Mindy, Mehndi, coincidence? i think not.

My friend Emma once took me with her when she got her first tattoo... It was a simple (yet expensive as hell ) tattoo that consisted of nothing more than a black circle, with a crescent moon on either side. (something like this:

)O(

a simple pagan symbol to celebrate her dedication to her religion and to prove she wasn't one of those crazy girls from middle school who thought Harry Potter was a documentary, or swore they'd curse you with their "book of shadows" which was really just a diary they wrote dark poetry in.

Ever since then, (okay, even before then) i've wanted my own tattoo. But as expensive as they are, i just simply cannot afford one. (and even if i could, there's the weight issue... if i end up losing all this, i don't want that tattoo to look like pudding later on...)
One design i'd always had my heart set on, (and still do to this day!) Is a dragonfly. But not just any dragonfly... a henna dragonfly. (Why a dragonfly? Long story involving my grandfather and fairy tales... maybe later.)

Actually... (and it took a while to find o.O) THIS dragonfly.. is the one i want. I guess it's more tribal than henna.... but it's henna to me.

What is henna you ask? It's amazing. it's beautiful. it's cultural. and it's something i'm totally doing on my wedding night. (possibly part of the spa-night i mentioned in the last post!) That didn't explain much did it? well... let me go into detail, haha.

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(According to Wikipedia....)

Henna, by definition is... "a flowering plant used since antiquity to dye skin, hair, fingernails, leather and wool."

(found the picture Here, but apparently the work is from Here.)

Used since the Bronze age (3300–1200 BC), to dye all sorts of materials -- everything from skin, hair, fingernails, wool, leather, cotton, etc. It's often ground into a paste (using either dried powder or fresh leaves) and placed in delicate and intricate patterns on the skin and left to dry anywhere from a few hours, to overnight. (the longer it's left to dry, usually determines how dark the pattern will be.). Depending on several variables (Skin type, quality of the henna used, amount of time left to dry, etc., etc., etc....) can determine how long the henna will last. This can vary anywhere between a few days, to an entire month!

Areas of the world (most likely the ones that grew it naturally... like the Jews, the Muslims, Hindus, Christians, and Soraoastrians -- among others) often celebrated marriages by adorning the bride (and sometimes the groom) with intricate Henna patterns and designs.

(It's been said that the Mother or Mother-in-law of the bride -- among her bridesmaids -- will decorate the bride, hiding her name in Hindi somewhere on her body. The couple are then not allowed to consummate the marriage until the groom has found her name. (I'm guessing this is to help with foreplay, but who knows, haha.)

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Mehndi -- as it's also called -- is an amazing art form practiced for hundreds of years and honestly, is something i completely, without a shadow of a doubt, know I want to do for my wedding. It's extremely gorgeous, extremely earthy, and completely something i'd do. (and have done... i had a kit once i bought for a friend's birthday party and we did Henna all night. It was a ton of fun even if it didn't last very long... but eh, we were beginners, and the kit was old. haha.. actually i think i still have some left o.O)

But yeah. The process is simple enough and you can find tons of sites to buy the kits and powder and tools from. Just google it a bit and you'll be overflowing with Henna supplies. (and it's super cheap too! Kudos!)

--Cake42

Penis Overload in 3....2...1.....

I got to talking to my Mum recently when she revealed she never really had a bachelorette party. (Hen Night, etc.) And apparently neither did Dad. They spent the whole night alone together watching movies and drinking wine -- and as that might sound romantic to some of you, i know there are others out there reading this feeling appalled.

Although i won't exactly say no to staying home drinking daiquiris and watching The Labyrinth for the billionth time, all snuggled up under the quilt with the soon-to-be hubbs, it's not my idea of "my last night unmarried." -- Then again I'm definitely not fond of having wiggly Penis Antennae balanced on my head with a matching sparkly veil, all while having beer poured down my breasts in a "Future Mrs. Champion" t-shirt. There's just something not all that appealing about having male reproductive organs plastered all over my body while i get boozed at a bar and pass out drunk the night before my wedding. Nope, not into it. But what can a somewhat conservative girl do for a Hen night that doesn't involve Phallic objects and copious amounts of alcohol?

Well I've come to the conclusion that i don't drink. I don't dance. And although I'd love to have the boys from "Thunder from Down Under" dance across my lap a few times, I live too far from Vegas for that little fantasy to happen. So what's left for me to do? muahahaha. I have plans. Evil plans!

Okay not really evil. just, soft. squishy. and full of equally hot men. I never really had a lot of "Girls Nights", but the few i did had usually ended up with bad prank calls and waking up Emma's mom... anyways, we were all too tomboyish to do makeovers and hairdos, and we were all too poor to get group mani/pedis and too embarrassed to go get waxed together o.O Pierced, maybe. Tattoos? definitely. Girl Stuff? never. haha. But now that we're all grown adults (or at least pretending) We've discovered the wonders of doing girly things. (some of us even had to rethink everything we thought we knew when Kaitlyn bought a dress all on her own without being cattle-prodded into the store and forced with a voodoo doll and chains!). So you know what? Why not. I'm going to have a Spa night for my Bachelorette party!

(This will probably also involve some type of "girly" alcoholic drink in limited amounts, and a Johnny-Depp movie marathon... but that's besides the point.)

And... i'm going to share a few secrets with you. Ssshh.. ;-)

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First off? If you're not all that crafty (and it's okay, some of us aren't!) I've got a few tips that can help you make it feel handmade, even if your hands weren't the ones to make it. These "buy-it-now" options will be the first link.
If you are the queen of craft, then the 2nd links will be geared towards you. :-D

1. Firstly, lavender anything is perfect. (not the color, the flower). Aromatherapy is one amazing little tool when one wishes to relax and calm yourself. (especially the night before your wedding!) Lavender itself is very helpful in reducing headaches, and calming the senses. Setting you in a quiet, calm, zen mood.
Now you can light lavendar candles, use lavender body scrub, shampoo, anything you like really... but this little find on Etsy made me squeal. a Lavender eye pillow. If you're like me -- you get a headache from all this planning. What better than a soft weight on your eyelids, shutting out any and all light, and soothing your nerves with sweet sweet scents. At $10.00? it's a complete steal. Amazing.
Want to make your own Lavender-infused goodies?

• Lavender Bath Bombs! -- These are freaking to-die-for. i love these. I've made a batch myself using vanilla and lavender and they're perfect! They make your skin so soft and pretty and fill your entire bathroom with fantastic smells for like a week. haha. (Although it might be a bit creepy to have all your girls in the house taking bath after bath after bath o.O i think i'd put these in a gift-bag for them).
  
• Lavender infused soaps! -- Back in botany class (sophomore year, sheesh long time ago o.O) when we were studying essential oils, Ms. Barbee (one of my all-time favorite teachers) taught us how to make soap. (okay we cheated kind of, but it was super dangerous to make it with the lye and all in an enclosed space in the middle of winter o.O) So here's the easy way. Simple, quick, and super customized! (If you're curious about where to get the soap to melt in the first place, try your local craft store. Chances are, they'll have it. If not? google it. you can usually find super cheap places to buy your ingredients needed!)

2. One of the things i seem to always need (and after i buy it i always lose it... i swear there's a colony of these in my closet somewhere plotting world destruction....) is chapstick. Well, whether you're a fan of the finger-spread method, or the stick-method, I've got finds for both.

• Orange Buttercream Lip Candy -- The name even sounds eatable. o.O "MySpaSecrets" has a ton of awesome scrumptious soaps and chapsticks that are too-good-not-to-try. And (apparently?) according to the feedback, is also edible. yummy!
• Vanilla Strawberry Lip Balm -- (This is a how-to!) You could totally do this super-easy (and moderately cheap) thing at home and substitute the extracts/oils for others of your choosing. (Just be careful! too much flavoring/extract can be horrible o.O talking from experience here...)

3. What Spa party would be complete without a bathrobe!? Something soft and fluffy and oh-so-comfortable! While i'm sure you could just as easily use one of your old ones, or pick one up at your local bath store (or Walmart... they have them too o.O) These are way more fun.

• "Just Married" Bridal Bathrobe. -- I have to admit. i want one of these, haha. I've never been one of those girls who want the "Future Mrs. so-and-so" undies, or the "Bride-to-be" t-shirts... but this is too cute. and about 60 dollars? perfect.
• A more intermediate project, a "DIY" bathrobe. The plus side to this? YOU can decide how large and roomy to make it, how short, how long, what color, etc. etc. etc..... bad side? If you mess up, that's an expensive boo-boo o.O but, if you're confident in your sewing skills (i know i'm not o.O) Then go for it.
  

4. Okay okay, i know. i'm stalling.... but honestly? there are tons of face-masks and scrubs out there for pretty much every type of skin imaginable! I still haven't found one that's perfect for me! (but that's because my skin is psycho and changes personalities every two or three days. One day we're oily, one day we're dry. One day we'll behave, the next (somtimes in mere hours even...) We're covered in acne and blackheads. Nice...) But i will share with you what wonders i've found... (so far...)

• Charcoal Detox Mask -- One thing Ms. Barbee always hounded us on, was the use of our essential oils. Teatree oil, Eucalyptis, and Jajoba were her favorites and rightly so! They're amazing for skin and hair and work wonders where you think miracles could never happen. "Wicked Soaps" -- who claims not to be a doctor or play one on tv, haha -- sells a --dare i say? --"Wicked" detox mask including Lavender and Teatree oil.
• Granny Smith Apple Facial Scrub -- Okay okay, i'm a sucker for themes... But since my wedding is Harvest-themed, this was too cute to pass up. (and yes it's another buy-me-now option...) Sugar scrubs are at the top of my list when it comes to facials, and when combined with the tantalizing scent of green apples? How could one possibly pass this up??? SkinCandy By Tiffany, you have my vote.
  
• Cucumber Face Mask -- When i think of Spa days (other than scrunching up my nose and thinking of ritzy people spending thousands on new nails and rediculously priced pampering...) I think of cucumbers. It might be because of cartoons, or it might be because of movies, i have no idea. But this just seems right to me. Also? easy to follow, and probably tasty too o.O Organic man. totally.
• Chocolate-Oat Facial Mask -- There's nothing better than Chocolate. nothing. maybe sex, but other than that, nothing is better than chocolate. Especially when you can slather it on your face and not feel like a four year old at a birthday party. A simple how-to with simple ingredients. Mmmm.... Just... try not to eat it will you?

Now as lovely as all those tips are, I happen to have word from the woman herself. The lady who actually got me into doing spa-stuff. My botany teacher Ms. Barbee. This fantastic woman actually emailed me the list of stuff we used to do in botany class the week before prom night that made our skin glow, our hair shine, and the boys like putty in our hands... and now? i share them with you all. (Because you love me... right?)

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Hair Rinse
(For Dark Hair):

• Rosemary Oil
• Jajoba Oil
• Water

-- Add 3 drops of Rosemary oil, and 1 drop of Jajoba Oil per every 1 quart of water. Rinse through your hair thoroughly to remove impurities. (Can also be added to conditioner).

(For Light hair):

• Chamomile Oil
• Lemon Oil
• Water

-- Add 2 drops of Chammomile Oil (or 1 cup Chammomile Tea) and 1 drop Lemon Oil per 1 quart water. Rinse through your hair thoroughly to remove impurities. (Can also be added to conditioner)

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Bath/Massage Oil:

• Essential Oil of your choice
  
• Grapeseed/Sweet Almond/Apricot Kernal oil (either will work fine).
  

Mix 1 part essential oil, to 5 parts grapeseed, Sweet almond, or Apricot Kernal oil. Seal in an airtight container. To use, Spoon ONE tablespoon into your bath water, or use as normal massage oil.

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The Infamous Sugar/Salt Scrub:

• Grapeseed oil (Could also use Safflower/Sweet Almond/Apricot Kernal oil)
  
• White Sugar, or Salt
  
• Dried Rosemary/Lavender/Chamomile/Kelp (optional)
• Jajoba Oil/Avacado Oil/Lavender Oil/Rosemary Oil/Peppermint Oil (Optioinal)
• Scented Oil of your choosing (Optional)

Combine 1 cup Grapeseed Oil, and 3/4 cup Sugar in a medium bowl. Stir until combined. You can use as-is now, or you can add 20-30 drops (total) any oil of your choosing for scents, or any of the above-listed oils for better skin. (Jajoba - repairs skin damage, Avacado - Moisturizes, Lavender - Antibacterial).

*Do NOT use Peppermint, Rosemary Oil, or Salt on the face or "other sensitive areas". To use as a Face-scrub, use ONLY sugar or the remaining oils. otherwise it will burn like hell.

*Make sure if you are using oils NOT MENTIONED above, that they're approved for use on skin!

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Dusting Powder:

• Essential oil of your choosing
• Talcum Powder
  

-- Add 10-15 drops of desired oil to every 1 cup of Talcum powder. (If you do not wish to use Talcum powder, you may substitute 8 ounces Arrowroot (or cornstarch) with 4 ounces baking soda). Mix well and store in airtight container.

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And that's all i've got for you today my loves. If you have your own spa-day feel free to post pictures, links, recipes, or stories here! I know i'd love to hear them. (Heck if you post an entire story, i may even make you a feature on the blog. oooh... internet celebrity. nifty.)

-Cake42

My subconcious has a sick sick mind....

Okay so... ::looks at the clock:: it's currently 3:41 in the morning, on a wednesday. For some godforsaken reason, my brain has decided that 3:10am was a good time to wake up. Not only were my eyes forced open, i think my i caught my head having a party without me.

(Kind of like a parent coming home from a trip while their highschooler babysat the house, and they walked in on a party in full swing o.O) yeah. Because apparently? I didn't notice it at first, but i slowly started humming the Time Warp song. (i've only been exposed to this song and the movie it stars in for like, two weeks maybe? yeah.... i blame the hubs.) anyways, yes. i thought i'd share this lovely little jewel with you all.



Plus side? It'd make an easy fun dance song at your wedding. Bad side? you'll get a lot of wierd stares from your older more conservative family members who are wondering what kind of song this is. Then even wierder stares, as somebody whispers to them it's about a mad scientist transvestite from outer space. *sigh*

Damn you brain. damn you.

-Cake42

Red and Yellow and Pink and green.... Purple and Orange and Bluuuuue.....

I saw a rainbow today! :-D it made me think of how awesome it would be to have a rainbow on your wedding day, and how it kind of ties in with the "if it rains on your big day, it means good luck and prosperity!"

Anyways, i thought for the fun of it, i'd make a Rainbow Inspro board. (and because i'm trolling around Etsy and google waiting on the cookies to get done...) So what do we get? This lovely thing.

(not sure why it turned out soo blurry?)

1. No self-respecting Rainbow wedding could go without a rainbow wedding dress. Though this one's not for sale, the bride who had it, had a wonderful imagination and perfectly executed her plan.
   
2. Though this is meant for a super small toddler, this dress is just too adorable not to be a flower girl dress. Look at all the tulle!
3. Rainbow cake!! Think of the sound of gasps across the room as you and your hubby cut into the perfect pristine white cake, only to let out an explosion of color! Woohoo!
4. Rainbow stockings underneath the dress? Definitely. I would totally wear these underneath my own dress if i could find a pair that fits!
5. Rainbow headbands to coordinate your brides!
6. This bouquet (according to the website) is not photoshopped. They're actual roses injected with dye to make them tie-dye awesome.
   
7. Organza gift bags dyed in rainbow colors would make perfect favor bags.
   
8. Those who know me, know i'm nuts over dragonflies, and when i came across this pendant on Etsy i think i fangirl squealed o.O It's gorgeous. truly truly gorgeous.
   
9. The favors for a rainbow wedding could be practically anything, but these homemade colorful chapsticks are useful and give a welcome splash of color!
10. I literally looked everywhere to find a rainbow-related ring that wasn't quarter-machine cheapo, or too gaudy for my own tastes. (If you like the chunky stuff, go for it!) but i though this was a neat twist.
    
11. Why not dye your hair to match your dress? Who needs a veil!? just stick a few barrettes in, or a couple of bright and neon flowers and you've got your own adorable accent nobody will ever forget! (and it's super easy too!)
12. Gotta have something for the grooms. I mean, why do the girls get to have all the fun? what's more playful than rainbow lego cufflinks!? match this with a brightly colored tie and vest and you've got one handsome man.
    
13. Another idea (and cheap!) for favors, are homemade rainbow crayons. Just cut them to size, melt them in some tin foil, and you've got a instant rainbows anywhere you go!
14. I love the idea of mismatched bridesmaids the more i think about it. When i first started looking all i could think is "But look at them! their dresses are all different sizes and shades of color!" but now that i've got 8 bridesmaids and a maid of honor -- all coming in different shapes, sizes, heights, and busts, i'm seeing the light of mismatched girlies. These? were well played. very gorgeous!
15. Found these the other day on Etsy and i totally want to make my own. They're upcycled crayola box fronts turned into useable notepads. Perfect for favors. (or if you could get one of those HUGE boxes of like, 600 crays, you could turn it into your guest book and have a bowl of crayons beside it so your guests can write you some rainbow wishes!)
16. Yet another Etsy find. Adorable paper butterflies. you could stick these in bouquets, on some swags, cupcakes, anything you like. too cute not to get.
    
17. Last but not least, i had SOOOO much trouble finding a pair of shoes that would match this theme! everything was either stiletto heels, or super chunky sandals with hardly any color... But i found these. I'm rather happy with them. (i think i'd like to have mine in white though for a wedding, but i would wear these anywhere just as they are!).
    

So that's it. all i could grab off the net for a rainbow wedding on the fly. Though i'll probably never have such a technicolor wedding, it's fun to dream. ;-)

-Cake42

There are tumbleweeds making nests in my inbox....

Cake porn!

Okay, i felt like making a few cake inspro boards, because Jim was spamming me with cake designs, haha. He really seems to like Sakura blossoms o.O (he'd graft his brain to an asian guy if he had the chance, haha -- he loves anything Asian. the culture, the art, the stories, all of it. and i don't blame him, it's enchanting!) anyways, here's *his* inspro board. (put together by me. I only have a few cites too btw, if you happen to know where these came from, please let me know so i can post them beneath here. he didn't send me the links, only the pictures.)


Okay first off...

• the top left, he wants to make it very clcear he doesn't like the color. just the blossoms. Honestly i'm not a fan of the thickness of the branches, or the height/thickness of the cake. too thin for me o.O looks like it'd feed 8 people total....
• Top Middle -- one we both agreed on. It's square (more people / cake ratio) and it has the sakura blossoms. Unfortunately, the blossoms are just a little odd and out-of-place in an october harvest-themed wedding o.O
  
• Top Right -- Ahaha... okay, this was meant to be a placeholder, and i ended up leaving it there. We're both huge fans of Dr. Who, and this is by far the best Dalek cake i've ever seen. (dude... it moves o.o amazing...)
• Mid Left -- oooooooh pretty. I remember back in my sophomore year i made a gingerbread church that had stained glass windows made of candy. they weren't nearly as intricate and beautiful as these... looks christmassy though in this picture.
  
• Center -- Okay i'm going to say this right now. I HATE the color. flat out hate it. (but it's probably because on my screen it's glowing neon magenta... ew.) but the roses -- as he suggested -- would be replaced with something like those sakura blossoms. too many flowers for me o.O
• Mid right -- Caaaaan you feeeeeeeeeel the looooooooooove toniiiiiiiiiight? Ok, that was mean. but it reminds me of the lion king. haha. i wonder if we could get giraffe bride and groom cake toppers? (or maybe more like a giraffe in a top hat, and an elephant/hippo in a veil? haha. oh i'm mean to myself.)
• Bottom Left -- I rather like the neat stencil pattern they used there. Its really unique. :-) however, he likes the color. I? do not. I dislike pink. and lavendar. and pretty much everything pastel. The oval shape is neat though. :-D
• Bottom Center -- more sakura blossoms. but this time on a circular cake.
  
• Bottom Right -- "An Irish Wedding Cake" he says. Okay. i don't like the roses. (i think roses are over done in weddings honestly...) but i do like the iced effect rather than the use of fondant. Very pretty :-D

Overall babe? i love your choices, but i think we need to tone down on the sakura blossoms, haha. Maybe if we did the cake to look like ancient parchment painted in chinese ink style with the mountains and the trees in blue and black ink, and had the blossoms coming off the cake like 3d effect it could work -- maybe even be closer to the color pallete... but not pink, haha. like you said -- more 1st anniversary or something XD


Now for my inspro cake board.

• Top Left -- The cake topper is a golden tree constructed of -- what looks like -- wire and beads. Considering we're pagan i think it's an adorably crafty nod to our religion without screaming pentagrams and goddess symbols. (bah. i lost the link to this one.. if anybody sees it lying around somewhere, could you send it to me? much thanks!)
• Top Center -- I've been toying around with the idea of using little circles of wood for all kinds of things, but as far as i've gotten is maybe place setters... but since we're going to do more of a potluck dinner (more on that later), it's really informal, and there's no real need for place setters o.O so when i saw these i absolutely squealed with girlish joy. Way better than laser cut designs. It's a wooden cupcake. haha.
• Top Right -- (not sure where this link got to either, but it's raspberry chocolate cupcakes...) We can't have strawberries on our cake (our favorite fruit...) due to family allergies, so what's the next best thing? well.. it's red, it has a lot of seeds, and when paired with chocolate it's almost better than sex..... Raspberries. ooooh baby yeah. that was about the only thing inspro from those was the flavor.... lol
• Mid Left -- Mmmm... chocolate... *insert Homer Simpson drool sound here*. I love this cake. It's got the gold, and the metallic greens and autumny colors i've been dying to get my hands on! not too overly done like with flowers... perfect.
• Center -- Sort of stained-glass-y yet autumny. perfect! yet it seems a little empty. (a pumpkin spice, or chai tea cake would be amazing inside that fondant...)
• Mid Right -- For those of you who don't know it yet, i have a thing for dragonflies... so pairing it up with stained glass like this? Wow. just.. wow. All of it was hand-piped too, no stick-on sugar things on this baby!
• Cupcake 6 -- Banana cupcakes with maple brown butter frosting. Holy jeezus on a pogo stick... this is why i love "ming makes cupcakes". Those things look so good i can practically smell them!
• Cupcake 10 -- Apple cupcakes with Caramel frosting. (Another fantastic recipe from "ming makes cupcakes". Again with the caramel apple theme... but very elegantly done! gorgeous.
• Bottom Left -- (missing another link.. gah. Mozilla hates me i swear it. Damn fox.) Okay okay, i know i know. i get on Jim for his sakura thing, he can get on me for my caramel apples. but at least mine fits with the October theme... -- These are apple spice cupcakes covered in fondant and decorated with nuts to look like caramel apples. awesome idea. :-D (just keep away from those with allergies.)
• Bottom Center -- (Mozilla you sly bastard. stop losing my links! -_-) the leaves used to cover the cupcake (instead of a soft-serve style mountain of icing...) is too cute. the blended colors are just too pretty to eat! mmm... but what kind of cupcake to go inside? ooooh the sweet possibilities....

(As soon as i find/get the links to those missing pictures i will be sure to update them!)


So that's it for cake porn for now! Ah... but what to do about the next post? (from now on there's probably going to be a two-to-three day wait between posts so i have time to finish knitting and cleaning and etc... but expect random updates. going to be working on a new header for the site too as soon as i can get my photoshop up and running. Paintshop pro died on me quite recently, so i'm using the Hubs' photoshop. Farewell my Sims 2... you shall be missed. Hello gorgeous art program. ooooh baby.

-Cake42

Meh. Socks.

Bleh. been sick the past few days, so i've resorted to loom knitting. (because i'm clueless when it comes to conventional means of knitting with two or more needles... and because none of my family (alive) knows how to knit/crochet o.O) So yes. I made two hats, a set of ears for a hat i completely mangled, and a sock. it's huge and needs to be felted probably, but i made a sock. I'm making a new pair of socks, but i fear i might run out of bright purple yarn. *insert-sad-face-here* anyways! enough with knitting knifty things. (har-har...) I honestly couldn't find myself posting anything knitting-related when it comes to my own wedding as i see most of it as itchy and i'm just beginning to learn how to use the darn thing... (i'd need a SUPER fine loom to make my own lace, haha...) but who knows? I'm sure if one's crazy enough about it, you could even knit/crochet your own garter belts. haha. ITCHY itchy itchy i say!

Anyways, ONWARD!

Since my decorating of mother's cake for mother's day/Birthday (the 9th of may), Jim and I have been thinking about doing our own wedding cake. This brought up the following subjects.

• How much cake are we really going to need? (how many people are coming?)
• What is everybody allergic to? (Rachel and Uncle Joe = Strawberries, Cousin Kimberly = Peanuts, Me = Coconut!)
  
• What flavors don't taste like elephant manure?
  
• What cakes types/flavors are best for stacking/layering/icing into a wedding-cake shape?
• Do we want a traditional wedding-cake-shape?
• What kind of icing should we use? (Fondant? Glaze? Regular out-of-the-can icing?)
• What kind of decorations are we capable of? (Keep away from the Kroger's Cake Aisle!)
• What kind of colors do we like?
  
• How many layers??

The point is, we had a lot of questions. So far however, it seems we've come to something similar in taste. first off? We like the idea of having a smaller wedding cake. nothing that's 22 stories tall and requires one of those scissor lifts to cut. We want something where we won't be rushing people to the hospital because we forgot about Auntie Dianne's food allergy, (or dye allergy if we dye our own fondant! I remember a few kids from elementary school who were allergic to red food coloring o.O).

One thing i know for sure, is that i want us to be "unique". (the bane of DIY brides everywhere! *cry*) but by "unique" i mean something we made ourself, that we put our heart and soul into. not "something funky and out-of-the-ordinary!" because there's already a lot of brides out there who have tried that. Take the overly popularized Topsy Turvy cake. I've seen so many of these i'm sick of them. I mean, there's nothing wrong with them -- they're cute and adorable and brightly colored and look as though they're about to topple over and would be perfect for a mad-hatter's tea party... but that's just it. my wedding isn't going to be a Mad hatter's tea party. So i'm not going to be pressured into buying one. They're not my style, they're not my idea of "wedding."

===========================

Well, let's take things one step at a time. This doesn't mean we'll settle on an exact cake today -- we will most definitely be doing some practice cakes over the next year and a half to decide if a DIY cake is right for us. (and trust me, you'll all get spammed with photos and recipes. this i promise.)

• First off, let's discuss amount of cake. I know this can seem a daunting task (and will probably cause many arguments with friends and family...) but decide how many people are going to be at your wedding. You don't have to send out invitations just yet (especially if you're like me and are a year-and-a-half early o.O all my family would forget it a week after they got the invite since the date's so far away!) but at least sit down and decide about how many people. (It might be easier if you sit down with your mother/father and mother/father -in-law and discuss it, that way you won't be forgetting anybody!)
• Once you have an approximate amount of people, decide on how much cake you'll need to FEED said group of people. (The amazing wonderful people at DIYbride posted a perfect chart to help brides decide a little easier. They've also done a post about DIY'ing your own cake, and deciding whether or not it's the right thing for you! Definitely worth a looksee.) Keep in mind that the usual piece of wedding cake is smaller in size than a real slice of cake you'd bake at home...
• Speaking of family, you might want to call up friends and relatives and ask them a quick question or two about food allergies. For example, if you're having a Reeces cup wedding cake, make sure that nobody's allergic to peanuts! Or if you're like me, you don't smother your big-day-dessert in your favorite fruit (strawberries...) or your uncle and your sister-in-law-to-be will be puffed up like pinatas. Bad idea. As i mentioned above in my list, find out if anyone's allergic to food dyes either. (Especially if you're going organic. You never know if somebody's allergic to blueberries or beets!)
• Next? browse the internet, or some old cook books and write down some types of cake you're willing to try. If you're having a beach wedding, why not try something key-lime? Try grandma's old German Chocolate recipe, or even go out of the ordinary and try a chai spice or an Eggnog! (Flavors of the season can be great inspiration too! Since we're doing something in October, i can see us playing off the spices usually found in Pumpkin Pies and Apple cider! Mmmm... Caramel!) (I'll post some helpful and yummy links at the bottom to help you guys out with some inspiration and AWESOME recipes!)
  
• The next thing i'd suggest? Bake. Bake a lot. Bake all kinds of cake until you're sick and tired of seeing cake, and the next cupcake to cross your path is being gouged with a sharpie until it's nothing but smears of icing and bloodied crumbs. (okay maybe not bloody o.O) If you have to, make a list, and bake them off one by one. Try different icings, fillings, toppings, layers, etc. You'll eventually narrow the list down to one (or three...) you want.
  
• Now comes the really hard part. Icing. Once you've decided on your cake, you have to decide what to cover it with. (If you're going to at all. some cakes are perfect the moment you tip them out of the pan! :-D) Though there are practically endless possibilities for coverings, it seems the most popular choice lately has been Fondant. (Fondant is a thick dough-like icing that can be rolled out like sugar-cookie-dough and wrapped around a cake (first thinly iced with a "crumb coat" of icing...) to give it a smooth appearance.) Fondant can be shaped, molded, painted, pinched, hardened, sculpted, all kinds of things. It's like better-tasting playdo. But for grown ups. and it's actually edible. (If you buy the right kind.) Some Fondant tastes like dirty pool water. BEWARE. Some? Tastes like heaven in your mouth. You simply have to buy/try what's best. If you're ballsy, you CAN make it yourself and decide what it will taste like. If not? go out and buy it. DIYbride has an entire section dedicated to fondant. Read it. lol. (they did their research. I'm poor and did not.)
• Another (and more elegant and DIY-looking approach) is just regular out-of-the-can (or homemade if you're crafty like that...) Icing. Though it's a bit harder to control, and doesn't always cooperate when you want it to, it does give your cake a handmade feel. It's also (usually) more pleasing to people who have had bad experiences with Fondant and may not be willing to forgive and forget their differences. All kinds of decorations can be achieved with simple dollar-store (or Wal-mart.. haha) piping tools that are easy to come by, and will do wonders once used properly. (This will take a lot of practice, so you may want to grab some foam, or some cardboard and a jumbo-tub of icing and practice for a few hours before attempting something like realistic flowers or perfect beading.)
  
• One amazing (but totally rich...) idea is Modelling Chocolate. It's totally expensive, but totally good. It's like fondant, but Chocolatey and amazing. I'm not sure where you can get this as of yet... (i'll keep looking though!) but i'm gonna guess you can get it from your local restaurant supply store. (or you can try and make it yourself, but i've no idea what goes into such a wonderous thing as modelling chocolate.)
  
• IF your cake doesn't like to be icened, covered in fondant, or wrapped in chocolate (oh my!), then you can always opt for a glaze. Lemon glaze, caramel glaze, Chocolate glaze, all kinds of amazing glazes can be achieved with (sometimes) less ingredients than the latter three. They can (of course) be used in conjunction with the other three options, or simply poured over the cake itself. (Throw on some berries and some chocolate shavings and we've got a party! haha.) The thicker it is, the more like ganache it can be, and the more decadant the dessert.
  

Now Decorating your cake is completely up to you. There are millions of ways to stack and arrange them, as well as an endless amount of outside decorations that can be used. Feeling romantic? Buy some roses from your local flowershop and place them in between tiers, or flowing down the side. Feeling nerdy? Sculpt your cake into a Dalek or stick some action figures on there for good measure! Wanting Autumny? Use some autumn flowers (They can be made of fondant, or even bought from a craft store! but i wouldn't suggest using real ones... they crack and crumble too easy and that's not good eats...). It's entirely up to you.

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I hear you i hear you it's okay. Not everybody wants a cake for their wedding! That's perfect! the more personalized it is for you, the better. the more intimate the affair and less cookie-cutter bride! (unless you want cookies. you could do cookies o.O)

A popular trend lately has been cupcakes. And although i think it's entirely overdone, i will admit, i love the damn things. They're a perfect portion of cake, slathered in icing, and decorated as a personal hunk of sweet. Depending on how many people are at your wedding, you could easily pull off a cupcake tower. (Jim and I have been talking about doing a combination of small cake and cupcakes... but more about that later!) Just be sure you know the approximate number of people showing up (this might have to be done after the RSVP's are sent out or else you could end up with too many or too few cupcakes!) and then ROUND UP. Keep in mind there may be some people who will want seconds. or thirds. or twenty seconds. (if they go back for more than two or three though you may have to set up some security gaurds with fly swatters and rolled up newspapers...)

Another adorable idea is that of the wedding pie. Instead of the grandeur of a layered cake, or the cuteness of millions of cupcakes lined up on a table, there's a pie. (usually with more pies around seeing as one pie doesn't usually feed a group of 50+...) This is definitely a DIY touch that's perfect for a backyard bbq wedding, or something simple and homey. (or if you just really like pie o.O) I've toyed with the idea of having a couple decorated pumpkin pies at our wedding as side-desserts, but not the main thing. But if you want to have your DIYcake and eat it to, Pie may be your way to go.

Brownies, cookies, ice cream, anything you want can take the place of your wedding cake. You could probably even have a huge bowl of greasy bacon if your heart so desires it. Me? i'm sticking with cake tyvm.

It seems so far Jim and I have decided on only a few things about our cake. *sigh*. We *do* want a cake, and we're going to try for fondant. He's not allowed to make the icing. (No baby. just... no.) and we'd love to have not only cake (probably in two or three separate flavors, designated by layer...) but a few cupcakes as well. (The Grooms cake*). We're not really into box-mixes, and we can't have strawberry (nuuuuu! *sob*). We love autumn leaves, and earthy bits. and we totally want that cake stand there. We've no idea if we're having a cake topper or not, and there will definitely be chocolate somewhere. And that's as far as we've gotten it.

*Grooms cake = Since most of the wedding is "about the bride" a lot of brides get together with a cake decorator or a friend, and make the groom a cake that's symbolic to him. These are usually extremely nontraditional and really unique and artsy. I've seen everything from the bridge of the star trek enterprise, a box of cigars, his dog, to an x-box. (But a grooms-cake does not necessarily mean it's for the groom. though these are usually wild and crazy cakes that aren't tiered and usually shaped like objects, They can also be for the bride, but are still called grooms-cakes. Weird huh?)

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Helpful links and junk

• DIYbride wrote a few amazing posts about DIY wedding cakes and deciding if they're right for you. Totally worth a read.
• Ming Makes Cupcakes is an awesome blog/website dedicated to the most nontraditional mouth watering cupcakes i've ever seen. (Malted milk ball, Caramel Apple, Key lime, Chocolate Beet!)
• How to Eat a Cupcake is my latest favorite thing to stalk. er... follow. The writer is extremely fun to read and really does some amazing recipes. To the right, she even has a few drop-down menus that allow you to pinpoint certain recipes. Cupcakes, icing, brownies, breads, savories, and etc! Awesome with an A.
• The Broke-Ass bride has an awesome sense of humor as well as helpful advice. Considering the name, you can probably guess there are a lot of money-saving tips there and a few DIY projects. The wit in each post is worth reading in and of itself so stop by and stalk her for a while.
• Cut-out and Keep is a community-run craft website with millions of How-to's and inspirational projects. There is literally everything on this website. It will teach you how to cook chicken, bake a rainbow cake, make mini lolita hats, tie your hair in a bow like lady gaga, turn plastic bottles into amazing beads, knit, crochet, bead, sew -- everything! This is one of those websites i check every single day, right after "the devils panties" and "girls with slingshots"... (and my other 8 webcomics that are my guilty pleasures...)
• Etsy. If you haven't been there you've been slowly dying inside without knowing it. Get there. NOW. There are seriously millions of hand-made crafts made by fantastically artistic people. They will literally make ANYTHING. seriously. i've seen camoflouged garter belts, Steampunk jewelry out the behind (love!), the most adorable cake toppers i've ever laid eyes on, Photos and Artwork i would plaster my living room with if i had one! It's an amazing site to buy human-hand-made things, and supports us starving artists.
• Dog n' Bird artful weddings has been such amazing inspiration! They're very offbeat, with a little bit of coutoure mixed with Boheme... gorgeous ideas all of them!
• Offbeat bride was the first wedding site i ever actually read. My friend Caitlin sent it to me and i swear to god i check it every day. The totally off beat weddings that go on on that site amaze me! Lego weddings, vampire weddings, zombie weddings, Vintage hollywood, Handfastings, you name it! The owner of the site really supports DIY things, as well as being totally yourself. There is nothing cookie-cutter about this site for sure. I'm in love. haha.
• My Sweet and Saucy is a party/wedding planner's website that has given me some of the best inspiration ever. Lots of homemade looking touches, but all very unique.
  
• Last but not least Create My Event is another party planner's website i'm absolutely crazy for. She always has such adorable ideas i never would have thought of! Many times she'll tell you either *how* she made it, where she bought it, or where to find how to make/but it. Really fantastic inspiration and help!

If you have any websites you're running, or are your guilty pleasures, please feel free to leave them in the comments! i'd be more than happy to share them with everybody!

So what did you do/are you doing for your wedding cake/pie/sweets-in-general? I'd love to hear about it! (if not snatch a recipe or two ;-D)

-Cake42

P.S-- coming up? Cake porn.

Bite me.

Okay, just in case that last post didn't sinch it for you, i'm going to express my hatred towards storms.

First off, i LOVE thunder and lightning. i love heavy rain. (when it's warm out...) i love PLAYING in the rain. i love the way it sounds, the way it smells, the way it looks, feels, heck even TASTES. but i absolutely, undeniably, without a SHADOW of a doubt -- HATE when it messes with my internet signal.

I honestly have like 6 posts waiting in draft-form to post here (still needed a little bit of work) but i can't post them because every time i press "publish" or go to copy/paste a link, my internet shuts off! It's not even raining right now. The wind is still. There's no lightning on the horizon or thunder rustling through the trees.... but it's waiting. Waiting for me to jump on my blood elf warlock and wait until i'm in the middle of BFD before it hits. right at the boss. like always. (excuse the World of Warcraft talk.... it keeps me sane. sort of o.O)

*sigh*

Okay, /endrant.

-cake42

Inspiration comes in many forms...

"Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence." - Oscar Wilde

Oscar's right, you need a lot of imagination to have a successful marriage (or at least in my opinion) or else things get boring. It's the same with planning the wedding itself. A lot of websites out there boast gorgeous inspiration boards combining awe-inspiring dresses, jewelry, shoes, bouquets, cakes, etc., etc., etc. Well, if you haven't tried to create one yourself already, i highly suggest you should. (You can do this easily using Microsoft Paint, Photoshop, Paint Shop, or even some of the downloadable programs for collages. You can even do it the old fashioned way and cut-and-paste photos from magazines and keep it in a binder or a corkboard).

By making your own Inspro boards, you can gather your thoughts and ideas into one place -- whether it's neatly organized or splattered together is your own choice. (if it helps you think better having cut-outs from magazines scattered in a shoebox, then go for it. If you'd rather use a ruler and a scalpel and laminate them neatly in place, then go for that. It's your choice entirely.)

One of the more useful sites i've come across is Weddingwire.com It's free to sign up and to use their awesome amazing applications. You can even link your account with your facebook page. Cool, right? Well they offer a inspiration-board making device to make things easier for you. From there you can upload your own photos, or you can even browse their gigantic collection of beautiful photos.

Or if you just want to browse and get inspiration without doing all the work, try browsing around google or bing (bing seems better for images than google. you don't seem to get as much o.O)
Another fun site is Project Wedding. They're STUFFED with Inspiration boards!

But enough shameless plugs! I'd love to see some of your own Inspro boards! Just for S&G's, i'm posting three of my own i created the last couple of days. (They're my first so don't judge too hard!)

First off (my least favorite) is my "Asian-inspired" Inspro board. (The only reason it's my least favorite, is because it was hard to find things that matched with the colors Red white and pink. I love all the ideas, just not the pictures here... haha). Lots of Origami, lots of Sakura, red for luck, etc. (Except for the ruby slippers... they just matched the red wedding dress, and it's a nod towards my utter obsession with Wicked and the wizard of Oz). Though most all of my bridesmaids said they hated pink as a dress color, i loved that dress. *cry* it's gorgeous. Maybe i could find it in red if we did it this way.

This is my favorite! More Medieval-gold-and-pearl themed. Love the Faerie wings, love the greek sandals, love everything! If i could only afford that dress. *sigh*.

This is more of my "venue and reception" type of Inspro board. I've got a thing for pumpkins and autumn leaves so there's a lot of spam of them, haha. The Jones Soda in the left corner are (amazing) Orange cream and Green apple (love!). I'm in LOVE with the idea of using pumpkins as coolers and bowls. Also? i may or may not be a total pyro.... haha. Candles = LOVE! so yeah. lots of candlelight and soft glow.

So how about you? Have any Inspro boards you'd like to share? i'd love to see them! :-D

-Cake42

Bah. Storms!

Okay, apologies to anybody who reads this, our internet's been iffy lately due to all the storms we've been getting, and because we live in BFE, our signal is horrendous (so when everyone in the house is on WoW and i'm attempting to update things, it takes FOREVER.... so yeah.) I apologize for the lack of updates. i'll make it up to you. ;-)

-Cake42

Wedding march? you've got to be kidding me....

(This post is under construction, so if the videos don't work, i'll get them to. promise!)

First off, apologies for the lack of updates -- we've been having some really bad storms here and our internet's been a little sketchy. (Off for 10 minutes, then back for 3, then off for 20, back on for two hours, back off again for the rest of the evening, back on for the morning, then off again for 15 minutes. ugh... it sucks.)

But i figured i'd share what kept me sane most of the day: Music.

I've been making a list of songs i love ever since he first proposed and while getting to play most of them is another story, i figured i'd share a few with you guys. ^.^

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First off, i wanted to say kudos to those of you who did something different for your weddings, and didn't use the wedding march. Honestly and truthfully i hate it. I think it sounds horrible, and it's definately something a lot of people have already done for hundreds of years. If you marched down that Aisle to Black sabbath or some amazing orchestral piece, or maybe even your nieces singing "Twinkle twinkle little star" i give you major brownie points.

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Now i'm not sure if some of these are good "wedding march" replacements, but there's definately a spot reserved for them at my reception. :-D (also, they're in no particular order. usually just what youtube would let me load first... haha)

1. "Once in a million years" -- Blackmore's Night :: This band was introduced to me by my German teacher with the song "Loreley"and it's been one of my favorites ever since. This song has a wonderful "First dance" feel to it (to me at least o.O) and is really well suited for more medieval/celtic weddings. (After all, Blackmore's night predominantly plays at Ren fairs!)


2. "Amazed" -- Lonestar :: This song is one of those mushy "d'aww..." songs, but when i was a little teenager dating my first boyfriend this was the kind of music i listened to, and to some is still relevant. I think it's a wonderful song and if it wasn't for the fact that it makes me think of the ghosts of exes past, i'd totally put it on my list of reception songs.

3. "I don't wanna miss a thing" -- Aerosmith :: Okay, so he may not be pretty and you might not wanna play the music video at your wedding, but i still love this song. Back when Jim and I were first together (about... oh... 3-4 years ago?) I was having a horrible evening. Usually he'd send me poetry or a funny comic. But one night he sent me this song, and it's been one of my absolute favorites ever since. This may not be our "first dance" song, but it's definately going to be on the list.

4. "Can you feel the love tonight" -- Elton John :: Yes it's cheesy. Yes it's Disney. Yes it's Elton John (yes i'm aware he's not the original singer, but i like this version better...). but you know what? I love it anyway! XD -- This would definately be a perfect first dance song. I LOVE this version of it too, because it's got so much amazing background music to it, and his voice is perfect in this. *sigh*

5. "Collide" -- Howie Day :: Okay, not a big "first dance" song, but i think it'd be adorable to dance to this with all the other couples on the floor. ^.^ (Suggested by my friend Rachel :-D one of my amazing bridesmaids-to-be!) -- also? i love the video to this. Not sure i'd play it though, haha. but they did well on it.

6. "Only you can love me this way" -- Keith Urban :: An amazing first dance song, and one of my favorites. It's slow, it's sweet, and the lyrics are perfect. (Also? sorry for all the country songs. it's been one of my kicks lately...)

7. "Faithfully" -- Journey :: I've heard this song ever since i was able to hold my head up and bounce to it. His voice is amazing and quiet -- perfect for a slow dance -- and though it honestly has nothing to do with weddings other than "love", i'm still playing it at mine!

8. "As long as you're mine" -- Wicked :: For those of you who have never gone to see "Wicked" the musical (the life and times of the wicked witch of the west) you should. it's not all "i'll get you my pretty!" -- and it's very romantic in parts. Because this musical is so special to us (for a variety of reasons) i want this song at my own wedding. Your guests don't have to know it's about the scarecrow and the wicked witch. ;-)

9. "We were strangers" -- Anastasia :: (First off, no it's not actually Disney. but i'm not getting into that argument.) Second? I love the musician's version rather than the one played at the end of the cartoon-movie, but i can't seem to find it and the library doesn't have a copy of the soundtrack anymore. *pout*. I've used it a couple of times for family-reunion videos and it's always left people in tears and grinning ear to ear. (A cute idea we had for the music, was to que it up to Family photos and etc. while everyone's dancing, so those who don't want to dance get to see videos instead of a giant logo-brand of our names on the back wall. Plus, we both do a lot of video-editing so it'd be a nod towards that. Windows movie maker would work just fine as well.)

10. "Liebe Ist" -- Nena :: (Suggested by the hubs) Now this probably isn't very fit for your wedding (unless you can read german or are from germany etc.) but we think it'd be perfect for us (Since we met in German class and our German teacher played matchmaker, lol). It's a wonderfully slow song, and it means a lot to us. (The translation is "Love is" btw.)

Okay, that's all i've got for now. my top ten songs worth playing. (There's plenty more, but we've got rather awkward taste in music, haha.)

I'd love to hear what you have planned/have played at your wedding :-D the kitschier and more unique, the better!

-Cake42

To blush? or not to Blush....

When i think of my wedding dress (whatever it will be) a barrage of thoughts flood my head. What -- if any -- accent colors should it have? Should it sweep the floor? How long is the train going to be? Should the neckline be modest or revealing?

Well of all these questions i find that a lot of the girls i've talked to, one of the things they never really think about is what their veil will look like. It actually took me several episodes of wedding shows and many blogs to reveal there was more than three types of veil. (To me? There was the long one, the medium one, and the holy-crap-you-just-got-attacked-by-tulle) upon further investigation however, i found out there's a rather long list of veils available for choosing. Each can come in several different fabrics even!

Below (because i know you guys just love my list-makin' skillz, lol) is a small line-up of the most common veils and their lengths.


(i found this lovely -- and extremely helpful-- picture on "Theringbearer.ca" which has a wonderful amount of inspiration and helpful links! you should go spend a few hours -- er, minutes -- and check it out ;-) )

• Firstly, We'll start with the blusher. Blushers can be worn or omitted -- it's completely up to the bride -- and are there to cover the face of the bride. It's usually a single layer of material. It can be lifted by the father before "giving her away" or it can be lifted and placed behind the head by the husband for the couple's first kiss. The length is usually below the chin, but above the bust-- but the length is truly entirely up to the bride.
• Another type of "Blusher" is the birdcage veil -- usually a wider mesh material is used. This single-layer blusher typically extends to just below your chin, and can be angled to cover only one eye or both. These are beautiful on more modern dress styles (in my humble opinion of course!).
• Secondly, is the "Flyaway" veil. These are multi-layered veils that just barely brush the shoulders and are typically no longer than 20 inches in length. These can be adorable as long as the tulle isn't overdone. Too much tulle can lead to a more cupcake-topping type effect.
• Second longest, is the "elbow" veil which is exactly what it sounds like -- a veil that's only elbow-length. It's also usually a multi-layered veil.
• "Fingertip" is pretty much the same as the last -- Multi-layered and only fingertip length.
• A "Ballet" veil (also known as a "Waltz" veil) is anywhere between knee-length to ankle-length. Again, these come in a variety of materials, but it seems (and i could be wrong!) that these are more commonly found in single-layers rather than multi-layered.
• The "Chapel" Veil was predominantly designed to be worn with a dress that also has a "Chapel"-length train. (These extend about 4 feet from the waist). These veils are often cumbersome to move in, and usually have a way to remove the excessive length for the reception to allow the bride better movement.
• Last but not least, is the "Cathedral Veil" (One of my favorites... *insert drool here*) These are typically worn with dresses with Cathedral trains. They're also the LONGEST type of veil! Usually used to give a dramatic feel to accompany the long walk down the aisle of a church wedding. (These veils are approximately 120 inches or even longer!)

Now one of the veils i hadn't mentioned (because i'm not sure which category it fits in, or if it's a category all it's own) is a Mantilla. These lightweight lace or silk scarves are worn draping the head and shoulders of the bride. (And can be accompanied by a high comb or not. i prefer not, but that's just me.) These are absolutely beautiful headpieces and were actually used as headcoverings in Spain during the 17th and 18th centuries. They are draped over the head (usually at the crown) and flow gently over the shoulders and down the back. The length varies depending on the bride, as does the color and material.


Of course there are many brides who go veil-less for their weddings! (Which can be equally as gorgeous!) Simple hairstyles adorned with barrettes, combs, flowers, or other headdresses can be seen all over in every shape, style, size, and material!

One of the more popular ideas I've seen lately (or at least for handfastings and pagan weddings...) is the use of cloaks and wings.


Cloaks or Capes are usually made of Velvet, (most popularly crushed velvet...), or Satin, but I'm sure they could be found in all different types of material. They can be dyed to match ANY color out there and are rather gorgeous when accompanied by a hood attached to the cloak and draped over the head -- similar to a mantilla. (They can be held in place by hairpins easily) I've found these are more common in outdoor weddings, as well as more Medieval ceremonies. (And they're fun to wear around the house and scare the neighbors!)

Faerie/Fairy wings -- realistic ones at least -- can be rather expensive and hard to come by for unique ones. However if you're looking for something whimsical and playful, your local costume shop should have them for cheap and readily available. There are rather beautiful wings out there from all sorts of sites such as Deviantart, Etsy, and a few blogs even! Search around Google, Amazon, or E-bay to find some that really call to you.

Another (and last) type of wing I've seen used, are Animal-based. (Bird/Angel wings, Bat wings). While not seen often, Bat wings can give a lovely dark-theme to a Gothic or Halloween wedding, and although a little harder to find, can also be purchased at your local costume shop. Angel wings give more (durr...) "angelic" look to the bride and can be accompanied by a veil or not. These can be found in any shape and length (although i think "folded" over "spread" would work better for a bride so you don't smack your "Great Aunt Beatrice" in the back of the head going down the aisle!) These last two suggestions are also better suited for outside or non-denominational weddings as I'm thinking churches would rather frown upon the idea of you wearing "ridiculous outfits" to a serious ceremony. If your church doesn't, then kudos to them. They're an awesome church and deserve cookies!


Well, that's all i've got for Wedding veils and veil-substitutes. If you wore something different, or have an idea of what else could be used (or if i got something wrong which is HIGHLY possible.. lol) Feel free to leave a comment! :-D

-Cake42

He loves me, He loves me not...

Roses and Tulips and Lilies -- OH MY!

Today (or rather yesterday...) Being mother's day, i know a lot of you went out and bought your mothers Flowers for their big day. It was also my mum's birthday so i took the day off to spend with her -- apologies for the lack of posts. I'll double up today! (promise ^.^) But i figured since the day was pretty much centered around flowers, I'd post something about them dealing with weddings!

(Also, personal picture spam! -- It's the first time using this icing techinique so it's not perfect, but i'm rather proud of it XD)

(This is my mum's Birthday/Mother's day cake. She's in LOVE with hummingbirds, so i did a hummingbird!)

Now i know in all the big chick flicks and wedding magazines the aisle is flooded with rose petals and roses, the bride's carrying a floral arrangement of imported flowers from Holland or the Bahamas -- well, either tropical or local, flowers have more meaning in weddings than just making the bride and her girlies look gorgeous.

Being that my hubby and I are planning on holding not only a wedding but a handfasting, (Pagan/Celtic wedding ceremony of the joining of hands) We're taking into account the symbolism of each and every little thing. The colors have meaning, the words have meaning, the MONTH has a meaning. Well, whether you mean it or not, even your flowers have a bit of symbolism themselves. Below is a list (compiled from a couple of websites) of the most common (and uncommon!) wedding flowers!

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• Baby's Breath: -- Innocence
• Calla Lily: -- Magnificent Beauty
• Carnation: -- (Pink) Boldness, (Red) Love, (White) Talent
• Chrysanthemum: -- Wealth, Abundance, Truth
• Daffodil: -- Regard
• Daisy: -- Sharing of Feelings
• Delphinium: -- Swiftness, Lightness
• Freesia: -- Innocence
• Gardenia: -- Purity, Joy
• Hydrangea: -- Understanding
• Iris: -- Message of Faith, Wisdom
• Lilac: -- Love's first emotion
• Lily: -- Majesty, Truth, Honor
• Lily of the Valley: -- Happiness
• Magnolia: -- Love of nature
• Orchid: -- Love, Beauty
• Peony: -- Bashfulness
• Rose: -- Love, Joy, Beauty
• Sunflower: -- (Short Stemmed) Adoration, (long stemmed) haughtiness
• Sweet Pea: -- Pleasure
• Tulip: -- Love, Passion

Unfavorable Flowers: (If you're one of those people that believe in not opening umbrellas inside, or walking underneath a ladder, you'll want to avoid this next list of flowers! With rather negative meanings I'd rather not see these at MY wedding! .... well, if was superstitious that is ;-) )

• Christmas Rose: -- Scandal
• Fig: -- Idleness
• Foxglove: -- Insincerity
• Larkspur: -- Infidelity
• Lavender: -- Distrust
• Marigold: -- Grief ( also a very stinky flower for bouquets o.O)
• Mulberry: -- You'll pass away before your partner
• Raspberry: -- Remorse
• Carnation: -- (Red) "Alas for my poor heart" (whatever that means ..?)
• Carnation: -- (Striped) Refusal (Yellow) Disdain
• Poppy: -- (Red) Consolation (White) Sleep (I don't see what's so wrong with that o.O i like sleep...)
• Rhododendron: -- Danger
• Chrysanthemum: -- (Yellow) Slighted Love
• Lily: -- (Yellow) Falsehood
• Rose: -- (Yellow) Jealousy

(More flower meanings can be found here and all over Google. just type in "Flower meanings" on Google and you'll find plenty of sites to help you out! :-D)
Of course there's many many MANY more flowers to choose from, and if you want them fresh, it all depends on what's in season and what your florist has to offer. If you go silk? sky's the limit. Heck you can have BLUE roses if you want o.O

Also, fun note about Hydrangeas:

"Hydrangeas are moderately toxic if eaten, with all parts of the plant containing cyanogenic glycosides.^[4] Hydrangea paniculata is reportedly sometimes smoked as an intoxicant, despite the danger of illness and/or death due to the cyanide"

Ironically? A lot of wedding shows use these, haha. Oh well. Just don't munch on them during the wedding i suppose XD

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Anywho, for those of you curious, Jim and I are planning on doing Lilies. (Not Calla Lilies, the kind in the shape of a star, like Tiger Lilies.) Unfortunately, Tiger Lilies aren't usually supported at Florists and they tend to die rather quickly after being cut o.O So we're most likely going to go for some kind of Orange Lily (or a colorful mixture of lilies...) mixed with Deep Green.

The meanings?

• Day Lily: -- Coquetry
• Orange Lily: -- Hatred Disdain, Wealth, Pride
• White Lily: -- Majesty and Purity, Virginity

Yes yes i know, Orange lilies have hatred and disdain, but they're also for wealth and pride. Thank god I'm not superstitious. right?

I'd love to hear about what flowers you used/are using at your wedding or any other meanings you've found!

-Cake42

One hand in my pocket, and the other one's holdin a bridesmaid bouquet??

Alrighty -- I've been trolling around the internet looking at some of the wierd, wacky, and downright unique things Brides are making their bridesmaids carry during the wedding. I've yet to see Ventriloquist dummies, but hey, who knows? maybe somebody's into that kind of thing XD.
However it seems the most popular item would be a bouquet of flowers.

My bridesmaids are a bit off their rockers like me, and have no problems carrying flowers, dolls, kittens, pretty much anything my lil' ol heart desires. Although overflowing kitten baskets are tempting, I think i'll pass this time. too many allergies in one day, haha. So i've rounded up my girls and come up with a few non-flowery substitutes in case you're like me, and want something a little unorthodox.

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Parasols! -- One of the MANY many many ideas we had for the wedding was to give it an Asian theme. (Jim and I are fascinated by the "mysteries of the Orient"). Well, we may not have everybody dress in Kimonos and Geisha face-paint (although that would be awesome -- and expensive...) we could simply pull off the feat by substituting certain items and traditions, with Asian ones. Instead of holding bouquets, we'd have the girls hold Parasols. Whether or not they're all alike or not we hadn't decided, but it was a neat idea.

There are SOOOOO many kinds of designs out there! You can get them in rice-paper, Vynle, all kinds of shapes, sizes, colors, textures, the possibilities are truly endless! I'm rather fond of these lovelies here. They've got scalloped edges which reminds me of six-petaled flowers. Really awesome! (and not that expensive either if you're giving them to your bridesmaids afterwards ;-) )


Another idea (one I'm seriously considering...) Is Copper/Brass/Iron lanterns, lit from the inside by Tealight candles. Since we're hoping to have the ceremony closer in the evening, the candles will give everything a mystical romantic glow. You could totally embellish these with ivy, flowers, ribbon, organza, all kinds of things to make them personalized. Heck for all i care you could bedazzle your name on it. But i love the idea nonetheless. (I have NOT however, found any that were small enough, or affordable enough... if anybody knows of any i would appreciate the links!)

Baskets filled with a variety of apples, or pumpkins would give a Harvest theme to any wedding. Because we're incorporating a handfasting into our wedding, i think it would look really unique to have the girls bearing bounty in their arms. Almost like a gift to the gods. Of course all it really makes me think of is "SHIBALBA!" from Disney's "El Dorado" movie... which of course would still be cool. I wonder if we could have our wedding near a gigantic dropoff leading into a neverending whirlpool to the netherworld?


Of course if you MUST have something Flower-y for your girls, you can still make it unique! Try trolling around your local thrift stores for old, broken, or vintage jewelry --

with a little bit of superglue or a soldering gun, you could easily transform old Brooches and Hatpins into some really gorgeous handfuls! Apparently there's a woman who will make you a gorgeous bouquet such as this for a little over $300 (depending on what kind of brooches and etc. you provide her with.) this webbie has some adorable examples of Bouquets made of jewelry. --but not only recycled jewelry can be used!
--Buttons! of all things i never thought i'd see buttons used for, but a handful of button flowers! I could totally see a friend or two of mine who are REALLY into the sewing and quilting, doing this for their weddings. These lovely people here, did a wonderful job of making them elegant, yet still incorporating buttons of all shapes and design into their wedding. Kudos for the idea!
Wheat has become one of my new favorite accent pieces. Pictured above, is a simply stunning bouquet of golden wheat held by the bride. This website has an unbelievable amount of wheat used in it's design, all used stunningly! I applaud the person bold enough to go this route!

Again, don't limit yourself to just carrying Flower-store bouquets for your wedding--be it bridesmaids or bride! Get creative! To get your creative juices flowing, here's another site with some amazing inspiration pictures! Everything from a Dr. Seuss looking tree of pearls and wire, to buttons and beads and even a pinwheel or two!

Had a creative way of torturing your bridesmaids? Feel free to share it!

-Cake42

The Center of Attention

I must admit, most girls i talk to say that they've "Dreamed of their wedding ever since they were a little girl!" i never did. Nor have most of my friends for that matter. Most of us were busy convincing the neighbor kids we were really peter pan, or collecting shiny objects off the ground like preoccupied little squirrels. We had no need for playing dress-up with mommy's old clothes when there was "Indian Soup" to be made! So not once can i ever say i dreamed of my big day. I guess that's why i'm doing it now? Anyways... this post is dedicated to centerpieces! :-D yay... because i dont know about you, but the idea of some strange group of florists messing with my flowers and depending on THEM to have them on time and in the correct place drives me insane. But maybe that's just my mild OCD kicking in. lol

Point being, i'm picky about my centerpieces. I've never been a huge fan of all the roses and carnations... I've never wanted imported tulips from holland. Heck the most "exotic" flower i think i'd have at my wedding is a tiger lily plucked from the side of the road and medical-taped together while i'm running late for my own walk down the aisle! anywho, i want my reception to be special, and to me? it doesn't really matter what kind of flowers will be there, as long as they don't cost me an arm and a leg, and nobody can tell if they're silk or not. haha. (seriously, if they're cheaper? i'm going for it o.O)

Also? the three-to-six foot tall centerpieces that tower over the table and draped in swarovski crystals? sorry luvs, but that just doesn't get my panties wet like it does all those "haute-Couture" brides. I'd rather have tealight candles and teapots lining my tables than that crap.

So far i've found a *couple* of centerpieces that have caught my eye... what are they you ask? well let's find out!

First off are these oh-so-lovely DIY lanterns. I've seen some gorgeous ones made from simple soda-cans as well, and can be spray-painted to match your decor! You could do heart, leaves, stars, reindeer, Glinda-the-good-witch, anything you so please so long as you have a sturdy drill, lots of patience, and a can-opener! Slide a tealight candle into these and you'll instantly get a wonderful candlelit dinner with all the ambiance one could ask for. (I actually have these little brass doodads in my bedroom that will shoot stars and moons on the cieling when lit by a candle on the inside. they're awesome.)

Second, is an inspiration from these wonderful people here, about putting assorted buttons in jars. Mix these with some candles in jars and some flowers and VOILA! :-D -- of course i'm a little on the... er... OCD end of the stick, and id rather do like this lovely crafter above did, and place all my color-coded buttons in their own jars, rather than mixing them all up in a jar, however totally awesome it looks.


Thirdly, is this amazing idea i've had ever since i first seen these baby-food jars, suspended from tree branches, lit with tiny candles... It's hanging flowers! I've seen this done on sooooo many wedding sites that i kinda feel a little like "eh, i've seen it before... " but seriously? i still want to do this. I think it's adorable, and gives that DIY feel. Informal, instead of everybody having to sit down to a formal dinner and using napkins and etc. Well anyways-- i think it'd be perfect (for my own wedding at least...) stop by the local whatsit store, and grab a few assorted bottles in different shapes, sizes, and color and then just pour a little water, grab some of your neighbor's tulips (if they don't mind that is.. haha) and you've got yourself a nifty centerpiece for mere cents! (The Picture above is the store ill probably be visiting.. "Herbs and Heirlooms" they're amazing and they're in my town! They have SHELVES upon shelves of bottles from bath stuff, wine, those wierd curvy ones that used to have peppers and stuff in them.. all types!)


Another (and sadly i don't have a good picture for this one...) Is a backyard centerpiece. Walk around your backyard (or local park) and find some nature-y things to stick in there! Pinecones, Acorns, Leaves, Flowers, pretty rocks, (the creek by my house has shale in it which is actually pretty cool...) Shells even! all kinds of things! Just find yourself some old Apothecary jars, or those fancy glass things at a hobby and craft store, and stuff em' full of stuff from your backyard. you get that natur-y feel without the Craft-store price. (Because you know, when they spray it with glitter and hot-glue crystals to all the branches and crap it's TOTALLY worth 20 more dollars... psh.)

We're doing an October wedding. Why? Why not!? Well one of the things i'm looking forward to doing, is playing off of the "Halloween" Vibes! (We were *going* to get married ON halloween... but that's when we're thinking of holding the handfasting instead...) So why not grab a pumpkin or 12, and use your elementary school know-how, and carve up some pumpkins for your centerpieces? You don't have to do silly faces or super-elaborate carved designs... a simple monogramed Initial would work just fine, and looks even classier. Afraid of catching Aunt Mary's hair on fire? Did Cousin Jane use too much hairspray? No worries. Go candleless and use battery-powered lights inside. (You can even get some that flicker now. it's awesome!)

Lanterns (again with the candlelight... geeze i must be a secret pyro or something... o.O) -- that AREN'T made of tin-cans, give an outdoorsy feel, along with the romantic glow. they can also keep your relatives from catching them and their surroundings ablaze. Jim and I are actually thinking about having our bridesmaids carry larger lanterns, lit, and embellished with flowers or ivy or something -- instead of bouquets.

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Well, i know it's not much, but when it comes to centerpieces -- as i said -- i'm picky. If you guys have any of your favorites you'd like to share that are a little off-beat or rustic, feel free! i'd love to see them!

-Cake42