chevron stripes everywhere!

{source}

I just found out that my husband isn't a huge fan of chevron stripes...this he decides to tell me after the bumpers and crib skirt are already made.  considering that the fabric was ok'd (by him) before purchase he's just SOL. plus- who do you think really cares more about the patterns in the nursery, me or him?  it was funny though when he asked what fabric I chose for the diaper bag and I casually mentioned yellow chevron stripes. his reaction was something like this (at 30 seconds in...) seriously, is that not the funniest video?

{source}
oh, and sidenote- hello chevron clutch! might need to add one of these beauties to the shop soon!

I still need to decide if I'm going to make a couple of crib sheets or if I'm just going to cross my fingers and hope that I get the zip sheets on my registry. seems like it will make nighttime sheet changes so much easier with the zips, and I am not willing to tackle that as a DIY project. my list of things I want to do/make before baby p's arrival cannot grow any longer (unless I get to have extra hours in my day- I'd like at least 4 more please!)

anywho- my friend Randi, over at The Homemade Parade, and I were talking about my plans to make the crib bedding and how frustrating it can be to have a crib skirt that works perfectly at one mattress setting only to have it be too short/long once you have to change it as your child grows.  she mentioned a blog, Urban Grace, that she reads where the writer figured out how to eliminate this issue by creating panels that tie to the mattress base.  that way you just have to untie the panels and reposition when it's time to lower the mattress so your kid doesn't climb out of the bed. genius, I tell you! I decided to give it a go and it worked fabulously! mine are straight, flat panels which I prefer with the patterned fabric I bought, but this would easily work with ruffled or pleated skirts too.

thanks for the find, Randi!! :)

summertime fun with collared greens.

Collared Greens the clothing company, not collard greens the food. although I could go for some collard greens, cornbread and fried okra right about now... don't judge- I'm pregnant and hungry all the time!!! :)

wanted to show you all the new design for summer that Collared Greens is rolling out- I think it looks awesome on the clutch- the perfect pop of color to compliment your warm weather duds.

and get excited- next week starts the first of the summer giveaways and it's a fun one. I'll announce more details Monday so stay tuned!!!

IKEA:1, Us:0.

now I fully understand why IKEA has such low prices.  when we opened up the boxes containing the pieces for our Edland dresser, I just laughed.  it was either that or start crying.  I'd already printed off the 32 pages of directions and knew it was going to be a process, but until actually looking at all the pieces laid out in front of me I didn't realize just how much of a pain in the butt it was going to be. 

mind you, we (really Joey) had already conquered the crib, which went together relatively easily, so we're feeling good about our assembly skills. I left Joey to work on the dresser while I got some clutch orders started.  figured it was a safer bet than standing in the doorway and watching him get increasingly frustrated. good call, mckay, good call.

after a couple of hours and plenty of stripped screws later (seriously, cheap hardware, Joey was hand screwing these suckers in and the tops still just disintegrated) it was time for a break.  realizing that sometime before we got the 300+ screws in place (no joke) the furniture would be in the garbage, and my husband would have lost his sanity, I decided to look to the professionals.

found a retired handyman on craigslist, paid him $75 and he and his son came over yesterday and put it all together in about 2.5 hours.  2.5 hours with 2 people that build IKEA furniture for fun would have equated to at least 4 days and a couple heading for divorce if we had tried to finish it. best money I've spent in a long, long time. :)

see the hint of baby bedding in the crib? can't wait to share all the finished photos of that soon!

just for fun I thought I'd share this treasury that our signature bloom clutch was featured in today. I just can't get over how much I love lace- all the varieties, colors and textures. love love love.

you can check out all the included lovelies here.

prologue: making the bedding.

so the newest sewing project I am going to tackle this spring is making the crib skirt, sheets and bumper for baby p's nursery.  this is about as ambitious a project as I've ever taken on. you guys...I'm even going to use a store bought pattern for this! this is a whole new realm I'm entering into. should be interesting. :) I'll share the results as I go. just wanted to share the fabric I purchased for his bedding- super excited about it. found the cutest fabric shop on etsy and the owner, Brooke, was a dream to work with. if you're looking for great designer fabric at affordable prices, head directly to her shop here.

what do you guys think? i'm in love!

Real Wedding, Alex + Matt, Kingston, Ontario

Seriously you guys, I feel so blessed to have developed relationships with several of the brides that I worked with this past year.  I wish I lived closer to these ladies so it was more feasible to meet in person, but regardless, I feel like I've come to know them well enough that when we do meet one day it will be like greeting an old friend. 

Alex is no exception. I need to convince her to come back down to the South for vacation (she honeymooned in Savannah, GA) and visit. I promise to have some Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka waiting for you (after baby P comes, of course). Thanks so much for sharing your day with us, and for being so patient in how long it took me to post up here. :)

From Alex: 

I work as a festival/event planner full-time so I came into wedding planning, luckily, with a good understanding of what had to get done and in what order.   This worked out to my advantage but also changed some things about the way I approached my wedding.  Because I plan and carry out events every day, I wanted everything to be as stress-free as possible.  I didn’t want to feel like I was working the day of my wedding – I wanted to be able to relax and enjoy the day.

I am a big believer in leaving as many things as possible to the pro’s.  I don’t design flowers everyday – the florist does.  I don’t take photos everyday – the photographers do.  The same goes for cake baking, invitation making and any of those other things that I was hiring people to do.  I had a pretty good/specific idea of what I wanted and then let them take the lead.  For my flowers I said I wanted “tight” bouquets.  I described the overall shape and let her figure out what flowers best fit with that vision.   She was amazing.  Leanne (the florist) asked me what colour the bridesmaids and groomsmen were wearing, what my dress looked like, where the wedding was taking place, etc.  From this it was obvious she knew what she was doing and after seeing her mock-up bouquet, I knew I was dealing with someone who would not let me down.  The end result was spectacular!

A lot of weddings tend to look the same.  They follow a pretty set pattern of church/dinner/dance.  We were okay with our wedding looking like others for the most part (as long as it was easy!) but we did want to incorporate some details into the day to make it more our own.  It all started when Matt and I fell in love with a wedding topper on Etsy.  All you have to do is find one thing on Etsy and about a dozen other things will follow.

When it comes to “leaving it to the pros” I can not encourage this more than when choosing a photographer.  Our photographers, Winding Violets, went above and beyond in everything they did.  From making us feel more comfortable in front of the camera during the engagement session, to meeting with us before the wedding to go over the day, to capturing everything absolutely as it unfolded.  Every time I flip through our wedding photographs I am transported back to that exact place, time and feeling.  Winding Violets captured it perfectly and for that I could not be more grateful.  My biggest piece of wedding planning advice?  Find the best photographer in your area (or beyond – Winding Violets will travel!) and hire them right away.  You will never regret a cent spent on your wedding photos.

The best part of the day was just spending time with people we loved.  I was so happy we were able to go around to each of the tables during dinner.  Because our table was served first, we were able to eat and then mingle for the rest of the course.  Our guests may have appreciated it but we enjoyed it more!  It was so nice to see everyone… we spent that time mainly cracking jokes and getting more hugs.  You can never have too many hugs!

Matt and I had an amazing day.  The next morning we were lying in bed and he turned to me and said, “I did not expect to have that much fun.”  We had a blast. It was all of our favorite people in the world in one place – how could we not?  Everyone says “it’ll all go by so fast” and “you won’t have time to catch your breath” but I disagree.  We had a fantastic day full of great moments.  We had time to ourselves and we had time with friends and family.  We relaxed and enjoyed every moment.   We even managed to get a little tipsy and dance the night away!  I wish I could go back and do it all over again.

Thank you so much for sharing, Alex!!! Best wishes on your future together! xoxo
{all photos courtesy of Winding Violets}

Vendors:

Dress:  Mikaella Bridal purchased at Bridal Creations

Shoes:  Nine West & Birkenstock

Fur Stole: Vintage – borrowed from a dear, dear friend.

Groom’s Suit:  Chris James

Photography:  Winding Violets 

Wedding Cake:  Pan Chancho Bakery Fun fact!  Alex worked at this place for almost 7 years.

Flowers:  LSP Designs

Bride’s Jewels:  My friend Emmy at E.PIC made them for me. (She has some nice shots of the detail including the clasp with A+M on it)

Etsy Finds:

Clutches: Oatmeal Lace Design

Hair Comb:  Sara Libbey’s Jewelry 

Custom Cake Topper: Mud Cards

Ring Bearer Bowls:  Say Your Piece! 

Wedding Tree Guest “Book”:  LovliDay Wedding Designs

Kids Gifts: What Is A Grit & Lucy Jane Studio

jenny + mike.

I just wanted to share a couple of photos that my friend Jenny shared with me that were taken at her wedding last month. These are especially close to my heart because Jenny was my best friend growing up. It was such an honor to make the bags for her bridal party.

 Isn't she beautiful??? Congrats to you both!

{whitney fletcher photography}