cedarstreetboutique: handmade quilts

double wedding ring handmade patchwork quilt

who doesn't love the feel of a handmade quilt? it's the perfect summerweight cover. plus they carry so much of the character of the person who made them -- a quilt is something you save and pass on, something crafted to last, the antithesis of disposable fashion.

while this is a very traditional quilt, the bright colors caught my eye... and then i fell in love with the shop description. the quilts are hand-sewn by mrs. freda in tennessee, who has been quilting for seven decades (!) and is about to celebrate her 85th birthday (!!), and she has an online store. the cuteness factor just about killed me.

just think! it's like having a spare grandma, or at least a crafty one -- mine would no more have quilted than thrown out a perfectly good manhattan. (bless her, my forebears never aspired to be goddesses at the domestic arts.) not sure if mrs. freda takes on custom requests, but you never know until you ask. i heart mrs. freda and her sweet quilts. more at cedarstreetboutique.etsy.com

three little birds...

I'm not sure why these pretty little accessories from Lladros are called "Re-cyclos", but I love them just the same. Each piece features the ever so chic twig and bird theme, either in silver or 18 K gold with porcelain birdies. I picked the hair stick and the brooch above, but there are also earrings, cuff links and necklaces. I think any of these would be a great addition to any stylish modern gown.

i've got the blues

I would really love to have enough energy right now to make up a snazzy "something blue" quip about this gorgeous jewelry, but I can't. I'm barely holding my head up. I went to this "Punk Rope" class the other day, where you jump rope for 45 minutes... now I'm having trouble controlling the lower half of my body. I'm going to stop complaining now and let you check out the awesome (and awesomely affordable) stuff over at the 1ofmykind Etsy store. They happen to have several great blue pieces, but don't miss out if you've already got your blue. They've got a nice selection of yellow, green... the list goes on.

jenny packham fall 07

The details on Jenny Packham's Fall 2007 collection are my favorite! Everything is so 1920's glamorous-glamorous (I can't even think that word now without THAT song popping into my head, damn it Fergie!).

sam and dave: the details

Today is technically Tuesday, but it's sorta Monday (on a more existential basis).
So, we're going to hear from Sam because it's (existentially) her day.



Last week my post was full of the impending doom that I would not accomplish my tasks before June 9th. This week things have calmed down. I finished my report cards for work, scanned all the photos and made the juxtapositions so that Dave can make the imovie slideshow, finished the painting on the ketubah (I’m getting the words printed on Tuesday and will post the finished piece next post), I got the earrings, and picked up my wedding ring. My parents have been so on top of everything all along but my mom really outdid herself last week when she completed 160 fondant flowers for the cupcakes. I still have to finish the cake topper and find a brunch dress but the big things are really finished. Dave and I also really need to practice what we learned in salsa class or we’re going to be bickering on the dance floor and I’ll have to deduct 7 points from our on going point system (anyone else have that? You know... add points for good behavior and deduct points for badness but never really tally? We’re getting really excited and had a really fun dinner in Park Slope on Friday; we each took our wedding rings out for a test run. They were a perfect fit, just like us.

soapylove

custom embossed soap bars

i confess i've been stalking soapylove's etsy shop trying to figure out which delight to feature, and then she listed these today and made it easy for me: voila!

sets of these gorgeous handmade soaps are available customized in your preferred color (blush and bash, anyone?) and fragrance -- good for sweet wedding or bridal party favors that can be actually *used and enjoyed*. kind of like the neon-colored foam beer coozies printed with "changes in latitude, changes in attitude" from my mom's wedding. but waaaay soapier. right! more at soapylove.etsy.com

sarahlynnedesigns

reversible aluminum necklace: heart with wings and vegas slot machine

i was searching for something particularly vegas to feature, as the location for my sister's impending, and stumbled across *this* stunning thing. according to sarahlynnedesigns the heart design was inspired by a classic tattoo -- the pendant is hand-sculpted in a method similar to cloisonne enameling and takes three days to glaze (!). it reverses to slot-machine lucky sevens. jackpot!

her other reversible designs are gorgeous as well -- more at sarahlynnedesigns.etsy.com