Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Weekend Wedding {Heartstone Ranch}

Sorry for the lack of updating the past week but things got so hectic!! For the past two weeks since I got home from vacation I have been pulling together all the final details for a wedding I was asked to style for two very good friends of ours, Hilary & Gavin.  The couple got married up at the Heartstone Ranch in Carpenteria just south of Santa Barbara this past weekend and boy did it turn out great!  If you might remember those glasses I featured on one of my found fridays post {the blue indiana thumbprint glasses}, well, they finally made their debut as well as several other vintage peices I have been collecting!!  

So while I am waiting {with much excitement} for more of the photos to be received by none other than Leila Brewster {an amazing photographer with a notable dreamy, artistic style} who needs to be credited for all the photos provided in this post, I couldn't help but want to share a few photos of the event that she just sent me early this morning.  The location and the weather were perfect and all the hard work and details came together exactly as I anticipated! Enjoy!   






                   




                            

 All images are courtesy of Leila Brewster Photography 
&
All floral arrangements, tablescapes and vintage rentals were done and provided by myself on belhalf of borrowed blu 

A special thanks to the bride and groom, Naomi and the girls from DNT Events for their coordination efforts, as well as all others involved in contributing this special occasion {you know who you are:)}

I can't wait to share more pics of the event soon!  Lets just say we are definitely shooting for a feature on Style Me Pretty for this one!!

Creatively Yours,
Cassandra Stearns 

Monday, May 14, 2012

"Things I'm Afraid To Tell You"

Hey everyone...so I woke up this morning feeling a bit overwhelmed at all the things I want/have to get done this week and one of them was writing a blog post...it wasn't the actual writing that was getting to me but it was what to write about which was a mystery.  So I started like I almost always do.  I opened up my laptop and started checking and responding to emails, surfing social media and blog sites, and then I found this post from Coco+Kelley.

{image via EZ}

  This is one of those posts you stumble upon and its like ahhh (not to be confused with aghh) meaning I am glad I took the time to read it!  Its like going down a rabbit hole to reality that happens to be so refreshing.  The post was titled "Things I'm Afraid to Tell You".  After reading this post the doors kept opening to other "like" posts from bloggers involved in this now called "movement"...and a movement it truely is! As a newbie in the blog/small business start up world I can't tell you how the words have been taken from my mouth affirming to me that I am diving into a pool of like minded people...more alike than I thought!  I can't wait to take the time to keep reading others posts that have joined the "Things I'm Afraid To Tell You" movement..

So, until I gather my thoughts more completely to share, I encourage you to get to know me more through the words of others by reading a few yourselves!

Here are the links to "wave 2" and I will do my best to keep bringing you more! Happy Reading...




Creatively Yours,
Cassandra


Friday, May 11, 2012

Found Fridays {Just In Time For Mother's Day}

I have been well over due for a little thrift store scouting since I have been out of town the past couple of weeks but lucky me I have had the past 2 days relatively freed up so I could do just that! Normally I have myself on my brain and what I like but just in time for Mothers Day I stumbled upon a partial set of these "Liberty Blue" dishes from Staffordshire China {8 dinner, 8 saucers, 7 b&b, 3 tea cups and 1 bowl}.  I was able to bargain with the lady and got them for $40 instead of $55.  To be honest, I would have bought them for $55 either way cause the going rate per plate is almost $10..but anyways back to Mothers Day...My mother is hooked on this collection...in fact she has an almost complete set for not just 8 but 80 people.  While I might be tempted to keep them for myself, I decided it would be the perfect Mothers Day gift for her.  So, I am packing them up all safe and secure and shipping them out...I just hope they get there in time! 

A note on the "Liberty Blue"...According to Robbins Nest website it was designed in and sold in 1976 to commemorate America's 200th anniversary celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  It was made by Enoch Wedgewood in the Staffordshire district of England in the tradition of the 19th century Staffordshire historical blue china.  This china features various scenes all referencing early American historical events.  


Happy Mothers Day Mom!!  

Creatively Yours,
Cassandra Stearns

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Chrysalis Beach Shoot {a sneak peek}

This morning I received an email with a few photos from the shoot we did a few weeks ago...what a teaser!! The few I've seen so far have come out so good I am  restless just waiting to see the others!  While I would like to hold out on you too till I get all the photos I just couldn't resist sharing....Enjoy the sneak peek of part of the table setting I put together! Oh and styling services and vintage rentals are available through me so don't hesitate to contact me! A special thanks to my friends Kimber and Cassa Romero for helping me organize and photograph the shoot! While their website is in development you can check out {here} to see more of their photography as well as other photos that inspire them! 


Creatively Yours,
Cassandra Stearns 

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Paris and Rome..I Didn't Wanna Go Home!

Sorry for skipping out on my posting dutys last week but I happened to be on a very belated honeymoon in Paris...following with a short stop in Rome.  It was an amazing trip despite a few bumps here and there (i.e rainy weather and missed flights and have lots of inspiration pics to share!  With that you all know I wouldn't travel abroad without trying to find a local flea market to scout out the local good finds! After plenty of research I narrowed it down to heading just north of Paris to Port de Clignancourt, known for the "Les Puces de Saint-Ouen" a.k.a. The Flea Market of Saint-Ouen. We were able to get there via the metro in just 20 minutes time! 



Streets full of antique dealers at every foot seem to be a permanent fixture here unlike the ones i'm familiar with in the states that just pop up and down each week..I was in heaven!  Since I had been looking for vintage brass fixtures for my night-stands for some time now these were the first priority item to look for.  You should have seen my eyes when I turned around the corner and saw crates full of them!



 I dug and dug and found several pieces I liked individually but couldn't find any two the same...Since I needed 8 total I decided to keep moving on and scout out another favorite indulgence...vintage dishware!  Tons, and tons of it filled each vendor space like nothing I have ever seen! If it weren't for the difficulty and cost to transport such fragile finds I may have had to splurge...most of it late 18th and early 19th century...But seriously, what a feast for my eyes!   


  Next on to fabric...


 And I finally ended up stumbling upon these early 20th century perfume and toiletry glass bottles and labels in new and unused condition all marked on the bottom as being Made In France....Tons left over from companies that never used them all....I immediately thought of my friends Kimber and Cassa who in addition to their mother have started an all organic and natural skin care line called Lollique! Being that they and the name of their business are of French descent,  I thought these would be a fitting gift to them.  They have been on the lookout themselves for vintage glass vessels to use for their products so why not these?!... 


   
While I could have spent a fortune on all the goodies I found this trip I had to restrain myself.  I now know its a must for my next trip to to put aside a little business money for some one of kind treasures that can't be found anywhere else!  For now, happy travels!

Creatively Yours,
Cassandra Stearns