I spent part of my Christmas at my aunt and uncle’s house. They recently acquired a player piano, and since I had never seen one before and thought it was so neat, I wanted to share it with you! Here’s a little peek:

Player pianos are self-playing pianos that read musical notes mechanically off of a roll. (You can see some rolls in boxes in the upper left photo, and a roll in action in the bottom left). To work the mechanism, you press the pedals (which look slightly similar to those of a regular piano). The whole effect is kind of magical, because the keys depress and rise with the notes of the song, as if an invisible hand was playing! These pianos were very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries until the Great Depression virtually wiped out production. However, I think the neatest thing is that a few companies still produce rolls for sale! My aunt and uncle’s is in beautiful shape, and it was fun to sing along to songs old (“My Blue Heaven”) and new (Disney tunes!) while we were visiting.

I do not know if they have mulberries in Hawaii. I do know that I found the cover of the most recent Martha Stewart Weddings very inspiring, and decided to craft an inspiration board around its perfect bright mulberry hue. I imagined this wedding in Hawaii, since who doesn’t need a little aloha inspiration in January?

The Details:

First row: Martha Stewart Weddings Winter 2012 cover, photographed by Sang An; orchid bouquet by Ariella Chezar from Martha Stewart Weddings; ambrosia mojito popsicles from Desserts for Breakfast

Second row: cocktail tables photo by Apertura via Style Me Pretty; island trio photo by Corbin Gurkin via Style Me Pretty; from Sky Series by Eric Cahan

Third row: dress from J. Crew; hibiscus flower unknown; mokuba orchid arrangement by Yvonne Design (photo by Apertura via Style Me Pretty

Now that I have a wedding dress*, I can legitimately start thinking about accessories! Trust me, we will talk much more about jewelry and hair pretties down the line, but today, we’re going to talk about shoes.

FYI, here is what I consider the Big Momma of wedding shoes:

Both shots by Jose Villa

Perfection. However, since they are Louboutins, I clearly will not be wearing them on our wedding day.

That being said, the shoes I like tend to fall into two categories. Those with bows:

Top to bottom: Samm Blake via Style Me Pretty, Alexandra Daley-Clark, Sarah Rhoads, Katie Stoops via Southern Weddings, JAC Photography

…and those that are gold and glittery:

BHLDN and unknown

Keeping that in mind, and adding to it a budget of no more than $100 and a requirement of a low heel or a flat, here are a few options I found.

Sources: 1. Nina Paladin in white luster satin ($58); 2. Elle Japan (price unknown because the website is in Japanese!); 3. Nina Brooks in ivory luster satin ($90); 4. Nina Paladin in gold royal satin ($58); 5. Unforgettable Moments Nathalie in sea glass ($50); Fergalicious Abby in champagne ($40); 7. Nina Eterna in ivory luster satin ($99); 8. Nina Freja in ivory luster satin ($80)

I always thought I’d be a white shoe girl, but those gold flats and pale blue heels tug at my heart. However, I think my favorite pair overall is the Nina Paladin. I’m going to go ahead and order a pair to judge the comfort, but the question is, should I order them in the rose gold (no. 4) or the soft white (no. 1)? Feel free to weigh in in the comments!

P.S. Thinking of ordering your own pair of Ninas? I just saw on their website that if you sign up for their email list, you get 20% off your next order!

*Yes, I have a wedding dress!! I’m not planning to share it before the wedding, but I will share more about my search very soon!

On the same Virginia trip I mentioned in my last post, we headed into DC for the day. We had time for one museum, and ended up picking one of my favorites, the Museum of Natural History. My favorite exhibit is the Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals, and on this trip, I was struck again by the brilliance of the natural colors. They’re too pretty not to share!

Like all of the Smithsonian museums, the Natural History Museum does not charge admission, so if you ever find yourself in DC, I would highly recommend a visit!