Time Slips By...

How has it been so long since I visited here?!? And how many times have I said that?!? Oh how busy things have been! I owe you a little update:

Some big things are happening around here! 2011 marks the official growth staffing of Maine Seasons Events, with 5 employees officially coming on board, with the plan to continue to grow the business and teach someone new how to do what I do, so the organization can live and grow beyond me. Painful and exciting at the same time-certainly new territory for me. I will still be at the helm, just finally accepted that I can't actually do it all anymore and be a mother and wife... (shh, please don't tell anyone!) And I really don't need to be doing it all anymore, it just had to get crazy enough for me to realize this.

We are laying the plans to build a long dreamed about and needed barn space to store props and house the creative workshops of Maine Seasons Events and our life, while providing proper office space for myself and staff.

We have been designing and executing some photo shop concepts, soon to be released.

And we have had the opportunity to do the interior styling for several Maine Home + Design Magazine assignments, one of the houses we styled was just featured on the cover of the magazine...fun to see a different side things! (to see our interior styling, and read the inspiring article, please pick up the magazine!)

(Photo Trent Bell)

We are doing more work in the Bar Harbor area, with several weddings planned in that neck of the woods for 2011. New Hampshire is on our event map in 2011 as well.

There are some incredible, special, personal, colorful and exciting Maine Seasons weddings about to take place , I am so eager to see the designs come together for my clients and to see my clients come together as married couples. There are a lot of custom linens being made, vintage items being re -worked, custom tent lighting fixtures being crafted, unique centerpiece elements and creative and refreshing color palettes on the way. I am looking forward to my clients' celebrations and to sharing them. Stay tuned for recaps and sneak peeks, the fun starts in May!

I recently recovered from an abdominal surgery, with last hopes of having another baby...Ava turned 3 this winter, sigh. And yes, that is a chef hat. And wings. And a necklace. And elbow pads (of course, right?!?) All at once. Of course. More is more is more is better! The dress -up trunk from Ava's Gran was an instant hit! Our friend, and photographer, Sharyn Peavey came by to photograph Ava's party, and I am so grateful that she did. The photos below are by Sharyn.

So bittersweet, how is our baby three years old?!? Such a different creature than she was 3 years ago, and boy oh boy, do we have our hands full with this spirited little lady!

We have been sledding, ice skating, hunkering down making cookies, and we are SO ready already for this winter to take a bow and usher in spring.

The melting snow has me out on the hunt again, sourcing those vintage and forgotten lovelies and one of a kind items for my clients' weddings. Chris and Ava have been my scavenging team, going out about once a week to look for items on our list. Ava squeezes my hand when she sees an item from the list (an old globe, a piece of blue transfer ware, a piece of green glass)

She has been getting so excited about going treasure hunting, who knew you could bring a 3 year old into a glass filled antiques barn and walk out with no one and nothing damaged?!? And I am secretly delighted that she recognizes enamel ware! Just look at these 2 beauties she spied on a recent search!

I am proud to say our daughter has quite the eye, noticing great things and calling out, "Oooh, Mommy! Gorgeous! Let's take this beauty home and clean it up!" What sweet fun to treasure hunt with my daughter, I remember hunting with my own mother when I was little. History repeats, no?

Chris has been feverishly staying up all night, working on a new series of paintings-the latest of Ava is one of my favorites. And his portrait of me is a pretty good likeness I think...

Still working away on finalizing 2011 wedding plans, the last two designs going out this week and with wedding season just beginning again, I am realizing that it never ended.

I have a lofty goal: to take a week off in April, somehow, before wedding dates start. There is a massive push to finish up what is cooking now: staff orientation, April photo shoot, last vendor bookings for 2011 weddings to complete, visits with great grandparents on both sides, finishing the fence installation in the yard, repairing the old fence, cleaning the garage (ugh!) and hopefully soon, moving our seedlings out to the garden. Oh and wait- I forgot the 32 plants arriving in mid April (that I ordered in a state of winter refusal in February) that will need to be planted. I wish there were a handbook for how to slow down, clearly it isn't a concept I can understand! Maybe in early May?!?

Another lofty goal: to hop over here and write more often!

Fast wishes for spring's arrival!

Bar Harbor Wedding Planning

It is hard to believe that this scene will soon be the site for a luscious fall wedding!

I drove to Bar Harbor today to do double duty, scout out a few locations for one client and meet with another for their catering tasting and to tour the location where we are having the wedding.

We had a huge snowstorm here yesterday, so the roads were almost empty and every tree was dusted with confectioners sugar snow. Wedding planning isn't all glorious Maine summer days and breezy summer evenings, most of the hard planning happens in knee to hip high snow, to take measurements, choose the best spot for certain elements of the wedding, talk about layout for tents...

Today was one of those days, in my Gators, hiking down to the ocean with new clients, in top- of -the -knee deep snow, with their sweet dog at our heels. After we assessed the proposed ceremony location-(stunning, I know!) we breathlessly hiked back up the hill in the single digit temperatures!

All in a day's work!

Maine Wedding Feature-Birch, Orange, Gray & Milk Glass

I am so excited to have a recent clients' wedding (you can see all of the images and read the story here) featured on Style Me Pretty-the couple wished to remain private, but the details were so fun for this event.

I am so fortunate to have the privilege of working with people who have become my dear friends, and photographer, Corbin Gurkin is one of those extraordinary talents and irreplaceable friends.

I had the exciting and fun experience of working closely with another dear friend, the fabulous and incomparable Judy of Flora Fauna to create the vibrant and fun design of orange, gray and white. Judy and I used our collective vintage milk glass stashes for centerpiece containers, vintage wooden boxes and Judy provided birch logs, gray beach rocks and Maine moss on the guest tables.

The bride's bouquet had a hand made gold collar with a vintage fabric wrap-oh it was fun shopping for that fabric, and I really couldn't believe the wire collar Judy made for the bouquet, it was a stunner!

Judy made birch logs with little slots cut into them to hold the hand made place cards by the couple, each reciting a little riddle guiding each guest to their table. The bride and groom contributed playful details throughout the event, including tables named for animals that corresponded to the answers on the place card riddles. The birch holders were snuggled in a bed of moss, orchids and candles.

We had an extended cocktail hour at this wedding, the weather was perfect August Maine weather, and Ameranoush provided heart thumping gypsy jazz music while guests mingled on the lawn overlooking the orchard, and others played lawn games.

The scrumptious hors d' oeuvres, meal and desserts were provided by 111 Maine, Jennifer and her team working with us to incorporate our vintage wooden boxes, birch stumps and moss, to style even the food.

Redline provided reception music after dinner and orange paper lanterns hung in the orchard and in the barn by Flora Fauna illuminated the night as guests departed.

Seeing the images takes me back to that day, so special, so magical, the air was literally buzzing with ethereal fairy like essence that day-how did I get so lucky?!?

Farewell to two dear old friends...

I am so sad to report that our beloved Mr. Noahnie and his brother Meema have both passed away. Those who knew Noah and us will understand how a keystone of our family has been pulled out from under us. Noah was a great cat, a great friend, so loyal and sweet, the inspiration for a T.V. craft show and many songs and jingles, Meema was the undercat, the unlikely champion, with a voice, the clearest blue eyes and a sweet essence. Their spirits lives on in all of us...after almost 15 years together, our hearts are sad, but both of their health conditions had seriously declined and it was time.

Explaining death to a 2. 5 year old has been a heartbreaking part of the process-but I think we are going to make it. Time does numb the sadness a bit...

Creative Women Collaboration

(All photos in this post by the lovely and talented, Brea McDonald) Dear friends of mine, and fellow wedding professionals, Brea McDonald, Dawn Kelly and Meg Simone recently participated in an exciting project for women filmakers recently in the Bahamas.

I am so proud of them, I wanted to share the story and to encourage women everywhere to fulfill our creative selves.

Professional event filmmakers and photographers from across the globe gathered recently on a cruise to the Bahamas for POSH 2010, an educational workshop and retreat for women. Inspired by their shared experiences in their visual industry, the group spontaneously decided to use their creative gifts to craft a short film illustrating the positive power and passion of women in the film industry.

Shot on location at POSH 2010, “Women Create” was directed by Maura Coleman-Murray and Kara Jensen, filmed by Maribeth Ratajczyk and Luiza Perkowska, and edited by Meg Simone. All 42 POSH 2010 attendees collaborated on the piece.

Welcome Baby Everett!

A dear friend of mine, Sara of Griffin-vites just had her baby boy, Everett York O'Brien and I couldn't be happier for her! She is a going to be a super incredibly wonderous mommy-she is divine and so stylish, even in the throes of late pregnancy! Here is little beautiful Everett in his bed with his quilt!

(Geneve Hoffman Photo)

Earlier this summer I attended a baby shower for Sara my gift was an "Everett a quilt" in his colors of Scandinavian blue, cream, white and oatmeal. It was my first time making my own quilt binding and I can say I think I will never go back to store bought!

(Geneve Hoffman Photo)

Being a stationery designer, I thought Sara would appreciate some seat binding and vintage yo-yos to adorn the outside of the gift!

Welcome aboard Everett! I can't wait to meet you!

New Hamspshire Lakeside Wedding

Clients of mine, Laurie and Spencer were married on Lake Winnepesaukee in New Hampshire recently and Style Me Pretty published their wedding story and images, you can read the post here. So exciting! Maine Seasons Events provided planning, coordination and also event design in collaboration with Laurie the bride and Susan of Lakes Region Floral Studio.

Here is the list of people who helped me to make this wedding a success:

Flowers, centerpieces, ceremony decor, tent decoration: Susan-Lakes Region Floral Studio

Photography- Mat & Ash

Venue: The Margate Resort

Tent & Rentals: Eric-Lakes Region Tent

Music: The Ariel Band

Catering: Curt's Caterers

Custom Linens: Divine Inspirations

Congratulations Laurie & Spencer! It was a treat to plan your wedding with you!