p.s. be sure to check out the interview I did over at paper anniversary co.

What an awesome experience. First of all, getting to see the Brinson’s apartment (which is perfectly styled and stuffed to the gills with antiques and secondhand awesomeness) was almost enough for me. Let’s just say their aesthetic speaks to this lady. First we watched William and Susan set up, style and shoot some apple cider donuts (which we also got to sample – delish). Then we feasted on a savory tart lunch Susan had whipped up which was also quite tasty. We then selected our own food subjects to style and shoot. And with help from the brilliant Brinsons even I was able to snap some pretty food pics. Check ‘em out below! Not too shabby, eh? And a big thanks and a huge hug to the Brinsons who are equal parts talented, sweet and cool. A powerhouse combo, no? I am left wondering if they can adopt me.

-bulletin board
-fabric
-nail heads (I used these)
-staple gun
-spray adhesive (although I didn’t use any, it might make it easier)

Just iron your fabric and lay it on top of the bulletin board, then insert the pins every inch or so around the border. Then staple gun the fabric to the back of the bulletin board and voila! Ready to hang and look cute!

My friend Molly made one of these. Originally from here.

I’m back with some more red for you this morning. I have that Ikea book shelf that everyone has with the open square shelves and I’m using it for a TV stand thingy. The only problem was the unsightly (and highly visible) tangle of cords that has stared directly into my soul for the past few weeks. But fear not, Ikea sells cabinet inserts for this particular shelf so problem solved. And they had a bright red cabinet insert which (surprise surprise) caught this lady’s eye. I love a pop of red (or any color really.) Kind of hard to believe that it’s just a big ol’ mess of cords behind that cute lil’ door.

In other exciting news, I’m guest blogging today over at Snippet & Ink while Kathryn’s away getting married and honeymooning. So be sure to go check out my adult beverage inspired wedding boards. Thanks for having me, Kathryn!

{my moving/change of address announcement. made by me}

{my bffs baby shower invite. I ordered from here}

I wanted to give Jess a special gift just for her. In addition to the regular old wedding gift, I always feel like I want to do a little something extra for the bride. You may remember this gift I made for my friend Marth. I wanted to attempt something similar for Jess. I love the tradition of “Something old, something new..” but I like to do it my way. I knew she already had all of her wedding day accessories picked out so I skipped that entirely. Plus, they are supposed to come from a “happily married woman” which I am most certainly not. So using my trusty stamp kit (quite possibly one of the best purchases I’ve ever made) I created a gift bag o’ goodies for the lovely bride.

Something Old – As mentioned, we’ve been friends for many, many years. So the “something old” was a smattering of pictures through the years including one particularly hilarious one from the 8th grade (Jess was an agsty plaid clad teen, I was just a dork). I put them in an envelope with a hand written quote on the front which perfectly sums up my feelings toward life long friendships.

Something New – Some beachy accessories for her Spanish honeymoon. From Anthropologie (where else?)

Something Borrowed – Forgot to take a picture of this before I opened it. I guess I got a little excited. I picked up some Rifle Paper Co. recipe cards also from Anthropologie (I’ve never been shy about my Anthro- addiction). I filled out three of them for Jess with “borrowed” recipes from my grandmother, my mom and me the rest are for her and John to fill out over the years.

Something Blue – A toughy. So why not a box full of blue candy? Yes friends, that’s how I roll.

And here’s everything, all wrapped in kraft paper and twine and my hand stamped tags. Not too shabby, eh?

Supplies: good chocolate bars (make sure they have a gold or silver liner underneath the paper), 2 decorative papers, shipping tags, twine, a custom stamp kit (available here), scissors and tape.

Carefully remove the outer layer of paper from all of the chocolate bars making sure the metallic liner stays intact. Tape the loose end of the liner to make sure it’s secure. Cut the paper you will use underneath so that it is wide enough to almost cover the entire bar while leaving a bit of the metallic wrapper showing on each end. Then cut the bands so they are about an inch wide. Wrap the first piece of paper around each bar securing with tape. Repeat with the contrasting band.

Use the letters from a custom stamp kit to write out the message you want on your tags. I chose “Jessie and John tie the knot in 70 days.” If you don’t have a customizable stamp set, I would recommend investing in one. You can customize the stamps again and again. And, I just love the imperfections that using a stamp gives you.

Lastly attach the tags to the bars by wrapping the twine around in a fun way. Done and done. Kind of fun, no?