Stylish Coworker: Jess

Remember my post about persimmon pants? Well, my oh-so-stylish coworker Jess showed up wearing the most fabulous burgundy pair of pants and as soon as I saw her, I snapped her photo to share with you all.

Seriously, she's the cutest thing ever, am I right? 

So there you have it- someone totally rocking the colored pants trend right there in real life. Have you found your perfect pair of red pants yet? If not, get out there and do it! You will not regret it. I promise. 

Stylish Co-Worker: Ashley

You're all well aware of my love for stupid, little hats, but there are some others out there who love them as well. Namely, my fabulous coworker Ashley. She's pretty much the most adorable person I've ever met and I just love her. She's always smiling and laughing, even if it's to tell me how crazy her bride is at that moment.

Not too long ago, she said to me, "I want to wear a tiny hat, too!" So, I brought in my small collection of stupid, little hats and let her take her pick. I think she looked absolutely adorable:

Funny story: I came very close to purchasing that exact same dress myself. It was part of one of the many diffusion lines that Target has done recently, although I don't recall which one exactly. 

We struggled a bit to keep the hat nestled in her mane of curly hair, but she loved wearing the hat and I loved seeing another person walking around in one! 

Didn't I say she was adorable? I don't lie. 

Thanks for reading, y'all! 

Not Exactly a Style Post....

... At least not in the clothing sense. This post is actually about a little renovation project that I recently completed and I'm way too proud not to share it! And to be honest, it's still about personal style and putting your best foot forward, so in that sense, it's perfect for my blog! Who knows? Maybe I'll do more projects like this in the future and blog about them, too! It's my blog, so I guess it's my rules, right?

Anyway, enough intro. Let's get to it. Almost a year ago, I submitted a proposal to my boss and owner of Madeleine's Daughter, Elizabeth. I suggested that we re-decorate the Store Manager's office. I had observed how much that office is used and I felt it wasn't a great representation of the store. We interview potential new employees in that office. We meet with vendors in that office. We have weekly manager meetings in that office. We do a LOT in that office. Anyway, it was half-joke, half serious that I submitted the proposal. She read it through and said that while it wasn't a bad idea, perhaps the Store Manager- Juhree- and I could focus a little on keeping it neater first. Hmmpf.

Well, about two weeks ago, a mutual friend posted on Facebook that she was getting rid of some office furniture. She was practically giving it away and in the list of items was a sleek, slim desk with a hutch that fit perfectly into my original proposal. I mentioned it to Elizabeth. I said that maybe this was a sign that it was time for the renovation proposal to come out from under the other files on her desk. She pulled it out, looked it over again and said, "Okay, what if I were to give you a shoestring budget? Something like, $500. Could you do it?" I jumped for joy- literally. I may have even said, "I can do it for $250!"

In the end we agreed that I could spend up to $500 and not a penny more. Of course for the first week of the project, I was determined to keep it around $250, but after a few trips to Home Depot to do some price shopping, I quickly realized that was an unrealistic amount to aim for. So, with $500 and a little creativity, I completely re-decorated her office in just a couple of weeks. Here are a couple of "before" photos:

What a cluttered mess, right? And can we talk about the chairs around the table? Not exactly "eclectic." More like, "schizophrenic." Also, I hated Juhree's big, faux-leather, black office chair. It looks like something that belongs in a cubicle. 

The floral chair on the right was my "jumping off" point in terms of inspiration. It was one of only two pieces of furniture that not only remained in the office, but also remained unaltered. It's pretty, it's girlie and it's light, so it stayed. 

Tacky bridal advertisements were the ONLY decor. 

The challenges I faced in perking up the office included:

- Absolutely ZERO natural light exists in this office. There are no windows at all and just two overhead fluorescent lights.

- In addition to the lack of natural light, the walls were painted a deep coral, although they read more as a dark red in the photos. At the time that Juhree chose this paint color, it didn't bother me, but over time I've come to detest it. 

- Oppressive, mis-matched furniture that barely functions and only seems to clutter the room and make it feel small and confined. 

- Obviously a shoestring budget is never ideal, but I'm a firm believer in the idea that a little creativity and a lot of elbow grease can make up for many dollars if you're willing to put in the effort. I was. 

My goals included: 

- Make the office warm and inviting- a place where people are happy to be. 

- Achieve a level of decor that is representative of the company as a whole. (If you've been to MD, you know that the decor in the store is stellar and is a visual representation of our high standards throughout the company.)

- Ensure the functionality of the office as both a meeting space and the area where Juhree does the majority of her work. Form without function would just be a waste of Elizabeth's money. 

Here's what I did: 

First, I picked up the desk. I wish I had a better photo, but this is the only "before" one that exists. It's from the original Facebook post advertising its sale:

The desk I bought is the one in the upper left. It came with the hutch for a $50 donation to a charity of my friend's choosing. If you're interested in donating, here's the link. 

Next, I hit the thrift stores. I lucked out and happened to walk into Salvation Army on Half-Price Furniture Day. I walked out with these chairs for a grand total of $5.99:

I also got a simple wooden chair at Saver's for $6.99. I didn't take a "before" photo of it by itself, but you can see it in the first "before" photo of the office up above. It's the one with white back and legs and a stained wood seat. 

I made arrangements to pick up the desk later that week and then I hit craigslist like it was my JOB. I found the following gems almost immediately: 

$25 bookcase

$12 swivel office chair. 

My project started on Friday. By Sunday, I had acquired all the furniture I would need to implement my design. Of course, none of it was the right color, but I had a plan for that, too. 

Next, I went to Home Depot and Joann Fabrics for some supplies. I purchased paint samples for the wall and furniture colors. You can see in this photo where I painted the "swatches." 

The middle "swatch" was the hands-down favorite of the entire staff. It's called "Wildflowers" by Benjamin Moore. 

At Joann Fabrics, I purchased fabric to re-upholster the metal chairs I found at Salvation Army. I bought a yard just to be safe, but I probably could have done the project with just 3/4. I went to the store with a 40% off coupon, but as luck would have it, the fabric I wanted was on sale at 50% off. I paid $17.49 for it. That coupled with two cans of Rustoleum spray paint in a warm cream color was all I had to buy to transform the two chairs into this: 

Adorable, right? I'm in love! The mint in the center is just like the color of the "jumping off" chair and the shades of yellow include the "Wildflowers" color, too! It could not have been more perfect fabric! 

With the completion of the chairs, and the choosing of the paint, I realized that my project was well on its way to success, but there was one major road block. The desk. Go back and look at the first photo and you'll see what a monster it is. Really, go ahead. I'll wait.

...

...

...

See what I mean? My original proposal suggested we donate the desk just because that seemed like the easiest way to get someone to haul it away. But then I had an optimistic moment and I posted it on craigslist for $75 or best offer. I admit, my ad was a little ridiculous: 

Apparently, on Craigslist, ridiculous works because THREE HOURS LATER it sold! The next day, the desk's new owners came and hauled it away and they even paid the full $75 asking price. With the desk gone, there was nothing left to stand in my way, so I recruited some painters and made plans for a painting party. The scheduled day was Wednesday July 3rd, since the store was closed both that day AND the next day for the 4th of July holiday. I figured that gave us a day to paint and a day for it to dry completely. If all went according to plan, Friday July 5th (today) was to be my "final touches" day. 

There was a week between the desk selling and the painting party. While at work, I stayed focused on the brides I was dealing with, but every minute outside the store was spent obsessing over the details and finishing touches. Juhree had a bit of a meltdown when her old desk sold. She freaked out a little about having to come up with all new systems for her workflow. I assured her that it was a top priority of mine that the office be a place that functioned well for her. We came up with solutions that made both of us happy and only cost a few more dollars to implement. Teamwork, baby! 

Anyway, on Wednesday, everything went according to plan. My volunteers were pretty content to be compensated with pizza and a 12-pack of Sam Summer. We all got a little messy and we were all pretty sore by the end of the day, but I sure did enjoy the fruits of our labor: 

Wallcolor: Benjamin Moore "Wildflowers"

Desk, bookcase and small chair color: Behr "Powdered Snow"

Swivel chair color: Behr "April Mist"

The swivel chair color was a last minute decision. I'm not sure what made me think of it, but one moment I just knew that chair had to be different. I'm in love with the end result. Wednesday night I slept like a baby. I woke up early on Thursday morning and before heading out to the beach for the holiday, I swung by the store and added some touch-ups to the furniture. If you're planning to paint furniture, particularly cheap, second hand and non-wood furniture, I HIGHLY recommend you use the Zinsser primer- that stuff rocks. Paint LOVES it. You slap it on real quick, let it dry and then your paint just glides right on and sticks like mad. I've heard horror stories of people painting furniture and the paint just resisting every step of the way. This primer is the bees knees and will save you many sleepless nights and headaches stressing over your botched furniture make-over. Best 18 bucks I spent on this project. No joke. 

With the hardest parts out of the way- selling the desk and painting- the office was finally ready to be put together. As they say, the devil's in the details and this was no exception. I chose accessories that not only functioned for the space, but that also worked with the new color scheme. I bought inexpensive cardboard banker's boxes at Office Max and covered them with brown craft paper. I printed out the labels and then laminated them before gluing them to the covered boxes: 

For the how-to tutorial, click here. 

Baskets and mini boxes from Dollar Tree hold all sorts of unsightly office items and a few office storage pieces from Target not only function for Juhree's preferred workflow method of "piles of things," but they look pretty, too! 

Finally, a splash of coral, some personal touches with lots of photos and a wall of fashion artwork and my design was complete! 

The is the wall that used to have the tacky framed bridal advertisements. Much improved, methinks. Your thoughts? 

Is that owl amazing or what? I named him Privilege, because that's what it is to live in this office. And yes, that is a photo of me and Juhree riding the Batman roller coaster at Six Flags. 

Are you ready to see the finished office? This post is seriously epic, and if you're still reading, you've earned the big reveal: 

This photo was taken before the computer and printer were put back in place. My next proposal will be for a MacBook Pro because let's be honest, computer towers and huge monitors are just gross. 

Here's the office with all the necessary equipment: 

Admittedly, it's still lovely. Just take a moment to let it all sink in and then move on to the other views... 

The light beige area rug and the fashion pictures on the far wall were some of my favorite touches because they weren't necessarily the first things I thought of when I planned this renovation, but they really complete the overall look and feel of the space. So, for my first major redecorating project, I think I did a pretty great job. And I was under budget- the ending tally was $434 with about $170 of that going to paint and primer. It took two gallons of paint+primer combo to cover the dark coral walls with the light yellow. TWO, yes TWO professional painters told me not to bother priming the walls. I took their advice. If I were to go back in time and do it all again, I would prime, professional advice be damned. 

To view all the inspiration, before and after photos and the how-to tutorials, visit my Pinterest page Juhree's Office Renovation Project. But before you head over there, drop a comment below and tell me how all my hard work paid off. And as always, thanks for reading! 

Bridal Bliss

I know they say June is for brides, so I'm going to write a post to show all of you my favorite gowns from this past year. In addition to it being June 1st, it was also our sample sale at Madeleine's Daughter today and it was so much fun seeing brides leaving with their bargain-price bridal gowns. The sale is one of my favorite events of the year because with prices at 40-70% off, it's possible for a bride to wear her dream gown on the cheap.

Anyway, enjoy these photos of some of my all-time favorite bridal gowns:

Chelsea by Amsale

The sweetest gown on the planet. 

Mimosa by Jenny Packham

Jenny does beadwork like no other. 

RK359 by Romona Keveza 

If ever there was a breathtakingly stunning ballgown, this would be it. 

Darling by Monique Lhullier (you can't tell in the photo, but this gown is the palest blush!)

Memory by Monique Lhullier

I have one word: ahhhh!!!

Principessa by Jenny Packham

Ophelia by Christos

Greenwich by Amsale

Unfortunately, this gown never made it to production. Isn't that sad? 

I am sure you can tell from these photos that there are many different textiles and silhouettes that I love. If I ever get married, choosing a gown will be no easy task. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed drooling over these lovelies as much as I have. I haven't seen the Romona Keveza gown in person, but I have a feeling it would make my heart stop if I did, so it's probably for the best. And as for "Principessa" by Jenny Packham, I'm confident that would be a charming exit dress, or maybe even rehearsal dinner dress (we are talking about my non-existent wedding, of course). 

Have a great day, everyone! And as always, thanks for reading! 

Meet Babs- the Newest Addition to MD!

We have a new girl at work whose name is Barbara, but since her name implies someone much older than she is, I decided to call her Babs. She seems okay with it. Anyway, Babs is another lover of all things fashion and style, so of course she fits right in at Madeleine's. On Sunday, she came to work wearing the most adorable outfit that I snapped her photo the moment I saw her- literally. And I believe you'll agree with me that she looks just fabulous:

I'm dying to get myself over to Nordstrom to see if they have any of those tops left- it's just so fun! The high-low hem is too cool, especially when it's in motion. Unfortunately, the photo will never do it justice, but just know that it's as cool as it gets. I haven't coveted something in a looooooong time, but this top is pushing me to that point. 

I'm sure you'll see more of Babs on the blog in the future- she's pretty much always wearing an adorable outfit that's on-trend. Check back soon and as always, thanks for reading! 

Getting Creative

Despite the rule of all-black on Saturday, the staff at Madeleine's Daughter still finds ways to keep it fresh and cute. A perfect example is Ashley's outfit from last weekend:

I just love the flouncy, full skirt and the flirty bow belt at her waist. It's black, but it's far from boring. I'm continually inspired by the women I work with in many ways, but particularly with their fashion. There's never a dull day when it comes to the outfits that walk the floor at MD. I would post more of them, but all too often I'm busy actually working and I just don't have an extra minute to run out back, grab my phone and snap a photo. To be honest, I could have a daily photo blog with all the cuteness that abounds at that store. Our sales staff is particularly stylish, but we often have well-dressed brides and bridal parties that come through as well. 

Is your workplace a stylish one? Do you wish it was? Leave a comment and tell me all about it. And as always, thank you for reading and visiting my blog! 

Bridal Style

Last weekend, we were part of a local bridal show in Portsmouth. Those days are always long and hard and remind me of tech week back in my theatre days. We spend the morning "loading in" and then there's the show and then the afternoon is spent "loading out." Remarkably similar to costuming a show in terms of the workload. It's the similarities to costuming that make it fun for me, too, though. I had the pleasure of dressing the models in some scrumptious gowns and accessories from our store. I wish I'd snapped more photos, because both models looked absolutely stunning!

Kathleen (on the left) in Chelsea by Amsale and Sarah in Arabesque by Jenny Packham

That's me lacing Sarah into her gown. 

Kathleen (on the left) in Fiona by Christos and Sarah in Forever by Monique Lhuillier

Our gorgeous models together- Sarah (on the left) and Kathleen. 

One last glimpse of Sarah in Forever by Monique Lhuillier. This was probably my favorite look of the day. It's stunning in its simplicity. And you can't tell from the photo, but the gown is actually the palest blush color which is a hot trend in bridal right now. 

There was supposed to be a third model, but she got sick the night before and had to bail. In the end, we changed up the dresses and accessories to compensate for the missing model. There were two other looks the ladies wore, plus a sampling of bridesmaid dresses. It was so fun picking out their accessories and dressing them on the day. It felt a little nostalgic for me to be doing that again. Putting together a head-to-toe look is always a blast, but when I get to work with gowns by designers like Amsale, Jenny Packham and Monique Lhuillier plus accessories that are also the best in the industry, it's just pure heaven. 

ANOTHER Stylish Co-worker

Ashley started working at Madeleine's Daughter towards the end of summer/beginning of fall this year. We placed an ad for a new bridal consultant and she not only submitted her resume online, but she showed up at the store the morning after the ad was placed with her resume in hand, just wanting to hand deliver it to make sure we got it. When she walked in the door, I remember thinking, "I love that girl and her amazing curly hair." She was also wearing red ballet flats and cute navy dress (I think) and she had the biggest smile I've ever seen. I turned to Sadie after she left and said, "That's our new bridal consultant." Of course, Juhree actually did the hiring, and after interviewing Ashley, she decided she was definitely right for the job. Her warm, bubbly personality and cute sense of style are definite assets, but she's actually turned out to be great at the job, too. Sales isn't easy, and bridal sales is even harder at times, but she does it naturally. She's awesome. That's all I'm really trying to say.

The other day, she came in to work wearing the most fabulous pair of mustard yellow corduroy pants I've ever seen. She looked so adorable, that I decided that was the outfit that would get her on the blog. She didn't even really know about my blog, so I'm sure she was a little weirded out that I made her pose for a photo immediately after she walked in the door that day, but she'll get over it.

See what I mean about that smile? And the curly hair? Fun fact: Ashley (just like me) is a natural blonde! I've written a lot in the last few weeks about the mustard and pumpkin trend that has infiltrated New England this season. These pants are a prime example. I tried to buy them myself, but by the time I made it over to Ann Taylor Loft, they'd sold all the mustard ones in my size. They had some purple ones and turquoise, too, but I didn't want purple or turquoise pants. I wanted mustard. Anyway, sometimes it's just not meant to be. And since Ashley looks so good in these, I probably wouldn't want to compete anyway. 

Holiday Switcheroo

I know I posted a blog about how I had this adorable silver sequin dress that I planned to wear to the Madeleine's Daughter company holiday party, but I lied to you. I didn't mean to lie. At the time, I meant every word. And the peter pan collar necklace I made to go with it? Also, not a lie at the time, but I did not end up wearing either the silver sequin dress or the peter pan collar necklace to our company holiday party this past weekend. Here's how it happened:

The Tuesday evening prior to the party, Brandie expressed her need to find an outfit. After work, Juhree and I went with her to Marshalls to help her pick something out. I had absolutely NO intention of shopping for myself while we were there. However, sometimes these things are out of our control. While looking through the racks of sparkly holiday dresses, I came upon the most stunning art-deco dress I've seen in a long time. The price? Just $59.99. Now, 60 bucks isn't much to spend on a cocktail dress but it is a lot to spend when you don't NEED said cocktail dress because you already have a silver sequin cocktail dress hanging in your closet at home. I bought it anyway. And here's why:

1.) I look incredible in it.
2.) I can wear the silver sequin dress to a New Year's Eve party (and I plan to).
3.) I can get another wear out of the second dress by wearing it to my friend Jen's wedding in January.

So, without further ado, I present to you my holiday party look for 2012:

Go ahead and TRY to tell me this wasn't worth every penny. In fact, go ahead and TRY to tell me it wouldn't have been worth it had it cost DOUBLE what it did! It's a phenomenal dress that fits me like a glove. 'Nough said. 

The best thing about this dress is how I feel in it. I walked strutted around that holiday party KNOWING I was the best dressed in the room. Maybe I wasn't actually the best dressed (not likely), but I felt like it. The only regret I have from this night is that it was an event the Professor could not attend. Which is why I'm incredibly excited to wear it again to Jen's wedding! He'll be my date that night, and he's driving 6 hours to be there, so I'm looking forward to dressing up for him. 

Now that I'm done bragging about what I hottie I am, let's talk about why this dress is so flattering. Do you guys remember when Kate Winslet wore that amazing Stella McCartney dress with the remarkably slimming optical illusion? Here's a photo in case you forgot: 

My dress has a similar effect because of the dark sequin banding on the sides. In my opinion, it's a brilliant design idea and one that everyone should try. Just like Kate, I tried to keep my accessories to a minimum- I chose rhinestone embellished black pumps, black rhinestone earrings (not pictured in the photo above, unfortunately) and a sparkly feather hairpiece (unfortunately also not pictured). It's easy to over accessorize a simple dress, but that's just the time when you need to exercise restraint. I actually didn't want to wear anything in my hair, but unfortunately there were some tacky-looking bobby pins ruining my elegant updo and covering them with a headpiece was the quickest, simplest fix I could come up with. The earrings were sparkly, but not too over-the-top and my make-up was actually pretty neutral. 

I'm hamming it up with co-worker Meghan during dinner. 

What did you wear for your company holiday party? Was it formal or casual? Are you dressing up for New Years? Whatever the look, just remember to wear it with confidence and walk strut through the room like you're the hottest one there. Unless I'm there, too and then I hate to break it to you, but you'll be the second hottest one there (wink). 

Stylish Co-Worker: Kristin

One of the best things about my job is that nearly everyone I work with is really into fashion, which means that I get style inspiration from my coworkers pretty much every single day. On Friday, I fell in love with Kristin's outfit:

Is she a babe or what? You may recognize her boots from this post a few weeks ago. We both wear them almost every day! 

Leave a comment to tell Kristin how fabulous she looks! 

Hello, there...

Hey, friends. It's been a while. I have to admit that life has been pretty full, pretty busy for the past year or so. There have been lots of brides, lots of gowns, lots of flights and lots of fun. When I moved back to New Hampshire just over 2 years ago (can you believe it's been that long?!?!?!?!), I had no idea what direction my life would go, but I couldn't be happier with things as they are right now.

Here's a not-so-brief update:

Work: My job is still the most awesome job I've ever had. I still have the best co-workers and bosses on the planet. Brides are mostly pretty great to work with, although we will always have a few doozies each season. (Just remember, they'll eventually get married.) I even got to go on a buying trip to Chicago where I got to see all sorts of gorgeous (and some not-so-gorgeous) dresses and even help decide which ones we will be carrying in the store next season! As for the alterations department, we're still alive and kicking- we're a fierce bunch and it takes a lot to get us down!

This photo was taken directly below the center of the famous "Bean" in Chicago's Millenium Park. Can you find me? 

Relationship: Things are going really well with "The Professor." In fact, just last weekend, my amazing coworkers flew him up here as a surprise for me- JUST BECAUSE! There was no special occasion, they are simply amazing friends who wanted to do an amazing thing for me. I was truly humbled by the experience- it's one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. It was amazing to see my adorable BF, who has officially been my BF for a year as of this Monday, November 5th. How crazy is that? I remember when we started dating, everyone was like, "Yes, he's perfect for you, but you need to find someone just like him who lives in NEW HAMPSHIRE!!!!" I admit, early in the dating process, before he and I had become exclusive, I went onto match.com in search of this elusive man- the one just like the Professor, but who lives up north. On match.com, when viewing a member's profile, there is an option to click a button and "view others like him." I clicked. Here's what I got:

Yup. Denied. And  I have to admit, match.com was right- the Professor is truly unique and truly perfect for me. We've had our ups and downs over the last few months and fighting via Skype is particularly difficult. Fortunately the ups far outweigh the downs and right now we're stronger and happier than ever. I'll be flying down to visit him a week from tonight, actually. Just for funsies, here's a photo of us and the Sailors from Labor Day weekend when he came up for a visit: 

Friends and Family: Since I last posted, McKenzie got married, so that's pretty exciting! She wore a stunning gown by Jenny Packham and I had the pleasure of making her veil (which blew right off her head the minute she stepped out to walk down the aisle. Oh, well. My good friend Jen was recently engaged and I plan to attend her wedding with the Professor. I had the pleasure of helping her find her wedding gown and I also made her veil for her. The wedding is in January and I haven't even begun to think about what I'll wear. My mom has been busy as ever with her adorable German Shepherd dogs and the shutzhund training she does with them. I've even grown to enjoy the pups and even miss them a little when they're gone.

Fashion: I admit that I haven't been blogging much partly because I've been in a strange and new place shopping-wise. I'm perfectly content with everything in my closet and I have no real need for anything. I have great clothes that fit well and are in good shape. I have far too many shoes, but I make a point of wearing them all whenever I can. I love all of my accessories and I really don't see a void anywhere. I'm sure at some point, this phase will end. For now, my bank account is enjoying the break. (It's not that much of a break when all my extra money goes toward airline tickets and rental cars, but whatevs.) I'm still surrounded by fashionable people, so there really is no excuse to blog a little more.

Sewing and knitting: I've been doing a little of both in the last few months. I made a fabulous dress that I wore to McKenzie's wedding in September and I've knit quite a few little projects over the last couple of months. Here are some photos:

This lovely set was intended for my BF's 7-year-old daughter Grace. I actually just put it in the mail with her Halloween goodie bag this past week.

I could hardly knit something for Grace and not make something equivalent for the Professor's 10-year-old son, Owen. These pieces were made using the Appalachian State University colors (the Professor's alma mater and the school Owen wants to attend someday.)

After knitting a cream-colored version of this scarf for Juhree last year, I thought about making one for myself in green. I finally got around to it about a year later. Better late than never, right?

Blogging: I actually HAVE been blogging, just not here. You all know how I've taken over the blog for Madeleine's Daughter and I've really enjoyed doing it. Here are some of my favorite posts:

November 26, 2011
December 29, 2011
February 14, 2012
April 28, 2012

Since the busy alterations season is coming to an end, I'll be getting back into my blogging groove at the store, so if wedding-related posts are your thing, you might want to follow that blog, too! The posts I enjoy writing the most are the "Meet Our Bride" ones. I love seeing the photos from our brides and hearing what they have to say about their experience at the store. It's a great feeling to be a part of such a special time in a person's life.

I'll leave you with a silly photo from "The Sailor's Garden Party" that happened this past spring. I wrote a little about my outfit, but never posted a picture. Here you go:

I hope this is the first of many blog posts to come. I recently became a MacBook Pro owner and I have a feeling that owning a laptop that's a pleasure and not a chore to use will inspire me to write more posts. Time will tell. In the meantime, let me know what you'd like me to write about! Leave a comment!