Rehearsal Dinner Dress.

I just saw this French Connection dress on Peonies and Polaroids and I just about died. I am in love with it, they also have it in white... can you wear white to a rehearsal dinner?

This Afternoon's Inspiration.

First Dance Done Right.

I stumbled on this video from Weddingbee by Miss Powder Puff and I had to re-post. This couple is just delightful!
enjoy. elle.

Completely Off-Topic...

BUT, I have puppy fever. I get this way about once a month, but Mr. keeps rejecting the idea of a second dog. But I have it again this month, an actually contemplated going to the mall right now just to go play at the the pet store.. opps. I am trying to channel self control. ;)


elle

Tonights Inspiration!

"No More Excuses!"

My Mr. has really wonderful taste and eye for size isn't his thing... which is sometime flattering when he buys the smallest size and truly believes it will fit. BUT now, your friends and family will not have to keep playing the guessing game. Its called the Little Pink Card, and its the perfect thing for you to have for your bridesmaids, or for you to give them for say a Bridal Shower, so everyone knows what size your sassy underclothes should be. I would rather give this bad boy out then any boring buisness card.

Perfectly Pink.

I have been loving this inspiration board from Snippet & Ink, and it has given me so many wonderful ideas for the big day. My favorite feature is the "Shawl for Snuggling", as well as the bridesmaids bouquets. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. xoxo Elle

The Perfect Wedding Gift.

When your brother, sister, daughter or mother gets married, you don't necessarily want to get them a fruit bowl that they have registered for. So, when finding something truly unique and personal to give to the newly weds I get extremely excited. Mélangerie Inc, is a wonder company turns your family history into art. These are gifts that your couple will keep forever and never tire to look at. One of the most important things about getting married is that you are combining families and representing these beautiful additions are a fantasic gift idea.

its all in the details. S'MORES!

My wedding is turning into all of my favorite things, from the music to the mini california burrito tray passed appetizers... so why not add something else!? When I saw this idea on snippet & ink, it occurred to me that my wedding wouldn't be complete without s'mores. I love what they did with the packaging, and I thought it would be wonderful to put a monogram on them.

A-Dorable!

For some reason when I saw this inspiration board, I thought it to be the cutest thing I have ever seen (literally it brought on an "awe!" ). My favorite part of all this are the flowers they seem so lush and beautiful, as well as the simple elegance of the cake.

(photo and links via Creature Comforts)

1. Fairest of Them All Silk Taffeta Wedding Dress - Holly Stalder
2. Perfect Palettes: Pink and Gold - Martha Stewart Weddings
3. Pictures Without Borders - Martha Stewart Weddings
4. Present Perfect Cake - Martha Stewart Weddings
5. Perfect Palettes: Using Pink - Martha Stewart Weddings
6. Bowl Em Over Table Arrangement - Martha Stewart Weddings
7. Martinez Valero 'Waverly' Pumps - Nordstrom
8. 14k Raw Circle White Sapphire Solitaire Ring - singleB: beautiful

The Sweetest Cake.

(photo via Pink Cake Box)

Love. Love. Love.

This wedding is perfect! The really knew how to personalize the small touches and has given me some really wonderful ideas. I think I may steal the flowers, table decor, desserts ideas and the fabulous photographer, Myrtle & Major.

(photos via wedding chicks)

Preparing.

Like in life I am coming to find that more organized I am with this wedding, the less I am having to stress. Me and the Mr. are pretty good with filing and storing the important info in a easy and accessible manner. Now that we are starting to sign contracts, gathering tons of receipts and will soon be receiving RSVP's, I thought I would reference this amazing designer Mindy Weiss. Her stuff is not pricey, and with all the stress it will save you I would consider it a fantastic investment. Also, these may be a great idea for an engagement gift for a friend getting married!

(photo from wedding chicks)

Bridesmaids Gifts.

Believe me, if I was rich I swear I would shower my bridesmaids with "thank you gifts", and probably have about 10 more of them too. I am finding myself constantly searching websites and bookmarking all the things I would love to put in a gift bag for them... When I saw these pins by Northwest Bridal, I almost immediately added them to my Etsy Cart... I hope I am not getting carried away considering I do have 7 more months of shopping online! Ok, so maybe I will just add it to my favorites for now. ;) arent they adorable.

. elle

Bridal Budget!

I am in love with this DIY bouquet of flowers that I found on Elizabeth Anne Designs, which then led me to Folding Trees that gave me step by step instructions of how to create the adorable decorations. If you have a problem constantly killing your plants you will love this, and hey maybe work it into your wedding? hmmmm? enjoy

Want to make your own? Keep reading to find out how!

You will need:

• Tissue paper
• Scissors
• 2 large paper clips
• Pipe cleaners (chenille stems) or floral wire
• Coloured marker pen
• Optional: floral wire, floral tape, wire cutters

You can make your carnations any size, but I found that a 3″ (7.5cm) circle gives a realistic-sized flower. Fold your tissue paper in half again and again until it is just larger than your circle size. I used a 20×24″ sheet of tissue paper, which let me cut 48 circles at once - enough for 4-5 carnations!

Find a suitably-sized circular container and draw around it with a pencil onto your folded tissue paper.

Start to cut out the circle, holding all the layers of tissue paper together. If you can’t cut through the whole thickness, try cutting half the layers at a time, then draw another circle to cut out the other half. I found that I could cut through 48 layers with no problem, as the tissue paper is so thin. You don’t have to cut too exactly, so don’t worry if some of the layers don’t come out as perfect circles. Use a large paper clip to help keep the layers together.

As you continue to cut, add a second paper clip on the opposite side of the circles to keep all the circles together.

This next step is the key to making the flowers look more realistic than standard tissue paper flowers. If you are in a hurry or making them with children, you could skip this step and still end up with nice flowers. It is a bit tricky and takes a few minutes to complete, but I think it’s worth it!

Take a marker pen with a complementary colour (a cheap kids’ pen is fine). A bold colour will give a more effective result. Use your non-writing hand to hold the edges of all the tissue-paper layers together, and use the side of the pen nib to begin to gently colour the edge of the circles. Take this slowly - if you press too hard, the tissue paper layers will separate. Colour a small section of the edge at a time, and go over each section a few times to ensure the colour is intense and the ink has saturated all the edges.

Continue to colour around the edge. When you are about halfway through, move the paper clips to areas you have already coloured, and fill in the gaps.
Note: I have switched to the white tissue paper for these photos as the coloured pen shows up more clearly!

..Erm, yes. You may well end up with a coloured finger by the time you have finished (see below) as you have to hold the papers close to the edge to keep them together while you colour them! Don’t worry - it’ll wash off

Remove the paper clips and select enough circles from the pile to make one flower. I used approx 12 circles per flower, but 8-10 circles would be fine.

Keep these circles together and poke two holes near the centre of the circles. I used the end of a pipe cleaner to do this, but if your pipe cleaners aren’t sharp enough you could use a large needle or similar.

Fold down about 1 inch of the pipe cleaner, and push the long end through one hole and the short end through the other hole.

Pull the ends all the way through, then twist the ends of the pipe cleaner together underneath the flower to keep all the circles together:

Now to make the petals. Separate the topmost circle and crumple it upwards from the centre. Scrunch up the paper randomly, but try to concentrate on the base of the petal (the centre of the circle) and leave the coloured edges alone.

Now repeat with each circle in turn. Crinkle each circle up individually, and try not to have the folds in the same place each time. You can see (below, right) how I am squeezing my fingers around the base of the petal each time I add a new circle. This stops the coloured petal edges from being creased into folds.

Keep scrunching… When all the circles have been crumpled up, you will end up with a lovely carnation like this:

And that’s it for the basic tutorial! If you are making these with children, you probably want to stop at this point. If you want to make the stems look more realistic, here are some ideas:

Make a double-headed stem by cutting down one pipe cleaner to half its length (use wire cutters for this) then twisting it together with another completed stem:

I wasn’t satisfied with my green furry caterpillar stems, so I converted them with some floral wires and green floral tape:

Cut the floral wire to the same length as your stem.

Holding the wire and pipe cleaner stem together, start to wrap the floral tape tightly around them. Start about 1″ down from the flower head (below, left) and wrap up the stem to the head. Then wrap all the way down the stem to the bottom. To wrap without the tape getting tangled up, hold the tape steady and at an angle to the stem with one hand (below, right), and use your other hand to twirl the stem around, winding the tape around itself as it goes.

The floral tape will stick to itself, so there is no need to use glue to fasten it down. Remember to stretch the end of the tape as you wrap the end of the stem, to help it to stick securely.

Make just one as a paper buttonhole. Make about a dozen, and you have a beautiful bouquet!

xoxo elle.

The Bridesmaid.

Me and Ali were on a hunt today for the perfect bridesmaid dress. And it all came back to the same place, after many stores, we went with the J. Crew. It was the most fair in prices, and we felt that they were made the best. In the end we chose one strapless, and one halter. I am so pleased and had the best day with my lovely MOH. I think I am going to get my bridesmaid some sort or pin or broach, and they can wear it where ever they want on the dress to jazz it up a bit. Also I have decided that it would be really to have the girls in really bright color shoes (maybe alternating in colors). Let the drooling ensue.

The Save the Date is DONE.

After much debate the Mr. and I finally decided on the Save the Date! When I saw these from Paperwink, I feel in love. I feel extremely accomplished and I couldn't wait for my friends and family to receive them in order to not spoil the surprise... so here it is! Sorry you wont be seeing it in your mail box first- but it will have different info so there!

Let me know what you think!

Awww cute

I found these adorable wedding cupcakes and just had to share them really quick. They are from my absolute favorite bakery in the entire world: Le Gateau in Dallas, Texas. I don't know what these people put in their cake batter but it's magical, and definitely addicting. True story: I once brought their white chocolate cake with lemon filling and butter cream frosting as a carry-on item on a flight from Dallas to San Diego. I was looking at colleges in the Dallas area and just had to bring back a cake for my girlfriends. Four of us demolished the 10-serving cake in 45 minutes.

You can pin me anytime!

(I have to make my titles witty. That's just me.)

I know how much Elle (and many-a-folk) love Etsy! Well, once upon a time, when I had an uber amount of time on my hands, I perused Etsy hours and hours at a time. I stumbled across this, and bookmarked it, because I thought it was unique and green! (I'm all about making things as green as possible, whenever possible. It really is about all the little things you do. No one is asking you to go live in a hut in the jungle. ;-) ) OK, off my little soap-box, on to the loveliness:

from the Etsy shop of twigs & honey

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5060316

She does custom-made boutonnieres (as well as other beautiful, one-of-a-kind wedding pieces), letting the purchaser (aka Elle) choose the color and look of the piece. She does make each one slightly different so each groomsman has a unique piece.
This is a great option for anyone not wanting to worry about refrigerating flowers just to have them die and be tossed (*sad face*) at the end of the night. It's an extra little something the groomsmen can take with them, and maybe even use again!

Satisfying and Healthy Options

Hey Everyone!!
I hope that you all have had a great week. Today is my Friday (One of the perks for having a Federal job). Any who... I thought I would share some of my favorite breakfast muffin recipes. Now usually when you think of muffins, you think big buttery masses of fattening bread mixed with all sorts of unhealthy ingredients. Well my friends you are way off. I have mastered the art of substitution and half of my co-workers never can tell the difference between the full fat banana bread and the nonfat uber healthy alternative. Shhhh don't tell! Now as you all know, Elle is on the countdown to her wedding and along with that she is watching what she eats so that when the big day comes she will look her very best. First, lets talk about some substitutions that you can make when baking desserts. Anytime a recipe calls for butter or oil, opt for an alternative. Lately I have been using a lot of applesauce or pumpkin puree in place. What you are looking for is the moisture and texture of the baked good. Yogurt, low fat sour cream, apple butter, peanut butter or any type of natural fruit preserve will do. Sugar also seems to be added in mass amounts to our morning fuel. When we wake up in the mornings, our bodies have fasted for the past 8 hours more or less and need complex carbs along with natural glucose. Now you may think that your lucky charms or your NY Bagel are the perfect fit for that but in all reality you are just putting a processed and refined food into your body which will be used up quickly. This in turn leaves you feeling hungry more soon. Complex carbs and fiber help to keep us fuller! Now for the fun part. I am going to provide you with 2 recipes. One will be the full fat version and the other is the healthy alternative. You can see how easy it is to make small changes! Remember it all depends on what flavors you want to get out of your food! Happy and healthy eating here we come!
P.S. I use tastebook online to load all my recipes on! It is a huge paper saver!










Banana Crumb Top Muffins
3/4 cup all-purpose wheat flour
3/4 cup of wheat bran
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 banana
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp banana extract
1/4 cup no calorie splenda
1/3 cup packed brown sugar splenda blend
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 eggwhite, lightly beaten

Crumb Topping
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tsp sugar free preserves
1/3 cup brown sugar splenda blend
1/2 tbls apple butter or butter substitute
(can always use Peanut Butter too!)


Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and applesauce. Stir the banana and pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
Topping:
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean. Just under 100 Calories per Muffin!!


Full Fat Version
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.
(These babies pack in a whopping 270 calories per muffin, 9g of fat and 46g of carbs)

Peace and Hugs,
Ryan