Welcome to the Bella Signature Design Blog!

We are so happy that you came to visit our blog! Bella Signature Design focuses on creating a custom, stylish event that is highly personal, with details that synergistically come together to create an atmosphere that is a direct reflection of you. My passion, as a designer, is to infuse your event with all the little things that speak to who you are, and to share that with your guests in a stylish, unexpected way. Our blog will be changing in the next few weeks to reflect our vision and our passion, so hang on for the ride and enjoy!

Feel free to peruse the posts, look in our archives for some great advice and be sure to leave comments on what you like. We love hearing from you!
Showing posts with label coveted items. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coveted items. Show all posts

Thursday, October 8, 2009

A few of my Favorite Things....


It’s no secret I’m in totally gaga for pretty things in all shapes, sizes and material! Being a wedding and event designer, it’s important to find high quality products that not only represent me as a person and designer, but fit every aspect of my designs – my brides & grooms – or that lush, swanky party I’m hired to design. There are a few things I’m totally loving right now – and by ‘totally loving’ I mean, texting my assistant immediately to order large quantities!

Ok
, so these are a few of my favorite things (yep…insert humming here and singing if you prefer…) – first on my Absolutely Fabulous list is (drumroll…) Rosanna Inc. located in Seattle. They create beautiful tableware for every occasion...and we have been using Rosanna as our gift-giving source and recommendations to brides and grooms. (so if you are nice to us you may just get a fab Rosanna present in the mail...)
Every pre-wed couple does the popular china-picking-out Saturday where they spend a glorious day at Pottery Barn with that silly tool you get when you register for gifts – you know, the one that you scan over the plate or saucer and it tracks it to your registry? WELL, that Saturday just got a little sweeter for upcoming married folk with Rosanna Inc. inserted into the plan! Chic, modern and local to Seattleites –their press says it all (but they DO ship anywhere and have quite the national following!). Superior quality, fabulous colors and trendy designs? And the added bonus of not having the exact same set of Pottery Barn dishes that every couple in your supper club has? Seems like a no-brainer to us! Check out their site – you won’t be disappointed! At this very moment, I’m drooling over the Rocco Noir Pedestal; Like a better-than-basic black dress, this collection steps right out off the runway in the strongest color of the season. Reminiscent of the exuberant style of the mid-18th century, it sets the stage for accessorizing with gold, silver, platinum, white -- or anything you please.

Alright – moving right along…second favorite are the perfectly delicious votives from glassy baby, another Seattle business. We did a blog post on these artful vessels over a year ago on this blog (glassybaby post) and LOVE them. (especially chartreuse, orange and gray. Ahem.)
Their colors are downright scrumptious! Bella Signature uses glassy baby candle votives for many of our exquisite events. Hand-blown glass and very heavy, elegant quality, glassy baby is a must for every bridal registry(YES, you can register!! I have registered for my favorite colors!!) . Glassybaby are made through a multi-layered glass-blowing process and their color comes from different shaded color rods to produce a mix of opaque, translucent, and deeply colored glasses. This method creates a thick, strong piece of glass that has many functions and uses. And the story behind them makes them that much sweeter (go to their website to read!!)


image from lovely little things


And last but not least favorite by any means, my 3rd favorite of the day – a swank chartreuse and black apron ordered directly from a fantastic Etsy artist. When I’m knee deep in design mode, I often find myself scrambling for every little utensil or pin or glue or you name it! So, it occurred to me that I needed a tool belt of sorts BUT it had to look great too. Check out construction for all and see what I’m talking about – the sweetest little all-utility chic apron I’ve ever seen. I’m totally in love with this little piece! Pick your own fabric and the artist does the rest.


Ahhhh….life’s little pleasures (online shopping…). Keep your eye open for exciting changes to Bella Signature and the almost new “addition” Bloom by Bella!

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Monday, October 6, 2008

Covet Mondays: Schwa Designs


Not only is Lauren of Schwa Designs sweet and unassuming, but very talented! Her designs are organic yet clean, beautiful yet, at times, simple. I think what I love most is her color combinations, she has a way with combining colors and hues that just makes me want to buy something for every day of the week!

I totally love those smoky gray quartz earrings, below - what a fabulous bridesmaids gift if your wedding is one of this season's HOT colors, like slate or charcoal.
I covet these earrings below, though - elegant, fabulous go with an evening dress or your favorite pair of jeans.

Thanks for your great designs Lauren - Seattle is lucky to have you!

Daniela

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Monday, September 29, 2008

Covet Mondays: Boring Sydney Millinery

I am a sucker for anything that is truly couture, especially if it is also actually wearable. Now, of course "couture" has become a word that is loosely thrown around. At Bella, we have long used "Couture Floral" in our media, since everything we create is made-to order, custom for each event - no packages, no list to choose from - every detail, down to the ribbon treatment and use of beading from the brides gown on her bouquet is custom...but I digress! (I just despise when floral designers who have pre-designed arrangements and ftd samples call themselves couture - it happens!)

In any case, I stumbled upon local "Boring Sydney's" creations and instantly thought, "This is true couture." A quote from her etsy profile reads "True millinery; hand blocking, creating hat blocks, steaming and building buckram frames is almost a lost art, having apprenticed under a master milliner in the theatre I was lucky enough to learn old world millinery techniques and acquire vintage hat blocks, trims, and fabrics."

Belle both creates finished designs from vintage and self-designed patterns, as well as making custom, couture creations - the old fashioned way. I can't even imagine the work that goes into these! I would love to see one of her designs on a fashion forward bride looking for some unconventional glamour...
I love finding great artists on etsy - and even more when they are local here to Seattle! Thanks, Belle, for your gorgeous creations...I personally covet the black hat - YUM! I want to wear that THIS WINTER!! If I was a bride, I would love the feathery floral headpieces.

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Monday, September 15, 2008

Covet Mondays: ILee Design Invitations

Happy Monday Morning! This week for our "Covet Mondays" I wanted to write about one of my all time favorite stationery design studios, Ilee Design. For years now, Ja has been hand-painting flowers, creating exquisite motifs, and overall creating some of the most beautiful invitations around. I never fail to recommend her to any of my brides, because she always creates something that is stunning, beautiful, and most important of all, truly reflective of the couple. Even when I am only doing decor for a couple (versus planning the whole wedding) I ask them to send me an invitation, as they really set the tone of the event nd really help me get an additional feel for the way the couple sees their day. The wedding I worked on yesterday was no different, and I was immediately impressed when I saw Shannon and Hans' invitation - bound together in slightl iridescent copper stock, in an unexpected sideways, book style, with the most beautiful green fern motif - it REALLY set the tone for an elegant yet outdoor fall wedding. (And boy, did the weather cooperate!) I did not know Ja at Ilee had created them, but I should have known! When I arrived at Kiana Lodge for set-up, I was impressed by the coordinated tablecards, hand-calligraphied escort cards cards (Ivory ink on cooper cardstock - yummy! - see below) and menus - impeccable. Shannon (the bride) and I went on to talk about Ja's many talents, and the appreciation of pulling together all the details into a whole concept that fits together perfectly.
We presented Ilee's escort cards in a ribbon-adroned box full of moss...
Table cards for each table...


I love it when brides create this first taste for their guests, especially when it comes from great artists such as Ilee Design.
See below for some sample of Ilee's creations...




Daniela

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Sunday, September 7, 2008

Covet Mondays: Glassybaby

On our second post of items I covet, I knew I had to bring up Glassybaby. I had long heard about these vessels, these candleholders/mini vases...and the amazing story that brought these glass creations into existence...But honestly, when I first heard the price (and had not actually seen one in person) I thought "wow, $40 for a candleholder." Still, the beauty just from the photographs of these yummy little vessels led me to call them up last month and ask them to be part of a photoshoot we had been asked to do for Bride and Bloom Magazine. Sweet Marissa promptly sent me 8 samples, and I swooned! They feel amazing in your hand - heavy, yet comforting, thick glass with saturated color (there are translucent ones as well!) These are no ordinary candle holders!


Glassybabies come in hundreds of colors, with amazing shades of every hue you can think of. Amazing bridesmaids gifts, thank you gifts for people who helped out at the wedding, or very decadent favors. Best of all, Glassybaby now has a rental program where you can rent them for your wedding! I imagine tables bedecked in every shade of amber to orange, or purple and raspberry...

I so fell in love with these that I bought one of the samples that Marissa had sent - a thick, yummy gray one named "Battleship." Something about the gray glass lit from within reminded me of calm, of hot tea on a gray northwest day. But alas, one Glassybaby is NEVER enough. And with new names like "Molten, Frog Hunting and Windowpane"? I don't know what they will look like, but I am coveting "Molten" just from the name!

Daniela

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Monday, September 1, 2008

Coveted Item: Dawes Design Bling!

Every Monday we will be featuring a new luxurious wedding/event related item that I would LOVE to own or use at an event...yes, unfortunately I have a long list of coveted items that I dream of - but it's all in the name of work, right? Well, as my luck would have it, I recently actually became the lucky owner of one of my coveted items, so I figured what better to start off our Coveted Monday's with!

I first came across Jennifer Dawes Designs on the fantastic blog Ecochic weddings (which you should all checkout!) The pictures of her designs made me check out her website immediately - and I was in love! Jennifer creates custom pieces of exquisite jewelery, using only recycled gold and conflict-free stones, which appealed to be immensely. We hit it off on the phone, and have worked up a great working relationship since then. When my husband said "why don't you order that ring already you keep staring at" I leaped at the chance - and soon Jennifer was searching for that perfect Peridot. For those of you who know me well, imagine when I saw this giant chartreuse colored gem stone perched on my finger (my love of the color chartreuse borders on obsession).
Once she found the perfect stone, she created the ring, and sent it my way- it was that easy! The setting is gorgeous, the stone AMAZING - I love it, and wear it anytime I don't have my fingers deep in floral arranging...
Next on my list of coveted items by Dawes Design? It would have to be the stunning diamond below - I can definitely see that on my hand! Jennifer has an online catalog that shows a lot of her great designs, and in addition, she will also custom-create items such as bridesmaids gifts (think orange sapphire pendants) or a special gift from the groom to his bride. I have talked to her about some of my brides, and she has come up with some fantastic ideas for the bridesmaid gifts!
Thank you Jennifer, for not only creating stunning jewelery, but doing it in a sustainable, responsible way that allows us to enjoy it guilt-free. I cherish my ring that you created.

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