Anthology Magazine

Friends, I am trouble at a magazine stand.  As much as I love the instant gratification of the web, I am a tactile person by nature. There is nothing I love more than flipping through a magazine.  The beauty of the images, the gloss texture of the pages, the weight of it in my hands... heaven. 

If magazines are my heaven, design and shelter magazines are my crack.  I cannot get enough.  So I am so SO excited about the new shelter and lifestyle magazine Anthology. Not only is it coming straight out of the Bay Area (yeah!), but it is awesome! Check out the cover below:

Isn't she purty?

Created by editor Ahn-Minh Lee (a frequent contributor to the SF Chronicle) and Creative Director Meg Mateo Ilasco (also known for her Craft Inc and Creative Inc books).  According to their blog, the inaugural issue is dedicated to "The Slow Life", and was inspired by classic items that get better with time, pops of color, and handcrafted goods.

You can visit the Anthology website to a preview - and subscribe! - and also check out some sneak peeks at fellow blogs Oh Happy Day and Design*Sponge (Issue 1 features an interview with D*S's Grace Bonney).

I can imagine it in my hands now...

PS: Anthology is doing a West Elm Twitter giveaway!  This might be enough to get me tweeting...

Bohemian Garden Party

It all started with this page from an Instyle magazine in 2004 (yes, I have saved it all these years):

It's from Natasha Gregson Wagner's bohemian themed wedding.  She's an actress. What has she been in lately? Is she still married?  I don't know, neither do I care.  Her wedding was GORGEOUS.  French food, (cheese and crepes), a vintage feel lavender cake, and red velvet couches set out on. the. lawn.  Sigh.

Lately I've been thinking more and more about this beautiful boho event, the more I want a bohemian garden party of my own.  I've put together an inspiration board to help me plan it all out:

You'll probably have to click on the pic above to get the full feel.  I went a bit more exotic and colorful - I love the lavender color palette but I wanted something a bit more bold and jewel-toned, more lanterns than chandeliers.  It's a bit eclectic, a little vintage, a little homey, and lots of color and textures mixed together.  Bohemian can mean SO many styles these days, but this is my version.  I'd still love to do a more "french vintage" type of boho party, but this is what I was feeling at the moment.  I can't wait to see the real thing... hopefully soon!

What do you think? Would you want to join us at this outdoor living room?    

Sources:

Table decor (top left), and invitations

Flowers (aptly named Bohemian Bouquets)

Outdoor living area 

Edible butterfly cupcake toppers

Edible wafer rounds/cookie toppers

Peacock napkin holders

Paper swatches (bottom left)

Lanterns (cannot find for the life of me!  If it's your photo, please let me know!)

Feather Headband

The Color Issue!

As you can tell, I love color. And apparently, so does InStyle. Love this cover!

Besides the eye candy, it features a fantastic interview and spread with Gwen Stefani. The makeup, the hair, the styling... all on point. I highly recommend.

For more style tips from Gwen, you can check out the behind-the-scenes video here.

PS: Before I forget, check out Gwen's deep aubergine nails! It's Lippmann Collection "Dark Side of the Moon".