String Art

If you follow me on Instagram (username: cstarevents), you may have noticed a hint I dropped about an upcoming string art wedding project. My lovely friend & kindred spirit Jennifer created a beautiful l-o-v-e sign for me and gave me all of the tricks she learned while creating it. As it turns out, Martha shares our affinity for board, nail, and string. I think this is a darling way to display escort cards for a smaller wedding, don't you?

Visit Martha Stewart Weddings for the how to and list of materials.



(Images courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings).

Canada Day Sangria

Happy Birthday Canada. To celebrate our fair country (and girls' night with my friend Jen), I wanted to incorporate red + white. And - because I'm that kinda girl - I figured what better way than with wine?


To create the citrusy-white wine sangria and berry-infused red sangria I had envisioned, I thumbed through a few of my favourite sangria "recipes." None of them sounded just right so I started throwing things together myself. They turned out so deliciously that I decided to share them with you (plus, this way I will remember how to make them again)! Cheers!


citrus-inspired white wine sangria


Ingredients
1 bottle of light/ crisp white wine (we used Barefoot Pinot Grigio)
citrus fruits, cut up (we used 3 oranges, 2 peaches, 1 nectarine, and a quarter of a lemon)
1 can of orange mango juice
1 bottle of lemonade
splash of vodka
splash of sprite

combine all ingredients in a large pitcher (or a large bowl) and chill in the fridge for at least a couple of hours. pour in a red wine glass. drink until its gone, get a spoon, and keep going.


berry-infused red wine sangria


Ingredients
1 bottle of fruity red wine (we used Barefoot Zinfandel)
berries (we used strawberries, raspberries, and watermelon)
blueberry pomegranate juice
splash orange brandy
splash of ginger ale

combine all ingredients, chill in the fridge for as long as you can contain yourself from drinking it. enjoy!


What is your favourite sangria recipe?

Animals Font

Confession: I get overly excited about fonts and typography.

While helping Matt + Jen with their wedding invites I spent a long time on dafont playing with and downloading various fonts. I stumbled across some beauties but this one takes.the.cake.



Alan Carr created this adorable collection of animals that I am already having too much fun with. The font is free and can be downloaded (through dafont), here.

If this wasn't enough, Liz (of Say Yes to Hoboken) has provided us with a DIY tutorial for freezer stencils (find it here)! The whale tee that she created is beyond cute; I can't wait to make onesies for my nephew.



Have fun!


(Font designed by Alan Carr).
(Screen shot + photos by Liz of Say Yes to Hoboken).

Messy Side Pony Hair Tutorial

Remember this "hair to"? Joanna has shared another fantastic Hair Tutorial that I couldn't help but share (messy hair is kind of my thing).



Find the directions, here.


Isn't it adorable??



Photos by Jamie Beck via A Cup of Joe.

Registry 101

Several of my engaged friends have asked about their registry: these days, do's and don't's appear to be... 'er... interpretive to say the least. Although I'm all for following the path that is most true to the couple and love the idea of creating a unique registry (such as honeymoon/travel-theme), it's sometimes useful to have a starting point.

Cue Martha.

Martha's point form Dos and Don'ts of Wedding Registries and Wedding Registry Basics are a great place to start. So, friends, have a look at these tips and use them as a launch pad to create a registry that is uniquely you. Above all, have fun!



Photo via Martha Stewart Weddings.

Holiday Hair Tutorial

Forgive me. I know this tutorial is probably clogging up your blog feeds; however, I love it so much that I had to post it, too. (Previously seen here, here, here, and - most recently - here).


To master the side chignon, I'm going to practice, practice, practice with this tutorial (thank you Martha).

Even though I don't think I could pull off such a stunning hair colour, I will be picking up a tube of her fabulous red red red lipstick.

Do you have a fancy hair go to's when you're heading out on the town? I typically throw my hair into a high French twist or a messy side bun or pony. (This side chignon kicks their butt and I can't wait to master it.)

bonne fête.

In keeping with today's theme, check out this gorgeous party.

If I were to say I was mildly ecstatic when I saw Cassandra's Birthday tablescape, it may be the understatement of 2010.


The party was styled in true Kate Spade fashion with the florals taking their inspiration from the Fall 2010 Martha Stewart Weddings cover (I LOVE the red + pink).


The use of colour, metallics, and pattern is flawless; Cassandra truly outdid herself.


Confetti was made for girly parties like this.


Although it would be hard NOT to have a fabulous time at such a glamorous party, I wanted to send a belated birthday shout out to ms. lavalle and wish her all the best.

Thank you for the inspiration. It's been filed away for a special party in my future.



Photos by Char Beck & Flower Arrangements by McKenzie Powell Designs via coco+kelley.

Help for Haiti

The sheer magnitude of this earthquake has become evident over the last few days and - clearly - this country is in dire need of assistance. As a Canadian, seemingly a world away from this disaster, I have found the options available for reaching out both amazing and overwhelming at the same time. I've spent some time looking into the relief effort to decide how I can help.
Below are some [Canadian] links that you may find helpful:

• UNICEF Canada Donation Page
  Noteworthy: For every dollar donated by individual Canadians to UNICEF Canada, the Canadian International Development Agency will contribute a dollar to relief efforts in Haiti.


• Canadian Red Cross Donation Page
  Noteworthy: The Government of Canada will match dollar for dollar the contributions of individual Canadians to eligible Canadian charitable organizations, such as the Canadian Red Cross, in support of humanitarian, recovery and reconstruction efforts in response to the earthquake in Haiti, up to a total of $50 million. Read more, here.


• World Vision Canada Donation Page
  Noteworthy: World Vision is putting together Emergency kits that help provide things like tarps, blankets, soap, towels, personal hygiene items and cooking utensils at $55 per family.


• Oxfam Canada Donation Page
  Noteworthy: Oxfam Canada is another organization that the Canadian government will match individual donations made to Haiti relief efforts. You can also follow live updates via blog, here, and twitter, here.


• Doctors Without Borders Donation Page
  Noteworthy: Follow the hard work of Doctors Without Borders via photo stream and twitter.


• CBC Haiti Relief Page
  Noteworthy: CBC has compiled a list of sites accepting donations and the codes to donate by text message, as well as providing the latest headlines and media coverage of the relief efforts. Another helpful link: How to choose a charity.

If you're in Vancouver you may also wish to attend Hope in Haiti, a benefit for the Red Cross on January 27. Check out their site for more details. {Thanks to Nicole for the link}.

Again, everything helps: no donation is too small. Let's all do what we can, to help Haiti come out from under this disaster.

Carnation Wonderful

Let's face it: Carnations are given a bad rap. They are the "filler" flowers, the cheap-y flowers, the flowers you purchase when you know-you-should but don't-really-want to bring flowers.

Until now.

The fabulous Eddie Ross [if you've never heard of him, get acquainted: he.is.brilliant] shows us how to use these affordable buds to create divine centerpieces.


Eddie has put together his own how-to guide for creating these gorgeous carnation centerpieces that would work brilliantly on any table.


The tiered number would be just gorgeous at a Spring Wedding, as would the floral sphere. As much as I love.love.love the look of the white carnations I think any tone of pink would be beautiful at a Pink-Party or a Bridal or Baby shower. [I am also very interested in seeing what the unique green carnations would look like].

I can't wait to pull out a cake stand or candle stick and an Oasis and get started on one of these pretty arrangements. Possibly for our Valentine's centerpiece?

Happy Floral Arranging.

How To: Elope with Style

I couldn't resist sharing this absolutely beautiful wedding that is featured on snippet&ink today.


This couple opted for a small intimate wedding: just the two of them, their officiant, and their photographers. The result is a stunningly personalized celebration. Although they decided to elope, the couple wanted their family and friends to share in their nuptials and created a mimmo+naz Super 8 video to document the day set to Gavin DeGraw's beautiful Follow Through. {Video. Lyrics.}

{This 4 minute video is definitely worth a look. It is not only a touching depiction of a unique elopement but also - and more importantly - it captures the intimate and candid wedding ceremony of a couple blissfully in love}.
What more could you ask for in a wedding?



The beautiful photography and Super 8 Video were captured by Toronto's mimmo+naz.
[To view their current work, check out the company's blog].

Update: Contact mimmo+naz if you are interested in a lovely super 8 video and photography package of your own!

iDo, uDo

This link came from my tech-savvy cousin. [Thank you Blair]!

iDo Wedding Couple Edition is a downloadable resource for brides and grooms to organize ten main areas of wedding planning:

1. Contacts
2. Invitations
3. RSVP’s
4. Attendees
5. Gifts
6. Checklist
7. Budget
8. Vendors
9. Events
10. Timelines

The program seems to have many capabilities stemming from these areas and looks very useful for both planners and brides. It also seems very user-friendly, even for the most computer-illiterate of us out there.

Have any of you heard anything about this program, positive or negative, or used it yourselves?

I am planning on downloading this program [$29.95 to buy after a free 30-day trial] once I sort out a few computer kinks on my lap top. [Thank you –again- Blair]!

Cheers to modern web-based technology.

Groom How To: Add Some Style

I love grooms that sneak add clever and personal touches into otherwise traditional wedding attire [gotta please that bride, eh?].

I was telling Ryan about this sock idea the other night and thought I would provide him with some visuals:





More Images & Ideas can be found here, here, here, and here.

I think wedding style should be a thoughtful and personal representation of the couple; why should the bride get all the fun?