Wednesday, August 31, 2011

August Recap >> My Favorite Posts

AUGUST RECAP

It's official.  Tomorrow is September!  For whatever reason, I feel like August went by more quickly than all the other months so far this year.  September is going to be both awesome and challenging, as I simultaneously count down to the day I get to marry my best friend and squeeze in a ridiculous amount of planning while this best friend is back on the road with the band.  (Are you guys sick of hearing about this yet???)  With the arrival of fall, there's a whole lot of work to be done with my businesses too.  I'm looking forward to September though, and have all sorts of fun posts planned for this month, as well as some really great guest posts lined up for the week leading up to my wedding.

To bid a fond farewell to August, I thought I'd take a look back at some of my favorite posts from the past month.   If you missed any of these posts and want to check them out, just click on the images or links.

How to Be the Best Blogger YOU Can Be

DIY Tutorial: Decoupaged Mason Jar Lights

My Wedding Shower

Life On the Road: Part 2

Yellow + Gray: Like Sunshine and Rain

Premarital Musings: Wedding Stress + Taking Breaks

Fall + Flats: My Top 5 Shoe Picks For Fall '11


What are your thoughts on September?  Are you looking forward to it, or pining summer's end?








Guess Who WON the Accessory + Art Giveaway?!

Thank you to everyone who entered the Accessory + Art Giveaway!  I loved reading through all of your entries and seeing which items you picked as your favorites. The winner was chosen via random.org, and that winner is...




CONGRATULATIONS NOVA!  You are officially the winner of 5 amazing prizes from Studio MME, Little White Chapel,  Minimalist Knitter Let it Be Raw, and Life. Mostly Sweet.!  Please contact me at bubbyandbean {at} gmail.com with your address.  (Nova won through one of her extra entries, woohoo!)

Big thanks again to the rockstar businesses who contributed to this amazing giveaway.  Every one of them is owned by a small, independent artist, so I hope you'll take a minute to check out their shops and blogs!

If you didn't win this time, don't fret...  September's group giveaway is pretty incredible too!








Tuesday, August 30, 2011

sensible + spirited >> fall 2011 colors

Pantone Fall 2011

I'm really loving Pantone's Fall 2011 color report, which they describe as "sensible and spirited."  Kind of sounds like the perfect combination to me.  I'm pretty fond of the cedar, deep teal, nougat and quarry; pairing bold and neutral colors together always wins in my book.  But being yellow's #1 fan and all, bamboo stands out out as my very favorite.


Pantone Bamboo



1. Gorgeous bamboo colored coat from Orla Kiely's fall 2011 collection.
2. Beautiful golden autumn tree photograph via Flickr.
3. Golden Holga camera from Rugift.
4. Cole Haan hand-painted Oscars for Fall '11 (*amazing).
5. Pretty mustard colored notecards from Felt & Wire.


Which color is your favorite for this fall?





The winner of the Accessory + Art Giveaway will be announced right here tomorrow, so be sure to check back!




Monday, August 29, 2011

Premarital Musings: Wedding Stress + Taking Breaks

wedding planning stress

Aside from the Mason Jar Candle DIY I posted a couple of weeks ago, it's been almost a month since I've done a post even remotely wedding-themed.  There is a reason, my friends, for this hiatus.  See, there's this thing that everyone warns you about, called "wedding planning stress."  But since I'm soooo realistic and together and stuff, and because our wedding is just soooo laid back, I assured all of my married friends and family that I simply didn't need to worry about that.  Yep.

Robbie and I had always planned to elope, and then maybe have a little get-together at a bar or something.  Once we got engaged, however, the designer in me just couldn't fathom the thought of not designing the invitations, programs, decor, food, dress, etc.  I mean, how could I possibly get married without hand making 400 washi tape drink stirrers???  So we decided we'd just do it.  We'd have a real wedding.

handmade wedding invitations

Well, guess what?  No matter how much I promised myself that things wouldn't get out of hand, they kind of did.  When you're self-employed and you have to work a lot, and your fiance is on the road for weeks at a time, and you have a sick doggy, taking on another time-and-energy-consuming gig (i.e. planning a wedding) can be quite the shock.  Super casual wedding or otherwise, it can make you a little crazy, which in turn can make your partner a little crazy.  Maybe this wouldn't be the case if I had fancy things like wedding planners or rich relatives handing me their platinum credit cards, but alas, wedding planning stress got me.  Good.  Lesson learned. 
wedding mess

And hence, I come to the reason for which, until now, there haven't been any wedding themed posts. We took a major step back, and stopped planning - completely - for a while.  This doesn't mean we spent the last few weeks sitting on the beach drinking strawberry margaritas and staring aimlessly at puffy clouds.  Things have still been nonstop chaos.  But we took a wedding planning breather.  Yes, we are aware of the fact that our wedding is in one month.  And regardless of the fact that my wedding 'to do' list now contains tasks that most people have done six months in advance - or the fact that in 48 hours, my fiance leaves town with the band until 4 days before the wedding - I'm feeling much better about the whole thing.  This is about us being in love, after all.  And 400 handmade washi tape drink stirrers aren't going to make or break that.

wedding planning break

For those of you recently engaged or planning a wedding in the near future, let me stand on my soap box and shout out the very advice that I so confidently rejected...  Breathe.  This stuff doesn't matter.  Truly.  You're in LOVE.  It's about you and your partner, period.  Print this out and tape it to your bathroom mirror.  Write it on a cute post-it and slap it on your computer.  Or on your forehead.  Whatever works.  Just do your best not to be the overachieving, wedding workaholic that I was.  Instead, close your eyes and kiss your future husband or wife, and think about the amazing journey you're about to take together.  And I don't mean the wedding.  I mean life.  Crap and all.


How was your weekend?  What did everyone do?  I think this may have been the first weekend since I started Bubby and Bean that I chose to take a break and not post.  We had a crazy few days, between Bubby dog having yet another major seizure (we switched to a med called Keppra; cross your fingers!), trying to function on very little sleep, and preparing for Robbie to leave. It didn't feel like a weekend, but maybe that's a good thing in terms of Monday feeling less Monday-ish?


Accessory + Art Giveaway
Today is the last day to enter the Accessory + Art Giveaway, for your chance to win 5 handmade prizes from some amazing designers and artists!  Just click here or on the image above!




Friday, August 26, 2011

friday is for favorites

Annie Hall

Modcloth shoes

Lab Partners illustration

beautiful baby eyes

what happened bandages



Time for another edition of Friday is for Favorites, my weekly series where I become a rebel, and break all of my own rules of design cohesiveness to which I normally adhere on the Bubby and Bean blog.  No themes, trend collections, or matching aesthetics here.  Just a random collection of things I happen to be loving on this very Friday.


1. Diane Keaton circa Annie Hall era = rockstar. (source).
2. Rad shoes galore from Modcloth.com.
3. Yellow + fashion (2 of my favorite things) illustration by Lab Partners.
4. Breathtaking photograph. I mean, no words.
5. These bandages almost make me wish I had a boo-boo.


I hope your Friday is wonderful in every way.  Do you have any exciting plans to share with the class???






Thursday, August 25, 2011

my other gig (early autumn fashion // august newsletter)

Mountains of the Moon Eco Fashion

Here at Bubby and Bean, I don't talk all that often about my other gig, where I (do my best to) make a living as a sustainable fashion designer.  Maybe that's because this blog is such a sweet escape from the "day job."  Or because I like it to be a place to showcase other artists' and designers' work, and things that inspire me in daily life, separate from my job.  In reality though, even through the long work days, fabric delays, struggles to compete with the endless chain stores, and pattern makers who run off into the sunset with my samples (long story), I love what I do.  And I've been thinking I should share a little more of it here with all of you.

For starters, I'm going to share our August Newsletter, which we published earlier today.  Every month, I design a newsletter that we send out to our mailing list featuring specific styles or new designs.  We also always include a special discount for our customers, who we love dearly for supporting our little company over the last ten years.  This newsletter highlights some of our early autumn styles, and comes with a pretty bad ass 30% off coupon.  Whether or not you're a sustainable fashion fan, I hope you enjoy this glimpse into one of the many little tasks that make up a day in the life of an independent eco-fashion label.
Mountains of the Moon August 2011 Newsletter
Bubby and Bean Art
Mountains of the Moon August 2011 Newsletter



Back on a Bubby and Bean note >> Large and Extra-Large Sponsor spots for September are now sold out!  There are a very limited number of small and medium spots still remaining.  I'd love to help promote your small business, blog or Etsy shop for the first month of fall!  For more info and stats, visit the sponsor page right here




Wednesday, August 24, 2011

GIVEAWAY >> Win 5 Accessory + Art Prizes Worth $140!

Accessory and Art GIVEAWAY
I am so excited to announce August's group giveaway!  This special giveaway features five fabulous accessory and art prizes, all handmade by truly incredible designers and artists. 
One lucky Bubby & Bean reader will win ALL FIVE of these items (worth $140!)


An 8 x 10 print of the adorable illustration 'Meowby Dick' by Studio MME!  "Meowby Dick haunts the seven seas, tumbling in the waves and bursting his white belly forth to let out a mighty purr." This stunning fine art pen and ink print by illustrator Megan Eckman is printed on archival acid-free cotton rag paper and signed by the artist. $25 value. (Shop/Blog)

A handmade knit hat of your choice from Minimalist Knitter!  Choose any item from Minimalist Knitter's Etsy shop (and if you don't see the color you like, owner Robyn Devine has offered to make you a hat in the color of your choice!).  These comfy, stylish hats are the perfect pieces for fall.  The best part is that $20 of every purchase goes to the charity Water, to bring clean drinking water to those in need.  $35 value. (Shop/Blog)

A handmade white freshwater Pearl Bracelet by Paige Ronchetti of Little White Chapel!  White freshwater pearls with a slight iridescent sheen are paired with an antique brass lobster clasp in this single strand bridal bracelet. Elegant + timeless. $30 value. (Shop/Blog)

A pair of 'The Sway' Handmade Earrings from Life Mostly Sweet!  These lovely earrings were handmade by Collins McDougall with gold bubble pieces and beautiful turquoise chalcedony stones.  The perfect summer-into-fall accessory!  $25 value. (Shop/Blog)

An 8x10 print of the 'Midnight at the Graveway' Photograph from Let It Be Raw! This hauntingly beautiful image was taken by Keily Melicker at Evergreen cemetery in Santa Cruz, CA.  Kiley then printed the image from a 35mm negative, and matted in an off white 11x14 matte.  Looks gorgeous displayed as is or in an 11x14 frame.  $25 value. (Shop/Blog)



Enter Giveaway
To enter this Giveaway, just leave a comment with:

(1) your favorite item in this giveaway, and
(2) which method you use to subscribe to this blog.
THAT'S IT!

*If you're a new reader, just make sure to follow/subscribe first using Google Friend Connect or one of these readers.


extra entries
You can also gain ONE additional entry for EACH of the following -
*Each "optional" entry must be in a SEPARATE comment.

>> Visit any of the shops from this giveaway and tell me your favorite item.
>> Like Bubby & Bean on Facebook.
>> Follow Bubby & Bean on Bloglovin'.
>> Follow me on Twitter .(please list your username)
>> Tweet this:
     Win 5 prizes in Bubby & Bean's Accessory + Art GIVEAWAY >>
     http://bit.ly/p8sGff via @MotM_EcoFashion

>> Follow me on Pinterest
>> Mention this giveaway on your blog.


The winner's name will be randomly drawn via random.org the night of Monday, August 29th, and will be posted here by August 31st, so make sure to check back to see if you won! 

I'd like to say a huge THANK YOU to the wonderful shops who are giving Bubby and Bean readers the chance to own their beautiful creations.  You guys rock!


BEST OF LUCK EVERYONE!





(*To be eligible to win, you must complete #1 and #2 under "How To Enter" above and still be a Bubby & Bean follower/subscriber through GFG or a reader at the time of drawing).

UPDATE: This Giveaway is now closed.  Check back on 8/31 to see if you won!