emmiebean

Spring has Sprung!

 

Spring is finally here! Hooray! It's going to be 90 degrees out in sunny Santa Barbara today, and I plan to celebrate it with a little gardening. I have a new jasmine and a few new tomato plants that are eager to get in the dirt.

How are you spending your day?

La Mariee aux Pieds Nus

I recently stumbled upon the blog La Mariee aux Pieds Nus. There's nothing like a French wedding blog to bring a little je ne sais quois to the world of wedding planning. Everything is just a little bit... Frenchier! I've been grabbing tons of D.I.Y. ideas for my own nuptials this summer, including this bouquet of baby's breath. So delicate and pretty! I know we've all thought of baby's breath as purely cheap filler for grocery bouquets up until now, but lately I've been seeing it pop up everywhere as a modern, simple statement flower all by itself. Tie a pretty ribbon around the stems and attach a family heirloom- a brooch, a locket, a tiny photograph- and you're good to go.

And some more gorgeous eye candy from La Mariee aux Pieds Nus...

Ciao, Trentino!

Okay, so in addition to India, the next place on my to-visit list is Trentino, Italy. I've driven through here during trips to Europe, but never stayed, and its gorgeous rolling hills are beckoning me. I'd say it looks equally as stunning as my favorite place on earth, Lucerne, Switzerland (below). Gotta love that vintage, colorized photo!

What's the next destination on all of your to-visit lists?

Finding the Perfect Dress

Going wedding dress shopping next week... wish me luck!

Young Hearts Photography

I'd like to introduce you all to Young Hearts Photography... the new photography business of two of my very favorite people, Dana Solomon & Mollie Crutcher.  

Gorgeous, right? I love their light and airy style and the way they use a variety of digital and lo fi cameras when shooting... all of the things I looked for when booking my own wedding photographer a couple months back.  

To book Young Hearts for your wedding, engagement shoot, family portrait session, or any special moment you want captured on film, visit www.youngheartsphoto.com. They're offering insanely low prices right now, so take advantage before they are completely booked up!

Spring Seeds

So as most of you know by now, Dana and I just got engaged after nine years together. Hooray!

And planning a D.I.Y. wedding is just as fun as I thought it would be. As if planning one big party couldn't be fun. It's also been surprisingly easy so far, knock on wood. I guess it doesn't hurt that I scour about six adorable wedding blogs daily (Once Wed is one of my favs!) and have been saving clippings like some sort of digital hoarder for a while now. Somebody is going to have to stage an intervention soon. 

As our plans roll steadily along, I thought I would take a little break from wedding OCD for a second and brainstorm some of of the plants I'd like to grow this year. So far a herd of little radish leaves are peaking up in the backyard. Neither Dana or I like radishes, but the bunny does, and let's be honest, the pets pretty much rule the roost around here. I'd also like to focus more on herbs this year, as my garden was over-run with all kinds of lettuce that we didn't eat last year, and it seems like we use herbs in pretty much every meal in some form or another.

 

I also have plans to put some poppy seeds in the ground over the next week. I figured I could use some of the coral and blush-colored blooms in my bouquet this summer. <-- See, an intervention is definitely needed!

Are any of you planning on continuing or starting your own gardens in 2011? What are you planting?

Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring... Banana Bread!

What do you do when you have a bunch of spotted bananas in the fruit bowl that are just a little too ripe to eat? Make banana bread!

That's just what I did this afternoon in between wedding planning and etsy workin'. This recipe is SO easy and yields delicious results.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

METHOD

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.