dana tanamachi

i have total job envy! i've always wanted to be the artist to do the chalk boards in coffee shops or make the signs at whole foods. well, dana tanamachi does just that. you may recognize her work from the february 2012 O magazine cover or the tommy hilfiger ads. she is an incredible graphic designer who specializes in chalk boards. imagine her designing something for your wedding : a photo back drop, a fun menu or escort cards!

live what you love!

*leah bell

party garland

i love this DIY backdrop idea from oh happy day. simple, colorful + adds the perfect decorative touch to any event. you just need to grab a pair of scissors + your favorite colors of crepe paper + get to it!

• adoring these sassy camera straps.
• the perfect thursday mantra by able design.
• a summer shoe necessity. 
• most precious baby shower ever!
• need a place to keep your wedding rings?

happy thursday to you!

*leah bell

welcome bags

i'll never forget when my friend + i arrived at our hotel for a dallas wedding, + the bride had placed welcome bags for us in our hotel room. it contained homemade cookies, local beer, texas bbq sauce, etc... it was a great personal touch, + really made us feel welcome + excited about being in dallas! this is something i definitely want to implement in our wedding, especially because its destination. i've been cruising the net in hopes of getting some ideas, + wow, there are a ton! 

add visual appeal to your welcome bag, order this adorable cotton tote from Maptote.
these bags feature hand drawn maps from over 50 locations.

the creative gals over at momental designs came up with this hand made welcome bag
for a costa rica destination wedding. it contains amazing goodies : native coffee, chocolate covered nuts, a moleskin journal + colored pencils!

100 layer cake put together this bag for a hawaii destination wedding. 
the custom made bag includes sunscreen, kauai coffee, macadamia nuts,
a mango, grass mat, soap, a lei + a honolulu cookie.

check out the top 10 welcome totes featured on brooklyn bride.

did you get some ideas? 

*leah bell

epic hotel wedding

this past sunday i assisted lola event productions with a gorgeous wedding at epic restaurant  downtown chicago. it was so much fun + i learned a lot! i didn't have time to take any photos, but i make mental notes on what i liked about LOLA's managerial style, the wedding's design + personal touches implemented by the couple.

this particular couple chose to have a "first look" moment, where they see each other
before the wedding.i thought it was so sweet, + the photographer got some great shots!
via allori photography

the escort cards at the wedding were in the theme of chicago's el map;
each table was a different el line, much like these train station themed escort cards.
via melissa schollaert photography, santa fe.

the couple projected their monogram on an accent wall at the restaurant.
this idea seemed silly to me initially (reminded me of batman!),
but it looked incredible, much like this photo featured above.
found via sweet chic events

the accent color of the wedding was orange, + all the groomsmen wore orange socks and ties - loved it!
image via the short and the sweet of it

overall, the event was beautiful + had the perfect modern edge that reflected the couple's style. i took away many ideas, information + am looking forward to the next LOLA wedding! 

• do you know how to pin a boutonniere?
• i just bought this destination wedding planning book - woohoo!
• did you ever hear about a separate bridal bouquet, just for tossing?
• want to make your own sushi, the lazy way?
• take iPhone pics under water with this simple kit.

have a great evening!

*leah bell

pool party ideas

its about that time : the sun is out, the air is hot, the clouds are nowhere to be seen - its time for a pool party! these fiestas are so simple because all you need is a pool and an ice cream cake. but, of course, you can spruce it up with creative nautical themes to make it more fun, right? i found some fun kid birthday pool party ideas + wanted to share them - wow there are some creative moms out there!

the hostess with the mostest put together a preppy beach party
for her son's 7th birthday - she has some awesome ideas!

hungry happenings came up with this beach ball fruit pizza, so great!
you can get the recipe and instructions here. 

the colors of this mermaid birthday party  are so fun,
perfect for a little girl's summer birthday!

get the printable decorations for this party here

the idea for a barnacle backdrop is so simple + so fun!

• christian + i went to this burger joint on friday, their ideas are definitely one of a kind.
• i'm helping out at a wedding here today, so excited!
• i've been trying to attempt this hairstyle all week... grrrr.
• have any of you tried hot yoga? i'm kind of obsessed.

happy partying everyone!

*leah bell

candy buffet

candy buffets are getting more popular these days + i have no problem with that! i think they're a great idea for bringing color + personality to an event plus it gets the guests pumped up! there are so many variations of candy buffets out there, you can get some great ideas from the websites i linked below. i'm so excited to do this at our wedding because christian's mom is taking care of the candy table + she is super artistic. it will be the best surprise! 

green wedding shoes

elizabeth ann designs

red ribbon studio

double take event styling

claudia mcdade photography

eventology

see how much you can do with a candy buffet at your next event
+ get creative, there are no rules!

*leah bell

washi tape

what the heck is washi tape? just a creative little bit of amazingness that the folks from smitten on paper  came up with. can you imagine how this tape can jazz up something ordinary with all its different patterns? 

go ahead + get washi - ing! 

*leah bell

pop the bubbly.

who else gets a little nervous when you're given the task of opening the champs bottle? i do! i always think about that scene in dumb + dumber, start cracking up and excuse myself to do the job outside. cupcakes + chashmere posted this helpful guide on how to pop the bubbly.

• want to make a refreshing summer drink? try a peach collins.
• strawberry cheesecake? how about  cheesecake strawberries!
• edible margarita - yes please! 
• this is such a fun date night idea - i wonder if christian will like it?

have a great hump day!

*leah bell

destination wedding?

look at this save the date stop motion video - so precious!! via alison events.

the mason jar.

imagine these mason jar drink dispensers from pottery barn at an outdoor garden wedding. adore!

• rachel bilson just launched shoe mint - holy cow my credit card is gonna suffer.
• i'm going office furniture shopping at cb2 tomorrow, what do you think of this color?
• check out these instagram books from blurb.
• i really want to try out this decal kit - you could use it for so many things!

* leah bell

luftballons.

guiliana + bill rancic announced they are having a boy at their baby shower yesterday.  i'm sure the party was perfection, considering the mindy weiss crew was hired to pull it off. dang, i wish i could've been there. the party decor displayed a mixture of blue + pink balloons - when it came time to reveal the baby's gender, the couple released a bunch of blue balloons in the sky. such a cute idea! how would you reveal your baby's gender? here are some creative ways i found on the net: 

how fun would it be to order solid pink or blue confetti pops for
everyone to pop simultaneously! via H+H designs.

you can order customized fortune cookies for the big surprise.

cake pop filled cookies? yes please! via mom365.

here are guiliana + bill's cute baby shower invitations + some other precious ones i found via the gender reveal blog. i want to do this for a friend's baby shower - i'm getting the fever!

did you catch the fever?

*leah bell

bow tyin.

ladies, don't you agree we should buckle down + learn how to tie our man's ties? its been a goal of mine for a while + i feel like i'm almost there (can't quite do it without christian talking me through the steps). i never thought about how a bow tie works - do you know? perhaps this guide may help.

via linen, lace + love.

{check out these handmade bow ties on etsy. i need to take sewing lessons!}

via madebygigi.

via nicebuzz.

couldn't resist posting this dog bow tie :) via jalina colon.

have a great monday!

*leah bell

weekend happenings.

happy fathers day, dads! my how we love them + just can't get enough of them. even though i didn't see my dad today, i made sure to call him + send him this. i hope you had a great weekend; mine was so much fun! we went to an awesome festival, met up with good friends, hung out at the pool + ate delicious (too much) food in the 'viagra triangle'. now its time to recover + look forward for a productive week. here we go! 

emersonmade has these cute removable shoe flowers.
wouldn't these be perfect for a garden wedding?

• my little sister found these cupcake forms, how precious are they?
• check out how these famous fathers spent the day with their kiddos
• look at what this lady's been up to - i love betty white!
• which wedding hairstyle do you like the best?

enjoy your sunday evening!

*leah bell

oh billy boy.

 love, love, love this billy boy + moss place card idea from elizabeth ann designs. i'm a fan of DIY projects that look amazing but don't take up a lot of time, so this is right up my alley. 

hope you're having a good weekend!

*leah bell