Spotlight On: Couture Cupcakes

Thanks to my friend Amanda for introducing me to Couture Cupcakes! The cupcakes look absolutely amazing, and I really love how unique the designs are. Cupcakes definitely do not need to be boring! Paola's cupcakes are perfectly crafted, with a choice of classic or petite sizes. They even have a "Love Cupcake" that is likened to a loveseat: perfect for two! Cupcake towers, cupcake bouquets, cupcake-scapes—this place is the Mecca of cupcakes. They even deliver, which is great if you're throwing a party and need to turn your time and attention elsewhere.

Not only are Paola's designs amazing, but she also has a heart: her special feature right now is a project with the Children's Inn at NIH. She passed out forms and the kids submitted their cupcake ideas for a contest—the winner, Bret, has a cupcake to steal my own heart: "Chocolate cake with peanut butter filling topped with a vanilla buttercream, peanut butter swirl and chocolate drizzle." YUM! She even has developed cupcakes from each of the other ideas, including Savannah's red velvet cupcake with vanilla cream cheese frosting. (This child should be my kid: named Savannah, red velvet... meant to be!)

DIY: Sublime Stitching

For bridesmaids' gifts, I wanted to include something handmade by me to let my girls know that I appreciate their friendship beyond the boundaries of money. I ended up missing the deadline of the wedding with everything going on, but I "gave" them as Christmas gifts. ("Gave" because I still have some work to do on them, but generally presented the idea at Christmas.)

My mom taught me how to sew when I was just a little kid, and I used to do cross-stitch samples of kitties or butterflies or Christmas designs to give my grandmothers as gifts. But the idea of stitching that kind of stuff now just doesn't appeal to me. I don't really want to frame seashells and hang them in my bathroom, you know? Just not my style.

I can't remember how I found out about Sublime Stitching, but as soon as I saw Jenny's designs and those of her guest artists (like Mitch O'Connell, whose bad girl designs I used for Lea's gift), I knew I had to do something with them. How badass is it to stitch skulls and sexy ladies and luchadors (right? lucha libre?) on stuff?

There are some new designs since I last visited... I MUST find a reason to use these vital organs!

Invitation Styles

As someone with a printing background, I really appreciate Gina DeDominici's post of different invitation styles. She has images featuring different types of folds and self-contained invitation styles, and this is really helpful as a visual descriptor to bridge the gap between the printing-minded and the masses. :)

Reflex Blue Wedding

I love reflex blue!!! It's a color in a standardized matching system (PMS) that printers all over the world use—I have a PMS swatchbook, and it's such good inspiration for finding just the right shade. Anytime I'm out and see something this shade, I am immediately drawn to it. To me, reflex blue is bold, powerful, and strong; its counterbalance would be a bright yellow. If these colors were used somewhat sparingly with mostly neutral surroundings, a modern minimalist wedding would emerge. My inspiration board:

From top, l to r: Gorgeous bridesmaid dress from Nordstrom; simple but elegant cake from the Knot (I love the brooch-like accents!); tie by Krisar; beautiful yellow bouquet featured by Olde Town Florist Weddings; Top of the Town in Arlington; Beaded purse and heels from Asos; blue bouquet seen on Something Blue; gorgeous submerged yellow flowers from a real wedding on the Knot; a fun arrangement with willow branches seen on Project Wedding; vintage glasses from my personal collection :)

I haven't been to Top of the Town yet, but I think their view is so impressive that it almost doesn't matter what the inside looks like! I want to go sometime to soak up the view and try the food... ah, research is so grueling! :)

Vintage Wedding Dresses/ Rockabilly Wedding

My friend Lea has always said that she is going to have a non-traditional wedding in Vegas. I suggested that she check out some vintage prom dresses to wear as her wedding dress—my favorite site for finding vintage dresses is Vintageous—they have SO MANY dresses! The only thing is that you have to surf often because these dresses get snapped up quick.

This is my pick for Lea:I think we could make this pretty easily ourselves, now that I think of it.

And some fun Lea shoes from Zappos:
Cute and EASY pin-up girl hair tutorial from ilovegerardo on YouTube! And slightly less easy (for me—I'm bad at blending) but very detailed makeup from askmemakeup.

Her man can get his outfit off of eBay... there are a ton of "rockabilly suits" there.

Rockabilly wedding cake? Why yes, please! From My House is Better Than Yours on Flickr, via Offbeat Bride.Or she can just go to the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel and ask for the Rockabilly Package—with optional Elvis cake add-on! (I LOVE Elvis, who doesn't??)
And the next time Lea goes to Portland to visit her friend Jessica (or the next time she shops online), she can pick up this swimsuit from Popina—the better to lounge by the pool in! (I wouldn't trust a vintage swimsuit. I guess it's personal preference...)

Dead Flowers?

No... dried flowers. Big difference!

It's hard to think of non-floral fall centerpieces that don't include pumpkins. Nothing wrong with pumpkins, this bride just didn't want to include them for her October wedding! This is what we came up with for her rustic wedding in the woods:

These centerpieces were made from different dried botanicals, including wheat and lavender, with pheasant feathers and cattails. Anchored by small river rocks in Mason jars and tied with twine, they were surrounded by larger river rocks and simple votive candles.

On the other half of the tables, we used store-bought wreaths of fat grasses and placed hurricanes with tall pillars in the middle. The pillars were anchored by—guess what?—lentils. Why buy craft sand when you can buy lentils for 89¢ per 16 oz. bag? :) Plus, it just added to the outdoorsy feel of the decor.

All photos by the fabulous Rachel Naft!

Spotlight on: Pen and Ink Calligraphy

Oh so pretty! I love the uniform look of calligraphy, and I envy those who do it well—like Lisa Ridgely of Pen and Ink. She's self-taught, if you can believe that, and her different styles are gorgeous. My favorite is the "Sarah" not because it's my name :-D but because of its understated elegance. The loops and swirls are beautiful, but my personal style is more simple.