summer lovin' . . .

happened so fast. . .

OMG was I just quoting 'grease'?   it's clearly past my bedtime.

totes still slacking on the blog. obvs.  
but horseface is on vacay this week so we are attempting to enjoy the remaining days of our summer.   hope you are, too!

free printable here!

A-men.

BTW, can someone please explain this "rest" concept to c & p?

frenchie friday: model dogs

seems i've completely fallen off the grid.  i have some VERY good excuses . . . but only one of them really matters. 

 i survived the ash's bachelorette party. 

 this took days of mental and physical preparation on the front end and the obvious recuperation week on the backside. {sprinkle in a lil springsteen at fenway and pro bono partying planning in darien and you can thank me for checking in at all}

you're welcome.

now i just can't resist sharing this blast from my past.  was delighted to stumble across this e-mail in my junkmail when i regained post-bachey consciousness.



Hi Sarah,


I believe that I photographed George some time ago for Dogz Togz. I came across your posting regarding the horribles parade. I am researching the history of the parade and came across your listing. I loved your editorial take on the event so I thought you might enjoy some of the photographs I am putting into a book.


I hope that all else is well.



Rick


http://www.notrickashley.com/#/client/template.xml?aaa=portfolio/28016


Rick Ashley
19 Preston Beach Road
Marblehead, MA 01945
rick@notrickashley.com
www.notrickashley.com




rick had the absolute terror pleasure of shooting my sweet pups many moons ago for a high-end internet dog boutique.  {you heard me.  and yes, all the other bitches were jealous but looloo did not let it go to her head. that's just not how we roll.  obvs.}

 



i loved checking out rick's website.  the pics of the buildings in marblehead are amazebalz.  i didn't realize just how effed up quirky the architecture in this town was until i viewed it through rick's lense.  truly enlightening.  especially love this capture of the jeremiah lee mansion, which served as my view for four years at our previous address {aka george and loo's first home}.  totes looks fake.

anyhoot, let's not ignore the fact that he has compiled a real live book about the horribles parade. holla!

 but let's face it, rick can publish all the books & take all the amazing images he wants, but i'm pretty sure he reached the pinnacle of his career about 6 years ago.  

when this happened.  






O.M. F. G.

thank you, rick, for the stroll down memory lane and the reminder that george and loo do seem to have gotten quite plump. {reference fat frenchie friday}
and also raising the question: why was their modeling career so short-lived?

seriously tho, i'm excited for all of your future projects and can't wait to display the horribles parade book on my coffee table.  hopefully george won't tear it into one million pieces . . . but he probably will.  maybe your next book could be pics of all the things george has destroyed?



just beachy

huge potential for babble today so i'm going to attempt to make this short & sweet.
had a teeny health scare the last few weeks.  and indeed, the waiting was the hardest part.
i wasn't supposed to receive results until today and rather than sit around like cray cray person yesterday, i got a few of my fave ladies to rally for my first beach day of the season. 

because as they say--


{and the beach seemed a helluvalot more appealing than crying or exercising.  obvs}

we made the trek up to wingearsheek and it was phenom.  if you live in the area, run don't walk.



images via papadunesphotography

c & p frolicked for hours with their partners in crime, making lil footprints in the sand like these, and having too much fun to even stop and eat {or apparently let me properly apply sunscreen.  whoops}.  i think they ran at least 7 miles.  smiling all the while. 
it was just a really. good. day.

then came home to a big sandy mess to clean up, mounds of laundry, seagull crap on my cover-up, miz sunburned lil munkies, a slue of e-mails that need be returned, breakfast dishes still in the sink, plants that needed watering, dogs that needed love, a text from the horse asking if i picked up the dry-cleaning {which obvs i did not} . . . and a voicemail from my dr.'s office saying that they had 'good news results' for me.

relief. happiness. perspective
and lots of tearful hugs for c & p and horseface.  



fat frenchie friday

so george and loo had their annual check-ups yesterday with dr. rock {best. vet. evah}

seems they have put on a lil weight.  wonder why?  i'm no doc but i'm guessing the lack of exercise combined with their diet supplements {ahem, mac & cheese, hot dogs, nuggets via c & p} could be the culprit.

anyhoot, they look depressed this morning.



yet still. so. stunning.
obvs.

need me a lil liz


i needed to hear this {perhaps even accompanied by a slap in the face} today.
 have had a case of the cray crays this week. {not of the good variety} 
plan on taking the late great liz's advice tonight tho.
have a fabulous thursday everyone and RIP liz taylor, you inspire.


btw, i feel like liz and the bob have the same motto-
anything but boring!
hey, the bob, don't ya think?

wedding wednesday: mermaid of honor

anyone who reads lil hoot with any regularity is aware that i'm fully immersed in my mermaid of honor duties.  i am having such big fun helping the ash plan her big day, and i see my role just as what it's called, an honor.

here are some deets {with a teeny bit of hoot vernacular added} as told to classic bride for their lovely feature. {big thanks, SD!}

my cousin, ashly, is my favorite person on the planet.  {sorry horseface} when she got engaged to her amazebalz fiancee Scott, I was beyond happy and since I am a party planner, I had already started planning the wedding and shower in my head months prior {obvs}.   I knew I wanted to enlist the help of industry faves, White Loft Studio, chocolate creative design and Petal Floral Design {also Ashly's wedding vendors - yay!}



I wanted the shower to personify Ashly - laid back, beautiful, and above all, fun!  My mom was happy to co-host with me and offer her coastal connecticut home as the venue.  She has a mermaid statue perched on her sea wall which was one of the inspirations for the event.  Ashly has always loved the beach {so much so she resides on Nantucket!} so I wanted to incorporate seaside and beachy elements without being trite.  She also isn't your typical bride and was not comfortable with the traditional shower concept so we set out to create a "cocktail hour shower" announcing "one less lovely fish in the sea".  

The invites, painstakingly created by my lovely and talented friend Lucinda Wesson of chocolate creative design, set the tone for the celebratory occasion perfectly.  Lucinda illustrated a darling mermaid holding a cocktail which was then printed with gold foil on the invites, complimenting the pink, coral and aqua color scheme.  The RSVP was to go to the "mermaid of honor".  Envelopes were lined with an aqua and gold glittered scallop pattern.  fave. invites. evah.

The scallop pattern, bubbles and mermaids were to be found everywhere from the pattern of my mom's stone patio to the cocktail napkins.  Lucinda created a custom stamp for the napkins with the mermaid from the invite and the don ho lyrics  'tiny bubbles in the wine, make me happy, make me feel fine".  


The sweets were originally to be set up on the sea wall but the weather didn't cooperate. {womp}
 Instead we set up the dessert table inside with subtle seaside elements.
The gurgling cod was used for the floral centerpiece, which was composed of coral charm peonies and other gorgeous blooms, also a gift to the bride to be.  


i twisted sugar on top's arm to work her magic during her maternity leave and i cannot imagine the shower without these beauties.  thank you, sugar! {you can go back to milking nicky bobby now}

Vintage jadeite shell and cake stands to display pink champagne and mint macarons, the gold-dusted seashell and starfish cookies, very homemade cupcakes, and a delicate scalloped cake with a peony fondant topper also graced the table.


i just adore this cake.
Sequined linens gave a shimmery seaside effect on both the bar and and sweets table.
Guests were served pink champagne in aqua and blush champagne flutes with gold and pink pom pom swizzle sticks . . .  
and a gold 'holla' sign was the focal point of the bar.  



This was also a perfect "prop" for the stunning bride-to-be!



There were multiple surprises in store for Ashly.  Her best friend from DC flew in for the event - Heidi of course captured the reaction of the elated bride perfectly.  Which brings me to my next surprise- Heidi of White Loft Studio, herself!  Ashly is thrilled to have her shoot her October wedding on Nantucket so her presence at the shower made her so happy, and even happier when we saw the pictures!  Heidi also delivered the gorgeous florals from Ashly's wedding florist, Petal Floral Design.


followed by more hugs . . .


and lots more pink bubbles . . .
obvs.


My 3 and half year old twin daughters are so excited to be flower girls and couldn't wait to make an appearance in their champagne tutus and bubble cardigans!  They also got a sneak peek at what their flower crowns for the wedding will look like {Becca from Petal Floral Design created a special one for the mermaid on the sea wall}

Cast iron mermaid bottle openers served as favors with a pablo picasso quote - 
'love is the greatest refreshment of all' 
These were hung from the chandelier above the bar.  

The bridesmaids had fun awkwardly posing with the bride and the pink mermaids sign!
Guests were also sent home with small bundles of glitter and other goodies to throw in the sea at a full moon {shower was 2 days before full moon} as part of a "mermaid love spell".


{my only regret was that someone forgot to cast a spell on me to ward off my frizzy hair and post-shower hangover . . .}

Looking forward to collaborating with all of these amazing vendors in October for the main event, and feeling so lucky that we get to have so much fun along the way. holla!

event styling - Lil hoot
photography - white loft studio
invitation/paper goods/styling - chocolate creative design
cookies - sugar on top
holla sign - oh dier
mermaids sign-  by the seashore decor
linens- La Tavola
fondant peony - sugar and stripes co.

what i didn't share with classic bride was that the cocktail hour shower was held the evening before my gramp's memorial service, so that far-away family members could be present for both events.  it was a bittersweet weekend but ashly's impending nuptials lifted everyone's spirits immensely and we truly celebrated life and love all weekend long.  a true party with heart, indeed.

ashly & scott - we are all so very happy for you two . . . keep the bubbles coming!