I've just launched a new (nearly) daily blog about culture, relationships, lifestyle, and whatever interesting things come my way. You'll hear a lot about my personal life and see me experiment with being a writer so here it is:
I'm also changing the update schedule for this blog but haven't finalized it so we'll see in the upcoming weeks what happens to my posting schedule. =P
Anne Chertoff, writer of From "I Will" to "I Do" suggests these simple guidelines for deciding whether or not to allow "+1".
If someone is married both the husband and wife are invited, even if you don’t like the spouse.
If a couple is living together, because they are dating—not just roommates— then you invite both of them and you put both of their names on the invitation.
You can decide your own “rule” regarding friends who are dating someone. Many couples use the six-month rule: If a couple has been dating (not living together) for six months or more they both get invited to the wedding.
I'm very excited to announce that I will be co-authoring a new blog with my friend Tammi, and we just went live! 10 Dollar Date will be about romance on a shoestring, covering tips and ideas for making dates without breaking the bank. $10 is a target, since the idea is about being frugal without being cheap and not sacrificing that lovin' feeling.
...for ice cream cone decor/favors! This week's post comes from Robyn at Mix Mingle Glow, who shared this creative idea for using Crayola Model Magic (which is a clay-like molding "play dough") to fill cups found at the Dollar Tree!
Just make sure no one actually tries to eat the ice cream, tasty and life-like as it may look.
I remember when this series first came out and the touching stories that made it a great read. When it became a series, the Chicken Soup for the College Soup became the one that made the most sense to me. Now, I'm finding out there is a Chicken Soup for the Bride's Soul.
Excellent gift for the bride who is about to tear her hair out from all the wedding planning.
Also, thank you to Earth Friendly Weddings, Tammi at Barefoot Vegan, and Liz and Natalie (Liz Beck Weddings and Events/Bustle) for being constant inspirations at being green.
Since I shared Jeff Rudell's amazing paper crafts a few weeks ago, I am pretty much in love with paper creations. Jeff is actually the one who shared this blog by Elaine Lee, who writes mein™ inspiration, a blog collecting her creative inspirations. It features some pretty amazing paper work. Go check it out!
Also, I've recently discovered The Paper Garden, whose writer -- the talented Trinity RS -- has a store on -- what else -- Etsy for her beautiful paper crafts. She specializes in origami roses but uses them in so many different ways that the possibilities are endless!
If you thought the "Million Dollar Idea - $10,000 Budget" was a feat that tested your creativity, then it's time to take a look at 2000 Dollar Wedding. Sara and Matt (actually, mostly Sara) share their adventures as they fight off conventional wedding planning, discuss eco-friendly options, give DIY ideas, and remind everyone that a wedding is about bringing your friends and family together to celebrate your love. The clear outline of what they spent and how they handled issues like lodging make this blog an excellent resource in helping a bride remember what is most important to the wedding -- your love, not your budget.
I am a Daily PopSugar subscriber and this gem came to my inbox this week -- acetone-free nail polish! Canadian-based cosmetics company Sula just announced their newest line of Paint & Peel Nail Polish, a non-toxic and water-based nail polish that eliminates the need for nail polish remover. It can last just as long as your acetone-based nail polish but reportedly peels off safely and cleanly.
I am dying to try this product! The whole reason I had stopped painting my nails is because I hated how harsh the chemicals were -- not only when I am doing the actual painting but the removing as well. Plus, I hated the maintenance since my nails usually started chipping within 24 hours of being painted. Too bad no stores in my area carry this.
I hope they come out with more colors soon. How convenient is this for a one-day event?
Last week, at the bridal show, I met the owners of Green Field Paper Company, Rick and Shari Smith. Their products were amazing and fit perfectly into the theme of being green. Lucky for me, they allowed me to come and take a tour of the company and see how their tree-free paper is made!
They are located on Clairemont Mesa Blvd, right next to the Arby's!
They have a machine that turns these giant stacks of recycled paper into the "pulp" that they use to make the sheets. The paper comes from a company on the East coast that recycles paper and applies a process to get all the ink out of it. This mixture is basically cotton and water. Yes, that is my hand. Yes, cotton and water pretty much feels like it sounds.
The pulp mixture gets scooped up by these wooden palate things and excess water is shaken off. Here's a video clip of the pros at work:
And here's me! Yeah, I even got to make a sheet of paper! It was heavier than I thought it would be but I only took two tries to get a sheet that Tanner pronounced fit for pressing.
While we were browsing the office, Tanner pointed out all the awards the company has won. I told him I'd make sure and say that Green Field Paper Company is an award-winning company!
How cute are these boxes? They are made with the paper at Green Field Paper Company and sent to one of their partners for cutting. Wouldn't this make a great favor?
Obviously, this isn't a bookmark but this is a sign they made to go with the bookmark. It's great that local companies are going green and making good use of their discarded products. I believe SeaWorld is also doing this or has done this with this company.
In case you thought recycled paper was that boring, drab, gray stuff they sell in the office supply stores, think again! Look at this colorful blend of red and blue!
Now THAT'S a flier.
They also feature many products with embedded seeds in the paper, like this bookmark. You can't barely see the seeds, even when you have it in your hand! But yes, you can just stick this in the ground and a flower type of your choosing (from their selection) will sprout eventually.
And I don't know why I didn't get any pictures of this in the store front but here are their popular all-in-one invitations. They don't require an envelope because they fold into themselves and the bottom part is a RSVP postcard guests can tear off and send back. These also come in a seeded version.
What a great experience to go behind the scenes and see this tree-less paper being made. It really inspired me to think green. This company is all kinds of green -- the ink that is used on everything is soy-based and the company is powered by wind turbines! I'm so glad there is a company like this right here in San Diego.
Thanks to an ad in the San Diego Reader, I found myself at an orchid show last weekend with a $1 off coupon. The show was hosted by the San Diego Orchid Society and gave everyone an opportunity to see prize-winning orchids as well as giving vendors an opportunity to meet customers and fellow growers. Here are a few images:
^Yes, real fish in this display!
I saw a lot of vendors selling these dragonfly clips (also available in butterfly) and couldn't figure out what they were for until I saw this. They're to keep orchids upright and bunched together!
Pretty.
This jewelry is, believe it or not, made from real orchids -- preserved and gold plated. What a beautiful touch this would be to the floral design of an event! You can find these at Enchanting Earth. They also carry rose jewelry.
These beautiful orchids are from South Coast Orchids, who graciously invited my wedding business planning class to come and tour their greenhouse up in Vista! I'm currently waiting to hear back from them but I can't wait to see what they have in store for us. More pictures at flickr.
Funny this should come up today since Peggy Jewell, the instructor for my Wedding Business Planning class, brought in a book just yesterday evening to show us some of Preston Bailey's work.
Yes, the amazingly talented planner for the stars and royalty, Preston Bailey, has joined the blogosphere!
After my last post about Jeff Rudell's beautiful yet simple "Snowstorm" decor using only dental floss and white paper labels, I spent the better part of my morning pouring through the rest of his work on CraftStylish.
This crafty man has made some of the most beautiful paper creations I have ever seen. Can you believe this paper chandelier, that was in the window at Tiffany's in NYC?
Also, a Google search for Jeff Rudell turned up that he was on the Apprentice! I don't really watch TV so I wouldn't have recognized him but if the name was familiar to you, that may be why.
The best part about his paper crafting is the range of accessibility. There are things like the paper chandelier that just take your breath away with its complexity and then there things like the paper daisies and snow curtain that look like anyone can create with just a few minutes and dollars. So simple yet so beautiful!
Born and raised in the sunshine state, I don't really have any concept of the magic of snow... but I do know that just about every event in the months of December and January have a winter theme and I love love love this craft idea of using blank white label and dental floss.
I am just blown away by how simple the project is and how beautiful the results are!
There's nothing seeing something that gives you inspiration and makes you want to run out and try it right away! I'm thinking of those sparkly stickers mixed with the labels and maybe some clear beads in between as well...
Okay, so the title is pretty self-explanatory. I didn't have a chance to try either of these tutorials out yet but I was thinking "what a neat idea!" If you really wanted to get into it, they could be used to a variety of themes as decor, just sitting on top of a table or on the side of a martini glass, as pictured below with the bird.
It costs $40 and can be personalized for no additional fee. For Amy's comments on the item, check out her post. Stick around for the rest of her blog too. I love her finds!
Out of the 100, I found a handful of new ones that I fell in love with, such as Snippet & Ink and Cake Wrecks. And I can't believe I went this long without knowing that Etsy has a blog!
I just found the most amazing cake blog ever -- Cake Wrecks! Jen collects pictures of the most hilarious cakes you've ever seen, everything from misspellings to distorted images to things that are downright amazing like the 10,000 cupcake mosaic of Obama and Lincoln.
The criteria for being a "cake wreck" is that it must be made by a professional, loosely defined as anyone who is paid to make the cake for someone else, and it must not be too gory/gross/offensive/etc. Likewise, dumb mistakes like the cake with the frosted text "underneath" will not be considered either.
It's amazing what "professional" bakers are putting out there!
I don't know a lot about photography so when I saw this post for using bokehs, I didn't know a whole lot about it. Fortunately, Jason Fitzpatrick, one of the amazing writers at Lifehacker, wrote this description for all of us: "It's that oh-so-wonderful fuzziness in the background of photographs with a shallow depth of field and accompanying starry highlights."
i.e. this: (This image is also from their link.)
Even I though I have next to no understanding about how to actually make this, even though they sent their readers over to DIY Photography for a walk through, I thought how cute would the little hearts be on wedding pictures??
And it wouldn't have to just be weddings. You could use little stars for a Hollywood theme event or snowflakes for a winter theme. The ideas are limitless!
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