friday five fotos - x-mas edition

My Brooklyn 99-cent-store tree:

A motley stocking crew:

Once upon a time there were two Jewish boys who demanded they get stockings like all the other kids in the neighborhood. True story.

Not Martha Stewart, but still festive.

Christmas lights make me happy.

Friday Five: Polka nots?

A asked me the other day if there were "colors" for the GDBD. Well...not exactly.

For some brides, maybe that's the first thing they do. There are dozens of magazines and books that showcase these gorgeous color palettes and all the elements that coordinate under the umbrella of Tiffany blue or chocolate or coral. I added the wedding blogs to my general time-killing web rotation months ago, and some like indiebride have actually proved very helpful in some planning aspects. But in general I haven't made an "inspiration board" or picked a theme or colors or anything, though I wonder if I should, or if I still will.

I really do appreciate the value of an event that was put together thoughtfully, with personal touches and good degree of grace, I just haven't been the woman for that particular job somehow. Not sure why. Maybe it's because of the challenges of planning things from afar, and not seeing any of our venues yet. Maybe it's just me.

So I don't really have colors. But. I do have a pretty invitation style in mind, and it is modern and fun, and happens to have polka dots on it. I sort of grabbed onto that and now I don't know where I am. Do I go gung-ho for it? Or do I need to put. down. the polka.

I submit for your consideration the following facts:

1. The invitation. Maybe.



2. I liked the idea of wearing some dainty little vintage gloves with my vintage-minded GDBD dress. And bopping around the internets, I came upon these:

Afraid of my own instincts, I did a quick check with A, and she said "10,000 yeses," so I paypal-ed away.

3. The gloves were waiting for me when I returned from my biz trip to Albuquerque. They are way more adorable than they look in that picture, and also way more OFF-white than they look, too. The fabric for my dress (which I haven't seen) is supposedly pretty white. I don't think the gloves will work unless I find the perfect shoes to tie it all together somehow.

4. And then I found these:



Which put me in a polka panic. Is this all going too far?

5. I really need to stop googling.

Girls, I don't know what the dot I'm doing. Help!

friday five

1. It's cold as balls here. R and I debate over which is worse, January or February. i trump when I argue that January is worse because you still have February yet to endure! And it won't even SNOW, dammit. I want a snow day.

2. Though I watch poshgirlvintage.com like a hawk, I think I am going to get my dress made after all. This weekend I am going to check out a huge local fabric store and see if I can't get some recommendations, and hopefully a referral or two for a dressmaker.

3. We've decided on a honeymoon destination: SE Asia! Oh my goodness, the more I read about Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, the more excited I get. I'm giddy, seriously. I don't think two weeks will be nearly enough, but I guess we'll make it work. I GUESS.

4. Shrimp with white beans
saute garlic, sliced celery and raw shrimp in a little olive oil. splash on some white wine and season with salt and pepper, continue to cook and reduce the wine sauce. when the shrimp are just done, remove from heat and add a can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans. throw in some chopped fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro or dill -- or all three. squeeze half a lemon over, adjust seasoning. serve on a bed of arugula or other greens with a hunk of crusty bread. total time -- about 15 minutes.

5. P made it to Dallas. S bought a car. A has a boyfriend. C is laying low. 2008, y'all. So far, so good.

Bonus: I had lunch with Judy yesterday. We both agreed DC is lame. I love her!