DIY Fun With Food

I have to share one of my favorite resources for those of you that might have a tiny bit of DIY talent in baking. Every time I throw a party and want to make my desserts look amazing (because I actually can't bake,) I turn to an online source called Fancy Flours. They have a catalog of amazing, edible decorations. Here's a sampling of chocolate transfer papers, wafer transfers (think cupcakes) and other fancy, fun items I thought might work for a wedding.

champagne labels

eggshells

butterfly transfer images

gold eggshells


filigree cupcake and cake stand wrappers

individual chocolate butterflies

gold leaf sheets

Rose syrup (on sale)

Vintage Valentines transfer images

Chocolate transfer papers

New Jewelry

Sorry for the light posting recently. Between treatment and work I've just been really strapped for time. I just received a new shipment of fun sparkly bits for Spring / Summer '09 and wanted to share before I got them all up on the website...

Dejarnette Jewelry

I have been a huge fan of Dejarnette New Orleans for a couple of years now. I bought my first piece as a gift for a friend, and have been going back over and over every since to pick up that something special. I particularly love the way that Katherine mixes unexpected vintage items to create one of a kind pieces. Check out a few of my favorites:

These are a couple I bought last year. I can't tell you how many people have asked me where I got them, particularly the cuff. It works with jeans, but I've also work it with a little black dress. The leather gives it a little edge.

all images: www.dejarnettenola.com

I Don't Like Wednesday's

Actually... I never had anything against Wednesday before, but I have a sneaking suspicion we're not going to get along over the next few months. For those of you that have been reading for awhile, you know I've had some health issues recently. Actually, they weren't issues, they were full on, give you panic attacks in the middle of the night kind of "issues." Anyhow, I've been doing really, really well and my last round of scans has shown no new cancer developing. Being the proactive type of person I at least like to think of myself as, I'm now enrolled in a clinical trial for a cancer vaccine. They jack me in the arm and leg once a week and hopefully the concoction teaches my body to fight off any lingering cells. Kind of cool really. The bad part, the trial is in Virginia and I am now flying back and forth every Wednesday to receive the treatment. That means ... no White Aisle on hump day. I'll be working Saturdays to make up the time. So.... if you email me Wed. please just know that I'm not ignoring you. I'll get back to you first thing Thursday. Thanks for all the love and support through all of this!

I can't leave you without something fun and wedding related, so here are some photos I found on The Knot of a wedding at The Rockhouse in Negril, Jamaica we printed stationery for recently. I loved the fun colors and how amazing is the flower in the bride's hair?

for a full slideshow, visit their photographer Emilie Inc here...

For the Love of Absinthe

I've been a fan of Absinthe ever since Dade and I first picked up a bottle traveling through Europe 7 or 8 years ago. If you've never seen it or tried it, it's a beautiful anise flavored green drink invented in Switzerland around the turn of the 19th century. Although it was made popular by the French, it is considered by many to have been the most popular drink of late 19th century Europe and was enjoyed by such notables as: Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemmingway, Edgar Degas, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Edgar Allen Poe.

Contrary to popular belief, you won't go crazy if you drink it. Yes, it's usually 100-144 proof, but so are a number of horrible liquors I tried my freshman year of college. Maybe if you sit around pounding glass after glass for a long period of time it's going to catch up with you, but I can assure you that it has not been responsible for my insanity.

The reason for the post... I often get asked where I find the images we use on our invitations. Some are simply stock images from books (I know... not very romantic) others are drawn from scratch, and many have been found by doing things like staring at an Absinthe bottle for a little too long. Ever noticed the imagery on bottle labels? Any of these would be fantastic on the right invite.

I also loooooove the logo from the Absinthe Museum in New Orleans. They, along with their store La Maison d'Absinthe are a great resource for absinthe and all of the fun accessories. We have started collecting spoons, coasters and glasses which always get pulled out at parties. If you're using green for a color at your wedding, an absinthe fountain could be a very unique and attention getting set up at your reception. Additionally, absinthe sugars with coffee, lollipops and candies would be fun and colorful details.

Decorating ... again

I'm not sure why, but it always seems our bedroom comes last on our "to do" list. In our old house, I went for years lovingly decorating every other room and shoving the furniture I'd never really loved into our bedroom. I even ignored the lack of any good lighting in there which for me is insane. I have a self admitted obsession with vintage chandeliers.

When we moved last May it was our guest room that was dealt with first, however I vowed to make our room a priority. Well, now I'm officially on a mission and am in the process of turning our bedroom into a romantic, lush love den. Dade has let me off the leash and has allowed me to go feminine. I mean, we live in a Victorian house ... screw it! So, here is my inspiration.

Not shockingly, I immediately started looking at scenes from Maria Antoinette. I wish I had a "before" photo of the room handy, but the walls have gone from green wallpaper circa 1970-something, to a painted pale grey. My bow window has been draped with these grey-blue silk curtains, and I am eyeballing the ship chandelier daily. I know it's over the top, but doesn't everyone need a little bit of that in their life? I just want to wake up under something sparkly.

I'm also loving this mirrored and flocked wallpaper from Brocade Home. I may use it within a couple of frames as mirrors. For the bed, I'm trading in my old wrought iron frame for something plush and upholstered (the one request Dade had.)

The sofa above (called the "Antoinette fainting chaise" I've had for a few years, so that was another starting point for me. It's available online from Urban Outfitters. Mine is a little more of a smoky blue than the one in this photo.

So the only thing left for me to pick out now is the bedding, and it's giving me some trouble because the set I'm in love with is on back order at Anthropologie until late April. So.... to wait, or not to wait. That is the question. Here are my options.

Anthropologie

West Elm

West Elm

As soon as it's all put together I'll upload a photo to see how close I've come to the original idea. So why am I even writing about this on a wedding blog? Well, I've always loved these colors. Greys and blues + sparkle = perfect to me. They just feel vintage and elegant. They've also inspired a new invitation design which will be unveiled later this week. Stay tuned...