Beacons of Bridal Bliss

These women make me giggle, sigh, tear up, goosebump, guffaw, and beam. All for different reasons. They'd be a crazy Charlie's Angels 5-some if they ever got together... can you picture it?! I can't wait to post their weddings for you to admire as well, so stay tuned for more!

Tara.....




Elizabeth.....




Nadia.....




Vanessa.....



Gina!



On a semi-related side-note, I know I've been MIA in the writing department (an embarrassing degradation for our family of correspondents) and I promise to get back on the email wagon-- STAT!

I Smell Veggie... { Green Drop Garage }

Let me introduce you to the genius behind my newest web design launch... Farhad is an old friend from high school and an environmental and entrepreneurial visionary! His business, Green Drop Garage, has just opened its doors at it's new location in SE Portland, and he wanted a new website to represent all of their amazing capabilities and events. Although they do regular service and maintenance on cars and trucks, their specialty is on converting diesel vehicles to run on straight recycled vegetable oil! They just finished converting Justin's truck, so we can vouch for their great work. As if they weren't already too cool for school, Farhad's using the garage space as a community hub, too, opening it up for classes, concerts and other cool events! Did I mention he reminds me of a young George Clooney?

www.greendropgarage.com

Matching business cards...

* Faux Real * { Hannah & Alex PART 3: the fiesta}

And then there was a party. Food, drink, candy, and chaos ensued... the perfect end to the perfect day.



Below, Caitlin and Shola man the Welcome Table!

Faux Real CD + Untamed Vows pencils + candy + custom bookmarks = awesome goody bags!

Justin and I painted the witness poster for the newlyweds... them and their doggies in front of the tree forevah.... aww...



Yum......





Below, Hannah and I snuggle up and then hit the dance floor with our favorite gentlemen!

(Thank you Mike, Jimmy and Eric for helping me be in a few for once...)





Dance floor chaos ensues...





And a final few of Hannah and Alex! What better way to end your wedding than with a groom vs bride hula-off? xoxo

* Faux Real * { Hannah & Alex PART 2: the vows}

It's hard to describe how it felt seeing Hannah and Alex, two old Oak Hills kids, reunite under the familiar old oak tree at the heart of our neighborhood. What I loved most about the ceremony was how natural the entire thing felt. They were both there under the tree to greet guests as they arrived, bikers went past, kids' soccer games played on, and as the time drew near for the ceremony to begin, the bride shouted at the crowd, "Are we missing anybody?!" The vows that Hannah and Alex wrote were spoken by a dear friend John, and told as though reading an old storybook tale... of two neighborhood kids brought together by the stars and the trees and the friends and family who love them most.

Congratulations to my gorgeous sister and brand spankin' new brother in law!!
















Thank you, Once Wed and Rock 'n Roll Bride for the sweet and thoughtful features! Check out Emily and Kat's thoughts on the wedding and to see a sneak peek for PART 3: the fiesta!



Bride's Dress- Olive and yellow silk gown made from scratch by the genius design team Caitlin and Shola (more on them to come...)
Bride's makeup- Nadia Kingston of Nadia Artistry
Bride's Earrings and Necklance- Isreali designer Ayala Bar from Cargo
Bride and Groom's rings- meteorite and moldavite from the Fossil Cartel
Bride's Bracelets- family heirlooms
Bride's Hair- by the bride

* Faux Real * { Hannah & Alex PART 1: the couple}

What do you get when you mix two rockstar lovers, about a thousand rainbow dahlias, handmade crafts galore, a smelly cobwebbed barn, a table covered in candy, a skyscraper of an oak tree, and around a hundred screaming fans?.....



You may remember my twin sister, Hannah, from previous posts (bridal and engagement shoots)...Well, she and Alex just got hitched! They opted out of run-of-the-mill wedding portraits and hired me to create the following eight record covers for their wedding favors! They donned their wedding ensembles (Hannah in a custom green and buttercup yellow gown and Alex in a silver suit) and let my mixed media instincts run amok, free to create their "faux real" worlds... Hannah and Alex then recorded covers of three of their favorite songs in a matter of a few days, doing all of the instrumentals and vocals themselves, (listen below!) and had a blast whipping together the music in a sweet and silly way.

We then used the collages to make little cd jackets for the guests and also as larger 12x12 prints to decorate the barn. What resulted was an incredibly personal, super-hip, cheesy-to-the-max Hannah and Alex original series that I believe fits their wacky personalities and true-blue love to a T. They described what they wanted as "Elementary School meets Vogue meets Warhol meets Secret Agent meets Soap Opera"....

Which is your favorite?















Here are the CD teasers for your listening pleasure...


Click to play their version of Time After Time (mushy anthem for all ears... wait for it to kick in at the chorus!)

Click to hear a whole new spin on Our Lips Are Sealed (lady gaga meets abba on the playground ala gogos!)

Click to play their rendition of Champs-Elysees (french classic lullaby in the spirit of an old record...)


And I can't help but share these hilarious outtakes from the album cover shoot....










And coming up next... the WEDDING!

Thank you, Rainbow

Yesterday, my sister and I were at a favorite store of ours, Cargo, picking out a necklace and earrings for her wedding ensemble. (hoo wee!) We perused with the cheerful owner and as she pulled out various samples of colors to show us and in an effort to find something that would grab us, she asked what our favorite color was. I instantly blurted out, "*RAINBOW*". So true! People keep asking Hannah what her wedding colors are and her answer is always, "Every color." It's just our family way.

Happily, this eclectic, rainbowy penchant extends to aspects of my life other than jewelry... home decor, clothing, makeup, plants, and yes, even Steep Street herself are swayed by the love of never needing to "match" again. Which leads me to my new set of Steep Street Postcards that arrived a few days ago... it would be impossible, not mention against my nature to choose just one yummy color or familiar face for my marketing. So let's celebrate the rainbow today and every day-- collect them all for your wall, bookmark, coaster, or to pass on to a friend to share the love.

And all you Steep Street clients, watch out... you may very well end up on one of these limited edition cards one day yourself! (only 100 printed of each...)



The back of each card:





And Mowgli's favorite from Steep Street's previous set of cards:


Contact me if you'd like Steep Street to design you your very own own Rainbow Multi Pack....