Dear Lord, Amy Butler is doing wallpaper and I must have some. Amen

This is seriously going to be a problem and my stomach actually hurts with unrequited love and anticipation. Amy Butler has teamed up with Graham and Brown to create beautiful and eco-friendly wallpaper and I don't mean computer wallpaper, folks. I look at it and it feels like a modern William Morris style. So many rich colors and patterns that I love so much. I love it and must have it somewhere in my life. After I save up a lot of extra money and sell my first born child (sorry Julia, Mama has to get this somehow...) Well, one roll is $80, which maybe I could do in a small special space or on one wall. Thanks for the posting on blog This Home Sweet Home!

*sigh* I do love that woman. She is my design heroine. Enjoy the eye candy, friends.

A different kind of bouquet

This is such an amazing new concept for a bouquet from LionsgateDesigns! I love these pictured, but each one is truly as beautiful as the next. These bouquets created with designer brooches never fade and you'll sparkle all the way down the aisle. What about this idea: Do you have some brooches of your own to add to the bouquet? How wonderful would it be to carry, rather than wear, your family's jewelry as you walk down the aisle? I don't know if this artist does special orders but her motto is: "I firmly believe that each wedding should be unique to each bride and groom and everything to incorporate into your day should fit your personality and style." So it's worth asking, eh?

Cypress Fine Albums

Cypress Fine Albums, photographed by Kisa Koenig

All you brides who have a "thing" for photographs, this will stop you in your tracks. They are beautiful albums created by Cypress Fine Albums that use printed photos (not like the iPhotobook printed pages) in handsome linen covered albums, which then fit into boxes with your personalization foil-stamped on the cover. Truly exquisite, and the recommendation came from fabulous wedding photographer Kisa Koenig, who also took these beautiful photographs of the album.

Check it out for yourself and you'll be mighty glad you did.

Beautiful vases from the Netherlands

I'm going to tell you now, I don't see myself doing many craft "how-to"s for you, my lovely blog readers. I'm a really frustrating teacher because so much of what I do that's crafty is in an "I'll figure it out as I go" kind of style. I come by this flaw genetically.

Here is a classic conversation between my mother and me regarding how to cook a beef roast, screenplay style:
Margot: Okay mom, I'm going to try cooking a roast and I have a roast on the counter. What do I do with it now?
Mom: It's easy! Just stick it in the oven!
Margot: Well, at what temperature? What do I stick it in? Something with big sides or little sides?
Mom, audibly distracted by "What Not To Wear" on HGtv: Oh, the usual temperature.
Margot, hanging on to my patience with white knuckles: What temperature is that?? 350?? 400???"
Mom: Sure, that's good. Just put it in a roast pan.
Margot: Okay, then. How long do I cook it?
Mom: Until it's done!
Margot, with loud teenage sigh of frustration: How long is THAT? 1/2 an hour? 2 hours?
Mom: Heaven's no! Somewhere between that.
Margot, with defeat: Okay...when do I put the potatoes and carrots and stuff in it?
Mom: Whenever you want.
Margot exits to call sister and rant.

While I am not THAT BAD (and let me add that I love my mother dearly), I still have a little of that in me. If it wiggles wrong, I tape it. If it looks weird, I cover that part up with something else. You get the idea. It's just better that I let other crafty teachers do their thing. And there are so many amazing crafters around the world! I went to a blog today called kickcanconkers, recommended by my french/living-in-Munich sister-in-law Charlotte and saw this amazing thing:

Decoupage vases! And these aren't your usual tea-stained masking tape wonders of the 1970's folks. Look how beautifully she uses colors and collage on the white background. Ug! I love it so much! The blog where the tutorial resides is called All The Luck In The World and the artist is from the Netherlands with an etsy shop link here.

Here are beautiful pictures of the vases in their natural habitat. ;o)

A real treat from Queen City Cookies

Beautiful and tasty cookies from Queen City Cookies!

Well, I'm in love again! I was at the I-Do Boutique in O'Bryonville where I was finishing an appointment and I saw some cookies dropped off there from a company called Queen City Cookies. One look, and I was hooked! It was a beautifully detailed bas relief of an old fashioned scene, played out not in alabaster but white chocolate. Then that was fused to a shortbread cookie with icing edges. It looked like a cameo sculpture edged in lace and I COULD EAT IT!

So I immediately emailed Peggy, the owner of Queen City Cookies and got the details lickety-split. Believe it or not, this company is only about 1 year old. Peggy uses her antique German springerle cookie presses (she has over 400 different ones) to create her confections in 3 icing flavors: Luster, which is white with a subtle white luster powder, white chocolate is more of an ivory color, and dark chocolate. You can visit her website to view the many different designs, and know that you can email her directly if you have a particular subject matter in mind. She'll likely have it and if she doesn't, then custom designs are not a problem. It is nearly impossible not to love the floral and bird themed cookies, but there are also some charming couples holding hands in a garden that are so sweet.

So are you having a vintage, victorian or eclectic theme for your wedding? A touch of lace? Lovebirds? Flowers? Do you want to nod to your german heritage with this modern take on an old german traditional treat? Wrap them up for your bridal or baby shower for hostess gifts, give them as favors at your wedding. Wait a minute...how amazing would these look on a cake?? My goodness,  I could go on and on!

As an added bonus, Queen City Cookies make great gifts since they are deliver in a clean light blue box with a dark blue satin ribbon. The cookies inside are safely placed in a nest of light blue shredding paper. QCC is committed to a small carbon footprint, charitable organizations and many more good energy deeds that are also detailed here.

Thanks Peggy for the inspiration and the cookies! They were delicious and even my kids didn't want to eat them without taking a photo first. Great luck to you and your beautiful contribution to the cookie lovers of the world.

After over 12 years, I have found....

The front desk at High Five Salon in O'Bryonville

a new hairdresser! I'm ashamed to say that I have been hopping from one hairdresser to the next every 6 months or so (that's the ashamed part) for the last 12 years. I had a great hairdresser, *sigh* Dianne so long ago, but I had to give her up when I moved to the countryside. Then when I came back the salon had closed and since I only knew her as "Dianne" there was no hope for me. Thus started my long journey.

Recently, a little place called "High Five Studio" opened up on my old retail haunting grounds (Madison Road in O'Bryonville for those of you local readers) and in my classic spur-of-the-moment style I popped in to see if they could cut my hair. Sam, the owner, had a waiting list too long but he recommended Christine who "does amazing things with texture". Sounded good enough to me.

First and most importantly to me was that the place had good vibes. Talk about a friendly welcome! Sam said he'd been so excited to meet me and showed me about the place that he and a few others designed and built to spec. The walls are covered with old farm fence posting, lining the wall horizontally and covered with polyurethane to keep things safe. There is a wall with fabulous soft butter colored wall paper with a black and cream damask pattern to mimic old vintage wall paper, and a stunning peacock blue wall. I didn't get a picture of the hairwashing section downstairs but it has an amazing tiled surface and a pile of round gray field stones artfully placed in a corner. A beautiful blend of old and new, textures and colors. This designer girl was pleased!

Then Christine and I chatted and she got down to work. A gaping scissor gouge and many snips later, I had a great haircut. And it looked cute today even when I did it (which as you know is the final test of a good haircut!) Yeah Christine! Please don't move away now that I've found you!

And since many of my posts are geared toward brides, this place does "up-dos" and on-site wedding styling.

Here are the pictures I took today after telling Christine how happy I was with my cut. I didn't get good ones of the chairs because there were customers getting coloring done and nobody needs to see that. Here she is doing her thing and you can see a reflection of the peacock walls, plus a good shot of the wall treatments. The huge mirrors are made with railroad ties (tyes?). Awesome!

That's Christine doing her thing at High Five Salon in O'Bryonville.

Retail Me Not

I can't believe that I'm blogging about this on the Margot Madison Stationery blog but it is such a great on-line find! Lindsay suggested I try RetailMeNot for on-line coupons and I was amazed at the great savings I found from my favorite retailers. Sweet!

St. Theresa Textile Trove CLOSING!

Margot just blogged about St. Theresa Textile Trove this past summer, and we heard word that the store in College Hill is closing for good in January 2010. Such sad news!

From their website, here is the discount schedule:

• Now through Nov 14: 30% off

• Nov 17 - Dec 15: 40% off

• Dec 16 - Dec 23 (closed Dec 24 and 25): 50% off

• Dec 26- Jan 31 (closed Dec 31 and Jan 1): 60% off

Their new store hours are 11am-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday. Be sure to visit the store before all of the lovely fabrics, beads, and buttons are gone forever.

Welcome Neighbor "I-Do Boutique"

Congratulations to Brigid Horne-Nestor and her crew at I-Do Boutique. They had their grand opening this week and we are so happy to have them in the O'Bryonville neighborhood. We are quickly becoming quite a little wedding district, I think!

Brigid has been an extraordinary wedding and event planner and I also know her as a Fairview parent (our kids go to the same German Magnet School in Cincinnati). The Boutique is darling decorated in bright pink and chartreuse green. The concept is to offer a "wedding library" for brides (free of charge) to browse and get some much needed answers and information about the best Cincinnati wedding vendors. The staff will be on hand to answer questions and offer advice.

Of course you will also see Margot Madison Stationery's binder (uh, when I bring it over) and you can also stop by our store when you're in the neighborhood!

Try this website out

My DIY Wedding Day...I thought this was a great resource for our brides. We at Margot Madison Stationery are all about the do it yourself concept. If you've got a steady hand and an eye for detail, we encourage our customers to assemble part or all of the invitations. It can save lots of money and be really fun.

Gender Party by JackandIzzy

I've blogged about Sarah from JackandIzzy before. Sarah is a past and much favored employee of mine! She has gone on to host a wonderful (and overbusy) store on etsy and continues to inspire me with her party planning skills. This latest party was a gender party to announce whether her next baby is a boy or a girl. Even more exciting news is that it was featured on this cool blog called ohbeedoh! Check it out and congratulations Sarah!

Craft Social in Cincinnati??

THIS IS AN AWESOME IDEA! I already have a full time job and 3 kids so it can't be me, but I think SOMEONE needs do do this!

One of my favorite blogs How About Orange had something to do with the Chicago Craft Social. It's an idea that has been rolling around our store for years now: getting artisan crafters together with other crafters to learn and do what they love most. Seeing it in action makes me squirm in my seat for one here. A big room (ahem, Crossroads??) someone to organize tickets and crafters. Low costs. Crafter Camaraderie.

Check it out and someone PLEASE DO IT. I will help any way I can and I know lots of great crafters who would attend and run a table.

The Wedding Chicks

Check out this good wedding blog called The Wedding Chicks. It's a good one (ahem, other than mine, of course...) and you know I have a thing for yellow. ;o)

The Painted Memory

Many of my customers enjoyed Grey Hall's postcard calendars last year. She painted some wonderful and unexpected scenes from Cincinnati and sold them with an easel to be enjoyed year round. So many people asked about who this wonderful artist is and I can now give you the information you requested!

Grey has (finally!) put her work on-line for the world to admire. Her blog details the travels and memories she has put into paintings. And there is a very cute guy on there too...who's that Grey?

The Painted Memory website is where you can view and order her paintings. They make wonderful gifts for brides as seen in the painted wedding dress, and then on the tray.

Greenacres Foundation and Event Center

So Lindsay and I went to a networking party for The Knot last week and I CANNOT get over this place and how incredibly beautiful it is. And I mean truly, literally: I. cannot. get. over it!

Think English country cottage (for the wealthy) with well manicured landscapes, beautiful stables, barns, long winding tree-lined drives. The sweetest looking brown cows peering lazily from their fenced pasture. If I had could be a princess and live here forever, I would.

It was a rainy night, and that added to the mystical beauty. A steamy fog nestled into the midline of the tree landscape into the valley and I was speechless. There are paved walkways dividing the more formal gardens, and a recessed fountain that would make spectacular wedding photos. Well anything would look good in a professional photograph.

Sadly, NONE of the photos we took or those on their website do this place any justice. And I'm so happy the Greenacres website did have my favorite detail: that friar and maid carved on separate corbels outside the entry. Unassuming, poking fun; a detail that I think is so often overlooked when folks are building such large and beautiful houses.

Anyway, brides, if you are still looking for a venue you must see this. It also has a little chapel inside the house if you need it. Lots of parking is available.

I should also mention that this place is meant to be a nature educational facility. They have horse riding classes, wine tastings, cooking classes, naturalist talks and walks and so much more!

St. Theresa's Textile Trove

St. Theresa's Textile Trove is one of the most wonderful places in Cincinnati, OH. I visit the store to gawk and drool over the huge variety of cotton and quilting fabrics, the large selection of oil cloth fabric, and walls and walls of beads and buttons. She's moved to a new location in College Hill, Cincinnati which is delightfully closer to where I live and where I drop my kids off to the babysitter. I last stopped by the new location around the holidays and my sister and I bought a bunch of felt balls. We still have not found the perfect project for them BUT WE WILL! Do you know how that is in stores so full of textile delights? Inspiration over-load! They do have lots of project ideas to spur your creative process along.

I should also mention that the women in the photo below were here that weekend to do a bead making class by the owner. The raved and raved about how wonderful it was and what a great girls weekend it made.

This is the kind of store you'd find in an New York City off-street in the garment district. If you live in Cincinnati or are visiting soon, you must make the trip there. Have a nice lunch at Bacalls and call it a creative afternoon...

Robin Wood Flowers

One of my favorite florists (and people) in Cincinnati is Robin Wood at Robin Wood Flowers. Robin and her crew consistantly come up with arrangements that are unusually packed with color and texture. They have a modern feel to them that I don't see in most flower shops around here. I love the soft purple succulents in the middle arrangement and the careful color combinations of the first. Beautiful!

Robin has just taken a dive into the blogging world, so I've made her blog my feature for this month. Check it out for tips, photos of recent work and flower advice from the pro herself.