summer wedding in the summer rain . . . .

Laura Campbell of MoonRose in LaConner was

selected by Tami & Brian for creating their

wedding decor at the rustic Beau Lodge

in Bow, Washington. With a

forecast for *some* rain,

it poured on us all day

during setup.

Despite that, you will see from the MANY photos I'm sharing

here that the splendid surroundings made it

all worthwhile . . . and Tami herself

considered it a sign of good

luck that it was

raining!!

The bride selected colors in a festive range,

and her personal touches were just

fabulous. Table seatings were

identified with personal

photographs of the

guests!!!

Disposable cameras were placed on each table for guests

to use during the celebration. Flowers were

placed into turquoise canning jars

that Laura laced with beads

on copper wires.

Brightly colored Chinese lanterns were hung from the

rafters, adding a beautiful lift to a rainy

day--organic touches were part of

Tami's superb combinations

of the hip color palette.

This was clearly no *white wedding*! We were

thrilled to work with such exciting

ranges of color . . .

WOW!!!

Beau Lodge is a little jewel nestled in

the wooded countryside of

Bow--just right for an

intimate event!

This giant sunflower in a bird's nest

was beribboned to hold the

bride's and groom's

rings!!

Music from the steel drums was a perfect addition

to the upbeat feel of this wedding,

and the Caribbean vibe seemed

right at home with the

poetically serene

surroundings.

Ahhh!!

. . . note the lovely rain. You could just feel

how happy the flora and fauna were

to have a long, cool drink.

The natural beauty was

breath-takingly

spectacular!

More of Laura's elegant touches in the entry . . . .

This cherub-on-swan is one of her signature

(and very popular) wedding props.

If you've been to MoonRose in

LaConner, you know how

good her taste is!!

I was a real *tree hugger* today, wrapping

this big tree with it's own wedding

bow-tie--note directional

signs for guests.

Did I mention the rain?!

Table scapes included bird nests

combined with succulents

and woodsy ferns.

Ye olde Watering Hole . . . .

Laura and her partner, Casey, fashioned

this wedding sign from an old

iron frame--we added

Boston Ivy to soften

the look.

With only six hours to set up all the decor,

Laura & I were concerned we wouldn't

make it--but Tami, Brian and

many friends were all

pitching in!

Dragging my soaked, achey body home for a hot bath,

I hoped the bride, groom and wedding party

all had a grand time together. They

certainly had the right spirit

for this occasion--lots

and lots of smiles

on all those

faces!

Thanks, Laura, for letting me be part of your amazing displays.

I know how hard you worked on this--so much goes

into it behind the scenes, and you can be

proud of what you accomplished!

Congratulations to the lovely couple . . . Tami & Brian, I hope

you have many, many wonderful years together

and that it was a magical day/evening for

everyone sharing your important

and very special event!!

xoxo Debi

Great Findz & Cake . . . go to this sale!!!

I'm rushing to get these photos out tonight

so you still have a chance to make this sale . . . just look at these

beautiful things!!! For details, go here: http://www.greatfindz.blogspot.com

Here's the beautiful Dawn Oscar of Great Findz . . .

And here's the beautiful Mela of Cake with totally charming hubby Ray

who helped me take care of a whopper of a flat tire I got in the

driveway . . . we made it to the Shell station just in time!

. . . and this little doll is Paris, who says "doggone it, who *are* all these

people here?!" There was delicioso Sangria, cheeses, crackers, grapes

and the most beautiful view of Lake Washington literally steps away.

Thanks for a true slice of heaven this evening, Dawn, Mela, Ray & Paris!!

Thank you dearest friend, Corrine, for going with me--how did you escape my

camera?! What a fun day we had . . . now back to work tomorrow

with Laura of MoonRose--a wedding in Bow, WA!!!

xoxo Debi

. . . a perfect afternoon with Shell . . .

Shelly Rollins of Bungalow Bling and I met at Skagit Valley Gardens

for lunch at the Garden Cafe. She's my *first* met-through-blogland buddy,

and I'm sooooo glad we got together. Too much fun in too little time!!

Not a moment's silence between us--comfortable, easy conversation

right from the get-go. Shell knows what's most precious

in life and shows it with gusto!

She's a very creative spirit who shares

my passion for vintage (duh!!). Working at Joyworks in Snohomish,

she has a quick eye for textiles, color and potential

for vintage items to upcycle and repurpose.

I don't have a creative crafter bone in my body and am in awe of

what Shelly sees in her mind's eye. I know, cuz we went SHOPPING

together after lunch--what fun to see what she spotted!

(Skagit Valley Gardens purchased this

fabulous "Jewelers" sign from yours truly)

Short on time, and focused on the task at hand (did I say SHOPPING?!),

there was no time for photo-ops . . . a mad dash to LaConner to

visit Mary Davis Lighting (so glad Mary is feeling better after a real

scare with a nasty virus!!). LOVE her shop!

Then a quick stop at Egg and Dart . . . Shell found some gorgeous

vintage ribbon for her projects. Ran out of time, although we wanted to stop

by MoonRose and Hutch Studio (next time for sure!).

Dashing off to Mount Vernon to catch Dilly Dally and the Red Door

before they closed . . . whew, we did it!!!

I came home with the best treasure of all . . . thank you Shelly for

this darling wall vase with flowers from her yard (oh, look, it has

a Frenchie lady on it!). We certainly crammed a lot of fun into just a

few short hours together--can't wait for another road trip

and another perfect afternoon with Shell.

xoxo Debi

Prepare to be AMAZED!!!

Cast Paper Sculptures of Native American scenes

* by Allen and Patty Eckman *

This is a radical departure from my *normal* blogging. After my cousin

Linda in Modesto forwarded these images to me, I just had to

share them with you.

These incredible art "sculptures" absolutely

take my breath away. I've never seen such beautiful

renderings of the Cherokee so lovingly formed. Hope you enjoy

seeing these amazing pieces as much as I do!!

These stunningly detailed sculptures may be made from mere paper, but they

are being snapped up by art fans for tens of thousands of dollars.

The intricate creations depict Native American scenes and took up to 11 months

to make using a specially formulated paper pulp which is inserted

into clay moulds and pressurized to remove the water.

The hard, lightweight pieces are then removed from the molds, and details

are painstakingly finished with a wide range of tools.

Allen and Patty Eckman have been making these creations since 1987 at their

home studio, in South Dakota. The pieces depict traditional scenes from

Native American history of Cherokees hunting and dancing.

Allen says, "We create Indians partly because my great, great grandmother was

Cherokee, and my family on both sides admire the native Americans..."

... "I work on the men and animals and Patty does the women and children",

explains Allen. "I enjoy most doing the detail. The paper really lends

itself to unlimited detail. I'm really interested in the Indians' material, physical

and spiritual culture; and that whole period of our nation's history

I find fascinating. From the western expansion, through the Civil War

and beyond, is of great interest to me."

Allen explains their technique: "It should not be confused with

paper mache. The two mediums are completely different.

I call what we do . . . "cast paper sculpture".

"Some of them are life-size, and some are scaled down to 1/6th life-size."

"These sculptures are posed as standing nude figures and limited-detail

animals with no ears, tails or hair. We transform them by sculpting

on top of them--creating detail with soft and hard paper made in

various thicknesses and textures."

About the artists:

http://www.eckmanfineart.com/about_allen-patty.html

A bit of . . . the Bite of Skagit

Wanting to stay closer to home, we opted to flea it

at the Bite of Skagit on Saturday.

Low key. Laid back. No fancy setup. Just right, right now!

This little darling enjoyed my Victorian seagrass chair . . .

doesn't she look turned-out-pretty for the party?

Downtown Mount Vernon was bustling with families enjoying

the comfy temperatures . . . ahhhh, a perfect 72 degrees!

There was live music, a sidewalk sale,

beer/wine garden (too far away from me, darn it!), cooking

with Graham Kerr, and a farmer's market.

A perfect slice of small-town living on a summer day!

Happiness is a perfectly matched pair--goodbye little green mohair bear!

* * * *

Life is so good in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest . . . wishing

you a happy summer filled with love.