berry boutenniers

listen I'm not saying I'm going to start my own biz making these suckers(never know), but well these were my 1st ones...I think they're pretty rad!...I am putting together a wedding for a wonderful bride who seems to have all the faith in the world in me;) and I have been having so much fun planning her wedding! This is the 1st wedding I have done since I started working for I DO Weddings in August, where I'm doing pretty much EVERYTHING!! planning, coordinating, flowers, bartending(yep!),hair/ makeup, shopping for the bride, put up, tear down, and all sorts of crafts!! Sounds like alot, but truly it has been such a joy!!!! I have loved working with all the brides I have had the priviledge of working with and this wedding has been a blast! The colors for this lovely fall, martha stewart(ish) farm wedding are burgundy & clover green. I wanted to do something simple for the groom/groomsmen to wear that did not have flowers...something more natural looking. What do you think?!

Mexican made easy

I am a huge fan of Mexican food...I crave it & almost feel I could eat it everyday, except for the fact I like a little variety in my menu. On the weekends I watch cooking shows as soon as I wake up for an hour or so, then I am ready to cook up some yummy weekend dinners. As obsessed as I am with cooking shows & looking up recipes, I often just think of things that sound like a delicious combination then write it down, and sometimes never even make again, even if it's out of this world, because like I said I like alot of variety. I thought of this recipe on a Sunday afternoon, (which is usually when I get my inspiration). I think because I'm so in-love with fall & fall meals that instead of an actual casserole, I just wanted to come up with an easy one-pot meal, that was delicious & well of course Mexican. So here's what I threw together, and let me tell you(it must be REALLY good for me to do the following) I ate it everyday for lunch that week! I'm calling it Mexican MoJo, because I did have a dish I already named this, but this one blows it out of the water!! I do not get to exact with my recipes since I'm usually trying to get creative & use what we have without buying too many additional ingredients...

p.s. this makes a freaking ton...so it is plenty for a family of 4 maybe more

1 box Rice a Roni spanish rice
1 fresh jalapeno diced
1 fresh red pepper diced
1/4 cup red onion diced
1 can corn drained
1 can black beans drained & rinsed
5 cubes of frozen cilantro(I get these at Trader Joes, but you can use fresh)
crumbled goat cheese for garnish

cook spanish rice according to package directions(it will have you add the canned tomatoes to the mix)when the rice is almost done cooking add the rest of the ingredients into the skillet, unless you like your veggies softer then you can add in beginning.
*for Ryan I added 1 cooked boneless skinless chicken breast seasoned with pepper after I portioned ours out into bowls. Use how ever much or little you want of ea.ingredient(except for rice & tomatoes)...Enjoy!!!

Wedding goodness

So I have been super busy this summer with weddings....hair, makeup, planning, coordinating, flower arrangments, bouquets, and well anything wedding related!! I have had so much fun!! I haven't been updating you all on these weddings as much as I'd like to...but last weekend I did some prettyness on the bride,Sarah Bell's hair(and her bridesmaids) with a little braid to jazz it up a bit. Last night I met with the beautiful Lauren to do a practice run for her wedding hair. More to come after Sept 4 when I tackle 2 weddings in one day..brides & bridesmaids hair/makeup...Whew!!!

p.s. sorry for the poor pic quality...had my camera on the wrong setting...bummer!!

Go bananas!

So before we left for Cape Cod...I stopped by Marble Slab to surprise my man with some ice cream...and I always know when I go there, there will be nothing for me that has little or no dairy...unless I ordered uh toppings...no good...BUT when I spotted a dark chocolate covered banana with chopped nuts on top I thought about it for weeks, before I finally made Ryan go with me one night after dinner to grab one...yummy!!!! It was huge & yes I managed to eat every bite!!! That's what happens when you let a craving go for too long!!!

Sweet Nothings....

While on one of my favorite blogs here...I was pleased to see she had listed the little things in life she loves...I thought I would copy her & do the same;) Sometimes I find myself looking at all the little bummers of my day instead of focusing on the ...things that make me smile...What makes you smile?? Let's start a trend!!

1.notes in my lunch bag from my boyfriend
2.waking up on Saturday mornings to make a yummy breakfast & coffee
3.that 1st sip of a Starbucks black iced tea
4.hearing old music such as Billy Holiday
5.when I see someone helping someone else out...even the smallest act of kindness
6.the smell of angel food cake cupcakes baking in the oven
7.a freshly cleaned house, with the smell of candles burning
8.crisp air from open windows in the evening
9.the sound of leaves swishing on the pavement
10.fresh flowers

*image of a bakery on Harvard Campus;)

Round 2 for baby...

While were on the topic of pictures...my gorgeous sis who's preganant with baby #2..(eh hem..a girl I might add;) requested we come to Indiana for a maternity photo shoot, we both jumped at the chance... me to pretend to be an art director;) & Ryan to actually take the pics. My animated nephew also joined in on some of the pics as well as my hilarious brother-in-law. Ryan spent 3 days taking pics of them... so he got quite a variety but here are some of my favs!

photo shoot friday

So I basically forced Ryan to do a photo shoot, to kill time before our usual Friday night movie night. I have had all these ideas for pictures running thru my head & a bundle of vintage dresses begging to come out and play. It was so fun to play dress up & also help my man build his portfolio! Here's a few clips;)

Dream Couch

Ok so I've wanted this couch for about 4.5 years now! Every trip into Restoration Hardware brings me face to face with this beauty here, and I have to resist the urge to pull out my one credit card I never use to purchase it...It has the deepest cushions so you can comfortably lay side by side with your man or pup;)...I could imagine sinking into on Saturday mornings with a coffee and a throw & once I want a change with the main room furniture, I will retire it to a movie room in the basement.....ahhh until then I'll dream...

Hurry up Fall!

I do not by any means want to wish the summer away...because I know in the middle of winter...I will wish it were warm again. However, I absoloutely love fall...love the clothes, soups, the sound of the leaves swishing around, coffee drinks, chilly nights, and cozy sweaters. I decided to get a head start and purchase a few fall pieces. Forever 21 is usually my go to when I wanna get a bunch of cute stuff for very little...I realize there's a chance I may be getting to old to shop at Forever 21, but frankly I don't care. Some things are worth splurging on & some are not...I choose to not splurge on clothes unless it's something I'm sure I'll get a lot of use of!! So here's some of the items on their way to my home & some I'm still thinking about...I'm loving all the black/white for fall!!

Back from the Cape...

Back from the long awaited vaca. to Cape Cod/Boston...It's funny how you wait so long for a trip/event...planning your days there, outfits, anticipating seeing friends & family..then it comes & goes so quickly. 11 days in a lovely location, I could have had a new adventure everyday there with all the nooks of the Cape.A gorgeous & blast of a beach wedding for Ryan's sister & new hub, Dave. Danced the night away, ate delicious food,& drank wine....all on a breezy summer Cape night...ahhhh Not much relaxation day of wedding though... I tackled 9 updos/styles for the wedding...once wedding was over we had a chance to dig into to the shops,eats,beaches and spend quality time with Ryan's family. Once back in Boston we enjoyed long train rides into the city to see my good friends Beau & Jen for some more touristy activities. Such a fun adventure, but also so nice to be back in the swing of things in Nashville.

All the lovely photography provided Ryan Clement
(the bride & groom,a day at the beach,coming into Boston by boat

If I went to Harvard...

pictures from Fashion Gone Rogue in Elle UK July 2010

Hello my lovelies! Happy 4th to everyone! What are your plans? My man & I are grillin' dogs & stuffed jalapenos along with some homemade fries...Yummy! Nothin' fancy. Since we are finally headed to the wonderful Cape Cod in just a few short days, we are hanging in to clean & pack. I don't know about you,but I like to come home after a getaway to a fresh house. I will have to send some pics your way from our trip upon returning. After lounging at the beach in my big black floppy hat drinking martinis(this is what I envision, when in reality it will probably be me in a summer dress drinking a corona;), we will be heading back in to Boston for a Red Sox game & some whale watching with my best bud Jen & her husband, Beau.We are also going to try to venture to Harvard just to check it out, maybe pop into some cool New England coffee shops/bars...I keep imaginging they have these cool little spots on campus,with that in mind...I thought I'd include some pics of what I'm dreaming I would wear if I went to Harvard ...these smarty pants, sexy, fall clothes. Very much looking forward to some time off to hang with Ryan's fam.& clear my overloaded mind.

Lovely Updo

Check out the blonde's lovely updo from Redken show...

Yummy sweater

photo from Tommy Ton

Can I please crawl into this yummy sweater on a fall day & read the Sunday paper, while drinking my 1/2 coffee, 1/2 almond milk, with a scoop of raw sugar....just before I slip on some leggings(unlike this pantless young lady;)& flats and walk to the local bookstore for a day of flipping thru cookbooks & design magazines...Can I?

Sink In

Oh how I want to sink into this tub after a long day at the beach. I'd turn that cute little fan on to cool down & open the window for some fresh air & the smell of fresh flowers just outside the window...ahhh

Tough as nails

I would feel like a total BA in any one of these pairs!

Holy Hot Hair

Meet Kate Lanphear...I just stumpled upon her on the JAK&JIL blog! click here If I were feeling frisky..I may just hop on over to the salon this wk. for this hot style! In so much love with it! Then I picture when I don't wanna style it & it's mad curly...I just would scream!!! Still nice thought for maybe a day when I decide I wanna be higher maintenance;)
ps also LOVING her style...