Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Wedding Wednesday: Boutonnieres

Add a touch of beauty and charm for the groom and groomsmen with something like this. ♥
sources: image one, two, three, and four

xo,
Ruche

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The Industry $75 Giveaway!

In honor of our latest lookbook, The Industry, we're giving away a $75 gift card for you to revamp your closet with our cold weather styles.


To enter:
1. View our brand new "The Industry" lookbook.
2. Leave a comment on this post and tell us which look is your favorite and why.
3. Leave your email or Twitter handle with your comment.

Winner will be chosen at random. Contest ends September 6th, 12:00pm PST.

Good Luck!

xo, Ruche

AND THE WINNER IS... KELLY! Kelly said...
The Event Planner look has to be my favorite out of all these wonderful selections! It's sophisticated, strong, independent meets feminine, beautiful, and elegant. The colors are a perfect transition into Fall. So lovely!

Contest Disclaimer:
We will use randomizer.org to find the winner. No purchase necessary. We reserve the right to close the contests early or late without warning. We will post the name of the winner September 6th, 2011. Upon winning, you agree that your name can be published on this blog at the close of the contest. You must contact us within 7 days after the winner has been announced to claim your prize.

How to decorate your dorm room

Infuse your dorm room with style and touches of Ruche.
(graphic via Pinterest)
1. Willow Tree Square Vase by Chive
2. The Big Apple 13" or 15" Laptop Sleeve by Kothai
3. Put Your Records On Tape Dispenser
4. "Cray" Stainless Steel Thermos Bottle by Wild & Wolf
5. Hello Panda Key Cover
6. Organon Mesh Easel Jewelry Stand/Magnetic Board
7. Restless Hear Messenger Bag in Red

Shop our Chalkboard Basics here.

Monday, August 29, 2011

The Industry: A Professional Fall Wardrobe


Photography by Stephanie Williams
Makeup & Hair by KC Witkamp
Wardrobe Styling by ShopRuche.com
Furniture from Found Vintage Rentals

Fall into sophistication with our newest lookbook, The Industry, and revamp your professional wardrobe. It's time to take on a new season, an updated you, and endless opportunities. ♥

xo,
Ruche

If Ruche were a laundry room...

sources: image one, two, and three
...we would look something like this.

Have a beautiful Monday!

xo,
Ruche

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Style File: Blogger Roundup

Sydney in our "captivating chaos maxi skirt"

Happy weekend!

xo,
Ruche

Friday, August 26, 2011

Love Stories: Connections

I had never really believed in the idea of a love that was “meant to be”. I think I told myself that I didn’t necessarily believe in “the one” because I didn’t want to feel the pressures of finding, or not finding, that specific person.

That all changed when I met my one, and only, great love.
Rob and I met about a year after I moved to Toronto at a church that I had started attending. I instantly recognized him as the drummer in a band at another church I had gone to a few times during my undergrad years in another city. We chatted quickly about the few people that we knew in common, and about how he too had moved to Toronto, about two years before I did. I thought nothing of it other than being one of those coincidences in life. It was a little funny that none of those people introduced us, however, and that we had somehow connected on our own.

Flash forward a few months, and our first meeting turned into a few meetings, then a friendship, and then love. Our mutual friends were surprised and amused that we had both moved to another city and found each other without being introduced by any of them. Rob even found an old photo from Halloween 2005 (before we even knew about each other’s existence) where he is standing right behind me in a big group of people.

The connections and “coincidences” kept piling on that were leading us to believe that there was something special about our new romance. Rob also admitted to me that he had seen me around our new church a few times before we had actually met. He was too shy to simply approach me, so he made sure that he was in a convenient social situation where he could “casually” meet me.
We’ve been together for over two years now, and we often wonder about how many times we had walked past each other or been in the same room before we actually met. We floated around each other for so many years, and had no idea of the great love that would result when we were finally introduced.
I know now that the timing of our relationship was perfect. He is my best friend, has changed my life in so many ways, and I cannot wait for our exciting future together. I have since changed my mind about having a love that was meant to be. I believe that Rob and I are meant to be together because every day we choose each other over any one else... but there is still that uncontrollable magic and love that makes that choice so easy and natural.



See the previous Love Stories here! If you would like to submit your story, please send an e-mail to lovestories@shopruche.com. You may attach up to 5 photos, and we welcome creativity! Please try to keep your stories to a 1200 word limit. You will receive an e-mail when your story is selected. 

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Project DIY: Ruche's Blush Margarita

By Guest Blogger - Jaclyn Giuliano

When the sweet people at Ruche asked me to craft a cocktail for them, I was so
excited to share something that would be fun, perfect for summer, and of course
a little girly. I instantly thought of my family trips to Hawaii when I would always
ask to buy a carton of POG to have on hand during our stay. It’s a perfect blend of
passion fruit, orange, and guava juices, that I have never found back home. Countless
trips to the grocery store have turned up a number of pineapple/orange/guava
combinations, but never the POG I remembered. After picking up two frozen bags of
guava and passion fruit purees, I knew the only way to get the tropical feeling would
be to mix up my own blend.

Since summers remind me of beaches, long nights, and icy cocktails with friends,
I felt the perfect way to enjoy a homemade POG blend was as a pinky blush hued
margarita and the blend of fresh orange juice, guava, and passion fruit purees
seemed like a great thing to share with Ruche to celebrate a late summer cocktail.

The juice is great on its own and can even be mixed with a little sparkling water and
lime juice to give it an extra bubble.

To make the POG juice:
3 cups fresh orange juice
2 cups frozen guava puree*
2 cups frozen passion fruit puree*
*Look for Goya brand
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup water

-Blend all ingredients in a large pitcher and add more sugar to taste if needed

To make the Blush Margarita:
¼ cup silver tequila
¼ cup triple sec
½ cup POG juice
1 lime wedge
sugar for rimming glass

-Pour sugar onto a plate and rim short glass with a lime wedge. Dip the glass rim in
sugar
-Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with a few ice cubes and shake.
-Pour into glass a top with lime wedge


Guest Post by Jaclyn Giuliano of Stay in the Lines.

Project DIY: Jewelry Organizers

We stumbled across these unique jewelry organizers and are impressed with how simple they are to create. Take a look!

xo,
Ruche

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Wedding Wednesday: Horse and Carraige


sources: image one, two/three, and four/five

Marry your Prince Charming and add a fairytale element with a horse and carriage. ♥
xo,
Ruche

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Art Studio: HandyMaiden

From San Diego, California, HandyMaiden creates beautiful hand-painted items. Some of our favorites include these wooden brooches:


The artist paints each piece individually without stamps or stencils to create unique one-of-a-kind designs. ♥

xo,
Ruche

Monday, August 22, 2011

If Ruche were a nursery...

sources: image one, two, and three

...we would look something like this. Happy Monday, everyone!

xo,
Ruche

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Style File: Blogger Roundup

Happy weekend, everyone! Bloggers are wearing Ruche again. Take a look!

Melissa and Jana in our "english muse ivory lace dress"
Which Ruche pieces have you worn lately? We'd love to see how you styled them! Be sure to browse our new arrivals for more. ♥

xo,
Ruche

Friday, August 19, 2011

Love Stories: Waiting Patiently

Every girl has had at least one: the absolutely terrible relationship that leaves you with way too much baggage and far too little trust.  After about three or four jerks in a row, I decided to take a large break from formal dating.  I was in the process of moving and starting an entirely different school and college major, and boys were the last thing on my mind.  Enter Steve, whose oh-so-suave pickup line the first night we met was, “So… uh... I should probably get your number since we’re probably going to be hanging out more."

He was just about the funniest person I had ever met, and he had an instant attraction to me.  But I was still holding strong to my self-imposed “no dating” rule.  I was pretty certain that even the most charismatic guy was a jackhole in disguise. Little did I know, not only was Steve an amazing person, but he was also some sort of Jedi-class waiting master. He asked me out, I stalled, he waited. We went out casually for a date or two, I found excuses not to go out on dates again, he waited.  We hung out consistently as friends, I pursued the single life, he waited.  He told me how strong his feelings were, I honestly told him I wasn’t sure it was ever going to work, he waited.  He never once pressured me, but he was open about his attraction to me.  Only once in a year and a half did I ever allow a wall to come down when I gave him a quick kiss at midnight on New Year’s Eve 2007. And still, I wasn’t ready to open myself up to him.  Steve is one of the best people you will ever meet, and every single person in my life pressured me to date him... everyone except Steve himself.  He was just there,waiting for me because he knew I needed to take my time making my decision.


I started to become incredibly scared.  I still wasn’t comfortable seeing him in a romantic sense, yet I was terrified that he would tire of my stalling and would leave me to pursue other, more deserving women. At this point, we were spending every weekend hanging out together, and we even had a running “movie/friend date” every Sunday evening.  I was so afraid of losing the wonderful man that had become my best friend.  I saw noway out: if we stayed friends he would eventually move on to someone else,leaving me in the dust, but if we dated we were sure to break up and I would lose yet another important person in my life. For whatever reason, I failed to consider the alternative that we might start dating and our relationship might last.

Things finally came to head on Halloween of 2008.  I had begun to feel more and more attraction to Steve throughout the past month or two, and I was tentatively admitting to myself that I’d like to date him.  I had more trust in him than I ever did with my previous boyfriends because he was willing to wait for me, even when I wasn’t sure I could ever give him my heart.  On Halloween night, I asked him to sit outside with me at his apartment while our friends partied upstairs, and we spent some time talking and looking up at the stars.  I was cryptically honest with him that my feelings had been changing since the last time we had talked, but I still couldn’t come right out and tell him how strongly I felt.  He put his arm around me to warm me up, and every fiber in my body was buzzing with energy. We looked at each other for a few moments, and both decided at the same time that we couldn’t wait any longer. Praying that I was doing the right thing, I leaned in and had my first true kiss with him.  I was afraid I wouldn’t feel anything when we kissed, but I can honestly say I have never had a better first kiss in my entire life. My tiny inner self was jumping around, screaming, “I feel it!  I feel it!  I really feel something for him!”  Finally I pulled away and blurted out, “Do you want to date??”  I barely finished the sentence before Steve shouted, “Yes!”

The night we starting dating.

Our relationship may not have started out like most do, and many people told him he was crazy to keep pursuing me when I showed zero interest in a relationship, but I wouldn’t change our experience for the world.  I tend to hide my real self to the world, but Steve never fell for my act. He immediately saw directly to my true soul, and loved me all the more for it.  He was patient at a time when I needed patience, he gave me friendship when I wasn’t ready for more, and he has loved me more than I can comprehend from the moment he first saw me.  Two and a half years later we are now planning our wedding, and I couldn’t imagine marrying anyone better than this kind, wonderful, perfect man.




See the previous Love Stories here! If you would like to submit your story, please send an e-mail to lovestories@shopruche.com. You may attach up to 5 photos, and we welcome creativity! Please try to keep your stories to a 1200 word limit. You will receive an e-mail when your story is selected.  

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Project DIY: Book Planters

Aren't these book planters charming? Pop over to Green Wedding Shoes for the full DIY.


Outfit Algorithms

Did you enroll in our Style Studies course? Learn how to mix summer and fall pieces for the in-between season, and let us know which outfits you love most!

xo,
Ruche

Wednesday, August 17, 2011