MacK Goes to Italy: Week 1 Round Up

 

Ciao a tutti! After just 5 days here in Florence, I already feel at home again. I know these streets so well but can get lost in their curves for hours. I was timid at first because I was afraid I would have forgotten my secret shortcuts, my favorite hidden stores, but it all came rushing back. My Italian on the other hand, has not. I'm continuing to stumble through conversations, but I'm making due. 

Pizza is always my first meal in Italy. It's my own little tradition. I have become a pizza sob, I'll admit it. After living here for a year, I'm used to the real deal. My go-to pizza place in Florence is Pizzaman. I always order the Margherita. And I eat the entire thing, no questions asked. I'm used to a rather strict Paleo lifestyle at home, so I was concerned my desire for bread and cheese would be minimal here. I was wrong. 

Boutique Nadine is one my favorite stores in Florence. Perfect blend of new and vintage. The store's collection of vintage luggage and bags is extensive to say the least. I'm a little obsessed with the yellow crocodile suitcase {2nd from the top}. I adore these vintage green seltzer bottles. Wish I could safely bring all of them home!

Normal house on a normal street - not fair, right? The contrast of the yellow exterior and the green shutters is gorgeous. The city is covered with posters, plastered on buildings and walls advertising events. Most of these events revolve around food {LOVE IT!}, a Sagra di          . In years past, I've been to a Sagra del Tartufo {truffle}, a Sagra del Cacciucco {fish dish}, and a Sagra del Cinghiale {wild boar}. This is a poster for a Sagra nel Chianti. I adore the logo. The rooster is the trademark symbol for Chianti Classico wines.  One of my first stops was my favorite shoe store, Antica Cuoieria. I am in love with these suede eggshell oxfords. The seam across the toe is my favorite. Currently struggling with parting with the money {$$$}. I found some happy Florentine succulents as well! 

Now this is the breakfast of champions: a cappuccino and a lemon pastry! I turned the corner after breakfast and saw this gorgeous open door, inviting me to peak into this incredible garden. This wall of jasmine and gardens roses brightened my morning. 

My dear friend Kellin lives here now with her hubby. She was my TA when I was going to school here and we have stayed in touch over the years. I met up with her and we had lunch at one our favorite places, Osteria Santo Spirito. This bubbling dish of deliciousness is truffle gnocchi. The smell alone will make you want to bathe in it. We were sure to stop at one of our favorite daily markets as well, Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio. 

I'm off to start my weekend! Perhaps a visit to the Tuscan countryside with the tall glass of Italian water? I hear there is a killer antique market on Sunday. Who knows where I'll end up, or what I'll eat. Stay tuned! Another round-up coming your way next Friday!

Baci- MacK

*Be sure to check out the Rome e-shoot from yesterday! So pretty!*

A Spontaneous Engagement Shoot in Rome

As a fun tribute to my current Italian travels, I wanted to share this dreamy engagment session with all of you. Amanda (of 100 Layer Cake) and Tim shared their sweet, spontaneous story with me. Doesn't get much prettier than this. This gorgeous afternoon ws captured by Cinzia Bruschini.  

Baci- MacK

A week after Tim proposed in Lake Como (jealous?), Amanda tweeted asking if any Italian photographers were available for a shoot in Rome. "Cinzia was one of the people who responded. After checking out her work, we loved it so Cinzia came down from her hometown of Fermo to shoot us in the Trastevere neighborhood in Rome. She was so funny and awesome and sweet. She even brought a translator friend with her since she felt her English wasn't great!" 

"Halfway through the shoot Cinzia mentioned that she started reading our blog a few years ago and was so inspired, she decided to become a wedding photographer in Italy. And she mentioned what an honor it was to photograph us. How sweet right?" That doesn't seem to surprise us. We're inspired by 100 Layer cake on a daily basis!

Stay tuned next Thursday for a gorgeous Sicilian wedding!

Madewell: the Dip-Dyed Design Craze

There is no denying our love for anything dip-dyed. Remember our hot pink studio window DIY? We just may have been onto something with those cool mason jars dipped in paint. We love seeing a burst of color incorporated into wedding decor, florals and home interiors. Here is a round-up of the ultimate DIYs we just might tackle for our own space.

A plain white tablecloth is easily transformed with a splash of bright-yellow, via Living Etc.; Modern stripe ceramic vases by Dahlhaus; Terrain's earthenware mug with a subtle stripe of color; Dip-dyed wedding invitations by Swoon Studio.

Martha Stewart featured this colorful set of dip-dyed papers. We especially like the pencils dipped in white paint. Check out the DIY here; Studio Choo used paper cups for this naturally dip-dyed flower planter DIY for Design*Sponge, found here. "The dipping is the fun part! Play around until you find the look you like — there is no right or wrong." They simply set up a dipping station on an old picnic table in the backyard covered with a plastic tarp and tried two dipping techniques: the dry creep and the wet grade. "We made our dyes from natural plant materials, but you could also use store-bought dye. We wanted to use shades of red, purple and blue with a fairly monochromatic look, so we gathered some bearded iris, beets and dahlias and threw in a bit of yarrow and eucalyptus to mix it up."

The ladies from HEYLOOK created this cool and fairly simple gift packaging DIY with watercolor gift tags and hand dyed silk ribbons for Ruffled. "You could use one of these ribbons and fabric stiffener or cornstarch to create a bow to embellish your a simple white wedding cake."

The options for decorating the home are endless. This dip-dyed book shelf in white is a part of a cool range of furniture from La Clinica; The colorful stools in a crayola-bright colors are by UM project; SImple white dipped spoons for all of your kitchen needs from Anthropologie; Oh Happy Day dip-dyed business cards in a bright chartreuse dye.

Pink ombre dip-dyed placecards via Swoon Studio; A Beautiful Mess created these lovely color block terra cotta pots DIY; We spyed these dipped whicker baskets in the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living and fell for them; Woven kitchen wooden baskets hand-dyed to make a subtle gradient pattern of pink from bottom to top by Araya.

SF Foodie Find: Drywell Art

Drywell Art is the artsy creation of San Franciscan Alyson Thomas. In 2009 she quit her job as an attorney to pursue an art career (with no formal art training, that is). "It was a kind of crazy (awesome) decision," she says. She makes watercolor and ink illustrations of food and butchery and things she likes. The girl is pretty darn whitty, too.

In 2010 she set out to create hand-drawn butchery-style prints daily, titled Meat Sections. "An attempt to humorously combine two of my passions, food and art," she says. The result was simple, clever and awesome. We deem it the perfect gift for your foodie, carnivorous-loving pal.

Shop Drywell Art here.

A Love Shoot in San Marcos, California

Oh, the dress. We love Ilknur's tribal print maxi dress and her beau isn't too bad looking either. Photographer Jill Thomas captured Ilknur and Ryan in the natural splendor of San Marcos, California. Kami with a K styled the young sweethearts. There love story is one for the movies. 

The story begins in the cool fall of 1995 in Band Class in Junior High School. Ilknur was in 7th grade and Ryan was in 8th. They both had decided to play the trumpet, but were too shy to speak to anyone of the opposite sex. With that said, they never spoke. They had friends in common all throughout junior high and high school, and still never spoke. Years later, Ryan attended a baby shower of a mutual friend of theirs and Ilknur's name came up! He then messaged her online and they stayed in contact for about a year until they actually went on their first date in Belmont Shore at Le Creperie.

Ryan says he fell in love with her free spirit and laughter and she fell in love with his charm and good looks. She adores his creativity and he adores her competitive spirit. Their adventures took them together to Spain, Morocco, Ensenada, Turkey and Hawaii. Less than a year after Le Creperie Ryan got down on his knee and proposed. They will wed at South Coast Winery in Temecula, California in June. Congrats you two!

Photography by Jill Thomas Photography
Styling: Kami with a K  
Film Processing: Richard Photo Lab

MacK Goes to Italy: My Dream Italian Wedding

In January of 2009 I left Boulder, Colorado (Go Buffs!) to study abroad in Florence. The plan was to stay for one semester, but after the first month I knew that wasn't going to cut it. I figured out a way to make my semester abroad into a year and continued to allow Italy to woo me.

I was lucky enough to live out the ideal Italian abroad experience: I was studying Renaissance art history, eating incredible food, and compulsively buying leather goods. And yes, I fell in love with a tall glass of Italian water. I was that girl. And I was smitten.

I was taken by the beauty, the language and my man. This ultimately led to me making mental notes about my dream Italian wedding. Tomorrow I am jetting back to Florence to spend some time in my favorite city in the entire world. 

For the next three Fridays, I'll be writing about my Italian adventures. Thursdays will be dreamy Italian weddings and love shoots! Look forward to food, shopping, wine and more food! But for now, enjoy this collection of images that make me fall in love all over again.

Ciao a tutti! Ci sentiamo presto. Baci!

MacK

Images via Green Wedding Shoes, Snippet and Ink, Style Me Pretty {uno e due}, Once Wed and The Wedding Chicks.

Design Workshop with Ariella Chezar + Kristi Amoroso

Printed Matter: Ashley G and Drew

When it comes to wedding gifts, we appreciate a personal and offbeat take on the traditional printed ephemera. You can't go wrong with an illustrated portrait of a happy couple or a positive slogan to grace the walls of their home. We've been fans of Portland artist Ashley Goldberg's pen-and-ink drawings for quite some time. Her prints sell under the title Ashley G and Drew and she describes her style as "simple, but with a sophisticated or stark color palette." We think its pretty awesome.

Shop Ashley G and Drew here.