Coming Soon: Our Engagement Photoshoot!

I am so EXCITED to announce that we will be taking our engagement photos this weekend! My uber-talented friend, David, is photographing us and we couldn't be happier!

We are coming up with a list of iconic downtown Nashville sites, I'm hoping we can stop by a few during our time together :) Nashville is such a sweet, beautiful city. I've been gathering inspiration for a while now and it'll be so fun to actually have some really nice shots of Ben and me together!

Inspiration pdf... some dance-y options included above! If nothing, else, we will have some hilarious outtakes! Haha!

I just sent out a long email to both boys (my guy and our photographer friend) about outfit ideas, timeline, possible locations, and free food (I'm buying them lunch). I also made a pdf with inspiration images and notes to share with them. I included potential pose ideas, mood inspiration, and some silly ideas as well. Can't WAIT!

I'll keep you posted, xoxo!

PS - Click below to check out my photo inspiration Pinterest board!

Engagement Photos!

Valentine's Day Baking and Celebration

Now that Valentine's Day is in the past, I can finally let you in on all of the secret things I made for Ben!

First of all, I made a print of the first half of the Prayer of St. Francis. Ben introduced me to this when we first started dating, and it has been our mantra and our goal ever since. We've typed it up and posted it on the fridge, but I figured it deserved a fancier presentation. I designed, sketched, traced, scanned, printed, and finally foiled the quote:

Not bad for my first print! I wanted to make it sort of whimsical and varied.

Next, I baked up a bunch of sweet treats for my guy.

I made French macaroons for the first time ever...

In progress: oh so fluffy!

(equipment and inspiration courtesy of Ben's sweet sister, who just moved to France!)

Chocolate biscotti...

(which I enjoy with my morning coffee from time to time ;) )

And raspberry-filled chocolate candies!

In progress: still had to top 'em with more chocolate

Presentation is so-so, but they sure do taste good!

Feeling grateful for my guy and I love jumping at any chance I get to spoil him with good food and baked goods! <3

Meal Prep #5: More Overnight Oats ~ Creamy Tomato Soup ~ Slow-Cooker Balsamic Beef and Veggies (recipes included!)

Meal prepping for the win! Here we are at number five! On the menu this week...

• Overnight Oats (I will mix it up soon, I promise...these are just so darn good!)
• Creamy Tomato Soup (Super-simple and quite yum)
• Balsamic Beef with Vegetables (Chop, sear, slow-cooker, done!)

First off...

Lunch

Our creamy tomato soup! I was looking for a simple, cheap, comforting soup recipe and this was the answer to my lunch cravings/prayers. Delicious and cozy, but not too-too filling for a mid-day munch. I got some fresh basil, quality cheese (from my "motherland," Wisconsin, of course), and crusty bread to have along side this creamy soup.

I used this recipe from Serious Eats (<<< click to view!) and doubled the recipe. That means you'll need...

• 2 sticks of butter (this seems like a lot but it makes it so rich!)
• 2 lbs of carrots (I think I used a bit more)
• 4 medium yellow onions (I used 3 large)
• 6-28oz cans of whole tomatoes
• 8 cups chicken stock (I used my homemade veggie stock, click here for the recipe!)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda (I've never heard about using this to make the soup less acidic, but it really made a difference!
• 2 cups of heavy cream
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne

With this one I was honestly just going for something that was cheap and easy to toss together, but it ended up being my favorite meal of the week: really delicious! And now that I have an immersion blender, I can't wait to make more pureed soups during the cold winter - I mean, "cozy food" - months (the bright side, my friends)!

Dinner

This recipe seriously couldn't be easier. Chop those veggies, mix those flavorings, sear that beef, and dump it all in!

(makes the house smell divine!)

Here's a link to the recipe from The Magical Slow Cooker (love that name). I always end up using extra veggies to make it last a few more days. Always a good idea to toss in some green beans after you turn the cooker off and keep 'em in there for about 30 minutes to soften up.

Breakfast

Aaand again, for a third week, we have our Brown Sugar Cinnamon Slow-Cooker Oats with Apples. Here's a link to the recipe, we use 1/4 per week, portioning out the dry ingredients and butter beforehand to make it an easy dump and go recipe. We also chop the apples in advance and preserve them in a big tupperware with lemon juice.

Dry ingredients for each portion are...

• 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar (I use dark, but light brown sugar will work too)
• 1/2 Tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Toss in with dry ingredients each night...

• 3/4 - 1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup milk (we use almond milk)

Toss it in, let it brew on low for 8 hours! Warm, comforting, and ready the moment you wake up!

~

Hope you enjoy! Happy prepping!

Wedding Stationary Inspiration

Since we have finally booked our venue, I've been practicing my lettering and starting to design our save the dates. Since I started lettering, I've probably gone through five different designs for our save the dates. My stationary preferences seem to shift every couple of weeks! I've started compiling some inspiration to weigh all of my styling options and choices.

PLEASE NOTE: I can't take any credit for any of the following images or lettering. These are solely my Pinterest-based inspiration. I've done my best to credit all of the sources and calligraphers. This is not my work. Please click the links in the picture captions to view more and work directly with the artists featured here.

Here is a link to my full Wedding Paper inspiration Pinterest board:

Click to view

I've noticed a few themes. I seem to like...

Swooping, but structured scripts...

Italian hand envelope by the amazing Kei Haniya
http://haniyacalligraphy.com/

Suite by J. Graham Lettering & Design

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JGrahamCalligraphy?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Via Southern Weddings

http://southernweddings.com/

Invitation by If So Ink Lined

http://ifsoinklined.com/#!/HOME

Via Southern Weddings

http://southernweddings.com/

Invitation by Laura Lavender Calligraphy & Illustration
http://www.lauralavender.com/

Envelopes by A Fine Flourish
http://www.afineflourish.com/

Romantic French and slate blues...

Blue Stationary by Rasmarin
http://www.rasmarin.com/

Suite by Joy Proctor
http://www.joyproctor.com/

Table number by Laura Hooper Calligraphy
http://lhcalligraphy.com/

Suite by Carolyn Jane
http://carolynjane.com/

Suite by Jane Farr
http://janefarr.blogspot.com/
Via Southern Weddings
http://southernweddings.com/

Ornate, flourishing, floral embellishments...

Suite by Whimsy B. Paperie
http://www.whimsyb.com/

Envelope detail by House of Hannah
http://houseofhannah.ie/

Crest and suite by Atelier Isabey
http://www.atelierisabey.com/

A little bit of shine...

Suite by Bella Figura
https://www.bellafigura.com/

Suite by Ali Makes Things
https://alimakesthings.com/

Program by Ceci New York
https://www.cecinewyork.com/

Gooey wax seals...

Seal by Back to Zero
https://backtozero.co/

Seal by Tabiyo
https://www.tabiyoshop.com/

I definitely have plenty of inspiration to pull from. I've been working on the design/letterforms for a few days now and am looking forward to how it looks when it's all put together! More soon :)

Homemade Veggie Stock - Warm and Cozy

As promised wayyyyy back when I wrote my first meal prep post, here's my way of making a homemade veggie stock.

This is a great way to use old vegetable scraps: all of those carrot peels and ends of onions/shallots/leeks that end up getting thrown away. Dried or wilted herbs, mushrooms, and other aromatics are great for this as well. I've heard that you're supposed to avoid vegetables that are more bitter like broccoli, cabbage, and similar veggies, but I've used broccoli and kale stems in the past and haven't found anything wrong with it! Definitely wash all the produce you toss in there, and (obviously) make sure it's not rotten before you freeze it.

Store a gallon-sized ziploc bag in the freezer and fill it to the brim with scraps. When the bag is full, it's time to get brewing!

In a big stockpot, toss in the scraps and about 9 cups of water, plus salt and any dried herbs you may want to toss in from the cabinet (bay leaves work nicely). Bring this up to a simmer and let it sit, stirring occasionally, for about one hour. (Keep in mind it will take a good amount of time longer to bring the frozen scraps up to a simmer in the first place, just incase you have somewhere to be...)
After about an hour, take the pan off the stove and let it cool down for a bit. Scoop or pick out the large scraps with either a slotted spoon or tongs. Run through a fine mesh strainer to get the rest of the scraps separated out. From there, just portion out your cozy stock into tupperware containers and store in the fridge! If you don't plan to use it within a week, just toss it in the freezer.

Such an easy way to make use of ALL of your produce. Hope you enjoy!

Getting Crafty: Valentine's Day Cards!

Since V-day is less than a week away, I decided to make some silly cards with my new Finetec Pearlescent Palette...

This palette is absolutely my favorite right now! Easy to work with, shimmery and beautiful, travel-friendly... what more could a busy lettering lady ask for?

I decided that I wanted to make a few cards that were playful and silly. Cards that take themselves too seriously feel kinda foreign to me, so I went ahead and had some fun with them...

Feeling accomplished for actually making something rather than just spending hours practicing with little or nothing to show for it!

(If anyone out there is interested in a custom card, just write me! A contact form is located in the panel to the right.)

Xoxo!

Signed, Sealed, Delivered - We've Booked Our Venue

Hey Y'all!

Sorry for the long absence. It's been a crazy, hectic, somewhat-tragic, mostly-joyful couple of weeks but I'm excited to be back into the swing of things at last. Anyone else feeling like 2017 is a doozy so far?

Either way, things are looking up! I'm so excited to announce that Ben and I have booked our wedding venue! We couldn't be happier with our decision and can't believe that we were able to find a place that feels so personal to us, but also feels extravagant enough to host our big day! Who knew THAT was possible, based on the fact that half of our team is a professional starving-artist ;)

I'm so relieved to have the exact when and where nailed down. I listened to “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” on repeat for several days afterwards. Ideally we were hoping to be able to have our wedding in the fall or spring, but because of our work schedules we settled on a date in the middle of the summer 2018. That Tennessee heat won't hold us back!

Believe it or not, we managed to find a place that is...

• Significant for both of us as a couple and our history together
• Falls in line with our priorities about what type of organization we want to support
• Represents and promotes something that brings us together and even symbolically matches how our personalities intersect (in my view, at least; Ben would never say something so conceptually sentimental)

I know that may sound oddly-esoteric, crazy, and super vague, but I'll explain myself a bit more thoroughly when the time comes to announce our location. Thanks for reading and sticking with me and us as we plan our big day!

Sending love, prayers, and good vibes!