renee rodriguez designs

Have a Happy 4th!

I'm off for a few days of rest and relaxation with my beautiful family. We are heading North to a lovely little lake with sandy beaches and beautiful sunsets.

Ahhhh... 

Wishing you a happy, happy 4th of July!

Pinup Girl

I am enchanted and delighted....

Yesterday I was featured in the most beautiful, enchanting and delightful blog by Naomi V Goodman of Enchanted Dream Weddings and Affairs!  What a thrill!  I was twirling around my living room after reading her absolutely wonderful post about my work as an illustrator and designer. You can read  the article here

And as a subscriber to her beautiful blog, I feel confident in saying - this woman has her finger on the pulse of all things fabulous!

So, here is to you Naomi - thank you, thank you for the lovely feature!

xo

{things I find beautiful}

Make today a special occasion.

xo

photo: luna photo
 

Designs For The French Boudoir.

A few months ago I wrote a blog post entitled Baroque Meets Sexy French Boudoir not thinking that an amazing creative job would be the result of my little post.
Enter Joanne H. Lee, award-winning photojournalist who’s photos have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and other national publications.  Joanne has worked for legendary icons  Annie Leibovits and Mary Ellen Mark and has turned her passion for weddings, travel and romance into a successful business.

So what does this have to do with me? Well, Joanne is launching yet another facet to her creative business, boudoir photography; she loved my style of work and asked me to create her logo along with a few graphic overlays for her photography books – of course there was not a moment of hesitation on my part to say the least.

 
To get started with the process, I first visited her website to get a feel for her style and artistic viewpoint. Afterwards, she then sent me a photograph of the black chandelier that is hanging in her studio and requested that her logo have the same look.  Everything needed to be very French and very Fabulous – is that up my alley or what. So, I immediately started sketching away to create a chandelier that would reflect the style she requested and a font that would be a bit French, a bit sexy and very fabulous. Her colors of choice were black and pink – perfect. Oui?

Here is the photo of Joanne's chandelier

Here is my drawing

 
 
 
Here is the front of her die-cut business card  

 

Here is the back of her business card.

 

In addition to the black chandelier, I made one in white and pink along with the overlay below for her client's photo books.

The process of working with Joanne was absolutely fabulous - we went back and forth one Saturday fine tuning the designs and by the end of the day, Voila` her very chic and very french design was complete. I had such a wonderful time working with her , so I can only imagine how her clients feel. A truly talented woman.

Please take a few minutes to visit The French Boudoir and Joanne H. Lee Photography to see the incredible talent of this amazing artist. 
 
 
 

{feathers and jewels}

My extremely talented friends from Emplume were recently featured on the Style Me Pretty blog as part of bringing an inspiration board to life.  Very exciting indeed! 

Each and every one of their glamourous bouquets is meticulously crafted by hand with delicate feathers, stunning jewels, yards of the finest satin ribbons and many more delightful details. Carrie & Shannon, the designers and  originators of the feather bouquet, work very closely with brides to ensure that each and every detail is as it should be - perfection!

Please take a moment and visit their incredibly beautiful blog to see the entire post from Style Me Pretty {there is even a movie you won't want to miss}- a feast for the eyes.

 

 
 
All images previously blogged at the Emplume blog.

Website: www.emplume.com

 

{baroque meets sexy french boudoir}

I found myself completely mesmerized and inspired by the sumptuousness of Carl Bengtsson's fashion photography. I was particularly drawn to his lavish scenes which featured romantic pink tulle gowns and magnificent headpieces. This is exactly the kind of the opulence that made the Baroque period in history scream - look at me! 

This over-the-top bed from The French Bedroom Company has a very sexy French boudoir feeling - don't you think? You must visit the website, I promise you will not be disappointed. 

 

So there you have it, sexy French boudoir meets Baroque opulence or visa versa depending on how you look at it. The perfect source of inspiration for my little collection of stationery previewed here today. I plan on creating small note cards, embellished of course, and packaged in a swanky little box.  

I hope you like them as much as I do!

photo: carl bengtsson, Black Bed, Black Chandelier

Illustrations:renee rodriguez desgins 

Green Wedding Shoes ~ Part 2

Last fall I wrote a post entitled "Green Wedding Shoes" featuring my niece's wedding and her beautiful green satin shoes. Ever since then I have had so many inquiries from brides-to-be about these fabulous shoes. Who makes them and where can I find a pair?

I felt the need to lend a hand to and search for them myself. They are made by Nina, but sadly this particular style was last season.  However my dear brides, there is a happy ending in your future.  Nina has designed an equally lovely version of this coveted shoe adorned with a gathered bow and a very delicate ankle strap - Rejoice!!!

During my tireless search for this much desired wedding accessory, I stumbled across a few other elements that might be of inspiration while planning a wedding around your spectacular pair of shoes!

purse: the knot, drink: the know, bouquet: Martha Stewart Weddings, leaf pin: anthropologie, green dress:flckr, cakes: Brides.com, green wedding shoe:  Nina shoes.com

 

A Touch of Olive - Lovely

I adore the vintage brooch and the simple olive green satin ribbon as the only embellishment on this cake - delicious!

 

 

Olive green is elegant, rich and reminiscent of the old southern homes I remember growing up in New Orleans. I really love it combined with colors like chocolate brown, pink or turquoise to give any room a sophisticated and modern feeling. 

Vintage Brooch Wedding Cake, originally uploaded by ConsumedbyCake.

2 & 3: Interiors, 3 & 4 Interiors

Green Wedding Shoes

On September 1^st, my niece Ashley and the love of her life Justin were married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony at Laguna Gloria in Austin, Texas.  The 1916 Mediterranean Villa was the backdrop to an enchanted garden where family, friends and the occasional peacock gathered to share in this very special occasion.

I loved the simple elegance of their color palette - black and white, with a splash of emerald green. The bride's graceful satin gown and birdcage veil gave a nod to a time gone by, and every now and again you would catch a glimpse of her divine green wedding shoes peaking out from underneath her gown.  Each and every detail was delightful, from the cute cake topper,  to the wacky rickshaw that whisked the bride and groom away at the end of their glorious evening.

 

 

And they lived happily ever after...

I would like to thank Jerry and Jona from Forever Photography in Austin, Texas for sharing these beautiful pictures of Ashley and Justin.