A Horse is A Horse, Of Course, Of Course

My mom has a special place for horses in her heart; she grew up riding and had her own horse until shortly before she and my dad married. In the years since, she has continued to ride off and on, and her love of horses still runs strong.

My mom dreams of having horses again complete with a ranch and acres of land. So, for the time being, until she gets that ranch, the following horses are all ones my mom could bring home. They might not be a substitute for the real thing, but they'd make for a fun addition to a home all the same.

Jeff R. Bridgman American Antiques via 1st Dibs

Antiques on 5 via 1st Dibs

Holmes Samsel Antiques via 1st Dibs

The Gratulatest

happygirl greetings

Ballard Designs

Thomas Paul via Design Public

Skinny Laminx

humble

Monument via 1st Dibs

Roost via Velocity Art and Design

Neiman Marcus

Three Elements {Kentucky Horse Farm}

It has been an awfully long time since I've posted an inspiration board and even longer since I've done a Three Elements post (funny, the last time I did such a post, I said the same thing...) This week's Three Elements, as part of Horse Week, were inspired by the beauty of Kentucky horse farms.

The first board is for a more formal and traditional bride with a hint of old-fashioned elegance. A rich palette of colors, including chestnut, emerald green, and soft peony pink, would echo throughout the decor of the day. Mint juleps would be served in their traditional silver cups, and in celebration of a Southern favorite, the wedding cake would be a delicious red velvet.

The second board is a bit more casual and has an upscale, down-home vibe. This bride is a woman who doesn't mind mucking out the stalls for her beloved horses and who draws inspiration in the colors surrounding her in the barn. A warm palette of red, mustard yellow, chestnut, and kraft-paper brown would provide the backdrop for the day, and Southern comforts, such as buttermilk biscuits and bourbon, would fill guests bellies.

The three elements this week are:

and, of course, in the Derby tradition, women in hats!

Mint Juleps & Silver Spoons

Row 1: L to R- Leo Patrone via The Bride's Cafe, Patricia Lyons via Southern Weddings, Martha Stewart Weddings
Row 2: Brides, Gene Burch Photography via VisitFrankfort.com, Johnny Miller Photography
Row3: Isabel Lawrence Photography, Carrie Patterson Weddings, Mary Claire Weddings via Style Me Pretty, Jake McBride of Christian Oth Photography via Style Me Pretty, Beka & Jesse-- Marie Labbancz
Row 4: Brides, Nick Weiler, Amy Squires via Elizabeth Anne Designs

Down-home Derby

Row 1: L to R- Aimee Herring Photography, Gentl & Hyers, Gene Burch Photography via VisitFrankfort.com, Whitebox Weddings
Row 2: Rebekah Westover via Elizabeth Anne Designs, Nick Weiler, Brides
Row 3: Pinch My Salt, Martha Stewart Weddings, romanlily
Row 4: Myrtle and Marjoram via Style Me Pretty, Mikkel Vang

Hold Your Horses

Horses are commanding animals to behold, and their likenesses certainly hold their own in home interiors. Each of the following spaces displays an element of equestrian style through the depiction of these majestic creatures in items such as pillows, prints and paintings.

Toni Brogan's Sneak Peek on Design*Sponge

Simon Upton

Moris Moreno via Desire to Inspire

Nuevo Estilo via La Dolce Vita

Domino (r.i.p.)

via The Style Files

Country Living

Amanda Nesbit Design

If you prefer a more subtle nod to equines in your interiors, you can simply display an item inspired by horses, as seen in the two rooms below.

Melanie Acevedo

James Merrell

Chomping at the Bit

I have horses on the brain, as this Saturday is the Kentucky Derby, an event I grew up watching every year on television and that has long held a special place in my heart.


It has also been a long time since my last theme week, and I have been chomping at the bit* to present this one, so, without further ado, I bring you Horse Week.

Photos: Ms.Carmen

*If you are thinking "Champing at the Bit!!," you are correct. I, however, apparently along with many other English speakers, thought it was "chomping," and it seemed too strange for me to write "champing" instead. Grammar police score one point.

Naturally Modern

When I spotted this outdoor space it was love at first site. I'm smitten with the blend of modern and natural elements, and it seems like an ideal place to either enjoy one's solitude or the company of others.

Michael Graydon Pictures

It's Not Easy Being Green

...Or so it used to be in the wedding world. These days, however, there are increasingly diverse ways to incorporate eco-friendly elements into your wedding day.

As today is Earth Day, as well as Wedding Wednesday here at Under A Paper Moon, I wanted to focus on one of the companies that is making it easier to bring "green" into the bridal world of white.


Certainly no stranger in the wedding industry, Olivia Luca is a Portland, Oregon-based company specializing in customizable bridal attire and putting an emphasis on environmental and social responsibility. All designs are sewn in Portland to people paid living wages.


Some of Olivia Luca's environmentally sustainable practices include donating fabric scraps to groups who can use them, helping support alternative/renewable energy through their utility service providers, recycling and using recycled paper products as much as possible (something you know I love!)


Through Olivia Luca's design studio, a client can design her own dress by selecting from available bodice and skirt styles, as well as choosing fabric type and color in addition to other details.


Among their many fabric offerings are several eco-friendly fabrics, including organic cotton sateen, hemp/silk charmeuse, hempcel, organic linen, soy knit, bamboo/organic cotton knit, organic printed cotton, as well as fair trade handwoven silk shantung and fair trade handwoven silk organza.

In addition to dressing brides, Olivia Luca offers garments and accessories to clothe an entire wedding party from dresses for bridesmaids, mothers,and flower girls to ties and vests for ring bearers and groomsmen.

All images via Olivia Luca

Whether outfitting your wedding party in eco-friendly clothing, using recycled paper products, hosting your wedding during daylight hours to cut down on the use of electricity, holding your ceremony and reception at the same location to reduce driving, or serving food made with locally-grown ingredients, there are many ways you can help to make your event a little more eco-friendly.

Your wedding day is one filled with commitment, as you look forward to a long life shared with your spouse, and it's a perfect time to commit to helping care for the Earth too.

Fort Bliss

If our homes are refuges against the greater world, places where we can relax and escape, I can't think of anything that would make for a more peaceful retreat than a tented lounge area in a backyard...

Twig Hutchinson

Unless, perhaps, it were a permanent fort inside the house.

House & Home

Like a treehouse, a fort appeals to the child inside me, but it also seems a fitting place to get lost in a book, as it speaks to adventure and imagination and can transport you to a different place or time, just as a great story often does.

It is easy to picture evenings and weekends passing slowly tucked beneath the folds of canvas and accompanied by a good read, great company, and a favorite drink.

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

It's grey and storming, which seems a fitting end to what has been a very long week! Between taxes and my car being towed, I am certainly saying TGIF and looking forward to the weekend.

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We are hitting the road tonight and our drive will surely look much like these photos by Anna Ura, minus the lovely foothills in the distance.

Whatever your plans are this weekend, I hope that you have a wonderful one! See you next week my dears. xo

At Your Leisure

My list of dream vacations is long and continually expanding. Some places are closer to the top of the list than others and some have long-held their spots, but all are vacations I'd love to experience one day.

One item on the list is to cruise the canals of Europe on-board a hotel barge, like the Golden Odyssey, a private barge-yacht available for charter out of Flanders, Belgium.


This setting looks like perfection. I might not be much of a morning person, but I would love to watch dawn break from the deck chairs.


I'll happily meander through quaint villages as we weave our way through the countryside.


I'm content to dock in small towns


Or larger cities.


A glass of wine as we cruise through Paris? Why, I'd love one. And you?


The deck is a perfect place to relax


And take in the sights... oh,look! It's Notre Dame ahead on the left.


When the night air gets chilly, we can retreat below deck with our glasses of wine and sit by the roaring fire.


With three cabins, including one with twin beds, there is plenty of room for friends.


We'd even have our own bathrooms, as each cabin has one en-suite.


Now, don't mind us if we turn in early. There's champagne waiting, and I hate to keep it waiting long.