Skull Toppers, Pumpkin Cozies, and Anatomical Hearts...Oh My!

A few goodies for your Halloween weekend! A heart warming coffee cozy, a bone-chilling cake topper, and a curious heart tea towel. I hope everyone stays safe this weekend and has a frightfully good time! We'll be taking our 15 month old out - mainly to impress the neighbors in her delightfully cute cow costume rather than for attaining candy. See you Monday!

 Day of the Dead Skull Cake Toppers from Aphrodite's Canvas

Recycled Neck Tie Coffee Cozy from Ascot Handbags

Anatomical Sweet Heart Flour Sack Tea Towels from Girls Can Tell

Every Girl's BFF to Feeling Confident and Sexy

Not too long ago, I met an old acquaintance at a friend's party and he relayed to me how he had an incredible high school crush on a girl who had the "prettiest, massive curly red hair." I love this story because there are so many girls out there who try to straighten their hair, cover it up, change the color, but what made this girl so appealing was how she confidently rocked her own unique locks.

Over the years, I have learned that feeling confident and sexy is not about showing the most leg or wearing the most makeup. It's about rocking the very part of you that makes you unique. Perhaps you've got a flair for frilly feminine frocks or a love of vintage pumps, but no matter what your favorite style is, every girl's bff should be an awesome tailor. No matter how expensive or pretty your outfit is, it's not going to look good on you if you don't feel good in it. A good tailor can help you accentuate what you love and hide what you don't.

The good news about this is that you can contribute to a more eco-friendly environment by purchasing used and vintage clothing and then tailoring it to fit your own body style. Personally, I am a big fan of the A line dress, perfect for engagement parties to bridal showers, and flattering to a variety of figures. Below are some beautiful vintage A line dresses found at ReInvintage.

Vintage 1940's Black Bow Dress

Cotton Candy Pink 50's Sun dress

1960's Lilly Pulitzer Dress

Simple Tips To A Great First Dance

Since it's almost Halloween, I thought I'd write about something that gives most brides and grooms-to-be the chills: the first dance!

I don't care how many lessons you're taking, it's nerve wracking to dance in front of fifty to a hundred plus pairs of eyes for the first time. Winging it can be even more scary, especially if you've got a partner who thinks dancing is simply too dangerous/fancy/stupid - pick your adjective.

 Our first dance as husband and wife.

So here are a few really simple tips to keep in mind when shakin' your thang on the dance floor. They may not turn you into Ginger Rogers or Fred Astaire, but at least you won't look like Peewee Herman.

1. Get your butt off the couch. Good dancers know the importance of a strong core, which helps to maintain flexibility and avoid injury. A few good core exercises are planks (they're really simply and yes, if you've never done them you will feel like you're going to die at first), basic push up, and Supermans.

2. Will the real bride and groom please stand up! It may be tempting to hunch your shoulders, especially if you're not feeling confident, but don't forget about posture. Keep that head up and those shoulders back and you'll add about a point and a half to your dancing score.

3. Follow the leader! This is probably one of the trickiest things for a couple to learn, but I encourage you to practice following and leading because once you get it, it makes dancing so much easier. Ladies, it may be a bit difficult, but practice patience, take a step back and let your man lead, even if he leads you into the wall. And men, practice those steps!

Remember, "we're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance!" - Japanese Proverb

Sources: Arts Alive, BallroomDancers.com

Beautiful Buttons and Eco Wedding Ideas!

Layla Mayville from Simply Savannah Events recently emailed me this charming photoshoot she did with photographer Teresa Little Earnest of Memories n More (Teresa is also the founder of The Wedding Studios).

 

As you can see, Layla is a master button-ist. (I made that up, but if a "button-ist" existed, Layla would be a part of it.) She has created some super sweet accessories and wedding accoutrements with her stash of collected buttons. She's also got a thorough DIY tutorial on how to make a button boutonniere.

Oh! And guess what! The cardboard used for the "Bride" and "Groom" labels was made out of.... wait for it... toilet paper tubes! What, What!? :) (see my own toilet paper tube re-use)

I am also loving the floral color scheme, which were created by A to Zinnias and the fabric flowers were created by Runie Blooms. Awesome job! Cakes by Two Cakes. Teresa of Memories n More utilized this shoot as an opportunity to mentor Arin Photography.

Easy DIY: Toilet Paper Tubes Turned Into Party Lights!

Not too long ago I challenged myself to come up with a new use for an empty toilet paper tube. I was actually really worried that I wouldn't be able to pull this off. I really enjoy repurposing and creating, but I will be the first to admit my inventions aren't always show stoppers. I think I managed to create something fairly fun here though and if nothing else, it was super easy!

These lights can be used for any type of evening party or even an outdoor engagement party. To really make things special, use the couple's initials rather than the word "love," or for a wedding, consider putting the date

All you really need are the following tools:

• X-acto knife
• twine, yarn, or string
• LED tea lights
• tape
• Card Stock
• regular paper
• pen or needle

Step one: gently cut out the letters of the toilet paper tube using an X-acto knife with a new, sharp blade. It's easier to pencil in your letter and then slowly go over the line with your x-acto knife. It's better to go over the same line a few times rather gently than to bear down and try to cut it all on one stroke.

Step two: cut a few strips of card stock and tape them into the bottom of the inside tube in the fashion of a cross or plus sign. This is to hold the tea light in place.

Step three: cut out a small rectangle of regular or slightly see through paper (I used plain ivory resume paper) and tape it in the inside of the tube, covering up the window created by the cut out letter.

Step four: Use a needle or pen to thread the twine through each tube

Step five: Drop in LED tea lights and hang up in a spot to be admired by all.

If you have any questions, feel free to let me know in the comments! :)

DIY Sneak Peak

Tomorrow I'll show you what I came up with for the DIY toilet tube challenge, but here's a sneak peak. :)

:)

Stop Comparing Your Self and Your Engagement Ring

I've always found it kind of odd how competitive girls can get over their engagement rings. When I was planning my wedding, I once went to a brunch with about 20 other brides-to-be for a fun filled afternoon of girlie wedding chat, but toward the end of our date, one of the girls insisted we take a photo of all our hands so we could "show off" our engagement rings. Some of the women had some really amazing and beautiful rings, but it became quite apparent this was merely a showdown of who had the best, the prettiest, the most expensive ring. As we all stood there, our hands planted on the table, I noticed that every girl was looking at any ring but her own.  It's a good thing all you could see were the hands in that picture, otherwise you would have seen a lot of awkward and uncomfortable faces.

Perhaps I'm over analyzing, but I hate how we women are so quick to compare everything from our body shape to our wardrobe to our wedding rings. Maybe it's just my age (turned 30 this year), but I am so. over. it.

I'm ending this post with an wedding ring that is not only beautiful, but a one-of-a-kind handmade piece - just like you, my friend. You don't have to be a diamond ring kind of girl if you don't want to be. :)

 Hannah' rustic, distressed ring: green amethyst & sterling silver stackable / stack rings

Goodies For Your Weekend!

It's Friday! I'm excited to share with you my DIY toilet paper tube project next week! In the meantime, enjoy these goodies found around the web. I hope your weekend treats you well and offers up plenty of opportunities to appreciate the love around you!

But first, a quick thank you to BrideTide for including us in their list of Top 100 Wedding Blogs.

Check out this beautiful, vintage inspired wedding over at Kiley Mullen Photography

Handmade Embroidery Hoop Art

This is just decorative eye candy. WSJ A Room Of Your Own.

Yum! Pumpkin Halwa With Saffron at Veggie Belly

Natural Remedies and Kicking a Cold

My husband's super power is that he can eat a whole clove of raw garlic, as well as raw onions and radishes. I suppose it's because he is Russian and in addition to potatoes, they practically bathe in this kind of stuff. I'm almost not kidding. At the suggestion of my mother-in-law, I chopped up some garlic, wrapped it in a tissue, and put it in my ears in an effort to relieve my sore throat. I also ate a few pieces of raw garlic, which surprisingly did relieve the sore throat for a short period of time. The pro is that my husband thought I smelled delicious and my sore throat was gone the next day! The con is that my sore throat turned into a nasty cold.

Two days later, I couldn't breathe at all through my nose and the OTC stuff wasn't doing anything, so I checked out Earthclinic.com, where you can find a whole slew of natural remedies for everything from colds to UTI's to thyroid issues. The most popular cold remedy on there is Tomato Tea and while I was skeptical, I was also desperate. So I got a sauce pan and threw in some V8, lemon juice, chopped garlic, and a whole lot of hot sauce and heated it up over the stove. I should mention hot sauce is not my thing. Although a few years ago I had this crazy idea that I could condition myself to like spicy food by essentially eating more spicy food, it never actually worked. I did get to the point where I could tolerate basic Tobasco sauce, so that's what I used for my Tomato tea. It was hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, HOT! And even with all that hotness, nothing really happened, not even a brief clearing of the sinuses. I sadly attempted to sleep, stuffy nose still in tact.

The next day though, I felt a good 50% better! Was it the tomato tea or just the natural progression of my body kicking a cold? I don't really know, but you can bet I'll be eating garlic and drinking a tomato brew next time I catch a cold.

Do you have any favorite natural remedies? If so, what are they?

I Wish I had a Stinky Health Bubble

I hate to do this to you, dear readers, but today's post will be pretty sparse since I seem to be sick again. Again! This is getting so old. Last week it was a massive allergy attack (which has yet to really go away) and this week is a sore throat. In the middle of all this I've been dealing with some yeasty issues (you know what I'm talking about ladies). A trip to the doctor is in my near future. For now, I have to go stuff some garlic in my ears, per my mother-in-law's suggestion (she swears by it for the sore throat) and eat some kale, because it's a superfood and I'm not sure what else to do.

In the meantime, here's a neat website, Tonic Food Club, that suggests we all protect ourselves from bacteria and germs with garlic. Our own "stinky health bubble." Sounds good to me.  

Are you going to join the DIY toilet tube challenge? Below you'll find a few toilet paper DIY treats found around the web, which should be used for inspiration.

 DIY Toilet Tube Wall Art from Design Sponge

  Sophisticated Napkin Ring out of Toilet Tubes from Kiss My Tulle

I can't tell if these are weird or cool, but they sure got my attention!

 Freaky Toilet Paper Roll Sculptures from Curbly

 
Happy Friday, friends! I hope the week has treated you well! I am excited about the weekend ahead, but am afraid I might be spending it all in indoors. My allergies have been driving me nuts and when they attack, it's like an unrelenting barrage of little feathers tickling my nose and then my eyes become Niagra Falls...ugh. It's not fun. Any one know of any natural allergy remedies? Benadryl works, but it turns me into a zombie.

Anyway, hope you all have a great weekend ahead of you!

Warmly,
Jen

A Case Out of Waste

Can you believe the news about Steve Jobs? My husband told me about his passing and my mouth dropped. He was such a visionary and he will be missed. In true form, Apple elegantly honored his memory with a simple home page change.

In celebration of Apple's pioneering iPhone technology, I thought I'd share a little sumpin' sumpin' that's been making the rounds lately around the internet. Re-Case, by Miniwiz, is an iPhone case made completely out of rice farming by-products, also known as agricultural waste. It's kind of surprising, but apparently the resulting material is a very durable product that is recyclable and manufactured with a minimum of Co2 emissions.

 

photo by Miniwiz

Do you have an iPhone? I do and I am absolutely addicted to it. I currently have an Otter Box case, which I thought was kind of a rip off at the time, but since my one year old has an obsession with my iPhone as well (probably not a good thing), I'm glad I have it. 



photo by Miniwiz

Diy Challenge: Down The Tube!

So here is something new. I'm going to start posting a DIY Challenge. Here's the dealio:

On Wednesdays, I'll take a normal, everyday item and challenge myself and you, dear readers, to turn it into something new and usable for a wedding, shower, or other type of event where people like to see pretty things. (An example would be turning an old soup can into a vase.)

Two weeks later, I'll post my creation. I can't say it will be great or even good. Hell, it might even suck. But I'm a big fan of re-purposing and I think this will be a great way for all of us to exercise a little creative muscle. If you would like to join me in this challenge, please do! I'll post or link to anyone else who completes this challenge, just remember this isn't a contest - think of it more like a way to share and gather inspiration with your fellow blogosphere readers.

So what's the item to re-purpose!?  A toilet paper tube(s) or paper towel tube(s). 

What's the deadline? October 19th

I'll post my finished product on October 19th. If you wish to share yours, just leave a comment here with a link to your pictures or blog. 

Yay! No judgements, friends. Even if you create this (which is actually pretty awesome for a four year old), I will treasure it and post it! 

No new post today...

Why? Because I have spent all my time deleting e-mails (see previous post). Can't...let...e-mail...win. Oh, and I blog surfed for a while. It's addicting. Perhaps I need an intervention. (I take care of my one year old during the day and I work on this blog for about two or three hours in the evening, so please don't think I actually spent the entire day deleting emails.)

New stuff tomorrow. I promise. :)

Feng Shui Your Inbox!

If e-mail was real mail, then just like out of an episode of Hoarders, my pillow would be a stack of spam mail about 3 feet high and you'd have to use the window to get to the toilet. All while 8 cats roamed the house. I don't have 8 cats, but it seems like if you've got hoarding issues, you also have cats.

(Photo from Hoarders. This is a virtual room tour where you can learn 

about items the hoarder had trouble parting with. Kinda disturbing...)

I am an e-mail hoarder. Not on purpose mind you. I just stopped deleting them. The 1.5 seconds it took to delete an e-mail became too time consuming. So I just let it go...and go...and go... And now I have a gabillion e-mails! Most of them are non-important, but seeing the "Inbox (391)" at the top of the page makes me feel mentally cluttered as well.

Wedding planning comes with the need to be organized. Contracts, schedules, timelines and handy newsletters start to take over your inbox and while I know some of you have got this e-mail organization thing all figured out, the following might help if you don't. Drawing from the rules of Feng Shui, or "the art of flow," I've listed a few steps below on how we can take back control of our inbox!

• Open Spaces says e-mail is just like water in that it keeps a constant flow. Keep the flow positive by dealing with e-mails as you receive them.  
• Open Spaces also mentions the importance of getting organized by creating e-mail folders. I will take that one step further and suggest that if you can't respond to an e-mail ASAP, create a folder designated for nightly followup. This way you will be less likely to let it sit in your inbox indefinitely and you already have a list of what needs your attention.
   
• Unsubscribe from pesky, unwanted newsletters as you receive them. This may take a while, but keep it up and you will eventually reduce your spam.
   
• Don't be afraid to use your e-mail provider block's feature for messages which bring negativity, such as petulant sales people, into your life.

If you have any advice, feel free to let me know in the comment section and I'll post it in a followup. 

**UPDATE** November 6, 2011 - I did it! I finally cleared my inbox! My brain feels so much less cluttered.