The gift of sight

I have returned from my back to back southern European holidays and am melting! What the hell is going on? I've gone from the cool of Barcelona's medieval streets and Tuscany's shady olive groves - to the unrelenting furnace of London.


I wrote a few blog entries while I was in Italy but being buried deep in the woods and hills our Internet connection is delicate and vulnerable to the slightest gust of wind or snuffling wild pig. Therefor none of them uploaded but I will post them retrospectively when I've caught up on stuff.


In the mean time a whole new world has been opened up for me by those magicians in Vision Express - yes, number one of my pre-wedding resolutions can be ticked off - I now wear contact lenses.

Amazing!

Suddenly the every-day details of Oxford Street are revealed in all their urban beauty - who knew?

And I had no idea that, as I walked through the office, people often look up and smile!
They must have thought I was such a grumpy bugger for ignoring them all these years!

I can now catch up on Wimbledon on BBC-HD - in really real high definition! (Go on Andy!)

I'll be able to see everyone's faces at my wedding next year without getting horrid red marks on the bridge of my nose.

And I can see how much all the little plants in their pots in my garden need watering even while I'm sitting here at the dining table - wow!

Better use my new found powers for good and give those thirsty herbs what they want ....


[centre point via flicker]

Friends (virtual and real!)

A very quick post before I go off to Barcelona on a weekend break with six girlfriends (including my future maids of honour and little sister). Very excited as I've never been and everyone says such great things about the place. Most excited though about spending time with my best peeps - we don't see each other enough!

Also a very quick but big big thank you to Anna of Anna and the Ring - my new virtual friend! - who very kindly bestowed upon me a lovely blog award. How sweet! Makes me feel guilty though for updating the blog so sporadically!

So the rules are:
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to 10 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.

Well - these are some of my favourites:

the beautifully sane and first port of call in crazy wedding planning moments
A Practical Wedding

My first blog love
Absolutely Beautiful Things

Ever cool and amusing
Gangsta Bride

Beautiful and delicious
Lobster and Swan

Can't wait to read more of her wonderful words
Mother and Bride

Brilliant - my new favourite
Oola Moola

An inspiration and doing the deed TOMORROW - all the best Peacocks!
Peacock Feathers and Diamond Rings

Love love love - and so talented
Peonies and Polaroids

I'm addicted to her words, pictures and music and also one of my first blog loves:
Pia Jane Bijkerk

Love her style:
Soul Pretty

So you see - not too bride heavy, but all very very inspiring and a havens from the crazy world. Keep doing what you do!

Invitation Inspiration

I have to admit I never really imagined having anything but a rather plain traditional invitation; landscape card with a centered simple serif font, maybe something similar to this:

[via dafont dot com]

possibly in a grey or pale blue and giving all the usual pieces of information. No graphic swirls, blousey pictures or cute phrases. I know the beauty of wedding stationary regularly comes up on blogs and some are entirely dedicated to the subject. That kind of thing never really appealled to me though, and often seemed dangerously close to cheesy. I thought the only way to prevent getting it slightly wrong would be to go traditional all the way.

N felt differently though. He liked the idea of something more homemade and personal and admitted to finding most of the traditional invitations we received a bit boring.

Hmm, how to make invitations that reflect who we are and our style but aren't naff!?

Well, 'homemade and local' seem increasingly to be the buzz words for our wedding day and we still have plenty of time so bring on the ideas ...!

[via touch of europe]

N suggested maybe something inspired by vintage postcards or film posters - we have quite a thing for vintage forgein film posters 'round our place.
Then after our trip to Italy, we thought of maybe having something drawn that was linked to the location. Littlest sister is the artistic one so we asked her whether she would consider dusting off her paint brushes for us - maybe an olive branch or some the thousands of poppies that spring up around the house at that time of year.

Then, while trawling through some wedding p0rn I noticed these invitations on Style Me Pretty and my heart went all of a flutter. I love their slightly whimisicle sketchy and very personal style. Look how sweet:

[via style me pretty]

Little sis was all on board and has started thinking up ideas. To explain what I had in mind a bit more clearly (sweet, whimsicle and sketchy sounds a little vague) I went to an illustration agency web site and collected a few examples.

[via eye candy - from l > r top row: sam wilson, rebecca bradley, karin akesson, rb
bottom row: rb, rb, style me pretty, ka]

Get the idea? Hmm - maybe it's still too much in my head - I'll keep you posted on what little sis, N and I come up with.