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rustic fiesta.

By annmarielovespaper on June 1, 2013

For as long as I’ve known that I wanted to marry John, I’ve known that our wedding would be a fiesta. I mean, I live for color! I live for dancing! And I really live for Mexican food and margaritas! So clearly, there was no wavering on the fiesta idea. On the other hand, John and I both love anything rustic. We love the great outdoors. We would kill for a Craftsman-style home one day. And of course, we did get engaged in Yosemite, after all. So together we came up with the concept of “Rustic Fiesta!” It blends the colors + vibrancy of a traditional fiesta with the earthy + organic textures of rusticism. !Ole!

These photos + colors really represent the vibe I am hoping to achieve this coming Fall. I am obsessed with wild + overflowing floral arrangements, lots of warm mood lighting, and plenty (and I mean PLENTY) of paper decor items. I love the idea of exposed wood tables + an eclectic mix of dishware, dancing alllll night long to my favorite songs (I have gold flats for this very purpose!), and a fantastic spread of tamales for dinner and churros for dessert. I am so excited to be collaborating with John on our unique + collective visions for the big day. It’s so much fun to bounce ideas off of each other (or more like me sending him 15 texts in a row with ideas…he loves when I do that! HA!), even when we don’t see eye-to-eye on how things should go. We’re working as a team and that’s all that matters.

Rustic fiesta forever!

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fleetwood mac.

By annmarielovespaper on May 30, 2013

Last weekend my mom and I saw Fleetwood Mac live at the Hollywood Bowl. It was AMAZING. Our seats were pretty far back but the great thing about the Bowl is that there really are no bad seats. Even if you’re half a mile away from the stage, you’re still nestled in a canyon overlooking the Hollywood sign and enjoying great music under the stars. So really, no complaints. The concert was spectacular (as expected) and it definitely brought all the hipsters out of the woodwork – ha! You can see my Vines from the show here + here!

I’ve been using a BG Capture album to record all the fun things that have been happening in 2013, and of course, Fleetwood Mac totally earned their spot in my book.

I decided to keep things pretty simple and let the ticket (tucked into the center page protector pocket) do the talking for me. Easy peasy.

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workspace wednesday | editorial calendar

By annmarielovespaper on May 29, 2013

After running BasicGrey’s blog for nearly two months, I’ve come to learn just how invaluable editorial calendars really are. BG’s marketing director and I use an ongoing Google spreadsheet to track + plan posts months in advance, so I rarely have to worry about generating content at the last minute. SO HANDY, YOU GUYS. It’s been a welcome change of pace for this non-planner to see firsthand just how effective scheduling posts ahead of time really is.

Between running the BG blog and spending a few days with the blogging master Elise last week, I feel newly inspired to really crank out (give or take) five posts a week, every single week here on my personal blog. (Content ideas welcome! Ha!)

So as a way to kickstart my latest goal, I created an editorial calendar printable to keep track of weekly + upcoming posts. If you would like to get onboard the frequent blogging train too, you can download it HERE. Happy planning!

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fringe flag diy.

By annmarielovespaper on May 28, 2013

I’ve recently come to the rather startling realization that this wedding is going to happen in a few months, whether I like it or not (for the record, I love it). Needless to say, no matter how busy I am, I really need to get cracking on all of the DIY projects I have in mind. So! I’ve decided to tackle the smaller projects first, if for no other reason than the fact it makes me feel like I’m getting a lot done. Baby steps, ya’ll.

This past weekend I whipped out a bunch of fringe flags for all of our guests to wave around as John and I walk back down the aisle. It’s about as low-tech as crafts go, but will (hopefully) pack a big punch in photos! Here’s how I made them:

S U P P L I E S

Tissue paper
Thin wooden dowels (found in the baking section at any craft store)
Glue Dots
Washi tape (I found my gold-striped tape here)
Scissors

Decide how long you want your fringe flags to be and cut a sheet of tissue paper accordingly. I folded my sheet in thirds and kept it folded while I fringed the ends.

Fold each sheet of fringed tissue paper in half lengthwise a few times until it is in a tight bundle.

Roll the tip of the dowel in a large Glue Dot.

Wrap the base of the fringe tissue paper around the adhesive until is completely wound (I went with Glue Dots, but hot glue would work just as well.)

While holding the fringe tissue paper to the dowel, wrap a strip of washi tape around the base of the tissue paper until it is completely secure. If the fringe is too tight, tousle it with your fingers a bit to loosen it up. Finally, wave your fringe flag around like you just don’t care!

One wedding craft down, five hundred more to go!

To see this DIY in action, check out my Vine video here!

6 Comments

memorial day marathoning.

By annmarielovespaper on May 27, 2013

Print by Rose Feduk

Happy Memorial Day! Today I will be working, working, working SLASH bingeing on Arrested Development. Last night my brother and I powered through nearly eight episodes of the new season until my eyeballs absolutely positively needed to be shut (ah yes, the 3am magic hour). But now I am rested and ready to MARATHON. Bring it on, Bluths.

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happy place no. 001 | balboa park

By annmarielovespaper on May 24, 2013

It’s really no secret by now that San Diego has a hold on me. It truly is my ultimate happy place and I can’t quite shake the feeling that it’s where I want to settle down. Eventually I’ll convince John that we need to move back down there, but until then, I’ll just keep visiting. A LOT.

One of my favorite spots in San Diego is Balboa Park. I’m absolutely in love with this place. Not only is the location (perched above the bay + downtown) ideal, but the sheer size of it is incredible! It’s home to a wide variety of museums, restaurants, and even the world famous zoo (all of which I highly recommend).

On Wednesday afternoon, I had time to kill between visiting Elise and trying to avoid rush hour traffic, so I spent a few hours wandering around the park and pausing to snap a photo every five feet. Even though I’ve been to Balboa Park countless times, I discover something new with each + every visit…the park is THAT big.

This trip, I finally found the walkway that crosses the insanely beautiful Cabrillo Bridge. It stands high above the 163 freeway and offers the most amazing bird’s eye views of the lush San Diego landscape (I may or may not have let out an embarrassingly audible gasp upon first glimpse).

I don’t know if it was the thrill of a new discovery or the cozy marine layer creeping in from the bay or just the fact that I took the late afternoon to myself, but I felt so happy standing there in Balboa Park. San Diego, you are my fave.

P.S. If you’re wondering if I ever wear anything other than that black + white dress, the answer is a resounding…NO. (ha!)

6 Comments

you’re gonna get hop-ons.

By annmarielovespaper on May 21, 2013

When I found out that the infamous stair car from Arrested Development rolled into town, there was no way I could skip out on it. So on Sunday, John, my brother Andy, and I headed down to Santa Monica for a Bluth mobile sighting and a walk around town. The beach, the buildings, the Bluths…what more could you ask for on the day of rest? (Ummm…how about more parking?)

The countdown to the BIG PREMIERE is on! George Michael, I’ve missed you so…

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this week.

By annmarielovespaper on May 17, 2013

This week, you guys. HOLY COW. It nearly sent me back to the 8-5 world with paid health insurance + guaranteed weekends. It was a doozy.

But as I sit here in my sweats + no makeup on a beautiful Friday afternoon, I am just so happy to be self-employed. My to-do list is still four miles long, but for the time being, I am pinning + catching up on blogs + gathering ideas for our Save the Dates that should go out two months ago. My head is spinning with DIY ideas that are, surprisingly enough, based around fabric (Ann-Marie Loves Fabric??). I am dreaming of revamping this blog in every way imaginable + creating a solid editorial calendar week after week. And of course, I am still reeling from The Office finale last night (it was perfection). So all in all, a good day to stick out this self-employment thing a little bit longer (or forever).

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

daily inspiration | iPhone mood boards

By annmarielovespaper on May 14, 2013

Over the years as I’ve gotten to know myself a little better, I’ve found many ways to stay get inspired and stay inspired. Recently, I’ve become obsessed with making mini “mood boards” on my iPhone. It’s very simple and it brings me an unparalleled level of joy (SO NERDY, I KNOW).

Here’s how I do it: whenever I am looking for a certain type of inspiration (the image above was for wedding planning), I’ll browse Pinterest + Instagram for photos that are speaking to me and then take screenshots. Next, I will use a free photo collage app and play around with various arrangements of the screenshots until I am loving the “mood” I created. Finally, I save the collage as my wallpaper so every time I look at my phone, I get that wonderful burst of inspiration all over again!

Mood boarding, ya’ll. #cantstop #wontstop

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diy muffin tin planters.

By annmarielovespaper on May 10, 2013

The other day as I was browsing the shelves of the Goodwill, I spotted this muffin tin + knew instantly that I wanted to turn it into a planter. Once I picked up the muffin tin for $1.50 (50% day – look out!), I swung by Lowes and had a wonderful time picking + choosing my succulents.

Click here to see my Vine video of the planting process!

To create this planter, you will need:

Six succulent plants (I purchased all of mine for less than eight dollars at Lowes)
1 muffin tin (the deeper the cups, the better)
Vinyl Bumpers
An awl or drill (and drill bit)

After cleaning the muffin tin as best I could (a good rule of thumb for all thrift finds), I flipped it over and punched drainage holes in all six of the cups using a bookbinding awl. Luckily the tin was super easy to punch through, but if yours is thick, I recommend using a drill with a small bit.

From there, I added a vinyl bumper to each of the four corners of the tin to allow for proper drainage. This is key if you prefer living plants.

I then played around with the arrangement of the succulents and placed them in the muffin tin.

Then I began moving the soil around, adding in a handful of small rocks, and finessing each of the plants to my liking. After that I lightly watered the individual plants and called it good. The thing to remember about succulents is that they require minimal watering. In fact, it’s best if you leave them alone until their soil is completely dry. (You can read even more care + keeping tips here!)

So there you have it! A quick + easy Springtime DIY that has yet again fueled my thrift shopping habit! I have plans to make a bunch of these for my wedding and display them amidst other floral centerpieces on our tables. Good times ahead!

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