A Comprehensive List of My Wedding Theme Pinboards

I love planning weddings! I helped both of my two older sisters plan/prepare for their weddings before I had the chance to plan my own, (almost eleven years ago now). 

Since then, I've changed and learned so much about myself, so I think perhaps I feel like I want to help other brides really go for what they really like, instead of what they think is expected of them.

For the past few years, since I joined Pinterest, I've had the opportunity (twice) to help a young bride plan her wedding day. . . I really adore coming up with, and collecting great ideas and themes for parties and weddings. I sometimes think I should have pursued a career in event planning!

Still, I'm quite happy where I am, and am content to share my findings with others through the use of my pin boards.

The only real problem with this is, I now have so many boards (seventeen wedding boards alone!) that it becomes  tricky to direct people who might be interested in seeing what I've collected, to find them.
I realize that anyone who goes to my Pinterest profile could easily feel overwhelmed and lose interest in skimming through all my other boards before they ever find anything relevant. I know how it is to be busy and anxious about planning your wedding and not feel like you have the time to sort through a lot of non-relevant stuff. Thus, I have decided to create this post which will include a linked list of all of my wedding themed boards. This way a bride can skim through a comprehensive list and will only have to click on the boards that truly interest her.

So, here we go!

First off, we have my basic wedding board. "Ideas for the Ultimate Wedding"
This one is not themed; it is simply a collection of cool, creative, smart ideas that could apply to any wedding to make it that much better.

Then I have a board with inspirational Wedding Cake Ideas. These are unique and interesting cakes that I feel all have something a little bit special about each of them.

Next we come to a board dedicated to bouquets & flowers, (or alternatives to flowers,) mainly focusing on the bridal bouquet, but also touching on possible types of flowers, color schemes, and possible centerpieces.

Then, just because so many people are thinking outside of the box these days, I've dedicated an entire board to "Non-Traditional Wedding Ideas." Like my ultimate wedding board, these could apply to just about anyone, and are just some fun, creative ways to make your wedding your own.

If the more casual or non-traditional ideas don't really appeal, and you want everything as luxurious and fancy as possible then you might like my "Ultra-Romantic/Lacey Details" board.
This board features everything lacy, elegant, ruffly, frilly, fluffy, opulent and even downright gaudy. Satin, lace, pearls, bling and gold accents galore!

On the opposite end of the scale, we have the "Country/Rustic/Boho" board for all things, quaint, rustic, casual, comfy and relaxed.

If you feel like less is more, and just want things to be clean and simple, yet still with striking elegance, you might like my "Modern/Graphic/Asian"  inspired board. Paper lanterns, simple color schemes and graphic design elements all come together in this board to make a bold, yet classy statement.

If the sleek modern look isn't your thing because you'd rather be out doors exploring an enchanted forest or secret garden, then you just might like my "Whimsical Woodland/Nature Themed" board.
This board focuses on the beauties of nature, like birds, butterflies, and flowers (obviously) all accented with moss and natural wood accents.

Taking slight turn from this theme, we tame the wildness of nature by bringing in some unexpected elements and quirky details with our "Vintage Shabby Chic" board.
While still quite close to the beauty of nature, this fun theme brings in interesting everyday items, just as an antique typewriter, an old suitcase or even some vintage jewelry to dress things up with some old fashioned romance.

Speaking of old fashioned romance, if you love classic novels and tea parties I have also created a lovely board called "High Contrast/Literary/Cameo Theme". This board is inspired by cameos, painted teacups, silhouettes and books in general. Whether you adore all things Austen, or are into the slightly more quirky Alice in Wonderland vibe, this board offers lovely ideas for decor and refreshments, and well as color schemes inspired by the printed word. Literally. Crafty decor made from book pages, or black silhouettes and accents against soft, pastel hues create an elegant yet cozy environment.

Another theme inspired by paper is the Pinwheels Theme. This board also features other whimsical elements such as hot air balloons, bicycles, paper airplanes and kites. All colorful items that could create a fun-loving, breezy wedding environment for all invited.

Similarly, another fun object to base a theme off of, is the simple key. My Keys Theme board features a lot of creative ways to integrate keys into your special day.

I have some more generally themed boards based on the season. Most of my other boards could easily work for Spring, so I do not have a board specific to that season yet, but I have the other three seasons covered.

• Summer Wedding

• An Autumn Wedding

• A Winter Wedding

Lastly, I have a board of ideas for Wedding Colors,

as well as a board that lists a few recommended wedding venders local to the Salt Lake area.

I sincerely hope that this collection of amazing wedding ideas can help many brides make their wedding day truly memorable, and may I congratulate every single one of you, and wish you joy!

Three New Uses for Plastic Baby Clothes Hangers (Smart Solutions, Parenting July 2008)

 

Sorry the image quality is so bad. This was taken with my phone. (My hubby has my camera and the scanner is broken) I couldn't find the online version of these tips. They're from the July 2008 Issue of Parenting magazine, but I guess they don't keep archives that far back . . . Eeenyways . . . I just thought the ribbon hanger idea was really clever and wanted to remember it without hanging onto the magazine page, so here you go . . .   Three New uses for plastic baby clothes hangers. :} Enjoy!

~Julie :}

Meatless Monday Menu Ideas

A few weeks ago I signed a pledge to go meatless on Mondays.  The idea is that if everyone just went one day without meat, it will be better for the environment, better for our health and make our food budget go a little further.

I was a bit nervous about what the hubby would say, but he has been very sweet and supportive, though I'm sure he was a bit skeptical that we would actually feel full at first.

I think it's been three weeks now, so three Meatless Mondays later I'm thinking maybe I should share what I've done to help others get some ideas.

If any of you here have any ideas for meatless meals please comment or e-mail me. I'll probably be updating this every few weeks or so when I come up with new meals.


For this first one I had a few things I wanted to use before they got too old, but at first it seemed like they would all need some kind of meat to accompany them and make them into a real meal, then it occurred to me that many sides, side by side can make a meal.
Think deli or salad bar.

Meal Idea 1.  Cream of Mushroom soup (just from a can but dolled up with some fresh onions, celery and other seasonings.)  A green salad (Lettuce, tomatoes) and a side of sweet potato fries.

For the fries I just wash my potatoes  and poke them with a fork and then wrap them in plastic wrap or a damp paper towel and then microwave them for about 3-4 minutes each. Then I remove them and carefully unwrap them on the cutting board, slice them up to desired size and saute them in some olive oil (or whatever oil you prefer) over medium high heat until just crispy and golden.  Then I drain on a paper towel and lightly salt them. So yummy! (I crush regular table salt with a mortar and pestle to help the salt stay better, you could also do this with sea salt.  Steak seasoning is a great way to flavor regular potato fries.)


Meal Idea 2.  Veggie Soup (Canned, dolled up once again) and Cucumber Sandwiches.

Okay, so if you make cucumber sandwiches the way I do, they aren't dairy free, which I guess is sort of part of the pledge . . .
(And yet, eggs aren't? o.O)
I figure maybe I'll cut back on cheese more over time, but sometimes I feel like even with awesome veggies and legumes, one just needs a little cheese now and then.  Baby steps and all.

Here's my recipe for cucumber sandwich spread:

2 Tablespoons Sour Cream
3 Tablespoons Mayo or Miracle Whip
4 ounce of softened cream cheese
1/2 package of dry ranch or Italian dressing mix.

Blend all ingredients until smooth (or good enough for your tastes.  Sometimes the cream cheese is still a bit lumpy, but that doesn't really bother me.)

This is even better after it's been in the fridge over night.

Spread on bread and top with sliced cucumbers.  I find chunkier slices (about 1/8") to be yummier, the cool crispness is a nice contrast to the savory spread.  You can of course slice them really thin if you wish. The spread is quite flavorful so I find I don't need to slather it on. So for me, thin on the spread, thick on the cucumbers, but of course it is all a matter of taste.  Enjoy!


This last one was actually the first meal I did for Meatless Monday. I figured, if eggs are okay than breakfast for dinner was an easy solution.

Meal Idea 3. Omelets and hash browns.

This one also included a bit of cheese, I confess.  We did our omelets with tomatoes, green peppers, onions and some shredded cheese. We also made our own hash browns from fresh potatoes, which honestly, we'd never done before. They turned out a bit sticky, but they were good. I do however, recommend looking up a recipe. (Unlike me.) :}


Meal Idea 4.  Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers
(Shared by my sweet Sister-In-Law Megan)

We really enjoyed this recipe! Even my little girls at it up! Really tasty and also fun to look at and eat. Thanks Megan!


Another Recipe I've found and enjoy is from a Rachel Ray Magazine that came in the mail.  I was able to find it online luckily so I can share it with you all . . . It's called Chickpeas and Spinach, and is an Indian recipe.

The only really unusual ingredient is Garam Masala, which is a spice mix kind of like curry except this one is more sweet smelling as opposed to savory, (you know like nutmeg or cinnamon sort of.)  I found it at Smiths Marketplace in the aisle where they have all the spices and dry goods in bulk. It was kind of expensive, like $18 a lbs or something, but of course, I didn't buy a whole pound.

I should note that while I did go out and buy the garam masala that I've never made it with the ground coriander, but have just substituted cumin instead.  You could also probably use curry instead of garam masala and it would still be really good, though it would taste entirely different. :} 

My friend Lorri Love shared this recipe with me, and since I love sweet potatoes and black beans there was no way I wasn't going to love this!  

It's truly delicious, though if you aren't a huge fan of cumin, you might want to go light on that ingredient for the dressing, or substitute something else.
Anyway, it's from Better Homes and Gardens and is called Vegetable Bowls with Yogurt-Lime Dressing. 


So there are a few more delicious meatless meals!  


Happy eating!


~Julie :}