something to smile about

I finally sound my 3rd and final BM dress on ebay. I was sorta freaking out because the dress is sold out in stores, but thank goodness for ebay. Found it and did "buy it now option" Here they are...

J. Crew Brushstroke for my MOH
J. Crew Jillian for my other 2 BM

the wedding blues

I am getting married just about 4 months. 4 months is not a lot of time in bride time. Well I found out this week that 1.) My makeup and hair stylist who I was supposed to be meeting with Feb 21st for a consultation with me and all my bridesmaids AND we were going to sign the contract tells me that she just signed another contract with a bride that has the same date as me. "So sorry can't do it anymore." were the words that came out of her mouth. I am like biatchhh! 2.) The chef who was going to cater the wedding was just laid off from the restaurant we hired. He was a client of my fiance's and was giving us a GREAT deal. So now I don't have a caterer....and we are 4 months away. Today I am in overdrive. I contacting every caterer in the area to see if they are available for the date. I don't know what else to do. This is going to throw us WAY over budget..and out budget was small to begin with...i just want to cry.

Wedding invites

I already have my wedding invites. I am DIYing them. I bought them at AC Moore, bought some navy ribbon, and yellow pearls to spice them up a bit. They are classic white with a pearl border. I like them, but I am not in love with them. They look simple, but pretty. As I was surfing the web I cam across this website: http://www.einvite.com/ . They have a weding sale section for 40% off!!! $60 for 100 invites. Here's a few of my favs...

preppy stationary

I came accross this website while trying to find some new address labels.
I fell in love immediately.
http://www.iomoi.com/iomoi.php?page=home
Here's some of my favs.

Wedding Dress and Accessories

Got my wedding dress from J. Crew. The Rebecca Style on sale plus free shipping. I need it to be altered a little bit, especially the hem...its about 6 inches to long. Its okay though my seamstress is fabuloussss she is going to hem the front and leave the back a little bit longer so i have a sweep train.

Brooch $2 from ebay. I'm going to wear the sash so the bow is in the back and wear this brooch in the front.
Headband from ebay. $5

I'm also wearing a petticoat under the dress so it keeps a little bit more volume. AND future hubby bought me Ralph Lauren pearl necklace, earrings, and bracelet for Christmas that will look unbelieveable with the dress. Nothing is definate yet. I don't even know how the ebay purchases will look with the dress, but for the price I don't care if I need to keep looking.

Man Gifts

Here are some ideas for the soon to be hubby for Christmas...

Monogrammed Wine Stopper. Also got matching monogrammed plates.

From Hallmark
Shiatsu Back Massager
Bed Bath and Beyond
$140-200
plus 20% off coupon


Calvin Klein Leather Jacket
Calvin Klein Oulet

Ipod Stereo

Also, Ralph Lauren Dress Shirts, a tie or two, some J. Crew casual wear, socks, ect..

My place Summer/Fall 08

Bedroom Lamp

Bought @ home depot

Bedroom Lamp
Lamp: $15 @ Christmas Tree Shoppe

Iron Artwork
Piet 1 Imports
$10

Starfish Lamp
$20
Bought @ local factory store

Nautical Mirror from Home Goods
Striped Valances home made. Fabric bough for $5/yard @ Joann Fabrics

Blueberry Wreath from LL Bean

Kitchen Curtains bought from Curtain Factory discount Store

$20 per window

I have a squirrel in my bedroom ceiling...

So my 7 a.m. wake up call consisted of tiny little pitter patter on my bedroom ceiling. I sprung up and looked at my fiance. I had no idea what it was at first....does my upstairs neighbor have some type of animal up there? Then I realized it was IN the ceiling. The little guy was running around in circles for about 2 hours then crawled up in a corner and started crying. So I finally called my land lord after hopeless time waiting, thinking the little thing would be able to get out on his own. My landlord gave me the number of an exterminator. The exterminator told me "Yeah sure I will be right over" Well after 4 hours of waiting I called my landlord again. This time my landlord said he will be over in 1/2 hour....They are going to set some live traps in my ceiling....I will update you after we catch it...

Friday night wedding

I am attending a Friday night wedding in Boston next week. I finally bought a dress. I bought a navy wrap dress at J. Crew, but it was too light weight. So I'm saving it to wear to my rehearsal dinner in June. So next Friday I will be dolled up in these:

Silver Clutch from White House Black Market $9.99

Black Satin Dress
White House Black Market
$29.99
This dress came with a satin bow but...



Silver Glitter Belt from
J. Crew
$29.99 minus 40% off = $18


Now all I need is some shoes....DSW here I come....

I think I may be crazy....

OK so I am having my wedding reception at my parent's home. I feel like I am renting everything. Let's see theres 2 tents, 125 chairs, 15 round tables, china, flatware, glassware, linen, etc etc etc. All these rentals are costing more that the caterer!

I am trying to find ways to cut costs. I opted for paper plates....my mother laughed at me. I wanted to keep this wedding a budget friendly casual event. 99% of brides probably think I'm crazy, but I can not see spending $25K (average cost of a wedding in MA) or more on a wedding that will last 5 hours. I know lots of people will not agree with me and say that it is a once in a lifetime experience. I would rather do something else with that money....like put it towards a house. I am left with the question...how can I cut costs without looking cheap?

Save the Date Ideas

I am deciding between two ideas for my save the dates. 1.) A business card or 2.) A postcard.
My wedding colors and navy and yellow.

Lemons
For this one I can use any colors I want

Simple enough w/ navy blue writing

postcard

I am really pushing more towards business cards. That way people can stick them on their fridge and forget about it. Plus it's a lot cheaper. 100 personalized business cards range from $6.99-$20 for 100. All I did to find these templates was type in "make your own business cards" or "design your own business card" into a search engine. I then searched thousands of templates. There are so many ideas out there. I think I reallllly like the lemon one. super cute and different.

Where I love to shop

These are the stores I spend the majority of my money...Now I do need to admit I am a bargain hunter. I believe you can have great clothes with a quality brand that doesn't break the bank. The majority of my shopping is done at an outlet mall near my home. They have j. crew, coach, burberry, banana republic, gap, william sonoma, and so many great name brands. When I walk into a store the very first thing I do is go straight to the sale rack. If I do find something I NEED to have that isn't on sale I will watch the item for a time being and more than likely it goes on sale.

1.) J. Crew: mostly th outlet stores. Every few months they have an extra 30% off there clearance. www.jcrew.com has a huge sale section.

2.) Lacoste: strictly outlet shopping. Polo shirts for $50-60. Orinally $72-98

3.) Ralph Lauren Polo: Outlet only. I find great deals here. Usually polos from $50. Polo t-shirts from $15

4.) Banana Republic: huge selection of clearance. Last week all denim was an extra 40% off

5.) LL Bean: I always wait until I get a coupon in the mail before I purchase.

6.) Northface: okay this is my splurge. I love their fleeces. I want a hooded fleece vest next.

7.) DSW: thousands of shoes at great prices

What's on your DVR?

I work nights so I DVR my fav shows. heres a few...

-Project Runway. The latest season
just ended Wednesday night. I love Heidi/

-Top Chef: Expecting a new season soon.Just saw a preview for it.

-CSI: I watch Las Vegas, Miami, and NYC.

-Jon & Kate plus 8. Monday nights on TLC. This is definately my favorite show. It's about a couple who has 8 kids. A set of twin girls and a set of sextuplets...yes thats 6!-3 girls and 3 boys!

-Entourage: Sunday nights on HBO.

J. Crew private sale extended one day

You have until 11:59 pm tonight to shop J. Crew's private sale. You get an extra 20% off $175 or more. Enter: PRIVATESALEOCT @ checkout

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This month is breast cancer awareness month. Pink is EVERYWHERE: on tv, online, in the grocery store, at restaurants, ect, ect, ect.. If you have on demand go to lifetime and watch the movie "Why I Wore Red Lipstick to my Mastectomy" (http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/movies/why-i-wore-lipstick-my-mastectomy).

Great Pink Products that helps towards a cure:

1.) Campbell's Soup

2.) Kitchenaid Mixer http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/landingpages/kitchenaid/mixers/standmixers/PRD~89767/KitchenAid+Artisan+5qt+Cook+for+the+Cure+Stand+Mixer+.jsp

I'm getting married in 8 months....yikes

I'm getting married in June. We don't have an exact day yet. We are getting married in my parent's back yard. So the only thing we have set up is the caterer. I'm doing as much as I can myself...

1.) Centerpieces: I bought mason jars at acmoore for $0.99. I then bought some preppy ribbon to tie around. In the mason jars I am cutting a half a lemon on the bottom with a single hydrangea in it. I am buying the hydrangeas wholesale online @ http://www.shop.weddinghydrangea.com/. *Shopping tip: acmoore and joanne fabrics have coupons for 40% off. You can get them in the Sunday paper or print them out online.

2.) Bouquets & Boutonnieres: Like I said before I am buying the hydrangeas at wholesale. I then bought simple supplies at acmoore such as wire and floral tape. I then bought some yellow polka dot ribbon to tie then up.

3.) Invitations: bought 100 @ joann fabrics. They are white with a pearl border. I added a sheer navy ribbon and a yellow pearl as accents. I'm printing them myself. Total cost: $100 for 100 invites.

Preppy Scrubs

Gotta look preppy at work...even if you work in a hospital.

http://www.tafford.com/

Turquoise Circle Crossover

$9.99

http://www.tafford.com/

Paisley Warm up Scrub Jacket

$17.99

http://www.jascouniform.com/
Argyle Socks

$4.49

scribbidyscrubs.com

Perfectly preppy trio
$14.99scribbidyscrubs.com

Lots O' Dots

$19.99