and the oscar goes to . . .

possibly this guy.

yeah that's right. . . 

you heard me. . .

this guy.

so i'd like to take a moment to publicly declare my undying love  heartfelt congratulations to bradley cooper for getting the coveted best actor oscar nod for silver linings playbook.  he's also up for a golden globe this sunday.  

the ash is visiting this weekend and we are going to see it . . . obvs.  then, while the horse is being a neanderthal at the pats game, our personal superbowl is happening.  

wine. pizza. wine. globes. wine.  YES!

the globes dominate all other awards shows.  movies AND my true love, TV and, ahem, they give them all booze!    

so many of my faves are up.  i need connie britton to win best actress for friday night lights nashville.  

image via 

TAMI TAYLOR for president!

and can we even deal with the BFF co-hosts amy poehler and tina fey?  adorbs.

and best actor in a TV series?  i mean, i die a bit.  nicholas brody vs. walter white vs. nucky thompson vs. don draper.

oh, hello, there.  it's been awhile.

i'm having heart palpitations already.  i'm going to be so pissed if jeff daniels wins for the newsroom, the only show i'm not obsessed with.  he's totes going to.  womp.

i could clearly go on and on about this. . . clearly.

so let's just discuss what i'm going to wear if and when "the call" comes.  unfortch, i'll have to go off the rack since bradley is taking his sweet ass time inviting me.  i'll be soliciting feedback on a few options this afternoon.  stay tuned.

see the complete list of 2013 oscar noms here.

and brush up on the globes here.

{PS affleck got robbed on the oscar director nod for argo.  that movie is legit.  routing for him on sunday}

spotted . . .

 leopard.

 everywhere.

loving it for the home.  house beautiful has a page dedicated to some spot-tastic prints this month.

i spy one of my faves that we used on our kitchen banquette.  {it is foul 4 years later and needing to be recovered. . .obvs.} btw, this is where i am blogging from right. now.  

the space is looking ridiculously lame relative to the leopard accents i found on pinterest.

meeeeowwwwww . . . .

via made by girl

image via vogue

image via marcus design

image via style at home

also love-loving it for the wees.  saw two of the cutest instagram babes decked in leopard yesterday {shout out to the sassy & stylish super bres & a moore}

one of my fave pics from the ash's rehearsal is of p in her leopard cardigan. . . and tutu.  obvs.  {she literally will not leave the house without adding a tutu . . . or 2 or 3}

worship.

pining for pine street

i know it's been awhile . . . i was busy having the best. week. evah.

truly some of the happiest moments of my life.

so many more wedding deets to follow -- but as of now -- i'm unpacking, re-grouping, and missing our humble abode {rental. obvs.} in the heart of nantucket town.

here's the room where gemma {THE dress} slept.  she took up the majority of the room.  obvs.

such a beauty. . .

c & p were like two lil goldilocks trying out all of the beds!

the guest house served as wedding HQ.

and the scene of many late-night stubby's "meals." {foul}

as well as apothecary jar cleaning, escort card stuffing, shell painting, candle-making, and many other wedding tasks. . .

"what's gonna work?! teeeamwork!"

devo & sunny's bunks.  adorbs.

here's one sneak peek of the beautiful bride pre-gaming at 44 pine.

the ash was beyond stunning.

anyone in the market for an ack rental, i highly recommend these digs. check out the you tube video.

there was room for many helping hands. . . and gemma.  that says a lot.  not to mention, the space was very conducive to laughter.

stay tuned for a lot of gushing, i mean, genuine RAVING, about our indominatable vendors --  chocolate creative design, petal floral design &  white loft studio - are your ears burning yet?

and thanks for your patience with the sporadic blog. 

top 4 reasons i'm "fall"ing behind on the blog. . .

so yes my blog-slacking is OOC, i know!

so many balls in the air . . . and so so many exciting things going on.

just finished up L & J's wedding, a bon voyage brunch, and a froggy 40th.

and here are just a few highlights of things that have me a bit too excited for fall -- hopefully i can keep you posted on a somewhat regular basis while i juggle. . . 

number 1. {obvs}  the ash's wedding.  OMG so close!

there are fittings,  printings,  painting, slideshow creating, MOH speeches to be written, accessories to be chosen and meetings with THE most fabulous vendors to be had and it is all amaze at this stage of the game.   

cannot wait to share the deets!

{oh, and then there's the extreme makeover i'm perpetuating on my person.  SJLD back in full effect, as well as IPL treatments, teeth whitening & hair straightening. oh. my.}

number 2. the "R" party is not too far off either.  yikes!

i think i have my costume.  any ideas?

number 3.  C & P's 4th birthday party planning is underway, as well.  the wonderful jayme marie designs has been working around the clock on the invite . . . and it's pretty darn "fantastique", if i do say so myself.

and number 4. last but most certainly NOT least,  i might miss the wedding, the R, and the 4th, because THIS guy is filming in marblehead this fall.  i meannnn, really, could there be a bigger distraction?!  it's almost a joke.

will he come to the R party as RIDICULOUSLY gorge?  i'm creeping myself out on how much i worship.  and disrespecting horseface and jon's real life main squeeze while i'm at it.  sorry, you two.  why don't you commiserate over some vino while hamm and i discuss my inappropriateness.

yes, jon, that would make me smile, too.

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?

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

flowers- petal floral design

macarons -c. crowell confections

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!