I heart. . .

The first time I visited MCASD in La Jolla was on a field trip (I was not 7 years old, nor was I on a yellow school bus). I was actually about 20 years old and it was for one of my Art major courses at San Diego State. I of course was blown away by some of these amazing local artists, photographers, sculptors, conceptual innovators! It was so refreshing to be amongst modern art and get away from Art History 101 for awhile ( I still love you, Seurat). But mostly, I was so in awe of the architectural design of this building that it really made me appreciate not only the art inside but this magnificent shell around it! You know the saying, 'location, location, location...' there is not a better view than the one from the west glass walls on the 2nd floor... it's La Jolla Coves at it's finest! Such an expansive view of Cuvier Park, the seals, a bit of downtown city La Jolla and well, the Pacific.

I guess you could say I had my little heart set on that little museum from the moment I stepped foot in it. I booked the Museum for June 26, 2010, the day of our 9 year anniversary and I couldn't be happier. I love how when I first took Paul there he just said...'this is it'. A lovely blend of his favorite thing and mine; the ocean and art. I can't wait to continue the planning process with Eric Reichman, the helpful MCASD Event Coordinator, then perhaps have lunch at The Museum Cafe, one of Giuseppe Ciuffa's masterpiece dining spots right there on the site...mmmm, please try their Ultimate Grilled Cheese. Seriously. Run, don't walk.

Planning an Engagement Party!

It's been a wild summer... so here I am, a handful of out of state weddings, bridal showers, baby showers and bachelorettes later, finally posting something about the big day!

My mom and I decided it'd be nice to throw an engagement party...hey, you only do this once so you'd better make it fun! She suggested a cocktail party with a few close friends and family, some good music and a delicious spread. How does one say no to that? Of course my first reaction was: invites! I love all things paper-related and can browse a stationery store for much longer than is really neccessary. Please let me tell you about my new-found discoverey at paper-source.com and the Paper Source store at The Forum in Carlsbad... too good to be true. They have all you need, especially if you're a D.I.Y. kind of gal like myself. They carry specialty fine paper, paper with prints, ribbon, custom rubber stamps, all pieces needed for an invitation suite and accessories in every color under the sun. I got the long, black, open-end envelopes to put my invite in, which I designed and got printed, cut up a yard of their beautiful silk ribbon dyed from old chinese silk parachutes and put it all on a black cardstock flat card for a nice border. I think they came out well! I love the splash of that dark teal ribbon as a little pull tab when you first open the envelope...I told you I was obsessed with this paper stuff! At least most things from The Paper Source are produced with 30% post-consumer waste and are visibly stamped with the "PS Green Choices" symbol.

My dahlia-like design on the invite was inspired from some green button mums I had that week in my living room...another thing I am obsessed with, botany! So basiaclly I'm the crazy paper/plant lady.

Creating a Style File Folder

I have a black 3-ring binder folder of magazine cut-outs, online print-outs and bridal show hand-outs that I've been saving for years! This is something my mother and I began to do when we aimlessly flipped through bridal magazines. We would just get 'inspired' and wanted to remember these creative ideas in the future. Being in the wedding, design and event industry, I've seen some really beautiful ideas out there so the folder has really helped me narrow down all my favorite things I want to do and incorporate into the big day. It's also helped immensely in the decision making process. 

No matter if it's a fabric swatch, a pattern you saw in Architectural Digest or a red carpet hairstyle you saved to your desktop favorites- save and print these out! Chances are, you will forgot these little things when your big day draws near, so always keep it handy and you can edit through that folder later on. But if it strikes you in any way; color, design, shape, style- rip it out and save it!

Getting Engaged!

First things first...after 8 long years, it's finally time to seal the deal (with a kiss, of course)! Paul and I are now officially engaged and we'd like you all to share in this whirl wind of a year we have ahead of us!

It started with a gift Paul's mom, Cheryl, gave to us...a beautiful marquise diamond from her marriage with Paul's dad, Mike. This ring holds wonderful sentiment to both Paul and myself. Such an incredibly generous gift was given to us and we are very thankful for that. Being a designer myself, I knew just who to go to for a beautiful custom designed engagement ring...Jeff Martin at John Franklin Jewelers. Together we collaborated on something very unique and gorgeous. Jeff is such an easy going guy to work with and really talked us through the whole ring process. Plus he got us hooked on the popular growing trend of a beautiful metal called Palladium as opposed to white gold or platinum. As a radiant, naturally white metal, Palladium offers things that both white gold and platinum cannot. Jeff's been working with this fine metal for over a decade, so I trusted his recommendation. I'm so happy with our choices and both Paul and I would highly recommend stopping by John Franklin Jewelers for all your wedding and engagement ring needs!