My Homemade Valentine

Happy President’s Day everyone!  I hope you all have a lovely Valentine’s day yesterday!  We definitely did!  I know I’ve mentioned before that this month we’re on a “financial fast” which meant no gifts for V-day this year.  Frankly, for me, I find Valentine’s gifts to be overpriced and overrated.  So rather than spin our wheels and spend our money, we aimed for the small and thoughtful this year… and for me, that meant making dinner (spinach salad, flank steak pinwheels, wild mushroom risotto and fresh, lemony asparagus- my own creation!) and yes, it was a really, really good dinner! 

J. is a big lover of chocolate so I didn’t want to skip dessert.  But at the same time, I’m going through a particularly busy time at work (and an equally busy personal life) so I had to figure out something that wouldn’t take too long.  The solution came to me last week during my daily blog review when I was reminded of Bakerella’s recipe for cake balls!  Besides having a hilarious name, this recipe looked cute and simple so I decided to try my own spin on it- only I renamed them “cake truffles” so as to be taken slightly more seriously.

Bakerella’s recipe calls for red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting which I ADORE- but J. loves chocolate.  So I did a devil’s food cake with German chocolate icing (see Bakerella’s link above for instructions).  I broke my cardinal rule and used cake mix and store-bought icing, because I was short on time (bad Sarah, bad!)… but I do think you could easily do this completely homemade.  Then I melted a good-quality semi-sweet chocolate for the coating, and added some sprinkles in red, while and gold (a bridal shower gift).  The result?  See for yourself!

mmmmm, yummy chocolatey cake goodness

Now, I’m a big believer that presentation is EVERYTHING so of course I also had to at least attempt some sort of V-day appropriate packaging.  Since I didn’t want to spend any money, I ended up taking an old, standard gift box and turning it into a heart-shape.  To give you an idea of my approach, the below image shows (I hope) how I cut the box bottom.  I left the sides of the box intact and then shaped them to match the bottom, taping them into place when the new shape looked good to me.

Try to pretend this rectangle is a gift box.

Once my box was in the right shape I covered it with red and white papers.  Not being able to spend money, I downloaded these and these freebie printable papers, originally intended for dollhouses but perfect for my project.  I admit that it looks a little bit like a kindergartner did it, but I like to think it is kind of charming!

The box, pre-truffles

Once my box was ready, I decided to line it with waxed paper, to keep it nice for as long as possible.  I simply cut the waxed paper into a heart shape approximately 1 inch larger on all sides than the box, so the paper would line the sides of the box.  To get the paper to fit around the curves, I cut verticle slits into the paper’s edge.  Easy peasy.

Lined with wax paper

Next, I glued some red ribbon onto the bottom of the box, for tying later.  And yes, the ribbon was recycled, I didn’t buy that either.

With the ribbon...

And finally I filled the box with my creations.  Voila!

Just add truffles!

Before tying the bow, I added another layer of heart-shaped waxed paper, and then that was it!  A cute, homemade Valentine using groceries and freebies, something that still felt special despite the absence of big spending.  J. loved them!

A little more waxed paper, a bow, and we're in business!

I think this would make such a cute thank you gift for someone throwing a shower- or maybe even a groom’s gift.  As for me, I’ll be incorporating them into my traditional repertoire of holiday baking from now on!

How did you celebrate Valentine’s day?

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Sunday will be my first Valentine’s day as a married woman.  And though some people think its just a holiday for presents, I like to treat it as an opportunity to get creative (do you like the double entendre there?)  J. and I are currently on a “financial fast” which means no discretionary spending, a la the proposed Obama budget, and it also means we can’t spend money on romantic gifts for one another.  The solution?  Make a valentine for your loved one!

The Wedding Chicks, for example, offer these adorable downloadable cards which would be useful for so many great projects!

hummingbird valentine

love postcard

Or these freebies from Samantha Hahn:

Adorable, no?

And don’t forget to check out downloadables like these from the Vintage Moth!

Victorian always wins me over...

Of course, if all else fails, you can also go the mix-tape route.  Who doesn’t love those?!  I don’t yet know what I’ll be doing, but I think I’ve got a good start!

Do you have any cheap or free tips for romantic valentines?

The Rehearsal Dinner Slide Show

As promised, a post devoted solely to the highlight of the rehearsal dinner- a slide show of J. and I through the years.  I promise not to make you sit through 15 minutes of photos of the two of us as babies, toddlers, kids, teens, and later as a couple… but it was gosh darn cute.  J.’s brother D., our best man, put the show together so that photos of us were shown back to back in the same context- the “Sears baby photo”, the “bathtub photo” and so forth.  And he set the whole thing to music.  I have seen slide shows of photos before, but never like this- even my brother A. got misty and it is nearly impossible to make that guy cry!

As an extra-special touch, D. made DVD’s for our parents and for us, with a copy of the slide show on it to keep.  I cannot possibly emphasize enough what a great touch this was for our rehearsal dinner.  As an added bonus, it filled up some time so J. and I didn’t have to give a long, boring speech (everyone hates wedding rehearsals with too much speeching, am I right?)  We just let the slide show do the talking.  I think everyone should do this.  I mean, look how cute we were!!

... as chubby babies!

... dressed up and old enough to sit up too!

... at the beach!

... tub time!

... with grandparents!

... me just generally looking cute

... let's talk about how much HAIR J. has in this photo!

Did you or will you plan anything special for your own rehearsal dinner?

And how did we get here?  Checking In;  Practice Makes Perfect: The Rehearsal!; The Rehearsal Dinner!

How to: Stay Entertained When Stuck in an Airport with Your Husband

Remember when you were a [noun] and you used to [verb] Mad Libs for [plural noun] with your friends?  And do you remember how they used to [verb] you laugh [adverb] for hours on end?  Well, let me make a small suggestion to help you pass the time the next time you’re stuck somewhere bad with someone you love: bring this seriously awesome fill-in-the-blanks game!

I put some computer-themed Mad Libs in J.’s stocking for Christmas and we brought them, along with a sudoku book, thank you notes-to-be-written, and gossip magazines on the airplane to keep us busy on the trip to Hawaii.  And the thing we used the most and loved the best was totally Mad Libs!  When I was a kid, all we had to do to make Mad Libs funny was reference some form of human gas.  So I wasn’t sure if we’d still think they were funny as adults.

But after reading about pornographic pictures of Mr. Miyagi in an airport and laughing so hard the other passengers were giving us the stink eye, I can say with authority that these are time well spent.

Bet you never thought you’d be reading the phrase “pornographic pictures of Mr. Miyagi” outside of email spam, now did you?

image source

Adorable Favor Alert: Preserves from Tea!

I am currently in the process of planning a baby shower for a good friend.  Well actually, I’ll clarify, I’m planning like 6 baby or bridal showers right now, but this one is the first of this year and will be a very small brunch shower, so I’m super excited about it.  The mother-to-be specifically asked us to keep things relaxed, so the six of us planners kept it light and divvied up just a few tasks: invitations (with one extra for mom’s keepsake), a floral centerpiece, something sweet for desert, and favors.  Favors was what I picked, because of couse I love them!

We also settled on a french country theme for the shower (mom appropriate!) in shades of robin’s egg blue, soft oranges and yellows, and sage green- which happen to also be the colors of the baby’s under-the-sea nursery theme (baby appropriate!)  In this way, we’re hoping a few of the keepsakes might be useable in baby’s room when he gets here!

So when thinking about favors for a group of NYC ladies, I wanted to make sure the favor wasn’t the usual diaper pin or plastic baby.  And nothing too chotchky- we all live in relatively small spaces and none of us need extra clutter.  Of course I hit Etsy looking for something good and I totally found it!  These tea-flavored preserves by homemadebyshari were just the ticket!  Shari let me order 7 different flavors (so everyone at the table can ooh, ahh and trade to get one they’ll like) and she even put pastel gingham fabrics on the lids to coordinate with the shower’s french country theme. 

Le sigh!

I think these would be such a great favor for bridal showers or even weddings too, and at $2 each they’re quite reasonable!  The flavors I ordered include honey vanilla chamomile, blueberry, cinnamon apple, country peach, lemon zinger, tangerine orange, and wild berry.  But there are many more options to chose from as well. 

As an aside, I decorated a little basket with gingham ribbon for each guest to put a baby book in, in lieu of a card, which will likewise coordinate with all the goodies.  I can’t wait to see everything come together!

Remembering Your Bachelor

Weddings are supposed to be all about the couple, but let’s keep it real: its mostly about the ladies.  So when my friend P. told me about this great little project she’s putting together for her groom’s bachelor party, I was so excited!  I don’t exactly know what to call it, so let’s just call it bachelor party care packages…

Here’s what she’s including:

Step 1: Custom T Shirts

P. went to Custom Ink and designed shirts:

Preview courtesy of custom ink!

She included the image of a car because the guys are driving to Atlantic City in vintage sports cars as a tribute to her car-loving guy.  She also went in blue and orange, which are classic Porsche racing colors.  Cute right?  I’m sure it would be easy to come up with a similar image to suit any bachelor party theme without much work.  You could easily do this for even less money by buying iron-on printable transfers and making them on your home printer.

Step 2: Custom Ribbon

PrintMyRibbon.com's version

P. is making special ribbon to wrap around each T shirt.  The ribbon will say “Please take care of [Fiance].”  Sure you could pay someone like PrintMyRibbon.com to do this and it would look good, but she’s going to use paint pens and regular old ribbon.  Genius right?

Step 3: Add Necessities

P. is tying Tums and Excedrin onto each bow to complete the care package.  Because we all know our men generally go out and do all kinds of crazy dumb things at bachelor parties (from what I hear, the poor bachlor usually is the best-behaved and it’s the groomsmen who go wild, but what do I know, I’m sure they’re all fibbing.  Ahem…)  In any event, I think they’ll appreciate the pain relief the next morning.

Tum tum tum tum...

Step 4: Fake Mustaches

Villainous Hairy Mustaches, $4.99 per dozen!

I don’t really think I need to explain why adding these is a great idea.  P. found hers on Oriental Trading and got 20% plus free shipping with a $20 purchase using an online coupon.  These will go in cello bags with the other “Necessities.”

Do you love this idea as much as I do?  What would you include?

Cute Bridesmaids Dresses, Halleluiah! (part II)

Today I want to share with you the cute assortment of dresses chosen by stepsister S. for her August garden themed wedding!  These dresses are floaty and lovely in buttercup yellow (I predict this will look great with a tan) and all are tea length.  The dresses are all from Dessy Group, so they’re pretty easy to find.  And can I just take a moment to say THANK YOU to S. and D. for letting me choose my own dress?!  I always love a group of matching girls, but I am equally in love with this trend of coordinating-instead-of-matching and I’m psyched to be the beneficiary of it!

Ok so again, we need your help.  Shoe suggestions please?!  Methinks yellow shoes would be too much of a good thing (and a throwback to the 1980’s), but maybe with the right yellow?  And what do you all think of orange shoes (orange is the other wedding color, think: sherbet not traffic cone).  Or would you go with metallic?  Something else?  Comments with links to affordable suggestions will be given extra credit! 

6566- in the buttercup shade we'll all be rocking (this style is designated for the MOH)

6537

6518

6506

6505

2750

2058- I didn't even have to try this on to know it was "the one" for me!

Cute Bridesmaids Dresses, Halleluiah! (part I)

Yesterday I spoke about my uncertainty about whether I love or don’t love Twobirds Bridesmaids dresses.  Well today I’m going to share with you some bridesmaids dresses I DO think are cute!  FSIL D. has chosen these dresses in apple, from David’s Bridal, for her group of girls.  I really like these dresses because (1) the color apple red is just adorable and will look so cute in a cocktail length, (2) these already reasonably priced dresses are all $20 off because she got her own lovely gown there, (3) they are made of cotton (thank the heavens above) and (4) since there’s a David’s pretty much everywhere, its easy for us ‘maids who live all over the United States to go try them out.  Pretty nice eh?

So here’s where you come in.  What kind of shoes would you pair with these dresses?  D. is thinking about black open-toed shoes or strappy silver.  I personally think well-chosen shoes of either style would look nice.  What do you think?

Davd's 83312 (this looks like it would be flattering on lots of shapes, and I love the sweetheart neckline)

David's 83690 (I love that this is a little different!)

David's F13818 (I'm 99% sure this will be the one I order- dare I say rewearable?!)

David's F13695 (adorable pockets!)

Hot or Not? Two Birds Dresses

I’m wondering if anyone else has thoughts on this topic because I think I do (but I’m still not sure).  Two birds Bridesmaid’s dresses.  Have you heard of them?  One dress that can be tied in a variety of ways.  The fabrics and colors are nice, and they are one-size fits all, no alterations required.  In theory they are rewearable.  And if you live in the NY area, one of their employees will come help your girls put them on for the wedding, so that they look their best.   But they’re pricey ($270 for short, $290 for long).

The dress, pre-styling.

I’ll be honest, I’m not madly in love with these dresses but I can see the appeal of choosing a dress that travels well and can be customized so extensively.  But… I bet that even though they say you don’t need alterations, I’d probably want to have mine hemmed because I’m short, and I’m not convinced that these look so great on ladies who aren’t models or girls who are well-endowed (these dresses look like they lend themselves to sagging).  I mean sure, you put a gorgeous tall 20 year old in this and it will look hot.  But what about a size 16 30-something?  Is that just cruel?

YOU be the judge.  Hot?  Or not??  (click on images for sources)

from Style Me Pretty

 By the way if you love the look but prefer a better price point, check out the Victoria’s Secret version of this dress.  It’s not the same, but its a good alternative.

Bacheloretting The Sane Way

Today’s post comes from guest blogger Phara, who has some wise words for anyone out there planning a bachelorette party (tips that I fully agree with).  Coming soon, guest blogger Christina will tell you some ideas for throwing just such a party Chi town style, but in the mean time, read on for a few “best practices” for planning a fabulous fete that won’t end in hurt feelings or lost sanity!

 .  .  .

While the bachelorette party is certainly a milestone for the bride, it is often a source of tension among members of the bridal party.  Here are a ten tips to make this process go as smoothly as possible, and to help keep the focus on fun rather than funds.

1.  Organize a casual get-together for the bridal party early in the process.

 I think it’s important for members of the bridal party to all know one another in a fun, social way before they have to start making decisions together. 

2.  Follow the leader.

Next, someone needs to take charge.  Generally, this is the Maid of Honor’s responsibility.  However, in certain cases, your Maid of Honor may be young or out-of-town.  In that case, the bridesmaids should offer to take care of the party, but it’s still the Maid of Honor’s decision whether or not to let them.

3.  Do not involve the bride.

Ask the bride very early on who she wants to invite to her bachelorette party, and confirm the party’s date.  The bride should not be involved in the bachelorette party after this.  The bride should not be made aware of petty disagreements, or decisions about what to do or where to go.  In my opinion, members of the bridal party should know the bride well enough to know her likes and dislikes.  (A drag queen club is not necessarily the best idea for a bride who likes to strictly spend her evenings with wine and a good book.)  Other than that, why add more stress to the bride’s plate? 

In my case, early in the process, my sister (Maid of Honor) complained to me that my friends (other bridesmaids) were being “mean” to her and shooting down all of her ideas.  While I understand that my younger sister’s automatic action is to complain to me about everything, this is not something that I was willing to get involved in.  I reminded my sister that she is the Maid of Honor, and therefore, the supposed “leader” of this party.  I explained that she just needed to be confident and establish herself as that leader.  In all honesty, I think my friends still think of her as the ten year-old girl trying to tag along with us teenagers.  She’s now a 23 year-old law student – she can handle it.  As soon as she did that, there were no more problems.  However, if I said something to my friends, I would have gotten in the middle of small conflict and made it a big one.  No need for that, and everything was resolved without me.  I haven’t heard a thing since.

More tips after the jump… Continue reading »