Just a quick note to say Happy Fathers Day to all the hardworking fathers and father-figures out there! Here's to all the dads who put their children's needs before their own; who get up early for hockey and swim and dance lessons, who help with homework and stay up late to help finish school projects, who are there in the audience for the school play, who work tirelessly to provide the best life they can (with or without a partner parent) for their kids.
And to my own father, thank you for supporting me and giving me the freedom to find my own direction in life and for being there to catch me when I fail spectacularly. I know it wasn't always easy, but I appreciate it. Love you always.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Monday, June 2, 2014
Duggar-Dillard Wedding Mock-Up
Hello and happy June everyone! Later this month Jill Duggar (fourth child of the supersized Duggar family of "19 Kids and Counting" fame) will be marrying accountant and missionary Derick Dillard. They make an absolutely adorable couple and I was inspired to design a mock-up of what I consider to be their ideal wedding based on Jill's public Pinterest account*.
Based on Jill's Pinterest and recent pictures of the happy couple's wedding shower, it seems like they have chosen a rustic theme with a mint green and peachy pink color scheme. I imagine a simple and cute outdoor ceremony and reception could take place on the Duggar family's ample property, but it was recently reported that the future Mr. & Mrs. Dillard will be tying the knot in the same church where Jill's parents wed 30 years ago (Information found here).
As with all of the older Duggar girls, Jill seems to be very girly and petite. I think she would be best suited to wear a mermaid/fit and flare or slim A-line style lacy dress with possibly an illusion neckline and cap sleeves. I really like the look of this "Esperanza" style dress from www.latterdaybride.com, as well as this tea-length dress from David's Bridal. A floaty light veil, pearl jewelry, and pink shoes would complete the bride's look.
For bridesmaids dresses, I actually really love the look of these lacy peach dresses found on Jill's Pinterest. The style is modest enough to fit the Duggar's strict religious standards, but also appears to be stylish and would likely look good on most of the girls Jill chooses as bridesmaids. Each bridesmaid could wear a different style of pearl jewelry and nude shoes to complete her ensemble.
The bouquets and decorations should look simple and use classic, rustic flowers such as baby's breath, peonies, and old-fashioned roses in various shades of cream and pink, tied with mint colored ribbon. Large, high-impact flowers such as peonies and hydrangeas are a great way to minimize floral costs because you can use fewer flowers in each individual bouquet and still end up with a stunning arrangement.
Finally, since this is a somewhat informal wedding theme, I imagine the groom and groomsmen could wear light gray or tan suits accented with mint green ties and small rose and baby's breath boutonnieres. A fun touch that I've seen recently is having the groomsmen wear coordinating colored socks to show off in some goofy pictures.
Even if the ceremony is indoors in a church, June is the perfect time of year to have an outdoor reception. I imagine setting up 3 or 4 outdoor canopies to shelter the food and beverages from the sun and provide a small bit of shelter in case of rain, but having assorted seating options such as chairs, chaise lounges, and straw bales set up in small clusters. The bridal party table could be decorated with burlap and small arrangements of baby's breath or other flowers in vases made out of glass jars. To encourage mingling among guests, there should be an ample array of finger foods and and desserts. A really fun touch that goes well with this rustic, Southern theme would be an iced-tea and lemonade bar with various fruity syrups that could be used to customize each drink.
Best wishes Derick and Jill! May you have many happy years together and be always blessed. <3
*I'm choosing not to include direct links to any of Jill Duggar's social media out of respect for her privacy. Her Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter accounts are all public and easily available to find on your own if you really want to.
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| David's Bridal CMK513 |
As with all of the older Duggar girls, Jill seems to be very girly and petite. I think she would be best suited to wear a mermaid/fit and flare or slim A-line style lacy dress with possibly an illusion neckline and cap sleeves. I really like the look of this "Esperanza" style dress from www.latterdaybride.com, as well as this tea-length dress from David's Bridal. A floaty light veil, pearl jewelry, and pink shoes would complete the bride's look.
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| Esperanza |
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| Bridesmaid |
The bouquets and decorations should look simple and use classic, rustic flowers such as baby's breath, peonies, and old-fashioned roses in various shades of cream and pink, tied with mint colored ribbon. Large, high-impact flowers such as peonies and hydrangeas are a great way to minimize floral costs because you can use fewer flowers in each individual bouquet and still end up with a stunning arrangement.
Finally, since this is a somewhat informal wedding theme, I imagine the groom and groomsmen could wear light gray or tan suits accented with mint green ties and small rose and baby's breath boutonnieres. A fun touch that I've seen recently is having the groomsmen wear coordinating colored socks to show off in some goofy pictures.
Even if the ceremony is indoors in a church, June is the perfect time of year to have an outdoor reception. I imagine setting up 3 or 4 outdoor canopies to shelter the food and beverages from the sun and provide a small bit of shelter in case of rain, but having assorted seating options such as chairs, chaise lounges, and straw bales set up in small clusters. The bridal party table could be decorated with burlap and small arrangements of baby's breath or other flowers in vases made out of glass jars. To encourage mingling among guests, there should be an ample array of finger foods and and desserts. A really fun touch that goes well with this rustic, Southern theme would be an iced-tea and lemonade bar with various fruity syrups that could be used to customize each drink.
Best wishes Derick and Jill! May you have many happy years together and be always blessed. <3
*I'm choosing not to include direct links to any of Jill Duggar's social media out of respect for her privacy. Her Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter accounts are all public and easily available to find on your own if you really want to.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
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Ugh, MOLD!
One of my biggest annoyances right now is where I live. My husband is working on a Ph.D currently so we're renting a 1,000 sq foot townhouse. Overall, it's really not a bad place for us to live; it has plenty of space for the two of us plus our fur babies, and it's in pretty good community. However, it is only a rental and it has all the problems of a rental, #1 right now being that our cheap, single-pane windows let in too much moisture and then accumulate mold around the window frame. We thought we had the problem taken care of once the heat and humidity of the summer was done, but after noticing that our allergies were getting worse, we checked and sure enough there was mold around every single window in our house! Luckily some Clorox spray cleaned it right up, but until we can afford to move someplace better, or buy our own house I guess I'll be fighting a weekly battle to keep our house mold-free.
Anyways, my current frustration with the cheap construction of this rental made me really consider what I want in my dream home. Even though
buying the house of our dreams is many years away, my husband and I have come up with a few ideas for what we definitely want when we can afford it.
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| Country House |
buying the house of our dreams is many years away, my husband and I have come up with a few ideas for what we definitely want when we can afford it.
- We kind of want a dome home because of its energy saving capacity. If not a dome home, we also like craftsman style houses and farmhouses. Whatever type of house we end up with doesn't have to be big, but we definitely want it to be well built with durable, energy efficient materials. We are doing fine with our 1000 square feet now, but once we have kids that might be a little bit cramped so we are thinking something around 1700-2000 square feet. Big enough to have breathing room, but not excessive.
- I want a neutral color scheme for the walls so I can easily change out the decorations and mix up accent colors. I especially love smoky light gray colors and warm, airy beiges. My current top choices are Smoke Embers, Aganthus Green, and Winter White, all by Benjamin Moore.
- I NEED to live in a more rural area so I can have some chickens and ducks. Ideally, we would have a ton of "lawn" space, but not a lot of grass because I plan on devoting much of my yard space to edible perennials and native fruit and nut trees.
Well, that's all the dreaming I have time for now. Hopefully this post inspires you to dream about your dream home. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Friday, November 15, 2013
Fake it, baby!
Nope, I'm not talking about your wedding night (get your minds out of the gutters), but a few handy products that can definitely help you simplify and save on your wedding or special occasion beauty routine.
Did you ever play around with fake nails when you were in junior high or high school? My friends and I did on several occasions but we always bought the cheapest, most outrageous nails we could find. However, if you do some searching, you can find very realistic, professional looking nails that are much cheaper than the cost of a salon manicure. I really wish I had considered using false nails for my wedding instead of shelling out $30 for a manicure that wasn't all that impressive anyways. Over the summer I had boudoir pictures done as an anniversary present for my husband and decided to take a chance and wear false nails. I was nervous that they wouldn't stay on, or that they would look obviously fake, but they look amazing in the pictures! A quick search on amazon turns up hundreds of results for fake nails that are a far cry from the fake and juvenile looking ones I was accustomed to seeing. Particularly good brands that I have found are Fing'rs, Kiss, and Broadway, but there are others as well. You can easily get a gorgeous manicure for $6-$10 by using false nails, instead of the $30+ that a salon manicure costs.
Obviously, you want to purchase your false nails well ahead of time to do a trial wear so you can see how they look in person and how well they stay on. The Fingr's false nails that I used came with glue stickers, but I constantly felt like they were coming loose and had to obsessively check to make sure they were still on. The nails themselves looked awesome, but I would recommend using liquid nail glue as opposed to stickers. Also, you can buy some pretty crazy nail designs, but I would definitely stick with a classic french manicure or solid, subtle color to avoid looking like a wannabe teenager prom-queen.
Now, to ensure that your false nails look as good as possible you want to follow a few basic steps:
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| Broadway Nails Real Life |
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| Kiss Custom Fit |
Obviously, you want to purchase your false nails well ahead of time to do a trial wear so you can see how they look in person and how well they stay on. The Fingr's false nails that I used came with glue stickers, but I constantly felt like they were coming loose and had to obsessively check to make sure they were still on. The nails themselves looked awesome, but I would recommend using liquid nail glue as opposed to stickers. Also, you can buy some pretty crazy nail designs, but I would definitely stick with a classic french manicure or solid, subtle color to avoid looking like a wannabe teenager prom-queen.
Now, to ensure that your false nails look as good as possible you want to follow a few basic steps:
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| Fing'rs Duo-tone |
- Choose a false nail style that is a subtle color and a short to medium length.
- Before applying glue, check to ensure that each false nail fits the width of your natural nail bed. Nails that are slightly larger than your nail bed may be painful to wear, but they will look okay. False nails that are smaller than your natural nails will look obviously fake.
- Gently push back your cuticles with a clean orange (cuticle) stick.
- Swipe each of your natural nails with nail polish remover and let dry before applying nail glue. This will remove excess oils and ensure a good tight bond between your nail and the false nail.
- Gently file any unnatural looking bits of plastic off the false nails.
- Be sure to bring extra nail glue in your bridal emergency bag, just in case!
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Seasonal Wedding Tips
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| Pre-decorated church |
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| Christmas Tree Kiss |
The holidays are approaching and now is a GREAT time of year to get married. Not only do most religious venues and public spaces have holiday decorations up, but a there is a chance that many of your family members will have extra days off work so you could potentially save money by having your wedding on a less popular day of the week, such as a Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. The prominence of greenery and decorations in churches and public areas means that you won't have to spend money on ceremony decoration, and could quite possibly save on reception decor as well! Seriously, how amazingly romantic are pictures of newlyweds kissing in front of a softly lit pine tree!?If you are lucky enough to live in an area that gets snow in December it is almost guaranteed that your pictures will have a magical winter background! Your accessories and bridal party colors will absolutely pop against the glistening, white background of snow. It might be a little bit cold during the pictures but I think the end results are totally worth it!
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| Snowy Wedding Backdrop |
A few more ideas to consider when planning for a holiday wedding is that it does get dark earlier in November and December, so it may be a good idea to have an early afternoon wedding in order to have the best light for any outdoor photography. With an earlier wedding you could also potentially save money by having a lighter reception with an array of hors d'oevres and drinks instead of full sit down meal. Of course you would want to provide enough food so that your guests aren't starving by the end, but serving several types of appetizers also keeps the mood of the reception light and festive.
Hopefully this inspired some of you seasonal brides-to-be and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, whatever you may celebrate!
Sunday, October 6, 2013
WW#6- Casual Beachy Style
Last week I took a reader poll to decide what theme to use next and it was a tie between a beach theme and a hot pink theme. I've been in a beachy mood since it still feels like summer in my part of the country, so I decided to use the beach theme with a casual twist. I don't think a formal beach wedding is appropriate because my mental image of a beach is fun and casual, plus you have to worry about all the sand so a big formal wedding on the beach just seems silly.
I thought a light and flowing, shorter length dress with no train would be the best option for a beach bride so she doesn't have to worry about her dress dragging in the sand and can stay relatively cool if the weather is hot. I really like the look of this knee length dress* to fit the casual style I was going for, but a breezy chiffon dress with an asymmetrical/high-low hemline would be equally lovely. I would keep the bride's accessories minimal and fun; maybe some chunky costume jewelry and a large flower clip for her hair. For her hairstyle I would continue the casual look with either a messy low updo, or just keep her hair down and wavy. Of course the bride's shoes would be white flip flops because trying to walk on the beach in high heels sounds dangerous, not to mention unfitting for the casual look of this wedding. I want to keep the bouquet simple, so a medium sized cluster of purple and white flowers completes the bride's look.
The color scheme for this wedding is inspired by the natural colors of the beach. To add a bit of a unique touch, I chose the main color to be a light purple lilac or lavender color instead of the usual baby blue or coral. The accent colors would be sandy neutrals and creams. This breezy chiffon bridesmaid dress from David's Bridal is absolutely perfect and looks like it would be comfortable too! I would style the bridesmaids similarly to the bride with a casually messy hairstyle, simple jewelry, and non-heeled sandals, as well as small bouquets.
I want to keep the wedding decor clean and natural looking. A gigantic, elaborate cake and centerpieces would not fit the style at all. This clean white cake from Lisa's Cakes in Lebanon, OH is absolutely beautiful (and probably delicious, too! Lisa made my wedding cake and it was A-MAZ-ING). Another good cake option would be a long and low rectangular tiered cake with a simple white buttercream frosting design. To decorate the reception tables, I would just use small clusters of candles and then spread rose petals around that. Recorded classical music would add just a touch of elegance while still maintaining a casual tone.
*This wedding dress is from another online store and is provided only as inspiration for the style I wanted to showcase. As always, I do not recommend buying a gown online, especially when it is made and shipped from overseas and you have no way to see it in person or try it on before purchase. Any links provided in the text of this post are also provided solely for your information and are not part of any affiliate program.
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| Casual Chiffon Dress |
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| Strappy Chiffon Bridesmaid |
I want to keep the wedding decor clean and natural looking. A gigantic, elaborate cake and centerpieces would not fit the style at all. This clean white cake from Lisa's Cakes in Lebanon, OH is absolutely beautiful (and probably delicious, too! Lisa made my wedding cake and it was A-MAZ-ING). Another good cake option would be a long and low rectangular tiered cake with a simple white buttercream frosting design. To decorate the reception tables, I would just use small clusters of candles and then spread rose petals around that. Recorded classical music would add just a touch of elegance while still maintaining a casual tone.
*This wedding dress is from another online store and is provided only as inspiration for the style I wanted to showcase. As always, I do not recommend buying a gown online, especially when it is made and shipped from overseas and you have no way to see it in person or try it on before purchase. Any links provided in the text of this post are also provided solely for your information and are not part of any affiliate program.
<3
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