ORG Idea #4: To Hold

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I ♥ these ring bowls from Palomas Nest. Taken from their etsy site:

"Our spin on the classic ring bearer pillow...a ring bearer bowl, sure to be modern heirloom. This little white ceramic ring bowl is an exclusive Paloma's Nest design. It is hand crafted and stamped with the words TO HAVE & TO HOLD. After the ceremony, the cord can be tied into a loop or a bow, and the bowl can hold jewelry, mementos or other treasures.

But that's not all...my favorite part of this piece is that the tiny bowl can also be hung by the cord, on a wall in a special spot(next to your wedding photo would be nice), in a shadow box frame, or on your holiday tree."

Although we have a ring bearer pillow, I really want one of these to hold my rings when they're not on my finger. Aren't they just adorable?

Paloma's Nest makes other ceramic things, including little bowls that can be personalized with a saying of your choosing. If you're interested, you can find your own here. Visit at your own risk...you're going to want one.

♥

Patti and the Art of Registry Maintenance

I knew when we got engaged that I would enjoy creating our gift registries. And for the most part I have. I like gifts - for myself and others, so naturally choosing gifts for us and our new home was thrilling.

I also enjoy going back in and maintaining our registry. See, one of the (alleged) cons of registering early is that things will come and go as the seasons change. All that means to me is that I get to keep logging in to our registries and updating them!

Well, as I was hanging out in our Crate and Barrel registry today, I ran across some adorable stands that I HAVE TO HAVE. See?


You know that thing is cute. Yes, I promptly added it to our registry. Upon closer inspection I found that it was the part of their Valentine's collection (OMG, dont get me started on how much I looove Valentines Day). That means 2 things. Its around for a limited time, and in the not so distant future (if it lasts that long) it will be on sale. I'm totally ordering one. You can get your own here.

Guess who's excited? Me!!
♥

ORG Idea #3: Can you hold my stuff Vera?

In honor of black Friday and in the spirit of all that is holiday shopping, I figured it was time for another off registry gift idea (ORGI). Because lets face it, I'm always loving something. The wedding's new color scheme lends itself nicely to one of my favorite brands: Vera Bradley. I'm not so into the purses, but the totes and luggage make me swoon. I could add Vera to our registry, this is what I'd register for:

to hold my clothes:
Garment Bag in Peacock, retails for $130
Large Duffel in Peacock, retails for $80

...and a good bit of my cosmetics
Hanging Organizer in Peacock, retails for $48

...as my carry on/in the car bag
Large Backpack in Peacock, retails for $90

...and for my laptop
Laptop Case in Peacock, retails for $38

As you can see, if left to my own devices, I'd be completely Vera-d out (yes, moreso than I already am). Traditionally I usually go for the travel-type bags: the cosmetics, the duffels, the totes. I heard they're retiring (Vera speak for discontinue) Peacock soon which means they are going to be putting it on sale. In typical ORGI fashion, don't be surprised if you see me with some new Peacock gear. ♥

{all images courtesy Vera Bradley}

ORG Idea #2:

It is with great sadness that I add this item to the ORGI list:My beloved cocktail napkins.

I can barely keep myself together enough to type this, but they are just not in the budget. Not before Dress #2 and definitely not after. These beauties would cost me about $40 for 150, which is really alot of money for napkins when you think about it. Just napkins. Napkins I absolutely love. *sigh*

So I'm adding them to the list in the hopes that one of my faithful readers will get them for me or will send their link to mom so she can order them for me. And if the wedding comes and goes, or I think they're going to stop making them, I promise: I WILL ORDER THEM MYSELF.

They can be found at here. Citrus green is wedding-pefect. All the colors are perfect for everyday use.

You've been warned :)
♥

ORG Idea #1: Emboss me!

I blame my mother. She worked really hard to ensure that I was able to make choices as a child, and as I got older that translated into me thinking I could always exert said choice - especially when I'm asked.

You'd think wedding registries would be perfect for that. I get to tell you what we (mostly me) would like for our new home. I have tons of stuff already, mostly because when I want it, I figure out how to get it (VISA loves me), but there are some things I had planned to purchase and am now holding off on because the PHI blinged me out. For that same reason, mom and Dani have both been on this "dont get it because you can register for it kick" when I mention things I just have to have.

Since I'm not allowed to purchase these things for myself (my normal course of action), I'm starting what I'm going to call the Off Registry Gift Idea Series (ORG for short). For those of you who believe shopping from someone's registry is completely beneath you (lol) and unoriginal. Trust me, I really do want those plates we (mostly me) picked out, but if you must pick out something original, I can deposit some stuff here that I've been lusting after. And, this is my formal disclaimer that even if I mention it here as an idea, I stil may buy it and use it for the wedding (or not) and probably not add it to the budget. Since we all know how much I love the wedding budget.

So lets get this thing crackin...Off Registry Gift Idea #1: Embosser

(image: paper-source)

From the Paper-Source website: Blind embossing is a technique that raises an image without color. Think braille.

The way it works is you take that first contraption and add a little plate that makes the piece of paper or cardstock that you are imprinting look like this:

(image courtesy: paper-source)

Long story short, they make awesome paper goods....notecards, stationary, envelopes, the list goes on and on! And I really want one. I still toy with the idea of doing wedding stationary with it (mostly thank you notes), but I really dont know if I'll have the time or energy or money come time to put up or shut up.

Which is precisely why its numbero uno on my O.R.G. list. Do not be surprised if you see one of these at our house in the near future!

Now the only question is what kind of plate do I want....

♥