{fresh flower chandelier}

We all know fresh flowers can make or break a space. Floral arrangements are one of my very favorite parts of parties, weddings, and decor. If I could afford it I'd never be without fresh flowers in my house.

I am dying to take my next event up a notch by DIYing a floral chandelier! Aren't these just stunning?!

Which version is your favorite? If you're not into DIY or don't have any awesome branches handy as a jumping-off point, would you ever invest in the test tube variety?

Images via: brides magazine, here, paper & stitch, delight by design, wunderkammer

a Fall affair: muted neutrals

Today's version of a Fall affair is all about neutrals. It's about letting nature speak for itself and using nothing but pale, fading foliage in the form of whites and succulents.

I love the idea of neutral bridesmaids dresses and clear china, white flowers and wood and bits of burlap and lace. There's something so elegant about white and green that lets the event speak for itself. But by all means don't forget to have a bonfire at this wedding too! Can we all agree that the smell of a fresh fire is the very Fall-est thing of all? 

Which do you prefer, the rich or the muted version?

Images via: sacramento st, ruffled, sullivan, green wedding shoes, once wed

a Fall affair: rich hues

Once upon a time I dreamed of having my wedding in the Fall. I was in love with the idea of combining rich hues with flaming foliage and the changing of the year. I ended up getting married in December and I wouldn't trade it for the world, but I still have a slight love affair with Autumn weddings.

To me, Fall is the perfect time to mix rustic elements with warm and rich textures.

Bold lips and flowers blended with vintage accessories and seasonal foods and perhaps a bonfire to help you keep the party going as the night turns chilly.

What kind of Fall wedding would you have?

Coming soon: my muted version of a Fall affair!

Images via: magnolia rouge, style me pretty, snippet and ink, style me pretty, adventures in cooking

*yawn

Oh, hi Monday. You arrived way too quickly.

The weekend flew by delightfully. I pretty much started playing on Thursday night with a special sneak peek showing of Man of Steel and never really slowed down until last night. My brother Isaac and sister in law Melissa came to town and I spent Friday afternoon driving around with them, drinking coffee, and antiquing. They dropped me off at my house and I immediately ran out the door to have dinner with some friends. We didn't get home until 1:30am.

And then we were up and at 'em again bright and early Saturday morning. Isaac, Melissa, Phillip and I went up to Castlewoood Canyon State Park to hike. 

Isaac displays his superiority over the boulder.

The man-made dam. I climbed up this monster, there were giant steps I had to lunge up that really make your buns burn. Yay!

And the gorgeous view from the top. 

A beautiful butterfly on a cactus flower. I love this state. 

After the hiking there was an old car show, a late lunch at a pastry shop, gelato, more antiquing, and general sibling fun. We got home, scarfed down a quick dinner, and hurried over to our friends house to work on costumes for The Dirty Dash.

On Sunday we were again up bright and early to compete (I use that word loosely) in our first fun run! I signed up for this while I was still on crutches as a motivator and I'm so glad I was able to finish, even if there was no "running" on my part.

Pre-race. The four of us were Power Rangers. 'Cause we're cool like that. 

Phillip and I, post-race. There were tons of obstacles, like hay bales to leap and walls to climb and muddy pits to crawl through. We had an absolute blast. Also, please note my tutu. Also, these pics were stolen from Terra.

After showers and another late lunch we hung around with Darren and Terra until evening, when we came home to finally rest and eat popcorn for dinner. 

And that is the story of why I am so tired. 

I hope you had an absolutely fantastic weekend!

Fairy Garden Party

Last night I had a big group of lovely young ladies over to make Fairy Gardens. We ate candy. We drank soda. We got a lot of dirt under our finger nails. I got zero shots of the finished product. It was awesome! 

Pre-party porch. I tried to make it all feel like fairy land with the hanging lights. I'm not sure the girls even noticed. But I like them! 

They each were allowed to plant one tall-ish flowering plant in a hanging pot and then surrounded it with tiny succulents or ground cover. Then they added miniature animals, butterflies, flags, etc to decorate the gardens and make them welcoming to fairies! Our local nursery has a really large selection of miniature plants right now, yours probably does too!

I decorate with weeds. Get over it ;)

There was a very exciting photo-shoot following the garden-making.

I'm just proud that my porch is clean. 

Gymnastics, rolling in the grass, hysterical laughter, a few injuries, someone stepping in some hidden dog poop (my bad, girls), and a few really sweet conversations later and it was all just a very hyper dream. 

A lot of people use miniature houses, streams, paths, etc. Those fancier things just get pricey when you're buying supplies for large groups. If you want to make one yourself, here is a link to a simple fairy garden tutorial. Or I suggest checking out Pinterest or goolge for ideas. Duh. 

Now I need to make one for myself! 

{the best is yet to come}

.

I love winter weddings. They are so beautiful. Maybe I'm partial, because I was married in the winter, but somehow I feel so warmed by witnessing two people bond together forever on a cold winter's night.

Today my brother is marrying his one true love

Today, especially, I am so touched to share this special day with two such beautiful people. 

Today they are so publicly sharing their love, their vows, their very first kiss. 

What a beautiful testimony to God's loving faithfulness they are. 

What a wonderful, wonderful way to start the New Year!

I am so happy to witness their beginning and even happier to know that the best is yet to come!

{4}

Happy Anniversary to my hearth, my sky, my destination, my storm.

I can't wait to continue our adventure together!

A small Thanksgiving summary

Hello!! I hope you all had a truly glorious Thanksgiving! I certainly did!

I had such a blast with my family, they are seriously the best!

My sisters and I decorated my dining room for Thanksgiving, so I thought I'd share a few pics of my table, cause I dig it.

Here you can see the whole table! And our horrible walls that we haven't painted after that initial coat of primer. Lovely.

 We spray painted branches and pine-cones gold, including one with gold stripes!

Lydia and I with our pretty table. Also you can almost see in the background that there is a really cool pine-cone garland in the window. Sophie dipped the cones in various paint samples and strung them on twine. They are awesome! Thanks, Pinterest!

 Those branches are awesome. I love them and will probably keep them around forever!! Lydia even wrapped the napkins in lace and ribbon and twine.

 We put candles into apples to make the house smell amazing. They didn't. Thanks for nothing, Pinterest. ;)

And...the whole dinner party, stuffed and sleepy and cold on the front porch. 

A {mad hatter} Tea Party

Hello! Prepare for photo overload!

My friend Shannon, my mom and I, with the help of my sisters, mother-in-law, and many others, threw an Alice in Wonderland themed Bridal shower for Brie. Brie is currently on her honeymoon in Europe, and for that I hate her. Just kidding. I love her. 

Anyway.

Here are some photos of the foods and decor. Some of it I'm super proud of. Some of it I can't take any credit for. 

Shannon and I made dozens of mini fresh fruit tarts. I'm not going to lie, they were probably the most work and also the biggest hit of the shower. But now that I'm experienced and all, I really hope to make them again!

The guest list was over sixty people. Fortunately for us, not all of them showed up ;)  

Cucumber sandwiches. 

Shannon made two different kinds of scones - savory cheddar chive and blueberry. She's awesome. And they were delicious. My only contributions in this department involved burning a batch of scones and making clotted cream. 

Paper pom-poms were everywhere thanks to my mother-in-law! She also helped me make that garland out of a thrift store book. It seriously wound all over the house, and then they were able to re-use it as a wedding decoration.

We had people write a note/advice/etc to the bride and groom.

What's a bridal shower without fresh flowers and chocolate!? I am proud to announce that I arranged all the flowers. Also, the ones in jars served as prizes for the one game we managed to come up with.

Shannon made this hilarious balloon caterpillar! He is even smoking! We were going to have a garden tea party outside, but it rained off and on all day long, so we had to stay inside. 

My sister Sophie hung streamers in the entryway and they were super fun. 

A tiny "eat me, drink me" tray.

I think the drinks bar was my favorite! Apparently there are no good pictures of it anywhere, but we made fruit ice cubes to go in lemonade, water, and iced tea, and coffee ice cubes for iced coffee with flavors and cream. Those coffee ice cubes are now a staple in both my mom's house and mine.

All the bridesmaids helped us out by bringing fruits, veggies, cheeses and crackers, green chile and cream cheese roll-ups, etc. There was TONS of food, and it was good. My mom made the most delicious pasta salad known to man, and it was even gluten free. I gotta get that recipe, mom!

My sister Lydia made this hilarious disappearing Cheshire cat climbing the chimney. It was a little creepy but cool.

Here's the beautiful bride opening her gifts. 

I have to thank Michelle and my mother-in-law Kimberlae for the pictures, because I didn't manage to take a single one! I really gotta work on that.