my holiday list

like so many, i've been thinking a ton about gift giving as of late. but frankly have been a bit reluctant to embrace the holiday shopping frenzy. don't get me wrong i truly love picking gifts for others, finding that perfect little gem to light up one's face is pure joy.

but now with two children in tow, i feel compelled to dig a little deeper and instill traditions that create a more lasting impression for these two little souls. so i decided to create some guidelines for myself this season where i would support the categories of:
   love your local
   we love our clients
   love children

and i decided to write them here so that i would be compelled to follow/refer to them. so for friends and extended family on my list. . .

•a hand selected book from rj julia [in support of love your local and we love our clients] they have an amazing gift program justtherightbook.com

OR

•socially responsible brownies from earth2 - a company that is paving the way for properties, products and programs built on a new business model that motivates and monitors revenue streams, infrastructure support and resource sharing between for-profit and compatible non-profit partners. [another in support of we love our clients]

OR

•heart 2 heart bear - the sweetest stuffed bear with a hand knit sweater that gives a sick child in china a chance for a new heart. the bear also comes with details about a child who's already been helped. eva's school is hoping to sell 143 b/c the purchase of 143 bears allows one child to have heart surgery. we've ordered nine, spread the word PLEASE so we can love more children. aren't the bears sweet?

or

•the providence granola project  - in support of love your local here's an organization who sells divine gourmet granola that employs newly-arrived international refugees helping them rebuild their lives in Providence. they have a fabulous granola of the month subscription and special promotions for the holiday season.

OR

•a sponsorship to the girl effect . . .watch the video. love children. need i say more?

and personally, shhhhh. keep it a secret but i am putting this piece of art under the tree for my family this year—in remembrance of our guy henry.

and i am hoping for a keychain, well a special keychain. . .may need to buy it myself [unless someone sends dp a hint], but a fabulous reminder of my children's intense love and blossoming talent.

so at least my list is done and now to shop. and of course, find a charlie brown tree so all these lovelies can lay underneath.

[photo credit: all images except the bottom four were shot by our lovely design intern allison. the other images were simply swiped off their sites]

wedding row wednesday

girl's night out tonight.

 

what is better than champagne, chocolate, lingerie and a little fashion advice. join josie of beneath the gown and alicia of chica guapa image consulting from 6:30-8:30 tonight at the
white dress by the shore, 104 east main street, clinton, connecticut.

[image credit: don't you just love this new banner we created for josie thanks to the talented photographer carrie roseman]

wedding wednesday | giveaway hint

whose mom inspired us recently?

HINT: her daughter is a 'modern bride trendsetter' in the wedding industry. 

so keep sending us your best guess. the first correct answer will receive a gift certificate from our client envision—the connecticut destination for eyecare and eyewear.

go ahead post a guess, don't you want a new pair of shades for next season?

it's been said many times, many ways. . .

what's new | contest {no.2}

inspiration.

it always takes lots of forms and happens at the oddest of intervals. here's a story that unfolded for one of our favorite clients.

—driving in some serious rain, i passed a tube of kiehl's hand cream over to trish and then it hit me. that little cute vial opened the floodgate of possibilities for our client, dr. maria diaz's eyecare and eyewear practice.

—weeks later while cruising through facebook i landed on the most fantastic photo that caused my brain to flash 'vintage modern.' it was the perfect image to inspire this new eyewear and eyecare boutique.

we'll unveil the new identity for dr. diaz's practice soon.

in the meantime, i wanted to share some of the inspiration behind the brand because i truly love the collaborative and creative process. and don't you just love our inspiration board above?

then i thought why not make another contest out of it? so here's the scoop.

see this lovely, lovely lady. she is the fabulous mom of someone equally fabulous AND famous.

so make a guess below. to the first person who guesses correctly—we'll send you a gift certificate for some new shades [compliments of dr. diaz + yours truly] so you can be just as cool with a dash of vintage modern.

look forward to your posts. . .and if you get stuck, comment below and i'll post some hints.

[image credits clockwise: the apothecary shop, image TBD, apartment number9, restoration hardware, kiehl's, kaya-gaya]