The Brown Eyed Bride

Wayne

2011-02-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

After we found out in November that Wayne was done with treatments. Done with chemotherapy. Done with fighting the cancer. With medicine, anyway. He, however, was still not done fighting. After that day. I was done blogging.

I felt guilty for continuing to live my life when he was struggling to keep his. Guilty for being happy in the midst of a devastation that had overtaken my family and my sister.

Now, he's gone. And as I type that last word my heart sinks into my stomach and I realize the truth that comes along with the horrible realization. I miss him terribly. And then. As I type that, I think, I don't have the RIGHT to feel that way as I think of Val. Of Dave and Donna. Of Nikki. Think of how they feel, I say.

But he was my brother. Not a brother-in-law. Not some man who was placed into our family that we never knew. I KNEW him. Loved him as my own brother. My brother. His sister. I miss him. He created such a huge influence in my life that is indescribable and I wonder WHY I never told him that. I hope he knows.

So now, today.

I feel guilty again more than ever for having a good day. For smiling. For going on with life. I feel guilty for having a bad day, because I think, my bad day is nothing in comparison to Val's best days right now.

And Val. Sweet Val. My best friend. My sister. She's the biggest influence in my life. The storybook older sister that every girl needs. I HAVE that. I have her. And now, she needs me. I feel the roles have swapped and I worry I won't be able to give her everything that she needs. I feel an immense responsibility to take care of her and Claire and Caeden. I want to be a part of that new team. A team that we will create to make it through.

Luckily I am not alone in wanting to lift Val up to the clouds. She is surrounded by a lifeline of the best women you can imagine who have rallied together to create a little something to make sure Val is taken care of.

The day is February 28, 2011. It will be an auction of all things lovely. Proceeds will go to a variety of ways to make sure Val and the chickens are taken care of. Please go to Jami's blog or Val's blog to read more.

Help us take care of Val.

XOXO

love

2010-12-29T17:05:00.001-07:00

Sorry I've been so MIA lately.

Lots going on with the family.

Too much to fill you in on, not wanting to talk about it.

And. Mostly. Just wanting to spend the holidays loving on my family.

So, that's what I've been up to.

We had an amazing Christmas with EVERYONE in town. W was feeling well, we ate like king and queens, drank like . . . champions, and cherished our time together.

Wishing everyone was ALWAYS in Denver. Please move here? You know who you are.

Looking forward to catching up on blogging, thank you for being patient!

XOXO

Linz

PS. Absolutely no reference to the picture (it's from Valentine's day a couple years ago). But. It's supposed to SNOW tomorrow. Our first snow of the season.

Can't wait to go outside and play in it tomorrow.

Or.

Stay inside and make chili. Either way.

A Bit of Holiday Spirit {for free!}

2010-12-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

A little late on creating your personalized Christmas cards and still want to send your loved ones a little something in the mail? I literally shrieked a bit when I saw how cute these were...

It's a little self mailer just big enough to staple two bags of peppermint tea along with a personal note. Just seal and stick in the mail. If I wasn't so behind on my wedding thank-you's I would totally be doing this.

Throwing a holiday party? Download the sweetest invitations here. And if you're sending them the old fashioned way . . . matching postage labels here.

And. While we're on the topic of partying. Be the perfect party guest and bring along a homemade mixer for a Pomegranate Cosmo, or Apricot Ginger Fizz, along with matching labels {here}. The super cute bottles can be found at Ikea.

Then, finally. Christmas gift tags here, here, here, and here.

An Excuse

2010-12-02T22:09:00.005-07:00

I went to Target yesterday to attempt to recreate the photograph from my last entry . . . golds and soft ivories, sparkle and subtlety.

Though I didn't recreate the picture as I had hoped, I started grabbing other ornaments that caught my eye.

Vintage-looking ornaments with the twelve days of Christmas, a huge, heavy, sparky {s i n g l e} silver ornament that my Mom gave me a few years ago {still my favorite ornament}, more more more
twinkly lights. And. A mistletoe.

Below - loving that you can see the reflection of me crouching on the ground trying to catch a proper shot that does the ornament justice. Meanwhile, J, snooping over the couch to see what I'm up to.

Our first ornament, a gift from Cindy.

Mistletoe . . . as if I needed another excuse to kiss my husband . . .

I can see the Charlie Brown tree becoming a tradition for J and I.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the K's house.

A bit of cheer is just what we needed around here . . .

Christmas Style

2010-12-01T12:46:00.001-07:00

Jordan and I picked out our first Christmas Tree over the weekend.

J always grew up with a Charlie Brown tree standing tall in their living room - so I wasn't surprised when he picked out the most sparse tree I've ever seen.

There's just something about tradition that sticks, isn't there?

Here's our meager little guy. It looks tiny up there! Makes me laugh out loud. But it fits perfectly in our little cabin of a home, actually.

Even so . . . I'm having problems decorating it. Because we only have a few (well, two actually) ornaments that have a lot of meaning to us, I feel like I need a theme for the tree.

So what do I do, but, google "Christmas Tree inspiration"?

Stumbled upon this gorgeous take on Christmas decorating.

Found via The Style Files

I need to re-create this feel.

Thinking about sticking with silver, gold, and ivory; then using twine as garland.

A few more inspiration finds from Pottery Barn.

Cheap.

2010-11-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

After months of walking around in my black heels, almost wearing them every day...

They have started to deteriorate.

Lining inside the shoe is peeling away.

They've lost their shine.

The actual heel has been scraped away, so, now, it's a steel rod that I'm walking on.

The leather is peeling up from the heel exposing the steel rod.

How I walked on these, I don't know.

All that to say, today, I replaced them. Finally. And still felt a twinge of guilt.

How much of a cheapass am I? When did this happen? :)

Can I also confess that I save gift tissue paper? I do.

BUT. Will spend $50 on customized Pottery Barn stockings.

So there you go.

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and is starting their Christmas spirit!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T19:17:00.000-07:00

Not thinking ahead, I just went to the grocery store tonight to buy everything for our Thanksgiving feast tomorrow. The UnSafeway on Federal was surprisingly calm and had everything I needed in stock, whew!

Since Val & Wayne headed to California to celebrate with Wayne's sister and parents . . .

And because Mom & Ken moved to Virginia . . .

And because Jordan has to work on Friday and all the Kal's are in Wyoming . . .

We are celebrating here in Denver with our besties.

Attempting my first Thanksgiving by myself (and Andrea) . . . wish us luck!

J and I are off to Casper on Saturday morning to spend the weekend at the cabin with the Kal's. . .

Hope everyone has safe holiday travels and celebrates with their loved ones!

Home Making

2010-11-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

On Friday I drove past a sign on the way home from work outside of a nunnery.

"Craft Sale, Holiday Gift Baskets, Baked goods, & more!"

Naturally, I was intrigued. And, I need to support the local nuns, of course.

Not two seconds later my phone was ringing, it was Andrea. She was on her way to my house to pick me up and off we headed to this (most likely) huge craft sale! Surely I was going to find baskets full of holiday goodies.

As we walk in with anticipation of what we're going to find, we talk about what we need. Gift baskets for coworkers? Holiday wreaths? Maybe we'll see something that inspires a craft day . . .

Instead, we walk in, and see . . . junk. Tables full of garage sale items. And, overcooked cookies.

Oh, nuns . . .

We couldn't leave empty-handed. Now, we ~~felt~~ ~~obligated~~ (bad word choice?) - yearned to support the nunnery.

Just as we're about to leave we stumble upon a wire photo-holder. {Not the best description}. There were two left, we grabbed both and headed to the cashier.

With no price tag on either item, we pull out a $10, expecting to pay at least $5 dollars. Oh no, far from. The sweet nun rang us up at . . .

.50 cents.

For both.

We walked out of there feeling like we robbed a group of nuns.

So, here is my steal of a deal. Put an old picture of sweet grammy in it.

In other news, I got a package in the mail from Mom today. Inside were some of the postcards guests signed at the wedding. (We gave them to Mom to mail to us though out the year as a reminder of our wedding.)

Also inside were a set of three homemade tags with old-fashioned images of a fork, spoon, and a knife from {Paper Source} over at Etsy. Needing some decoration for our dining room, I put them in a frame and wha-la! Instant art.

Something Warm

2010-11-18T18:03:00.001-07:00

Have been wanting to pick up blogging again since the wedding but had an extreme case of writer's block. Because, you know, blogging is intense.

But tonight, while making a batch of homemade Hot Buttered Rum, I decided, I'm back.

Needing a place to release some creative juices.

So. Back to Hot Buttered Rum. Have you had it? So SO yummy. It reminds me of when I was little - we would always celebrate Christmas at Aunt Lyndee's and Hot Buttered Rum was in everyone's hand. Add a little rum for the adults and it turned into an affair to remember.

There are a handful of recipes out there but I went with this recipe because the vanilla ice cream sounded so yummy.

Ingredients

1 pound butter
1 pound brown sugar
1 pound confectioners' sugar
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Blend in brown sugar and confectioners' sugar. Remove from heat, and whisk in the ice cream, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour mixture into a plastic container, seal, and freeze.
In a coffee mug, measure 1 tablespoon Hot Buttered Rum Batter and 1 fluid ounce of rum, then fill cup with boiling water. Stir, and sprinkle top of drink with nutmeg.

Enjoy!

His Ring

2010-07-21T20:31:00.000-06:00

This week I picked up Jordan's wedding ring from Jared's.

It felt so good leaving the store with it in my hand. As I was walking out, I wondered how Jordan felt when he was doing the same thing with my engagement ring.

I got home and just stared at the ring for awhile. Tried it on. (Hey, why not?) Then, when Jordan got off work that night I proposed. :) Not nearly as nerve-racking as the real proposal was for him, I'm sure.

Tonight Jordan tried the ring on again and wore it around the house for awhile. I think he may be more excited for August 28th than I am?

No, impossible. Though I can't wait to see that ring on his hand, either.

The Groom

2010-07-20T13:11:00.004-06:00

Wants to buzz his head in the hotel room the night of the wedding.

Plays guitar and sings to relax. To entertain friends and family. To de-stress. To swoon his bride-to-be.

Hates his coffee black. French vanilla or vanilla-caramel cream, please.

Has serious moves on the dance floor.

Is an amazing uncle. Involved. Funny. Loving. Makes me gleam when I think of the two of us having kids together.

Loves the Lord.

Makes me laugh without even saying a word.

Can talk to anyone. Cousins-to-be, new friends in a crowd, a random in a restaurant. Anyone. For hours at a time. And make them feel like his new best friend. I love this about him.

Big Buck Hunter (don't ask) is his favorite game. Stick him in a bar with this and he'll be content all night.

Is romantic when I least expect it.

Is my soon to be husband.

Is the love of my life.

the weather

2010-07-18T23:11:00.000-06:00

The two-week run of 100 degree weather has me a bit worried for our outdoor reception in August. I'm hoping you're all not melting in the sun at 5 o'clock. This may lead you to down a few more mojitos than you might normally. (Maybe not such a bad thing?)

Also hoping it doesn't rain. (Don't worry, we have a backup if it does...)

Which led me to my final idea, what if it is actually a bit chilly later in the night?

We might need these to stay cozy by the fire pit.

Found at ikea for $3.49 per throw! (A steal, I know!) Thinking I could tie a cute ribbon and tag around these and display in a basket for the ladies!

July.16

2010-07-16T18:08:00.000-06:00

Ah, fellow blog readers! I'm amazed you're still reading, I have seriously slacked on blogging the past month. Been a bit busy with Mr. and Mrs. Godber, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, and Mr. and Mrs. Iversen's weddings.

Whew! 2010 is the year to get hitched apparently!

A few pics to get you up to date.

Had a blast addressing and stuffing envelopes with Jordan, Andrea and Jake. Dropped those in the mail a couple weeks ago. We've had a blast getting RSVPs in the mail and love reading notes you all have written for us!

The ring bearer's bowties arrived in the mail - absolutely a-dorable. I can't wait for the little fellas to put these on!

Received a lovely package in the mail from my dear friend, Farrah. She sent us these stunning champagne flutes as well as a matching cake knife and server! I can't wait to toast with these on the wedding night!

Fabric Flowers

2010-06-25T14:32:00.001-06:00

My amazing Mom and her lovely friends joined together this morning for brunch, drinks (I'm assuming) and craft time.

This sweet group of gals have been making fabric flowers for the wedding. Can I just say that they are saints? I have never met them and this is how they spend their Friday! Amazing, I know.

I called this morning to thank them and heard a roar of southern accents. I can't wait to meet them!

By the looks of that table I think they could start a business!

For the wedding we are tying several down the aisle and hanging them from the pergola over the dance floor. They have the perfect vintage touch and I can't wait to see them all in person!

Addressing

2010-06-24T22:41:00.000-06:00

Remember how I said I received the envelopes to our invitations a week early? So I could address them BEFORE the invitations arrived? So when the invitations arrived everything would be much more streamlined and simple?

Well.

I picked up our invitations yesterday. (Gorgeous, fabulous, by the way.)

And still haven't addressed the envelopes.

Just saying.

XOXO

A Presentation

2010-06-11T17:03:00.005-06:00

I received a package in the mail today from Wordshop.

Inside was a stack of gorgeously wrapped envelopes. Yes, envelopes. It's amazing how excited a bride-to-be can get over anything having to do with the wedding.

We received our envelopes in advance of the invitations so I can get a head start on addressing the envelopes! Brilliant.

The invitations are a non-traditional size {for invitations} they are the dimensions of a traditional letter envelope. I was nervous about this at first -- mainly because of the envelope. I didn't want our invitations to arrive in the mail looking like another piece of average-joe mail . . . or worse . . . a b i l l. How would I be able to make our invitation stand out?

Well, you start with the envelope, of course.

A cute little detail, such as how the envelope opens, can make all the difference.

Then, the stamp.

And finally, stamped and sealed with our address.

Ah, the details of stationary. This is exciting stuff, people.

A Woman's Right to Shoes

2010-06-09T16:21:00.005-06:00

The hunt is on.

Shopping online for shoes. Not just any pair of shoes, the shoes.

Wedding shoes.

Ultimate, girly, r u f f l y, s h o e s.

Found here. (I know, Saks!? Don't judge my lack of restraint.)

Badgley Mischka. Nordstrom. (My favorite so far)

Badgley Mischka. Nordstrom.

June 5, 2010 - A Bridal Shower

2010-06-08T18:26:00.002-06:00

June 5 was a day to remember. My maid-of-honor. My best friend. My go-to-for-everything. Amazing sister. Val. Hosted the most amazing bridal shower for me on Saturday.

Everyone started with a drink in hand. Coffee or bellini (pureed fruit + champagne), take your pick. I chose both. Polished it off, and refilled, thank-you-very-much.

We chatted and laughed, mulled over wedding plans, diamond rings, flowers, and invitations. We celebrated. We caught up with old friends, and family-to-be.

Move on to the kitchen and you would have seen a table full of girly food. French toast skewers, yogurt parfaits, quiche, blueberry muffins, oh my.....SO good.

I took five minutes to myself to enjoy all the details Val placed throughout the house. Jars upon jars full of peonies. Chalk-boards with love messages hidden all throughout the house.

There is nothing better than girly, is there?

Days like these always seem to go by too fast. Mom, sisters, friends, and family, thank you so much for celebrating with me on Saturday. You mean the world to me!

XOXO,
Linz

A Beautiful Day

2010-06-07T08:09:00.005-06:00

Saturday we celebrated at Val's for my bridal shower.

There were loved ones and family, friends and family-to-be. Jars full of peonies, and everywhere you looked a gorgeous detail that only my sister could think of. Mini chalk boards with love notes, a bellini bar, yogurt parfaits and french toast skewers. G i r l i e is my middle name, you know.

Here is a capture of the group, I can't wait to show you more pictures! Sneak over to Val's Blog for more pictures!

May 27

2010-05-27T22:31:00.006-06:00

May 27.

Summer season has begun!

Had an amazing night tonight starting with my oh-so-precious niece, Claire. She turned two today!

We celebrated with cupcakes and girly presents. Claire sat on my lap and spelled out her name. No kidding, two years old and can spell her name. So smart. So sweet. Little man Caeden could not have been any sweeter to his baby sister. Helping bear open her presents, letting her have the last bite of the frosting on his cupcake. Kissing her forehead. Oh how I love those two.

Ended the night with Miss Andrea's bridal shower! It was hosted in the yard of a beautiful home, every detail was just so.

Raspberry lemonade in mason jars, hummus and veggies, cous cous and balsalmic chicken. Red wine. A family-style table in the middle of the yard.

Wedding season has begun! The flow of events started today and continues until the end of August! See below.

Can. Not. Wait!

June 5 - My bridal shower!
June 19 - Andrea and Jake's wedding
July 3 - Joanna and CJ's wedding
July 9 - Sarah and Derek's wedding
July 24 - Engagement party in Virginia
August 14 - Bachelorette Party
August 28 - I become Mrs. Jordan Kalinowski!

Let the fun begin . . .

xoxo

Invitations

2010-05-25T20:20:00.001-06:00

Last week Mom, Val and I met with Wordshop in the Highlands to design Jordan and I's wedding invitation. SO fun!

The three of us sat down with our minds set on exactly how the invitations should look. The poor woman working with us was, well, less prepared for my decisiveness. Apparently the other bride-to-be's she had worked with were a bit less opinionated than I was. :)

As she flipped through binder after binder of invitation examples, looking for the perfect font, an exact color I wanted, a paper I had in mind, the sound of bustling paper started to stress the three of us out.

So, we left.

We ate lunch. Apparently we were just hungry. (It's in the genes, we get cranky when we're not fed.)

After lunch, Mom and I headed back to Wordshop with a clear head and picked out paper, colors, and fonts. Elinor was super-sweet to work with and I can't tell you how much fun it is to design your own invitations!

My invitation design was sent in to a local designer, Lucky Onion, who have been featured in everything from Martha Stewart Weddings to NBCs The Today Show. Though I knew they would do a fabulous job, I've anxiously awaited the first proof and have agonized over the details of the invitations.

Did I choose the right fonts?

The color? The size? Should I have chosen a different envelope?

Today, after work I spotted an email from Wordshop in my inbox. The proof had arrived! I can't wait to get the invitations in the mail and for you to see how fun they are!

In the meantime . . . here is a sneak peak.

(Hint, this is the Denver skyline)

Save the Date

2010-05-19T08:27:00.004-06:00

I couldn't resist.

Here are the gorgeous Save the Date's Val created for us!

F I N A L L Y printed them last night. 200+ Save the Date's to address by, well, tonight.

Marriage class on Thursday.

Heading to Buffalo for the future Mr. and Mrs. Godber engagement party on Friday night.

Musical-church-thing on Sunday in Casper. Arrive back in Denver late Sunday night.

Boss arrives at 7:30a.m. Monday morning.

My blood pressure is rising as I type this.

When! Might I ask? Is there going to be a thing called Engagement Leave of Absence (paid of course) from work? Hm?

Something for {o u r} hair

2010-05-06T13:02:00.004-06:00

Val sent a fabulous find over to me last night from {rosebudlips} @ [etsy].

Debating between having a vintage clip or one of these in my hair.

Thinking the girls would look fabulous with one in their hair, too. {Each a different color to match their solid bouquets} See previous post here.

Or possibly a necklace?

Also, one for Claire. (Am I getting carried away, here?)

Oh and I'll of course need a few headbands for the weekends, too.

And check out her garters! So sweet.

A Gourmet Garter

2010-05-05T18:19:00.003-06:00

Who knew garter's could be well, something other than, a bit tacky?

Who knew they could be a little classy? Vintage. G i r l y.

Stumbled upon this cute little site today {The Garter Girl} and found these garters.

The first in my favorite. I know it looks like a little girl's headband, but I love it! I'm not sexy, people.

Hair Ideas

2010-04-25T22:50:00.001-06:00

I've had a set image in my head of how I want my hair to be for the day of the wedding.

Hasn't changed a bit. Haven't budged.

Half up. Big barrel loose curls (not prom style and over-hairsprayed).

With a chunky vintage clip where the hair comes together. And possibly a birdcage veil.

{Pictures from Project Wedding}

Any brides have any experience with down hair-dos? Is having your hair down a recipe for flat, limp hair by the end of the night? (And bad pictures to boot?)

(Abby, I know you're reading this...)

XOXO
Linz

Bridesmaids Dress Options

2010-04-25T22:36:00.000-06:00

J.Crew has the absolute best bridesmaid dresses. I think the girls will love how they fit - and the styles to choose from.

Call me crazy, but I think they'll be able to wear them again! Cute little cardigan? Belt around the waist? Work with me here, people.

{J.Crew Bridesmaid Collection}

Dreams

2010-04-24T09:25:00.001-06:00

I keep having bad dreams about the wedding.

Not about the amazing man I'm marrying of course. Bad dreams about the details.

Such as:
1. I hate my dress. (Seriously, impossible.)
2. I forgot to send out invitations and realize this small little mistake the day of the wedding.
3. I forgot to buy a a veil and/or a hair clip. Serious bad hair day. This cannot happen on the day of the wedding.

So today is the day to be proactive on my bad dreams
1. Dress: There is no way I could hate my dress. Moving on. {Final dress fitting May 1!}
2. Invitations: Emailing local print shop to discuss a few design ideas today.
----> Which reminds me, did I mention Val designed fabulous Save the Dates? Getting those printed and in the mail next week!
----> Did I also mention Mom is designing an uber-cute map to be sent with the invitations? {See here}
3. Hair clip: Need to buy one from etsy this week. I want it to be chunky and vintage. Like below.

{found via etsy shop}

something blue! {found via etsy shop}

{found via etsy shop}

Lindsay + Jordan

2010-04-16T10:18:00.000-06:00

Came across this while searching for "nursery" in my personal photos.

Just sayin'!

Flowers

2010-04-14T15:13:00.001-06:00

The Bride had a gorgeous mix of color. The bridesmaids all had different (solid) bouquets ...

Photo Booth

2010-04-14T08:54:00.001-06:00

Love the idea of the signs and pendents in the back.

If not at the wedding reception, what about after the rehersal dinner (after everyone has had plenty of wine!?) :)

Photo Credit

Dessert Table

2010-04-11T12:24:00.000-06:00

Neither Jordan or I are big cake people (unless it's Dairy Queen ice cream cake - Jordan's weakness!). So we're forgoing the wedding cake and having a dessert table with a variety of some of our favorite sweets displayed on pretty plates, cake stands, and platters.

Like these. {Via Splat Cooking and Rose & Grey}

With sweet and tangy lemon bars.

. . . Or key lime bars?

And cheesecake pops!

Chewy, melt-in-your-mouth brownies.

And of course . . . cupcakes.

And finally - tacky as it may seem - the groom's cake may have to be picked up from Dairy Queen the weekend of the wedding!

A Shower.

2010-04-07T21:00:00.000-06:00

I saw this picture and all I could think about was your wedding shower. 

Photo Credit

Invitation Maps

2010-03-30T18:24:00.000-06:00

Val and I's latest brilliant idea is to create our own map {like these below} to include in the invitations.

What I love most about the map idea is not only to show how lovely Denver is, but for the unexpected addition to the invitations. The creativity. The splash of color. Just fun!

A few examples below.

{Above pictures via Couture Maps. Below picture via Laura Hooper Calligraphy}

I can't wait to get started on these! Thank goodness for Val's brilliant creativity and craft room. What would I do without her?!

Papeterie Invitations

2010-03-24T13:34:00.000-06:00

It's a snow day today (actually, PTO - I took a vacation day before the blizzard hit) and on the to-do list is to sketch a few invitation ideas.

Where else do I go for inspiration but Style Me Pretty? And what do I find today but a drawing to win $200 gift certificate towards the adorable Papeterie store!

So, I entered. Of course. Odds of winning as of 1:20p.m. are 1 in 263 and is growing by the minute. So in the meantime I've been designing a few invitations on the Papeterie website.

Which one is your favorite? If any? New colors? Different design? I need help, people!

Inspiration Board of the Day

2010-03-21T10:42:00.003-06:00

A quick gathering of color/style inspirations.

{Click to see the full effect!}
{Featured pictures via Style Me Pretty, J.Crew, Etsy}

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Off to Val's for Wayne's famous Philly Cheesesteaks. Yum!

ClaireBear and Color Decisions

2010-03-20T17:08:00.002-06:00

Val found the sweetest flower girl dress for Claire this week and it forced me to make a color decision.

Are you ready?

I chose . . . yellow! Which got me thinking about how to bring the pop of yellow somewhere else. And what more fun place to carry the yellow through than in shoes for the bridesmaids!

{Janie and Jack}

Is this not the cutest thing EVER? Can't wait to see bear in it.

A bit of inspiration for shoes below. {All found via Zappos}

Now, don't get ahead of yourselves here. I'm not going to have yellow as the only color accent in the wedding. I'd like to carry the fun-ness (not a real word?) of the same tone of colors in the flowers with pinks, and maybe splash of blue.

And in case you forgot about my dream bouquet, see below. :)

See how this is all flowing together? Just nod your head . . .

Happy Saturday!

one PLUS one

2010-03-16T21:03:00.002-06:00

Just made the finishing touches on our official wedding website! Click {one PLUS one} to see!

It's a work in progress, but will be a great resource for guests to find out wedding details as the big day gets closer!

I welcome any input on things you think may need to be added to the site!

Have a good night!

The Dress

2010-03-13T15:35:00.002-07:00

I've had my dress hanging on my closet door for a good part of the past week.

Zipped up of course.

(Again, forgive my iPhone photo quality)

But poor Jordan. Temptation to look at the dress doesn't get any harder than when it's hanging on a closet in the hallway!

Finally today I had my fitting appointment - Andrea and I went to a place in Arvada called The Wedding Seamstress. And this lady is THE wedding seamstress. And totally affordable! I am so relieved to have this taken care of!

Next on the list is designing invitations. My vision is simple and clean. With a big flower in the corner with a pop of color. Val recommended a few at Paper Source. See below. You can also order the pink flower as a stamp which is brilliant - we could carry the graphic throughout other items for the wedding.

Andrea found this fabulous printing store in Littleton (can't remember the name) - I am hoping to take some design ideas to the store this weekend or next week. If anyone has a simple flower graphic in mind, send it my way please!

Slacker

2010-03-08T21:40:00.003-07:00

I am a total blog-slacker lately!

Was on The Knot reading over my "to-do" list tonight and hyperventilated over how much I have not done (that, according to the list, I should have done two months ago).

Cannot believe we've been engaged for almost 3 months!

Need to get my butt in gear - with blogging and actual wedding planning!

More later.

In the meantime, I hope you find humor in the picture below! (Forgive the horrible quality. I took a picture of the Denver Post with my iPhone - I recommend clicking on the picture for a close-up!)

This is of Jordan and I at Sloan Lake halfway through the race to be Hitched in the Highlands! The look on our faces cracks me up!

Jordan's sheer look of determination.

The look of horror on my face.

Shoes

2010-03-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

I adore these. Do you? Adore. No idea where they were bought.

Let's admire them from afar.

Family Tree | Gift Idea

2010-03-03T18:13:00.000-07:00

For your parents ... for your inlaws ...

In fact, I might make one for Wayne for father's day (I hope he doesn't read this?!)

Found here
Via Here

Non Traditional Boutonniere (can be cuter than the real thing)

2010-03-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

Found here: Yellow Boutonniere

~ refreshing ~

2010-02-24T18:02:00.004-07:00

Something about this Ann Taylor dress is SO refreshing. It is like a sweet glass of lemonade! Bad news…they do not have color swatches available but they recommended ordering a “sash” to get an idea. Just an thought…

-Andrea

Splash of Color to Keep Me Warm

2010-02-23T08:27:00.007-07:00

Should be working right now but I'm waiting for a few packages of samples to be delivered. He gave me a 2 hour window of 8-10a.m. Ri-dic-ulous! So what does a girl do? Blog, of course.

A few updates:

Pretty much set on the Heritage Todd Creek Golf Club as the reception site - working on the menu to finalize the logistics and date.
Also found a beautiful church fairly close to HTCGC - the staff was amazingly friendly and we are coordinating our marriage classes now!
.....Unless we win Hitched in the Highland s on Sunday (totally will)
And if that happens, I no longer have to worry about any of this!

Regardless of where we get married, I figure I am going to need a cute lil' cardigan to keep me warm at the reception. An easy way to add in color without getting anxiety and changing my mind. :)

All Cardigans @ Anthropologie

What do you think? Too casual? Should I look for something dressier? Ideas?

I SO wish I could post a picture of my beautiful dress on the blog. My lovely fiance reads my blog (Aww!) and I would die if he saw it.

But just a hint. It is a Melissa Sweet.

Another Guest Book Idea

2010-02-19T16:51:00.002-07:00

Okay this one I LOVE.

{Jasmine Star Photography}

Okay so what you do is - have a large selection of postcards in a bowl for guests to sign [as the guest book]. Then, have someone {Mom, I'm volunteering you! :) } mail 1-2 postcards/per week to Jordan and I. This way, we have special reminders of our wedding day throughout our first year of marriage.

Isn't this amazing? So creative! And a great way to remind Jordan and I how special our wedding day was, what amazing friends and family we have, and the love we share.

Anyone Home?

2010-02-17T20:58:00.006-07:00

I'll be the first to admit that I am an op-in-ion-ated gal. I love opinions. Starts conversation. Gives me ideas. Makes me think. Unless of course, your opinion is wrong.

Just kidding!

Really - I love your opinions. Yeah you, reading this! So, what do you think? Could ya show me some l o v e and leave some comments? I would love to hear what you think of my oh-so-exciting wedding planning from everyone reading out there!

A gal only gets married once, ya know. And I want to make the planning as much fun as possible!

Love,
Linz

Hitched in the Highlands

2010-02-17T19:51:00.008-07:00

Just a quick update on Hitched in the Highlands.

Well.

We didn't . . .

Just kidding.

We were chosen!!!! (Did I have ya fooled there? Even for a second?)

Jordan and I were 1 of 10 couples chosen to compete to be Hitched in the Highlands!

The race through the Highlands is Sunday, February 28 at 9a.m. (fans welcome). I'm thinking over the next week I'll be watching a lot of re-runs of the Amazing Race. We. Must. Win.

The winning couple will win a wedding worth over $22,000 (No, that's not a typo) and the oh-so-generous-amazing-adorable folks that are donating the prizes include:

5280 Magazine, Anna Be, David Lynn Photography, Happy Cakes, The Wedding Seamstress, Fries the Moment Design, Kiran Browner, Kismet, Highlands Smiles, Little Man IceCream, Lola, Love Hair, Magnolia Hotel, Mile High Station, Mondo Vino, Fallico Wine, Plum Sage Florist, Pout Beauty, Road Runner Sports, Tootsies, Rebelle, Wordshop.

I KNOW, right? Long-winded list! Let the games begin!

Guest Book

2010-02-15T13:06:00.008-07:00

I've been trying to think of creative ideas for the guestbook. I want something that we'll want to keep out, year after year. Something that we will cherish every year.

River rocks. Have a bowl of rocks for your guests to sign with fun (metallic, colorful) pens. Then, place in a large hurricane jar on your coffee table to display year after year.

This reminds me of another tradition Jordan and I've already started. We save our wine corks (an idea from Mom) - we write on the cork everytime we have a bottle of wine. Even if it's just dinner at home. We have them saved in a hurricane jar and every now and then I go through and read them. It's a great reminder of what we've shared together, memories of eachother, friends, and family.

Another idea that I adore. Have guests sign squares of fabric and make into a quilt. This reminds me of grams. I am not a sewer (maybe I'll register for a sewing machine), but Jordan's Mom, Cindy is a great seamstress and I would love for her to put the quilt together as a wedding gift! Definitely something Jordan and I would cherish!

And finally. A guest book tree. Jordan has a love for trees. Place blank tags (or decorate yourself) and have guests sign them, and hang on a "tree". To make, use manzanita branches and place in buckets. So cute. And I know Jordan would love this.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T13:06:00.003-07:00

Started the day off with breakfast at home, with fresh (huge, Whole Foods) strawberries and mimosas.

And a gorgeous bouquet of flowers from Jordan. I'm a lucky gal on this end. Hope you're having a lovely Valentine's Day!

{up and up}

Love Bird Bowl

2010-02-13T17:37:00.003-07:00

Here is an alternative to the traditional ring bearer pillow. (Which you never use again after the wedding day.) Or - as I type this I may have bitten my tongue. Do we give the ring bearer pillow to the ring bearer as a keepsake? I'm not sure.

But this topic brings up a valid mention - Jordan and I have 9 - NINE - nephews! Nine! Several of which are at the perfect age to be the perfect sweetest little ring bearer. How do we choose?! Exactly. We don't. Thinking about having all of them as the ring bearers. Brilliant solution because I love them all dearly.

So because of this decision - this means we couldn't have just one of the little guys keep the ring bearer pillow.

Which brings me back to my initial point. An alternative to the pillow.

A personalized ceramic bowl! I can already see this sitting on our bathroom counter after we're married as a sweet reminder of our wedding day, and something memorable to place jewelry in at the end of the day.

Personalized Wedding Cake Toppers

2010-02-13T17:33:00.004-07:00

Val emailed me these adorable wedding cake toppers a month ago - how CUTE!

If I don't have a wedding cake can I just put them on the dessert table - sitting on a plate of their own? :)

Hankies

2010-02-13T17:27:00.003-07:00

I've always thought handkerchiefs were so sweet and traditional. Classy - in a way. Old fashioned. Something that you hang onto forever.

Mom mentioned the other day that she still has a beautiful lace handkerchief of my great grandmother's. I'd love to carry it with me in my bouquet.

This etsy designer creates personalized hankies for you and your sweetie for your wedding day with your name (Kalinowski)!, and date of your wedding.

Sweet, no?

Hitched in the Highlands

2010-02-12T21:11:00.006-07:00

There is a competition going on in Denver called Hitched in the Highlands - a competition between ten couples who race through The Highlands {hip trendy fun neighborhood in Denver} following clues to a final {unknown} location. The first couple who finishes wins a wedding worth over $20,000!

We applied today! We each had to answer questions like:

What went through your mind the first time you spoke to your fiance?
How did you know your fiance was the one
What was the worst experience you ever went through with your fiance?
Why should we pick you to compete to be Hitched in the Highlands?

Whew! Hopefully our answers are clever and our personalities shine through!

I turned our application into Happy Cakes Bakeshop this morning - they have the best cupcakes in Denver hands down. Which happens to work out brilliantly because I loathe wedding cake. And love cupcakes. Jordan is partial to ice cream cake and I'm thinking we'll just have to sneak in an old fashioned Dairy Queen icecream cake to the reception. :)

We find out whether or not we were chosen on Monday and the actual race is F e b r u a r y 2 8 , 2 0 1 0

Keep your fingers crossed for us!

{More of this photo session by Val Koop here}

All in Denver

2010-02-08T19:30:00.000-07:00

Lindsay - take a look at this post. All in Denver. All vendors listed.
LOOK at that bow. Is it wrong that I want to wear it?!?

Look - she's wearing his tie. How uber sexy is that?!

Found here: Style Me Pretty

Boutonnieres

2010-02-08T17:10:00.008-07:00

Val bought me the latest Martha Stewart Wedding magazine yesterday and there is the cutest article about a DIY wedding - on a $9000 budget! Just my style. The article inspired me to look into DIY boutonnieres.

And by DIY I mean buy someone elses DIY creativitity.

Talked to Jordan about my plan - he thinks this is brilliant! Below is the boutonniere that initially caught his eye

Found via etsy here.

Also found these:

Found via etsy here.

{my favorite so far} Found via etsy here.

Gorgeous!

2010-02-06T12:12:00.007-07:00

I am in love! With something other than Jordan.

I NEED this bouquet.

I seriously am drooling over this flower combination as I type this.

That's all for today.

Maybe more later!

{See more of this gorgeous shoot at Style Me Pretty}

Heritage Todd Creek Golf Club

2010-02-04T21:15:00.005-07:00

The latest in my adventures of finding a wedding venue . . .

Stumbled upon a new golf club in Thornton, CO.

All of you who know me - I know what you're thinking! "A golf course? Lindsay can't golf!" Well, you're right. No athletic skill of any kind.

But. Hear me out . . . the space has a gorgeous outdoor patio with a fire pit (you can't see it in the picture, it is on the lower level of the patio) with a beautiful ball room (in case of rain). A gal from Wyoming always has back-up weather plans, you know.

You can view virtual tours of the ballroom and firepit here.

Invitations Galore!

2010-01-29T18:01:00.007-07:00

Just stumbled upon an a-dorable website and artist at RIFLE design.

The cool thing about the invitation below is the building in the background was especially made to look like their wedding reception venue. I love that the design is personal to their actual location.

The lights strung between the trees remind me of the Boat House.

And below. An entire theme. Inviations + save the dates + personalized wedding map (church, reception venue, after-hours location), etc. Not loving the colors but you get the general idea!

Also cute! Details of the wedding made into "fans". Hey, it could be hot in the Boat House!

And finally - a website to match your invitations. You can choose to for-go your RSVP cards and request that guests RSVP online. RSVPs will be sent immediately to your email. Brilliant.

Surely this will be totally affordable AND fit into my budget, right? Right??

Fresh Alternatives

2010-01-29T17:54:00.003-07:00

Found this today on Style Me Pretty . . .

Fresh alternatives to lemonade!

Mango Ginger Lemonade
Watermelon Lime Lemonade
Honeydew Mint Lemonade

Yummm! And I love the presentation!

Thinking of having bottles of champagne next to the lemonades to add a kick!

Music

2010-01-27T04:51:00.000-07:00

I know you guys are probably all over the music selections for your reception, but I came across this site and thought I would pass it along ...

Hi Fi Weddings 

Sparklers

2010-01-26T13:31:00.002-07:00

Printable holders found here.

Project Wedding

2010-01-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

Free website for you, your guests, everyone! You can create guest lists, driving directions, helpful "things to do" while they are in town, etc. SO cool. Found at Project Wedding.

I just loved this sign. Loved the old car. Loved it all.

Wine

2010-01-18T15:57:00.005-07:00

I have something really amazing to share!

Wayne's dad, Dave, is making Jordan and I the most amazing wedding gift!

Dave has offered to make us (literally, make, homemade, specially for us!) wine for our wedding reception as our wedding gift!

How great is this?! Our very own delicious homemade wine! I can't think of a cooler gift.

Not only can I not wait to try this wine but how FUN is it going to be to make personal labels!

Idea below:

By buying our own labels here, we can print our own wine labels using this template.

Then, follow instructions here. Found via MarthaStewartWeddings.com

DIY Flower Bouquets

2010-01-18T15:40:00.007-07:00

Okay. This is brilliant.

May. Potentially. Quite possibly? Be overwhelming . . .

But could save a ton of money! (Andrea, you might want to look into this too!)

Flowerbud.com offers wholesale wedding flowers at a fraction of the price!

Order your flowers in bulk, shipped overnight, then you put together the arrangements. Or bouquets.

I'm leaning more towards arrangements only and then having a professional make our bouquets to save our sanity levels a bit.

Example price - one bunch of of 50 roses for $119.

What do you ladies think!?

Flower Girl Headband ...

2010-01-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

Do you like this??? I adore it and will order one as soon as you give the OK. ;)

Notes

2010-01-17T22:48:00.005-07:00

I love this personal touch.

Send blank stationary with your wedding invitations.

Ask each guest to write a personal note to the couple saying:

A story they remember about the two of you.

A quick note to say hi.

Why they can't wait for the wedding.

Anything!

Then, send back with the RSVP.

The best part . . .

Hang the notes up at the reception!

I love this because it reminds us the true importance of our wedding day, how grateful we are for the guests that surround us, and how blessed we are with friends and family!

This is definitely going in the keeper book for wedding to-do's!

Links & Links of Eye Candy

2010-01-13T12:19:00.002-07:00

FUN FUN!

http://www.couturemaps.com/pages/portfolio.htm

http://etsywedding.blogspot.com/

http://greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com/

http://www.may-belle.com/portfolio.html

http://snippetandink.blogspot.com/

http://www.stylemepretty.com/

http://junebugweddings.com/ 

Exquisite Wedding Shoot

2010-01-09T17:02:00.002-07:00

This post is from a photographer. The wedding was outside - vintage and lovely. Some of the things I noticed: brooch attached to bouquet, paper heart cut outs (pom poms would be cuter!) and the lovely curved doorway which reminds me of the Lake House.

Link here.

Look! Cake stands holding dessert. ;) The stone tiered thing is awful, though!

Fawn

2010-01-09T11:10:00.003-07:00

I'm obsessed with this bridesmaid color. It's the only decision I've been able to make! (Thanks again, Andrea!) Courtesy of J.Crew - color is fawn. Other silk taffeta styles found here.

Just When I Thought I Made a Color Decision...

2010-01-09T10:21:00.006-07:00

I see this.

How adorable is she? Mustard yellow cardigan. And him? Love the tweed colored vest!

Very tempting!

Also love these family style farm tables! Maybe a bit impractical for an hors' doeuvres wedding. It just reminds me of family get togethers, good food, and good conversation. (And good booze.)

More later. I think I may be getting the hang of this blogging thing!

More Pillows

2010-01-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

I love the pillow you found Mom! I came across a knited one and thought I would share the idea in case Lindsay needs more than one?

Save the Date Postcards & Wedding Mapper Tool

2010-01-07T03:37:00.002-07:00

Here's more of the postcard feel you were wanting. I like that their website is listed on it, too.
Found here.

Look at the interactive mapping guide to integrate your wedding website. It would be great for all your out of town guests ... found on the wedding chicks' website.

281 Days ... But Who is Counting?

2010-01-07T03:20:00.001-07:00

Apple Place Setting (which, now that I think about it, is totally inappropriate as you are having a buffet or finger foods ...) Oh well. Pretty picture.

Sugared Fruit on Pedestals ...

Here's the boutonnieres you love ... link here.

Mini Fabric Pom Garland ... link here.

And the pretty bigger Poms ... found here.

And, of course, the send off... found here.

Welcome

2010-01-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

Not even sure if you will want this, but I thought I would create it just incase you can't figure out a way for us all to post to the other one...?

Found this site today: Beau-Coup and loved some of their ideas for party favors ...

And look at these! Cheesecake pops! We could make them in any flavor and colors under the rainbow...

Off to customize the site a bit more ... :)