gasworks park - seattle.

I recently had someone ask for my advice on how to decorate her wedding at Gasworks Park over in Seattle.  For those of you that don't know, it's a public park on the site of the former Seattle Gas Light Company plant.  It's a beautiful, rustic, eclectic place - and I love it. 

However, all that being said, it can be a difficult space to decorate for a wedding.  The space in particular they are considering is the cement railing area looking over Lake Union with great views of the city.  The space looks like this, for a little visual.

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Awesome, right?

So I've come up with a few different, simple ways to add a little pizazz to the area, without overdoing it.  Please put an "or" between all of these, not an "and".  All of these combined might be a little much!

1.) Fabric buntings for the railing.  These little ditties are popular right now - and since they would only need to be one sided, they'd be very simple to make.  I'm thinking buntings attached to the railings - either all the way around, or just in the backdrop.  Both would work just fine. 

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2.) Topiaries in front of the railing.  These would probably need to be on the larger side in order to have presence, since it's a fairly large space.  Topiaries lined up along the railing would definitely bring the space in a little to help make it feel more intimate.  These are a great wedding-to-home pieces as well - you can reuse them!

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3.)  White (or any color) aisle runner.  Again, this simple addition will make the area feel more fit for a wedding.

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 4.) Giant balloons floating from the railing.  I mean the big big round ones, not the smaller oval ones.  Like these.

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I would consider hanging these every few feet along the railing, or one big bunch in the corners.  However, one downside is these may serve as a distraction from the ceremony if it's a windy day.  Just a thought.

5.) Giant pom poms for the railing.  

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To be honest with you friends, I think Gasworks Park is such a unique space by itself, that I really don't think it needs to be decorated.  The structures within the park and the city surrounding the park just might be all the decoration you need. 

And hey, that might save you a buck or two.

Cheers.

vintage postage stamps.

I'm not sure how you're feeling about your wedding invitations, but our wedding invitations were probably one of the main areas I spent a majority of my time and energy on.  For a couple of reasons.  

1.) It was the first "touch", if you will, all of our guests would receive surrounding our wedding.  Our invitations would give them the initial feel of what our big day would be like, so I really wanted them to portray us.

2.) My dad is a printer, and offered to help with the design and printing of our invitations for free, which was a huge blessing, so I really wanted to take advantage of that incredible opportunity, because I know this is a huge expense for most brides.

SO, if you're anything like me, you are spending hours on making them just right - the design, the colors, the font, the layout of all the different pieces.  So much to consider!  And once you finish the inside pieces, there's the outside to think about too - will you hire a calligrapher?  Will you print?  Will you add a sticker to the back?

Then, of course, there is the stamp.  Possibly at this point in time, you are so over all of the planning hoorah, that you're completely content with heading over to USPS for that giant roll of $0.64 cent-ers.  However, there are others of you that might be looking for that perfect touch to bring everything together.  

Say, perhaps, a vintage stamp?

If that's you, you should head over to The Paper Nickel Stamp Comparny and look at founder Holly Bedell's amazing stamp collection. 

After noticing that the market was lacking an outpost of unique, sellable stock, Holly realized the need for an organized website dedicated solely to these postal flourishes. Fast-forward a year later and The Paper Nickel Stamp Company is born. Relying on her keen eye, Holly handpicks the cache of colorful, cultural and charming collections for each and every order, pulling from her enormous inventory, which spans a variety of decades from the early 1900s through the late 1980s.
  

 

Darling.

You can order mixed packs, which include a random selection of stamps chosen by them.  Or you can do a custom order with a specific decade, color scheme, style, etc.

Speaking of vintage stamps, I received a save-the-date in the mail a few weeks back that had similar looking stamps beautifully placed on the outside of the envelope.  The husband knows I get excited about receiving any sort of wedding stationary in the mail, so he waits for me to open them, isn't that sweet?  So when he brought it to me, I stared at the outside for awhile, and decided it made me feel like I was about to open a long-lost, secret letter from the 1930's.  It just gave me this special feeling inside that I can't quite describe. I loved it.

It looked like this.

Aren't they cute?

Cheers.

sunday's thwacks and shout-outs.

Just the usual Sunday post, my friends.

Thwack (verb) : to strike with, or as if with, something flat or heavy.

Shout-out (noun) : a public expression of gratitude or recognition.

Thwacks: 

1.) Not that I usually rank my thwacks, but if I did, this would without a doubt deserve the #1 spot on my list. For those of you that have read the "Violet Hills?" tab to try and understand a little more about this here blog, as well as the husband and I's big dream, you might remember me mentioning a particular house, THEE house for sale that started the dream.  Yes?  You remember?  Well.  It sold.  Not that I ever thought we would have a real chance to buy it, but it still really bummed me out.

2.) I came home Monday on my lunch hour to my house smelling something like this ridiculously burnt quesadilla looks.  That's because the poor husband isn't the best cook in the world - chances are he would starve without me. The stink made itself at home for at least 48 hours.  The good thing is, once you were in the house for a couple of hours, your nose hairs were so burnt off that you didn't notice it anymore.  Look.  A positive out of a negative. 

3.) Last Sunday I talked about the Lady Zags making it to the NCAA Elite 8 women's basketball tournament.  Our growth group came over to enjoy pizza and watch the game together Monday night.

We put on silly glasses.

We put the silly glasses on Mr. Monkey

We played hide-and-go-seek in the curtains.

And in Marcie's jacket.

We made some pretty important phone calls.

We played doctor.

Believe it or not, we did watch the game!  Unfortunately, the Lady Zags just weren't strong enough to come out on top.  It was a great run this season - and Spokane is very proud of them!


Shout-outs:

1.) I got an iPhone.  I have finally joined the masses with this convenient little gadget.  I am still holding out with no texts though, so don't think you can text me like crazy now, even though I know you want to.

2.) We had a little visitor this weekend - Bella the Bear.  My boss was out of town for the week, so we offered to watch his 6 month old yellow (more like white) Labrador (more like polar bear).  She was a little timid at first, but once she figured out how to play, she and Trudy were best little buds for the week, as you can see.

While Lola stared at me like this because she says she's too old for that child's play.

3.) BUSY SEASON IS OVER.  I am officially done with 6-day weeks.  This weekend was my first 2-day weekend in a long time, and it felt like a mini vacation!  I rested (kinda, as much as a type-A, always-have-to-be-doing-something type of gal can rest), I blogged, I crafted, I cleaned, I ran errands, I snuggled doggies, I spent time with the husband.  I did lots of things that I really like to do on the weekends.


4.) This video is adorable.  And funny.  I want to hug her, because she looks like she needs a hug.

5.) I purchased my first pair of jeggings this week.  Mmm hm, that's okay, go ahead, you can laugh.  At first, I made fun of them too.  But now folks, it's a love affair.  This is a good lesson in "don't knock it until you try it".  They will be perfect for my vacay to Italy.

6.) Still working with Megan from Red Pearl Designs on my blog updates!  I'm liking the changes I see, so I can't wait to see everything come together.

7.) I purchased this print, by FotoFoto, for the shelves I'm putting up in my living room.  Jamie Fay, I think you will be happy about this one.

8.) Ladies and gentleman, we saw sun today.  After tooooo many dang weeks (months?) without it, it.was.incredible.  The husband calls me his little plant, because when the sun comes out after winter, I can't come inside, it's like I need the rays to survive.  So we went for a nice long walk with the three dogs this morning.

And we played at the park.

And the husband rested at the park.

And I sipped on this yummy thing at the park.

It was glorious.  And much needed.

I loved this weekend.

Cheers.

local florist love - erica's expressions.

I first heard about Erica's Expressions through a friend and colleague of mine.  We're always talking weddings together, so it's no surprise that Erica's Expressions came up in conversation - this friend of mine grew up with Erica in Moses Lake.

After stalking perusing Erica's Expression's Facebook page and website, I decided I needed to meet this talented lady, who at a very young age, has been working with the same wholesaler for 15 years.  Intriguing, no?

She was gracious enough to sip some coffee with me at Madeleine's downtown, and let me ask her a few questions about her journey as a florist (with a few other randoms thrown in for good measure).

Meet Erica (and her adorable family).

How long have you been Erica's Expressions?
Since 2001.  I was in business before then, but I had to be 18 to get a business license.  


So you went to school for this in Moses lake, right?
Yes, eventually.  And I minored in wedding planning.  I did a couple of night classes that were specifically geared toward wedding planning.  


Did you know that once you started taking those floral classes that this is exactly what you wanted to do for your career?
Well, at my high school I started the floral shop, and I didn't want anything to do with it at first.  They wanted to do a program completely run by the students as a business course.  I started it as a freshman.  My senior project was doing the graduation floral.  I had to train everyone, run everything, do all the bookkeeping, and all of the ordering.  And I've actually worked with the same wholesaler now for 15 years.  So if I say I want pink, he knows what I mean by pink.  I don't know why I didn't like it at first, maybe because the teacher was forcing me into it.  But when I was done with it, I missed it.  I had so many people calling me for weddings after I graduated.  Then I realized I did want to do it once it wasn't forced on me. 


What would you say so far has been the most rewarding part about your career?
Probably this year.  I've been featured three different times.  Working for David's Bridal on my own as a consultant.  And then Apple Brides finding me without me finding them.  To not even know that they were featuring me, then all of the sudden have people calling me, and then I go online and see it.  It felt really good, because instead of being just a part of something, I was the whole feature.  And then Spokane Bride Blog e mailed me saying they wanted to feature me as well.  Doors are just opening more. 


What would you say has been the most challenging part of your career so far? 
I think going out there and advertising.  Also being a mom, I want to take care of my son first, but at the same time I need to get people's attention.  I love being a mom, but I want to push my career harder.  The most challenging has been balancing that.


That was actually my next question, how do you balance all of that? 
The good thing is, my office is at home.  When we bought our house my husband promised me he would build me a shop.  And lukily for me, my son takes 3 hour naps, so I do everything I can in those 3 hours.  Sunday's I don't plan any consultations, I'll e mail stuff or try to do quick stuff, but I try to make sure that day is completely our family time.  My husband does help me a lot.  I'll tell him I need all of the prep work done and he'll do a lot of it.  It's funny because when we got married he told me don't ever ask me to help you do your flowers, it's a total girl thing.  And then he really got into it. 


What's your favorite thing about being a mom?
Oh, everything.  I don't know, I really really enjoy it.  
Erica talked a lot during this piece about how she appreciates and is thankful for being able to stay at home and have the flexibility to work and at the same time raise her son and being able to teach him the values and the structure that she grew up in herself.


What would be your one piece of advice for other aspiring women out there with an entrepreneurial heart?
Time and patience.  It might not happen tomorrow; it takes time. I've been in this for 10 years, but it's just been the last 3 years that have been the most rewarding.  A lot of the times I find  the things that happen easily for you aren't always the best, or you don't appreciate them as much.  If you constantly keep your high standard and not rush into things, your work will speak for itself. 


Is there a particular book on your nightstand that you're reading?
I actually don't like to read.  What's probably on my nightstand to be honest with you is wedding magazines.  I'm constantly looking at new things.  The post office, I swear they think that I'm getting married every year.  But I did actually recently finish a book called Heaven is for Real.


If you were stranded on an island, what three things or people would you want to be with you?  
1.) I would take an X-Acto knife, I know that sounds really funny, but I can do pretty much any craft project that you need as long as I have an X-Acto knife. 
2.) My family. I told Erica this answer doesn't quite count, because that's more than one person or thing, but I'd let it slide.

She loves celebrity gossip, so she thought she'd maybe bring something to keep her up on the latest and greatest there, but then decided she may like to be away from it.  She couldn't think of a third, so we decided she'd just take two things with her to her island. 


If you could eat one thing and only one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Probably tacos. We eat tacos all the time, and they're easy.


What does your perfect day look like?
I like the rain.  I love cloudy raining days.  I love fall, I love when the leaves are still barely on the trees, it's time for jeans and sweaters.  I would like to be outside, or even just watch a movie.  I watch enough Cars lately, I would watch it again.  Just being with my family. 

::End::

 Here is some of Erica's stunning work:

Visit her website here.

Like her on Facebook here.

Find her on Wedding Wire here.

Read her article on Apple Brides here.

This girl is all over the place!  

I loved chatting with Erica, and I hope to have the opportunity to do it again.  She was so down to earth, real about who she is, and confident in what she does.  If you're looking for a good local florist, you should definitely start with Erica's Expressions.

Cheers.