To those of you fellow instagram addicts and (digi) photo nerds, this is old news. But for the rest of you: vscocam is maybe the best thing to happen to my iphone, ever. I have been using VSCO Film's tools for processing our wedding photos, and love it. And I am so thrilled that they have finally released their app to let me use the same kind of processes simply and effectively on my iphone photos. I mean really, I don't think there is any reason to be carrying a point and shoot these days! Above are some images from last thurs/fri that I used vscocam filters on. LOVE!

More than a few things I have been liking, things I want to share:


one love photo via apw
When Ben and I decided to get hitched we headed to the bookstore for a little help in planning the dang event. Guess what; the book I was looking for? It didn't exist. When the same thing happened to my pal Meg, she decided to go ahead and write it. A Practical Wedding (the book) is available for presale now, and starts early shipping tomorrow. Team Practical is asking that if you plan on buying the book, do so tomorrow on December 7th to help make the book best seller for a day. If you are getting planning a wedding or know someone who is soon, I can't (even though I haven't read it) recommend this enough! Meg is wise and witty, and I am so proud of her.



handmade holiday


One more day to pick up some limited edition goodies (like the above print) from the online Handmade Holiday. Free shipping ya'll!

Angela Hardison
Speaking of free and holidays; Angela made the above art and you can download it for free right-banana-here. I am particularly interested in that super easy to craft garland, and am *thinking* about heading to our local Michael's so that I can make my own!

The Locals

Do you all read Miss Moss? I love looking over sites like the selby for inspiration- seeing homes where records sometimes live on the floor and you can actually see a cord or two- and she just pointed me in the direction of the Russian site The Locals.

Sarah Bebe Holmes via Arial Edge via Peonies & Polaroids via ESB

In other wise and witty wedding lady news, ESB has a NEW PODCAST. What? Unintentional side effect; her giggling is outting her as the warm and kind person that I know her to be. (Shhhh. Don't tell.) Anyways- got a problem? Wedding or otherwise? CALL IN.

Lauren McClure

Remember I mentioned the super talented photographer Lauren McClure (woah, almost a year ago!) well for a limited time you can pick up some of her prints! Hop on it

Hello Little Printer, available 2012 from BERG on Vimeo via indigo bunting

Just, watch the video and be happy. (Yes, it is a real printer.)

I have been kind of a bad blogger for some time. I am not referring to the long break, and the sporadic posting, but my general reciprocity. So many of you fine folks have been coming round and leaving delightful comments, and I so rarely have (make?) the time to check out who you are what you are up to. I aim to change that. And I'd like to share some of what I find (hopefully on a semi regular basis), cause you all are pretty rad!

First up is the crazy talented Jasmine. She got my attention when she mentioned that we had the same evening a while back. Well- she left a comment, I left a comment, and a couple of emails later we were chatting over 2 real beers (and one real baby).
Girl is as rad in person as she is skilled with a shutter. Keep up with her well photographed adventures on her (delightfully designed!) blog, the daily frolic!. DEF check out her wedding (photographed by James Moes) and wish that you had been friends with her so that you could have been there, BOTH DAYS.
(top image by James Moes, the rest by Jasmine Fitzwilliam)

I don't think I mentioned it yet, but one of my favorite ladies? She made a movie. Really. And it is showing tonight, next Monday and next Thursday at the 2011 Vancouver International Film Festival. Are you in Vancouver? Please go for me. I wish so badly I could be there. I haven't seen the short yet (dying to) but I hear it might play well with some beloved high school movies.... (you know, Dazed and Confused, Breakfast Club.) What's better than that?

Cancer really fucking sucks. So does the US health care system. Unfortunately, Kate Miss + her boyfriend Will Steinman are experiencing both of these tragedies first hand. And so for now, a fundraiser. I will be picking up this mountain print for our house to help out (and hey, cause it is AWESOME!). Do take a look in the etsy shop and see if anything catches your fancy, if you are able to? Wishing you two an ocean of strength, Kate & Will. ♥

♥

ohmygod you guys. i am doing something kind of big and a little scary and very exciting with my friend michelle. please pop on over to 100 layer cake to learn more? i need you there for support! eek! and, if you know of anyone who might be interested, please pass it on!

lobymustard

Do you like beets? (I know you do. It is, after all, the most intense of all vegetables.)

Well then you should head on over to my dear friend Matt's new blog Lost Lovage, where he will be posting the "amblings and ramblings of a Brooklyn chef." Starting with beets. (Guys, he is the most incredible chef I have ever met. Ben and I still discuss meals he made for us years ago. And he is a clever writer.)

And in case you missed it, check out the guest post he wrote for ESB, all about where to eat when eloping in New York. Helpful if you have a trip to the city planned and need a spot for a romantic dinner. A little tortuous if no trips are on the horizon.

You guys. My gal Celia has opened an adult vintage clothing shop. Do go take a gander?

Many of you all might be familiar with my friend Meg over at A Practical Wedding. Did you also know that next Thursday she is hosting a kick ass mass wedding reception (plus footing the bill for two lucky couples to MARRY) to celebrate the *new* marriage equality in New York?

Yay New York! Is a wedding, a dance party, and a fundraiser (to help bring equality to other states) all rolled into one. If you are in the area, please go! Popsicles! Sangria! Old school hip hop dance music! You won't regret it. Get all the details and full scoop here, and buy yourself some tickets here.

Because what is more practical than equality?

Hop on over to camp comfort, where Roberta (on blogging maternity leave, getting to know her sweet little baby Wylie) kindly asked me to share my summer essentials. Warning; they are baby related!

And if you are just joining us from camp comfort, welcome! I have been on a bit of a blogging maternity leave myself, but do have a look around. If you like babies (who doesn't?) please also visit Hank & Lucy, where I blog with my friend Celia about our adventures in being mamas to two of the cutest babes around.

I will be honest, I have been pretty housebound lately. Having a baby who doesn't like being in his car seat will do that to you, I guess. While I am completely happy to stay home and enjoy this time before it passes (because it all passes so soon, doesn't it) I can't help but be a little whistful for our more adventurous summer days. Here is a "vintage" ADF post from 2 summers ago.... Sigh...

Two days after graduating we did one of the most important things on my post graduation to do list; camping.

We have always fancied ourselves the type who *like* camping, but, you know, never really do. [There was one instance in mexico involving the lack of chairs, argentinean animal sounds, and the baja 500, but that is a long and unfortunate story.]

So last year our folks gave us a cash christmas gift to buy our own camping gear. REI used gear sale, you are my best friend. I highly recommend. We got everything we need, way higher quality than we could have otherwise afforded, at amazing bargains.

Inspired, I brought a few pretty things like vintage table cloths, a handmade quilt [hello, wedding present] and candles. I mean hey, car camping, right?

I did a lot of guilty pleasure reading. Ben strummed his guitar. We swam in a different creek every day. We hiked, and we sat around a lot too.

It was one of the best trips we have ever had.

PS. You. Californians especially; you have BEEN to Yosemite, RIGHT? SRSLY. Go. NOW.

We are so lucky to welcome Kate Miss of For Me, For You today. Kate has impeccable taste in style and design, and her Bits of My Weekend photos were one of the few that inspired me to start posting recaps (sometimes) of my weekends. In between her picture perfect weekends and adorable cat Wendy she somehow finds time to make the best jewelry. Kate grew up in Seattle, which I find incredibly cool (having grown up in Las Vegas.) I lived for a stint in Seattle and always love hearing about it, so I asked her to do a little post for us on that!



Although I have not lived there in quite a while, when I think about where home is to me, my gut instinct is to think of Seattle. While it was “the city” to me growing up in the ‘burbs and always seemed so magical to me when I was young, eventually the laid back attitude, very quiet hum and very gentle bustle of the city turned me off and fueled me to get the hell out and over to the insanity of New York City. But the older I get the more I fall back in love with Seattle and crave the quieter hum, the smaller city charm, and just how damn nice and positive everyone is for a place where clouds loom practically half of the year. I also cannot go any further without mentioning how beautiful Seattle is, clouds or not. There are certain parts of California and the deserts of Arizona that take my breath away, but nowhere else does that mossy green and mountain range make my heart beat like Seattle. You don’t even need to leave the city to catch a glimpse of all that beauty either, it’s right there at arms length.



So what should you do if you go for a visit? There are a million things to do, but here is a very quick day plan I like:

- Stay at The Ace. They have pretty affordable shared bathroom rooms that I can attest to being awesome. I do not like shared bathrooms, but the bathrooms are directly outside of your door, and during a summer stay I never once had to wait for someone or see another soul exit it. It’s also in a relatively convenient area in Belltown downtown, you can see the water from some of the windows, and the design of everything is top-notch.

- Visit the Seattle Art Museum, recently renovated and made even more awesome, and also visit the sculpture park on the water. Even if you’re not into the sculptures, the view of the water is really peaceful, and on a clear day you can see the Cascade Mountains.

- You have two choices I cannot decide between: drive/bus to Capitol Hill and eat at Oddfellows, or drive/bus it to Ballard and have Mexican food at La Carta De Oaxaca. If you are super lazy and do not want to leave the 'hood, walk down the Mamas.

- If you chose Capitol Hill, you can walk around Pike and Pine and visit cute shops along those streets. There's so much new stuff since I lived there! If you chose Ballard, walk down Ballard Ave to visit those cute shops. If you were lazy, walk over to Pike Place. Sure, it's touristy, but I still love it.

- Have dinner at Le Pichet, my favorite restaurant in Seattle that has amazing French food and is a close walk from The Ace. It’s fancy without feeling pretentious or too fancy.



I hope you get a chance to visit someday if you haven’t. Stay tuned for my second guest post where I suggest a different itinerary for a day!

If you have been following along over at Hank & Lucy, you know that I could have a baby any time.* (Tomorrow? In 2 weeks? After I publish this post? BEFORE I publish this post, since I am scheduling it for another day???**) When that happens I will take a bit of a blogging maternity leave. But fret not! In my absence I have some really great guest posts lined up. (And a few gratuitous baby photos, to be sure.) Just wanted you to know. So don't be a stranger, k? You will like what I got, top quality stuff, I promise. *and celia had one last week! **no, i did not

I woke up at 5 this morning and could not fall back asleep.

So I gave the blog a new look. Come on over from your reader, I hope you like it.

Now maybe a nap?

So....I started a second blog. Oops.

Actually, we started a second blog.

To keep up on all things Jamie & Celia baby-related, please visit Hank & Lucy!

Alyson on Unruly Things has been knocking it out of the park with her wintery inspirations. (I am so ready for Friday, which is, for us, Tree Day!) And today? She is sweet enough to host a give away of one of my Cactus & Quail bamboo ornaments! (one of my FAVORITE things in the shop.) So, head on over there! (Like you don't follow Unruly Things already, anyways.)

{Cactus & Quail Ornaments}

{above: one, two, three all via unruly things}

I asked the awesome Celia to do a little guest post today, and share a fun secret that she and I have together, along with any other thoughts she might have about the subject. Here is what she had to say. Thanks, C!!!!

Jamie and Ben came up to the bay area for a weekend this past spring. On our way home from mexican food and margaritas one night, I distinctly remember a conversation we had about the excitement, yet fear, that comes with starting a family and whether or not jokingly telling your spouse you're going to kill them when they're getting under your skin is still appropriate when you have a small child living in your house. I'm not sure we ever came up with a suitable answer for the latter. Joe, my husband, had definitely made his feelings clear about wanting to have a baby, and Jamie and Ben seemed to be ready and willing too. I, however, felt like the odd man out. Sure, eventually I wanted to have a baby, but it felt a little like we were still babies ourselves... thirty-something babies perhaps, but still babies. I was certain that Jamie was on her way to baby-making status long before I would be. Then about three months later, the unexpected happened... I got pregnant. And the somewhat expected also happened... Jamie got pregnant too.

We had been holding onto our huge secrets for a couple of weeks when we got the opportunity to anonymously share our news. It wasn't long before we figured out that we were the ones with babies in our bellies. Not only that, but very soon after, we learned that we were both due to deliver these babies on April 14th, 2011. I've never been one to believe in fate or destiny, but this immense coincidence was certainly rocking me to my core. It was absurd, perplexing, but most of all, incredibly exciting! All of a sudden, this big and scary thing seemed not so big and scary at all. Here I was, lucky enough to have a partner in crime to figure out this whole baby-growing process right beside me. And, you really can't ask for a better partner in crime than Jamie.

We've spent the last four months sharing the joys and battles (mostly, my battles) of our pregnancies, listening to tiny heartbeats, dealing with the downfalls of health insurance, getting excited about ultrasounds, discussing names, planning matching baby outfits and so much more. Maybe this sounds entirely ridiculous, but in many ways it feels like my baby has found a special friend in Jamie's baby. It's as if all the changes and adjustments that we are going through coincide with all the developments and growth spurts that our babies are going through too. It's hands down as cool as it gets. I'm anxious to see what the next four and a half months and beyond brings us. If the last four months are any indication, it may not always be smooth sailing, but I know that it's going to be sensational. And for those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting them, Jamie and Ben are the cat's pajamas, and their baby is in for a life of pure awesomeness.

Polaroid of Jamie & Celia from the very night in April (one year before before our babies are coming!) that Celia mentions in her story. Snapped and shared by the lovely Meg.

I am so pleased to share one of the projects I have been working on. A while back Lisa of the blog Privilege asked if I would be interested in helping with the redesign of her blog. Would I???

Fast forward to yesterday, which was the launch of the updated Privilege. Let me just say that Lisa was a dream to work with. She provided easy to use guidance for the look & feel of her new blog that was written and visual, that gave me strong direction but freedom to design, and very clear specific functional guidelines. It was great. Seriously. Anyways, head on over to Privilege to check out the new digs, and stay a while to enjoy Lisa's wonderful writing!

Thank you Lisa!

have you seen Kristina's pretty new blog? Her redesign made me think about how she was one of my very first readers, and how cool I thought it was when I discovered that we were both getting married in the desert. I poked around in some early posts and saw that she was, in fact, my fist commenter. Well, done lady!

I have been enjoying the (new to me) Bleubird Vintage blog, following the adventures of one too cute family. How rad are these little stamp + pen drawings that her daughter made? Kids are cool.