The Violet Hours

Time for Circus Inspiration

I've felt very inspired lately by circus iconography...the striped canvas tents, the food-on-a-stick cuisine, the here today, gone tomorrow transience of it all. Here are some lovely finds that have contributed to these recent daydreams...

Super-fun circus tent ring found on Handmade Charlotte. (From Old Gold Boutique via Eat Drink Chic—a new blog for me that I cannot wait to explore!)

Sometimes getting the Anthropologie catalog is better than getting a real magazine. I'm duly impressed by this art direction and this woman's balancing act. 

    

    

  

And lastly, I simply can't get enough of stationer Eunice Moyle's whimsical wedding featured in Martha Stewart. She is from Hello, Lucky! and spared no creative moment on her wedding. Simply outstanding! Found via You are my fave and Inchmark.

Time for Slippers

 

 

Okay, really, it's seriously time for warm slippers. It was the rainiest, most abusively awful New York weather this weekend, causing me to arrive home after every outing (and unfortunately, I had many required ones this weekend) with sopping wet shoes and a broken spirit. Yes, it was that bad.

So it really, really made me want a fresh pair of slippers to, er, slip in to. I found these Collégien knitted ones a few weeks ago on LMNOP, and then saw them again today. No joke, there are over 100 patterns and you can get them in both kid and adult sizes. They are machine washable and have a non-slip, aerated sole. If you know where to buy them in the States, please let me know!

P.S...Here is a classic scene that all New Yorkers will recognize: the umbrella graveyard on the street corner. How many did you lose this weekend?

Time for Mix n' Match Craft Sets

There is so much potential here. Stamps, stencils, and stickers...mix and match them to make fun note cards, stationery, or invitations. Seriously, you could be 5 or 95.

Awesome Cityscape Stamp Set from Yellow Owl Workshop

Facebox Stencil Set from Shop at Moxie.

Paperdoll stickers from Korea, found at Nothing Elegant.

Time for Silhouettes

Just when I think I'm over them, I come across a reinvention of this classic that slays me. So this post just had to be done. No matter how over silhouettes you may think you are, prepare to get back in...

This brilliant wall installation is by Color Me Katie. Found via A Little Sussy.

I love the playfulness of pattern here. Found on Art that Fits.

Brooke from Inchmark announced her pregnancy with this thoughtful, beautifully made family tree for her parents. She very cleverly added a third child in her lineage. 

DIY His and Hers pillow shams, found on Apartment Therapy.

 

Silhouette cookies from Martha Stewart. Cookie cutters made by Victor Trading Company. Found via Ohdeedoh.

 

Two in a row from Martha, but I couldn't resist this amazing Halloween decoration. I mean come on!

Time for 13 Ounces (or less)

Did you know that you can send virtually anything through the mail under 13 ounces for just a dollar and some change? Now I'm not talking about your run-of-the-mill box or envelope, I'm saying anything. Giverslog has deeply invested in this experiment and has even started a Flickr group for others who would like to give our friends at USPS something to chuckle about.

 

Three pink rubber balls wrapped in cellophane weigh 13 ounces or less.

Just slap a label on a frisbee. It most def weighs less than 13 ounces. It cost $1.73 to mail.

Junior Mints...my number one movie candy pick!

 

A rainbow delight of sticky notes can go through the mail just like this. 

Visit Giverslog.com to follow her adventures under 13 ounces...

Time for Cupcake Stands

I keep wondering what the next cupcake is going to be...is it the whoopie pie? The macaroon? The homemade marshmallow? None of these hold a candle to the preciousness of the c.c., so I seriously don't see the trend going anywhere anytime soon. So let's just commit to them. And what better way to show your dedication than to buy individual cupcake stands. Here are a few of my faves...

Love, love, love these sweet pedestals from Hello Hanna. Found via LMNOP.

The reveal of the cupcake would be oh so dramatic with this lovely ceramic stand by Whitney Smith. Found on Handmade Charlotte. 

I would love a windowsill full of cupcakes on these stands from Farmhouse Wares. 

Colorful little cupcake dishes by Michelle Miller found via The Peach Martini.

Time for Holding onto Childhood

I had a favorite stuffed animal as a child, a dog with a white body and floppy brown ears. My sister and I had the same one, but mine was so worn that the ears were virtually bald. Now it's long gone, and all I have to remember that dog is this one photo that my sister printed a few years ago from the original slide. (That's me on the left when the pup was still new. And really, I have no idea why we were watching TV with the dogs between our legs.)

Kids get so attached to their toys, but it's impossible to try to keep them all for posterity. Here are a few ways to make a lovey last...

    

Have a custom portrait painted of your child's toy. Visit Customtoyportrait.com. 

Fill your child's beloved with beans to make a bookend or a doorstop. Found on Real Simple.

   

Make a sweet picture book with photos of your child's toys. Maybe it can help teach them to read. Spotted on Party Perfect.

Time for Happy Tape

Whoever named this product really gets it. Happy tape is exactly that—happy. Check out these amazing projects done with this super-fine craft material...

 

Here's the stuff. Happy yet?

    

Happy tape table by The Happy Home, via Say Yes to Hoboken.

  

Tape bow and tape flowers from Smarts and Crafts. 

Open this birthday card to find this sweet, happy tape banner. Found on the Happy Tape Blog

  

Happy tape as wedding decor, via Project Wedding.

Time for Wedding Bliss 002

Last week, I posted Wedding Bliss 001 which set the scene for our Hudson Valley nuptials. Next up, in issue 002 of this series, is our wedding fashion. We wanted to feel comfortable and natural, not fairytale or stiff. So we went with what we loved.

We tweaked the order of a traditional wedding a bit by starting with the cocktail hour. Everyone arrived at Cat Rock around half past six in the evening, and Michael and I joined them. He was in his wedding suit, but I was in a short 'n sweet white dress by Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent. 

  

Michael's bespoke suit deserves a section of its own. It was designed by my dear friend Scott Sternberg of Band of Outsiders as a wedding gift for us. Michael has a thing for the Mad Men fashion era.

   

My dress was by Kenneth Pool. (That's my super-glam mom next to me in the green gown.)

     

       

And lastly, our most special guests, our nieces and nephews. The three flower girls, Hannah, Grey, and Sidney, wore a sweet dress by Pipsqueak Chapeau that we bought at Seed Factory in Atlanta. Jordan, my junior bridesmaid wore an awesome dress, but sadly I don't remember who made it. And the boys, Quinn and Zach, were looking dapper in their little suits.

Next up in volume 003, the printed matter...

(Again, lovely photos by the lovely Heather Weston.)

Time for ABC's

I've loved these felt letters ever since I guest-blogged for Etsy on The Storque. Made by MiChiMa.

    

Alphabetty screen printed fabric by Lucie Summers, via LMNOP.

Found alphabet art, via Black Eiffel. 

(via Hello Bauldoff < Design Notes)