Christmas, Sewing & Other Exciting News

So I just found out that another one of my best friends, Miss Missy Denton, was engaged this past Friday at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC! :)
How exciting!!??
I just LOVE being engaged at the same time as two of my favorite gals!!! Fun times ahead...
CONGRATS MISSY AND MATTHEW!

I hope everyone had a VERY Merry Christmas! P & I certainly did!!!
Quick recap...
Christmas with the Herb family in Raleigh, playing Batman on Nintendo DS all day Thursday with Matthew, weekend spent in small town Norton, VA with my fam, trying out our hand me down racquets from P's sis & brother in law on Saturday (I love having a new hobby), Benjamin Button that evening (which was great) and then finally back to NC on Sunday!

I can now honestly say that my favorite thing about Christmas is not getting gifts, but just being able to be with the people I love most, family!
However, this year I did receive an AMAZING gift!!! My first sewing machine from my FML (future mother in law)!
My mind is going crazy with all the possibilities that lie ahead!!!
My mother purchased me a few books for beginners, but my favorite is Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter.
Pictured above is the first project I plan to take on, a simple little tote bag!
I just purchased the fabric I plan to use from Contemporary Cloth, so stay tuned for the outcome.
*This project is no way wedding related, but I do plan to use my new sewing machine for many wedding related items in the next few months. ;)
xo's!

Well Spun Weddings...

I read about this AMAZING company, Well Spun Weddings, on one of my favorite blogs, Style Me Pretty. Well Spun is a company based out of Philadelphia, PA and they make gorgeous, vintage style wedding videos.
Pepe and I have decided not to hire a videographer because I thought it might be a waste of money since we probably wouldn't watch it very often.
My uncle has a real artistic eye and I'm hoping he'll be kind enough to video tape a lot of footage for us so that I can then send it to Jon at Well Spun.
Jon can turn the footage a friend or family member takes into a beautiful movie type video for about $500.
How awesome is that?
When you have a free moment I highly suggest checking out his website and watching the videos in his gallery.
They're stunning!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR

I am so excited about everything that's coming up over the next couple of weeks! :)
We are heading to Raleigh tomorrow to spend Christmas with Pepe's family.
I'm so excited to get to see his adorable niece and nephew pictured here. It's been a long time since I've been around children on Christmas morning and I can't wait to see how excited they are when they see what's Santa has brought them.
On the 26Th we are headed to my hometown, Norton, VA, to visit my family and that always puts a huge smile on my face. :D

For New Year's we are going to have dinner with GREAT friends and afterwards drinks out at this amazing floating bar at Lake Norman, thanks to the Barzee's! How cool is that?!

Then on January 11th we're headed to Charleston, SC for our Engagement photo's! We are staying at the Harbourview Inn and I CANNOT WAIT!!!!

The following weekend is the Engagement Party with most of our favorite people in this World!
Good times!

Happy Holiday's! Hope they are filled with lots of joy and laughter.
XO's!

Crazy Fact Thursday oops! I mean Friday

I got so wrapped up yesterday in reading the archives of the Nie Nie Dialogues that I forgot to post my crazy fact!
So for just this week today, Friday, will be Crazy Fact day! :)

*As early as the 13th century, most notably in Europe, it was considered good luck to have a piece of the bride's clothing. So wedding guests would chase after the bride and literally rip pieces of fabric from her dress and/or try to steal her garter.

Is it the weekend yet?

I'm so VERY anxious for 6pm tomorrow evening.
The lovely Mrs. & Mr. Teague are hosting their Annual Christmas Party and this year it's Oscar/Red Carpet Themed. :) How fun!?
Pepe and I, along with our wonderful friends The Barzees, are making our own Oscar throphies. :) It's going to be interesting, but I have a feeling they will turn out great. Promise to take a picture and post.
Then Saturday morning I'm waking up early, cleaning this messy house, baking 2 yummy batches of cookies (pictured above), and hopefully I also have time to work on a little secret project before I have to get ready for the red carpet. ;) WHAT A PERFECT DAY!!?!!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
XO's!

The Nielson Family

When I first started reading blogs it was only wedding blogs, but those have fortunately led me to so many other wonderful blogs!
Just yesterday I learned of the amazingly beautiful (inside & out) Nielson family.
Stephanie and her beloved Mr. Nielson were in an airplane crash on August 16th, 2008 and are currently recovering from critical burns sustained.
Stephanie's sister Courtney is keeping 4 of the kids right now (the youngest is staying with another sister) and she has been updating her wonderful blog as well as Nie Nie's.
I've been going back and reading previous blog entries and boy what an AMAZING family!!!
Nie Nie's blog became popular because of her positive outlook on life, a life that includes being a mother of 4 children and married to a wonderful husband whom she refers to as Mr. Nielson.
Please check both blogs out when you have a moment. You won't regret it! As Courtney says, "Nie Nie will change your life".

Baked!

So I was reading one of my favorite wedding blogs today and I see the work of a FABULOUS bakery located in NYC. I visited the site thinking I'd maybe just get some inspiration from it, but low and behold I learn that they've opened a new store! Where you ask???
CHARLESTON, SC!!!
How wonderful! Right?
We may have a very talented family member making our cake, but there is still a groom's cake needed and that's where Baked will hopefully come in.
I've already been in touch with the owner and he said we can schedule an appointment to come in anytime we like and they'll let us try various flavors in, get this, cupcake size!
I sorta, kinda love cupcakes!!! One of my dreams is still to own a children's clothing boutique named Cupcake Couture and I plan to bake mini cupcakes daily to hand out to the kids when they come in. :)
That's a convo for another time and place though.
So anyways these are some of my favorite pictures from their website. Hope you enjoy!

Engagement Photo Session

I came across James Christianson's work on one of my favorite blogs, Style Me Pretty, and I spent all day reading his blog and looking at his photos! 1 word...UNREAL!!!!!!
Since P and I are taking our Engagment photos next month I'm constantly on the looking out for photos I like.
I trust Karyn, our photographer, but since we haven't met her I don't think it hurts to send her photos that I love so she has an idea how I'd kinda like the day to go.
Here are just a few of my favorites from James' site.

Dress Shopping Part 1

AAAHHHHHHH!!!! :) That's me letting out a huge sigh of relief!
For some reason I was all sorts of nervous for my first dress shopping experience and it went much better than I expected!
Did I find my dream dress? No. But it was an absolute wonderful time nonetheless!
As I mentioned before my sister and I headed to Raleigh (the dress shop was in Fuquay Varina) to check out the Augusta Jones Trunk Show. I worked with Felicia and she was such a joy!
I unfortunately think I'm somewhat spoiled now...no way it can go as smoothly at every other boutique!
I realize now that it's important to work with someone who get's you, who understands your personality and what your looking for. Felicia was great at pulling dresses and letting me try on a variety of styles since it was my first time trying dresses on.
I'm happy to report that what I thought I was going to like was exactly what I liked.
I've heard from various people that you often end up liking something completely different than what you envisioned, not me! :)
I LOVED lace! I loved strapless with a sweetheart neckline and I also prefer an A-line fit!

I kinda thought I was going to be a gal who goes to one store and buys one of the first dresses I tried on. Not so much! Now I'm exciting to try on as many dresses as I can! :) Especially since I have a few months before I need to order it.

Sorry for writing a book! I think the giddiness still hasn't worn off!

*This photo is a picture of one of the Augusta Jones dresses, the Barcelona, I tried on and thought was beautiful, just not right for me. :)

Merry Christmas!

We just arrived at the Marriott in Raleigh and I had this lovely photo waiting on me in my inbox from my Mama San and I couldn't resist sharing...

She spent the evening with a glass of vino, lots of wrapping paper and bows. Doesn't that just sound wonderful? :)'

A little Friday Inspiration...

It's FRIDAY and I'm excited!!!! More excited than I typically am on Friday because I'm leaving this evening on a quick trip to Raleigh with my sister, Carly.
We are staying overnight so that we can wake up early and head to my appointment at Enchanting Moments for the Augusta Jones Trunk Show. When I first came across Augusta's collection I quickly fell in love but soon after realized she's somewhat out of my price range. She's a designer based out of the UK and her dresses are somewhat hard to find. So no harm in trying them on, right? ;)
I 'm excited to get a better feel for what style looks best on me.
After the appointment we plan to knock out most of our Christmas Shopping (procrastinators, I know!) and then it's back to the Queen City that evening.
On Sunday Pepe and I are going to my first ever NFL game, Panthers vs. Broncos! Go Broncs! I'm a Shanahan fan, can't help it!

Okay with all that said I may be somewhat MIA this weekend so I put together this Inspirational Board of photos that caused me to have a case of perma grin.
I mean cookies and milk, whimsical lighting and decor, not to mention the adorable dog photo used as a placecard!
*Our beloved Tucker won't be able to be with us on the big day so I've already come up with a couple cute ways to incorporate his photo as well!

Happy Weekend to everyone! Hope it's filled with holiday joy that's so contagious this time of year!

Crazy Fact Thursday

The reason that the engagement ring and wedding band is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand is because the ancient Egyptians thought that the "vein of love' ran from this finger directly to the heart.

BHG...

I'm ashamed to admit this, but one of my favorite parts of going to our gym is that I get to read all the magazines people leave behind. :)
What's the first one I look for one the racks? Better Homes and Gardens of course!!!
I ALWAYS find some sort of inspiration in their magazine not to mention their yummy recipes!!!
I came straight home from the gym this evening and subscribed to not 1, but a 2 year subscription!
I'm such a sucker for a "good deal"!

Anyways, in my short 30 minute bike ride I came up with 2 more DIY projects!!!
Everytime I find something online or in a magazine that I like, I try my best to come up with a way to put a personal spin on it. I can't stand the idea of just copying step for step what someone else has done.

With all that said here are a couple of items I just ordered for a small project.
Thanks to Paper Source, www.paper-source.com, I've become obsessed with rubber stamps.
I'm going to fill these wonderful Muslin Bags, www.ps-stores.com, with a special treat, add a pink jute ribbon as the drawstring and stamp a lovely image on the front. Voila!
You'll have to wait to find out the who, what, how and why. Sorry! :)
I'll definitely keep everyone posted though.

Shop Madison Belle & Farmhouse!

I was lucky enough to come across both these wonderful sites today...
www.farmhousewares.com and www.shopmadisonbelle.com
SWOON!!!
I've already shared with you all that we plan to have a "Cookie Bar" as favors to our guests. Well how cute would it be to have these vintage milk jugs on ice as an additional little treat. :)
If I can't make that work I definitely want to fill a couple of the second milk jar that's pictured with flowers to have on the table.

I just love the scalloped edges on these cake stands! :) They come in three different sizes and they are very well prices!!!

These last 3 items pictured are a few things I want for the Bridal Luncheon my mother and I will be hosting.
My mother makes BEAUTIFUL flower arrangments and I can just picture how gorgeous they'd look in these French pots.
The Bon Appetit sign, well I just love it!
The vintage green decanters would be perfect for the mimosas we most certainly will be serving!

Is it October 2009 yet? ;)

Shame on me...

For being MIA for the past few days! No excuses, but Pepe and I had such a fun weekend together that I took a small break from all the wedding planning. Between Virginia Tech winning the ACC Championship, a trip to Home Depot, the shooting range to break in pepe's new "piece" as he calls it, brunch at our favorite restaurant, 2 movies, making sugar cookies, homemade icing and decorating them all ourselves, there truly wasn't much time left for anything else. :)

HOWEVER, I ordered everything for my very first DIY project! YAY!!!
I figured I should start small so I'm going to customize matchboxes. We aren't sure yet if we will be able to use sparklers (the reception venue may not allow them) for our exit but if so I'll definitely be placing these by the sparklers which I also plan to customize on my own, but if not I'll still be placing them at the bar for any smokers present.

These are the items I ordered. Stay tuned for the finished result! :)

Another GREAT site...

Today during my hours of browsing wedding blogs and websites I came across www.foryourparty.com and it's great! :)
I love these 'stir sticks' that you can completely customize...another small detail but so darling!
I also love these napkins and coasters that say "Eat, Drink, and be Married!" How cute, right?
I adore this set of plates and utensils that I think would be just precious for the Bridal Luncheon. :) My mom and I plan to host the event and we are going for a sweet, girly, romantic vibe.
Oh and right now the site is offering 15% off if you enter 'DEL08' at checkout.
MUAH!

Pepe's famous!

Well not really, but he did make the Southern Wedding Magazine Blog! :)
I sent in an entry for their "Thanksgiving Photo Contest" and although I don't win this particular contest they will be having plenty more the whole month of December so check it out, I certainly will be!

http://www.swsmag.net/

Paloma's Nest

Today as I was browsing one of my new favorite blogs, www.stylemepretty.com, I came across another great Etsy Shop! Paloma's Nest has some really creative items! Including this darling Ring Bowl, the Hugs and Kisses gift Bags, and the wooden place cards that could be used in various ways!

Vases Galore...

I want to order some unique vases to fill with beautiful flower arrangements and scatter them throughout the Reception.
Once again I've found Etsy to be the best resource! They have a large selection of vases in different colors, shapes, and sizes...some are even vintage finds!
These are a few of my favorites.