{the royal wedding: with this kiss}

. . . must confess, still a little caught up in the romance of it all, the stolen glances and secret smiles, the horse-drawn carriages and chantilly lace, the balcony kisses and moments so breathtakingly lovely, can barely stand it . . .




prince william & catherine, the duke & duchess of cambridge




detail of the exquisite wedding gown, put together by hand by sarah burton of alexander mcqueen, it is a perfect intermingling of tradition and modernity, with a bodice of ivory satin made of hand-cut english lace and french chantilly lace, over ivory and white satin gazar {a sheer, lightweight silk organza with a glaze-like sheen and moderate stiffness}; individual flowers were hand cut from lace and hand-engineered onto the ivory silk tulle to create the design, which features rose, thistle, daffodil, and shamrocks, the national flowers of england, ireland, scotland, and wales; 58 gazar & organza covered buttons ran up the back




the eight-tiered royal wedding cake was decorated with 900 delicate sugar-paste flowers, including 17 different blooms and foliage for their meaning and symbolism, known as the language of flowers


the veil was made of layers of ivory silk tulle and trimmed with hand-embroidered flowers, sewn on by the royal school of needlework at hampton court palace



the bridal bouquet included myrtle, lily-of-the-valley, hyacinth and sweet william blooms; in keeping with royal tradition, stems from a myrtle planted by queen victoria in 1845 were also added; according to tradition, the bouquet of a royal bride will be left on the tomb of the unknown solider in westminster abbey; the late queen mother began the ritual by leaving her wedding bouquet at the grave in 1923 in memory of her brother, fergus, who was killed in the first world war






. . . and of course, with all of this week's talk of tiaras . . . kate's 'something borrowed' was the cartier halo tiara, made in 1936 and purchased by king george VI for his wife queen elizabeth {the queen mother} three weeks before he succeeded his brother as king; the tiara was presented to princess elizabeth, now the queen, by her mother on the occasion of her 18th birthday; the new princess catherine matched the tiara with earrings by robinson pelham, a gift from her parents inspired by the new middleton coat of arms

{p.s.} for the royal wedding reception, catherine changed into a second alexander mcqueen gown, and her sister pippa changed out of the stunning mcqueen into temperley london


{credits: one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten | eleven}

{art print: love}

. . . at this moment, an impossibly sweet and pretty print that reads, "If you knew how much I love you you'd faint."


{print available here, also in french!; via little.lovely.}

{happy valentine's day}

"In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities."

~ janos arany

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

. . . a quick & fondest hello to wish you a day of fluttery happiness and whispered sweet nothings, candlelight and crème brulée, and best of all, time spent with those you love most . . .

à bientôt and a sweet & sexy valentine's day to you,
xoxo



giuseppe zanotti gold-heeled sandals | tom ford lipstick | silver mercedes | rosamosario lace corset | valentino nude studded handbag | ben-amun deco pearl drop earrings | h&m conscious collection dress | modcloth pearl glam necklace | little.lovely heart-shaped cookie | moët & chandon pink champagne | coral cupcake wrappers | kevin stone antiques & interiors chandelier | kate spade crystal saucers

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

{p.s.} thanks so much for all the lovely valentine's cards & well-wishes!


{top image: tumblr}

{valentine's how-to: sweet nothings garland}

. . . very much smitten with this impossibly sweet glitter garland, perfect for valentine's day, birthdays, or perhaps even, a random sunny wednesday in mid-winter . . .



{you will need:}
a printer, a sheet of white paper, scissors, glue, glitter, a glue gun, some baker’s twine, embroidery thread or satin ribbon, if you like

{one}
print out the words “i love you” in all caps in a font of your choice (here, arial font, black, size 100 pt)

{two}
cut out letters

{three}
apply a generous amount of glue to the front of each letter and sprinkle with glitter (here, red glitter, but pink or gold would also be lovely)



{four}
organize letters glitter side down and backwards, then lay out the length of string or ribbon that you would like



{five}
place a small dot of hot glue at the top of the first letter, and sink the string in; repeat for each letter, ensuring that they are the correct distance apart



{six}
hang somewhere lovely, in a doorway or an archway, perhaps, and expect to be kissed . . .


{images and instructions adapted from lovely indeed!}

{shoes, shoes, shoes}

. . . aside from this staircase featured over two years & a lifetime ago, quite certain there is nothing quite as fun as maison martin margiela's mirror heels . . .

{p.s.} previously:
valentino | mugnai | chanel | lanvin
louboutin | sergio rossi | bruno frisoni | magic in the air

{images: project no.8 via creature comforts's black & dashes of sparkle}

{monday, monday . . .}

. . . monday, monday & hello! hope you had a perfectly lovely weekend -- it's a two cups of coffee and strewn books and bright bouquets kind of morning after a beautiful weekend, with many splendid things to look forward to in this sunny and brand new week . . .

hope your monday is off to a wonderful start,
xo

{p.s.} a little late, but the winner of the cable & heart bracelet give-away later today . . .

{images: photography by patrick cline for lonny magazine}

{have a romantic weekend}

. . . this weekend is light-filled mornings and chocolate-drizzled crêpes, sunny photographs and cloudless skies, and most of all, no where to be but here . . .

have a beautiful, beautiful weekend, everyone!
xo

{a few lovely links:}
* pretty pretty: rock crystal table lamps
* like a fairytale: plums in the icebox & leifsdottir
* before & after: kristin's sofa
* crown of blossoms: one & two
* industrial elegance: edison bulbs

{as always, some things you may have missed:}
* photography: bright mornings + sunlit days
* two lovely things: ruffles + lace
* colour inspiration: bits of gold + palest pink
* runway inspiration: alberta ferretti
* photography: behind the scenes
* spring things: paris, paris, paris!
* spanish inspiration: gallery white + tea rose
* new: photographer douglas friedman

{image via ffffound}

{stationery: french notecards}

. . . hand silkscreened in gold ink and perfect for special occasions or over café au lait on an overcast friday near the end of winter . . .

{je t'aime french i love you cards by humunuku via greedy girl}

{valentine's inspiration: rifle paper co.}

. . . adore the hand-painted poppy red lettering and wonderfully whimsical heart-shaped bouquets of rifle paper co.'s new valentine's collection

{images: rifle paper co. via design is mine}

{love is in the air}

. . . completely charmed by this sweet letterpress card in magenta & orange, as perfect for valentine's day as it is for a perfectly lovely mid-january thursday. . .

{image: letterpress delicacies via oh so beautiful paper}

{two lovely things: office inspiration}

. . . love in a gilded frame + vintage orange

{images: 1 - elsk dit hjem by ranvita la cour via decor8; 2 - candystore collective}

{thoughts on love}

{via paper schmaper + mary ruffle}

{summer love: icecream + watermelon}

. . . there's always time for late-summer love . . .

{images: 1 - erin ever after; 2 - jorge l. gazzano via mary ruffle}

{happy valentine's day}

Happy Valentine's Day!
Wishing you a beautiful {hopelessly romantic} weekend . . .
xo

{p.s.} and to P, definitely sparks

{image: House Beautiful via Absolutely Beautiful Things}

{divine idylle}

What better way to begin a new year than with a little romance? And after all the rather eventful holiday celebrations and New Year's festivities, was drawn to the cool, laid-back glimpses of a day in the idyllic life of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis shot for French Glamour . . .

{p.s.}
And while we're on the topic of romance, have you seen Joanna and Alex's wonderful engagement photos?

New Year's resolutions: try to be much better with answering e-mails and to find more time for languid lounging . . .

{images: glamour paris, august 2008 issue; photography by chris craymer via flora's box}

{passionate kisses}

Came across this sexy photographic series called, kissing couples by Michael Creagh, along with a wonderfully passionate outdoor wedding kiss . . .

{One of my favourite things about Christmas is mistletoe.}

{images: 1 - from the series: kissing couples by michael creagh; 2 - east side bride}