Monday! It's a Party!

The inspiration for today's party came from the little adobe we stayed at in Portland, OR in the Alberta Arts District. It was decorated in this amazing vintage, southwest style but how eclectic it was really reminded me of Dalí's house in Cadaqués, Spain, except more southwestern. And the way I best describe Dalí's house is by calling it the ultimate hipster house. So the décor for an ultimate Dalí/Surrealist party can be found below. Maybe some Monday I'll do "Dalí Goes To New Mexico" and put a Southwestern theme on it in honor of our Portland adobe but for now, this goes out to you Dalí and your fantastic Cadaqués home.

Pictures taken by me on my trip to Cadaqués Spain in July 2012

The Adobe we stayed at in Portland, OR - July 2015

I didn't necessarily want to go with the most bizarre of the Dalí décor. As always I wanted it to look elegant, and to be honest, Dalí's house has a very elegant quality to it. 

From top to bottom:

1. These tipsy candlesticks are the ultimate surrealist table décor you can find really.

2. Buy or make your own sea urchin shell succulent holders for the tables. This one here is found on Etsy. Dalí's house in Cadaqués is right on the Costa Brava and he brings many elements of the sea into his house and paintings.

3. How cool is this surrealist photograph by Joel Robison found here? String up some balloons or get some helium balloons and attach tea cups and tea pots to the bottom as weights.

4. I found this awesome brass swan vase on Etsy. Might be hard to find multiples but this just looks so art nouveau and reminded me of the 3 huge white swans the preside over Dalí's dining room.

5. Eggs can be found all over Dalí's house and in his paintings. The symbol of the egg to Dalí represents the past life, intrauterine and rebirth. These awesome crochet pouches for eggs would look beautiful strung up as a bunting and could certainly add to the bizarre yet wow factor a surrealist party deserves.

Soul & Oak Nature's Palette - #sonaturespalette

I just finished a Instagram Challenge and Giveaway while we were road tripping through the Pacific Northwest and I wanted to explain more of what it was, why I did it, and the results. I created the hashtag #sonaturespalette to stand for Soul & Oak Nature's Palette. The inspiration for finding event décor color palette inspiration in nature came from my own wedding. 

I am from San Luis Obispo, I think I have made that clear. :) And there is this place tucked way back in the Eastern part of that county called the California Valley which very few people know about. To be honest, a lot of people from San Luis Obispo don't even make it out that way very often. The first time I ever did was in my mid-20s. In the spring it flourishes with the most beautiful wildflowers spread out over rolls and rolls of hills. It's gorgeous. Fast forward to a few years later I was in a fabric store and noticed a fabric that was mustard yellow and grey and it brought to mind the colors of spring in the California Valley and I thought, if and when I get married, I want this to be the color palette. And a few years later, it was...

California Valley - yellow flowers, grey accents in the hills
Photo by Michael L. Baird {link to
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Valley,_California#
/media/File:California_Wildflowers_off_
Bitterwater_Rd_23Mar2010.jpg

A fabric like this reminded me of the color palette found in the California Valley
Fabric is by Color Theory by V & Co.
{link to https://www.etsy.com/listing/219196799/
mustard-yellow-and-gray-floral-fabric?ref=market}

The result in our tablescapes
Photo by Sarah Kathleen {link to sarahkathleen.com}

The result in the bridal party's dress
Photo by Sarah Kahleen {link to sarahkathleen.com}

So I thought it would be fun, while traveling through some of the most beautiful nature the USA has to offer in the Pacific Northwest, to find other fun event décor color palette inspiration. Although nature is the best source, I was open to finding it in architecture or life in general. I downloaded Sherwin-Williams Color Snap app found here to help me with the process of pulling colors from the pictures of nature that I captured. It's a really fun app to play with. This challenge was a way for me to stay connected to my new business and the artistic element of it while traveling and it was a way of trying to build a following on Instagram.

Pike's Place Public Market - Seattle, WA

Totem Pole on beach in Langley - Whidbey Island, WA

The end result: I loved the challenge and the new palettes I came up with daily that I may have not ever thought of before. As I would look at them, the decorations and style and theme of the party would develop and I would get super excited about opportunities to actually incorporate these palettes into an event. As far as building an Instagram following, well, I got numerous likes on the photos but maybe only a handful of people started following me from it and only one person actually signed up for the giveaway, and it was a friend (an amazing friend!). :) So, I guess my Instagram Giveaway was not the most successful. I don't know if I just don't have a big enough following yet, if the directions weren't clear enough, if the prize wasn't awesome enough. Needless to say I still need to tweak it a bit in the future when I do one again but I think I may wait awhile.

I wanted to post all the pictures here so you can see them in all their collective glory. The first four are my favorites.

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall - Portland, OR

Motel Hi-Lo - Weed, CA

Beach in Langley - Whidbey Island, WA

Fire sky - Ashland, OR

Oregon's weed - Ashland, OR

Lake day - Shaver Lake, CA

Duck at Mirror Pond - Bend, OR

Rose Garden - Portland, OR

Pristine blue waters - Crater Lake, OR

A friend's farm - Cottage Grove, OR

Beautiful sunset - Oakland, CA

At Belknap Hot Springs - McKenzie River, OR

Garden at Belknap Hot Springs - McKenzie River, OR