This is my favorite collection of photos from our wedding! I was tempted to leave this as a wordless post, because I’ve been arranging and editing these photos for so long now, I just want to hit PUBLISH! Also, I kinda feel like they speak for themselves. However, I can say a few things…
Let me tell you a little bit about our photographer, Zeke Kamm. I did not want a “wedding” photographer. Zeke is not a wedding photographer. He is a fine art and portrait photographer. I wanted the look to be editorial, and not posed. I hope I don’t sound snobby, but if I do, whatever! I can’t stand the overly posed wedding photos you see sometimes, with all the girls in the same dresses with the same hair. I’m sure some people love the uniformity of it all, but it just makes me cringe, and it certainly was not for me… Anyway, this annoyed at least half of my family. They didn’t understand what I wanted, or why I wanted it. To be fair to them, we did not get a photograph of me and my immediate family, which is something I will probably never live down… But I love the way these photos came out. Particularly the first photo in this post! The composition is so dynamic, it reminds me of a renaissance painting!
I made the headpieces for the entire bridal party, including my birdcage veil and fascinator. It cost me maybe $7 total to make. If you like birdcage veils, absolutely DO NOT buy one unless it is less than say, $10 or encrusted with flippin’ REAL diamonds. It is so insanely easy to make, and the fabric is incredibly inexpensive! I also made the necklaces and earrings the girls are wearing. I feel the Marie Antoinette inspiration came across well!… Continue Reading
Our Wedding: Bridal Party
Living + Workspace; a Revealing Update
This room is not officially done yet, but boy have we made some progress! And it is about time I shared some photos, considering we started this change-over last September. It has been VERY slow going. We lived with a dining room for a coffee table for months, and I didn’t get my desk until November. We didn’t build a frame the projector screen until February (when we discovered my dad had some extra moulding lying around and we installed it in our hallway, used it for the frame here, and we’ll install some in our breakfast nook very soon!), and we didn’t paint until March! For a long while we had trouble picking paint colors for the living room; we wanted a color that would make the curtains and the couch pop, but not wash out the hutch, and not completely clash with the projector screen paint color; in the end we went with two colors! We decided to paint the wall with the windows a pale blue color. I wanted to go tonal with the deep blue of the curtains. Then, we chose an awesome dove gray for the rest of the walls, which does clash slightly with the projector paint, in my opinion, but whatever. The walls needed to paint so badly! There were scuff marks, Laelia’s “artwork”, and filled in holes…
Left: Just before I moved out all of the office furniture from Laelia’s room. Right: After I moved out all of the office furniture from Laelia’s room, and we switched the location of the projector.
And here are some more detailed photos! 
The coffee table we are using now is one that I picked up from a thrift store for $7! I’ve been meaning to give it a fresh coat of paint for a while. I’m thinking the same color as the door… There is a lot more to do, but surely we’ve come a long way! :)
Living Space to-do list:
• cord management! There is speaker wire, power cords, etc. everywhere, and it’s a huge pet peeve of mine!
• new awesome curtain rods; maybe spray paint brass
• iron curtains, and use more rings to re-hang
• replace hope chest with something shallower (8-10″ Deep)
• paint trim and heater
• finish off bookcases w/ wood trim or curtains to cover the gaps
• find and install hardware on bookcases
• rug for under the desk
• paint current coffee table, to make do until:
• buy or make new coffee table
• more artwork
• more lighting. Maybe track lighting?
Living + Workspace Series:
• (09/15/11) Living + Workspace Layouts
• (09/29/11) The Midas Touch ← mood board
• (10/04/11) Building Our Own Coffee Table
• (10/13/11) Living + Workspace; Built-in Sketches
• (11/11/11) Living + Workspace Update
• (11/14/11) Bookcases
• (11/22/11) Painting a Projector Screen
• (03/30/12) Before + After: Antique Lamp
• (04/06/12) Before + After: Front Door
• (06/19/12) Living + Workspace: Current Layout and Mood
Living + Workspace: Current Layout and Mood
I thought I’d take a little break from the wedding posts. It has been FOR-EVER since I updated my blog with any information on our living + workspace situation. Lately, I’m wondering if there will ever be a time when I get all of this (life, work, family, blogging) down and settle into a nice routine? Anyway, I remembered about month ago how I never posted before photos of the living room! I’ll get to that, but first, lets remember what my last updated layout looked like, with a few wishful pieces thrown in there:
And it’s current state:
Previous to acquiring the new-t0-us storage benches for the kitchen, we had the two armless chairs that go with our couch sitting in the breakfast nook, set in a way to look like a settee. They fit perfectly, and I was planning on designing around that until we found the benches, which just made much more sense, and could fit more people. So the chairs came out and back into the living room, with intentions of selling them on craigslist. The “chairs” are really just pieces of a sectional couch, so we just put them next to our couch, as if it were a sectional. We ended up falling in love with the new arrangement! It is so comfy, and it is the perfect length and height for the desk behind them. There is one, HUGE drawback; they are not the same color as the couch. WHYYYYYYYYYY did I insist on getting our chairs in a different color?! I’m kicking myself for this. I will see how much it will cost to have these chairs re-upholstered in the same fabric, but geesh. Anyway, this layout is going to be it, I think, unless we decide to make any major living space purchases in the next few years…
If it is crossed out, I own it. Also, I left some of the text from what I previously wrote in a few cases.
1) IKEA SANELA Curtains: We have these in a teal blue they don’t seem to sell anymore. I’m also thinking about replacing our rods with these new more substantial rods. :)
2) IKEA LINDMON blinds: *BIG TIP* Buy these from the as-is section. We bought 9 sets of these blinds from the as-is section, most for around $10, and some for as low as $7!
3) Brass Boom Floor Lamp: I don’t own this exact lamp, but the one I own is very similar. I bought a brass boom floor lamp about a year ago from Home Goods. Then I returned it, because it was missing arm, and all they had left were some oil rubbed bronze ones, which I reluctantly bought and it definitely really just looks black. I’ve been thinking about spray painting it brass/gold/what-have-you to brighten it up. This is low on the priority list as it looks fine as-is too.
Image: edwardian boom arm floor lamp via circa lighting.
4) My Awesome Chesterfield sofa: OH this is the most expensive thing we have ever purchased for the house, and I don’t think it was even that much, considering what we got; $900 + $200 (?) for the nail head trim. We had it made by custom sofa design, here in Los Angeles. I believe we had it made in the grade 3 fabric queen, buckwheat color. It is microfiber and, although I usually have super crunchy mama tendencies, I have to say this fabric is AMAZING! Everything, and I mean everything, wipes off of it. Ketchup, pen, red wine, crayon… you name it, I’ve wiped it off of this couch. I’m always astonished by how it ends up so clean! Great for a couch, great for kids.
5) Pillows: Anthropologie’s landscape pillow (on sale for $23 each!), IKEA’s felicia pillow in fuchsia, IKEA STOCKHOLM pillow, velvet pillow from World Market.
6) Coffee Table: We still haven’t made our coffee table, but we are leaning towards a design more like this, with a little shelf underneath the tabletop.
7) Faux-Marble Bust: This is not the one I own, but I love these things for some reason!
8) Saint-Raphael Travel Poster: I bought this in college when travel posters were all the rage. (I think I bought from World Market, but there are plenty on the internet). I always wonder about keeping it, but Tyler pointed out that it totally works on this board! And it does, especially with the gold IKEA frame. I’ve always loved that tree!
9) Corcovado Rug: We bought this during anthro’s 50% off sale items during the holidays, for a whopping $250! It was originally about $800. Super exciting for me, because I never thought I would own a rug I really loved. :)
10) Campaign Dresser: We need something to replace the hope chest under the projector screen. It is too deep, and creates a very narrow walking space into the kitchen. I would LOVE to find a shallow campaign style dresser, but we might also go with an apothecary cabinet. Whatever it is, I’m thinking about 10″ deep, and I’m hoping to find it on CL, at a thrift store, or at a flea market.
(image via: Sweet Carolina Wife)
11) Yellow Tufted Chair: This is the curb-side rescue that I still need to reupholster.
12) My grandfather’s painting.
13) Our Hutch: I’m thinking of turning this into a bar.
14) Melltorp Dining Table: We use this as our desk, and when we have parties it is where I set up the food. The problem is, when Tyler put it together he screwed the screws in too tight, and there is damage on the table top where each of the 8 screws come in. I would like to eventually paint or maybe even replace the table top.
15) Sheep Skin: We actually have the fake ones. One for each desk chair.
16) Globes: I love globes. I have one, and I want more. I’ve ALWAYS wanted to wallpaper my office w/ one wall as a map, but I still don’t think it’s the right time for that. (Although, I feel like globes and maps are trending, so I do hope I still want to do that when the opportunity finally arises.) This globe is particularly beautiful and I love the stand, and you can bet I’ll be scouring flea markets for something similar.
From bellalulu vintage on etsy.
17) Yellow Basket: I saw these at costco of all places, and I love them!
18) PATRIK swivel chair: These were going to be tossed out at Tyler’s old work, so we took them home. I enjoy how they coordinate with our rug! The wheels do a number on our floor, so they might have to go; ideally, I’d like to just replace the bottom half.
19) Sunburst Mirror: I bought this from Target in store for $17.99. It’s totally not gold. I had to spray paint it. However, I discovered yesterday that Layla Grace carries pretty much the exact mirror. Given that the photo is essentially the same (except Target put in a digital gradient to fake out a mirror), I’m willing to bet Target knocked off the mirror that Layla Grace carries. Also, I’m willing to bet that the mirror from Layla Grace is actually gold. The mirror from LG has 17″ on Target’s mirror, but Target’s costs a whopping $290 less.
Target’s Home ORB Sunburst Metal Mirror
Layla Grace’s Sunburst Wall Mirror
20) Tree of Life Curtain: This is apparently not on sale on their website anymore, but it is from World Market. I’ve loved this print for a while, and I just realized it might actually work pretty well in this room. I can either use them on the bookcases, or make a few pillows out of them. I haven’t decided yet, so I haven’t bought them yet!
21) Zigzag Rug from Urban Outfitters: I know chevron is everywhere, and it’s one of the reasons I’ve tried to not overdo it, but I enjoy this rug, and it is a good price and would work under our desk, to save our poor floors from the chair wheels.
22) IKEA BILLY Bookcases: We have all four, two of which are the deeper 15″ ones. They all have extension units, but I’m still in the market for hardware and making them look campaign style seems pretty easy… >.>
Living + Workspace Series:
• (09/15/11) Living + Workspace Layouts
• (09/29/11) The Midas Touch ← mood board
• (10/04/11) Building Our Own Coffee Table
• (10/13/11) Living + Workspace; Built-in Sketches
• (11/11/11) Living + Workspace Update
• (11/14/11) Bookcases
• (11/22/11) Painting a Projector Screen
• (03/30/12) Before + After: Antique Lamp
• (04/06/12) Before + After: Front Door
• (06/20/12) Living + Workspace: A Revealing Update
My Wedding: Ceremony
The night before the wedding, I stayed at cousin’s (my maid of honour!) house in Calabasas. I remember scrambling to write my vows (below), and getting very little sleep. We got ready at our aunt’s house (who lives down the street from my cousin). She is a make-up artist, which means I’ve been spoiled most of my life with awesome make-up and having a professional do my make-up for special events. A couple of family friends who are hairstylists (also for TV and movies) did my hair. Both my hair and make-up turned out pretty much exactly how I wanted it to, and I’m still so happy about it. :) A lot of other things didn’t go how I expected it to (even though I was expecting that not everything would go the way I expected…), but, thanks to my aunt and her friends, I certainly looked the way I had envisioned!
We had our ceremony in the round, surrounded by our family and friends. It felt amazing. We had an extremely short (but very sweet) ceremony! It was about 5 minutes long. This was good, because we forgot to write “please be seated” in our ceremony script, so everyone stood the entire time! Also, Tyler was extremely nervous. He still feels fond about the fact that he believes he will never have to get up and talk in front of a large crowd like that again. :) But, a word of advice if you are writing your own ceremony script! Remember to ask everyone to “please be seated”, unless, of course, you want everyone to remain standing!
… Continue Reading
A whirlwind week as seen through IG
Oh, man. Our little family just had a half-way unplanned full week of non-stop family and friend visits! In early April, just after I came home from visiting Beth in Austin, Beth called me to give me some exciting news; her husband, Aaron, had been offered a post doctorate position at Cal Tech (Squee!)! She also said they were really thinking about moving to Sherman Oaks (double squee!!)–close enough to drive to Pasadena everyday (where Cal Tech is) but not too far from the beach or Thousand Oaks (where Beth’s (and my!) parents live). So we made plans for them to stay with us for a night when they were coming out for a wedding in June. Then, last Tuesday, Tyler’s sweet old grandmommy Mittel died at 82 years old. She was a very well loved woman, and so family poured in from all over–Texas, Idaho, San Francisco. So, the last week went a little something like this:
Friday— Wake up. Decide that Tyler’s entire immediate family (Mom, Dad, Brother 1, Brother 2, Sister, Sister-in-law, Niece, Nephew) would come swimming at our apartment complex, and stay for fish tacos and carnitas. Go shopping with the gals at buffalo exchange. Beth, Aaron and their son Orion arrive at LAX. They join us for dinner. Help MIL with a pamphlet for the memorial. Lots of love. Go to sleep around 1am.
Saturday— Wake up, fuss around with some photos, and make spiced quinoa for impromptu giant family BBQ & pool day at cousin Luke & Becky’s which starts at 2pm. Leave their place around 8pm.
Sunday— Wake up, get ready for memorial service at 2pm. After the memorial service, attend a gathering at cousin Heather’s until about 9pm. Head over to Luke’s until about 12pm.
Monday— A little break here! Did the laundry and tried to edit some photos before heading to a sneak preview of California Adventure’s carsland! Spent 2 hours looking for my season pass. Never found it (Laelia loves it because Mickey, Donald and Goofy are on it. Tyler last found it in the Wii). Leave for Disneyland at 4:30. Arrive at 6:15 (Ugh). Have WAY too much fun getting our first peek at the new entrance facades, new shops and restaurants, and ALL of carsland with my mom and our friend Katie. (Who won the sneak-preview and invited us. Thanks Katie-kins!). Leave the park around 11:45, get home after midnight. We are le tired by now.
Tuesday— Our sink is being resurfaced at noon (which was supposed to happen the previous Tuesday, but whatever), so I have to be out of the house for AT LEAST five hours from the point the job is finished (which made it 7 hours and 45 minutes). I decide to head on over to IKEA to gather some ideas for the kitchen makeover I am about to be knee-deep in. My MIL and my SIL join us, but they have to be back at the woodland hills art store (Mittel’s Art and Frame) by 3:00 for (the youngest-cousin) Aubree’s high-school graduation (congrats valedictorian!). After I drop them off at their car, I kill some time at Target. Then I pick up Tyler and we headed to World Market. Then we were finally nearing the hour we could go home, so I went to Trader’s and Tyler took Laelia to the park to burn off some energy. When we got home the smell was overpowering, so we dropped off the groceries and decide to join the family in celebrating Aubree’s graduation — in Simi Valley. We didn’t get home until 1 am.
Wednesday— Beth and Aaron have spent the last two full days looking at houses, and after seeing two more houses early this morning, they come to my house around 10:30am. We print out some wedding invitation proofs for our friend Johnny, whom we are meeting at the beach in Marina Del Rey. But first, Beth and Aaron go to put the offer in on a house a mile away from us! I rush around cleaning the house because they are staying the night, and I hadn’t had time to clean in DAYS. We leave for the beach at about 2pm. While we are at the beach, Beth leaves to visit sanctuary birth center in Venice, as she is due with her second (a girl!) in October. We get take out from C&Os on the way home (yum!). We spent the night chatting and admiring how our little families will get to grow up together!
Thursday— Today. I woke up and made breakfast for everyone. Tyler left for work, and Aaron went to a meeting at Cal Tech at 12. Beth and I drive around a bit; she shows me houses they looked at, and then we head to visit my midwives, at new location in conjunction with bini-birth, which is totally awesome (and less than a mile from me, and from a number of houses Beth looked at). We get lunch from Trader Joe’s and take the kids to the park for an hour or so, and then head home. Beth and Aaron leave for a friend’s house in Venice, and now here we are. I’ve been computer deprived, and it’s the first thing I sat down to do! :)
We have a break until tomorrow night, when we say good-bye to Tyler’s mom and sister, and then Saturday we have a friend’s birthday party, and Sunday is Father’s day! Then a whole two days before my sister and my nephew are in town for a week! But I’m not complaining–it’s times like these I realize just how much love we have in our life. :)
Welcome
Welcome to Visual Vocabularie! My name is Jesyka, and I am a designer, artist, mom to Laelia and Luca, wife to software engineer and UX designer Tyler, coffee lover, and all around enthused person. This is my blog; here I share my personal projects, whether it's a furniture makeover, a new painting, a birthday party, an invitation I designed, or a favorite outfit for my little. You’ll also catch a glimpse into our family life in Los Angeles.
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You are free to pin to pinterest, or post my photos on your blog, but please give proper credit to my full name Jesyka D’Itri Marés (I know, I know, it's not the easiest name!), and you link back either the home page of this website, or the permalink of the original post (although, I'm sure your followers will thank you for the permalink!). I would LOVE to know if you enjoy my work enough to share it, so please don’t be shy and drop me an email!