s Bounty Pinterest Board.  I’m thinking the eggplant earrings need to be harvested for my jewelry box.

Have you ever wished you had an occasion to wear an incredible hat?

Yes? Me too.

That’s what got me started thinking about a Derby Day wedding.  As I started to seek out ideas, I was OVERWHELMED at how much good stuff there is that fits under this umbrella–great hats, good food, beautiful flowers, good luck symbols, horses, bourbon, etc.. It’s an idea in which you can completely immerse your celebration or you can just add a few little details to make your day even more special.  Peach, strawberry or blackberry could make a brilliant signature cocktail twist on a mint julep.  You could add bourbon balls and derby pie on the dessert table or as a favor.  Silver julep cups are beautiful in floral arrangements, as well as to sip from.  Touches of equestrian culture from horseshoes to horse silhouettes add even more emphasis to the theme. Bridesmaid dresses akin to jockey silks would not be out of place, though here we focused on black and white stripes to harken back to Audrey Hepburn’s memorable trip to the track in My Fair Lady.

And hats–don’t forget the hats!  On the bridesmaids, on the bride, on the guests.  A simple invitation line of  “Elegant Hats Appreciated for the Ladies”  will get the message out.  What fun for a sun-soaked afternoon in May!

Check out the sources for these ideas and all the others I didn’t have room for on our Pinterest Board! Links to recipes for hot browns, bourbon balls, derby pie and a host of juleps can be found there, as well as several amazing hat makers.

Happy Friday y’all!  It’s been a big week around here…lots of hard work for our lovely brides, lots of getting deeper into this great year, lots of new ideas to share.  Thinking about how we can make this the best year ever. And then daydreaming about weddings some more…

And one of my greatest daydreams has been to think about flowers.  Roses, peonies, big ruffled blooms everywhere.  And when paired with this light teal, the result is just pretty and bright and fresh.  There’s a twist of vintage without any kind of stuffiness, a bit of whimsy without too much quirkiness, a dose of romance without being too overwrought.  Just lovely and just right for a whole range of brides.

(And check out that great table number!  It’s a Paperwhites creation.  The pinterest board has sources for everything here PLUS all our other goodies from the lovely wedding that inspired this board.)

Conversation hearts are one holiday treat that I’m content to admire and not eat (to me they are slightly sweet chalk, but I know others who love them.) Still, I always loved getting a box or a few in a Valentines card and sorting through them, reading the secret messages and decoding them for context.  They embody youth and that giddy excitement of parties at school, of all consuming crushes, of the first flutters of love. And they also make pretty sweet jewelry!

Check out this adorable sterling silver necklace by Christina Korber’s etsy shop…so cute!  “Be Mine” is a classic from the conversation hearts repertoire, but she also has “1 and only,” “amore,” and “marry me.”  And they are customizable, so you can get anything from a pet name to the much coveted “Hot Stuff.”  What about “Angel” for your flower girl?  Or your bridesmaids initials? Or maybe you could just casualllllllly leave this page up so your fiance can spot it and mention casuallllllly that Valentines is less than a month away…..

Check out this and some of our other great finds on our Pinterest boards–there’s even a Valentines idea board with a link to how to make Conversation Heart Vodka!

A recent wedding of ours!  The black and white is fabric–so cool!  I adore it with the bright pink.  Special thanks to Walters and Walters for the amazing photos!

I love doing these posts that feature our products!

The image of a key and lock for a wedding is heavy with symbolism.  Key to the heart, keys to success, keys to happiness. A skeleton key brings with it feelings of building a home together, of a deep history, of permanence.  Old keys are weighty and delicate, with beautiful and ornate scroll work.  What a lovely detail to add to your wedding day!  Beautiful, yes, but also meaningful.

For sources on these images (especially that amazing keyhole necklace from Shabby Apple!) check out our Pinterest Board!

I spotted (ha!) this white with black Oscar De La Renta dress and was completely smitten.  It isn’t a traditional wedding dress in every way, but it has a coolness and sophistication that is really appealing. A wedding built on this one pattern?  Only black and white?  I think it can be done.

Polka dots are far more versatile than one would think.  When they are tiny and closely spaced, they take on a sweet retro vibe.  A little preppy in some contexts, a little girlish at times, a little rockabilly in other applications.  But when they get resized, with a little more space between the dots or bunched up close in tight formation , on shapes that are streamlined and modern, those twee little dots become a great graphic element. Anemones are an excellent floral choice–they seem to have built in polka dots.  The whole concept is perfect for a bride with an eye for pattern and a desire to show a little bit of welcome quirkiness in all the formality of the elements.

For sources for these elements, as well as a lot of other polka dots big and small, check our our Pinterest Board!