Wedding Stuff: The Attire

I know I've never blogged about clothing on Apt528, but as a lover of all things vintage and awesome, I felt the need to give a big shoutout to 40 South Street in Jamaica Plain for providing the awesome attire for me and the hubby at our retro wedding.

We'd gone into 40 one day while looking at a nearby antique store. We instantly fell in love. When it came time to buy vintage clothes for the wedding, we couldn't think of a better place than 40 South Street. The guy working there that day was completely awesome. He was like a character an 80's movie or something. By the time we left we wanted to invite him to our wedding. Now THAT's good customer service!

I loved my dress! It was a little big but the tailors did an awesome job of taking it in at the sides. To punch up the fun factor, we added red ribbon to the bottom and I opted for fun yellow shoes. At one point, I had a yellow belt too but it just didn't look right. I'm not big into flowers so I literally picked those up the morning of the wedding from Roche Brothers, a nearby grocery store. I threw them away when we got home. Apparently, you're supposed to keep them. I could care less! The ladies on my left and right are my little sisters who served as the bridesmaid and maid of honor.

Jerome (who thinks he's a model) wore an awesome Members Only jacket (not during the ceremony) a white 1970's Lacoste polo, and vintage green slacks. The dry cleaners lost his original polo the day before the wedding, but thankfully 40 had another one! We also had vintage suitcases which we got from Urban Renewals in Brighton. We were the coolest couple around when we arrived at the Liberty Hotel that night in our retro duds!

I know people thought we were crazy for not wearing traditional wedding gear, but it was the perfect choice for us. I wish we could do it again!

Us with the siblings, parents (left), and grandparents (right).

Etch-a-Sketch

Wanted to share one of the awesome wedding gifts we got this weekend at our Ohio wedding party.  One of my cousins had a sketch made based off one of our group wedding pictures.  I hate getting my picture taken so we didn't have a photographer at our wedding.  With all the excitement going on, none of us at the wedding thought to get a picture of just the two of us, we just have group shots.  That makes this picture extra special...it's the only real picture of us.  I can't wait till we move so we can hang it in our new place.

We had such a great time in Ohio...I guess now that the wedding parties are over we can say we're officially married!  Yea :)

Wedding Stuff: The Reception

I've shown you a couple pics from my wedding, now here are a few from our super fun reception. I'm still waiting to get pictures of the food table, our wedding favors, and all that jazz. I'll post them as soon as they're ready.

I used to nanny for Nico (pictured) and little Zach (below). Now they're all grown up and knocking down pins better than all the adults!

Yep, that's me bowling in my super cool red and blue bowling shoes that perfectly matched my dress! I didn't knock down any pins :(

The defiant pins that refused to fall.

Did I mention Jerome and I love bowling?!

We bought a bowling pin from Sacco's for people to sign instead of a guest book. It's such a unique way to remember our wedding. Bonus: it's a truly retro piece that goes great in our apartment!

Jerome and his brother taking a break from being bowling rockstars. Jerome's grandmother later told us that we all sucked at bowling. We know. We know.

We had such a blast bowling and stuffing our face with BBQ and cheesecake that I wanted to make sure I gave props to all the great vendors who made our wedding so special.

• Bowling Alley - Sacco's Bowl Haven - Super awesome 1950's bowling alley in Davis Square
• Catering - Blue Ribbon BBQ - Even my grandpa who's a BBQ master thought it was good!
• Cheesecakes - Montilio's - We got one plain and one turtle. DELICIOUS.
• Drinks - Hometown Favorites - In keeping with our retro theme, we had glass bottle pop. You can't find full 12oz. bottles in grocery stores, so we ordered them online. We did Big Red, 7Up, and Orange Crush. They were perfectly packed and came in no time! We got IBC root beer bottles from the grocery store.
• Sundae Spoons - Eastern Baker's Supply Co. - My whole family (grandparents, mom, and sisters and my then-fiance) all descended on the Eastern Supply store the day before the wedding, frantically looking for long sundae spoons for our root beer float station. Thank God they had them!
• Root Beer Float Cups - Webstaurant Store - The perfect place to find large sundae cups to go at the root beer float station.

Easy DIY: Wrap-around Mailing Labels

It's almost party time!  Since we had a small wedding last summer (27 people) and weren't able to celebrate with all our friends and family, our parents are giving us two wedding parties this year. The first one's in Boston next weekend with his friends/family and the next one's in Ohio Memorial Day weekend with my gang.  For the Boston party, my mom and sisters are coming up to stay with us.  I'm so excited!!  Of course that means I've had a lot of prep work to do getting things ready.  By ready, I mean finally taking care of all those little things I said I'd do but never did...it really adds up when you save it all for one week!  Add to that the stress of buying a car and the fact that I've been incommunicado because I dropped my phone in the sink.  It's been crazy!

Thinking about the upcoming wedding party got me looking back at all the sites I bookmarked when we were planning our own wedding.  One the ideas I loved were these wrap-around mailing labels from A Very Chocolate Life (via Craftzine).  Not only are they super cute but you can print them off for FREE!!  Since our wedding was small, we skipped the invitations and just told people to come, so I didn't get to use the labels then.  But my goal this year is to write more letters which means I'll have plenty of uses for pretty labels!

If you need stationery to help you pen a few letters, check out the Apt528 Store.

Etsy Shop of the Week: LetterPunch Design

I came upon LetterPunch when I was planning my wedding.  We wanted something cute, quirky, and unique to capture the greatness that was going to be our amazing retro wedding.  Invitations set the mood for what's to come so you can't just pick anything.  With LetterPunch Design, you don't have to.  All of their designs have that playful edge while still being elegant and classy.

Unfortunately our last minute decision to move the wedding up a year and cut our guest list to 27 (we're crazy like that) left us with not much time for invites.  Our loss.  Thankfully, you still have a change to snatch up a few LetterPunch creations of your own.  Elegant, modern, vintage, and contemporary...no matter what your wedding style, LetterPunch has something to help make it the happiest day ever.  Who knew paper could hold such magical powers!

Butterfly Garden

Modern Formal

Perfect Equation

Nature Lovers

Punch Card

The Weekender: Fun with Bondera Part 3

Two colorful things to mention today.  First, I finally found a spot to hang the mosaic I made a few months ago using Bondera.  When I created the piece, I had no clue where I was going to hang it or what room it would go in which is why it's taken me so long to find somewhere to put it.  After thinking about it forever, I ended up hanging the mosaic in the dining room...the first place I tried it months ago.  What do you think?

The second colorful (and exciting!) item I'm sharing today is our first wedding present!  When we had our small wedding this past August, our parents both decided to give us larger wedding parties this year with all our friends and family and told everyone to save their gifts until the parties.  Jerome's parents are hosting the first soiree tonight.  Yesterday we received our first non-monetary gift...a gorgeous serving set from one of the teachers at Jerome's school who can't make it to the party.  It was so exciting to open our first gift!  And look how perfectly it matches the house!!  Awesome.

8 Questions With: Amelia of Vectorcloud

Today we welcome our newest designer, Vectorcloud. We've been following Vectorcloud for over a year now, waiting for the perfect moment to bring them over to Apt528. I'm a sucker for anything mid-century so their retro-styled bamboo desk and wall clocks immediately caught my eye. But my current Vectorcloud favorite has to be the custom engraved, wood floppy disk coasters. The 80's-inspired coasters are perfect for keeping for yourself or giving to friends as a personalized housewarming/wedding gift.

 Now it's time to get to know Amelia, the woman behind Vectorcloud, with a little Q+A.

1)  We always start with the good stuff. So, if you could die your hair any color under the sun, what would it be? Hmm. Purple has always been one of my favorite colors. My hair has always been black, but a little highlight of purple may be cool. 

2)What design trends are your most and least favorites? I'm currently loving all the retro inspired patterns and color blocking. I'm very glad that big shoulder pads never made a return.  

3)  Everyone has a favorite room or piece of furniture. What's yours? I love our danish inspired hutch. It was actually left behind by the previous tenant, which makes it even better :D 

4)  How did you get started in woodwork and laser-cutting in particular? I took woodworking when I was at Parsons studying product design. I'm always fascinated with furniture especially wood. One time I worked at a non-profit organization, teaching kids how to use CAD programs and all the different design projects that you can create using CNC router and laser machines. I became very familiar with the process and was inspired to start a line of products myself. 

5)  Vectorcloud's such a neat name. Where'd it come from? Does it have a special meaning? I wanted a name that gives a little insight of what I do, yet at the same time, doesn't sound too serious or 'techy'. Vector is a type of drawing that I have to create to run the machine and cloud just sound so 'light and playful'.

6)  What's your favorite thing to watch or listen to while you work? Because I work from my home studio, I usually watch my son play while I'm working on the computer.  

7)  Your designs are so neat and fresh but with a retro spin. Do you consider yourself a mid-century lover? What's your favorite design period? Definitely. My work is very much inspired by mid-century design. I love how wood was utilized and transformed into beautiful furniture during that period of time.  

8)  What's next for Vectorcloud? Any new products on the horizon? At the moment, half of my work is based on custom orders and I am exploring the different ways I can expand that. I'm looking into wedding decorations among others.


>>>SHOP VECTORCLOUD

Spring Re-style: More Accessories

One thing I'm emphasizing right now is the power of accessories. Whether your wallet's a little tight or you just like the freedom of constantly changing your decor, accessories are the easiest, most affordable re-style you can do.

So today I'm sharing these adorable ceramic dishes from Zinnia Designs. Each dish is imprinted with a unique design that can be customized to fit your taste. The salt and pepper set (my fave!) makes a perfect housewarming gift and the cheese markers are great for people who like to entertain. If you're selfish like me and want a treat for yourself, try the coasters or the small plates which would look great displayed as a collection or as a concierge dish on an entryway table.

I love the idea of having the cheese markers customized for use as table markers or giving your bridal party little plates with the wedding date imprinted...can you tell I'm planning a wedding!?!

For more of Zinnia Designs' unique ceramic pieces, check them out on Etsy.

Wedding Stuff 1: The Announcements

Just when I thought my wedding duties were over, it turns out I need to send announcements. It never ends! Paper-Source was my first stop. Walking in to Paper-Source is like walking into a colorful, creative, grown-up wonderland. Everything is so beautiful. Sometimes when I go in there I want to have a party just so I can buy their gorgeous invitations. To help control my stationery addiction, I figured I'd satiate my appetite by sharing my finds with you.

These are the cards we pick for our announcements. They look SO CUTE!

Great for a backyard BBQ.

We chose these for our thank you cards. I couldn't leave the store without owning them!

I want to use these for my next party.

Cute, elegant, sophisticated.

These are awesome.

I really wanted these too. I had to run out of the store to keep from buying them!

Don't forget to check out some of the stationery in the Apt528 Store. For a chance to win FREE cards and other products, enter the Apt528 Giveaway.

Grammie's Gifts

Last Thursday, Grammie, my husband's grandmother, passed away.  She was 87.  My favorite memory of Grammie comes from our wedding.  We were taking group pictures and cameras were flashing all over the place when she said, "I feel like a celebrity!"  It was hilarious!

Grammie (2nd from right) feeling like a celebrity at our wedding!

This being a decorating blog, I feel it fitting to officially thank Grammie for the wonderful things we got from her home.  She had a house full of retro and mid-century furnishings.  Now they're a part of OUR home and are a constant reminder of the great woman they used to belong to.  Below are a few of our favorite items, not including the decanters, vases and other odds and ends we got.

The TV, cart, and VCR are from Grammie's house.

We have several of Grammie's books spread throughout the house.

The bookcase is our favorite piece in the house.  On it's own, it's worth a good amount of money but the fact that it comes from Grammie makes it priceless.  This is a family piece we'll ALWAYS have.  I can't wait to find a place for it in our new apartmnet!

Her awesome blender.  They don't make them as cool as this anymore!

This radio still works!

Thanks Grammie!

Night Owl!

I love these cards! The wood grain, the adorable animals, the vintage feel...it's like they were made for me!

Which is why I ended up framing the cards and hanging them in my bedroom instead of sending them out to friends and family...who needs communication anyway!?

Check out the Night Owl Paper Goods website for more unique designs - I've already ordered several more cards! They also have cute totes, notebooks, gift cards, artwork (for under $20!), and even wood-grain wedding invitations. You better believe I'm using Night Owl for MY wedding!

Apt528 Tip: Want to frame a few things on your own? Instead of paying for expensive matt board, get it for free! Many framing shops will give you their scraps for no cost at all.

Corny Bug Jotter $8


Owl Flowering Branch Tote $29

Modern Folksy Blue Bird Postcard $4.95 (on sale)

Etsy Shop of the Week: Ouma Clothing

If I could re-do my wedding, I'd wear a dress from Ouma.  And use their photographers. 

This coming from a girl who refused to wear a frilly wedding dress (I wore a vintage sundress) and didn't have a photographer (I hate getting my picture taken). 

For once, looking at a pastel-hued dress with layers of fluff doesn't make me want to vomit!  Instead, I want to run through a field of butterflies with singing birds everywhere, all the while listening to the whimsical lyrics of Mika, Sufjan Stevens, and Bryan Scary and the Shredding Tears.  These dresses are fabulous and beautiful in a quirky way: they'd be equally as wonderful if paired with tattered sneakers, ripped tights, a funky jacket, and clown makeup. It's all very Tim Burton.

If you don't have any events coming up that require one of these gorgeous creations, try one of Ouma's retro inspired playsuits and you'll look just as amazing!

{image credit: Steph De Saga}

{image credit: Galaxie Andrews}

{image credit: Galaxie Andrews}

{image credit: Galaxie Andrews}

{image credit: Galaxie Andrews}

{image credit: Steph De Saga}