Happy Weekend!

Enjoy your weekend and go get some cherries at the farmer's market! It's a short season, so you have to eat 'em up while you can! Delish!

image from here

Make sure you stop by on Monday for a FABULOUS (and seriously, I mean FAB-U-LOUS!) feature and GIVEAWAY! We are soooo excited about this one....stay tuned!

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Mood Boards

(image: Ez of Creature Comforts for Melissa Loves)

In college I studied Graphic Design and also took a TON of Fine Art & Art History. One thing we did before almost EVERY project was create "mood boards" to pitch our idea/concept to the class. This was probably my favorite part of the creative process, and took me back to my childhood when I would create mood boards for EVERYTHING (even cutting out cute kids in magazines and putting them on a "this is what my family will look like someday" board). Below is my current wedding mood board (please forgive me for not having all of the links...). It honestly wasn't until I created this that I felt committed to my vision and at ease with my planning. I had DIRECTION and something to look at that kept me inspired and also made it easier to make decisions. Everything I purchase, make, or DO needs to somehow fit into the vision below...this keeps me from straying or having too many elements that don't coexist beautifully.

I read a TON of wedding and style blogs and loooove how mood boards have become such a part of even the "electronic" creative experience! They are also called "Inspiration Boards" or "Vision Boards" but whatever you call them, they are AWESOME. If you have a project or concept stirring around in your head, a home improvement or gardening vision, even an outfit idea, the BEST thing to do is to put it down on paper (on on your computer screen). Lay out colors, patterns, textures, pictures of inspiring places or things and allow yourself lots of flexibility....mix and match, add and take away...until you have achieved the right mood. I also find that looking at other people's boards when I am in a creative rut can really get my juices flowing again! Here are some of my favorites from other blogs:

100 Layer Cake creates simply wonderful boards with fabulous color pallettes.

Snippet & Ink takes an inspired color, item or feeling and creates an entire wedding concept with it, the board above was completely built upon red poppies!

Ez at Creature Comforts creates outfits (complete with where to buy and total cost!) inspired by everything from an interior to an occasion.

Concrete and Honey uses collage as an art form...this is my favorite kind of inpsiration board, the kind where you cut things, paste things, add notes, etc. I could look at her flickr all day!

So...if you are ever feeling overwhelmed by a looming project, creative block because you have all these ideas swimming around in your head, or just plain don't know where to start (i.e. planning an event or shopping for an outfit), mood boards are a great way to get organized and get your ideas out in one visible spot. And as much as they can help you START a project, they most definitely can keep you focused throughout a project (like a wedding). Yay for mood boards! Don't you just LOVE them?

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Oooh La La, Doilies & Lace!

I'm feeling inspired by lace and doilies and vintage appliques...I love the delicate patterns, and how lovely lace is layered with other materials! My great-grandmother used to hand crochet doily after doily...it's funny how back then I thought they were so "oldie" and now they make me swoon!

Here are a few of my faves: The dress below I chose from Anthropologie for my bridesmaids to wear in my wedding (it's even MORE adorable in person, and has pockets!); the table runner is a DIY project I found that I'm DYING to do with all my great-grandmother's doilies; the lumbar pillow is a FABULOUS creation from our friend Grace; a gorgeous fascinator by our friend LoBoheme; the vintage lace bunting is an ETSY find that I am in LOVE with; and the lace doily wrapped vase is a DIY project from Country Living Magazine!

Sweet Olive Shift Dress from Anthropologie
DIY Lace Doily Table Runner from Donna Hay
Burlap Lumbar Pillow with Lace Doily from Coastline
Winslet Fascinator from LoBoheme

Vintage Lace Bunting from Ravenhill

DIY Vintage Doily Wrapped Vase from Country Living

With all this vintage doily love going around, Frenchie & Flea was determined to find a way to repurpose vintage lace and create an amazing one-of-a-kind occasion card with it! What do you think? It's made with a vintage french lace applique from

 the 1920's, guinea feathers, vintage linen ribbon and a yellow button! My favorite part about this card is that it's blank, so you can send it to someone special and they can in turn repurpose the front of the card as a gift tag, trim it down and make a magnet for the fridge, the list is endless! This is in our shop today!

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NEW PRODUCTS!!

A new week means new products!

We're proud to share our new design with you...
Notebook Pages!
This set includes 6-4x6 Cards & 6-Red A6 Envelopes
These cards will remind you of the simple days--scribbling on your textbooks and writing notes on torn out notebook paper!


And, well, guess what's just around the corner?
FATHER'S DAY!
Celebrate the Dad in your life with one of our handmade Tie cards!
1-A2 Size Folded, Linen Cards with Envelope
Decorated with a fabric tie and blank inside for your loving message!
(Happy Father's Day can be added to the front of your card upon request)
You can buy these cards on their own
OR
........THIS WEEK ONLY..........
**Receive 1 FREE FATHER'S DAY CARD when you place an order!**
(valid May 26 ~ May 29. 2009 only)

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National Stationary Show, Part II

Here's the final wrap-up from the National Stationary Show last week in NYC....thanks to some of my favorite blogs, I was able to get a little taste of the grand affair and all of it's design/display glory! Next year, we'll be there....I have my heart set on it!

letterspace

egg press

blue ribbon

Haute Papier

Can you tell I'm a sucker for good displays?! The Haute Papier booth used these letter's from Anthropologie with some gorgeous ribbon in different lengths...something you could TOTALLY do yourself! I'm contemplating doing something similar as part of my wedding decor...maybe our names or "LOVE" or something...I already have ONE of these letters from Anthro and it is adorable...LOVE IT!
all images: Oh So Beautiful Paper

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DIY from Project Wedding - Pots of Moss

These moss pots are pretty much adorable....and a ridiculously inexpensive way to decorate a table for a dinner party, a garden wedding, or to give as hostess gifts or party favors. I am in LOVE! Jordan Ferney of Oh Happy Day gives step by step DIY instructions at Project Wedding. FABULOUS!

all images from: Oh Happy Day

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TGIF! What a Week.....

image source: Oh So Beautiful Paper

This week has been a whirlwind! It was a week of celebration, that's for sure! Allegra's birthday and the F&F Grand Opening started Monday with a bang! Again, Happy Birthday to my dear friend and business partner Allegra--I LOVE YOU! Also, we want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who made a purchase at our etsy shop, and to all our readers! We are just so tickled to be up and running!! And an EXTRA special thank you to our blogging friends who helped kick off our Grand Opening this week!! We are beyond greatful for your support!

In case you missed it, Allegra and I were both interviewed by the fabulous Tracy of Loving Pretty Things this week (check it out here and here). She also hosted a giveaway of some our notecards!!!!

Tara of Blondie 'N SC also hosted a giveaway of F&F notecards...check her blog on Monday for the winners!!!!

Kasey of Lola B's featured our Lovebird Notecards on her blog.

Christan (Allegra's oh-so-wonderful hus who seriously helped us more than I can tell you--THANK YOU THANK YOU) featured F&F as his "Photo of the Week" on his photography blog!

We uploaded our first wedding invitation suite to our etsy shop!!!! Check back often, more wedding invitations are on their way, along with save the dates and a new notecard design (hopefully sometime next week!)!

PHEW!!!!!!!! Time for some r&r on this long weekend (yay!). We'll be back in full swing come Tuesday! Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

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F&F Does Wedding Suites!

Weddings.

They have a slew of To Do's, don't they?!
Wedding invitations now aren't just a "Please attend," they are a comprehensive detailed package that include:
::Save the Date Cards::
::The Invitation::
::The RSVP Card::
::Written Directions & A Map::
...a lot of details...
Frenchie & Flea is proud to announce that
WE CREATE WEDDING SUITES!
We not only design them we ASSEMBLE them + we can hand address them for you!

Do you like this design?
It can be yours!
We can change the monogram and the verbiage to fit you.
To learn more about this product, please go to our store:
frenchieandflea.etsy.com

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National Stationary Show, Part I

This week, I am constantly blog-stalking Nole from on of my fave paper blogs, Oh So Beautiful Paper, as she posts images and updates on the crazy-awesome National Stationary Show in NYC. It is F&F's dream and goal to have a booth there some day, and I am swooning over all of the AMAZING displays and designs....here are some of my favorite pics (and design studios) from the NSS this week (all images by Nole at Oh So Beautiful Paper):

hello!lucky

sugar paper

Dauphine Press

linda + harriett

Sycamore Street Press

Stay tuned for more as the NSS continues this week! Gosh we just looooove stationary!

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Summer Entertaining

Do you feel it in the air?
We're in the midst of Spring and Summer is just around the corner.
While Emily will play on roof tops in the city, I will dream of back yard garden parties and plan on attending all events in both of our locations ;)!

Here are two ideas for some back yard funning that I've got on my radar:
A Pink Party: Pink Desserts, Decor, Drinks, & Attire. Maybe it's just my idea of perfect ;)
Wine Tasting & Food Pairing: Organize a group of friends to bring their favorite bottle of wine & a food that pairs well. Do a back yard tasting and relax while saving the money you'd spend going out!

Need a lil' inspiration?

What a great idea for table cloth weights!

I love this idea! Cupcake papers around holiday lights for a little extra mood and fun

A summer without a game of croquet is hardly a summer at all.
Looks like there are quite a few reasons to get into some summer planning!
*all images are from Country Living's Summer Party Ideas*

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