Gift Guide: The Animal Lover

I'm sure everyone is smack-dab in the middle of their Holiday shopping!  I know I am.  I'm currently in the middle of reading this amazing non-fiction book about the history of the Ostrich, and it is fascinating!  This book gave me the idea of pulling together a few great gift ideas for the animal lover in your life.

 

First, I'll start with the book I'm reading - Dreambirds by Rob Nixon.  This book was really popular back in the late nineties/early 2000s.  You can tell by how many cheap used copies you can find on Amazon : ). Dreambirds chronicles the effect ostriches have had on fashion and culture throughout the centuries, along with stories of the "Plume Boom" and "Feather Mansions" in South Africa. Nixon also uses the history of ostriches to share some of his autobiography about growing up with an immigrant family in South Africa. This really is one of the best books I've read in quite a while!

Also, I am loving these photographs from The Animal Print Shop!  I'm usually adoring the baby animal prints for the nursery of the kid we will probably have some day, but this buffalo print just blows me away.  I think it would look so stunning above a bed or couch.  Also, they have a nice little Holiday Sale going on!

And next on the reading list, which I also think would make a great gift, is a book called The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild by Lawrence Anthony.  Lawrence Anthony rescued and rehabilitated elephants on his wildlife preserve in South Africa.  He and the animals were so in tune.  When he passed away this year, multiple herds of elephants could sense the loss and they traveled miles across the preserve to Anthony's home where they remained for days to mourn. Aren't animals amazing?

Another great gift would be a donation to Heifer International.  Buying a goat or heifer for a family in need helps a family be more self-reliant by providing food and milk for years. I wholeheartedly agree this company's view on sustainability and charity.  I'm sure any animal lover would appreciate this gift of giving!

Instagram on the Interwebs!

Ever want to peruse Instagram on your work computer?  Or download a photo from your Instagram account without having to email it to yourself?

Well, today is your lucky day!  Instagram profiles are live on the web right now.  Mine is basically a bunch of photos of food and my dog....naturally ; ).

Underwater Dogs!

Look at these awesome photos of dogs from underwater by Seth Casteel!  They are spectacular!  Some of the pups look like ferocious sharks, while others look a little more confused like their owners just threw them in.  See more of Seth's work right here.

Hope this gives you a good smile on a Friday!  This weekend, I'm headed to St. Louis for the first time ever.  Can't wait!

Western Wedding

So, I've been working on my wedding album with my photographer all week, and it's made really start to reminisce...

Then, the thought of weddings made me think of these amazing wedding photos I saw a couple weeks ago!  The below photos are of David Lauren's (son of Ralph Lauren) wedding to Lauren Bush (granddaughter to President Bush Sr.).  The ceremony and reception took place at the Lauren Family's Double RL Ranch in Colorado (relatively close to where we got married).

Isn't that dress (by Ralph Lauren, of course) just immaculate?!

The reason to get married in the mountains.

Horse and buggy, duh!

The same photo gallery included some absolutely gorgeous engagement photos.  I love the simplicity of these images - very classic without any sort of gimmick needed.

All photos featured in Vogue

All in all, stunning photos. But one question remains... is her name now Lauren Lauren??  Somebody had to ask!  Have a great weekend, y'all.

Diament Designs

So, back to my normal ramblings with random wedding recaps thrown in :).

I wanted to tell y'all about Diament Designs jewelry today.  It's super affordable and unique!  Here are a few of my current favorites:

If you're in NYC, they carry this line at my friend's store in Park Slope - Eponomy.  And if you haven't checked out Eponomy before, I highly suggest you do so - if for no other reason than to meet the owner's lovely french bulldog Bianca!

Oh, and if you want a wedding fix for the day - here's our wedding slideshow . Hope you like it as much as we do :).

Wedding Sneak Peek

So, we got back from our wedding last week.  No honeymoon just yet - we'll most likely go to Croatia next summer, so don't feel too bad for us ;).  We had such a great time seeing all of our closest friends and family in the same beautiful place.  If it works for your families, I can confirm that a destination wedding is definitely the way to go!  Hands down!  We were able to have so much fun and spend quality time with the majority of our guests.  It made the actual wedding day that much more spectacular and memorable.

My photographer Alison White posted this photo to her facebook site, so I thought I'd share...

 

And yes, I wore a birdcage veil.  I absolutely loved the vintage look of it! But instead of buying one of those expensive ones on Etsy, I found a really affordable one here.  I used those savings to buy the brand new Chanel makeup that I'm wearing in this photo. I went the "peach and spices" route, even though I was initially thinking dramatic red lips. The reason I changed my mind is that I just didn't look enough like myself with the super red lips and dark shadow.  I've decided that look is better for a night out, rather than my wedding day (but if you feel comfortable in it for your wedding, please go for it! I'm just a whimp). Regardless of color, I ended up being very pleased with how my "face" lasted throughout the night.  Go Chanel!

More wedding recaps (and many more photos) to come...

More Augusts!

Today, the lovely Caroline Fontenot posted an amazing blog of photos from Pam & Jason's wedding.  I've been stalking her blog for a few weeks now just waiting for this post!

I wanted to share a few of my favorites here...but make sure you head on over the full blog post to check out all the hilarious dancing photos, as well.



Isn't this such a cute idea for a photo?! Love it!




Funny story here: I was going to get a hanger like this one for Pam, but she had already gotten one for herself and me, as well.  Besties really do think alike :).




Jackie's amazing shoes to honor our favorite rocket scientists!!




I think these photos from Pam & Jason's "First Look" are my favorite.  They really capture the love and emotion these two have for one another :).




This one is kind of funny b/c you can see me holding down Pam's veil with my foot... don't worry, she asked me too.



Wedding Par-tay.



Isn't the decor loverly?  I love the look of this long head table.

 Oh, and if you haven't seen Pam's bridal portraits or the couple's engagement sesh, add it to the list of generally awesome things to look at.

The Augusts!

This past weekend, I went to Austin to celebrate the wedding of one of my best friends in the entire world - Pam!  The wedding was hidden away in the gorgeous Texas Hill Country at a venue called Camp Lucy.  One of the bride's close friends Caroline Fontenot was the photographer - if you haven't seen her stuff yet, you need to shimmy on over to her blog. And quick.  Here's one great photo Caroline posted yesterday.  Aren't they just too adorable for words?!?

I love you Pam & Jason!!! And I can't wait to see where life takes the two of you!!

sneak peek.

{click to enlarge}

Digby & Iona - To die for!

Digby & Iona is one of my favorite jewelry design companies! They have such statement peices - anything from a compass to a caged sparrow to a 2x4. I thought of D&I because I was pondering what I might wear in our engagement photos in a few weeks...  I'm hoping to incorporate this mustache necklace I bought last summer into one of my oh-so-stylish ensembles!

I am also super excited to have Brooke Fitts over at Brookelyn Photography shooting our engagement photos.  I just love her work! And I know we are going to have a great time wandering around Brooklyn during the shoot! So, be prepared for lots of photos in a couple weeks...