Category Archives: Her Inspiration

Enjoying the Bounty


For the past few days my home Internet has been down – which means I haven’t been able to share pictures I have taken, or any new recipes.  I’m overflowing with sweets and savories!

As an appe-teaser, enjoy some of the bounty from our trip to the Bloomingdale Farmer’s Market.

Parsley, Sage and Basil from our Friend’s Backyard Garden
25 Pounds of Sauce Tomatoes – lots of chopping for lots of delicious homemade sauces.
Beets and Radishes that were used for Sunday’s Lunch
Shots of Espresso to end the day

The table is set for a Sunday feast – recipes to follow!

Sweet surprises


Yesterday I got a pedicure.  And in between coats of Essie “Sugar Daddy” and flipping the pages of August’s Food & Wine Magazine, I mentioned to the technician that tomorrow (today) is my six month wedding anniversary.  She was really happy for us.  


She went on to say that she has been married for ten years, and her step son also has been married for a few months.  She said she has friends who ask, “how do you make it work?”  and “how has your marriage lasted so long, (when others do not)?”.  And we agreed together that it works, and not just works but thrives, when you continue to make the effort, celebrate the “montha-aversaries”, and continue dating like you did when you were just boyfriend and girlfriend.

So as if Mark was a mind reader, last night when I got home my husband had made dinner, which smelled delicious, and sitting on the table were these:
I am a very lucky girl.  

Happy Six Month Wedding Anniversary to my wonderful husband.  I love you, always.

“Mule!” “Nag!”


Today my sister moves back to Washington, DC.

Like me, she went to college in the DC area (Maryland), and as far as college goes, that’s where our similarities end. She participated in Greek Life, I did not. She has a huge group of girlfriends and is easily the life of the party, I enjoy planning the party. She is truly the youngest child, and I am the oldest child.

In growing up though I have always admired her, her sense of self, joy, the energy and enthusiasm she brings to her life and the way she encounters all people without an ounce of judgment.

As little girls we would plot our next business venture; we sold painting on the boardwalk, lemonade on the corner, hand beaded necklaces to anyone who was interested and started a local baby-sitters club. Watch movies, a favorite for many reasons was a League of Their Own, and if we were ever punished and sent to our adjoining rooms, we’d each sit in our closets and talk to each other through the shared wall.

During our overlapping college time, it’s fair to say that for a period we did not hang out as often as our grandmothers would ask if we did, but somehow, magically, we became two fairly similar girls.
We’re both likely to roll our eyes a little too freely, cry a bit easily, smile widely, and cherish the same moments.

Personal photo

Somehow we’ve both grown up. She can call me out (and does), and usually I can do the same. She looks out for me, and I will always look out for her. She is selfless and so spirited as she proved in the last year by putting others before her (myself included) during the year of wedding planning and Maid of Honor-hood, as she was going through all the trials and travails of her senior year of college.

Image by Ashley Colhouer Photography


And, somewhere a long the way our sisterhood became a true friendship, still a little competitive, but always my best friend, and now housemate?!

Yes, she get’s her own room in the new house while she begins to navigate post-college life in DC and we’re so excited to have her here! I can’t wait to share in this new stage of adult hood with her.

It’s the extras…


I can’t stress enough that the wedding we had was perfect for us. It was our dream wedding. It is my favorite day.

However, that doesn’t mean that in the process of wedding planning I didn’t see many other things that I would have liked to have had. I sometimes joked that I could have planned ten different weddings and each would be unique – but since we’re only doing this once, those other designs and inspiration boards will have to wait for friends’ weddings, renewals and theme parties!

I am a long time fan of the beautiful calligraphy work of Laura Hooper. So much of a fan that at one point I attempted to make “Laura Hooper style Save the Dates”. We obviously went a different route, you can’t beat the real thing. I love her work for the whimsy, and unique heart each piece gets.

Designed by Laura Hooper Calligraphy


Doesn’t this make you feel like you’re about to find a Secret Garden? I love, love, love this lush aisle runner of multi-colored petals. The delighted flower girl seems to agree with me!

Image: Rebecca Thuss

We didn’t serve a signature drink, that was a trend we didn’t jump on. We did serve Champagne immediately after the ceremony. If we went signature, it would have been a mojito (we’re both big fans) and in little glasses like this. I love the idea of miniature food and drinks – and of a drink that reflects the location, or the couple.

A wedding we went to on the Big Island of Hawaii served Champagne with dried hibiscus flowers inside – it was a beautiful, subtle touch of Hawaii.

Here’s a little known secret – you can’t do this look if you’re getting married inside of a hotel, conference center, or restaurant. As devastating as that is, it’s an obvious fire hazard. I love the look of tall tapered candles, so I’ll have to figure out an occasion to incorporate this into eventually.

Image from Martha Stewart

Ever since I saw Father of the Bride, I was smitten with Chivari Chairs. To me they scream wedding. I am really loving them in the soft gold for a classic look and lacquered black for a dramatic, high glamor style.

Image from The Lace House

The sparkler exit… This is something Mark really wanted. I think if our ceremony and reception hadn’t been 4 feet apart this is something we would have done. It’s a beautiful site and totally classic. Ultimately, we didn’t miss it, we had plenty of flash bulbs popping.

Swensen Photography

In wedding planning it’s often the extras and details you really sweat and agonize over. At the end of the day you need three things: a partner, an officiant and a witness, in that moment you’ll find all the sparkle you (or your planner) could ever pay for. The rest is just extras…

King and Queen of America


There is no American icon I enjoy more than Jackie Kennedy, and by extension John F. Kennedy, Caroline, John Jr, and the brothers Robert and Teddy.

I think my interest stems from my dad’s tendency to tell stories of the 1960’s glamour and coming of age, (before his stories of civil rights, civil unrest and the Viet Nam war – but we’ll save that history lesson for another day), and also because I don’t think there is any American, or otherwise, woman who has personified timeless style better than Jacqueline Kennedy. Besides, who doesn’t love a square jaw and sharp features 🙂

I stumbled on this picture today on another blog, Snippet & Ink and had to share it.

This photo and many, many more amazing photos of the entire Kennedy family can be found at here. You’ll love it, I very easily lost track of time.

The International Language of Love


I met my husband in October of 2006. In the early stages of dating when we’d be in the car I would often catch myself playing with a sweat band wrapped I found in the center console that commemorated the four World Cup championships Italy has won. He was still feeling proud three months after watching his countrymen (his mother is Italian) win the World Cup in Germany (his father’s birthplace). I am not much of a soccer follower, but as a fan of the spirit of all sports I delighted in the stories of Mark and friends running through the streets of Georgetown with a “forza azzurri” spirit!
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Four years later, and now married, we watched the World Cup together. We texted over morning games and watched the replays at home after work. This time we cheered on Italy, Germany and the USA. For me the highlight is not the goals, penalties or the bravo acting but the pure emotion these champions and underdogs express for the love of the game and love of country.

Sometimes though, it is just for the love of love, and I’m glad I got to share this World Cup and the future ones with my mine:

Spain’s Goalie Iker Casillas and his girlfriend and reporter Sara Carbonero

Roughly translates to: (reporting to J)
Sara: “J, all the principal players are leaving but Iker is staying… well how did it all start & look now?”

Iker: “What do you want me to say?”

Sara: “How are you? How do you feel?”

Iker: “Well this a wonderful day. I’m very happy. I think we deserve it in the end. I dedicate this to the people that has supported me always, (looks into her eyes) my parents, my brother” (voice starts to crack) *both get emotional*

Sara: “It’s okay. We’ll talk more on the match & then we’ll return back…”

Iker: “No.”

Sara: “No?”

Iker: “I’d rather kiss you.”

It’s in her Jeans


My first job and first love was fashion. I modeled as a kid, sketched dresses as a pre-teen, and worked retail throughout high school. Shortly after graduating college I joined an online retail company and contemporary boutique (National Jean Company/ NationalJeanCompany.com) in the DC Metro area to provide the creative direction for their first of many websites.

This was a great opportunity for me to see the inner workings of a start-up, a fashion company and a tech company all in one day – not too many jobs give you that opportunity!

One highlight of my time was to run and style the photo shoots for our various websites, and when we were a model short I eventually stepped in as the denim/pants model. Handling and wearing the denim and many of the other items really gave me the best kind of knowledge (*first hand) to write descriptions for all of these items and also an in depth fit guide.

On him: Diesel Viker, on Me: J Brand Love Story in Dark Vintage Image by Ashley Colhouer Photography


It is a conservative guess to say I have tried on hundreds of pairs of jeans. I know jeans and I know them well. How does a J Brand differ from a Joe’s? What’s the difference in the denim weave on a pair of 7 for all Mankind vs. Citizen’s of Humanity? What if I am looking for a pair of jeans that knocks ’em dead? I know what pair that is, and by extension I know the answers to those questions.

One of the biggest hurdles for an online shopper is being able to take that leap of faith on an item without trying it on, the fit guide does a really fantastic job of alleviating that denim anxiety. That’s why I am especially proud that the site I worked the hardest on, was recently recognized by People Style Watch as a website to bookmark because of their exceptional denim selection (great job, buying team!) and the amazing fit guide, (if People Magazine [and I] say so, it must be true)! Congratulations to the entire NationalJeanCompany.com team!

I’ll be dispensing more denim buying tips in the future, because really, truly, I swear, there is a perfect pair of jeans for everyone – no matter your genes.

Leaving Virginia


As I have mentioned in previous posts, this previous weekend we moved from Virginia to DC. I think no matter the reason or the location, moving is always a triple punch: emotional, exhausting and exciting.

I am so excited to be back in DC, but will definitely miss Virginia – more on that in a very soon to be released post. I came to the DC metro area for the allure of big city DC and for college at American University. I met some of my closest friends. I found a major. I grew up. I found my husband and best friend in DC. We fell in love in Virginia.

As I was packing up and getting wistful Meet Virginia by Train kept looping through my brain. I loved this song when it came out. I think the line about “she wears high heels when she exercises,” really resonated with me. It certainly wasn’t the coffee or cigarettes.

Anyway, if you haven’t yet, you really ought to meet Virginia.

Weddings, Inspired


Today is five months since Mark and I got married. Time flies in five months. It’s also about 1.5 years since I was really in the thick of wedding planning. The wedding industry and the wedding blogging industry provide an endless supply of weddings to model after, weddings to aspire to, and weddings just to drool over. Early on I fell in love with this wedding by Ariel Yve, as featured on the very inspiring Style Me Pretty. source: Style Me Pretty, Photography by Raya Photography

After doing a lot of Internet searching, and finding inspiration at Snippet and Ink and many other fantastic sites, I thought it would be helpful to create my own inspiration board. I was planning our Boca Raton wedding from Washington, DC, and had limited opportunities to meet with vendors so my vision needed to be clear. I wanted a Mid-Summer Night’s Dream (in January), vintage, chic, Anthropologie, Classic wedding. Do you think that was confusing? This is what it looked like in my head…

From L-R: Tuxedo:Hugo Boss, Dress: Maggie Sottero, Martha Stewart, Ariel Yve, Confetti Cakes, Flowers from theknot.com, Bari Jay Bridesmaid Dress, Ariel Yve, theknot.com, kissthegroom.com

I won’t keep you in suspense any longer, as to where we ended up (and yes we did have a cookie bar!). In the posts to come I’ll share more recaps, tips, vendor strategies and lessons learned.

wedding photos from the very talented Ashley Colhouer Photography

And we live happily ever after. Happy Month-iversary!

Quick Thought: Running in Style


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This morning on the way to work I saw a 40+ year old woman running through K Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

It is currently 82 degrees out.
That is hot.
It is especially hot at 9am.

She was singing so loudly that possibly her music made the heat, the traffic, and the shin splints disappear. What a great way to start the day. Also extra style points to her for matching her iPod wires to her running outfit.

How did you start your day? I did the P90X Extreme Yoga. It’s extreme, no joke, but more on that later.

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