Welcome! My name’s Emily, and I’m a Celebration Coach in Portland, Oregon (think event planner + life coach + creative merriment pusher). I fancy living AND celebrating the good life from the inside out – and supporting other fabulous lovelies do the same. I also happen to be all about sharing the charming details and inspired notions that make life - and all its jovial celebrations – authentically merry, which is what you’ll find right here in this cozy space. Cheers!
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Sweet Estelle’s Baking Supply absolutely satisfies every burning desire I have to dress up my cupcakes and give them the attention they deserve. I love the variety of colors and styles they offer us cupcake enthusiasts and party planners. It’s like entering a great clothing store for cupcakes – something for every taste, every mood, and every style. They also offer fun retro (cup)cake toppers, so check them out if you’re in the market.
But I can explain. Not that it needs an explanation. I mean look at it. Goldy/mustardy yellow damask outer layer. Tiffany blueish interior. Petite size – perfect for a workweek’s worth of throw-awayables.
And yet the reasons for pure, sweet love for this unusual recipeint of such love goes far deeper than its good looks and practical nature. Like most cherished possessions, it holds a story. And within the story, lives signigficance. And in the significance is nesteled a morsel of connection. And within that connection, lives the love.
This very trash can has been present my entire life – tucked away under the bathroom sink of my grandparents’ house in Anamosa, Iowa. I’ve been throwing tissues in this trash can since I had the dexterity to throw tissues into trash cans. And it even existed for nearly 20 years before I even came around. My grandmother made it out of a potato chip container and a scrap of leftover wallpaper. The queen of DIY, my grandmother crafted this can with nothing more than the intention to, as cheaply as possible, make a receptacle for all that was disposable in their life.
Two years ago, as my grandfather’s health was failing, and hers seemingly going with it due to the energy she was expending caring for his tired body, and the recognition that life was no longer the same nor was their need for the “things” they had accumilated in life, grandma approached each one of us in the family with the offer to tell her what it might be that we would like of the possessions they had. She was clearly asking this question with an idea in mind of what our responses might be. My response clearly was not what she was expecting.
“Grandma, you know what I would love more than anything?”
“What’s that, hun?”
“Your trash can. The one in your bathroom.”
“My trash can?” she said with equal parts amusement, disgust, surprise, and perhaps a touch of flattery.
“Yep. I love it.”
“Well that’s nothing but an old chip container and a scrap of wallpaper. We’ve had that around since the ’60s, at least. Why on earth would you want that?”
I tried to explain. Not that I conveyed it properly. Not that conveying one’s desire for their grandma and grandpa’s bathroom trash can ever really be explained properly.
So, rather than try to explain (because I know just how odd it must sound) – perhaps I should just direct your attention once again to the goldy/mustardy damask exterior and Tiffany blueish interior and its perfect size for a workweek’s worth of trash.
Here’s the beauty of planning a creative celebration: there are no rules! And with no rules comes the freedom to create the celebration – and all the details that adorn it – in a way that’s most fitting to your natural style. Notebook makers have caught on to the notion that we are not all linear list people, and that we desire formats to work with our creative concepts and action plans as they want to take shape on paper . Even the most devout list maker (hey, yo!) finds that having room to allow ideas to stretch out and breathe enhances creative flow. Here are a few notebooks that pay respect to the notion that not all planning and creating comes in list form.
In what ways do you like to get your ideas on paper? Do any of these formats resonate with you? Happy planning today, friends!
1. THIS IS NOT MY NOTEBOOK by Knock Knock. Because sometimes you feel like a line and sometimes you don’t.
2. OFF THE GRID NOTEBOOK by Bob’s Your Uncle. Think outside the box and let your thoughts go where they want to on this notebook of grid paper (and it’s printed on paper made from responsible managed forests -yay!).
3. STORYBOOK NOTEBOOK by Moleskine. This is a great form if you think in images or groups. Every thought has its ow compartment -keeping it cleand. I’m going to venture to guess that if you like this notebook, you also prefer to not have the food on your plate touch. Just a guess. Only a guess. 
While a morning ritual of splashing in the sea is a dream for many (I’m raising my hand here. You?), here’s a delightful way to get a taste of the dream when penciling in romps in the ocean simply isn’t a practical reality – yet: Saltwater Soap by Saipua. It’s made with nori seaweed and crushed sea salt, and it’s scented with rosemary and patchouli essential oils.
Have a great weekend, friends! My entire immediate family is flying in from all over to spend the week together here in Portland, so you’ll here from me off and on next week – between BBQs, hikes, ocean days, and shopping, that is. May your days be just as you intend, dear friends. Cheers!
Man I love it when I come across something so beautiful yet so simple yet so versatile. Check out these festive paper flowers by Jurianne Matter.
Adorn sweet cupcakes for a party, arrange a colorful bouquet to brighten a living space, adorn an otherwise plain wall with a colorful garland, or add vibrancy to a wrapping job. Oh, the possibilities! Do you have a favorite go-to detail that seems to be perfect for almost every occasion?
I’ve posted before about the beauty and benefit of having a personal sacred space – a place that you can go to to create, connect, be inspired. While this space can take on any number of forms, like a corner of a room in your home, a closet, a teepee out back, or a special spot under a tree, Tereasa Surratt has managed to birth such a space from the most unlikely of sources: an old, forgotten about cottage with history and love cozily tucked between each log – supporting its proud stance among the trees after all these years.
Tereasa wrote about the experience in her book, A Very Modest Cottage, which generously shares the tale of reviving this former tourist cabin – a cabin she had always admired as a child while equally recognizing its need to be rescued (its tattered shell played host to no other residents than wasps – even 30 years ago). The book even takes on a how-to-guide approach – equipping others who have always longed for a little cabin by the lake (ahhhh…. yes!) with some practical ideas and advice.
What I really love about this story, far beyond the aesthetic lust I feel for her flawless, vintage cabin design, is the beautiful and sweet sense of giving opportunity to something others had deemed “too far gone” while honoring a connection she felt – for whatever reason, no matter how many others could understand it at the time. She trusted a hunch, acted on connection, called on inspiration from those who had come before her (her late father and former residents, alike) and lookity look look what came from it!
There’s so much more you can learn about this story and this cabin and this lovely lady that made it all happen.
This book trailer tells the story of the story brilliantly.
Prepare to look at a building the same way you do your best furry friend by checking out this short video about the history of the cottage.
Tereasa was recently the featured guest on the NPR show, On Point. Put on your listening ears and check it out here. It’s a perfect summer listen.
Stay in the cabin and enjoy the simple lake life at Camp Wandawega (owned by Tereasa and her husband) in Wisconsin.
And, of course, there’s a blog and a website – each delightful.
(images from Sterling Publishing via onpointradio.org)
Friends, join me in enthusiastically giving up three cheers for Holly Bedell and her company, The Paper Nickel Stamp Company, which offers up the very best in vintage stamps – colorful, charming, colorful collections of postal embellishments which span a variety of decades from the early 1900s to the 1980s.
Thankfully, gone are the days of killing the creative and beautiful look and feel of a special mailing with an american flag stamp that is forced upon you by the postal service due to lack of selection. And while custom stamps have been in favor the last few years, there’s something particularly charming about these vintage stamps – allowing us to expand our horizons when it comes to preserving the stylish integrity of our snail mail gifts.
Choose from mixed packs of vintage stamps or work with Holly, and her deep collection of vintage stamps, to capture the perfect colors and theme of your event.
I’ll be shipping Christmas presents more than ever this year, and I’m already giddy at the thought of how great they could look with these stamps. What do you think? Are they for you?
(images from thepapernickel.com)
Have you ever dreamed of living the simple life – away from the hustle and bustle, among the old oak trees, residing in a beautiful farmhouse that rests at the end of a long lane, waking with the sun, spending your days cooking with what you’ve picked yourself, and making goods with the materials you’ve harvested? Me, too! This city girl has a rapidly increasing love and respect for the serenity and beauty of country living. And if I can add naming the farmhouse, designing a fabulous logo for it, and then creating a brand out of the lifestyle, then you’ve really got my heart. This interesting collection of characterisits on my swoon list shows itself in its entirety in my newest obsession, which happens to come in three forms.
1. A television show on Planet Green : The Fabulous Beekman Boys
The Fabulous Beekman Boys on Planet Green invites us on the adventure of Josh and Brent – two city folk who, after falling in love with the Beekman mansion while on a weekend getaway in upstate New York, decided to leave the city (and the noise that comes with it) behind in exchange for a simple life in the country. Their simple life dream has now evolved into a business: Beekman 1802, which is a lifestyle brand that promotes the goodness of simpler times.
This is Josh and Brent. Josh is a former drag queen turned successful advertising executive in NYC. He loves to be the center of attention, is light-hearted, has a bit of farmer in him due to his childhood in Wisconsin, and is ready to kick off his shoes and enjoy his new life on the Beekman farm. Brent, his partner of ten years, is the former VP of Martha Stewart Health and Wellness division. He’s a driven perfectionist who has elected to leave behind the corporate world (though not the driving characteristics that got him to the top of his game in that world) to work the farm and bring this Beekman 1802 lifestyle brand to life.
2. A blog: Beekman 1802
Josh and Brent keep us up to date on the happenings at Beekman 1802 through there blog. You can find entries on food and wine, decor, gardening, health, and animals. They’ve recently posted a recipe for strawberry honey goat milk ice cream. It sounds delish!
3. A shop : Beekman 1802 Mercantile
Goat milk soaps, authentically created linens, and seeds are among the goods available. I’m a sucker for good branding, and they’ve done it so well. Not to mention, I always love buying directly from the makers of the products I choose to bring into my world. There are no middle women or men between me and these products, and I love that. Hopefully it can stay that way as their brand grows. If not, I guess I’ll just have to get my own farm, raise my own goats, and create my own goat milk soap. I could live with that. Happily.
(images from Beekman 1802 blog and Planet Green)
This beautiful weather beckons us outdoors for nearly everything – especially dining. I love these colorful pieces found at Pedlars.
1. Horse oil cloth tablecloth. More of a rabbit lover? They’ve got you covered. Check out all their fun prints!
2. Picnic mess tins. Practical and pretty.
3. Sporks. Who doesn’t love eating off something so fun to say? Not to mention, it’s perfect for grandma’s potato salad that has a consistency that makes you wonder, with each bite, if you should chew… or just swallow.
4. Small melamine beakers. No need to write names on the cups to keep from cup confusion. Pick a color instead. Any color.
5. Melamine side plates. Colorful sea creatures adorn the plate’s neutral backdrop. These plates are the perfect size for packing and going and using and then repacking.
Three words for 4th of July merriment preparedness this year:
LONG. LASTING. SPARKLERS.
I love the creative ideas Sparkle, the maker of these sparkle sticks that like to party more than their peers, shares on their website. Sparklers get tons of attention this time of year, but as you’ll see, they are great for dazzling celebrations all throughout the year.
