Thursday, March 31, 2011

Very Pinteresting


I've developed quite an addiction over the last few months to Pinterest.  What started out as a small group of "pinners" has quickly become a community of design, art, fashion and all-things-pretty enthusiasts, and it's been a really cool experience to watch it grow.  If you're not yet familiar with Pinterest, you can read more about it here, but it's basically a virtual bulletin board of goodness where you can do fun things like re-pin, follow, and/or get sucked in for hours of image-geek fun, like I tend to do.  (I'm starting to think I may need a 'pintervention').  Whether you're a blogger, artist, designer, or all-around lover of visual loveliness, Pinterest is one of the best go-to places for instant inspiration.

The images above are some of my recent Pinterest favorites.  You can check out more of my pins and boards right HERE.

1. Open + Rustic Room (My Pin/1st Pinned/taken from Style Files)
2. Springtime Flowers (My Pin /1st Pinned/taken from WeHeartIt)
3. Katie Armour (My Pin/1st Pinned/taken from Neotraditionalist)
4. Scrap Wood Wall (My Pin/1st Pinned/taken from Vosges Paris)
5. Love to Cook with Wine (My Pin/1st Pinned/taken from So Mee...)
6. Sweet + Sleepy Dog (My Pin/1st Pinned/taken from Kika Reichert)


Have a beautiful Thursday, darlings.







Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Shifting...

I adore shift dresses.  I love the clean/simple lines, the understated elegance, the '60s mod silhouette... 
And lucky for me, the shift is everywhere this spring.

1. Johann Earl Colourblock Shift Dress, available at Asos.
2. The Gin Fizz Shift Dress, available at BHLDN.
3. The Edie Shift Dress, available at Mountains of the Moon.
4. Suzi Chin Maggy Lace Shift Dress, available at Nordstrom.


I'm even considering reworking my mom's late '60s shift-style wedding dress for my own wedding.  LOVE them.








Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Love is Sweet : Wedding Cake Alternatives


Let's get right to the sweet stuff, and then I have a little announcement to share regarding the fact that we've finally picked a wedding date. (Hint: early fall!)

If I had to choose one word to describe how we picture our wedding, I'd go with 'non-traditional.'  (Since this is a vague term, we'll throw in a dash of 'simple,' 'vintage,' 'DIY,' and 'eco-conscious' too. 'Inexpensive' is only being excluded due to the fact that I can't seem to find much about wedding planning that involves the use of that adjective).  So when it comes to the cake, we'd like to stick with the non-traditional, and have been keeping our eyes out for ideas for unique sweet treat alternatives.  Here are some of our favorites:

Homemade fruit pies are so cozy and would be perfect for an early fall wedding. (source)

I love the idea of doughnuts!  Even a simple basket of freshly made cinnamon and sugar doughnuts and some hot cider would be so lovely for an early fall wedding. (source)

A table full of handmade caramel apples would be so unique and ideal for fall.  They'd also make lovely favors for guests to take home.  (source left; source right)

There are endless options with cookie buffets, and it would be easy and inexpensive to make a really pretty display.  Like the caramel apples, homemade cookies would also make wonderful favors.  (source left; source right)

Wedding candy bars are so cool, and using old-fashioned drug stores candies would fit in wonderfully with our vintage theme. (source)


I know, I can't believe it either.  My regular readers are aware of how challenging this has been for us with my fiance's unique work schedule (he's on the road with a band for half the year) and our goal to get married this year.  Somehow, we've finally been able to pencil something in (a mere three months after the proposal)!  The big day, dear readers, is October 1st. I've always envisioned a summer wedding because it's by far my favorite season, but I think early fall will be beautiful with the vivid leaves and cooler air.  Now we're working on finding an affordable venue that will allow us to do our own food and decorating.  If you have suggestions, please share!








Monday, March 28, 2011

Happy Birthday Sissy!

Yes, it's more or less birthday month here at Bubby & Bean, but I had to make a quick post to wish a happy birthday to my little sister, Morgan!  Sissy and her husband are driving up to Chicago from Indianapolis this weekend to celebrate and go see the fiance's band play Saturday night.  I can't wait to give her her present, despite the fact that it's going to be hard to top the gift she got me for my birthday. (She tracked down an acrylic resin that my mom used to make ultra-groovy craft projects in the '70s, and that is no longer available in the U.S.!)


Saturday, March 26, 2011

Saturday Morning Daydreams

If I concentrate hard enough, maybe when I open my closet I'll
see these to-die-for tunics and rompers from aiguille et fil 
I'm thinking this houndstooth tea towel
would look devine in my kitchen.
Mesmerized by this super cool art print.
I'm pretty sure I could make good use of this
oh-so-lovely Made by Hank bag.
It may seem silly for me to be daydreaming of one of my own
art prints, but I've noticed myself glancing at it an awful
lot this past week.  I think I like the reminder that
creativity is indeed for the brave and strong!
Dear gorgeous locket by Verabel, I promise to love you
for all eternity if you'll just be mine.


Yes lovely readers, this week's Saturday Morning Daydreams is all about geometric patterns.  There's something about bold, minimalistic shapes positioned just so that feels energizing.  The fiance (yes, he's finally home from tour!) and I are going on a mad estate sale adventure today, and I have geometric goodness on the mind.  I'll let you know what I find.  And may these pretty geometry-without-the-homework finds bring some inspiration to your weekend as well.

(Pssst!  You can check out past editions of Saturday Morning Daydreams right here.) 




P.S.

Bubby and Bean is one one of many thousands of businesses and organizations, along with millions of individuals, who will be participating in Earth Hour tonight.  If you're not familiar with Earth Hour, it is an annual event that makes a powerful statement in an incredibly simple way. At 8:30 PM, lights will switch off around the globe to conserve energy and show a commitment to living a more sustainable lifestyle. To participate, all you have to do is turn off all lights in your home or business for one hour at 8:30 PM (regardless of time zone). You can read more about Earth Hour and the millions of participants worldwide on their website.





Friday, March 25, 2011

Chie Mihara's Amaaaaazing Shoes

I'll take one of each, please.  I'm drooling over these gorgeous shoes from Chie Mihara's spring/summer 2011 collection.  I only recently became aware of Mihara, but it didn't take long for her to gain a new fan.  Born in Brazil to Japanese parents, she lived and worked all over the world before settling down in Spain.  Her website is equally adorable to her shoes: casual, playful, and very real.  LOVE.

Happy Friday darlings.  See you tomorrow morning for this week's Saturday Morning Daydreams!
 





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Thursday, March 24, 2011

Springtime, Clouds, and Silver Linings


Yes, I am a color nerd.  I get ridiculously excited when Pantone releases their seasonal color reports, and I relish in the act of searching for pretty things that incorporate the chosen colors.  If you share in my color geekdom, you might enjoy my recent posts on two of this season's picks, honeysuckle and silver peony (as well as Pantone's full Spring and Fall 2011 reports).

Today's post is an extra-special one, and not just because it features another of Pantone's Spring 2011 colors, silver cloud.  It's also part of a week-long series called Spring Fever, which features daily spring-themed posts on several blogs.  When my friend Sutton over at the Dainty Dish asked me to write a feature on a spring color, I was thrilled.

Silver cloud is one of my absolute favorite neutrals, and perfect for springtime.  Its pale, vapor-like gray hue reminds me of April skies in the early morning, before the sun breaks through the clouds, misty and light.  Unlike some of its bold spring-color siblings, silver cloud can be paired beautifully with almost any other color. It's classic and timeless, and epitomizes the blank canvas: subtle and tastefully unassuming, but ready for anything.

Pretty pale gray wallpapers (source)
Gloriously gray hand-pleated wedding gown from BHLDN
Breezy + simple gray bedroom (source)
Gorgeously gray springtime accessories (source)
Gray goodness all around (source)


I'm crossing my fingers that this year's April showers bring lots of silver clouds with them.  What are your thoughts on this spring's neutral "it" color?






P.S. Make sure you stop by You Go Glen Coco and Dainty Dish tomorrow for the next posts in the Spring Fever series, which will feature two of my favorite springtime topics: clothes and yummy botanical scents.