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3.29.2012

A Touch of Tiffany Bridal Shower/Bachelorette Party



"I'll tell you one thing, Fred, darling... I'd marry you for your money in a minute. 
Would you marry me for my money? "
"In a minute."
"I guess it's pretty lucky neither of us is rich, huh?"
"Yeah."
-Breakfast At Tiffany's
A couple of weeks ago, I put together a Bridal Shower on a last-minute's notice.  I had to act fast, so I just went with a few things I knew about the bride-to-be...

  1. She loves vintage.
  2. She loves Audrey Hepburn.
  3. I love Paris...oh, wait.  This wasn't about me?  Ooops.
So, I just started throwing things together.  Stop #1, my go-to bakery for some truffles and petite fours.  I knew I had to get this order in first!  I decided to go with petite fours in white with black Os (initial of Groom's last name) and chocolate with white Os...white cake with lemon filling and chocolate cake with raspberry filling, in case you want to know the finer details...or something to drool over. 




My Stop #2 was Etsy.  It's my go-to place for DIY original party supplies.  I found just what I was looking for and everyone was so helpful in getting me my PDFs in a timely fashion and customizing all of it to my color scheme.  My main purchases were some personalized party games, dessert table labels, tissue paper pom poms, french soaps for favors, and some adorable lips and moustache straw flags! (click on the items for links back to the Etsy shops




For the rest of the decor, I just used what I already had...I'm a lover of all things Paris and French, so I had a few Eiffel Towers lying around.  I picked up some damask black and white ribbon and some Tiffany blue ribbon at Michael's to use on the dessert table...and wherever else needed some ribbon. To add a little "Audrey Hepburn" into the shower, I printed off some quotes and put them in black and white frames and set them around the dessert table and food area.



I usually ALWAYS use fresh flowers, but like I said, time was short, so I used some large artificial white peonies in some little Eiffel Tower vases.  They looked cute and matched the "feel" of things.


For the favors, I ordered some FABULOUS VINTAGE-Y French Soaps from The French Market on Etsy!  They were a hit.  Each one came in a stamped glassine bag with seam binding wrapping.  So so cute...so so French and vintage.  
(photo courtesy of FrenchMarket on Etsy)
My favorite little touch was the French Sparkling Lemonade I ordered from Amazon.  It was DELICIOUS and paired wonderfully with our lasagna, salad, and bread sticks from Olive Garden (I know, not French, but Bride's request).


I also did the wedding last weekend, so I'll do a post on that next week!  It's all black and white and vintage...turned out really cute!


List of links:
Damask/Tiffany Blue Table Tents/Labels - Posh Pixels
Personalized Bridal Shower Games in Tiffany Blue - Duecuori
French Soaps - FrenchMarket
Lips and Moustache Flags - HeSawSparks
Tissue Paper Pom Poms - The Whimsical Pom
Grey Striped Paper Straws - Amazon.com
Lorina French Sparkling Lemonade (FROM FRANCE!!) - Amazon.com


If you see anything else in the pics and want to know where I got it, just ask me in the comments or shoot me an email!


Hope you all are having a fabulous week!♥
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3.27.2012

Hunger Games Swag Bags

Raise your hand if you've been to see the Hunger Games!  Raise your other hand if you loved it like a fat kid loves cake...or like Peeta loves Katniss!  Now, hop on one foot if you think Gale is cuter than Peeta.  Say your ABC's backwards.  Kidding.

I did like any good fangirl would do and I went to the 12:01 showing of Hunger Games last Thursday night/Friday "morning"...and it was AH-mazing!!  I cried like a baby.  Ask Impulsive Addict.  She was there.  So, was Kiss, the girl without a blog.  She sure can kiss though. *sigh* ;)

If you know me AT ALL, you know that I can have a Twilight or Hunger Games "event" without some swag...or a party...or something!  These things must be celebrated appropriately.

So, I decided to throw a little last-minute Hunger Games Swag Bag together for my girlz, Skillz (aka Impulsive) and Kiss.  Here's what they looked like...

What was in the bag:
  • Some tissues...for when you're "weeping at the reaping".  I decided to be clever and I made up some little squares using Avery Postcards (#3381) that I had left over from Isaiah's birthday.  I wrapped them around some personal size Puffs tissues and tied them up with some raffia.
  • I wrapped up some cookies in parchment paper...ya know, 'cause Peeta is the "bread boy"...it didn't seem very appealing to wrap up bread, so cookies it was!  The cute little "Mellark Bakery" label came from Party Scribbles on Etsy!
  • I had some grey and white striped paper straws left from a Bridal Shower I did last weekend, so I found these really cute FREE printable Hunger Games Straw Flags on Living Locurto! (Awesome website for free printables!)
  • I bought some "tiny bottles" (Barefoot Moscato - YUM, Sky Vodka, and Coconut Rum) and wrapped them in some more labels I bought from Etsy that said "Sleep Syrup", also from Party Scribbles!
  • I also included some cinnamon gum to represent Katniss, the Girl on Fire!
I forgot to take a picture of the swag all put together, but I just put all the goodies in a white craft sack and added some red tissue paper and a little raffia.  Using red and orange tissue paper together would have been cute too, but I was just using stuff I already had.

There ya go!  My Hunger Games Swag Bag!

I posted some links on my Hunger Games post from last week, if you're looking for more Hunger Games party ideas!
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3.22.2012

Happy Hunger Games Day!

Wow.  So, it's finally here!  The Hunger Games movie will be in theaters tonight/tomorrow at 12:01am.  I've got my District 12 Tribute shirt on, my Mockingjay earrings, tickets, and swag bags for mah girlz...I'm ready!

I've been waiting so long.  I can't believe it's here.  I've been a huge fan of this trilogy since I read the first book in 2008...waited (im)patiently for Catching Fire and even more (im)patiently for Mockingjay.  I have high expectations for the movie and I'm willing to bet that it doesn't disappoint.  The cinematography looks amazing and it's filled with talented actors/actresses.  I get major goosebumps every time I see a trailer.  You would think after a while I'd become immune to the same 2 minutes of footage, but nope.  Impulsive and Kiss are going with me tonight.  I'm sure we will be the picture of perfect line waiters...except for the "provisions" in the form of tiny bottles I've purchased.

As a "Happy Hunger Games Day" surprise, I got an email from a guy who works with The Daily Beast and he asked my permission to include my Mockingjay tattoo into an article they posted today titled '10 Die-Hard 'Hunger Games' Fans and Tattoos'...it uses the terms "fanatical" and "extreme" to describe the 10 fans' tattoos that are in the gallery.  (Mine is #5, in case you wanna take a peak)  I am SO NOT "fanatical" or "extreme"

Bazinga.

To wrap up this HG post, I'll leave you with some links...party ideas, free printables, and past posts about The Hunger Games.  If you haven't read the books yet, DO IT!  NOW.  You could have the whole trilogy read over the weekend.  No excuses.

Party ideas - Living Locurto
Free Printables - Living Locurto
Printables on Etsy - ClickableParty and Party Scribbles (both will customize for small fee)
Amazing Cupcake Ideas - Sweet Tooth (recipe and instructions)
My Catching Fire Review
Mockingjay Tattoo Pic
Mockingjay Post
Mockingjay Review
What to read after The Hunger Games?

Happy Hunger Games!!  May the odds be ever in your favor.


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3.01.2012

Staying On The Wagon: JK's Weight Loss Story


We all know how hard it is to hang on sometimes…feel ourselves slipping off the proverbial edge.  Some days are harder than others…and sometimes, desperate times call for desperate measures.  So, here are a few of my personal tips and tricks for staying on track:
  • My #1 go-to is DRINK LOTS OF WATER…and when you think you’ve drank enough, drink some more.  I try; try being the key word, to drink 3 liters a day.  It helps me keep that full feeling, curbs cravings and is just overall good for you.  Bonus is that it helps your skin look nice and healthy too.
  • I like to keep gum handy.  It’s on my desk, in my purse, and on my kitchen counter.  An Altoids helps too…they’re curiously strong.  Just anything to keep my mouth busy when I feel like eating.  I remember my old WW leader telling us that BLTs add calories to your day that you don’t count…not bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches (although that sounds really yummy minus the T)…but Bites, Licks, and Tastes.  When you’re cooking and you taste a little sauce or soup…nibble a bite of the pasta…lick the spoon from the cupcakes…those all add up.  So, keeping something in your mouth will help cut down on the BLTs.
  • Distraction.  Sometimes when I’m sitting at my desk working, I get this overwhelming urge to head to the break room for a snack.  I’m pretty sure it’s just out of habit (and those little voices in my head).  So, instead of eating, I distract myself with something else…like open up a book on my Kindle, or hop on Twitter, browse Blogger…15 minutes of one of those activities and I’m back to work without caving into the snack monster.  I know it might sound delusional, but it works for me.  Plus, I feel like I’m rewarding myself for not caving by doing something I enjoy.
  • Fill up on veggies.  I try to eat at least 2-3 servings of vegetables at lunch.  It helps me get in my goal of 5 servings (optimal would be 7-8) and fills me up on something low-calorie.
  • I read somewhere that you’re supposed to eat like a king for breakfast, a queen for lunch and a pauper for dinner.  I don’t do this on weekdays, but I do try to apply that analogy to my weekend meals…make a big breakfast, have a medium sized lunch, and a small dinner.
  • Add as many steps to my day as possible…take the stairs, park at the back of the parking lot, make an extra lap around Hell-Mart pushing my basket full of groceries…etc.


What are some of your tips and tricks for staying on the wagon?
  
*weight loss update: I’m no longer in the 200s and it feels good.  As of yesterday morning, I weighed 199 even.  WOOHOO.  Officially the least I’ve weighed in 8 years.



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