Flowers Chic and Cheap

Forget about fussy bouquets and ornate vases. All you need are a few blooms from your grocery store or farmers’ market, a simple container—perhaps one found at a garage sale or in your recycling bin or kitchen cabinet—and a touch of whimsy to pull it all together!

In Flowers Chic and Cheap, Elle Decor editor at large Carlos Mota shows how unexpected elements can make a style statement. For example, fill a vintage teapot with pink peonies and set it next to your bed; gather some ferns and an orange poppy in a colorful gift bag and call it a centerpiece; dress any entryway by loading a soup tureen with lemons and a few dusted-off leaves (picked from the backyard, of course).

Inside, Carlos reveals his trademark secrets for teasing the most out of flowers’ color, height, and texture, such as:

Unusual combinations make the most interesting arrangements (think posh English garden roses paired with inexpensive pom-poms). Two dozen cheap roses are perfect for a graceful bouquet when the stems are cut short, arranged tightly, and peppered with mint stems. Short- and long-stemmed flowers placed in bud vases on a cake stand are always easy and elegant.

With short lists of what you’ll need and clear instructions for what to do, plus more than two hundred gorgeous color photographs by celebrated photographer William Waldron, Flowers Chic and Cheap gives you all the practical information—and inspiration—for sprucing up your place without making a fuss.


Images by William Waldron for Flowers Chic and Cheap.

Sorbet-Land

I've got the scoop on an instant refresher for your summer wedding! This absolutely delectable citrus sorbet is guaranteed to help your guests beat the summer heat in edible style.

Because seriously, who could not be utterly captivated by these sorbet delights that look like freshly picked fruit from the groves? Or for a rustic feel, serve in your favorite vintage mason jars like the ones below. For the recipe and a little extra touch for the grown ups (thank you Campari), click here.

Fruit sorbet for the summertime. Could this be your signature dish for the season?

Images via Mowielicious.

Vera Wang Sale!

Fab Frocks Friday: All American

Barbecues, sunshine, and American spirit this wonderful Fourth of July spirit! Happy long weekend!


Image from Harper's Bazaar by Alexi Lubomirski.

A Charming Cottage

Oh, to steal away into my own little shabby chic retreat - how love would that be!

No doubt you've all seen this this utterly romantic cottage in The New York Times. What's more, all the renovations were done by the owner on a $3,000 budget. Now that is a serious D.I.Y. project.

Weekend - please hurry up. Thank you.

Images via New York Times by Trevor Tondro.

Wedding Wish Wednesday: Melinda from Lion in the Sun

I've always wondered just how designers pick the perfect fonts to create the right tone for your wedding invitations. Luckily for me and you lovely readers, Melinda from Lion in the Sun has just the answer

This well loved Brooklyn based company keeps elegance in mind for your everyday moments as well as life's most memorable occasions.

Here's what Melinda had to say about fonts:

What does your invitation font say about you? Whether your wedding vision is contemporary, traditional or vintage, there’s a font that can say it for you! The most important design element of the invitation is the font. While graphic elements set a tone, your words and how they are presented make the biggest statement of all.

To help brides and grooms navigate the vast array of font choices each day, here are a few suggestions:

Mixed (Most Popular) – Combine a print and script font for a vintage or playful feel. Serif is more formal, while san serif tends to be more contemporary. Be sure to choose two fonts that are very different from each other and no more than three.

Big & Bold – Using fonts as your graphical element will give you a contemporary feel and make a big statement. It’s a clean look and frees you from committing to a graphical theme.

Handwritten – Actual hand written text can be converted to artwork on your invitation and presents a formal, elegant or colonial feel. You could also use a font that looks like handwriting or written with a quill pen complete with splatter. For an extra splurge – Hand calligraphy truly creates a one of a kind unique handmade invitation.

Thank you Melinda!


Images via Lion in the Sun.

Little Bow Peeps

Chiffon bows and peep toe pumps. Match made in shoe heaven.

Image via the cinderella project.

Fab Frocks Friday: Summer, Sequins, and Sample Sales

Breezy, casual Southern California bridal style. Flip flops optional.

For the weekend read . . .

• Thoughts on being yourself.
• Fabulous ideas for all you DIY-ers.
• Who's ready for a picnic?
• Get out the vote here and here {and special thanks if you vote for lil' ol' me}!

And don't forget the Monique Lhuillier Sample Sale!

Image of Amber Heard by Guy Aroch for French Revue de Modes Spring 2010 via Fashion Gone Rogue.

Inspiration: A Beach Life

I stumbled upon this charming collection of photographs from the lovely home blog A Beach Cottage and knew these were the perfect things to share with all of you. Notice the lovely use of all those dreamy whites and accents of bright, festive colors. Beach casual and shabby chic, chandeliers and mason jars, it's a charming mix of different styles.

Adore!

Images via A Beach Cottage.

Wedding Wish Wednesday: Christina from Taylor Creative Inc.

This week's Wedding Wish Wednesday comes to us from none other than Christina from Taylor Creative Inc.

Taylor Creative's exclusive rental collection of modern furniture is perfect for brides looking to add a distinctive touch to their wedding day. Whether your wedding is at a posh hotel, city loft, garden or beach, Taylor Creative works with brides and their event planners to create elegant environment for every occasion. Drawing from over twenty years in the fashion and lifestyle industry, Taylor Creative provides cutting-edge visual solutions that excite the senses and infuse environments with modern aesthetics and bold color.

Here's what Christina had to say about current trends in weddings:

We have seen a huge increase in the bridal market in recent years, beginning with a shift away from the standard ball-cane chair and into the more modern lucite Ghost chairs (comparable in price to a standard Chiavari chair and cushion at only $15 each). Lately the majority of our brides have trended toward updating traditional ballroom weddings by incorporating lounge pieces around dance floors, giving the room more of a night nightclub feel. Others have dressed up their tents with our gorgeous colored or crystal chandeliers, or hanging glo balls to give a touch of indoor ambiance to an outdoor wedding.

The latest trend we are moving into is the groom’s lounge – right now we are loving mixing in the masculine textures and dark colors into what is usually an all-white world. We know that a lot of weddings have been seeing more cigar-lounges for the groomsmen and we’ve been developing a gentlemen’s club aesthetic for the boys to relax in – our leather club chairs (the Morgan, Jackson, and Walker chairs), wood tables (the Wyeth and Oka) and our very favorite conversation pieces – the Horse and the Pig.

However the majority of the decisions are still made by the brides and it is for them that we are creating our new bridal collection. This very tailored collection will be made up of all of our favorite and most popular pieces. We realize that for people who aren’t in the industry, our vast collection of products can be slightly overwhelming. While our new wedding website, has helped our brides to visualize the possibilities that these pieces represent, we really want to present them with a set of options that are tailored for their needs.

The pieces in this collection will be available in all three locations (New York, Las Vegas, and Palm Beach) and will include lounge pieces, chandeliers, tables, chairs, chandeliers and lighting options, bars and some of our favorite accessories. Of course, our other products will be available as well for any brides that want to mix in additional elements but this will be a mainstay of our collection which we can offer to our bridal clients.

Thank you Christina!


Images via Taylor Creative Inc.