Friday, March 9, 2012

Love Stories: Long Distance Romance

I met Kurt on March 12, 2009.

The weekend we met was also the weekend of our first date, that Kurt met my entire family and that we decided to embark on the crazy up and down journey of long-distance dating.

But to start at the true beginning of the story, we have to go back another five years. Kurt and I were in highschool, he living in Chicago and me in Tallahasse, and we came across each other on Myspace. We became “friends” for the trivial reason of liking the same musical artist, and as Kurt always adds, because he thought I was cute. And that’s where it all began.

For a few years we were simply "friends" and interacted very little. Eventually I deleted my Myspace and moved on to bigger and better things, a.k.a Facebook. Kurt followed suit later and decided to search for a girl who he vaguely remembered was cute and went by Michaela Rae. He found me and sent a short message, something along the lines of, “I think I remember you from Myspace. If not, then no worries.” I remembered him, and although I thought it a bit strange, added him anyway. Again, for a long time we interacted very little.

But in 2008, politics sparked more conversation. We love our politics and enjoyed commenting on each other’s links and statuses. We began talking even more in early 2009 - a couple Facebook chats, a few messages. Then phone calls. Then I freaked out. I’d never met this guy! And what scared me more was that I actually really enjoyed our talks. After telling him we shouldn’t talk as much he asked if we could write. I agreed, and a few days later I received a package in the mail. It was a diary, and on the first page Kurt had written a letter. He explained that we could send the diary back and forth, filling it with letters our letters. Talk about bold! And romantic! Long story short, we didn’t stop talking. I told my parents about him and they calmly suggested we meet (what??). So a month and a half after we began talking, Kurt boarded a redeye flight from Los Angeles (where he was attending college) to Jacksonville.

Neither of us got much sleep that night.

When I walked into the airport he was there waiting for me. We hugged and said a couple awkward things and then I quickly blurted that I needed to pee and ran to the restroom (attractive right?). I did need to, but I was also so overwhelmed that I needed to breath. But our first few hours together eating lunch and sitting on the beach went surprisingly well. He was just how I had imagined him to be.


That night, Kurt met my entire family. And they liked him! The next day we went on our first date to an Italian restaurant, and by candlelight, while holding hands across the table, we talked about everything imaginable. Looking back it’s all a bit of a blur, but I know those couple days were easy. I felt like we were friends. We enjoyed each other just as much as we’d anticipated.

At the weekend’s end, we decided to continue dating, even though it meant long distance. And for 15 months, while finishing our undergraduate degrees, we did. We found ways to visit nearly every month. The saying, "where there’s a will there’s a way," became very true for us. California, Illinois, Florida, Virginia, DC, and Kansas – all of these and more were the places we managed to visit one another.

After graduating, I packed my little car and moved cross-country so we could live in the same city. It was a big adjustment but definitely worth it. We loved living a couple blocks from each other and being able to build mutual friendships, go to church together and do all of the other things we couldn’t before.

Five months after moving, while visiting the beautiful city of San Francisco, Kurt asked me to be his wife. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life. And on May 29th, 2011 we married in Florida. Another day we look back on and can hardly find a thing that we didn’t love about it.

Our entire relationship has been one big adventure and I know there’s still so much more ahead.

Michaela Rae, from www.michaelaraej.blogspot.com



See the previous Love Stories here! If you would like to submit your story, please see our Ruche Blogger Family page for details.

P.S. Have you seen our wedding annoucement yet?

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Project DIY: Mason Jar Pin Cushion


How To Make a Mason Jar Pin Cushion
Guest post by Angelina
Supplies
Mason jar and lid
Heavy Cardstock
Scissors
Fabric
Batting

Instructions
Separate the mason jar lid from the ring. Trace around the lid on your cardstock and cut it out.

Take the cardstock circle and place it on the fabric of your choice. Cut a square around it and leave extra room to work with later.

Push the fabric square through the lid's ring from underneath. Stuff it with batting.

Place the lid inside the ring to secure the cushion.  Adjust the fabric to remove wrinkles and then trim off the excess fabric. (Note: Trim it as close to the edge as possible. The mason jar lid won't seal if the fabric is too bulky.) Pull the fabric tightly and glue the edges down with hot glue. Glue the cardstock circle in place for a clean finish.

And there you have it, folks! A sweet little mason jar pin cushion that is ready to be filled with pretty little things.

-- Anjelina, from Ruby Jean



See more DIY projects here! If you would like to join our Ruche Blogger Family, please send an e-mail to blog@shopruche.com and attach photos. You will receive an e-mail if your post is selected. Thank you!

P.S. Do you have any spring projects and recipes that you'd like to share? Here is your chance to be featured on Ruche! See the details for our spring/summer guide here.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Wedding Wednesday: Lavender Inspiration


Currently swooning over lavender weddings inspired by spring.

image sources one, two, three 

♥ 
xo,
Ruche

An Interview with Elizabeth Messina


Our enchanted daydream and vision of spring was brought to life by the talented and esteemed wedding photographer, Elizabeth Messina.  We were so thrilled to be able to work with Elizabeth for our spring lookbook. She is truly one of a kind.  Elizabeth was able to capture breathtaking moments of sweetness and beauty through her lens.  Using only natural lighting and shot completely in film, the lookbook turned out amazing.   Take a peek into her musings in the interview below. ♥


When did your love of photography begin?
When I was 12 years old, my mother gave me my first camera.

What do you enjoy most about your career?
There is no such thing as a typical day. That's what I love about it. I love that I get to access the creative part of my brain on a regular basis. I also get to be around people in love, which is quite wonderful, and I love the freedom that comes with making my own schedule.

Where do you edit your photos?
My office is a special place. It's a mixture of antiques and paperwork, photographs and shoes. I have a vintage wrought iron daybed that I love to sit on while I edit photos.

Do you have any advice for people who want to pursue creative creatives like yours?
I think it is important to have a healthy balance of creativity and business sense. Much of my time is spent doing very un-creative things... running a business is full of paperwork and organization. I love my career, but make no mistake about it, it is a lot of work.

Which images do you adore most from the lookbook, Enchantment?
Ahhhh, so hard to choose.... I love the cover image, it's definitely one of my favorites. And I really adore the image with the white hat. The entire day was filled with so much beauty... I don't think there are any shots I don't like.



To see more wedding inspiration and beautiful photographs by Elizabeth Messina, visit Kiss the Groom and view her new book

You can preorder it here and we'll be carrying it at our boutique soon too.  ♥

xo,
Ruche


Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Style File: Polka Dots


Polka dots? Yes, please! Here are some lovely Ruche customers wearing their favorite polka dotted pieces.

 "I just recently discovered Ruche (and have quickly become obsessed with it). It has all the charm of a fancy pants vintage inspired boutique but at a fraction of the cost. Seen here is quite possibly the cutest dress ever made."
-- Erin, from Currently Coveting, in our emerald dress.

"Feeling a little romantic today... Which is why I paired the Metropolitan Affection Sheer Blouse with dark jeans and simple earrings. I've been looking for an outfit to wear at my Husbands Deployment Homecoming event, and I think this is it."
-- Aly, from Aly + Ellie Take the North, in our ruffled blouse.

"I received this shirt for christmas and I can't get enough of it! I think it can be paired perfectly with so many different items!"
-- Megan, from The Happy Hour, in our polka dot top.

Which polka dotted items do you adore? Browse our current collections for more of our favorite trends too. ♥

xo,
Ruche

Art Studio: Spring Mint


Inspired by delicate spring frills and a refreshing spring mint, we discovered these beautiful photographs on Etsy. ♥

image one, two, three

Do you have any photographs inspired by spring? Send them to us for a chance to be featured!

xo,
Ruche

Monday, March 5, 2012

If Ruche were a spring daisy...

image sources: one, two, three

...we would look like this. ♥ We're anxious for fresh posies, aren't you? If you have any flower arrangements, send us your photos!

xo,
Ruche