... i love love

2010-06-30T05:21:00.001-07:00

an amazing restore-your-faith-in-humanity video. made me smile and laugh and cry. thank you grace at design*sponge.

2010-06-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

heck yeah j.crew

amazing save-the-date...

2010-05-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

SAVE THE DATE. Chris and Christy. from Chris Thiessen on Vimeo.

via chris and christy tumblr

2010-03-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

love is love farm...

i want to volunteer here this summer. it is like we were meant for eachother!

2010-02-21T06:57:00.000-08:00

kate wilson

love this postcard by kate wilson for marc jacobs.

2010-02-20T05:35:00.000-08:00

holly blues

such a cute girl. such a cute blog.

2010-01-28T04:53:00.000-08:00

knit my heart with an unslipping knot...

source: between the lines

i want to make crochet hearts for the rest of my life. i just need someone to teach me.

2010-01-13T19:02:00.000-08:00

the show is about to began...

from mr. waterslide's flickr.

2010-01-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

be happy. be kind...

go here to see this lovely lady's lovely list for 2010. and her lovely blog in general.

2010-01-04T20:25:00.000-08:00

a room of butterflies...

I almost wish we were butterflies and liv'd but three summer days - three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain.

love letters...

2009-11-15T17:19:00.001-08:00

i need to see this movie right now.
i need to make love letters like these.
i need to write more love letters asap.

husband's work shirt...

2009-11-12T15:20:00.000-08:00

i think i should do this in secret for my sweet eddie. so utterly romantic.

p.s i love you

2009-11-03T06:48:00.001-08:00

my husband is making us coffee right now, while i'm falling for this series of posters.

I and Love and You

2009-10-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

makes my heart melt.

for me...

2009-10-16T22:28:00.001-07:00

oh hello dream dog. i love you...

palm to palm...

2009-09-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

sigh. best movie ever. drawing by mr. danny roberts

and the sky wept hearts...

2009-09-11T21:44:00.000-07:00

just like this. sorry for the lack of postings. fashion week is kicking my heinie. and i am frantically trying to clean the apartment before my sweet husband returns from georgia. i miss him. a lot.

the ultimate door lock...

2009-08-29T05:49:00.000-07:00

i know who has the key to my heart

i need...

2009-08-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

source: once wed

... heart balloons. all the time. an apartment filled with them. i guess i need to invest in a helium machine, huh?

lovely food...

2009-08-16T20:32:00.001-07:00

too hot to breathe. all i want to do is eat people's popsicles and lia's ice. and watermelon.

made well with love...

2009-08-15T07:36:00.000-07:00

my pal amy merrick from an apple a day has a very darling d-i-y tutorial, made with love on design sponge. her first two posts would be very easy to translate into wedding fanfare.

how sweet would this be to have banners of old love letters hanging over a table, with blank stacks of paper and ephemera for folks to sign and add to the garland? like an ever-evolving banner of love that increases as the night progresses?

*bonus points for stringing up on your anniversary, as suggested by one of the commenters.

all photos source: design sponge

and i want to learn how to do this with my wedding bouquet? any ideas how? i'm nervous to go and experiment with it. how can i preserve the most special flowers from the best day of my entire life? i need to know.

cherie amour...

2009-08-11T18:55:00.000-07:00

this might be my favorite wedding i have ever seen. it is so ethereal and organic. not too themey or kitschy. just magic. i want to live in these photographs. their wedding website is also the most creative, quirky one yet. i love little miss scout holiday, don't you? cheri and david, if you lived in nyc i would try and coerce you to go on double dates with ed and i. i sure would.

lovely sneak peek...

2009-07-30T20:14:00.000-07:00

little miss scout holiday is being very coy with her posts these days. i think she might have gone and gotten married. the photos she posted brightened me right up. oh i can't wait to see the whole reveal!

good things i love...

2009-07-29T05:04:00.000-07:00

source: lyndie dourthe

lyndie dourthe's work... took the breath right out of me.

utterly engaged's e-zine. lovely photos and easy d-i-y's for brides.

this engagement proposal. found via a cup of joe.

the wedding entrance of the century.

miss chelsea fuss's vintage book idea.

this loverly blog.

kyle & chris engagement photos...

2009-07-20T18:30:00.001-07:00

so, miss kyle thomson is pretty dang cute. and clever. and she's marrying my husband's first cousin, chris stelling this fall. needless to say, i'm one excited future cousin-in-law. i love love, i really do. and i especially have a soft spot for childhood sweethearts...

i love a good smooch.

balloons and flowers. awesome.

i mean, this just makes me swoon.

i can't wait to have a gal pal, partner-in-crime in the stelling boys club. chris and kyle, i can't wait for your weddin'. to see more photos click here

cutest photo booth ever...

2009-07-17T07:09:00.000-07:00

source: via kiss the groom

sweetest, most well executed photo booth i've seen. wow.

2009-07-13T05:46:00.000-07:00

i want you back...

2009-06-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

yes i do...

some reflections about michael that are worth sharing. this one and this one. and i really like how this one was written.

i know i keep posting about michael... i just can't believe he's really gone.

who's loving you...

2009-06-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

"don't you know i stand around with my head hanging down... and i wonder"

rest in peace king of pop. i will remember this day forever.

29 august 1958- 25 june 2009.

madeleine & anton part III: bridal chamber

2009-06-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

madeleine looked perfect. a good ole' fashioned blow out at woodley and bunny. benefit benetint and mascara. simple, no frills. authentically madeleine. her dress(as well as the groom's tux) was custom-made by friend and designer, the marvelous mary ping. she fixed up in her mother's room at the W hotel. remained calm throughout. even during the last-minute snafus that arise at all weddings. and they always do. we listened to old-timey music and laughed a lot. here are some of the photos leading up to the ceremony...

fresh as a daisy, just got her mane tamed at the salon.

her k stamp. one of her best friend tatoos with miss kristi schiffman.

how the bride looks when she's lounging.

silhouette of the bride and her dress.

the mary ping wedding dress and the bride's trousseau. her something blue.

her wedding shoes. fierce wedges from stella mccartney. a girl after my own heart.

the foxy mother of the bride in her little black dress.

the bride tending to her best friend's dress.

giggly girls getting zipped up.

"i think we forgot the flowers. oops"

two beautiful generations of cossitts.

madeleine & anton...part II (a cut and a shave)

2009-06-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

boys day at the barber shop, albeit a fancy pants one. freeman's barber shop is the perfect backdrop for a manly day of grooming. no pun intended. this place is truly a boys club. the perfect place to take a brother and father.

counter culture...

a sampling of gentleman's memorabilia...

a little light reading while you wait...

the part that looks the most fun...

swedish rockabilly.

little brother taking a closer look.

up next... the bridal dressing chamber...

madeleine & anton...part I (fixing up the reception hall)

2009-06-18T18:06:00.001-07:00

my dear friend madeleine married her man last saturday. the reception was held in a gorgeous manhattan penthouse loft overlooking the city. the white hall was filled with humble flowers in various vintage jars, vases, and glasses. succulents and simple candles accompanied the buds. her best friend, talented photographer kristi schiffman moonlighted as the florist, and also created the bride's bouquet and the groom's boutonniere. here are some of the photos of the set up.

a tree peony itching to bloom..

moments before the rain...

baby brother smiling and snacking...

momma cassandra talking to her daughter on the phone...

the perfect gift for a new bride...

2009-06-15T19:49:00.001-07:00

for the girl who needs to catch up on her domestic skills, welcome to a thousand ways to please a husband.

the perfect goldenrod cover with gilded lettering.

darling little illustrations. in the style of jane eayre fryer, simple and sweet pen and ink drawings.

a sampling of some of the recipes.

written like a story book with recipes sprinkled throughout. i am overjoyed to swap out my read about the collyer brothers for this gem.

photos scanned from big red couch a gift from the best gift-giver amy merrick.

maddy got married...

2009-06-14T18:19:00.001-07:00

one of my favorite gals got married yesterday. to a swedish chef. and they make a stunning pair.

more photos very soon...

stick em' up...

2009-06-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

found via chelsea cook.

love this girl...

2009-06-11T22:13:00.001-07:00

sarah sophie flicker. can't get enough. the sequins. the lashes. thank you refinery 29.

pay it forward...

2009-06-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

hand-carved and hand-painted signs, courtesy of amy merrick...

i will never be able to say thank you enough to my dear friends and family who had their creative hands in all of the details of our wedding. however, nothing would make me happier than helping other folks with their big day. hopefully i can pay it forward, in any and every way possible.

a belle and a yankee...

2009-06-08T09:37:00.000-07:00

for one of the sweetest circus-themed weddings (my favorite), head on over to once wed. and see their too-cute wedding website here. mr & mrs. smith are truly loved by so many and their wedding is the most amazing product of so many creative minds, hands, and hearts. how i wish i could have gone...

i had the time of my life...

2009-06-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

and i owe it all to you...

and you and you and you. and everyone who shared this day with us. we love you all so very much.

leaving on a jet plane...

2009-05-26T21:40:00.001-07:00

source: yvette's flickr

he smells like whiskey, musky soap and hay...

2009-05-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

on my last day off eddie and i made our way to cb i hate perfume to select our wedding gift to each other. unfortunately the ever elusive nose behind the brand was unavailable at the time to create custom scents for us. instead we sniffed through his collection of accords to concoct our own layered, personalized "wedding day scent". ed was a real good sport, considering this man never wears anything other than whatever kind of deodorant smells good at the drugstore.

we smiled and played "guess this scent" as we made our way through his scent library. favorites were baby's butt, wet stone, cloudburst, "you know this.." which is actually a spot on bottled version of play dough. we finally decided on selecting elements from our wedding, so that every time we wear our scents we will be transported back to this wonderful day.

i chose porcelain and red velvet cake.

he chose whiskey and musky soap, aka "hot man smell".

and we are sharing hay.

blush and bashful...

2009-05-24T17:47:00.000-07:00

source: ellen von unwerth

i hope my wedding day prep is as adorable as this...

...for everyone

2009-05-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

source chelsea cook via credo action

"i love love. i do. i love love. i love it for you. i love it for me. i love it for everyone. i think everyone should be in love." my motto.

and i support gay marriage. i hope one day everyone will too.

like a mermaid of the soil...

2009-05-23T18:33:00.001-07:00

source: concrete and honey

the archipelago of kisses...

We live in a modern society. Husbands and wives don't
grow on trees, like in the old days. So where
does one find love? When you're sixteen it's easy,
like being unleashed with a credit card
in a department store of kisses. There's the first kiss.
The sloppy kiss. The peck.
The sympathy kiss. The backseat smooch. The we
shouldn't be doing this kiss. The but your lips
taste so good kiss. The bury me in an avalanche of tingles kiss.
The I wish you'd quit smoking kiss.
The I accept your apology, but you make me really mad
sometimes kiss. The I know
your tongue like the back of my hand kiss. As you get
older, kisses become scarce. You'll be driving
home and see a damaged kiss on the side of the road,
with its purple thumb out. If you
were younger, you'd pull over, slide open the mouth's
red door just to see how it fits. Oh where
does one find love? If you rub two glances, you get a smile.
Rub two smiles, you get a warm feeling.
Rub two warm feelings and presto-you have a kiss.
Now what? Don't invite the kiss over
and answer the door in your underwear. It'll get suspicious
and stare at your toes. Don't water the kiss with whiskey.
It'll turn bright pink and explode into a thousand luscious splinters,
but in the morning it'll be ashamed and sneak out of
your body without saying good-bye,
and you'll remember that kiss forever by all the little cuts it left
on the inside of your mouth. You must
nurture the kiss. Turn out the lights. Notice how it
illuminates the room. Hold it to your chest
and wonder if the sand inside hourglasses comes from a
special beach. Place it on the tongue's pillow,
then look up the first recorded kiss in an encyclopedia: beneath
a Babylonian olive tree in 1200 B.C.
But one kiss levitates above all the others. The
intersection of function and desire. The I do kiss.
The I'll love you through a brick wall kiss.
Even when I'm dead, I'll swim through the Earth,
like a mermaid of the soil, just to be next to your bones.

Jeffrey McDaniel

i get goosebumps every time i read this poem. thank you jeffrey mcdaniel for writing one of the most beautiful things i have ever read.

made with love...

2009-05-19T20:25:00.001-07:00

this week i am crossing off my to-do list with the help of my nearest and dearest, chelsea cook and amy merrick. crafting extravanganzas have ensued, coupled with netflix watch instantly movie marathons.

amy has been tirelessly cutting out fabric squares for my wedding guest quilt book. my obsession with quilts officially began in 2006, upon seeing the gees bend quilt exhibit at the high museum in atlanta with my fibers class in 2006. i think i cried throughout the whole exibit. the colors. the fabrics. the stories. the modern art without realizing it was modern art. it was perfect. not an ounce of pretension. just function and love.

kind of like a marriage.

addicted to discovery...

2009-05-15T18:26:00.000-07:00

how cute are these headbands? i love me some festive headgear! if anyone needs a darling little head topper for the weddin', go and look at my dear friend, miss kelly's sparkly treats here... c'mon y'all, you need these in your life!!

warning...

2009-05-14T21:35:00.000-07:00

i am dangerously close to asking some of my cute gal pals to be little "cigarette girls" before the wedding starts. instead of cigarettes, i would have them hand out party favors. the girly equivalent of ushers i suppose. how cute is this? any takers? i have an abundance of saucy gal pals who would make awfully cute cigarette girls. if only savannah wyatt was attending...

may showers may bring you flowers?

2009-05-14T16:49:00.000-07:00

i thought all the rain was supposed to leave once april ended? isn't that how the rhyme goes? well, who knows what to expect come may 30th. i think everyone might need to start searching for a sweet ole parasol.

sources:

bella umbrella

pearl river

luna bazaar

dream a little dream of me...

2009-05-14T15:48:00.001-07:00

do you think it's too late to recruit zooey to sing at the reception?

i want to slow dance to this song with my man. and rest my head on his shoulder.

silver wedding bells...

2009-05-13T07:22:00.000-07:00

registering is a funny, funny thing. personally, i always thought it was kind of impolite and presumptuous. tacky, even. i caved, like most folks, and pre-selected items for my sweet guests to choose from.

selecting silver. hands down, the most fun and informative trip i have had during all of the wedding planning. if you are an atlanta native-i highly recommend visiting beverly bremer and seeing trent. he is sweet, southern, and knows anything and everything about silver settings. there is just something so dear about trying to find the berry spoons and bread knives that your grandparents once had. *love*

baby love...

2009-05-09T23:59:00.001-07:00

photos from vintage wedding flickr

sigh. i can't stop looking at all these kewpie bride and groom cake toppers. so sweet with their paper and fabric outfits! what can i say? i'm a sucker for childhood sweethearts...

loads of sources- here and here and here and here.

lord how you can shuffle...

2009-05-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

man they knew how to have fun in the 1920s...

license to marry...

2009-05-08T21:58:00.001-07:00

"we're getting married"...

i kept singing this to eddie as we applied for our marriage license. i made sure to take many a photo on my i-phone. even though no cameras were allowed in the courthouse. the sweet ladies at the courthouse turned a blind eye... especially when i proudly cheered that this was 12 years in the making, to the woman handing us our paper work.

ed, however, was not nearly as amused! not even when i asked him what his thoughts were on me being a branch-stelling.

"what, and you would have a hyphenated last name? no. absolutely not." ed, in response to me.

okey dokey. katherine virgina branch stelling it is. i am going to have two middle names. i just don't think i should have to give up any of my names. after all, i'm a collector...

here comes the bride(zilla)...

2009-05-08T21:41:00.000-07:00

hilarious. adorable. precious. utterly comical to think i wouldn't turn into a bridezilla before the big day! ha! i had been so good up until the final month. now even the tiniest thing gone wrong seems to send my world into a tailspin.

at least i have some good-natured brides to look up to...and try and channel their inner loveliness. i have also just recently fallen under the spell of vintage glam blog. a wonderfully inspirational blog for gals who were born in the wrong decade. you know who you are.

my sweet mother, at the age of 19 when she married my father. they were 8th grade westminster school sweethearts too.

my grandmother on her wedding day. she is approaching 102 and continues to amaze me.

a sweet flapper bride, courtesy of amy merrick. she knows me so well!

three more weeks to go...and many miles before i sleep!

what kind of garden do you come from?

2009-05-08T21:19:00.000-07:00

"do you suppose she's a wildflower"...alice in wonderland

i really do love me some simple backyard, side-of-the-road, humble kind of buds! especially a sweet, ole' daisy. my all-time favorite since i was a little girl, taking my 5 year-old portrait in my mother's garden.

source: my 25th birthday party last weekend. courtesy of momma branch

source: a wild field at serenbe.

spoils from amy merrick's bottle beach excursion bestowed at my bridal shower

welcome home ginny flowers

k.i.s.s

keep it simple, silly, a wonderful rule when it comes to flowers. i love what this gal did at her wedding...via once wed...

hey eddie...

2009-04-26T07:16:00.001-07:00

it's true source via le love. available at greenwich letterpress.

i'm about to go to work and you are still sound asleep. i wish i had the day off. we could get lemonades and rent bikes and ride up and down the west side highway. or work on our fitness and eat pinkberry after. or lie in a park and read. enjoy the beautiful weather my darling.

on topics of etiquette...

2009-04-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

after reading this martha article on wedding invitations, i woefully admit i took the road less traveled when it came to invitation etiquette. i used informal titles. i hand-lettered everything in my actual handwriting and didn't hire a calligrapher(or even attempt to learn it myself). i had my r.s.v.p's be directed to our wedding blog. i used a non-traditional wedding stamp. our invite was a post card for crying out loud! is that terrible? i just wanted the invitation to feel authentic and personal, not formal and expected.

i love our guests. ever single one. and i can't wait to see everyone for a very fun weekend in georgia!

crimson and clover...

2009-04-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

when i was a teenager, i obsessively collected demeter fragrances. honeysuckle(my spring favorite), snow, altoids, cake batter, dirt, cinnamon toast (during the fall), laundromat, violet, belladonna and many more.

from 17 until it recently ran out, i exclusively wore michael kors signature scent. it is still my all-time favorite. i dabbled in kiehls musk, introduced to me by amy merrick.

now i am revisiting my play days with scents. cb i hate perfume is so charming, romantic, nostalgic, and enchanting. all of my favorite things. my sister, amy branch, has been telling me to go for years and i finally made the pilgrimage to his williamsburg shop. he got me. hook. line. and sinker. to see a flower is my spring and summer 09 scent. and i love eternal return/ and under the arbor/in the summer kitchen ( i wish all were room sprays). but i selected walking in the air to spray over the bed sheets. a combination of snow and clean sheets. to put it very plainly.

the best part. you can buy it at his online shop in travel sizes for a fraction of the cost. recession friendly and helpful if this is not carried in your town. lucky for me, i am a short train ride away!

and how cute would these be as bridesmaid gifts? or birthday gifts? or just to say "hey i think you are great" gifts.

you've got to hide your love away...

2009-04-23T19:35:00.000-07:00

source: the unicorn diaries

is it too late to create a hope chest? i hope not! the ever so charming unicorn diaries posted these photos and i nearly jumped up with excitement. i have several old trunks and suitcases-i bet i can wrangle up one before i get hitched! any ideas on what i should include? i'm creating a mental checklist-feel free to chime in!

party girl...

2009-04-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

tomorrow is my bridal shower at cafe cluny. with my favorite girls north of the mason dixon line. i can't wait. if only amy merrick could have brought her party garlands. every good party should have a party garland...

source: amy merrick

source: the purl bee

source: martha stewart

source: sophie cuvelier

for a really helpful how-to, visit here...

(will post photos later...)

how to make an american wedding quilt...part 1

2009-04-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

i love this idea of this alternative to a guest book. of creating our first family heirloom. of having a permanent collection of notes signed by all of our friends and loved ones for us to read at night. and every night for the rest of our lives.

i smell a trip to purl patchwork in my future...and a date with some pinking shears...

he loves me, he loves me not...

2009-04-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

the tradition of throwing rice has never sounded terribly romantic to me. for alternatives, i had tossed around several ideas:

*sparklers (suggested by my dear corrie pellerin)

*releasing butterflies

*glitter as confetti (as seen in fim candy with heath ledger)

so...

in an effort to be more green and to respect serenbe's self-sustaining way of life, i am really considering throwing dried peony or hydrangea petals. sort of nostalgic and earth-friendly, no...albeit a tad cheesy. what do y'all think?

super sweet 16 mm film...

2009-04-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

fellow bride-to-be, joanna goddard made my heart skip several beats with this wedding video idea.

but photographer josh goleman's short wedding film he did for maura grace and chap made me cry. i think this might be one of the most beautiful things i have ever seen.

beau ties...

2009-04-20T09:27:00.001-07:00

any suggestions where to find reasonably-priced bow ties? i'm in the process of trying to sweet talk eddie to choose pink for all his boys. eddie found some on jos. a bank that i think are pretty cute...i'm just not a huge fan of paisley. polka dots-yes! stripes-yes!

thoughts? ideas? anyone know any folks in the bow-tie making business????

buy stamps...

2009-04-19T23:19:00.001-07:00

first things first...

eddie went to two separate post offices to buy wedding stamps. they were fresh out of anything "wedding-themed" (which i think might be a blessing in disguise). i'm hoping some at least have this stamp that i really, really adore. plus, she's a female author from the 1920s. seems perfectly appropriate.

(source: chelsea fuss)

tomorrow's tasks...

2009-04-19T22:59:00.000-07:00

should i choose to accept it...

sources: lobster and swan. peonies and polaroids. 100 layer cake. eddie's grandmother's dress.

save the bouquet...

2009-04-19T22:40:00.000-07:00

i have a huge girl crush on weeder's digest columnist and saipua floral magician, sarah ryhanen. i saw this idea on how to extend the life of a wilting floral arrangement. she turned these beautiful, dying blooms into a "constellation of ranunculus". i shall have to try and remember to do this with my bouquet (if i can bear to cut it up afterwards). swoon.

love bunnies...

2009-04-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

happy easter y'all!

i hope y'all are celebrating easter with a big fat smooch...and maybe some snicker eggs. they're my favorite.

making a list, checking it twice...

2009-04-09T02:40:00.000-07:00

keeping my eye on the prize...

going to the chapel...

2009-04-09T01:08:00.001-07:00

...in less than seven weeks i get to marry the man of my dreams. i can't wait.

thank you amy and beth at greenwich letterpress. it is exactly what i had hoped for.

now all i need is some cute postage stamps and i will send these telegrams in the mail. if anyone can recommend another site for custom stamps i would be ever so grateful.