Fruits of our Labor

Today we're going up to the Ventura to spend the day with my brother's family and my parents. With all the little radishes getting big I decided to harvest some and make a little veggie basket for him.



In the basket are baby carrots, onions, radishes, thyme, rosemary, basil, mint and lemon balm.

Practice Safe Sun!!!

Sun Safety Kit ($87 Value)
What it is:
A collection of eleven travel-ready sizes of the best and brightest summer skincare products.

What it does:
Let the sun shine without a care this summer. Sephora prepares you for outdoor fun with the ample sun protection found in the Sephora Brand Sun Safety Kit. It's packed with a travel-size sunscreen and skincare for the face and body.

What else you need to know:
The kit contains 0.05 oz Korres Natural Products Watermelon Sunscreen Face Cream SPF 30, a 0.25 oz Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Defense Moisture Lotion SPF 30, a 1 oz DDF Daily Protective Moisturizer SPF 15, a 0.35 oz Cosmedicine Medi-Matte Oil Control Lotion SPF 20, a 0.17 oz Juice Beauty Green Apple Moisturizer SPF 15, a 1 oz Murad Firming Bronzer SPF 15, a 0.08 oz Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion SPF 55 PA + + +, six single-use packs of MD Skincare Powerful Sun Protection Pads SPF 30, a 0.17 oz Clarins Sun Wrinkle Control Cream Ultra Protection SPF 30, a 0.25 oz Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer SPF 15, and a 0.098 oz Tarte 24/7 Lip Sheer SPF 15, plus a UV indicator card, all in a limited-edition Sephora pouch.

100 percent of the net profits (that's $21.55 from every kit sold!) will benefit The Skin Cancer Foundation. Sephora will make a total donation of up to $430,000.00 before 12/31/08. Supplies of the kit are limited and will be available from April through June 2008 or while supplies last.

All of this for only $25!!!! What a great present for a bridesmaid or just for yourself!!!

Summer protection for your accessories...

One of the most important decisions I made for my wedding wasn't about what I was wearing, it was what to get my girls. They only deserved the best. Now with spring and summer weddings coming up, I heard about this really cool bag called Icy Bag.

IcyBag’s usefulness extends beyond make-up. Think of all the items you’ve almost melted in the heat at one time or another… gum, snacks, liquid medication and especially sun protection products which spend their lives toiling in the summer heat!

I totally love this item! It's less than $15 a piece and comes in a variety of colors. I think it's perfect for your adventurous BMs who would need something like this! It would also be cool for your honeymoon too when you lounging by the pool!

I think I might have to get one of these for my upcoming vacations too! ;)

Just had too!

You know when the holiday season comes around you aren't suppose to buy anything for yourself? Well, I did.

I was browsing Macys.com looking for something for the house when I stumbled across this:

# COLOR DESIGN: Sensational Effects Lipcolor Smooth Hold (Full Size) in Ooh La La! and Sugared Maple
# LE ROUGE ABSOLU: Reshaping & Replenishing LipColour (Full Size) in Champagne and Amande Sucrée
# JUICY TUBES JELLY: Ultra Shiny Lip Gloss in Miracle
# JUICY TUBES SMOOTHIE: Ultra Shiny Lip Gloss in Simmer
# COLOR DESIGN: Sensational Effects Eye Shadow in Filigree, Makeover, Provence, The New Black, Guest List, Chic and Daylight
# BLUSH SUBTIL: Delicate Oil-Free Powder Blush in Cedar Rose and Rose Fresque
# LE CRAYON KHÔL: Eye Pencil in Black Coffee
# DÉFINICILS: High Definition Mascara (Full Size) in Black
# BI-FACIL: Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover (Full Size)
# RÉNERGIE: Double Performance Treatment Anti-Wrinkle Firming
# Cosmetic Case
# 3-Piece Brush Set
# Lancôme Signature Train Case

All for just 48.50$
Source

It wasn't like I went looking for makeup or anything. It really was just on the side of the screen. It found me!!! (and that's the story that I'm sticking to!) I justified this purchase because I needed a new powder and if I was going to buy it, I might as well buy it now so I can get a train case (that I needed) and all the other free (FULL SIZE) goodies! Then more rationalization set in, I also needed to get "random household item" and I order now, it's FREE SHIPPING so I should just order it now... and I did.

I'm patiently waiting (and anxiously jumping for joy in my head) for my little items!

Darn internet making it easy to find things to buy!!!

19 days til Christmas?

While most people are just starting their holiday shopping, we finished ours, put up our (real) tree, decorated the house with lights (in 90 degree weather...don't hate me!), and even bought all the goods for my "DAY 'O BAKING" that happens a week before Christmas.

Talk about being on top of it all! I even am 75% done with my cards to send out for card swap I joined over at Bklyn Bride. I think this weekend we are going to wrap up presents so we can just be done and enjoy the rest of the holiday season!

I love the holidays and I'm really excited about this one since it's our first year married and in our new house. What's your favorite part of the holidays?

Source of ornament

Personalizing gifts

While browsing through another one of my favorite sites: Vista Print. I came across the cutest idea for my BMs. Then I remembered I have enough loot to give them so I wanted to pass on this idea with you!

Personalized stationary! They have a ton of different styles. Here is my favorite:



The the envelopes to match them:

Front

back


The note cards run about 7.49$ for 10, and the matching envelopes are 3.99$ for 10! You can even get away with changing their invitation to a folded stationary card and save a few dollars there!

I'm sooo tempted but now we are getting close to going over budget for our gifts to everyone... So I'll be good!

In a minor revelation that I had last night, I realized that I didn't have barrettes for my Bridesmaids, or myself. I pulled in my MOH to help me find cute little barrettes for all our hair and she found me this:


Source

But I'm a little sad since they only have 4 in stock and I need a minimum of 5. I emailed the company and am now playing the waiting game to see what they say.

In the meantime, I found these lovely sets of jewelry that I can't show just in case a BM staggers over to this site! :P I know I know... just one more thing to add to their swag bag! But I say my girls are worth it and want them to look as beautiful as possible! :)

Anywho, anyone know where I can find a barrette like this one?

All packed up...

I'm sure I'm not the only here who is in my situation. You move into your new home before the wedding and some of the things you registered for are in need of sooner rather than later... What do you do? I'm in that position at the moment. While not wanting to buy off everything on our registry, we realized there were somethings we needed now and shouldn't wait for. Like, towels, bed linens, kitchen utensils. Sure, we could use our old towels, but hey, since we got a little moolah from our engagement party, we decided to use it for what it was intended for, a new game boy! Kidding!

With our trusty gift cards and cash in hand, we galloped into the department store to find the greatest sale of the summer for towels and kitchen accessories! SCORE! With what he had left over, we hopped over to trusty Costco and found amazing sheets and a down blanket that should suffice until someone is kind enough to buy a comforter. Walking around the store, we picked a few other little goodies such as those amazing silicone potholders and mats. If Costco made a registry, we'd be the first in line to sign up!

Once we got home a little guilt hit us, buying stuff from what we registered for so we quickly took those items off and added a few more different household goods. It isn't like people even looked on it yet... wedding is still 110 or something days away! :P (yes, I'm still rationalizing it to myself!)

Have you ever bought any items off your registry before the wedding?

Better than a pot or pan!

Looking for something different to register? Why not pick of charity and ask for donations?

Just Give is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to connect people with the charities and causes they care about and to increase overall giving.

Here you can go and create a wedding registry that isn't just about those pretty China you always wanted. It's about helping others in need and saving our world!

They even an area where you can donate for our guests in lieu of a photo frame or trinket.