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 

"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...

 MIMI+MEG/ Court & Hudson/ Sacramento Street /  My Cup of Te /Blog / The Decorista / Modern Eve / Apartment 34 / Design Blahg / Vmac & Cheese / Miles to Style / Life in a Venti Cup  / The Zhush / Radiant Republic / Savvy Home / The Doctor's Closet /  Design Manifest / Because It's Awesome /  {extra}ordinary wonders /  Sparkling Footsteps / Hitha On The Go / Note To Self / So Much To Smile About / Blogstar / The Goods Design / Style & Pepper / Small Shop Studio  / Long Distance Loving / Maggie Rose Blog / The City Girl In Me / The Best Laid Plans / Concrete Jungle DC / Food Fashion Fitness / East Coast Chic

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra

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

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 

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 

DIY {re-furbished antique bench}

As you already know, this past week I was back home in Connecticut helping my mother get ready for her Bi-Annual Garden Art Sale.  Since I am contributing some handmade pillow covers to the sale I needed to create the perfect display.  Now my mom has lugged this antique bench around for almost 20 years and still hasn't re-furbished it and   we thought, what not a better time than now!  With my need for a cute display and her wanting to add a custom piece to her upstairs hallway, this bench was the perfect fix for both of us!

So we went on the hunt for the perfect fabric and trim to coordinate with my pillows but more importantly her decor! With us being in a sort of time crunch we narrowed our choices down to this variegated, "vintage looking" fabric wit coordinating avocado piping. 

 Next, my mom sanded prepped and primed the bench while I worked on upholstering the new fabric, foam and batting to this custom made piece of wood we are using for the seat {you may have noticed in the first pic that the actual seat was missing}

 Thank goodness for a warm sunny day! Between my mom and I we were able to get this DIY project done in a day and a half{including drying time}!!  Oh how I love having someone working beside me, I get so much done a whole lot quicker than if I were doing it by myself!  Oh, and my apologies for the iphone pics...I have much better ones when this bench makes its debut at the sale on May 5th, but until then....

 Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns

Found Fridays {Elephanté}

You didn't really think I would make the trip back to Connecticut and not go thrifting did you?! It wasn't more than 2 hours after I stepped off the plane after a long redeye flight and no sleep that my mom and I stopped at one of her favorite weekly pitstops.  I seriously must have been channeling the need for some good luck with all the new projects we were about to start when we found this ceramic elephant {among a ton of other things}!! We named him Elephanté.  Here he is bulldozing through the rhododendrons that just bloomed in my mothers front garden. 

To the Hindu way of thought the elephant is found in the form of a Ganesha who is the god of luck, fortune, protection and is a blessing upon all new projects.  With plenty of new projects on the horizon this past week we sure needed all the luck on our side!  I can't wait to share some of them in next weeks posts!

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns  

Gettin Ready: Bi-Annual Garden Art Sale!

This past weekend was all about preparing for my trip home to Connecticut. While I would love to call it a vacation its really not...I've got lots of projects planned with my mamacita in my short visit to get ready for her Bi-Annual Garden Art Sale.  With this being the second year in a row and 3rd sale we are excited to showcase more artists work, including some of my own.  So I've been working overtime here to get a small collection of pillows together as a contribution! 

The special collection I am creating all started with this fabric:  very green and garden like wouldn't you say?!

In trying to keep things light and fresh I then went on the hunt for coordinating fabrics and trim...Lucky me everything I found was a remnant of some sort so this collection stays true to my eco approach!

So off to the seamstress these go and off to Connecticut I go....stay tuned for more behind the scenes DIY stuff throughout the week!

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns

   

Found Fridays {green with glamour}

Another pair of chairs are off to get upholstered and boy did I get lucky on this one!! I snagged these beauties for dirt cheap at only $20 for the pair..Yes I said $20...for both..which is almost unheard of!  Being that they are missing a whole lot of caning and have a whole lot of god knows what going on with the existing upholstery these are gonna cost a pretty penny to get back into shape for sure.  But, when they're done they are gonna be green with glamour, and I guarentee your gonna be feeling green too, only with envy! With a little more tufting being added and some new velvet fabric in the perfect shade of green I might just have to keep these for my own living room!  So, when I get back in 2 weeks from some last minute trips I have planned this chair makeover will be complete and I will have some more b&a photos that I won't wanna wait to share! 

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns 

Up For Sale! {pink and perfect}

I have been holding out on sharing some of these pics while the new e-commerce site was being built but I just can't hold it in any longer! Here is a little sneak peek at some of the items up for sale for our spring collection, I can't wait to list more so keep checking back, new items will be added daily! And that gorgeous hot pink tufted bench already sold within 2 days of being posted so don't hesitate, cause these one of kind beauties won't be around long!

All items seen here are posted for sale here on my ebay store and the clock is ticking!

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns 

Found Fridays {the inseparable duo}

 I recently found these 2 chairs, actually at separate places, but since they were so close in style I decided to make them a inseparable duo.  I could have upholstered them in different fabric but I chose to keep it simple by upholstering them in the same fabric this time.  And, while most of the time I like to just give it a new paint job, this time I chose to darken up the stain a little.  More so I did it like this because I wanted them to compliment that gorgeous hot pink tufted ottoman bench I recently shared with you.

So if you love this combo as much as I do then stay tuned cause they will be up for sale soon...or come back every friday to check out my new finds! 

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns 

Photoshoot Inspiration: Counting Down The Minutes!

 So tomorrow is the big adventure...the much anticipated photoshoot day! With a 5am wake up call to hit the road we are all hustling here to pull together all the final details. Food props {check}, flowers {check}, pillows: just picked them up from my seamstress and they look sooo awesome, so another {check} in that department! Needless to say there are a ton more little details to consider, especially with where we are going to shoot. But since I still can't give away all the deets I would like to leave you with another inspiration pic {funny enough I found this after we planned the whole shin-dig}. With that said, keep tuned in to see all the behind the scenes pics I will be tweeting to you tomorrow!!

{image via luxe-gifts}

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns

J'Adore Adore!

I love when I wake up to an inbox with a message telling me the latest issue of Adore Home Magazine is up and online!! It's by far one of my absolutely favorite digital magazines, so much so that I flip through the pages for months after to stay inspired to keep moving forward towards the bigger picture...that being said...someday I will being reading about my stuff in their mag..{I hope..no..I know}.  But in the meantime, here are some of my favorite pages {the ones I will be flipping back to for days to come}

Enoy!

 While there are soooo many more pages to swoon over I happen to choose the most colorful...maybe because we are approaching summer soon here in Southern California where things are just starting to heat up! More of the April/May issue of Adore are just a click away!   

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns