{Summer of Love} Unique Engagement Gifts

Wedding and engagement parties are the best way to celebrate the happy couple before their big day. For many couples, close friends or family will throw them a fabulous party within a couple months of making the annoucement to get hitched. I'm celebrating a close friends engagement this week and this started me on the path to find a perfect gift. There are many personalized gifts and sentimental gifts out there. Take time to find a gift that is different than a gift found on a wedding gift registry. This gift can be small or large. Remember to save the blender for the bridal shower but a wine set is sweet for the engagement party.

Check out some fun ideas I found below. Gifts are optional but you can also bring a nice card to share your sweetest wishes with them.

Romantics Love Personalized Pillow Cases via engagementgiftsonline.com



Artistic Couples via engagementgiftsonline.com

Homemaker Today via gifts.com

 

 

Wine Enthusiasts via gifts.com

 

Eco-Friendly/ Natural Foods Lover via gifts.com

{Spring Into Love} Fresh Escort Cards

Something fun and new! Plus they're edible! Escort cards that bring us into the Spring 2011 wedding season. I found some great ideas for fruit escort cards. I know this sounds a little different but with some planning you can bring this great idea to fruit-ision! Escort cards are what the guests find on the table outside the reception area to guide them gently to their seats. Have fun with this! Click on the links below each picture for templates to get started.


Image: 100 Layer Cake



Here's another idea if you want to match your colors to your escort cards.

The ones pictured below are white but you can do any color.



Image: mywedding.com



{Engaged Me} Sweeten Me Up

Taking your wedding to the next notch is something that many couples strive to do on their big day. Recently, dress shopping with one of my best friends, I find myself in love with the 'wow' factor dress. The dress isn't the only thing to add wow to your wedding. Start strategizing what makes you think 'now that's amazing'. This is where you want to start your wedding planning.

Cupcakes

The cake is no longer a simple frosted cake of sweetness. Wrap yourself around the idea of mini cakes at your wedding or even bridal shower. You can add glamour to your event with the easiest accent of cupcake wrappers. I love this idea because your wedding colors can mesh so nicely with the variation of designs. This helps with today's bride that wants to add a splash of modern to her wedding.

Candy Stations

Sweeten the deal. Add some color to other parts of your reception with candy stations. Everyone loves candy. It is easy to bring together the colors and flavors that you enjoy. You can hire someone to bring your sweetest desires to life and also create this idea yourself. I encourage my brides to make their wedding stand out and tell their guests a story about them. Include your fiance's favorite candies and yours in complimenting colors.

Favors and Gifts

This is the best time to start thinking about how your will thank your wedding guests and bridal party. The fun way to send home little treats is mini-brownie pops, marshmallow pops, and cookies. This is a great idea to add color to more parts of your wedding. Create gift baskets for your girls. Nothing says "you know your bridesmaids" like a basket of yummy sweets.

Destination Love || Dolce Mia Me

Golden Girl Tuberose Lotion - 12 oz.

Beauty cosmetics are too good to live without. Dolce Mia spreads it's wings over the Southwest but originally started in California. A small family business that has been flourishing and giving all the art fairs and local shops something to rave about since 1991. This company gives that great retro feel and flash of vintage that most of girls love. US manufactured items that provide organic and "green" products, which are great for you and the environment.

Kristen Betz, a Dolce Mia representative loves the Vintage Pin-Up Golden Girl in Tuberose, Surfer Girl in Mango Tangerine, and Vintage Peacock in Sweet Almond. She says, "the products are great on my sensitive skin, which is a major plus, and leaves my skin smelling amazing". Their products not only include fun sounding moisturizers but also accessories and gift items. See below.

Vintage Peacock in Sweet Almond - 6 oz.

Kristen told me about the fresh and natural ingriendients in her products. I love the ingriedients in many of the items that include olive oil, shea butter, almond and sunflower oils, infused with organic botanical extracts, and Vitamin E.

An added bonus to Dolce Mia is the special other items that you can pickup through a home party or online. I found cute baby clocks, thank you cards, photo albums, and kid growth charts. They offer very unique items that you need to check out. A great idea for a girls party or bridal shower.

Special Edition || Mother's Day {Early Planning}

Mother's Day is almost upon us and I find myself thinking of the crafty or shall we say Etsy way to show my mom love. If you haven't heard of Etsy, this is a great place to find crafty originals from people buying and selling them. I found these cute drink covers that would be fun to share with the coozy lovin' mom's out there. It's a genious idea..ahem..those DIY brides out there would also love to check this site out. They have their own category on weddings that you can discover or spend hours clicking through.

Set of 7 tissue poms - Great part is you get to pick your colors!

Love Collection Red Pillow Covers - Ships anywhere in the world to your mom!

Lavender Wine Glass Set - These are fun to buy for mom and then sneak over to

share a glass a wine with her. Or, just buy yourself a set.

For many of us daughters and sons, we don't have to rely on our own crafy or uncrafty creations that we made in our youth years. We can celebrate our Mom's Day/ Mother's Day is all its glory with creations done with entrepreneurs out there. I love to see small business owners sprouting up and help keep our lives easier. Let's face it, much prettier too!

SPECIAL EDITION || Easter Day Treat Recipe

Easter Egg Dipper Treats™
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 24

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10oz., about 40) regular marshmallows

OR

4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels or milk chocolate morsels
5 teaspoons shortening
Multi-colored sprinkles

Directions

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using 1/4-cup measuring cup coated with cooking spray divide warm cereal mixture into portions. Using buttered hands shape each portion into 2 1/2- x 1 1/2-inch egg shapes. (Or, coat insides of plastic snap-apart Easter eggs with cooking spray. Press cereal mixture into eggs. Remove cereal mixture from plastic eggs.) Cool.

4. In small saucepan combine chocolate morsels and shortening. Cook over low heat until melted, stirring constantly. Dip bottoms of cereal eggs into chocolate. Decorate with sprinkles. Place on wax-paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm. Individually wrap in plastic wrap. Best if served the same day.

MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:

In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Continue with recipe as directed above. Microwave cooking times may vary.

Note

For best results, use fresh marshmallows.

1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substituted for marshmallows.

Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.

Store no more than two days at room temperature in airtight container. To freeze, place in single layer on wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Tasty treat found on Kelloggs.com

Love Love || New Ideas for Wedding Favors

Deciding on a wedding favor should be a fun and creative way to show your personality as a couple. Order favors at least 2 months prior to your wedding date is ideal to ensure you receive favors on time. Your wedding day is the perfect time to give your guests a favor of thanks. Make sure to send a post-wedding thank you note as well. This is your chance to thank your wedding guests for attending and send notes after your honeymoon (finish sending notes before 2 months after wedding).

There are also the favors that continue your wedding themes and bridal shower ideas. These aren’t the favors that your parents gave at their wedding (such as matches or almond treats). Wedding favors add a nice element of tasty treats and thoughtful momentos of your special day.

Wedding favor boxes are always a treat to open. Check out these amazing treats that your guests will sure to love. The Couture Cookie Company personalizes the cookies to your colors, flavor, and theme. This is a great way to have your décor and eat it too.

Magnetic Expressions creates custom handmade glass magnets that are keepsakes forever. The possibilities are endless to use photos from special moments for each bridesmaid, add your wedding theme, fun mementos for bridal shower and bachelorette party. Surprise your guests and friends with mini reminders of special moments with you.

Vision Makers started with a passion to inspire others to create the awesome lives they want and deserve. They offer affirmation cards to help you stay focused along that journey. The cards make great gifts for all the loved ones in your life! Visit them online at http://www.myvisionmakers.com/, or you can purchase a set on http://www.amazon.com/

Do you have an I-phone? For only $.99 you can buy a set of Inspire Me! Cards on the Apple app store.

Wedding Ideas || Monogram Heaven

Weddings wouldn’t be complete without the added touch of monogrammed initials. Through the use of creative cursive or standard font, your initials can transform the ceremony and/or reception into your own personal wonderland. Thinking of doing monograms at your wedding? The choices are endless to create something with a designer or using your own creative talents in Microsoft Word . Below are some creative ways to show off your new personalized style on your wedding day or any day you choose.

Here are some fun ways to make your wedding special:

1. Personalize favors of choice with special labels
2. Decorate your cake table with a decorative runner
3. Mail out invitations with a cool postage stamp
4. Adorn the top of your sweet wedding confection
5. Greet your guests with floral elegance
6. Decorate windows and glass areas throughout the reception area and cars windows