Centerpiece Cents: Fabric Leaf Tree

Just discovered StumbledUpon and "stumbledupon" this awesome idea from Two Girls Being Crafty.  Thought it would make a perfect contribution to our Centerpiece Cents feature.

Click here for the tutorial and if you have an idea for a Centerpiece Cents challenge, here are the rules:

1.  Must be fairly easy for others to do (remember, brides will have to make 20 or so of these for each table at their reception!)
2.  Centerpiece must cost $5.00 or less to make.
3.  You must provide a link with either pictures or instructions (both is best!) on  how to make the centerpiece.
4.  You don't have to, but it would be great if you would follow us here or on facebook so we can all put our heads together and help brides and newlyweds on a budget!

Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out.
Don't miss our blog party! Every Wednesday with the highlights showcased on Saturday.

Real Wedding: Aleska and Alex

Aleska and Alex were so much funnn to work with! I am in love with the purple bridesmaids dresses!! Check out their gorgeous wedding! Aleska is one of our interns Stephanie's sister, so we really felt so personally involved in this wedding.



The A-Team is just gorgeous! (A= Aleska and Alex)

Obsessed with cupcakes!

Beautiful!

What a fantastic smile!

Vendors who created this gorgeous wedding:



Photography: Anwen Elizabeth Photography

Flowers: Prange's Florist

Ceremony: Baughman Center

Reception: Haile Plantation Hall

Wedding Planning: MasterPiece Weddings

Cake: Dream Day Cakes

Wedding Cakes: Volume 1

Wedding cakes are one of those "holy crap!" expenses.  At least it was for me.  I could NOT believe the cost of a wedding cake.  I had literally spent less on my wedding dress than the price estimate on the cake.  Luckily I found a friend whose mother was willing to make us one.

I would highly recommend having someone you trust make a cake for you.  There are lots of easy and fun ideas out there and if you're cake doesn't look exactly like something out of a traditional bakery, that's ok!  It's ok because that also means that it won't look like every other wedding cake you've seen and it's cool to be different and make your own way.  Here's a great cake idea I found from the Spearmint Wedding.  I'd probably change the cake toppers but hey, it's your day, if you like the eggs, go for it.  They are cute!

Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out.
Don't miss our blog party! Every Wednesday with the highlights showcased on Saturday.

Real Wedding: Erinn and Andrew

Have you ever seen such a B-E-A-utiful bride! As most of you know, Erinn used to work for MasterPiece Weddings, and we all miss her dearly! I have looked at all of her wedding pictures a zillion times and just can't get enough of them!



Her wedding was spectacularly gorgeous and we give a big hoorah to Pure by Lindsey Tropf for capturing her true beauty!

Doesn't she have the greatest smile :)



Ferrari FXX Crashes at Laguna Seca

The 2011 edition of the Ferrari Racing Days at Laguna Seca was supposed to be a fun day of merry-making amongst owners of the Prancing Horse.

The weekend-long event featured a number of races involving cars from the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, including that of the new 458 Italia, as well as the FXX and the 599 XX.

Unfortunately, one owner of a rare Ferrari FXX didn’t have as good a weekend as his contemporaries after crashing his supercar out on the infamous ’Corkscrew’ section of the racetrack. While the damage doesn’t appear to be as serious as it should have been - FXX models are not meant for collisions - the dings and scratches are still noticeable enough to leave a pretty big dent in the owner’s wallet.

He could probably still afford paying for the damage done to his street-illegal sports car, but for a vehicle that could fetch millions of dollars in the market, the owner of this FXX should probably take good care of his prized stallion the next time he takes it out on the race track.

 Ferrari FXX Car Pictures

Ferrari FXX Front Side view

Ferrari FXX Side rear view

2005 Ferrari FXX front

Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Palette :)

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, everyone! :D

How are you all spending the long weekend? Whatever it is you are doing, I hope you are having fun! :)

When I have some spare time, I really try to do some swatches for you guys. :)

Good news is I had some time this past week to take photos of my

Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Palette! :D

Here's what www.coastalscents.com says about it:

Description

For those of you who love shimmer shadows, you will not be disappointed. These are very pigmented and offer a bit more shimmer than the 56 piece palette. The pots are Dime Size around and contain plenty of powder for many excessive uses.

Contents

88 eye shadow colors

mirror 5" x 3.12" (12.7cm x 7.9cm)x2 dual end foam tip applicators

Dimensions

matte black case when closed = 9.12" x 6.53" x 0.5" (23.2cm x 16.6cm x 1.3cm)

pot diameter = 0.62" (1.6cm)

Ingredients

Talc, Mica, Mineral Oil, Kaolin, Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Lanolin, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, BHT. May contain: Mica and Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Ultramarine Blue, Manganese Violet, Ferric Ammonium Ferro

cyanide, Chrome Oxide Greens, Chrome Hydroxide Green, FD&C Red No.40 Al Lake, FD&C Yellow No.5 Al Lake, FD&C Blue No.1 Al Lake.

Content Weight

61.0g / 2.15oz

I bought this last year for $19.95 -- very affordable, huh?!
The packaging is not the best, but I don't mind because you get 88 colors for $19.95 -- why would I complain, right?

And another good thing about this is the colors are pigmented.

I swatched a color from each row for you guys to see. :)
There are 11 rows with 8 colors each.

*My arm looks weird, hahaha!*

There may be some fall outs, but you can easily fix that by sweeping it up with loose powder. You can also use MAC Fix+ or just plain, good old water to get less fall outs and a deeper shade.

It comes with dual end foam applicators, but I like using my own eyeshadow brush.

All in all, I think this is a really great buy! It feels like it has all the colors you can possibly think of. ;)

Which of these 88 colors do you like the best?

If you don't want much of a shimmer, they also have an 88 Original Palette -- the same beautiful colors without the shimmer for $18.95!

Coastal Scents has a ton of other products, so check out their website to see which one will strike your fancy. :)

Have you ever bought anything from Coastal Scents? Any recommendations?

Have a fantastic weekend, guys! :D

Highlights from the blog party

Check out the creative bloggers who hung out with me at the Wednesday Blog Party this week.  Below are a few pictures of projects you don't want to miss.

You have to see the AFTER picture of this, it's amazing!  Thanks Simple Home Life!

I love this idea from Johnny In A Dress; it's perfect for showcasing your kid's artwork.

A $1.00 upgrade on a cute swimsuit, genius!  Visit Keeping it Simple for the idea.

Sadly, our blog parties have been discontinued.  But the fun hasn't stopped!  Get your blog listed with our directory and if you have a freebie that you feature (downloads, patterns, tutorials, etc.) please share on our Freebie page. 


Links are posted below, buttons and codes are at the bottom of my blog.  Can't wait to see what you bring!  Again, here are the two ways to get your blog noticed:


Freebies
Blog Directory


Thank you!  Don't forget, we're on Twitter and Facebook too with our follower and fan numbers increasing every week.  When your blog is featured, lots of chances to get noticed.

Shameless plea for votes

I am so honored to be nominated on the Lamb Around blog and am only slightly embarrassed to beg for your vote.  Please click here and vote for my DIY Message Board.  Thank you, thank you!

Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out.
Don't miss our blog party! Every Wednesday with the highlights showcased on Saturday.

Friday Fun Day: Small guys with a portable doll house

I made these for my niece and daughters and they loved them.  They are cute and easy to make, fit in a pocket or purse, require no batteries, and are a quiet toy perfect for the doctor's office, a car ride, or church.

You'll need
Large people pegs (I got mine at a craft store, but click here to order them online and a much lower price.)
Craft paint
Paint brushes
Gloss
Sharpie or other fine point permanent marker
Shoe boxes or cereal boxes (to use as a house)

What I did
Painted each people peg and discovered that the simpler you keep the design, the better.  I painted the body all one color then added polka dots or a collar.  Nothing too detailed because it takes so long and the kids just want to play.  I kept the hair simple too, painted swoops in different colors.

For the face, I skipped the nose and just made simple eye dots and a small smile.  Use the sharpie for this instead of the the paint but word of advice- paint the face a color first.  If you just draw right on the wood with the marker, it will bleed and look stupid and is very hard to paint over.  So paint the dolls skin first before you add the eyes and smile with the marker.

For the "doll house" I would grab some boxes and felt and make a temporary one.  If you want, feel free to print out the pictures below and tape them to the inside of a shoe box.  I took these pictures and glued them to a square wood plaque and made it a dollhouse-on-the-go.

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

Highlights showcased on Saturday.

Friday Funday: Boutonnieres

Its not only the girls who get to have the fun on their wedding day. The groom is just as important ladies!!One way he can express himself is through his boutonierre! It doesn't always have to be pretty flowers. Let your man show his personality!



Boutonnieres



Whether it be sports, cars, music, or even cooking, the possibilities are endless! Give your guy a chance to have his day too :)

Pareesa Lawn Collection 2001 In Pakistan

The new summer collection of Pareesa Lawn by ChenOne Pakistan includes all necessary elements of beauty, luxury and comfort. The keenly created drapers, full sleeve kameez, trousers, gowns and shalwar have stress on purity of production as the neck designs.

Pareesa Lawn Collection 2001

Pareesa Lawn Collection 2001

Pareesa Lawn Collection 2001

Pareesa Lawn Collection 2001

Pareesa Lawn Collection 2001

Pareesa Lawn Collection 2001