Season's Greetings and Horchata!!!

Season's Greetings from our family to yours! I hope you all have a wonderful hoiday/Christmas and weekend. We will be having my family over today on Christmas Eve. My mom will bring tamales (purchased from a restaurant that makes them....we used to, but don't anymore) and I will be making rice, beans, carnitas and potato salad. I will also make horchata. No, not from scratch...sorry....I don't know how. I actually don't even really like horchata. In fact, I just found out from my 12 year old a few days ago that it's a rice drink. I know, I'm really bad at this kind of stuff.
I found this packet of horchata at Walmart that you mix with water. How easy is that? I hope it tastes good to everyone that knows what it's supposed to taste like. ........
.....and this is what I'll be serving it in. Isn't she beautiful? I just got her this past weekend from Target. She was actually purchased with "wedding" in mind, but I figured....why not break her in a little? =) And it's the perfect occasion.
Tomorrow my Mr's family comes for his famous homemade menudo (uh, which I also don't like). I'm so bad! So I will be eating left over carnitas....AND I found a mix to make tamarindo too (I'm not sure if I like that). He said tamarindo will go better with menudo than horchata would. OK....what do I know? It's a good thing I have people around me that know what the heck is going on! lol
So, 2 fun filled days with family! Yay! And hopefully a relaxing weekend. {{sigh}}
Have fun everyone!!! =)

DIY- My Sweets Buffet

I know that candy buffets are very popular these days, and decided I would like to have a "sweets" buffet that would include candy, pastries, nuts and whatever else we can think of. Definitely we'll have Twinkies (the Mr.'s fave) and Nutty Buddy's (my fave). I also will have candies in our wedding colors, and the Mr.'s own personal nut mix (he makes this and takes it to work with him daily).
Thus far I've bargain hunted for these plates/trays and scoops for our buffet. For the most part, these are thrift store finds. I'll try and introduce them in groups.
My raised platters/ bowls. I used various cups and candlesticks for bases, and bowls and plates for the toppers. I haven't actually glued them on yet, as I have been busy with other things, but I do have the epoxy ready to go. The one in the far back right is actually a cakestand I got free from freecycle.....if anyone's heard of that. The plates/ bowls shown here are from Target and Dollar Tree (all $1 ea.). Bases are from the thrift store except for the back middle candlestick (Dollar Tree). Thrift store bases were .45 each.
I am planning on putting silk flowers or purple/lavender paper pom poms under the cup bases for that extra lil touch.
These containers with covers were all from the thrift store $1.95-$3.95 ea.
These are all open containers. The purple cup was from Target for $1...I just really liked the color, and decided I will put Pixie Stix in it. All the rest but the heart (Dollar Tree) were purchased from the thrift store. I know that the bottom right one is a dip/appetizer dish, but it's perfect for candy! It was $2.95 and the other 2 glasses were .45 each.
These are 4 more bases I'm trying to find toppers for.....
OK....found one! The 99 Cents Store. Three more to go!
These are prongs and scoops. 4 pk of prongs for $1 at Dollar Tree and a 3 pk of scoops at Walmart for...I believe it was $3.95. Oh, and I totally forgot I had bought 5 mini plastic scoops at Blake's for .39 each.....now where are they? Hmmm....
And I also have 2 glass jars with tops from Ikea that I've had for a few years now.....I'll include those in my buffet too, if I need them.
And that just about covers my first phase of the sweets buffet. I really just wanted to round these up so I can pack and put them away. You see, I have ALL my wedding stuff in our bachroom, and I need to clear it out for Thanksgiving because we just might have Thanksgiving here this year...YIKES!! I just might post a pic of my backroom, but I really probably shouldn't. It is just so embarrassing! It's a wreck! So maybe I won't...lol!
Are you doing any types of buffets? Any creative or unique ideas?

Yay! Another DIY Checked Off The List!

OK....so I'll have to give "Becoming His Mrs." some props for putting this idea in my head. She had gone to Michaels and found some Halloween directional signs for 1/2 off a few weeks ago and painted over them to create directional signs for her wedding. So............I also went to Michaels, but unfortunately they were not on sale at my store. Bummer. But then I thought, "Hey! Dollar Tree always has stuff like that for every season/holiday."
But before I bought any signs, I decided to head over to my reception site to see what kind/types my venue could use. I really only needed one for the gate entrance to the courtyard, as there are two different areas you can enter into. One of them being a Senior Center in which my guests could end up surrounded by seniors in yoga positions. Mmmhmmm.
So I took some more pictures of the outside of my venue and headed off to Dollar Tree. I found a very simple "spooky" sign, and bought it for a buck. Well, duh, of course! It's Dollar Tree!
Unfortunately, I did not even think of taking pictures of it for tutorial sake. My baaad. I didn't think of it until I had already spray painted with white acrylic, stenciled the design in pencil AND had started painting it in.....super my bad! Well, what's done is done. I've already forgiven myself.
So above pic is of the supplies I used......

This pic is when I realized I should have taken some pictures...........
....and this is my completed project! I am really happy about the way it came out. ESPECIALLY because I've never, as an adult, painted with brushes. Takes some getting used to! Oh, and I actually used a thin black Sharpie to write the Mr and Mrs line on the bottom, which I failed to include in my supply pic. I was NOT ABOUT to attempt doing THAT with a paint brush!
And I just thought I'd throw in the green fence where I'll be hanging my pride and joy.

( border stencil and spray paint from Walmart, letter stencil from a dollar store, brush on acrylic paints and brushes from Michaels, sign from Dollar Tree)

Another Pending Project DONE!-DIY

Project complete!
If you'll remember awhile back, I wrote about some thrift store finds that were incredible deals that were gold in color, and I needed to paint them silver to go with our decor. Well, I finally did it!
1)Here is the birdcage I was transforming into a cardbox. ($5.95)
2) I started by covering the gems that went around the cage on top and bottom with masking tape to preserve them. I then spray painted the cage with Krylon.
3) Here's after I removed the tape from the gems.
4) Ta Da! A little lavender tulle, a sign and some flowers and I've got myself a cardbox Houston!

What are you using for your cardbox? Will it be DIY?

(cage from thrift store, paint from Walmart, tulle (about 10 yards for $2.95) from thrift store)

Save The Dates Are Ready To Go!

I've been working on these things for quite awhile....on and off of course, but they're finally done. Well, besides writing the addresses and stamping them.
The above picture is disassembled. I used the same paper for the belly band and the lining of the envelope flap. I know...I've seen them more fully lined, but this was a last minute decision when I saw that I had a small extra piece left over from each belly band. I thought....I know there must be something I can do with this little piece. So after cutting it to size I glued it on the top flap to make it matching stationary! I also created our own monogram. What do you think? Cute, or not so cute?
Here it is with the STD card already nestled into the DIY inner envelope I made out of regular white paper trimmed with wavy craft scissors, double side taped on the sides, and band slid into place.
Ta Da! Ready to lick, seal (oh yeah! I do have sticker seals not pictured here), address and stamp! Fun!
All together for 26 STD cards, ready to go minus the stamps....it cost me $5.20!
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How-To
1. To make an envelope liner, measure the width of your envelope, and subtract 1/4 inch. For the length, fold back the flap of the envelope, and measure from the bottom of envelope to tip of flap, just under the gummed strip. Using a paper cutter, cut a sheet of paper to these dimensions.

2. Slip the paper into the envelope, and fold the corners down just below the glue line, using a bone folder to create sharp creases. Remove the paper from the envelope, and cut off the corners along the folds.

3. Insert liner sheet into envelope, and fold down flap. Lift up the envelope flap, keeping the liner folded. Slip a piece of scrap paper under the liner flap to protect envelope from glue. Run the glue stick over the edges of the back of the liner.

4. Slip out scrap paper. Close down the outer flap over liner, and rub with fingertip to adhere glue to flap.

Idea Courtesy of Martha Stewart

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Here's the breakdown:

*13 -4x6 prints developed by Walgreen's at .10 each (2 STD's were put on each print) = $1.30
*Inner envelopes ( I already had the paper ) = $0
*Scrapbook lined paper for belly band and flap liner ( I already had this) = $0
*Monogram ( I already had white cardstock ) = $0
*Outer envelopes (large pkg. of thank you notes with envelopes from thrift store) = $0.95
*Self Stick Magnets (from Walmart) = $0.95
*Sticker seals (not shown - Big Lots) $2.00

Note: I was planning on doing all sorts of scrapbooking at one time in my life, and collected tons of scrapbooking supplies. And I mean TONS! I still to this day have not completed one book!.....just in case you were wondering why I already had some of this stuff. You know how that goes!

My DIY Save The Date Cards

These are just a few of our Save the Date cards. It started off with me just making a bunch of samples to have printed at Walgreens to see how they would come out. All I did was make a collage of the two pics, then added the wording. I made them so that 2 STD cards would print onto one 4" x 6" print. I would then cut them in half and glue a magnet on the back (haven't done that yet). I made so many different samples, that all together they were all I needed for all of my guests. So I thought, what the heck? I may as well just use all the different samples I had. Who says they all have to be the same? So that is what I will do.
Anyways, they came out great! I had them printed for .10 for each 4" x 6"print. Picked them up, so no shipping. For 50 Save the Dates it ended up costing $2.50. Magnets were $0.95 each pkg. from Walmart...so I bought 2 which was more than enough for my project. So $4.40 total to make 50 Save the Dates.
Still need envelopes, but I will be looking at thrift stores for a bulk of envelopes. I've seen them there before.....or maybe even make my own. OH....do I smell a new project?