For those of you who subscribe to this blog I hope you will continue following me on my new blog: bow tie & bustle: the blog. The enormous support I’ve received throughout this journey has been incredible, and I look forward to hearing from you on the new blog! Until then, here’s a couple of pics from this weekend’s Montmartre shoot…

*JB

Head to the new blog to catch another fantastic glimpse of the shoot!

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…

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!

There is still much more to be done: a new blog (coming soon!), a networking and inspiration blog for brides/grooms and vendors alike with a focus on the Pacific Northwest, an upcoming Parisian inspired (who could forget about Paris!) photo shoot with my dear friend and photographer Monica Hines and much, much more! I can’t wait to share all the details of the new biz, and am so excited and thrilled to be following my heart AND my gut! I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Bow Tie & Bustle!

Thanks to all who have supported me in getting here. I couldn’t have done this without the love, hugs, listening ears, and word of mouth that so many of you have kindly offered! Thank you! Thank you!

For now, a sneak peak at the “Bun in the Oven” photo shoot I was involved in a couple weeks ago…thanks to MoHinesPhotography for the amazing photographs!

Me setting up the shoot at one of the most adorable couple’s home. Thanks to Jenn and Ryan Strom for allowing me to be involved in their baby bump shoot!

The entire design for the shoot came from an idea that literally made me jump out of bed one morning…bun in the oven…a vintage timer…baby bump…oooooh! Look for an upcoming blog post on this adorable photo shoot!

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

I went on my trip to Europe with the hopes of having some life altering, mind-blowing, soul-searching, “pick you up by your boot straps” kind of experience. I had an expectation that the universe would hand me my next steps on a silver platter…yes, I know, not the most realistic expectation ever expressed, right? BUT, in many ways my trip did just that. It pointed me in the direction of my next steps, by reminding me of that gut response. MY gut response.

I have never been a person that whole heartedly follows their gut. Anytime I made a decision following my gut response I always hid behind it, fearful that this response might, “gasp!” be the wrong one. I always had this aching feeling that although my gut was telling me something, there had to be another, far better, more correct response to whatever I was facing. But fortunately enough for me, over the past several years my gut response has continued to prove itself, time and time again. My gut response was the one that told me to pick up everything and move to Seattle; my gut response was the one that told me to take Adam’s hand on our wedding day; my gut response was the one that told me to leave a job that was making me feel miserable and worthless, for a job that I knew nothing about, but was hopeful would inspire and fulfill me; my gut response was the one that told me that if I took my Europe trip I would find myself; my gut response is the one telling me to write these words into this blog right now; my gut response is the one telling me to leave the past behind, and start fresh.

And so, a fresh start it is. I am following my gut. And as much as my “rational” mind is trying to override my gut, I’m not listening. Nope, no more.

So, where does my gut lead me? What’s next? Well that’s actually seemingly simple. Weddings. Yep, good old-fashioned weddings. BUT, anything but old. I want to create a wedding business that focuses on the modern couple. And when I say modern, I mean many things: I mean a couple that doesn’t necessarily follow traditional roles but creates a relationship that best suits THEIR needs; I mean a couple that isn’t afraid to break free from traditional norms and create a wedding day that is as unique and special as they are; I mean a couple that steers clear of anything but “cookie cutter” in their life and in their wedding details; I mean a couple that isn’t afraid to openly face the emotional, physical and mental challenges of not only planning a wedding, but of sharing their lives with one another.

I’m currently working on immersing myself in the wide world of weddings and in doing so I am attempting to incorporate all of the things that inspire and create passion within me: travel, blogging, writing (who knew?!), photography, antiques, flowers, paper, working 1:1 with couples, creating something new from scratch and by hand, re-using used and bruised items, eclectic colors and designs, nature, shabby chic things, Seattle and the PNW…the list goes on and on. By scrolling and reading as many books, blogs, and inspirational stories of both wedding vendors and local brides and grooms alike, I am trying to expand my knowledge of the industry itself. I am meeting with small business counselors and coaches; I am reaching out to friends and family members for support, advice and guidance; I am attending wedding events and expos in the Seattle area; I am traveling along with a photographer friend of mine (Mo you rock!) to support her in her shoot styling and design; I am taking a mental and emotional break from nursing to focus all of my energy, time, and creative juices into this new business; I am traveling home; I am looking to the great outdoors for inspiration; I am exploring areas of Seattle that I’ve never seen before, but mostly I am doing whatever I can to inspire, motivate, and encourage me to continue on this new and exciting journey.

So long story short, I am launching my own full-fledged wedding & event design and consultation business (name coming soon!). I am hopeful that along with this new business, I can also launch a new wedding blog (title currently in the works!) that will hopefully inspire many brides and grooms in the PNW and beyond! I am seeking out any advice, direction, support and friendship from any and all who are interested. If you know anyone who is about to be married, tell them about me. If you know anyone who is a kick-ass entrepreneur, tell them about me. If you know anyone in graphic or web design who may be able to lend their knowledge, tell them about me. If you know anyone who loves weddings as much as I do or is a vendor in the business, PLEASE tell them about me. I need all the love and support I can get my little hands on, during this exciting and challenging transition in my life. I look forward to keeping everyone updated on my progress, and thanks in advance for all of your love! Toodles for now!

A picture of my own wedding in the background for continued inspiration to do this!

Christmas cards this year have been anything less than, well…easy. After coming home from a long trip in Europe and being incredibly crunched for time, my hope was to create a “card” that was simple in design, but cute and quirky.  I wanted to include one of the photographs from our anniversary shoot taken this August with the amazing photography duo: Monica and Seth (love you guys!) of MoHines Photography, and also wanted to incorporate candy canes somehow…I think they are the most adorable thing this side of the North Pole!

After a bit of hair pulling, and some not so kind words shouted from the top of my lungs towards my printer including a lot of angry button pushing, I was able to convince my printer to half-crookedly (hmph!) print Christmas cards. I’d had the goal to make the cards very much greeting like (you know the open and close kind), but had to settle (one thing I am definitely NOT good at) for flat cards instead. I added candy cane liners to bright spruce colored envelopes and…voila! Our Christmas cards are officially in the mail! Happy Holidays everyone!

Front of card includes snippets from some of mine and Adam’s favorite holiday jingles…

Under the photograph on the back I added a holiday greeting, as well as the answers to the Holiday Tune quiz : )

P.S. Bailie Bug wants to wish you a VERY Merry Christmas!

With plans to surprise my husband with an early arrival home just in time for Thanksgiving, I may have told him only a teeny tiny white lie the night before, explaining to him that I was heading to Brussels, then on to Bruges…hehehe.

And after an incredibly tearful departure from Paris only a few days earlier, I figured it only fitting to end this trip with one last night in the City of Light. I hopped on a train out of Amsterdam, caught a quick glance of Brussels from my train window, and headed back to Paris with no regrets.

The city I love, and then home to the man I love.

Here is one last photo from this fantastically amazing adventure, and a list of a few of the things I learned along the way. Thanks so much to all who have followed me on this journey. JB

25 things I’ve learned in no particular order:

1.  I’m physically, mentally and emotionally stronger than I think I am.

2.  My husband means the world to me.

3.  Time alone is okay and not a selfish request.

4.  I can do anything I put my mind to.

5.  Dreams do come true.

6.  The truth is in the details.

7.  I like croque-monsieurs, French onion soup, frites and croissants…maybe even a little too much!

8.  Self care is a human right.

9. The 5 S’s of Wine tasting: See, Swirl, Smell, Sip and Savor.

10.  Independence doesn’t scare me; it intrigues me.

11.  My mental maps save me many times over.

12.  I love France…especially its expertise in open-air street markets.

13.  Traveling truly feeds my soul.

14.  Life without friendship and family is no life at all.

15.  I like (ok, maybe I love) photography.

16.  Everyone is unique and this is an AWESOME thing.

17.  Something can look completely different in the dark than it does during the daylight.

18.  It is REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hard to carry 70+ pounds of luggage strapped to my body.

19.  I am good at taking chances.

20.  No matter what, everything will work out in the end.

21.  Expression through writing is extremely therapeutic.

22.  There is an incredible amount of fantastically pleasing forms of transportation far beyond planes, trains and automobiles.

23.  People are more accepting of differences than we think they are.

24.  Fall is my favorite season.

25.  I honestly and deeply love my life.

As I sit here in Gare du Nord watching the departure board frantically flip numbers and letters, tears fall from my face as I realize that my Paris trip that I’d waited so long for is all done, all over. I loved EVERY second of my time in this city and will hopefully always carry a piece of Paris with me everywhere I go…

After a three hour train ride and nap that was abruptly cut short, we arrived in Amsterdam just as the morning rush began. Now when I say rush I should mention that I am not referring to automobiles. Traffic jams in this city equal up to massive amounts of bikes crowding the sidewalks, the streets, the alleys, and ever other crevice of space occupying this city. There are bikes EVERYWHERE! There are big bikes, little bikes, red bikes, yellow bikes, flower bikes, bikes with seats on the front AND the back, bikes with baskets, bikes with horns, and every other bike you can even imagine!

Along with bikes, one of the things that intrigued me the most about Amsterdam is the canals. Canals weave their way between tall, skinny, anything but “cookie-cutter” appearing little houses, while quaint little bridges run over the tops of the canals to allow passer-bys to cross over. There are also paddles of large white swans that swim up and down the canals, giving the city an even more “fairytale like” appearance. Along with bikes and canals, I also didn’t have the slightest clue before arriving just how big Amsterdam actually is! In the 3 days we were here I feel like we only saw a small glimpse of how amazingly intricate, beautiful and full of character this city actually is.

On our first day in Amsterdam we settled in on our boat hostel. Yes, you heard me correctly…a boat hostel! Cool right?! Rach and I jammed all our belongings and our bodies into a room the size of the queen bed back in Paris. Super tiny!!! Good thing Rach and I are comfortable enough with each other, because it was like a game of Twister trying to maneuver around each other to sort our bags, and rest for a moment before heading out for the day.

After chuckling over our hostel on water, we set out to explore Amsterdam. Despite the hostel guy marking big X’s through the areas of town we should avoid, Rachel and I ended up smack dab in the middle of the Red Light District within about 5 minutes. Clueless, frantic to escape, and in complete shock of what we were witnessing, we did everything in our power to haul ass outta there. It didn’t help matters that every street in this city ends with a gracht or straat, and is at least 20 letters long. So confusing!

After finally escaping the rows of red lights, we landed in a charming coffee shop (a real one) that reminded us of our favorite coffee shops in Seattle. Ignited by our ease in speaking English with the locals, we sat comfortably in the café while flipping through fashion magazines, which were dropped in our laps by the adorable kid behind the counter. We spent the rest of our afternoon snapping photos and aimlessly wandering the streets of Amsterdam before settling into bed at 7:45pm…don’t ask.

Our quarters on water…Vita Nova.

Another view of Vita Nova with Amsterdam in the background.

The life.

Amsterdam in all its beauty.

The entrances in this city were impeccable! So gorgeous!

Reinforced my love for the color yellow…

Adorable.

See the swans! Beautiful!

Red Light District…

Dutch shutters.

One of many pancake houses.

The red bike.

Even tie-dye!

3 seats!

L-O-V-E.

Simple beauty.

Just a stunning place.

No sidewalks!

The last of the leaves clinging to the trees.

On Day 43 we woke for breakfast on the boat complete with cheese, cold deli meats, cucumbers, tomatoes, yogurt, museli, a variety of cereals, various juices, and bread for toast including icing and sprinkles for toppings! We lazily ate our breakfast while planning out our day.

I suggested that we head to Amsterdam Central first to attempt to get our train tickets out of Amsterdam all settled. What was supposed to be a “quick trip” to the train station turned into 3 hours of me trying to obtain a ticket that didn’t cost be 200 buckaroos. Destined to save a few bucks by using the internet to purchase my ticket, I ran from the train station, to the library, back to the train station, to the boat hostel, to the train station, and back to the library in my ballet flats all while juggling my purse and camera bag.

Feeling horrible that I had wasted so much of our morning with my train ticket fiasco, I vowed to Rachel that the rest of the day was all hers. We contemplated taking a bike tour, but instead decided to wander around Amsterdam, including a visit to Dam Square, and the Anne Frank Museum. After an incredibly moving and surreal experience in the hiding place of the Frank and Van Pels families, we settled down for a cozy dinner (mushroom soup, a goat cheese Panini, and pancakes soaked in syrup for dessert) quite stunned by what we had just experienced. Having read The Diary of Anne Frank as a young girl, it was quite unimaginable to see such a monumental and gut wrenching piece of history right in front of my very own eyes…

More fries! But these ones are covered in mayonnaise and you eat them with a little fork. So cool and super yummy!

A “coffeshop”.

What one of those “coffeshops” will do to ya!

For whatever reason I couldn’t escape the protests on this trip. This one on our walk around town…we literally had to run to move out of the way of this one. Here’s Rach just steps ahead.

One of my favorite pics of my time in Amsterdam. This was a quiet little corner that I would have missed if I hadn’t stop to take a breath and take in the moment…

I’m obsessed with doors after this trip!

Outdoor seating area at a little bar on a random street corner…so cute.

Another one of my favorites…just quintessential Amsterdam.

The Anne Frank House.

Nighttime in Holland.

Rach as Santa. It was just a tad cold.

A little pub we found for dinner. So yummy.

Rachel’s beer.

My hot chocolate.

The holiday decorations did not help my homesickness. They were everywhere! So pretty : )

On Thursday, our final day in Amsterdam, we set our sights on a full day’s agenda. We started with a trip to the Bloomenmarket – a floating market full of bulbs for every flower you could ever imagine. We gathered little knickknacks to take home as souvenirs, while soaking in all of the bright colors of the tulips (tulips are ingrained in Netherlands culture). After absorbing all the bright colors of the market, we less than gracefully found our way (I’m not kidding you…it is practically impossible to find your way around this place!) to the Museum of Bags and Purses. Okay. Okay. It may not sound like the most intellectually stimulating place on the planet, but this place was AMAZING! It was incredibly interesting to see how the bag/purse has evolved from the early 16^th century to now. It also helped that the glitzy little cupcake bag that Carrie Bradshaw carried in the Sex and the City movie was also on display…too cool!

Being a wee bit exhausted from our busy morning, I decided to chill at a coffee shop and attempt to make contact with Adam, while Rachel headed on to the Rembrandt House. One of the things that I have struggled with most during my time in Amsterdam is the sporadic internet service. It doesn’t matter if I’m on the boat, at the library, or in a wifi-connected coffeshop, I have the worst time getting a good connection (hence, why these posts are being published many days behind). Having ten, 30 second conversations with your hubby is quite frustrating I tell you.

Rachel returned to pick me up, and after a quick bite we set off to explore the Van Gogh Museum before dark. Van Gogh is probably my favorite artist in the whole world. I have knockoffs of his beautiful oil paintings all over our home, and I was all too excited to see more of his works of art in person. I almost fell over when I got the chance to see his real Almond Blossom painting (a bright turquoise, ivory and light pink painting that Van Gogh painted in 1890 as a gift to his nephew). Despite my burning desire to snap a picture of the real thing, I was scowled for attempting to take a picture, and had to settle for a postcard from the gift shop before leaving the building : (

After Van Gogh and in search of our last meal in Amsterdam, we gravitated towards some brightly lit Christmas bulbs hanging above the streets, in what appeared to be a swanky area of town. Rachel, having known that I had eaten Indian food on my last night in London and in Paris, suggested that we eat Indian for our last night in Amsterdam as well. It took us only a few minutes to begin nibbling on some delicious servings of chicken curry and spicy chickpea goodness, after finding a little Indian restaurant tucked under a fantastic old building.

As I guided us home in the dark, I felt a pang of sorrow that we didn’t have more time in Amsterdam. It is such a splendidly gorgeous city, and even with our jam packed days, our trip to Holland felt cut short. Nonetheless, I had a total blast and wickedly wild time with Rachel. We ended the night with Dutch cookies in our room, while packing our bags, and all the while toppling over each other in our tiny quarters.

Trying to navigate our way around Amsterdam.

There were the most amazing window displays for the holidays…this one a little bear village…everything moved! So neat!

Dam Square.

Bloomenmarket. Floating on water.

There were so many bulbs!

Wooden tulips.

Cheese!!! The pesto cheese was AMAZING!

Taking a break.

Museum of Bags and Purses.

Even the bathroom had purses! This one behind the toilet in the stall!

Pretty stained glass in the museum.

Adorable chocolates with purses on them!

More hot chocolate…I should seriously become a “hot chocolate spokesperson!”

Pretty light.

Trolley lane.

How I spent my afternoon. Not too shabby I might add.

Colorful roadblock.

The only pic I could snag in the museum…Van Gogh himself.

Bike bells.