LIMÃO COM CRAVOS CONTRA MOSQUITOS

Quer uma boa dica para afastar aqueles indesejáveis mosquitos, moscas e formigas do seu pic nic ou refeições ao ar livre? Olha que ótima ideia (além de natural e perfumada):

Espete alguns cravos-da-india em limões partidos ao meio e espalhe vários pela casa afora. Use também dentro da geladeira para espantar maus odores. Um repelente eficiente e barato!

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JUNTA PRATOS

Participar de um “junta pratos” é um programinha super divertido, já que não dá muito trabalho para ninguém e a criatividade pode rolar solta! E se prepararmos tudo com carinho e com uma atenção especial pode ser ainda mais. Olha que dicas lindas de apresentação, você pode nem se uma cozinheira de mão cheia, mas com certeza vai fazer o maior sucesso.

 

Fotos Rogério Voltan – via Casa e jardim

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ANTHROPOLOGIE’S WEDDING DRESSES

I’ve always dreamed of an Anthropologie wedding line and I couldn’t belive when I read the news! Anthropologie’s website for its wedding line BHLDN (pronounced “Beholden”) has finally been unveiled.

BHLDN TO DEBUT ON VALENTINE’S DAY

“Creative Minds Behind Anthropologie Offer a Wedding Brand That Goes Beyond “The Dress”

For the day that celebrates a woman’s personal taste and style, BHLDN provides a confident and guiding voice to help create an extraordinary experience for brides to share with their family and friends. BHLDN’s first collection is scheduled for February 14, 2011 through its online boutique, www.bhldn.com. It will bring together a curated collection of heirloom quality wedding gowns, bridesmaid frocks, party dresses, assorted jewelry, headpieces, footwear, and lingerie.

Inspired by the very brides BHLDN will serve; the Anthropologie creative team began dreaming up a wedding brand after hearing tales of its customers’ nuptials. “We know our customer, and we know she’s looking for a brand that reflects her unique perspective. She may have interests common to her friends, but she’s looking to create a moment that’s all her own…it’s not so much about our point of view as it is about capturing hers,” explains Managing Director, Kristin Norris.”

That’s it, Anthropologie’s crazy fans (like myself), it’s only 5 more days to go before the big opening day! Aren’t you glad you are a bride in 2011?

text and photo from the BHLDN facebook page.

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TIPS FOR WRITING WEDDING THANK YOU NOTES

• Jot down ideas on scrap paper before writing your thank you message. This will save you from making mistakes on your costly and finite amount of note cards.

• Use a large container to create a ‘home’ for all of your thank you note writing materials (gift list, stamps, note cards, pens, etc.). This container creates a place to safely store your writing products and makes your ‘writing center’ easily transportable to any writing surface.

•  Pace yourself! Write 3-5 thank you’s a day. Take a day or two off during the week from writing—you’ll be refreshed from the break and less likely to feel burned out.

• Work together. Although the thank you note writing task often falls to the bride, there’s no reason why the groom can’t be a part of the process. He’s enjoying those gifts, too! Writing thank you notes together is a great way to reminisce about your wedding and complete the task twice as fast.

Tips from Professional Organizer and writer of the book “7 Steps to an Organized Wedding Thank You Note.”, Stacey Murray

 

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A FLOWERLESS WEDDING

I invited Kristen J. from the blog Wedding (Version 2.0) to be our second guest blogger and exchange some ideas about decorating a Wedding party. Kristen’s been married for a few years now, but she’s planning the wedding ceremony she never had in the form of a vow renewal.

I simply loved her post about not using flowers to decorate her wedding. It’s her wish and nothing is more appropriate in a wedding than doing what you feel like doing.  Here it is, in her own words:

“A flowerless wedding…  Can it be done?  Should it be done?

In our case, the answer is most definitely… yes!  I have never been the type of girl who gushed over the idea of being sent roses.  Instead, I would feel bad that flowers had to die just so I could look at them inside my house.  Send me a potted plant that I can help to grow and enjoy for years and I’m yours!  So, the thought of killing tons of flowers just for a wedding ceremony and reception really rubs me the wrong way, at least when it comes to my own wedding.

The theme of our wedding is the Adirondack woods, so we are going to try to keep the decor natural, without having to kill any plants.  Our centerpieces are going to be living terrariums that people can take home with them, which will hopefully continue to live and grow for a long time.  We are also intending to use pine cones and leaves in some way on the guest tables at the reception.

At first I tossed around the idea of possibly having a flower bouquet to carry down the aisle, but I was never really sold on the idea.  Part of me felt like it was wrong for me not to carry one, but the other part of me rebelled against the idea of doing something just because everyone else does it, and the proverbial “they” say that I have to.  In addition, flowers are expensive!  Holy cow!  Still, I didn’t know what else to do, and I thought it would be weird to walk down the aisle empty handed.  Where would I put my hands?

Eventually, after looking around on the internet for who knows how long, I fell back to my old friend etsy and stumbled across something that is perfect for me:

It’s called a Rustic Firefly Lantern and is made by April Hiler Designs.  This completely fits our wedding theme, is really cute, and nothing needed to die in order for it to be made!  Better yet, it won’t wilt a few hours after the wedding, and I’m sure I can find another use for it!  Inside the basket is preserved sheet moss, dried grapevine, and faux fern fronds, along with a little string of LED lights.

Etsy is absolutely full of great items that could be used for a wedding instead of flowers!

It may not be customary or commonplace, but it wouldn’t really be our wedding if we did things like everyone else, now would it!”

And how would you like the idea of fruit centerpieces?

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GETTING ORGANIZED FOR WEDDING PLANNING- WEDDING BINDER

If planning a small event can be a hassle, imagine planning your own wedding… But don’t worry, during the next few weeks this blog will be here to help! And we are not alone: Our first guest blogger, professional organizer Stacey Murray, is here to give tips on how to keep an organized Wedding Binder. Here’s what she told us:

“A few years before I became a Professional Organizer, I got married. Now, I’ve always been an organized person but I knew that planning a wedding would be a huge task. I had to stretch my organizing skills to their limits if I was going to succeed in keeping track of vendors, contracts, and wedding-related appointments while working full time. In order to do this, I created a ‘Wedding Binder.’

What is a Wedding Binder? A Wedding Binder is a home for all wedding-related information. By having a ‘home’ for all of the papers having to do with The Big Day, I was always able to find them when I needed them whether it was the catering contract, a picture of my gown, or the telephone number of the florist. I purchased a large three-ring binder with dividers and pocket folders (just like high school!) and labeled each divider and folder with a wedding-related category such as Caterer, Photographer, Honeymoon, etc.

Whether it’s a small or large affair, weddings cost a lot of money. When I met with vendors with that binder in hand, I felt prepared to compare prices and make educated decisions. I would not have felt so confident if my contracts, guest list, and tear sheets from bridal magazines were in a pile or strewn across my dining room table. Creating a SYSTEM for the flow of wedding-related papers was the key to my success.

Don’t stress! Here are some organizing tips to keep you from losing papers and losing your mind while planning for The Big Day:

• Place the categories in your binder in order of importance. If you’re constantly calling your caterer, put that folder in the front of your binder. If you finished picking songs with the band/DJ, move that category to the back of the binder.

• Use plastic sleeves to hold contracts for each vendor. This will make retrieval easier and protect them from food, drink, or other stains that could damage the document.

• Sort and purge your binder every few weeks. Get rid of any information you don’t need anymore. Either toss it or pass it on to a friend or relative who might be walking down the aisle in the future.”

Get here your own Wedding Binder:

Find here more information on how to organize your Wedding Binder.

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PARTY PLANNING

Planning a party can be an exciting, but also very stressful activity. If you are not an organized person or don’t mind the details, I advise you to give it up and hire professional help. Actually, depending on the amount of guests, you can be 100% hands on or you can have as little work as making the guest list, it’s up to you.

I’ve just came back from Brazil where I threw an engagement brunch for 60 guests. Here’s how it happened:

1- FOOD AND BEVERAGE: Since it was around Christmas time, it was impossible to find time to prep, cook and bake for so many people. So, a local catering company was hired to bring the food for the buffet table, sweets for the desert table and all non-alcoholic beverages.

2- PROSECCO: I bought four cases at a local liquor store and left a couple of extra cases in stand by in case of need (one more was needed so I had a friend to pick it up for me). Whiskey was also available but since it was too hot outside, guests preferred the sparkling wine.

3- MUSIC: A local duo was hired to play background music since it was not a party with a dance floor.

4- FLOWERS: Since I wanted fuchsia color flowers, and I know how hard (or expensive) it is to find these flowers at this time of year, I bought artificial flowers that worked even better. Look online for better deals and get only the ones that look real. Everybody was asking where I got such gorgeous flowers. And of course, they are now stored for the next opportunity.

5- IDENTITY: Every event needs an identity. It can be a theme, a color palette, a number… anything. This party was pink and brown and had some “romance” in the air. Since I’m a DIY person, I designed the invitation, the labels for the favors and the food, sewed the felt garlands, packaged the favors and set up the venue according to a decoration plan.

6- FAVORS: Fans to escape from the hot weather, handmade sachet, lollypop for the kids and the LUP (since the groom sells iPhone accessories online).

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HOLIDAY HOME DECORATING TIPS

a Video from Home Depot with tips for the house.

a video from Kates Paperie with gift wrapping tips (not so useful, but a lot of fun!)

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PLANNING FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Here are some ideas to throw a stress free dinner party during the Holiday Season.

1- Ask your family what traditions they love, and what they wouldn’t miss if they were gone. Focus on the favorites; nix the rest.

2- Include an easy-to-assemble crafts project at the kid’s table, so young guests have something to occupy them.

3- Let yourself off the hook and skip the “everything from scratch” mentality. Go boxed, jarred or purchased for items that are not the most important items on the table.

4- Serve a specialty drink or ask one of the guest to be responsible for it.

5- Keep it simple. The simpler the plan, the more you will enjoy the holiday, too.

6- Start cleaning the place in advance. Clean the main rooms, a little each day. Even set the table a few days before if you don’t use the dining room daily.

From Better Homes and Garden magazine.

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DIY HALLOWEEN IDEAS

Halloween Bottle Labels

Halloween Cup Labels

Halloween Placecards

These are from organize.com, but I’m sure you can DO IT YOURSELF!

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