Succulents in a Wedding Bouquet

Found on Style Me Pretty's Pinterest Page

It's been a year and I am still in love with Succulents being used in wedding bouquets, centerpieces, decor, boutonnieres.

Just love it!

You? Am I alone?

Coach Purse Lifetime 2 Year Warranty

Cliff Notes Version from Yesterday: I got this very-expensive-purse-with-a-life-time-warranty-that-is-really-two-years-and-some-really-crappy-customer-service. That about sums it up.

After I asked to speak to Snooty McSnooterton's manager, I very unapologetic woman comes over to the counter, I explain that, I got this purse, and now this happened:

I cleaned it with warm soapy water, and the Coach Leather cleaner, and it looks like a cheap knock off now.

She told me that she doubted that Coach could do anything, but let's send it in to their division of Coach Purse Fixer Uppers (not her words) and we'll see what they can do, if they can.

I got a letter back from Coach, with my purse, explaining there was nothing they could do, that the warranty doesn't cover the damage, and they offered me a percentage off my next purchase, with their apologies.

Here is my main concern: I have a purse with a lifetime warranty, this is a defect in their manufacturing/product - and they state that the "Lifetime" of the purse is two years.

I purchased a backpack in High School from JanSport, and the bottom ripped, JanSport sent me a brand new back pack 10 years later.

So, Coach, whose purse cost a who zero more than that (almost) should stand up to their product, back it up.

I called Coach, spoke to a very nice Customer Service Rep (finally) and she explained that the Lifetime Warranty on a purse is actually 2 years, that is the Lifetime of a Coach Bag, two years.
Two.Years.

And, sorry, Ma'am, there is nothing more we can do for you.

I am still disappointed. Am I wrong?

Coach Purse Lifetime Warranty

I'll need ya'll to indulge me for just a hot minute.

I am not one to spend a lot of money on purse. Frankly, I rarely buy clothes that are full retail, I am a coupon'ing sale rack, kinda gal.

So, about 3 years ago, when my wedding planner friends got together and gave me this purse (the purse pictured above) I was beside myself. I didn't want to use it. It smelled to pretty, it was gorgeous, and it was in my favorite color. But, alas, I did use it. I used it a lot. Everyday. I love this purse. It has taken a piece of my heart. My first Coach purse.

So when the green leather on the top started to discolor, at first I assumed it was dirty, and I bought the Coach Leather Cleaner and tried to clean it... and then this happened.

It looked like it was stained or dirty, but really it was the stain coming off the leather.

So, I took the purse into our local Coach Factory Store, and the girls at the store were less than helpful. In fact, one of the ladies there laughed at me and asked me "What do you except me to do for you and, this bag?"

I replied "Doesn't Coach have a Lifetime Warranty?" and she said "Well, yes, (in her most snooty mcsnooterton voice) the lifetime of the bag is two years.

The rest of the conversation went like this:

Me: Wait, I thought it was a lifetime guarantee, on the bag, this is a manufacturing issue, the stain isn't staying on the bag...

Snooy McSnooterton: Well, what do you want me to do for you, get you new leather?

Me: Actually, I was excepting Coach to uphold their warranty, and either repair the bag, or replace it.

Snooty: {Long Sigh} Well, {sigh} I guess we can sent it in, but they aren't going to do anything about it. It's an old bag.

Me: It is about 3 years old, but my concern isn't the age of the bag, it's the quality of the materials.

Snooty: Well, whatever, give me $20 and we'll send it in, but just know, they aren't going to do anything for you. It's a 2 year/Lifetime Warranty.

Me: Can I talk to your Manager.

Story Continues, tomorrow.

What are your thoughts on this?

Wedding Cake without Frosting

Found these Beauties Here

Okay, so get it out of the way...

gasp...

No Way!...

Shock...

Awe!

No!

Say it Ain't So!

Wedding Cakes without frosting.

Yes. Lots of people don't like fondant. They don't like frosting.

They love cake.

I know a few cake bakers who would rather die than see a cake they made be seen naked. Yes, I said it, naked wedding cakes. It's a thing.

What do you think of the naked wedding cake?

Love?

Hate?

Not Sure?

Proper Way to Set a Table

Found at Danielle MJ's Tumblr Page

There is always a thought, at least in the back of my mind... how much stuff should be on the table. Especially when thinking about your wedding, are you putting your favors on the table? Table numbers? Place Cards? How many glasses? Pre-set Water Glasses? Pre-Set Salad plates? Chargers?

Yikes!

This should help give you a better idea of just how much stuff you should consider before thinking about adding more... er, stuff.

Wedding Alcohol Calculator

It's so hard sometimes to determine how much alcohol people will drink at your wedding. I usually say 2 drinks per person per hour is a good estimate, people usually drink more in the first hour and then balance out by the end of the night... but there is always the Maid of DisHonor (you know who you are) and that guy from college who has 3 kids, but thinks he's still in college.

So this should help, a little. Also, seeking advice from a liquor store is always helpful too.

How Many People fit at a Table

Seating charts, seating your guests, how many people fit at a table, who should sit with whom? These tough questions are always left to the last minute, mostly because RSVPs arrive at the last minute.

This capacity chart should help you with a few questions before the tough task of Uncle Marvin can't even be in eye shot of Uncle Ken!

Who to Invite to your Wedding

Found via Invitations by Dawn

I cannot even tell you how many times my clients were in an argument with their parents/grandparents/uncles/aunts/god parents/neighbor's sister's friend's cat.... about who is invited to the wedding.

We think this graphic is perfect for solving that argument... just use the graph and you'll be in the right every time.

I had this exact argument with my parents about our wedding, my father wanted to invite his Aunt's and Uncle's (some I had never met) and really, since we were paying for the wedding, and I had never met them... sorry Aunt Ummmm... I can't remember your name. This is exactly why you weren't invited. Love you long time!

Wooden Wedding Chairs

Awesome Chair Dress Up Idea Found Here

In some venues Wooden Wedding White Chairs come with the venue, or they are one of the prettiest most economical options to rent.

Here is one way to dress them up, for an affordable price, forget the sagging never fitting chair cover and go with a sash, tied around the back - and then you can add cute signs to the back too!

Super cute, dontcha think?

Moroccan Wedding

Love this, found at Wedding Illustrated

One of my favorite brides, Kaycee, loved Ranunculus (she called them the swirly flowers) as much as I do, and I saw this, and totally thought of her!

How fun is this Moroccan wedding, with bold colors, and super gorg details! I love how the fruit and flowers create such a statement, and look so fun and elegant at the same time.

Pink and Blue Wedding

Blue and Pink Wedding Found at Heart Love Weddings



I am very color conscience. I think this is because I quilt (I know, call me Grandma) but becasue I quilt, I feel that sometimes pairing Greens and Reds can look like Christmas even though you don't want them to. And Reds, Whites and Blues can look Patriotic, even though your intentions may be otherwise.

So, normally I would say pink and blue would look baby showery, but I kind of love this.

What do you think? (You had me at sipping champage from a straw)

Whimsical Colorful Wedding

Found this on Blog my Wedding

I feel your wedding should be a reflection of you... if that is fun, and whimsy, and colorful, and bright and cheery, do it!

No one said your wedding should be white on white (unless you like white on white, which I happen to love...but this isn't about me... it's about you)

So go out there, figure out what you love (which sometimes is the hardest part) and dig in, grab on with both hands, and make it about you (and your fiancee).

Wedding Cornhole

I love weddings with Southern Charm, and what better in the south than Cornhole... or a good old fashion bean bag toss - no matter what you call it, this cannot be a bad idea.

How much fun could your guests have while sipping a cocktail on the veranda and tossing a beanbag. Fun times. I promise!

Plus, I love the silhouettes with the bow and bowtie!

One Year Cake Smash Ombre

Zachary had a pretty rough first year. And I knew when he turned one, we'd have to "go big or go home" and unfortunately he got sick right around his birthday, so there was no party... but instead, we had an awesome photo shoot. Huge thanks to Kathy from KB Kakes for making an incredible Ombre cake, not once but twice for Z!

And Krystal from Verve Studio for the incredible location and the fab photo's!

As ya'll know, cake smash sessions can go really awesome, or well, the kid can stick his pointer finger in the cake, make a face and you're done, the end.

But Zachary, well, he's an "all in" kinda kid.

Whaaaa, is there something on my face?

Holy, flying frosting batman!

It was awesome.

Period.

Art Inspired Wedding

Found Via: Thingsfestiveweddingblog

We worked on a wedding with a similar theme years ago, and this totally struck me classy and super fun.

What do you think?

Orange and Tangerine Wedding Inspiration

Found Via: Bowties and Bliss

I think this is so striking and gorgeous! Do you love it too, or does it scream Go Fins!

Awesometastic Family Fun

The Last of our Christmas Fun.

Just thought I would share the love. We really had a beautiful holiday - next up super awesome wedding fantasicalness.

Elf on the Shelf Schinagans

Yes, we had an Elf on the Shelf, his name is Reggie, and this was the first year that Reggie was at our house, he was really great at teach Gabriel about Christmas (and also, a behavior tool)...

Reggie was a lot of fun.

Holiday Bucket List - Update

An update on my holiday bucket list....

I know you have been dying to know what we've been up to here... and really we've been up to our eye balls in jingle bells, so I am happy to get back to blogging!

My Holiday Bucket List

Go to a Christmas Tree Lighting and Play in the Snow. So, this didn't happen... we tried, we waited for over 2 hours to get to a Tree Lighting with snow, by the time we got close both boys were tired, and hungry... the traffic was reeeee-dic-ulos, but we tried. So that almost counts, right?

Visit Santa with the boys This was a major score! Got some great pictures of the boys with Santa, a great one of Zachary screaming, which to me, honestly, is the best picture. Zachary loves life, and loves everyone and everything, so for him to cry, was really funny... to all of us. Santa included.

Help a Family in Need
Volunteer to help those in Need Unfortunately, we didn't get to help as many people as I would have liked. I wanted to cross this off the list more than anything else, and it just didn't happen. So, I vow to do this throughout the year, and not just at Christmastime.

Remind myself daily of the blessings I have. I made a point to make sure, I stopped at least one time a day, and take in what blessings I have in my life. I am so blessed to live where I live and how we live, and our boys, and our health... sometimes it's easy to take it for granted.  Not to say, that this Christmas was without illness, I found myself in the ER, and Zachary almost had to go to the ER not once by twice. But regardless, we still be abundantly blessed.

Make Hot Apple Cider at least once a week Okay, so we made it twice. But it was delicious!

Spend Time with my friends I tired, I really did. I went out once with my girlfriends and once with John. So that's more than usual, but not as many times as I had hoped.

Make amends with a family member Ummmm.... yeah, I need to work on my forgiveness skills.

Celebrate Christmas Eve with our Family and Friends Done. Not as many friends as I would have loved to celebrate with, but the ones that mean the most to our hearts were here.

Go to Midnight Mass Late. But we were there.
Drive around to see the lights with Gabriel. Yes and yes. We called it a Light Hunt, and he still wants to go one them. I hope the lights are as exciting to him every year. I will miss hearing "Wook Wook, WOOK WOOK!!!! MOMMY WOOK, WIGHTS!"

Make sure Gabriel understands the true meaning of Christmas I am pretty sure Gabriel sang Happy Birthday Jesus at least 876 times a day. And when I told him that "Tomorrow is Christmas Day, the day that we have been waiting for, Jesus' Birthday", he said "Mommy, again, we celebrated Jesus' birthday in school with Miss Joy"

Make sure our Christmas Cards go out on time Phew! Yes!

Spend Quality time with my husband I feel like we got some time together, but definitely not enough. Does anyone with kids feel like as hard as you tried to spend time together, it's just not the same as it was before kids? We really have to work at spending time together, and not time after the kids go to bed, and sit on the couch and fall asleep time.

Help the hubs get the outside Christmas Decor done I watched the kids, he did the lights.

Go to as many Christmas Parties as we can We went to, uh, none.

Move the Elf around every night (and make sure he gets into some mischief). I only forgot one night, and I woke up at 6AM and moved his happy butt. (Next post will be an elf montage)

Spend quality time with my kids Done.

Hold a Christmas Party for my husband's staff We did, had a great dinner at Dragonfly and got the staff, uh, tipsy.
Not worry so much about work, and focus on my friends and family I tried. Counts, right?

Bake Cookies and Treats for all of my neighbors I did, not as much as I would have liked, but I did.

Thank the person who made sure we had a Christmas last year (and pay it forward) I hope she knows what she did for us, means the world to us, and I have sufficiently thanked our personal angel.

Really take the time to "take in" what is around me Done.

Watch my Sappy Fa La La La Lifetime Christmas Movies with a box of tissues This got completely missed. And I'm okay with that, we traded this out for movies that will teach Gabriel about Santa... Totally worth it.

Make sure Gabriel and Zachary have the best Christmas ever.Mission Accomplished

I hope you had your own Holiday Bucket list, and really had the best Holiday Season EVER!

Santa Picture

Photo Courtesy of Photography 35

 

I know you are probably on overload of my boys, but I just had to share this. Gabriel and Zachary met Santa this week, and Gabriel enjoyed his visit, but Zachary notsomuch.

 

I just think this is precious.

 

Perfect.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

PS- I love their bow-ties, I got them from Little Ties for Little Guys. She is amazballs!

 

Mascara Project: Rimmel Day 2 Night

 This mascara promises:

Now get two mascaras in one amazing new system. Get two dramatically different lash looks with one mascara from glam’eyes day 2 night mascara, choose defined length for day or intense volume for night. The magic is in the double cap which allows for complete lash customization. Choose the pink cap for up to 75% more length and the black cap for up to 12x more volume. The buildable formula allows you to create the look you want for day or night. With rimmel london’s newest glam-making mascara, lashes are instantly transformed from daytime length to night-out volume without a clump in sight.

Looks like this in the store:

I really thought this was pretty cool, I get two mascara's in one, and if I wanted length, I'd pull out the one brush with the pink cap, and if I wanted volume I'd just use the other.

Realistically, the two brushes are intertwined. And just the length, made me feel like that tall, lenky kid in High School that didn't grow into his body, you know the kid, right? Just using the length, made me feel half naked.

So really, you need to use the volume brush all the time. Otherwize, it's a cruddy mascara, that leaves you feeling used.

I like the Volume brush, I think it worked well, nothing super, duper WOW, but it was easy to apply, good solid brush. It didn't clump, but I'm not super wow'ed. It was easy to get off of my lashes with soap and water, and some towel action.


Cost: $7.99

Rimmel Glam Eyes Day 2 Night:

My Boys

Gabriel (almost 3) and Zachary (Age 1)

 

I feel so blessed to have friends that have amazing talents. Especially when it comes to documenting my boys, growing up. Krystal from Verve Studio is just amazing, and I feel so grateful for her gift.

 

I mean seriously, check out my boys! This is so them.

 

Zachary is always smiling, he smiles when you sneeze, when you stub your toe, or when I open the fridge.

 

Gabriel, so serious, but seriously funny. And his crooked smile in this pictures is just... perfect.

 

Thank you, MisKrystul. 

Mascara Project: CoverGirl Lash Blast

Lash Blast by CoverGirl promises:

The biggest brush ever from CoverGirl, for a blast of lush, volumized lashes!
Lash Blast's volume-boosting formula and patent-pending brush are designed to max out each and every lash leaving you with the ultimate big lash look!

This is what it looks like in the store, a huge barrel of mascara



In all honesty, because that is what this whole project is about. One girl's mission to find the perfect Over the Counter (able to purchase in a drug store, not a mall or boutique) Mascara.

This was my Go-To Mascara before this project. And one day, I just thought my lashes were dead. Like there were just there and no oomph.

So... I wanted to include it in the Project, after I tried a few others. So I did. Again.

And here are my thoughts. The brush is HUGE, it really is ginormical, I think this mascara photographs well, because the picture makes my lashes look way longer and fuller than I thought they did in the mirror. And it did take longer than a minute to achieve this look. Normally, one minute per eye is as long as I am willing to devote to my morning routine.

It's a very dry mascara, and compared to some of the others that are wet and goopy, it's almost a nice change. But it's also dry and flakey at the end of the day. After I washed my face, I had large clumps that flaked off into my eye. That I was not a fan of.

Although, the mascara did wash off with soap and water and some towel action, that is always a bonus.

I like it, not sure I love it as much as I used to.

Left Eye, Completely Nekked                                                        Right: Cover Girl Lash Blast

 Cost: $8.99 (but can be found on sale often)

Turtle Cookies

 

Cookie Time is back! Once a week I am going to be sharing with you my favoritest cookie recipes!

 

Enjoy!

 

Turtle CookiesSource: Adapted from America's Test Kitchen, as shared by Pixelated Crumb

Cookie:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
8 T. (1 stick) butter, softened
2/3 c. sugar
1 large egg, separated, plus 1 additional egg white
2 T. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. pecans, finely chopped

Caramel Filling:

14 soft caramel candies (I used Kraft)
3 T. heavy cream

Chocolate Drizzle (optional):

2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (I used 2 squares of Baker's semi-sweet chocolate)
1 tsp. shortening

Cookie: Combine flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla; mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture until just combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour.

Whisk egg whites in a bowl until frothy. Place chopped pecans in another bowl. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, dip in egg whites, and then roll in pecans. Place balls about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Using a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each dough ball. Bake at 350 degrees until set, about 12 minutes.

Caramel Filling: Microwave caramels and cream together in a small bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Once cookies are removed from the oven, gently re-press the indentations. Fill each indentation with about 1/2 teaspoon of the caramel mixture. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Drizzle (optional): Place chocolate and shortening in a small zip-top plastic bag. Set bag in a bowl of warm water to soften. Gently knead the chocolate with your fingers until melted and smooth, placing back in the warm water for a minute or two as needed. Snip a very small hole in the corner of the plastic bag. Drizzle chocolate over the cooled Turtle Cookies.

Enjoy!

Baby in a Stocking

Thank you, Footstone Photography

I was just looking at this picture and cannot believe this was a year ago. We posed our 7 day old baby in a Christmas Stocking. And hung him using a Command Adhesive Strip.(Previous words may be slightly exaggerated)

Our life has changed so much in a year, and I won't get all sappy on you, I'll wait until my New Year's post for that...but for now.

Life has grown, tremendously.

Mascara Project: NYC Hi Def

I was super excited about this Mascara, only becasue of all of the hype I've been hearing, and I didn't want to build it up in my head and then be all bummed if I hated it.

NYC Promises:

Volumizing & defining. Up to 70% lash lift & 10X volume. Immediate long lasting wide eye effect. Dual response technology lengthens lashes up to 60% and lifts lashes up to 70%. DuoPlay Complex with Panthenol & Vitamin E strengthens lashes and helps to keep them supple. Moisture resistant technology helps to keep lashes lifted. Flake-proof. Smudge-proof.



This is what it looks like in the store, notice the funky brush.



So, I think I like it. The brush totally took some time to get used to, it really doesn't have soft long bristles, so you have to get ubber close to your eye lashes. I am not sure that I would call it "high definition" but I did notice that it had nice staying power, at the end of a long 13 hour day, my lashes still looked great. My lipstick and eye shadow, notsomuch. Not a fan of how it photographed though.

It washed off with soap and water as well as tiny bit of towel action. It didn't clump or flake. I am sort of impressed, considering it's one of the cheapest mascara's I purchased. (Less than $5)



Left Eye is Nekked                                                       Right Eye, with NYC Hi Def

Cost: $4.99 Regularly (on Sale at Target $2.49)

Christmas Party to Inspire

Thanks Tiny Prints

I think I am going to have a Christmas Party because I am so inpired by this board.

Do you wanna come over?