flashback: 1994

Hello, loves!

So, this post is a little impromptu...but I swear that I felt compelled to share these photos!

I don't ever participate in throwback Thursdays or flashback Fridays on Instagram...

mainly because I just don't really have a lot of old photos 

(which totally bums me out! must hunt for more, stat!)

BUT, recently, a lot of memories and conversation have taken place over these photos 

from my family trip to Madríd in 1994. 

So I thought I would share my own little flashback Friday with you all :)

These photos came up in conversation when I was face-timing with my mom on Mothers Day.

Then the thought of them were triggered again within the same week

when I read Albertina's post yesterday about a gorgeous Madríd apartment...

There is a photo toward the end of the patio, which looked so much like a patio I was sat upon.

It brought back such a vivid memory of a beautiful evening spent with family and new friends, 

eating the most gorgeous home cooked paella I have ever seen & tasted!

My family so blessed at the time to be able to take a 3 week trip out of country to visit 

my aunt and her artist boyfriend who were living in Madríd at the time, while he was painting.

That top photo is me sitting next to our dinner party host, Manuel, while he serves up the paella.

I even got to drink a little wine with dinner!

(blaming this on my wine-o-holism...& my undying love for Spanish reds!!)

This trip was such a big deal to me and such a fond, fond memory...

SO COOL at any age...but especially at 12 years old!

I have since been able to travel Madríd again, as an adult, 

and have nothing but pure love for this incredible city!

This, my friends, is my ode to Madríd.

(warning: having a slight case of wanderlust!!!)

Have a wonderful weekend :)

XO 

Brynn

a post, long overdue (delighted, gatsby-style!)

Hello, friends :) 

I have a long overdue post to share...

a while back, Amanda from Delighted Magazine

(a favorite online magazine of mine!)

reached out and asked me if I would be interested in contributing to her Spring 2013 issue!

Right off the bat, I was excited to say yes,

but when she explained that I would be curating a collection of Gatsby-inspired goods,

I shouted to the rooftop YES, YES, YES!!!

First off, The Great Gatsby is hands down my favorite classic novel,

Secondly, I was ecstatic to see the film - I mean, HELLO! The combination of the greatest classic American novel + the genius filmmaking style of Baz Luhrmann meant a great deal to me!!

And let me just say... that film absolutely did not disappoint! 

I was mesmerized the whole way through and can not wait to see it again! (and again, and again...)

Check out my Great Gatbsy inspired picks below & be sure to check out the full issue here...

you will love the magazine, I just know it :) 

Have a lovely, lovely day :)

XO Brynn

Perk up your paper bag!

Hello, loves!

You know, paper bags can make really great gift wrapping...

all they need is a little pep added to their step ;)

I kind of still can't help but have a thing for my circle punch!

I tell you, every crafter should own one!

I also found a new use for washi tape :) 

So, you want to make your very own??!!

It's super easy!

Just get that circle punch out, along with your tissue paper, 

washi tape and a little double stick tape...

You can make all sorts of patterns & designs :)

Oh! And if you like the little tissue mum flower, 

you can refer back to this post.

One more thing...you like those little clips?

I picked them up for pennies a piece at the Container Store!

Have a lovely day :)

XO

Brynn

catch up: april travels

Hello, loves :) 

Well, today I thought that I would catch you all up on life happenings,

as of lately... I left the blogging world for far longer than I intended to

& thought that this post would help to fill you all in!

Last month, I decided to skip Seattle's April showers and take on some

April travels instead!

It all started with 2 of our best friends deciding to elope & plan a mini-wedding for 8 in Big Sur, CA...

that, of course, was the top secret project that consumed my March (not complaining - I LOVED it!)

- more to come on the wedding as soon as I have all photos in hand! -

So, my husband and I decided to road trip down from Seattle (one of our favorite long distance drives).

We met up with our friends Steph & John, who flew in from Seattle for the wedding, in Monterey.

Please note that the top cliff/hot tub photo & middle hot tub photo are courtesy of and copyrighted to Jazzwall Arts

When we arrived on site at Big Sur (the estate rented for the weekend & the big event) 

we were in AWE!!!  

The property was on a cliff overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean and the Central California rolling hills in the backyard. 

This place was absolutely incredible - the photos say a lot, but this is something I recommend that everyone sees in person at least once!

The bride & groom wanted to keep the party going post-wedding,

so off to Calistoga we went!!!

Pool time, delicious food & lots of wine was just about all that was on the menu...

no complaints here ;) 

A week before we left for California, my friend called & convinced me to fly out of Cali to NYC to surprise my best friend, who was celebrating her birthday there from Los Angeles...

so, I said 'sure, why not?!'

So, my husband dropped me off at the San Francisco airport and I continued on to eat, drink & celebrate some more!!!

It was an amazing trip and my best friend was truly surprised - she had no idea that I would be there :)
Oh! & I got to meet up & swoon with this favorite girl of mine for lunch!!

Oh, but wait! There's more...

From NYC, I jetted off to Scottsdale, AZ.

Nothing fancy to report here - it was a trip for work...

which is why I only have this one photo from the airport ;)

So, friends, there you have it!

I was gone from home about half of April & it has taken me 

3 weeks just to get my life somewhat back to normal!

Let me tell you, though, that I am ECSTATIC to be back...

missed you all!

My life, while full & blessed,

just is not complete without this community!

Have a lovely day :)

XO 

Brynn

A Glossy, Charming Twist: DIY challenge part 1, florals

Hello lovers!!!

I have finally returned :)

I'll catch you all up on life lately tomorrow...

but thought it would be fun to kick off the week & my blogging return

with a fun DIY challenge that Emily of Isn't That Charming and Alyssa of The Glossy Life approached me with...
the idea is that one of us picks a theme each month and we each create our own DIY for $25 or less!
fun, right??!!

The first challenge, from Emily, is florals (one of my personal faves!)

I, of course, put together a floral inspired table setting for an ice cream social :)
(you know how I love table settings!!!)

Take a peek...

I wanted a bright & fun setting that would be perfect for a springtime ice cream social :)

DIY: floral garland centerpiece

To put the garland together:

* for tissue paper flowers, you can refer here for DIY instructions.

* simply arrange tissue pom-pom florals in a snake formation - or how ever you see fit!

(make sure to make it pretty from all sides!!!)

* add in a simple vase of gorgeous REAL blooms for extra texture & a kick of au natural

* add in little extra details...i popped in some balls that i had in the same color

just for a kick of extra fun!

* voila! easy peasy floral table setting just in time to finish out spring ;)

my total cost:

Technically i spent $20, if you count the peonies ;)

But, the diy portion was technically free for me because i already owned all of the supplies
If you did this yourself, your total cost would probable end up just under $25 -
you would need fringe scissors (about $15) and tissue paper (you might spend $10 on a couple packs)

You can look forward to these challenges once a month!

I'm already excited for the next!

DO make sure to check out Emily's post here

& Alyssa's post here

And I can't wait to catch up with all of you!

Missed you & blogging so, SO much!!!

Have a lovely Monday :)

XO

Brynn

top secret project: reveal!!!

photography by jazzwall - the coolest photographer. ever. he is a friend of the groom 

(also click here to like him on facebook)

yesterday was the most beautiful monday i have ever seen. EVER.

two of my very best friends were married in an intimate setting of 8 of their closest friends

in big sur, ca...

celebrity style, seriously! they were married at anderson canyon,
which just so happens to be the same wedding location for both Natalie Portman & Anne Hathaway!

this wedding was one of the most beautiful that i have EVER seen -

beautiful couple. beautiful location. perfect day

congratulations mr. & mrs. garner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i could not be more filled with more joy for this gorgeous couple :)

XOXOXO

so, friends...this amazing event is my top secret project!

it was a secret elopement / mini-wedding & i was not allowed to say a peep!

when they asked me to plan & style their event, i was over the moon...

ecstatic with joy!!!

this was the ULTIMATE dinner party...
i poured lots & lots of love into it - making napkins, locating the perfect table,
hand selecting the dishes (thank you very much anthropologie!), painting rope... the list goes on!

i can't wait to share more photos...once I get my hands on them!!!

i was - of course - running around like a crazy lady getting everything set up 

and majorly failed on the photo front!!

so, more to come soon!

we leave big sur today and are heading to finish out the week in napa!

there is much more celebrating to be done!!!

so, i most likely will not be back on the blog until next week...

unless i decide to squeeze a post in between all of the wine ;)

have a fabulous day, lovers!!!

XO

brynn

our wedding story : the reception, part 1

we decided to hold cocktail hour in the winery's gorgeous barrel room

while the tables were being set outside for dinner... 

a picnic table filled with fun, interactive goodies was at the entrance of the barrel room

~ like our hand-watercolored "guest book" post cards, a lomography camera for fun shots & our lovely wedding cd w/ awesome packaging designed by my lovely friend, tarah ~

i wanted the decor to be kept pretty simple for cocktail hour - the barrel room was simply gorgeous even when naked... so, we utilized barrels for cocktail tables and april flowers (my rock star florist) placed beautiful dahlia bloom into my vintage stacked bowl.

oh! and that's me w/ my auntie jen :)

oh, goodness...now we come to my absolute favorite part... 

the part that takes my breath away again & again!

i will let the photos speak for themselves & i'll meet you again at the bottom with a few words :)

the dinner reception is where i truly poured my heart & soul, blood & tears into...

as you may know, i am a diy girl...this wedding became my diy-ness on steroids!!!

i went insane...to the point of driving myself insane...but that is neither here nor there anymore.

the point is that it was ALL worth it! 

here is a little run down of the many diy projects (and some non-diy) i undertook

(thank goodness for the helping hands of amazing friends & family members - and my husband!!!)

napkins - i sewed 60 cotton napkins (yes, i am crazy) & dip-dyed each one individually to give it that beloved sun-washed, ombre effect (thank you to lyndsey & tara!!!)

table runners - with the help of my aunt-in-law, i sewed 6 10' table runners!!!

vintage milk glass & vintage colored champagne glasses - collected for over a year, hand selected via local thrift shops & etsy... ended up having a traumatic experience when i shipped the milk glass to my florist - i lost nearly half of, no thanks to the us postal service. thank god for april (florist), who saved the day by substituting with her own collection of milk glass. thank you, april!!!!!

hanging fabric banners - thank you to katie, lyndsey, tarah, mom-in-law and aunt-in-law for your help in shredding yards & yards of fabric and tying onto 100 ft. of string :)

menu - thank you tarah, you graphic genius, you! you totally nailed it :) favorite menu to date!

tables - yep, you read it right...my husband is a real estate broker, but for the wedding he learned to be a wood-smith. i was so determined to have a specific type of table that there was no other way than to build them ourselves... so, my husband with a team of helping hands, built 6 10'x4' doug fir tables. i wasn't too involved with the construction, but did help to sand them down, paint the table edges & oil them up :) then, we shipped those babies 1000 miles south of seattle to our wedding venue!

florals - not my diy, but that of my wonderful florist that i just can't stop talking about!!! my first time talking to april over the phone i absolutely knew that she was my girl! she completely got me & my vision, there was no question about it. i could not be happier with the cheerful, fresh-picked vibe of the gorgeous floral arrangements that just bring the tables to life! and the sprigs of herbs set atop the napkins...mmm! and the bowls of fresh citrus...delightful :) thank you a million times over, april!!!

that pretty much sums it up friends! next week will be the last wedding story post (sad!) where i will be sharing a few events that happened over dinner & of course, the dancing photos!

all photography by allyson magda

well, friends, tomorrow i am headed off on a secret road trip to a secret location that has to do with my top secret project!!! 

just call me secret agent B...i am keeping so many secrets these days it is killing me!!! 

it is almost here & i can't wait to share!!! thank you again for your support & patience with me...i know i am dropping further & further off the map, but it is almost over!!!

i hope to return to normal posting soon, but it will be a little choppy still as i am traveling over the next couple of weeks. 

i hope you all have an amazing weekend planned :) 

have a lovely day!

XO 

brynn