I just got back from a good friend's wedding on Saturday. It was held at  the lovely Palmdale Estates in Fremont, CA. This outdoor garden venue was incredibly pretty and minimal decorations were needed. The couple put the whole event together in merely 5 months! They've known each other less than the time that Mr. Eggplant and I have dated.  I guess when you know, you just know.

Well, Mr. Eggplant and I took upon the the task of grafittiing decorating the grooms car as their getaway vehicle. Armed with a white paint marker and lots of crepe paper, we diligently worked away. Here are the fruits of our labor:

Behold, the getaway car! (pre-paint)

The culprit in action.

We're predicting lots and lots of babies.

It's the L-U-V, S-U-V!

I finally finished my foray into the fabulous forum of flowers. Fun!

Here's my completed flower pen project:

It turns out gerbera daisies worked out the best as pen toppers. I had these on the dining room table on Mothers' Day and fooled all of our guests. People thought they were real and my dad wanted to water them. Mission accomplished!

After many laborious hours, I finally completed the second edition of my bridesmaid's newsletters (or news magazine in this case). Using Adobe Photoshop and InDesign, I created a spoof on gossip mags like US Weekly, complete with headliners like "pretty in pink!" and "what's going in groomsville?" It was my first time using Adobe InDesign, so please bear the unprofessional layout.

Now before I get pinned with the "bridezilla" nametag, I have a justification in my defense!  I created this newsletter because I wanted to get a feel for Adobe InDesign before Mr. Eggplant and I embarked on our DIY wedding program and invitation adventure. A newsletter was the perfect starting point. That said, I love InDesign! It's functional, easy to learn for basic use, and it makes organizing a simple newsletter such a breeze.

The cover fronted a picture we took after a pedicure session that the girls surprised me with.

Table of contents.

Editor's note and Contributors section with credit to the bridal party.

Page 4: the BM dress style that they picked by unanimous vote (picture on the left: dress by Watters & Watters, but we're getting similar ones custom made in pink) and some examples of girls in pink dresses taken from The Knot.

Page 5: A play on InStyle's Steals and Splurges for some shoe suggestions

Page 6 & 7: Groomsmen introductions written by Mr. Eggplant (contributing writer).

Page 8 & 9: Makeup and Hair. Some of the girls have had bad experiences with other makeup artists in the past so I added pictures of my makeup trial with Nam Vo, the artist I booked. I wanted to ease their uncertainty so I also added a few pictures from her portfolio. The hair styles were pictures taken from The Knot, Amy's Bridal Accessories, and various other websites.

Page 10 & 11 were filled with different pictures of the girls throughout the years.

Page 12 & 13: Some  photos of a surprise mani/pedi session the girls threw plus a play on US Weekly's "They're just like us!" section

I needed to fill up some white space on the back cover so I made a "got milk" ad using an altered picture from Jenny Lee's bridal campaign.

I hope they like it! Now I'm just debating whether to send these out as a PDF file over email, or snail mail them to each of their houses. It seems a little silly to mail the letters since I see most of the girls every week, but I also know how much I personally loooove getting packages in the mail. Hmmm... to mail or not to mail... what do you think?

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*Edit*

I sent the BM magazine package to the girls in a bright pink folder that I bought from Office Max for about $2. It was wrapped in two layers of ribbon: white and green. Included with the letter were the following items:
- A pink and green card I found in the $1 section at Target
- A STD postcard
- A package of pink and green candy
- A ring pop with a note that read: "Just a little bling until you get yours." None of the girls are married and only one is engaged, so I thought it would be cute to get them ring pops.

My bridesmaids are the sweetest friends (and cousin) a gal could ever wish for! Unbeknownst to me, they have been conspiring behind my back for a few weeks now. On Saturday, my cousin picked me up at home and brought me to a local salon where the girls surprised me with a mani-pedi pampering followed by an informal planning session for my bridal shower and bachelorette party. The girls' goal for the session was to get an idea of what I envisioned for my dream bachelorette and shower. After an hour of brainstorming, we decided that the bachelorette party would be a weekend-getaway filled with massive amounts of shopping and martinis, location TBD (LA perhaps?). I would've been grateful with anything they wanted to throw together as a bridal shower, but the girls really wanted my input; they wanted to give me my "dream wedding shower." How could I say "no" to that?  Some of the shower themes we came up with were: wine and cheese night, hawaiian luau, and a disney princess themed shower (embarassingly, my nickname was "Cinderella" in college).

At first, I felt guilty that everyone took time out of their busy schedules for me (four of them are in the middle of midterms and finals). I don't like being the center of attention and I never want to be a burden upon other people. But as the night progressed, I realized that my friends wanted to plan me something spectacular, they wanted to set aside time for me, and if I were in their shoes, I would want to do the same for them too. I have a hard time accepting gifts and love from other people, but it was truly a humbling experience to realize how blessed I am to have these women in my life.

Enough with the sentimentalism; onto the pictures!

Mmm. Comfy pedicure chairs!

 
MOH, Christine, on the right plus two of my gals Yoona and Terri (Terri in the purple shirt is also engaged!)

Noticably nice nails. Nifty!

The gals & I stop mid-planning to take a picture.

Kathy and me! I'm putting a heel restriction on her.

Time for some post planning sushi! Monica, my cousin, is in the pink. And yes, that's a boy next to her, not my BM. He's Jane's man (who is one of my BM) and he generously lent us his place for planning purposes.

Since our planning is still up in the air and I know there are soooo many more great shower themes and bachelorette party ideas out there, I'd love to hear your ideas and experiences! Care to share?

I love getting packages in the mail! Especially when they're wedding-related.

Last Thursday, I came home to this box:

After I anxiously tore off the plastic tape, I found this pretty little object:

It's my evening clutch made by Franchi! The purse is made of knotted, ruched silk and there are two crystals on the clasp. I purchased it for a little over $100 from Zappos. It's pretty small as you can see in the picture above, but I think it'll be a good size to hold all the important stuff.

Pretty! I just hope I have enough patience to hold out until October to use it.

*Shhhhhhhh* come here!

My brother's GF sent me some Victoria's Secret coupon codes and I thought I'd share with you all. Take an online adventure and snag a steal with a secret VS scavenger hunt.

Go to www.victoriassecret.com . Search for pointelle bra top. Choose one and add to your cart. Then search for lip gloss. Find the lip gloss that is 3/$15. (Try searching for ZN-193-348 if you can't find it). Chose one and add to your cart (you don't have to order 3, just one).

At the check out, mark the box: OFFER CODES. You will enter 4 codes.

Code #1: FRESH for a free set of 5 fragrances OR SP76457 for a free set of 5 body lotions.
Code #2: RUSH4 which gives you your lip gloss for free.
Code #3: GLAM which gives you a beauty bag (with samples I think).
Code #4: SP75893 which discounts $5 off your order.

*My order for a bra top camisole, set of lotions, lip gloss, and beauty bag came up to $11.84 including shipping!

Enjoy!

I [heart] bridal showers! Even if they aren't my own.

Over the weekend, I attended a girlfriend's bridal shower. In two weeks I'll be watching her take her vows with her beloved in a luscious garden ceremony. Afterwards we'll celebrate their marriage at her outdoor reception. I can't wait!

The bride-to be had amazing friends that are simply some of the most creative and crafty women I've ever met. Since the bride will be taking a three-week honeymoon in Europe (lucky gal!), her sister threw her a pink and brown French-themed shower.

Throughout the home, walls were decorated with european-inspired posters.

One of the gals made these brown and pink cupcakes and meringues. Très délicieux!

We played a "how well does she know him" game that was recorded on DVD. The bride-to-be was required to chew a piece of gum for every answer she got wrong. I never knew a mouth could hold eight pieces of Hubba Bubba!

A picture of the game sheet plus the recipe book that we all put together. Each guest brought a favorite recipe on a sheet of 8.5x11 paper which was assembled into a brown and pink binder.

Above is a picture of the invitation and the adorable bridal shower favors! One of the girls made ponytail holders and sewed mini aprons for the guests to decorate their kitchen soap bottles.

The bride-to-be and me!

What a coincidence that The_Perfect_wedding posted about her flower pens! I just finished my flower pen project for the gals that will be manning our reception check-in table. It's a quick and easy DIY project and it'll add a touch of personalization to your wedding.

Supplies:
Bic pens (I found that the bic round stick pens are the easiest to pry apart)
Mini hot glue gun and glue sticks
Colored pebbles
Glass vase
Silk flowers
Floral tape
Pliers

Rip the "plug" end off of the top of the Bic pen with a pair of pliers. It's ok if your pen gets mangled in the process since you'll be taping it up with green floral tape later.

Plug the hot glue gun in to let the glue warm. Cut the head of the flower off leaving about 1-2 inches of stem remaining. Pipe hot glue into the tube of the pen and insert the stem of the flower into the glue while it's hot. The glue should take about a minute to set. Cut the silk leaves off of the flowers and glue onto the base of the flower head as desired. Hold the leaves until set.

Wrap the entire pen with green floral tape. Alternatively, you can also use double-sided tape and adhere ribbon to the flower "stem."

Assemble in a glass vase with the colored pebbles and you're done!

I only made three pens so far because I'm not fully satisfied with the way the roses look. This weekend, I'm going to make some calla lily pens and peony pens. Perhaps they'll turn out better!

In my family, food is very important. All of our family gatherings revolve around a delicious menu. So with that in mind, selecting a rehearsal dinner location has been as thoughtful a process as finding our reception venue. Yesterday, I made a reservation for our rehearsal dinner at Nola's, a quirky cajun/creole restaurant in the heart of downtown Palo Alto. If you're ever in the Silicon Valley area, you must stop by this eatery. The place is absolutely adorable, bathed in bright colors and decorated with kitchy New Orlean's-style paintings and accessories. I've eaten here a handful of times and it has never disappointed with its savory menu selections. It's the perfect venue to host a fun and tasty pre-vow party.

Since the rehearsal party wil be a group of about 40 people, Nola's reserved the entire courtyard for us to have as a private dining area. It's actually an indoor courtyard, but the decor and warm lighting transports diners to the middle of Mardi Gras central. Nola's also hosts a fixed price 4-course menu that sounds absolutely delicious. Below is a sampling of some of the mouth-watering menu options for $30/person:

Starters to Share
Crispy Montery Calamari with onion strings and chipotle aoili
Foo-King Good Spring Rolls portabella mushroom spring rolls and grilled chipotle bbq chicken spring rolls with dipping sauces
Chicken and Steak Satays red onion-pineapple salsa
BBQ Chicken Quesadilla bbq chicken, jack, chedder, roasted corn salsa, garlic cream

Greens n' Things (choice of)
French Quarter Caesar romain, cornichons, roasted balsamic onions, cornbread croutons, parmesean-garlic dressing
NOLA Gumbo classic chicken andouille sausage, dark mohagany roux, holy trinity, cajun rice, warm corn bread

Entree-Voo! (choice of)
Southern Style Fried Chicken boneless "petaluma" free-range chicken, garlic mashers, corn on the cob, silky bourbon gravy
Nawlin's Spicey Jambalaya cajun classic with chicken, andouille sausage, prawns, salmon, tuna, rice, spicy roasted sauce piquant
Fillers Famous Skirt Steak Tony's teriyaki marinated skirt steak, garlic mashed potatoes, crispy onion strings, blue lake beans
Grilled Creole Spice Atlantic Salmon basil mashed potatoes, baby spinach, sweet corn-cherry tomato vinegarette

Saucy Sweets
Our Famous Bread Pudding silky warm maple-brandy sauce, and chilled creme anglaise burbon caramel boozy sauce

I'm drooling just writing about these tasty treats!

There's one down side to reserving Nola's as our rehearsal dinner venue: They have informed me that the restaurant might be undergoing renovations during the month of my wedding (!!). I don't have a back-up location in mind, so I'm crossing my fingers that things work out because I can't find a single place as perfect as Nola's!

The courtyard where our dinner will be held.

A picture of some of the good eats--yum!

Where are you hosting your rehearsal dinner? Is it formal or casual? Large group or small? Who's invited? Are you letting the guests bring dates also?

Hi Xanga! How are you? Hopefully, not as busy as me! My weekend is packed full of wedding stuff galore, but this time, not mine.

Wedding planning has been taking so much of my attention that I almost forgot how much I love my craft time. Pre-engagement, I used to do all kinds of crafty things: scrapbooking, knitting, stamping and more! Oh free time, how do I miss thee! Well, since I'm attending a friend's bridal shower on Saturday, I decided to open my dusty craft supply drawers and make her a card.


Supplies: paper, embossing ink, stamps, embossing powder. Not shown: embellishments and embossing gun (it's almost like a hair dryer. You can pick one up at Michaels for around $20)


First I inked the stamp with the embossing gloss by dabbing lightly and thoroughly on the stamp's rubber surface.


Next I stamped the paper, firmly pressing down to ensure that the ink was transferred evenly.


I sprinkled the invisible ink with aqua colored embossing powder until all the wet areas were covered.


Next I collected all the excess powder. This handy dandy tray came in really useful by helping me to conserve the embossing powder for later crafts.


I melted the embossing powder with the heat gun by holding it about 6-8 inches from the surface of the paper. It took 5 seconds to start melting. Once I noticed the powder begin to melt, I moved the heat to unmelted areas of ink until the entire design was melted evenly.


Using a razor blade to cut slits in the paper, I decorated the gown with a tiny belt of pink gingham ribbon.


For the inside of the card, I used tag punch and a stamp that I got from Michael's (for $1!) that said simply, "wishing you joy."



I repeated the embossing process using black colored powder thist time. I added ribbon to this tag and adhered it to the inside of the card.


And here is the finished product after I added ripped paper embellishments and a little flower.


The inside (I wrote inside of it too).


I added this stamp to the back. I think I'm also going to order a personalized stamp that says "Hand stamped by K" for future card-making endeavors.