Wedding crafts

This past May my brother married his beautiful wife! I could ask for a better sister in-law!  They had a beautiful barn wedding on a working cattle ranch.

I was so excited when she asked me to be apart of her spacial day! I have never been a bridesmaid before and I was honored to be apart of her beautiful bridal party.

How beautiful are her pictures?! This was on a roof top in Morrow Bay CA.

( I will make another post with more of her pictures when they get them back from the photographer!)

ANYWAYS

TO THE CRAFTS!

On top of being a bridesmaid I couldn't help myself but make some wedding crafts!  I ended up making a ring box, Mr. and Mrs. mason jars, drink menus and a cute 'key to a successful marriage pallet'.

This is the ring box.

I purchased an unfinished little box from Michael's craft store, stained it, added paper to the inside, glued in a little chalk board with a cute little saying and added two fake flowers to hold the rings.  It came out a lot better than I thought it would! lol.

These are the Mr. and Mrs. mason jars!

I warped twine around the jar as well as the handle and just added a little dot of glue with a hot glue gun to keep it all together.  Also hot glued the hearts on after painting them with chalk board paint.  These were an adorable addition to the sweetheart table!

The drink menus were super fun to make and came out pretty cute!

I just took some already chalk painted boards and used a chalk pen.  This was easy in the sense that if I messed up all I had to do was wash it off and try again! (took a few times).  

Last but not least here is the 'key to a successful marriage' pallet.  I had a little box with all different kind of vintage keys with tags attached with a sign that said: "write down the keys to a successful marriage" guests were to write on the tag and hang the key on the pallet.  It turned out to be really cute and fun for the bride and groom to read after the wedding!

I took an old used pallet, sanded and stained it.  I found the big keys are Hobby Lobby and attached them to the board to hold the tags.  This took a little more time than the other crafts but was definitely worth it!

Boomer & Djagno

This post is nothing but an excuse to show off my adorable little fur babies!

This is Django!

He's the sweetest little guy and always smells like pancakes! (odd yes, but I'm not complaining)

If any of you own beagles you know how stubborn they are.  This little guy is so independent I feel like he could get a job and move out if he wanted to.

This is Boomer! He's the only blue eyed full bred beagle!

This little (not so little) guy is such a mamma's boy.  He's my shadow and will do anything for a cookie.

Beagles are definitely a different breed. They are NOT like other breeds. There is now such thing as a calm and collected walk.  Beagles are on a mission to smell every little thing! So pulling is a given.  They are super stubborn but do listen when I have food in hand.  Now that they are a little older they do listen to more just in general but over all these little guys have their own agenda!  All that aside, they are the most loving and loyal little pups.  They love to cuddle and give lotsssss of kisses.  I think we all can relate to Beagles, all they want is food and love! 

Secrets of a Bridal Consultant

So after two years of being a bridal consultant there isn't one day that goes by at work that I don't think to myself "I wish she knew.....ect" so here I am! Letting out all of the 'secrets' that aren't secrets at all.  First of all I don't want this post to come off as negative or mean, I love what I do and even though I have not gone through the dress finding process myself I have helped find the dress 100's of times. I have seen it all! So here it goes, in no specific order. Some negative some positive.  I hope either one will help you and your family and your consultant with the process of finding your dress!

1. Come with a positive attitude! You would be surprised how many brides come in super pissy and annoyed saying their friends or family dragged them in. Not only is this experience supposed to be fun IT'S YOUR DAY! I'm not saying you have to be all giddy and girly (me myself am not the girly type either) BUT what I am saying is that if your friends or family are "dragging" you there then maybe you should save this experience for another day!

2.Don't bring a bunch of people! This happens alllllll the time. Brides bring up to 15 people and those appointments NEVER go good. they may end up finding the dress but there is always soooo much drama and it stresses everyone out. There is no way you are going to please 15 girls! with one dress! Brides, you say you want your friends opinions but we all know you are going to choose what you want either way. A good amount of people is under 5. Anything over that is just too many. Your dress is supposed to be a surprise! Everyone will think you look beautiful on your big day anyway! And your bridal consultant shouldn't let you look anything but amazing in your dress! ;)

3. Please don't spray tan 48 before trying dress on! (I don't think one is a secret at all but you would be surprised) A lot of wedding gown stores sell dresses off the rack and if you come in with your spray tan you may not know it but you leave not only orange streaks on the dress but a smell that will never go away!

4. Try not to wear a lot of make up. deff. not any lipstick! this goes side by side with #3.

5. I can't believe I even have to list this one, but ladies PLEASE shower! If you know you have to get undressed and try on dresses on please be respectful to the dresses and your consultant and keep up with your hygiene!

6. Style your hair. A lot of girls come in with their hair not done just in a bun or something and I would too but after seeing this effect girls so much I'm putting it on the list! A lot of brides while in the possible dress will say "oh its hard to tell with my hair all messy". I'm not saying go get it done before your appointment but if you know you are one of those girls who will want to see the whole picture, do yourself a favor and come some what done.

7. If you are not 100% ready to purchase your gown the day you go shopping. DON'T GO SHOPPING. this happens all day everyday. I completely understand wanting to shop around and I can't wait for my time to go shopping BUT not having a budget set a side or even an idea about buying a dress don't waist every ones time shopping. I see this happen to girls all the time where they come right after they get engaged and fall in love with a dress. they get so confused and frustrated. not only do they not have money for it, they are not mentally ready yet either. buying your dress for the big day is a big deal! You need to be mentally and financially ready before you go pretending to be.  Also dresses go discontinued and if you fall in love with a dress that you are not ready for it can disappear! :(

8. Buy a dress that fits you!!! Sooo many girls come in and buy dresses that are too small for them because they 'hope' to lose weight. I my self would want to lose weight before my wedding as well but the wedding dress process needs to happen 6 months before your wedding! If you are on a weight loss journey before your wedding you are probably not going to be where you want to be 6 months before the big day. That's what alterations are for! If you use a good alterations your dress will be fine! Ive seen a size 16 lace mermaid be turned into a size 4 and look BEAUTIFUL. I see it all the time that girls buy smaller dresses that cannot be let out and they end up having to pick a different off the rack dress that they didn't want :( don't let this happen to you! (if you do plan on losing weight ask your consultant for the measurements of the dress your ordered, that way you can keep track of your weight loss and make sure that you will fit into your dress!)

9. Set a budget! or at least a cap! A lot of girls when asked what their budget is say 'oh I don't have one -so you would pay $10,000?! I don't think so-. And tell your consultant! We don't care how much you can or cannot spend. We are there to help you! If its $200 that's fine! It makes it hard to help you when you are lying about how much money you can spend. It also makes a disconnect for us with you and your family, which is the last thing we want.

10. Don't judge your consultant! Girls come in with their friends and family and sometimes unfortunately judge their consultant like they should know EVERYTHING and know EXACTLY the dress. It's a learning process with each different bride. The more you all open up, the more we can help you!

11. Come with an open mind! 80% of the time brides leave with the complete opposite of what they came in for. Which is usually a struggle to get them into! Tons of brides come in with a picture of dress off Pinterest of some random google dress and say that's EXACTLY what they want and they compare everything to that dress. There are soooo many dresses out there and you never know untill you try it on! In my appointment I always bring brides dresses that they ask for and I always bring 1 'curve ball' I always tell them 'this is the curve ball, but for me try it on!' sometimes people dislike it and sometimes it ends up being exactly what they want. I mean come in! It is my job to find you a dress! Plus I see girls in dresses all the time! We know what will best suit your body type. Trust us!

12. Don't try on every dress! Anything above 10 in one appointment is ridiculous. Girls stress themselves out so much trying on so many dresses! I know it's hard to look at it like this but its just like normal shopping! If you need to go to someone elses wedding you go to a few stores, you try a few dresses, you pick one and you never wear it again! It's the same thing! Pick the dress that makes you feel beautiful and that you want to buy. There are ALWAYS going to be more dresses, you will never get to try them all on! Once you find the one you love. BUY IT!

13. There is no magic that happens when you find the dress! With all of theses shows on TV now about wedding dresses it has totally changed the out look on how you should feel when you find your dress. ITS TV PEOPLE! So many girls say, 'I love the dress but I'm not crying so it must not be it' I swear to you that in my two years of selling wedding dresses I have seen MAYBE 15 girls cry. Everyone is different! You cant count on your emotions picking the dress! ITS A DRESS! If you feel beautiful and amazing in it, its yours!

14. Trust in your decision! If you love something that your friends, family or even fiance don't. WHO CARES?! it's your dress, you should get what you like! Of course I recommend trying on different things. For example if you want a fitted sexy dress but your parents really want you in a princess dress because you are their little princess...you have to be honest with them and with yourself! So over all if you love something, you should get it!

15. Don't wait last minute! If you want what you want, give yourself time.  Sometimes dresses can take up to as much as 6 months to get! And you don't want to give yourself less than a month for alterations before your wedding.

16. Don't shop too soon! If you are getting married in over a year you probably aren't ready to purchase your dress. So many girls come in to the store because they 'can' since they have the ring on their finger. this applies back to #7. Deff. do your research and start to find designers you are interested in and styles that catch your eye but this doesn't mean go find the dress because I'm 90% sure you are going to feel weird finding your dress a year in advance and taking it home and having it sit in your closet a year before the day!

17. Try not to bring kids. I know that sometimes this is something that people can't always get around but if possible, I advise you to not.  This is probably one of the biggest distractions for brides.  This appointment is supposed to be all about you, and yes you love your children but when making such a big decision your attention needs to be on you! Also bringing kids can destroy some elses experience as well. More than a handful of times my appointment have been ruined because someone brought their 5 kids and they are running around the store yelling and crying and my bride can't concentrate on her experience. Also with so many fragile things around a bridal shop it is no place for children!

18. Make an appointment!!! A lot of places now are appointment only but even if they accept walk ins please make an appointment.  If you make an appointment we are prepared for your visit! We have an available room for you, available chairs for your party and an available consultant to work with you. If not, you and your party must wait sometimes even up to 30 min. And usually that starts off the appointment with an annoyed bride. BUT it is first come first serve. The brides that make the appointments get helped first and walk-ins get helped when there is time available.

19. Please don't ask for discounts. This puts us in a very uncomfortable position. It also makes us feel that you don't trust us.  Also remember that we do not get to choose the price of the dress. The designers give us a price that we have to sell the dress for.  This also puts us in an uncomfortable position because if we literally cannot offer you a discount we are looked at like we are just trying to get more of your money.  This is not true.

20. RELAX! so many girls come in super nervous about changing in front of a stranger. I WOULD TOO! But now, I don't think twice about it when a bride changes in front of me. ITS MY JOB! We are not judging you, that is not our job. Relax and let us help you and let us give you an amazing experience that you deserve!


So for now that is all I can think of, and if I think of anything else trust me...I will add it!
I really hope most of you take this as a good thing! This was literally made to make your dress hunting go smooth for you and your consultant. Speaking as a consultant, it is very hard job. We only ask for respect and honesty! So until I can think of anything else there it is! 20 tips to help you in buying your gown!

Please feel free to ask any questions or add any comments! :)

and to any new brides, CONGRATULATIONS! <3

braided pony tail!

Trick people into thinking you are a hair pro!

here is step by step on how to create this look!

1. start by sectioning off about a 3in. section in the middle of your hair and make a pouf to your liking and pin on the far part of your head (close to were the pony tail will be)

2. french braid one side of hair and continue to the end and tie off with a small rubber band

3. french braid other side of hair and when you reach the back of your head take all the rest of your hair and put it into a high pony tail (excluding the full braid)

4. take the end of the braid and wrap it around the base of the pony tail and secure with a bobby pin!

'I have done this look with curly hair and in my opinion it looks a lot neater and cuter with straight hair!'

 

Good luck girls! Let me know how it works out for you!



e.l.f nail polish in 'Mint Green' $2!

Adorable nail polish for only $2.00...How could I resist?! #BALLINONABUDGET

e.l.f essential nail polish in 'Mint Green'

This is definitely one of my new FAVORITE nail polishes!

I ordered it from the e.l.f website for only $2.00! This is two coats and no top coat, so as you can see it is very shiny on its own.  The formula is very smooth and not runny or streaky. (but I do recommend two coats)

I'm eager to try more colors from e.l.f, let me know how e.l.f nail polish has treated you and if there are any colors that are a MUST HAVE

Want that gel nail look without going to the salon and spending $$$?! Here's how!

So as we all know I am a baller on a budget and that means I have to find inexpensive ways to beauty-fy myself without spending all the bucks! #GIRLPROBLEMS.  And this my friends, is something that I am SO happy that I found! just bummed I didn't find it sooner. My best friend and my mom have already bought a bottle after seeing how well it looked/worked!

I bought this at my local Sally Beauty Supply store for only $5!

Gelous Nail Gel is a product that will naturally fortify the nail and add thickness. crazy right?! I didn't believe it until I used it. This bonds directly to the nail as a protective barrier and locks your nail polish on taking no prisoners! be sure you want your color for a while because

this stuff does not let go. This also will make your nails stronger and keep them from peeling.

 So it's called a gel but it has the same consistency as a normal nail polish, maybe a little bit thicker but I definitely wouldn't consider it a gel. But I understand why it's called that because once it is dry you have visible thickness! I don't think you can tell in the picture but my nails have the same feeling and thickness as they do when I get gel nails at the salon. and trust me I am NO expert at painting my nails. I used this as a base coat and a top coat and my nails haven't chipped in 6 days! I'm usually lucky if I make it to the end of the day. I'm super rough on my hands so I am extra surprised that I don't have any fading or chipping.

This is 6 days after using Gelous as a base and top coat.

Also the polish I am wearing is Wet n Wild-megalast and the color is 'On a trip'. I believe it was $1.50

 

I am so used to changing my polish at least every 3 days due to fading and chipping so I'm going to have to get used to having 1 color for so long! I will do an up-date when I start to notice chipping.

Let me know if you love this product as much as I do or if you have other hidden treasures that I need my hands on! or on my hands... ;)

 

 

UPDATE!

This was 4 days after I posted the blog. Still not even that bad for 10 days!

It held its shine but started to chip at the top.