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2010: A Retrospective
 

 


































 




















Tremendous thanks to all my wonderful clients, colleagues, friends and family for making this such a fantastic year. Finch & Thistle wouldn’t exist without you and for that, I am truly grateful.
Wishing you all a very Happy New Year filled with love, laughter and flowers!

- Rachel
Nonpareil Issue 7: Buzz Worthy Bride


I have been dying to show off the projects and pictures from the shoot I styled and designed for Nonpareil Magazine in October since well, October! Check out all the details of the 20(!) page article here - NP Issue 7: A Buzz Worthy Bride


Kathleen Ullman of Twig and Thistle created the mood board that inspired the shoot. Her dream wedding would have a “Farm to Table” theme with handcrafted details, natural elements and pink and sage green florals.


I then designed and styled the shoot based on the mood board. Here are some behind-the-scenes pictures from that cold, wintery day out on Bainbridge Island…



Apart from the pink roses, all the flowers, herbs and rose hips in the bouquet and arrangements came from my own garden.




I used vintage marmalade pots found on Ebay for the two smaller centerpieces and the white metal vase came from a flea market. The Mr & Mrs runner project was inspired by the burlap runners one of my brides made this summer and the herb pot favors seemed a sweet and inexpensive take on the Farm to Table theme. Details and step-by-step instructions are available here - Mr & Mrs runner template and here -Herb pot favor template





Our baker fell through at the last minute, so I improvised and decorated simple white cakes from Bainbridge Island’s Town & Country supermarket! Some scattered Secal pears, Black Mission figs and olive branches kept the farm feel a bit more sophisticated.




It was such a pleasure to work on this shoot with Angela and Evan. Not only is their work stunning, but they are a lot of fun to hang out with!



Our hair and makeup artist, Teryl, was fantastic. After an hour with her, our already gorgeous model Kara was just stunning.



As the sun set, Kara posed for some shots under the trees and then we moved down to the water to catch the last of the light.



Dress designer Chrissy Wai-Ching stands by with some hot tea for our freezing model!



Faded Glory
I saw these pictures of a vintage garden inspired South African wedding in the most recent copy of Wedding Flowers, a British wedding magazine, and just had to share. I absolutely adore the faded look to these bouquets and the interesting mix of texture and color.



Inspiration Board: Corporate Holiday Party

Palette: Champagne, gold and white with natural brown elements
Theme: Natural, chic, elegant
Location: Benaroya Hall, Seattle
Date: December, 2010
Finch & Thistle on Love and Lavender
Jenny and Jeff's gorgeous Healdsburg wedding is featured over on Love and Lavender! Check it out here...


2nd Saturdayz
I have been meaning to attend a 2nd Saturdayz for some time and now that wedding season is winding down, I finally got to check it out. A must for vintage loving brides and designers, 2nd Saturdayz is held every month on, you guessed it, the second Saturday over at Magnusen Park in Sandpoint.


Perhaps the poster gives it away, but this is no ordinary flea market. This is a market where every booth is styled and decorated to be worthy of a magazine shoot. The ladies who run the show, known as The Junk Tribe, are passionate about vintage shabby chic and picky about which vendors they let in the door. I scored some fabulous new props for next summer’s weddings (library card catalog as seating chart -anyone?), a $20 vintage Christmas tree and some gorgeous holiday trees made from recycled wool sweaters.


There was plenty of inspiration for holiday decorating and winter weddings too.





The next one will be held on December 11. See you there!
Personal: Family Portraits
We recently had some family portraits taken by Angela and Evan Photography and I am so thrilled with them that I wanted to share some of them here with you.

Here’s the whole gang:
From L- R: Marci (sister-in-law), Gillian (mother-in-law), Grant (my husband), Maddy (niece), John (father-in-law), Tasmyn (sister-in-law), me.

My favorite. We are *obsessed* with our doggies!

SMP: Vintage Romance
I just had to share this post from Style Me Pretty today. Absolutely gorgeous styled shoot from Sonoma and I just love the soft colors and textures juxtaposed with the “bling” in the jewelry and bouquet. Also a great example of using patterned linens without making the table look fussy or dated.

From jewelry designer Noaki … The shoot took place at Petaluma’s Gypsy Acres, a charming estate in Sonoma County, California’s lush wine country. Our theme was vintage country and Spring birth . We used lots of fresh new-growth greens and lemon yellows along with touches of vintage robin’s egg blue and pale pinks. Here and there we incorporated bits of vintage recycled materials and re-purposed items to carry the overall romantic mood, such as vintage table cloths, mix-and-match china and chairs and — even a vintage bathtub!








Jewelry & Accessories by Noaki Jewelry
Photography by Claire and Sam Photographers
You can see all these beauties and SO much more on Noaki’s website and Etsy Shop!
Don’t see exactly what you’re looking for? Noaki creates custom designs, too! Give her a holler ~ info@noakijewelry.com

Jewelry, Hairpieces and Celedon and White Heirloom Jeweled Bouquet: Noaki Jewelry
Photography: Claire Dobson
Invites, Place cards, Menus : Paperwhite
Table Linens, China, Glassware, Silverware : I leoni
Dresses: Amy Kuschel
Florist: Silver Tape Floral Design
Venue: Gypsy Acres
Hair and Makeup: Sara Martin
Styling: ILeoni & Paperwhite
Chelsea and Jamie: Part II

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The bridesmaids wore different shades of blue dresses from J.Crew and Kenneth Cole and the groomsmen all wore white shirts with blue and orange checked ties. 



**
Chelsea wore a Nicole Miller gown, accessorized with a multi strand gold and pearl necklace from Macy’s, and carried a bouquet of white and orange garden roses, blackberries, thistle, dahlias, stock, freesia and green hypericum berries.

                                                             *   
Jamie wore a custom suit from Nordstrom.

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Family members dressed in jewel tones and I made their boutonnieres and corsages to coordinate.

The ceremony took place on the patio of the Oddfellows hall in Eastsound, overlooking the beautiful Puget Sound and surrounded by native Madrona trees.


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Penny the Labrador served as flower girl and ate her corsage halfway through.

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Outside on the deck we set up a photo booth complete with props and I decorated with hanging flowers in varying shades of blue glass.



Guests enjoyed cocktails on the deck while the wedding party took photographs and then guests dined on barbequed salmon and chicken with cupcakes made by the island's only bartender for dessert.



*****
We used white linens to show off the burlap and the blue mason jars. I used cherry brandy and orange roses, dahlias, stock, hypericum, seeded eucalyptus, blackberries and blue thistle in the flower arrangements.


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I loved how the light shone through the blue glass as the sun set!


*

A gift table displayed an antique leather suitcase and the cake topper was from Chelsea’s grandmother’s wedding.


The bride and groom entered the reception to a taped recording by one of the groomsmen mimicking the starting lineup for an NFL football game and guests danced the night away under a ceiling draped with pennant flags in vintage fabric while lanterns and jars of flowers hung in the windows and from the railings of the patio.





****
{all * pictures courtesy of Jonathan Steinberg Photography}

And yes, in addition to designing this wedding, I am one of the bridesmaids :)
Chelsea and Jamie, Orcas Island: Part I
For those of you who have been following the blog for the last few months, you will remember that Chelsea guest blogged about her experiences planning her August wedding on Orcas Island. Here are all the details and pictures from the big day!


*
Chelsea grew up on an apple farm in Wenatchee, WA (the epicenter of Washington state's apple growing region) and in her senior year of high school she was nominated Apple Blossom Queen (an honor that meant she had to bring her tiara and gown to college with her so that she could be ready to attend a parade at a moment's notice).

On a weekend trip to Lake Chelan right after Chelsea and Jamie got engaged, Chelsea and I found a pile of vintage apple label postcards in a roadside antique store and inspiration hit. We would design her upcoming Orcas Island wedding to have a country, organic theme based around vintage apple posters.


Chelsea was a very hands-on bride. After I put together a mood board to help with the design direction, she immediately started scouring the blogs for ideas to make their wedding day special on a budget. She made the burlap table runners herself, spent a weekend sewing pennant flags, collected crates and crates of coveted blue mason jars and vintage bottles and glued lace cutout blue paper onto recycled cans for centerpieces.



*
We even assembled the glass cake plates ourselves from platters, ashtrays and sundae glasses we purchased for pennies at Goodwill.


*

*

Then Chelsea's sister Erica had a *brilliant* idea. She had been to an event for the WA wine commission and seen apples "tattooed" with logos for a sponsor company. We had been tossing the idea around of using apples grown by Chelsea's father as place card holders but this took things to a whole new level. Erica found a small indie sticker company in Seattle and commissioned them to design a small black heart shaped sticker with a C & J cutout in the middle. Two weeks before the apples were to be picked, Chelsea's dad and stepmother stuck the stickers onto the apples while they were still green. Apples turn red right before they need to be picked so the sticker blocked out the sunlight leaving a stencil in green on the red apple. They turned out perfectly!


*
We added small paper leaves to each one and we had the perfect escort card display.


{all * pictures courtesy of Jonathan Steinberg, others by me}
David Stark for West Elm
If you haven’t heard of David Stark, I’m sure that you have at least seen his work in one of the many magazines or television shows he appears in monthly.  New York event designer to the stars, Stark is known for his out-of-the-box approach to design. He often takes every-day objects and crafts them into amazing sculpture for such corporate giants as Louis Vuitton, Conde Nast, Target and MOMA.





Now the rest of us can take home a little piece of Stark’s work courtesy of his new holiday collection for West Elm. The collection, which focuses on natural and recycled materials, features garlands, flowers and holiday trees made from newspaper and vintage gardening books and ranges from $4 to $39.



To promote the collection, Stark and West Elm teamed up to create a paper flower shop in West Elm’s flagship store.



Check out the video to see the enormous amount of work that goes into a production like this!


Winter Wedding Palette
I’m always disappointed that more people don’t get married in the winter in the Pacific Northwest. I love working with winter colors and coming up with creative ways to incorporate a warm, cozy feel to the day despite the gloom outside. Here are some of my favorite winter wedding palettes…

Navy and lilac with silver/gold accents: {Lobster & Swan via Classic Bride}

Crimson, baby pink and gold with forest green accents:
{Sara Gray Photography}

Lilac, snow white and black:
{Suzanna Dodson Photography}

All white with lots of texture:

{Clockwise from top left: The Knot, The Knot, Apartment Therapy}

Magenta, purple and chartreuse:

{Via bradfordreformer.com}

Tiffany blue, chocolate and white:
{Clockwise from top left: Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot, The Knot, Petal & Bean}
Cake Toppers
The wedding cake is often the focal point of the decor at a wedding. If the invitation sets the tone of the day, then the wedding cake (or dessert display) is the sweet denouement. 

At Finch & Thistle, we are more than a little obsessed with the popular resurgence of vintage bunting in the last couple of years. Here’s a fun and unexpected way to incorporate it into your wedding cake.

 
A paper wreath adds a sweet touch to a handcrafted, rustic wedding. This sweet wreath and garland comes with DIY instructions from Martha Stewart Weddings.

Love birds have always been popular but these examples from Etsy are a little different from the white lace doves that adorned our grandmothers’ wedding cakes.



Or how about no topper at all? These cakes* are so beautifully designed and decorated that there’s no topper necessary.

{*All from Martha Stewart Weddings}
Gone to the birds

I have been a fan of local crafter Laurie Cinotto for years now. I recently saw her gorgeous bird cages at a craft show and almost bought up the entire stall. Wouldn’t these be perfect favors for a wedding or baby shower?

You can see Laurie’s work at the Tacoma Holiday Craft Sale next weekend -

Fab Find: Milkpod Studios
These adorable handmade bouquets, boutonnieres and garlands are all made from fabric. They would be perfect for a rustic, hand crafted wedding or a bride who wanted a permanent keepsake of her big day.






 { http://www.etsy.com/shop/MilkpodStudio/}


Google Does Weddings?
Google and Style Me Pretty have teamed up to offer a complete wedding planning manual as part of Google Docs. Brides can use templates to plan out their budgets, produce guest lists, maintain RSVP lists, make seating charts and even put together a wedding album after the big day. So what do you think? Will you be using Google’s wedding templates to plan your big day?
 

Check out the rest of the wedding templates here
angela & evan, kirsten & mike
The details from this recent wedding at Sodo Park are absolutely divine and matched only by Angela and Evan’s gorgeous photography.  See the rest of the pictures here. 














Jenny and Jeff, Sonoma Part III
The reception tables were covered in taupe linens and the centerpieces were loose arrangements in mason jars and milk glass of roses, dahlias, hypericum, stock, queen anne's lace, dusty miller and lisianthus accented with wild turkey feathers collected on the ranch and placed on vintage lace doilies.

The napkins were held with craft paper napkin rings and the favors were small vintage fabric covered pots of local honey.
Cafe lights strung from old farm tools supported in hay bales and covered with bougainvillea set the mood and created a cozy atmosphere despite warnings from the father of the bride not to wander off for fear of mountain lions. We filled a wheelbarrow to the brim with flowers and vintage lace-covered saddles and antique white candelabras decorated the cocktail patio and dance floor inside the house. White Mexican cutout flags personalized with the bride and groom's names added a nice touch.

Guests found their table assignments from escort cards displayed on wire between hundreds of pictures of Jenny and Jeff's families and large arrangements of flowers (with olive branches and persimmons picked from the ranch) in vintage silver and milk glass graced the buffet of BBQ chicken, mac and cheese, corn bread and salad.
 
Guests finished off the evening salsa dancing in the candlelit living room. It was a magical night!
*All pictures with watermark courtesy of Lianne Milton Wedding Photography
Jenny and Jeff, Sonoma Part II
Jenny accented her vintage style Nicole Miller gown with a feather fascinator and mesh veil, red lipstick and gold heels.

She carried a bouquet of dahlias, scabiosa, stock, sedum, lisianthus, cool water roses, David Austin roses and dusty miller in shades of silver, purple and pink.
Jeff wore a grey pin-striped suit and wore a boutonniere of pink lisianthus accented with green olives I picked from the reception site that morning.
The two attendants (the bride and groom's sisters respectively) wore taupe and mauve dresses from J.Crew and carried smaller versions of Jenny's bouquet and ring pillows that were passed around to each guest during the ceremony to be blessed.
Guests tossed dried lavender as proceeded back up the aisle and then were bussed up through the hay fields to the main house for the reception.

*All pictures with watermark courtesy of Lianne Milton Wedding Photography
Jenny and Jeff, Sonoma Part I
This is hands down one of the most beautiful weddings that I’ve had the pleasure to work on. In part due to the gorgeous setting, in part due to the amazing flowers I was able to get my hands on down in San Francisco (cafe au lait dahlias! persimmons on the branch!) and in part because the bride, one of my closest friends from college, is one of the most stylish people I’ve ever met.  This post will have three parts because I just couldn’t narrow down the number of pictures that I wanted to share! 

Jenny and Jeff's wedding took place on Jenny’s grandmother's 350 acre ranch in Sonoma County, just outside of Healdsburg. The ceremony was held on the lawn of the caretaker's cottage overlooking fields ripe with hay and emerald vineyards lining the hillsides in all directions. White flags rippled in the wind, lace patterned lanterns danced from the tree branches and the sun beat down on a crowd anxious to witness the marriage of this long-time couple.






*All pictures with watermark courtesy of Lianne Milton Wedding Photography
In love: Miss Pickering
I recently stumbled across a blog written by an English florist, Simone Pickering and I am smitten. Miss Pickering, as she is more commonly known, is the owner of a “floral emporium” in Stamford and writes daily about her exploits with “the hound.”

By way of introduction her website states that,
Her work is stunning, her wit pronounced and her English-ness undeniable. A daily dose of her blog is sure to amuse and inspire and serves to make this English designer a little less homesick.  


Miss P’s blog:
http://misspickering.blogspot.com/
The Hound’s blog:
http://www.shop-dog.blogspot.com/
Abbie and Matt

Palette: Lavender, plum and sage green
Theme: vintage, rustic, whimsical
Location: Golden Gardens, Seattle
Date: June, 2011
DIY Pumpkins from Twig & Thistle
As a Brit who didn’t grow up celebrating Halloween, I have to admit that sometimes I find it hard to get into the ghostly spirit beloved of my friends and neighbors. After an unfortunate incident in college involving a large pumpkin and a broken car windshield, I had sworn off that particular squash for life…that is, until I saw these gorgeous pumpkins from Kathleen at Twig and Thistle. I think these would work equally well for Thanksgiving dinner or a holiday party. Click here to see more of Kathleen’s fun ideas.

DIY Pumpkin Candle Holders for BHG
October 22nd, 2010





I shared my third project for the Better Homes & Gardens contest yesterday and today I have all the materials and instructions you’ll need to make your own. With just a few simple steps, you can make any foam gourd into a pretty and natural looking fall accessory. Have fun!

Supplies
Styrofoam Pumpkin
Candle
Drill
Hole Saw Attachment for drill (found at hardware stores)
Craft Glue
Glitter

Instructions
Determine the width of the candle and make sure the hole saw is just slightly larger. Remove the stem and locate the center on top of the pumpkin. With the pumpkin firmly secure, center the hole cutting attachment above the pumpkin and slowly drill out the center. It may help to have someone hold the pumpkin steady while you drill. Once center is cut, you’ll need to carve out the foam with a knife. Continue the process until you have desired depth.
Once the hole is cut, coat entire pumpkin in craft glue. Generously cover with colored glitter and let dry. Once glitter is dry and to prevent glitter from flaking off, spray with a bit of hairspray to set.
Use non-drip candles (typically the wide candles don’t) or if you’re using tea-lights, opt for ones that have a plastic or metal cup so that wax doesn’t get into pumpkin. Place candle inside and light!

*As with all flammables, be mindful and keep a watchful eye.
Sneak Peek: NonPareil Photo Shoot
I spent Sunday out on Bainbridge Island styling a photo shoot for NonPareil Magazine with Angela and Evan Photography. We got very lucky with the October weather and had a great time working with the “Farm to Table” theme concocted by Kathleen at Twig and Thistle.  If you haven’t had a chance to check out NonPareil yet, do so immediately! It’s an extremely stylish online magazine filled to the brim with DIY projects for weddings and events.  I was thrilled to be part of their invitation-only winter issue and can’t wait to share my behind-the-scenes pictures when the article is published in December.

5/16/2012 1:40:27 PM