Sneak Peek: Montmartre Shoot

After 6 weeks of making new friends in the wedding industry, hours and hours of scouting for antiques and fresh ideas, crafting to the point of blistered fingers, an array of restless nights, and a house that continually looks like a bomb of craft supplies exploded inside it, the time is almost here! 4 days to go!

Yep, this Sunday I’m putting my heart and soul into a bridal inspiration shoot. The intention of a “styled shoot” is to showcase the work of the various businesses that contribute their talents and services to the shoot itself. I’ve coordinated an amazing team of women (9 to be exact) and I’m so excited to be jumping feet first into the industry!

I feel incredibly honored to be given the opportunity to design a shoot that is wholeheartedly inspired by my time in Europe and my love for Montmartre. I’m excited to share something that is quirky, colorful, eclectic, whimsical and a spin on the traditional “Parisian” look. Montmartre is hands down one of my favorite places in the world and is the place where I built the confidence to start Bow Tie & Bustle. It only seemed fitting that my first inspiration shoot was all about the land of Montmartre.

Here’s a “sneak peek” of what’s to come (I’m squealing inside!) and of course a pic of my dedicated assistant and sidekick B-Bug Blake.

*JB

My inspiration wall…

Building a Business

I returned home from a holiday in CO to the most immense New Year’s Resolution I had EVER attempted to take on: become a full-fledged business owner by the end of January. Well, this past Monday marked the end of my first month in business, and I couldn’t have imagined how life altering and time intensive this resolution could have been.

Business owner. Yep. That’s me! In just 31 short days I made it happen, and I couldn’t be happier with the decision. I won’t pretend that leaving my previous career to a life of home business was an easy transition (it was actually the most physically, mentally and emotionally demanding journey I have ever attempted) but it has been well worth it. I have never felt this complete…ever.

And along with this transition came a multitude of decisions. Oh! The decisions! From website design, to business account type, to client proposals, to the arrangement of my home office, to business card formatting, to my daily schedule…the list of decisions goes on. My days are filled to the brim with emails, phone calls, blog scrolling, scouting for antiques for upcoming projects, meetings, crafting, planning, organizing, talking to brides and grooms and vendors alike…and I just LOVE it!

My first month has come with many accomplishments, some of the largest including:

1. Launching my website: http://www.bowtieandbustle.com

2. Attending my first wedding show

3. Booking 2 destination weddings: 1 on Orcas Island and 1 in Mexico (yahoo to Kirstin & Jordan and Vanessa & Tony! Cannot wait for your big days!)

4. Coordinating 8 different vendors on a Montmartre bridal inspiration shoot I designed and styled. Shoot coming on February 13th – wahoo!

5. Turning our dining room into my new home office – thanks for the help hubby!

and

6. Purchasing my business licenses and officially becoming: Bow Tie & Bustle LLC

The things I’ve struggled with most in my first month of business:

1. Self care – what’s that? Oh yeah, that’s things like drinking water, exercising, eating more than one meal a day…you know, those sorts of things.

2. Connecting with friends and family. Sorry to all who I have neglected over the past month. My goal for February is to dedicate more time to catching up with friends and my dear loved ones.

3. My business cards. Small and seemingly insignificant I know, but uber important with regards to branding! I’m a self-declared “paper snob”, and the paper just, well, isn’t cutting it! New business cards, coming soon!

4. Transitioning my blog. One of the things that I feel is most important with regards to my new business is blogging, and I haven’t dedicated as much time as I would like to this part of my business. My goal is to launch my new “bow tie & bustle” blog in February as well as another blog focused on the PNW…we shall see!

and

5. My office chair. Really! I had no idea how horribly my back could hurt without the right type of chair. I’ve had the hardest time finding an office chair that is both comfortable AND cute. It practically doesn’t exist.

So, the biz is off and running and there are still many more decisions to be made. My primary focus today, and for the next week will be the upcoming Montmartre photo shoot (super stoked!) and then it’s time to focus on blogging. I would love to blog a couple of times a week including posting about the things that are inspiring me at the moment and my current projects/weddings. I’m planning to sync my jbpapier blog with my new bow tie & bustle blog and am hoping you all will continue following me on this journey! Thanks again to everyone for their continued support! Much love!

*JB

Oh and I couldn’t imagine blogging without a few pics to go along!

Here’s what’s currently inspiring me: a Chevy truck I run past on my morning runs. Love, love, love the rusted color combo. Wouldn’t these colors be fantastic for a wedding design! Crossing my fingers for the bride and groom that choose this color combo!

 

Inspired by Home

Just a few of the things that inspired me during my trip home to Colorado for Christmas…

1st row: gingham | colorado sunrise | nature against architecture | naked tree branches

2nd row: my sister coli | street signs | red brick | chautauqua park in boulder, co

3rd row: vintage clothing | the old with the new | family traditions (donuts every saturday morning for as long as i can remember thanks to my dad) | eclectic architecture

50 and Fabulous

A couple of months ago, I received an inquiry from one of my sister’s closest friends, Dani. Dani is absolutely adorable. She has one of the biggest grins I have ever seen, and she is amazingly sweet and kind to my sister (a BIG plus from a sister’s point of view)! I got to know Dani a whole lot better when we were both bridesmaids in my sister Sarah’s wedding this past August, and was tickled to get the opportunity to create a paper design with her.

Like Dani, her mom is this beautiful woman that just exudes radiance, and appears to have an energy that people gravitate towards. I’ve only had the opportunity to meet Dani’s mom once, but I knew the moment I met her that she is one extremely special woman. So, it was an utter surprise, and total thrill for me, when Dani sent me an email asking me to help her create a birthday invitation for her Mom’s 50th surprise birthday party this October.

I asked Dani to share a few things with me about her mom: “My mom is extremely outgoing, vivacious and the life of the party. Everyone wants to be her best friend, you can’ t help but love her. She has the biggest heart of anyone I know and loves making the people she loves feel special“…she went on to state that her mom loved earth tones, and that she wanted the invitation to have a “50 and Fabulous” type theme.

It only took me a split second to find the perfect decorative paper that completely inspired my design. Just like Dani’s mom, this paper was something I instantly gravitated towards the second I entered the store, and one I couldn’t help but love. This exquisite Italian paper is laced with varying shades of gold, orange, green, yellow and bits of blue; it is stunning. I bought every ounce of the paper from the store, and rushed home to begin the design. Coral was chosen as the primary color of the invitation, because it just seemed to be the perfect compliment to Dani’s mom’s personality.

Dani, thanks for giving me the opportunity to be included in such a special celebration for your Mom. I hope the surprise party goes splendidly!

Birthday Balloons

I have a friend. Her name is Vanessa. “V” for short. She is a doctor. And very cool. And very smart. And someone I admire. And my BFF. She lives far away. In Peoria, Illinois to be exact. And I miss her. A lot. I mean, A LOT.

I’ve known Vanessa for more than 8 years now, and I am so lucky to have her in my life. She is, to this day, the closest friend I have from my college years, and any time I spend with her is such a blessing. I was fortunate enough to get to spend some time with her in Chicago a few months back, and I had the time of my life. Vanessa is one of those friends that is just so easy to be around. You never have to question where you stand with her, and she is always able to shed some amazing light on anything for which you are seeking advice.

I love her to pieces, and wanted to send her a birthday card along with her gift that would hopefully bring a smile to her face. V works REALLY LONG hours, and is so dedicated to her career, so I wanted to remind her how important it is to take time for self-care, and pampering time. I filled a basket with all things “spa” like, and included a card with fabric birthday balloons as a finishing touch.

Happy birthday V! I love you!

Bunches of Thank You

Over the past several months, I’ve hemmed and hawed over whether I should create a stationary “line”. I am so in love with creating custom designs, meant to suite the needs of the individual customer, and I have no doubt in my mind that I will continue to create as many custom designs as I can get my hands on.

BUT, I have been intrigued by the idea of creating something for the masses. I contemplated where to start, and immediately thought of a thank you note design as my first line of greeting cards. I don’t know about you, but I am always looking for the perfect thank you note to pass along to a loved one.

I set out to create a line that was bright, cheery, and got the point across : thank you bunches!

This post goes out to all of my friends, and family, (especially my BPP family) who have given me their unwavering support over these past few years. I am who I am today, because of you loving me, and I thank you so much for that. Here’s to you…my “Bunches of Thank You” line…

Wanna Get Away?

Travel is something I live for. Really, I don’t know who I am without at least 1-3 trips on my “to do” list. It’s to the point that I can’t see one of my Seattle buddies without them saying “Adam just sent me a text for poker night. Where you headed to now?” I get a ton of grief about my constant traveling, but I know it’s something that feeds my soul, and luckily I have a spouse who understands my travel obsession, and supports me in any new endeavor or adventure I set my sights on.

I vividly remember my final train ride on my European honeymoon, and bawling my eyes out because for the first time in 4 years I didn’t have a single trip on the horizon. I quickly got home and planned a trip to Cabo San Lucas with some of my closest girlfriends, because I honestly didn’t feel like myself without my travel bug at bay.

I’ve never quite understood where my infatuation with travel comes from, but can always remember being extremely jealous of friends who would travel to far off lands. Every time I come within yards of an airport I feel a rush of excitement and yearning to hop on the next available plane to…well…anywhere!

Over the past several years I have been afforded AMAZING opportunities to visit family, vacation with close friends, and now to take a personal trip to Europe. A lot of this comes from setting traveling as my ultimate priority, but also from a career in nursing which allows for extended time off and a continued aching desire to increase my cultural competencies.

As I prep for my upcoming solo trip to Europe (a trip I’ve been waiting my WHOLE life for) I contemplate the endless amounts of places to visit and ponder the reality of traveling alone….eeeks! My honeymoon a year ago fueled my desire to see more of the world, and with an imminent layoff from a job I love at the end of September, what better time to pack it all up and jet set for 6 weeks or so, right?

With plans to spend about 4 weeks of my trip alone in Paris (blogging, cafe-ing, walking, sleeping, eating, antiquing, pondering, biking, discovering, and anything else with an “ing”), I also know that I want to spend about 2 weeks or so, hitting up the trains, and visiting various countries around France.

Now, despite what my friends and family might say, being alone is not something I necessarily fear, but actually something I quite enjoy from time to time. I am totally stoked for a few weeks to myself to figure out the “next step” in my life, whether that be continuing on my nursing career path, or braving some new adventures. With that said, I wouldn’t mind spending a couple weeks or so with good friends traveling from place to place expanding my view of the world.

As a means of inquiring about who might be available to take a leave from work, or school, or motherhood, or residency (hi V!) to travel with me, I created a little greeting card for a few of my closest girlfriends. I thought it would be fun to send a card rather than an email, text or phone call, to ask if anyone was interested in spending a couple of weeks or so away from home.

I found this AMAZING map of Paris and cut it to pieces to create both an envelope liner, and various parts of the card itself. I used vibrant turquoise colors to accent the look of the card, an amazingly funky font, and finished the design off with a tiny Eiffel Tower charm tucked in the envelope.

With hopes to get a “heck yes!” response from at least one of my gal pals, I sealed the envelopes and sent them on their way. Now just one step closer to the trip of lifetime…

S + T = Love

I’m flying to CO this morning for my sister Sarah’s wedding. I’m super excited and honored to stand beside her on her big day!

It’s hard for me to imagine that the little girl that I grew up pushing and shoving, laughing with, and loving, is all grown up and about to say “I do”. I have MANY fond memories with her, but one of my all time favorites is a home video where she turns to the camera, and in the sweetest voice at 3 years old says “Mom, can I have my birthday now.” 20 years later she is on her way down the aisle…amazing.

Being a big sister is the best. I’ve gotten the opportunity to witness all of my sister’s triumphs and tribulations, and have watched her mature into such a beautiful woman. Sarah is one of the most caring, kind-hearted, determined, self-driven, uber-talented, generous, thoughtful, and inspiring people I have ever met. I’m proud to call her my sister, and I’m excited to see her grow alongside Tristan in their new lives together as husband and wife. I know Tristan and Sarah will take good care of one another, and I look forward to having a new brother : ) Never had one of those before!

I created a box for Sarah and Tristan to hold all of their most cherished wedding memories. I used turquoise and red (their wedding colors), and included a “5 of hearts” for their wedding day (August 5th) and each of their names as a way to personalize the box.

I hope this box is a reminder of the love, laughter, tears, excitement, exhaustion, joy, and thrill that they are sure to experience and share on their wedding day. Congratulations you two!

A Seattle Visit

A little over a month ago, my parents and sister Coli came and visited me and Adam in Seattle. I was so excited for their visit, especially since it was my Dad’s first time to Seattle; and I LOVE seeing my city through the eyes of a newcomer. Every time I explore Seattle with a friend or family member who is visiting for the first time, I learn something new and exciting about this amazing city.

I am BEYOND in love with Seattle, and moving here with Adam almost three years ago (wow!) was the best decision I have EVER made. Well, of course, second to marrying him!

It was so fun to have my family out to visit, and I had been wanting to send them a little note thanking them for coming to see us. I found this adorable paper, that reminded me of raindrops, full of pops of green and pink colors which I used for the card and envelope liner. I added some lime green twine, and a teenie tiny Space Needle charm to complete the design.

I miss my family everyday, and wanted them to know how much it meant to have their presence in our home. Love you guys!

Vibrant Colors for Vibrant Friends

I had such a blast with this one!

My mother-in-law, Linda, asked me a while back to wrap a gift for my good friends, Evan and Amy. Evan and Amy were married this past March, and my mom-in-law had a quilt made by Adam’s aunt Sandy (family tradition) to give to them as a wedding gift. I was so excited to get another opportunity to wrap a gift for Evan and Amy because they are such an amazing couple, and are some of the most vibrant, kind-hearted, and witty people I have ever met.

I started the wrapping with this fantastic striped wrapping paper I found a while back at Papyrus. I kept thinking back to Evan and Amy’s wedding day, and all of the beautiful colors that they had incorporated into their day: lime green, orange, red, navy, yellow, white…the list goes on.  I wanted the gift wrapping to remind them of their wedding day, so I continued the look with a bright orange ribbon, and a green damask envelope I made from scratch. I added some pops of color with various buttons, including some amazing wooden ones I bought on a recent antique shopping trip.

I fell in love with this wrapping during the process, and was so thrilled to see the smile on Amy’s face as she exclaimed “this has to be a Jenn Elliott Blake wrapping!!”

Keepsakes in a Keepsake

My good buddy Emma asked me a bit ago to create a “keepsake box” for her friend Jen. Jen is getting married this week (July 17th to be exact), and Emma is a bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding back in Philadelphia. Jen and Emma have been friends for many years and Emma wanted to give her something extra special on her wedding day.

I had told Emma awhile back that one of the most amazing and emotional gifts I had ever received was a box with the name “Blake” on it given to me by my sister Sarah just moments before I walked down the aisle. Sarah had advised me that the box represented who I was about to become, but that it should also hold keepsakes and treasures in it that represented who I was in my past: an “Elliott.” That box, to this day, means the world to me, and I was so honored when Emma asked me to create a keepsake box for her friend Jen, since I knew how much I loved the one that was given to me.

I asked Emma to share a few things with me about Jen (her hobbies, occupation, wedding colors, likes/dislikes), and got going on creating a box that could be passed from one friend to another on her wedding day. Even while making this box I got emotional thinking about how excited Emma has been to present it to her friend. I cannot wait to deliver it to Emma today and I hope that this box has as much meaning for Jen, as my box did for me. Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials Jen!

Brooklyn

I didn’t know what it was going to feel like to be an aunt. When I got married last year, I was so excited to know that along with marrying such a wonderful man I would also have a new title! I am now lucky enough to be called “Auntie Jenn” and I have two BEAUTIFUL nieces, Izzie and Brooklyn. Brooklyn was born last December and it has been excruciating not to have had the opportunity to meet her yet. My sister-in-law Caryn and brother-in-law Steve live in Arizona with their adorable girls, and I do not get to see them as much as I would like. BUT this weekend, I finally get to meet Brooklyn after 7 LONG months of waiting!

I cannot wait to pick her up and engulf her in hugs and kisses. I have no doubt that she has just as much personality and spunk as her older sister, and I feel so lucky and fortunate to have another niece. Brooklyn is also getting baptized this weekend during my trip to home to CO, and I am so thrilled to be present for such an important occasion.

I decided to get Brooklyn a little gift as a way to say, “so nice to finally meet you!”  While shopping at one of my favorite stationery stores, I happened upon an elephant-print paper and immediately gravitated towards it. I loved the rich colors of the paper, and although it’s not a traditional “baby” looking design, I somehow got a feeling that it would be just perfect for Brooklyn. I had this fantastic orange and white striped ribbon at home that has been waiting to make its mark and I just loved how it looked in contrast to the little elephants.

I can’t wait to meet Brooklyn!

Panty Time!

So let’s be honest, bachelorette parties are not only a total blast, but also a time to shower the bride with adorable lingerie…yes! I said it! Good ol’ underwear.

Well…in an attempt to follow tradition I wrapped a gift for Anna and (gasp!) used the adorable panties I found at “Vicky C’s” as I call it, to accent the wrapping. In my opinion the bright pink knickers with the phrase “KISS THE BRIDE” just had to make it to the “outside” of the box. I added a tiny red envelope to the top of the wrapping with a greeting tucked inside to complete the gift.

I was unable to celebrate Anna’s bachelorette party this past weekend in Portland, but wanted her to know I would be there in spirit. Here’s what I sent for her to open at her party, panty and all!

Birthday Puzzle

My supervisor (really my AMAZING friend), Barb, is one of the most fantastic, thoughtful, and kind women I have ever met. When I first made the transition to Becoming Parents Program from my previous hospital position, I was a bit nervous; but Barb’s bright and smiling face immediately put me at ease. For the past two years, Barb has been one of my biggest cheerleaders when it comes to my career (and life) decisions including my decision to pursue my paper passion…thanks Barb!!

I love Barb so much and was so honored to be able to spend Wednesday evening with her and some of my favorite colleagues to celebrate her birthday. We went to this YUMMY italian restaurant on Capitol Hill called Machiavelli’s and ate pasta and tiramisu. To celebrate the day, I created a “puzzle” birthday card to wish her a happy birthday. I used bright colors and balloon character font to really make the card sing “happy birthday.” I had a blast making this one and was so excited to see the smile on Barb’s face as she turned the various paper colors to reveal her “WISHING YOU A HAPPY BIRTHDAY” message.

I cannot imagine my life in Seattle without knowing Barb, and I hope that our friendship continues FAR beyond my time at BPP. Happy Birthday Barb!

Just For Dad

This weekend has been a great one. Not only is my Dad in town visiting (for the very first time since Adam and I moved to Seattle), but I also get to celebrate Father’s Day with him….IN PERSON! We’ve spent the weekend sightseeing, including a day trip to Vancouver, B.C., shopping the market, riding the duck boat, viewing the Seattle skyline from Gas Works Park, gazing up at the Space Needle, seeing the boats go up and down in the Ballard Locks while the salmon swam the fish ladder, and today riding a ferry boat to Bainbridge. The list goes on and on…

For as long as I can remember, my dad has always had a passion for physical activity and it’s something for which I truly admire him. If I had half the drive he has when it comes to exercising on a daily basis, I would be in the best shape of my life. My Dad is a HUGE fan of biking (and of course Lance Armstrong), and is an avid rider, riding an average of 6-7 days per week. So, imagine how stoked I was when I found this amazing paper with bikes on it! I couldn’t wait to use it on a gift for my pops, and how perfect that Father’s Day was just around the corner!

I love my Dad and am so thrilled that we got the opportunity to spend some quality time together in Seattle. I look up to him for many reasons and am so grateful to have him in my life. Happy Father’s Day Dad!