Head on over to Notable's Inspiration!

Well, I may be back from vacation, but I seemed to have picked up a cold somewhere along the way. While I try to get better {quickly!} check out Notable's Inspiration for a round-up of my favorite inspiring images from the past few weeks. I will {hopefully} be back tomorrow with a pretty nude+lavender color inspiration!

{via Houzz}

Aspiring to Inspire,

Kelly

Notables: Chevron Patterns

After a very fun and relaxing birthday celebration, I'm back with one of my current favorite patterns... Chevron! I have a few Chevron projects planned for my apartment (DIY chevron rug anyone? Don't worry, I'll post pictures!) and the fabulousness of chevron certainly doesn't need to stop at my front door. Chevron is fantastic for weddings, too! Let's see, I guess you could call it a spiced up version of classic stripes, perfect for invitation motifs, placecard displays or any (and all) of your linens! Color options are endless too, just the way I like it!

{Chevron Wall Art via Crafter-Holic}

{Chevron Dessert Table by Amy Atlas}

{Chevron Fabric by Home Sweet}

{Chevron Stationery via The Knot}

{Chevron Tray by A Fabulous Fete}

{DIY Chevron Table via This Is Glamorous}

{Chevron "Keg Corset" via Once Wed}

Aspiring to Inspire,

Kelly

 

Happy 1st Day of Summer!

{Photo by The Light Fantastic}

I'm packing up and heading to Las Vegas to celebrate a very special birthday! The best present of all? I'm going to see the Cirque du Soleil LOVE show, which has been on my to-do list for years! I will be back next week with a much more regular schedule of inspiration (finally, I know!) and a few more updates to Notable's Inspiration too! Have a great week and happy (official) summer!

Aspiring to Inspire,

Kelly 

Inspired by Interiors: A Red and Gray Wedding

Since I took a little blogging break on Tuesday, I'm going to bring you a special inspiration board today inspired by the crisp & clean interior below! I love the gray and red color palette, so different and unexpected for a summer wedding! The stripe element is great to play off of for everything from the cake to the bridesmaid attire!

{1. Interior Photo by Miha Matei, 2. Striped Straws via Slash Food, 3. Couple Photo via Once Wed, 4. Strawberry Photo via Madame Cupcake, 5. Gray Pom by PomLove, 6. Balloon Save-The-Dates via wit + delight, 7. Place Settings via Project Wedding, 8. Cupcakes via Once Wed, 9. Striped Cake via The Sweetest Occasion, 10. Striped Bridesmaid Dresses via The Knot}

What interiors are inspiring you lately?

Aspiring to Inspire,

Kelly

Color Inspiration: A Wedding Inspired by Toy Story!

{via The People's Movies}

In honor of Toy Story 3 premiering this week, I'm forgoing the usual Etsy Wedding for a special little wedding concept inspired by these Disney Pixar classics! Use toy blocks for place cards and identify each table by a number, letter or picture on the block! For centerpieces fill vintage toys, like trucks or piggy banks, with pretty blooms and for favors provide brightly hued lollipops! For a fun, and totally Toy Story, photo booth print a large sky image for the backdrop and provide Mr. Potato Head pieces for props! How FUN does that sound!? See, you don't have to have Woody and Buzz sitting on your table for a fantastic inspired wedding, just pull a few elements and turn them into a super cute Disney affair!

{1. Couple Photo via Once Wed, 2. Happy Tape via Oh Happy Day!, 3. Lollipop Tower via Cheree Berry, 4. DIY Save the Dates via Martha Stewart Weddings, 5. Block Photo by Shannon Pix, 6. Sky Photo by Monko Photography, 7. Mr. Potato Head Photo via Flickr, 8. Truck Centerpieces via Snippet & Ink}

Aspiring to Inspire,

Kelly

As Seen On Etsy: MonkiVintage

Last week I brought you pretty pretty letterpress and this week I'm bringing you... letterpress block letters? You heard right, the blocks used to make the letterpress style I so adore are actually quite fabulous on their own! MonkiVintage has an enormous selection of vintage letterpress blocks that can so easily be turned into stamps, and more! They sell them in sets of the same letter in multiple fonts, perfect for a fun way to display your initial(s) throughout your day! Stamp them on menu cards or stamp a different font on each page of your guest book. You could even provide an alphabet of blocks and have each guest stamp their initial on a large canvas, whatever which way they please and in whatever color they please, making a totally awesome art piece! I also love the blocks as decor all on their own. If you don't mind the letters being backwards, they would be so fantastically incorporated into your centerpieces! Buy a set of number letterpress blocks and use them to identify your tables too!

{All Products and Images via MonkiVintage's Etsy Shop}

Aspiring to Inspire,

Kelly

Be Back Tomorrow!

{via Flickr}

Taking a short break from blogging today, but no fear, I'll be back tomorrow! In the meantime you dream (or drool) over this image, which is essentially my version of heaven. Ta ta for now!

Aspiring to Inspire,

Kelly

Notables: Scrabble Tiles

Who doesn't love board games? Come on, I know every single one of you has a secret (or not-so-secret) spot in your heart for games like Monopoly, Life or Candyland (Now how awesome of a wedding would that make?)! And we can't forget the classic game of Scrabble, because as frustrating as it may be (I never get good letters) there's just something so fun and entertaining about it! Well, the wedding industry is taking their turn and couples are incorporating these notable tiles into all sorts of elements throughout their big day! Maybe as signage for your guest book or cake table or possibly as cufflinks? Placecards or just a prop, sometimes you just gotta spell things out!

{via Forget Me Knot Weddings}

{via Ruffled}

{via Style Me Pretty}

 {via Snippet & Ink}

{via Elizabeth Anne Designs}

 

{via Madame Cupcake}

{via Flickr}

Aspiring to Inspire,

Kelly

A Puzzling Pop Art Affair: The Details on the DIY

Yesterday I brought you my entry to the Inspired Creations Contest, where I teamed up with Bellwether Events, Kurstin Roe Photography and Two Brunettes to create a vibrant and super (Ok, I mean really super) fun wedding centered around puzzle pieces and pop art! As promised, I'm bringing you the DIY details on how we created my favorite part of the concept, the placecards turned puzzle keepsake guest book! Here we go!

The Low-down on the DIY:

Our concept had six tables with nine guests per table. Each table got an eight-by-ten puzzle and each guest got a single puzzle piece as a part of it. Of course, you could also design it so that the guests create one larger puzzle instead but for our theme we wanted to have multiple to bring out the pop art vibe.

What we used:

6 8x10 puzzles, Joslin Photo Puzzle Company

Magnetic backing, Michaels

4 White magnetic boards, Ikea

Avery brand Inkjet Magnetic Business Cards, Staples

Magnetic Primer, Home Depot

Canvas, Michaels

Paint Markers, Michaels

1. The Puzzles: We uploaded an engagement photo and turned it into pop art by playing with the colors on Photoshop (you can simplify this by altering the colors on your basic photo editing program, like iPhoto). Each table got a different colored photo. Then we recruited the Joslin Photo Puzzle Company to produce the puzzles. It’s as simple as uploading the photos to their website and choosing the size puzzle you want. With puzzles in hand we affixed a magnet to the back of each individual piece.

2. The Placecards: Carolynn designed a simple placecard to complement our puzzles and sent over the file. We purchased Avery Inkjet Magnetic Business Cards (available online via Staples) to print the placecards on, separated them and voila! Magnetic placecards!

3. The Display: To display the placecards easily and visibly, we used four magnetic white boards from Ikea. You can hang them, lean them against the wall or even place them on easels! A magnetic puzzle was placed on top of each placecard so each guest took both with them to their table.

4. The Guestbook: We bought a large (24 x 36 in) canvas to use as the basis for our guestbook. We laid out the puzzles in the middle and traced around the perimeter to map out the area we needed to magnetize. We put down blue painter’s tape along our lines and painted the inside with magnetic primer (Home Depot). Three coats are required for the best hold and each coat dries in about 30 minutes.

To re-cap how the placecard to guestbook worked... We placed the placecards & individual puzzle pieces on the magnetic boards. Each guest took their puzzle piece to their table where they then assembled the puzzle with their tablemates. The table then collectively placed their puzzle on the magnetized canvas and signed around the border.

Phew, can you handle all that? My favorite part is that both components of the placecards are useful! The card itself is a magnet that you can use on your fridge and the puzzle becomes a keepsake for the couple! There's nothing like being resourceful!

Don't forget, if you love our concept, please take a moment to leave us some love over on EAD by clicking HERE! Have a wonderful weekend!

Aspiring to Inspire,

Kelly

Inspired Creations Contest: A Puzzling Pop Art Affair!

Oh boy am I excited to share this out-of-this-world post with you today! In case you haven't heard, the lovely ladies of Elizabeth Anne Designs and The Sweetest Occasion are hosting a contest, called the Inspired Creations Contest, where vendors were asked to compete and create a totally original, and totally realistic, wedding concept to inspire brides around the world! Well, I teamed up with Janice Carnevale of Bellwether Events, photographer Kurstin Roe and stationer Carolynn of Two Brunettes to create an eye-popping, innovative concept that I am so head-over-heels in love with. You can see it HERE on EAD and I've brought you some of the details below today! But be sure to scroll all the way to the end of the post to find out how and where to see more, and how you can play a part in this brilliant contest!

We wanted to incorporate puzzles into a wedding because it was something we hadn't seen before and something so perfect for a wedding motif! Then, we knew we wanted to stay away from the typical pastels and vintage fair that we see a lot in weddings nowadays. So, we decided to pair puzzle pieces with pop art for a bright and super fun wedding!

Carolynn designed a perfect invitation suite to get our mock guests excited about what was to come! In fact, you can download the template here for your very own wedding invitations!

Our place card turned guest book contest is probably my favorite part. In short, each guest gets a magnetic puzzle piece along with their place card that matches up to the puzzle pieces of everyone at their table. Together, each table must put together their puzzle and bring it over to a white board that has been painted with magnetic primer. Each table puts up their puzzle to create a totally pop art piece that all the guests can then sign around for a fantastic keepsake for the couple! Take note! I'll be bringing all the DIY details of this concept tomorrow so you can recreate this exactly as you see (or put your own spin on it!).

The cake was covered in white fondant and sprinkled with cute puzzle cutouts! Our cake topper was an Etsy find (yay!) and complemented the pop-art theme quite nicely if you ask me!

Now for the final, and my tied-for-favorite part, the photo booth! Wanna know the best part? All you need is a Mac laptop! Yes you heard me right, we set up a Mac laptop and used the pop art style in the Photobooth application. We created an irresistible set-up of props and masks-on-a-stick and all it took was one click and guests have an instant favor (provide a small printer and have your photographer's second-shooter man it). Doesn't get much better, or budget friendly than that, huh?

So, what do you think? I have to say I'm pretty happy with how the puzzles and pop art worked together, and now I really wish I could attend a wedding like this! Don't you?

Here's where you come in. First, if you want to find out all the details on who helped us out with this fabulous shoot head on over to Elizabeth Anne Designs where it is currently posted! Then, if you like our concept as much as I hope you do, be sure to leave a comment on our post on EAD (and feel free to leave one here as well!)!

I'll be back tomorrow with the low-down on the DIY elements of this concept so make sure you stop by! I hope you enjoyed our "puzzling" idea, and don't forget to comment by clicking HERE!

Aspiring to Inspire,

Kelly

As Seen On Etsy: Rouge Press

Who can resist fantastic letterpress stationery? Well, Rouge Press has a little something from everyone! If you're a bride, check out their gift tags, for favors, and note cards, for thank you notes! My favorite are the macaron tags! Wedding vendors, Rouge Press has so many perfect letterpress business cards I could cry! And last but not least, wedding guests or just party goers alike, you can make use of the even-more-numerous enclosure cards, great for short and sweet notes to pair with any gift!

{All Products and Images via Rouge Press' Etsy Shop}

Aspiring to Inspire,

Kelly

Color Inspiration: Edgy Black, Classic White and A Touch of Crystal

Today's palette was inspired by the contrast between those fantastic leather gloves and the fluffy tulle dress in the image below.  Everyone loves being girly sometimes (right?) but there's nothing wrong with having a little edge. Add a pop of crystals and you get total glamour.

Black and white and... sparkle all over? Mhm! I could die over those gloves, and wouldn't mind adding a few more dark accessories like this barrette and this necklace. A little bling on the shoes and some for the groom too! Of course, it pays to have a flower girl with a little attitude and an adorable black and white dog too!

{1. Bridal Ensemble via This is Glamorous, 2. Bouquet via It's Mary Ruffle, 3. Couple Shot via Grey Likes Weddings, 4. Shoes via Style Me Pretty, 5. Flower Girl Ensemble via Lilac and Grey, 6. Dog Shot via Once Wed, 7. Barrette by Kirsten Kuehn Designs, 8. Cufflinks by Somethingxtra Special, 9. Necklace by J. Crew} 

Why not ground every centerpiece (tulips preferred, and unexpected!) with a vintage mirrored tray? Black chairs and mirrors to bring in the edge and crystal chandeliers if your venue allows! I loved the doily as a charger and placecard idea in the latest Martha, and it is so perfect for this tablescape! Finish things off with a perfectly perfect black and white cake, or a pretty tiered tray with black and white cookies (they work as favors too!)!

{1. Chandelier via Wedding Chicks, 2. Doily Table Setting via Martha Stewart Weddings, 4. Tulip Centerpiece via The Sweetest Occasion, 7. Tiered Stand via Madame Cupcake, 8. Vanity Tray by Shorely Chic, 9. Staircase via Made by Girl}

Aspiring to Inspire,

Kelly

Notables: Chalkboard Decor

Chalkboards are the perfect wedding decor, and even the perfect favor because you can erase them and reuse them however you please! Now with chalkboard paint so readily available (and in so many different colors too!) you can turn just about anything into a ready-to-write-on chalkboard. Chalkboards can be used for menus or escort card displays, centerpieces or table numbers, favors or photo booth props (I am SO obsessed with those chalkboard thought bubbles)! You know how I love an item with endless options, and this is certainly one of them!

{Chalkboard Table Signs via Snippet & Ink}

{Chalkboard Sign via Country Living}

{Chalkboard Table Numbers via Living the Good Life}

{Chalkboard Thought Bubble via Red Velvet Art}

{Chalkboard Engagement Session via Ruffled}

{Chalkboard Centerpiece via Style Me Pretty}

{Chalkboard Menu via Elizabeth Anne Designs}

{Chalkboard Place Mats via Real Simple}

{Chalkboard Bowls via Project Wedding}

For a little extra flair, pair chalkboard favors (those bowls above would be perfect!) with DIY'd erasers, simply cover the back of classic chalkboard erasers with printed scrapbook paper or vintage wallpaper!

{PLUS Notable's Inspiration is updated, click here to be inspired!}

Aspiring to Inspire,

Kelly

Weddings, Etc.: The Loveliest Lingerie

I'm bringing you something I've never done before on Notable today... a little piece of fabulousness for after the wedding. I saw Naomilingerie featured on Etsy and fell head-over-heels in love with their whimsical and ultra-feminine lingerie. Really, I've never seen anything prettier. The fabrics are just so flirty and lovely, I could talk about this fab Etsy find all day! It may not be your typical honeymoon lingerie, but it's worth putting on your must-have list (Come on, I know we all have one!).

{All Products and Images via Naomilingerie's Etsy Shop}

Are you in love yet? Thought so!

Aspiring to Inspire,

Kelly