Saturday, January 30, 2010

Indie Wed favorites


I had the pleasure of attending
Indie Wed
this afternoon at the Ravenswood Event Center, where I saw (and tasted!) many interesting and funky wedding offerings. I'll spend the next few blog posts telling you about my favorite finds.

First and foremost, I have to gush about Tipsy Cake, one of the first vendors I happened upon when I walked in. This is the fabulous bakery that I've heard about, but whose treats I haven't had the chance to sample. Until today, that is.

Not only are the cakes gorgeous, they're utterly delicious! They offered samples of red velvet cake (which, I'm compelled to mention was a gorgeous, deep red). Pretty, and oh, so tasty! There were also little "melting moments," shortbread cookie sandwiches with a lovely tart filling. Soooo good! My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it.

Check out the pictures here to see how fantastic the cakes look. I especially love the fun cake with the koala bear couple on top!

Friday, January 29, 2010

Cupcakes for you Brainy Types


I'm sure you're well aware that I LOVE cupcakes.

So, let me introduce you to my newest darlings -
The Brain Slug Cupcakes, found on Boing Boing.

They're so darn cute, I want to hug them. But I think I'd rather eat them.

Mmmm..... brain frosting!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

The Unassuming Sing-Along That Morphed into a Concert

Like everyone, the situation in Haiti left my family filled with sadness - and an overwhelming desire to Do Something. So, my husband came up with the idea of hosting a fundraiser. I made chili and soup, and invited some friends to come over for a sing-along. Neither of us play instruments, so we asked our musically-inclined pals to bring instruments if they so desired.

We were
thrilled that our dear friend's son, Ian, was interested in participating - with his guitar! He then told us that his drummer buddy, Angelo, would also join us. This was going to be great!

Well, on Sunday evening the guys showed up..... with all of their equipment! Every time I turned around they were shlepping in another case.

So, we set them up in our "family room" and they put on an amazing show. The musical offerings included songs by Pete Seeger, Radiohead, Dolly Parton, Elvis Costello. I had to pinch myself! We sang along and I even caught my hubby inching closer to the microphone. (Don 't deny it - I saw you!)





The addition of friends playing the sax and bass guitar made it even more amazing. Not only did I get to sing along, they let me play the tambourine. I was on a roll until, unfortunately for me, I was upstaged by Lynn and her crazy harmonica skills. Oh well.

In any case, we raised a good amount of money, collected supplies, and had a great time to boot!











Thank you to our friends for all the generous donations. And a HUGE thank you to Ian and Angelo for donating your musical talents to make our fundraiser a success. Thank you, thank you! We couldn't have done it without you!!

And these fantastic mu
sicians are even available for weddings (Hint! Hint!). Well, at least until they hit the big time! And I can say I knew them when.......

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Yay! I just won an award!!!

I just received an email from Wedding Wire to let me know that I'm a 2010 Bride's Choice Award Winner. I'm so excited!! The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

AnitaWeds is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada.


Thank you to any of my couples who may have nominated me - I'm just thrilled!

I opened my email and saw this. Since it said "announce it," I'm doing just that......

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Weddings by Artists!



Planning an artsy wedding?
Looking for wedding vendors who understand you?
Check out Weddings by Artists Network to find local artists who can help make your wedding just a little more "you."

And, guess who's the current featured artist..... Give up? Click here.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

I Love My Funky New Earrings!

It all began when I was searching for an octopus pin. Well, let me back up.....

I was paging through Madeleine Albright's book, Read My Pins, in which she shares anecdotes about her pin collection. I've always liked pins and realized I hardly ever wear them. So I was determined to get a new pin - but what to get? Inspired by Ms. Albright, my new pin needed to make a statement.

So, I decided to search for an octopus pin on etsy. You see, I kinda have a thing for cephalopods. Squid, octopus, cuttlefish - I just can't get enough. They're just so darn cool! They change color, they change shape.... how can you not love them?!?

I found an octopus pin in the shop
of Mama's Little Babies. Well, doggone it - I had to keep looking at this funky little shop! My browsing led me to my other favorite - mermaids. And that's when I discovered the newest love of my life....... these Mermaid/Merman Earrings.

They arrived in the mail today and I'm ecstatic! The packaging alone sent me over the moon! They came in a cute red box with a checked ribbon, decorated with a sweet little sparrow charm. Even though I ordered the earrings myself, I felt like someone had sent me a present! Thanks for making my day, Cheri!

As you can tell, I absolutely love my new earrings. That, of course, prompted me to go back to the Mama's Little Babies shop and see what else I could find. And don't ya know it - the shop is full of fantastic little goodies! Better yet - the website has even more!!

Look at these adorable Bird Silhouette Earrings. Wouldn't these be great for bridesmaids?

And while you're shopping around, check out the Tiny Tweeters Bird's Nest Necklace. It would be perfect for a spring we
dding.

Just keep your hands off the Tattoo Guy Earrings - I saw them first!

Friday, January 8, 2010

A Wedding Profile : Steve & Renae's WInter Wedding!

So now that we're all covered in snow, I thought this would be a good time to feature a winter wedding!

Steve and Renae were married this past December, just before Christmas. Their ceremony had a beautifully intimate aura, created in part by glowing candles placed around the dimly lit room.

In addition to telling the story of how they met, their ceremony was made even more personal by the inclusion of friends and family. A special moment was when their mothers participated in the unity candle lighting. In addition, a friend shared a reading, and two others sang during the ceremony and the recessional. It was really lovely, and spoke to the meaningful relationships in their lives.

After the ceremony, the bride and groom, along with the bridal party, ventured out for photos. Renae wore a beautiful white cape, which you see here in the picture. I've admired this type of cape when I've seen them in magazines, but Renae was just spectacular in hers!

Congratulations, Steve & Renae! I know you'll enjoy a wonderfully happy life together!

Friday, January 1, 2010

Happy New Year!

I hope you found a festive way to usher in the New Year. We spent a nice, cozy evening with good friends, hot cider and lots of food. We celebrated the New Year at 10 pm (for the kids) by getting them bundled up & sending them outside to bang on big aluminum bowls and lids. For some reason, I was the only one yelling, "Happy New Year!" These kids need to learn how to let loose!

I wish you all the best for 2010. And a special wish for happiness and love to all those couples planning weddings in the coming year. Congrats!