contest

May 27

You make me fly!

il_570xn244705372

il_fullxfull244733221

il_fullxfull244705378

Happy Friday! We found a cute alternative to the traditional guestbook and one that’s more interactive and, can we say, adorable! This Guestbook Balloon Kit by Bleu De Toi (meaning “crazy for you” in France and Belgium) will encourage your guests to leave their thumbprints, and at the end of the day, you’ll have a beautiful custom art to post on the wall of your new home! Pretty awesome!

categories COLOR PALETTES, FRESH VENDOR, INSPIRATION, Uncategorized, WEDDING DECOR

1comments
April 30

{Happy Weekend}

Hello everyone! I hope you all have wonderful plans for your weekend.  We’ve been a bit quiet here on the blog because of lots of exciting things that we have coming up!  First, we are working hard on Issue 009, our lovely Eva is working on opening her first retail boutique, The Wedding Pantry, and I am working on building my business as an event/wedding planner under Red Velvet Occasions! Here is a roundup of our favorite links from the week.

picture-61
[Image via Yes, Please]

A gorgeous, clean and fresh South African wedding

Love Mad Men? Then you’ll love this Save the Date

Tips for creating an inspired dessert table by Merci New York

Recipe tea towels for your foodie friends

How cute is this welcome package for your guests?

An Indian wedding filled with vibrant colors

categories JOURNAL, Uncategorized

0comments
March 15

{Modern Weddings} Bella Figura Invitations & Save the Dates

Bella Figura offers absolutely beautiful letterpress invitations and save-the-date announcements, designed/created by some of the best letterpress designers in the country. In keeping with our modern theme for issue 08, I have picked a few of their more modern pieces to share:

picture-71

All of their creations are created with a lot of love, passion, and attention to detail.

picture-83

I especially love visiting their blog, which is updated regularly to share inspiration, custom designs, and sneak peeks!

picture-63

I love how their use of color makes the lines just pop off the page!

picture-10

[Images via Bella Figura]

alison_sign4

categories Uncategorized, WEDDING INVITATIONS & STATIONERY

0comments
February 23

{Feels Like Home}

picture-16

A couple weeks ago Eva wrote an entry about how she knew her husband was “The One”.  I often wonder how I will know when my future husband comes along.  A couple of years ago I read a bride-to-be’s story (I wish I could find it!) of how her and her fiance went to their church’s pre-marital counseling.  When the priest asked her fiance why he wanted to get married to her he replied, “because she feels like home.”  *Swoon* right? I thought his explanation was so sweet, and felt that that’s how I would know if I had met “The One”.

picture-19

Later, I discovered a song by Chantal Kreviazuk called “Feels Like Home“. Her words so perfectly describe how I *think* I will feel when the right person comes along. As much as I can wonder about who this mystery man is and how I will feel about him, I know it will be so much more than I could have ever imagined. I can’t wait for it to happen!

I wish I could have found a better video, but this is one of the less cheesier ones out there :) (I also wish I could have posted the video here, but I am still learning Wordpress, so please click the YouTube link above!)

Here are the lyrics:

Somethin’ in your eyes, makes me wanna lose myself
Makes me wanna lose myself, in your arms
There’s somethin’ in your voice, makes my heart beat fast
Hope this feeling lasts, the rest of my life

If you knew how lonely my life has been
And how long I’ve been so alone
And if you knew how I wanted someone to come along
And change my life the way you’ve done

{Chorus} It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I’m all the way back where I come from
It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I’m all the way back where I belong

A window breaks, down a long, dark street
And a siren wails in the night
But I’m alright, ’cause I have you here with me
And I can almost see, through the dark there is light

Well, if you knew how much this moment means to me
And how long I’ve waited for your touch
And if you knew how happy you are making me
I never thought that I’d love anyone so much

{Chorus}

[Images via Amy and Stuart Photography]

alison_sign7

categories JOURNAL, Uncategorized

1comments
February 17

A time for celebration: Fleur De Lys

eva-blog-pic1If you remember our first issue, we shared with you one of our dear friend’s new bridal registry.  They’ve since doubled in size and are having their grand re-opening party. If you’ve never stopped by their cute boutique, you really should go on Feb. 25th. Keep reading and you’ll see why we love them.

Fleur De Lys Celebrates the Opening of Newly Expanded Store
and Raises Funds for Human Options

February 18, 2010, Costa Mesa, CA – Fleur De Lys unveils its newly renovated and expanded store on Thursday, February, 25 with a daylong celebration from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm. Ten percent of the day’s sales will be donated to Human Options, the Orange County non-profit that has been helping battered women and their families to safety for the past 29 years.


Fleur De Lys, the home & gift boutique which opened in 2004, has more than doubled the size of its 17th street location. The expanded store features kitchen and bath showrooms by Studio Zing Designs, a full-service bridal registry suite, gourmet tasting bar, original work by local artisans, and more than 2,500 square feet of home decor, candles, apothecary, jewelry, stationery, table-top, gourmet, and culinary gadgets.


Fleur De Lys co-owner Josephine Pfeiffer says, “It’s always been an important part of our mission to give back to our community. There are so many people right here in our own neighborhood who need help, and Human Options reaches so many through its various educational and outreach programs.” The group’s multi-faceted approach to service ensures that women have every resource available to them to start a new life. In addition to the 10 percent donation Fleur De Lys is making, Plums Café is partnering in the fundraising effort by donating 10 percent of its dinner sales from the evening to Human Options.


The all-day event will feature a tasting station hosted by Plums Café & Catering, door prizes, free gifts, and appearances by metal artist Cindy Linn, Christa Hozie, creator of the Brown Butter Sea Salt Cookie, chocolate artisan Diana Phillips, and jewelry artisans Grant and Mindy Searcey. There will be a champagne reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.


The concept for the new space began as way to create a community hub where neighbors can find everything from a quick gift to stylish household necessities. Fleur De Lys owners, Pfeiffer and Shannon Ritter, also plan to use their boutique as a forum to host community events and meetings. The idea evolved when Pfeiffer and Ritter, met Kathleen Jewell and Catherine Monaghan of Studio Zing Designs. Studio Zing was looking for a new showroom location in Orange County but didn’t like the stale environment of most kitchen showrooms. Pfeiffer and Ritter wanted to add a kitchen to their store as a way to promote their gourmet and culinary items and to showcase their table top lines. “It really just made perfect sense,” explains Ritter, “They needed a place to put their kitchens and we needed a kitchen!”


The expansion took on a life of its own and became a community project. Local trades-people, contractors, manufacturers, and installers all pulled together and pitched in to create a truly innovative retail environment. “We’ve had flooring companies, counter top installers, appliance vendors, and cabinet manufacturers help us by providing showroom samples and the labor to get everything done. It was a real team effort,” says Ritter. “As a result, we’ve created a true community store where you can find all the resources for a home-improvement project under one roof and still get great gifts and home decor. We’ve got everything… including the kitchen sink!”


About Fleur De Lys

Fleur De Lys is located in the heart of the Costa Mesa shopping district at 369 East 17th Street. The home, lifestyle and gift boutique was opened in 2004 by former Saks Fifth Avenue executives and friends Josephine Pfeiffer and Shannon Ritter. The two friends wanted to create an upscale boutique with a comfortable coffee-house vibe where people could find great gifts and special items for their homes at affordable prices.


Mission Statement

“Our mission is to provide a welcoming environment for all and to serve as a platform of support for local artisans and trades-people. Our goal is to foster a sense of community through the open exchange of ideas, talents, products, and services.”


I hope to see you all there!

eva_sign1

categories EVA'S JOURNAL, Uncategorized

0comments