CRAFTING DAY. NAPKINS

My dear friend Lilly (actress and owner of Nell's Compass Candles) recently had a crafting day for her upcoming wedding. I knew it was something I had to share with you, so I photographed the event.
Lilly had this amazing idea to stencil her wedding napkins with places, dates and words that had significance to her and her fiance {and ordered them from Stencilease}. We had so much fun making them, we thought we should start our own napkin business.


What you'll need:
Napkins
Laughter
North by Northwest (the first movie they saw together)
1. Place the stencil on the bottom left hand corner of the napkin
2. Dab brush in paint and start painting. Hold down stencil firmly to make sure there is no bleeding. 
3. Carefully remove stencil and voila!

Happy Weekend! xx

GUEST POST. MANDY LYNNE PHOTOGRAPHY

My dear friend and fellow photographer Alisha Blanchard has agreed to do a lovely guest post while I am away. Thanks Alisha!...

I stumbled across this wonderful photographer when I was mindlessly browsing google for childrens photographers. Her images are wonderful and whimsical and remind me of an idyllic country life. Being both a mother & a photographer I'm always trying to improve my skills (in both areas believe me!) snapping inspired and in the moment shots of my daughter. Its a hard job! Mandy Lynn has a unique ability to capture the essence, time & space of the moment. I threw in a couple of wedding shots for good measure.


She is obviously very creative & her use of light is awesome. Here is a round up of 10 shots that made me think of summer...sitting in a swing drinking lemonade from a mason jar on a wrap around porch somewhere in the country! Ahhh summertime in the countryside...Heaven.
Enjoy

She also has an adorable etsy store: www.skippydesigns.etsy.com



Alisha Blanchard
http://www.alishaerin.com

A LOVE LETTER FOR YOU

The second I saw this engagement photo session (via greenweddingshoes) I knew I had to share it with you. Steven Powers and the city of Philadelphia mural arts program have collaborated to create a series of "love letters" that span 50 walls through out Philadelphia. What an incredible idea! And a perfect place for an engagement shoot...

(Photography by Love me do Photography)


Check out A Love Letter For You for photos of all the murals. Here are a few others...



LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING

I was blown away by this engagement photo session I saw on Greenweddingshoes. It was taken by the talented Clayton Austin of San Antonio, Texas. His work is truly stunning! He is a fellow romantic, which is clear from these photos and this sweet advice he gave to a female friend going through a break up. It is so beautiful I had to share it!...

"Find a boy who calls you beautiful, not hot. Who calls you back when you hang up on him. Who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat, or will stay awake just to watch you sleep. Wait for the boy who kisses your forehead. Who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats. Who holds your hand in front of his friends. Who thinks you're just as pretty without makeup on. You will know he is the one because he will apologize first even if he feels he was in the right. Because being right wont matter if you go to bed angry. When you tell a joke he will laugh out loud. He will constantly be reminding you of how much he cares and how lucky he is to have found you. He will turn to his friends and say, that's her." -Clayton Austin


RING LUST

I am nowhere near getting engaged anytime soon, but I think Nicole Richie's engagement ring is truly spectacular. The octagon of paves surrounding makes it unique and almost vintage looking. 

I realized why I was so drawn to this ring. A year ago my mother wanted to get her mother's ring reset. I took her to S N Queens in the jewelry district, downtown LA. This was a place that came highly recommended to me by one of my married friends. She was right, they do really beautiful work, have a lovely selection of antique rings and are not expensive. I immediately saw a ring exactly like Nicole's, a rose cut diamond with an octagon of paves surrounding. My mom ended up getting her ring in that very setting. I truly adore that ring and have fantasies of stealing it. I think my mom would be humored to know that she and Nicole Richie have practically the same ring. Although Nicole's has slightly more carats. Good work Joel Madden! I never thought I would say that.