I purchased your kit, and I must say this was the most fun, and honestly one of my favorite things from our wedding. I tried to do most of the decorations, cake topper, and favors myself, and the excitement of seeing my beautiful bouquet come together was so fulfilling. The best part of it was showing my mother how awesome it looked, when she was my biggest critic on the felt flower idea. She loved it and paraded it around the reception showing all of her friends..lol. So thank you so much for giving me the tools and ideas to help make that day so memorable.
-Julie

Want to make a bouquet of your own? You can order a kit to make a 16-stem bouquet just like my original felt flower bouquet–I send you absolutely everything you need (even needles!) in any colors you want. And in February when you order two kits (one for you, one for a bridesmaid?) you get a free posie bouquet for your flower girl valued at $75 in your colors. It would also work as a great toss bouquet!

Thanks Julie for sharing your pretty bouquet, and happy planning to all you sweet couples.

xo
meg

The best hairdresser in the world Rebecca Forsyth gave me this process at Bungalow//8 Hairdressing, a lovely salon that has been great to me over the past year. I loved sitting under the hood dryin my hair, flippin through magazines, (I always wanted to sit under one of those!) and the results were just awesome.

So this is my hair now. If I wake up and I haven’t showered and do nothing to it (like I did today), it looks full of body and movement–a style I would have spent half an hour doing before. If I take a shower and scrunch in some curl cream, I have lovely waves. Deep side-parts and hair combs are my new thing.

I’m contemplating trying something even curlier later this year. I’m so addicted to curls now! Big hair is the big thing.

T-Shirt: Forever 21
Skirt: Worthington
Tights: HUE
Socks: Target
Shoes: Dolce Vita
Coat: Target
Bag: Miss Albright

I’ve made it easier for you to buy stuff from me, and it’s a much prettier experience now too. Thanks a lot to Storenvy for the support and awesome service as I set up shop. I love the integration with Twitter and Facebook and how easy it is for shoppers to interact in the Storenvy marketplace community. Founder Jon Crawford describes Storenvy as “a Tumblr for e-commerce.” I’m also proud to say that Storenvy was built on the Silicon Prairie in Kansas City before the startup moved to San Francisco.

Here are some changes you can expect in your shopping experience:

• I pared down my dress line offerings to my top-selling and favorite looks.
• Our surprise bouquets are still discounted to $75, but we pick the one you get. (I promise you’ll love it!)
• We offer a discount for brides looking to DIY felt flower bouquets for their entire wedding party with our buy-three-get-one-free kit deal.
• Storenvy breaks our shop down into easy-to-browse categories.
• As a shopper, you can share your favorite products on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and more with one click.
• You can add products (whether they’re mine or another seller’s!) to a list of favorites so you can come back and browse any time.
• Brides who want a custom bouquet can still begin by filling out our bridal inquiry form, which I will respond to within three days.
• Shoppers can also browse the Princess Lasertron shop on our Facebook page.

This is pretty cool and I’m really excited to be part of the Storenvy community. This is a company that creates a really enjoyable browsing experience for shoppers, and also respects sellers and gives them the tools to customize their shops and spread the word about their work. You can click the tab at the top of my website to go to the shop, or click here to go to shop.princesslasertron.com. A+++++++ would buy again.

xo
meg

AHA. I got it. Northern Sun.

I was introduced to MANY different issues through Northern Sun–Feminism, but many other things too. Vegetarianism. Peace. Spirituality, Native American rights issues, gay and lesbian rights, the idea that evolution was a controversial subject at all. So I had a very activist phase in junior high, not only wearing my buttons proudly but learning to ask questions about how others were treated, how I wanted to experience my life, and what kind of place I thought the world ought to be. That’s why I think “slogan t-shirts” are a great way for kids to introduce themselves to world issues and deeper thought, and come out with a better understanding of their own identities. When I see people my age scoff at teenagers wearing Che Guevara t-shirts from Hot Topic, I think that kind of sucks because whatever channel people can use to access these ideas is fine with me.

Anyway. After a while with the buttons, I cooled it with the sanctimony and learned to respect how others wanted to believe. But as time went on I started keeping my mouth shut in general. This describes the path my position of activism took from that point:

“I started learning about feminism, and it made me realize about how unjust the world really is not only to women, but other traditionally marginalized groups. But the more I spoke up about it, the more I was called a bitch. The more I was encouraged to play along with the game. I didn’t want to get a reputation as disagreeable, annoying, or unpleasant. So then I started to question whether or not I really understood what I was feeling. Maybe it was too complicated to talk about. After all, compared to many other groups and communities, institutionalized stereotyping and discrimination of women isn’t really that bad. I have enough privilege. Blah. Maybe I should drop it.”

That story might actually be a common one for many women. And as I’ve gotten older and had more experiences of discrimination and even outright physical abuse, I realized that I have tended to ignore or excuse this behavior, which only shows others that I accept it. I mean what do you do in those situations? Whether it’s sex or gender-based, race-based, whatever, those ignorant little comments–usually spoken by totally nice, good, well-meaning people of course–just leave me with my jaw dropped. If you correct someone for saying something sexist, you’re a “bitch” and they were “just joking.” If you ask someone to leave an event or party for harassing you, you’re “causing a scene.”

I’ve noticed a weird, marked increase in snide comments about my job, or ignorant questions about how I run two businesses, or assumptions made about my marital status, questions about my husband. Maybe I am suddenly for some reason more aware of it and it was always that way. For example, at a recent local event where I received an award for my business accomplishments, someone came up to my husband and introduced himself, asked him about what he does, and then thumbed at me and said “Dragged the wife along, eh?” Then to me, “These things are so boring.” Yes, these big-boy business things are too boring for poor little wifey. I would have loved to see his face when I went up on stage. What a douche, right?

…I did an interview for a podcast a few weeks ago and the host said, “Bring some of those coochie little things you make.” WTF? That’s nonsense, it’s incredibly stupid and he would never use language like that with a male guest on his business show.
…Tonight at an event for the Omaha Chamber of Commerce at CAMP, I spoke to two people who assumed my male tenant owned the workspace. “It’s cool of him to let you grow your business here.”
…I spoke to someone who assumed that I was able to work “away from the home” because my husband supported my business.
…My assistant’s friend was raped and her attacker was found innocent in court. He used the “she was asking for it because she was drinking” defense.
…At another event recently, some tactless drunk person told me that “a lot of people” felt bad for my husband because I asked him to marry me.

Like, beyond weird. What year is this? Am I 80 years old?

I normally don’t talk about this stuff–like I said–but I posted on Facebook tonight about “becoming super feminist lately” and the commenters encouraged me to post about it after the ensuing discussion. I’ve actually noticed similar sentiments from other women in my network–whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter, or in person, it seems like our collective gender stereotype radars have been on overdrive lately.

Here are some comments from my Facebook post that I really liked:

My experience at H&R Block this evening: “I’m sorry, I’m just so used to the man being the main tax payer.” ★ “Someone told me today that I am “rebellious” for not pursuing marriage and children.” ★ “I don’t know why…I’m noticing things lately. I always figured it was a “ignore it and it doesn’t exist” kind of thing, but I’ve been realizing that that isn’t actually the case. I’m so annoyed that I’m even writing this.” ★ “I have come to the above conclusion lately and realizing a lot of my annoyances were not me just being an “overly insensitive woman” but reacting to real inequalities.” ★ “I have been SO OVER gender stereotypes these past two weeks. Especially the idea that assertive women are bitchy.”

There is certainly something to be said for dreaming big, and that’s something that some women may not “traditionally” do. I know I can speak for myself on that one. My goals for Princess Lasertron are basically fulfilled–I have reached the place I wanted to be five years ago and exceeded my own expectations. But along the way as I’ve gotten more involved in the “entrepreneurship” (meaning tons of tech startups owned by men) community, I’ve learned so much about what it means to swim with the big fish by watching from the sidelines. Speaking at conferences around the country about best practices? Venture capital? Advisory boards? It’s interesting to be considered a formidable player and tastemaker in my industry, and also be aware that my work is primarily “adorable” in the sea of other passionate entrepreneurs in my community. It’s made me question whether I am thinking too small, and start making plans for a higher rate of growth. As I’ve realized this, I’ve found a wonderfully supportive group of advisers and mentors to help me explore these ideas further.

I’m capable of a lot. I love to work hard and my passion is business. Everything I accomplish is a function of my motivation, focus, and decision making. I’ve had to learn like any other entrepreneur. It stings as little bit to know that some people think I’m merely doing “good enough for a girl,” or good enough for now. Feeling criticized makes me ask why people might be thinking that way about me and whether I’m addressing the long-term goals I have set for my career. How can I finish my book and do a speaking tour? How can I create a platform for my favorite tastes and styles to reach my fellow lovers of design, without barriers to engagement? How can I support the work of aspiring designers? How can I move to Berlin for a year with Alice and enroll her in Kindergarten? How can I speak at a major conference about this fabulous marriage of technology and style? And as I make my plans and work with mentors and strategize with my workers, I keep creasing my tissue paper and replying to e-mail and coordinating photoshoots and doing phone interviews and designing tutorials. I keep driving to the office with Alice sleeping in the back seat so I can pick up work to do and get things done in the car. I keep missing dinner with my family and bedtime because I get most of my time to work at night.

All hardworking people make sacrifices–after all, every time you say yes to one thing, you say no to something else. It’s absurd to have to explain that to people who think I am just having fun in a clubhouse downtown playing “office” all day.

xo
meg

Goals for our Fall/Winter 2012 Collection

♥ Each look priced between $100-200
♥ Use funds from the Make it Pretty Subscription Club to finance ethical overseas manufacturing
♥ Get this range in a local boutique

For the Fall/Winter 2012 collection, we find Eloise at fifteen years old, still living at the Plaza Hotel with Nanny, her dog Weeny, and a disastrous bedroom while her parents travel around the world on business trips or vacations. She is experimenting with eyeliner and lipstick–all testers which she nicks from the counters at Sak’s–and is basically an all-around ungrateful and sulky teenager. Don’t worry, she will grow up to be a positive and normal contributing member of society, but she hasn’t really been raised right so she’s still pretty naughty.

She’s not a bad girl. She’s not in trouble with boys and she’s maintaining her grades. But she really needs to have some privileges taken away until she can shape up and fix her attitude.

So this collection of daywear–five looks for Fall/Winter 2012–is inspired by that. What would this girl wear? She’s got some great clothes, and a strong personality, and she feels great about how she looks. So I’m trying to make that.

xo
meg

We hope to go back to Phoenix next year and check out the vintage shops that I heard so much about. It was a beautiful trip and we loved the city.
See all photos on Daily Alice.

xo
meg

With Valentine’s Day coming up, Güler contacted me about offering a pair of her hand-knit fingerless gloves to my readers. If you type a lot at night, like me–especially during the winter–fingerless gloves need to be in your life. You other bloggers know what I am talking about!

These gloves are hand-knitted with a wool/acrylic blend and are available in any color. I have these lemongrass ones! Güler is offering a matching lime-y lemongrass-y pair of these fingerless gloves for one reader.

SmilingKnitting also sells dozens of other original products that get me really excited. How cute are these hats? Clever collar-like scarves? And of course her crocheted heart slippers that I wear ALL the time at work. They live under my desk!

Anyway, these are all great gift ideas for your sweetheart (there are some great offerings for guys on there too) for $35 and under. Skip the roses–get something (if only for yourself) that you can actually use and will make you smile every day.

This giveaway for the fingerless gloves is open to international residents and I will pick a winner on Monday at midnight, so you have a week to enter. Visit SmilingKnitting on Etsy, leave a comment, and good luck! And you boys better enter too. These would be a great Valentine’s Day gift for your mama.

xo
meg

p.s. use code smiling14 in the SmilingKnitting shop for a 14% discount on your valentine’s day orders!

Amy was kind enough to share some of her favorite details about her big day, as well as her professional pictures shot by Merrick Chase. Now, in Amy’s own words…

About the wedding location: Telluride, Colorado

We decided to get married at one of our very favorite places, Telluride, CO. We had been there a couple times before, and he proposed to me there on a trail overlooking the whole valley exactly one year prior to our wedding date, June 16th. Having a destination wedding in a remote town, on the opening day of a huge Bluegrasss festival made it logistically challenging, but we had a lot of fun with it. We knew that our guests would either be totally committed and pumped for the vacation, or not in at all, (which ultimately weeded out all the negative Nancys), and we ended up with an incredible group of close friends and family in an incredible valley in Colorado!!

About the dress: Something borrowed

My wedding dress was borrowed! I got so lucky, especially since I’m so short and petite. My friend, Nicole let me do whatever I wanted with it, and I will always be so thankful to her laid back attitude about a dress she wore only 3 years prior. We redesigned the whole back of the dress, and all in all it only cost me a few hundred bucks! I also wore a gorgeous turquoise necklace, and cowboy boots, complimented with simple makeup and a sweeping side French braid. I really love that I looked like myself on my wedding day, and didn’t go all crazy with hair and makeup!

About the ceremony:

The ceremony was tricky for us because without being religious we could really take it anywhere, and because our options were limitless it really almost stressed me out. Also by researching fun activities for our guests we came along the name of one of the oldest cowboys in town, Roudy Roudebusch. We loved his old-world approach and called him up to see if by chance he had ever preformed a wedding ceremony. To our delight he had! AND he was up for it, well, after he got to know us a little more personally. He had the right amount of sophistication, and humor, and had been married for over 50 years, and he looked awesome. However he did forgot to announce the part at the end where we kiss and I was like “Hey, aren’t we supposed to kiss?!” and everyone laughed and it made for some awesome pics, and our kiss was perfect! We were SO happy and it was just so natural. I absolutely love those pictures.

Reception decor: DIY driftwood place cards

We used small driftwood pieces that we gathered near our home in California as a twist on traditional place card holders. Dave cut a curved slice into each piece, and instead of using a name card, we collected old photos of each guest and put that into a piece of driftwood at their spot on the table. It was so cool for our friends/family members to be surprised with a picture of themselves. Some were totally wacky, like a ridiculous Halloween costume, others were 30 years old, like the photo we used for my mom on my parents wedding day, and still others were perhaps a unique photo that only the specific guest would be able to recognize, like a photo we used of our friend, Stacey, where you couldn’t see her face, but instead a view of Machu Picchu which was from a trip she took last summer. The photos were also an easy way way for each table to get the conversation flowing. Each guest also took their photo and driftwood piece home, which can be used again and again. We never wanted to do assigned seating in the first place, but it ended up being a necessity, and boy did we have fun with those pictures!

Advice for future brides

All I can suggest to an engaged couple is to have fun with it, and do it exactly the way you want to. After all its YOUR day, not your parents’, or your grandparents’, or anyone else’s, keeping things respectful of course. Ultimately, it should be a reflection of your love and commitment to each other, and there’s no wrong way to go about it! Shoot, we did it at a Bluegrass festival! The sky is the limit, and if you have friends that can help with the crafty side of stuff you can keep the costs relatively low. The most expensive part for us was lodging in Telluride. (because of the festival) Otherwise, we got creative and cut corners where we felt they could be cut.

More of my favorite details from Amy and Dave’s wedding:

♥ A New Orleans-style procession into the city for the wedding, with the band playing and all!
♥ Dave’s hand-drawn map of Telluride for people driving into the city
♥ Packages sent to each guest with a map, something to do in the car, CD’s for the drive, a magazine about Telluride, and custom SPF15 chap sticks.
♥ Forgoing the traditional wedding invitations for a wedding website designed by Dave

Thanks again Amy for the honor and privilege of being part of your wedding day, and congratulations to you and Dave on your continued journey together! Enjoy the ride.
xo
meg

All photos thanks to Merrick Chase Photography.

1: Mama’s outfit and Alice’s outfits from our plane ride today. 2: On our way to the airport. Alice wears those glasses everywhere. Now we have two pairs. 3: Fancy shoes and Dave’s indie video games. 4: Nap. 5: Playing her new iPad game, Animal Alphabet. (She said “Yak” today!) 6: Notes passed back and forth between me and Dave on the plane. 7: Napping across our laps. She slept for over an hour this way.

Top: Left of Center; Jeans: Joe’s Jeans; Boots: Henry Ferrera; Bag: Kinies; Lipstick: Hazardous by The Elixery; Alice’s Bag: Skip Hop; Pullover: American Apparel; Polo: Circo; Pants: Carters; Shoes: Pediped

See more details about today’s outfit on my Polyvore page.

xo
meg

1: Mama’s outfit and Alice’s outfit from today. 2. We went to the Waffle House for lunch (we don’t have them in Omaha) where we saw a real cowboy with spurs, and we danced to the Waffle House song that played over the tinny speakers. 2 & 3. Watching little Piper airplanes take off and land at the Deer Valley Airport near Phoenix. 4. Matching sunglasses.

See more details about today’s outfit on my Polyvore page, and I’ll post a more detailed recap of our trip after I get home and upload all of my good photos!

xo
meg