Let’s face it, resolutions are hard to keep. Fellow ALH contributor, Julia Hohne of Mrs. Vintage, said something that I found particularly profound recently, “I wish I were as fancy as my Pinterest board”. For the record, I think Julia is very fancy! But I’m guessing the message resonates with many, and certainly echoed my own feelings about my Pinterest. I revel in thoughtfully curating a visual collection of some of my favorite things, but let’s be honest, how easy is it to bring the ideas you collect on Pinterest into your own life?

This year I plan to use my pins as motivation to be “as fancy as my Pinterest board”.

Home: 

My husband and I bought our first house two years ago, and making it a home has been low on the list of priorities. With the exciting arrival of our first baby this year, we are finally motivated to tackle some projects.

We have a very modest kitchen, with builder grade cabinets and formica counters. Given its petite size, I think a simple facelift is achievable this year. I’m into a white on white scheme with classic lines and some vintage touches. See all the inspiration here on my Kitchen Board.

Our master bedroom is priority number two for my home resolution list. Months ago I did a post on my own blog about pulling this room together. And while I’ve picked up a rug, and new quilt and an upholstered headboard, the room continues to be more like the crash pad of a college student, rather than the comfy sanctuary of a professional thirty-something couple. Paint, drapes, artwork and a few new pieces of furniture should make this goal a reality.

Finally, the nursery is probably the most important goal. I had no idea there were so many amazing blogs devoted to nursery design and decor. I’ve decided to keep my nursery board a secret (thanks to Pinterest’s newest feature) for the time being, but I have created a board devoted to littles. There you will find all kinds of pins, including many from two of my new favorites, Lay Baby Lay, and On To Baby - home to some of the most beautiful nurseries you will ever see. How cute are the above baby animal photos from The Animal Print Shop by Sharon Montrose?

Business:

 

DIY:

I love DIY projects, but this year rather than just pinning them for later, I will try to actually complete some. The gals at ALH have created a DIYs to try collaborative board which was another inspiration for this post. We talked a while back about bringing our pins to life. You will probably see a few of these ideas on future ALH posts.

I also keep a craft board, from which I hope to hone my knitting and sewing skills in particular. I plan to try my hand at this Baby Blanket from Purl Bee and learn how to sew in a zipper in the hopes of making some simple zippered pouches, like these from See Kate Sew.

Best wishes to all our readers for a prosperous 2013. I hope you all will use your Pinterest boards as motivation to create something special this year! What are some of the projects you hope to tackle?

Planning my wedding was an exercise in restraint. Staying on a budget was priority number one. In order to achieve that goal I made a strict list of priorities. The top three were, great venue, great photography, and create a big impact on a small budget (the unofficial theme of this wedding was great deals). We achieved all three and more.

Renting our venue cost us about a third of our budget. But not only was it our dream wedding space, it covered the big impact requirement. We picked Race & Religious a beautiful old New Orleans gem. Tucked away in the lower garden district amid former warehouses, its a jewelbox. My husband and I knew immediately when we walked in that we had to be married there. It captured our style perfectly and we knew it would set the right mood, an intimate celebration that felt like a great party at our own home (if our home were a 200 year old eclectic antebellum showplace). The takeway here is, that you may think that a beautiful historic venue, or even a chic modern space are way out of your budget. But when you consider all the money you can save in decor, if the space speaks for itself, you may find that its more attainable than you think.

Photo by Maile Lani

Documenting the day was very important to me. Before I started working in the wedding industry and planning my own wedding, I never realized how many people try to save money by either not hiring a photographer, or hiring a very inexpensive one. A wedding is over in just a few hours, and after all those months of careful preparations, all that is left is the photographs. Take the time to find a photographer with a large portfolio of photos in a style that you love. And trust me beautiful photos to remember your big day, are far more worth it than 150 engraved trinket boxes that your guest are likely to misplace (but that is just my opinion). We picked Maile Lani, and she did an outstanding job. I look at the pictures all the time, and it always bring a smile to my face.

Photo by Maile Lani

Food and drinks are likely the next biggest item in your budget plan. Think about how many people you plan to invite. Remember that this day is about you and your future spouse. Be thoughtful with the guest list, consult parents and siblings to narrow down to the most important people. If you are paying for your own wedding, remember that you can decide who to invite. If your parents are paying, you’ll likely have to concede to their list. But remember, its still your wedding, so speak up about what you want. You may just find that everyone just wants you to be happy. Save money by serving a limited menu of really good food. Choose local specialities, and have an elegant buffet instead of a plated dinner, which will save you a ton and tends to make for a livelier party. We saved a ton of money on beverages, by limiting the selection to a choice of two beers, two red, two whites, and two cocktails. I had a great time with a few cocktail loving friends coming up with the gin based “perfect pear” and a “blood orange old fashioned”. The reality is people will drink whatever is available, and they won’t care if the bar isn’t fulling stocked with every possible option. Keep it simple!

Here a few other tips to save money on your wedding:
- When considering flowers, ask yourself, can I arrange these myself. If that isn’t something you want to tackle, consider simple arrangements. We had 2 or 3 beautiful blooms in inexpensive milk glass bud vases. Clustering a few together with candles, created a lovely arrangement on all the tables. And kept the cost of flowers way down.

- If your venue has a sound system, make an ipod playlist for the cocktail and dinner, and hire a great band for a shorter set to get the party started after dinner. We got to hear all our favorite songs all night without the cost of a DJ, and when it was time to get everyone on their feet a great New Orleans brass band played an hour long set, followed by a playlist of dance party songs.

- Remember that your dress is very important. You should love it and feel beautiful in it. But that doesn’t mean it should cost more than the wedding. A popular wedding planning tv show once taught me that the bride should not be wearing a super expensive gown and then have a cash bar for her guests. Truer words were never spoken! Keep the cost of the dress in line with the budget of the wedding. I found my dress on an email flash sale site, theaislenewyork.com. It was a $1500 designer gown and it cost me $300. It was beautiful and expensive looking and by the end of the night when the bottom was filthy and shredded, I was so thankful that I hadn’t paid $1500 for it. Best decision ever!

A few months ago, Dominique asked me if I would be a regular contributor for the site. Of course I said yes! I am honored to be in the company of the ever inspiring, Julia Hohne of Mrs. Vintage Rentals and Hattie Moll of Hattie Sparks Boutique, not to mention Dominique herself, the force behind Copy That Services. Read more about the contributors here. I’m looking forward to growing with this site and watching people engage with it. I know its going to be a success!

Like A Little Happy! on facebook to follow all the latest news, and look out for our contributor features each Wednesday on the blog!

p.s. isn’t the logo darling, it was designed by sister-in-law, the designer behind Oh Suzanna Design Co.!

On February 24, 2013 one lucky bride-to-be, along with 25 of her nearest and dearest, will enjoy a vintage bridal shower at the Irish Cultural Museum of New Orleans (they have a beautiful French Quarter courtyard). Vintage rentals and styling will of course be done by Mrs. Vintage. Invitations, signage and requisite paper goods designed by yours truly, gorgeous photography to commemorate the day by Greer G, delicious food by New Orleans Catering, sweets and treats from my favorites local confectionery, Leah’s Pralines, flowers by NOLA Flora, and a $150 gift certificate to Hattie Sparks for the perfect bridal shower outfit!

So brides, mothers, friends, bridesmaids, get over to Mrs. Vintage today to enter! Entries close midnight on Oct. 31, 2012!

clock | headboard | quilt | floral print |  rug | pillow | mirror | dresser | blanket | book | bench | lamp

Better late than never! This week’s top 5 features some local New Orleans favorites, and a cocktail of course!

1. The Bethari Rose envelope clutch from Rural Revolution. My iPad would feel right at home in this little beauty. Special thanks to Hattie Sparks for introducing me to this wonderful local company. Read more about the great work Rural Revolution is doing to empower female artisans all over the globe. And look out for a full feature on their work right here in the very near future.

2. Sweet Potato Pralines from Leah’s! Full disclosure, I helped style this photo shoot with the very talented George Barberis, and my husband’s family has owned Leah’s Pralines for almost 70 years. Their candy is excellent, and I can’t wait to share all the photos from a super fun shoot!

3. The Audubon Insectarium. Kenny and I spent a lovely couple of hours here this rainy afternoon, and I have a new-found passion for pinned butterflies and moths. Great color and pattern inspiration!

4. Smashed Cherry + Whiskey Cooler from my new favorite food/drink blog, The Best Remedy. In honor of my husband’s 35th birthday, and the bottle of Jameson Reserve I gave him, these delightfully simple cocktails will be on the agenda this evening at our house.

5. The latest issue of the InvadeNOLA magazine. Great stuff in this issue and be sure to check out the Real People feature!

For more of my favorite things, follow me on Pinterest and Instagram @pqstokes!

How long have you been taking pictures? In short, about 12 years. I remember playing around with a little white toy camera when I was really young. Maybe 4 or 5. It had a handle on both sides and illustrations of a little girl in the flowers. I begged my mom to put some film in it. I wish that we still had the photos that I took. It wasn’t until junior year high school that I started to work for the yearbook and think about photography differently.

When did you know you wanted to take pictures professionally? In 2007, I applied to photojournalism school at Mizzou on a whim. I didn’t think that I would get in, but I wanted to say that I at least tried to follow that small feeling in my gut about photography before I entered the imminent 9-5 world. I was working in a neurobiology lab at Washington University at the time. I opened my acceptance email right there at work. Did a from-the-heart celebratory spin in my office rolly chair. I guess that was the moment when it became more than a distant thought.

What is your favorite thing to shoot? Currently, flare, flare and more flare, moody nature light. I am most proud when I come back with some kind of genuine human interaction shot. These are the hardest for me because I am naturally timid. They are the most rewarding.

What has been your favorite assignment/project? I worked for a few months with a group of cloister nuns. They were lovely. They weren’t allowed to leave their space and I wasn’t allowed in. I had to interview them through bars. Since I could only take photos through the bars, I gave them all disposable cameras to take their own photos on the inside. It was wonderful to see what they came back with. There was one photo that still haunts me. It was of one of the nuns in the dark but for the flash. They had to pray every four hours in the chapel so I assume this was during one of their night prayers. She had her arms outstretched on both sides with her head up. It was really moving. I would like to continue working with them if I ever go back to the States. I feel like I have unfinished business there.

How do you think digital photography has changed your profession? Ugh. I can only say that for me it has taken out some of the romance. I use to enjoy being in the darkroom all night processing photos. All of that time in the darkroom has been exchanged for time sitting in front of my computer editing. I am nostalgic about the darkroom, but digital is simply more practical in the journalism world.

What is the best thing about living abroad? Since it would be unprofessional for me to answer with: the beer. I will go with: the new perspective. I have learned so much in just one year abroad.

What is the hardest/worst thing about living abroad? For the first 6 months, I almost always had that “fish out of water” feeling. I would tell Jakob that I missed feeling comfortable and ‘at home’ when we went out. I don’t feel it so much or so strongly anymore…

What blogs do you frequent? Not a big blog frequenter. I check Jakob’s to make sure he isn’t putting up any embarrassing photos of me. I check pioneer woman when I want a quick recipe. Other than that I am mostly on news, photojournalism, and music sites.

You can see more of Beth’s wonderful photos at bethsuda.blogspot.com.

Happy Friday! This week’s Friday Five is brought to you by the color black (and a little pink). A client of mine has gleefully allowed me to fulfill a long standing design dream – using black in her invitation suite! Black envelopes to be specific, and I’m so excited to complete the look and share them. I once read in an interior design magazine that every room needs a touch of black, and I couldn’t agree more. I think it can apply to all design disciplines in the right context. Here are my faves this week:

Happy Friday! This week was very productive for me. I met a new client who I’m really looking forward to working with. I had a great meeting with New Orleans Vintage guru, Mrs. Vintage, about a super exciting surprise project that we’ll be working on together. And, I did a much-needed clean up of my office! So in the spirit of spreading the joy, here are my top 5 favorite things of the week:

1. This San Francisco City Hall wedding from Martha Stewart Weddings. Everything about this, from the invitations to the styling to the bride and groom’s attire is so full of joy! Check out the whole post, it’s inspiring from start to finish!

2. Simple yellow dress from Aubin & Wills. This would make a great bridesmaid dress for a casual summer wedding. I wish they would open a store stateside!

3. Tassle Garland from Confetti System! How festive would this be strung around a wedding reception. I hope to use it by the yard for someone’s wedding some day!

4. Limoncello Cocktails! Inspired by Mrs. Lillien‘s Cocktail Swatchbook, I whipped up this lemon-y mint libation (muddle a few mint sprigs, with 1 bar spoon of sugar, add juice of half a Meyer lemon and 1 lime, add 1 part gin, 1 part limoncello, shake with ice, and strain). So refreshing! Follow all my snapshots on instagram @pqstokes. There are sure to be more wonderful cocktails from Mrs. Lillien to come!

5. Rebecca Rebouche! This amazingly talented Louisiana native seems to be everywhere right now. She has a whimsical product line at Anthropolgie, and she recently graced the cover of Garden & Gun magazine. Enjoy this lovely video where she talks about her work and process.

Follow more of my favorite things on my Pinterest page!

I have had bicycles on my mind lately. I haven’t owned one since I received a 10 speed pink huffy for my 12th birthday. I think its time to invest in a new one. As much as I would love a chic new production bicycle, they can cost a pretty penny. I think I may go with a sturdy restored vintage beauty from local New Orleans bike saviors, Bike Daddies. They have a great selection of vintage finds.

But in the meantime here is a roundup of bicycle related items that I’ve been coveting:

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