skillet + scout.

After a weekend of being knee deep in counting/organizing inventory and a busy day yesterday prepping for some exciting upcoming photoshoots, I’m excited to be back blogging today!

In celebration of the fab week ahead, I thought I’d share some fun pics from an open house scout. was involved in awhile back. I had the pleasure of collaborating with the fabulous Noah of Skillet to create/style a spring tasting at Melrose – full of whimsy and perfectly eclectic funkiness. Julie captured the night and it was such a blast meeting everyone that came out for the night. If you haven’t tried Skillet’s waffle & fried chicken concoctions you are missing out! Find a truck here.

Oh and isn’t the American flag in the back of the room the cherry on top?!

photo cred : {Julie Harmsen Photography}

pic me a palette : prop styling.

I had the absolute pleasure of assisting Chelsea Fuss with a couple of her interior styling jobs this week here in Seattle and I cannot even begin to tell you what an honor it was to be on set with her. Chelsea is honestly someone I greatly admire as a prop stylist and her work continues to inspire me to work towards my own styling career. When I 1st launched myself into the world of weddings & events I didn’t really really know where my biggest passions might lie, and I’m learning more and more everyday about how much I truly value, admire & cherish the skill of creating beautiful photographs through styling.

I really don’t think a lot of people know what goes into actually making a beautiful photo. There is of course the photographer, but there is also a stylist behind the scenes that is working their magic on set or at an event to make sure that everything the photographer is snapping a picture of looks just so. I encourage you the next time you are flipping through your favorite magazine or scrolling your blog feed to ask yourself what might have gone in to making that photograph happen. Really study the picture because I guarantee the photo didn’t happen by chance. Prop styling is not as easy at it might look – it takes a ton of concentration and a fantastic working relationship b/t the stylist and photographer. Some of my fav styling/photography duos out there (Chelsea & Lisa are definitely one of them!) make it look easy as pie – but in reality their work is pure art & some serious talent.

photo, prop styling cred: {happiness etc.}

inspired by : patterns.

I’m pretty sure my infatuation with patterns started when I was little and would take trips to the fabric store with my mom. As she scrolled the aisles looking to be inspired for her latest craft or home project, I’d run my hands across all the soft fabrics in total awe of the beautiful patterns.

At the time I had no idea where my life might lead or how truly inspired I’d become by the simple sighting of a pretty pattern, but I’m always on the hunt for the perfect art-to-material to add to some aspect of my life.  The paper to wrap a gift for a friend ; a new dishtowel for the kitchen ; a bright summer maxi dress ; or even now potential fabrics for reupholstering scout. goods – there is nothing better than a perfectly eclectic pattern. Patterns are so crazy inspiring  and these by Ashley Goldberg are certainly some of the cutest I’ve seen. What inspires you?

art cred: {ashley goldberg via flickr}

sunday dreaming / 43.

dreaming of…

loft living.

For month and months I’ve been giddy over the idea of an industrial style loft as a place to call home. I can’t stop daydreaming about those raw brick walls, the distressed wood flooring and the gobs of gorgeous light streaming in through big gigantic windows.

Lately I’ve been the messiest person in the world, so one enormous space to house all of my chaos might not be the best option for us at the moment, but nonetheless, I can’t get the idea outta my head!

AND it doesn’t help that this adorable home, along with the loft home of Stephen & Shauna the insanely talented duo behind Forage as seen in this winter’s issue of Anthology Mag are just too breathtaking for words.

Does anyone else out there swoon over the idea of taking up residence in a big open space? Anyone in Seattle know where I might get my hands on one of these stunning living spaces? A girl can dream, right?

photo cred: {brian ferry via freunde von freunden}

a week in instagram.

Wow – is it Friday already?!! I thought I’d share a peek into my week through my instagram feed – if you don’t have instagram and you have an iPhone – get on board!! I absolutely love capturing all kinds of random stuff using this fun app and I really can’t imagine life without it – it’s so entertaining! Plus you can keep up with what all your buddies are doing through their own feeds! If you’re ever interested in following me I’m currently snapping away under: bowtieandbustle.

a week with an instagram summary:

1: chocolate milk – i’m officially addicted. that + a current exercise restriction = a recipe for disaster. 2: ikea – ehh. i despise that place on the weekends but sometimes it’s a necessary evil. 3: bailie decided this week that my face was  an appropriate resting place for her head. funny thing is – i didn’t really mind. 4: the littlest of peeks into an editorial shoot i worked my tail off on this week – pretty bentwood chairs are the best! 5: new glasses! finally! i was lazy for a really long time and didn’t want to go in for my eye exam. i finally bit the bullet this week and got myself some new specs. 6: i’m really into patterned socks lately, which is funny because i remember thinking as a kid how horrible they were. wow how things change… 7: restore – my favorite place to rummage around. always something fab hiding in a really dirty corner. 8: those chairs stole my heart this week! i wanted to take them home with me so bad! 9: the price of gas is about to send me over the edge. the beast i drive around for scout. deliveries is certainly not helping the situation. 10: i absolutely love my sidesaddle kitchen tee – its so comfy and i’ve been wearing it everywhere. my dear friend laura has this kick ass vegan pastry venture that i can’t stop drooling over. she is so stinkin’ talented and insanely adorable to boot! check out her yummies over here. 11: one of my newest additions to the scout. collection. i about fell over when my eye caught the color of this desk. it would be such a perfect piece for a mini dessert bar. i’m in love! 12: ended up on my favorite corner of cap hill this week and couldn’t help but admire my favorite wall. the street art is just so gorgeous.

Along with hours & hours of sourcing for the shoot and lots of random biz stuff, i found some great new vintage finds, had some fantastic nights out with friends & family who came in from outta town and took a MUCH needed day off on Thursday. I kinda forgot what it feels like not to work. I’m also taking tomorrow off too (wooohoo!!) and heading outta town with Adam for a quick trip down to Portland to visit some of our buddies! I’m absolutely ecstatic, although the sun is finally out in Seattle and I can’t help but wonder if it’s shining a few hours south as well. Cross your fingers for us!

Some not so fun things going on? Found out yesterday that my hip definitely needs surgery. I have a torn labrum (the cartilage around my right hip socket) which has made it difficult for me to walk/stand/sit let alone exercise or deliver scout goodies. I got a steroid shot about a month and a half ago hoping that would be a long-term pain reliever but that hasn’t been the case. I’ve been a bit defeated by the entire thing because it’s never fun to realize that your body isn’t as healthy as you hope for it to be and as 30 slowly creeps towards me I honestly feel like I’m going on 80. After discussions with my doc I realized it won’t make sense to have the surgery before my trip to Europe as the recovery period is at least 6 weeks ZERO activity!!! It’s gonna be quite the challenge to find the time to take care of my ol’ hip – but I’m hopeful this summer or late winter will lend some time to taking care of it. It’d be so so great to be able to deliver a settee without feeling like my leg might fall off!

Adam and I have also been talking lots about some fun trips this year since we have free standby airline travel for the entire year! I know, I know – we are super spoiled. We are hoping to get to see some of our long lost friends that we haven’t seen since we got married & spend some quality time together later this year after the wedding season. I keep telling him it would be SO fun to go to Australia but with Adam’s limited vacation schedule – that might not work. A girl can dream though right?!

I hope you all had a great week and your weekend is filled with spring weather & loved ones.

*JB

photo cred: {moi iPhone + instagram}

trophy cupcakes & party design project.

I’ve been really excited to share these pics that my buddy Julie captured of my recent design project for Trophy Cupcakes. I shared some instagram pics a while back here, but professional ones are so much more pretty right? I absolutely LOVE the pic below. It captures the bold, simplistic beauty of Trophy’s Bravern shop to a tee! Thanks for the pics Jules!

I had the time of my life creating window display concepts and store details for Trophy earlier this year ,and I’m absolutely thrilled with how everything turned out. It was so so so much fun incorporating some vintage details from my scout. collection and the gold & white chevron flooring that I painted by hand is one of my proudest design details of this project. I can’t get enough of all bold color + chevron + gold – YUM!!!

Jennifer Shea (owner & cupcake extraordinaire) wanted the design to really speak to Trophy’s mentality of “the party starts here!” and I couldn’t imagine anything party related without some fun confetti. I created custom multi-colored confetti and a custom fringed streamer backdrop for both their Wallingford & Bravern locations. I also created some whimsical garland and streamer chandeliers for the inside of their shops too! The colors to this day make me just smile. They are just so so happy!

Thanks to Jennifer and her team for allowing me to crash their stores on multiple occasions to rock out the color. I can’t imagine a more fun and celebration-focused company to work with. I heart Trophy to pieces and I look forward to working with them in the future!!!

**Also! A GIGANTIC thank you to my little sis Coli who spent part of her Christmas break knee deep in color with me. Couldn’t have done it without ya – muah! xoxo!

photo cred: {julie harmsen photography}

friday find : sneak peek.

The past week has been full of some really fun and exciting collaborations many of which (I can only imagine and hope!) are just the tip of the iceberg for what’s to come!

I got the opportunity to collaborate with the fab and hilariously witty duo that is Laurel McConnell Photography and Barbie Hull Photography for a rad photo shoot (theme is a secret….ssshhh!) for the upcoming Get Hitched Give Hope event this coming fall. I’m telling you folks, you DON’T want to miss this event this year. It’s gonna be BIG! I’ll definitely be sharing more info about this fabulous night of giving back in the months to come.

I also participated in my 1st Trophy Cupcakes tasting this week – providing some of my mismatched china and some fun chairs and props to give the couples something fun to look at/eat off of while they nibbled on Trophy yumminess. Nevermind that I also got to bring home a few leftovers to enjoy with my hubs. Cherry on top of a great week!

I’m also in the midst of prepping for an upcoming shoot with Seattle Met Bride & Groom Mag (uh yes…I’m wigging out just a little! Sooooo pumped!!!) and a revamp/redirection of my blog. Lot’s and LOTS of changes are gonna be going on around here in the coming months and I can only imagine that my Europe trip (May 10th – June 19th) will inspire me to also make some exciting changes on the biz front. PLUS I’m REALLY hoping to come home with some new loot to add to my ever-growing scout. collection of course!

Here’s a few things around the web that I found inspiring (or at the very least entertaining!) this week:

– adorable web & graphic design by this local lady

– this coconut cream pie. seriously – you’ve gotta try it!

– minus the crappy acting i’m kinda obsessed with this show right now.

– i CANNOT get enough of this gal’s blog and amazing creative talents here.

– honored to be hanging out here.

– my fav wedding of the week here. part one here.

– way tooooo excited for these people. seriously i’m SO excited for them.

– slamming deal here if this sorta thing is your cup of tea.

I’m also sharing a little sneak peek this week of some pics snapped by this crazy-talented gal of my recent collaboration with Trophy Cupcakes. I’ve already shared a few instagram shots of my design/styling of Trophy’s windows and store details this past January, but professional pics by Julie are so MUCH better! More pics coming next week!

Happy weekend friends!

xoxo! *JB

photo cred: {julie harmsen photography}

assemble + apt therapy + scout.

I’m excited to announce that I will be speaking at an Apartment Therapy Design Meeting this Saturday, March 3rd from 6 – 8 pm at the adorable Assemble Gallery and Studio in Phinney. I’ll be sharing some insight on my inspirations behind scout and vintage decor as well as spilling some tips about scouring estate sales. If you’re in the area and interested in dropping by I’d love to see you! Find out more info about this special event from Assemble or Apt Therapy here or here!

photo cred: {apartment therapy}

friday find : the channel back + exciting stuff.

Wowza! What a whirlwind couple of weeks this has been! Although things don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon, I’m getting a little downtime tonight to take a break and reflect on all the good fortune I’ve been afforded over the past month or so.

Just a few of the things I’ve been up to:

– lots of scoutin’. searching for some new pretty pieces to add to the scout. collection. found the above channel back chair at 2nd saturdayz a couple weeks ago and couldn’t resist it’s blush colored charm. got it’s debut this week at skillet’s tasting – YES!

– followed up with my doc this week related to my hip pain. my torn labrum is responding well to the steroid shot, but i’m on 4 more weeks of exercise restriction. BOO! all i really really wanna do is go for a run & break a mad sweat. upside? 4 more weeks of watching movies on the green couch totally guilt free.

– a rue shoot (TOTAL dream come true!) with cassandra lavalle, sarah rhoads and the uber talented gals of hens & chicks collective. can’t wait to see the next issue of rue mag and so honored to have worked alongside these creatives!! had such a blast!

– my first venue walk through with ellen. she & paul will be getting married in august at the beautiful laurel creek manor and i feel super privileged to play a role in their big day!

– LOTS of inquiries for our goods. so excited that the word is really starting to spread about scout.

– started massage therapy this week. in one word? AWESOME. in three words? best decision ever!

– some super exciting conversations & mtgs are happening between myself and miss amy moore. amy is the brilliant designer behind my scout. re-branding and someone i greatly admire. i’m BEYOND stoked to collaborate with her in the future!

– adam treated me to a super special day last saturday where i got to pick out all my fav foods down at pike place market and we had a little picnic in the back of our car at gas works park (it was too chilly to be outside). sounds kinda ridiculous to lay out a picnic blanket in the car BUT it was the BEST day i’ve had in a REALLY long time. i can’t thank my lucky stars enough for such a supportive partner.

– blogshop. blogshop. blogshop. i can’t say enough good things about how much i learned during my own time at blogshop in berkeley, so it was a total thrill & a half to provide some scout loot to angela & bri’s class here in seattle this month.

– i’m currently prepping for a super exciting shoot next month that has my creative juices in overdrive. so ecstatic to collaborate with some wedding peeps that i’ve never had the opportunity to work with before.

– adam bought me a new printer!!! not a big deal you say? TRUST ME. BIG deal! the amount of stress that has been relieved just to know that when i hit “print” something will actually come out of my printer with ink on it. uhhh-huh. HUGE deal.

– planning my upcoming europe trip. dublin & paris are all set (coli and i will be staying in this teeny tiny little gem for 12 glorious days in May) and my pure excited joy for some dedicated sister time with coli is becoming SUPER real…it’s gonna happen! we’re now on the hunt for places in rome, athens, zurich, prague, and a few other spots. any suggestions/tips are welcome!!

– a trophy party! jennifer and her team were nice enough to throw a “curator party” as a thank you for the window design & decor i created for their u-village & bravern shops. it was so much fun to have my closest buddies munch on cupcakes for the night and celebrate with confetti & bubbly!

– a SUPER DUPER fun filled and inspirational night with skillet this week. i was granted the opportunity to collaborate with noah of skillet for their spring tasting this week at melrose market studios. i unleashed practically my entire scout collection on the space and had a ton of fun styling it up alongside noah! looking forward to many more collaborations with skillet in the future!

I’m off to a colorblocking + gold b-day party this weekend for my buddy Julie, a birthday celebration for my dear sweet Hadley and a MUCH needed brunch with my nurse besties: Barb, Apple & Em. Also LOTS of work catch up. I hope you all have an amazing weekend!

***p.s. lots of pics coming soon of all the exciting things going on with BT&B and scout! check back!

DIY quilted escort cards.

I’ve been dying to get some fun DIY projects up on the blog and I couldn’t think of a better day to start than the most mushy day of the year!

Happy Valentine’s Day friends!

This first official DIY was certainly inspired by today’s LOVEfest! Adam and I are working hard to dine “in” more often – i.e. making more meals at home. Second goal? Less meals at the coffee table and more meals at a set table….gasp! With that comes the desire to style up our dinner tabletop with the prettiest of place settings to keep those creative juices flowing and to liven up the drab dinner plate.

I wanted to create a fun escort card that could go along with my dream Valentine’s Day tabletop. The classic heart shape felt like a “must” but I wanted it to have a unique twist with fun texture. These little “quilted” escort cards are a total cinch and are perfect for a valentine’s day party or dinner surprise for your sweetheart! Or change up the colors and shape cutout and use it for any party or event!

Here’s what you’ll need:

scissors, craft cutting board or x-acto knife (optional, but will create the the straightest lines), firm cardstock for escort card, colorful sheets of paper (i used 3 various pink/red shades for this project), glue runner, fun washi tape, pen

The Steps:

Step 1: Cut firm cardstock into escort card shape (3 1/2 x 5″) and score line down center of card for easier fold. (You can eliminate this step and save time by buying precut escort cards from a craft supply store).

Step 2: After folding escort card down center, cut out half heart shape from center of card with scissors. *Tip: save the heart cutout and use as template so that other hearts are about the same size.

Step 3. Cut a square out of pink paper. You want to make sure the square is large enough to “fill” the inside of the heart.

Step 4: Cut straight lines into the square making sure NOT to cut all the way through but leaving a little uncut edge. This is where I used the cutting board to ensure that each line was the same width and was super straight.

Step 5: Cut out strips of paper using other sheets of colorful paper. You can make these strips at the width of your choosing. In this case I cut the red ones at 1/4″ and the coral ones at 1/8″. Also, make sure that the strips are at least 1/2 inch longer than your square in Step 4.

Step 6: Start weaving the red strip of paper through precut square to create quilt affect. Tip: be sure to “push” each strip tight against the square with your finger tip. You don’t want there to be any holes and you want the lines as straight as possible. Repeat the weaving process using color strips alternating between red and coral color.

Step: 7: Use glue runner to glue around edge of precut heart on underside of escort card.

Step 8: Lay quilted paper facedown against glue to fill heart space. Using colorful washi tape secure edges of quilted square on underside of escort card to ensure paper won’t come undone.

Step 9: Write name of guest on escort card and place on tabletop.

Extra fun and very green Step: Use leftover heart cutouts to top dessert.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Muah! xoxo!

photo cred: {jenn elliott blake}

pic me a palette : the love cake.

I’m all about the love on the blog today! For whatever reason I’m totally pumped about this year’s Valentine’s Day! I guess I look at it not only as a time to celebrate the love of an SO (significant other) but all the love in your life – friends, long lost acquaintances, pets, family, passion for fashion…etc. etc.!

I about fell out of my chair this morning when I spotted this ombre xoxo love cake over on Ruffled. You’ll have to definitely check out the rest of the fab shoot by Couture Events by Lottie here for more lovely inspiration! Yay for LOVE!

photo cred: {sara & rocky photography}

friday find : something to celebrate!

It’s Friday! AND…..it was SUNNY today! Yippee!

I couldn’t help but do a little happy dance in my driveway this morning when I stepped out and felt that glorious warmth touch my face. It felt as though there were so many things to celebrate this Friday:

1. Sun! It deserved a second mention.

2. It’s Superbowl weekend! What does that mean? A super chipper hubby and a no-guilt weekend full of non-stop mini-bites, pizza and beer. Who are you rooting for?

3. Tomorrow is Blog Brunch! If you’re a blogger and are looking to learn more about sponsorship and monetizing then stop by for brunch!

4. My adorable new vintage glasses above! They just sing “celebrate with me!” and were definitely a highlight on a recent estate sale trip.

5. Some pieces from my scout. collection get to come out and play this weekend at BLOGSHOP!

6. Despite waiting a loooonnnnggg time at the doctor’s office this afternoon (2 hours to be exact!), I found out that hip surgery might not have to happen! I’ve been struggling with significant hip pain for over a year now, and was SUPER relieved to find out that a shot of pain killers might just do the trick. Cross your fingers for me on Monday!

7. I’m planning a trip to Europe with my little sis! Coli and I will be spending 6 weeks traveling Europe this May/June and I CANNOT wait! I’ll be mapping out our route this weekend.

8. Oh, and Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! What do you have planned?

Happy Weekend friends!!

*JB

bow tie wednesday / 33.

wouldn’t this be a rocking engagement or love sesh photo??

bow ties for him AND her? love.

photo cred: {via natural belle}

friday find: take a seat.

some fresh finds. that super tall (perfect for a bar area!) chest is one of my favs! the brass detailing is insane!

happy weekend friends!

photo cred: {moi iPhone}

TC Creative snapshot.

What a busy busy week this has been, hence my lack of post yesterday…my apologies! My little Scout. Vintage Rental Co. is in full swing and I’m doing my best to stay on top of my beloved blog in the process.

Sharing a few shots today that I nabbed (isn’t instagram the best?!) during the TC Creative Studio Opening last week. Had a total blast participating in this one! Creating little vingettes with my collection is my favorite part of my job!

Also included some hilarious (and slightly embarrassing) Smilebooth shots above from the fab Sarah & Chris Rhoads. Such a fun night!

Hope you’re all having an amazing week!

xoxo! JB