Where can I get a bow like THAT?

I love this one, but I really want black velvet!
photography by Jonas Peterson (beautiful wedding photography)

Estadio, andale andale

For PB's birthday we went to a newish Spanish tapas restaurant called Estadio that was soooo good, I had to share some pictures. We started with 2 very delicious cocktails. I ordered a drink with tequila, cava, grapegruit and rosemary (very artfully floating) called a tecolate. The orange drink below is called a slushie and this one had quince, paprika, lemon, sherry and scotch in it. It was one of those drinks where you experience each flavor one after the other.

Then we had a bunch of little pintxos. The chorizo, manchego, pistachio and quince paste skewers were definitely our favorite. We were also super big fans of their octopus with a potato caper salad. Is there anything a caper cannot do? Have you ever had the super huge capers that are in pods? So good. But, for the record, my favorite octopus of all time is at Liberty Tavern.
But the real super star of the meal is the hanger steak with cherry tomatoes, pesto, and fried carrots . I can not emphasize enough how wonderful it was. Blair even literally said " this is the best steak I've ever had," and believe me, he's had a few. I will also say that they play the best restaurant music ever: talking heads, joy division, new order, the cure.

1520 14th Street NW (Logan Circle) http://www.estadio-dc.com/

the art of the bee hive

I don't know about you, but I like the whole return of the beehive. There are only so many things you can do with hair that needs another shower and this seems to be a good one. So I was so excited (when am I not) when this DiY guide appeared in the NY times the other day. Totally going to experiment with this for the rehearsal dinner.
photos from Fall 2010 Vera Wang

A week and a day

I wish someone had told me that once you get to a week away you are literally walking on air and stop caring about all the little stuff. All these details that seemed so important and photograph worthy are now simply extras. I can't wait!
Also, super excited to work with our photographer, Matt, from Our Labor of Love (whose work is featured above).

Clutch

What do you think about clutches and weddings? I totally didn't see the need for one until I saw this picture over on the Cherry Blossom Girl the other day. Now if I had THAT, then I would NEED one.

Look at these Escort Cards

For some reason, I am really into escort cards. I just like tickets, envelopes, tags, and other cute little square pieces of paper. I don't know, they convey something fun is happening. In any case, I loved these little tags that I saw over on Style me Pretty. photography by Millie Holloman

I heart Etsy

Is it possible to quantity the amount of awesomeness that is, Etsy? I could spend literally hours just trolling the different shops. There is literally a lack of space in my home for all the awesome finds. I pretty much find the best way to scout out the new shops is just to follow the links from the blogs and then mark the stores down as my favorite. So, here are just a few of mine....


DNTX's Weekender Bag, Berkeley Illustration's Cheetah print, Bestillshop's Chinese Toile de Jouy pillow cushion, 13 Bee's a star is born dress, Bittersugar's N is Narwhal, (click on the pictures for links)

What are yours?

Counting Down

I used to feel strange about how much time I invested in planning and thinking every trip I took. But I read this really fascinating article in the NY Times describing how spending money on experiences, like travel, is actually one of the most satisfying ways to spend your money. Turns out all that planning and anticipating your good times and then all the backward looking memories as you reminisce about your experiences brings you a lot more happiness than strappy sandals. So, what the heck...

PB and I were a bit slow to book our Rio hotels, so it looks like we will only be spending part of the time on the beach. While this at first seemed disappointing, it meant we have the opportunity to stay in this fabulous boutique hotel in the hills of Santa Teresa. Being a huge fan of dark wood, white walls, and , I know I'm going to want to emulate parts of this style in my own place.


Gorgeous, right? Do you obsess over planning your trips?

on Nerdom and Fashion (aka Back to School)

I was always a nerd. While this sometimes made school a less than pleasant place to be, I always looked forward to returning to school at the end of every August. For one, I was lucky to have inspiring teachers and secondly, I love fall clothing. And what is more fall than Cynthia Steffe's fall 2010 collection? It's got kneesocks, wool, capes, berets, camel and gray. I wish I had been cool enough to pull off some of these looks back then, but, hey, it's never too late to make up for lost time.

Were you too cool for school?

All images via Style.com

For a Change

I think I am forced to take a break from my love of all white bedding for a moment due to the beautiful and warm coloring of this room. I love the mix of flowers, stripes, and squares. Plus that platform bed is to die for.

photography by Rachel Whiting

It's here (no not that!)

Today I leave for New York to celebrate the end of my singleness (but not singularity) with honestly the most eclectically wonderful group of women. I have been trying to figure out my wardrobe for weeks..I know it's shallow but I don't care.

image via {this is glamorous}

Wedding Envy (Vintage English Wedding)

Man, I don't know if it's because my own wedding is so close, but suddenly I am having some serious pangs of wedding envy. I think I'm already mourning the fact that soon I will have no more wedding to plan. I can totally understand why so many bridal bloggers end up going into event planning full time...it's really enjoyable. That said, I cannot wait to have real conversations with PB again, as opposed to "did you do...?"

Anyway, I digress. First there was this one. And then I stumbled upon this way too cute and stylish vintage English wedding yesterday on Ruffled.
I love that it's stylish but not trendy. That the bride and groom didn't take the traditional whole process too seriously but still created a beautiful event. Go see many many more pictures here and here.

photography by Lisa Devlin

a new snack...

This weekend I made toasted bread with a little olive oil, heirloom tomatoes, avocado, and salt and pepper. It was soooo delicious. I think the key was this awesome olive oil we got from La Tienda. While it wasn't super cheap it was exponentially better than anything I've found in the store.

Jaw Droppingly Cute Wedding

I mean...seriously?! go see the rest of it at Style me Pretty.

Look: At this wedding hairstyle

I think doing a full behive might be a bit much for your wedding, but this seems like a happy medium: trendy but still classic.

via Forget Me Knot Weddings, photography by Ashley Rose

Wednesday = Half Way

Last Friday we stayed in and snacked on olives and aged gouda and drank delicious coney island beer on our balcony. I love the salt crystals in Gouda! We also worked on making flavored salts (for our wedding favors) and tried them on delicious sea scallops. Saturday I went miniature golfing at the H street country club and discovered...I'm not so good at it. And Sunday we went to the Eden center and got Bahn Mi.

I cannot wait for this weekend. All my west coast and DC friends are converging in New York for my bachelorette party. I have no idea what we're doing, which makes it even more exciting.