Bonne Anniversaire

On my daily quest for the perfect wedding shoe, I ran across these little gems, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Christian Dior fashion house...so let's raise a glass and toast to our fancy footwear friends for giving our feet something beautiful to dream about...
Anniversary Peep Toe Platfrom from eluxury.com.

Cuckoo for Gocco

So the alliteration is missing, but the excitement is just the same...I am cuckoo for Gocco! Thanks to some very busy bees over at Weddingbee, I am now seriously considering joining in on the mania that is gocco printing...being the graphic designer that I am (not to mention my inner "Monica" salivating at the idea of having absolute control), this form of do-it-yourself printing seems to be right up my alley. Of course I'm designing my own invites, programs, etc. and if I can get my hands on a Gocco Printer, there seem to be limitless possibilities for creativity...below are some links that may help shed some light on my new obsession and spark some inspiration - anyone else up for some DIY printing mania?

Gocco 101 from Weddingbee
Beautiful Programs from Miss Tiramisu at Weddingbee
An account of "The Agony and the Ecstasy" from Miss Cookie at Weddingbee
Love the napkins from Miss Cupcake at Weddingbee
Plenty more stories of girls gone gocco at Weddingbee

Some beautiful artwork created by Amy Walsh using gocco screen printing...see more of her artwork and purchase your favorite from her shop, wondercabinet, at Etsy.com.

Something Blue...in a Shoe

If you don't already know me, you'll be quick to learn that I am a shoe fanatic! I love love love shoes - especially anything high-heel, platform and/or peep-toe. So you can imagine the fun I'm having searching for will possibly be the most important pair of shoes to ever grace my feet. Honestly, before watching Sex And The City - The Movie - I was playing with the idea of a wedding shoe with color...and after seeing those gorgeous blue Manolo's, I've been searching for that extra special "something blue" to wear on my feet! So hear are some "somethings blue" I've found on my search for the perfect shoe to be peeping out from under my dress...some are fancy and some are great for a more casual or quirky affair.

Manolo Blahnik from Neiman Marcus, Christian Louboutin from Net-A-Porter.com, ASOS, Betty Johnson from Victoria's Secret, Moschino from Nordstrom, Liz Carine from Forzieri, Naughty Monkey from Shoes.com, Christian Louboutin from Neiman Marcus, Rampage from DSW, Charles David from Endless Shoes & Handbags.

All Apologies

I must apologize for my absence - I took a hiatus from the wedding planning due to various other things needing my attention during the past month. However, I am back and ready to go at it again! I have so many things to share that I'll try to not overload all at once. Thanks for being so patient and let's get back to planning!

Modish

While perusing one of my favorite blogs -- perfect bound -- I ran across a link to a wonderful site: Modish. Modish is a blog that features handmade items and the artists behind such lovely works - and they sell these items from their blog (under the "shoppe" link)! You can search by keyword, and to my pleasant surprise I found several unique poppy items! If you are looking for clever details to go with your theme, you just might be so lucky as to find something here - LOVE the poppy pins and hairpins...what a great substitute for the classic flower boutonniere!

Featured Artist: Robin Ewers

You may have noticed the beautiful poppies on the header of this blog. Those poppies were hand-drawn by a local artist, my friend Robin Ewers. She drew these poppies, inspired by those from the original illustrations in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, especially for me to use as my recurring theme for all invitations, etc. They turned out perfect! She's even going to give us the original artwork to hang in our new home - what a great idea for a wedding keepsake!

Robin has many other great pieces of artwork, some of which can be seen on her website - her current projects include paintings of classic Hollywood stars - my favorite, Audrey Hepburn, is shown above. Thanks again Robin! You're work is fantastic and always a joy to see!

Poppy Party!

As you will soon find out, I am a HUGE fan of black! Therefore, for the past several years, I've been dreaming of a black & white wedding! My "Prince Charming," as I'll call him in my blog, wanted some color for our wedding, so we compromised on black + white + (insert color here). Oh the choices! I thought about taking inspiration from butterflies...but that was a no go. So while I was perusing Shutterstock.com to find some pictures of my winged friends in an effort to sway my honey's decision, I stumbled upon this beautiful shot of poppies!

Poppies have long been "popping" up in my life - from my Aunt's kitchen wallpaper to my favorite movie as a child, The Wizard of Oz - I always had a quiet appreciation for these delicate flowers. And that's when it hit me - POPPIES! We could use poppies as our theme and inspiration, and my Prince Charming gets his touch of color! Black + white + red = an elegant, chic and fun affair! I must warn you: I am now obsessed with anything poppy...I've found some great items from Anthropologie (even bought myself the jacket to wear for my shower) and a fun swim suit from Victoria's Secret (do I hear honeymoon suit?).

So here are my beloved poppies and my inspiration for our wedding theme. I hope everyone finds something inspiring for their day - whether it's a color, a flower, an insect or otherwise - a theme is a great way to keep everything in sync:

Scribble Poppy Blazer from Anthropologie; Seed Packet Pillow, Poppies from Anthropologie; Poppy Print/Black Trim Bikini from Victoria's Secret; Three poppies against a white background from Shutterstock.com; Martha Stewart's poppy & pink cake; Poppy illustration by William Wallace Denslow from the original book of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (image from The Library of Congress's online collection).