Call Emily Post....

I'm a bad, bad girl...
I used labels on our invitations. CLEAR mailing labels. And, *gasp* colored ink! I wanted something that looked nice and neat but couldn't afford calligraphy (or rather, calligraphy wasn't something I cared enough about to splurge on) and I don't like my own handwriting enough AND kind of was just too lazy to address them by hand.

So here ya go. The finished envelopes.
-Labels, my mom
-Envelopes, Silver Pearlescent Metallic from PaperandMore

Front:
-Stamp, Etsy

Back:

These--the DIY pocketfolds fiance and I worked long and hard to assemble-- are getting sent out tomorrow!! I feel like we are sending off our children! I am pleased with how they came out EXCEPT for the hideous freaking one-cent "tiffany lamp" stamp. I mean come.on. US Post Office. Can we do a little better with the aesthetic appeal of the one-centers--assuming that most people will be buying them for a WHILE?!

Will post detailed photos of the actual invite tomorrow.

FYI--Here were our DIY Save the Dates (in case you missed) And yes, I addresses all 150 of these myself with my trusty Sharpie:
Front:

-Envelopes, Azela Metallic, PaperandMore

Back:

Actual Save the Date (Vista Print):

The orange (tangerine) color started as a piece of our color scheme so it is reflected throughout our correspondence stationery. But we have since ditched it. Hey. A girl can change her mind!

Happy Friday!

The Blog is Hot!

It was just brought to my attention today that my little ole blog is featured on Alltop.com on the wedding page listed with some of the top blogs in the industry! Alltop is a "digital magazine rack" of the internet that features "all the top" stories from the web news sites and blogs. On their wedding page they have a sort of mini-feed of my new posts. Isn't that cool?! It's really exciting for me..because this blog started with intentions to be no more than a place for me to dump my planning thoughts.

Hair Trial: Results

I got extensions today! I wanna wear my hair long(er) for the wedding, in big loose curls. So basically this hair would just be curled.  I am pleased! WDYT?


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Blingy Undies

I've been making more of these in my down time due to popular demand!! It's meticulous, but I like making them.

"Mrs. Diamond"?? Must be nice!!

Something blue?

Can you keep up???

Hair Trial Tomorrow!

So I'm getting a (kind of) hair trial tomorrow....
I'll explain this more tomorrow!
I hope I like it more than my first makeup trial.
Seriously!

Also, we're wrapping up the invites and hope to get them out this week, so I'll post detailed pics of the finished product here soon.
Have a great Tuesday... and cherish this short work week!

Hustlin'!!

Makeup Trial #1:Too.Much.Makeup. I Think.

And certainly NOT the last.

So I finally had the trial I was supposed to do Sunday and the moral of the story is: I like it basically except for the foundation--it is way to heavy for me.  And although I want a 'smokey' sultry eye, I'm not sure I love my whole eyes how they look here.  I was surprised the foundation came out so heavy looking like this because she used airbrush....

We have scheduled another trial.  Fiance also weighed in on my face.  He wants me to "look like myself and not a mannequin" on our wedding day.  He likes "the smoke eye" as he so accurately calls the look.  But he likes my natural skin--hates foundation.  And he didn't like the what he called "gold eyeshadow" with my trial smokey-eye face.  He's so cute:)  But I do take his advice seriously, because after all, who am I getting all dolled up FOR?? Hahaha. Double-click pics to get up close and personal. Pimple and all.

Me bare-faced:                                                                And after the trial:

DIY Undies!

OK, so thanks to some resourceful Knotties and some good tutorials from Ebay I was able to make my own...umm...wedding day undies!! Ha! Cute, right?? I know there's nothing really special about these--except that I MADE THEM! And they were much cheaper to make than buy and have shipped:)


Here are some GREAT instructions. And more GREAT instructions. But here is my version if you care:)

You Need:

Hotfix flatback rhinestones: I used 10ss but you can go smaller for sure

Mylar Paper

Wax-tipped rhinestone picker-upper

Undies of your choice

1. In MICROSOFT WORD go to "Insert----> WordArt" and use WordArt to type out your text. Use one text box for your soon-to-be last name "Mrs.XXX" and then use a separate text box for your "EST. DATE" if you choose to include this.

2. Use the Word draw tools panel and select 'Rotate or Flip' then choose 'Flip Horizontal.' This will flip your text so it looks like you are looking at a mirror image of the text. Next adjust your text for the font you want (Lucida Handwriting or Calligraphy are nice) and font size. Print them out and through trial and error see what will fit well on the undies you choose. Then print and cut out your text.

3. Next, tape your text down onto your work surface and tape it so it stays in place.

4. Then take your MYLAR paper--peel off the sticky sheet away from the white backing and place the sticky sheet on top of your text--sticky side UP. Tape it down to the table, too, so it stays put.

5. Then just place your rhinestones onto the sticky mylar paper over your text (trace it with the rhinestones). Make sure your rhinestones are SHINY SIDE DOWN and glue side up. You should be looking at the glue side (when you flip it and put on your undies the shiny side will be up).

6. After you're done with the design, place it shiny side up onto your undies. Take a thin cloth or even thin t-shirt and place it over the design/mylar paper. On high heat and NO STEAM place the iron over the design (and cloth) and put pressure. This is melting the glue! Do this until you feel the stones are setting. Then flip the undies over and apply the iron to the back of the undies too. This is IMPORTANT in making sure they set!

Cost Break Down

720 hotfix 10SS flatback rhinestones: $10.94 (including shipping--EBAY) [I did not use them all]
Mylar Paper: $4.99 (Ebay)
Undies: $2.99 from Burlington Coat Factory (Rampage)
Total Cost: $18.92

Compare to a pricetag of $32.99 (that is WITH cheapest shipping option) from CustomGlamGirl.com. Also, CustomGlamGirl has restrictions on the amount of letters you can use: 14 characters. Which would have made my little "Established in...." line not possible.

If you want, I can make you some. Just leave a comment with your email.
Enjoy!

Makeup Trial This Sunday!!

So, I have my first makeup trial this weekend with a good friend of mine who just happens to be an Aveda esthetician! I'm super excited about this.
Her advice to me is that for the wedding I should go with one of two looks:
1) A classic, glam red lip with the rest of the face muted OR
2) a dramatic, smokey eye and lashes with a nude lip

Well, I did a search on some nude lip looks and was wondering how she planned to make that work with my complexion--all of the looks I saw...the pale, flesh colors would make me look like a zombie!
Until, that is, I came across this photo of Jen Hudson from an Allure magazine shoot.

Apparently this is the "nude" lip look--and as she has a complexion very similar to my own--I LOVE this! What do you think?

I think I may want my eyes played UP a bit more than this, but overall I think it is very natural-looking and pretty.
I'll post pics of the trial on Sunday:)

Shoes---Check!!

Woot-woot girls!!
The shoes have arrived and they could not be more perfect. The 7.5 fits fine--and even became more comfy from the 15 minutes I walked around the house in them tonight!!
Perfect.

Honestly...these shoes are so gorgeous...these photos do them MAJOR injustice:)

Stampin': Invite Crunch Part I

Well, this should technically be 'invite crunch' part two--as fiance and I spent our Thursday night taping and assembling the remainder of our pocketfolds as we are hustling to meet a May 15 invitation send-off date!
Not so sure May 15 is going to happen....but in a strong effort, here I am on a SATURDAY night doing what else but...stamping dozens of envelopes with the return address stamp we had created.
It's a wood-handle rubber stamp I ordered to use on the back of our envelopes for both our return addresses and as a decorative element.



Done and done.
Next up: Finish the belly-bands--A.K.A: "THEE biggest time-sink ever"

OMG OMG OMG!!!!!

Can I tell you how much I love TheKnot.com?
Actually--no--can I say how much I love certain incredibly resourceful Knotties?
So....as you know, I have had a VERY difficult time finding the perfect pair of shoes.

Well, today, fabulous Knottie KarlandJoni told me about a great deal on Bloomingdales.com where the fuschia Stuart Weitzman peep-toes I have been obsessing over were on a super-duper sale.
I mean a sale like marked down from $360 to less than $150!
My fiance-imposed shoe budget was $200...so before this sale I had no hopes of getting this shoe.
The catch is (always a catch) I am a size eight and the shoe I ordered (all that was left) is a size seven and a half.
But it IS a peep-toe, which in my experience, usually work better a bit smaller anyway (because your toes tend to slide forward and away from the shoe backing).
Also, the Knottie who directed me to the sale said she actually tried this gawgeous shoe on IN PERSON and in her regular size, it was too big--to the point it came off her foot when she walked.
Soooo, my odds look good for this one ladies!
And now, my lucky, lucky eye candy!




Pure.Perfection.

For the Boys!

I mentioned Saturday that FI and I finally went to order the tuxes from Mens Wearhouse.
Here's what we decided on.
The tux:


Vest (Ignore Tie & Bowtie):

And Tie:


And last, but not least, the bouts. Green dendros for the guys---

A single white cymbidium for my groom (these will appear in my bouquet, too):
**With black wrap to blend with tux--not that green tape...**

Day Old Bouquet

I'll probably not wrap the bridesmaid's bouquets until the day of the wedding in August. But interestingly, my little test bouquet that I had sitting in a vase overnight held up great after a day. (I left the stems exposed, so was able to keep it in water).
Today, on this lovely Saturday, fiance and I are off to go pick out tuxes! I love it when he is involved--he is mostly laissez faire when it comes to the planning. But we got up and out early this morning to shop for summer clothes for our toddler(and he actually helped me shop) so hopefully tux-shopping will go well, too!
Have a great weekend!


I

Flower Trial: DIY Bridesmaid Bouquet

This was my very first time making a bouquet, and for a "first time", I'm pleased with the results and confident I can make my bridesmaid's bouquets for the wedding! I will save a good amount of money doing this!

For the mock-up I just bought some roses from a downtown street vendor plus some other cheap flowers to work with. For the real bouquets, I plan to use all premium roses from Global Rose in shades of pink and no filler.