Trendy Tuesday: Neon!

Neon keeps poppin up every time I look around...and I'm kind of liking it! Reminds me of the fact that SPRING is right around the corner! Time for some fresh pops of color, I'd say.

1. Mini Dress 2. Table Setting 3. Kate Spade Bag 4. Wrap Watch 5. & 6. Pink Plush Couch

Happy Tuesday, y'all!

Kitchen Finale (sort of)

Well, I have some great news! The kitchen is FINALLY finished! And it looks amazing! I am so happy with how well everything came together. The lights, the granite, the stools....it is all just perfect! So I decided it was high time for some real pictures. You're welcome :)

It is so hard to think that only 3 months ago the kitchen looked like this. 

See that donuts poster? Our stove sits there now. Just so ya know which way you're facing.

I can barely even remember that old kitchen. There was absolutely nowhere to work. No vents to take out any bad air, and there were a lot of fire hazards (see the original post of why we wanted a kitchen reno here). Here's a comparison of usable counter-space from before and after (yellow). You can see that the difference is substantial!

Now, you might be wondering why I say "Kitchen Finale (sort of)" as this post's title. It's because the kitchen is finished, yes. But I still have a lot I want to do. Like move in all of my things (2 months, y'all!). Put our actual cookbooks on our bookshelves. Fill the little glass openings with something cute. put up a magnetic chalkboard on the side of the fridge to keep notes so as not to clutter the front of the fridge that faces the rest of the house. You know, we still need to tweak. Make it ours. So those updates will be coming in the future. Don't you worry :) But for now, we're just SO happy that it's finished. We're in love! (haha, you knew that already!)

Rollin' in the Save the Dates!

Apparently I'm on a roll from yesterday's post because I have another wedding update for today. You know you're excited. Especially because today's post features our Save the Dates!

I have known for a very long time that I wanted to feature our story as our save the date. It just seemed so fun, and I know there are probably a lot of people who don't know exactly how we met or how we came to be a couple. When we decided to do our engagement pictures in March, it just made it that much easier to do the story concept since we wouldn't have any photos in time to do a traditional save the date.

Plus, let's be honest; I like being a little different.

So I set out to design them. And immediately I was stumped. It was kind of embarrassing but I just couldn't decide what I wanted to do. When the possibilities are endless, where do you start?

Well, I'll jump ahead here because I'm sure you don't want to read about how I made my font choices, or my color choices or my wording choices. Let's just say it was very hard and very tedious, but long story short, I came up with something I love. And I'm so excited to share them with the world wide web.

Don't the different colored envelopes make it so fun? Ahh, I'm in love!

Here are some close-ups of the cards in case you want to read them. Cause they're pretty stinkin' cute, if I do say so myself.

And after I had finally addressed each one, stamped them and put the return address on them, I realized something. A bad something. Something I had overlooked...

I didn't put our last names on them. Anywhere. There was no photo, no last name, no nothin'. So if you didn't exactly know who Kati and John were, you were kinda screwed.

So I did what any normal, sane person would do. I wrote our wedding website address on the back of each.individual.envelope. 

Well, each one except for my grandmother's. She gets confused online so I didn't want to bother :)

Happy Friday!

LET'S TALK CAKE

So. I haven't updated y'all on the wedding in awhile and thought it was as good a day as ever to talk everyone's favorite thing at a wedding: CAKE!

As many of you may know, I went through a little cake-decorating phase about a year ago and it was wonderful, but entirely too stressful for me so I moved on. See some of those pretties on my old blog here! Anyway, when I thought about what I wanted my wedding cake to look like, I surprisingly had not.a.clue. Funny how that is -- the things that I have so much experience in (cake decorating, design) have been the things that have been the hardest yet. The reason? Probably the fact that I know the possibilities are endless and I can't decide which path to take.

So I started pinning. Yep. Months ago. :) Luckily, too, because by the time we needed to start looking at bakeries I had quite a gallery of beautiful cake inspiration floating around the web. And you know what happened? I began seeing a little pattern happening...

1. Flowers Cascade; Photo by Janelle Dedini 2. YUM Cake; Photo by Jen Lynne Photography 3. Pinwheel Fun; Photo by Ashley Rose Photography 4. Chevron and Flowers; Photo by Nancy Ray Photography

If you don't see the pattern I'm talking about, I'll let you in on it. All the cakes are simple, white tiered cakes with accents placed on AFTER the cake is finished. Which is good, because my cakes landed in the "simple" categories of all the bakeries we visited. And simple cakes = simple money aka cheaper! Hooray!

So after I figured out some cakes I wanted to show off, let's just say that John and I were super dreading trying out some of the BEST bakeries in Little Rock -- NOT! We were pumped to get our hands on some sweets and figure out which bakery would be the best choice for our big day.

The first bakery we went to is a new place in town called Sweet Love. Let me tell you, it is amazing! And adorable -- definitely the cutest bakery in town. Hands DOWN! When we walked in, we were overcome with beautiful smells drifting towards us in all directions and I could hardly stand it. Kelli Marks, the owner, sat down with us and a few of her cake flavors and we went.to.town. It was kind of embarrassing but whatev. And WOWZA, it was delish! My favorite had to be the lemon cake with blueberry lemon cream cheese icing. It tasted like summer and happiness. And I couldn't pick one negative thing about the entire consultation. Except maybe that the strawberry cake wasn't artificially pink. Which, depending on the person, could be good or bad. Personally, I like the pink splash of color but at the same time, she makes it all so naturally that it makes sense to be normal colored!

The next bakery on our list was Blue Cake Company. I've had their cakes before and they've been rockin', but we were a little disappointed in our tasting. Not that the cake was bad! It was actually really REALLY good -- just a little....off? The thing that stood out to us the most were that they gave us each an ice-cold bottle of water. It was so appreciated since trying a bunch of cake can leave you super thirsty! But their white chocolate icing totally left me saddened (I was so excited to try it but they forgot and had accidentally mixed it with a strawberry icing. When we tried that, it just tasted like pure butter, which would totally melt in our outdoor reception in July). I'm not trying to be negative though -- just honest! I was totally diggin' their strawberry cake + cream cheese icing. HOLY CRAP, it was good! And the owner sent me a personal thank-you note which really touched my heart (she remembered me from when I took a decorating class awhile back). BIG bonus points for that!

The last bakery we went to was the infamous Mickey's, which we kind of just went to on a whim. I've always heard it is the most expensive bakery in town so I went in knowing we probably wouldn't be able to afford their prices. But if someone was willing to give us free awesome cake, who were we to argue? We sat down in the back and waited... and waited... and waited... for someone to come sit with us in the consultation room. At one point we had to ask a random employee for water since the cakes were drying our mouths out and they handed us the most awkward cups -- like little teepees -- that you couldn't put down. We thought that was strange. BUT their cake? Man, their cake was melt in your mouth good. John and I almost didn't even notice that we were alone for so long it was soooo good. And when a consultant did finally join us after 15 minutes, she was the.nicest.woman.ever. Seriously, I was kind of in love with her. Our favorite flavor we tried at Mickey's had to be the yellow cake + chocolate buttercream icing. It was swoon-worthy. It all was, actually.

So. Which bakery did we choose? 

Well. We decided to go with MICKEY'S! We loved their cake so much, we couldn't decide on one favorite and decided we loved three equally. So the flavors will be white cake + white buttercream icing, strawberry cake + cream cheese icing, and of course the yellow cake + chocolate buttercream I mentioned before. And you know what one of the best parts about Mickey's was? They came in MUCH LOWER than we expected. The price they gave us + the swoon-worthy flavors made our decision so easy and we are so excited!

Anyway, I know that was a lot of text and not a lot of pictures (sorry dudes) but hopefully this shed some great light onto some of our best bakeries in Little Rock. I honestly love them all and am sure I'll be visiting all of them many, many times over the years :)

So now here's a big question: what kind of cake are you going to want? We need to choose which tier is which so it's actually really important -- if no one likes strawberry cake, for example, we'll put that towards the top, with a smaller piece of cake. The most popular kind of cake needs to go at the bottom since that will feed the most people. Catch my drift? Anyway, leave a comment with you're personal vote on which one you'd want and help me out here!

Trendy Tuesday: Happy Valentine's Day!

I know Valentine's Day is such a sappy, invented holiday....but I still love it. Seeing romance in the air - hearts, flowers, chocolates - just gets my heart a'beatin! So I thought it would only make sense to do a Trendy Tuesday focused on this strange (but fun) holiday. Hope your day is beautiful!

1. Hot Cocoa Hearts 2. Button Heart Canvas Art 3. Candy Message (so SWEET!) 4. Polka-Dot Nails 5. Valentine Cupcakes* 6. Matchbox Valentines 7. Heart Art 8. Letterpress "You're A Hottie" Card

And just as a side note, one of these things is the little thing I got John for Valentine's day. I'll give you a hint. Box 8. :)


* Source Unknown :( Sorry peeps!

THIS Close!

We are THIS close to finishing the kitchen and I must say, it's a dream.

it.is.so.freakin.gorgeous.

John and I sat down to dinner a few nights ago and were both in awe over the beauty of a kitchen. I knew it would look good...but DAMN. It looks amazing! (pardon my language...)

Still on the to-do list:
- install appliances (fridge, range, dishwasher, faucet)
- touch up on some paint here and there where it got nicked
- clean all the remaining dust and dirt
- move dishes/silverware/pots/pans/etc into its new home
- AND stare at the rest of the house as we try to figure out how to make it look normal again. Cause let me tell you. The kitchen looks great....but the rest of the house is a disaster.

Eh, who cares! Look at the kitchen!!!

PS - don't those craigslist stools look fab?

Boston {Part 3}

Well, in case you forgot where we left off on the Boston vacation photos, check back here and here. If you're all caught up you should be sufficiently in the loop to continue the wonderful storytelling/photography of yours truly.

After the movie-watching day, we decided it was high-time to hit the streets of Boston and actually see some stuff! So Natalie and I trekked onto the bus/subway and ended up on some street to do some shopping. Apparently it's a popular and/or historic street with big name stores like Crate & Barrel, Anthropologie and some neat boutiques. I didn't buy anything (well, except for some $1 Christmas dish towels from C&B) but it was fun to do a little sight-seeing/shopping. We also stopped by the Boston Public Library, which was -- in a word -- amazing. So cool to see such an old building with beautiful architecture still standing in the U.S.

After our stroll, we met up with Afton and Ellie and continued our adventures at the Museum of Science! Let me tell you, people, I'm a lot smarter today than I was before this trip. SO COOL!

I actually got some pictures there since Afton was kind enough to bring my camera to me once we caught up. So happy I did, as these are my favorites from the trip! We were right on time for a little animal show, so we sat down and learned so many differences between crocs and alligators. We're pretty much all experts on it now.

We were also very amazed at all the different species of birds they had on display. Especially the flamingo. It was so vibrant, so shiny! And when we found the bird puppet/shadow show, let's just say we were like kids in a candy store. So informative, let me tell ya.

Perhaps the most entertaining thing to us, however, were the mirrors. 

we.couldnt.stop.looking.at.ourselves.

I have to admit though, I got the best pictures from these, so I was happy :)

After we finally tore ourselves away from our own beautiful faces, it was pretty much time to wrap things up...so we did the most logical thing, and headed to the gift shop to play look around.

All in all, it was a fantastic trip. I will definitely be venturing back to Boston in the future. Especially because Nat promised me that next time she'll take me to the AQUARIUM!!! MWA-HA-HA!

You have no idea how excited I already am. Natalie, I'm not going to let you sway me :)

Thanks girls, for the wonderful trip!

25 for 25

Today is John's 25th birthday so I thought it would only be appropriate to document 25 things I adore about him. You know, since it's his birthday and all :) So, John, if you're reading this, here's my short list. In reality I could never write everything I love about you.

25 Reasons Why I Love You (for your 25th birthday)

1. You can make me laugh even when I don't want to.

2. You are always there to listen to me, give me advice and keep my secrets.

3. You are always interested in learning new things. Building guitars, making duck calls, cooking jams, planting gardens, installing dry wall...every day is a new journey with you.

4. You are the handiest person I know -- I can rely on you to fix anything in the world, and even if you don't know how to do it, you'll learn.

5. You are so smart and motivated. You will do big things in your lifetime, I know it.

6. Because of how good-lookin' you are! Your smile lights up my world.

7. You can be friends with anybody, and everybody loves you. I never have to worry about you saying the wrong thing or being awkward because people just gravitate towards you and are always sad to see you go.

8. I know you will make a great father one day (in like, 10 years!)

9. Your family is so accepting of me. I feel like I've been a member of the Mallory clan ever since you took me home to meet them.

10. You're the most loyal person I know. Trustworthy and dependable, always.

11. You are always willing to put others first, a thing that many people (including myself) should try to do more of.

12. The way you look at me.

13. The fact that we have no secrets from each other.

14. You are an amazing cook.

15. You make me smile, even when I'm by myself.

16. You always usually say the perfect thing. :)

17. You like me even when I'm grumpy, cranky, stressed out or sad.

18. We hardly ever fight, and when we do, we both apologize quickly.

19. We're a perfect match.

20. When I need a good cry, you never laugh at me or make me feel stupid.

21. I can be myself when I'm with you.

22. I can ask you dumb questions and you never judge me for not knowing.

23. You are so passionate about music, and you're always eager to show me your new favorite songs.

24. You always seem to know what I'm thinking without a word.

25. I love you because you are my best friend, my soulmate and my lover. Everything about you is precious to me and I am so so thankful for you.

WOW, okay that was cheesy, even for me but every word was true. Don't worry bloggers, I don't plan on gettin' all emotional like that anytime soon so I'll now excuse you to go barf in a bag:)

John, I love you. Hope this made you smile!

Boston {Part 2}

Let's see...where did I leave off?

Oh yes, Sunday morning. After staying out until 3 A.M.

It was mainly a chill day. Natalie and I ventured over to Paper Source to buy some wedding supplies (save-the-date envelopes in four different colors! WHAT WHAT!). That store makes my heart happy and I walked out of there with WAY more than I intended on purchasing. Including this sweet "Love You More" pillow and some straws. And maybe some gifts for John that I haven't given to him since tomorrow is his birthday and Valentine's Day is just around the corner :)

Aren't those envelopes awesome? I know you're all on the edge of your seats waiting to see what color you might get! MWA-HA-HA-HA! Okay. I know I'm dorky and you probably don't even care but whatever. Makes my heart happy so I'm going with it.

Besides going out for that, we just stayed at home. Ellie & Afton came over to the house and we watched five movies. Yep, five! Haha! Two were weird and pointless (and had those endings that are just like..."that's it? is it really over?")

The others were Never Been Kissed (which I never realized is actually kind of creepy when the high school teacher falls for Drew Barrymore, who looks terrible the entire movie. The entire movie is kind of painful...) Glass House (which is just a great classic scary movie) and Sliding Doors (with Gwyneth Paltrow. This was a great movie!)

Between our movie adventures, Afton brought over her adorable pup Smooshy for some lovin'. Made me miss my own sweet girl!

Of course, the sweet dog pretty much led to a photo session in Natalie's room while we all sat around and talked. It was sooo dark in there, so the pictures turned out a little grainy and orange, but whatever :)

 

Oh and Natalie let Smooshy chew off Nemo's eyeball. It was entertaining.

Later this week is Museum of Science (also known as Boston Part 3) so get ready.