Instagram Contest Rules

Per Instagram rules, we must mention this is no was sponsored, administered, or associated with Instagram, Inc. By entering, entrants confirm they are 13+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility, and agree to Instagram's terms of use. Only US residents will be eligible to receive the prize.

Contest: 7/23-8/10
Enter to win doily succulent holder.
To enter to win all you have to do is:
1) Follow us,
2) Tag two friends in the original post
3) Check out #SONaturesPalette and comment on your favorite color palette and tell us why it is your favorite.

All entries must be submitted by 8/10/15 12:00pm PST. Winner will be announced August 11.

Note: For our pictures we are using Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap app to create the palettes but this is not a requirement for contest pictures.

Monday! It's a Party!

So yesterday was National Ice Cream Day. I never realized how big these National So-and-So days were for social media and marketing until I checked my Instagram yesterday. It was ice cream EVERYWHERE! I unfortunately was traveling home from a camping trip so I did not partake BUT at the adorable camp we were at this weekend they did have an ice cream social on Saturday night. It was just so quaint and nostalgic to do an ice cream social so in honor of our Saturday night camp activity and, of course, in honor of National Ice Cream Day, I bring you the cutest idea for a summer kid's party...The Ice Cream Social.

I do have to admit I wanted to find decorations in the style of an old fashioned soda shop. This was not the easiest task because most decorations are just pastel ice cream cones in balloon, paper, and really any form you can find them. But I present here decorations that do incorporate elements of the old fashioned soda shops.

From top to bottom:

1. This ice cream cone bunting is so cute and creative. And of course using apothecary jars to hold the treats brings a classy vintage feeling.

2. Buy these adorable matching polka dot ice cream bowls and wooden spoons here on Etsy. Or make your own with a polka dot stamp (I love this one for bigger polka dots) and some paint.

3. Find a vintage cash register (here's one that could use a paint job) to decorate a table and a cute soda fountain hat (found here) to decorate the birthday boy or girl. This ice cream social party is adorable.

4. Easy and adorably appropriate centerpieces with vintage sundae and banana split glasses with carnations and a cherry on top. See inspiration on this blog and get your glasses on Etsy here.

5. Create this DIY striped awning to go over your treat table to give the party a vintage soda fountain shop vibe.

Friday Inspirations & Favorites - 7.17.15

Crazy week of getting stuff done and really being inspired. Have you ever had inspiration overwhelm? Well that was the epitome of this week but I will try to keep this on the shorter side.

- My le husband who is turning 30 today. (Funny how my family and friends always conveniently have their birthdays on Fridays). Well...my sweet, handsome hubby is younger than me, only just, but has such a maturity of wisdom and heart that I am totally awestruck when I see the way he deals with life. Aging to him is just no big deal and he takes it in confident strides just as he does with everything. I am so glad I have him by my side as he brings a strength and nobleness to our relationship and life that is so awesome and refreshing for me. He is my oak. And I love him so much and am so excited to celebrate the next 30 birthdays with him and beyond. Joyeux anniversaire bebe! 

Photo by Sarah Kathleen 

- Read this book by Austin Kleon. Great, quick read full of excellent advice to help lift artists up in the one area that brings us down the most...that feeling like we are a fraud and that what we are doing isn't anything new. Basically he says that's the point and that's how we grow and learn and find our voice. I highly recommend it.

- Podcasts. They are what keep me from feeling so lonely working all alone from home. Not only someone to talk at me but to educate me at the same time...so awesome!

- Walking neighbor dog Eliot has been such a blessing and a favorite this week. Gets me out of the house, enjoying the great weather, and good excuse to go grab a tea from one of the many local cafes within a mile radius of my house.

- This inspiration wedding shoot that goes along so well with my Boho Fiesta Collection. I love the backdrop shown here so much but looks like a lot of work.

Photo by Jessica Elaine Photography found on Ruffled
{link to http://ruffledblog.com/paletas-de-pina-mexican-wedding-inspiration/}

- Simplification. I need to do this as overwhelm has been seeping in. As an attempt I downloaded and started reading The Happy Hour Effect. Excited to see what discoveries I make.

Monday! It's a Party!

My 4th of July spent up in the mountains, the fact that we are going river camping this upcoming weekend for le husband's 30th birthday, and the below picture I took while in the mountains have all inspired me to bring you the best of vintage camp parties that I could find.

This particular theme is near and dear to my heart as we got married at a campground and our theme included vintage camp. It's just so fun and nostalgic.

From top to bottom:

1. A perfect lounge setting for a vintage camp party is around a bonfire or firepit, preferably with s'mores, and most definitely with some vintage afghans. If you can't find enough around your grandma's house, check out ebay.

2. And what is a vintage camp without some kind of teepee? I actually used the inspiration of this teepee for the boho tent we set up at our wedding that will soon be available to rent. However this website collects DIY sites for a large variety of awesome teepees.

3. This vintage plaid thermos looks absolutely beautiful as a flower vase. Find vintage thermos (what is plural for thermos...thermi? thermoses? thermos'?) on Etsy.

4. Old-fashioned enamel plates really pull the whole look together. How could you not feel as if you are at summer camp when eating corn on the cob and bbq chicken on these babies? You can get brand new ones at William-Sonoma but check out Etsy or ebay to find some authentic vintage ones as well. A whole list of picnic must-haves can be found here.

5. I had to find a way to incorporate a canoe, and this is just an awesome idea. Fill it with ice and beers and of course accessorize with some vintage wooden oars. And how pretty is this canoe with all it's floral adornments. Vintage and new wooden oars are available all over the web. This one is particularly awesome off Etsy.

Friday Inspirations & Favorites - 7.10.15

After a very fun 4th of July weekend in the mountains, I had a bit of a lazy week as the weekend festivities really took it out of me. Here were some moments of inspiration through it all:

- As was mentioned on Facebook I randomly ran across this Parisian wedding dress designer, Laure de Sagazan, who has literally taken my breath away. How perfect are these dresses?

Photos from 2015 Collection {link to http://www.lauredesagazan.fr/collection/robes-de-mariee-2015}

- Mountains! Mountains are just so inspirational. The whole time I was up there, every scene brought me visions of a vintage summer camp.

No filter, no joke...just beautiful!

- I listened to a podcast about dealing with stress creatively featuring Jason Kotecki of www.escapeadulthood.com. The mission of his work is to eradicate "adultitis" from the world by creatively prioritizing responsibilities and fun (preferably more of the fun) to make life more rewarding. Sounds awesome, no?

- This gorgeous lady, a world class bridesmaid, whose birthday is today. Can't believe it's been over 10 years since we met as college roomies.

- This reflection by artist Austin Kleon on a book he read, Who's Your City by Richard Florida, about the gut feeling of picking the right place to live. The excerpt from the book in the screenshot below resonates with me so much. I know who my city is and I can only hope to her to become an everyday confidant very soon.

Excerpt from Who's Your City by Richard Florida {Link to http://tumblr.austinkleon.com/post/123404828736}

Reflections on the Day of My First Sale

Congratulations to me! I have made my first sale on Etsy. 

I know this is similar to watching a baby take a first step. Just like a baby, my business and I have been preparing for this day for a long time. More time than would seem needed for such a tiny little step. We have been growing, developing, practicing and finally all that work has paid off in just one, tiny, itsy bitsy way. It's way exciting.

I also know that this is just the first of many, many steps and it can only grow from here. Soon steps and full on walking will seem like a huge, awesome accomplishment and then very soon after that it will just seem like the norm. And despite all this walking, don't think that I'm not prepared for some falling. It's all part of the experimentation and spontaneity of owning your own small business.

I've been wanting to write a post for awhile to talk about what it means to me to own a small business. I am still a total novice at it so don't even think I'm here to toot my horn or give advice. I'm here to simply say, owning my own small business means so much more to me than I could've ever imagined and, to put it in the most hippy way imaginable, it just flows with my vibe man!

So I think today on the day of my first sale is a good time to discuss it. From the moment I truly set forth on this adventure I have realized that despite the time and money investment that I am putting into it right now, and at a level where I'm giving more than I am getting back, that having the freedom of running my own business is something that just comes to me so naturally and feels better than any other professional endeavor I have ever taken part of. If it feels that good now, just imagine when I am seeing return on that investment. I think the reason it feels so natural is because I grew up in a household of entrepreneurs, although they weren't given such a prestigious title back then. My Mom and Dad ran their own businesses out of the home, we had a huge office that took up the whole upstairs of our house, and playing around in that office was so much fun for me. The freedom they had through owning their own businesses allowed our family to have such special and unique adventures. Like taking off for a over a month in the summer to road trip from California to Wyoming and back. So who knows? We can have the nature vs. nurture debate all we want but either I was born with my parent's entrepreneurial genes, I learned it from their lifestyle, or both. Was I born with the need to have the creative freedom of running my own business or did I learn it? Either way, it feels so good.

It's not only the freedom that feels good, it's the creativity. Of course I'm a creative person, my whole business centers around that creativity. But running your own business is such a creative endeavor on it's own. Every day you get to make creative decisions about what you are going to do, how you are going to market your stuff, how you are creatively going to manage your time.You wear so many different hats it is impossible not to stay interested. I think I was uniquely groomed to fit well into a position that wears this many hats. I have held such a plethora of different jobs for the 16 or so years that I have been a working person, and all of them have somehow given me a unique skill set that helps me do what I'm doing now. From the marketing work I did at the non-profit, to the networking skills I gained running a local non-profit event, to the organizational juggling of being a teacher, and the accounting knowledge gained from my time as an office manger, all of them are coming in handy now. It's like taking my favorite parts of each of those jobs and throwing them into one fantastic job that centers around everything I know and love most and something that truly means something to me.

It all has me feeling so empowered, I want to shout from the rooftops that everyone should go out and start their own business. But I do realize that not everyone is cut from the same cloth that I am and this is not a journey that everyone would love and enjoy as much as I seem to. For me, the constant experimentation, playing with fun crafty stuff, designing, engineering pretty décor, making connections and building new ideas everyday, ebbing and flowing amongst all the spontaneous stuff that pops up, and last but certainly not least, constantly learning new things just feeds my soul.

I love travel, I love adventures, and this, so far, has been an awesome one and I can't wait to see where it goes. This type of adventure is probably one of the best there is, the one where there is no specific destination or end point in mind, the skies the limit, so I am really here to just enjoy the journey. While so many things in my life have developed clear destination points, I can honestly say being on this journey without one is a bit meditative and cathartic. How many people can say that about their jobs? I am so happy I can say that about mine. 

A wise man once said:

I am so glad I have finally chosen a one I love.

Monday! It's a Party!

So I watched this movie over the weekend on Netflix and the décor in all the houses was just beautiful. It reminded me slightly of when I walked through Dalí's house in Cadaques, Spain. Inspired by mid-century modern décor, here you can find this week's event décor favorites...

From top to bottom:

1. Make these super easily with solid colored craft paper and magazine or book pages, or buy them here. Either way they are awesome, eco-friendly, and would look fantastic strung up all over a room.

2. Custom mid-century nightstands can be bought here fairly inexpensively and then paint yourself to match the colors of your event.

3. Use this awesome wallpaper in many ways. Frame it in awesome mid-century frames or cut it up to use on tables or as a backdrop.

4. Of course mid-century mod would need to have a shag rug included somewhere. Here is a great DIY shag rug made out of t-shirts. My suggestion is to keep it white for the "real" mid-century feel.

5. This whole shoot is mid-century mod fab! I love these color block vases in particular and know that you could pick up second-hand vases like this for super cheap and paint them per this DIY. Painting them white then color-blocking them with gold or event colors pulls it all together.

Friday Inspirations & Favorites - 7.3.15

Headed out the door in a few minutes to go to the mountains to spend the holiday weekend with the whole fam up at the cabin. So fun and exciting. But I wanted to get my weekly faves out to you. I'm not putting any of my own pics up because I ran out of data on my phone this month when I spent that week at my Grandmother's (she doesn't have internet...crazy, I know) but please enjoy these links and this awesome quote that has always been the essence of how I decided to live my life very early on:

- Elise Gets Crafty podcast that is so informative and awesome

- These overnight oats, although I need to find the old recipe I used that included chia seeds...I love it with chia seeds

- This awesome fabric, I am tempted to buy yards and yards and make a million different things

- This amazingly beautiful styled shoot with 4th of July inspiration that was shot near my hometown in Shell Beach, CA (it's where I got that cute pic of the couple kissing behind the American flag from my Elle et Lui post)

- This Anthropologie dress I bought for a friend's wedding at the end of the month. It's adorable even though I don't normally where pink. I'm 85% sure I will keep it. :)

First Collection Release - Bohemian Fiesta Summer 2015

This post has been a long time coming and you have seen hints here and there in my blog over the last week or so, but as of last week I have finally released my first collection...YAAAAAY!

And look how pretty it is:

So, what is a collection you might ask?

Good question and I'm glad you asked. Our Event Décor Collections are all-inclusive, essentially a party-in-a-box, one-stop-shop decorations and tablescapes that fit a certain theme. They include everything you would need for gorgeous tablescapes for your event with a few decorative extras thrown in. All you need to do is provide flowers, food, drinks, and love.

My idea for the collection centers around providing event planners, party hosts, and/or brides with a super easy and simple way to get absolutely beautiful, authentic, handmade decorations for their party by cutting out the run around of designing, sourcing, procuring, and creating. It is perfect for the DIY lover who just doesn't have the time or know how to DIY. It is also perfect for events or weddings that are planned within a timeframe of only a few months as well as pop-up events or weddings.

My plan is to start out with bi-annual collections, one for Spring/Summer and another for Fall/Winter (maybe eventually moving to a total of four) that feature fun, elegant themes. Not all the themes will work for everyone. That is where my commissioned services come in. However, for those who are excited about my themes, they will be able to purchase a collection sized for either 2, 6 or 15 tables as well as have a variety of add-on decorations such as backdrops and other accessories to complete the look.

This season's collection, Bohemian Fiesta, was super fun to make. I got to incorporate my love for Mexican culture (I used to be a high school Spanish teacher) and I was so excited to use serapes as a focal point for the collection. Such a fun material to use. The primary colors are bright and vivid and I loved getting to throw so many colors together without being limited. As being eco-conscious is something I really strive for, bringing in the recycled salsa cans and Mexican soda bottles as vases was a perfect touch and gives it a bit of a vintage feel as well. Probably my favorite thing to work with was the Loteria cards. The current pack I had on hand was from Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles and they have the classic art on them. Looking at them carefully, they are just so authentic and beautiful, I really love them.

Included in the Event Décor Collection, you will find per table:
-1 Serape Runner
-2 Vintage Gold Decorations or 2 Vintage Candlesticks and 1 Vintage Gold Decoration
-1 Vintage Gold Frame with Vintage Mexican Postcard
-1 Terra Cotta Lace Pot
-2 El Pato Salsa Can Vases
-2 Mexican Soda Bottle Vases
-1 Gold Charger
-4 Glitter Gold Votive Candleholders
-3 Doily Dream Catchers

Not included but available are:
-Tin Can Lanterns
-Mexican Serape Napkin Rings
-Tissue Paper Flower Backdrop
-Loteria Table Escort Card Hanger
-Mexican Serape Pillow
-Doily Succulent Hanger
-Custom Made Spanish Speech Bubble Photo Booth Props

The whole collection is for sale now on our Etsy store, found here.

Last, I am still developing the rental side of my business but shown here are some items (lanterns, baskets, chalkboard signs, hammocks, etc.) that will be available for rent within certain areas of California and that are perfect accompaniments to the Bohemian Fiesta Collection.