Books & shoes? Two of my favorite things! Photo by Cooper Carras.

I’m excited to introduce you to Megan van den Bergh! She’s recently become my in house paper artist and I’m thrilled to share her talent with my clients. She’ll be blogging about her love of all things paper related here on Santa Barbara Chic every Thursday and to get to know her better, here’s a list of some of her favorite things!

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Hi everyone! I’m Megan, and I’ve been a behind-the-scenes member of Kelly Oshiro Design for a couple of years now. I’ve assisted Kelly with the creation of couture elements for her chic handmade weddings, and with day-of coordination. Recently, I’ve teamed up with her in the paper goods arena, making me the Paper Artist for Kelly Oshiro Design. I studied papermaking and letterpress printing at UCSB, and am thrilled to be creating wedding and other social invites with Kelly for our awesome clients!

So, here we go! Some of my favorites things.

1. Jadeite Kitchenware

My wallet insists that I add to my collection every time I step into an antique store. I mean, wow, right? It’s functional and gorgeous! Not to mention I’m pretty sure these pieces will last forever, since my jadeite butter dish I use everyday was already sixty years old before it came to live in my house.

2. Antique Folding Wooden Chairs

Kelly and I were in Benicia, CA doing some antique shopping when this obsession of mine started. I love the compactness of folding chairs, the quality construction of older furniture, and when the paint starts to chip off… oh my goodness. It’s like a dream!

3. Dogs, especially Mira

I really like dogs. A whole lot. You can imagine my excitement when Kelly and her husband decided to get  one.

4. Anthropologie

Yup, who would have guessed, right? They just have… everything. Everything! Especially unique dresses for special occasions, and great glassware for your table tops. When Kelly asked me to model for this photo shoot, I enthusiastically replied, “Totally.”

5. Toy Cameras

These two photos of the SB Courthouse and a vineyard in Los Olivos were taken with my Diana F+ camera. It’s made of shiny white plastic and it uses 120 format film and is totally rad!

Photos from top: 1. Photo by Kirsten Ellis of Beaux Arts Photographie 2. Jadeite via Paula Dean 3. Chairs via C.S. Post & Co. 4. Halberg Photographers 5. Dress via Anthropologie, 5. Photos by me.

Summer is finally upon us (seriously, 80 degree weather just arrived) and all I want to do is pack a picnic, lay on some soft grass, and read a good book.

She’s got the right idea…

…and she does too. Here’s hoping the weather sticks around this weekend when I’ll be able to leave the office and enjoy. Happy Wednesday!

Photos from top: 1. Erikca McConnell 2. Olivia Graham 3. Roland Bello

I want to live in one these colorful brick buildings.

Or lounge in these colorful chairs.

Photo: 1. Michael Wriston 2. styled by Emily Henderson

The art deco meets Japanse style continued at the Granada reception. Gorgeous structured flowers in 3 different styles decorated the tables.

I love the mix of kiwi branches and copper in these arrangements.

For linens, I had custom copper crush drapes made by Wildflower Linen.Napkins were a deep eggplant color and topped with a menu the bride calligraphed herself.

Also, dark purple callas lilies wrapped with copper were placed at each guest seat.

For candles I mixed blue, green, and purple, votives on each table to bring in more jewel tone touches.

For the setup, I did a u-shape around the dance floor of 20′ long tables.

For music, The Johnny Crawford Band played authentic 30’s big band tunes. I pined a purple orchid to each of their lapels to add a pop of color to their white dinner jackets.

And of course Johnny, wore a top hat while he sang with the band.

All photos by Megan Sorel. Full wedding planning and event design by Kelly Oshiro Design.

I planned this real wedding in just 6 short months. The ceremony was held at the bride’s parent’s home in the hills of Montecito. The bride really wanted an art deco meets Japanese floral design (aka ikebana) in lush jewel tones with hints of peacock feathers.Bobbe Viggel created the amazing florals and totally got the look we’re going for.

Copper wire was twisted around yucca branches and formed an organic heart shape. The wire was a nod to the groom’s love of metal working and also added an unexpected texture to the ceremony arch.

The pathway to ceremony…

The bride loved cobalt glass which we used throughout the floral design.

Guests enjoyed cocktail hour and the view up at the house, and then Santa Barbara Trolley took them to the reception at the Granada.

The bride and groom’s arrival at the reception– I love the praise the choose to put on the marquee! Up next, the reception.

All photos by Megan Sorel. Full wedding planning and event design by Kelly Oshiro Design.

Lately, I’ve been drawn to beautiful photos of spools of thread. Maybe its the soft sheen of the thread or all the luscious colors, but its definitely been on my mind!

Thread + cake stand = adorable!

I love the vibrant pink tones of this still life. So pretty!

Photos from top: 1. Johnny Miller 2.Styled by Martha Bernabe 3. Dasha Wright

Who’s in?

Photo by Alexandra Rowley.

Loving these pink shoes with their modern take on a bow. Photo by Allyson Magda.

PS I can’t believe this is my 702 post on the blog!

I’ve been looking for pretty photos for my office and this one certainly fits the bill (and its  picture of shoes, shocking I know).

I have a thing for vintage phones and I love the soft yellow color and the adorable wall paper.

Doesn’t this scream party? Love it! You can see more pretty photos right here.

All photos by Lola’s Room.

Everything about this photo is pure perfection: the color, the styling and the photography well, pure genius courtesy of Elizabeth Messina! I seriously might need a print of this photo to hang somewhere in my house.

PS Sorry for disappearing yesterday, I’m finalizing details on 3 weddings and its been a little chaotic here. I’m hoping to keep up with the blog these next two weeks, but don’t be surprised if I’m MIA for a few days…

I love a garden in full bloom, and with spring in full effect, I thought some pretty garden inspiration would be just the thing for a Monday.

I am in so in love with this garden wall. It would be so pretty as a back drop for ceremony or cocktail hour. The little turquoise finials are darling too.

In general, I’m not a big fan of  bird and floral patterns, but this cake just works for me. I love the simple shape with the rounded off corners, and the sweet touch of pale green ribbon.

The layering of floral patterns and fine crystal is just so pretty and delicate. With the short water tumblers and the hemstitch linen, I can totally picture this wedding happening in the family garden.

Images from top: 1. Chris Everard 2. Cindy DiPrima 3. Jo Tyler 4. Kate French

I love a wedding that doesn’t take itself too seriously and leaves plenty of room for fun and whimsy. The mood for this board was inspired by the lady in the bottom row (photo by Anna Kern).  I love the gingham ribbon in her hair! I picture this wedding with lots of fun (and cheap ideas) using old food tins to hold centerpieces, little vignettes of ribbon and thread for the guest book tables, and of course, one pair of flirtatious pink heels.

Description: Pink, Green,  fun, whimsy, not pretentious

Images from top, left to right: {Row 1} 1. Jose Villa 2. Kate Headley 3. Trine Thorsen 4. Nato Welton {Row 2} 1. Anna Skoog 2. Kate French 3. Dasha Wright 4. Alexandra Grablewski {Row 3} 1. Joanna Henderson 2. Kristi Blunt 3. Anna Kern

Emerald green shoes? Me likey! Photo by Kate Headley.

Doesn’t this salad make you want to dive right in? And that’s saying something for a salad. And the aqua plate? I’ll take 6.

Photo by Anna Skoog.