Fun Friday: Crafty Valentines

It's getting close. That fateful day where we share love, candy, and words of affirmation. Valentine's Day is Tuesday and I wanted to share with you some of my favorite ideas for fun alternatives to the regular valentine day card.

1. The Candy Alternative by Saltwater Kids (see directions here)

                        

2. A Crafty Book for your honey by PaperVine (see directions here)

  

3. Something Fishy by Faboolous (see directions here)

           
                     

Happy Loving!

Eco-Monday: Give the Gift of Sustainability

As you start to make lists for what to get your grandparents or your Uncle Bob this year, stop and take a look at Branch. 

Starting in a small one-bedroom warehouse in 2005, Branch now operates out of a warehouse in San Francisco. What drew us in was their great business philosophy:

-They care about sustainability, design, and people

-They curate their inventory based on the things they would want to have in their own homes 

-With a small team feel, Branch has great relationships with the manufacturers, designers, 

  and customers

-They want to make sure every customer is treated with the best and friendly service

In looking over their inventory, Branch offers an entire line of compostable plates, flatware, and cups for your holiday party needs. Even though you are spreading the holiday cheer, you won't be spreading the waste. 

Are your stockings looking tattered? Branch offers a classic Christmas stocking with an updated concern for the environment that combines a reclaimed boat sail and a classic red organic cotton trim. 

Need a good stocking stuffer for your hubby who is always on the run? Branch has a great line of reusable coffee mugs sure to make anyone happy. 

Happy Shopping!

Eventful Wednesday: Time for Thanks

If you have a large family like me, Thanksgiving is always a great time of year. Family members from around the United States come to one central location to eat delicious food, play football, and then partake in the mad rush of Black Friday shopping. The bigger tradition in my family has always been the adult and kids table. I graduated to the adult table a few years back, but since I have so many young cousins, I still like to visit the kids table. In the past few years I have taken on the role of creating fun table settings for both the adults and kids so I thought it might be helpful to get you inspired with a few decorating ideas. From sophisticated and mature adult table settings, to the fun place cards and activities for kids, I hope that your Thanksgiving has tons of things to give thanks for. =)

The Adult Table

Who says we need to eat like the pilgrims? I love the modern warmth of this table setting. 

Using chocolate bars with homemade wrappers as place settings =)

A fun DIY addition to the center of any table

The Kids Table

My grandmother did a great job of teaching me what Thanksgiving was all about. Have your kids put what they are thankful for on a feather and display this as their centerpiece. 

Yummy treats that will convince anyone to eat all of their turkey first.  

Edible place cards are always a winner with my cousins. Learn how to make these here.

Fun Friday: Halloween Spectacular

If you are anything like me, you have yet to buy your Halloween costume and will most likely be rushing through a thrift store tomorrow morning. Well, to save you the hassle of thinking too hard to determine what would be fun and creative, I have compiled a couple of my favorite Halloween costume ideas so far this year. Happy shopping and have a fun weekend! 

Kid's Costumes

Audrey Hepburn =)

Baby Candy Corn

Where the Wild Things Are

Particularly cute if you decide to dress yourself up as the chef!

Family Costumes

Classic BLT 

Pixar's UP!

Couple Costumes

Mary Poppins

Alice in Wonderland 

Fun Friday - Game for Adults? Yes please!!!

Happy Friday everyone! If you're like me (and most of my friends and family) you enjoy the thrill and competition of playing games.  Well then you're going to love this!!!  The Go Game is kind of a combination of all your favorite games.  It's a little bit of Charades, a little Amazing Race, and lots of excitement, creativity and silliness.  The Go Game is based out of San Francisco, but due to the high demand for their innovative scavenger-hunt style game production, they are now available across the globe.  These games are for just about any occasion.  They offer Team Building experiences, games for Conventions, Training and Marketing Campaigns, and Pure Fun Games that are perfect for any event - Weddings, Private Parties, Flash Mobs, Bachelor parties, Reunions...or anything you can think of.  

The experiences are themed, and each team is given phones, cameras, video cameras, and other gadgets to help them complete their missions.  Then when it's all over, everyone gets together and watches all the pictures/videos and calculates the winner!  Have you ever seen a group of people, dressed in silly costumes, running around your town?  Well it might just be The Go Game. 

During the weekend of my wedding in 2006, we signed up our entire wedding guest list for our very own Go Game in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco.  And it was a huge hit!!!  To this day I still hear from our wedding guests that The Go Game was one of the coolest experiences they've ever had.  So if you're looking for something different to do for your upcoming event, I recommend checking out The Go Game!  Where else do us adults get to act like crazy kids for a day?  Take a look at some of these pictures, and you'll see what I mean. 

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! xoCarlee

Wedding Wednesdays ~ Thread Design = To Die For!!!

Today we're very excited to share with you one of our favorite dress designers - Thread. And for those of you lucky enough to be in the New York City area, Thread presents their Thread Weekend Wedding Pop-up Shop featuring their new 2011 collections from Thread Bride, Thread Classic, Thread Bridesmaid and Thread Social, one-on-one personal consultations with the designers, a special 20% off all orders, and oh so much more!  The Pop-up Shop will be open March 25, 26 & 27 at 26 West 17th Street, Suite 301, New York.  It's by appointment only so rsvp to amy@threaddesign.com. 

Thread Designs offer some of the most darling dresses for Bridesmaid, Brides, Flower girls, and party-goers.  They have a huge selection of colors, designs, shapes, materials, etc.  There really is something for everybody.  And what  I love most about Thread is these aren't your typical, run-of-the-mill bridesmaid dresses.  These dresses are high-style, unique, and very fashion forward.  Here are just a few of my favorites.  I love all of their dresses, it was so hard to choose.  

BTW, can i just point out that this light green dress above is in Seersucker!!!  How adorable is that?  If you're not in the New York area and want to check out their collection, try and make it to one of their upcoming Trunk Shows -

 March 10-13

Bella Bridesmaid, Orange County

Corona Del Mar, CA  92625

949.717.7800

or

March 17-20

Bella Bridesmaid, Richmond

Richmond, VA 23226

804.658.0105

Happy Shopping!

Fun Fridays ~ In ♥ with Organic Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Happy Friday everyone.  With Valentines Day just around the corner, I thought I'd send you into your weekend with a sweet and organic treat to bring some love into your life.  Who doesn't love Chocolate Covered Strawberries?  They're easy to make, delicious to eat, and in my opinion...one of the best ways to get your daily serving of fruit.  And now, you can not only show your love to that special person in your life...you can show some love to your mother earth by using all organic products to create this special indulgence.  For all you lovers out there...follow these easy steps to become a Valentines Day hero.

What you'll need:

- Organic Whole Strawberries, stem on

- Organic Chocolate (i love Dagoba!)

 

What to do:

- Wash the Strawberries

- Melt the chocolate

i like using some dark chocolate and some semisweet chocolate for a nice balance.

break up the chocolate into small bite-size pieces and melt in a saucepan on low heat, stirring constantly.

- holding the strawberry by the stem, tilt the pan and dip the strawberry into the chocolate, twirling it around until the entire strawberry is covered.

- place the strawberries on a plate with wax paper and put in the fridge for a bit until chocolate hardens.

- enjoy!

Wishing everyone a very happy Valentines Day!  

Say what you really mean with Hard Cards

Happy Friday everyone! Sorry for the shortage of postings lately, I've just returned from almost a month of back to back trips. One of which was for a very special wedding in the Boston area for our dear friends Shannon & Chris. Pics will be up soon! But until then...let's have some fun!

With the holidays coming up and so many baby/bridal/wedding events in the near future, I have cards on the mind! But not your normal, run-of-the-mill cards. I want cards with personality. I want cards that make you laugh out loud! Hello Hard Cards! Their slogan "Times are hard and so are we" basically sums it up.

Founders Randi Rulayne Picarelli and Stacey Leigh Rifkin started Hard Cards because they couldn’t lie to their friends any longer. They were tired of pretending that they were happy about your babies, thrilled you’re turning another year older, or that they actually care about your problems. They saw the need for greeting cards that make people laugh at the truth. Their cards are snarky, funny, and irreverent while also being beautifully designed. Based out of Los Angeles, Hard Cards is committed to creating a line of products with minimal environmental impact. Every Hard Card and envelope is printed with soy ink and made from 100% Post Consumer Waste Paper. That means no new trees are cut down, and no bleach, acid, or chlorine is used. They are also concerned with employing local designers and printers, and supporting local businesses. That means you can feel good because they're 100% Made in the USA. And for that, Green with Envy Events is a big fan!!! Here are some of our faves:

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And guess what! Hard Cards are sold in hundreds of stores all over the U.S. To find your nearest retailer, visit their website and make sure to become a fan on Facebook! Hard Cards ~ Thank you for making cards that are honest, hilarious, and nice to our planet!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Carlee