india hicks and her kraft paper books...

{pics via design*sponge and apartment therapy}

i fell for india hicks back when i flipped through the pages of domino magazine and fell upon her kraft paper-wrapped hardback books. now, years later, it is such a pleasure to have interviewed her for my design*sponge column. pop on over here to read more about her creative process...

lotte and bloom...

{flowers courtesy of lotte and bloom}

i discovered the lush and lovely floral arrangements of lotte and bloom this morning and let out a little sigh. what a darling spot of flower heaven! honestly, i don't think i will ever tire of organic and wild flower styling coupled with vintage containers. never ever ever.

i'm also going to attend miss amy merrick's wreath making class at the brooklyn flea this weekend! she's a saipua alumni and has now started her own floral business! she has serious skills to pay the bills y'all. check out her flickr stream and blog and get ready to have your socks rocked!

also, i have to give a shout out to my homegirl amy osaba. she is undoubtedly my favorite floral designer here in atlanta. if i had a million dollars i would buy an arrangement of hers a week! she's also one of the cutest most loveable gals on the planet.

guess who's coming to dinner...

oh my goodness. i am so excited, there is no way i'm getting a decent night's sleep. the lovely ladies of rue are coming to dinner at my boss lady's apartment. my head might combust with all the darling peeps attending tomorrow... miss crystal g, anne sage, bri emery, the adorable southern flourish gal pal lesley graham, milk and honey julie holloway and annette's dream team (brent gipson and natalie kriss{this cutie pie hasn't gotten on the blog train...yet}). guaranteed i will be super blush-y and really overwhelmed with so many creative peeps in one room!

also, i can't wait to meet new faces and hug familiar ones at lavish this weekend. i'm speaking at a couple sessions, one with my design*sponge peeps, so if you're attending please please please come up and introduce yourself. it would honestly make me so stinkin' happy!

let them eat cake!

stop it right now! i am so excited that jordan and paul ferney issued prints of their "let them eat cake" series. jordan designed and baked all the cakes, and her husband, paul painted them all. each painting (and now print) is paired with a different, cheeky little phrase.

"she started her morning with a healthy dose of fruit- a slice of meyer's lemon cake"

i think these would be amazing over your kitchenaid mixer. AND they are offering a temptingly sweet discount on 3 or more at 25% off until this friday... doesn't that sound delicious??

paolo roversi

{paolo roversi knows what's what when it comes to bridal photography. and all aspects of photography for that matter.}

very merry indeed

i love the styling of j.crew's very merry gift guide! it popped into my inbox this morning and got me real excited! i wish i knew who styled this shoot so i could give them a high five.

girl crush: shae acopian detar

{scout magazine, a thought is the blossom, all photos and quotes by shae acopian detar}

alexandra grecco

ooh la la! alexandra grecco's latest lookbook featuring the luscious boticellian beauty hannah metz (and the designer herself). don't you just want the whole collection? i do, i do, i definitely do.

Alexandra Grecco Fall 2010 from Karina Cifuentes on Vimeo.

{jewelry shown: doyle and doyle}

smooch

kiss someone today passionately! and if you are feeling extra lovey dovey, visit chris craymer's smoochy site. or visit kissssssssing.

what's in your toolbox: maira kalman



hop on over to design*sponge for my interview with this iconic artist.

maira kalman part I...




DID YOU BUY THE NEWEST GEM FROM MAIRA KALMAN?

GO HERE, GO NOW, GO!

egon schiele...

whenever i stumble across egon schiele's drawings and paintings, my curious right hand begins to twitch. it's true, the older i get the less i make time to draw. which is a bad habit i need to break. now that i have a drivers license, i am going to drive myself to the high museum more. everyone needs a little inspiration every now and again. schiele's agitated line quality and slapdash use of color is flawless. i think i hear my sketchbook calling me...

topsy design...

lately i have been throughly impressed with the visual eye candy floating around the internet. truly, madly, wildly excited with new discoveries at every turn. topsy design is definitely rocking my world. their highly curated site boasts a fine collection of honest, industrial furniture, well-edited vintage clothing, and curiosities that are pulling on my itchy trigger finger. please visit their site for a visual feast, and be ready to dig deep into your pockets. mine right now have nothing but moths flying around, unfortunately-ha! but don't buy ALL of those odd fellows masks PLEASE, i've been searching high and low for a year now. just saving my pennies...

emily marie cox...

i just want to give a quick shout out to the fabulously talented, SCAD fibers gal pal emily marie cox! she is one of the most talented, creative, and downright adorable girlies i know. her artwork is so whimsical and charming, and she is quite the beloved lady. everyone who meets her wants to be her friend and hopes a little bit of her magic will rub off on them. click here to see her design*sponge interview about her creative process. and here to see some more of her work. and here to see my haylie bird's post on her! i wish i could hire her to illustrate every children's book. and commission her to do wedding portraits for all time.

it's possible...

today the impossible project is set to release its new PX film! i have been stockpiling all sorts of different polaroid film(being the little hoarder that i am), and i can't wait to try this one out! are y'all as excited as i am? lucky josh goleman was selected to be one of the beta testers. he shot a gorgeous series of our friends emily marie cox and paul isabella, an equally talented(and attractive) duo. if y'all get to it first, save me some, ya hear?

sun-scorched...

beautiful flowers from a talented lady. i have been admiring these sweet blooms and i must say, they greatly perked up my kitchen. they have been loved to death and are now ready for the flower press.

thank you miss...

corrie wright...

today i am grateful for...

this little number arrived in my mail, as a present from my sweet corrie wright pellerin.

her designs are so beautiful, ethereal, and feminine and the perfect piece to accompany a party dress. or to dress up a pair of jeans and a leotard. i lived in this necklace over the holidays. i'm so proud of corrie. actually, we all are. and i am so grateful she is making so many pretty things.

there must be rain to have a rainbow...

today i am grateful for...

the citizens band. tonight chelsea cook, mandy, and i schlepped in the rain to the henry street settlement to see this traveling troupe of vaudevillian, bawdy, naughty, flappery, gypsy, victorian, glittery, magical, ethereal jewels. i'm not just using my favorite adjectives liberally and sensationally... they really are all those wonderful things. us girls kept bouncing in our seats and nudging eachother throughout the entire show. i had goosebumps. i giggled. i teared up. i swooned a thousand times over. the show, "debt rattle" was set in a 1930s post-depression dance contest reminiscent of the film "they shoot the horses, don't they?"( and alexander mcqueen's spring 2004 runway collection) with a touch of the "red shoes". the costumes alone set my world on fire... glittery headpieces, 30s frizzy bobs, dark eyes and sparkly eyeliner, and lots and lots of sequins, silk and chiffon, and loads of frilly lingerie.

and the pipes on the actors... holy smokes. karen elson and zoe kravitz made me cry. sirens. every. last. one. karen's song was this somber, bewitching ballad and zoe sang this bittersweet, gentle lullaby. i wasn't even expecting it. their voices blew me away.

and miss sarah sophie flicker... sigh. she is my muse. i think she and karen elson always manifest in some way or another in my girlie drawings.

and not to be too fangirly, but the audience happened to be an all-star cast as well. kate lanphear. erin fetherston. heather marks. agyness deyn. pretty much all my girl crushes minus claire danes and lara stone. if i wasn't so dang old, too old to be still this excited, i would have pulled a vintage ginnybranch stelling move and been really awkward and chatted them up, blushing the whole time. thankfully, at 25, i have some self-restraint. some.

so, if anyone has the chance to see the citizens band perform, go. i might just have to quit my day job and be a citizens band-aid... just kidding. maybe.

biscuit lips and lemonade kisses...

today i am grateful for...

1. inching closer to perfecting a biscuit recipe, as every good southern woman should. my first batch was too heavy and chalky. this one was a tad too sweet, but awfully close. nothin' a little butter and jam couldn't help...

2. the wunderkind josh goleman, for hand delivering our wedding goodies... a stack of polaroids tied up in ribbon. the reel from our wedding film. dvds with all the photos and the actual film. and contact sheets with his hand markings of his edits. i love seeing his artistic process and kind of want to frame them all!

3. my sweet eddie for setting up our printer and scanner!!!! i haven't had one of these, really ever. i sort of remember how to use them from art school days... but i am definitely going to be a bit rusty. and i am so grateful for momma stelling, who gifted us with this new toy!

4. fixin' lavender and mint lemonade. oh my. tastes like summer a thousand times over. and today is one of those no-relief-from-the-heat kind of days. where the sun slaps your face and makes the sweat drip into your eyes. but we've got a ceiling fan breeze and a cold drink in our hands.

5. organizing my address book and labeling envelopes. in fact, i need to go sip some more lemonade and tackle more thank you letters. the list is long and way overdue. we have many folks to thank, so i must pick up where i left off...

a letter to josh goleman...

thank you for capturing the best day of my whole entire life. from the moment i saw maura and chap's wedding, i knew i had to have you. you were a non-negotiable. you and nate were two of the most talented, the most charming, most professional gentleman. and the biggest hits of the weekend(save for peter hale cooney III). your photos alone show your talent. and your film making skills are out of this world. this was the most pleasant surprise in my inbox this morning.i know it seems silly, but i keep re-playing this over and over again. this day was perfect. everytime i watch it, i cry. ed and i really love our friends and family more than anything in this world. there is nothing we value more. if you can count your blessings by the good people in your life...well...i think we have hit the jackpot. and i don't mean to sound overly proud or boastful. we really just love our friends and family.

so thank you josh goleman and nate kula. thank you from the bottom of my heart. which is so full.