I’m keeping it classy with My End-of-July Finds. Everything that is appealing to me today has a vintage-chic, rose-colored feel to it (or has rhinestones on it, duh). I must be getting into the Fall vibe. . . And cocktail coasters are cracking me up! Peep these hot picks and see my other July Finds here. What do you think?

July Finds (L-R): Oh My God Coaster, Lula Hoop Scarf Kit, Bear Shits Coaster, Fossil “Candy” Frame Cents Coin Purse, Cocktail Now Coaster, Rose Bouquet Earrings, Bling Bottle Opener, Tree Owl Lamp, Wildfox Malibu Girl Sweatshirt.

Don’t forget to vote on today’s poll

What Do We Think of Halle’s Potato Sack Look?

That top is a bad move, girl!!
OR
I love potato sacks, especially ones with Halle Berry in them!

When was the last time you sent someone a surprise bouquet of flowers? How about the last time you received one? “Sending someone flowers” is written off by many these days as cliche’ and unoriginal. Steer clear of a dozen long stems and you’re golden! Studio Choo delivers some of the Cutest Floral Arrangements I’ve Ever Seen! If you’re not in the mood to shell out for the real thing, or if you want to give the gift of an everlasting bloom, consider giving Paper Flowers (Super-chic. Don’t laugh). And if you’re in the crafty mood, bust out a Paper Flower How-To Book and make a romantic personalized bouquet for your loved one.

For the paper flower Single Rose Gift Box (above) or a bouquet of paper roses, visit zoebradley.com.

My summer theme song by Sam Sparro, titled “Black and Gold,” inspired me to create some style guides that are sure to have you looking like the chic-est beauty at the beach this year. ‘Black and gold’ is very old-school gaudy glam and of course my motto for wearing it is, “go big or go home.” I love the look of black and gold swimwear paired with huge chunky jewelry to match. It’s over the top, but it works. (Hey, atleast I’m not suggesting that you finish off the look with some gold lame’ stilettos for your next game of beach volleyball!) The suits are sexy and the jewelry’s affordable, so be sure to check out both lists of products for a new sexy look for this season. My fave: gold cuff bracelets on each wrist. Hottt!

Suit: Black by Despi 2009
Cuff: Dereon Mini Fleur de Lis Leather Cuff

Blame it on Carrie Bradshaw for wearing a bird on her head in the Sex in the City Movie. Feathers are totally here to stay. I’m on the hunt for the perfect feathery fascinator to complete my wedding day ensemble. My dress is a simple, 50’s style party dress and my vision is to have a fabtacular head piece to compliment it.  Here are a few of my picks:

The Jenny Fascinator:

The Sarah Fascinator

Check out more Feathers!!! and also some veil alternative ideas at The Un-Veil

A friend of mine just sent out some clever save the date cards for her wedding in November. She and her fiancé used San Francisco postcards and had a stamp made that included their wedding date and website.  I thought it was a great idea and probably a good money saver! She submitted this pic to Daily Candy’s DIY project and won tickets to this weekend’s Maker Faire in San Mateo.

Check out some more Save the Date Cards

A great way to really personalize your wedding invitations is to create a font with your own handwriting. Even if you have your perfect invites already picked out in that fancy script font you’ve always dreamed of, this would be a great idea for just your envelopes to add a little personal touch to them.

There are multiple websites where you can do this, but I just found a really cute one that just launched in April of 2009 called Fonts in Bloom. The process is really easy. You simply download their template that includes all of the necessary characters (upper and lower case as well as symbols) and then scan it and send it to them. They create a custom font for you to use in any program you choose.

Here are some sample fonts:

Check out some of my letterpress wedding invitation picks!

In my search for vintage country-themed rooster kitchen decor, I was pleasantly surprised to find a vast array of modern kitchen decor featuring the rooster as well. Since ancient times, the rooster has been a symbol of watchfulness, pride, courage, flamboyance, and vigiliance, among other things. Today, many have chosen to adorn their kitchens with rooster decor in the adorable traditional, French country-style. In my Rooster Theme Kitchen Decor shopping guide, I have included both modern and rustic kitchen furnishings.

The Italian Ceramic Rooster Pitcher makes a great housewarming gift, as it symbolizes good fortune and protection from danger. If you purchase this pitcher, it comes with the legend of the ceramic rooster pitcher written on a small scroll. It is an interesting story from the Renaissance period and the pitcher makes a precious gift!
Pictured: from top left: French Rooster Clock, Coq Au Vin Rooster Kitchen Flour Sack Dish Towel - Set of 3, Kitchen Rooster Canister Set of 4 Country Style, JK Adams Novelty Rooster Cutting Board, Old Dutch 2-Tone Rooster Design Standing Paper Towel Holder, Rooster Message Board, Rooster Wall Clock, and (below) Ricco Deruta Italian Ceramic Rooster Pitcher.

I discovered this young up-and-coming designer on Etsy a few weeks ago when I was in the beginning stages of searching for my wedding dress and I fell in love with her drapey designs and amazing photos. Last week she was featured in Daily Candy and I’m sure that we’re going to see more and more of her in the future.  Her prices are totally reasonable, and the turn around time for ordering is only 4-6 weeks after providing her with your measurements. If I didn’t already have my dress in progress I would have definitely ordered from her! Oh yeah, some of the proceeds go to charities. Amazing…

A few of her dresses for bridesmaids or brides who want to go with something a little less traditional (left to right): The Raspberry Perfection Dress, The Flock Dress, The Robin’s Egg Dress, and the How She Sparkles Dress.

Amazing dresses for brides (left to right):The White as Snow Dress, The Athena Gown, The Pink Petals Dress,  and the A Peaceful Afternoon Gown. Check out some more amazing pieces- Sarah Seven Wedding and Bridesmaid Dresses.

Whoever came up with split expanders is a genius. I’m so glad that I am able to wear some of the most beautiful, hand-crafted, organic earrings I’ve ever seen without spending months to irreversibly stretch out my ear lobes to an unnaturally large size. Check some of my fave picks out on my Handmade Split Expander Earrings guide. I own a pair and there’s no way anyone can tell it’s not the real thing.

Quiz: Can you tell which are real expander earrings and which are split? (Answers below)

Split expander earrings create the illusion that you’re wearing one big fatty tapered (bone, wood, coconut, whatever) earring through an expanded lobe piercing but, in fact, you’re wearing two separate front and back pieces that connect together in your ear with a regular-sized steel earring post. If you want the look without the commitment, this is definitely the way to go. I’ve found some other very Pretty Stick Earrings (pictured below with split expanders) that also require no stretching of earlobes. Perf.

Aren’t they pretty?

[answers: a.stretch, b.split, c.split, d.stretch, e.stretch]

So far, the most fun that I’ve had with wedding planning has been picking out our save the date cards. At the beginning stages of planning, you’re allowed to go with something a little more fun that doesn’t necessarily have to match with the rest of the wedding theme. We picked cards that highlight San Francisco to prepare our out-of-towners excited for a fun visit to a great city.

In my week-long search for save the date cards, I came across some real gems. I especially like the cards with the initials of the be-trothed carved into the tree: The Weeping Willow cards come in 4 colors.

Hello Lucky makes some amazing cards that you can get in either digital or letterpress depending on your budget. You can get as simple or as fancy as you like with cards like: (left to right) the Monogram Letterpress cards, the Fancy Feather Cards, or the simple  Meadow Digital Grass and Gravel Card .

I’ve also seen a ton of DIY brides and grooms making their own cards. My favorites are the ones made by Miranda that are posted on Flickr. She even made the envelopes.

Check out some more Save the Date Cards