A sweet celebration

For some of us, a celebration just isn't a celebration without ice cream. This is one thing on the "must-have" list for my {Anna} future big day. There are endless ideas for how to execute this... from filled mason jars sitting on ice, to tray passed mini-cones, to bringing in a classic ice-cream truck... but thanks to an inspiration shoot featured on 100 Layer Cake, I've completely fallen in love with the idea of tray passed sundaes in vintage martini glasses!

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Delicious and stunning! What is your favorite cake alternative dessert?

Wedding decor: bottles + jars

Dreaming up wedding decor ideas can be pretty overwhelming... there are way too many fun ideas! Lately, we're loving the idea of mixing various bottles and jars {especially when they vary in shape and/or color} and using them as centerpieces, place settings, favors, aisle decorations and our personal favorite- hanging vases!

{clockwise from top left: via; via; via; via; via}

Often popping just one or two flowers in each bottle will suffice so rather than putting your money into flowers {beautiful & sweet smelling as they are, they will die} you can highlight those pops of color with romantic glass which will sparkle against candle light at night. Scour second hand stores, antique stores and ask your friends to set aside any glass jars they run into. After the big day is over, you'll have your choice of which vases you want to keep and the others can simply be given away or recycled.

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Take a seat

If you've read our blog before, you probably know that Emily and I {Anna} go through varying phases of obsessions. We like to consider these obsessions of the healthy variety {is that possible?!} solely because they are usually with things or concepts that inspire us. The latest obsession besides Repetto shoes? Colored chairs. OMG.

{From top left: via/ via/ via/ via/ via/ via}

Though it's probably not the most budget friendly, we're dying over these wedding chairs that add such funky pops of color to the ceremony or table setting! A more cost effective option is to add a chair adornment like ribbons, sashes, place cards {yes, on the chairs} or chair covers. Either way, making those chairs stand out is a great way to wow your guests and make them feel special... not to mention that it opens the door to making a bold statement with the ambience regardless of the wedding theme or color palette.

What color {or combination of colors} would you have at your wedding?

Game Day Goodies

It's FRIDAY! And not just any Friday... the Friday before Super Bowl Sunday. Yes, this means it's likely that you're gearing up to host or attend a party for Sunday's festivities. I don't know about you, but we're pumped to see the Pats take home another win!!!

While some of this weekend will likely be devoted to cooking and preparing for the game, we wanted to share our top picks for Super Bowl recipes... but if you're hosting, don't forget to have some "healthy" snacks in there too!

1: Balsamic Honey Pulled Pork Sliders

2:  Oven Fries and Spicy Mayo

3: Cucumber Crudite Dip

Enjoy your weekend, lovelies!!

Hot air balloon Heaven

I don't know about you, but I {Anna} have always wanted to go up in a hot air balloon. It just seems so romantic, breathtaking and adventurous- without seeming dangerous. While I've been saving this ride for a special occasion {what that might be, I have no idea}, I absolutely adore them as decorations. When I was researching fun ideas for incorporating these little guys into a baby shower for a dear friend, I just jumped for joy when I stumbled upon this DIY from Martha Stewart!

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So yes, this is what I'll be doing this weekend: paper macheing, painting and decorating. YAY for a 3-day weekend! What sort of fun plans do you have in the works???

Just 10 days!

Can you believe there are just 10 days until Thanksgiving?? We're kind of freaking out about how fast time is flying by! While in the process of solidifying the upcoming holiday plans, I {Anna} can't help but to be a little bummed that I'm not spending the traditional Thanksgiving with my family in Seattle. Each year I'm responsible for the table decor... and I just adore putting together festive dishes with table runners, candles, a seasonally appropriate center piece and place cards. I'm convinced that my brothers still think I'm a freak for going to such great lengths but my fingers are crossed that deep down they love it! :) Anyway, I ran across this super cute idea on Jones Design Company Blog and couldn't resist passing it along! If you're the one in your family who "sets" the table, hopefully this grants you some inspiration!

SO cute, right?! But my favorite part are the thankfulness cards that your guests can write on...

Oh how I love this time of year!!!! To see the rest of their fun ideas and to download the template for these adorable thankfulness cards, go here. Enjoy!

**Don't forget to enter to win a set of our Letterpress Holiday Cards!**

*Photos courtesy of Jones Design Company

Real Weddings: Tijana & Tyler

If you're a regular visitor of Style Me Pretty, you might have caught a glimpse of this wedding that was featured last week. We've been giddy with the anticipation of sharing this beautiful day and the fun invitation suite we created to set the tone!! Tijana and Tyler wanted a vintage Parisian feel and drew inspiration from Coco Chanel. Their stationery conveyed such a fun elegance!

The big day took place at the gorgeous US Grant Hotel- the architecture alone provided beautiful decor, but Tijana and Tyler also planned out loads of details to make sure nothing was forgotten. I have to apologize in advance- there were so many STUNNING pictures to choose from that I not only had a hard time deciding which to share, but this has resulted in a major vendor crush on Laura Ashbrook Photography!!! They captured this wedding so perfectly... I think you'll agree!

Ahhhhh! Are you just swooning?! I just love the flowers by Floral Palette as well! What an amazing day!!

For more on Tijana and Tyler's wedding, check out their feature {and gallery} on Style Me Prettyand take a gander at their wedding videoby Epitome Visions.

*All photos are courtesy of Laura Ashbrook Photography

Fall Favorites: La Petite Coquin

Lena here from La Petite Coquin-I'm absolutely tickled to be guest blogging at Pearls for Paper today! Enjoying all this fall inspiration is enough to make a girl thirsty, but have no fear-your perfect autumn cocktail is here! I've been waiting for Whole Foods to open up their holiday table so I can get down to the business of ordering my Thanksgiving turkey, and to celebrate that free range bird I thought we could toast with a Cranberry Cobbler, a divine libation with plenty of fall flair!

Cranberry Cobbler serves 6 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries 1 lemon, cut into wedges 1/2 orange, sliced into thin rounds 1 1/2 cups London dry gin 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. off-dry Sherry 6 mint sprigs

Heat 1 cup of simple syrup almost to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Add cranberries and simmer until they just being to burst; let cool.

Place two tablespoons of drained cranberries and 6 tablespoons of cranberry syrup in a large pitched; add lemon wedges and orange slices. Mash fruit, then add gin and Sherry. Let steep for 5 minutes.

Fill rocks glasses with crushed ice. Strain cocktail into medium pitcher, then shake with ice. Strain into prepared glasses, then mound with additional crushed ice.

Notes: While this recipe is a bit more labor intensive that my usual libations, it's well worth the effort. For a non-alcoholic version, skip the gin and sherry and serve the cranberry syrup and muddled fruit with club soda or sparkling cider. Cheers!

Recipe by Jim Meehan, Photograph by Levi Brown for Bon Appetit.

Fall Favorites: Lovely Little Details

{image by Hugh Forte}

Hello Pearls for Paper readers! Can I tell you how excited I am to be visiting today? Emily and Anna are some of the loveliest people I've "met" (cocktails in Boston soon, please?) in this crazy wedding world, and I am just so honored to be paying a visit to the blog today :)

Oh! Maybe I should introduce myself as well? I'm Jacin, and I am an event designer/planner living in San Francisco but originally from Connecticut, and I also have a blog under my company name, Lovely Little Details. You can take the girl out of New England, but you can't take the New England out of the girl, right? So it goes without saying that I just love mason jars. Before you roll your eyes and sigh, let me back up a bit. Masons are more than just pretty decor to me, I promise. Though they are a lovely wedding trend, I actually love them because they remind me of my late grandmother, Mimi, who was the queen of canning - from jams to pickles to homemade tomato juice (best bloody mary ever, anyone?) - she knew how to make it and every time we visited her, we'd end up with a special jar of one of her labors of love. I've never shared the image below, but it is my favorite picture and I think it depicts her perfectly. Isn't she the sweetest?

So... when Anna asked me to stop by today and talk about my favorite uses for masons in the fall, I happily obliged :) Here are some of my faves!

{image by Hugh Forte}

I love how Nancy of So Happi Together added these adorable oak leave cutouts to mason jars for guests to use as place cards and drinking cups. So sweet, and perfect for fall, don't you think? I'm picturing a big canteen of hot apple cider right in the middle for an autumn gathering, or maybe if you want to jazz up your college football tailgate. Yes, my husband might be mortified, but at least it would look cute, right?

{etsy seller meganEsass}

Next up, why should we be the ones who get to enjoy our comfy fall sweaters? Kidding, but aren't these hand-knit mason jar "coozies" created by Megan Esass just so sweet? They'd be perfect for your Thanksgiving side table, or even as part of the centerpiece.

{The Nerd's Wife}

Confession: I don't like apple pie. Phew! I said it. But there's nothing like the smell of homemade apple pie with the cinnamon and spices filling the air, and to me, it automatically reminds me of the fall. That and pumpkin pie. The concept of pies in a jar will never get old to me, and I especially love the pumpkin pies - wouldn't that be a fun gift for your guests to take home after a dinner party? {Here's the step by step instructions from Our Best Bites}.

{the brides cafe}

Obviously, besides canning, my next favorite use for masons is as a simple and pretty vase. I love flowers, they just make me happy. Add a few wheat stalks, or a single dinnerplate dahlia bloom, and you've got yourself a gorgeous centerpiece. The image above is one of my ultimate faves.

{You Stir Me}

Lastly, I just stumbled upon this last week over on You Stir Me (one of my faves!) where Laura craftily adapted the Thank You Jar idea from Young House Love in to a mason jar instead of a topiary jar. The concept is that you and your family write down something you are thankful for everyday leading up to Thanksgiving, and then you read them. I just love this idea and have a big blue mason just waiting to be filled.

Thanks again Anna & Emily for having me visit today - hope you all enjoy your holiday season, mason jars and all :)

xoxo jacin

Fall Favorites: You Stir Me

Hi lovelies! I'm Laura from You Stir Me and I'm so happy to be visiting the gals at Pearls for Paper today and sharing a fun and easy DIY with you! This week is all about fall favorites and my absolute favorite thing to do this time of year is dream about all the prettiness in store for the holiday season. As soon as the first brisk fall morning peeks it's little nose around here, I instantly dive into all the holiday inspiration I've been squirreling away and have at it. Here's a little DIY I came up with, perfect for your Thanksgiving table or for those crafty brides out there wanting a homespun twist for their place cards. DIY Wreath Place Cards

You Will Need: A wreath (I used a vine wreath I had laying around but you can use a Styrofoam or cardboard one if you like!) Yarn Ribbon Glue gun Decorative accents Name Tag Scissors

Step 1: Tie one end of your yarn around the wreath and wrap the yarn all around the wreath. Tie it off when completed.

Step 2: With your glue gun, begin to glue the decorative accents to the wreath. I like to poke the ends of the accents into the wreath and hide them underneath the yarn. Be sneaky. Feel free to add as little or as much as you like! I was going to use the gold glitter ornament you see in the pictures but nixed it last minute. Editing down my crafts is not easy for me!

Step 3: Thread a piece of yarn through the name tag and tie it around the wreath. Loop your ribbon around the top, leaving the two ends untied. You'll use the ends to tie the wreath around your napkin.

Step 4: Place your wreath on your napkin and tie the ribbon ends behind the napkin. Sit back and enjoy!

Wouldn't it be such a fun idea if you made new Thanksgiving wreath place cards each year and everyone in your family started a collection of the wreaths over the years? You could hang them up on the Christmas tree or create a pretty garland to ring in the holiday season. Make sure to snip off the name tags, of course. Think of all the fun little things you could glue to the wreaths for a kids table!

My family might be seeing some little wreaths at their seats come Thanksgiving...

Fall Favorites: Cornflake dreams

Hello! It's Jillian from Cornflake Dreams, a life and style blog about all the dreamy things in life and travels abroad. I had the pleasure of meeting Anna + Emily during the Rendez-Vous New England Event in Boston this past September and I am thrilled to be guest posting on Pearls for Paper!

Today I would love to share with you my favorite family tradition. Every Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter my mom's side of the family gets together for a large dinner and at the end of the meal we all sign the tablecloth! Each holiday has a separate vintage tablecloth that we use every year. We sign in permanent marker and then a family friend embroiders the signatures in holiday-colored thread. everyone signs their name + the year and kids will draw a small picture. Guests are encouraged to sign and it's fun to see who has attended the dinners over the years and how our signature has changed. When I lived in Charleston, I included a small palm tree by my signature and I even think the easter tablecloth has "Jillian DiCaprio" somewhere on it from my Titanic days.

 

My friends and I are starting to get together for Thanksgiving every year and I am thinking about starting this tradition with them. It's a beautiful keepsake that is purposeful and unique!

What are your favorite family traditions?

xo,

jillian of cornflake dreams

Fall Favorites

Howdy there & happy Halloween!!! Did you get to do anything fun this weekend? Catch a glimpse of any unique costumes? It's always so fun to see all of the little kiddos decked out in costumes & acting out their characters!! So, we've been gushing about Fall ever since September hit... the season represents change, counting our blessings and spending loads of quality time with loved ones. This week some of our fabulous blog-friends are stopping by to share some of their "Fall Favorites" to inspire you! We have SUCH a fun week ahead!!!

For now, I'll get things started with one of my personal favorite fall past times: making {and eating} caramel apples. Enjoying them any other time of year doesn't have the same effect! Am I right or am I right?! More recently, I've noticed some fun recipes that make the most of these festive flavors.

{Recipes are clockwise from top left: via, via, via}

Mmmm...  don't these look like perfection? What is your favorite fall food?

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for more fun Fall Faves! :)

A bridal brunch

Okay, so we're obviously obsessing over all things fall right now and the season is in full swing. We still have to get through the rest of October and then November before we can start to really, fully embrace our *favorite* holiday. Perhaps that's why autumn is so delightful- it's the prelude to a time of thankfulness, thoughtfulness and giving! That being said, be sure to come back on Friday for a very special announcement!!! Anyway, back on topic. Stumbling across this Pumpkin Harvest Brunch idea really spoke to the pancake lover within and made my mind spin for excuses to host one. How perfect would this be for a bridal brunch?! Granted, you might have to hand out blankets to keep your guests warm, but that just makes the whole concept even cozier!!

Isn't this the cutest idea to use pumpkins as holders for little silver dollar pancakes??? Along with this adorable shoot, Hostess with the Mostess shared a recipe for a Pumpkin Mojito Bar. Now just to clarify, we're all about mojitos, but for brunch a spiced coffee or champagne cocktail seems more fitting. Either way, this über festive brunch has us swooning over the decor and salivating over the pancakes!

*All photos are courtesy of The City Cradle via Hostess with the Mostess

The right keys

Happy Monday darlings! How was your weekend? Hopefully full of festive fall traditions and relaxation!! Left and right, we've been checking things off our "Autumn to-do list" and this weekend called for a little leaf peeping outside of the city! We bundled up and headed up north to Newburyport- a charming little town on the north shore. A day of poking around in antique shops, eating yummy seafood and admiring the bright foliage hit the spot! One antique shop we were in had a pile of old keys that I'm just kicking myself for not buying. Of course now that the opportunity has passed I'm thinking of TONS of ways I could have used them. Not that I'm planning a wedding but I just adore these escort cards tied to skeleton keys with satin ribbon!! So cute!

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And apparently there are even ways to use them as home decor, which looks oh-so-simple and is perfectly intriguing since I'm re-decorating my room. Adorbs, right?!

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Or just in a line on the wall? Still SO cute! These may be gracing the walls of the Paper Moss office soon...

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Well, thanks to Etsy, I found a pretty cute variety of vintage keys from Ohio Picker... as well as a goldmine of other antique goodies. Who knew you could go antiquing online?!

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Thanks for sharing in our latest craze! How would you use vintage keys? Any new ideas? Please share!

A Ranunculus Monday

Wouldn't it be great to start using ranunculus as an adjective?! It might not stick, but these flowers are so bright & cheerful that today, in our little Paper Moss world, we're using it as that. {Synonyms include: cheerful, silly, fabulous, rad, etc.} It's a Ranunculus Monday because we should definitely start the week out with these colorful little blooms! They come in just about every color of the rainbow and in my humble opinion, they are a perfect flower to add a fun, funky splash to any wedding!

{Clockwise from top left: via; via; via; via}

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What's not to love??? May your Monday be Ranunculus!

Oh Nantucket!

One of the best things about living in Massachusetts is how close Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard are. Perfect for a weekend getaway, a weeklong excursion... or the wedding of your dreams. When Michelle called us last Spring, explaining her vision for a nautical Nantucket-red invitation suite for her big day, it was clear as day that we could bring it to life. These designs were so fun- especially drawing the detailed map {shown at the bottom} and we just HAD to put together a little inspiration board!

If you're planning a seaside event- Nantucket or otherwise- we hope you find some inspiration!!! A big CONGRATULATIONS to Michelle and David on their recent marriage!!

{Photo credits starting from top left, clockwise: Paper Moss {via Hello Love Photography}; Iris Photography; Cupcakes & Cashmere; Paper Moss {via Hello Love Photography}; Katie Pietrowski Photography; Once Wed; My Recipes; One Kings Lane}

The best numbers

It's Wedding Wednesday!!! Today we couldn't possibly be more excited to share some of our favorite table number ideas to inspire some thinking outside of the box when pulling together those wedding plans. There are so many fun ways to tie a wedding theme together and some of the following ideas are just adorable additions to a centerpiece! What is the most unique table number that you've ever seen??

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All that glitters

Can you believe it's Wednesday already?! These short weeks just FLY by! A few weeks ago, we were confronted with this question: Can "metallic" be a color scheme for a wedding? This caused us to do some digging {see below} and now without a shadow of a doubt, we believe that it could be a gorgeous elegant fall or winter color palette. We're just loving the cool silvers and pewter alongside warm bronze and glittery golds... not to mention that the lighting would totally set the tone and create an ultra-romantic ambience!!

Have you ever been to a metallic wedding?? Would you ever choose this as your color palette? We're dying to know your thoughts!

*Photo credits are clockwise starting at the top: The Brides Guide; Polka Dot Bride; Lost; Ritzy Bee; Kelley Moore Creative Media; Confetti System; Pretty Stuff

A little 1920s inspiration

Monday, Monday! We made it through the hurricane, but with all of the excitement & preparation for the extreme elements we didn't mention the AWESOMENESS that took place on Friday. The ladies at Magnolia Pair put together a dream team of vendors to bring to life a vision & inspiration for a romantic 1920s wedding. When they asked Paper Moss to design the stationery & signage for this inspiration shoot, we jumped, twirled and hollered at the opportunity to join in the fun! Here's a little peek at what they dreamt up...

And we loved creating these cute signs to highlight the prohibition era cocktails!

... Be sure to visit Magnolia Pair's blog for the real deal!

*Photos courtesy of Magnolia Pair

Shower inspiration: Pink + Green

Being a bridesmaid is the ultimate honor... and it comes with responsibilities. Along with helping your bestie plan her big day, you also get to throw a few special parties in celebration of her. We loved the idea of bridal shower with lots of beautiful blooms and strong geometric patterns, lots of pink and just the right pops of green!! Such a fun and cheerful palette for a spring or summer shower. This board is for you, bridesmaids!

{Photo credits clockwise from top left: The Knot; Patterson Maker; Inspired Design;

A Well Traveled Woman; Susan Gage Catering; Pinterest; Bake List}