Love, Snow and Portraits!

After the ceremony it was time for portraits!  Though the sun set early, we were able to get some great dusk shots and, of course, some snow in the photos!  I won't go on describing because I'm 100% sure these speak for themselves.  (Once again, these are all courtesy of the fabulous Jessica Morrisy!)

And how did we get here?  Checking In;  Practice Makes Perfect: The Rehearsal!; The Rehearsal Dinner!; The Rehearsal Dinner Slide Show; Girls Gone Wild!; Got Mah Hairs Did; The Guys Get Groomed; The Girls Get Glammed!; Get Me To The Church on Time!; The Moments of a Lifetime: Our Ceremony!

Speaking of Spring Cleaning

Admittedly, this has absolutely nothing to do with weddings, I was just so impressed by mother nature today that I had to share!  Today it's more than 70 degrees out, so I decided to uncover the patio furniture, clean the patios and put out the cushions again... someplace to sit with a glass of wine later!  Last year I purchased heavy duty covers for our wicker furniture and they survived the winter in great shape.  Well this year, the winter was significantly harsher, and apparently someone figured out that hiding in our chair, under a waterproof cover, was the perfect place to hibernate!

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not at all psyched at the new hole in the seat of our chair.  But look at the construction of this nest-- and you can't even see the part that fell out but it used to look even more impressive.  Think of how many hours it must have taken our friend the squirrel to get all those twigs in there... this is a second floor balcony that is only accessible by climbing a gutter. It's really quite a brilliant feat when you think about it.  My friend C. thinks they must have known it was my house and used the Martha Stewart book of nest building to aid in their work.

And of course I'm 100% sure J. will strongly disagree with me on this, but, since the damage is done, I have to say that as an animal lover I'm kind of glad we were able to offer a little creature a warm place to hide for the winter.  I just wish she or he would have lived there without eating all the wicker.  At least it's in a place we normally cover with pillows, but these were a gift to J. from his parents, so I'm still bummed that it happened.  And you'd better believe next winter we'll be investing in some moth balls for under the patio furniture covers!!

Oh and do you know what the best part is?  When I cleaned off the upstairs patio, I found ANOTHER nest in our GRILL!  That one's getting tossed :)

Spring Cleaning!

It's April Fool's Day!  But, although I toyed with writing a post about throwing a pirate wedding (or ninjas, or pirates versus ninjas) I realized there's probably something better to say, and a bit more serious at that.  This is the time of year when I always make sure to do some spring cleaning.  I donate old clothing to goodwill, clean out my fridge, add some miracle grow to the plants, and throw out old receipts.  To name a few things!

And another thing I have needed to do is simplify my life a bit.  During wedding planning, I got so used to moving in hyperdrive-fast-forward that I have not had the chance to be "normal" in a really long time.  I literally never say no or stop.  This has been compounded by a great many demands on my time- we have been trying to sell two homes, and I also have been an active bridesmaid (or close friend) for a slew of weddings (with their associated showers and bachelorette parties), and three baby showers (babies!  yay!)  The good news is that I have high-quality problems: two homes, lots of parties, plenty to keep me busy, good friends to celebrate with.  Lots of DIY projects to do and almost no PWD (post-wedding depression).  Definitely don't feel sorry for me.  The bad news is, I *might* be going crazy.  I am quite possibly addicted to my computer and I can't remember how to sit still.  It makes me a little embarassed to even admit it but facts are facts.

So as I spring clean my home and my life, one of the things I am going to have to do is pare down the blog posting (a little).  I mean it, just a little.  But I simply can't continue to work fulltime in a law firm while living my crazy life and posting meaningful daily content.  So maybe you'll see a few less posts (maybe 3 a week?) but hopefully my content will be that much better, and you'll enjoy reading it even more!  I don't want to bore you with nonsense, I want to blog about the worthwhile and meaningful!  And I want to keep my own self sane and fresh so I can continue to enjoy blogging, weddings, and all the fun that go with them!

And so, wonderful readers, that's my spring cleaning commitment to me... simplify and get sane!  Learn to sit still again!  But don't worry, I'm not going anywhere!  :)

Do you have any spring cleaning to do?

image source: the vintage moth

Dollar Store Ingenuity

No matter how much my relative economic status improves in my life, I never stop loving the dollar store.  Between Jack's 99 cents store here in NYC, and the Christmas Tree Shop I visit in the 'burbs, I find inspiration and ideas everywhere!  So imagine how excited I was when I discovered a contest that strikes right at the heart of my dollar store love over at Living with Lindsay!  Lindsay has challenged readers to come up with a Spring decor item for less than $5, and the readers have responded!  Head on over to see the great ideas folks have had!  Oh oh oh, the love.  Here are my current favorites, all of which seem perfect for bridesmaids gifts, shower or wedding decor:

[caption id="attachment_2642" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Spring vignette from 320 Sycamore"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2640" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Silhouette bird plates from Frugal Flourish"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2645" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Vintage inspired calendar from The Paisley Pair"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2644" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Apothecary Jars from My Swanky Crafts"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2643" align="aligncenter" width="182" caption="Nikki's tea cup bird feeder"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2639" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Lindsay's petal-fringed tea towel"][/caption]

Paper doily garland from Decor to Adore

Do you have any favorites?  What would you make?

Venue Scout: Dylan's Candy Bar

 Have you ever been to Dylan's Candy Bar?  I know there are multiple locations, but I'm talking about the NYC based confectionery where sugar is the law.  Where I will never bring my children.  EVER.  Because they might bounce right through the ceiling.  Yep, it's basically amazing.

Well, I'm super excited because I recently attended an outrageously fun bridal shower there (all photos in this post courtesy of friend-bride-to-be)!  I knew that Dylan's could throw private parties, but I always figured they would mainly cater to 10 year-olds.  And I was so excited to learn that they do much, much more!  Like showers and bachelorette parties!

Ready for the best part?  If you throw a party at Dylan's, they do all the heavy lifting for you.  They provide you with invitations AND thank you notes, a private, decorated room, food that isn't just candy (read: tea sandwiches, fruit, crudites) and of course a tasty dessert of your choosing! At the shower I attended, a bartender made tasty cocktails right next to a lovely dessert buffet, and ladies made the nicest-smelling cotton candy while we noshed and visited.  There was also a very tasty and lovely candy-land style cake on display.  As Rachel Ray would say, yum-o!

They will even offer you a professional photographer, games (we decorated cupcakes, played a celebrity couples game, and of course the purse game!), and post-shower courier service so the bride doesn't have to lug all those gifts home in a taxi.

Perhaps the best part, other than all the other great parts, was that each guest got signature Dylan's paint cans to fill with candy from the personalized candy bar- which had things like gummies, chocolate covered oreos, jelly bellies, and so forth.  The lids of the paint cans were personalized for my friend, and the guests were elbowing each other to get to the candy.  You really haven't lived until you've seen 50 and 60 somethings elbowing over candy!  :)

Even if you don't live near a Dylan's, this seems like the kind of theme anyone could run with for a grown-up girl party! I think it is pure brilliance.  Friends take note, for my next big birthday, this is the place to throw my surprise birthday party!

Newlywed Nesting, Notsomuch

Most people who know me, know that I'm a die hard fan of home improvement projects done on the cheap.  In fact, nothing makes me more excited than working on a project for our home... I devour the blogs until I find the perfect look, then I shop for bargain materials, learn techniques, and go!  For example, we added our fireplace mantle to the living room for about $150, but it would have cost $1,500 to have the local professionals do the same exact thing (with the same exact mantle).  All it took was some google searching for the right supplier and some high gloss paint.  J. and I also did our own marble kitchen backsplash by scoring clearance tiles from Expo when it went out of business.  They didn't have enough 2-inch tiles, so we got a box of 4-inch tiles too and figured out how to stretch the materials.  I made a plan on graph paper, J.'s cousin came over with his tile cutter, and for $150 in supplies and a weekend's work we had a new marble kitchen backsplash!

Unfortunately, I can't do any more nesting for a while, which is really too bad because I'm in full-swing-newlywed-nesting-mode.  We've been trying to sell J.'s house for the past 4 months to the tenant who lives there- she is a lovely woman- but unfortunately the sale fell through on Friday.  And so we're now trying more aggressively to sell my big girl house.  I have to believe that somehow, this will all work out, but it's incredibly frustrating to now know where we are going to be.  I am a planner, and not being able to make plans for my home is making me nuts.  But for now, home improvement projects do not make sense.  Maaaaaaaaan.

But a girl can dream!  In an effort to get my design fix, I've resorted to blog love.  Check out these great blogs I've recently discovered, with their incredible offerings!  You'll probably notice these are very "me" (lots of vintage, eclectic, cozy, with a substantial dose of country and only a touch of modern/contemporary) but there's tons more out there for every taste and style.  Please go forth, nest and share so I can live vicariously through you!!

320 Sycamore:  Check out her little makeovers.  Or her recent $5 dollar store spring vignette. 

Apartment Therapy:  An old favorite!  With craigslist finds, madeover furniture, and lots of reader feedback, this place is like an encyclopedia!

Better After:  Spectacular projects, before and after!

A Country Farmhouse: Self explanatory and brilliant.

Kelly and Olive: Design inspiration at it's best.

Frugal Farmhouse Design: This author has killer taste and great ideas.

My Repurposed Life:  This blogger takes trash to treasure in simple, genius ways! 

Anything Pretty:  So much loveliness in one house, it's hard to believe.  I wish I was as good with woodworking as Jenny!

Life as a Martha Wannabe: I feel like I myself could have a blog with this title.  But I love this one so much, I don't need to!

Young House Love:  So much adorable cuteness, so little time.

Gifts to "Flip" For (and apologies for the bad pun)

I crack myself up with my dad-style use of puns :)

Have you seen those cool little video cameras known as the Flip?  They are these adorable, teenie tiny video cameras which start at just $149 and can basically go anywhere.  It seems like they have lots of bells and whistles in those tiny packages too!  I feel like this would be such a great thing to bring on a honeymoon- small, portable, great for capturing funny moments along with those special ones. 

Ok but here is what is really cool about the Flip right now.  If you order one of these from the company, you can upload an image and they''ll put it on the video camera.  For free.  SWEET!

[caption id="attachment_2320" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="It would appear to be just that easy"][/caption]

 I have to say, I'm obsessed with this idea and I don't need a video camera at all.  But still obsessed.  I feel like this would be such a wonderful gift for newlyweds... or parents who have helped plan your wedding; or your maid of honor.  You could put the couple's engagement photo on it, or your parents' wedding shot, for example.  And with free shipping offers available, it is that much more appealing.

What do you think?  Do you love the Flip?  Actually, while I'm at it, has anyone out there actually used the Flip before?  What did you think?