Here's How: Honoring the Hometown

A friend recently lamented that she wont be holding her wedding in her hometown due to travel restrictions for many of her fiancé’s family members. We wanted to find a way to help her honor her roots during her celebration and here are a few of our ideas that anyone can incorporate into their own wedding:

 Your state flower or tree can be used to make a wreath for the sanctuary doors or for aisle decorations. Are there local artisans who make pottery, baskets or candles that can be utilized during the ceremony? How about a pillow embroidered with key locations and famous spots in your state to carry your rings? 

Spray yourself with a perfume that features the scent of your state flower—and use it on future anniversaries to bring back the memories of your big day!

 During your reception, there are more opportunities to showcase the work of local craftsmen via baskets for bread or favors, state themed glassware and dishware. Locally made jams or specialty foods are perfect for favors or to eat during the reception, as are cookies and other baked goods from your favorite hometown bakery. Is your state known for being the birthplace of a food or drink related company? How about displaying those items with tags explaining the origins of the company?

 Need more ideas? How about using the seeds of your state flower during your farewell walk out of the reception or as a favor for your guests. Your state bird can make for a lovely cake topper or as a part of your centerpieces. Your state flag (or even your college logo) can be attached to drink stirrers and maps of your hometown can be cut into darling confetti. There’s no reason to leave your hometown out of the equation if it’s important to you. The options are endless!

If you don’t know the specifics about your state, you can find information HERE!

WHAT/ WHERE:

Glasses à Uncommon Goods

Plate à My Granny’s Attic

Moravian Cookies à Mrs. Hanes

Birds à Andrea by Sadek and Save on Crafts

Map confetti à Maps

Seeds à Eden Brothers

Wreath à Worchester Wreath Co.

Candles à Bee Hive Candles

Pillow à Cat Studio

State Facts à www.50states.com

Do It Yourself : Time Capsule

A man in France ordered that his home be sealed for 100 years after his death. The home was recently reopened and serves as a fascinating view into the lives of the French in the early 1900’s. While we find the idea of an entire house functioning as a time capsule we don’t happen to have an extra home to spare.

Instead, we made a box sized time capsule and filled it with personal mementos, business cards, and questionnaires that covered all the details of our lives in that moment. We buried it in a garden and plan to open it in 5 years. It will be so much fun to see what has changed, what has come to fruition, and what has stayed the same. Here’s what you’ll need to make one yourself:

WHAT/ WHERE:

French House à BBC News

Box à Save On Crafts

Bags à Ziploc

Paper à Kate’s Paperie

Markers à Sharpie

Charmed : Abigail Reynolds

With all of the 3D movie hoopla going on these days, 3D feels played out. Played out, that is until we discovered Abigail Reynolds’ 3D paper and print work.

We love the way the 3D elements really pull the viewer in and give a feeling of being present with the locations and structures. 

WHAT/WHERE:

You can see more of her work here à Abigail Reynolds

Do It Yourself : Care Packages

One of the universal truths we’ve discovered over the past few years is that everyone – male or female, young or old – loves snail mail. Care packages are the holy grail of parcel post.  They’re a great way to stay in touch and send a little love and they aren’t difficult or expensive to make.

Our dear friend Shaun recently moved to Canada. He’s one of the most talented designers we know and we can’t wait to see the first collection under his new label!

We decided to send him a care package to inspire him as he develops his new line of clothing. Here’s how we did it:

 Shaun mentioned that his new collection will be inspired by the Native Americans of Canada. We decided to throw together some earthy elements like wooden buttons, turquoise beads, strips of leather, and earthen colored zippers to inspire him. We also made some silly composite pictures of his head superimposed on the body of a designer taking his final bow down the runway and paper feathers galore. 

The Final Contents looked like this:

 Another dear friend, Mary Katherine, has been slaving away at her job for the past several months. We decided to send her a care package to make her workspace a little bit more enjoyable. Here are some goodies to send the workhorse in your life:

WHAT/ WHERE:

Buttons à M&J Trimming

Leather à Tandy Leather Factory

Zippers à Zipper Stop

Memo Mouse Pad  and pencil holder à Galison

Stapler à See Jane Work

Paper Clip à Fred Flare

What We Want : Bright Pants

Maybe it’s the chilly weather or the abundance of beige we’re seeing on the streets but we have been craving color in our lives! We just painted our walls with blue and teal stripes but it isn’t enough. We want more vibrancy to counter these overcast days we’ve been having.

Enter the bright pant.

While we haven’t been seeing them on the streets, we’ve found bright pants in stores all over. We suggest pairing these statement pieces with white tops and neutral colored accessories. Beige, light brown, and white allow the color to pop and keep the look sophisticated instead of clownish. For full effect, pair the pop of color with another bright pop via nails or a statement necklace. 

WHAT/ WHERE: 

(Far Left) Blue à Opening Ceremony

Green à Zara

Pink à Cycle

Yellow à Opening Ceremony

Light Blue àCycle

Light Green à Ralph Lauren

Light Yellow à Quicksilver

Idolatry : Chloe Fleury

We love the whimsical yet grounded and intricate work of Chloe Fleury. From her graphic designs and sketches to her paper creations, every piece allows the mind to wander into an enchanted world of possibilities. It’s like a picture book for grownups!

Self Portrait:

Graphic Design of a Business Card for a Client:

Part of her San Francisco Installation:

Just a little something she whipped up for fun:

Don't you want to live in these magical worlds she creates? We think her work would make the perfect background for a fashion mag. photo shoot or a catalog. Don't you?

WHAT/WHERE:

To see more of her work go here à Chloe Fleury

Do It Yourself : Friendship Bracelets

We have seen friendship bracelets everywhere from the runways to the red carpet. We went on a hunt to see some of the designer versions and were shocked at the price tags!

Not to fear! You can make your own for a fraction of the cost and with far more symbolism for your cherished friends and you! 

Instructions and patterns can be found HERE.

An even easier version of a friendship bracelet is the wrap bracelet.

WHAT/ WHERE:

Floss à HSN

Book 1 à Borders

Book 2 à Amazon

Charmed : Graffiti

Graffiti is everywhere these days. Gone are the days of boring tags and basic shapes. Contemporary graffiti artists are pushing their designs to new, astounding limits.

Graffiti seems to have gone mainstream. With graffiti artists being commissioned for public works, sold-out gallery shows, and even TV specials on the world of these street artists, the “renegade” element seems to be diminishing by the minute. Despite our hesitations, we recently watched the most fascinating documentary on this subject, Exit Through The Gift Shop.

If you haven’t heard of it, check out the trailer:

The film was such an unexpected ride filled with twists and turns that kept us riveted. If this film doesn’t sate your hunger for the world of graffiti, how about some graffiti inspired chocolate?

We think these cheeky little chocolate bars are just the thing you need when watching the flick.

Now go on and get inspired to make some art of your own!

WHAT/ WHERE:

Film à Exit Through the Gift Shop

Chocolate à Chocolate Bar NYC

What We Want : Vesuvio Bakery

We have a dreadful sweet tooth. No matter what we eat or how full we may be, there is always room for dessert. Enter Vesuvio Bakery, home of the world’s best cookie.

 That’s not hyperbole. We will say definitively that Vesuvio Bakery in New York City holds the title for the most delicious cookies we’ve ever tasted. You’ve got to try one for yourself!

WHAT/ WHERE:

Cookies à Vesuvio Bakery

Charmed : Fashion is Pain

Paper cuts are the worst but we think the irritation just might be worth it if it means we can wear these playful bandages.

WHAT/ WHERE:

Bandages à Perpetual Kid

Noted : A Q&A on Constellations

Question: What’s a print that’s cheeky enough to be a head turner but subtle enough to be chic?

Answer: Constellations.

WHAT/ WHERE:

Runway à Dolce & Gabbana

Gloves à Nordstrom

Ankle Boots à Nasty Gal

Fire Pit à Sundance

Ring à Sundance

Dress à All Saints

Bag à Mod Cloth

Necklace à Max & Chloe

Perfume à Karl Lagerfeld

Flats à Fendi

Tank Top à Endless Wishes

You Can’t Be Serious : Bug Bags

Maybe we’re just not the target market but we think these bug bags -- that simulate bugs infesting your food—are just plain gross.

 Ok, we concede, they’d be good for pranks? What do you think?

WHAT/ WHERE:

Bug Bags à Perpetual Kid

Charmed : Don’t Get a Big Head

We stumbled upon this “Head Costume” design by artist Eric Testroete and were fascinated with the process. He used a mixture of computer generated imagery and good old fashion puzzle work with glue to make an oversized copy of his head. 

Imagine if he made enlarged duplicates of exotic animals or flowers that you could showcase in your home? The potential is endless…

WHAT/ WHERE:

Head Costume à Eric Testroete

What We Want : Mini Menagerie

These woodland inspired accessories are so whimsical yet adult. We love all things miniature but sometime mini can become kitschy. Designer Mai McKemy manages to make her little pieces elegant.

WHAT/ WHERE:

Jewelry à Woodland and Belle

For the Book Lover in Your Life

Lea, the woman behind Faerie Dust Art Prints, designs original artwork by printing vintage images on antique book pages and adding her own designs and details to the print. We love the handsome yet whimsical nature of these works. At only $10 per piece, a set of these original works would be the perfect gift for any book lover you know!

We love a good mixture of whimsy and elegance. We think these glass jar bookends fit the bill as well.

WHAT/ WHERE:

Art à Faerie Dust Art Prints

Jars à The Library Store

Do It Yourself : Chic Chair Cushions

We recently renovated our dining room and discovered three things when it comes to the seating area:

1.    Chair cushions can make quite an impact in a very easy and inexpensive way.

2.     The cushions on the market are largely frumpy and boring.

3.     Photos inside the table are a great conversation starter.

Let’s start at the beginning…

A simple way to add a pop of color or pull together the colors you’re already using in the room is through a set of chair cushions. We were so disappointed with our options while searching for cushions that would coordinate with our new color palate! 

Sure, we found a few fabulous chair cushions in the stores– but they cost over $50 per cushion. That was our entire budget for the cushion project and just one chair cushion for the room would look a little off, no?

So, we decided we’d try our hand at making our own cushions and it turned out to be inexpensive and very simple. Here’s how we did it:

Charmed : Spinning a Tale

The saying, “its jewelry that tells a story” has never rung quite as true as it does with these necklaces by Emily Rothschild . The spinning pendant has charming images on both sides that create an “animation” when put into motion.

WHAT/ WHERE:

Spin-off necklaces à Emily Rothschild

You Can’t Be Serious : Bubble Shoes

Every so often we see things that really make us wonder about the taste of designers these days. Sometimes a good idea is taken just a little too far over the edge until it’s a mess, plain and simple. Bubble shoes are a perfect example of how something modern can become a monstrosity.

WHAT/ WHERE:

Heels à Melissa Gaetano 

Flats à Karen Millen

Do It Yourself : Deceptively Simple Dinner

We love dinner parties and get-togethers but sometimes the effort can seem too overwhelming. By the time guests arrive and dinner is served, you’re ready to crawl into bed.  Well fret no more because we have simple dinner party solutions that would make Rachel Ray green with envy.

Drinks

One of the easiest ways to pull together a festive party is with decorative accessories. Beverages don’t have to be complicated. Simply punch up a basic cocktail or lemonade with garnishes like fresh fruits or a sprig of mint.

Is that too much effort for you? Leave the decorating effort to your dishware. Crazy straws, flags or adornments you can wrap around a glass/stem are effortless and lively ways to amp up drinks.

Dinner

Need a meal that will appease both ravenous males and petite vegetarians alike? Our spinach lasagna recipe is a definite crowd pleaser and it only takes around 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to bake

Here’s what you’ll need:

Update : Noted

One lovely reader requested that we provide more inexpensive versions of the Noted items we've featured. So, we found some more little pieces that will suit any Modern Renaissance lady's fancy.

FYI: We hate the term trend because it sounds so impersonal and dated. We prefer the term noted -- meaning the look stands out to us and is becoming more readily available in the market. And without further ado, some more options of the noted looks from recent posts...

Charmed : Judging by the Cover

We’re not incredibly well versed in the subtle differences between brands of spirits. To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, a Whiskey Sour is a Whiskey Sour is a Whiskey Sour. So, what’s a girl to do when shopping for something she knows little about? Why, select based on packaging, of course! We found some bottles that make such a statement they’re sure to be a hit at any dinner party you get invited to. 

WHAT/ WHERE:

Tattoo bottles à Good Ol’ Sailor Vodka

Curved bottles à Kabbalah Vodka

Print Label bottles à Love Joy Vodka

Malt bottles à Scotland Peat Islay Highland Whiskey

Leather bottle à Oronoco Rum

Whicker bottle à Thailand Unique

Double handle bottle à Kraken Rum

Snake bottle à Rattlesnake Vodka

Rounded bottle àCedar Ridge Distillery Rum

For more information visit the following:

www.bevmo.com

www.beerliquors.com

www.thailandunique.com

What We Want : Stamped

We Modern Renaissance ladies are loving all of the semi-DIY items we're finding on the market right now. One of the easiest ways to personalize an item is to stamp it. Here are some stamped items we're coveting:

We've got a reputation for our present wrapping prowess and one of our techniques that attracts the most adoration is our personalized paper. It's easy to duplicate! All you need is kraft paper (kraft boxes, manila envelopes, and paper bags work as well), ink pads, and stamps. We really like the effect of alphabet stamps. From a person's name to a festive message, stamped out letters really pack an intimate punch.

WHAT/ WHERE: 
Tank à Delias

Wall paper à Anthropologie

Pillow cases à Urban Outfitters

Door mat à Ballard Designs

V-neck à Anthropologie

Updated : Non-polka dots

Like magic! After our post on irregular dots we began to see these pretty little things everywhere!

Here are four more lovely finds:

WHAT/ WHERE:

Red dress and blouse à Tibi

Cowlneck top à BCBG Generation

Ruffle Dress à Cynthia Steffe 

Charmed : For the Guy Who Has Everything

Without a doubt, males are harder to shop for than females. We know it may seem like the men in your life already have everything and that the gifts you find seem so impersonal. Well, we’re here to help! We found some great gifts for you to give the men in your life…

If he’s Styling and Profiling:

 If his home is his castle:

More unique ideas after the jump!