Wednesday Wedding - Spanish Style

Pics via here

Cutting-board Calendar

Mandi stopped at the craft store and this $2 cutting board caught her eye. Being the creative gal that she is she knew she could use it for a fun project. She cut up some pretty Moonrise papers and made the calendar using one of her favorite toys, the Silhouette. Didn't it turn out great?

So next time you are going to throw something out or pass by a great deal at the store stop and think...what can I do with this little treasure? But if it really is junk you'd better throw it out!

Dance, Burger Boy

Can you believe these are cupcakes!!!
Pic found here

More Design Team Info

We are so excited by the great response we have received on our Design Team call. It is so fun to see so many talented paper-crafters!

For those of you that may be trying to decide whether to apply or not here are a few things that might help you decide. Once again, more specific information will be sent to those who apply, after the deadline.

1. Design team members will be sent SEI products to create projects with.
2. They will have one feature on our blog each month.
3. Look forward to a one-year commitment.
4. You do not have to use SEI products in your application.

UPDATE: At this time we are accepting applicants from the continental US and Canada :-)!

The Honey Trees

Photo credits: Simon Filip
I really love the amazing tunes coming from the indie group, The Honey Trees... and their name is just the best! ;) Becky, the lead vocalist, has such a unique and lovely voice. A mix of melancholy, dreamy and all things pretty. You must definitely check out The Honey Trees if you are not aware of them already. They are coming out with a new album very shortly and other surprises!
Remember "extra special"? Well, look where it landed...

Isn't she just a darling? More on this very soon! I cannot wait for their new album!
photo courtesy of Becky Filip

Adam's House

A friend of mine - my bridesmaid in fact - had his home featured in Real Living Magazine and I was very excited to see that a present I gave him for his birthday features in a few of the shots.

The industrial letter A was salvaged by Surfer Boy and I'm thrilled that Adam obviously likes it enough to have it so prominently in his home. 

Ben & Phoebe's Daybed

I recently helped my cousin and his gorgeous fiance {they just got engaged on the weekend} with the cushioning on this lovely daybed which they purchased from Cotswold for their beach house. We selected an array of brightly coloured exterior fabrics for the scatter cushions and a trusty navy and white stripe exterior fabric for the seat cushions and voila this is the result. I just love it and apparently they do too!!

My Favourite House

This is my all time favourite home - it can be found in Stars Hollow Connecticut and is the home of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore.

(Yes, I know they're not real but humour me)

I love everything about this house - the verandah, the wisteria, the white trim, the trees and of course the lives that went on behind those double front doors.

Recently I came across a photo of Lorelai's home as it is now - a few years after the final season of Gilmore Girls - and I can't say I am happy about the changes.  I'm happy the house still stands but I think they have stripped it of much of it's charm.  I wonder what TV family will live here next?

Sally Mann

A friend of mine has just changed her Facebook profile picture to this amazing image by photographer Sally Mann.

No matter how provocative her images, you have to admit they are pretty stunning.

Flowers For Friday - On a Sunday

It's been a hectic week and I'm all out on my usual posts but I promise I'll make it up as soon as things settle down on the CHALK front.  Hope your weekend is Ace!

Apply for our Design Team!

Happy Friday everyone! We have exciting news...SEI is creating a new design team!

If you would like SEI to supply your paper-crafting addiction with our latest products, send an e-mail to seiblog{at}shopsei{dot}com. Include a link to your blog and/or 3-5 photos of your projects. We will accept applicants for two weeks (until Friday, September 10th). At this time we are only accepting applicants from the Continental US, but if you are international please keep sending in projects! We love to see and feature them as well.

We will contact our applicants with more details when the deadline closes. Tell your friends and good luck!

CHALK Done

The day has finally arrived - I have just got home after an exhausting day getting everything ready for tomorrow's opening (actually today's!) at the new Kensington store.  I can't believe that we actually did it.  For some reason the first shop didn't seem so hard, maybe because it was 7 years ago and like childbirth the memories have dimmed.

We have just ripped all the paper off the windows to reveal all!  How fun.

If you're in the area pop in and visit otherwise I'll fill you in tomorrow on our first big day.

Friday Flowers

This morning, whilst running very late for school drop off, I raced around my new old garden and cut some foliage for an arrangement I was wanting to create for the shop today. Here is the result above. The arrangement sits on a beautiful oval Antique table which actually just sold to one of my lovely clients this afternoon. I am loving big glass vases filled with masses of leaves at the moment. Luckily my garden seems to have the perfect plants for this type of arrangement.

Black & Spiro Today

We installed a new window display at Black & Spiro today. There's lots of pretty colour in the lovely fabric drop we have hung and a beautiful Antique piece of furniture sits in front with a few bits on top including my favourite Staffordshire Dogs. Also a few people have been asking about the fabric on our lovely Antique chairs. It is a Mexican embroidered Otomi. We have this textile in quite a few colourways. It is divine.

September Calendar Page

September is just around the corner. That means it's time for a new calendar page. Go here for previous months.


To create this month's layout, print out these calendar pages, and create the layout using our Morocco paperpad.

Random likes...

I've been busy! Real busy... hence, light blog posts. I apologize for that. I actually had a customer that didn't like that I was blogging "daily" since I'm a little behind, so I was feeling guilty about blogging! Thank you to all your kind comments on the post about the lookbook and catalog! I've just put together a random assortment of current "likes". Enjoy!

1. Primele
2. J. Crew
3. J. Crew
4. Martin Clothes
5. Deer Brooch
6. Chelsea's photos AND this shop
7. All the details in Alyson's wedding

Chairs I Covet

If I lived in America I would snap up this pair of fabulous orange painted chairs from Lyn over at Paris Hotel Boutique immediately. For some reason I can see them recovered in something Lilac. DIVINE!

Sassy Monsterville Layout

This week we wanted to show you a fun Monsterville layout. Yep! That's right this layout was created with our Monsterville collection. Surprised? We love the pretty little patterns that compliment the monster papers perfectly. So, if monsters are not your thing, don't worry. You will can still to use this adorable new collection. Plus, it works for boys or girls.

Another thing that may surprise you about this layout is we used bead-dazzleds for the "kiss me" and flowers. They iron-on to tons of different surfaces, so why not use them on paper? They are simple to use. You really need to see these up-close to see how cool they are.

Stay tuned we have an exciting announcement coming later this week!

Wednesday Wedding - You know I love a Cowboy Boot

All pics via Style Me Pretty

Photography

I love looking at wedding photographers blogs because it is a time when people really put in a huge effort for an event and each wedding gives a snap shot of the style of the couple.  Wedding stylists are so creative and usually every detail of a wedding is thought out to the minutest detail.  In my wanderings around the Internet I have discovered many photographers who's work I adore - Max, Braedon, and now the talented  Joy Harmon-Prouty & Donny Prouty at Wildflowers Photography. 

Their weddings are beautiful but I particularly love their family portraits - no stilted families in bad outfits in front of fake backdrops - here's an example of a shoot I love

 

Winner + Free Download

Thank you for welcoming Monika last week. She shared so many great ideas! We really do appreciate your comments. Now, one lucky person can try out our page kit and more. The winner, as selected by random.org is...


Congratulations, litten! Now just send us your mailing address so we can send off some goodies. Our e-mail is seiblog{at}shopsei{dot}com.


Wait, before the rest of you go away feeling empty-handed, Monika has made all of you winners of a free download. Remember last Wednesday when she showed you mini album ideas, including an address book? Well, now you can make one too! Just stop by Monika's blog, i love it all and click on the link. Happy Monday!

I Want To Be At This Dinner Party

Kylie

Kylie in skates - does it get any better than that?

Dancing With The Stars

It's happy times at our house tonight.  Gidget and I spend Sunday night ensconced in front of Dancing With The Stars and it is the highlight of my gorgeous daughter's week and therefore mine too.

At the beginning of each season we both pick someone to barrack for and tonight both our dancers made it through to the Grand Final.

So Tamara and Rob - Congratulations

All the love may leave the room next weekend when ultimately one of our dancers will lose!  May not be quite so fun then.