Look what Santa brought!



Available at Restoration Hardware

I love Santa...sigh :)

Sole Mates

You are the perfect pair so shouldnt your shoes be too? Read on for some great pairings!

Glam

For her: The Bourne Crystal Embellished Pump from Nordstroms. The choice...obvious reasons of course. They are Blingalicious.

For him: Cole Hann Air Carter Spilt from ColeHann.com . Patent leather perfect for a black tie affair.

Vintage
For her: Martinez Valero 'Ursula' Pump in antique lace. Need I say more. Available at Nordstroms.com.



For him: Classic wingtips in aged brown leather. Retro cool at its best by Cole Hann Air Colton Split Oxford at Zappos.com.
 
 
 
 
Classic
 
For her: Simple satin heels...timeless choice from mybrideshoes.com.
 
For him: Basic black dress shoes. A foolproof choice with the Asher from Bostonian.
 

 
Casual
 
For him: Get a super cool laid back vibe with slip on driving loafers from Banana Republic.com
 
For her: Pretty orgranza petals make creating casual elegance a breeze. Get yours from perfectdetails.com

Wow, that was quick...

I tried some new digs but I didn't love so I'm baaaaack!

Hey, I've moved!

I have been slugging away at this blog and a website and well...I am real tired now so I have streamlined things. Good news...more time. More downloads. Visit me at me new blog at http://www.2bsquared.com/blog/

Think Outside the Vase

Just about anything can serve as a vase for flowers. Here are some neat ideas for creative containers for your wedding blooms. These clever arrangements will give your tables a unique look and give your guests something to talk about.

Vintage Tea Cansiters: Nestle your blooms into charming vintage tea cansiters. You can get some on Ebay.

Chinese Takeout Box: Colored versions of the box make eye catching and inexpensive containers for your blooms.



Tree Trunks. Hollowed out wood makes a pretty container. Perfect for a rustic wedding!

C'mon on and Raise Your Glass

Toast your guests and say thanks the right way.

1. Be Yourself. Don't read a toast you found on the internet, facebook or any other electronic media. Odds are if you found it 100 other people have too. Be original. If you're funny, be funny. If you're overcome with emotion, go ahead and show it.

2. Memory Lane. Recall the first time you met and how you knew they were now in the company of the one.

3. Keep it clean. Nerves and too much too drink could put you on YouTube and not in a good way. If you're feeling shaky, keep it short and sweet.

Happy Halloween

Freebie Friday: Black and White Wedding Set- Bike

Found this uber cute FREE printable wedding set at e.m. papers. Also included in the downloadable wedding invitation kit is a detailed how-to guide. How much more awesome could it be...other than its FREE!

An Apple a Day

I went for my first apple pickin! So exciting and so much fun! Gosh, I love Fall. The colors, the crisp cool air and those yum, yum fresh apples. So what better way to honor the the darlings of Fall, those delicious red apples, then with an apple orchard inspired wedding!

This Wedding is for the Birds

I know spring is over but I have a thing for bird decor ...really I do. My house is littered with prints, plates and pillows so when I stumbled across these cuties...yep you guessed it! I had to share!

Top left: Mint Design Center and Top Right : Pink Frosting

Bottom Left: Pink Frosting Bottom center: Maise Fantastie  Bottom left: wedding bee

Black Tie

Black tails. White gloves. Cufflinks. So classic. So elegant. So timeless. So boring? Never! Make your black tie wedding personalised, contemporary and exciting with pretty little details, like these amazing cuff link table numbers from Martha Stewart. She has an amazing DIY Fabric Cufflink ring pillow that is a must for your black tie affair. See it here.

Go Green: Natural Ring Pillows

How awesome is this? A moss covered ring bearer pillow for my eco saavy brides. Available from Etsy seller April Hiler Designs, this handmade pillow is a green wedding yes!

DIY Project: Heirloom Spiders

Just saw these FABulous Halloween place card holders, over at Design Sponge,  made from vintage broaches. Just in time for your Happy Halloween Party!

To make yours go here.

If you're not the flower type...

So you don't love flowers... its SOOO hard to be a bride for whom a  trip to the florist is not on your wedding checklist. So what do you instead? Try some of these neat ideas for fabulous flower free table decor!

...gather candles

Votives are great but mixing candlestick holders of varying shapes and heights adds more visual interest. For serious impact consider reflective surfaces like mercury glass or for a twist use candlestick holders in your wedding colors for major impact.

...use food

Making fresh fruit or candy the focal point not only looks great, but it also gives guests something to nibble on.

...try mixed media

Place meaningful items or knick knacks that reflect your wedding theme under a bell jar or glass wedding cake dome.

Hair Comes the Bride

 Twigs and Honey designer Myra Callan creates not only envoirnmetally pretty but beautifully stylish nature-inspired bridal accessories. All of her pieces are handmade from new and vintage materials, and made in the USA.

Inspiration Board: Silver Bells

I heard a Christmas Carol playing today (imagine that!) and it was Sliver Bells. Love that song…maybe not in the middle of October, before I have even had a chance to put pumpkins on my porch, but love the song all the same. I can’t imagine old man winter just yet but for brides who are planning with glee… a bit of winter wonderland inspiration for you. Enjoy!

Eye Candy: Handmade Handbags

Some people love shoes. Me, I am a handbag kinda girl. It's just my thing. I can wear the same pair of tattered flip flops for years but I will stop on a dime for a cute purse. So imagine my hearts delight when I stumbled across these beautiful handmade bags from Make it Be.

SIGH! Aren't they just perfect? Visit her website for more lovely handbags or to create a custom bag!

FairyTale Wedding Cakes

Oh how I love bling but this is altogther something different. Subtle, sophisicated, elegant, and vintage bling and on your wedding cake to boot! Gotta L-O-V-E it!  Here are some gorgeous examples.

via flicker

via sugar chic

via Venus Cakes 

Think you could make your own. Try a kit from Sugar Craft.

Painting by the Table Numbers

I love unique table numbers. My new favorite idea is painted, stenciled or labeled bottles used as table numbers. What a fantastic idea and easy DIY project!

All you need are:

Milk bottles
Wine bottles
Glass cylinders
Number stencil
Glass Paint

You can by stencils but they are easy enough to create on your computer. Choose a font you love and print. Use sharp scissors and cut out the black space, creating a negative to fill in. Attach the stencil to a clean bottle and tape in place with masking tape. Be sure there is no gaps between the bottle and your stencil so your final number is clean and not smudged.

There are several types of glass paints you can use, for best results do not choose translucent or opaque paints. Also be sure to read the directions carefully for your chosen paint as some glass paints must be baked on to create a permanent design.

Only thing you paint is your toenails? Then check out these lovely premade bottles at Letter Box.

Or head over to the always perfect Wedding Chicks for FREE printable table numbers.  Just print and affix to your bottles!

Monsterlicious: Free Kids Halloween Invitation

Just created this cute Monster Bash Halloween invite for our neighborhood kids halloween party. Thought it turned out pretty cute so I made a fill in version just for you and your 'hood. It's printer friendly and
monsterlicious!

Download here

Freebie Friday: Free Downloadable Spooky Halloween Invitation

I came across all of these cool but creepy images which are completely F-R-E-E and absolutely perfect for creating a spooktacular halloween party. You can find them here.

 Since I  know that plenty of you are already thinking about Halloween. I know I am! Here is a FREE download for a Spooky Halloween Party. Set includes an invitation, bottle labels, treat bag labels, and place cards. Happy Haunting!

Download Happy Haunting Halloween Invitation here

Download Wine Bottle Labels: Poison Control, Ravens Wing, Spider Cider

Download Spooky Treats Labels here

Download Ravens Wing Place Card here

Get Your Craft On: Chalk it Up

Oh how I love a chalkboard. I remember I used to race to class just so I could be the first to scribble on a freshly scrubbed chalkboard "I heart whatshisface". I don't know whatever happened to "whatshisname" but I still heart chalkboards. Here are some of my favorites:

Top left: Sarah Chen Photography Top right: oncewed

Bottom left: weddingchicks  Bottom right: onewed

There are tons of neat DIY projects out there. They all pretty much require only two things. Creativity and chalkboard paint. Here are some the cooler ideas I found.

DIY project 1 : Purchase inexpensive clay pots. After painting each pot with chalkboard paint, use chalk to write your guest's names or use one on each table indicating the table number.

DIY project 2 : Purchase unfinished wood banisters. After painting each one with chalkboard paint, use chalk to write your table numbers and place one or a grouping on them on tables.

DIY project 3: Paint galvanized pails with chalkboard paint. Using chalk, number each bucket and use as a seating chart. Place small balsam wood tags ( you can buy at craft stores) painted with chalkboard paint , handwritten with guests names in the buckets. To avoid smearing write guests names in white paint pen so it looks like chalk but wont wear off. Attach pretty ribbon so they are easy to grab out of bucket.

DIY project 4:  Purchase wooden pictures frames of your choice. Remove the glass from the frame and paint with chalkboard paint. Let dry. Reinsert into frame and use chalk to write Bride and Groom. Use a staple gun to attach ribbon to back of frame. Hang from chairs! 


I loved that each on of these projects was a bit different! Do you have any more neat uses for chalkboard paint?

Fall Inspired Place Cards

Fall is such a great time of year. The explosion of colors and textures make for lots of inspiration. Here are some great ideas for unique, inexpensive and stylish place cards.

Mistress of the Dark

This Fall Seasons collections were all about luxurious furs, girly skirts, and wraps galore. What struck me most about this years Fall Collections were designers willingness to turn to the dark side. From casual vamp, to long spider web-like knits and blood red fabrics, these fall styles are meant to tap the inner goth in all of us!

images via jcrew

images via gareth pugh

images via dolce and gabbana