Sunday, June 29, 2008

Happy Canada Day!!!!!


(it's a little early, I know) C and I are heading to the cottage for our holiday weekend and a Canada Day celebration...we'll be out of touch for a bit but we'll be back with tonnes of fun stories and great pics so check back on Wednesday. Have a great week.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

great gift ideas

"this and that" handblown glassess...58$

"bella" cheese cloche...$58-$98


"bedega" bottle basket...$68

cork rod trivet...$10 - $36

rosewood snack tray..$42 - $98


"sul mercato" antipasti set...$28 - this one is my fave!!!

I was browsing the web this morning and came across this great store called Napa Style. They have some fantastic pieces for entertaining and they would be super to give as a wedding or shower gift (for yourself too!). These were some of my favourite ones.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Elegant!


The cover of the current issue of Elegant Bride caught my eye at my local bookshop. I haven't checked out this magazine in a while, and apparently I've been missing some amazing photography. Here are some pictures from the website...

These amazing shots are from the "From Here To Eternity" album on Brides.com, shot in Hawaii...

red or white?

Etiquette for weddings has really changed. It seems that it's just not about the bride anymore...the groom gets some goods too! What has become really popular is coed bridal showers. These can take on many forms....like if the bride and groom registered somewhere like the Home Depot, you could have a tool shower (though I'm not quite sure I would call it a "tool" shower!). Sometimes a couple will register at a travel agency (yes, you can do this!), and ask for gift certificates that might take them on their honeymoon. You could host a travel themed shower...I think that would be a lot of fun!

{click on photo to enlarge}

One of the more popular coed events is a wine shower. The Husband and I hosted one a few years ago for friends who were getting married. It helped that the bride and groom like a little vino now and then! For the invitations, I assigned everyone a country and colour of wine to bring. Everyone was asked to bring one bottle of wine, but most brought two bottles. We had hors d'oeurves for everyone to nibble on, and really just enjoyed a mid-summer's evening outside. You could also do a wine tasting to go with the whole theme. Check out this link for some great ideas. There were no games or crazy stunts, though, if everyone doesn't know each other, a great ice breaker is to think of some famous people, write them on sheets of paper and stick them on everyone's back. Then the guests have to help you guess who you are. It's a great way to get people talking, and a lot of fun.

{click on photo to enlarge}

If you're going to give wine as a gift, I found these great labels from Popptags. These aren't just for weddings...they are something great to stick on a bottle of wine when you're invited over to someone's house for dinner too.

And, if you need something to package the whole deal up in, check out Garnish...they have some great wine boxes that you can add your own special touch too.

Photos: party - brides.com, invites - Avocado Kiss, wine tags - popptags.com, wine boxes - Garnish.com

Thursday, June 26, 2008

for the guys





I always have a hard time finding great ties for the husband. We don't necessarily have alot of selection in town and to be honest he's picky. I found these ties on MeandMatilda, they have some really nice ties and ones that he won't scowl at...at $18.99 they are super priced too.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

floral fantasy!


Beautiful Blooms, based in Philadelphia, is like porn for floral lovers! I love, LOVE their floral design. Beautiful Blooms is made up of a team of designers, and I truly think their designs are unique. And not only do they do flowers, they provide chairs, chair covers and linens...bringing the total package together. They are also a 2008 pick from The Knot Best of Weddings. Please be sure to visit their site for lots of inspiration!

This first set of pictures is my very favorite! I love the black and white combination, I LOVE the tablecloth and the hits of silver bring it all together.
photos: Marie Labbancz from Beautiful Blooms website




I really like these colour and floral combinations. Look at the fantastic poppies in the centerpieces!
photos: Bia Sampaio from Beautiful Blooms website





The prettiest of pinks...I love the soft pattern on the bridesmaids dresses. How cool is this greenery on the place cards table! The floral arbor is definitely one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen...do you think I can fit that in my office?
photos: Mike Kehr from the Beautiful Blooms website

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

new and improved



These are some pics of my newly revised entranceway. We still (or should I say I) have some more things to do...hooks for bags/hats, wall accents and a few other things but for right now I had to share my enthusiasm. I was getting frustrated because it is such a small space and with there being 5 of us in the house (yes, my parents live with us) there are shoes and keys everywhere, not to mention the dirt that collects and gets dragged into the house. I got this large yellow bin (good for summer shoes) from Walmart and though they don't have them on their website - seasonal - it was less tham 4$. The two tin bins on the stairs are for keys and mail and the container on the ledge holds suntan lotion, kleenex, hair ties, lip gloss and my daughter's hats. Along with a few beach towels for outside play we can just grab what we need and go. The last few things I mentioned were all 1$ from our dollar store. We posted about these removable chalkboard squares from Paper Source before but they were only $19.99 and this has been their 2nd home since I bought them, so they really are great. It serves as our new message board and for reminders, we each have our own square. Although I will need to be creative again for the winter this makes me very happy for now!!!

Monday, June 23, 2008

Why didn't I think of that!


I love this idea from The Wedding Chicks..these favors indicate the guest's menu selection. What a great idea! Please check out their blog post here.

photo {via: The Wedding Chicks}

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Cherish - Madonna (HQ Audio)

countdown to Madonna...







So I think it's about 20 weeks or so until C and I see Madonna in Las Vegas, and I'm sure by the time we leave you'll have either bought tickets yourself , or you'll be sick of all the Madge posts. Regardless, this was always my favourite video and song of hers, (I have many) so I thought for a rainy (here in the Bay) Sunday it was a good tune...there's also some "remember when" pics of the lady herself...

Friday, June 20, 2008

Some Friday Love!

I love this song, Thank You For Being A Friend by Andrew Gold. I particularly love the Will and Grace montage as well...I loved that show!

I think too often we don't tell people that we appreciate them. People like to hear that...trust me, flattery will get you everywhere! Remember brides, tell your maids how much you appreciate their help (provided that they are helping you!), you asked them to stand by you for a reason.

I want to tell a couple people how much I appreciate their friendship...

To M: for so many reasons, I can't even begin to list them....let's just say, taco dip and sour candy!

To P: for our new found friendship and daily emails...I hope we get to have many more adventures in travel!

To my sisters M and S: not only are we sisters, but more importantly, we are friends...always ready to lend me a helping hand or ichat with me when I'm bored! These things are important!

I appreciate you all, thanks for being my friends!

Have a great weekend everybody!!



my current obsession

Ever since M brought over this month's Domino Magazine, I can't get this picture out of my head, not to mention that now I totally want to redo a room in my house with this whole look!


I know that she already did a post about her favorite things...but this picture made me think that this would be a very cool colour scheme for a wedding.

Photo Credits:
Dessert Bar: Vanilla Bakeshop, Chalkboard Centerpiece: Stacey Kane, Shoe: Kate Spade, Invitations: Chewing The Cud, Earrings: Uncommon Originals, Striped Dresses: Stacey Kane, Table Setting: Martha Stewart

Thursday, June 19, 2008

ummmmm...how pretty are these?




Of course it's obvious that C and I are addicted to etsy and we try to let you know about any really cool or functional stuff that we find, especially if it can be used for your wedding. I came across this one etsy shop called Which Goose by a woman from Washington DC. it seems that she tries to use mostly natural elements and will gladly do custom orders. I mean it when I say that her work is BEAUTIFUL, honestly I love it and wish that I had something to wear one for right now. They are all reasonably priced at $30 and she'll ship anywhere. The photos are fantastic too...


it's in the bag


Wouldn't this be lovely for a bride to carry, or it would be the perfect gift for your bridesmaids! This is my favorite, but there are so many to choose from. These beautiful clutches are from Red Ruby Rose and at $65, they are totally affordable! {via: Pretty Little Things}

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

I watch way too much TV!

One of my favorite commercials...

eye candy...

photo from Access Hollywood

Okay, so I don't really follow basketball, all I know is that the Lakers are in the NBA finals, and that means the celebrities are front row at all the games in LA. The Lakers biggest fan, these days, is David Beckham. Can we just talk about how completely gorgeous he is. Seriously, I will watch basketball if it means they will keep flashing his smiling face on the jumbo-tron! (It's a bit like when Josh Duhamel took his shirt off in Win A Date With Tad Hamilton, um...hello, yummy!) David's soccer skills may be disputed (a less than stellar performance with the LA Galaxy), but he is certainly nice to look at, so cute with his kids, and is married to Victoria, whom I've already blogged about here. Enjoy.....

photo from this site

Monday, June 16, 2008

Yahoo!

Thanks to my sister M, Avocado Kiss has a spankin' new website! Take a look...

best wedding song ever?

Thank you Blush for reminding me of this...I'm pretty sure we haven't posted it yet, so here goes...


Best Wedding Toast Ever!!!! (Amy's Song) - Awesome video clips here

pretty things

I hosted a tea party birthday for my niece on the weekend. It was a lot of fun to do some girly stuff! My colour scheme was pink and green (see the invites in this previous post). I know she's only 9, but I got excited and wanted to have floral centerpieces. This could easily be adapted to a wedding a centerpiece, and it was cheap! My local grocery story had mini carnation bunches for $7.99. One bunch of flowers made 5 floral arrangements! I used the large white paper bowl from Garnish, which was $1.10. Inside it I put a juice glass of water and arranged the flowers in the glass (I figured this way I could reuse the containers later). All in all, the centerpiece was $2.70!! You could put several on a wedding table and it would be so pretty. I printed off some menu cards, stuck them to a bamboo skewer and put it inside the arrangement. Easy!


Another idea that can be adapted to a wedding, is the small activity boxes I gave each of the girls. I filled them with some jewelery beads and cording (our activity of the day), some bingo cards and a dabber, and even some sweet treats. Wouldn't this be a great idea for the kids at your wedding reception...maybe fill it up with a colouring book, crayons and some stickers. Surely this will keep the kids busy while the parents enjoy their meal. I used the small white paper bowls from Garnish, $1 each, and the square clear hinged container, $1.50.

Now that the party is over, I must find something new to plan....any ideas?