Fancy Footwork!

In. Love. with these fabulous Valentino bow-toed heels.  An absolute consideration for any classically stylish bride.
{Yes and a gorge pedi, great legs and fantastic dress certainly help the cause!}
{image credit}  both images via classic bride

Dreams of Sweets…MY San Francisco Treat!

While I’m barely able to keep my head above water as I catch up from being away, I gaze longingly at the petite take-away card from one of my favorite pastry shops in San Francisco.  Am I tormenting myself?  Perhaps.  But I must do this little shop justice and spend just a minute gushing…

We initially stumbled upon Miette in Hayes Valley – quite simply because we couldn’t miss it!  Caroline’s apartment sits happily atop the charming storefront!  {The other location is housed in the historic Ferry Building.}  I know I use the word charm as an adjective quite a bit, but I must profess, this cutie little shop simply oozes charm and must have been part of the words origin!

Miette’s owner, Megan Ray, originally started the company at a farmers market.  She notes influences from candy stores in Vienna to the wild blackberries growing around her home.  Her ingredients {oh the joy of living in Northern California} come from local, family owned farms and mills and are most often organic and sustainably produced.

Miette is known for many things – among them their gorgeous house-made desserts:  cakes, cupcakes, tarts, cookies to name a few.  In fact, unbeknownst to my love-at-first-sight {and bite}, Conde Nast named Miette one of the Top Ten Pastry Shops in the World!  Sweet Goodness – what an accolade!!!

Here is some more eye candy…

I am a sugar-candy lover!  {Said loud and proud!}  Beautiful jars of candy are displayed in an orderly fashion, waiting for the taking.

Oooh…the macarons.  Even though famed Paulette Macaron is less than two blocks away, I have to say Miette’s macarons were absolutely noteworthy!

A childhood favorite:  Cotton Candy!  The adorable boutique also creates the crave-worthy airy confection made-to-order!  My favorite was the vanilla bean.

These crispy house-made graham crackers were to die for with a chilled glass of milk!

{Sigh.}  Well, lucky for me {and not my thighs}, their cookies, macarons and confections are all available for mail order.  Perhaps we should make it a weekly delivery?

Sweet Dreaming…

{image credits}  images taken from miette website.  cotton candy image from martha stewart

Bella Bell’occhio!

After an absolute dreamy girls getaway to San Francisco, I’ve come back to Windy City realities…And while I’m usually quite obsessed and proud of our city – I find myself yearning for the mass amounts of charm that San Fran seems to offer around every corner, down every alley and in each sweet cafe.

It’s only been mere days, and I already miss the cutie shops and needed a fix of vintagey Frency finds – so a quick spin around San Francisco based shop Bell’occhio‘s general store-esq website must suffice.  Here are some of my favorites finds of the moment…
Cutie black and white striped grosgrain ribbon is the perfect way to adorn signage, bind hemstitch napkins at your next dinner party or to knot around your keys to fashion a simple {and cheap!} key-chain. 
These adorable ultra-mini scalloped cards and matching envelopes are the perfect way to inspire little notes of gratitude or amour.
This French ribbon would look beautiful binding the stems of a bridal bouquet of fluffy garden roses, ranunculus and peonies.
In. Love. with these perfect blackboard oilcloth mats.  Use them to assign seating at your next dinner party or used on the buffet to label the elements of your unfussy feast.
Renny first turned me onto this charming red and white string.  It looks fantastic wound around parcels, wax-paper wrapped sandwiches to-go or doing absolutely nothin’ but sitting on the shelf!
These petite letterpress frames can highlight a picture, a phrase or a fabric.  I adore the girly embellishments!
Who needs to spend time fussing with fancy wrapping paper when these fantastic aqua and red boxes are available in varied shapes and sizes!
While I have already begun to dream of my next visit to San Fran {a branch of Bliss, perhaps?!}, it’s nice to know some of my favorite shops can still provide a remedy for an uninspired afternoon from afar.
{image credits} all images taken from Bell’occhio

Summer Lovin’

This image was so inspiring to me…so encompassing of my vision of the essence of summer.
{Sigh…}  But who in the wedding world has summers like these?!  I am nutty busy with a great client wedding this weekend – with an immense amount of details and scheduled events for their intimate guest list of 350 of their closest friends!
Happy Summer.
{image credit} image found on flickr – lily of the valley 

Call Me Crazy…Pale Bridesmaid Dresses are Chic!

I know, I know…It’s all about the bride!  However, I think it is absolutely unexpected and ultra-modern to dress your pals in barely-hued bridesmaid dresses.

I absolutely love that the maids wore a truer white, and the bride selected a gown that was a whisper warmer in color.  
Varying the look and style of each dress allows your girls to feel more comfortable and confident…who knows, perhaps they’ll actually wear their dress again!  {unheard of!}
Pale nude tones are still fashionably – and flattering!
Set yourself apart by requesting that your ladies wear short dresses.
Tiring of the typical sage green bridesmaid dress?  Be bold by dressing your girls in the softest, palest tones!
{image credits} 1&2 from martha stewart.  3 unknown source.  4 from giaconali photography

Happy Wedding Day!

Off to a client wedding at Cafe Brauer…  Today is a gorgeous Chicago day – weather brides dream about!  It will be perfect for their outdoor ceremony!
I hope you all enjoy the weekend!
Xx.
Kara
{image credit} image taken from house beautiful

Dads Rule!

Happy Father’s Day!

I hope all the dads out there {new and old!} have a wonderful day…Today we celebrate YOU!

To my Daddio:  I’m so glad we get to celebrate together today!  Here’s to a wonderful year filled with health and happiness!  I love you SO much!

Love,
K

CS Bliss!

The new issue of CS Brides is available!  Brides and the bridal industry, alike, go bananas over the chic, glossy pages of the publication.

In addition to a beautiful Bliss feature from a wedding Renny did last year, a past client wedding of mine {back from my Botanicals Days} is also featured in this issue!

That said, what I really want to share is the new Bliss Ad from the photoshoot Renny and I did back in February with Artisan Events.  Cutie.  Give you one guess what our inspiration was??

Have a great weekend, enjoy the new issue!  {Either online or in hand!}

Real Event…For Your Perfect Picnic!

I had the most charming and special event this weekend.  A client hired me to help design and plan her daughters first bridal shower at the Wit Hotel.  The mother of the bride is beyond sophisticated with fantastic style and to say I had a blast working with her would truly be an understatement.
The guest list was an intimate group of gorgeous girls, most traveling to Chicago for the celebration.  Because of the small party, I was able to have creative direction and attention to details that we rarely have with our typical client weddings of around 200!  Too much fun!
We selected a charming theme {I know, I know – you thought I hated themes!  In my opinion, themes are acceptable for less formal events like showers!} of a gardeny, summery picnic.  I partnered with one of my absolute favorite designers, Cheree Berry to create the adorable invitations and unique printables to introduce guests to the inspired event.  
The ladybug motif was chosen to appear in just a few understated places as a reminder of the brides childhood.
The added cutie tandem bicycle was an unexpected accent on the outside of the invitation envelope.
On the day of the shower, guests were welcomed by a petite table that hosted a verdant patch of wheat grass upon which I placed a packed picnic basket, a colorful bridal bouquet and the invitation to set the tone for the lunchtime event.
The small rectangular picnic-like-tables were dressed in textured white sorrento linens from BBJ.  The gorgeous summery centerpieces were created by my great friend David of Lush Designs.  He made custom long, narrow fabric covered boxes that hosted a textural and casual collection of the seasons finest:  dahlias, ranunculus, tulips and gorgeous foliage. 
I had adorable, coordinating placemats made that added a casual, whimsical touch.
The centerpiece of the buffet table was a fresh manzanita tree for added height, centered in the beautiful picture window.
The petite swing was yet another whimsical accent that guests loved!
The light lunch menu of gourmet treats was finished with miniature cherry pies completed with adorable latticework.
One of my favorite tasks was to put together amazing favor bags for all guests to depart with.  A collection of items included an outdoor entertaining cookbook, custom gingham picnic blankets, bamboo cheese boards with matching knifes and a collection of sweet treats from the brides favorite local bakery.  The beautiful and bountiful bags were the inspiration each of the girls needed for their next perfect picnic.

Celebrate Love – For a Happy Anniversary!

Joel and I are celebrating our two year anniversary this week!  I feel such an imbalance of reality:  in one moment it feels like we were married just yesterday, while the next I feel like we’ve been together forever.

I told my husband {only mere days away from our anniversary} that anniversary gifts are to be romantic and special…so…No…we’re not exchanging gadgets or golf clubs.
I had so much fun putting together my gift and am nearly giddy with excitement about the sentiment, all thanks to a Bliss clients’ inspiration.

I enlisted the help of a knowledgeable sommelier to select a wine due to mature in the next 5-15 years.  I wanted an Italian wine {in honour of our dreamy honeymoon} and found a fragrant cedar wine box to store it in.

Here, a chocolate brown double-faced silk ribbon was the only adornment my rustic box needed.
For the next 8 years, Joel and I will write one another love letters on our anniversary.  We’ll write about where we are in our relationship, in our lives, and talk about dreams for our future together.  The letters will go sealed and unread into the wine box.
On our 10 year anniversary, Joel and I will open our delicious bottle of wine to share while reading our letters to one another.  Quite the celebration!  Alternatively, if we ever find ourselves in trouble, if we seem to have lost our way – the wine and letters can be used {in case of emergency} to remind one another how special our love is.
I don’t know how I got lucky enough to score a gorgeous bottle of wine and letters to share in just shy of a decade – but in the meantime, I also walked away from this anniversary celebration with gorgeous new sparkling bands to pair with my engagement ring!  All thanks to my sly husband!
Celebrare l’amore!
{image credits} k+j dance by gerber and scarpelli.  cutie writer via kate spade