{Holiday Crafts} Countdown Chain

Today marks the first day of December which means it's time to start counting down to your favorite end of the year holidays. What could be a cuter way then with this adorable cookie countdown chain? And the best part is you get a delicious little snack each day.

Have fun and write on each cookie wrapper the date and the fun holiday

December 1st - World Aids Day
December 2nd - National Fritters Day
December 3rd - International Day of the Disabled Person
December 4th - National Cookie Day
December 5th - Walt Disney's Birthday

December 6th - St. Nicholas Day
December 7th - Pearl Harbor Day
December 8th - National Brownie Day
December 9th - First Christmas Seals Created
December 10th - Human Rights Day
December 11th - Hanukkah Begins
December 12th - Poinsettia Day

December 13th - National Cocoa Day
December 14th - South Pole Discovered
December 15th - Phonograph Patented

December 16th - Boston Tea Party Anniversary
December 17th - National Maple Syrup Day
December 18th - Muharram 1 (Islamic New Year)
December 19th - Oatmeal Muffin Day

December 20th - Games Day
December 21st - First Day of Winter
December 22nd - First Christmas Lights for Sale (1882)
December 23rd - Festivus
December 24th - National Egg Nog Day
December 25th - Christmas
December 26th - Boxing Day / Kwanzaa Begins

December 27th - Visit the Zoo Day
December 28th - National Chocolate Day (Celebrate BIG!)
December 29th - Saint Thomas of Canterbury Feast Day
December 30th -  Oh My! Day
December 31st - New Years Eve

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I found this adorable gingerbread chain on HomemadebyJill.blogspot.com

{DIY: O is for Out of Town Welcome Baskets}

What goes inside of an "OOT" box, bag, or hotel welcome basket for your out-of-town guests?

Article and three top photos by: Bliss! Wedding Market

{Check out their fab"Bride Ideas" blog}

Three bottom photos provided by: Kate Parker Weddings 

REQUIRED: First and foremost, a thank-you note from you and your fiance. Even if you compose a blanket thank-you letter on your computer, at least handwrite the guest’s name on the front of the note and have both of you personally sign the note or letter at the bottom.

REQUIRED (if applicable): A weekend itinerary. If your wedding celebration will span a couple of days, it will be nice for you to compose a detailed itinerary of the weekend’s events. The itinerary should include the order of events, day-by-day. Also, include the list of venues, directions, and phone numbers. Contact information for key family members or friends guests can contact in case of an emergency.

OPTIONAL BUT WOULD BE NICE: Alternatively, expand the day-by-day agenda into a full-blown newsletter. Compose a brief story of how you two met and how you got engaged. Explain why this locale is important for you to exchange your vows. List the city’s tourists spots and other points of interests. That way, your guest will have something to do during a break in the bridal festivities. List your favorite restaurants. List the bridal party members and their connections to you both (for example: “Lisa is the MOH and the bride’s sister” or “Matt is a groomsman and was the groom’s college roommate”).

LOCAL SOUVENIRS: If you’re getting married in a town that is known for it’s local faire, include it into the basket. Beignette mix or pralines if you’re getting married in New Orleans. “Don’t Mess with Texas” t-shirts for a Lone Star affair. “I *heart* NY” for a NYC-hosted celebration. Maple syrup for a Vermont event. You see where I’m going with this?

FILLERS: Bags of candy, chips, breath mints, and/or chocolates. A couple of bottles of water or cans of soda. Tabloid magazine (nice for when the guest is lounging poolside at the hotel during a “break” from the bridal festivities). Many couples are dumping the traditional wedding favor in favor of the OOT bag. This is especially true for destination weddings where guests have travelled internationally.

Choosing the right packaging is important and can be fun to embellish! I sell several unique bags and boxes perfect for your guest’s OOT box!

{Kim's Food For Thought}

Don't forget to coordinate the theme of your grande event

on all of the stationery items in your OOT kits!

Guests also appreciate those little packets of headache medicine,

upset stomach pills, and / or allergy tabs.

Surprise your family and friends any time they fly into town

for a visit, with these clever little baskets.

Don't want to DIY?  Check out these great sites for already made OOT kits:

Bliss Wedding Market (for chic bags}

Kate Parker Weddings

Elegantly Expressed

Minimus

{A Moment of Silence for 9/11}

{10 Tips to Plan an Eco-Friendly Wedding}

1.) Setting the Tone
Set the tone of your green wedding by choosing an eco-friendly location. If an outdoor wedding is up your alley, choose a location that will show off the beauty of the environment. If you prefer an indoor location, check out local museums or art galleries that will donate your deposit to a good cause.

2.) Choose Eco-Friendly Rings
When it comes to choosing a ring, make sure to use jewelers that are green-friendly. More and more, jewelers are using recycled gold and fair-labor gemstones. To make sure you are not purchasing a "blood diamond," ask your jeweler about the origin of the stone.

3.) Use Local Vendors
Choosing area vendors is a great way to keep the transportation emissions low and support your local economy. If you are interested in using a green wedding planner, check your local listings -- they're popping up all over the country.

4.) Re-Use a Wedding Dress
Though your wedding dress may be your most treasured item of your wedding, there are many ways you can be eco-friendly when it comes to choosing a dress. First is the age-old tradition of wearing your mother or grandmother's dress. Take it to a local seamstress to transform it into your own special dress. If you can't imaging wearing your mom's gown, check out charities such as Brides Against Breast Cancer, where you can buy or donate a dress. All proceeds go to support women with breast cancer.

5.) Photography: Go Digital
Even though most photographers are using digital cameras, it's a must for a green wedding. Digital photos don't use the harsh chemicals, wasted paper, and rolls of film that film photography does. Another plus is you get to choose exactly what images you want printed. Ask your photographer if they allow you to keep the digital images after the wedding is complete, then you can save a digital album of your big day

6.) Use Recycled Paper
Using recycled paper is an easy way to create green invitations or programs. Ask your vendors if they can print on recycled paper or recycle the leftover scraps. We love the eco-friendly invitations of Tasha Rae Designs. Her theory: "Who said recycled invitations can't be beautiful?" Her invites are just that, beautiful! For an alternative to cut back on paper, create a wedding Web site where your guests can print off directions, reply, and find out hotel information.

7.) Home-Grown Flowers
For your flowers, choose a local organic florist to arrange your centerpieces and bouquets. For a summer wedding, use farmers' market finds to create bouquet and table arrangements, or use potted plants which can be given away to your attendants at the end of your big day.

8.) Choose an Organic Menu
Ask your caterers if they can provide vegetarian and organic entrees. Also consider what you are dining on. If your location doesn't provide dishes, consider renting them to avoid using disposable plates.

9.) Favors
Instead of favors, let your guests know that you have donated a specified amount per guest toward your favorite environmental organization. Check out www.idofoundation.org, where you can register to raise money for your favorite organization.

10.) A Green Honeymoon
When you're planning your honeymoon, keep in mind the practice of ecotourism, which is defined by The International Ecotourism Society as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people." Check out their Web site for ideas and sources to plan an eco-friendly honeymoon.

10 Tips to Plan an Eco-Friendly Wedding - article found on BHG.com

{Personalize Your Event}

Personalizing your event can mean many different things. A couple can add their signature details through color, decor elements, food and even music. Adding these personal touches are so important to making your event unique and showcasing your personality. Today, monograms are just as popular as ever before because they are more creative compared to when they first begun with just the single last initial. With technology and fabulous design images, the sky is the limit to creating a simplistic monogram into a beautiful design that is like a piece of art.

Be conscientious when designing and using your monogram:

-- FONT: When choosing a font / typestyle for your monogram, choose at least 3 - 4 different ones. What may work for one name, may not look as appealing for another. Like some times the letter "S" or "T" will not appear as you expect.

-- DESIGN: Think about the style and decor of your home. Are you someone who likes contemporary, romantic, vintage, Asian, retro or even floral designs? Check out the pattern in your china, towels in your bathroom, or even a comforter. These such things can inspire your monogram design because they reflect your personality.

-- COLORS: You can definitely use your chosen event colors, but also consider using black or grey and apply it to color. For example, there are big savings to have your monogram printed with black ink onto a colored cardstock rather than colored ink, and it comes out very beautiful and rich.

-- RULE OF THUMB: Do not overuse a monogram. Add it to your event with random and simplistic touches, but do not go overboard. It does not have to be seen on every element of your event. Introduce it with your paper essentials and a few additional items like maybe a cake topper, aisle runner or beautiful gobo on your dance floor. By overusing your monogram, you are actually down playing the beauty of it.

{Irish Wedding Blessing}

                                                Thank you to: www.romanceclass.com

Jordan Almond Traditions

Lately, I have had a lot of requests to design favor tags that go on little packages of candy almonds for parties.  It could be a tag that attaches on those adorable 2" x 2" theme matching boxes or for those beautiful silk organza draw-string bags.  Either way, a lot of people are asking me why these little candies are so popular and why they seem to be at every event.  So I wanted to share the meaning of those little tough coated candies that I found on www.jordanalmonds.com. 



White for weddings, silver for twenty-fifth anniversaries, sky-blue or pink for christenings, red for graduations, green for engagements... smooth, textured, spherical, oval, teardrop, heart-shaped... with centers of almonds... in party favors, flower arrangements, fruits baskets and other constructions of the confectioner's art and imagination. These are just a few of the myriad colors, tastes and shapes of Italian confetti, the little sugar-coated candies present at every important occasion in Italian life.

(A trend now is to order almonds in the color that matches the theme of your event)

Italian Weddings: Five almonds signify five wishes for the bride and groom: health, wealth, happiness, fertility, and longevity.

Greek Weddings: Sugarcoated almonds in traditional Greek weddings are called *koufeta*.  They are placed in little bags in odd numbers and are served on a silver tray.  Odd numbers are indivisible, symbolizing how the newlyweds will share everything and remain undivided.  Tradion holds that if an unmarried woman puts the almonds under her pillow, she'll dream of her future husband.

Middle Eastern Weddings:  Candy covered-almonds, considered aphrodisiacs, are always on hand (have too many and you may leave the reception early!).

The First 10 Years - Anniversary Gifts

I found this great little book yesterday and thought it would be fun to start sharing through a blog. So here we go with our first ever post.

"The Meaning of Wedding Anniversaries" ~ by Gretchen Scoble and Ann Field



THE FIRST TEN YEARS

1. Paper - For the first anniversary, the fragile, transitory symbol of paper represents the delicate nature of a new relationship. (consider a gift of a paper lantern over a romantic dinner)

2. Cotton - A couple's second anniversary, like cotton thread tied around a finger, is a reminder to recall the wedding vows and to reflect upon the maturing marriage. (consider a gift of luxurious cotton sheets)

3. Leather - Symbolic of protection and covering. (consider a gift of leather goods like gloves, jackets, or even shoes)

4. Fruits and Flowers - From the offering of flowers on a first date to the wedding bouquet, flowers are the earth's love letters, gestures of hope and renewal. The woman is represented by flowers, the many by fruit. (consider a gift of handpicked fruit and flower baskets or a small citrus tree)

5. Wood - Wood symbolizes the warmth and light of sexual energy and creativity. It symbolizes strength, solidity, life, and wisdom. (consider a gift of a trip to a Bed and Breakfast with a romantic fireplace)

6. Candy - A symbol for all that is sweet and good in life. (consider a gift of caramel apples at a local fair or a box of chocolates with a love note attached)

7. Wool - The pristine lamb, with its soft, shining wool, has always symbolized hope and renewal. The gift of wool symbolizes durability, comfort, and warmth. (consider a gift of a wool sweater or blanket)

8. Bronze - The symbol of the eighth wedding anniversary, is partly a medication on voice and sound. (consider bronze jewelry, chimes, or bells)

9. Pottery - In the Bible and the Koran, as in other stories of creation, much is said about humans being created from clay.
(consider a gift of an artisan ceramic vase, bowl, or set of mugs)

10. Tin - The milestone of the thenth wedding anniversary is represented by tin, a gleaming and malleable metal. (consider a gift of tableware, collectiable tin cup, or vintage classic toys