100% Free Invitations

You can have this invitation design absolutely
free if you want it.  Just send me an email!

I threw this together today as an example of how a bride on a budget can still have cute invitations.  I did this on my computer, just Microsoft Word.  If by chance you like this invitation, you can have it absolutely free.  Just email me your names, dates, etc. and I'll send it back to you ASAP and absolutely free.  (I'm not a graphic designer so I can't charge folks money like I am one can I?  Nope, I can't.) 

Now the next step might not be free, but you can still save a bunch of bucks.  Upload your design to 123print.com or any other online printer and scale it down to 5x7 or whatever size you'd like (I'd recommend the smallest size you're comfortable with since anything around 5x7 will cost you extra in postage) and order your prints.  You can usually get a deal on matching letterhead or postcards (which I'd highly recommend you use for thank-you notes) and make sure you check out any free shipping promotions they have going on as well.  I did a quick estimate on how much it would be if I ordered 50 of these in an approximate 4.5" by 5.5" size at $35.00.

Don't want to do your own design or you're looking for something even easier?  123print.com also has wedding templates where you simply type in the necessary information, verify the info, order your quantity, and you're done. Priced out, this option is cheaper too. You can get 50 invites for less than $30.00 and that includes free shipping.  Not bad at all.

Want a unique and cute invitation design but don't want to do it yourself?  Seed to Sprout has some great ideas with invitations starting at just $9.00.

Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out.

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Make a Barbie dress from a sock, Part 2

I posted this last week as a way for brides to keep the little ones busy during the reception or just as a fun kids craft on a rainy day.  This week has been spring break for our kids and we decided to make a whole box full of these recycled kid socks.

This time around we used glitter glue to dazzle the dolls up and used longer socks that let us make sleeves.  The girls also wanted to take the toe we cut off of the sock and use it as a hat.  I'm not sure this works that great but hey, they liked it and that's what it's all about!

This idea is free, easy, and requires very little supplies.  Here's the tutorial if you want the step by step.  Below are pictures of our newest creations.  These aren't high-end Barbie clothes but it's kind of fun way to put those unused-missing-its-mate socks that are taking up space in your dresser or closet.  Good last minute craft idea too and maybe a good activity for kids during your bridal shower or reception.  They can design their own wedding dress!

Ken says "You girls look fabulous!"

Here's the link to Make a Barbie dress from a sock, part one.

Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out.

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Easy, no mixer needed, banana bread recipe

Made this today and thought it would be great with the Bridal Shower Brunch recipe for crepes I posted earlier. This particular banana bread recipe is good for us because I can't have nuts and my husband hates them anyway.  Also, no need for a mixer which I love!  Makes it a little bit easier to whip up in a hurry.  Easy, cheap, and simple ingredients too!

 Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Method

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Makes one loaf. 

Simply Recipes http://simplyrecipes.com

Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out.

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Feather Necklace

Well ~I had a few left over feathers from the feather 

purse I did, for a guest blog at  

Social Salutations HERE. (Love her Blog)

Which I will re- post here later today.  I was going to do a small feather clutch but....I made this instead.. With the help of a gifted necklace, I received from E, at our Weekly D and D meeting. I just combined her necklace with the one that I made,  because mine looked a little plain to me. It needed that extra ummm "Je ne sais quois".   I love how it turned out..

I guess I am feather obsessed....

 It was not hard at all.  

Of course we discussed  lots 

of important things HERE first.

The Fab 3, Plus H who so wonderfully joined in, making it the Fab 4. 

Plus me..:)

 I received this Bag full of goodies from E.

Inside all of that was a whole big bag of jewelry. OMG it was like my birthday, Thank you so much E.

One of the necklaces she gave me, I used in this project.

lets go make it!

Tutorial

Things You Need

1.Feathers

2. Some Felt or Leather.

3.Cord or Ribbon about 30 inches

4. Hot Glue Gun

 First cut out two shapes that look like this. I used a plastic lid.

Place one of the pieces that you cut out down. Cut the cord you have in half , making them approximately 15 inches each. Place some hot glue in the top corners and add your cord to both sides. Like in the picture above.

 I placed my feathers down in the number order, like in the picture above.

 Then on the other half moon piece, I cut out a shape to look like this pink one.

I trimmed all the feathers at the top so they would not stick out.

 Then I  hot glued the pink piece on top of the feathers, to hid the quills and the cords.

 Now, you could be all done here,  and it looked like this.

But I saw this..

I tied the feather necklace, I  just made, to it and wrapped the cord around the leather then tied it at the other end.

to get this.

All done!

I hope you all have a Wonderful Day. 

Thursday already, 

Which means tomorrow is ~Yay!! Friday.

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$4.00 Centerpiece

I needed a quick centerpiece idea for the $500 wedding class I was teaching and as I was shopping at Walmart, thinking about how much I really didn't want to run another errand, I noticed the craft section.  Sticking to my idea that all centerpieces should cost under $5.00, I grabbed a block of Styrofoam and started thinking about how I could pretty it up.  It cost about $2.99 and looking around, I noticed some autumn silk flowers on clearance, and grabbed a few bundles.  It's all coming together, I thought.  I snatched up four bundles at 25 cents each and we after a quick assembly, we had ourselves a centerpiece. 

You'll need the following supplies:
1. Block of Styrofoam  (I used a long block but really you could use any shape, a small block or cone would look just as nice and maybe adding different shapes but using the same flowers would be cute.)
2. Silk/fabric flowers.  I used autumn colors because that was what I found on sale, but pick whatever combination looks best for you.  When in doubt, or if you're not 100% on what your colors are, go with all white.  All white flowers with silverware, a white table cloth, candles, and wine glasses is always beautiful.
3. Sharp craft scissors or wire cutters.  I used basic scissors at first and it was awful and dangerous.  Get something that is safe and efficient to use.
 

I cut the stems about three inches from the flower head.  You can always cut more if you want but you need some length in order to keep them sturdy inside the Styrofoam.

 I arranged the flowers so that the colors were evenly distributed and the shape looked right.  There is room to arrange it so that tea lights can be mixed in with the flowers (I would absolutely use the fake battery-powered tea lights here, those real ones with start this whole thing on fire for sure.  You want a memorable party but that may be a little extreme.)

And that's it!  Don't mind my table setting above.  My family was actually cleaning up Lego's and vacuuming as I was trying to put a quick setting together.  Again, I'd use all white flowers or red rose buds with grass shoots instead of the harvest flowers although if you're doing a fall or Halloween decor, this might be perfect.  Up to you!  That's the fun of it!

Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out.

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Teal Blue and White

I am off and running today, and will not be returning  until late. Wearing comfy and casual, and getting geared up to having my weekly meeting at D and D, discussing up and coming projects for the blog.  My fab 3 ( Mom, Grandmother and E, ) always  help me come up with the best ideas. 

Wearing white again.;) Love it with teal blue.  I guess that is my favorite color combo for Spring and Summer.. It Makes me think of the sky, and the Ocean~ ahh the Ocean, I can not wait to visit her this summer.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!!

 T-Shirt and Jeans ~Target

I distressed the jeans myself

Denim Jacket~ Express 

Shoes Franco Sarto.

 Necklace a gift from Mom:)

distressed denim, so easy,

I might have to do a tutorial on that someday.

<3

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Wednesday and Food

I am doing another ~What I ate Wednesday~ Post and Linking it up to the Always, Awesome Site,

 Peas and Crayons HERE. 

Jenn is a nutritionist and always has wonderful, healthy, yummy recipes. 
She inspires me to eat better. 

 I will have to warn you ~Linking up to it always makes me hungry .

Nom nom.!

Every Wednesday she has a link party that links up what you ate for a  day.  Pretty neat because it really makes me think about what I eat.

 Here is a peek into what I ate one day. 

And as Jenn Says,

" You Are What you Eat so Eat Pretty."

Breakfast~ Coffee and a Apple and Banana

Lunch ~ Ham and Cheese Bagel Sandwich, Salad 

Snack~ Everything Bagle -Blueberries

Dinner~ Feta and Basil Pizza w/ a little Bacon :)

Greek Yogurt with Honey

Mint tea

oh yeah almost forgot!

some of these

Skittles
Sometimes, I have to have a sugar FIX.

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We're on Facebook!



Headed over to our new Facebook Page.

Leave a comment and 'like' us while you're there!

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Bridal shower brunch recipe

Recipe from StarTribune

Need a unique, easy, and affordable recipe idea for a bridal shower brunch?  Gotcha covered.  I made these this week for my family and they were awesome (and extremely easy).  The recipe makes quite a few of these but even doubling the recipe wouldn't add much cost.  The ingredients are very simple and cheap.  My suggestion would be setting up an electric skillet/hot plate on the kitchen table, making the crepes fresh (each crepe takes about 2 minutes on the skillet), put them on guests' plates and have a variety of toppings available such as strawberries, bananas, Nutella, whipped cream, blueberries, and powdered sugar.  These crepes are very filling but to add more to your banquet, set out a plate of muffins or use this great banana bread recipe and keep some juice and coffee available in the kitchen as well.

NUTELLA AND BANANA CRÊPES

Makes 18

• 1 c. all-purpose flour

• 1 tbsp. sugar


• 11/2 c. skim milk

• 2 eggs

• 1 tbsp. butter, divided

• Nutella and thin banana slices

• Strawberries and whipped cream, optional

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, milk and eggs; mix well.

In an 8-inch nonstick skillet, melt about 1 teaspoon butter over medium heat. Stir the batter; pour about 2 tablespoons into the center of the skillet. Lift and tilt the pan to evenly coat the bottom with the batter. Cook until the top appears dry; turn and cook 15 to 20 seconds longer, until the crêpe is just slightly firm. Remove to a wire rack.

Repeat with the remaining batter, adding the butter to the skillet as needed. When cool, stack the crêpes with waxed paper in between. (Plain-cooked crêpes can be stacked between sheets of waxed paper and refrigerated for 2 days or frozen for 1 month.)

When all the crêpes are made, spread 2 teaspoons Nutella, or more to taste, on the crêpe, top with banana slices to taste, fold the crêpe in half and then fold in half again, forming a triangle. Remove to a serving plate, and repeat with the remaining crêpes as needed. The crêpes also can be served with whipped cream and sliced strawberries, to taste, if desired.


Nutrition information per crêpe with 2 teaspoons Nutella and banana slices:
Calories 149 Fat 5 g Sodium 29 mg
Carbohydrates 23 g Saturated fat 2 g Protein 3 g Cholesterol 23 mg Dietary fiber 1 g

p.s. Did you hear about this guide called the Blog Guidebook?  I'm just finding out about it now, great stuff and your first ad is free.  I'm a magnet to that word.

Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out.

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Elope!

I feel like the word Elope is almost considered a dirty 4-letter word in the wedding industy. It really shouldn't be. But it's almost frowned upon.



Not by me, mind you.



But really, my clients almost whisper to me, I think we should consider an elopement... in a hush tone.



Honestly, if eloping is right for you, do it!



And if you do it like this, do it right NOW!



I've known Lisa for a long time, and I've known Jeff even longer. I love them, and seeing them happy and together is a perfect fairy tale ending (or is it, begining) for me!





Lisa & Jeffrey's NYC Elopement ! from Jeffrey Stoner Video on Vimeo.

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Pencil Skirt

Pencil skirts are tricky! If you get one too tight you look like a stuffed sausage, if it is too big, it does not do what it is suppose to do, which is  show off the great curves god gave you.  So, I would have to say getting the right fit, even if you have to get it slightly altered, is the key.  Now I am no skinny mini. My weight is WAY above 120 pounds, but I have noticed that the Pencil skirt hides way more than I thought. ~ And there are always spanx~ although they make me so hot I can never wear them. I put them on and take them right back off again, LOL.  If  your stomach is not your best asset then wear a longer white shirt with a belt, that  always looks good.  Think Kim Kardashian, Beautiful curves, and she rocks them..

Now, I did this look with 3 different shoes,  just to see which one I thought looked best. 

I know which one I like.

Do you think one of these shoes looks better?

Do Tell.

 When I wear a shirt with a lot going on around the neck, I don't wear necklaces.~ Just my preference.

But I will wear this..

And These

 Silk Shirt ~ Target

Skirt ~Target.

Have a Great Tuesday Night!!

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Red Placemat Clutch

Morning Everyone!

I hope everyone's Monday was stupendous. We Had the best Rain All day , I haven't seen rain like that since the last tropical depression went through.  LOVED IT!!

We Also had the most Perfect night because it was spent with family that we have not seen in a year.  I just wish they or we lived closer. :( Praying for them to have a safe trip home.

I made this purse about 3 weeks ago as a trial after my first Placemat Clutch.  It is made from a round straw like Placemat, and  the texture is why I grabbed the thing for a $ 1.50 .  I must have really looked strange when I picked it up and stood there with it in my hand, folding it, squeezing it into the shape I wanted.  I literally  stood there for like 10 minutes, contemplating  and playing with this placemat before I put it under my arm to take it with me. "Come on placemat, you look like a purse to me." LOL

It is made just like my Green Placemat and I will put the link on how I made that one, right after the pictures.   Super easy.!  If you need a quick easy summer clutch for practically nothing, this is the way to go.. I Love the feel of this one~ it  feels very.... summer.

 Tassel Tutorial HERE  

you can make those too, Super easy..

Tutorial for the Clutch is HERE

Clothes post later today,

if all  goes well.

Have a Super Tuesday!!

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