#217: more vases.

this is even cheaper than ikea. i searched on craigslist for vases and look at what i found. 22 mismatched glass vases ranging from small to large for ten bucks. TWENTY TWO VASES! for TEN BUCKS. and guess who totally digs the mismatched concept. this girl.



if i was planning a wedding, i'd be all over these vases. all over them.

#216: not just for swedish meatballs.

i'm always praising the prices at ikea. so i thought i'd look again for some inspiration. and i found...


$2.99 at ikea for a lovely black bowl.
how about filling it with a tower of lemons for a small round table centerpiece.


$6.99 for a 6-pack of...beer glasses.
is it just me or would these make great vases.


$7.99 for a 51oz white pitcher. stuffed with pale pink carnations. you hear me?

#215: preowned bargains.

i'm sure you've heard of the website www.preownedweddingdresses.com. the last time i checked the dresses on sale, i didn't like any of them. but the site must be gaining some steam because today, i was able to find a few i would definitely go for. you know, if i was engaged.


$300


$500 (or best offer. use your bargaining skills!)


$400 (originally $4500!!!)


$450

oh, and guess what. i was talking to one of my friends who's married and was lamenting about how "affordable" wedding dresses start at $1000 and how i could never comprehend buying a pile of white fabric for ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS to wear for a total of 5 hours in my life. and she offered me up her dress. oh yes, she did. you know, for when the time comes for me to get married. you know, after i get engaged. anyways, i told her i hope she meant it because i really might take her up on it. and she said "puh-leeeeease use my dress. it's just sitting in my closet..." score!

#214: smells like cinnamon.

from hostess with the mostess

you get a little more than 400 10-inch cinnamon sticks here for $75.


wrap a thick bunch together with pretty ribbon of your wedding colors and WOLLA...a nicely scented centerpiece.

#213: anthro love.

from daisy chain. again!

those poofs of beauty are on display at an anthropology store amber visited. coffee filters sewn together. can you believe it.

#212: lovely stumps.

i know you've seen these everywhere. yesterday, i ran across a blogger who picked up some birch pieces during a hike or something and fashioned them into vases. and they looked as good as those in the pic above, which are actually for sale (@ $6.50 a pop). for the life of me, i can't find the blog today ('tis the life of a serial blog reader...or something) but for a rustic feel...or if you're going green...genuine birch vases as such could add an element of earthy to your occasion...and now we know it can be done en la casa!

#211: what's in a party.

first of all, what's up with the 'sluttage' comments on the previous post? as with all things on this blog, i'm sharing an idea. and the idea was to offer a more affordable alternative to what is otherwise a brilliant design concept. you like it, great. you don't like it, that's fine too. but i doubt there are really any brides who go around touting 'i want my bm's to look like sluts!'. so come on now, no need to be nasty. that said, thank you to the commenters who offered up some great suggestions!

back to the topic at hand. so i've always enjoyed planning parties. it's like conducting an orchestra and when everything's sync'd up, it's just awesome. granted, i haven't planned a party for 100+ guests but i was thinking last night that it shouldn't be so stressful. details are important but so is your sanity, right? and it got me thinking. if you could only focus on 3 things for your big day, what would they be?

my top 3:
1) invitations/seating.
2) food and liquor.
3) music choice (for the ceremony and reception)

so then it's nice to think about what didn't make the cut...the dress/shoes, makeup/hair, favors, cake, centerpieces, programs, registry, flowers...and remember that as long as my top 3 are the BEST they could possibly be, the rest is just icing on the cake. so to speak.

#210: american apparel.

from something old, something new.

twobirds bridesmaid features an amazing conception. but at $270/$290 a pop, it is out of my (imaginary) budget. the picture above reminded me of american apparel. i mean, aren't they the ones who first introduced 'how-to's on wearing long pieces of fabric a million different ways? anyways, so this version is kinda skin-tight but for a group of confident bridesmaids, but they'd more than fit the bill. literally, at less than $34 a pop and lots of pretty, bold colors. yes ladies. this is 1 dress, worn 3 different ways.

#209: plants that don't wither.

back to back inspiration from daisy chain.


succulent la

i bet if you buy these not-so-leafy wonders at a nursery and plant them yourself in funky pots, you'd have a mightily sturdy and luscious green centerpiece. the best part being...leftovers would look stellar in a kitchen window or bathroom.