Thursday, December 29, 2011

Merry Christmas + Happy New Year!

it's hard to believe 2011 is already coming to a close... i know i've been a little absent on the blogging front, but i've had lots of paper design orders occupying my time, which i'll post about in the new year... but i thought i'd leave you with a little reader treat since i'll be technology free, ringing in the new year in Lake Arrowhead this weekend...  

my gift to you - New Year's Eve + Bonne Annee DIY banners!
they come in either {fuchsia + silver} or {black + silver}... all you have to do is visit my scribd page to download your own!  here i paired them with a gold glitter ribbon, 
but get creative and use whatever your heart desires! =)





oh, and while i'm posting, i thought i'd share our christmas + nye card i designed {it's really hard to design for yourself especially after designing for clients 3 months straight}... but i absolutely fell in love with the metallic sheen of this card stock and the linen finish sealed the deal and i knew i had to use it!  i hope you like, i was very pleased with how they turned out despite almost being at designer burnout mode =)

:: the britt 2011 holiday card ::

 and the coordinated return addy label of course!

.... everyone, have a wonderful and safe new year's eve, an i'll see you in 2012 with some fun new things to share!

*blair

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

{holidays} photoshoot inspiration

i thought i'd drop by to show you an inspiration board i whipped up for a holiday family shoot i'm styling next week.  the family is so cute and stylish and have the most adorable baby girl named Ava, i swear i could laugh and play with her all day long, she's the cutest! 

they'll be taking their family photos for christmas along with baby A's 6 month photos, i really can't wait to show you how it all pulls together!  but for now i'll leave you will some of the eye candy that's inspiring the shoot's decor.... it'll involve kraft paper, twine, + burlap... navy blue + sea glass greens... touches of vintage book pages + newsprint... and of course some capiz, shells + star fish details.

nautical elements make my heart so happy, i can't wait...


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

{happy anniversary} to my parents

wow... today my parents are celebrating 43 years of marriage, something that is not a common thing these days!  here are my folks at my wedding 3 years ago, it was really cool to be married the same year my parents celebrated 40 years and my grandparents celebrated their 70th, yes, you read that right 70 years together!


mom + dad - although we didn't get to celebrate this big occasion together as a family i just wanted to say a few words on your anniversary {uh oh, i'm turning into dad} =).... but seriously, thank you for being the examples you've been to me the past 28 years.  i know that if ever i need counsel, support, or just a hug i can always count on you both.  i know these past 43 years have involved a great deal of work to juggle your marriage, your family and all the other things that life has thrown at you... but thank you for continuing to honor the commitment you made to each other and God the day you said your vows.  your marriage {no matter how perfect or imperfect it is at times} is an inspiration to me in my marriage and i'm sure to many others who know you.  i love you guys and i'm so thankful that you are the parents God blessed me with!

and yes we will happily cat-sit should you decide to go away for the weekend =)

love, b.a.

oh and PS. dad the 43rd wedding anniversary gift is travel!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

{crafting} an inspiring studio


if you follow me on pinterest you know that i've been pinning inspiration for my dream studio workspace...  well i thought i'd post about what i'm planning to do to create an inspiring workspace for myself.  i really like the look of grey and white, it's very clean and a great way to mix in pops of color without really committing to a firm color scheme.  and since this room has primarily become my room for working in i want lots of color, something that wouldn't really be approved by my hubby elsewhere in our place. 

so without further ado, here are some of the grey + white spaces i love... 



simply adore the pattern on this wall, but i think i might get really dizzy with this on the walls =)






if i did do a pattern, this would for sure be the front runner, it's tres chic!

Source: google.com via Blair on Pinterest




love the subtle blue and the stripes, but i think horizontal isn't quite the right approach
Source: None via Blair on Pinterest



i just LOVE these bold colors of bluey-teal and coral, and of course the vertical stripes would make any room feel instantly taller! but this is too much color for the walls...


now for the major room accessories....


would love to incorporate geometric patterns maybe on the floor in the way of a rug and possibly on the windows too!




i certainly love these pillows, and these are the colors i'd love to splash around the room


i also really need a space to display my work since it's all so unique and colorful, yes i create it and want to admire it... it's fun to reminder of what you've created!
Source: re-nest.com via Blair on Pinterest


and here's the actual grey i think i'd like to use on my walls
Source: gillygrey.com via Blair on Pinterest


if you are a hoarder of ribbon and trim like myself, you must add this storage project to your DIY list, i currently have the raw materials all cut and waiting to be assembled, i so can't wait!!!


well that's all the sneak peek i'm going to give you, i've gotta save the whole vision for my reveal post that i hope to show you in the next month or so! so excited

Monday, October 10, 2011

{things that make me happy} my hubby + Maison Ladurée {NYC}

you're probably wondering about this post's title... well, i'll explain... my husband just got back from a trip to NYC, which sadly i couldn't join him on.  being the oh so subtle wife that i am i said if you have the time PLEASE go to the new Ladurée shop in the city, and IF you stop, can you bring me back some macarons, PRETTY PLEASE!  it was pretty much a request not a suggestion... you see, i've always dreamed of visiting Paris, and a few years ago my mom + i adventured off to europe, even made it to London... and the day before we were set to fly to Paris, she fell and broke her wrist and after a looong visit in the ER, we were reworking our itinerary to come home for her to see a specialist here.  we were so close, yet it just wasn't what God had planned apparently.  so needless to say i saw my hubby's trip as an opportunity to get a "taste" of Paris {if you will}. =)


here is the window display from outside Ladurée




so being the totally francophile nerd that i am i documented my souvenir that he returned home with =)

isn't the shopping bag beautiful? i'm so lame, i'm in love with the bag and this totally chic branding



and then he told me he "upgraded" and got be one of the limited edition boxes, go hubs!
he had them packed in this awesome kalidescope butterfly patterned box w/ the gold foil text 
{can we say collector's item?!}


....opening it up... 


 seriously Ladurée, you and your beautiful gold leaf details... so in love with the packaging!


and there they are, my adorable little "taste" of Paris... 

courtesy of my sweet and very kind hubby who lugged them all the way home 
to make his wifey happy, what a guy! =)



Wednesday, October 5, 2011

{inspiration} from Steve Jobs


{this is a copied post from my JoiedeVie design blog, just wanted to share it with my BBE readers too}


not to sound dramatic, but today is a day that will be remembered by many due to the passing of Steve Jobs... he no doubt has touch many of our lives through some capacity of Apple's innovative technology.  i ran across this great quote from the commencement speech Jobs gave in 2005 at Stanford.  sadly it took his passing for me to stumble upon it, but it was inspiring nonetheless.  his words really encouraged me, as i am working to build my own little business, so i thought i'd create and share a 8.5 x 11" sign for my readers to download and print at home.  i hope you enjoy it =)  

if you'd like this inspirational sign in another color scheme just email me at JDVpaperie@gmail.com and i'd be happy to shoot one to you.  


i pray that Jobs' wife and kids find comfort and strength during this time of loss in their family.

Friday, September 30, 2011

{recent events} retirement party



i'm back and i'm come bearing a gift in the form of eye candy!!!  this summer i had the pleasure of working on a retirement party thrown for a school principal + the special ed teacher, both of which were retiring. 


 since the school's colors are blue and yellow, i thought it would be nice to center the color palette around those along with adding some white, khaki, and red accents.  another fun aspect of this event was that i was going to be working for my mom {who has worked with both of the women for a number of years} as she was helping host the party. because of that i immediately thought of my parents' antique collection of tins for decor... i know i've mentioned before that they used to deal antiques, and when it comes to tins they have A TON! 

 it was so fun going through the tins and pairing them up for the centerpieces!


here are some of my favorite collections i put together for the event....
i kept the florals pretty simple, i used puffs of white hydrangea, sprigs of baby's breath to "spill" out of the terra cotta flower pots, scabiosa pods and queen anne's lace for texture, and of course billy balls for extra yellow!


i've always been a fan of vintage tins as vases, and looking at these two do you see why?


isn't is great how each centerpiece...
and really each side of the centerpieces has a personality all its own?


... i totally dig the femininity of the antique glass perfume jars wrapped in the crocheted trim ...


in case you don't know me, it's ALL ABOUT THE DETAILS for me... the blue dairy creamer pail in the photos below has total sentimental value for me.  it's a family heirloom, yes i think of it as an heirloom, it belonged to my great grandma who lived and worked on an Ohio farm {which still belongs to my great-uncle}.  i just love the stories that antiques have to share and can be enjoyed generations later.


next up, the beverage station... we served iced tea, lemonade, and citrus water in my glass beverage dispensers {which can be rented}, guests could pour their drink in a mason jar and write their name on the little tag so their drinks wouldn't get mixed up!
above is yet another rental piece, the antique tub makes a great ice bath for beer, wine, or even water bottles... it certainly added a touch of "backyard charm"... also doesn't that tea look so refreshing?


here's a close up of the mason jars in use with the cute color coordinated paper straws!


the custom chalkboard menu


a big shout out goes out to Chris of Rancho Rocke BBQ for the amazing barbeque... in case you haven't tried his BBQ, you really should!  Chris is the chef behind the Rancho a go go food truck, you can find him, his truck and food here.  also, a big thanks to my hubby for playing grill master and cooking that amazing corn, it looked and tasted sooo good!
and yes i did hand tie all the silverware in that adorable gingham ribbon... 
i can't resist, the details are so fun! 


and of course there was dessert!  we had bite sized brownies, lemon blossoms, blueberry/coconut cheesecake bars, and Nothing Bundt Cake mini-bundts.... i kept the table pretty simple but i did hang some awesome mason jar luminaries from the tree behind the table
 i couldn't pass up the opportunity to use that gingham ribbon again... so i created some dessert flags =)


the piece de resistance was bringing in two antique school desks to flank the dessert table... 
and yes there's a story to these babies too....
 my grandma {mom's mom} was a school teacher back in the day... and i guess when her school went to ditch these desks she wrote her last name "Anderson" on them in Sharpie.  which if you're like me you're thinking "dumb move using a sharpie!" well because she did that she save these two desks, which my family now has and it has her signature, a little piece of my grandma permanently affixed on the wood.... thanks for the killer event pieces Grandma! {and yes these can be rented as well}


here's a shot above the dessert table... 
i hung some fringed + ruffled crepe swags with the mason jar luminaries.


here's a final shot of some of the coordinated paper details my paper company 
{Joie de Vie paperie} whipped up for the event... it's so fun to make every little detail count... down to the salt and pepper shakers, i adore cohesive details!
... and speaking of those, i think i'm going to have to start making/offering custom salt + pepper shakers =)

i hope you enjoyed this very personal and personalized event, i know i loved planning it, and being hired to work for my mom for the first time!

:: ::  vendor shout outs  :: ::
{event + floral design +  rentals} Blair Britt Events
{party + paper goods + crepe swags} Joie de Vie paperie
{food} Rancho Rocke



Thursday, September 15, 2011

{new etsy shop} Maison Blue

well i know most of you saw that i participated in a flea market back in august, while it was a wonderful learning experience, we had hoped to sell out of the massive quantities of pillows we had made for the market... but since we didn't, i decided to finally open up my {Maison Blue shop} i'd been dreaming of doing for quite some time now... having this inventory left over from the flea market was the motivation i needed to make it happen!

to start i've listed some of our pillows, in the future i'll list some of the smaller furniture and other accessories, but i'm very impatient when it comes to drafting listings so this is all i could stand to do today. but, expect more items to appear in the future!

i hope you love what has been listed so far =)


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

{before and after's} furniture

 so if you follow along with what i'm up to on facebook, or if you follow my tweets, you know i was putting in quite a few hours working to spruce up some of the antique furniture i've accrued over the past year... i was doing that for the flea market i was selling at with my mom.  she and my dad were looking to unload some of their antiques, so i figured i'd sell some of my cute little tables... so here are the before + after's of some of my stash....

horrible little orange table, but i saw past it and thought she had cute legs + lines

here she is all cleaned up

the whole table was stripped, sanded, then the top + shelves were stained a very dark mahogany brown and the skirt and legs were painted a milky white and to give the paint an aged look we went over it with some brown glaze to add character!

 don't you just love the shape of the top?!?
 she didn't sell, but i was secretly hoping i could take her home to my house if she didn't 
{like how i'm talking like the table is part of the family?} =)

next up was another super cute tiered table....

and here it is distressed with a dry brushed coat of pistachio paint base, then glazed with some antique white, and then glazed with a a little brown for antiquing.

 close-up - aren't the curves of the trim sooo cute?!

 and here are the legs, we left the feet the oxidized copper {i think it's copper at least?} but i just love the color of this table, it's enough to accent a room, but not super bold either!
 sadly, this table didn't sell either, so she's looking for a new loving home to show off in... or perhaps you'd like to rent her for a wedding or event... she's an orange county native right now, so if you're local you could make her yours for $70 
{please email me if you want dimensions, rental price, or any other info}


here's a cute little drop leaf side table, it was solid mahogany...
....had so much character for such a small table!

this one did sell to a really sweet customer and her mom,
here's an after photo i snapped before it went off to its new home!

next is this nice coffee table... it was a little beat up, but i loved the legs {i'm a sucker for nice legs}!
and i really liked the little shell/fan detail on the legs...
:: :: before :: ::

and... after!

i used it as my coffee table in the vignette with the daybed behind it that was filled with our throw pillows, i topped it with some antlers and that enormous glass cloche!


close up of the leg

the table top was really pretty, we sanded off the ugly reddish stain, gave it a new coat of stain so you could really see the detail and pattern of the wood... happy to report this table went to a new home that day too!

here's another great table, didn't manage to get a before photo of this one, but it had a REALLY red colored stain on it and so we sanded it down and gave it a more "today" colored finish

in case you haven't noticed... i'm seriously drawn to table tops with something other than a square or circular shape =)

and last but not least here's another one of my FAVORITES!
here is this solid pecan table before....

and here it is after! the top + drawer front are stained the same color and the body, skirt + legs are painted a light sea-foam that's been topped with a antique white glaze and then given some tiny splatters to give it some character!

 and a close up... you can see the splatters here
she also needs a good home, it's a great size to be used as an apartment-sized coffee table
{and yes all my pieces are females, haha}
she's available for pick up in orange county for $120

i had a few other pieces that i didn't get finished so i'll save those for another post!

again if you are interested in purchasing a piece you saw in this post, or if you'd like to rent one for an event feel free to email me!