Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Dry-Run Chow Down: Part Dwa

So I mentioned that my fantasy of the perfect rehearsal dinner at a local Mexican BYO did not shake out as I had originally imagined.

That didn't slow me down.  Just like Jay Z and Swizz Beatz I was "on to the next one."

I turned to google to try to help me uncover a unique BYO that was out there in our neighborhood.  Of course I would give the rehearsal dinner a rehearsal and go try it out for myself.  There were options.  But nothing that wowed me.

Until I stumbled upon Rozmayrn in Northern Trenton, not too far from our little Catholic Church in Bucks County.  Now this was perfection! I am half Polish and Gmom Sweet Cream smiled when I told her about the idea.

The crazy out-of-control imagination of mine took a hold of me all over again after I found out that rosemary was considered as a symbol of friendship and remembrance and that it was used in Polish weddings as a symbol of love and faith.  So much so, that bride's friends would make her a wreath made out of rosemary to wear on head on her wedding day.  I could just picture little pots with rosemary in it as the center piece for each table with a little note about the herb's relevance.

Then, after some more research I also knew that we would have to have a Polish hand-binding ceremony.  This was even better than my long-held Tijuana Flats idea.  I was on top of the world!

 "Zrekowiny" Painting by Wlodzimierz Tetmajer / Via dobrykadrerz 

Here are some details about a Polish hand-binding ceremony for those of you who aren't familiar...


One Polish tradition that took place before rings became popular was called "zrekowiny" -- the hand binding ceremony. A master of ceremonies -- usually an uncle, a trusted male friend, or someone instrumental in the marital match -- was appointed.
The couple would join their hands together over a loaf of bread placed on a table covered with the best white tablecloth in the house. The MC would bind the couples' hands together with an embroidered cloth made especially for the occasion, symbolically indicating the willingness of both parties to be married and share their lives and duties. Then he would bless them, saying: "Two hands joined together over a loaf of bread -- that is the most beautiful sign of togetherness and the happy joining of two people traveling the same road. Two hands joined together until death do them part."
The would hold a silver coin to symbolize "being wealthy with good health & never in financial stress." It would follow by a sip of wine to signify "enjoying the sweetness in life," a spec of salt on their tongue to signify, "overcoming the bitterness in life."  -Taken from Laura's Wedding Traditions Blog


But I guess that before I got ahead of myself (which I am known to do), I should go have a look for myself.  As I envisioned the embroidered cloth used for the ceremony that I would create and that we would cherish forever, we headed off across the bridge to try to taste the reviews of "the best pierogis" in town.  It wasn't too far away, maybe 15-20 minutes from our ceremony site.  As Mama Sweet Cream flew by the discreet restaurant (Mama Sweets has a lead foot hive... she won't admit it, but she does) I yelled out "Stop! I see the sign!" and we circled the block looking for parking.


Rozmaryn's adorable little interior

And up several tall steps and through a little wooden door was an amazing little Polish restaurant.  We chatted with the owner who said that with 25 people she would close it down & heck, if our rehearsal lasted longer than we thought they would stay open until we were finished.  

And across the street was a liquor store that had a selection of Polish beers and Polish vodkas.  I was on a high.  

Yummy Polish Beer & Pierogies!

Mr. Sweets is waiting to crack open these bad boys for 
me to make pierogis & kielbasa again for dinner.

We ordered take out and I brought home Polish goodness for Mr. Sweet Cream to try (he didn't come since he was re-walling our shower and to him, that took priority at the time) simply delicious potato & cheese, sauerkraut & meat pierogies and some white borsht soup. (It actually inspired me to take Gmom Sweet's original recipe and have some fun in the kitchen incorporating everything from kielbasa to buffalo chicken into the traditional potato base).

Me & Gmom Sweet Cream in the parking lot after scoring some homemade pierogis!

Mr. Sweets loved the basic potato pierogi, but wasn't quite sure on the other ones.  I loved them all.  There were a ton of other options on the menu too.

I was making arrangements for everyone to officially go rehearse the rehearsal dinner and give it a whirl.  But then, I had a chat with Cousin Sweet Cream who had something else entirely in mind...

Did you wind up using your heritage in any part of your wedding?  What customs did you do to make your wedding week -- or wedding -- special?

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Dry-Run Chow Down: Part Uno

Besides all the hours upon hours of planning that goes into a wedding, there seems like there is an awful lot of rehearsing too!

Optional -- but not mandatory -- practices include a hair trial, a make-up trial and perhaps a few drafts of the invitation.  But one things that is practically a must for any sort of ceremony involving a few folks is the rehearsal.

We already have it all planned out to do a dry run at our local church the evening of the Thursday before the big day.  Simple.  But the thing that got me stuck was the dry-run chow.

You may or may not remember that food is a big deal to me.  And so is party planning.  And while I am at it, so is being thrifty.

Me & Mr. Sweets are the last people to be all fancy & I didn't want to break the bank --anyone's bank -- on the rehearsal dinner.  All I was thinking about was laughter, fun and good old-fashioned yummy food.  I was also thinking something involving a BYOB.

It's not like we are getting married in or around a down town metropolis area, so the options weren't as overflowing as I would like.  But hey, I can work with it.

My initial thoughts were a little BYO Mexican place, Tijuana Flats.  In some part of the states you may have heard of it and if you have not, I suggest that you learn real quick.  Although it might not be the most authentic Mexican restaurant I've ever been, they play rock music, have a hot sauce bar AND a "power light" menu (where you can get low-cal substitutes for things like sour cream, cheese & tortillas).  Plus, the food is so yummy. And just when you couldn't think that it could get more perfect, TijFl is a BYO so we are free to bring all the cervezas & margaritas our little spicy-lovin' hearts could desire.


I was so set on this idea.  This place is me & Mr. Sweets' go-to spot when our brains can't even think of where we might go to grab a bite.  And I was insistent that we could make it work.  It wouldn't put us into debt & it would be so much fun!

OMG. So much to chose from.  I never have a staple here.  Plus it's always
fun to bring our own margaritas to sip with our chips & salsa!

Partial menu screen shot via Tijuana Flats website


I added up our wedding party, our families and readers and we were looking at approximately 25 loved ones who would join us for the dry-run chow down.

But like some of my "visions," I just don't know if the whole idea is actually realistic.  I pictured me & Mr. Sweet Cream getting people to taste the different hot sauces, pouring fresh made margaritas into mason jars that I tied with string or ripped fabric and mingling with everyone at one long table -- with the rest of the commotion of the small restaurant being fuzzy to all in our party.

Well, since I do plan events for my day job I realized that I had to stop the fantasy and think about the logistics of reality.

TijFl couldn't have us at one long table because we wouldn't all fit since the 4 top tables would now only fit 2.  They warned us about Thursday being the start of their crowded nights and that of course we could stay as long as we want, but there might be people there waiting for tables and that we shouldn't feel rushed.  And they couldn't close the restaurant either... It was just too much.  They also said that it might be a little tight if we wanted to squish the tables together into groupings.

So, after months of knowing that this was the perfect fit I decided it was time to hang up the sombrero and cross Tijuana Flats off the list for the rehearsal dinner.

Sigh.  At least me & Mr. Sweets still have it as old-stand by for when our brains can't handle thinking of a culinary answer to our hungry bellies.

Did you have the perfect rehearsal dinner spot that just didn't work?  Are you going BYO?  Do you tend to have "fantasies" that -- hey, let's just face it -- aren't reality?

Monday, July 25, 2011

Shaken AND Stirred: A Striped-Paper-Straw Drink Stirrer Tutorial

As some of you may already know, striped paper straws just tug away at my heart strings.


Sigh.  My heart still skips a beat at the sight of them.  So I knew that I couldn't resist ordering even more straws after the first order came in and I could touch, see & feel them in real live person.

This time I took the advice of fellow Bee, Almost Mrs-Oka & ordered them from Amazon via Kikkerland ($4.99 for 144 of them!).

But I didn't know just what I would do with them.  Then I got to thinking and besides having straws for our soda bar -- I just knew that drink stirrers would be just the ticket to squeeze in even more striped-paper-straw dreaminess.

There was great striped-straw-inspiration all over the wedding biosphere.  Just check it out for yourself!
Awesome DIY Tutorial for Drink Flags

These super-sweet straws don't have to be just for Cupid's Day.
Image via Shabby Chic Crafts / DIY Tutorial at Papermash

Glue Gun + Felt + Striped Paper Straw = Adorable Perfection!
Image & DIY Tutorial via The Knotty Bride

How cute is this? Paper straws AND drink charm... all. in. one!

I decided to mix it up... I had too many paper crafts on my wedding to do list and wanted something quick, down & dirty & oh-so-adorable to boot.  That's when I spotted Peach Pearl's super simple ribbon drink stirrer tutorial.  How perfect are these?! 

Image & DIY Tutorial via Peach Pearl

So with my striped paper straws, some ribbon that was on sale at A.C. Moore and a pair of scissors, I got down to work.  And here's how they turned out!  

(All pics from here on out are taken by me!)

Now that I'm done, I just need some kind of low-ball drink to stir and I'm set!!

Just incase anyone in the hive wants to recreate this super easy DIY project, let me walk you though what I did.

Here is what you'll need:


  • Striped Straws
  • Scissors
  • Ribbon of your choice
First I put the straw into a similar-sized glass that low-ball drinks will be served in at the wedding (or you can just do the ones that you know you're using, but I didn't have that luxury).



Then I snipped the top of the straw where I saw fit.


This first one served as my "template" for all future stirrers.


Next put the ribbon around the stirrer, measuring it longer than I thought necessary, since some of the length would be lost in the knot.

Next, cut the ribbon and even out the sides so that they are even with each other.


Take both sides together and create a knot, making sure that it ends up really close to the base of the straw/stirrer.

Through the loop...

Pull it tight & taDa!! I cut the ends to make them even more adorable after I realized that it need a lil' something else.

And there you have your super-cute drink stirrer.  I was going to just put them out with a little sign that said "Shaken AND Stirred," but I read online somewhere that some bride spent so much time on her drink stirrers & people forgot to take them(!).  If she had to do it all over again, she would have given them to the bartenders, to people in people's mixed drinks.  Noted!!  I will certainly be taking that into consideration.

Are you having drink stirrers at your reception?  Did you go the DIY route?  Post a link a tutorial you used because I know that there are a ton of super amazing ones out there!

Make Me Up! The Importance of a Trial

I'm sure that in days before bridal blogs like the Bee brides had their ways about finding a perfect photographer or place to get their dress.  They probably heard through the grapevine about a wonderful photographer or a fabulous baker.  Either way I'm a chic who loves hearing about people's experiences and advice whether to pull the trigger or a purchase or not.

I love seeing how many stars a movie gets before deciding if I should really spend all that dough to see it.  Mr. Sweets completely embarrassed me (by accident) when he told the guy at Best Buy that I am totally set on buying a printer based on the stars.   And restaurant reviews? Enough said.

But sometimes the reviews surprise me!  After waiting to see a flick when it gets to DVD, sometimes I wish I would've seen it on the big screen.  And there have been plenty of times that I just had to try Restaurant X because of rave reviews only to be left disappointed and confused about what all the fuss was about.

That's why I highly recommend a test drive.  Even if it is a little pricey.

Enter, my makeup trial.  I decided that I will not pull a Princess Kate and DIY my makeup on the big day (despite my love of DIYing!).  Although I am known to have an unbelievably steady hand with liquid liner and BM Sweet Cream loves when I do her up before a night on the town, I wanted to leave something like this to the professionals for a super important day like this.

I read tons of amazing things about Make Up Artist X.  So even though she was a bit pricey and needed a certain minimum spent before booking her, I decided to give her a spin.

I dreamed of creamy smooth skin, dewy blush and heavy top and bottom lashes and booked a date with Make Up Artist X on the day of the engagement sesh and shared some inspiration pics with her beforehand.  
Hayden Panettiere / Photo by Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images N.A. / via Zimbio

Kim K. / Image via Smashion Blog (via Elle.com)

Mila Kunis / via InStyle / via Mathew Imaging/WireImage

So I came in to her like this...
(freshly scrubbed face)

And left like this...




And I wasn't incredibly happy to tell you the truth.  Mr. Sweets was super confused because he thought I looked like a knock out.  And I'm not saying it was horrible.  It just wasn't what I wanted.  There was a smokey eye, eye lashes that reminded me of the Daisy Duck hat the you get in Disney World and for so much of my hard-earned mullah -  I didn't really think it was worth it.

I feel like there was three choices: simple, medium and loud and I just got one of them.  I mentioned my disappointment to Make Up Artist X and that I wanted thicker lashes (not necessarily longer) and I was told that I was just looking at it weird.  Also, I don't exactly have the skin of a porcelain doll and thought that maybe some makeup might make it close.  I felt like my at home cover up job did better and was told that the airbrush gun was broken so I couldn't see what they would do.  I was super bummed about that last part.

And the real kicker is that I was overcharged by 10 bucks.  I just knew that the trial cost less and when I questioned the price, I was told that I must be confused...only to later check my email to find out I was right -- and over charged!

So while I used some scissors on my too long lashes for the trial and did some touch ups myself with liners, mascaras and foundations -- it all worked out in the end.

Mr. Sweets thinks that it was silly to pay money to try someone out -- but I completely disagree.  It's worth it in the end to know that I don't think that we have the same idea in mind.  I'd rather pay now and not be disappointed on the big day.

So I'm on to plan B. My amazing hair guy does make up too so I think that I'm gonna show him my inspiration pics some day soon and see what he comes up with.  I would be surprised if he didn't rock it out.  Mama Sweets suggested to do it when everyone is at my house getting ready for the shower.  I'm a little hesitant knowing the semi-stress I put myself under for the engagement sesh, but heck, I dodged that & it came out good in the end, so why not.

Bonus: To get my hair did, nails done AND make up costs just as much as it would for my make up with Make Up Artist X.  And amazing hair guy does wonders.

Did you get surprised by an online review -- for better? or for worse?  Were you a little disappointed by any of your trials?

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Life Is What Happens To You While You're Busy Making Other Plans

Oh dear hive.  Oh, how I've missed you.

I know that I haven't been here for a week or so.  And I feel truly terrible for those of you (even if it's just one) who anxiously awaited seeing more of the engage sesh that I teased you with last week.

I guess just life came full force at me all at once and the wedding planning -- and sharing it with you dear hive -- came to almost a full halt.

Via etsy / thoughtfulprints (via Lindsey Nichols) 

In one week, so many things have happened that I'm just beginning to catch my balance from it all.  Last week, there were tears of joy, tears of sadness and all kinds of emotions battling each other like the 15 round match between Rocky & Apollo Creed in the infamous movie that Philly is known for.

Sadly, my uncle who has been suffering for some time passed away and the arrangements were made for his ceremonies.  It was hard to see my aunt so sad and to have this time that we knew was coming for a bit of time be so real.  Then, that very same week we got the news that a bouncing baby will soon be on it's way to someone super near & dear to both me & Mr. Sweets.

At the very same time Cousin Sweet Cream wound up tying the knot(!!!) to her amazing finance.  And I'd love to fill you in more about that... since that is what all bonds the hive together after all.  Besides being great people around the world who seem to care the heck out of each other, we all get so excited about the idea of a wedding! :)

Cousin Sweet Cream and I grew up inseparable from each other.  We were born just 11 days apart and spent part of our childhood trying to convince everyone that we were "Twin Cousins" just like Patty & Cathy.  She was my rock, my defender, my entertainer, my confidant, my sidekick.  She was my family, sister & pal, all rolled into just one girl.

I may have mentioned before the Cuz Sweets lives all the way across the whole entire country with her (now) hubby.  She and her finance have been engaged for well over a year and with the busy life a full-time job, going to school and just living, she & her finance decided that they just wanted to make it official.  They didn't want to plan an East Coast wedding from the West Coast.  They didn't want to wait any longer.  They just wanted to be husband & wife for cryin' out loud.  She already had her dress & he already had a suit.  So they picked a date.  And decided to just make it happen.

As soon as she told me that they were just going to tie the knot the following week, I immediately got to work trying to figure out what to do that I could make her day even more special than she already had in mind.

I fluffed up some vintage champagne glasses and wood burned their initials into some hearts to tie to the stem with twine for her "Something Old."  A pair of Vicky's Secret "Just Married" undies made for "Something New."  I sorted through my vintage gloves and got two white pairs together (one leather with a pearl button and the other that came up past the wrist) for "Something Borrowed."  Then Mama Sweets quickly whipped up a garter, made with our grandmothers veil and vintage blue lace, for Cousin Sweets for her "Something Blue."  I packaged it all together and shipped it off to Portland so that she could know that even though we weren't there, she would certainly be in our thoughts all day long.

Cousin Sweet Cream told me that it was a super simple ceremony, but I am sure was beyond gorgeous.  She is so creative and a genius at pulling together parties, meals, and anything else that takes some precise planning and prep.   

Cousin Sweets & her (then) fiance wound up inviting a few super close friends that they've made since they've been living in Portland and had a simple, but amazing wedding.  There were beautiful words to each other, toasts, yummy food that Cousin Sweet Cream made and a tent that they set up on the beach where they spent their first night as a man & wife.

Even though I wasn't there, I know that she knows I was there in her heart.

Cousin Sweet Cream's brand new hubby(!!) carrying her over the threshold.
(Cuz Sweets own pic).

So while all of this was going on, our wedding and wedding planning in general seemed to take a the back burner in my thoughts, mind, schedule and plans.  And although I have always felt I had things in perspective with our wedding plans, I think that this past week put it even more into perspective.  This will be a day -- a super amazing one at that -- that is meant to celebrate me & Mr. Sweet Cream's love.

If I do not get my big idea for a paper rosette mural to serve as a backdrop for the cake table, it will be fine.  When the DJ forgets to play one of the many, many songs on the "must play list" (hive, I probably have close to a hundred "must plays"), we will live.  If every person that we really thought could make it doesn't RVSP "yes" to our wedding, if I don't lose that stubborn 5 pounds that I've been trying to lose and if the weather isn't that out of a scene from the big screen on our our big day -- it will still be perfect.

Because although the little details, the perfect dress, the most delicious food, etc. could make "the perfect wedding," it really has nothing do to having a super-amazing marriage...and that is what me and Mr. Sweets are really excited for.  To continue to make plans to live the rest of our lives together.

Last week brought me a whole new sense of calmness and although there may have been a lot of stress -- it certainly wasn't about our wedding.  And as the grieving process happens, bellies get bigger with a bouncing baby on the way and I chat with Cuz Sweets about what she is making her brand new hubby for dinner (she has told me that she LOVES being a newlywed, even though nothing has changed, except for the fact she purposely calls her love "Husband" and "Hubby" at least 20 times a day), I am overcome with a calm about the big day even as it inches closer into reality.

In closing, I'd love to share the "speech" I included in Cuz Sweets wedding day package.  I made her promise she wouldn't open the "speech to the happy couple" until after they were hitched (which I knew that she wouldn't be able to do... and I was right).

I so cannot wait to see her when she flies to the East Coast in 2 months to celebrate our big day with us. We get 3 whole days of prepping and catching up live and in person before me & Mr. Sweet Cream's wedding day. I can't wait to see MRS. Cousin Sweets and her Mr. now that they are all "official" and all.

And I also can't wait to make it just as official with Mr. Sweets.  And continue to share that journey with you.



SPEECH FOR THE HAPPY COUPLE:

I remember when we were little, me & Jamie had the wildest imagination possibly put upon two little girls.  We would make believe that we were high society women from Fifth Avenue, shopping in the most prestigious store in all of New York, a little shop we liked to call Alexandria’s. 

We would pretend that we were teachers, marking tests and rewarding stickers to A+ papers that only a Cabbage Patch Kid could be so smart to earn. 

Many late nights were spent creating a special newspaper that had deadlines for print time late into the night and you would think that we – two little eight or nine year old girls – had all the pressure to get our story wrapped before dawn, like we were real live reporters at the New York Times.

Another thing that could – and often would – go on for hours would be our time playing Barbies.  Barbie was never named “Barbie,” we called each one something much more exotic… but the fact never changed that she could do it all.  Jamie could get several story lines going that would rival that of an award-winning soap opera and would dutifully play the part of “Ken” too.  What can I say… perhaps an actress was her true calling.

When Jamie played “Ken” he had a lot of great traits.  He took Barbie to the best concerts and he would listen to her when she cried about her hectic schedule balancing being a sister, a daughter, a friend, a vet working with sick animals, and her long hours on set of her TV drama.  With her new clothing line showing at Fashion Week in just a few weeks and her national tour for “The Rockers” starting quickly after that, “Ken” was there to cheer Barbie up and he made her laugh a lot too.  He believed that she could do all these things, but assured her that she didn’t have to if she didn’t want to.  While Barbie was friends with all the other Barbies, it was Ken who she looked forward to seeing after her long day and it was Ken who she could have an amazing time doing pretty much nothing. All the other “Barbies” were so envious of what a great guy that that little plastic doll snagged.

I don’t know if either one of us in our little girl heads knew if we would ever find a guy quite like that.  One that could be depended on to make us laugh, cheer us on, not think – but know – that we could do anything that we put our minds to.  One who would love us unconditionally and make us strive to be even better than we already are.  One who we could truly call our best friend.

Jamie has seemed to find that guy in you, John.  And you in her. 

Who knew that the scales could be set so high with hours of playing with plastic dolls, but it was.  

Both of you seem to be so happy and in love.  You both are there for each other, not only as a couple, but as a rock solid couple who is there for each other in good times and in bad.  You believe in each other, root each other on and onlookers can tell that you both entertain the heck out of each other.  You put the childhood fantasies of what a relationship could be through the lives of Barbie & Ken to shame.

So on your wedding day, I wish you all the love, luck & health that a young girl could ever even try to dream of.  And I just know that you two have amazing years ahead of you that even the little Jamie never even knew was possible. 

To you – the both of you – on this super special day!  I love you with all of my heart… CHEERS!!! xoxoxoxo



Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Engagement Sesh Time: A Vintage Picnic For Two

I told you about how I love the super special places people sometimes pick out for the engagement sesh.  And then I divulged the setting for ours.  But before we bought our tickets for the ferris wheel and got a sugar high from all of the cotton candy, our uhhhmazing photographer Brett Martelli decided that it was worth a trip to the spot where we spent time while we shared puppy love -- and the spot Mr. Sweets proposed -- Bolton Mansion, the old mansion between our two neighborhoods growing up where we sledded during the winter and hung out on bikes in the summer.

We had so much stinkin' fun with Brett.  I was super nervous about the whole idea of cheesin' for the camera, but that quickly went out the window and I totally forgot all about it and just had fun.  

Brett put up with my box of vintage props and me thinking -- I mean knowing --  that I could work it for the camera from watchin' a lot of America's Next Top Model.  He totally captured us having a blast...not to mention, he himself was so much fun to work with...  

And just when I thought that was enough, Brett completely blew me away with some of his teasers.  I had some prep I wanted to share before unveiling these beauts... But that was before I saw them. The teasers are so great, I could wait to show the hive.


One of my favorites from the Bolton Mansion shoot --
Although it's so hard to choose just one -- and this is from the teasers alone, hive!!



 Mr. Sweets loves that hat.  And I love Mr. Sweets.  (And I think he might like me too! ;) )

I totally made sure to steal the Ace of Hearts so that I could "win" ;)

 
I totally hammed it up with a vintage camera (borrowed from Papa Sweets), 
making believe I was taking tons of pictures of my honey.

 You may remember this carving that served as some inspiration for the wedding.  
It was also was perfect to serve as a backdrop for my 1920s bling.

 Mr. Sweets makes my heart skip a beat!


You can probably guess what our new last name initial will be after the big day.


We got a couple takes going down this scary hill on the bike.  It was so. much. fun.

Next up, we went to the fair.  So I can't wait to show you the ferris wheel, cotton candy, ride-til-u-puke fun we had there!!

*NOTE: All super UHHmazing pics are from Brett Martelli.

Did you have a blast at your engagement shoot?  Were you nervous but quickly got over it after the camera came out?  Did your photographer add to the fun of it all?

[Note to all Greater Philly area brides: Brett totally rocks!!]

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

A Piece of Cake: The Easiest DIY Project For Left Overs

We love all of our cakes that we are having at the wedding & seriously cannot wait to dive in to dessert time.  Whatever our friends & family pick: peanut butter or fruited bliss or pound cake with raspberry preserves  and delicious whipped cream cheese goodness, we know it will bring delicious delight to our guests' taste buds! 

Image via Myrtle's Studio

But one thing is a strong possibility.  With all that cake there is bound to be leftovers.  

I gave this some thought & was thinking about labeling gable boxes or getting adorable little bags for guests to take home sweet, sweet goodness from our big day.

But something a whole lot easier came into the picture when Mama Sweet Cream asked the local grocery store's bakery counter where they got their little plastic containers that contain the store's yummy single servings of cake.  She explained what it was for and the super friendly grocery store baker told Mama Sweets that she would just sell them to her.  Mama Sweets handed over $9 to the baker on her next trip to the supermarket and we now have 200 little plastic containers under the realistic circumstances that every last morsel of dessert isn't devoured.

I knew that I would want a little something extra on them.  And with my trusty paper cutter, some sticker paper and my favorite font, I got to work.  And just like that, they were finished!  A piece of cake!!





I think that they're perfect because they don't take up as much room as gable boxes and we don't have to fold them beforehand.  They are also better than the adorable bags because nobody will be left with squished cake.

For my fellow hive who might be interested in recreating this super simple project, here is what you need: 
  • Paper cutter or scissors
  • Plastic containers from a local bakery
  • Sticker paper
  • Computer with printed out phrasing or pictures (I used "Let Them Eat Cake!" with some hearts, our initials and our wedding date, but you could do other things... like a wedding monogram, "How Sweet It Is!," etc.)


Just measure how big to make the sticker, play with the fonts, print, cut and stick!  And your done!

Tell me, did you have a ton of left-over cake from your wedding?  Did you wind up having cake to last months after the wedding?  What was one of your easiest DIY projects?


Monday, July 4, 2011

House Wine of the South...In Pennsylvania

I know that some sweet bubbly and celebrations go hand and hand.  I get it, I really do.

But wedding after wedding that I go to I see champagne go to waste since everyone doesn't partake in the goodness of the bubbly.  And to tell you the truth, I think that is blasphemy.  I personally love me some sparkly wine.  But then again there really there is a never any kind of wine that I turn my back on.

But Mr. Sweets isn't exactly into champagne.  He likes his one the sweet side, just like his women I guess... ;)

Since we were having our wedding at a winery, we had to partake in their wine choices only, which meant that the sweet bubbly we had to get from them would cost a pretty penny.  And with cost, the fear of champagne waste & Mr. Sweets' sweet palate against us, I wanted to figure out another option.

No worries, besides champagne I actually love vintage bottles.

Such pretty bottles...

Image via My Sweet Savannah / Credit: All About You Magazine

...would not only make a great centerpiece...

Image via Maine Seasons

...but a great show-stopper element for a toast! 

Image via Tracie Mobley / Credit: Martha Stewart

(FYI: The last pic is the oh-so-genious Martha camp's reuse of vintage bottles for dishwashing suds.  So creative I know.)

So as the summer months went by I soon had a collection of assorted bottles to put the "toast juice" in.  While my mind was originally leaning towards homemade limoncello, to go with our yellow & grey color scheme, I soon realized that this was super silly since what does Italian lemon liquor have to do with mouth watering BBQ anyway.

Needless to say with the craze of Sweet Tea Vodka not getting old any time soon (well at least not for me), I thought that that would be just the perfect "toast juice" for any kind words about us where people raise their glasses.

DIY Iced Tea in Vintage Soda Bottles with New Corks = Adorable
Image via Country Living / Photo credit: Burcu Avsar 


I think that combining Sweet Tea --or as Dolly Parton's character in Steel Magnolia's puts it, the "house wine of the South" -- with some vodka in a vintage bottle, whipping up a cute tag in my very favorite font and using some yellow twine, would be the perfection I was looking for for toast time.

So I delved into cookbooks and scoured the Internet in search for the perfect Sweet Tea recipe....
Image via Etsy Seller Tcart2010

I read about tips about using a pinch of baking soda to take out the bitterness and about how you must dissolve the sugar when the water is piping hot.  I saw some recipes use 2 cups of sugar & other recipes make a sweet simple syrup.  A couple say to ice it up right away & others argue that it dilutes the tea too quickly.

During my quest to find the perfect Sweet Tea for my homemade Sweet Tea Vodka, I wisely realized that I was from Pennsylvania.  What the heck does a Philadelphian know about Sweet Tea?  Cheesesteaks? Yes.  Tea that can babies bury their head into a glass and not come up for air? Not so much.

Am I the only bride out there not using champagne for toasts?  What did you use?

I'm asking all the Southern Belles (and any other Belles above the Mason-Dixon line), what the heck is your Sweet Tea recipe that you swear by?  

Bring it to me, hive!