Peonies Are Here!

Peonies are finally here, which means the start of summer to me! Peonies were my wedding flower when P and I tied the knot almost four years ago. Paula from Paisley Petals did a great job.

PS. 5 way to arrange peonies. 

Top photo from Pinterest, bottom JKOE Photography

Wedding Wednesday: Programs

Reward your guests who arrive early with some engrossing reading material while they are anxiously awaiting your trip down the aisle.

Programs should be both informative and entertaining. I love when couples include something unique or unexpected. It can be as simple as explaining how you know the members of your bridal party instead of just a list of names or maybe writing a note of thanks to your parents.

Here are a few other creative ideas for spicing things up:

Custom art by the flower girl on the back of the program.

Fortune Tellers! Whoever said programs had to be flat? I love this idea. You can buy these on Etsy. (image via Camis Paperie)

For my own wedding, we included funny little anecdotes about the bridal party, well I at least thought they were funny...I dug up a program to show you.

Write a personal note to your family and friends, letting them know how much their support and love means to you two. 

If your ceremony is fairly short and programs aren't your style,  give your guests something else they can use. 

On the other hand, if it's gonna be a long one, why not give them a snack along with their programs. In Indian wedding ceremonies, it's customary to feed your guests something sweet. 

This last one is from the wedding last weekend. The groom wrote a song for his bride and sang it to her during the ceremony. He had the lyrics printed in the program so all the guests could be in on the surprise. 

Happy Wedding Wednesday!

Work Better: Break Time

Welcome to a new series we will be doing from time to time, all about work!

For a little background on my perspective...
I work with my husband, Jason, we have our own company. I'm not gonna lie, working with the person you're married to can be difficult at times, but overall, we really enjoy it. We definitely have a bit of a non-traditional work environment, we have an office in our home and we spend a lot of time shooting on location and traveling as well. All in all, our unique work situation and my inability to stick to a routine has lead to some interesting experiments in how we work and some creative solutions to getting things done.

And now for our first topic!

A Creative Take on Break Time...

A few months ago, when I was feeling bad that Jason was spending soooooo much time staring photoshop and I had been doing a lot of reading about how bad it is to stare at screens for hours on end, I made him a game.

This cute little bunting, made of a repurposed Free People catalog, hangs over Jason's desk.
Each time he needs a break, Jason can take one down and he has do what it says, I made him promise! They say everything from “Call a friend you haven’t talked to in a long time” to “Do 17 jumping jacks” or, on of my personal favorites, “Make Jenny a snack”. Basically, anything and everything that would take his mind off of work and get him out of his chair and away from the computer for a bit.

It didn’t start out very well though. You see, there was one pretty strange one I put on there. One thing that I thought would be really, really funny one day in the future after Jason had been getting lots of good ones. Somehow, out of all the little colorful papers to choose, Jason randomly selected the oddest one first. Oops. It said, “Take a shower with all your clothes on”! I let him choose another, but for a while, he was a little afraid to take one, thinking he’d get something else equally as weird.

There were days when I’d be upstairs and suddenly, Jason would run up and give me a hug, because a paper had told him to. Or I’d be sitting in the office with my back to him and suddenly he’d be barking like a dog. Seriously, a great way to make the work environment more entertaining!

Hear This: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

Here, the new album from Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros is out!
Their last album, Up From Below was the soundtrack to Summer 2010 for me, so I'm excited that this one has come out in time for me to listen to on repeat for the next three sunny months. The light and folky sound and carefree vibe makes this perfect summer listening.  Here's the video for their first single, "Man on Fire". Enjoy!

Father's Day Gift Guide

Father's Day is just around the corner (Sunday, June 17th) so here are a few ideas from around the web for both new fathers and the great men that raised us. Here's to all you great dads out there!

Lawn/Garden Games to play all summer

Nike Free running shoes have a reputation in my family as the most comfortable shoes in the world

Ok so this one is more dreaming, but my Dad and P would love this Nat Sherman Humidor. Or this cigar cutter is a more economical choice.  

 Foldable Ray-Ban Sunglasses

A night out for pints at a local Irish Pub & to see a new movie or concert. (I"m hitting Prometheus with my dad but an Alabama Shakes concert would be fabulous as well.)

Sherlock on DVD - love this show! 

Hilarious Knuckle Pounder Meat Tenderizer - my brother-in-law (who is a new dad!) would love this, he's the cook in the family and loves to BBQ. 

Whiskey Stones chill scotch/whiskey without diluting them, this would be a huge hit in my family!

Jenny's dad has always wanted to go to Egypt so Jenny and her sister are taking him to the King Tut exhibit at the Pacific Science Center.

(Top image from Getty, Father Know's Best)

Monday Motivation

Found this in Ex Libris on Etsy and I love it, my new mantra for the things I'm working on in life. 

Friday Roundup

Hello from Nashville! Jason and I are shooting a wedding in Franklin, TN this weekend. I'm thrilled to be away from rainy Seattle and in the heat. It's my first time to Tennessee so hopefully I'll get to explore a bit while we're here.
Whether it's warm or cold where you are, I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Here's a bit of fun to get you started.

June 1st  is National Doughnut Day! A holiday started 75 years ago by the Salvation Army to bring awareness to it's programs during the Great Depression. Krispy Kreme is giving away doughnuts. It's a good day.

Is your cat plotting to kill you?  According to this, both of my cats are definitely planning my demise.

Had too much Kettle Corn? Try this Chili Lime Popcorn.

Excited for this. Who knew Anne Hathaway could sing?


Fabulous beach bungalow in one of my favorite cities.

Sneak attack!

Unique and bright summer sandals. 


My sister shared this with me. It's a playhouse fit for a Queen, literally.  We both want to live in it.

Check out the all the great things lemons can do. Detox your body and clean your kitchen, craziness.

Amazing 30th birthday party in Paris.

Getting excited for the summer Olympics? Check out these great portraits.

Crazy luxurious horizontal shower.

A song to welcome June (summer is here!)

(Vintage Postcard via MediaBistro)