Happy Birthday f&f!

Today (well, actually yesterday) marks F&F's 1st Birthday! I can't believe its already/only been 1 year! Soooo much has happened over the past 12 months, and this wonderful blog has captured it all. First of all, THANK YOU to all our readers, clients, followers & fans. We are so lucky to have such a fabulous support group, and we love to share with you and hear from you every day. We are SO inspired by your blogs and shops and creativity! As our brand and business grows and evolves, we will strive to give you fresh inspiration & ideas. There are some big projects on the horizon...and we cannot WAIT to share them with you!

Secondly, f&f is busy as can be (yay!)! So we are currently looking to expand our team with an intern/contributer. We haven't quite hammered down the job description or details, but if you are at all interested in being part of the f&f team, please email me!

THANK YOU, LOVELIES! We wish we could serve each of you a REAL cake cookie to celebrate!

{photo by Ellie Grover Photography}

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Spring Giveaway

In case you didn't make it to Target to snatch up some of Liberty's AMAZING pieces, you're in luck! Today F&F is giving away OUR favorite piece from the Target Collection: The Poppy Tote! It's coated (aka waterproof - think oilcloth), the perfect size and shape for carrying a laptop, books & mags, or an iPad (if you are a lucky owner!), and the multi-colored Poppy floral print is so bright and FUN for Spring. Sure beat's the April Shower blues! Enter to win! You have until the end of the week (5pm PST on Friday the winner will be announced! SEE DETAILS BELOW).

ALSO, make sure you head over to In Honor of Design today! Anna was kind enough to feature F&F today...and if you aren't a follower of her lovely and inspiring blog, add her to your reader! F&F has a special offer for her readers over there for this week as well!!!

HAPPY MONDAY!

Giveaway Details...HOW TO ENTER TO WIN:
1. Follow F&F's Blog
2. Leave a Comment on this Post
3. Spread the word via Twitter or Facebook (and leave a comment telling us you did) for multiple entries and more chances to win!
WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN AT 5PM PST ON FRIDAY VIA RANDOM.ORG

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Workspace Makeover: More Before Shots & A Preview!

So tomorrow is the Big Reveal of my Workspace Makeover! Not only that, but our entire place will be featured on Apartment Therapy!! Crazy, right!? Well I have been styling and cleaning and organizing like a champ to get my workspace AND home in photo-ready condition. So make sure you check in tomorrow for all of the amazing photos (shot by photographer & blogger extraordinaire, Jess Watson).

In the meantime, here are some before shots of the space. And by before, I mean before I even moved in and cluttered it up!


It's basically my kitchen nook. You see, in SF, square footage is hard to come by (and expensive), and storage is basically nonexistent. So you have to get creative....



Above: BEFORE I moved in
Below: AFTER I moved in (and before the GIANT overhaul)



And finally, here is a sneak peek at the finished product....siiiiiigh. I am in love with this image, and there are MANY more to come tomorrow! Stay tuned!



{photo by Jess Watson of The Wife of an Artist and Apartment Therapy}

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Vote: The Lovelies!

Hi, lovely readers! Don't forget to vote for F&F on The Lovelies!!!!

We are in the TOP 10 in both the Wedding Blog & Paper Blog categories.
Thank you, Jess, for nominating us!

HAVE A LOOOOOVELY WEEKEND!

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Real Wedding: Giselle & Fernando

Well, today is a very exciting day as we are posting our very first Real Wedding from a bride we just adore! Giselle hired Frenchie & Flea to create her wedding invitations months ago, and we are just thrilled to be able to share her wedding photos with you today!

Here are some details from the gorgeous bride...
It took place November 15, 2009, it was probably the most amazing Sunday ever! The Wedding took place at Coral Gables Congregational Church, in Coral Gables Florida at 3:30pm. The Reception took place at the Red Fish Grill in Coral Gables, an amazing restaurant overlooking Biscayne Bay.

My dress was from Ever After here in Coconut Grove Florida. The designer was Ulla-Maija Couture. I was all about the traditional wedding, from the wedding music in the Church to the veil in front all the way down the Aile! My veil was created by a designer from Ever After.

I had my Groomsman in black ties and my beautiful bridesmaids in long, flowing
Eggplant dresses by Jim Helm.

My Flowers were created by Gil Sosa. I wanted something simple. My arrangements were domes of white Hydrangeas, filled with White Roses, and Cymbidium Orchids. He had willows in the middle of the dome, with hanging orchids. Amazing!!!





The Reception was everything I had envisioned and more! My high school friend Ursula helped me tremendously. There aren't enough THANK YOU's I can ever express to her for what she did for me...She did a lot of my DIY projects including creating my centerpieces for the cocktail hour. I had a table with all of our grandparents photographs when they got married. I also did not want favors, so we donated to Take Hope Against Cancer, in memory of my Uncle and my husband's Grandfather who passed away from cancer. On our tables we had your fabulous Menus, with an Orchid and my donation cards with a bracelet from our charity.



The linens were from A Touch of Class, also here in Miami. My cake was created by Nineta, she is actually a friend of my aunts who does not do this professionally, and did one heck of a job!!!! My cake was exactly what I wanted!




For our cocktail music, we had a Cuban (one man) Band, play "old Cuban music" (both our families are Cuban)...mostly music from like the 50's-70's, things our parents really could enjoy! My grandparents loved every minute of him, too! After, my very talented brothers (one sings and the other plays the guitar) played a song for my husband and I. AND, we also had a DJ!



And finally, Maloman Photographers...I have no words....Stephan and Candace (his wife) are a talented amazing team, and they were the first thing I booked 2 days after my engagement! I love them!

WOW! I mean this traditional & classy affair was just gorgeous! Thank you so much, Giselle, for letting us share your special day with our reader! We loved working with you and wish you and Fernando all the best!

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Dreams of France + GIVEWAY & DISCOUNTS!

Dreams of France.

Who doesn't dream of France?
Pastries & Romance....there's not a whole lot better in our book.
Since we won't be going there any time soon,
we drift off to France in our thoughts when we visit our Sponsor's store!

Dreams of France is full of romantic treasures that will make you feel as if you have landed in Europe without ever leaving your home.{Carte Postale Pillow Sham ~ $50.00}

Jackie, the owner of Dreams of France, started her shop a year ago this month. "I have always wanted to own a little shop and bring beautiful things in to share with people ~ things that I would love to have in my own home," Jackie shares.

We asked Jackie to tell us what inspires her with her store,
"I am inspired by all of the amazing, talented women I have met through blogging and all of the wonderful things they do. My children inspire me to be a better person and to see the world through fresh eyes. My husband inspires me with his patience, kindness and support of me and all my endeavors. And overall, I am inspired by the beauty that is all around me…especially now that spring is around the corner!"

We love her answer and I think many of you would to! Blogging is a world of inspiration as are the people we love that surround us.

{Tea Dyed Towel ~ $12.00}

We appreciate unique shops, artists, bloggers. We love when people cultivate their own style and stamp of authenticity. We asked Jackie to tell us what three things are unique about her and/or her store.
She said:
"The items I carry are largely made by hand by friends or other women with small businesses. I like to support individual artisans as much as possible.

My shop is very specific to it's theme of Dreams of France - I'm keeping it small and focused to things I really love. Most of what I carry, I believe, reflects a French feeling. I do "dream of France"…and I am lucky enough to get to go there this summer!

One of my favorite parts about having the shop is taking pictures. I'm learning as I go about photography and am really enjoying being able to share that as part of what you see on the site!"

{La Lumiere ~ now $19.00}

Lastly, we wanted Jackie to share some words of encouragement with you. Are you dreaming of starting a store or something that just has you a little...scared? In Jackie's words,
" Just do it!! Seriously, I don't know a ton about business, but I would say, stay true to a vision, start small and let it grow naturally. I love what I'm doing and I am thrilled with every order I get - it's a blessing to be able to do what you love to do! "

Well, because Jackie is SO awesome, she's hosting a giveaway here!
She is giving away 1 of her Madonna Burlap pillow covers pictured below + the insert for it!

{Madonna Burlap Pillow Cover ~ $30.00}

To enter to win
Visit Dreams of France and leave a comment here with your favorite item in her shop!
Make sure you're a follower, too.
If you want extra chances to win, spread the news on twitter or facebook.
Leave a comment for each thing you do & share the link in your comment!

Giveaway ends on Thursday, February 4 at 5pm PST.
Winner will be announced on Friday, February 5!

Oh, by the way, Jackie is even MORE awesome because she is offering a 10% discount to ALL of you through February 28, 2010!
Enter this coupon code and check out to save: FF210

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{SPONSOR FEATURE} Sadie Olive

Happy first day of the week and 3rd week in 2010, can you believe it?!
Today we want you to check out Sadie Olive- one of our amazing sponsors!Sara, the amazingly talented woman behind Sadie Olive, is someone you are going to consider a new favorite.
When you visit her shop, you'll not only see gorgeous vintage items you will notice she is an incredible photographer.

Sadie Olive is the place for "one of a kind finds."
There really is something for everyone.Vintage playing cards, religious relics, decor, or kitchen ware are just a few of the treasures you can find
when shopping for yourself, a friend, or a family member.
And, if what you really love is the way Sara makes things look, you MUST visit her photography shop!

Please do stop by Sadie Olive ~ One Of A Kind Finds
We are sure you'll adore her unique treasures as much as we do.
And if you just can't get enough of Sara's talent, you can find her in a few other places too:
Boutique
Blog
{all photos are, of course, courtesy of Sadie Olive}

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Weekly Inspiration

Hey all you newly engaged brides out their! Have you started hunting for vendors, ideas, designs, and style to make your special day look totally amazing?
Well, let us help you out!

F&F will be gathering the best of what we've seen in the wedding, events & design world and writing weekly posts highlighting our finds. We will also be sharing ideas and projects that we are currently working on, so stay tuned for some serious eye candy and inspiration...

In search of wedding or event design & styling?
Check out our new website, or e-mail us!

Interested in submitting a real wedding or event?
We will gladly accept real wedding, baby shower, party, & engagement session submissions for review {with photographer's permission}! Send us an email!

{image by Cameron Ingalls}

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Sponsor Feature: Tara's Vintage Kitchen

Welcome to a new week, friends! Today, we are totally thrilled to feature one of our sponsors:

You may recall this darling little shop from our Handmade Holiday Gift Guide. Stocked full of deliciously vintage goodies for your kitchen, it's run by the sweetest mother and daughter team (Sharon & Tara) - appropriately referred to as The Vintage Shoppe Keepers!

From linens to silver to bakeware, Tara's Vintage Kitchen has impeccable taste and offers only the lovliest of lovely vintage treasures from kitchens past. Our current favorite (perfect, in fact, for a Valentine's Day gift) is this 1950's Vintage Red Apron:

Please do stop by Tara's Vintage Kitchen.

We are sure you'll adore their finds as much as we do (not to mention the photos are just perfection!).

You can also check out the shoppe keeper's blog here.

{all photos courtesy of Tara}

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Calling All Sponsors & Features...

F&F would love to be sponsored by your shop, blog, or business this year!
We are also accepting Feature Applications for upcoming posts.
Please contact us for more information.

We can't wait to hear from you!

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In Style with Christan P Photography

What do you get when you combine an incredibly talented photographer, an adorable couple, and Frenchie & Flea?

A ton of F-U-N...and total creative amazingness!

Remember how we have been incessantly discussing how pumped we are for 2010?
OK well this is one of the BIGGEST reasons.
We're plunging right into a whole new sector of style as we have completed our first official photo styling session with Christan P Photography & his fabulous clients, Travis + Miranda.

So, let us give you a teaser and talk to you a little about what went down this fun day!

First, meet Christan of Christan P Photography:

We're here to vouch for the fact that he is as awesome as he looks -- it's true!
Oh, and we should clarify that while his name looks like it's Christian it's actually Chris-tan (Kristin if you're writing his name on a cup at Starbucks)

This Converse-clad photographer can be summed up in three words: happy, genuine, and hilarious. When shooting with Christan, you are guaranteed more laughter than you can imagine AND incredible photos as a result...he just completely gets his clients.

California based but more than willing to travel, Christan is an insanely talented catch for your big day!

Now, Meet Travis + Miranda
We were tickled (to say the least) to find out that Miranda was a big fan of Frenchie & Flea! She has to be the epitome of fabulous, and we have never been so flattered by anyone in our life than when we met her. We knew instantly that she and her adorable fiance, Travis, were going to be a a joy to spend the afternoon with...their love and excitement was so fun to witness!

We teamed up with Christan to style the engagement shoot for this totally awesome couple. Here are some of the shots from that day:

With an F&F original handmade burlap back drop for a fun photo booth feel, Travis & Miranda literally jumped in front of the camera and were ready to rock without any direction.

As their little entourage of 1 photographer + 2 photo stylists looked on, I'm pretty sure they didn't even notice that we were there.
It was pretty freaking precious!

As it turns out, Travis proposed to his bride-to-be while having a picnic at Disneyland.
Sort of ideal to bring that back to their engagement session.

Christan, Travis, and Miranda...
you ROCKED!
Thank you for letting us step in and style your session...it was a great afternoon and we just loved coming along for the ride!

Visit Christan and let him know what you thought of the sesssion!

F&F photo styling & custom photo backdrops will be available to photographers and couples alike in 2010!

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Get. Excited. 12 Stores + 12 Giveaways!!!!!

PSSSSSSSST!!!!  F&F has a big, and we're talking BIG, couple of weeks planned for our readers.  With the holidays here and the gifting and entertaining beginning, we have decided to make a Handmade Holiday Pledge.  

Yep....that's right.  

See ya later Box Stores!  

We refuse to spend our money and time on mass produced, chain store products.  

Why?  Because it's generic, unthoughtful, and just plain boooooooring.  We want to support fellow Etsy Shops!  Don't you?  So.....Are you in?  We hope so!!!!!!

Announcing F&F's first annual...

Oh-MY-GoOdNeSs!!!

12 Artists + Their 12 Etsy Stores + 12 Giveaways!!!

You're going to want to tune in on MONDAY and start telling your friends because it's every day (Mon-Thurs.) for THREE WHOLE WEEKS!

Be prepared to be inspired and friends--we dare you--take the handmade challenge!!
These talented women that you will meet over the next three weeks are SO worth supporting! Get out of the department stores and into the homes and hearts of artists this season!

Borrow this button above, start blogging about, start talking about it--we invite you to once, twice, every time, blog this logo to announce and share the Etsy stores you're going to come in contact with!!

We'll see you bright and early Monday morning (Nov. 9th) for Day #1 of our 12 days of Handmade Holidays!  

Tis the season to support handmade, local and vintage shops! 

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Style Me Pretty Feature!

The fabulous Abby at Style Me Pretty featured my wedding and F&F this morning (here and here)...and of course we were THRILLED! We seriously obsess over SMP and all of her wedding posts...what a fabulous resource it was during my planning process! Here are some more details from the big day....enjoy!

Handmade crafty details and lots of pops of color were my fave elements!

Delicious Flower Girls in tutus and AMAZING bouquets and centerpieces by my wonderful "Aunt" Bobbie!

A quaint church on a hill, complete with steeple and bell tower, was perfection!

Photos by Cameron Ingalls that make you swoon....he is unbelievably talented!

Breathtaking views of San Francisco were to die for!

It was a day that was picture perfect in every way. I was blessed beyond measure by friends and family, and I couldn't have prayed for a better wedding.

Thank you Style Me Pretty for the fantastic feature! I am truly honored!!!!!!

Still to come....some of my fave vendors I purchased from for the big day (including those insanely adorable flower girl tutus and shoes from Etsy shops!!!!!)

{photos by Cameron Ingalls}

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