116 Days

… til the Big Day.

We sure got a lot accomplished in the few weeks after we got engaged, but then pretty much did nothing. For months.

The last two weeks we have picked up our slacking pace and have been, again, getting a lot accomplished.

• Hopefully by the end of next week I will have all my ladies dressed and shod.
• The men have their clothes picked out and we’ve even got a few measured and ordered.
• Invitations are at the printer.
• The wedding cake flavor has been picked (not easy when we love ALL cake!). I think it will be the most AWESOMEST wedding cake ever made – and made with love by my amazing Aunt Judy!
• The groom’s cake has been designed and it’s going to be UH-MAZE-ING. And hilarious. And also made with love by my little sis, Katelyn.
• Katelyn is also my hero because she volunteered to come stay with us a few days before and help us execute all the last minute details. (OMG THANK YOU!)
• We got that awful registering thing done and behind us. (AWKWARD!)

I was starting to panic when I realized that we were kind of in the weeds, but I am feeling really good about things right now. Every time we face a new To-Do on the list, I am so happy that The Man and I always seem to have a lot of fun tackling it! He and his best man were champions this weekend and picked out all the mens’ clothes themselves and did an amazing job!

We’re sure having fun with this and the best part is that every time we start to get stressed we stop and think about what is important – a big fun family gathering with a great meal – and it really takes a lot of stress off! Oh, and always choose the shiny thing! HA!

Apologies for the lack of postings here, but Vegan Lazy has totally been taking up all my blogging energy

Won’t you come to dinner?

With much help and patience from The Man, I have done it. I have fully, perfectly and exactly realized my artistic vision and style, in the form of a place to dine.

We have transformed this in to this….

One small space contains everything I love in this silly hobby of mine…

• a very modern classic tulip table – bought from Rachel so she could get one she really wanted
• sleek and sexy black lacquer chairs - yard sale $50, former 80′s crap
• Regency-esque chair seats – fabric on super sale, my first adventure in upholstery
• they feel like they belong together – yet nothing comes close to matching

The Man may even let you sit in his chair. Its arms are sturdy and inviting of long after-dinner conversations.

And if we have too much fun and end up on the floor, there are plenty of beautifully curvy lines to surround us while we giggle.

Christmas Eve eve dinner with friends

Last night we had some great friends over for a dinner party. What a great time we had!

Gifts were wrapped and piled up under the tree

The table was set

We had loads of delicious food

We had great guests

Scott made a roast

And I made a lentil loaf

…

We ate til we were stuffed. We exchanged some gifts. Much fun was had by all!

Can’t wait to do it again next year!

The California (soon to be) Conforti’s holiday tradition #1.

 

p.s. THIS is why I have always wanted a real dining room!

Ohhh, Tannenbaum!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you our 2010 Christmas tree!

I think it’s the most beautiful tree I’ve ever had – and it’s doubly super special because it’s our first tree together. We put it up on November 29th. We just couldn’t get it up fast enough!

I think there’s something to be said for your first tree as a couple…

The day after Christmas I will be stocking up on snowman, Cubs, Blackhawks and Bears ornaments because someone isn’t as equally represented ornament-wise yet!

Theme Schmeme

That whole theme idea? Yeah, that’s totally out the window! After trips to the Dollar Store, Walgreens, Home Depot and Target – and the ensuing orgies of Christmas purchases – we ended up with A LOT of new decorations and they are all a mish-mash of decor!

Last night we got the tree and the mantle done, but we are still a ways off from achieving the desired level of Griswold festivity! Our front windows still need some serious festooning.

Now that I look at it more, perhaps our theme is “Holly Jolly“!

And, surprisingly, our neurotic dog is unfazed by all the lights. They are nowhere near as distracting as the shadows cast by his ears or the reflections off his dog tags

(he also does not look too amused with this game of keep-away)

 

Christmas decoration inspiration

Every year we choose a theme for our Christmas decorations: red/green, blue/silver, sports, more is more, etc. This year I am finding that the style of our house is giving me decorator’s block. Hopefully some of these ideas will help me break free from the Craftsman confines

Since I can’t have snow and barren wintry landscapes here in the temperate land of evergreens.

Playing with scale!

Um, helloooooo? SHINY!!! aaaacccckkkkk!

I am oddly attracted to this modern meets country look.

I need to ponder that for a hot minute…

nope… the word ‘country’ still gives me the dry heaves

(pssst… notice the light fixture!)

What says CHRISTMAS!!! more than shiny, hanging balls?

More is more, especially when it comes to twinkling things!

Ok, so let’s recap. What have we learned here?

1. I like modern
2. I like MORE
3. I like sparkly, twinkly, shiny things

Groundbreaking stuff here, I know.

Too. Much. Wedding. Stuff.

Trying to keep focused on wedding stuff has been incredibly difficult. I am so easily distracted by shiny things and there is SO MUCH wedding stuff online – I could easily get sucked in to the interwebs and never been seen again!

The few things I know I want don’t seem to be much on trend so I can’t find much to directly steal use as inspiration.  I have the most beautiful engagement ring ever and I want lots more silver and sapphire around. The affaire is to have an Italian flair so red roses seem appropriate. Being my second marriage and all, a white dress doesn’t really feel right…

Go ahead - find a dark, romantic affair full of dark blue, silvery shimmer and deep red. Look. You won’t find it.

So I have been trying to find shapes and ideas that I like – to serve as inspiration for what I really want. This of course will require me to be crafty and creative. (Oh man…. ) I like lots of things so narrowing them down has been difficult.  After about 100 hours of searching, here are some ideas I’ve focused in on… **

This is our venue…

 

And more random inspiration…

 

And then I found THIS. BINGO!! Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!

Now how to recreate this on a budget… let the super duper bargain shopping begin! 



 

** And of course I can’t think aloud (ablog?) about my dress… that would be very bad luck

What could possibly be more “me”??

Man… I wish I had a huge set of brass (or silver! ) cajones because if I had the nerve…

How Emily got her sparklies back

A little at a time, bit by bit, shiny things are making their way back in to my life.

Getting all my worldly possessions back under one roof again sure helped.  Unpacking has been slow but steady and little corners of the house are getting “settled”.

I am happy to report that one of my most prized possessions has taken a prominent place in our home again – my UmberDove triptychs. And, fittingly, they are flanked with shiny things!

Yes, I do kind of like the sconces, but hate the gold tone and they seem to take a non-standard chandelier bulb (I’ve tried 2 sizes so far and no dice.)  I don’t think they are long for this world…

Last night The Man, The Child and I ate dinner at a reception venue that we thought could be a strong contender. We definitely want a real Chicago Italian-style affair and their food was fantastic! With much anticipation we were led up to the largest banquet room and when they hit the lights… well… The Child and I kind of lost our shit minds!

SPARKLY!!! And do you see it?… A DISCO BALL!

*swoon*

This is the view we’ll see when we look down on our guests before the big entrance…

Could it be any more perfect? No, I think not!

I had a dream

I dreamt of having a formal dining room. And guess what?!? I’ve got one, bitchessss gentle readers

It’s not the soulless, impersonal white box I imagined it would be. It is not begging me to miraculously transform it with my deft use of color, texture and – dare I say it? – magic! (tee hee)

Instead, even while empty, it is warm, rich and rather intense. It is certainly more beautiful than I, and I suspect it is also smarter. My dining room is giving me an inferiority complex.

It would certainly be easy to go to some nondescript Furniture Mart USA kind of store and buy something that is Craftsman-y/Mission-y. Not only would that be too easy and less emotionally draining – you would have to shoot me for owning something that could be referred to as a “set”. A dining set, a bedroom set, a “let me stab myself in the eye with a fork because I’m that unimaginative” set… Blech.

And good grief would that be sooooo dark and oppressive. Watch out! It’s ATTACK OF THE WOOD PANELING!!

My dear and lovely friend Susan has kindly offered a proper table and chairs to fill the space.  I have been cooking for the Family almost every night and it makes me kind of sad to eat it with the three of us crammed in the small confines of the sofa While the table is not my aesthetic (or hers either!) I do look forward to having a proper place for the three of us (and guests) to gather ’round.

And of course I can’t help but hear the siren song of…..  p a i n t 

Oh! and what do you think of this…? It is rather large and definitely qualifies as a shiny thing!

I have to admit that The Child and I both kind of lost our shit when we saw it… The Man is proving to be very tolerant of our outbursts!

… and she’s off!

Yes, I have a new project of the interior decorating kind!

A lot has happened in the last 2 months…

A new job!

The Man proposed and – DUH – I said HELL YES!!! At Wrigley Field, no less… *swoon*

And… The Child, The Man and I moved in to a new house…

While I am still a great lover of all things girlie and modern, this house is going to challenge me to evolve. Living with a very manly man (YAY!) should probably cause me to tone down my love of chrome, but I think he secretly loves it, too!

The real challenge is that this house already has a personality. It is rich in woodwork, intricate details, and Craftsman style fabulousness. I want to create a space that is “us” but also respects the beauty that it was born with.

While I had months to ponder how I would decorate every square inch of my new little family’s house, now that we are there my best laid plans do not seem as perfect as I had imagined. I didn’t expect the house to have a voice in the matter. But it does – and I’m having fun listening!

My challenge is to mix my  love of modern and shiny with Craftsman – and make it look deliberate. (I think I can, I think I can!). (Hmmm… this doesn’t seem like as much evolving as I mentioned earlier )

So hold on tight… this is going to be fun!

If you loved me you’d buy me this: shiny silver chest edition

Oh come on… really? Who could look at this and not have it scream EMILY!!!!!? It’s as if it’s shiny silver curviness was fabricated just to delight my senses.

 

When it’s time for me to do my next apartment it might be hard for me to resist the the call of shiny things. But I will have to, because Dreamboat is not likely to share my love of girly fabulous design.

Choreographed disarray… swoon!

Jonathan Adler, oh how I love you.

Choreographed disarray, throw pillows are Prozac… your witty little nuggets of decorating wisdom make my heart sing! Anti-depressive Living is for me!

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6414303n

Oh, and be so very jealous… this is 4 blocks from my house. I like to stand in front of the windows and drool daydream. Sometimes I even lick the glass imagine owning most everything inside.

Changes are afoot

If you know me at all you know that I love me some mani-pedi action. Fake nails are not my bag – I prefer them short and shiny. But I’m also not very adventurous when it comes to color. If it’s not OPI “Kinky in Helsinki” or “I’m Not Really a Waitress”, I probably haven’t worn it. I’m a creature of red, sparkly habit.

Habit hasn’t served me too well – especially in the last year. Big, often uncomfortable, gestures seem to be what’s needed of late. This evenings’ color selection was deigned by the universe.

Baby steps … I’m takin’ em.

Remember that Project To-Do List?

Yeah, I kind of forgot about it too!

I just made a BIG step in crossing off the very first thing I put on that damn list:  the leaking shower!  (It’s actually item number 3, but that’s because I was trying to hide it behind other things everyone has to do.)  It has been leaking since June 2007. 

Wait wait wait… before you lose your chops about how much water I have wasted with a leaking faucet over the course of 2.5 years (oh my… I just got queasy for a second) I have been turning the water off behind the faucet with a screwdriver this whole time!  Let’s say it – all together now… GHETTO!  Yes, I know… it’s only the best of the best in the Girly Fabu-palace.  D’oh!  Any way… that little bastard’s number is UP!

It’s really the little joys in life, isn’t it?  Like being able to step in to the shower, turn a handle, and have water come flowing forth… clean, clear, cleansing water…. *drool*

If you loved me you’d buy me this: Minx ring edition

Want!

The Noisy Plume rules – if you didn’t know that already!

Christmas is officially a Shiny Thing

Can I see a show of hands who is surprised?

Of course I couldn’t simply trim a tree.  That would be far too pedestrian.  Noooo… It had to become part of the design.  Hopeless, I am.

Holiday photo expedition

Tonight The Child and I bundled up and headed downtown with cameras in-hand.  The lights this year are over the top and it was a fun cheap date on a Friday night. 

Whipper Snapper

Red lights

Skaters

Union Square

The torture! The agony!

Do I open it?  Or do I wait until my birthday – TEN DAYS AWAY?? 

(Kelly, you evil, lovely, fabulous woman!  Wait!  Is that you in the package?  With your disco shoes on??  Ready to go boogie til you just can’t boogie no more with us?!?  )

I feel like Stimpy, finger poised over the History Eraser Button…

Room and Board j’adore

Just what I need – another online store front against whose glass I will smash my virtual face and slobber.