Where's the BBQ?

Lately, I’ve been enamored by the aroma of BBQ wafting through the spring air! It can’t help but conjure up images in my head of warm sunny afternoons spent with friends, gathered around the grill, eating roasted veggies, burgers and hotdogs. BBQ’s are a great excuse to sit back, relax and take a breather from the weekday grind. Here are some fun and quirky items that would spruce up any back yard grill fest! My particular favorite is the cow creamer, which could easily serve your favorite BBQ sauce!

{Images from L to R}
Spread The Love Lable from Etsy seller Miss Pickles Press
Cow Creamer available at Williams Sonoma
Bull invitation by Checkerboard Ltd. available at eInvite
Back-to-the-Farm Glasses available at Williams Sonoma
Bucket Grill available at Crate & Barrel
Country Barbecue Chop Plates available at Williams Sonoma
Mustache Handkerchiefs from Etsy seller Avril Loreti
Pirate Chefs T-shirt from Etsy seller Jon Wye
Vegetable Skewers available at Crate & Barrel

Brides of Autumn

{collage images via sweet paul, who I just love!}

{invitation via eInvite}

While all of us are enjoying the warm sun of spring, brides of autumn may have other temperatures and colors playing in their minds. Inspired by the palettes offered in the photographs of Sweet Paul's blog, here is a collage of autumn inspiration. All images found via Sweet Paul, who is a seriously talented food designer and quite a crafty guy. Black details can add the most amazing hint of drama to almost any color palette. This invitation by Rytex-Mission via eInvite goes all out with sophisticated black.

Whether there is a subtle hint or a bold presentation, pairing a natural palette with noire is just stunning.

Days in Sandy Linen

Today was hot. Really, really 92 degrees hot. Natural linen and cool, clear water are on my mind. Crane's Ecru Lettra Marquis Card on eInvite, J Crew's Goldwyn dress, Restoration Hardware's Del Mar Daybed, and Martha Stewart's striking pool hued blooms capture the feeling pretty well...

Graduation Invitation Sale

{15% off select graduation invitations on eInvite from now until May 19th }

Design Guru

I want to share an interesting interview of one of my favorite designers.

"Inspiration is something that comes when one least expects it. I can be inspired by almost anything: It can be a book, a film or something as simple as the smile of a child walking down the street." - Giorgio Armani

Thank you PEOPLE Celebrity Baby Blog!!!

{image via People Celebrity Baby Blog}

Thank you People for your post on eInvite's Fun Design and Fabulous Customer Service. We are oh so smitten by your kind words.

"Einvite.com’s pricing is fair and competitive with other stationary retailers. But their choices, their easy-to-navigate website, and stellar customer service make them a great go-to for all of your paper needs!" – Lisa, from People's Celebrity Baby Blog

Visit The Paper Fashion exposition at MoMu in Antwerp, Belgium via Antwerp Fashion Observer. I am having a small love affair with texture and these designs have me in a bundle. They look like you could actually put them on and style.

A Peek inside eInvite's offices...

{ Images of Tina Bates and Wendy Baglione, Caitlyn, Anne Bondanza, Kimberly Means, Caitlyn and Alita Mitchell, Caitlyn and Elizabeth Quinones }

Having fun today in the offices of eInvite.com was a possible future artist, Caitlyn, daughter of one of our staff members. She came to work completely prepared with art kit and smiles galore...and a super cool outfit!

For the Birds

One of the many joys of spring is hearing the birds chirping first thing in the morning. I enjoy it so much that I hung a bird feeder just outside my bedroom window. Sometimes there are so many birds at my window, I can’t help but feel a little like Snow White in the forest…minus the dwarfs of course. A beautiful addition to any home or garden, bird feeders make a wonderful house-warming or wedding gift. Here are just a few stylish options, perfect for even the most minimalist of gardens!

{Images from L to R}
Folding Bird House by Jesper Moller Hansen, Dorthe Weis available at the MoMA Store
Light Aqua Egg Bird House by J Schatz
Ceramic Orb Bird Feeder: Yellow available at Olive Barn
Birdhouse by Marcel Wanders available at Droog
Blomus - Nido Bird Feeder available at All Modern

Found in eInvite's 25% Off Spring Sale

There are some real gems in eInvite's Spring Sale - last day today: wedding invitations with multiple layers and ribbons at deep discounts, stunning letterpress invitations, thank-you notes, party and baby, too. The white foil text on the rich black paper of Beauty in Black sets a formal tone for an evening event and lets brights colors stand out even more. The letterpress invitation Field Flower in summery tones of yellow and green calls to mind margaritas and lemon-hued orchids (found on theknot.com). Take advantage of great sale prices and browse lots of other new invitations on eInvite!

Garden Florals

This spring, fashion takes a step back to watercolor florals in saturated orange, red and yellow hues. This is similar to styles seen in the early 90s, except with modern cuts and accessories. I love seeing how this trend has translated to paper. It's romantic and perfect for a spring wedding.


{L to R from the top: Stella McCartney, Floral Print Jumpsuit; Checkerboard, Ltd., Oriental Poppies; Rebecca Minkoff, Bowie Zip Down Racerback Tank; Ali Roe, Multicolored Silk Floral Printed Dress; Paul & Joe Beaute lipstick; Rytex-Mission, Floral Fantasy Invitation; eInvite.com, Fresh Bloom; Big Buddha, “Garden” Satchel}

Spring Pattern Inspiration

Thanks to some marvelous spring weather, I was able to get out riding (bicycling, that is) for the second time this year. Nothing is in bloom quite yet here in Massachusetts, but the trees have budded and the potential for greenery is almost too exciting to bear.

The ability to see green grass again is very inspiring. It was very windy this weekend and a motif in design for thousands of years has been capturing the wind through grass. There is something intensely beautiful about the movement of an ocean capturing in the stasis of green earth. This movement taps into a deep human experience, a shared and universal experience.

Marimekko has a noted pattern design portfolio and has seen waves of popularity just as waves of wind move through the grass. I was cruising their patterns for inspiration and found a design of Fujiwo Ishimoto that had a green and canary wash applied to it, resulting in exactly the feeling I have carried all weekend.