You Can Never Have Too Many Aprons

Still haven't found the best idea for your bridesmaids, mothers, or shower gifts? I have a thought for you! A few weeks ago, I went to the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, TX to see the Apron Chronicles exhibit. I was really excited, because I've started quite the collection of my own. The exhibit is very unique and interesting, a great way to spend time with my mother and aunt. Hung across the ceilings are countless vintage aprons. Along the walls are stories from men and women, young and old, sharing American tales of aprons and the people who wore them. We even got to try on a few beautiful aprons ourselves...

Anyway, maybe it was the fact that I received a sewing machine the night before, maybe there were too many adorable combinations, but an idea popped into my head! Make each of your bridesmaids their very own, personalized aprons. Use their favorite colors, concepts, or trimmings.

For your eco-friendly mate, use recycled fabrics. If you have a girly girl for a friend, cover hers with lace and frills. They are bound to be something that the women in your life will love for years to come.f.

If you live in Fort Worth, this weekend the museum is having a soiree to celebrate the end of the exhibit. Bring the women in your life, grandmothers, cousins, and best friends, and go check out some incredible American history.

Cheers!

A friend of mine found these too-cute personalized wine glasses on Etsy, they are such fun bridesmaid gifts! FizzyArtist will personalize wine glasses, champagne flutes, beer pilsners, low-balls, martini glasses, coffee mugs, and more! Send her pictures of you and your girls, or just give her general descriptions. They can be in your bridesmaids favorite colors or use the hues for your wedding!

These are just right for sipping mimosas while having your hair done or toasting at a bachelorette party.

Don't forget the boys! Order Beer glasses with your last name and wedding date for your groomsmen.

So you and your fiance don't feel left out, you have have some too! These would also be fun gifts to give to another bride and groom.

For pure entertainment value, I think these are rather amusing.

I'm off to the liquor store to buy a bottle of Pino Grigio and have a girls night in. Happy Friday to you, and don't forget to check out FizzyArtist on etsy! I think her custom wine glasses may make excellent birthday gifts, too.

Sneaky Little Elves

I've been a bad blogger lately. I promise it will get back to normal after the holidays. We've just had so much to do. Now that we've married off a sister, we have to Christmas shop, bake, and even sneak over to the newlyweds house to do a little decorating!

Now, those of you that are fancy and southern know what a "display" is. For my Yankee friends, it's tables set up with the couples' beautiful wedding gifts, invitations, and photos on display.

My parent's have had these tables up for weeks. Two nights before the wedding, we had some of our family friends over for a "Sip and See" where we drank Poinsettia's and looked at all of the gifts, while discussing the last minute details of the wedding. You see, we Southerner's can find any excuse to have a party!

So, after the couple left for their Cancun honeymoon, we crept over to their house and set up a few of the gifts for them to come home to. Don't worry, we kept the display in tact. The trick is hiding all of the boxes underneath the tables. We also bought a Christmas tree and put their new ornaments (a bonus for getting married at the holidays, lots of new ornaments!) on it. Tonight, we're bringing over milk, eggs, and a breakfast casserole for the two to enjoy Christmas morning before coming over to open gifts with their nosy relatives.

We hope they enjoy their surprise on Friday night, when they get home from the airport. We love you, Katie and Chase!

First-Class Favors

I honestly don't think that favors are necessary at a wedding. They can prove to be massive wastes of money. It usually costs a decent chunk of change to get anything worth giving, but here are a few pretty wonderful favor ideas.

Etsy comes through once again, this time with Ivy Lane Design's custom matchboxes. You can get them with your wedding colors and they are eco friendly to boot! Oh, and did I mention that they are adorable?

For those of you that are gettin' hitched in Vegas, I think these would be a witty gift for your guests.

Purse size and very useful, I'm fond of these personalized mint tins available through Beacoup. There are so many options, it would be hard not to find something that went with the style of your wedding. And, if your future father in law is a close talker with bad breath, these will come in handy!

As a chocolate lover, I'll always happily eat a cute chocolate bar at a reception. Wedding Star has some darling wrappers, like this one, that is peacock themed. They have so many colors and options, you're bound to find something that works with your wedding.

Luna Bazaar is a fabulous place to look for lanterns, paper lanterns, paper fans, and the like. They also have many exquisite candle holders that would do double duty as decorations and favors, like this brown rice paper votive holder.

If you prefer more of a vintage look, I think their faceted, vintage glass tea light holders are outstanding. I'd love to take one of those home with me!

Planning a holiday wedding? Look at these ornament place card holders. They are useful to you for a seated dinner, but your guests may take them home and hang them on their tree! They're pretty, too. 

Getting married in a vineyard? I've got the perfect favor for you!.Wine cork spreaders. Because, really, what goes better with wine than cheese?

DIY Dessert Stands

I'm going to have to make these for myself-- they are so darn cute! I think they would be great for reception decor, if done right. They would also make excellent hostess gifts for your showers or bridesmaids gifts.

You will need:
-A drawer pull that is pretty. Browse antique stores, check out hardware stores, or hit up Anthropologie.
-An allthread to match. You can find these at hardware stores as well.
-A bolt and washer that fit, you will use these to screw in the bottom of your stand.
-A drill and bit.
-A candle stick. Some have a visible hole through the centers. Others need to have the dowel in the middle unscrewed.
-Plates. Melamine or ceramic are preferable for these instructions. Unlike the pictures, I think these plates would be more adorable with different sizes and designs, as long as they coordinate.
-Paint (optional)

Make sure your allthread and drawer pull are the same width. If your drawer pull has a rod like this one, you should be able to unscrew it, so the allthread can screw directly into the pull. It may take some torque, but you should be able to get it out. Pick up two allthreads if you’re going to want to change between two and three tiers with your cake stand. You’ll need an allthread for each different height.

If you are planning to paint your candlestick, do so before you start.  Next you’ll need to drill a hole right through the center of the plate. If you're afraid to do this, ask your fiancé for help.. I advise you to use a wood bit for drilling through melamine and a ceramic bit for ceramic. You may also want an extra plate, just in case a plate cracks while it's being drilled. If you do crack a plate, you can drill a few extra holes in your broken plate and get a little practice. Drill directly through the center of your plate. If you need help finding the center, use a ruler.


Now all that is left is the assembly! Screw the entire stand together. Don't forget to use the washer and bolt on the bottom.

These don't have to be used solely for desserts. They make a great place to set your jewelry, too! The other fabulous thing about these stands is storage. You can easily disassemble them and store until the next party. 

What to do for those lovely 'maids?

I have had a hard time deciding exactly where to start, I just have too many ideas swirling in my head. I figured one thing was easy to tackle-- bridesmaid gifts.

How many strands of plastic pearls do you own, from a well meaning bride that wanted all of her bridesmaids to have matching jewelry? Do you have a flask engraved with the wedding date of your best friend? How about a cheesy picture frame with an etched quote about friendship?

Let's face it, nearly all of the presents from your bride-to-be are a waste of money. You may keep them for a year (or more if you are a bit of a hoarder like myself) and eventually they end up in the trash. If you want to spend your hard earned cash on a gift for them, make it something they will actually appreciate!

For example, you can find inexpensive REAL pearls on the internet. Now, they may be freshwater or baroque pearls as opposed to those Tahitian and Akoya stunners, but at least they're the real thing. I recommend ebay vendor Pearllunar to get natural pearls at a fantastic price. They do custom orders, so you can get your girls whatever color, size, and length you want! You can still have a cohesive and classic look without feeling like you cheated your girls.

These days being green is something we all need to be thinking about. I bet your friends would really enjoy personalized, reusable totes for grocery trips and excursions to the mall. Sure, you can easily buy monogrammed bags online, but it would be even more special if you made them yourself. I adore this idea from Ashleyannphotography.

For instructions, go to her blog here. I love that a doily and paint can make something so adorable. Paint it in her favorite color, or maybe that lovely shade of lilac she'll be wearing on your special day.

Another idea to knock their socks off-- gemstone pendants. I know, they sound pricey, but, they don't have to be! My favorite vendor is a jeweler on etsy, Daniel M Jewelry. Daniel and his wife Caren are a dream to work with. They do all kinds of custom projects from rings, to cufflinks. His Rainbow Bezel Pendants are truly gorgeous and you have so many color options. You could either do them all the same shape and color, or switch things up. Pick colors each individual would like and then choose what cut they might wear most. It would show your best friends that while you may have been crazy in the months leading up to the wedding, you are still thinking about them. These necklaces are something any girl would absolutely cherish for years to come.

If all of those options are a little too girly-girl for your tom-boy sister, look for a nice, hardback version of her favorite book. Write her a meaningful note on the inside cover, so she can always think of you when she re-reads "The Great Gatsby" for the 10th time. Buy her a fancy bottle of wine or get her a years subscription to her favorite magazine. The possibilities are endless!

Just think a little outside of the box and get your bridesmaids a gift they will treasure. It doesn't have to be difficult or contrived! And please, don't forget to include a heartfelt card detailing how much her involvement in this special day means to you.