Beach Surf Shoot on Style Me Pretty.

Did I ever tell you about this talented group of women that I'm involved with, that come together to create styled shoots showcasing this gorgeous province we live in? I'm sure I have here and here. They are all uniquely awesome in their own right. It's really a fun opportunity for me to work with them, as they are constantly inspiring me with their creativity and talent, pushing me to keep up! It forces me to think outside the box and create something different.

We've been published again on Style Me Pretty and seeing our work on their site certainly never gets old. This shoot was done on one of our National Park beaches here on PEI using a color palette of yellow, orange and turquoise inspired by the island beach landscape: sun, sand and surf. It was a relaxed affair, shot on a beautiful evening just as the sun was setting.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the shoot.

I used the picnic tables on site and covered them in burlap. Then, they were topped with simple striped runners and a diy fringe runner, using our color palette.

We received our flowers in bulk and I threw together 7 or 8 flower arrangements in a hurry! I like the relaxed feel of the arrangements using seasonal flowers. These were placed in vintage bread molds wrapped in ribbon.

What a fun evening!

You can see the full shoot on Style Me Pretty.

You can check out the full gallery of images here.

A special thank you to the following vendors who made this shoot happen and of course to all our models!

Modern Jane Design - Jane Gallant - Event Design/Concept

Kim Roach Design - Kim Roach - Wedding Stationary & Paper Products
Rachel Peters Photography - Rachel Peters - Photography
Michelle Cudmore Makeup Artist - Michelle Cudmore - Makeup Artist
Cheryl Weeks Hairstylist - Cheryl Weeks - Hairstylist
Kiss The Bride - Jennifer Clark - Event Coordination
City View Bakehouse - Jennifer Prinz - Cake, Treats, Sweets
Love Charlie - Alisha Stephen - Custom Arm Bracelets

The Perfect Pear Bridal - Kelly Moorehead - Bride's Dress + Shoes
Dow's Menswear - Groom pants + shirt
Norton's Jewellers - Peter Norton - rings
Hearts & Flowers - Flowers
JJ Stewart's Root Beer - PEI Root Beer
The Orange Lunch Box - Food items

My Design Work on Style Me Pretty!

Yesterday was a pretty great day! I couldn't stop smiling with I saw the styled wedding shoot, that myself and a group of seven other talented women created, live on Style Me Pretty. We did the shoot a little over a week ago and it was picked up to be published right away, which was very exciting! Style Me Pretty receives over 400 submissions per week so to be featured is certainly an honor!

I was passionate about the concept of this shoot. I love modern styling and as the event/concept designer, I saw this as an opportunity to push myself to create something different and fun. Our vision was crisp, modern and pink with a focus on geometric patterns. I had a great time diy-ing table runners and napkins, painted plates and gold dipped silverware. I'll be back another day with some tips for creating them yourself!

I had a unbelievably talented team of wedding vendors to work with and everything came together seamlessly.

Photography - Rachel Peters - Rachel Peters Photography

Paper Products - Kim Roach - Kim Roach Designs

Cakes/Sweets - Jennifer Prinz - City View Bakehouse

Coordination - Jennifer Clark - Kiss The Bride

Makeup - Michelle Cudmore - Michelle Cudmore Makeup Artist

Hair - Cheryl Weeks - Cheryl Weeks Hairstylist

Custom Headwear - Alisha-Marie Stephen - Love Charlie

Here are some of my favorite photos from the day. It's a little picture heavy but I couldn't resist! So hard to choose my favorites, as I love them all so much!

 

A special thank you to some local vendors. The shoot couldn't have happened without their contributions.

Hearts and Flowers - Flowers

The Perfect Pair Bridal - Bride's Dress/Shoes

Dow's Menswear - Groom's Suit/Shoes

Norton's Jewellers - Rings

Newman's Estate Winery - Wine Takeaway

Of course, a huge thank you to Kendra Mills, owner of the loft (Ylofts) used in the shoot. Thanks for allowing us to take over your home for a day!

To the beautiful couple, Jared Murphy and Cecelia McInnis, who were our models for the day, thank you! They were fun, relaxed and most importantly genuinely in love.. just what we wanted!

Check out the Style Me Pretty feature here.

A full gallery of images is available here.

See our photographer, Rachel Peters' favorites of the day here.

 

Bookcase Styling Progress.

It's official. It's harder than it looks! I've been picking away at the styling of my new bookcase and have discovered a few things. First, just because you have a lot of stuff doesn't mean that you can make it all work. Second, I will no longer beat myself up about buying pretty books... they are my favorite part so it's worth it! Third, it's going to constantly evolve. It's inevitable.

I've tried taking pictures on numerous occasions of the progress that I've made with styling, only to look at the pictures then go back and make changes. Therefore, I've decided to show you the pictures, imperfections and all. Believe me, it's killing me that it still isn't "right" but I'm sharing anyway! :)

Love love love my ampersand. We picked it up this Fall on a trip to Halifax. It sits atop some of my favorite books about two of my favorite people. Audrey and Gaga.. two such different women yet each fascinates me equally.

My old pup figurine and hour glass found a home with our small collection of Dwell magazines and Zombie books. (Did you know that there will come a time that they will take over the earth? We will be prepared, will you?) ;)

Four Penguin Classics. Oh, how I want them all...

What would you put in the tall open boxes at the bottom? Suggestions welcomed.

Certainly coming a long but still a ways to go. There are parts I love, and parts that drive me bonkers. In fact, some of it doesn't even look like this anymore because I've already moved things around! Hopefully, I will get to a point that I am happy with it.

As I read this back, I realize I may sound a tad crazy that my mind is so wrapped up in this. The fact is, I really truly love this stuff and it brings me great satisfaction. Maybe I'm a bit nutty after all.

Well Styled Bookshelves.

I'm a sucker for anything that is well styled. It takes patience and a good eye. A well styled bookcase is even more challenging because it is so much space and you need a good collection of beautiful books and accessories.

Source: lonnymag.com via Jane on Pinterest

My bookcase (a Christmas present that took a bit of backseat with all the action around here) is nearing completion. Finally. I hope to be begin the task of styling it this weekend. I am super excited to do it but intimidated at the same time. I'm just trying to remind myself of what I tell others (just my humble advice):

•  Take your time.
•  Try many different combinations.
•  Layer! Using different heights and textures.
•  Photograph it, then analyse it. Sometimes it's easier to pick out what isn't working in a photo.
•  Live with it a while.
•  Don't be scared to change it up. Nothing is permanent! 

Look at me handing out advice.. talk about putting pressure on myself! Anyway, sorry about the lack of "real" photos this week. With any luck, I'll be back Monday with some progress shots of the bookcase. For now though, here are my favorite style bookshelves.

Source: desiretoinspire.net via Jane on Pinterest

Source: desiretoinspire.net via Jane on Pinterest

Source: desiretoinspire.net via Jane on Pinterest

Source: mimiandmegblog.com via Jane on Pinterest

Source: cozamia.com via Jane on Pinterest

Source: google.ca via Jane on Pinterest

Source: rebekahgough.blogspot.com via Jane on Pinterest

Source: alltheshinypieces.blogspot.com via Jane on Pinterest

Obviously, I like a bookshelf that is busy! Lots of books, lots of accessories, lots of personality. Problem is, do I have enough stuff to make it work? Time will tell!