birds of a feather flock together

i really wanted to incorporate feathers into a few details of our wedding, but of course had some general concerns around how feathers are sometimes obtained (not always removed from the animal in a kind or respectful way) and most of the feathers i was finding in stores or online were being shipped from china (kind of a long way to travel for something that isn't really super crucial). a few months ago, i found an AH-MAZING little shop that sells (get this) 'free-range, cruelty free feather'! frogworks is a small family run business out of california. they have a variety of birds that they care for including parrots, macaws, cockatoos (one very special cockatoo - she's blind) and many free range peacocks, guinea hens, geese and banty hens. as the birds feathers are naturally shed, they collect them and sell them through their shop with all the proceeds raised going back into the care and feeding of the birds. how wonderfully sweet!! stay tuned for a few fun feather projects to come.

 guinea hen feathers

collecting

we have started collecting quite a few little things in preparation for the wedding. some are self explanatory, others will be a little more cryptic until the big day rolls around, but all are SO fun to hunt for!! we are also soooo eternally grateful to our wonderful friend (and bridesmaid) becky who recently had the most beautiful wedding to the love of her life, blaine! many of the decorations and special treasures used in our wedding will be goodies borrowed from theirs. cant wait!

the story of jess' ring

if you have read the 'about us' section on the website, you have seen pictures of jess' beautiful engagement ring that jeff did so well in picking out. the ring is a lovely handmade piece from a jewelry designer in seattle. it is a simple but graphic design with a large raw herkimer diamond held in placed by several large prongs. its best kept secret is the tiny heart at the base of the diamond- a sweet reminder of the one who picked it out. it is a perfect ring with the exception of one thing - it ended up being quite fragile! as time went on, it continually got caught in pockets, snagged on shirts, and tangled in finn's hair. as beautiful as the ring is, it was not really the most practical for the everyday wear of a mother of a toddler.

we had been saving up to buy a new kitchen table. we had one in mind that came with a hefty price tag, so after months and months, we were finally close to our savings goal. we then found a table we liked almost as much as the original,  but at half the price! yippy! so with the left over saved money, we decided to invest in a slightly more sturdy but equally beautiful ring for jess. the new ring is a stunning piece from tiffany&co -  jess loves it because it reassembles the simplicity and feeling of her old ring, but is much more toddler friendly. and now she has TWO beautiful rings - lucky lady~

mr. and mrs. goblets!

i found these goblets at goodwill a while back and knew immediately they would be perfect for jeff and i to use at the wedding (and for me to drink my double americano's out of each morning until then). the rest of the guests will be using mason jars, so i wanted something equally laid back and casual, but still special and unique for our especially special day!