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Big Wheels

We kicked-off this month by way of big trucks and a big castle.  One of our favorite local stops is a giant park that includes a gorgeous landscape of rolling hills and the best outdoor playground around.  I give you Doylestown's  Central Park, located in the heart of Bucks County.  On this recent day, we got up close and personal with Fire Engines and the like and then headed for the castle ~ a giant structure littered with swings, sand boxes, mini buildings, bridges and more.  Now, while my sweet girl has always been OBSESSED with swinging {and bouncing}, it's the slide that has captured my dare-devil son's heart.  Feet first, head first, belly up, belly down...  he's tried them all again and again.   He loves to slide. 

 

 

...and onto playground fun.

 

{right before Billy Webb took a shoe to the face.  Oh, the hits we parents take. :) }

  

And finally, here's a peek at what nearly every parent has faced at departure.  My angel.

   

 

 

 

Wednesday, I'm in love.

frozen fruit.

 

cool boards.

 

summer style.
 

raspberry love.

whimsy.  {via}

 

What do you love this Wednesday?

 

 

 

 

 

ishknits.

Yarn bombing.  I'd never heard the term 'til this morning.  Billy Webb clued me in through a link which led me to ishknits.  A totally rad Philly artist who's kneedle and thread work is often clandestine and always amazing.  Think modern day street art with an eye for pretty.  In her words, "yarn bombing is more feminine.  It's like grafitti with grandma sweaters."  From draping street signs and seat covers, to dressing Rocky in pink, artist Jessie Hemmons is one cool vandal. 

Her recent{commissioned} installment at the Philadelphia Museum of Art's Perelman building, as part of their Craft Spoken Here exhibit, includes a colorful stretch of scarves and blankets.  How gorgeous!  I can't wait to see what she knits for her upcoming  installation this fall at D.C's Corcoran College of Art and Design. 

 

 

Melissa, add knitting vandal to your resume?


 

 

 

 {photos by Conrad Benner and streetsdept.com} 

 

 

 

 

may days.

{we arrive!}

Girl time {L.A.}, Party time {40!}, Family time {beach} ~  what a May!   This trip may take the cake.  The excitement in my little girl's whole body and the look on my son's sweet face will never be forgotten.  What a weekend.

For the first time that he remembers, Max sees the ocean.  I feel the same way, little boy.

Note to self:  always bring extra kid clothes to evening beach visits.  in she went. lesson learned.

 My babies love the beach.

Now, on to editing.   All these outings are stacking up!  Tonight, I crack open a bottle of wine and start sorting photos. 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday Fashion {The Beach!}

{1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10}

Cool kids at the beach.

We're beach bound this Memorial Day Weekend.  I see snow cones, sand castles and starry nights ahead!

Enjoy your holiday weekend!

 

 

Party Planning ~ the centerpiece.

Every party needs a centerpiece.  Big or small.  The centerpiece to our party was the dinner table itself.  What a beauty she was.  For your party, it might be the birthday cake, a group of balloons, or a pretty floral arrangement positioned just right.  Big or small, it makes a difference.  For us, the hand-dipped butter knives, hand-crafted place cards, and all that napkin & ribbon deliberation really paid off.  

And the flowers, oh the flowers.  Aren't the chair garlands AMAZING!  Sullivan Owen, get to know her.

All these photos are courtesy of Sullivan Owen, florist extraordinaire.  See her blog post here.

 

• placecards - NJW Calligraphy 
• napkins - crate and barrel
• ribbon - JoAnn Fabrics
• menus - Happy Menocal
• votives - Sullivan Owen

 

 

 

Party Planning ~ Decor

Lesa and I tapped into every online and in-store resource would could think of when it came time to talk decor.  Most important to her were table linens and important to me were artistic touches. 

After many days and even more contenders, she settled on the most delicious purple tablecloth ever seen {French linens + French restaurant = ooh la la}. 

And, after many hours trolling Etsy, I found nearly everything else we needed.  One thing to consider when turning to the web, is mail time.  Neither of us wanted to pay express ship for anything and overseas deliveries and mom-pop handcrafted goods all need plenty of lead time.  We timed ours perfectly.   Here's a collage of inspiration, selected goods and dreamy wishes that all had a hand in forty.

flatware.gown.letters.ribbon.calligraphy.placesetting.macarons.flowers.balloon.washi. 

 

A few special touches that are inexpensive and easy: 

• photo gallery.  Include random shots of the guest of honor.  Ours included a mix of us as a pair spanning from young to old.  Include the embarassing and unflattering, skip Rated R or gross.  I picked up a group of vintage frames at my local thrift store.  They were cheap, cheap.
• washi tape.  it's a fun, easy way to dress up picture frames, blank walls, random tables, gift bags and more.
• vintage flatware.  We ransacked at least 10-15 local vintage/thrift stores to turn up 12 butter knives to dip in pink glory.  They were pennies to purchase and easy to make.  I loved them at the table.
• balloons.  While our room didn't include them {we simply ran out of time!}, penning random words, thoughts, stanzas and drawings are a fun way to bring a balloon to life.
• color.  Pick a color and stick to it.  The wash of pinks and purples in our space made a beautiful palette.

 

 

 

 

 {chair garland photo, tablecloth}

 

behind-the-scenes.

 

 

 

 

 

Wind sprints in the East Coast's largest {and most fabulous!} mall, over the course of one-hour at closing time, is an awesome workout.

That's 2,793,200 square feet!

returns. must. get. done!

check.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{am I the only one with a peculiar habit of constant returning?}

  

Wednesday, I'm in Love

courtyards.

 

tablets.

 

 

accoutrements.

 

bags.

 

 

{What do you love this Wednesday?}

 

 

 

 

 

Party Planning ~ Happy Menocal.

{our amazing menu}

So, I've shared my thoughts on stamp placement and dream team meetings, today I must mention Happy Menocal.  An AMAZING artist who wowed us every step of the way.   I had the timely good fortune of seeing her work at Coco + Kelley and knew she would be perfect for our event.  A few quick emails later, she signed on and my lovefest began. 

Menus.  We wanted unique, hand-crafted menus.  Happy's are gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.  Lesa was obsessed {obsessed!} with a signature herald and I with clean design.  Together, those  elements meant our menu would be a star.  Our meal featured a Chef's Tasting menu, so we wanted simple clues of the meal to come and left the entire design up to Happy.  The final result was absolute perfection.   For me, they made the table.  We gifted copies to the Executive Chef, Pastry Chef and Lacroix Manager and a framed copy will soon hang in my kitchen.   Original menu art...wheeeeee!!

But, any great party needs more than just menus and much later into our design plans, we discovered we needed Happy again.   

One detail we thought of late in the game and then couldn't settle, was that of a welcome board.  Our party was held in a private room positioned at the end of a hall.  We wanted a clue to our guests that they had arrived.  Six-days out, I found a chalkboard artist that looked ideal.  I LOVED his work.   Unfortunately for us, he was booked solid and remained true to his standing clients {not even tempted by cash!}.  So, back to the drawing board.   

{image via customchalk.com}

One night, late in the hour, I had a thought - why not ask Happy to create another piece.  But what?  Lesa and I had gone 'round and 'round talking through every combination of sentiments and words {twins, Cheers!, To Us...}, but nothing stuck. 

Then, in a moment of clarity, I had it.  Our cake!  Why not ask Happy to paint our cake.  It was perfect.  The cake we requested of Chef Ortega was GORGEOUS and it captured so many things about the night ~ pink, celebratory, feminine, fun...   But, would she do it, was there time, and could we afford her??

Yes, yes and yes!  Lay your eyes on this beauty.

 

Upon sharing an early draft, Happy noted a brilliant idea to exacto-knife the cake and surface mount it on complementing paper {we ultimately decided on plum ~ how appropos!}, thus allowing the artistry of the ruffled icing to shine.  That detail, along with the little penciled white sparks, had me soooo in love.  

We received the cake portrait mere hours before the event and headed straight to Old Man Ramsey for framing {it would eventually sit in an easel at the restaurant}.  Now, those who know us, know Hayes has antique hoarding tendancies and has amassed more antique frames than any art lover could possible use.   Well, get out the feather duster, our cake needs a frame!  Lesa and he selected a gorgeous, unique design that showcased the cake beautifully.  I loved it.  This picture really doesn't do it justice. 

 

With Shakespeare expressions, an ease of manner and more artistic talent then should ever be allowed, Happy paints pet portraits, custom heraldry, people, things, places, and I'm sure anything you could dream up.  Consider her the next time you need a gift or a menu or a portrait.  I just can't sing her praises enough.  Thank you, Happy.

Thanks Dad!   {you'll see more of Old Man Ramsey in our commissioned poppop portrait wall}

 

~ Happy Menocal ~

 

 

{menu and cake image by Happy Menocal}