Wild Blackberry Flower Honey & Summer Foraging

I love the simple, sweet packaging of this Wild Blackberry Flower Honey from Katz & Company. Summer is just around the corner for us, and I can't wait to go foraging for wild blackberries! I'm also really excited to get my hands on some elderberry this year, so I can make a batch of wine!!

Photo of Katz's Wild Blackberry Flower Honey, available here.

Make A Wild Vine Flower Crown!

I clipped a bunch of jasmine the other day from our front yard to make a new blog header (see above!). When I finished, I decided to make a flower crown with the leftovers. Flower crowns are one of my favorite things to wear in the spring and summer. They're super fun for weddings, picnics, trips to the beach or just laying out in the park. They look adorable and, in most cases, smell amazing! Scroll through the images below for full instructions on how to make your own vine flower crown!

Materials: Vine (any flowering vine you like, suggestions below), Floral Shears, Floral Wire

STEP 1: Gather long strands of your favorite flowering vine. I used white Jasmine, but you could also use Honeysuckle, Clematis, Climbing Hydrangea, wild Grape Vine or any other kind you'd like! If you decide to use white jasmine, beware that it leaks a milky white sap when you clip it, so let it sit for a couple minutes, then wipe away excess before you start.

STEP 2: Pick out your longest, thickest strands and begin forming them in the shape of a circle. Test the shape out on your head to make sure it's the right size. Pull tighter if you need it smaller, loosen strands to make it larger.

STEP 3: As you continue to form, wrap a new piece of vine around the circle, pulling snug as you go. Repeat until you have a nice full crown.

STEP 4: Secure your vines together with small pieces of your floral wire, wrapping the wire around the vines and twisting it tight.

STEP 5: Hide your wire by tucking leaves and pluging in blossoms. If you have floral tape you can use that to wrap around the wire for extra coverage.

STEP 6: You're finished! Plop the crown on your head, and enjoy!

 Photos + tutorial by Mary Stonecypher Maslow

Sunset at Kraft Azalea Park, a Natural Mood Lifter

Whenever I'm feeling down about myself, or stressed, or anxious, I take a walk to this park and watch the sunset. As the sun goes down, the whole place, cypress, azaleas, palms, water - everything, just set a glow. In an instant I'm relaxed. I'm reminded that whatever I'm worried or stressed over isn't as big as it seems, and that life is for living. In seconds anything can change. It's one of the most incredible places to be at that time, in that moment. Nothing else can bring me to the present quite like it. 

Anyone else out there have natural mood lifters? What do you do to relax and bring you to the present?

Photo of tonight's sunset Kraft Azalea Park taken with my iphone.

BEFORE + AFTER: Goodwill Chair Makeover

I'm a huge proponent of buying things second-hand, especially when it comes to bringing new life to pieces that most people would throw out. I cringe a little when I think of all the waste that comes from the constant creation and consumption of new furniture, clothes, shoes, accessories, etc. (Which is probably why I have a garage full of old furniture right now!)

I spotted this particular chair at Goodwill while scouting for brass candlesticks to use at my wedding reception last fall, and couldn't believe it was only $19! It took me a solid 8 months to get around to sprucing it up, but when I did, I was really happy with the way it turned out. I was also plesantly surprised at how quick and easy it was! Now I have a brand new chair for a total cost of $60. Here's the low-down on my supplies and a quick how-to!

How-To Refinish Your Chair:

Step 1: Flip over the chair and remove the seat, using your screw-driver.

Step 2: Select the grit of your sandpaper based on how much paint or varnish is on your chair (many layers of paint = coarse grit; thin coat of stain or varnish = fine grit). After that, sand your chair going in the direction of the grain of the wood. If you have cane backing like mine, be careful not to sand too hard!

Step 3: Spray your chair with your desired paint, let dry. Apply a second coat if needed.

Step 4: While the paint is drying, position the fabric exactly where you want it on the seat. This is important! If you have a patterned fabric, make sure you set the pattern just where you want it to be.

Step 5: Use a staple gun to add your new fabric to the seat. Be sure and pull the fabric tight to aviod wrinkles.

Step 6: Once the chair is dry, place the seat back on and secure using your screw driver. Enjoy!

Photos by Me, Mary Stonecypher Maslow; Fabric from Calico Corners; Paint and Sandpaper from Miller's Hardware in Winter Park.

Sprawling Winter Azaleas

The azalea bushes in our yard were blooming like crazy this winter! I couldn't help but clip a few branches and arrange them in vases to spread throughout the house for a little added color.

To mellow out the pink a bit, I combined the azaleas with some clippings from a viburnum shrub in the back of our house.

Note: The key to helping the wood-stemmed flowers last longer is to smash or split the ends of the branches, this improves water absorption, in turn extending the life of the arrangement!

Photos + Flower Arrangement by Mary Stonecypher Maslow

This past February, Tim and I took a two-day trip to Savannah for my golden birthday. It was the first time I've been since I was really little (which is kind of crazy considering how close it is!). We had so much fun and were happy to discover a very refreshing, independent spirit oozing through the tree-lined, bicycle-laden streets of this charming, southern, walkable city.

I came back so inspired I thought I'd share some of our favorite experiences in guide format for anyone who might be looking for a short, sweet getaway!

We stayed at the Andaz Hotel on Barnard street. It's actually our second time staying at one of these hotels (we stayed at the Andaz Napa on our honeymoon) and we really, really love them. They serve local, organic food in their restaurants (including fresh pressed juices!), have impeccable interior design and construct their buildings in urban/walkable areas.

We drove up after a 1/2 day at work, so when we finished checking in to the hotel, we walked to Leoci's Trattoria for dinner. Some of the best Italian I've had in a long time! Afterward, we took a pedi-cab back to the hotel.

We started our first morning (my birthday!) off with breakfast at the Coffee Fox, followed by a hike to the "Downtown Design District". A visit to Circa Lighting was a must since we still need exterior lights for the house. They had a great selection, including a stockpile of clearance items across the street in an old, converted gas station.

One Fish, Two Fish was another favorite in this district. I loved their eclectic selection of furniture, fun books and Dash and Albert Rugs.

Once we finished scouting the interior shops (you can see a full list, here), we looped around to the main SCAD building, Poetter Hall, and got some maps and info so we could take a campus tour. Tim and I are both really passionate about architecture, urbanism and adaptive reuse (and SCAD has done an amazing job revitalizing the city) so we were very excited to tour their campus/buildings. Before the tour, we stopped by the SCAD store (where student and alumni created art and goods are sold), then ventured across the street to their cafe (housed in an old pharmacy), the Gryphon Tea Room for lunch.

After lunch we toured the SCAD buildings, favorites include the Jen Library, housed in a former department store; the Student Center, in an old synagogue; and Bradley Hall, a former U.S. Marine hospital. They've done so many other great restoration projects, and I'm such a sucker for history and preservation, I could go on and on, but you'd probably get bored!

For dinner that night we planned on going to Local 11 Ten (which is incredible, I hear), but somehow ended up at the The Public instead (equally incredible, I presume). Afterward we had birthday ice cream at the infamous Leopold's!

We were scheduled to leave late in the afternoon on Day 2, so the morning began with packing, eating breakfast at the hotel restaurant and checking out. Once we finished all that, we headed back into the city, on a self-guided historical tour. We walked through City Market, ventured into City Hall and trekked along the old streetcar line by the river (old streetcar walks always make me a little sad!). Then we visited ALL 22 squares, eventually making our way through to Forsyth Park. We were starving by the time we got to the end, so we went straight into Brighter Days' to grab fresh juices and sandwiches for an impromptu picnic by the fountain.

After lunch we headed north, back to the hotel where our car was parked. Along the way we stopped at few really awesome independent shops. Fabrika, hands down the most darling fabric store I've ever been to. Sylvester and Co., a contemporary style general store that offers artisan home goods and interior design services. And lastly, my personal fave, reCREATE, an art gallery/creative incubator of sorts that sells handmade jewlery, clothing, home goods and art crafted by locals.

Savannah was different from any other city I've been to in the south. We went for a quick getaway, and came back so inspired and refreshed! If you love architecture, urban planning, the arts, or just walkable cities in general, a visit to Savannah is a must.

Photos and guide picks by me, Mary Stonecypher Maslow. See my beach birthday party from a couple years back, here!

Our Winter Park Wedding

After nearly four years, I am happy to finally share our wedding! Tim and I were married on a cool, crisp, sunny October day in Winter Park, Florida. Our ceremony was held at Rollins' Knowles Memorial Chapel. 

We worked very hard to keep the entire thing as intimate, sustainable and affordable as possible. Many of the items we used were either locally grown/made, purchased second hand or DIY. 

It took me forever to find the right dress. In fact, it wasn't until this May (5 months before the date!) that I actually found the one - a J. Crew sample sale gown on eBay. It was exactly what I wanted - perfectly romantic and sweet, and at a third of the original price.

Our invitations and reply cards were from Milkmaid Press (this style, but with blank backs, no faux bois), printed on recycled paper. I scouted eBay for pretty vintage postage that matched our style, and used a custom made stamp from Antiquaria to create our website cards. Once all those piece were together, I tied each invitation set with string before placing in the envelopes.

I was SO excited to do the flowers. Like many other aspects of our wedding, it was very important to Tim and I to take a sustainable, affordable approach to our wedding flowers. I ordered organic roses from Whole Foods and purchased locally grown herb and wildflower plants from a local nursery. I arranged the flowers for the reception early in the week and put the bouquets together the night before the wedding, after the rehearsal dinner. My maids, a few close friends, and my mom helped put the corsages and boutonnieres together while I worked on the bouquets. 

To keep things simple all the guys wore black suits. We didn't set a specific style or designer. Tim's was from J. Crew and my brother's, pictured above, mismatched their pieces from local thrift shops, Goodwill and various department stores.

One of my favorite moments from the day - the guys showering us with crepe myrtle blossoms while we were taking pictures. They went all over the place!

Our reception was held, just a few blocks from the chapel at the super quaint, historic Winter Park Country Club.

To save money (and make fun memories!) my mom, good friend, Kelly and I spent the entire Friday before, setting everything up. Tables, chairs, linens, candles, flowers, decorations - everything. 

Tim and I ordered food from Whole Foods and hired freelance caters/waiters to manage. The self-serve bar was stocked with our favorite wines, brews and champagne. 

On the porch, a photo booth was constructed out of Ikea curtains and dowl rods. An instant camera, stock-pile of film, gold washi tape, markers and an album was set on a table to the side for guests to sign as they took pictures. We be bought enough film for each guest to take two pictures, so they could take a memory home with them too.

The cake is sort of a funny story, because our local Whole Foods doesn't make multi-layer custom cakes and Tim was adamant that it be vegan/organic (which our conventional grocer, doesn't do). So he decided that he (who has never baked before… ever!) would make us a homemade wedding cake. I, myself, am a horrible baker so I quickly discouraged the idea. Tim, however, attempted anyway. So, we ordered all the special tools, like pans, icing knives, rods, etc, and two days before the wedding, he gave it a shot… but it didn't really turn out. The tops of the layers completely sunk in and the icing had a really interesting greyish tint. So, we ended up having to go to the nearest conventional grocer and order a simple, graduated, three-layer cake. I think it served it's purpose. :)

Our date, October 20th also happens to be my older brother's birthday (pictured below, in the suspenders). So, after our cake cutting, we lit the candles on a surprise vegan birthday cake that we got him and sang happy birthday. After that it was back to dancing our feet off until we had to leave for the airport.

I don't think we could have dreamt up a more romantic, magical celebration. It was worth every minute of anticipation and I am so thankful to all the people involved who helped make it happen. 

Oh and just incase this wasn't enough, you can see more pictures on my flickr page, here. :)

CREDITS: Photography: Kaylee Labor Photography, Flowers & Event Styling: Mary Stonecypher Maslow, Attire: J. Crew, Ceremony: Knowles Memorial Chapel, Reception: Winter Park Country Club, Invitations: Milkmaid Press, Website Card Stamp: Antiquaria, Catering: Whole Foods Winter Park & Kate/Katherine, Rentals: Kirby Rentals (Tables, Chairs, China, Etc), Cakes: Whole Foods, Publix, Guest Book: By O-Check from the Rifle Paper Shop, Reception Music: Local Gutarist, Evan Gibb