this time next week

(images from the past week)

This time next week we will be busy getting ready to start our first full week as residents in London! The past few weeks have been filled with friends, eating, packing, working, cleaning, re-packing, cat sitting, more eating - wash, rinse and repeat.

I'm looking forward to cooking meals at home and stop wearing the same two outfits, because I'm not sure where anything else is. Oh, the joy to be able to actually find something! 

We fly out on the evening of February 1st, land February 2nd and will be picked up by our relocation agent (he just happens to be Canadian!) on February 3rd. Our agent will show us 15 to 20 properties in one day depending on what is available and the goal is to have us find a new home in one day. Keep in mind that it is a competitive market. This is how it's done over there. Plus, we have Cleo (cat) and they don't usually advertise if pets are allowed even if they are and if you really like a flat, you are able to offer the owner more than the asking price to guarantee getting it. It's pricey (one month's rent), but for us, the agent is the way to go. We want to settle in as quickly as possible and want somebody on our side to negotiate all the details on our behalf.

The plan is to tweet and blog as much as I can, but it may get a little quiet while we transition into our new surroundings and get the internet and phone set up. Some days will just be pictures of everyday life... some days will include more. We'll be staying in Wimbledon the first week we arrive. Any tips on where to eat, drink, shop or see? What would you do if you were visiting London? You can find posts from our last visit in Oct 2009 here. Bon voyage!

indie i do :: lotus events

Indie I Do took place last Saturday and, as always, it was a complete blast! Not only did our Principle Day-of Coordinator, Witty, come hang out with us all day, but we bumped into so many familiar faces and met so many new ones! Sometimes you spend so much time going back and forth over email, that it's good to put a face behind that address. 

Here's some sneak peeks of the lotus events booth display which I am completely in love with. I have to admit that I do struggle with booth displays. Usually, we are so busy coordinating vendors and making sure that everything is being crossed off of our to do list for the show, that our display often gets pushed to the bottom of the list. 

(our mini notebook giveaways for writing all of your wedding planning notes!)

Thanks to Studio Jeanie, Mélanie and Kevin, Flower Factory and Delovely Creative for letting me borrow all of your goodies!

Yes, those are screen printed place settings. Thanks Blue Olive!

Sorry librarians and book lovers, but you have to admit, this is a super cute way to mark your guest tables.

Bride and groom pennants made of felt and strung together with bakers twine. Oh, and my favourite piece, check out the lotus events sign above (first image). We borrowed a chalkboard frame from Studio Jeanie, but 'my handwriting + chalk + being 1:00 a.m. before the show =  not happening', so on to plan B - logo + blender pen = genius!

rockin' the props

Renting a photobooth? Props are a fun way to make sure you end up with some really memorable photos. Stumbled across these little goodies from the Little Retreats shop on Etsy that will be sure to spark your guests' creativity!

wedding feature :: poppytalk

images by Ophelia Photography

The new Poppytalk market launched their Wedding and Valentine's event "Love Transforms" yesterday. To kick off their featured wedding series during this month, they posted Aaron and Jay's wedding from last July. Hooray!

Check out the full details and more images here or see our past blog post here.

a prepping we will go

We have been busy prepping our booth space at Indie I Do this year. Want a little something of your own? Come visit us and pick up your own mini notebook. Perfect for jotting down those wedding plans and as an added bonus, there's a little coupon code for those looking for some extra hands to bring together their special day!

Whew. Booth designing is exhausting. Especially when you realize that half the items you could be using is traveling across the world right now to our new home. So, a thrifting we will go! Hoping to find some hidden treasures for a few final touches.

See you there I hope!

Etsy Finds Friday

Etsy Finds Friday is a speckle of random things that have caught my eye on etsy.com. Great ideas and lots of inspiration for your upcoming wedding or to add a little handmade love to your life.

photo credit go to the respective shops listed below

(From left to right)

Top: Vint Condition,  Erica Hammer Calligraphy, kmalinka vintage

Middle: Nervous System, Joanna Rutter, Mignonne

Bottom: Magnolija Dress, No. 144, Topsy Turvy Design

vendor feature :: Lions Gate Designs

For all you lovely brides looking for a way to incorporate family jewelry into your wedding or want an alternative to fresh flowers, check out these lovely vintage brooch bouquets by Lions Gate Designs. You can check out more of her work on etsy.

eat :: toad in the hole

found on A Cup of Jo via Grapevine Twine via Oh Joy

Toad in the hole is the process of breaking an egg into a slice of bread with a hole in it and frying up the result. Although, it's not the traditional definition of toad in the hole (dish made with sausage and baked in Yorkshire pudding), it's often mixed by those unfamiliar with British foods.

All I can say is eggs + toast + avocado? Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my face .... YUM.

Funny thing is that when I was little, my uncle from Peru gave me my first taste of avocado and I hated it. I actually went downstairs to the basement, spat it out and hid it behind the shelf. (Sorry to the person that found it!).

style me pretty

I have been a big fan of the Style Me Pretty blog. It's chock block full of wedding design, inspiration and pretty pictures! The wedding industry went into a bit of a buzz earlier last week when SMP launched the Style Me Pretty Magazine! If you already follow the blog, you may recognize some of the images as the first issue features the best of 2010.

Don't let that stop you though. Just keep turning those pages back and forth and ooh and aahh along with the rest of us.

events :: indie i do

An alternative to the cookie cutter wedding ....

Where one size does not fit all ...

Encouraging you to think outside the box ...

Join us for Vancouver's third annual alternative wedding show, Indie I Do, which pairs the traditional with the non-traditional. 

Here are the event details:

Date: Saturday, January 22nd, 2011

Time: 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Location: Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street Vancouver

Tickets are $15.00 in advance which can be purchased here or $20.00 at the door. You can find more information about the show including a list of exhibitors at www.indieido.com.

******************

Want to attend as our guests? Email lotus events here and enter to win a pass for two! Limited free passes available. Contest ends Friday, January 14th at 5:00 p.m. (PST). 

♥ cat love ♥

I love my cat. Here's a few snapshots from our impromptu photo shoot a few days back when it was still sunny.

on the radar

found via the other side of the shelf by Paul Octavious

My brain still wants to be on holiday mode. MmmmmMmm.. how were your holidays?

Feeling better these days. Was hit with a fever half way through Got Craft back at the beginning of December which then progressed to strep throat due to stress and a virus that turned my eyes bloodshot. My eyes cleared up in a few days, but the throat persisted through Hawaii and left me with a cough that I am still experiencing. One more trip to the clinic today confirmed that something in my throat was still partying it up, so hopefully this more powerful and $$ antibiotics will clear it once and for all. Better to nip it in the bud here then overseas.

As for our move, the apartment is emptying out and we are starting to hear echos. Apartment viewings started earlier in the week... my mom came back and rummaged through a bunch of stuff that she wanted ... international shipping company picked up our 7 boxes and 2 pieces of furniture that are being shipped. Next on the list is photographing and listing everything for sale and tying up some loose ends.

A lot of mixed emotions coming from me. I have also been tossing and turning a lot these last couple of nights. Stress? Sadness? Fear? Excitement? All of the above? Time is just w-h-i-z-z-i-n-g by!