Mew Paper: As seen in Well Wed Magazine!

Excited to share a little bit of press I received recently…check out the layout featuring Mew Paper in Well Wed New York Magazine.  The story was about how to work a grey/silver, blush pink and fuschia color scheme–I think our menus and invitations fit the bill just right!  If you’re planning your in the New York area, Well Wed is definitely a publication worth checking out.  They also have divisions of the magazine for Vermont, Cape Cod and the Islands and The Hamptons.  Thanks to the team at Well Wed for producing such a great looking layout and story!

What’s New at Mew–Purple and Copper Wedding Invitation

The purple passion hasn’t died yet as you can see from this decadent invitation for Erica and Joe’s October wedding at Westport, Connecticut’s Inn at Long Shore.  Erica’s vision was classic, elegant and sophisticated–her decor elements include vintage style urns and mercury glass.  This will come together beautifully in this waterfront venue.

The invitation is oversized at 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 and features a layer of shimmery eggplant under a matte, recycled ivory printed layer.  A smooth satin, copper ribbon wraps around the back to hold enclosures neatly in place.  The set includes the invite in your color scheme, the response card with printed envelope and mailing envelope printed with return address.

Blueberry Muffins with Butter Crumb Topping

My best friend left her comfortable job in finance a few years ago to follow her passion of enrolling in pastry school.  Some people might find this endeavor a little risky, but if you know Michele, she’s all about taking calculated risk.  Lucky me, I’ve gotten the joy of taste-testing some of her experiments which are always divine!  But she’s turned me into a bit of a baked goods snob.  You should see the look of disgust on her face when she looks into the pastry case at a Starbucks!  I can’t even look at a boxed cake mix without feeling a pang of self-loathing, so last night when I thought to make blueberry muffins with my grocery store bounty, I knew they had to be from scratch.

I started after 8 pm, dangerously close to my preferred bed time, so it’s a wonder these things are even edible, but they’re good! Really good.  They look really perfect–fluffy, golden and plump.  They have a slightly drier texture than I might have liked, but it’s nice, almost biscuity.  I doubled the recipe for 18 muffins hoping to get 36–but I got only about 30, filling the muffin cups almost all the way.  I’ve got about a dozen in the freezer and plenty left to share.  If you attempt this recipe, consider eliminating some of the baking powder in the crumb topping–I feel like it made it a bit too dry with a salty, sandy taste.  Here’s the recipe, from Food & Wine.

Now, off I go to have a muffin with my tea!

MyKateParker Wedding Photo Shoot: Part 2

Yesterday, I showed you the beautifulness of the first team I worked with at the MyKateParker Wedding Photo Shoot.  I was lucky enough to provide the paper goods for two teams, and today I have a few behind the scenes shots of the tablescape that Candi of Candi’s Floral Creations came up with.

My photos are less than mediocre, which is disappointing, because this setting was really fantastic.  Fortunately, the real photography was left in the capable hands of Aurora Photography.  Can’t wait to see the shots she captured of this room.

Candi set her table in the Red Room at the Bee & Thistle Inn, so she already had a rich, decadent color palette to work with.  Her themed table included rustic birch vases which were a nice organic contrast to the more formal brocade linens and gold accents around the room.  How about that crystal chandelier with the brass stag heads?  Since there were some pieces of artwork around the room with birds in cages, Candi brought small bird’s nests with eggs for each place setting, where I placed petite square tent cards for escort cards.

The invitations and menus that I made were in an a rusty iron color layered on antique gold and a textured woodgrain paper.  Each petal of the dogwood flower was handcut and lifted for a bit of texture, and wrapped with a band of satin ribbon.

It was so much fun to see the creative talents of all the different teams.  Stay tuned to the MyKateParkerWedding Blog to see the official photos of the event.

My First MyKateParkerWedding Photo Shoot

Though I was delighted to be invited, as a member of the MyKateParker Wedding family, my original plan was not to attend the photo shoot held last week at the Bee & Thistle Inn in Old Lyme.  I’m so glad I changed my mind!  I had never been to an event like this before and it was a lot of fun to see all the behind the scenes action.  I met some fabulous new friends including Kate Parker herself–who I knew would be lovely, but couldn’t have expected how warm, funny and easygoing she was–not to mention a wonderfully generous hostess with great style!  Thanks for pulling this event together Kate–you and your team (Hi Stacy!) are awesome!

I was lucky enough to be paired up with two different teams for the event, so I got to work on two completely different looks.  Today I’m highlighting the work I did with Emily’s Catering and Azalea Floral Design.  Tomorrow I’ll show you a few sneak peeks of what I did with Candi’s Floral Creations.

Tara Coakley, the event designer at Emily’s Catering, spearheaded the design for this table setting.  Together with Christine from Azalea they developed an opulent, yet approachable setting that was all focused around the rustic chandelier hanging from the magnificent tree reaching across the property.  Tara’s own vintage silver trophy cups served as vases for Christine’s floral arrangements in a palette of spring greens, blush pinks and crisp ivory.  Brown transferware plates served as the base to show off the handmade menus I made with layers of wood grain paper and ribbon.  Each place setting had an escort card that I provided made with a flat river rock wrapped in rustic burlap, and satin ribbon.

The icing on the cake was the dessert table that Tara developed to show off some sweet treats–this would be a sweet display at any shower as well.  Christine bedecked Tara’s vintage champagne rack with lush greens and a swag of ribbon, and we filled each hole with cones of caramel corn–surprisingly, we only managed to eat half of the materials!  Multi-level galvanized cake tiers, an array of glass apothecary jars full of candies, and vintage china plates rounded out the table.

These simple, behind-the-scenes shots were taken by me, but the real artist was our photographer Richard Espositowho was testing out his new Nikon camera the day of the shoot.  I just can’t wait to see his images–this guy knows his stuff, and if I were a bride getting married I would definitely want to have him capturing every moment!

After a long day of prepping and shooting, we ended the day with a perfect dinner and cocktails provided by our gracious hostess Kate Parker and the crew at the Bee and Thistle Inn.  I didn’t get home til after 9 that night, but the time spent meeting new people immersed in all their talent for the day was worth it!  Can’t wait for the next event.

A “Plus-Sized” Rant on Wedding Fashion

Does the wedding industry think they’re doing us a favor by doing editorial coverage on bridal gowns with headlines like “Here are 4 body types and the wonderfully wearable gowns that play up their positives” (thanks for that one, Brides Magazine) or “Small on top, ubercurvy down below? Bring balance with an awesome A-line”.

Please.  These types of features make me want to puke.  Or starve.  Or both.  It’s no wonder women have body issues. The photos of the women above have been labeled on line and in magazines as “plus sized” brides.  Both of these women are probably a size  10.  They look beautiful and glowing to me–not like the typical gown ad with a hunched over, pale faced bride who looks like she’s recovering from a nasty bout of diarrhea cramps.  Who wants to walk down the aisle with her?

I’m going to be a bridesmaid in August, and I just picked up my dress and brought it to my seamstress for what I thought would be a simple hem.  I stepped into the size 8 dress (I wear a size 6 in regular clothes) and the zipper stopped right at my bra and wouldn’t budge any further.  There was no place to fit my natural 36 DDDs (yeah, it’s true!) in that little number.  So, in addition to the $200 I paid for the dress, I now have to have it completely rebuilt to accommodate me, because that dress is not a true size 8!

How about dropping the labels?  How about stop overcharging for larger sizes, and how about the industry stops singling out women for their curves –they might as well just call us “pleasantly plump”, “big boned” or “more to love” and title the article “Fatties Get Married Too”–which let’s face it, is what they’re really thinking!

The features in magazines that show perfectly toned, 5′ 11″ models aren’t titled “How to Find a Dress To Fit Your Perfectly Toned 5′ 11″ Model Shaped Body“.   Yet, the articles for “plus sized” brides are clearly indicated as such and targeted specifically at hiding flaws and accentuating the positive.

The only real flaw I see is in the fashion industry’s skewed approach to broadening the spectrum of represented women.  The magazines won’t get a pat on the back from me for their efforts.  In my mind, these attempts do the complete opposite of what they are apparently intended to do–they deflate my confidence and remind me that I don’t look like the girls in the magazines.

I realize that not all bodies are created equally, and I’m not suggesting at all that one shape is better than an another.  I don’t resent that other women are thinner and taller than me, have perkier breasts than me, or straighter teeth than me, or whatever.  I just want all women to feel good in the skin they’re in and I think the media has a responsibility to help promote that feeling in women.

What are your thoughts on the subject?  I’d love to hear all angles in the comments below.

What’s new at Mew!

As always, things are humming right along here in the studio.  After taking a few days off for the 4th of July, I’m back to the grind and have just a few of the many things I’ve been working on behind the scenes.

First is this fun birthday party invitation for one of my favorite repeat clients–her little girl is already a year old!  The theme didn’t really exist until the invitation was designed–but now she’s going with a “sweet celebration” theme with cupcakes, candies and all kinds of goodies!  This one features all of my own original, digital drawings–I think the details would translate well to goodie bags, gift tags and thank you notes too!

Next is this decadent Envelopments suite that I created for my very dear friend Melissa.  I’m lucky enough to be a bridesmaid in this wedding.  We are all wearing gorgeous bronze dresses that are the exact same color as the invitations!  Like my other pocketfold suites, this includes three layers of colorful paper and three enclosures.  A satin ribbon and mounted name plaque slide over the folio to keep everything neatly in it’s place.

You can see more about both of these new designs over at the Mew Shop!

A Wedding at Gedney Farm

Some time back, I posted about Teri and Jerry’s rustic wedding invitation suite that was inspired by the farm venue where they planned to tie the knot.  The setting would be Gedney Farm in New Marlborough, Massachusetts–a beautiful barn with rolling meadows of wildflowers all around.  The bride Teri is an avid gardener and herbalist so she wanted her focus to be on unfussy flowers, greenery and birds!

The wedding was this past weekend and the weather cooperated perfectly for this couple.  The bride wore a hand dyed gown by Jane Wilson Marquis which incorporated natural dyes from flower petals.  Teri found a lot of her inspiration from Etsy–the handmade touches were perfectly suited for the venue.  Each guest received a program of my design at the ceremony, where the officiant read an ancient Apache blessing for the couple. The curtain of paper cranes at the ceremony carried over into the reception where strings of these beautiful birds decorated the room.  The bride’s talented (and very patient!) friend Sheryl Hopper create 1, 400 paper birds by hand!  Sheryl plans to open her own Etsy store soon, so keep your eyes peeled!  Do you know the legend of 1,000 paper cranes?  Japanese folklore says that he who folds 1,000 origami cranes will be granted their wish!

Each table setting had one of my handmade menus to describe the decadent food choices:  butter roasted lobster salad to start, basil infused halibut and balsamic rubbed beef tenderloin!  The wedding cake was all coconut from the buttercream filling to the toasted shavings sprinkled on top.

Based on the fabulous photos by photographer B. Docktor, it looks like the guests were on the dance floor all night long!  Overall, this was a perfect day for all the guests, and a perfect day for the blending of two families. Congratulations Teri and Jerry!

*All wedding photos credited to B. Docktor Photography.

What’s New at Mew–Chandelier Damask Invitations

Black and white is such a timeless color palette, and it works perfectly with any pop of color that you want to add.  I especially like Melissa’s choice of bold, metallic pink to use as an accent.  The color scheme carries throughout her entire lakefront vineyard wedding.

Another testament to the power of the internet, and Facebook in particular, Melissa and I “met” through Dino’s profile page.  They went to school together and reconnected via Facebook, just in time to plan her wedding invitations! (Dino never misses the chance to promote my work!)  Melissa’s style is feminine, opulent, glamorous and modern–she came to me with visions of chandeliers, damask and crystals.

The invite suite consists of three layers of metallic Envelopments stock flat printed in crisp black with bold pink accents.  Each invite features 4 hand-applied crystals and a ribbon sash around the back to hold enclosures neatly in place.  Metallic pink mailing envelopes printed with return address make a statement in the mailbox!  Finished size is 5 x 7.  To see more, visit the Mew Paper shop.

Perfectly Patterned PJ’s

My friend is going into the hospital for surgery on Monday and she’ll be laid up for a good 8 weeks.  Rather than send her flowers in the hospital (which I know she’ll get plenty of) I wanted to send her a pair of comfy pj’s for while she’s resting.  On a quick trip through Marshall’s I found lots of flannel, granny night dresses, and lots of skimpy poly-blend lingerie that would probably give you panty rot if you wore it too long.  (Sorry…just sayin’.)  When I was about to pack it in I found one lone pair of the cutest set of cotton jammies I ever did see–they were even in the right size!

MunkiMunki is a Minneapolis based company that’s sold in stores all over, but also online.  I got lucky with my Marshall’s score because it was a fraction of the retail price.  Check out some of the darling prints and styles that they carry!