Friday, September 30, 2011

Pairs of Lovely Loves.



Have you guys see Once Wed?  It's an amazing wedding spot! I officially want to remarry my husband.

The founder, Emily, started the site as  free listing service for wedding dresses.

and then......... it grew.

 It's now one of the best online spots to find artful, "unconventional" real weddings. Unconventional weddings, you say? Well then I just wonder about the names linked to them, don't you guys?

Creative Director Joy (a current name crush of mine) Thigpen is doing quite a beautiful job there, as well. She is also a mom to two children, named River and Oswin! How fantastic!

In addition to those great used wedding dresses that you may buy or sell, there is also a boutique featuring some lovely new gowns, and fantastic ideas for your wedding, many of them DIY.  You'll also find a vendor guide, and see lots and lots of uber amazing REAL weddings.... with real names attached.

There's almost no type of name-fabulousness that I love seeing more than a pair of great names linked together as a couple! There are pages and pages of the most beautiful weddings over on Once Wed. I'm going to list some of the images and names that really caught my eye.  There are some truly unique names in this bunch, just as unique and well matched as the couples and their weddings. And this is just the tiniest fraction of the real-wedding goodness that is there to be gobbled up by beauty-hungry eyeballs:

Tim and Kesh

Ros and Blake


Ed and Ginny (as in Edward and Virginia? Oh my god. love)

Elin and Christofer 


Gabriel and Fanny (are you kidding me? fantastic)


Vianney and Elodie


Kendall and Manny (I went to camp with a Kendall)


Antonio and Silvia (now that's a name match made in yummersville) 


Max and Margaux (wow and wow)


Chelsea and Forrest (that a guy named Forrest would be so perfectly dressed to suit his name. ahh.)


Yota and Joseph 


Joo and Jacob


Clover and Trae


Nills and Hannele


Ellen and Simon


Victoria and Fritz


Sooki and Johan (that's a name pair that's made to last)


Yuli and Keith


Kenn and Sarai


Midori and Adam (Oh! Midori! someone in real life using this beautiful, amazing name!)


Roanne and Johnny (Johnny and Ro? perf. and this dress with that hair bow!)


Courtney and Taavo


These are truly some of the most beautiful wedding photos I've ever seen, by a ton of really talented photographers. For each couple featured here, there are dozens more photos of their weddings, and many, many more couples with dozens of their own wedding photos over on Once Wed. You can learn more about each and every photographer and couple there, as well.

What about these names?  And what a clever name for this business!  Any favorites?


(all photos courtesy Once Wed)

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Ask: Amy Merrick of An Apple a Day


These are the work of floral designer, photographer and blogger, Amy Merrick. Oh the loveliness! Amy has such an eye for beauty and her work really celebrates it in a very natural way. Her arrangements are striking and fluid.  I love them. They make me want to become a floral designer.

A giant thank you to the lovely Amy Merrick (below) of An Apple a Day and Amy Merrick Flowers and Styling for giving us an interview today! She's also helping me name someone special!



 Amy's beautiful shop website has been recently revamped and is looking so pretty. She writes about the process here.

She also contributed to the new Design*Sponge book, which was released recently--one more reason to get this book!


And Amy writes a fantastically beautiful (and well-namedblog, An Apple a Day, where she takes the loveliest slice-of-life photos. I want my girls and I to have more days (and nights) like these!



This ensemble she's wearing makes me want to get gussied up for a party pronto (stunning isn't she?)

And I love her way with words, so let's hear from Amy!


1. Is there a story behind the name of your blog, An Apple a Day? Can you tell us more about how you thought through the process of naming it? I assume your posts are the proverbial daily apples (which we all know are very, very good for us)? 

I honestly didn't think too hard on it, I just wanted something familiar that spoke to the daily updates I'd be making. I don't post as much as I'd like, so I joke it should be called an apple every week or so if you're lucky.

2. Favorite flower? 

I will always love Lily of the Valley.

3. Have you come across any botanical names on people in your Brooklyn community? If so, have any stood out as being particularly lovely? 

I know a few girls with the middle name Rose and most end up joining it with their first name. I know a Chelsea Rose and I think it's pretty . 

4. Fall is here! Are there any specific plants or flowers you're looking forward to working with this fall? Or, any that remind you of autumn? 

Fall is the best time of year for flowers, I think. I can't get enough of apples on the branch or dinner plate dahlias.

5. Do you ever use other aesthetic experiences to inspire your creations: music, film, paintings, aromas, food, or the written word? Is there an arrangement you've done that is linked to a specific inspiration, which you can share? 

My top-shelf inspiration comes straight from the garden but I'm also hopelessly inspired by floral still life paintings. This arrangement 
was all cut from my family's garden and inspired by Fantin-Latour- the roses in his paintings are so simple but evocative.
(yes, they are, Amy! and your arrangements show all the beauty of them!  image source)


6. Name-Game time!  I love the paintings of Tastes Orangey. I'm getting this print:
After months of trying to pick one I decided that this one illustrates so many days of my own past! She'll live next to something very indulgent and floral, so I've decided that she should have a botanical and literary name when I bring her home.  I'd love you to help us give her a name by answering the following questions:

For the first name: what is a flower who's name you love as much as the flower itself? 


Marigold is a pretty spectacular name and such a charming, humble flower.

For the middle name: a character from or author of a book you love (first, middle, or last.) 

Hands down March from Little Women. I was born to be a March sister.

There we have it, Marigold March. What a fantastic and beautiful name! 

Amy, this was so much fun. Thank you so very much!  

Don't forget to check out Amy's blog and website, and let us know your favorite floral and literary names, too!

From today's natural and botanical inspirations:
Amy
Merrick
Chelsea Rose
Apple
Lily
Valley
Branch
Dahlia 
Garden
Fantin
Latour
Marigold March






(all images courtesy of An Apple a Day and Tastes Orangey)

Monday, September 26, 2011

The names from The Glow





Have you been over to The Glow?  It's a really beautiful experience. You get to peek in on the inner worlds of creating moms and their kiddos. I've found some pretty inspiring stuff there, fantastic images, and some pretty darn awesome names, too.

The Editor? Violet Gaynor. So we're already off to a good start with names.

Then there's the name of the Journal, itelf. I love it.  I also love how the photographs of these women and children are glowing with actual light, another subject of the portraits, a visual representation of the love between mother and child (I know. Forgive me.)



And can we just talk about the photography for a second? It's so compelling.  Photographer and co-founder of The GlowKelly Stuart, visits the homes of the women profiled, taking the loveliest portraits and candids of them, their children, and their inspiring homes. 

I love the layout of photos and interviews, which encourages us to slow down and take our time enjoying the content. 

With each new image of mother and child, we read a bit more of the interviews. And these interviews! I selectively chose my first few to savor and can't wait to read the rest!



I'm always so impressed by projects like these and how they're woven together. They're so innovative for so many reasons, but Violet and Kelly do the brainstorming, the curating, the writing, the interviews, the photography, the connecting -- everything that goes into this journal.  It's inspiring to see a project that focuses on both the creativity and motherhood of women, aspects of us which are truly celebratory and magical.

What's more, I really can't get over the names of the profiled women and their children.

The very first image and name pair I encountered when I hit the site features a mother and painter, Jemima, and her daughter Rafaella Israel (below.)

  
 I'm a sucker for warm, light-in-the-hair shots, and there's this wonderfully tender moment that the photo captures: those sweet, little toes curled around the credenza for a nice gazing session.  There are dozens more awe-inspiring photographs of this beautiful pair throughout the interview with Jemima, which focuses on her work and motherhood, amongst other interesting bits!  If you're a mom who creates, this interview with Jemima Kirk is absolutely a must read.
--"Being a mother takes all of the bullshit out of being an artist. Artists can sometimes be flighty or flakey, or have these loopy ideas. I’m doing everything that’s not that, and really stripping it down to what it is— I’m a painter, and I’m really thinking about what I do and working to make that happen. It’s awesome."



I also particularly enjoyed the interview with clothing designer Lauren Moffat (who's creations I also happen to adore):


--"It's hard to be little so give them the time they need to sort it all out—I'm pretty sure that by the time she's 10 she will no longer want a pacifier at bedtime, wear a diaper when she sleeps, or insist on putting away her favorite toys when friends come over (her attempt at getting around the whole sharing thing)."


Couldn't agree more, Lauren!

And I'm in. Are you?



More Mom and kiddo name pairs:
Ramya and Chiara



Lauren and Stella




Laura and Georgiana




Jeanann and Ruby


Lynn and Sebastian


Jenne and  RoxieBowie & Valentine



Meredith and Grayson



Ann and Luna


Jemima and Rafaella Israel 

Additional names from todays inspirations:
Violet
Kelly
Stuart



These interviews are so addictive. I can hardly wait to read them all! Get on over to The Glow! You will even discover why and how some of the names were picked, in addition to getting an eye full of awesome scenery.

Have a glowing Monday!


All images are by Kelly Stuart and courtesy of The Glow