Letterpressed Physician

So if you been following my tweets from the weekend, you'll know that the Mr. is officially a Dr. 

I am so thrilled and proud of him.  I remember 4 years ago when I attended his White Coat ceremony and wondered if I would still be a part of his life to see his actual graduation.  Lucky for me, not only did I get to see his graduation, I got to see it as his Mrs.

This is a classic photo face for us. Don't be alarmed.

So what do you give the graduate?  We had a little cook-out complete with ice cream cake {requested by the new Dr and designed by Bruster's}

But I also wanted to get him something special.  My parents already gave him this awesome vintage army watch from J.Crew.

 

 

photo via J.Crew

So sticking with the vintage theme, I got him this fab vintage Doctor's Bag from Etsy seller: OdaraElle

I also got fellow blogger and one of my besties, Christen from Fashionplate Cheapskate to get her mom {Oopsy Daisy} to monogram a piece of fabric saying, " Dr. Blake Perry" so that I could adhere it to the inside of his bag.  Unfortunately, the first thing the future Dr. did was zip up the bag and lock it before I could tell him that I didn't have the key!?! 

I didn't want to stop there, so  I also wanted to get him his own personal stationary.  I haven't done much stationary that is focused for a man, so I knew before I tried to redesign that medical degree into personal stationary I should just keep it simple.  One color on a cream paper.  I also wanted it to be extra special, so I contacted my friend Jenny of Press Charming to letterpress my design. I love letterpress!! It takes everything up a notch.


Here's my design and here is my design "letterpressed" complete with the bag {locked}, his stationary and his monogram.

Know any good locksmith's?

Under the Sea

So as I stated in this post, in a few months we will be moving into that adorable little cottage.  And of course my head has been swimming with design ideas.  This is our current bedspread. We registered for it from Pottery Barn last year and I absolutely love it.

photo via Pottery Barn and no that isn't our bedroom but the one from the website. *le sigh*

It has a very beachy feel to it. And even though Winston-Salem isn't on the coast, I've still been visiting Coastal Living for some decorating ideas. Which is where I found this gem.

photo via Coastal Living

I think with the right furniture and throw pillows this would work well with our current duvet! 

Since the Mr. is from south Alabama near the gulf, I had always thought we would have a beach wedding.  {We ended up having more of a backyard barn bbq wedding and you can see some of our photos here and here}  If we had though, I would have loved to put some of these ideas to use!

Photo Credits
Top Row: Coastal Living decor, Amazing shift dress for $320 by BHLDN, Awesome Starfish headband for $30 from etsy seller Bohemian Bombshell
Middle Row: Starfish chair decorations via The Knot, Alternative starfish boutonniere via The Knot
Bottom Row: Simple starfish centerpiece via The Knot, Perfect starfish necklace for $25 via etsy seller Two Little Doves, Yummy Marzipan and Graham Cracker sand starfish cupcake via Martha Stewart recipe here

Hey maybe I could redesign that dream beach wedding into a fabulous wedding invite. I would use the starfish motif of course with simple blue and white color scheme. I would totally put the invitation on kraft paper for a sandy rustic beach house feel and use a mix of script and sans script fonts.

Now I want to plan my wedding all over again. There is always vow renewal! Is a year anniversary too soon to throw another party?

Dream Office Stationary

I currently have a desk in our sunroom/guest bedroom/storage area/Kitty Lynn's room but more often than not I am blogging and designing from the couch.  This is not ideal. I am hoping once we move this will change.  I have a little folder on my harddrive called "Nesting." This is where I stash photos of dream rooms or decorating ideas.  I stumbled upon this little gem while I was checking on the stylish girls over at Fabulous on a Budget.

photo via Fabulous on a Budget

My. Dream. Office.  It's so girly and chic but also has a very modern vibe to it. I feel like if I sat at that desk every day I could be inspired.  I heart the back wall with all the framed black and white images. It made me think of this picture that I have had on my phone since 2009.

I snapped this photo in a Macy's in the furniture department. I think it was in one of the books where you can order furniture but I loved the idea of framing a ton of different photos all over one wall.  I now can't decide what I like better-silhouettes or old Hollywood.

So I thought I would scope out the internets and find some key pieces for my dream office.  Here is what I came up with.

Top Row: Benjamin Moore for Pottery Barn paint colors in Blue Haze and Chalkboard
White Glass & Mesh lamp from Lampsplus.com for $49.98
Vintage end table from etsy seller Painted Cottage for $120

Middle Row: Vintage French Vanity/Desk from etsy seller Painted Cottage for $295
Vintage French Chair from etsy seller Painted Cottage for $110

Bottom Row: Estelle Ottoman in Robin's Egg from Urban Outfitters for $89
Madeline Chair from Urban Outfitters for $349

And of course I'd need my own stationary.  Hey maybe I could redesign that dream office into my own personal stationary.  It needs to be clean and modern with a little flourish. I definitely need to used the robin's egg blue and black color scheme and I'm going out on a limb from my normal style and picking a very elegant font.

I realized for all this redesigning that I do I may actually need to print a hard copy version of this post. I have some personal cover letters to write and hopefully thank you notes after some upcoming job interviews. Please. Hire. Me.

Vintage Type

I learned to type on my Mom's 1970's electric Samsonite typewriter. I still remember the hum of that machine when you plugged it in, the heavy case it was stored in and changing out the black type cartridge for the white correct cartridge.  Definitely a far cry from today's iPad!

But there is something to be said for remembering the past and all its glory.  Which is why I searched high and low for a typewriter to display at our wedding last July.  I found this at a garage sale for $25 including the Gregg Typing Manual 2nd edition!

 
I had the clever idea like others before me to use the typewriter as my guest book.  However, the ribbon was a bit dried out and even after I found a replacement online it still just didn't work quite right.  But that's okay because my amazing florist, Alison Kynerd Thomas, was still able to style my guest book area and incorporate the typerwriter.  We put a single white sheet into the type writer and simply typed:

emily and blake perry

july 25, 2010

Here are a few pics of the guest book and guest favor area from our wedding day.

photos via Rob Ingram

Now the typewriter hangs out in our dining room on our antique buffet table or as I call it-the wedding shrine.  It houses the typewriter, two of my favorite pictures from our wedding day, the caricature we used as our save the dates (details here) framed with our guest's signatures and the goblet and plate that we took The Lord's Supper from during the ceremony.

I plan to eventually use the typewriter in either our foyer or entry way to greet guests like these peeps have:

traditional entry design by media and blogs Whimages

eclectic living room design by philadelphia media and blogs Mustard Seed Interiors

Or maybe when I finally get a big girl home office, I'll find a special place for it there.  Heck let's dream big, maybe someday in the store front of my stationary/invitation biz!

eclectic home office design by media and blogs Susie Harris

eclectic home office design by media and blogs Susie Harris

How great is the typewriter letter wall art in the photo above. It makes me think of the adorable necklaces, rings and cuff links from etsy seller Gwen Delicious.

cuff links only $21 great gift for your gent!

necklace only $31 available in all 26 letters!

 
Lucky for me, I can still practice my typing skills using my handy Gregg Typing Manual 2nd edition.

 

I mean each lesson is complete with speed drills and assignments so you can practice up on how to type that perfect interoffice memorandum or even that memo to the other girls in your Business Club!

Hey, maybe I could redesign that vintage typewriter and typing lesson into an adorable kitschy Save the Date. Obviously, I would use the classic typewriter font and the fab couple from the cover of my typing textbook for a little nostalgic romance.

I better go, I have a few more typing drills to do and I don't want to get carpel tunnel.

And the Award Goes To...

This Sunday marks the 83rd Annual Academy Awards and sure it's fun to see who wins but it is more fun to plop down in front of the TV and watch E!'s red carpet and see who is wearing who.

In honor of the golden statue I thought I would dedicate this post to all things gold inspired.

photo via Oscars

 And if you need some background music I have always enjoyed this little diddy by Jill Scott, Golden.



So maybe you you don't have Rachel Zoe styling you this Sunday. Or maybe you loaned your golden Oscar de la Renta gown out to Cameron Diaz and she hasn't returned it.  Either way, I feel like you can still sparkle and shine this Sunday.

photo via Harper's Bazaar

photo via Access Hollywood

I think the key is taking care of your accessories from your "tips" to your "toes."  And the ridiculously fashionable and beautiful Emily from the blog, Cupcakes and Cashmere, perfected the gold manicure when she posted this:

photo via Cupcakes and Cashmere

As for your toes, I own a few metallic pairs of shoes.  But  my absolute favs are none other than my Jessica Simpson's.  Like I said in a previous post, love her or hate her the girl has got some fashion sense.  I heart them so much that they had to make an appearance in my engagement photos.  I've mentioned her before, but Amy from the blog, ToDo  is also a budding photog and she did a fab job.

photo via Amy

So now that we have our nails and shoes down, let's get to the real reason for this post.  I have had my eye on this gorgeous necklace from etsy seller, Ashleigh, of  Birdseed Crafts.  I am awe-inspired by her blog where she talks about her 2011 goal of turning her hobby into a full time career.  I am also tempted not to link this necklace for fear someone will snatch it up before my payday.  It's only $32 which is a small price to pay!

how sassy is her model!?

photo via Birdseed Crafts

So go paint your nails, put on your fancy metallic shoes, buy a fab necklace and turn on the Oscars.  Oh and why not bake and decorate these little cupcakes? Martha Stewart would.

photo via Martha Stewart

Hey, maybe I could redesign that golden fashion palate into an Oscar party invitation.  I will try as hard as I can to translate that sparkle on paper and even emulate that adorable necklace. These charming square invites would definitely be enclosed in metallic gold envelopes just like the winners' names.

Let's be honest, I will probably be coming straight from yoga and end up falling asleep watching the ceremony on the couch this Sunday!

Orange You Pretty in Purple!

Growing up a Georgia fan my father taught me to hate all things orange.  Florida, Tennessee, Auburn and occasionally Clemson.  It wasn't until recently that I discovered Clemson's colors were Orange and Purple.  For some reason I always thought they were Orange and Blue. But no that's a deep purple those boys have painted on their chests.

photo via Stadium Drives

 And I also recently discovered that their stadium holds the same name,  "Death Valley," as another purple, Southern tiger stadium in Louisiana. Who knew?

photo via Clemson Tigers

Needless to say, I have tried to stay away from most things orange.  However just this past week, I got both my March Lucky magazine and Real Simple issue and discovered that this Spring- orange is the new black.  Even last February's Lucky magazine had cover girl, Nicole Richie, sporting the orange and purple combo.

photo via Lucky

I tried finding that exact skirt she's wearing online but alas it is nowhere to be seen. If you have an extra $385 to spare you can find something similar here.

Real Simple even did a whole fashion feature "Orange Crush" and paired orange with navy, hot pink and purple. Just a little sneak peak into the issue-page 99 for those of you following along at home.

photo via Real Simple

 And just so you can get a better look at this AH-MA-ZING Tory Burch dress, here is another photo below.  Sadly, its $350 and currently sold out. 

photo via Tory Burch

Even the homepage of Saks had the orange/purple color combo as Spring's "see-worthy" trends. That is, if you can stomach the price tag of these Fendi color block sandals.  Just a mere $740. Rent Schment

photo via Saks

So how can a girl afford the trend?  Don't worry. OPI has you covered with their Texas Collection.  Check out this little color, Y'all Come Back Ya Hear!, for only $8.50.

photo via Beautysak

If you are feeling a little gutsy, Victoria Secret has a sexy spin on the color combo.  The top will run you around $24 and the bottoms will only set you back $16. I posed for this picture by the way that's just a different person's head-S'weird.

photo via Victoria Secret

Or you can go vintage and purchase this fab dress for only $40 from etsy seller OneRareBird.

photo via OneRareBird

Either way there are several opportunities for this Spring's hottest trend to be affordable.  Personally for me, maybe I could redesign that color combo of orange and purple into a pretty little trendy Save the Date.

Okay okay, I still twitch a little when I see too much orange but maybe I can start slowly and paint my nails this week and pair them with a great purple dress.

Oh and please note that if you have something that you want me to redesign, I will. Just drop me a comment below.  My pricing is totally affordable and I'd love the chance to redesign that!