Best Wedding Invitation Ever!

Okay, okay...Jenna Sais Quois has been packed with wedding content lately, but if I find good ideas I have to share them! That's the point!

Well, anyway today, my co-worker Heather shared this with me, and it was pretty much the most amazing wedding invite in the entire world. Including your own little love story with your wedding invitation is such a personal way to include your guests in this happy event. Enjoy!

Thank Goodness for Sleeves!

Photos of Ivanka Trump's custom Vera Wang wedding gown are all over the internet, and I am in love with the sleeves. I'm praying this kicks off a new trend, because no offense, but the strapless gown with the full gathered skirt is getting a bit...one note if you ask me! This classic silhouette is reminiscent of Gracy Kelly's wedding gown, which I've always been in love with. 

Monster Cookies

This is a fantastic cookie all year round, but I love it so much that I wanted to post it for Halloween. Not only does it have a Monstrous name, but with Halloween M&M's, it looks perfect for your Halloween party, or even for a fun treat! 

Here is a recipe for a small batch, though the recipe for a large batch is available here.

1 stick butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. white sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. soda

1 3/4 c. flour

3 eggs

1 1/2 c. peanut butter

3 c. quick oatmeal

1/4 lb. chocolate chips

1/4 lb. M&M'S® (plain)

Mix in a bowl in the order given. Drop by large tablespoon or ice cream scoop and flatten. Bake for 12 minutes at 350. Don't over bake. 

Also, keep in mind that because of the myriad of ingredients, including the oatmeal, this batter will seem extremely dry and hard to mix. Do NOT water down.

Sea Monsters!

My friends know that I am a bit annoyed by the author who wrote/defaced the books "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" and "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters" but with Halloween coming up, I fell in love with this packaging design I saw today on The Dieline. 

The Kraken played a large role in the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and I love that this is a Caribbean rum. It just all adds up beautifully for me! 

Channeling Donna Reed

I always knew I loved Etsy, but my love was taken to a whole new level when I realized that there is a dressmaker, AudreyandGrace who creates custom made 50s inspired cocktail attire in any size specification you want. 

There aren't enough words in the English language to describe how badly I need this dress. But then, they made it available in a myriad of different colored fabrics too. 

They also make this little Garden Party number! I'm not sure I love the fabric shown, but luckily they have six floral fabrics to choose from. I seriously would wear dresses like these every day and not even care if people looked at me strangely. I blame my Grandmother for letting me color in my mother's old Barbie and Skipper coloring books from the sixties. She created a vintage loving monster. And I simply can't get enough of this silhouette from the one of the most elegant times in women's fashion.

Hello Lucky Halloween Cards!

Adorable Halloween Holiday cards from Hello Lucky!

The original art was created by Lab Partners in San Francisco. I love their retro looking work, and you should all check out their blog as well.

Gradient Batteries

These Romanian batteries featured today on The Dieline are just way cooler than anything we could ever buy in the States. I am kind of in love with them.

Halloween How-To

There are so many amazing Halloween ideas floating out there in the Blogosphere, and one of the best I've seen today comes from Bunnycakes. She decorated her October table last year with a spiderweb tablecloth that would be quite easy to make yourself!

Here are my directions for how to imitate her spooky spiderweb Tablecloth!

• Buy an inexpensive black tablecloth, and a white fabric marker
• Start at a central point and make straight lines flaring out all the way to the edges
• Finish with the web lines, arcs that curve outward and intersect with the straight lines
• If you are extra ambitious, you could use a sewing machine to stitch overtop of these markings, making your tablecloth last for years to come!
• Voila! Top your table with some pumpkins, drippy candles, and dim the lights for a Halloween Feast (in costume!) and family memories that will last for years to come.

Dinner Date

It's Friday, and time to celebrate! I am doing so later tonight by going out for sushi with Cate and Erin and the book club girls! Dinner plans are much more fun when you make them in advance, because you have something delightful to look forward to!

Nice day for an Orange wedding

Most people get married in the summer, which is easily the most expensive time to be planning a wedding. Even though the Autumn weather (especially in Ohio) can be pretty unpredictable, it can be the most beautiful time for a wedding! 

Here are some of the results when I searched for the color "Orange" on Project Wedding! 

Orange Wedding Suggestions:

• There's nothing more elegant than a beautiful rust color for fall
  
• Use flowers in the color of leaves, but skip the leaves themselves
• Think about unorthodox centerpieces, like in the top picture, using wheat
• Exposed stems in bridal bouquets look especially great in the fall
• While white tablecloths are the norm, don't be afraid of color (for any season)
• Don't go too matchy-matchy. There are plenty of colors in fall leaves, and you can use them all! 

Candy Corn!

Have you seen these adorable hanging candy corn pom pons from Martha Stewart Crafts? 

They are so great, and a quick and easy way to decorate for a Halloween event, or even last minute October guests. They can be yours here for only $14.99. Or, if you prefer to make your own, you can get a how to from Martha here!

Miss you, candy!

Do you ever wish you were a kid again, so you could go out trick-or-treating and come home with this? 

I remember being so annoyed that my mom wanted to check all of my candy to make sure it hadn't been unwrapped or tampered with or something. Did your parents do that, or were mine just a little extra paranoid? 

Paper Fan Bonanza

Yesterday, Once Wed featured an absolutely gorgeous wedding! You should all go there right now and check it out! I love the colors, the bouquets, the bridesmaid dresses (a really lovely print), and especially the fact that they used hand-made paper fans as a substitution for flowers in part of their wedding decoration. That is the perfect solution for the bride on a budget, because flowers are one of the most expensive things when planning your big day!

Least Boring Wedding Invites!

I've seen a fair amount of wedding invitations, and people these days are definitely thinking outside the box lately! I especially loved these custom letterpress invitations that I saw here. The blog is the Studio on Fire "Beast Pieces" Blog. Check it out for more great ideas!

I love the colors, and how graphic and unique they are. But they are definitely more casual also. I am all for trying something different, as long as it fits with the theme that the couple is going for.

 

Planetbox vs Goodbyn

So, I have to admit, I am very intrigued right now by the eco-friendly and modular lunch boxes online latey. I posted about my love of the Goodbyn here, but I wasn't sure about it because the look of it is much to whimsical for adults. Then I found Planetbox, which is a stainless steel lunch box that is similar to the Goodbyn but could work better for adults, or at least for me. (I love packing my lunch, but I hate eating the scarcely healthy and always expensive pre-packaged foods)

Take a look at some of the images below. 

I'm not entering my Visa numbers just yet, because this lunchbox is something like 50 dollars! And though it's better for adults than the Goodbyn, it doesn't protect against leaks and spills nearly as well.

I am torn! If you could pick one, which would you choose?

Vivels Bakery

In lieu of a post for the past 4 days, I wanted to get started bright and early today with a piece of packaging design I saw last week on The Dieline for Vivels Bakery. The packaging is so fantastically clean and crisp, while emphasizing the fact that they are providing artisan goods. I am always impressed by people who can combine several different typefaces and make it work, or even look good. I think this looks fantastic. 

I can just imagine some chic woman in a black dress suit and pumps walking into work carrying coffee and a Vivels bag...and a Birkin, but that's another fantasy... 

Neighborhood Boo

Today I spent a bit of time browsing the Blonde Designs Blog, which is an adorable blog run by two former art directions of Martha Stewart Living, and Martha Stewart Weddings. Yeah, I know, I'm insanely jealous too....They now have their own invitation/paper goods company, Blonde Designs! Check them out here! 

Anyway, they posted an entry about a neighborhood traditional called "Booing your neighbors" which sounds like so much fun in a "Ding-Dong Ditch" kind of way. You basically drop these gift bags or baskets off for your neighbors, ring the doorbell and RUN before you're discovered. Quite a Halloween thrill for children and adults alike. 

Inside the bag, you include treats, candy, Halloween related items and also this ghost decal which the recipients are to put on their front doors. This is how you signify that your house has already been "Boo-ed" so to speak. And you also include this poem, which lets your neighbors know what to do next! It sounds like a lot of fun, and a nice way to get the community involved this Halloween. 

Even Goodbyn is ready!

I love that this was what I saw on the Goodbyn Website today when I went there. They are ready for Halloween, and I love the eyeball stickers on the drink container. It really gives this lunch a Bride of Frankenstein personality! 

If you haven't been to the website before, you should definitely check it out. I totally want one of these eco-friendly lunch boxes for myself!

Martha's Halloween Recipes

Here is a marathon post of some of my favorite Halloween recipes from Martha Stewart's Halloween Central. There are just so many cute ideas for devilishly delicious foods for Halloween! 

These cupcakes are representing some of the scariest and most ghoulish Halloween creatures in delicious icing and confections. Mummies, Frankensteins, Sea Monsters, or Spiders. Get the How-To Here. 

These Bat & Cobweb cookies are probably the most gorgeous thing I've seen. With these swirly frosting techniques, you will be sure to impress your guests! Get the How-To Here. 

Speaking of cobwebs, you can use a similar technique to create a webbed pattern on this easy no-bake cheesecake. The outcome is just beautiful, and it looks like it doesn't taste too bad either. Get the How-To Here.

Finally, these ghoulish Petits Fours are anything but stuffy and civilized. Witches hats and little ghosts are bite-sized delights. Get the How-To Here. 

Pizza in the morning, pizza in the evening

I am doing a project for work on pizza and while doing some research I found this pizza company's packaging. I immediately fell in love with the mark, because it reminds me of stacked pepperoni, yet it incorporates the fresh yellow and green of peppers as well! 

Here is their site, which is not as amazing as the packaging, but still clean. Also...don't try to order from them, because you won't be getting your pizza for about twelve hours at least. They're located across the pond in England. 

Colors I love!

I saw this wedding inspiration board on Inspired Bride today. Isn't it amazing? I LOVE these colors. Why, oh why did I go to Ohio State, making anything in the color neighborhood of maize and blue highly illegal? (Click on the link to see their actual post)

How do you feel, Mr. Bones?

Here are two fantastic DIY Halloween party ideas from Martha Stewart's Halloween Central. For the complete how-to, visit the website...but make sure you have time to spare because I can get lost on there for quite a while! 

The first is the skeleton party invitation. When you pull this guy out of the thin black (coffin) envelope, you will know for sure that you're headed for a scarily good time. Just add the event details with a white pen! The clip art is located here. 

Second, make the bar at your Halloween party even more spooky with these labels, meant to be printed on white paper and displayed under a black-light. It gives "Pick your poison" a whole new meaning! Here are the labels for Cyanide Soda, Gin (Elixir of Doom), Toxic Tonic, and Black Death Vodka! 

 

{All photos are from marthastewart.com}

Spooky Advent

 I am in love with this idea from the Roberts Arts and Crafts blog. I am very into advent calendars during the Christmas season, and I love the idea of extending that to other holidays as well. Plus this frame is gorgeous! To learn how to make one, go here. Also, take a look at some of their other ideas. They are fantastic!

Bright Star

Sorry I haven't blogged in ages! I had a very special houseguest for part of the weekend/week. Brian was visiting from Atlanta, and has now returned safely to his new home south of the Mason-Dixon line. 

Now, I saw this movie yesterday with Cate, and I want to tell you that it was both the most beautiful thing I've ever seen as well as the saddest. Like, I cried more than my 12-year-old self did during Titanic. It is about the life and love of the poet John Keats and Fanny Brawn, which was cut short by Keats' untimely death. 

It was the most beautiful art direction I've ever seen, and though I love a good period piece anyway, the fashion in this movie was more stellar than I could have ever hoped because Fanny Brawne was a talented seamstress, and dressed in the most high-fashion clothes of the early 1800's. I highly recommend this movie, but bring tissues and keep your eyes wide open for the most gorgeous sights you will ever see on the silver screen. 

It's also important to note that Cate, who is quite often my "period piece" film partner, may never see a movie with me again for two reasons. One: I cried and sniffled through the majority of the movie. Two: I was so disgusted by the character of Mr. Brown that I literally (and audibly) scoffed each time he entered a scene, before he even did anything scoff-worthy. I just knew it was coming!