Save on Crafts

September 2nd, 2010

Ok, I need to put a little disclaimer on this one. Save on  Crafts is an American Website that does not deliver to Ireland. If you have someone in America, have them sent to them or take the inspiration and have a look for similar {and maybe even cheaper} on Ebay.

But I cannot pass up this site of resources and inspiration. They seem to always have what I am looking for. From lighting to hairpieces. You can DIY your dreams. Vintage it or go party Mod with glow bracelets and necklaces all nicely laid out in a good looking and easy to navigate website. Which means a lot to me. Some of the sites I use are so confusing and you end up trawling through so much junk!

Anyway, here are a few snippets of what they have on offer:

The above from the top row are Crystal Chandelier Stand, Paris Flea Market Chandelier, French Wire Urn, French Wire Hanging Candle Holder, Reclaimed Wood Terrarium, Metal Birdcages, Artificial planted Tree, Hanging Wicker and Glass Candle Holder

Above from Top row: Round Wood Frame, Glass Cloche Bell Jar, Water Drop Hanging Tea Light, Apothecary Jar, Glass Tall Cake Stand {love that one!}, Reclaimed Wooden Cakes Stand

From Top Row: Natural Birch Covered Planter, Natural Wheat Wreath, Natural Boxwood Hearts, Daisey Chain

And for the more modern of you,

From Top Row: LED Light Cubes, Glowing Orbs, LED Service Tray, More Glowing Orbs {I think they are cool!}, and Solar LED Lights

Now I realize these are not exactly crafts but there are loads of supplies you can get on the site to make your own anything! head on over to have a look, and as I said, if you can’t buy you will get great ideas and hey, at lease you know that what you are looking for is out there!

Annie

Live, Love, Laugh and Dream!

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Wedding Brunch

August 31st, 2010

Did any of you see last week’s Four Weddings? {not last night’s one} What did you think of the at breakfast time? Not to be confused with a wedding breakfast  for some of our UK visitors {who call a wedding dinner the wedding breakfast} .

I liked the concept of it but not sure about the follow through on the programme. Here is how I think it should have gone……

A lovely wedding would be at around 10 or 11 am followed by a wedding brunch. A real brunch with all of the yummy breakfast food and light lunch food. Really fresh with lots of fruits. And of course really good coffees, teas and freshly squeezed juices. don’t forget about Mimosas {aka Buck’s Fizz} and Champagne and Cranberry and Bloody Mary’s… ooh yes please! I do like that idea.

It’s a perfect style for a relaxed wedding on a Sunday in any season. Here are a few ideas of what you can do for a brunch wedding. Or even for brunch the day after your wedding.

Have lovely fresh bright colors and flowers. Create your own personalized newspapers served with the brunch with articles about you, your wedding, plans, family, honeymoon….. I’m on a roll {no pun. Seriously}! Got it planned already. Soft jazz in the background…mmmmm.

And here is the food. All of these photos are from one of my favorite foodie websites Foodgawkers. Find it and find the links to recipes. It’s wonderful! Seriously.

The juices and drinks,

Clockwise from top left: Sparkling water with fruit ice cubes, Raspberry orange and pomegranite smoothie, Peach iced tea, Blueberry and Kiwi Smoothie

The Cocktails,

Clockwise from top. Classic Bloody Mary, Cranberry Cocktail, Mimosa

The fresh muffins and breads

Peach Yogurt muffin, Blueberry Cinnamon Roll, Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin

The sweet,

Banana rum French Toast, Orange Pecan Belgin Waffles, Mango and yogurt Parfaits, Cherry Pie Muffins

The eggs,

Two Storey Omlette, Avacado Toast with Bacon, Poached Eggs with Smoked Provolone, Egg and Bacon Cups

The Lunch,

Mini Sandwiches, Feta and Spinach Quiche with olive Tapanade, Gravalox, Leek and Asparagus Tart

And you can still have a bit of dancing followed by your wedding cake and more bubbly!

Annie

Live, Love, Laugh and Dream!

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Wedding Cake Toppers

August 30th, 2010

Wedding cake is often the centerpiece of the wedding reception so today I’m on about wedding cake toppers.

You can go fun, floral or traditional, monogram or anything you can think of. Your choice of topper on your wedding cake is an artistic statement and the possibilities are endless. Think of the theme of your wedding, your personalities or style, hobbies or simply something you like.

Here are a few ideas to keep you inspired:

First up the floral. Tie your wedding cake into the floral decor of your wedding. This is a really easy way to add color and is simply classic.

Photo by Yours By John on Junebug Weddings

Photo by Roberto Valenzuela on Junebug Weddings

Cake by Maisie Fantaisie

Cake by Maisie Fantaisie

The traditional. My mother always has her traditional bride & groom cake topper on display and I was fascinated by it when I was younger. There is a lot to be said for this tradition. Mom’s is very like this……

Photo by GH Kim on Junebug Weddings

Now….. put a fun twist on the traditional

By Cake Toppers Ireland

By Cake Toppers Ireland

In URAStarHouse's shop on Etsy

Or how about this!!

Photo by Paul Morse on Junebug Weddings

Your style? your turn…. and birds seem to be popular….

Photo by Magda Lucas

Cake topper by kikuike's shop on Etsy

By kikuike's shop on Etsy

Photo by Jennifer Skog on Junebug Weddings

On Amy Atlas website

Or monograms. One of my favorites.

Photo by Aves photographic on Junebug Weddings

Photo by Karen Hill on Junebug Weddings

Milan Creations on Etsy

On Tricia Trisha 69's shop on Etsy

All of the possibilities! For personal toppers in your likeness, order from Cake Toppers Ireland here!

Happy choosing!

Annie

Live, Love, Laugh and Dream!

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Sunday Shoes

August 29th, 2010

The old reliable. 9 West. Good style, good price and every pair I have ever had has lasted me until they were so out of style that I was embarrassed. But they were still absolutely wearable!!!  Hate it when that happens.

Go back for a visit.

I love how you can wear both of these with just about anything. From jeans to pencil skirt.

Annie

Live, Love, Laugh and Dream!

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Twigs & Honey

August 27th, 2010

Veils, headpieces and headbands are getting very creative these days. So feminine and vintagey and lovely. I wish I knew I had these options when I got married because I didn’t want to wear a veil {just not me} or a tiara {sooooo not me}.

These lovelies are from Twigs & Honey and if they had been around on my turn how happy I would have been!

The Twigs & Honey line features hair adornments, headbands, birdcage veils, traditional veils, bridal jewelry, belts, boutonnieres, ring pillows, hats, shrugs, bouquets, corsages, and {oh my gosh!} more! The line uses fine silks, feathers, laces, and vintage bits that result in completely unique adornments.  Myra Callan makes them and experiments with materials, color ways, and methods to develop fresh and ever-changing designs. Fabulous.

Where will you use them?

Headbands

Headpieces

Birdcage Veils

Floral Jewelry

I love this. So delicate.

And these boutineers. You can save them after the wedding!

Myra also has great inspiration and gorgeousness on her blog which you can see here and you must see her Etsy shop too. Of course she is on Etsy! Go straight there here.

Annie

Live, Love, Laugh and Dream!

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Keep Calm and Carry On

August 26th, 2010

You try and try. You have put every ounce of energy into the precise planning of your perfect wedding. Then someone drops a wrench into the works of your well oiled machine.

Mug from Wild & Wolf

Listen, things will happen. Sometimes just a little glitch during the planning process will throw even the most stable bride into a panic. Keep calm and do not place blame! Whose fault something is doesn’t matter. Whatever has happened has happened and blame isn’t going to fix it. Assess the situation calmly {you may like to give yourself a day} and think about how to sort it or how to get what you want. There is a way but it may be a compromise.

Even having a Wedding Planner isn’t going to make things run perfectly {but she will handle it herself and not tell you ;-) }. People are people and things don’t go exactly to the timeline. Sometimes {most times actually} someone doesn’t show up for your scheduled bus departure on time, not everyone in your wedding party will see your first dance. The ring bearer may cry or refuse to walk down the aisle {mine did}, and sometimes, just sometimes the wedding car breaks down. {I think I just went too far into the negatives, which isn’t like me, but this is an example.}

What you have to do is think about how you will handle things.

First of all, prepare yourself with a possible back up plan. This does not make you a Bridezilla. Ask your vendors the ‘What happens if…’ questions.

The big questions are: Do you have a back up car in your fleet? Does the DJ/band have another sound system? Does the venue have a generator? Does your Celebrant know exactly where and what time your ceremony is? Think about these and discuss them with your vendors. Then confirm everything with everyone. Then confirm again.

On your wedding day, the smaller things? The ring bearer, someone missing the bus? Don’t sweat them. You can’t fix it. It doesn’t matter at this point. You have a future husband to meet and he will wait for you. Just keep calm and carry on.

Annie

Live, Love, Laugh and Dream!

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Yellow Tie Wedding

August 25th, 2010

Yea! A real wedding from a photographer in Ireland. I love showing off Ireland {and weddings of course!} as you know. This one is lovely in yellow and shot by Magda Lucas of Moments & Memories and is based in Cork. I’m delighted I found her.

This is Marie & Colm’s wedding that Magda shot in Co Dublin and the reception was held at Airfield House in Dublin. It looks a beautiful and natural location for a wedding and I love how Marie used natural garden picked flowers. – and tied in the yellow! Yellow ties, yellow shoes. Freshness everywhere.

I hope you enjoy it. I did.

Congratulations to Marie & Colm and thanks to Magda for sharing! See more on Magda’s blog here.

Annie

Live, Love, Laugh and Dream!

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Sunday Shoes

August 22nd, 2010

This Sunday’s Shoes I found when cruising around Gilt Group. A great website with great sales on all kinds of pretty posh stuff. I liked {all of} these for the vintageness of them all. Flash back to the 40’s anyone? These are by Seychelles.

Step it out!

Annie

Live, Love, Laugh and Dream!

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Yummy Blog

August 22nd, 2010

Yes, I have been very bad in that I have been ignoring checking in with my own “Blog Love’ blogs lately {see the categories down there on the left?}. So today I am going with one of my foodie favorites. Smitten Kitten. Smitten Kitten has not only great recipes all about comfort food {got to be a favorite with everyone!} but the photos are just as yummy and really make you want to get into the kitchen to connect with the domestic goddess inside. Nothing is fussy or pretensious, just great basics made from scratch and how to make them of course!

Are you ready for some yumminess? {Derena, sorry I’m going to make you hungry again} Ok, here are a few nice summery dishes. Just click on the titles to go to the website and get the recipes.

Watermelon Lemonade

Lemony Zucchini {or courgette depending on where you are from} Goat’s Cheese Pizzas

Cabbage and Lime Salad with Roast Peanuts

And for dessert, a summer classic, Strawberry Shortcakes

Whatever you are making, especially in summer, lots of colors and fresh ingredients is the way to go!

Enjoy!

Annie

Live, Love, Laugh and Dream!

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Jenny Packham

August 19th, 2010

Are you going to a wedding? A bride looking for an alternative gown or evening gown to change into? A bridesmaid who insists on a great dress? Jenny Packham has the ready to wear collection for you!

I’d choose the red sparklie number just above here but love them all. Girly, feminine, sophisticated soft and stunning!

Annie

Live, Love, Laugh and Dream!

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