bridesmaids // gifts & photos

 

Meet my lovely girls, I could not have done it without them!

I wanted to get them something useful and personal and fun. This is what I came up with.

A versatile, fabulous leather clutch filled with goodies!

Some vodka to keep the party going =] and an apple juice for Ashley [I hear pregnant women don't drink =]

 

I also made them some flower hair clips and a silver pendant necklace=]

As far as packaging and other goodies in the bag, here is what I used:
brown paper bags
floral tissue paper
juice boxes
small vodka bottles
granola bars
tissues for happy tears=]

I also printed thank you labels to hang on the bags. You can find those here.

Happy Wednesday Dolls!!!

groomsmen // gifts & photos

I'm always interested to see what couples choose as bridesmaids/groomsmen gifts. There are so many options out there; this week I'll be sharing what Brian and I did for our wedding! Up first, the boys!

Brian is very much into beer and anything zombie related, it really is no secret. So when he showed my the groomsmen gifts, it came as no surprise =]

These guys came from Neato Shop. As far as the packaging, I used small black paper bags and black tissue paper from Joann. I made "zombie green" labels with the groomsmen's names in Photoshop and printed them on full sheet label paper, then I just cut them out and stuck them on the bags.

TA-DA!!! Cool and personalized gifts and packaging. The devil's in the details, right?!=]

And now, a few of my favorite pictures of the boys. I still laugh when I look at these.

Happy Tuesday Darlings!!!

weekend finds // farmers market food

I have to admit, I first started going to the farmers market when we moved to Peru and I now love it. When we lived in Seattle it just seemed like more of a fad and " Check me out at the farmers market, how healthy am I?!" haha maybe it's not the case, but that's what it looked like to me. Growing up in a small town in Bulgaria the farmers market, was simply "the market" where you always got the veg and fruit. It wasn't the popular thing to do, it was just where they sold the stuff. So in a small big way, thanks to facebook and instagram, I was turned off of the American-farmers-market-going notion.

With that being said and on a lighter note, HAHA, I love eating at the farmers market! Yes we buy stuff for the week, but my favorite part is getting lunch. Every time I try to get something different and I've scored every.single.time!!!

Here we have Brian sporting his UW Track and Field shirt =] also some pretty jars of tomato sauce and an empanada.

This Saturday I had a stuffed roasted red pepper with artichokes and other veg. It was very good, although the vegan cheese on top [what is that anyway?] tasted a little like what I would imagine rubber would...

Brian had a Greek pie with olives and asparagus. It was pretty good.

The only places to get food at this farmers market are vegetarian, this one happens to be vegan as well, and every time I am surprised at how good it tastes! I like meat.

I had to share this gem of a door knocker. I want! It's awesome and the door it goes with is even more awesome. It's just around the corner from our apartment, but I never seem to have my phone or camera when I walk by. Well this weekend I did.

Enough rambling for now.

Happy Monday Guys!!!

Freebie Friday // I Do Labels

You know those "I Do" stickers girls put on the bottom of their wedding shoes and take super cute pictures? I really wanted to do it, but I was going to wear flats at our wedding and it wasn't going to happen. So I did what I always do, I made my own! I used my trusty paper punch to cut out the stickers and look how cute it turned out!

If you are on the hunt for some similar labels you are in luck my darling! I made some, in different colors, to share with you. All you will need is my template, a full sheet label paper, a paper punch of your choice, and some shoes to stick them on! Now I've made them in different sizes as well so you can customize them to fit your needs.

Download PINK I DO

Download PURPLE I DO

Download MINT I DO

Download YELLOW I DO

Happy Friday Friends!!!

coconut cream | larabars

Lately I've been on a health kick, yes more than usual, and every time I see a good looking "clean" recipe I have to make it. This time it's coconut cream larabars. These are a.m.a.z.i.n.g! Seriously make them now =]

Next time, out of necessity, I'll try and make them with prunes; I haven't been able to find dates in Peru. The ones I used for this recipe were left over from a tasty treat my friend Jules brought from Dubai.

Coconut Cream | Larabars
adapted from My Whole Food Life

15 large dates
1/2 cup raw almonds [unsalted]
1/2 cup raw cashews [unsalted]
3/4 cup shredded coconut
2 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp water

• In a food processor mix together the almonds, cashews, and coconut until finely chopped.

• Add the dates, water, and oil and pulse until your dough forms.

• Line an 8X8 pan with wax/parchment paper and leave some extra paper sticking out the sides. Press down the dough until it is packed nicely.

• Stick in the fridge for a few hours to set, I left mine over night. Slice with a wet knife or pizza cutter and eat up.

YUM!

Happy Thursday Friends!!!

banners | cakes | pies

  Let's talk cake toppers. There are many to choose from and they can get very creative. So, how do you pick one? I couldn't make up my mind so I decided to make my own. For our wedding we had cake and pies! I wanted a "topper" for each one so, again, I turned to pinterest for help. I found a freebie banner over at confetti sunshine and it was just what I needed.

I printed these bad boys on full sheet label paper and then backed them up with a shimmery gold 30lb paper. This way they would have some weight to them and be pretty from the back as well. I also used thread and wooden bamboo skewers. Easiest Project ever =]

the Bourbon Butterscotch

the Blue Hawaiian

 the Mexican Chocolate Mousse

We got the pies at A La Mode Pies and the cake was made by Kelli's Creations they were both amazing! The flowers on the cake [and everywhere else] came from Flower Lab.

It was all very beautiful and tasty! I want some pie now!!! Pictures were taken by Arlene Chambers Photography.

Happy Tasty Tuesday Guys!!!

thoughtful thanks

One of my greatest joys in life is making things and giving them others. Now, it's mostly because those "others" are my friends, but it's also because I ain't no hoarder =] and I've made a lot of crap stuff...
Most of all I love giving Thank You Gifts, but lately I've been stuck in the so called rut and had no good ideas. I did what anyone else would and got on pinterest to find a way out. Here are a few lovely ideas I discovered.


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This very first one I adore especially because the second word from the bottom says thank you in Bulgarian. This girl's blog is in Spanish, but from the pictures it looks like she used washi tape and I can't wait to get my hands on some!!!

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What a fun bag! I would love to get anything in it =]

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These two are more tags rather than an actual gifts, but me likey.

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And succulents. Ah succulents. Gimme!

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I've left dessert for last. Aren't these fun? Pretty, tasty, thoughtful, what more can you ask of a gift?!

Happy Monday Friends!!!