I have a few lovely pages to share with you sent in by Melinda, designer/owner of Dandi in Australia, who recently assisted Wedding Style Guide (leading Australian bridal magazine that looks divine) with some gorgeous products and ideas for a wedding theme. People generally don’t think of a wedding magazine as anything they’d pick up unless they are getting married or helping to plan one, but I refer to them constantly as a source of decorating ideas and for color palette and pattern inspiration in addition to styling ideas for parties. I find some of the most exquisite color medleys in bridal magazine spreads so I insist on finding a good bridal magazine and subscribing to it because it can really help train your eye and develop your own personal style and creativity. I believe the more you look at beautiful, well edited and carefully styled things, the more you are training your eye for good design and you may even start to see your own wardrobe, home and even food preferences improve. I notice that after several years in this profession, my taste (which was a bit all over the place when I started), finally developed into a coherent style that fits me and my personality and lifestyle perfectly.
I always had good taste in things like most of you, but I needed to refine and trim and work out exactly what my own personal style statement really was so that when I shop or flea market or anything else, I’m not carrying home things that I liked in-store but that do not work in my home. Some people are always very surprised at how I am able to do this but it comes from years of training in addition to being born with a certain fascination for decorating that became evident to my family when I was a very young girl who was obsessed with decorating and constantly flea marketing and shopping at my mother’s side — trading in trips to amusement parks and waterslides to accompany her instead or sitting by her side watching her patiently sew for hours — everything from shower curtains to drapes to the clothes that I wore. My mother was a domestic goddess and I was happy to be in-training by her side. She also loved to landscape and was known in our neighborhood for having the best yard ever. When I’d go outside to look for her, it wasn’t uncommon to find her chatting up the neighbors, giving them planting tips on on her knees in their yard showing them how to arrange and plant things. She was also trained in her twenties as a floral designer, so we had flowers in our home at all times. I was also very keen on the neighborhood paper goods shop and would blow my entire allowance every Friday on Japanese “Sanrio” products from pencils to smelly erasers and diaries. Then I’d head to the bookshop to buy books and magazines. Hey, it was the 80s.
In fact, all I ever wanted when I was really young was to have my own home one day – I didn’t think about having babies, playing mommy and I gave little thought back then to having a husband or even a career as much as I thought about how fun it would be to have an entire house to decorate and “play” in. I’m sure many of you can recall your own memories of when you were very young, before you had external influences to tell you to be “this or that” profession, when all you loved to do was play “house” or be a mommy. It’s fun to think about how those days influence who you are now and what you like. As I grew older, my preferences remained strong on decorating and moving the furniture all over the house, but then I learned how to read and write and would spend hours (after decorating and cleaning and perfectly arranging everything in my room) writing in my journals or making my own little books with my horrible illustrations. I learned early on that I would not be an illustrator, but I still loved to try. And because I hated doing homework, the only way I could do it was to “teach” it before my class of stuffed animals lined up on my bed with name tags. It’s no surprise that I still love all of these things. Blogging, in particular, has helped me immensely when it comes to getting in touch with what I loved to do as a child. In school, particularly high school and college, I lost touch with who I really was deep inside because I just needed to get a job, pay the bills, and work. And I did this for many years until I decided to get back in touch with my first loves, I guess you could say. And from there, things have gone so well. I find that once you do what you were sorta created to do in life, things just flow… And you start to really figure stuff out. Like personal style. You wouldn’t believe how greatly personal joy and happiness affects your ability to get in touch with your personal style and to know yourself. Now what does all this have to do with an Australian wedding magazine? I’m getting there…. :)
Decorators, designers, stylists and people with good taste in general train this by carefully choosing, knowing their style, and often carrying with them swatches from things in their home so that when they shop there isn’t a bad decision made that one pays for later. There is not much more of a secret to shopping than that – honestly. To know thyself… this is the way to avoid picking up things that you don’t like when you get home. So! This is why I always encourage people to surround themselves with things and places and even people that inspire their own creativity, happiness and help them to train their eye so that there is a greater sense of peace when at home amongst all these “things” collected out in ones journey. And having a good solid collection of books and magazines that reflect YOUR vision is vital to all this as well. So next time you see a beautiful bridal magazine with a focus on tabletop decorating, floral arrangements, favors, etc. don’t pass it by discarding it as not applicable. It is! It is! If you’re not convinced, head to a magazine rack and see if you can be swayed… Check out wedding blogs too (they’re magnificent resources with often über creative authors) Or simply view these shots within this post. I particularly love the styling but also the colors (yellow and aqua, which has to be one of my favorite color combos) and ideas in general. Have a look, I think that Melinda did a beautiful job.
You can visit the Wedding Style Guide website for more goodies and thank you Melinda for sending me these gorgeous images to share here today!
(images: wedding style guide)
September 25th, 2009 at 7:16 am
Wow – thank you for sharing!
This was a huge encouragement for me…I have always felt guilty for never thinking of anything past “decorating my imaginary house” as a little girl…I re-arranged my furniture almost weekly and re-painted it as often as possible with my Mom (who was an interior designer, thank God). My second love was also writing…it has come out a decade later in blog form!
And look where I am now…early twenties and all my spare time and money goes to decorating my new home everytime I move!
- lauren nicole
xoxo
laurennicolelove.etsy.com
September 25th, 2009 at 7:30 am
Loving the yellows….
So fresh and beautiful ~~
Have a lovely weekend!
xo Laura
.-= laura trevey´s last blog ..Red and Green Holiday, Original Watercolor, 6 by 6, Merry and Bright =-.
September 25th, 2009 at 7:36 am
I love that color combination!!
September 25th, 2009 at 8:14 am
Your childhood sounds a lot like mine, and I really think we have to look to the things we loved to do as kids as planting the seeds for what would make us happy doing as adults.
In addition to going to flea markets/craft fairs with my mom, playing school, writing in my journals, and being an avid magazine reader and collector, I also used to make collages. Cutting words and photos out of magazines and pasting them onto cardboard was so fun for me. I’d hang them on my wall or make ones for friends or family. I loved it.
I look back on that now and realize that that honed my sense of proportion and color, and is probably why I love combining words and pictures.
Like you, I lost a bit of myself in and after college; it never occurred to me that the things I really loved to do could allow me to make a living. And now, all these years later, I’m hoping I can slowly incorporate these things into a career.
Great post, Holly! I’ve starred this one and will refer to it again! :)
.-= mary´s last blog .. =-.
September 25th, 2009 at 8:16 am
These are beautiful! I love all of the vibrant yellows so much….I am with you, I never dreamed of my wedding or the man I would marry as much as I dreamed of having my own house/apt and decorating and living in it. I too would play teacher and class and even set up my own library! :) My mom would go to one end of the house and my room would be one way……then 20 minutes later she would come back by and I would have moved my whole room around, dragging the furniture any way I could! (it was heavy!) *sigh*
I am exactly the same way today. Hee
xo
Melis
.-= Melissa de la Fuente´s last blog ..Melissa loves: Freya art =-.
September 25th, 2009 at 8:34 am
What a gorgeous colour palette! And your right, I always love checking out the table arrangements in bridal magazines… I love that entertaining for dinner aspect of it… even though I can’t really cook, I can decorate for the party!
September 25th, 2009 at 9:42 am
What a beautiful magazine! The Australians always get it right.
I enjoyed reading about your childhood. Mine was pretty similar. One of my favorite things to do was drawing floorplans and figuring out where the furniture would go. I also surpressed my artistic side during college in favor of a career that would supposedly be more stable and with better pay. A few years later I’m coming full circle and getting back in touch with what I really love.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Thank you for sharing your memories and dreams with me, it’s so encouraging to find such kindred spirits all over the world. :)
September 25th, 2009 at 10:03 am
I am not getting married any time soon. But I am saving these photographs. I think the colors are perfection.
xx,
Samantha @PrettyLovely
http://www.prettylovelythings.com
.-= Sam´s last blog ..Cinderella =-.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:53 am
You’ve jogged my memory, too. I was not so brave and forward about decorating my space as a child (don’t worry, I am now!) but I remember writing an essay in 5th grade about where we might find ourselves in the future. My essay was all about the house I would own, complete with color palattes for every room in my imaginary mansion-sized house. The teacher let me read aloud and when the stream of rooms painted silver and aqua didn’t seem to end, she finally cut me off. I can’t blame her at all. I’m happy to report that my tastes no longer reflect the glittery end of the spectrum, but I LOVE my aqua kitchen :)
.-= Victoria Bennett Beyer´s last blog ..Pretty Little Bird =-.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Lovely colour combination and I really like the photo of the yellow flats with the tulle wedding dress…nice
I also believe it´s a good way to reconnect with yourself when you remember favourite childhood pastimes and dreams…if one dusts them off and allows them to see light again, who knows what might become of them…
.-= julie´s last blog ..To bake or not to bake =-.
September 25th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Holly,
I’ve been reading your blog for a while now. I just have to tell you what an inspriation you are! I also have to echo the many comments on this particular post. I, too, surrounded myself with these things as a child. I also lost myself during high school and college. I know that sustainabiltiy as an adult is important but I believe in doing what is fulfilling and loved by your soul. I also believe that it’s possible to do what you love and survive just fine while doing it! I’m transitioning into a life that better suites the beautiful creative talents I was given, just like you and all your readers! It’s a fearful first step, but I’m confident (especially from life stories from women like you) that it will flow as it’s meant to be.
Thank you for your inspiration!
Lenay
September 25th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
I LOVE that yellow and white table arrangement, and those yellow paper lanterns are so sunny and beautiful! I currently live in a small condo with no room for a dining room table, but I can’t wait to own a house and have friends over for dinner with a pretty table setting like that. I will be keeping this in mind for when I buy a house, thanks so much for sharing!
September 26th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
I’m constantly checking out wedding magazines from the library even though I’ve gotten some strange looks when they ask me if I’m getting married and I say I already am. I love the party inspiration from them. This is a great new source to me! Thanks for sharing.
.-= Melanie´s last blog ..A backyard carnival is my fave =-.
September 28th, 2009 at 2:40 am
Only too happy to share Holly, and thankyou for sharing your experience with all of us, its seems resonant amongst many readers. I’ve just moved into my first (unrented) home and am having so much fun making it look the way I’ve always wanted my space to look. You are right, it does take years of practice and learning and seeking out to hone ones own style, I can’t wait to have my place all together (dandified, i think is the look!)
.-= Mindi (Melinda)´s last blog ..2 Weeks to go… =-.
September 28th, 2009 at 10:46 am
I’ve always loved looking at Wedding magazines! As you say the colors and arrangements are wonderfull. I wonder at times about being a wedding planner, I like it so much! Maybe I’m just a hope-less romantic, and didn’t know it!
.-= Penny Patten´s last blog ..Introducing some new Hens an a couple of Roosters =-.
September 28th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Very inspiring post! Being a designer, I see so many images of things that I like in all different styles that it’s sometimes hard to narrow down exactly what my personal style is. There is so much beauty out there and it does take time to know which clothes work best for you and what you want your home environment to look and feel like. I like the idea of carrying around a little swatch/color book at all times as a little reminder of what your vision is, I think that would be very helpful in the editing process.
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..Stalker Alert- Jenna Lyons =-.
October 1st, 2009 at 10:53 am
oh, the yellow flats beneath that fluff of a tulle skirt….perfection. thanks for sharing this. i need yellow everywhere in my life : )
October 7th, 2010 at 12:09 am
That was great advice! I’m 15 and i’m feeling all this pressure to chose what I want to be when I grow up your entry was actually very comforting!
Also this is such a Beautiful website! You do an amazing job!