DIY…Time in a Bottle

Posted on July 19, 2009 by vicki

Here’s a great way to display vintage family photos. Follow these few easy steps from Yankee Magazine.

You’ll need: glass bottle or jar glass cleaner photocopy of a photograph or print scissors two wooden skewers.

Choose an attractive glass bottle or jar, whether new or antique (the larger the neck or the mouth the better). Clean it and dry it thoroughly. (Polident denture solution works great for getting old glassware clean.)
Make a color or black-and-white photocopy of your picture on regular copier paper. The copy should be small enough (in length and width) to fit unrolled inside the glass container. Trim excess paper if necessary.
Wrap the photocopy, blank side showing, around one of the wooden skewers and roll it into a tight cylinder.
Slide the photocopy cylinder off the skewer and slip it, right side up, through the bottle’s neck (or the jar’s mouth).
Insert both skewers down through the neck (or mouth).
Working from the blank side (to avoid damaging the print), use the skewers to unroll the cylinder until it’s flat inside the bottle or jar. Pressing toward the front of the container from the back of the photocopy works best.
Leave the top of your bottle or jar open if you like, or finish with a cork or clean metal cap.

DIY Wedding Favors – Baby Cakes

Posted on July 19, 2009 by vicki

This is a fun DIY wedding project that will impress even your craftsy girlfriends. These pretty “baby cakes” or “cake bites” are a wonderful addition to a wedding dessert buffet or you could package them as an elegant and edible DIY favor. I found this easy-to-follow tutorial at cakejournal.com, an online journal of the very talented baker and designer Louise, who is from Denmark. The site is full of fun ideas, a confection gallery and lots of wedding inspiration, and Louise has a unique and engaging way of encouraging beginners to jump right in! Thanks, Louise:)

(photo courtesy of cakejournal.com)

From Love Notes: http://pacificweddings.typepad.com/love_notes/2009/07/diy-wedding-favors-baby-cakes.html

Not Your Average Bridal Baking Supplies

Posted on July 12, 2009 by vicki

I am a sucker for cute baking supplies so I loved this post from The Inspired Bride.

Bridal Shower Baking Supplies from Layer Cake Shop

Layer Cake Shop recently launched a new website storefront that features a lot of incredibly cute stuff for baking. There are really adorable baking cups that are a heck of a lot cuter than the standard grocery store variety. Their toppers are really great, too! I immediately thought that it’s an awesome place to go for really hip bridal shower cupcake making! How cute are the little white birds? They’d be great for an at home wedding with homemade cupcakes to give them a little something extra special! Spend some time digging through the assortment – there’s some great stuff!

See the original post here:
http://www.inspiredbride.net/2009/07/06/baking/

Fall 2009 Wedding Colors

Posted on July 12, 2009 by vicki

The Pantone Fashion Color Report of Fall 2009 is out and of course you’re going to want to incorporate these colors in your wedding this Fall. The 2009 fall color palette is more unique and thoughtful than the typical autumn hues of past years. These colors are sure to be the 2009 Wedding Trends for Fall.

First one is American Beauty (Pantone 19-1759). This is a natural choice during uncertain times. Patriotic American Beauty is a wonderfully balanced true red and speaks to the need for cohesiveness. It is perfect for all skin tones and most certainly a feel-good color.

PROMINENT COLORS are Translucent Reds, Purples and Magentas with some hints of Deep Crimsons and Resonant Purples, Creams and Dusty Mustards, Cool Ocean Blues, Turquoise and Greens with hints of Black.

Another 2009 Wedding Trend for Fall is Purple Heart (Pantone 18-3520) which connotes a sense of refinement and sensuality, adding an air of creativity and excitement to the top 10 color palette, especially when paired with American Beauty.

PROMINENT COLORS to incorporate into your wedding are lush saturated shades paired with earthy neutrals like Merlot and Deep Plum with Raven and Gilt.

Another 2009 Wedding Trend for Fall is a warmer and more subdued Honey Yellow (Pantone 16-1143) which carries the 2009 color of the year, PANTONE 14-0848 Mimosa, through to fall and winter with its warm and golden tones. Pairing Honey Yellow with Purple Heart, will surely add a surprising flair to your fall wedding colors. Or, if you want, for a more typical fall combination, group Honey Yellow with Burnt Sienna and Iron together.

PROMINENT COLORS are Golden Topaz, Warm Onyx, Smoky Quartz, Jade, Garnet and Cool Carnelian with the MOST IMPORTANT COLOR being Smoky Quartz which adds warmth to highlight the other colors in your fall wedding.

Use Creme Brulee, a grayed-down beige, and Nomad, which bridges the gap between beige and light gray and also speaks to the need for timeless neutrals. All three classics can stand alone or serve as anchors when paired with other colors in your 2009 Fall Wedding.

PROMINENT COLORS are Black with pop colors like White, Fuchsia, Lilac and Grape tones of Purple, Mint Green, Burnt Orange and Electric Blue

MOST IMPORTANT COLOR is Black which is the perfect background for pops of vibrant and warm color and is eminently wearable and simultaneously edgy and polished for a 2009 fall wedding.

The 2009 Wedding Trend for Fall would not be complete without a seasonal favorite like Burnt Sienna (Pantone 17-1544) which is a deepened and earthy shade of orange, reminiscent of an autumn sunset. Pair this warm and versatile hue with Nomad and Rapture Rose for a different twist.

The PROMINENT COLORS are classic textured Black and Moonlight, accented by smoky and cool Celadon Green and a cold Brick Red. Perfect colors for the upcoming 2009 Fall wedding season.

My favorite, adding spark to the fall wedding palette, Rapture Rose (Pantone 17-1929). It artfully captures the vibrancy of fuchsia and the softness of pink. The addition of Rapture Rose will enliven the more traditionally subdued wedding fall hues. Remember to look for it in cosmetics as well as bridal clothing and accessories.

Another upcoming 2009 Fall Wedding trend, like the olive in a martini, Warm Olive (Pantone 15-0646) which is a rich yellow-green and adds a touch of elegance and sophistication to the fall wedding. When combined with other colors, this tangy and intriguing hue makes all other colors come alive.

New Eco-Friendly Mama’s Tea Favor

Posted on July 3, 2009 by vicki

Formulated especially for women, our tea blends red raspberry leaf with balancing lemon balm, mineral rich nettles and alfalfa, rejuvenating ginger to help ease cramping, chamomile for digestion, and rose hips for Vitamin C. We also include lavender for relaxation, spearmint for flavor and cinnamon for taste.

Each eco-friendly favor includes a 3x3x3″ eco-friendly recycled favor box, a compostable cello bag filled with 1 oz Mama’s Tea, and 10 chlorine-free environmentally-friendly paper tea filter bags designed for no-mess tea preparation. These little gems are perfect baby shower favors or bridal party gifts or stocker stuffer gifts for all the great women you want to celebrate!

*Optional: choose favor tags or wraparound labels for box design:

**Ribbon is not included specifically for the option of using a wraparound favor label but may be ordered separately. We have a growing selection of eco-friendly ribbon.

New Eco-Friendly Wildflower Favors

Posted on May 29, 2009 by vicki

In addition to our bestselling Herbs in a Box favor featuring rosemary, basil, parsley, thyme and chives, we are now adding to our eco-friendly favor family! We have wildflowers in a box which features a 3 1/2″ x 3″ x 1″ 100% recycled kraft pillow box and a compostable cello bag of wildflower seeds. You can add personalized labels to this favor from our gift and favor labels category or tie some eco-friendly paper raffia ribbon around it and add a gift and favor tag.

Linen and Lace Wedding Love Birds

Posted on March 25, 2009 by vicki

I found these on Etsy and had to share them. They are so adorable and an amazing work of art!

Linen and Lace Love Birds

Beautiful lovebirds made using linen, cotton, and vintage lace.

He wears a light tan linen jacket with gold silk four ‘button’ waistcoat. His bow tie is made using ivory satin. His sweetheart wears a gown of exquisite vintage lace, a soft ‘gold’ colour. She wears a pretty hand made fascinator with white and gold details, embellished with tiny beads. Gorgeous little love birds!

Each little bird is hand stitched using fine embroidery threads. Eyes are embroidered, and feet are hand made using wire. Filled with hypo-allergenic fiber

Cinnamon Hearts Candy Cider

Posted on February 10, 2009 by vicki

I found this on Martha Stewart today. What a great idea! It’s so easy and would make a really nice table treat and coordinate well with some cinnamon heart candy favors. I really like the 4oz tapered glass favor jars for colorful candies like this. The lid is perfect for both favor labels and [tag]gift tags[/tag]. Add some tags with the recipe and you’re all set.

Cinnamon Hearts Cider

1 quart apple cider
1/4 cup hard cinnamon candies
Stir in a medium saucepan over low heat.
Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly,
until heated through and candies have
melted completely, about 8 minutes.
Serve warm.

Death by chocolate cake.

Posted on January 7, 2009 by vicki

Have you ever wished you could whip up a chocolate cake in a matter of minutes? One that you might devour without having to share it with anyone? The following recipe is just that. You can scarf it down on your own in front of a movie or have an original idea for an activity at a shower or other event. What a wonderful favor this would make to include the dry ingredients and print out the recipe

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

Bath Time

Posted on June 27, 2007 by vicki

Soap favors

We found this little soapmaker working on coast of Massachusetts and can’t get enough of their wonderful products! We are currently carrying the great Kitchen Bar, which smells good enough to eat – it smells like coffee and chocolate and other yummy things. We also have the Gardener’s Bar, Oatmeal, Milk and Honey, Lavender Oatmeal, Eucalyptus & Mint and Lavender Milk Bath for the ultimate indulgence.

Favor Creative is selling these little soaps as is for inclusion in gift packaging, or with customized labels. Simply choose any of our many label designs and add it to the order and it will be made into a long label that wraps around the soap. We sell the soaps in a variety set, but special orders are welcome for an additional 3-5 day turnaround. Other scents that are available are: Baby’s Bar, Eczema Bar, Cool Waters, Cucumber Melon, English Ivy, Lily of the Valley, Pomegranate (my favorite!), Tea Tree and Peppermint, and Warm Vanilla, among many others.

Handcrafted Soaps Using a blend of pure olive oil combined with shea butter and coconut oil, these soaps have a creamy lather which leaves the skin feeling soft and supple, never tight. The soaps are 100% natural containing dried herbs, natural oxides and ultramarines, pure essential oils and fragrances. These soaps are very lightly scented and are suitable for a variety of skin types. Each batch is made by hand and cured for 4 weeks.

All natural handcrafted soap is wonderful for your skin, because it contains the natural glycerin which occurs in the soap making process. Most commercial soaps have their glycerin extracted and sold to other industries. This is why your skin feels dry and itchy after you use them. The glycerin in handmade soap leaves your skin silky soft!

My Green Life

A blog about special occasions, natural food, and living green.

Category Archives: Bridal Shower