Lowe House Creative |

on finding joy

June 17, 2011

Oh my, have I had a week. This past Sunday was a dear friend’s wedding, which was the culmination of 14 months of planning work for me, and it was fantastic. Because it was so wonderful, and because I had been on a major adrenaline high for most of the day, Monday was, well, less wonderful. I often get a little sad when the weddings I work on are over, because both the planning process and the event itself are so much fun, and because it means that I won’t get to work with those clients anymore. (yes, I realize how lucky I am to have found a career that I love so much. And yes, I do stay friends with many of my clients.)

The post-wedding adrenaline-crash combined itself with a lot of work and some general (not work related) life-questioning, into what was starting to feel like a perfect storm of overwhelmedness. And I have learned that when that happens, there’s nothing to do but take a deep breath, call a good friend, and work really hard to be kind to myself.

I happen to be an incredibly social extrovert with workaholic tendencies who runs my own business, but I know that I’m not alone in finding it very easy to put everyone else’s needs first – clients, family, friends. But as I tried to nap on Monday (I always take the day after a wedding off, because I’m usually too tired to even pretend to be efficient) I realized that I’ve been going too hard, and needed to re-focus on being a little kinder to myself. Which for me translates into doing something that will bring me joy, doing something just because it’s what I want to do, not because of what it’s going to do for me. Because joy is one of the few things you can never have too much of, and I’m not as good as I’d like to be about remembering that. And I have discovered that joy can come in many forms – going out of my way to get really good iced coffee while running errands, taking long showers in the middle of the day, staying up too late while drinking too much champagne with good friends, or eating fruit and yogurt for dinner with a glass of wine on the back porch in my bathrobe.

So, here’s to joy, and to the weekend, and to another wedding this Sunday.

posted in my life, wedding | Comments closed

books I’ve read lately, June 2011

June 9, 2011

I’m a reader, and always have been – my childhood best friend has memories of playing with my little sister during playdates because I would just want to sit around and read books, and she hadn’t learned how to read yet. Lately I’ve been so slammed with work that I haven’t been reading as much as I like (I typically have a few books going at a time, and finish 1-2 a week.) and so I thought I’d start documenting what I’m reading as a way to both encourage myself to read more, as it’s one of the things in life that makes me happiest, and to remind myself what I’ve read in recent history (the downside to reading so voraciously is that I sometimes forget what I’ve read and get halfway through a book before realizing that I’ve read it before.) Here we go.

How to Be Alone by Jonathan Franzen. I know he’s not for everyone, but I really love Jonathan Franzen’s work. This collection of essays was no exception.
Legend of a Suicide by David Vann. Lovely, if haunting, and confusing at times.
The Greenlanders by Jane Smiley. This book should have been boring, but it wasn’t.
My Misspent Youth by Meghan Daum. The second or third time I’ve read it, and it continues to hold up (that said, one of my favorite genres is books-of-essays-written-by-women-in-their-20s.)
Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name by Vendela Vida. A captivating, fairly quick read. Would be a great non-fluffy vacation book.
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua. Not as controversial as one would think from all the hype – overall, very quick and generally enjoyable.
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Add it to your must read list.

posted in books | Comments closed

giant gold balloons

June 6, 2011

I think that giant mylar ballons make every party better, so when working on the plans for a graduation party I did this weekend, I knew immediately what the main decoration should be:

Pretty awesome, despite the terrible iPhone pic, no? Everyone should probably see their name in giant inflatable letters at some point – and the cusp of adulthood seems an especially appropriate time.

Yay John! Congratulations on graduating yesterday!

posted in decorations, fun stuff, parties, things I love | Comments closed

fancy jello shots

June 4, 2011

While I’m not quite sure how I feel about these being a wedding trend, I definitely feel like I would like to try some of these fancy jello shots. Regular ones taste so terrible, but I’m assuming these wouldn’t:

I mean, come on, that looks delicious. Right?

photo: Jelly Shot Test Kitchen: Jell-ing Classic Cocktails-One Drink at a Time via Martha Stewart Weddings

posted in food and drink | Comments closed

found baseballs

June 3, 2011

One of my favorite things about summer (if you’re not getting the picture, I really love every single thing about summer) is that it’s baseball season.

I realize that a lot of people out there think they don’t like baseball, but let me tell you why you should give it another chance. 1) It’s played outside in nice weather 2) tickets are cheap 3) you can drink beer 4) it’s a game that is totally possible to follow while you’re having a conversation 5) awesome, quantifiable athletic accomplishment, as in: look how fast that guy threw that ball. Which culminates in: hanging out in the sunshine, drinking beer with your friends, watching some damn fine athletes compete, and doing all of that affordably. There’s no wonder they call it the great American pastime – really, what’s not to like?

Anyways, this was a long way of saying that it’s no surprise that I love Don Hamerman’s Found Baseballs series. The one above, Shallow Left Center, is my current favorite, and I particularly lust after the really large (30×40) edition.

Photo: Shallow Left Center by Don Hamerman via 20×200

posted in art, things I love | Comments closed

cold busting

June 2, 2011

I’m fighting a cold, and so took a break yesterday to sit and stare at the ocean for a while. Very little makes me feel better than being near the Pacific, especially when a day that started out raining buckets ends up looking like this by lunch time.

What are your best cold prevention/busting tips? I’m seemingly particularly susceptible to them, so am always eager to add new tricks to my arsenal.

photo: Elizabeth F. Clayton

posted in my life | Comments closed

party shoes

June 1, 2011

I used the excuse of not working at the wedding this weekend to break in* my new favorite party shoes.

Gold + glitter + peep toe = love. They’re pretty much party-shoe perfection. The BCBGeneration Ariel Pump in gold glitter – I found they ran big, and ended up with a 1/2 size smaller than normal.

(*it should be noted that I wear heels incredibly regularly, as in, for most of the day several days a week. If you’re not a heel-wearer, please don’t try breaking in a new pair at a party. you will be miserable.)

posted in colors that make me happy, shoes, things I love | Comments closed

on weddings, and perfection

May 31, 2011

I spent the weekend in Napa, attending* the wedding of a dear friend of mine from high school and her super fantastic British ~~boyfriend~~ husband. It was exactly everything that a wedding should be – totally and completely full of joy.

And nothing else really matters. While everything at this wedding was beautiful, and organized, and delicious, they didn’t try to set any trends, or get into any magazines. They married each other, surrounded by their community, and they worked hard to make sure that their community was going to be comfortable, and well fed, and entertained, because those are the kind of things that are important to them. But in the end what made this wedding perfect (yep, I just used that word) is that every single person there was just so damn happy. Especially the bride and groom, both of whom were literally glowing. That is what matters, people. And let me tell you, it is a blessing to get to be around that kind of love and joy.

*as a non-working guest – the only time this will happen in 2011.

posted in my life, things I love, wedding | Comments closed

Mountain Label bunting

May 27, 2011

This handmade bunting, available via Tiny Showcase, is adorable.

Which brings up the issue: Do I think that bunting is ‘overplayed’? Without a doubt. That said, do I still think it’s a really fun way to decorate a party or house? For sure. I really wish that everyone would get over wanting to make their weddings/houses/lives totally and completely unique, incorporating things never seen on the pages of Martha Stewart Living before. Your life is not a photo shoot. And if you really like bunting, then hell yes, use bunting at your wedding/in your diningroom/wherever else you want to use it. More on this subject to come…

Photo: Tiny Showcase

posted in colors that make me happy, decor accessories | Comments closed