“Gun Violence is not something we have to accept, it is something we can do something about and our strategies can reap tremendous results.”
- New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker

It’s summer! Which is both my favorite time of year (I start waiting for it to roll around again the second it ends every year) and my busiest time of year. I have so many good weddings coming up in the next five months that I can’t wait. In the meantime, some miscellany:

• loved this: 27 ways to be an (even) better person & practically levitate with awesomery. (via Emilia)
• Why the f*ck do I need a Wedding Planner? read my answer over on East Side Bride.
• wondering what’s going on with the growth of my business these days? I wrote about it over on A Practical Wedding last month.
• And speaking of APW, the entire DIY series I did with them has been published, you can see some outtake photos here, as well as links to all of the projects (bouquets! centerpieces! veils! and more.)
• My friend Terrence Brewer‘s new band Citizen Rythm released their new CD this week and it’s excellent – as was the release show at Yoshi’s (always one of my favorite clubs.)
• I’m kind of in love with the wedding dress from these photos that Christy posted yesterday
• I’ll do my own post on it soon, but Allison put up photos from Sophie & Ouma’s wedding in May this morning, and they’re gorgeous.
• A client sent me this talk by Jonah Lehrer on Creativity and it’s very worth listening to.
• digging these “All’s Well” Earrings from Erica Weiss. We may be happy yet indeed.

photos: from my Instagram feed, just a few of my favorite things about summer: baseball, layer cake eaten outdoors, homemade pasta, cherries, neon nailpolish too bright to photograph, pony farms

While I pretty much covet their entire inventory, I’m really loving these new Elisa Solomon rings they’re carrying – the Ancienne Diamond Ring (left) and the Ancienne Infinite Love Ring (right.) Instant heirlooms indeed.

images: catbird

Gorgeous, no? The eyes are rubies (that actually do match perfectly, the difference in color is just from the lighting in the photos the bride and I took quickly this weekend) and there are tiny tiny diamonds in the center of the flowers:

The ring was custom made for her by Bay Area jeweler Leslie Hyman of Rue 22 Jewelry. It’s a modification of an existing design of Hyman’s, and literally could not be more a perfect ring for this particular bride. Also: I kind of want one really badly?

Rue 22 Jewelry has an etsy shop, or you can contact Leslie directly if you’re interested in custom work.

photos: courtesy Beth Morris

Hello, name’s Bruce earrings from Tiffany Chou

Photos: Poketo