The Royal Wedding Buzz

My doodle in celebration of the whole affair!

Why is a good wedding that is so impossible to resist? I believe its the eternal hope that love outlasts and shines brighter than all the muck of life. I love feeling that joy so I was fighting my way out of bed this morning at 5:30am. I invited over some of my favorite girlfriends, the ones that were bold enough to also get out of bed, and put the heat under the tea kettle. I used my collection of English bone china teapots and cups to celebrate the wedding. The gold tea cup is actually my husband's great grandmother's, which he selected as a child after she had passed away. My husband always had an eye for the finer things in life!

My first glimpse of Kate arriving to the wedding. I love this shot. 

I wanted Kate to arrive in a horse drawn carriage like Princess Di, but I appreciated that this wedding was Kate's.

More views of Kate Middleton's dress designed by Sara Burton for Alexander McQueen.

Journalists were bantering back and forth on how long it would take Kate to walk the aisle. Some said 9 minutes and others said 4. I think it was short, short, short! This wedding was simple and quick.

It was Kate and the royal florist, Shane Connolly, that had the genius idea to place an avenue of trees inside Westminster Abbey. There were six English field maples and two hornbeam trees. The flowers were meant to mimic a natural and native setting, as well as ethical. Watch more on it here.

The vows. I loved way that Prince William flirted with Kate. It was all in the eyes.

The Royal family greeting Kate. In a side note:

"Prince Charles, owns an Aston Martin DB5 convertible. He has converted the car so that it can run on bioethanol derived from White wine. He and his wife Princess Camillia drove in this car to the royal wedding."

Ah...the carriage ride at last! Wills is such a gentleman as he assists her inside the carriage. I heard they had to practice entering the carriage because there is quite a sway to it.

My favorite shot of that wonderful ride to Buckingham Palace. This is fairy tale perfect!

En Route to the afternoon reception. 

The people celebrating the walk down Westminster Mahl to Buckingham Palace. Everyone wants to see the kiss!

The day is glorious for the wedding. Not a drop of rain. The people of England are in the midst of celebrations and cheers. I also point out that I didn't see a single person in protest. What a miracle!

Then it happens. Wills and Kate arrive on the balcony. The Queen Mother is in elegant yellow.

Wills and Kate warm up to the crowd. When Kate stepped out onto the balcony, you could lip read her mouth say, "Wow."

The first kiss sends chills of joy and thousands cheer. In fact, the 1.5 million people chanted for another and Wills doesn't hold back. In an unprecedented fashion, he kisses Kate twice!

View of the kiss from behind the fountain.

A last wave...

And one last glance. 

Can any girl not understand the joy of that last turn toward the people? One last glance because it all goes too fast. A few hours after the reception, the streets were cleared.

Prince William and Kate pull into the streets inside a vintage Aston Martin, interestingly, the very same car that Prince Charles drove Princess Di in back in 1982.

Isn't this sweet?

Huge smiles from Kate!

I car decorations are so sweet.

My favorite was the Ju5t Wed license plate and heart balloons. It is reported that it was Prince Williams idea to make his first official action as newlyweds a short drive to Clarence House.

The L sign on the front grill with hearts is priceless!

Perhaps it can't get any better, but then I spot something awesome! Do you see it?

A Royal dog, which I think is an Irish Arch Wolf, belted in a red coat hanging with the Brit soldiers! 

Then they are inside the gates. Preparing to journey off on their honeymoon...

Driving together into a future of love, hope, and, I wish for them, lots of children.

The idea of yet another couple professing their love to world is what gives me more and more hope for a bright future. All the blessing to William and Kate, where ever you are!

Super Special Announcement: We're Having a Baby!

My husband and I are super excited to announce that we're having a baby! We are delighted beyond words to share the news. I found out about the exciting news days before Christmas. 

Yet, before I took a preggers test I did have an idea that perhaps something was up. I kept having several dreams that I was pregnant. One of my dreams was hilarious. I was sitting in a beautiful English-like garden with a water fountain at the center. There were women everywhere pushing baby buggies in beautiful Victorian dresses. I was sitting next to a woman and I leaned over and told her that I really wanted to have a baby. Suddenly, all the women in the park were laughing. I was clueless. "What?" The woman sitting on the bench next to me leaned over and said, "They're laughing because you are going to have a baby!"

When I had that dream, it was time for me to take a test. I took the preggers test at home when I couldn't stand it anymore. I waited nervously for those two minutes to pass. I wondered if I should have waited for my husband to have been there, but I couldn't stop. It was all happening so fast. The double pink lines appeared! I was laughing, dancing, jumping up and down I was overwhelmed with joy. It felt like my dreams were literally coming true. My doggie and I were a ruckus until I realized I had to tell a very special someone-a daddy-to-be. I wanted to share the same sense of joy and excitement. I decided that a phone call just wouldn't do! Instead, I wrote a special children's story and illustrated it in watercolor. I gave it to him on Christmas Eve as a special gift! He read the book and wondered why I had a video camera on him...but by the end of the story it was all so clear! We're having a baby! He cried and laughed and hugged and danced, too! 

In the following months, things were less glitzy and picture perfect. My first trimester kicked me to the curb. I was exhausted and nauseated much of the time. I made it to March and to my second trimester and things shifted rapidly. I was filled with energy and excitement, and I still am today. I want to share more of my exciting journey with you along the way. I suppose I should mention now that we've decided to not know the sex until delivery because we love surprises!  

Thanks again to all of my loyal readers for hanging with me through all of life's adventures. This is one story I had to share!

XOXO

Kamela

Modern Girl Style

Happy Easter!

 Check out my doodles & art at Pacific Citrus or The Modern Art Co.

I hope that your weekend was filled with family, friends, and lots of chocolate! See you on Monday!

Billy Cotton Tableware

This week I was informed of a new tableware venture by American designer, Billy Cotton. 

Meet Billy

I happen to be completely in love with table service and once I saw Mr. Cotton's tulip bowl, I was in love with his collection. There is an effortless grace and timeless style to his tableware. I love the nautical  stripes which show the casual versatility of his collection. 

Mr. Cotton {lovely name!} studied design at Pratt Institute and has had quite a wonderful time producing  furnishing for Custom Resources and Moste Furnishings. His newest venture into table service launches a beautiful collection that is available at Bergdorf Goodman and Niemen Marcus. The price points start at $10! Just lovely, now...what to put in that beautiful tulip bowl? A tropical fruit mix sounds perfect!

Fay Terry Original Painting {Check out her blog for daily updates!}

10 Second Escape: Teryl Landscape Designs

Lately I've been daydreaming about being a landscape designer in SoCal. The climate of my native home is nothing short of heavenly, but we all know that, right? Look at traffic, home prices, and t-shirts for sale. One must not forget that the California dream is about the landscape. When I saw this beautiful terraced waterfall by Teryl Designs, I wanted to jump into the computer screen. I hope this provides you with 10 seconds of dreaming! If you want more, please visit Teryl's amazing blog and website.

Two Weeks Left on Operation Declutter

Image via Mer Mag Blog

Last week was a scratch for organizing because my husband and I took a last minute trip to Indianapolis to visit with my sister and nephew. It was so worth it! Indy has got tons of flavor and the art scene is fabulously sweet. I'll post photos once I file manage them off my 4G card. Until then, I've got two weeks to finalize Operation Declutter. Here is my list of things to do:

Reminder List for Operation Declutter

1. Organize my art supplies and toss out the stuff I haven't used.
2. Streamline my home office. Prepare for its move to the upstairs loft. This includes downloading photos and saving old photo libraries to my external hard drive. 
3. Toss more books! Why is this one so difficult for me?!
4. Organize the kitchen & pantry.
5. Prepare for a very special super mystery job. This one is a secret so far! It's going to involve a room flip, painting, and a new furnishings. More on that later.

I hope that I can manage to make this list happen because it is a pretty tall order!

Modern Girl Style Spring Makeover

Pool Siesta. 8x8. Watercolor & Pencil. By Me ;)

This morning I woke up filled with creative spirit. I grabbed my watercolors and started creating the place I wanted to really wanted be, which was back home in California. The rush of water with color just didn't stop after I completed my first watercolor sketch, above. I went on to watercolor the new banner for Modern Girl Style. I like the spring feel of the colors, but I'm not sure how long it will last. I might get inspired by new watercolors or images that will suddenly change the appearance of my blog. That is what a makeover is, a suddenly jolt of inspiration mixed with action. One last bit of good news, I was cast into another opera! No, I don't sing. This time I will be dancing a bit and mixing in with the chorus to make it appear larger to the audience. We actually had to learn a routine and perform it to the director. I was in heels, of course, and we had to dance on a stage that was on a forty-five degree incline covered in a material that looks like a crazy cave! The things a girl will do! I hope you're having as much fun and playing this weekend. That is what life is about! Play, style, fun, and happiness, get as much of it as you can!  

Weekend Read: Water for Elephants and Effortless Style

Water for Elephants Film Still. Robert Pattinson. Image Source.

Sometimes the only benefit of being an early riser is that you have time to discover amazing books. After hearing all the glowing reviews of Water for Elephants, written by Sara Gruen, I had to pick up a copy. I vaguely knew that it was turning into a movie and I can't deny that after seeing the film stills that it looks absolutely fabulous, too. 

Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon. Image Source.

Water for Elephants published in 2006. Although, it wasn't Sara Gruen's first novel, it was the book that brought her to immediate fame. The book leapt to New York Times #1 bestseller and has sold over 3 million copies. So I'm not the only one to adore this book. Let's get to the plot of things:

BOOK SUMMARY: With its spotlight on elephants, Gruen's romantic page-turner hinges on the human-animal bonds that drove her debut and its sequel (Riding Lessons and Flying Changes)—but without the mass appeal that horses hold. The novel, told in flashback by nonagenarian Jacob Jankowski, recounts the wild and wonderful period he spent with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, a traveling circus he joined during the Great Depression. When 23-year-old Jankowski learns that his parents have been killed in a car crash, leaving him penniless, he drops out of Cornell veterinary school and parlays his expertise with animals into a job with the circus, where he cares for a menagerie of exotic creatures[...] He also falls in love with Marlena, one of the show's star performers—a romance complicated by Marlena's husband, the unbalanced, sadistic circus boss who beats both his wife and the animals Jankowski cares for. Despite her often clichéd prose and the predictability of the story's ending, Gruen skillfully humanizes the midgets, drunks, rubes and freaks who populate her book. 

Author Sara Gruen

Sara Gruen came to the States from Canada in order to work as a technical writer. Two years later, she was laid off and without work. She had that zany idea that perhaps she should write a novel. The rest is history. Amazing history, once it sold to Hollywood and landed Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon. However, toss the movie aside. The first hundred pages have been a luxurious treat not just in terms of plot construction, but in language. The prose is crisp, vivid, and enigmatic. The ambiance and mood is pushing toward a love story that is going to have depth and resonant with the heart. The character Jacob Janowski is someone to love, even with his faults and short-comings. If you've been like me, putting the book aside. Don't delay in reading it. If anything, read this book instead of seeing the movie. I can promise that you won't be disappointed.

Water for Elephants

Blog Reads: Effortless Style 

In keeping with an elephant theme, I found a great old post on elephant envy at Effortless Style. Say that sentence three times fast!

Effortless Style is a sweet weekend blog read!

Effortless Style is winning combination of husband and wife, Jon and Camilla. Their about page is totally fabulous and lists sweet tidbits like in 2005 they bought their first decorative piece, an elephant. Together they offer interior design services that have been covered by HGTV, Apartment Therapy, Casa Sugar, and more. The website is a sweet venture in style and humor. A great weekend read!

Elephant Envy at Effortless Style

One last shot of Water for Elephants! I can't wait to finish this book and then see the movie!