Life's a Beach....a simple beach wedding

June 2011.......My sister got married. It was a simple Beach Wedding at Weko Beach in Bridgman Michigan but don't let the term "simple" fool you. It was a beautiful occasion. I was recently contacted by a bride who needed help with wedding invites and also needed ideas for a beach wedding. And of course my sisters wedding was the first thing that popped into my head. So, I'm sharing some pics with her and YOU!

Getting a few shots before the big event!

The Bridesmaids wore black and walked the walk barefoot. The Groomsmen wore white and khaki. The ring bearer was the cutest darn thing in white and khaki, carrying a ring box that looked like a treasure chest, made by ME.

I was one of the bridesmaids and I have to say that other than my sister looking so beautiful and happy, my favorite part was when I heard the Grooms sister playing her guitar as I walked down the beach to meet everyone at the alter. The soft music coming from that guitar mixed in with the sound of the water was so beautiful.

Who says you can't make your own bouquet?

 I used flowers and plants that we had around the house or in other folks yard to make the bouquets. White Peonies, Hosta leaves, beach grass and Sedum. On the stems I wrapped white ribbon which we saved from my Uncles funeral flowers........No that's not creepy! And to add dimension I added a narrow black ribbon on top of the white. Sorry I don't have pics of that aspect.

The Man of the hour and his Men.

Just thought this said it all "carefree"

My beautiful sister.....the Bride.

Afterwards everyone met up at a local tavern for drinks and cake. The cake was so flipping adorable, made by the Grooms sister! I'm telling ya, we are a talented bunch! Overall it was a momentous occasion that I am proud to say I was a part of! Hope this gives you some wedding inspiration and enforces the theory that you can have a simple, stress free wedding!

Treasure Chest Card box to match ring box & The glass jug was for
honeymoon donations!



Red and Black Inspiration

So, I was playing around with some red and black paper and leftovers from my own wedding, making an example piece for a friend of the family. This is what I came up with. Keep in mind, There was suppose to be a cylindrical vase for a pillar candle but.......it was broken! So, I had to keep that out of the equation.

The random piece of embroidery thread is suppose to be black ribbon. Or white.
I had neither!

Cupcake Pix Tutorial

I get bored. I have to keep my hands moving. When I was planning my wedding I had scraps and scraps of paper left over from the invites and save the dates and etc etc that I made. I didn't like the idea of throwing the scraps away. I'm frugal like that! I had some drink stir sticks left over from a different project. So, together with the scraps I made some pretty fancy pix for my cupcakes. I also make them to stick in sandwiches and pie when I am home alone and want to feel like I'm celebrating something.

Here's what I used: A paper trimmer, scissors, hot glue gun, drink stir sticks and 8x11 scrapbook paper or any paper that you have that you can cut into strips..... (To get the lace trimmed flags I used a Martha Stewart paper edger that I found on clearance at Micheals craft store)

First, Cut your paper into strips using your paper trimmer. They don't have to be the same width. I like to mix it up a bit. Skinny, fat etc.

The stir sticks I used were longer than I wanted my pix to be. So, I cut them shorter while my hot glue gun was heating up. You can also use toothpicks but I happened to have the stir sticks left over from something else, waste not, want not!

Now that you have your sticks cut and your glue gun is hot, take your strips of paper and cut them into sections. I make sure not to make a crease in my paper.

Once you have your pieces cut, put a little got glue on the center of your strips like soo....

 While the glue is nice and sticky take your stick and place it in the glue before it loses its gooeyness. Now twist your stick a little to coat it with the hot glue all over the tip and fold your paper so it closes over the tip like a book closing on a book mark (Make sense?)........

When you're all done with that step the easy part begins. I did this while I sat on the couch, watching Trueblood. Use your scissors to cut a "V" shape in your flag. Or use your paper edger to make a fancy edge.

If you want to dress them up and personalize them you could always add a glittery initial sticker to the flag! I kept mine plain. I wouldn't recommend that you use glitter on the flags! There's a chance that the glitter will fall into your icing or drink if you're using them as drink markers. And I am sure it wouldn't taste good!

 I'm sorry I didn't make cupcakes to stick these beauties in! I really wish Iwould've now that I think about it! I've wanted orange cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting for a while now!  

Cupcake Pix

 I am sharing these photos with you because a friend of mine needed ideas for cupcake decorations for an upcoming party she is throwing for a co-worker! I love cupcake pix! These pix in particular were super easy and who doesn't like easy when it comes to DIY?  In a few days I will be posting the Tutorial so you can make your own!

The Card Box

When I got married I wanted a unique card box that could be re-used after the wedding reception. So I did a little research. I'm a DIY type of gal so I decided I would make my own. But then I found this card box and realized that I know squat about working with wood and power tools. And I also didn't want to be the bride walking down the aisle with a missing hand. So I did what I could and delegated this project to my Mom who delegated to her friend the carpenter! He built the box and I painted it to look like a garage.

See, my husband is a mechanic! So, I thought instead of making a card box that looked like a house, you've probably seen them on etsy......It would be way cooler if we had a garage! So, here it is! Isn't it adorable!? Now that the wedding is over with, I use it to store the toddlers extra toys! It looks cute sitting in my living room! The roof of the box is painted with chalkboard paint! And it's lots of fun to see what people write on it when they come to visit now! And it keeps the toddler busy sometimes! I used my computer to make a sign to place on the front of the garage just like a real garage would have. This box is heavy duty so it will last a lifetime. I can pass it down to the kids or keep it forever and ever and ever!

I hope this has inspired you do think outside of the box so to speak when you're planning your own celebration. Try to use things that have a dual purpose! If you can't make it yourself then maybe you know someone who can! If your local high school still offers its students a wood working class, call the school and ask if they would be interested in taking on the project! Schools can always use generous donations! Just a thought!

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

You know I'm on pinterest every chance I get. I think it's a wonderful thing. Do I waste my time by browsing on pinterest? Heck NO! I gather a wealth of inspiration from pinterest! It gets my wheels spinning. Lately, I've been drooling over all of the yummy cookie recipes that everyone has been sharing. Thanks, by the way! If you follow my food board you probably noticed that it wasn't gathering many meal pins lately.....mostly tastey sweets! I'm trying to balance that out but before I do I want to post one more cookie/sweet recipe that I have recently toyed with.

My husband and I married back in August! Ahhhhh! Good times! He didn't have a whole lot to say about the wedding itself. He was more than happy to let me take the reigns and just run away with things. As long as I didn't ask for a lot of money. But, one thing he did say he wanted was a red velvet cake! I had no problem with that! As a matter of fact, there's a local Bakery called Sandra Kay's that makes the best Red Velvet Cake! My mouth is watering just thinking about it! So, I paid her a visit she loaded me up with a couple pieces of her tastey creation to take home to the hubby and believe it or not I managed to save him a bite or two. He fell in love with the cake and gave the thumbs up. So, I ordered our cake! It was small and beautiful. The best part, besides the tastey goodness of it.......It was very affordable! Thank you to my Mother-in-law for paying for it! I love her!

So, anyhooooooo, I keep seeing these wonderful crinkle cookies everywhere on pinterest! What is it about these cookies? I mean, they look so fun! Can cookies look so simple yet fun at the same time because when I look at these cookies I feel happy and knowing that they are somewhat easy to make, well that really makes me happy! I wanted to try to make Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies in honour of my recent nuptials! And this is how I did it:

5 ingredients

You'll need:

A box of Red Velvet Cake Mix

2eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 cups powdered sugar


Preheat your oven .....350. Spray your cookie sheet with no-stick spray!

In a mixing bowl, mix the cake mix and baking powder together. I used a fork to make sure all of the lumps of cake mix were eliminated. Otherwise when you finish the next step you'll find it hard to mix it all thoroughly. Now add the eggs and the oil, mix til well blended.

(This is where I assembly line it, if you have an extra pair of hands.) Using a tablespoon, scoop out dough and form into balls. Then drop your dough-balls into a bowl of powdered sugar. Generously coat the balls with the powdered sugar. My son, scooped and formed the balls and I took care of the powdered sugar, making sure the majority of the powdered sugar stays on the balls.

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Place the coated dough balls on your cookie sheet. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Allow 3-4 minutes for cooling time on the pan. Then remove to a cooling rack. This recipe made just over 3 dozen cookies!

These are the best! Seriously! The powdered sugar gives these the right amount of sweetness. I love sweets but I don't want the sweet taste to overpower the flavor of the cookie and you will certainly not have that issue with these cookies! I hope this inspires you to make cookies. You could make these with any flavor of cake mix. I wouldn't mind trying carrot cake mix! Ooooh!

*Note: After I made these I had a thought. Instead of spraying the cookie sheet with cooking spray, it would be best to use parchment paper since the powdered sugar will soak up the spray! I didn't have parchement paper on hand when I made this batch! But when I made a chocolate version, I did use parchement paper and they turned out so much better!

The Happy Bride.




photo by Anna Marie Pictorials

 Bride. A title in which I thought I would never carry again. But, there I was on a lovely day in August, wearing white, happier than a bird with a french fry, marrying the best guy in the world (for me) and I was surrounded by people that love us! It was truly a great day!

When I started planning the wedding I tried to involve the MR. as much as possible. But, he really didn't have a lot of serious input. Sure, he wanted red velvet cake, a midget Elvis to perform the ceremony and a honeymoon in a camper but, he didn't care if we had someone playing violin or fancy napkins with our names. He just wanted to marry me and that was good enough for me!

I wanted a little something more than a courthouse wedding. I did that the first time. I'm not saying it was a cursed wedding I'm just saying that I wanted to have the white dress, the flowers, the cake, the ceremony. But more importantly I wanted to be the BRIDE! I wanted to feel pretty! I spend most of my time in jeans and a T shirt with my hair in a pony tail! I throw on eye make up if I have time. I'm a Mom! I don't always show my curves. I'm not sure my personality shows all of the time. So, I wanted to show the other side of me  and be Fun!

I decided against the traditional wedding attire. I wore white when it's not traditional to do so on a 2nd marriage. I wore pink converse for pete sake! I wanted to be girly! A few days before the big day I took a major leap and had my hair maven, Emily put pink in my hair! PINK! And I loved it! It was ME!

My girls were beautiful in  Pool Blue dresses and flip flops. The guys wore Black or charcoal grey with jeans! Handsome and casual! We married in a park....indoors because there was a bit of rain on and off all morning. Better safe than sorry! But the clouds eventually parted letting the sun shine on! Over all,  It was a perfect day!

But I will tell you this. Becoming a Bride was not an easy task for me. Dress shopping was a nightmare at first only because I was not in love with my figure and wanted to cry. Then I came to terms with the fact that I am not a size 8, never will be and I don't need to be to look good in my dress! Sure I would've liked to have less cushion on my arms but it's something I can work on. Ladies! Rock that Dress! Be the Bride you want to be! Don't let anyone tell you "This is what you need to do!" or "This is what you need to wear". It's your wedding! When you shop for dresses don't stress! The dress will not make or break your day! Don't shoot me for saying it! Because it's your happiness that makes the day! It's the bond you have with your significant other. Make this day about you and your partner if that's what you want! There isn't a rule book when you're planning your off beat, non traditional wedding.

We're all pleasantly Mad here!

I got married in August! A week before my wedding my sisters threw a bridal shower for me and I was so completely blown away! I have dreamed of throwing a tea party for a very long time and I am a huge Alice in Wonderland fan. Not to mention I am also a tea drinker! So, they put their brilliant minds together and planned a Mad Hatter Tea Party Bridal Shower!

I knew absolutely nothing about this shower. I knew it was taking place and that I was to wear a dress. As far as the theme or what it would entail....I was in the cold, clueless so to speak! I was told the day before to be ready at a certain time! So, I was!

It all started out with a scavenger hunt where I was driven around town by the white rabbit aka MOM. I had to follow clues and find a card at each stop! I wish I still had all of the cards! They rhymed! I was in love with the whole thing from that moment on and you know me! I shed a tear or two! The final clue gave me an address for the actual party. This was so exciting!

We showed up at the home of my sisters friend who I had never met before but her home is absolutely lovely! We had to follow a little path to the house where I noticed Floyd and Erma, my pink yard flamingos....I didn't even notice they had been kidnapped! lol! Once we got to the front door I was speechless. Layed out in front of me was the most amazing tea party I had ever seen! It still makes me feel loved! Everyone was asked to wear a hat and almost everyone did! I was given a cute little top hat to wear too. It was loads of fun and I swear every time I looked around the table I saw something I hadn't noticed before. We had meringues that looked like mushrooms! We used real silver! I was totally blown away by it all!

There so many elements to this shower that just made it so whimsy and perfect. Luckily, my sister has a wonderful friend who was gracious enough to let them use her home and china! I love my sisters so much and the love they have for me came out in thier thoughtfulness and planning! We played fun games, ate fantastic food and it was more than the tea party of my dreams could've ever been! My brother in law even helped with this! Thank you Herman! 

Favor Friday

Hi! My name is Mad Maven and I'm addicted to my glue gun. I used it to put the handle back on my silverware drawer and then used it to glue a cup to the inside of the cabinet. (It was my favorite cup and when I wanted to use it, it was never clean! It will be now! he he!) Anyway, It's almost Friday and I think it's going to be a ritual that every Friday I come up with a new party favor idea for the bride on a budget who isn't afraid of a few burns from a hot glue gun or cuts from a paper trimmer!


This Friday I'm tackling a special request from a very good friend of mine who I often refer to as "Stripper". She is the reason I am the party person that I am. She has employed me on several occasions to do her dirty work. She gives me the theme and I run with it, like scissors! I'm fearless and that's easy to do when it's not your money you're spending! Kidding! I always try to concoct favors and party elements that are wallet friendly! I think fun should be affordable. I'm here to make people happy, not rob them blind. If I was out to rob you I would ditch the Bunny ears and hot pink pajama pants when I work. Trade it in for all black and night vision goggles!


So, anyway, Stripper calls me a while back and says "Maven, I need you to throw a shopping list together for a cowgirl birthday party that I'm planning!" You see how she does that? "I need YOU to put together a list for a party that I am planning!" Joker! She really means, plan this party for me and I will pay for the crap I need, then I'll take all of the credit or pimp you out in the end! She knows I love her and as she reads this from a hotel room in Australia she is laughing out loud because she knows it's a true story and she loves me back! So, I make the list, complete with decorations that are stripper compatible and then I lay out the favor list. I love party favors! The party is for a 10 year old girl who is totally devoted to her horses. So a cowgirl party was a smart idea. The day would start out with brunch followed up with a long horse ride leading to a secondary party location where the girls will enjoy a picnic lunch and cake. We're talking a 2 hour ride. These girls are hard core! They saddle those horses up to go the distance. They aren't jumping fences and racing around barrels. So my idea for a favor was individual trail mix bags. A plain lunch bag, brown paper bag, whatever you want to call it. Fill it with homemade or store bought trail mix and tie a bandanna around it to close the bag! The Girls get a cool bandanna and a snack! There you go! It's something that they will use! I think people sometimes get caught up in the cuteness of a favor that they don't stop to think, will this be a waste of my money? It's like handing out potpourri sashes at a wedding. I'm sorry but guys attend weddings too! They don't give a flying fart in space if they have a potpourri sash to take home. Save those for the Bridal Shower Girls! This also reminds me of a friend who handed out sample size bottles of her and her fiances favorite whiskey at her reception! Who exactly had the privilege of policing those favors? I'm sure there were at least a handful of teenagers who were happy you had that awesome idea!


Well, happy Friday folks! I'm already working on next Fridays favor! And I will have pictures! I promise! ..............................Hey! Who unplugged my glue gun!? Cowards!