Marbling Madness

 It's been a busy, somewhat-stressful month. May is always a month where I just want to be outside and doing as much as I can, so I guess it's partly my own fault. I've been ignoring the blog. I'm sorry. But I have been using my time wisely! (Well, sorta. I got an iPhone and Instagram finally).

 I've been marbling like crazy! Over the past year, I've been trying to get it to work, and have had so much trouble. Mostly, my paint just sinks to the bottom. I thought maybe I didn't have the right "size", which is the name of the thick liquid you use to float the paint. After spending a large chunk of money on methocellulose (a thickener the pros use), and watching my drops of color sink to the bottom over and over again, I decided to give it a rest for a while. That was last year sometime. Just recently, I realized that certain acrylic paint colors worked and others didn't. The only difference that I could figure out: the price and the bottle. The cheaper the paint, the better it floats! Works out nicely, right?

It's such a rewarding art form; I can do it for hours. Blank paper coasters work best, so I've been making set after set. I don't plan on having a cocktail party for 100 people any time soon, so I've listed them on Etsy, in my Fleur d'Elise Paperie.

 I'm crazy about the sets in these photos, especially these neon coral ones. What colors should I do next?

♠

Look of the Day: Wedding Guest

What a weekend! It was fun, but it was quite the whirlwind! Saturday, my cousin got married, then yesterday we had two baby showers for my cousins from out-of-town. You'd think I'd be sick of my family by now, but they're all pretty great, so it wasn't too bad ;)

My sister Beth is totally coppin' my hair style.

My gorgeous little sisters

Fantastic weather and a beach reception... bliss.

On Friday, I asked people on my Facebook page to vote on which shoes to wear, since I couldn't decide. The winners were a pair of black wedges for the ceremony and a pair of green flats for the reception. As it turned out, though, my custom orthotics didn't fit in the green shoes and the wedges were a little too tall, so I ended up in the leopard print wedges and my brand new MIA Audrey flats. I'm so in love with the Audrey flats, I may write an entire blog post dedicated to them!

See, it was a real wedding! There's the bride and groom!

Sheer floral vintage cardigan (similar #1 and similar #2) - Forever21 Striped dress (similar color or similar style) - Thrifted cateye sunglasses - Vintage faux-croc bag - MIA Audrey flats - Thrifted Steve Madden wedges (similar)

 ♠

In Photos: Wedding Anniversary

Today, I am celebrating my one year wedding anniversary with my one-and-only Trevor.

A year has gone by so quickly! In fact, it went so quickly that I never even had time to share pictures from my wedding reception!

Let me do a quick recap, otherwise you might be confused. We were officially and legally married on May 19th, 2011. I posted pictures from that, like the one below.

However, I did not post any from our reception, which was held in August. 

So I'm gonna stereotype here: I'm guessing most of my readers are female. I'm also going to guess that a large portion of you are like me and really love wedding stuff (even though I'm married, I still want a subscription to Martha Stewart Weddings), so I'm sure you won't mind a long, rambling post about a wedding reception!

Our nuptials were very casual, so we decided to keep the reception pretty laid-back. I borrowed a (beautiful!) dress, we rented a community building at a city park, and dinner was potluck-style. We provided drinks and desert and my amazing father-in-law served pulled pork.

{the invitations}

I think the fanciest part was the invites, which I designed with help from my lovely step-mom.

{the dress}

 It belonged to my husband's grandmother. Miraculously, all of her clothes fit me perfectly. She was quite a stylish lady back in the day (now she's too old to care).

That's my dear, sweet cousin Molly.

{the centerpieces}

My aunts are geniuses. On their advice (and good experience) I went to Pike Place Market a couple days before the reception and ordered 10 bouquets from one of the many flower vendors. I told them what colors I wanted and for $50 they made me the most beautiful arrangements! I put them in vases and jars I bought at  various thrift stores. The candle holders are also thrifted. Some are actual candle holders, and some are neat antique jam jars. They were fun to shop for; it was like a treasure hunt.

{the favors}

We had a candy table, which turned out to be a bad idea, because NO ONE ate the candy. I had about 10 pounds of candy in my trunk for months. The envelopes with champagne drops and buttermints worked out pretty well, though (idea from Martha Stewart Weddings)

{the cake}

OK, this part was pretty fancy, too, and, like the candy, I ate it for months. It was classic yellow cake, with apricot and almond filling and a buttercream frosting. My mom and sisters spent days slaving away on this cake. I'm pretty sure they didn't realize what an ordeal it would be when they offered to make it. We were just gonna get a Costco cake or something, haha. Needless to say, my family is amazing. My sister made each and every one of those marzipan fruits. (I can't remember where the recipe is from, but can find out if anyone is interested)

{the wedding party}

They weren't officially our wedding party (just some friends, sisters and a niece), but it wouldn't have been possible without our wonderful friends and family. Seriously, that's the main reason I had the reception, so I could hang out with ALL of my favorite people all in one room! I feel like I should write Thank You notes again.

A big thank you to Laurel, Tara, and Alana for taking pictures!!

poor neglected hobbies

Oh man, it's been a WHILE. My poor blog, my poor readers (you guys have nothing else to do but read blogs, right?)

I have a whole list of excuses, but mostly they are boring and/or sad. Nobody wants to hear about how my dog has become horribly sensitive to things she eats or the disgusting results that!

You might want to hear about our "We got married!" party, but I will tell you more about that when I get more pictures. I had so many friends documenting it that I want to use at least one of each of their pictures in a special blog entitled "Look at me! I got married and I KNOW everyone wants to hear about it!" It's a very long title, but it gets the point across. I am waiting on the last of the photos to be "published" and then I will show you all how PRETTY I looked haha (some of you have already seen on Facebook).

Ok, so back to the point of this blog, I've finally had the chance to take some outfit photos and they turned out pretty well. I am getting a little sick of the background, but whatcha gonna do? I am still not gutsy enough to set up a tripod where people can see me.

Have you heard all the hubub about midi skirts? I've read so many articles (Vogue, Wall Street Journal, etc.) about buying them for Fall, that I must say I am very relieved that I bought so many last Spring! I am all set! I have this lovely velvet one that I've had for years and years, then a full one in black cotton, an A-line in black velvet, a striped jersey knit, and a figure-hugging style in dark green velvet. Hmm, that's a lot of velvet...
If you are midi-less, I recommend heading over to Forever21 where they have a few really cute full skirts. All of them have a 1950's feel, which, my darlings, is a trend that is just not dying out!

This look is kind of my nod to Chloe's past few seasons. Somebody really loves this burnt umber color. It's so striking and unexpected, who can blame them?

This outfit:
J.Crew chambray shirt
Vintage velvet skirt
Vintage Coach bag
Vintage leather belt and wooden bracelet

This just in!

Got hitched!

Not yet married! Don't look at the bride!

...Ok,now you can look.

On the bride (me, duh):
American Apparel leotard, sheer skirt, and petticoat. Flower from H&M and hair piece cut off dog's tutu and fastened with bobby-pin.

I was so thrilled to find my entire outfit at American Apparel, mostly because I really wanted this skirt! The fact that it is completely sheer made me a little cautious to wear it to my wedding, but with the help of my lovely sister-in-law, I found the perfect fix for the see-thru-ness. And just a tip, white leotards from American Apparel are also see-thru! I tried pasties, I tried white stickers, and in the end I just wore a white bra :/ Regardless, I was beyond happy with the way it all turned out. The whole outfit was so fun to wear and made me feel so lovely and unique, and what bride doesn't want to feel like that??

On the groom:
Custom made Thick As Thieves suit, vintage wool tie, American Apparel dress shirt, Lucchese boots. He put it all together and looked so fantastic :)

My best friend and Witness #1. Her name is Katherine, too!


My sister has the best camera. It takes lovely pictures of everyone all the time!



My sisters from, left to right, Beth and Maddie, and my niece, Tilly.



Trying to escape.


My husband, me, and our dog, Frida. She lacked grace, to say the least. She peed on her tutu and wouldn't stop pulling on her leash. Her tutu looked like a bird's nest by the end; it was so full of moss and twigs!

#2 burgundy/maroon

burgundy/maroon by catiebeatty featuring bikini bathing suits

Maybe bright is the wrong word for this lipstick shade, but we can all agree, it is anything but dull! This bold look was seen at YSL's Spring 2011 show, as well as on the runways at Louis Vuitton.

Dark burgundy and maroon lips are harder to pull off, but can look amazing if done correctly. I think it looks best on very pale or very dark complexions. If you're pale and NOT a model (like me) try for a very simple eye. A little bit of eyeliner or mascara is all you need. I also use Clinique's Redness Reducing Powder to even out my skin tone and give me an even fairer complexion.

Try YSL's No. 151 "Sweet Dark" or MAC's "Velvet Teen". I own "Viva Glam" from MAC, but I'm not sure if it's still available in stores.

Side Note: OMG I'M GETTING MARRIED IN AN HOUR! WHY AM I BLOGGING?? Seriously, this is the most laid back wedding day ever. Thank you all for your warm wishes and kind words :) I'm glad I can share this day with such a great community!

gowns

Wedding attire was the topic of the day. I spent hours at University Village with my fiance's sister and even splurged on a British Vogue that is a special wedding issue.

I nearly spent $500 on a beautiful dream-gown at J.Crew, but opted for more casual, fun, and unique. All I have to say is that I will be wearing ALL American Apparel when we get married on Thursday. (Makes me laugh)

The dress I wanted at J.Crew looked almost exactly like the one I am wearing in these photos. Same color and length with an empire waist; same column style. The Taryn, as J.Crew calls it, is made of silk chiffon, though, and has a twisted bodice instead of a smocked bodice. Mine is definitely more casual, but you can't beat $10!


Everything is happening all of a sudden, but it's ok. I was a little worried I was missing out on the traditions of longer engagements, but this weekend we bought an engagement ring, so I'm happy :) Especially since it is my dream ring. Sapphire is all I wanted. I could careless about everything else when it comes to engagement rings.

I'm sure you noticed it's on the wrong finger, but at the moment it doesn't fit me! We need to have it for the ceremony, so we've postponed having it re-sized till afterward.

Back to writing announcements :)

In these photos:
Forever21 dress
J.Crew cardigan
Chloe flats
Sapphire & diamond ring from Alana Antique & Estate Jewelry

oh hi

Now that Blogger is back up, I will tell you my big news.

I am getting married in 6 days.

That's right, we are eloping. I don't even have a ring yet, sheesh.

Ok, bye.

I had it all planned out...

Oh bother. Where is my brain? These photos were supposed to be in the last post and I completely forgot. It's been a stressful week, though, and I do believe my cognitive functions have been affected.

I love the architecture in Baltimore and wanted to share these pictures with you! All the buildings are so old and European-looking. And some are painted wonderful colors!



The jewelry that I brought on the trip.

The "statement necklace" is from my boss, who I think has now bought me more jewelry than anybody else has. The pearl & coral necklace is from my mom, the earrings in the box are painted horn from Africa, and the beetle brooch I received for my 17th birthday. The other necklace against the pear is one I made and has been featured before. The wonderful thing about jewelry is that every piece has a story.

I feel I should update you on my foot situation. I am officially in a below-the-knee boot :( The doctor thinks I now have a stress fracture. My foot had been getting better, but inexplicably took a turn for the worse. I'm not sure when I will be able to take outfit photos again, as I am to stay off my feet when I'm at home. On the bright side, I had today off! I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend :)

Bored at a party

And now to talk about a different wedding! Finally got the photos from the matrimonial celebration Trevor and I went to last month. I think they turned out wonderful. Trevor thinks it's hilarious to look totally bored and uninterested in any photos we take together. It was pretty funny when the photographer, Brad Barnwell, actually suggested we take one like that. I usually look a little more put out, though.


So, did I talk about how long it took me to find an outfit for this? It was ridiculous and a little embarrassing. I was at H&M and J.Crew at least twice a week for about 5 weeks. I returned nearly everything, including the dress I ended up with. It was actually the first thing I bought :/ I would not be surprised if H&M put a block on my debit card.



Glad I ended up with this dress. It's really cute AND an item off my Spring Wish List: Chambray! I have more plans for it :) Trevor got his suit custom made at Thick As Thieves. He ordered it by email though, which meant I had to take his measurements. It was tedious. It's a pretty sharp suit and was under $500 (I think), so he might order another one.

Spring Wedding by catiebeatty featuring patent leather high heels

Photographer: Brad Barnwell Check out his website!

This next photo is mine though :)

Yay! So happy!

My Outfit:
H&M dress
American Apparel Stockings

Trevor's Outfit:
Thick As Thieves suit
American Apparel dress shirt
Geoffrey Beene tie

Finally!

So one hundred years ago I blogged about getting ready for a wedding in Texas. Now I am really old and have finally found pictures from that wedding. I would like to share them with you all :)

I decided on the dress Trevor's mom had given me. It used to belong to Trevor's grandmother, Letty. She has trouble getting around now, so the wedding photographer took some Prom-style pictures of me and my boyfriend, so she could see the dress. The reason I didn't post these sooner is that the photographer wanted $12 a print!! Luckily, the bride posted them on her Facebook, so I just saved them to my computer. That's all I really wanted to do anyway. I don't need hard copies. I have a nice print of me at the plantation, and that's all I need. It will probably be sent to my dad for Christmas.

Anyway, the dress. It's about 50 years old and was purchased in Bermuda. Letty decided she MUST have it when she noticed another navy wife eyeing it at the commissary. Mallory, Trevor's sister, used it for dress-up when she was little, and now it has been handed down to me. The lace bodice is the most perfect aged beige. I'm not totally sure it was ever perfectly white, though. I felt so classically feminine. I wore pearls and pink lipstick :)


This picture cracks me up. So far, the majority of people who have seen it immediately go "Douche." Even me. It's in the most loving of ways though! He looked pretty slick :) Got his hair cut and his beard shaved and topped it all off with those sweet Ray Bans and a skinny American Apparel tie.

In these photos:
Vintage dress
Vintage belt
New Look wedges
Michael Kors jacket
American Apparel tie & shirt
Ray Ban "Boyfriend" sun glasses