Halloween Costume Ideas

Pat and I are going to a Halloween party tomorrow night and we are struggling with what to wear! Truth is, in the whole time we have been together, we have never celebrated Halloween or dressed up for it. We usually opt to host a murder party every fall and that makes up for it (more on that later) and is way more our style (at home, good food, small group of friends, funny characters).

So you can see where I'm coming from when the task of finding costumes has been left to me! I don't want to spend much on stuff I'm never going to wear again and I would really prefer it if our costumes were somewhat warm.

Here are some of the ideas I've come up with so far. If you have any better suggestions, please share!!!

Kanye West and Taylor Swift at the VMAs-

Pat could wear some big sunglasses, lots of bracelets, big baggy pants, and hold a microphone. Maybe we could even write on his shirt "Beyonce should have been number one video...". I could wear a silver sparkly dress, some big dangly earrings, bright red lipstick and hold a little trophy. But, is that identifiable enough?

1950's Dorky Couple-

Pat could wear a slicked down side part, some slacks, a tie, a cardigan and some black rimmed glasses and I could wear a puffy skirt, a ruffled shirt, and an apron and maybe carry around a spatula or a duster.

Beach bums-we could both wear flip flops, swimsuit cover ups or touristy type shirts, use makeup to draw on tan lines and sun burns, big sunglasses, beach bag, and carry around a drink with an umbrella in it.

Or, we could dress up as something that is a play on words. Examples:

Sexual harassment suit-Pat could wear a suit and then pin little sexual harassment type emails/notes on himself.

Blackmail-wear all black and then print out big sized postage stamps and put them on your outfit

Shot in the dark-wear all black and hang a shot glass around your neck

Little white lies-wear all white and then pin lies to yourself

See you guys??? I need help! What are you being for Halloween?!? Do you have any ideas for me and Pat?

Great Gift Idea: Wine in a Box

I recently had some guests stay at my house for a long weekend while Pat and I were out of town. A few weeks later, I opened my door to find this package:

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They sent us three bottles of french red wine in a cool gift box-totally unexpected and very cool! Don't let the title of this post throw you-the wine was delivered in a box, not poured from a box! The gift set was from Wine.com and last night we uncorked the first bottle. Pretty tasty.

This would be a great gift idea for your bridal party, parents, or anyone else who loves drinking wine! You could put together your own selections of wine or you can purchase one of Wine.com's preselected gift sets. Even better, they have gifts under $40 (plus shipping).

Another cool thing is the wines come with little tags to hang around the neck of the bottle to indicate when you opened it, what it can be paired with, and any other little notes about the wine so you can remember if you liked it or not. What are some of the best gifts you've ever received?

Alternative Songs for Walking Down the Aisle

As much as I love traditional ceremony music, I realize that Pachelbel is not for everyone. Don't be afraid to use different music-it's your wedding!

Here are a few alternative song ideas for when you walk down the aisle:

• Enya-Flora's Secret
• Hans Zimmer-You're so Cool
• Enya-Wild Child
• Last of the Mohicans Soundtrack-The Kiss (I walked down the aisle to this song)
• The Verve-Bittersweet Symphony

Any other ideas? What did you walk down the aisle to?

Mason Jar Table Numbers

I have a gift certificate for Pottery Barn that I've been holding onto for almost a year now so I've been checking out there site to see if there is anything I can use it for. I came across these numbered mason jars and thought these would work great as table numbers for your wedding (and you could reuse them later for spices, baking goods, or other small household items):

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After you number them, you could fill them with candles, colored stones, submerged flowers, or personal mementos that tell the story of you and your significant other. Here are a few easy (and cheap) ways to DIY this project:

• Use a Cricut machine to make the numbers and then glue them onto the jars
• Cut out iron on numbers and use Modge Podge to glue them onto the jars
• Use self adhesive vinyl numbers (you can find these at your hardware store)
• Cut out numbers and run them through your Xyron to give them a sticky back

Any other easy tips for how to paint on glass?

Escort Card Display Inspiration from Pottery Barn

I don't know about you but sometimes the internet just sucks me in. I'll log on to check my email and then next thing you know I'm reading reviews about the top BYOB bars in my neighborhood and filling my online shopping cart with rain boots and mittens.

Today I received my "Real Simple Daily Thought" which lead me to an article on how to organize your bills which had me google "letter rack" (you know, to organize my bills) which directed me to Pottery Barn. As I was cruising through their site looking at all their office organizational tools, I came across this large linen pinboard that would be gorgeous as an escort card display:

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Wouldn't this be a great way to display your escort cards? I love the various shades of each color! It makes me think of paint swatches-you could hand write your guests names and table numbers on each swatch. So cute!

You could then incorporate that into your table numbers by using a small pinboard and pinning numbers or letters to them to indicate the table number:

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Does the internet ever suck you in like it does me? How do you avoid the temptation? Speaking of which, I should be getting prepared for a wedding this weekend in beautiful Lake Geneva but instead, I'm scouring the net. See what I mean?

Evolution of the Wedding Dance

I'm not sure if you guys have seen this wedding video yet but it is super fun!

Baby Clothing Bouquets

This morning I am feeling refreshed and full of energy. I had an incredible wedding in Phoenix this weekend and loved being able to leave the cold Chicago weather (47 degrees and raining) and enjoy the warm AZ sun for a few days. When I was on the plane reading the ever so interesting Skymall Magazine I came across these bouquets made from baby clothing:

Wouldn't this be a great gift for any mom to be? Stuff it with onesies, baby socks, burp cloths-like I said in my my last post about double duty favors, I love anything that serves more than one purpose and this is one-a centerpiece at a baby shower AND much needed baby clothes!

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Or, change it up a bit and make a lingerie bouquet for the bride-to-be:

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If you want to try this yourself, I found a tutorial with pictures here. What's the cutest baby gift you've ever seen?

Double Duty Wedding Favors!

If you are looking for ways to cut costs at your wedding or event but still want to have all the goodies and details, consider doubling up on your items. For example, make your favors double as escort cards. Make your bridesmaid bouquets double as centerpieces for the cocktail hour. Make the cute groomsmen double as eye candy....you get the idea!

Here are a few of my favorite double duty escort cards and wedding favors:

Candy Apples:

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Jars of candy:

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Cookies:

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Boxed goodies:

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More boxed goodies:

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Rock Candy:

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Jars of syrup:

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Bags of candy:

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Jars of honey:

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Spice Jars:

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These would all be great DIY options as well. Are you making any of your wedding items do double duty?