This shoot was a crazy mix of emotions for me. I had been dreaming of a gorgeous winter wonderland since we moved to Reno last summer. I planned and prepped… then we canceled (twice!) because it has yet to snow this winter in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I envisioned a snowy field and sadly there has been nothing white on the ground. We finally decided to go ahead with the shoot and I am so happy we did. Most of my original ideas were scratched but what came out instead was this wonderful story of friends, happiness and celebration, styled mostly on the spot… No snow needed! You can read the editorial story in our newest issue of Styled. magazine.

I wanted the day to be casual but also a seated event so we created a simple and pretty table filled with “snow” which was white tissue confetti and paper white bulbs potted inside miniature vintage copper cake pans. Simple striped paper napkins were brought into the celebration with a small amount of spray adhesive and sequins. The champagne was also coated in sequins to add a dash of celebratory color to our otherwise white table.

The inexpensive store purchased glass plates were gussied up with hand drawn gold triangles on the back side. I love using glass plates for custom designs, they are easy to personalize without needing to make your paint or markers food safe.

For the shoot we served vegetable shish kabobs blackened on personal table top grills (see the tutorial here) and enjoyed rich chocolate on the deck for dessert.

This was such a fun shoot for me to style!

Thanks to our wonderful photographers, Pictilio. Look for their special series contribution coming up in our next issue.

Thanks also to our models who came up from San Fransisco for the day; Konrad and Loma Miller, Jennifer Marshall, Kimberly Wolyn, Anthony Arata. A special thanks for Melanie Porter Meyer for doing all the hair and makeup, along with her husband John Meyer who shot our front page “better together” video.

blessings.

I came up with this fun idea for celebrating with friends or family by hosting a gravy tasting! Doesn’t the idea of casually getting together over mini turkey sandwiches to try out different gravy recipes sound easy and fun? You could also hold an all out gravy making competition at a large family meal to see if your Aunt’s secret recipe would really win out every single year:)

I spent time at my favorite spot in Reno yesterday shooting these photos to share gravy tasting inspiration with you. To host your own tasting… Have every guest bring a boat of gravy and provide simple numbered tags for each. Test out the different gravies and lay out small squares of paper for the favorites to be written on. At the end of the night count through the numbers and award the winner a festive prize!

I noticed an amazing idea recently to preserve your family blessings by embroidering them on a table cloth. This grandma has been doing it for 30 years and creating a very special heirloom to pass down. We are starting the tradition this year by having each of our dinner guests write in something they are thankful for. I will then go back and hand stitch each word into the cloth before washing it, leaving a permanent record of our blessings each year.

PS. I may have gone a bit insane with the leaf piling. It is just so pretty here right now, I needed to show you! I love how heavy they look against the table. Fall is heavy here, beautifully heavy.

blessings.

When Erin, a new friend in Reno who runs the cute site Barnbride, asked if I would snap a few photos on her anniversary I nervously said, “yes”. She went on to describe her vision of sitting down with her husband at sunset amidst the freshly fallen leaves, incorporating elements from the fall issue of Styled. magazine and serving a hearty spread of fresh, local food.

The whole evening was really pretty and sweet. They brought in wedding mementos like their library catalog guest book to read again and bouquets mimicking the pretty wedding flowers from a year ago. It was a special moment to be a part of and so much fun to practice my photo styling skills on such a lovely couple.

All photography done by me. See the menu design and download it free here.

PS. Erin is wearing her wedding dress that she had altered into a simple cocktail dress, brilliant right!?!

blessings.

Both of my favorite places in our new home are outside. My front lawn where we spend almost every afternoon playing and my back deck where we have eaten 96% of our meals this summer. We’ve been eating breakfasts on the deck every morning and I plan to continue enjoying it until the absolute last ounce of summer is gone.

Here are a couple tips I’ve learned this summer for hosting a pretty family breakfast outside.

Setting a nice table involving both kids and adults means cutting down the amount of frilly glass sitting around. Instead of frill I love to find pretty bottles (like our water) that are also functional. Another way to do this is by putting normal condiments into pretty jars, buy our ketchup jar here.

Don’t shy away from using nice linens that you love outside, mix them with fun paper napkins for a relaxed table. Lastly, bring in extra morning light through candles (or battery powered Christmas lights which are safe for kids) even though the sun has risen, a few twinkling lights will easily make the morning special.

Photos by Victoria Hudgins (me).

blessings.

Summer feels like it is flying by this year! Enjoying this glorious season of sun and rest through picnicking is a magical way to slow it down, even if only for an afternoon. This week I will be sharing photos and projects I’ve styled for summer picnic inspiration. Simple textures, little sandwiches and a bit of festive flair thrown into the mix will make any afternoon in the park one to celebrate.

Creating a pretty picnic should be easy. Dip dyed streamers in perfect shades of pink, a homemade picnic basket, and a thick butcher block set the stage for our party for two under the sun.

Have you enjoyed a picnic outdoors yet this season? It is worth sneaking out for an afternoon with someone or someones to lay on a blanket and break bread together. A sweet dessert (like extra large macaroons) will encourage the celebration all the more and simple summer blossoms laid about give that relaxed feeling we all crave this time of year.

Photography by Jackie Wonders for a subtle revelry.

PS. The paint dyed streamer tutorial is here and the scarf to picnic basket tutorial can be found here.

blessings.

The day we loaded our moving truck in San Diego we held a little last minute party. A play date for the kids with cardboard boxes, duct tape and a 26 foot moving truck.

Having a party with kids the day you move is awesome because everything they could get into is nicely packed away. We didn’t leave out a single toy, just packing supplies, balloons and a big bag of bright balls. We moved most of the furniture outside to make a good play zone. Although the party was not perfect, having a last hurrah with their friends helped my kids adjust to leaving our home.

We sent out hand striped invitations the week prior and striped white favor bags that held little goodbye presents for each of their friends. I bought four rolls of bright neon duct tape (find online here) and used it to decorate the room. Words were traced onto the tape and cut out to add a bit of festive flair. The duct tape was great to use, it took about three minutes to take everything down once our friends left for the day.

The party was in the am so I bought doughnuts (easy since all our kitchen pans were packed) and I made sure to have extra white bags on hand for the left over doughnuts to be taken home. Sparkling Izzie sodas with straws from Sweet Lulu always look nice and bright for a party. The dotted coasters are from the Martha Stewart Crafts, they lent a perfect contrast to the straight duct tape lines laid out on all our tables.

As a final sweet goodbye, I had each of the kids write out a note to my twins about their time together. We read them out loud after leaving and I am saving them for when they are older so the kids can remember who some of their earliest friends were.

The streamers on the walls and ceilings were my favorite touches of the day. I was surprised at how easily the duct tape stuck and how quickly it came right down. Even if you are not moving, the bright ease of this decor could be perfect for any kids party.

Before everyone left we had a bit of fun in the moving truck. Chasing plastic balls and watching them bounce around the huge, open interior. I am pretty sure this was the best thing that has ever happened for our toddlers! Instead of a bounce house at your next kids party why not try a moving truck?!? They are cheap to rent for the day and you will be astonished at how much they love it.

Photography by Jackie Wonders.

blessings.

The bright and cheery hues of this bridal shower are making me quite happy on this early summer’s day. Tea at sea is the party concept and these photos are a testament to why I love the summer beauty of San Diego. The theme would make a festive adaptation for upcoming summer parties or showers and could easily be transitioned to a lake, river (or with rafts instead of boats) a swimming pool.

We took our shoes off, danced in the sand and decorated row boats for the occasion. Iced tea was served in plastic cups and on colorful plastic serving trays to ensure a safe adventure at sea. We played games on the beach and laughed together off the shore as my shipwrecked cake floated by.

Photography by Carly Taylor for a subtle revelry. Special thanks to Kristen and Nichole for agreeing to be photographed and warding off the pirates;)

See the other posts from this day: The ice tea bar and waterproof drink labels.

PS. Instructions on the shipwreck cake are as follows (in case you’d like to create your own): Make a gorgeous cake you are thrilled about, allow it to fall and be wrecked right before the camera starts shooting, send it out to sea and call it shipwrecked… Happy Monday!

blessings.

Hosting a modern day feathered brunch is a fresh way to celebrate with an almost married Mrs. or an about to pop mom. Forgo the frilly feather look and take a modern spin on the idea. Incorporate bright colors, a simple design and a few quirky elements for a relaxed and pretty celebration.

This shower was originally designed for the first issue of Styled. magazine. I couldn’t help but share a few of my favorite extra photos with you here…

The entire concept was based on the pretty set of vintage Dixie cups. They scream bright and beautiful celebration to me. We filled them with bubbly. I love including traditional elements like the serving of champagne in a jovial way for informal parties. We served dime sized pancakes topped with my husbands most perfect preserve mix (I eat it often!) and finished off the design with table bowling.

Bright table games, like bowling, are perfect for showers, where there is often a lot of time spent sitting around chatting. Buy a similar set or adjust the directions on this easy bowling tutorial to fit your celebration, lose the elf hats and paint your pins in solid bright colors for a modern look.

Want to see more of these bright photos? Read the story in Styled., or see the entire photo gallery. Photography by Jackie Wonders.

blessings.

Tea is an easy way to allow kids to help prepare a celebration for mom. Even a two year old is able to place a flower of tea into a cup of warmed water, and sprinkling sugar is certainly not a chore for them.

Use a single bunch of large blooms to decorate. Allow the kids to place them around as they see fit, pulling out vases and sweets to encourage the process. Watch with glee as they organize the cups. You may have a budding stylist on your hands! Use wrinkled linen, or the bed sheet for a relaxed time indoors and if you happen to have a tree house, trust me- it is an adorable location for an early morning tea.

Let’s be honest, when she is celebrating there is nothing that fills my heart more!

Photography by Carly Taylor. Read the whole Mother’s Day tea story as it was photographed for Styled. magazine and host your own with the free download peony and pink labels.

blessings.

What do you want to do before turning thirty? Did you have a big list or a simple one? After seeing many friends make their 30 by 30 or life lists, I was a bit overwhelmed with the prospect. Giving myself more boxes to check just isn’t my thing these days, instead we made an “unlist”.

Matt and I jotted down a list of the things we’ve learned so far. A list of funny, wise, honest, and helpful lessons that have compiled over the past thirty years.

We wrote them on scraps of fabric and are planning to add to them each year in hopes that one day we will be able to pass down the wisdom of our good choices and our faulty ones. “Steak should only be turned once” a very helpful lesson learned. “Dance in the rain, it’s okay to get wet” a fun mantra we have adapted to our life. “Always check the oil in your car” a much more costly lesson.

As a part of our thirtieth birthday celebration, we tied all these lessons together onto a bunch of balloons, grabbed the cake we would later blow out and celebrated all that it means to have lived, learned and enjoyed the many boxes already checked throughout our quickly fleeting twenties.

Photography by Carly Taylor.

PS. The rest of the celebration… Invites, our match stick candle, curly cue confetti & a summer float bar.

blessings.