You'll never be saree to own one of these!

So Ella and I are relaxing in Maryland and browsing the web searching for the perfect wedding saree for my favorite bridesmaids. The following website has turned up some beauties all VERY affordable, below $100 and mostly between $60-$80. I can't

Number 1
Number 2
Number 3
Number 4
Number 5
Number 6

Which do you love? I definitely need more excuses to wear a sari!

Sarah Perlis on SALE!

If you haven't heard of Sarah Perlis jewelry, I accept your gratitude for the introduction.
Her jewelry has a very particular style, rough yet romantic. (That's my description, I invite you to choose another!) The diamonds are all conflict free and the jewelry is hand crafted in her studio. It is NICE jewelry but as we move into adulthood these are the types of pieces I hope to add to my collection. Thanks to snippet&ink I discovered that Sarah Perlis is having a 25% off sale on EVERYTHING through New Years Eve. Just enter joy2008 at checkout!
Here are just a few samples of the most gorgeous pieces you may want to recommend to a future bride to be:

I also love this ID bracelet:So what do you think? Romantic and rough? Do you love? There is a piece of jewelry that reminds me of each of you on this site: even if its lust-after-but-never-purchase jewelry.

Exfoliate me Beautiful!

Introducing my newest member of the new-skin new-me campaign!
Courtesy of the Clarisonic website:

It's by the makers of the Sonicare toothbrush (which I absolutely worship!) and uses the same technology. The real benefit of this Clarisonic face brush is supposed to be that it REALLY cleans your skin, which I can definitely feel already. The website claims it removes 6x more crud. There are three available heads for normal, sensitive, and delicate skin. The Sonicare turns on for 60 seconds when you hit the on button. You are supposed to do 20 seconds on your forehead. Then, it beeps and you do 20 seconds on the nose and chin. Then it beeps again and you get two ten second segments, one for each cheek. Man, I love structure.

I think this is perfect for people with acne or clogged pores that are healed by antibiotics. I have tried BC and antibiotics to help my skin and both caused more problems than they solved. Maybe the issue is that my skin is just not clean enough...

We shall see!

Centerpiece Intelligence Agency

OK, I've made up some prototypes of centerpieces.
I covered my kitchen table in Christmas wrapping paper to mimic a tablecloth and table dressings.
First, I present some miraculous finds from the Dollar Store. They are bronze with gold brushed on them. Notice the fake flower half pomanders atop them.
I think the first look like genie lamps:

I think the second ones are a great find even if they don't make it into the centerpieces. The paisley print will definitely be a recurring theme! Notice the two different sizes of pomander; I think I actually prefer the smaller. Ignore the different color flowers, that is just me making use of all of these flora laying around my gameroom.





Here is just the half pomander. Half of what I had originally envisioned. How would we dress it up?


And here is my favorite and possibly the inspiration that will lead us to something. It is a lantern that is currently filled with maroon balls and flowers (which I like) BUT I am thinking FABRIC. Four different prints and textures in a mixture of crimson and champagne. Rich, Indian fabrics. These could also line the tables, we know fabric will line the aisle, we need a red carpet for the entrance to Majestic Metro, just think! Note: these are distinctly NOT from the dollar store!






What do you think? Do you like the lanterns or something else more? What about the idea of an abundance of fabric?

Buff shiny?

First things first, I do not want to have to mess with my nails during the wedding. I don't want to need a manicure that morning. AND, let's remember that I would need perfect nails Friday night and all day Saturday.

This led me to decide that I must get fake nails for the wedding. I am not talking Lee Press -Ons. Some people may swear by these but I have never been a Press-On fan!
I found this at a pretty fun website!

My mom gets some pretty good-looking fake nails. They are the kind that are constructed out of powdered acrillic in pink and white shades right over the top of your nails. Courtesy of my mom:


So I had pretty much decided to go this route UNTIL I went in for a mani-pedi this week. Besides getting a snowman painted on my toe, I discovered a whole new manicure. The technician doing my nails insisted that I get them buffed shiny with no polish because polish "always chips the next day". (She was pretty insistent!) So, I tried it and I think they look fantastic! They just used that rotary buffer with a cloth buffer. It's days later and they still look great. These pictures aren't great and my nails are super-short, but look:

I think that if I were to use that white pencil under longer nails I could get some fantastic results! I have always been a fan of that white pencil (you can get it at any grocery store, Wal-Mart, or Sally Hansen Beauty Supply).


So, I have a new nail plan! Yay! Have you heard of this buff shiny business? It rocks!

Fly me to the moon! (It doesn't make sense till the end...)

So, since deciding to have an outdoor wedding, I have tried to think up that best way to show "This is where the bride and groom go". When scoping the site Julie and I saw that there is a big tree that would make a nice focal point behind us. Note that the benches won't be there!

We could hang beautiful ribbons, lanterns, wreaths and decor from here, a la these ingenious pictures from Martha Stewart Weddings





Let me show you some other views of our space at Rice University. Again, imagine it completely empty:



Now I haven't put too much thought into what the space should look like or how to mark the actual wedding spot. I have considered a chuppah but that might be one too many cultures and it would definitely be a budget buster! SO, my newest Google Reader addition ACupofJo has the most beautiful idea!



Isn't it gorgeous! There are no set-up directions but I am sure we could do this! I am thinking that dupattas might look very nice!
What do you think? What should we do to spice up the space? Have you ever seen a floating altar? Is it over the top or just amazing!?!

An "artsy-fartsy" style

When contacting photographers I have taken to referring to my preferred style as artsy fartsy.
For a while I found a bunch of photographers that had 500 photos of

a bride
and a groom
looking at a camera

I also came across a bunch of big studios with a million photographers where you really pay for the studio and get the photographer as a bonus.

But the field has narrowed to THREE!!! Three amazing, beautiful, creative artists, one of which will help immortalize our big day.

I first present WeddingsTX. This seems like abigger studio but I really like their work. A sample for you:





































































http://www.weddingtx.com/index1.html
All photos here taken by the photographers at WeddingTX


Next on my list is a man who seems awesome: Nicholaus Haskin. He has an awesome
"I am me" photoessay on his website that really pushed him *towards* the top of the list.
When I contacted him he responded with all the requisite info and "How did you meet? Was the proposal romantic?" He just relocated from FL and so I found him on Craigslist from a very interesting posting name... He is my favorite PERSON. And I believe my favorite photographer for the actual wedding.






















































All photos by Nicholaus Haskins




Last on the list is an amazing find thanks to Blondie Bridesmaid (Andrea!). This week I saw an engagement shoot on WeddingBee where the couple chose to shoot in a record store and the photos were AWESOME. There is nothing better than creative props, right? So after a trip to the new beautiful Whole Foods in Sugar Land I said to my mom, "This is the PERFECT engagement shot place. This place, the library, or half price books in the village..."
Then enters Snaptacular. On their (very witty) blog I discovered that this photographer has shot at that exact half-price books, a houston public library and HOLD YOUR BREATH H-E-B! I couldn't believe it; we must have the same muse!
Visit their blog to be inspired...by love and photography. http://www.snaptacularphotos.com/blog/
I have added her to my google Reader (highly recommended!). She is the best, most adventrous engagment shooter. You just take a spin through her blog and realize she has guts. She even comments about negotiating with a passing fire truck and an alterations store manager for the perfect shot.

















































All photography by Snaptacular













So whaddya think? Who do you LOVE?

Flawless...it's gonna take some work

So as all of you know I hate my skin. I have fought with it since I was twelve and it always wins. With the prospect of 13 hours of photography in my future, I am freaking out. (We'll explain the 13+ hours later!)
So, I have decided to take drastic measures. I want to resurface my face! Most of my problems are scars from old tragedies (read:pimples) and apparently there are a ton of things one can do now to fix this. Here is what my research has turned up:

Apparently it's cause I'm brown!:

Post-inflammatory pigmentation is discoloration of the skin at the site of a healed or healing inflamed acne lesion. It occurs more frequently in darker-skinned people, but occasionally is seen in people with white skin. Some post-inflammatory pigmentation may persist for up to 18 months, especially with excessive sun exposure. Chemical peeling may hasten the disappearance of post-inflammatory pigmentation.

http://www.skincarephysicians.com/acnenet/scarring.html

There are apparently a million different types of scars:

Ice-pick scars, Depressed fibrotic scars, Soft scars, superficial/deep, Atrophic macules,

There are also a number of treatments:

Dermabrasion. This is thought to be the most effective treatment for acne scars. Under local anesthetic, a high-speed brush or fraise used to remove surface skin and alter the contour of scars. Superficial scars may be removed altogether, and deeper scars may be reduced in depth. Dermabrasion does not work for all kinds of scars; for example, it may make ice-pick scars more noticeable if the scars are wider under the skin than at the surface. In darker-skinned people, dermabrasion may cause changes in pigmentation that require additional treatment.

Microdermabrasion. This new technique is a surface form of dermabrasion. Rather than a high-speed brush, microdermabrasion uses aluminum oxide crystals passing through a vacuum tube to remove surface skin. Only the very surface cells of the skin are removed, so no additional wound is created. Multiple procedures are often required but scars may not be significantly improved.

Vibradermabrasion tackles dull skin, fine lines and wrinkles, pore size, acne scars, and age spots. It can even help to elleviate or minimize dry or oily skin. Like other treatments such as MicroDermabrasion, Vibraderm works by sloughing off the dull, damaged top layers of the skin, Vibraderm lets the healthy glow of the newer layers appear, But Vibraderm goes farther than other treatments by also encouraging new collage production. This means that not only will the surface of your skin look better, but that it will also be more firmly supported by the deeper layers. Skin becomes less slack, and more firm and supple.

Have any of you ever had any of these treatments? Would you recommend them? Have you heard any horror stories? I am leaning towards Vibraderm because it seems the least painful. They say it has minimal redness and no swelling. It's also called a lunch time facial-that almost sounds fun!:

Shoes!! (better than candy)

So, as all of you know I have had one true love affair for the past decade or so: DSW. This weekend was no exception and I purchased a quarter of a dozen (3--sorry, math major!) perfect little heels. Two of which are in the running for my WEDDING SHOES!

I never looked through the DSW clearance racks for wedding shoes before but right now THERE SEEM TO BE TONS. I found two pairs in a 6.5 which never happens in the sale section. I cannot even tell you what a STEAL these were!

Here is their grand debut, open for voting! A lot of women wear super exciting heels (read: color!) on their wedding day but as someone who own half a dozen green shoes and three pairs of SHINY silver everyday-wear, I am going for a classic champagne.

The first: These are a great pair by Caparros. I owned one pair of Caparros before and they were super comfortable. These manage to fit my fat squishy little feet quite well despite the three strap detail. They even look nice ON! That being said, no one will ever see my feet...




The second: These are made by Ann Marino. I have never owned a pair of her shoes so I know very little about them. I simply know that they are adorable. They seem not uncomfortable, but how would I really know after 15 minutes? The strap is loose enough to not dig into me so that's a good sign. On the other hand, who cares either way? They are gorgeous!




So what do you think? Are you on board with the more classically styled shoes I'm showing here? Which do you like better?

DIY: Making paper flowers!

So many people have expressed interest in my paper flower "factory" that I thought I would put together a little how to for you lovely ladies! Today I will be making the luminaria style.

First, you will need:
Tissue paper
Scissors
Floral Wire
Wire Cutter (Didn't have this this time and used a razor blade--NOT RECOMMENDED!)
A ruler

For other types of flowers, you need:
Floral tape
A 1" styrofoam ball

The first step is cutting the tissue paper into 10"x 5" rectangles. You will need 5 or more for each flower. My experience with these flowers is that NOTHING HAS TO BE PERFECT. So don't stress about cutting or lining up perfect rectangles!

Now, you line up five of the rectangles and start making accordion pleats/folds. You will want to be folding the short side (see the photo for clarification).

Now you take the accordion-ed rectangle and fold a piece of floral wire over the center of it. I usually have approximately 1" of wire that folds over the tissue and then you simply wrap the short end around the "stem".
The next thing you will want to do is cut the edges of the flowers. With only five sheets of tissue and decent scissors you can cut through the stack in one chop. I prefer rounded corner but you can also do peaked corners for a different look.

Now you have to fan out the accordion pleats. You will need to separate the layers of tissue and pull them toward the center. You will quickly learn the "right" amount of pressure. Too much and it rips, too little and you don't get enough separation. This takes the most time. Here's a photo of me-mid separation. You can see that the opposite side hasn't been separated yet but is already fanned. I usually really work the "seam" and try to pull the layers apart from here. I think this adds volume.

After you fan out all of the layers, you end up with this:

I am making a bunch to try and make a pomander. All you need for this is a bunch of flowers with very short stems and a floral foam ball. Here's how far I've gotten: