arrest me.

On Wednesday, it snowed; huge sopping hunks of snow. Today it was 80+ degrees, or, as I used to tell my mom, it was "sweating hot."

Somewhere between then and now, everything popped. The flowers burst open. We have cascades. Full, pregnant branches, heavy with perfection.

I can't think about anything else.

On Friday night, it is possible that I slipped into shoes and leashed the dog in a flurry; that I whispered to my sleeping husband: "I found an tree that just blossomed on the side of the road. Come and find me if I'm not back soon."

Let's be clear: I wouldn't ever go into anyone's yard and take branches from their trees. I wouldn't trespass (knowingly). But I know every empty lot with a lilac bush, every roadside apple tree.
In the spring, I drive with scissors in my car. 

I come home with arms full.  Maybe giddy. I pull vases out. I pour water. I prune. The kitchen sink becomes a procession.

This is what I love: that we can have a home that's too small, a rug that's too dirty, walls that are uninspired. But with five labored snips, a little water and our wedding vases, I can walk into our home and my heart skips. Every time I come through the door.

more, tulips, more

I have a series of forest posts en route, but the tulips interrupt.

I'm going to keep going

because I saw these in the grocery store

and almost didn't give them a second look

brought them home; snipped, pulled-leaves, watered, vased.

and they showed me.

for anyone in the mood for a still life, they're available.

Revisited

...or, "how I'm finally realizing the benefits of spending months pouring through antique stores in search of the perfect blue and clear bottles."

I rewarded my spring cleaning efforts with a bouquet of spray roses - the perfect fillers to a handful of the glass bottles I collected for the wedding.

I bough two or three antique glass bottles at a time throughout the fall, falling in love with the subtle differences in glass color, shape and the antique advertising of different potions and remedies in raised letters and decorations along the glass.

Not only do these make the sweetest mini-vases, it's an excuse to spring-clean the generic vases we have lying around. 

Wouldn't it be great if wedding rental businesses had vintage sections? (pssst, hi Grace!)

Type. Print. Stamp. Love

We got married. Outside it was busy snowing 33 inches. Huge, perfect flakes of snow. Inside we had candle light and cupcakes; dancing and an abundance of warmth.

My typewriter joined us. So did my stamps. So did many of our favorite people in the world. I'm still filled with so much bliss, it bounces around. Luckily Valentine's Day is coming and I'm pretty good at sending mail.

Here is one of my favorite shots from our photographer. He brought his wife and they were the best.* All photo credits in this post & our thanks to them! www.shemroose.com

* not the best like "hey these people take good pictures," the best like: when my 5 year old step-son was in a funk and followed us outside into the snow, she put him on her shoulders and let him hold the flash until he was beaming, then ran him inside when it got too cold. That's the best. 
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A few more from www.shemroose.com:
fireplace mantle where we got hitched & the kids starting off the photo booth. 

on church st after the ceremony:

typewritten notes:

Finders Keepers

 

I had a banner day at the Quechee antique store.  I was picking up a few odds and ends. Actually, I was picking up a wedding band, which is neither an odd nor an end, and is sweet as can be (in addition to being a platinum steal!).

On my way to the jewelry case I found some of my new favorite things: Glass bottles and tins and pony shoes, oh my! And a 1950s cocktail dress that fits like a glove.

Everything looked so great together. As they were wrapping and ringing me up,  I couldn't wait to get home to unwrap and photograph. Once again, our painfully creamsicle colored dining room transforms into a divinely muted color when photographed in the afternoon light. Frankly, I think it's magic that these photos aren't a blurry mess. I like magic.

Smith Corona Typewriter (perfectly usable for $30!)

Added to the collection of bottles... (the little blue one says 3-in-one potion!...why oh why do we package everything in plastic.)

Plus some old tobacco tins. Pictured here with all of the pony shoes because they just seem to go together like peas & carrots.

If only I had been able to find a "Quechee is GORGE-ous" Tshirt, the day would have been complete.

Buy your Linen, Rent your forks

In the early days of wedding planning I swore I could get it done for $5000.  I was quickly disabused of this notion. But it made me mildly nauseous as I realized how much money could be spent for a few hours of our lives (even if it will, blah-da-de-blah, last forever in our memories). So I made a few early decisions which I'm fairly certain, kept me to only doubling, not infinitely multiplying, my original figure. Here are the wedding planning rules I lived by: 1) I'll make what I can 2) I'll buy local and antique whenever possible 3) Instead of renting, I'll buy things we'll want to keep.

Aside from loving Drew to infinity in the eyes of the State, item #3 brings me to my favorite part: I'm doing my own linens. The theory being: 1) Renting linens is insanely expensive and generally uninspiring 2) If it's fabric, I can reuse or re-purpose it, 3) Vintage cotton and linen are outstandingly lovely and create exactly the aesthetic I want. More proof?

That said, I had planned on buying my forks too. Oh, and all of the china. Can you imagine dozens of sets of mismatched silver plated silverware and a variety of vintage china on the linens above?
I can.
But I had to stop somewhere.