Mix & Match Dish Project

My mother saves everything related to dishes, glasses, serving platters - you get the picture. Her kitchen has a pantry area devoted to all of these things and over the years she has pawned, I'm sorry passed, some of these treasures down to me. One weekend I was looking at some of the plates she'd given me and decided to make an art installation of them in my kitchen. I would never have a use for them as they were mismatched, but I liked the look of them so much that I didn't want to just leave them in my cupboard. I purchased the plate hangers from Bed, Bath, & Beyond for about $2 a piece and within 5 minutes I'd created the display.
If you don't have three to five of these mix and match plates lying around or do, but they don't "go" together - you can still do this project. You might stumble across a dish that you like at Marshall's Home Goods or at a garage sale. I have a hard time liking mosaic table tops because I don't want to break the china - it really makes me sad. My mom must feel the same way about smashing up dishes that lost their partners, hence what allowed me to create this project. If you're just like my mom and me this project is a really good alternative. It is inexpensive wall art and a fun to do. If you've done a similar project send me your pictures, I'd love to see them.

Wedding Welcome Out of Town Gift Bags

When we got married all of our out of town guests stayed at the resort near to where we held our wedding. We were lunatics that planned a summertime wedding in South Florida. About two weeks prior to the big day, my mother-in-law and I began brainstorming how and what to put in our welcome bags. Both of us did a lot of research online and polling of our friends and what they did and took into consideration the place and time of year of the event. Hopefully, this will come in handy for any other future brides out there looking to make a similar bag for their own event.
Luckily, we only had to make 20 bags, one bag for each guest room. Each of the bags were from Pier 1 Imports and were reusable shopping bags in a black and white damask pattern. We were fortunate enough to have the help of my mother-in-law's talented best friend to jazz the bags up. He took a class several years ago at Michael's to learn the art of bow making. I cannot tell you have beautiful the bags turned out because of this acquired skill of his. We also made beautiful welcome cards, which we placed inside of matching envelopes, personalized to each guest's room information and affixed with a ribbon to the handle of the bag.
Inside the bags were:
- 2 bottles of Smart Water
- 1 Seda France Travel Candle with Personalized Wedding Matchbook
- 1 Travel Sunscreen & After Sun Travel Lotion
- 1 Pack of Gum
- 1 Pack of Colgate Wisp Mini-Brush
- 1 Set of 6 Gourmet Cookies
- 1 Bag of Mixed Nuts
- 1 Bag of Cracked Pepper Pretzels
We got really positive feedback from our guests on the bags and we saw that many people used them when they would go down to the pool as a beach bag and for extra items that they were taking home from their weekend in Florida. It was stressful to get this project organized and together last minute before the wedding, but the outcome and the extra special touch it added to the weekend was really one of my favorite moments. Did you do out of town guest bags or do you plan on doing them for your own wedding? Let me know.

The Lost Art of Letter Writing

One of the most enjoyable things is to go to the mailbox and receive a letter from a friend or family member. All of the junk mail and bills that I typically receive in my mailbox can get depressing sometimes. A letter, thank you card, or invitation can brighten your day. One of my biggest pet peeves is when you give a gift to someone and do not receive a thank you card. It's something that I remember, I can't forget if I give someone a birthday gift, wedding gift, baby shower gift...you get the picture and don't receive a thank you. Invitations and thank you cards are the simplest way to start letter writing again - it is a lost art form and such an endearing way to communicate with the people that you care about the most.
I have an obsession with stationary and paper. I could spend hours looking at all the different types of card stock that is available for personalized stationary. Have you ever looked at the beautiful and fun address books that you can buy now? Imagine if you organized the addresses, not just phone numbers, of your family and friends in a beautiful book - how simple would it be to drop them a line every now and then?
One of my favorite websites is Wedding Paper Divas. Don't let the name fool you, they have other kinds of stationary as well. Also, you can get such beautiful stamps from the US Postal Service to finish off your letter writing look. For a $1.00 delivery fee, you can order these stamps online without having to wait in the line at the post office to buy Stamps.
If you're looking to be a DIY Stationary Diva - head over to your local Michael's and pick up blank card stock and matching envelopes. Most of these items come with an online template to format an invitation or create your own social stationary at a fraction of the cost. All you need is a laser printer, personal computer, and a little time.
What if you use the upcoming holiday season to begin your letter writing with cards and matching stamps? Imagine all those people whose day you would brighten with your thoughtfulness? How about using a card and envelope in lieu of Evite or MyPunchbowl to let your friend's know about a party you're hosting or a moving announcement that you send in the mail instead of via an e-mail? I've found that the more letters I write, the more letters I receive. It is another simple pleasure and so much better than an e-mail.

Simple Pleasures - A Made Bed

One of my first chores growing up was making my bed each morning. My grandma taught me that a made bed increased your productivity during the day and discouraged you from being lazy and napping. The adage is very true, I rarely nap and this chore is a constant in my life and very rarely is there a day when my bed is not made.
When my husband and I first started living together he'd make fun of me for being so neurotic about having the need, not want, to do this mundane activity each and every day. I wake up very early and usually have to wait until he's finished sleeping to do this morning ritual. The moment he wakes I'm back in the bedroom making the bed. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing to have a made bed, particularly when you live in a small apartment and the bedroom is 1/3 of your living space, there is the simple pleasure of getting into a made bed each night. There is no better feeling after a long day of work than getting into a bed where the sheets are crisp and the pillows are fluffed nicely.
I've actually gotten to the point where the act of making the bed is just as gratifying as the feeling I have when I get into a made bed each night. While some of you might think that enjoying the act of bed making is strange, I challenge you to try making your bed each morning for one week. See if you notice a difference in how well and easily you can fall asleep when the item you sleep on is organized, not disheveled and tangled up. If you already make your bed everyday what I've just talked about will not surprise you, but if you don't...give it a shot it might change your life. Who's up for the challenge? Let me know how it goes.

Faux v. Real...Flowers

One of my favorite activities is to go to Field of Flowers and come home and create arrangements all over my apartment. Unfortunately, about six months ago I had to give up this past time due to the cost. I would spend between $20-$40 per week on the flowers (roses, hydrangeas, and peonies are my favorite) and when it came down to it that money could be better spent elsewhere. I was a little sad at first and I missed my Saturday morning hobby.
That was until I was at Michael's craft store and discovered that they had some of the most gorgeous fabric flowers! I'll admit that the cost up front for the better flowers was more than purchasing real ones, but they never die and often they are 40%-50% off each week. I started with some fall colored hydrangeas in creams and deeper blues and made an arrangement for my dining room/entry table. I filled the bottom of the cylinder with shined pebbles and even water - they look real!
However, my newest obsession is with the tall cylinder vases with a single white orchid inside...faux orchid of course. Using the pebbles and water technique that I used for the hydrangea arrangement and a white orchid from Pier 1 Imports I've made a beautiful and simple arrangement for the bathrooms.
In closing, aside from the beautiful aroma of the fresh flowers and the fact that they do not need dusted - I've fallen in love with my fake flowers...What do you think, faux or real? Which is better?

Newlywed Banking

We were married on a Saturday and were at the bank that Monday for our big financial wedding. I jump into things head first, I don't wade, and I didn't spend too much time analyzing what we should really do regarding finances. I very rarely regret being this way with the exception of this situation.
Within fifteen minutes the account representative at my bank had made my new husband the primary account holder of my checking account and our joint money market. I'd gone from being the primary account holder, loyal and faithful to the same bank for 10 years, to being secondary to my husband and it was a hard pill to swallow - the pill is lodged deep in my throat now, three months later.
My husband is having an affair!!! His mistress is his pre-marriage checking account and Bank of America. The plan is to close this account and share our joint checking account together...one day. What do you think we should do? Should I remove him from my checking account and should we only have a joint money market? Will this even the playing field? On a side note, my husband does not have the bank card that was mailed to us and does not use either of our joint accounts...maybe this changes things.