We have a Giveaway Winner!!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered my 100th post celebratory giveaway!! I'm so glad there was so much interest...Eileen's ring dishes are definitely worth checking out!

Now, for the good part...the winner!

I had Mr Jones pick a name out of the bowl (I had to be fair and all).


And the winner is...

Hayley at Deals, Steals, & Heels


Hayley, please contact Eileen at SayYourPiece and let her know which ring dish you are interested in. You are able to customize it however you want. Mine has our names and wedding date. :)

Just a reminder...

Don't forget to leave a comment and enter in my Giveaway - only 2 days left! The ring dishes are adorable...so much detail...love them.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!! I probably will be MIA from blog-land for a little while...busy weekend ahead! I need to clean and finish up some gift shopping tonight, my bridal shower is tomorrow (woo hoo!), we have a birthday dinner for one of Mr Jones' friends tomorrow night, and a birthday party for Mr Jones' aunt on Sunday. Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it!!

My first (and favorite) DIY - Table Numbers

Throughout the planning process, I've been trying to find a way to include my kitty loves in the wedding. Unfortunately, as much as I want them to, they can't come to the wedding (though I'm sure some of their fur will be with me in some way as it always is). The logical way to include them is in the table numbers...but I wanted to do something a little different than Photoshopping numbers onto existing photos of them. Enter my spin on the pet table numbers! :)

First step was going to Hobby Lobby (LOVE that store) to buy 3-D cardboard numbers --- the easy part.

Second step was getting the kitties to cooperate --- the-not-so easy part. Sammy is super laidback/tolerant so I knew he wouldn't be any trouble. Bo, on the other hand, has a tendency to be a bit skittish. It was an interesting project, to say the least. But Mr Jones and I had fun...not so sure about the kitties.

A few of my favorites:







You can see the full set of the numbers here. (Photo credit goes to Mr Jones, of course...I was just the cat wrangler.)

While I still love the original plan for table numbers (and would have used if not for my insane love for the kitties), I felt there was something missing. Not anymore...my loveys will be there with us after all. :)

Wedding Guestbook is ordered! :)

After obsessing over working on the photo guestbook for our wedding for at least a month (I wanted to make sure it was perfect), I finally ordered it! Mr Jones helped me celebrate this momentous occasion with a kiss. I am really happy with how it turned out. What do you think?

Click here to view this photo book larger

Seriously???

Has it really been a month since I posted this?!?! Apparently so...which means I have 2 months to go...60 days...1440 hours (well, technically less now). Wow.

100th Post - and the celebratory Giveaway!!

Back in July, when I found the ring dish of my dreams, it started a pseudo love affair with Etsy seller SayYourPiece. I honestly don't think I could have picked a better Etsy seller to buy from! Eileen is amazingly talented and an absolute sweetheart; I truly enjoyed working with her to create my personalized ring dish (it's perfect). I love stopping by her store to browse her new pieces, each one better than the last. It's really hard not to buy more (hmmm...can anyone say Christmas presents?!).

To celebrate my 100th post, Eileen agreed to give away one of her beautiful ring dishes. I'm so excited to have this opportunity to showcase one of my favorite sellers. :) The lucky winner will get to choose one of the following pieces (all are fully customizable):

Wedding-related (for all my fellow brides-to-be)...



Celebrating Fall (my favorite season)...



And the ring dish that started it all...


Rules for the Giveaway

1. For one entry - Go to the SayYourPiece Etsy store and tell me what your favorite piece is.

2. For two entries - Let me know you are a follower or, if you are not already a follower, become one.

3. For three entries - Post this giveaway on your blog and link it back to me.

Please post each entry in a separate comment for a total of up to 3 entries (comments).

The deadline for entries is Sunday, September 27th at 6pm EST. I will announce the winner Sunday evening. Please check back to see if you've won!

Good luck!!

Please note: This giveaway is for US residents only. Sorry to my international readers.

Registry Stalking = A Big NoNo!

My bridal shower is next weekend (yay!!) which means the registry info has been sent out and people are starting to buy gifts. Uh oh. Not good for little ol' impatient me. I am a snooper. I do not like surprises (well...maybe SOME surprises...hehe). Can I just say how freakin' HARD it is to not registry stalk??? (Very.) My fingers itch to type in our names at Target or Bed Bath & Beyond and see what our wonderful friends and family are choosing to get for us. Did someone buy Mr Jones' dream KitchenAid mixer? Did someone buy the gorgeous duvet cover we picked out...or maybe the Pet SpotBot to help clean up after the kitty loves? It's driving me crazy not knowing!

I am trying to resist...but I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out.

Follow up to Rehearsal Dress search

I did a little shopping on the White House/Black Market website last night and came up with these two options...they were only $29.99 each so I had to try them (right?!?).


I'm still on the hunt...but maybe one of these will be perfect. We shall see. :)

Update: Now that I see again, I don't really like the 2nd one. *Sigh* I guess that's what seeing $29.99 when I'm really tired and delirious does to me. I wonder if I can change my order?

Update again: I just bought this one off eBay...love. love. love. It fulfills my obsession with black and white print dresses.

Wedding Wednesday: Trying to choose a Rehearsal Dress

Oy...this is turning into a bigger endeavor than I originally planned. My first plan was to find a dress to go with these shoes. Couldn't find anything I loved. Then, I found this dress and was planning on wearing it with my purple heels. Great plan, right?? Wrong. The dress looks ridiculous on me...partially because it's too big and partially because the straps are way too wide for my shoulders.

So I'm back to the drawing board. Thankfully, I have 2 months to figure this out! After a quick browse of Nordstrom's website, here's what I've come up with. Opinions? I'd be wearing my purple heels.




And, just because I love them, the purple shoes. :)

Wednesday Morning Ramblings...

There are STILL desserts in the breakroom! Seriously. Why must they be there? Just for reference, this is what I had to deal with on Monday...look at all those yummy treats! (Sorry for the crappy cell phone picture.)


And my favorite part of the day was the birthday girl's desk. The decorations are still up, by the way. :)


Today we have an all Agency work picnic (I truly think they are trying to kill my wedding diet once and for all). The theme is Western and we are supposed to dress up. Ummmm...what to wear? A quick trip to Old Navy later, and I have a pretty new plaid scarf (can you believe I didn't have any plaid scarves in my closet?!). I really wanted to wear my True Religion jeans (because how perfect would those be with the horseshoes on the pockets?), but they were a teensy bit too snug (darn dessert earlier this week!). Instead, I brought along my trusty go-to jeans, William Rast Stellas (best jeans EVER!). I swear I wear these jeans 95% of the time. Do you have a favorite pair of jeans that you gravitate towards? If so, I'd love to hear about them! :)

Sad Day in Hollywood

It was just announced that Patrick Swayze has passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He will certainly be missed.

Thanks to one of my favorite movies of all time, I will forever remember that "Nobody puts Baby in a corner".

R.I.P. Patrick.

Must. Resist. Desserts.

It's a co-worker's 40th birthday today and, in lieu of a regular potluck, she decided she wanted a dessert potluck. (Bad news for Taryn!!) There is all kinds of yummy, fatty goodness waiting for me in the breakroom...chocolate cake, no-bake cookies, doughnuts, cheesecake. So hard to resist...but I have to try. *sigh*

Silent (Lazy) Sunday

What a lazy, lazy day. I didn't even get ready or go outside today. We did, however, decide on our invitation wording (yay!).

We weren't the only lazy ones though. Apparently, the box of invitations...and Mr Jones' head were too comfy to pass up for a napping spot.

Calling all Scarf Lovers!

Now that Fall is just around the corner, it's that time again...time to break out the scarves! I'm an equal opportunity scarf wearer. All colors, all sizes. I love them all.

When I saw Katie's post earlier this week, I was really excited to have found a fellow scarf junkie. She even posted a how to video for creative ways to tie scarves (bless her adorable little heart!!). And the last reason to love Katie? She arranged a scarf swap! To read all about it, click on the icon below. Hope you'll join in...because who doesn't love a pretty scarf??

We're going green...

Mr Jones and I have officially joined The Green Monster Movement. I was a little wary at first, but we both like spinach so why not give it a try, right? What's the worst that could happen?

Our Green Monster recipe:
3 cups spinach
1 cup vanilla soy milk
6 ice cubes
pineapple chunks
peach chunks


Final Verdict - It was pretty good! I was impressed. We didn't put enough fruit in though (for my taste at least)...I'll definitely put more in next time. I've been thinking about different fruit combos to try. I'm thinking strawberry, pineapple, and peach next.

Any other Green Monster lovers out there? I know my favorite Shan and Julie are! :)

My first Silent Sunday

Oh to live the lazy life of a cat.

Sammy loves the ottoman


...while Bo prefers the computer chair.

Just a little bit of pampering...

As the wedding draws closer, I have started dreaming more and more about having a "spa day"...the kind you see in the movies. A facial, a massage, a mud bath...the works. Sounds like pure bliss, huh? Only problem is that all of that gets really expensive really fast. As do weddings. *sigh* If only I were rich...

Until Mr Jones or I hit the jackpot (wouldn't that be nice??), I'll have to settle for my favorite little bit of pampering...getting bi-weekly manicures. I love getting my nails done. It's so relaxing sitting back and letting someone else worry about making my nails gorgeous. I feel so pretty and sophisticated with my French manicure.

Taken after my latest manicure...don't worry, I was at a stoplight when I snapped the pic. :)
Yes, those are my real nails...I've been asked that many, many times. Haha!

S0...how do you pamper yourself?

Wednesday's Wedding DIY

I have a few DIY projects for my wedding - the invitations, programs, unity candles, and memory candles to name a few. Water balloon luminaries take DIY to a whole 'nother level! Seriously...who would have thought to create these?! (Apparently, someone because there's instructions on the Internet!!) I'm in awe of some people's creativity.

You will need:
High-Melt Paraffin Wax IGI1260 - found here
Water Balloons
Double Boiler
Cookie Sheets

1. Fill a water balloon with tepid water.

2. Melt the wax. Optimum working temperature for this project is 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Try to maintain this temperature for your wax while working by keeping it on a double boiler.

3. Slowly dip your balloon into the wax to just below the water level in the balloon. Warning: Do not dip the balloon into the wax past the water level. This could cause the balloon to pop.

4. Hold the balloon in the wax for a few seconds, and then slowly lift it out of the wax. Dip the balloon a few more times, allowing some time between dips to let the wax cool.

5. While it is still quite warm, carefully set the balloon down onto a piece of paper or a cookie sheet, making sure it is level. This will create a flat bottom for the luminary.


6. Dip your balloon a few more times until it is the desired thickness. A good target thickness is 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch.

7. Set the balloon on the paper or cookie sheet again and let it cool.

8. When the wax is completely cooled, hold the balloon over a sink or bucket, facing away from you. Carefully pop the balloon with a skewer or knife and let the water drain out. Throw away the balloon shards.


9. To level the top of the luminary, heat a cookie sheet on the stove and place the luminary top-down onto the hot sheet and carefully melt the edges until it is level.


10. Place a tea light or votive inside the luminary and burn on a candle holder in a dark area.

Aren't they gorgeous?!

Ask a question...any question!

Ok, I'll admit it, I'm totally stealing Katie's idea, but it's a fun idea!! And my blog needs some fun right now (I've been a bit neglectful). Yesterday, Katie over at Loves of Life asked her followers what they wanted to know about her...anything at all. She was asked some great questions and I really enjoyed reading all her answers. It turns out, we're a lot alike (anyone want to join us for chips & salsa at On the Border???).

So my lovely followers, I'm asking you...is there anything you want to know about me? I'm an open book (well, within reason of course!). Ask away...and I promise I'll answer. :)