tangerine + turquoise

1. Tangerine & turquoise dresses by Modcloth.
2. Jeweled cuff bracelet by LuluJewels.

3. Bottle cap magnets by The Cropping Block. 

4. 'Very Favorite Person' print by Bubby & Bean Art.

5. 'Coral Bells' Bontanical photo by Diana Brennan.

6. Curvy Chrysanthemum Vase by Anthropologie.

7. Wee Felt Bunting by Ordinary Mommy.
8. Teal and Coral Necklace by Vestique.
9. Pretty papers via Decor 8.

I'm seriously loving this color combination right now. 


Tomorrow is FRIDAY!  See you then for Friday is For Favorites!

Inspiration + Motivation: Wedding Dresses

Right after Robbie and I got engaged, I did a post about wedding dress inspiration.  And here it is nearly 7 months later, with a wedding planned for October 1st, and I still don't have a dress.

I think perhaps the fact that I have a career in fashion design is working against me, because I'm feeling a little too relaxed about the whole thing. 

I've been telling myself it's no big deal that I've been procrastinating getting around to the one thing that is usually the most important part of the wedding to the bride.  I don't have to worry about the advanced ordering and fittings that other brides do.  And I know that I'm either making my own dress or reworking a vintage one.  I want something simple.  I've also had designs floating around in my head since long before Robbie proposed.

I realized last night, however, that the big day is three months away, and I should probably get going on this.  Like yesterday.  

So I decided that to get myself inspired and motivated, I'd look at pretty pictures of wedding dress styles I love, share them with all of you, and go from there.

1. Powdered Sugar Dress by Sarah Seven.
2. Dream a Little Dream Dress by Ivy and Aster.

3. Simple + elegant lace mini dress by French Connection. 
4. Gorgeous vintage dress (source).

5. Pinwheel Tea Dress by BHLDN.

I'll keep you updated once I finally get started on the design!

rock show: life on the road (part 1)

Last week, I posted about a new series we're doing here at Bubby and Bean called Life On the Road.  The series will chronicle bits and pieces of my fiance Robbie's career, which keeps him (you guessed it) on the road, for a total of six months a year.  To give you a little introduction, here's an excerpt from last week's post:

Robbie is the Stage Manager for a band.  He helps make rock shows happen.  He meets incredible people and has unforgettable experiences all over the world.  He also lives on a tour bus (and sometimes airplane) with 12 other guys, works 16-20 hours day, and sleeps in a 3-foot wide bunk.  He wakes up in a new place everyday, but rarely sees beyond the back of a truck and side of the stage.  A few times a year I'm able to travel to meet him, but most often, he spends a lot of time away from home.  We'll just say that it's far from the idealistic group sing-alongs echoing through the bus of 'Almost Famous.' As creative people yourselves, I think you'll find this behind-the-scenes look into the music industry very intriguing - and probably much different than you might expect...

You can view the inital post in full right here, but that essentially sums it up!  So without further adieu, I'd like to introduce you to to my soon-to-be husband, champion Stage Manager, house chef, and expert robot dancer, Robert Hunter Williams.

Hello friends and readers of Melissa's rockstar blog.  You always hear people calling into radio shows saying, "long time listener, first time caller."  Well here I am, long time reader, first time blogger.  My name is Robbie, and I'm the Stage Manager for a professional touring band called Umphrey's McGee.   You read a lot about things like design and fashion on this blog - things you don't find in the back of a semi trailer full of music gear - but there is an art to producing a traveling rock show. 

Part 1 of this installment takes place in a 48ish hour period, beginning the night of Friday, June 24th in Louisville, Kentucky, and ending the night of Sunday, June 26th in Columbus, Ohio.

These photos were snapped on my iPhone on the midwest leg of our current tour.  Many thanks to my lady for taking my images and notes and working her design magic to tell the story.  It's an interesting story to be able to tell, with a crew of 8 working together to make it happen.  Everyday is different and every venue is unique.

I hope you enjoyed the initial backstage glimpse of life on the road.  I have a busy few weeks ahead, with shows at Red Rocks Amphitheater and Boulder Theater for 4th of July weekend, the Dave Matthews Band Caravan, a tour of the northeast, and some other stops in between.  I'll be sure to snap some more photos along the way.  See you then...

little art center on the prairie

This weekend, my old + dear friend (and bridesmaid!) Cheri kidnapped me, and we headed out to Fine Line, a nonprofit creative arts center located in the Chicago suburbs.  She'd given her boyfriend a day-long metal smith class for his birthday, and was shocked that I'd never been there, so we decided to pay it a visit.

Located on a restored farm on several acres of breathtaking land, the oasis-like center opened it's doors in 1979 with a mission to teach weaving, knitting and painting to locals hoping to explore their creative spirits. Eventually it outgrew its original location, relocated to its current one, and now teaches over 200 classes a year to students from all over the midwest. It is one of only a few regional art centers in the United States.

We made an adventure out of exploring the grounds and various buildings. The center has all sorts of classrooms for different media, a supply and art shop, and a beautiful gallery.  Artists from all over the world come here to teach (on a mostly volunteer basis - which is amazingly cool). 

It was really wonderful to see a place so full of creativity and vision outside of the city; I almost felt like I was on an art retreat. We had such a fun day in all of our art-nerd glory, and now I'm hoping to take a workshop out there sometime this summer.  I'm not sure what, but I'm thinking something unique that I've never tried. 

Have you ever been to a little art center on the prairie, or a creative retreat away from the city?

Happy Monday! 

This is the quickest sponsor spots have filled up in the history of Bubby & Bean!  I still have just a few small spots and one large spot available for July, so if you have a blog, Etsy shop, small business, website, or vintage shop,  and want me to help you get the word out to thousands of readers everyday, now is the time to book! (And if you don't have a banner or button, I'll design you a really pretty one - for free).  Click here for more info.

Saturday Morning Daydreams

These colorful flashcards are so pretty, I'd hang them on my wall.

Hand-stamped pincushions are so much cuter than my ho-hum, standard tomato one.

Forget setting the alarm on my BlackBerry, I'll take these gorgeous vintage clocks instead!

Loving this vibrant typographic poster.

Repurposed, stenciled glass bottles = best idea ever.

This pillow is handmade from a hemp blend fabric, and hand-stamped with antique textile printing blocks.  Did I mention it's red (second only to yellow in the favorite color department)?  Want. 

These pretty teacups from Anthropologie would look awfully nice on my open kitchen shelves.

For someone who despises math, it's almost ironic what a massive a number crush I have these days.  And on this particular Saturday morning, I am daydreaming of all things number.  I have a thing for fonts, so perhaps this is an extension of that.  Whatever the reason, I've been finding myself inspired by number posters, clocks, and trinkets decorated with all sorts of numbered goodness.  I hope these pretty number-themed images bring some inspiration to your weekend too.

What are your weekend plans?  One of my best friends (who I don't get to see very often) is on her way to pick me up, and we're going to have breakfast at my favorite organic restaurant, stop by my wedding venue, and go peek in on her boyfriend's art class.  Tomorrow my mom and I are going to go shopping and work on wedding plans.  It's nice to have plans when Robbie's on the road - it keeps me from missing him so much.

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