Author: natasha

Cherry Smash Cocktail Drink Menu Option

natasha 1 Comment

 

Cherry Smash

(photo by: Pornchai Mittongtare)

Here is a beautiful and yummy drink option for your cocktail menu. This is a Cherry Smash from Epicurious. Enjoy!

Ingredients
* 1 cup fresh pitted Bing cherries
* 1/4 cup kirsch (clear cherry brandy)
* 1/4 cup sugar

 

* 1 cup ice cubes
* 6 tablespoons Courvoisier or other premium Cognac
* 1/4 cup orange curaçao
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon Cherry Heering liqueur or other cherry liqueur

 

Preparation
Combine cherries, kirsch, and sugar in medium bowl; stir to blend. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours, stirring occasionally. (Brandied cherries can be made 2 weeks ahead. Cover and chill.)

 

Place 2 Martini glasses in freezer and chill at least 2 hours.

 

Place 3 brandied cherries in each of 2 chilled glasses; crush cherries with back of spoon. Combine ice cubes, Cognac, orange curaçao, lemon juice, and cherry liqueur in cocktail shaker. Shake well, strain into Martini glasses with cherries, and serve.

 

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2009 Wedding Trend Alert~ Strike a Pose

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backdrop

(picture source)

Everyone takes a ton of pictures at weddings. Nothing new and different about that! However, brides and grooms are now setting up areas at their reception designated for striking a pose. Many couples are creating an area with a beautiful backdrop to take pictures of their guests and to take some formal pictures. If the picture station is decorated right, it can become a beautiful decoration in it’s self. This is true in the above picture. In this picture Lena and Joshua (the bride and groom) are posing against a backdrop of Marimekko fabric reproduced from an early-1960s pattern. This makes for a beautiful backdrop that helps create the retro atmosphere at the reception.

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Yummy Cupcake Recipes

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Cupcakes have quickly taken their spot in the wedding sphere. The childhood treat has been transformed into an elegant display at weddings world wide. I love the idea of cupcakes because of the  ease of them. There is no cake cutting necessary. Simply grab and eat! Plus they are agreat way to cut the cost of a wedding! Here are some super yummy and unique cupcake recipes. They are listed from left to right. Simply click on the name and you will be taken to the recipe. Enjoy!

cupcakes

Devil’s Food, Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing , Banana Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream, Peanut-Butter and Chocolate Frosted Cupcakes

 

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DIY Paper Vase Favor Bags from Once Wed

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favor bags

I think that this favor idea from Once Wed is simply precious. Plus, it looks so easy! That is always a BIG plus. I love the little vase on the bags and how there is room for a personalized message from the bride and groom. I think anyway you can make your favors more personalized the better!

paper favors2

Materials:

 

• pliers
• mini artificial flowers – $1.99/bundle of 18 available at Tinsel Trading Company or your local Michaels
• masking tape
• paper favor bags 3.5? x 2? x 6.75? – $2.99/16
available at Michaels
• patterned paper of your choice
• white glue – my personal favorite is made by Tombow and is available here.
• solid color cardstock
• paper scissors
• white gel pen – $1.24 available at Create For Less
• mini clothespins – $1.87/50 available at California Paper Goods

 

Instructions
1. Using a pair of nice sharp pliers, cut the tops off of 4 or 5 miniature artificial flowers so that they are approximately 1.5? long.

 

2. Bundle flowers together and wrap with a small piece of tape. I got this cute plum roll of masking tape
here, but floral tape or any old masking tape will work well for this.

 

3. Tape flower bundle down to paper bag, centered and approximately 1? from the bottom

 

4. Using template, trace shape for vase onto backside of the patterned decorative paper and cut out

 

5. Fold under edges approximately 1/8? and run a bead of glue along both tabs.

 

6. Press firmly in place onto bag over flowers. I found it easiest to hold and secure one side for a few seconds and to then press the other side down.

 

7. Cut a piece of 8.5? x 11? solid color cardstock into 1? strips. Fold strips in half and using scissors, snip a notch at the folded end to form two paper flags. Write your message onto the flag, fill bag with contents, fold top of bag down 1/2? onto itself 3 times and clip flag onto the front using a miniature clothespin.

 

Your cost will vary depending on how many of the supplies you already have on hand, and how many bridesmaids you have, but these favor bags shouldn’t run you more than $10-$15 total.

 

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Drink Option French 75

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75

Ingredients
* 1 lemon
* 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) gin
* 1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) fresh lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) simple syrup
* 1 cup ice cubes
* 1/4 cup (2 ounces) dry sparkling wine, such as brut Champagne, chilled

 

Preparation
Using zester or paring knife, slice peel from lemon in long, thin spiral. Reserve lemon for another use and set peel aside.

 

In cocktail shaker, combine gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Add ice and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain into chilled Champagne flute and top with sparkling wine.

 

Curl lemon peel around finger to create twist at least 6 inches long. Garnish drink with twist and serve immediately.
Source

 

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DIY Cookie and Tea Favor

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tea and cookies

Martha Stewart is always a great resource for finding quality DIY projects. That is were I found this cute favor idea. If you love tea and cookies then this project is a must for you. I am not a big tea fan. I would probably switch out the tea for coffee, but the favor is still really cute!

 

How to Make the Tea Favor
1. Cut and Fold the Liner
Cut corrugated paper to line sides (ridges running vertically). For divider, cut strip as wide as box, and long enough to go across bottom and up and down one side (ridges running crossways). Fold divider in middle as shown (left); secure fold with double-sided tape.

 

2. Punch and Staple the Tags
Print your labels onto card stock(below) Using a craft punch (turn it upside down so you can center the words), punch out tags. Attach the tags to the tails of a ribbon bow with a 1/4-inch stapler.

 

How to Make the Favor Tag
1. Use scrapbook paper with a design on one side and a solid color on the other, or download our striped paper and print design onto white card stock. You will use the backside of this printed card stock for the tag template. Download either our pink tag template or white tag template, and print onto the blank side of the card stock.

 

2. Following guidelines, cut out each tag with utility knife and ruler. With a 1-inch scalloped oval craft punch (turn it upside down so you can see positioning), punch out window. Fold tag and stamp initial. Use a diamond-shaped hole punch to make a hole for the ribbon.

 

Click here for step by step pics and source!

 

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DIY Napkin Ring from Style Me Pretty

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eat drink and be married

I was browsing the Style Me Pretty website, when I run into this super cute DIY project. This is a napkin wrap that would be wonderful for a spring or summer wedding. I picture it at an outside wedding for some reason…. I don’t know why! Anyway here is the steps. Enjoy!

 

You can download the Eat, Drink and Be Married Napkin Wrap right here!

 

Materials

 

8.5 x 11? 80lb white card stock (like this from Paper-Source)
Color Printer
Paper Cutter
Double Sided Tape
Napkins

 

Instructions

 

1. Download the Eat, Drink and Be Married Napkin Wrap. Print using the highest settings on your color printer to ensure that the delicate text is crisp and clear. There are 2 wraps per sheet.

 

2. Cut each wrap on the black dotted line, making sure to cut off all of the black ink so that the edge of the wrap remains white.

 

3. Create a mock fold around your napkin to see where you should create the creases on each side of the wrap. After you are certain that the wrap will fit snuggly around the napkin, either fold the wraps by hand or using a bone folder.

 

4. Secure the wrap around the napkin using double sided tape. Please note, there is only a small amount of room to tape the wrap, so make sure that you fold the napkin small enough to allow a bit of extra room to tape the back of the wrap together.

 

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Fun DIY Fan Programs

natasha 3 Comments

program2

Here is a super cute DIY project from Intimate Weddings that is sure to keep your guests entertained. Many people  arrive at weddings early because they  fear to be late. That leaves them sitting idly. Well, with this program design you can keep them entertained. It is also a great option to keep kids entertained as well! Enjoy!

program steps

Materials for DIY Wedding Programs:
– A2 sized folded cards (or cardstock cut to size and folded)
– Golf pencils, pre-drilled with holes wide enough for ribbon to pass through
– Popsicle sticks, also pre-drilled
– Scissors
– Needle with a large eye
– Corner rounder punch
– Double stick tape
– Thin ribbon

 

Note: A2 is a great size because there’s room for content, but they’re not so big that they’re floppy. If you go with a different size, make sure that when folded, the programs will be sturdy enough to write on.

 

Designing my programs was a snap with Microsoft Word. On the front, I put the basics – names, ceremony details, and bird graphics to match our wedding theme. To jazz up the back, I came up with three wedding related games for our guests to play while they waited for the ceremony to start: a Mad Lib, a fill-in-the-blank, and a word search.

 

I had tons of ideas for games that I ran out of time to use. How about a crossword puzzle, Sudoku, maze, or connect the dots?

 

Once you’ve designed your programs (making sure to fit the card dimensions), print the front and back onto the outside of the cards. I used my regular inkjet printer and had no problems.

 

To start assembling, open up a card and put double stick tape on three sides.
Then put double stick tape on both sides of a popsicle stick, covering about half of the stick. Center on the card and press in place.

 

Close the card, pressing to seal the edges.

 

Using the corner rounder punch, carefully round all four corners.

 

Cut a piece of ribbon that, when halved, is long enough to reach from the end of the popsicle stick to the end of the pencil, while still allowing enough slack to write on the program.

 

Thread the halved ribbon through the hole in the popsicle stick.

 

Use a lark’s head knot to secure.

 

Thread the two cut ends of the ribbon of the ribbon through a golf pencil.

 

Knot the ends to secure, then trim.

Click here for source and more pics!

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