The Blues

Being in a relationship with a biologist has led to some funny and off-beat moments.  This includes, but is not limited to, in-depth analysis of plant cultivation methods at botanical gardens, a somewhat disconcerting interest and understanding of routine lab results from my doctor, and the methodical manner in which yeast is added to other ingredients for bread in our kitchen.

A perk of Chris' biology background is that he can throw flower articles my way that he sees while looking through his regular resources.  This happens from time to time and I wanted to share one with you all today.  The article he shared with me the other day is called Achievements and Perspectives in Biochemistry Concerning Anthocyanin Modification for Blue Flower Coloration.  Anthocyanins are involved in the pigmentation of flowers and foliage.  In particular, anthocyanins are specific to reds, purples, and blues.

The article is super short if you click through to read it, but it discusses the progress that scientists have made in engineering flowers to be more blue.  The argument is that blue flowers are not as common naturally as other colors, such as white or pink.  There's a demand and a research interest in the process, so scientists are working on cultivating flowers to naturally occur as blue.

As I was reading this, I was thinking about all the blue flowers that already exist.

Photo found here.

Above are nigella in blue and white, and scabiosa.

Photo found here.

Iris, hydrangea, lily of the valley, and delphinium.

Photo found here.

Hyacinths - such a wonderful spring bloom.

Photo found here.

Amongst those lovely cream colored roses and greens are tweedia and delphinium.

I think my favorite blue flower might be nigella.  Or possibly forget-me-not.  But I do love them all.

Love and light,

Alyssa

Rainville Wedding Inspiration

Happy Monday, all!

It's been some time since I posted.  This is for a few reasons, but I did want to bounce on here for a moment today to share some of what I've been working on in this absence.

My fiancé, Chris, and I are preparing for our wedding.  We will be married on August 2, which is only 19 days away.  Just typing that is seriously amazing!  We will have been engaged for almost four years by the time the wedding date hits, so the fact that it is so close is amazing and really wonderful.

Lots of folks have been asking to see pictures or asking questions about the things that are ready, to get a better visual of how things will look.  I can't give everything away, because there's no fun in ruining the surprise.  But I wanted to share some images of inspiration for the wedding that Chris and I are excited about.

Image found here.

The color palette above is some inspiration for the flowers for the wedding.  There's going to be the normal array of flowers; bridal bouquet, bridesmaid bouquets, corsages for moms and grandmothers, boutonnières for groom and groomsmen and dads.  Centerpieces.  But there will also be some ridiculously gorg ceremony flowers that we're really excited to see.

Image found here.

It's hard for me to envision a wedding without some garden roses.  Just saying.

Image found here.

Another flower we love is lavender.  Place cards will look pretty much exactly like this, but with a different variety of lavender.

Image found here.

The table numbers are already ordered, but I am so worried that they won't arrive in time.  We have 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7, but the rest have been backordered at various points in time.  So, we're still waiting for some of these to arrive.  However, they are a great quality and will look really nice on our tables for dinner.

Image found here.

We also ordered these vow journals already, and they are very small and simple.  I thought that it might be nice to have something more refined than a piece of loose leaf paper to read vows from during the ceremony.  I also happen to be a sucker for fine paper products.  So there it is.

Image found here.

These are my shoes!  Very comfortable.  Very sparkly.  Totally fancy for a fancy day.

Image found here.

Our wedding and reception are both happening at The Hyeholde Restaurant in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania.  The restaurant has a fascinating history and a beautiful exterior.  It is situated near the Pittsburgh airport and a nice hotel that we have a group rate at, which is making travel accommodations quite simple for our friends and family.

Image found here.

The only thing nicer than the outside of the Hyeholde is the inside!  The Round Room is the reception area.  There are twinkle lights on beams and rafters, a large entrance staircase, room for ten tables, a dance floor space, and one side is completely covered in floor to ceiling windows.  It is just lovely.

So there we have it!  That's just the first peek at what's been going on around here for the wedding.  I will be posting another preview in the next week or so.  There are so many small details for this wedding, and we are so excited to see our loved ones in 19 days.  There's really no other time (other than your funeral) that you can really get everyone you love in a room at the same time, so we are very excited to welcome everyone on our special day.

Love and light,

Alyssa

Style Concept Part 3: Color Palette

This is Part 3 of a seven part series from Into-Mind, where we explore how to craft a style concept.

After following the instructions for creating my color palette from Anushka's wonderful how-to guide, I was left with lots of random colors to choose from.  All of the colors were pulled from images on my inspiration board, which was modeled after my current wardrobe (with some really dreamy pieces thrown in for good measure).

Using a color finding tool on this website was extremely helpful. Take a look at my assorted colors below.  Then, I'll show you how I separated them into an organized hierarchy.

There are 12 different colors up there.  That's a lot to choose from and process!  So I looked through my wardrobe first, to see which colors show up the most in there.  Then, I separated the colors into three groups: main, neutral, and accent colors.  I also eliminated colors that didn't fit with the rest, or were too similar to list twice.  Efficiency, people.  Twelve seemed like too many, so I cut it down.

Main Colors

These are the key ingredients in the wardrobe.  They dominate my closet and are what I feel most comfortable in.  They're my default.

Neutral Colors

Used to support and balance out the main and accent colors.  The light blue is a variation of the darker blue above, and a light tan or beige can help blend other similar tones together.

Accent Colors

While they are included in the wardrobe, they don't play a main role.  Best used in small doses, or in combinations with main and neutral colors.  Additionally, green can sometimes be found in clothing that is also blue, so it's a good blending color as well.  The green on the bottom is more of a lighter, mossy shade of green, which I think lends itself well to blending in with tans and browns.

Nine colors left standing!  This is just a starting guide for me.  There is always wiggle room to add in or subtract a color if I want to.  However, you're probably not going to see me throwing in hot pink or bright yellow any time soon.  Just as some people don't feel "right" in black or grey, wild colors are not for me.  If bright violet is you, then rock it.

What is your color palette?  Share in the comments below, or link to your own blog post.  I'd love to see what other people are doing with this and their closets.  Get ready to see Part 4 of the series soon!

Love and light,

Alyssa

Friday Favorites, 7.4.14

Greetings, sweet readers!

I've seen that lots of bloggers out there do a "Friday Favorites" post on each Friday.  I like the idea, mostly.  I think that it could be an interesting place to share some things that I like, that are not centered around weddings, flowers, styling, and the like.  Alternatively, I don't want to take away from my focus on those things.  We'll give it a try for a little bit, shall we?

• I'm a proud Pittsburgher by birth!  Check out these 24 Photos of Pittsburgh That Will Make You Want to Move There.  I miss my hometown every day.  Sometimes, when I'm driving into Philadelphia, I wonder why the skyline doesn't look quite "right."  I'm always looking for Pittsburgh instead.

• Any fans of Orange is the New Black out there?  Actress Lauren Lapkus, who plays prison guard Susan Fischer, was recently married in Chicago in a beautiful BHLDN gown.  Her bridesmaids are actually wearing dresses from the same line as mine - Alfred Sung.  So pretty.  And check out the sweet image below.  For more, look at the Style Me Pretty page.

Photo by Katie Kett Photography.

• I love this idea of this grocery store with no disposable food packaging.  I try to be as environmentally friendly as possible, and that includes reusing containers.  I hope this idea takes off really swiftly.

• If anyone wants to purchase a present for me, I believe I will take a size small in this dress here.

• Interesting read here.

• Small Spaces, NYC Style: 10 Homes Under 600 Square Feet

And there is the first installment of Friday Favorites!  I hope you enjoy your weekends!  I will be reading and waiting for the rain that'll be hitting Philadelphia soon.

Love and light,

Alyssa

Goal Setting: June/July

My days of late have looked pretty much like this:

The horse above is named Lark, and he's my mom's new baby.

He has the sweetest, softest nose.

Ducks at the farm where I'm volunteering.  

They splash around in the water while I get to plant seedlings and harvest flowers.

Other than those things, I've been socializing our first cat, Clover, with a new cat, China.  It sounds easier than it really is, believe me.  Those of you who have multiple cats that are unrelated know what I'm talking about.

I've also been working on final wedding details, some with Chris and some without him.  We've divided some of the tasks, to better use our individual skills, which has been a good move so far.  But for the marriage license, we both were required to be present for paperwork.  It only took 30 minutes, after finding the right door to go into!  City Hall in Philadelphia is undergoing some major construction, and it just happens to have about 57 different entrances.  Most of which are not the one you want for obtaining a marriage license.  If you're getting a marriage license in Philadelphia, I can help you out now.

Let's review:

June Goals:

• Bridesmaid jewelry and groomsmen tie selection
• Parent gifts for wedding (This is tough!  Suggestions please!)
• Vow writing and ceremony drafting (Work in progress...)
• Organize our hall closet and get rid of anything that is just taking up space
• Organize teacher things once they're all brought home from work
• Donate large bag of clothing that has been sorted out of closet
• Final wedding dress fitting!
• Decide on a hairstyle for the wedding (I have an idea of what I want, we'll see if it's possible at the trial run mid-July!)
• (Plus a million other small wedding details.)

And the seventh month!

July

• Final rehearsal dinner selections
• Pick up dress from gown shop
• Decide on a nail polish color for the wedding
• Post once per day for Amber Housley's Instagram challenge
• Work on improving cat socialization between our new cat and previous cat
• Visit Longwood Gardens at least twice
• Continue to keep blogging regularly!  I'm enjoying it a lot.
• Determine specific short and long-term goals for floristry.

What about you all?

Love and light,

Alyssa