WEDding WEDnesday: If your hubby-to-be's got style...

...let him pick out and purchase the jewelry for your bride ensemble.

Thanks, babe.

That's all this week. :)

{all three necklaces are J. Crew. headband is Urban Outfitters. earrings are vintage cameos}

quick rec for a year-round glow

Attention all fellow pale-whities!  If you are like me, you've embraced the fact that you will never {naturally} have that Gisele-Bundchen-bronze glow, and that's okay.  Having said that, should you need to achieve a skin tone that won't cause passersby to shield their eyes, I recommend using this.
I discovered NIVEA Sun-Kissed Firming Moisturizer a couple years ago and haven't since strayed because it is the sh!t. Allow me to gush enlighten you NIVEA virgins:

• Most importantly, it works
• It smells yummy**
• It doesn't streak or make your skin patchy
• It doesn't rub off on clothing
• Not only does it make you look subtly glowy right away, but it firms your skin, giving you a toned look
• You can build on the depth of the tone, depending on how many days in a row you apply it
• It's cheap
• It's not only a self-tanner but a moisturizer as well

The thing that got me thinking about sharing this product with you is my brother's impending nuptials, for which I am a bridesmaid.  The other maids fake-and-bake {no way, not this Virgo!}, so I would stick out like a bleached sore thumb.  I plan on getting in to a routine of applying it daily starting roughly two weeks before the big day, so at least I will feel like I tried.

I should note that unfortunately there is no SPF in the moisturizer--its only drawback--so if you plan on using it, I strongly recommend getting on dee boat, dee Banana Boat, before lathering up.  That's all for now.  If you try it, let me know what you think!   

**NIVEA smells good, unlike other self-tanners that make your skin smell like you were sprayed by a male cat, like that one company whose name begins with a J and ends in ergens.

Easy {free!} cake topper - WEDding WEDnesday

Isn't he cute? This was our final product, although it wasn't our original plan.

I spent months rummaging through Google Images for pictures of campfire scenes, s'mores, tents pitched in the wilderness and so forth, gathering inspiration for designing a custom cake topper to represent one of our favorite pastimes: camping.  Everything I thought to do seemed so tacky, though.  I could only imagine two figures holding tiny branches roasting mallows over a fondant log fire looking too whimsical for our taste. {haha. taste. punny!}  It wasn't until after we met with our baker, the awesome Kristine of Babycakes Bakery, that I decided against the camping scene for the cake topper. Gabe and I told Kristine we wanted a mini cake on the top tier of our cupcake tower, so we would have our own special treat for the day as well as something to cut into at the reception for the traditional cutting-of-the-cake-and-smashing-it-in-your-newlywed-spouse's-face moment {read on for more on that moment}.  When it came to deciding on the flavor of our mini cake though, there was only one choice on which Gabe and I both agree: lemon meringue.  :::Drool:::  Kristine suggested covering the entire thing in stiff meringue peaks, something she had never done before, and for us to decide on a simple cake topper to complement {not compete with} the textural mini cake.  From a design standpoint, this made total sense to me, and was also the moment I scratched the mental picture of the roasting scene.   

At that point I hadn't made any decisions, and in fact I didn't decide on what I was going to top our cake with until a couple of weeks before the big day.  Enter: Abby.  My dear friend with excellent style volunteered {along with other friends} to help my mom put on my bridal shower, and called dibs on the tablescapes.  And best of all, her gift to me was letting me keep all of the goodies from the centerpieces!      

 

 Gabe planted the purple flower plants in our front garden and they love us.

I fell in love with the chubby blue birds that held photos of me and Gabe throughout the years, and thought one would be just perfect atop our little cake at the reception.  Gabe loved the idea and chose the picture that the birdie would hold--one of his favorites.  

When it came time to cut into this beautiful scrumptious looking cake, we realized the restaurant forgot to provide us with a cake knife as promised.  Upon realizing this in a half-second, my Virgo problem-solving-mode kicked in to high gear.  I turned to our guests, who were all readying their cameras and shifting their weight to get a good view of our sweet moment, and asked {laughing}, "Does anyone have a butter knife we can borrow?"  The room burst into laughter and two people came at us quickly with the knives from their place-settings.  It was such a great moment, all the way through smearing meringuey goodness in one another's hair.  

Good times.  And now the little chubby blue birdies sit on our fireplace mantel, holding some of our favorite photos.  

Happy hump day!

I don't get it.

"Wine bottle holder" from Wisteria.  I am just baffled.  Those are empty bottles.  Empty.  Kinda depressing.  Plus, the stand costs $150 and holds 88 wine bottles.  You'd be missing out on like $4.50 in recycling profit!  Okay, so maybe you don't get a chunk of your paid CRV back when you recycle, but you could re-purpose the empty bottles.  The resources are ubiquitous in Blogland.  Here.  Here are a couple of ideas that make much more sense than turning the bottles upside down and displaying them on a spiny rack in your kitchen.

DIY recycled wine bottle torches via re-nest

DIY hanging vases via 100 Layer Cake

Your husbands will thank you for choosing the torches.

I wonder if Molly has seen this photo in the Wisteria catalog.  She'd probably have much funnier things to say about it.

Yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk yeah

I've got another fun site to share with you, almost as cool as H&M's virtual paper dolls I shared with you last month.  I just came across ASOS online fashion store thanks to Sofiie's references.  {Sofiie is my Swedish fashion adviser.  She just doesn't know it.}
After spending a couple minutes changing the currency and browsing the SALE section, I clicked on a cute sweatshirt, surprised to find this!  See the link below the photo that reads, "VIEW CATWALK >>>>"?  Click it.  You can watch the model walk the catwalk in the garment!  This way, you get a good idea of how the garment fits, moves, and looks from every angle.  Brilliant!

If you have a few minutes today, check out the store.  The prices don't seem all that bad.  Oh, and in full disclosure, there is music that plays when you watch the catwalk video, so make sure you have your volume turned up, or if you are in an office, make sure your boss is out of ear-shot.  Unless your boss is fashionable, then feel free to forward the link to him/her!  ;)

And, I just noticed ASOS offers reclaimed vintage items, like the pants pictured below.  Pretty cool.  Pretty cool indeed.

P.S. The styling of those lace-up booties with those pants is spot-on.