wedding hair

i wanted to share a few wedding hair styles i think are really pretty. they are mostly messy, which i think looks great with a formal dress.

long hair

don't you just love carrie? this pony tail is great. that's all i have to say.

medium hair

i like this hair style with a white braided headband or something thin and lacy.

short hair

this girl has VERY short hair so i am not sure how she even got it into a bun. it looks very sweet though.

corn on the cob cupcakes

i got this idea from martha stewart for a baking contest we had at work last week, aren't they cool? so i tried to make them myself. my creation is below. i thought they turned out pretty good. they only problem is you need a million jelly beans. i had three bags and could only make four cupcakes.

i found jelly bellys at the dollar store, though, so it didn't cost much at all. the corn on the cob holders were there and the laffy taffy (butter) was also. instead of using black decorative sugar i used choclate jimmys. i didn't win but i did get points for our team, which was all that mattered since we won field day!

the waffle house

to many outsiders, the waffle house doesn't look like a very nice place to spend a morning. if you decide to venture inside, however, you will enjoy a quite interesting and (hopefully) fun experience.

this video is from my trip a week ago. i felt like i was in a movie. it was so much fun.

little room, big decorations

i found these pictures via the tiny hummingbird (my friend's blog, she is having a giveaway this week!). i love the colors and how much character this little room has. some ideas for a little space include:

add height with tall desk lamps

add signature furniture that isn't over stuffed, too bulky

use a small chandelier for lighting

hang long paneled curtains, giving the room height

overall: use one central theme (here, it is the wallpaper) and build off it with little accents (pillows, flowers, pictures)

how cool are these book shelves? it is nice way to get things out of the way and still make them look nice.

i just love this pillow. you could easily make it with pompoms from a craft/fabric store and an old pillow.

have a good weekend!

this weekend i am:

spending lots of time with my family and dave

looking at some apartments

cooking a (hopefully) yummy dinner for my mom

celebrating my brother's first year of college done!

yay blake, you made it!

found for more: comfort shoes

now, you know i don't normally condone spending too much money on things. especially when you  can find them for less. however, there are times when paying more for clothing really is the better route to go. one of these cases is with nice shoes. i love finding great deals but if you have ever tried danskos or birkenstocks, you know they are worth every penny.

dansko professional in patent leather, $120

dansko professional in cheetah, $120

birkenstock boston, $130

birkenstock arizona suede, $120

so, before you look at this post and think you wouldn't spend that much money on shoes, think about this. many people who buy these shoes have them for years (some over 7). they are so good for your posture, feel so good on your feet, and are actually in style right now.

fun things to do with Twister

do you like the game of twister? well if you do, there are some wild and wacky things you can do with the game. here at work, we had someone make us a twister mat vest, which is worn periodically during the week.

there are some less ridiculous things that you can do and would be really funny for a child's birthday party. parents magazine recently did an article on a twister themed birthday.

here are a few of their tips:

Create 8-inch dots in the four Twister colors by using a handy circle cutter. Adhere them to the floor and wall with painter's tape. Craft multiple garlands using circle punches, glue dots, and fishing line.

The dots on this cake are just rolled-out fruit chews.

Dip twisted pretzels in melted white chocolate, then sprinkle with blue, red, yellow, and green sugar.

they have a lot more party ideas with game themes. check them out here.

ps. even if you don't have children, this looks like fun. think of ways you can make it relevant to adults.

go steve!

we had an awesome time on vacation! dave's brother is now an official law school graduate. i told him i would make him famous on the blog. the graduation was a lot of fun and we spent most of the long weekend floating in the pool and eating delicious food. i love the south. it is warm and there is A LOT of sweet tea. when we got off the plane we both looked at each other and wanted to run back on. it was way to cold here.

so...

Congratulations Steve!

now we get to make lawyer jokes every time we go out to eat with you.

have a good weekend

i need to do another found for less next week. i am away on vacation right now so i wont be able to today. hope you have a great weekend. i will be back on tuesday!

this weekend i am:

going to a law school graduation

going to the beach!

spending lots of time with dave and his family

relaxing, hopefully, by the pool

eating lots of food

missing my mom on mother's day

DIY save the dates

what do you think...is it necessary to send save the date cards? i think they are really cute but mostly unnecessary. especially when it costs almost 50 cents just to send them out. but i do love these save the date cards, so i am going to share.

this card was probably used for a family member to let them know they have a place to stay when making travel arrangements. you can easily do this yourself by printing out the details on one side and tying the balloon to the back. this will lay out the theme (let's have fun!) for the wedding before the guests get there.

i like these little stickers. you can send or pass them out to family and friends. they are good to use as little reminders in planners, on calendars, etc. you can easily make these yourself. just draw some circles in microsoft word, put whatever wording you would like in the circles, than print them out on full sticker sheet paper. wah-lah. easy and effective.

you can also make your own save the date cards with this template. arent they so so cute? i love the little red heart stamp one. you could probably print these out on business card paper. it is only about $5 at walmart for 150 cards. cheap and oh so personal. woohoo.

DOW

well, as you might know, the DOW is down today. it had the largest decline in history (over 900 points) and is now up to a 400 point decline. so what does this mean for all of us?

well if you live in europe, you know that the euro is heavly declining, some parts due to greece's debt.

if you live in the US, lets just hope you took your money out of international stocks, or at least will do so now. you probably shouldnt travel to greece for a little while.

there is one thing we all shouldn't do though. don't stop buying and don't completely stop investing. when crazy things happen in the financial industry, our initial reaction is to hunker down. although saving money is a very good idea, shutting everything off kills the economy.

so...let's be wise with our money. maybe this is the time to buy clothing from online european websites now, since the exchange rate is going to be higher. most of all, lets try not to panic. 75% of financial crisis comes from pyschological mindsets.

ps. i am not a financial analyst but i did go to college for business. if you have any recommendations, comments, or issues lets talk about them!

a taco bar, a pita chip

i just saw these pictures from martha stewart and they made me want tacos so badly. have you ever had a taco bar like this one?  i love how fresh everything looks. i never thought of using radishes but i bet they would add an extra zesty crunch.

here is a recipe for this tropical fruit salsa. the chips all look delicious too. there are apple chips, sweet potato chips, and even some bread. yum! is it lunch time yet?

on the weekends i usually make pita chips for dave so he can eat them during the week (he usually eats them all by monday with his roommate). they are so easy to make and are SO delicious with roasted red pepper hummus. here is what i do:

Fresh Pita Chips

- cut 3 white or wheat pita breads into chips (about 8 pieces per bread)

i pull the pieces apart so that they will be thin and can cook quickly

- lay them all on a cookie sheet and sprinkle them with olive oil, garlic salt, and salt and pepper

you could also add cajun spices for a little zest or squeeze some lime at the end

- place them in the oven on 350 F for about 15 minutes. it all depends on how crispy you want them.

make sure you keep checking them and turn them over.