goodbye... for now.

Here is just a little hint about the last post... I can't say more. I can say I am very sad. 

Until I know anything more, I just keep hoping our wedding will be in 46 days... everything is planned so beautifully. Pray for us! 

The above photo sure is famous....

the long road home

I'm packing my yellow suitcase, at least the one in my imagination (because the one pictured is something I drool over on etsy), and moving out of our apartment in the big city into one of the apartments over my grandparents' barn.It is a little one bedroom where the hay loft is. No, the barn doesn't look like the red one above (newer and much larger) but I could always dream, right? I've found that in the face of stress-- our wedding is potentially in 47 days-- I tend to use my imagination much more. I'll give you a hint about it in a later post... Whether or not that is a good thing-- well, questionable. 

Today I picked out all new paint colors for the place-- a nice sunny yellow for the kitchen and little living/dining area, a cool green for the bathroom and a lilac for the bedroom. I'll be living there alone for a while... so I thought what would be better than decking the place out in all vintage decor? I'm can be as girly as I want. How fun! I've got a vision. I can just see myself now, staring out off my deck looking out to the cows and horses in the pasture. Oh please, let time fly!

love birds on a wire

I found this sweet bird garland over at the fabulous site OnceWed. As you can see from the second picture, there is a great tutorial to help you make one. OnceWed is a site mostly dedicated to buying and selling used designer wedding gowns. Although they do have wonderfully creative inspiration ideas, such as the one above! I would recommend taking a jaunt over there, you might see something you like!

I absolutely love garland! I could have miles and miles of the stuff hanging at our wedding if I was allowed. Baby's Breath, paper garlands, even garland made out of Willow tree branches. I love it all. I would love to have a garland like this hanging over the door to the master suite at the inn we are staying in the night of our wedding. My fiance and I, well, we are true love birds!

If you aren't so jazzed up over the birds, you could always try hanging hearts. You don't have to have anything hanging at all! Although some hanging monogram initials would be adorable! I might just have to try a combination of both birds and initials! I can never make up my mind!

sew adorable

All of these things I found are sewn, handmade, do-it-yourself. DIY! I absolutely adore DIY! Anything made with a good old fashioned needle and thread or sewing machine I swoon over. I know that not all of the images below are directly wedding and vintage related, but they could easily fit in the grand scheme of a vintage inspired bride! With some great vintage fabric finds, you can step up to your grandmother's sewing machine and get busy on some DIY projects! 

The first photo is a rice pillow from Blair Peter's blog. A rice pillow is an old remedy. When you have a head and back ache after a long day of wedding planning you just pop this little darling right into the microwave for a few minutes and enjoy! It might even be good for your bridesmaids after the bachelorette party! Think of what wonders it could do for your fiance after you ask him to build and paint those wooden signs for the reception! I can't wait to try one out. Honestly, this doesn't even have to be sewn... a little stitcher's glue 

and you're in business! 

The second and third photos are from a blog called paperstringcloth, a genius little place on the web! These pin cushions immediately reminded me of ring pillows. There is even an in-depth tutorial teaching you how to make one of these for your wedding ceremony. Even though my fiance and I are not having a ring bearer, I might just have to make one of these and have the best man tuck it away in his jacket. My grandmother inherited at least half a dozen boxes of fabric from my great grandmother, making one of these pillows out of Grandma Bessie's fabric would be a wonderful way of incorporating her into our wedding!

The fourth picture is of a paper doily garland made by the creator of The Long Thread blog. I think this simple little decor idea could dress up a simple space. I am envisioning old wooden walls or even an outdoor garden or barn venue. The garland looks so simple, clean and elegant. I would love to have people write little notes on them like a wish tree, but I don't know how that would work out...

The last two images are from the one and only domestic goddess Martha Stewart. On her wedding website there were a bunch of ideas that included buttons. As always, she has very simple and well thought-out how to instructionals. I absolutely fell in love with the hand embroidered button cuff links. I am most definitely going to be making a pair for my dear groom. I plan to have a groomsman come over and  get them from me the day of the wedding and giving them to him just before the portrait session starts. I'm going to be on the hunt for some big buttons and nice fabric to cover them with! 

Get stitchin' ladies...

blairpeter

paperstringcloth

tutorial here

the long thread

tutorial here

martha stewart

just married

here

here

here

here

here

I have weddings on the brain! Mostly, I just want to get ours over an done with. I'm pretty stressed out with school, getting the best grades I can and finishing my thesis. The thought of driving away from it all after a night dedicated to my love and I makes me shiver with delight! 

Look at these photos! Aren't they to die for? All of them were found on the wonderful resource known as flickr! I couldn't figure out what years the first two photos came from; the third photo with the couple in front of the Volkswagon Bug is from 1963, the fourth is a couple from near Peoria, Illinois and was taken in 1960 (look at all those cans!), and the last photo is from 1959 in Phoenix, Arizona. I can't get over how sweet the man standing by the car's posture is! Obviously, these were all events to celebrate! 

Since our wedding and reception are both at the same place, we will not have to use any sort of vehicle to travel. Our venue is a bed and breakfast and we are staying there for our first official married night. Though how I long to drive off into the sunset in a vintage car decorated with the traditional empty soup cans and streamers! I wish we could drive off in one now for a weekend getaway-- and it is only Wednesday! 

dreaming of honeymooning

Aren't these vintage honeymoon photos fabulous? I found them all of flickr.com care of users anniebee and haunted_snowfort. The first two belong to haunted_snowfort, and the people in the photo are the users great aunt and uncle, Bess and Wes. The last three pictures, user anniebee bought from a dealer and lovingly named Ted and Helen. I simply adore both couples!

Just look at that parasol and those knee socks, they were the sunscreen of the times! The matching monogram one-piece bathing suits on Bess and Wes are just darling! When my dearest and I finally are able to go on our honeymoon I am going to make sure we get these traditional photos! Couple on the beach, couple in the water... we've seen it time and time before, yet these types of pictures never get old. You can practically feel the warm young love coming from the pictures! 

While Bess and Wes seemed to be a proper couple living on the straight and narrow, Ted and Helen are edgy. Just look at Helen, she's gorgeous! So put together on a simple countryside walk! Also, look at them in their hotel room... a little risque, aren't they? Ted and Helen were simply before their times. The shower and towel portraits are so personal! Lastly, look at Helen in front of that car. The woman knew how to pose! Her driving gloves, the headband, her entire outfit-- it just works! I hope I have even just an ounce of Helen in me: she's classy, sassy and downright beautiful! 

Now I've got sandy beaches and cold margaritas on my mind! 

I'm just wild about saffron...

They call me mellow yellow!

Okay, so I know this isn't exactly a vintage inspired post, but I guess if I at least post one vintage inspired idea per day I am allowed more creative freedom. For my second post of the day it is all about brand spankin' new yellow high heels! Although, if you look closely at each pair of gorgeous man catchers I bet you can see the throwback to a vintage shoe design. 

I love them all, from the color and bulk of the chunky mary-janes, the vented heel and use of shape in the peep-toe heels, the femininity of the nice soft yellow low-heeled shoes, the two-toned eye-catchers, the texture of the baby chick yellow pumps, and the boldness of the bright patent yellow wedge with the cutouts. 

My bridal party is wearing yellow, and although I hope they have found their shoes already, this post is a little motivation to get them going. You see, there are plenty of yellow high heels just waiting to be worn! 

Each of these beauties were found on 6pm.com. Designers include, KORS, DKNY, Miss Sixty, Eley Kishimoto and Two Lips. 

In order from top to bottom,

here: www.6pm.com/n/p/p73642325/c/17628.html

here: www.6pm.com/n/p/p/7376803/c/764.html

here: www.6pm.com/n/p/p/7400677/c/764.html

here: www.6pm.com/n/p/p/7400677/c/764.html

here: www.6pm.com/n/p/p/7423367/c/2906.html

and here: www.6pm.com/n/p/p/7412997/c/764.html