Pretty Party: Balloons

Balloons have made a bit of resurgence in the last few years (for events other than children's birthday parties). In huge bunches they're quite magical and they're quite genius holding up the center of a handful of streamers and acting as a makeshift tent. I've even seen them held by bridesmaids instead of bouquets. How do you feel about them in a wedding? Too whimsical or just whimsical enough?


images from top left: white ceremony // hanging from a tree // s+b // yellow stripe // tall windows // escort cards // bridesmaids // balloons + lanterns + streamers // by the water // gold chairs // apple basket // orange + yellow // aqua // red // black + white embrace // yellow

Pretty Party: Reception Tents

Don't we just love a pretty reception tent? I've been to so many lovely weddings but have yet to celebrate under yards of translucent fabric. It'll happen one day, I'm certain of it. In the meantime, let's ooh la la over these gorgeous parties.


images from top left: paper balloons // paper curtains // bunting // paper flowers // streamers // twinkle lights // path // mexican bunting // floral chandelier // exposed

Pretty Party: BBQ Engagement

In honor of Memorial Day and the unofficial kick-off to American summer I thought we'd all like to look at this gorgeous backyard Engagement party. Mark and Amy (of eat drink chic) invited their nearest and dearest to celebrate their engagement and then surprised everyone when they decided to have a civil ceremony right then and there. This is such a great idea for those couples who don't want to spend months and months planning a huge event. And of course everyone is so excited and happy so the party is that much more delightful.


I am particularly in love with this party because it looks like I can do it. It doesn't have a hundred and one crazy pieces to put together but it is still incredibly thoughtful and celebratory.
(images from eat drink chic)
Happy Memorial Day all of you Americans! I hope you're spending it outside with friends.
xo

Fiesta!

Not that I ever (ever) need an excuse to indulge in some Mexican food, but Cinco de Mayo is a great day to convince anyone who may need more coaxing, that fajitas make the perfect dinner. Now I realize that you may not have a lot of time to get friends together and organize dinner, but tacos and sombreros are super easy and make it an instant fiesta. If you have more time (or want to throw a spicy dinner party this weekend) here are some great decor ideas.



Images are from the sweetest occasion's: rehearsal dinner // fiesta dinner party // backyard wedding // birthday fiesta + style me pretty's: sayulita wedding // mexico-inspired photo shoot // santa barbara wedding // new mexico wedding // mexico wedding + once wed's: fiesta + design sponge's: summer fiesta + oh and of course president obama (love!)

Dresses + Drink Stations

We are in full-on Royal Wedding hoopla here in Brisbane (and probably everywhere in the world). Now, I'm not saying this is good or bad (although I will say that I fluctuate between being completely intrigued and completely irritated) but it has got me in the wedding mood. I discovered Maison Bellaish (the stunning bridal and ready-to-wear fashion label) awhile ago and have been wondering when it would make it into a post. Well, today is that day. I know you're going to love Mr. Bellaish's designs as well as the styling of the photographs. They have such an elegant and vintage feel to them.


(all images from his gorgeous website) Aren't they so lovely? Yes. I think our soon-to-be Princess Kate would rock any of these dresses. She's so beautiful don't you think? All that silky hair?
I'm hoping to make it to a viewing party tomorrow night. It's a girls-only affair and we've been asked to dress up as if we were actually going to the wedding. Oh and to bring a teacup and saucer to drink champagne out of. Sounds like a lot of fun right? Know what would be even more fun? If I showed up to said gala and there was one of these lovely drink stations waiting for me. (Of course if there's nothing more than a chilled bottle of pink champagne sitting on the kitchen bench that'll be just fine as well!)



images from top left: three jars // blue + white // marital bliss // peach // yellow stripes // ribbons // martini station // gold + silver // green // mirror // branches // champagne cocktails

Thirty-One Birthday Goodies

Well my dears, tomorrow I'm the big 3-1. Can you believe it? Me either. To celebrate my birthday (since tomorrow's "Listen To This" and I don't want to mess with that) I thought we could drool over some lovely birthday treats today (31 birthday treats to be exact). You wouldn't object to that would you? I thought not.






Any other birthdays out there this week/month/season? Well these are for you too! Happy (my) New Year everyone! Can't wait to see what we get up to! xo
images from top: flags // coconut // mini-wedding cakes // heart // bunting // flowers // donuts // ice cream // iced bundt // marilyn // lamington on teacup stand // bunting no. 2 // black + white // me! // brownies // cake parade // strawberries // pink + black // german chocolate // white // swans down // deer // elephants // circle // cupcakes in cups // stripes // berry // painting // pie // balloons // poured chocolate

Pretty Produce

I love to see unexpected elements in floral arrangements. I remember the first time I saw an artichoke peeking it's little head out of a bouquet of flowers—I fell immediately in love. Since then I've seen asparagus and heirloom tomatoes and unripened blackberries (can you imagine what a mess a ripened blackberry would make on a wedding dress? Eek!)... They are all so whimsical and lovely and surprisingly elegant. You'll see...




They're all so lovely and charming. Oh, and delicious...
images from: poppies and posies // ever after florals // oh happy day // this is glamorous // the painted primrose // wedding savvy // studio blush

Let's Go Play!

The weather has felt particularly summery lately—not the oppressive heat of Australian summer but the familiar just-hot-enough heat of Illinois in July. Now let's not forget it's February, so it really doesn't make any sense that it feels like mid-summer, but let's go with it. So, I thought today we'd look at some fun summer day backyard activities. If you're here with me in the heat, let's have some friends over this weekend... if your summer is still a few months away, well, turn the heat up and poor yourself an iced tea and have a rousing game of pretend.

teepee // table with umbrella // outdoor movie // clothesline tent // tire swing // soda // play house // badminton // picnic // figure 8 // sprinkler
And since we're on the topic of reliving childhood, look at this fun project from photographer Irina Werning. The idea was to take an old photograph and have the subject recreate it as best they can. Hilarious and charming.

Neutral Party Decor

I'm a color girl, especially when it comes to parties. Nothing says "celebrate" like a ton of bright colors (hopefully in the form of balloons and flowers). But. I also really appreciate the subtle elegance of a neutral. I love the warmth of bronze and copper and the modernity of black and white. When I decided to make today's post about party/table decorations and soon after decided I'd couple that with neutrals, I thought I'd have a difficult time finding inspiration shots. Boy was I wrong! There are so many lovely parties to glean ideas from! (I may have gone a little overboard...)





images from: the sweetest occasion // style me pretty // somewhere splendid // ruffled // canvas + canopy // lo bjurulf // bicyclette

A Different Sort of White Christmas

So many of my lovely new Australian friends will be spending Christmas on the coast. They'll enjoy cocktails and ham and presents with the sound of the ocean in the background. And this actually sounds quite nice to me (even though I'm missing a snowy Christmas and all that includes). I thought in order to give all of my North American friends a taste of Christmas down under we could view some beautiful beachy Christmas decor. Are you up for that? I thought you might be.


Images from: tara dennis // design by cathleen // coastal living // a beach cottage // martha

Pretty Tables: Christmas

Can you believe Christmas is happening next week? Me either. My hometown in Illinois has had quite a lot of snow and cold weather so they're probably more in the holiday spirit than I am sitting in the air conditioning watching thunderstorms in Australia. However I do still enjoy all of the sights and sounds of the season, even if it feels like Christmas in July. I'm lucky enough to be experiencing an Australian Christmas with my sister-in-laws family so I'll be surrounded by people I love and celebrating that. And there will be a beautiful meal and lots of festive drinks and napping so that'll feel like home.
I've always appreciated a lovely table setting, especially at Christmas. And although I have yet to have a year where I'm in charge of table decor, I thought it was a good idea to share some lovely inspiration photos—just in case you need some help this year.



Images from: the savvy event // the hip hostess // vintage christmas decorations // country living // better homes and gardens // good housekeeping

Bash, Please: Yes, Please

Bash, Please is one of those amazing, fabulous, jealousy-inducing collaborations between two lovely women. Kelly of Yes, Please and Paige of Bash got together often enough to work on photo shoots and events that they decided to make it official and post some of their amazingness on a joint blog: Bash, Please. You can still see some of their individual work on their respective blogs but I was particularly smitten with the things they've done together. These incredibly talented and lucky ladies have had opportunities to work with Once Wed, Design*Sponge, Style Me Pretty and 100 Layer Cake (to name a few) on actual and for-inspiration-purposes events. What a life!

Pretty Tables: Thanksgiving

I’m sure you’re thinking this (as I certainly do every year!), but I can’t believe it’s already Thanksgiving. This year it’s probably even more unbelievable to me since I’ll be spending it in 80 degree weather on the other side of the world. No matter. It's still Fall in my heart and I'm glad to share these lovely table decorating ideas. What will you be doing this year?



Images from: MySticKitchen // BlogNTell // Anne Sage // Kitchen Daily // Sunset

Capote's Black and White Ball

Truman Capote was a strange man: eccentric, selfish, talented and obsessed with high society. In 1966 he decided to throw an amazing and (ahem) bitchy party for a little over 500 guests—those he deemed the most important at the time. Apparently he had enough clout to be taken seriously with this shenanigans and people went bananas trying to get invited. Among those he did invite were Frank Sinatra, Candace Bergen, Mia Farrow, Andy Warhol, Sammy Davis Jr and Harper Lee. The following are pictures of the night (set in NYC at the Plaza on Park Avenue). The ladies were instructed to wear black or white dresses with white masks and gentlemen in black tie with black masks. Amazing.


I got most of my information from a great article on the hub pages website. Read it. And I got some of the images from Fashions Most Wanted blog. (PS. One of my favorite things I read was that while so many of the guests purchased couture masks that cost a fortune, Capote's black mask was purchased from FAO Schwarz for 39 cents.)

The Finders Keepers Market

This past Friday I helped set up the Finders Keepers Market here in Brisbane. This means that I spent five hours fluffing tissue paper flowers, tying said flowers in clusters with fishing line and hanging (or at least watching as they were hung) said clusters from the ceiling of the Old Museum. The result was very rewarding and I consider the afternoon well spent indeed.
The Finders Keepers Market is a delightful display of 65 crafters peddling their creative wares. I saw everything from clothing to letterpress to jewelry and if I had a scrap of extra money I would've for sure spent it. My sister-in-law bought a fun ring and an amazing cloud necklace and I was excited that at least one of us was being supportive! Here are some pictures from the event:



The Old Museum and grounds made an unbelievable venue. Inside and along the side veranda were beautiful craft stalls, outside was a live music stage, food and coffee area. The talent was overwhelming. Speaking of: Brisbane-based illustrator Natalie did the gorgeous poster for the event. She has some stunning work on her site and her Flickr provided me with some of the photos from my collage. Visit her and say thank you. Other images are from the Finders Keepers site and from the Flickr tagged stream. Did you see the flower creations? Yep, pretty proud of myself. Of course it wouldn't have been possible without the dear Alischa of Bespoke Press (don't worry, more about her later) who was one of the ladies in charge of the event. It was a great weekend!

Meet Ashley Meaders

Ashley seems to be one of those girls you instantly want to befriend. She's adorable and quirky and spends her days making amazing events. I've loved her event details even before I knew they belonged to her, so when I came across her website and saw all of the gorgeous things she's crafted I became enchanted. And jealous. And inspired. And I had to share these images with you. You've probably seen some of them already, but you can never have too much beauty in your life so look again. And then go to her site to see even more.