Archive for September, 2007
Fashion Jewelry, Hand Bags, Accessories
Wow – talk about a FABULOUS FIND. Sam Moon Trading has some of the neatest products such as fashion jewelry that would make great bridesmaids pieces, handbags that are oh so trendy, luggage (that would make great gifts) and some of the neatest accessories. And I failed to mention — the prieces are INCREDIABLE!! GO go .. hurry check it out!!
Bosom Buttons
Say Goodbye to Wardrobe Malfunctions!
Bosom Button™ is a functional accessory designed to minimize cleavage on your favorite tops!
The Bosom Button™ was created by a woman who experienced the same wardrobe problem as many of you. One morning while trying to properly “hide” a safety pin in order to keep a wrap dress closed a lightbulb went off in her head! Why not create a pin that is not meant to be hidden, is easy to use and adds style to your clothes?
….. And so Bosom Button was born!
Our Bosom Buttons™ are handmade with care. We use real Swarovski crystals or other quality stones and gems so you get maximum sparkle and style.
To wear simply pierce through clothing and fasten clasp.
"Chocolate Biscotti" Fall Table decor
Ok ok so there isn’t really anything chocolate about it other than the color, but my table still looks quite delicious (if I do say so myself). I have this big, beautiful open kitchen and the table gets to be my work of art every two months. Yes, I really change it out every two months according to the seasons and a particular theme.
I just went from my “End of Summer Orchid” table into my “Chocolate Biscotti” Fall table decor. Bet you would never guess what’s in store for my table in 3 months?!?!! 🙂 Winter Wonderland?? Christmas in Phoenix?? Snow? Green? You never know — but have to stay tuned!!
Bath and Body for the Modern Girl
Oh my! Want to feel a little Hollywood Glam and slather on the most rich sounding, mouth watering sents? You have to check out Margarita Bloom! They have some of the most delicious sounding products. Just reading the product names makes my water….”Frothy Hot Cocoa Bath Syrup”, “Lemo Drop Soap Cookies”, “Birthday Cake Dusting Powder”, “Cosmopolitan Girl Cherry Lemonade Body Glow” and more!! HELLO scrumptious body products!!
Caribbean Turkey Salad Recipe
I found this great lowfat healthy recipe on the Biggest Loser. It looks absolutely delicious. If anyone tries it, let me know how it turns out
A recipe that gives you game
Ask anyone who’s trying to lose weight. The kitchen can pose the biggest challenge of many. All the more reason for this recipe, a dish like the one Kim Lyons and the Red Team make during this week’s show–it’s delicious, nutritious and extremely low in fat!
Ingredients:
4 (8-inch) whole-wheat tortillas (about 75 kcal each and 7 g. fiber each)
Olive oil cooking spray–about 1 tsp.
1 (20 oz.) pkg. Jennie-O Turkey Store Extra-Lean ground turkey, 1-percent fat
1 (1.25 oz.) pkg. 30-percent-less sodium taco seasoning mix
2 Tbsp. water
1 mango, chopped (about 1 cup)
3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 Tbsp. finely chopped green onion
3 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. grated lime peel
2 cups firmly packed fresh spinach leaves
To Prepare:
1. Heat oven to 425F. Invert four 10 oz. custard cups onto 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Spray outside of cups and one side of each tortilla with olive oil cooking spray.
2. Place tortillas, oiled side up, over cups. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes or until lightly browned.
3. In medium skillet brown turkey until no longer pink. Add taco seasoning mix and water. Cook over low heat 3 to 5 minutes until thoroughly heated.
4. In medium bowl stir together mango, red pepper, green onion, cilantro and lime peel to make salsa.
5. Place taco shells on serving plates. Divide spinach leaves evenly into shells. Top with cooked turkey and salsa. Makes 4 servings.
Nutritional Information (per serving): Calories: 305. Saturated Fat: 1 g. Mono Fat: 1 g. Sodium: 749 mg. Total Fat: 4 g. Cholesterol: 57 mg. Total Carbohydrate: 34 g. Dietary Fiber: 9 g. Sugars: 7 g. Protein: 37 g.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Tipping Your Wedding Vendors
I found this great little article on a chat site, but unfortunately I don’t know who the author of it is. Sorry!! You have to check it out though. It’s full of great recommendations!
TIPS ON TIPPING:
All tips should be given in cash. If the person serving you is an employee of the company, their tip should be in a separate envelope.
No one/single person should get more then $150.00. For example: Let’s say your limo bus is $2000.00. 10 or 15% of that total is 200 or 300 dollars, not necessary.
Tips should be given just before your vendor leaves. That way you can judge how much to give, according to the job they did for you.
All vendors would love a thank you card. It is a great reminder of happy clients and let’s face it, it’ll help them book future clients.
Giving vendors a favour/bomboniere is totally up to the couple and how many they can spare.
THE ONES YOU SHOULD TIP
* Altar boys or girls – $10-15.00 each
* Limousine Drivers – 10-15% of the limousine bill, given at the end of the evening. See “FB Tip” above.
* Valet Parking Attendants – $.50 to $1.00 per car, prearrange this amount with the supervisor based on an estimate of how many cars will be arriving and a sign should be posted to guests that the gratuity has been taken care of.
* Wait staff – If the tip is not on the contract already, 15% of the total catering bill is tipped. Wait staff do the hardest physical labour on your wedding day.
* Bartenders – 10% of the total liquor bill, presented to the head bartender or divided equally among the total number of bartenders who worked the full evening. Make sure that a tip hasn’t been added to your contract already.
* Restroom and/or Coatroom Attendants – $.50 to $1.00 per guest, prearranged again based on the number of guests.
* Makeup artist or Hair Stylists – You don’t have to tip them if they come to you. If you go to the salon, then you should tip them 15%. Why you ask, well the salon makes the money, not the individual. If you have received a good job, and you would tip normally, then go ahead.
* DJ – If your DJ owns the company then the tip is optional but if the DJ is an employee $50-100.00. If you have 2 DJs (DJ & MC), give each person $50.00 in separate envelopes. When your guests rave about your reception later, it’s the DJ that had everything to do with the fun.
OPTIONAL TIPPING (amounts reflect optional tips)
* Business Owners – You don’t have to tip the owner of a business, unless you feel that they have gone beyond the call of duty and you want to give them a token of your appreciation.
* Ceremony or Reception Musicians – $5-10/hr per person, in one lump sum given to the person in charge.
* Banquet or catering manager – doesn’t need to be tipped unless they’ve thrown in extras or saved you a few hundred dollars on your bill. The tip would be between $50-$100.
* Photographer and Videographer – If these vendors own the company, then the tip is optional. If they are employees $50.00 goes to the main photographer and he/she can give a split to the assistant.
* Officiant – To tip them is to trivialize their profession and extremely bad etiquette. Generally you pay your fee and that’s it. If you wish to make a financial contribution to the church, you can do that separately.
* Florist – You don’t need to tip the florist for making your arrangements but you can tip them an extra $5.00 per delivery location (3 locations=$15.00) or $10-20.00 per staff member in one lump sum, for set-up and delivery.
* Wedding Cake Baker – You don’t have to tip for the baking of the cake but if you are at your reception venue at time of delivery and set-up = $10.00
* Wedding Coordinator or Room Manager- This is the person managing the reception venues staff and facility the night of your wedding = $50.00
* Your Wedding Coordinator – If this vendor owns the company, then the tip is optional. If they are an employee = $50.00
* Your Wedding Planner – This person has planned your wedding from start to finish. An appropriate tip would be 10% of their total commission or bill.
This should give you some guidelines on tipping etiquette. Tipping etiquette is different in different provinces, cities and towns. Please be sure to add this to your budget. The amounts above are only examples and are not written in stone.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Whirly Hanging Candleholder
A bride in New York brought these little “whirly hanging candleholders” to my attention today when she mentioned that she would like to hang tons of these at her wedding reception. What an awesome idea!! We couldn’t stop emailing back and forth (of course it’s mainly my fault because I have so many creative ideas we could do with these.)
I just think these are so beautiful for any event with candles or flowers. Check them out at www.C2B.com
13 Napkin Folding Skills
Believe it or not, the way you fold a napkin can determine different looks for your table decor. It’s basically like cloth oragami where shapes can transform before your eyes. I love this video that shows you 13 different ways to showcase napkins for your next event. Also, don’t forget about adding menus and seating cards. Paper will dazzle up any table (and so will rhinestones!)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Fall is in the Air
My absolute favorite time of the year is the fall. Some ask if we even have “seasons” in Arizona and my reply is always as follows …. “Anything out of the triple digits, I consider that a season change!” I just love when it finally starts to come down out of the 120 degree temperatures, how the sunlight starts to dim, how it gets darker earlier (although I get more done when the sun is out longer), and most importantly I love when fall approaches because it means the holidays are coming. I can’t wait to decorate our kitchen table with my fall settings! With that in mind, I set out today to find some inspiration for decor and thought I would post some pictures from my album of collections from beautiful florist, event designers, or magazine websites.
Target: Brides and Bridesmaid Gowns
Ok, so I may be one of the last people to post on this, but have you seen the bridal selection at Target lately? The wedding dresses are really very “vanilla” (plain and simple), but they are kind of cute actually!! They scream “I’m a blank slate” just waiting for some rhinestones or a vibrant colored sash and brooch to be attached. It’s easy to be clever and crafty with these gowns because the prices are super affordable. You have to check them out if you are a crafty bride-to-be, a destination beach bride, or even a bride on a budget. Sooo cute!!
…. and they even have a bridesmaid selection (or great dinner party dresses). Simple, but you can’t beat the prices!
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