Real Wedding: Julia and Mathew

We were thrilled to receive photos from friend and collaborator Julia's recent wedding, beautifully shot by Jennifer Causey.  Julia and Mathew were married at The Oaks on Long Island, a beautiful estate on the water.

The classic green and white color scheme was carried throughout. We love that Julia bucked tradition and had her bridesmaids select their own dresses in various shades of green.

The wedding was full of handcrafted details featuring Julia's illustrations, of course!

Julia herself looked radiantly happy in a dress from David's Bridal and a hairpiece from ban.do.

Congratulations to Julia and Mathew! It looked like an amazing evening.

Fabulous garlands

Sophie Cuvelier is a fabulous french artist we came across via frolic, who creates amazing garlands out of hand-dyed paper, feathers, and bits.  We love the colors, the whimsy and imperfect charm.  Adorable to hang in a playroom and how amazing would these look strung up in great quantities at a wedding? We are très inspired!

Gift wrap to wallpaper!

We were so excited to see our Julia Rothman Chandelier gift wrap being used for wallpaper on Design*Sponge today.  So cute! The DIY bookend wall bracket project from the folks over at Curiousity Shoppe is pretty ingenious as well. Read the full post here.

Chandelier wrap is available for purchase on our website. Click here for more information.

Two Girls and Some Flowers

The name really says it all; if "Fourteen People, Some Ink and a Handful of Vintage Presses" wasn't such a mouthful we may be tempted to take a leaf from their book! We learned of these two talented floral artists from a client who staged her wedding in the sculpture galley at Woburn Abbey and who subsequently sang their praises. Their service both on and in the run-up to the day were exemplary and a look at their website indeed bears testament to he beautiful work that they produce.

The way they coordinated the flowers with delicate cake design taken from antique engravings is just sheer genius!

The beautiful hand-tied bouquet of roses and peonies in soft pastel tones would be the perfect choice for a bride wanting a classic, traditional look but the girls are equally competent at creating understated, modern elegance as seen in the striking bouquet of green Calla lilies or gorgeous orchid buttonhole(below).

The two girls are based in Arlesey, Bedfordshire SG15 6SW and can be contacted via e-mail: info@two-girls-and-some-flowers.co.uk or Telephone: Julia: 07732 403 072 or Jenny: 07952 649 829

Jessica Rust Designs

We are always on the hunt for unique and meaningful wedding gifts. Don't get us wrong, that Kitchen-Aid mixer is sure to please, but being able to truly personalize a gift, is something that the couple will always remember.  We love the idea behind Jessica Rust's personalized dinnerware. She offers mugs, plates, platters and bowls in a variety of different designs. Each piece has the ability to be personalized with a couples initials and wedding date. So sweet! For more information, visit her website here.

La-ser

Laser cutting - why are you so cool? We are constantly impressed with the new and ingenious ways that laser cutting is being used these days. Refill Seven is an Australian skateboard company whose limited edition skateboard decks exemplify the intricate fine detail that's possible with this technique. They even have some limited edition etched posters for sale. Click here to see photos.

Via {this is glamorous} - thanks for the inspiration!

Tiny Showcase

Tiny Showcase is a perfect for every art enthusiast out there - every Tuesday a new print is posted for sale, limited edition and printed on archival ink. We love the variety of artists that participate as well as the artistic community that has sprung forth from such a simple idea!  Above: "Corral Canyon" by Cole Gerst

"Oh, Foshay!" by Aesthetic Apparatus

"The Two Intertwined" by Jack Long

"Life of Mystery: An Illustrated Guide" by Ray Fenwick

"We'll Be Fine" by Amy Ruppel

Scrap

We took a quick field trip to Scrap last week - another fantastic reason to live in the Bay Area. Scrap (Scroungers Center for Reusable Art Parts) is a haven for crafters. All their material is donated, so you never know what you are going to find. The idea is to provide art materials at a low cost both to encourage creativity and to prevent our overcrowded landfills from becoming even worse. There are piles of fabric, yarn, paper, household items, and building materials available.

The inventory changes constantly, so it's a new treasure hunt every time! Some of our discoveries included tiny vases, fabric and decorative metal ornaments.

Our favorite finds were needlepoint holders, perfect for displaying vintage fabric scraps, lace or a cute print.

Scrap

834 Toland Street

San Francisco, CA 94124

415.647.1746

Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 9-5

Inkymole

It is more than likely that you have already seen the work of British illustrator Sarah J Coleman without realising it as her work has been used on packaging from products as varied as Avon cosmetics to Double Gloucester cheese. Her work is a brilliant marriage of design and lettering ; quirky and retro, sharp and amusing. All the things we love in fact!

We especially love the little map she has created of the Crystal Palace area of London with charming designs for the relative shops drawn over a background of a fine lace tray-cloth.

The delightful illustration titled "The Protest" showing a phalanx of disgruntled traditional childrens' toys, is also hugely appealing to anyone old enough (ahem!) to remember having only the option of toys that relied on clockwork, muscle-power or a fertile imagination!

Sarah J Coleman can be contacted through her website and has her own blog.

The Jacksons' Mural

We love walking around the Notting Hill neighborhood, with its pretty row houses, trendy boutiques, and thriving weekend street scene thanks in part to Portobello Market. On a recent visit, we had to stop and admire this mural on the shop front of The Jacksons, a neighborhood clothing boutique.

We love the apricot and sea-foam color palette and the graphic pattern of flowers and buds. Lovely!

Wooden friends

We love these lovely wooden sculptures from Romp! Each is beautifully handcrafted and all are just too adorable to put down.

Wedding wall decals

Wall decals are all over the place these days, but we couldn't resist the idea of these custom made decals from Etsy seller Dali Decals. Personalize your reception location with your names, new monogram, or an inspirational quote or word. You could even use a decal as a backdrop for a photo booth!

Paper lace

Trolling Esty is dangerously addicting. But with such amazing treasures to be discovered, the hunt is to compelling to pass up. Check out this amazing paper lace from Brookerpie - just think of the possibilities!

Handcrafted details

We love how Brooklyn-based Tamar Mogendorff incorporates vintage fabrics and special details into her doll designs! We file this under just ridiculously cute.

Belgian cappuccino service

We love taking inspiration from little things in everyday life so were delighted when our friend Amy sent us this photo of cappuccino service from a seaside cafe in Belgium. We love the design of the cup and saucer and all the details in the presentation, from the sailboat chocolate wrapper to the silver tray and doily. Wouldn't this be a fun touch for coffee/tea service at a wedding?

Vintage french notebooks

We found this lovely set of reproduction "Papier Superieur" French school notebooks at French General. Love the fonts and composition!

September Flea Market

Although it was one of the warmest Alameda Flea Market's to date, the hunt for treasures was still just as fun. There were adorable vintage clothing and furniture, as well as housewares. One of our favorite finds were the presidential pencil sharpeners - who wouldn't want to sharpen a pencil with Lincoln's head!

19th century fashion details

These pictures from V&A Museum curator Lucy Johnston's book 19th Century Fashion in Detail (via Style Bubble) are just too gorgeous!

Love the frothiness of it, and all the stunning details, which we can totally imagine incorporating into modern wedding finery.

Reminded us of this painting, "Too Early" by Tissot. So inspiring!

Paper party decorations

We've previously raved about our obsession with paper pom poms and lanterns, which make wonderful, inexpensive decorations for weddings, showers, and parties. We just love these paper garlands, balls, and snowflakes, from UK-based Re-found Objects.

Aren't these paper flower garlands adorable? (From Pedlar's, also UK-based).

For those of you who are looking for paper decorations state-side, we found a great selection of Mexican paper picatas at Lee Carter Company (above).

123 Party has a great selection of tissue paper balls, bells, and fans (flat circular shape - shown above) in a wide array of colors and sizes. We found this pretty tissue paper snowflake decorations at Target. We found a nice dove garland (similar to the one from Re-found) at Oriental Trading Company.

Happy decorating!

Fuchsia and curry

It's hot here in San Francisco! It's the perfect time to celebrate summer with this fun and cheerful combination (and how cute are those shoes?!).

From top: Dress and shoes from J. Crew, Eva personalized stationery from Hello!Lucky, pillow and storage box from Hable Construction, chair, pillow and throw from Designers Guild.