Personalize You

Brides always tell me they want their wedding to reflect the couple's personalities. From their food to their favors they want their wedding to leave a big impression on their guests and be the talk of the town for years to come. With all the details of the planning process some brides can get a little stressed and that's when I take them to my favorite bath & body studio, bath junkie.

Only here do you get to customize products from shower gel to hand sanitizers. They have over 100 fragrances to choose from and you can choose to mix a custom scent, use a recommended blend (they have seasonal scents) or a "designer" scent. The first time you go in can be a little overwhelming with so many options to choose from so take a friend and go when you have a bit of time to really find the perfect scent for you.

Here's my favorite part: Personalize You!
Once you figure out which scent is perfect for you, there are still options to pick. Which product are you going to add that scent to and what color are you going to make the product? Yes, you read that right, you can pick what color you want your product to be and what shade of the color you want.

Ladies, listen up! You can personalize your scent for your wedding day! And have it be in your wedding colors! This is the perfect gift for any woman but I especially love it for brides-to-be. Nothing takes you back to a special time in your life like a specific smell. Even after the wedding day, everytime you use it, you will be right back there getting ready to put on that beautiful gown.
If you are getting a gift for someone and you aren't sure what smell or color they would prefer, you just buy the bottles and they get to come back and fill them with their picks.This is my pick for best way to personlize you! There is a bath junkie at Carmel City Center and the owner and staff are amazing and super helpful. Trust me, once you go, you will be hooked and telling everyone about it too! Tell them Jenny sent you!
Have fun personalizing everything down to your perfect scent!

Jenny

A Very DIY Christmas (Part 2)

I know it's way past Christmas but trust me these DIY presents are perfect for any time of the year. Since I gave them as Christmas presents I had to wait until after to put them on the blog so I didn't ruin any Christmas gifts. So here goes the second round: Homemade Candles.
Let's start with the candles. Don't skip this because you think it's complicated or that you won't be able to make them. I got all my supplies at Michaels. My biggest tip is to sign up for their emails because you will be get emails all the time with coupons. I had a 50% off coupon which I used on the wax. I will start with your shopping list and pricing.
Supplies:
Mason jars (12) - $10.68
Wax (11# block)- $17
Liquid Scent- $5.99
Dye Block- $4.85
Wax Adhesive- $3.50
Wicks (with attached tabs)- $2.30/pack of 6
Glass container - already owned one
Popsicle sticks or something to hold up the wicks- already owned
Double boiler-made my own

Per candle that equals $3.89!!! Let's get started...

One thing you have to know about doing this project is that goes fast once you get started, so have all your supplies ready to go.

1. Attach the wicks to the center of the mason jars with a pea-size amount of wax adhesive. Make sure you press it down and hold for a few seconds to get it completely attached.

2. Take the block of wax outside because it will make a mess! Break the wax into chunks (I used a hammer and a screwdriver to break it up).

3. Set up a double boiler on the stove. Don't have one? That's okay, I made my own out of a pot and a pan. Boiling water in the bottom pot.

4. Once the wax melts down, shave some of the dye into the wax until you achieve your desired color. I used my veggie peeler to shave the dye. Stir it and add 1/8th tsp of the scent to the melted wax. You can add more scent depending on which you choose, I used a cinnamon spice scent so a little went a long way.

5. Stir a final time and pour into a glass container to transport to the jars. I used a gallon sized glass measuring cup. The pouring spout made it easy to pour into the jars.

6. Once you pour it, grab your popsicle sticks (or something to hold the wicks in place) and make sure those wicks are held tight in the center of the candles. As they start to harden take a skewer or pencil (something long and skinny) to poke a couple holes near the wick to allow the extra air to escape.

7. Allow the candles to fully cool down before moving them. I let them sit for 3 days.

Then just add some ribbon or any special touches to personalize the candles for the holiday or event. Here's a look at my finished product.
Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!

Jenny

 





A Very DIY Christmas (Part 1)

By now everyone has heard of Pinterest and maybe you have even tried a craft or new recipe. I love Pinterest and get lots of inspiration for my projects from what others have done. To me, that's what Pinterest is about: INSPIRATION! You're project may not turn out exactly like you see and that's alright.
I decided to do a very DIY Christmas this year. I wanted to make some of the presents for our family and friends and I searched Pinterest for ideas. If you are looking for special presents to make and you're not sure if you are a master crafter, then try out one of these and you might change your mind. This will be a 3 part blog so come back from more ideas!

Letter Artwork:
My neice's just moved into a new house and were wanting some decorations for their new bedrooms. One chose black, white and hot pink as her room colors and the other chose blues. Here is what the finished project looked like.

This is the perfect gift for any age and for any reason. Make them your own by doing first or last names and changing the color of the wood and picture frames. Letter artwork can range anywhere from $99-150. Here's my list of what supplies you will need and how much they cost.
-Wood ($8) I bought a piece long enough to do both boards.
-Picture frames ($1/frame) Buy from the Dollar Store
-Spray paint ($5/bottle) Already had the black and white
-Hot glue gun & glue sticks
-Regular printer paper
The total of what I spent to make these gifts was $23. That's only $11.50 for personalized letter artwork that matches each room.

Start by painting your wood and picture frames. While those are drying, go here for the PHOTOS  . Print your letters and put them into the frames. Pop off the support pieces from the back of the frame. Determine how you want to lay out the frames and then use your hot glue to attach the frames to the wood. Don't feel like wrapping? Get fun ribbon to tie around them and they are good to go.

We were at their house for New Year's Eve and I heard so many people compliment her on how cute they were and how much people loved them. I think I will call this project a success! If you have any questions, leave a message.

Good luck!
Jenny

Justin+Megan

A fall wedding in Indiana can be tricky. The weather can be your best friend or your worst enemy. It is especially difficult when the bride and groom live in a different state! Although there was some rain on their wedding day, Justin and Megan didn't let that stop them from having an amazing wedding. They always say a little rain on your wedding day is good luck. Enjoy!





 

Congratulations to Justin & Megan. Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day. If you would like to see more check out our Facebook page or website: www.jcroweevents.com

 

 

Jenny



Luau Themed Party

It has been an amazing but crazy busy summer in my house. This summer was a milestone for my hubby who turned the big 3-0!! So of course I had to throw him a great party to celebrate. Along with any party come lots of DIY projects. He chose to do a luau themed party and I wanted to keep it from looking to kid-like so here’s how I did a grownup luau party.

First thing people see when the walk up to a party…the welcome sign! Super cute, easy to make and pretty cheap.

Pick up a wreath at a craft store and umbrellas from a party store and you’re ½ way done. One tip: Break about 2 inches off the bottom of the umbrellas before sticking them into the wreath so they are a little sturdier. I typed up a little welcome sign and hung it on the front door with a little ribbon.

I like to make sure people know what is being served so I typed up menu cards and placed them in luau themed frames.



I kept the décor pretty simple. I didn’t want to have to spend a ton of money but if I was going to buy something I wanted to make sure I could reuse it for another party. I think the only thing I haven’t figured out how to recycle is the leis, but give me time and I just might come up with something.

Everyone LOVED the vases! I got compliments left and right about how good they looked. All I did was add some shells on the bottom and a few drops of food coloring. It’s so easy!

What birthday party would be complete without a beer cake and cupcakes?? Next blog, I will show you a step-by-step guide on how I made my own cupcake stands.

Luau themed parties are no longer just for the kiddos anymore! Hope you all enjoyed my version of a grownup luau party. What great themed parties have you been to lately? Would love to see pictures and ideas for our next party.

Jenny

Keeping Bachelorette Parties Classy

Recently I threw my sister-in-law a bachelorette party. I wanted everyone to have great time and enjoy the night but keep it classy at the same time.
First up was the goodie bags. Who doesn't love free stuff?? Since it is a bachelorette party, I included a "hangover kit." My kit included:

- Gatorade

-Granola Bar

-Peanut Butter Crackers

-Tylenol

-Pepto

-Hair Tie

-Breath mints

I also added a picture frame (in her wedding colors) and glam drinking glass.
I found the glasses at Old Time Pottery for 98 cents a piece. I bought the gems at the craft store in the dollar bin in a variety of colors. You can use any glue that works on glass but I highly recommend using a glue that has a small tip for precision application.

For my sister-in-law's glass I did a little something extra...

Keep the party going by making fantastic punch. A real crowd pleaser is my Adult Pink Lemonade. Here's the recipe:

1 pink lemonade concentrate (thawed)

1 1/2 c. vodka

6 beers

I know it sounds a little strange but it tastes like fizzy pink lemonade. Everyone loves it. I make it for every party, plus it's pink!

Hope this helps give you some great ideas for the next party you are hosting.

-Jenny

Making your Wedding Shadow Box

Making your Wedding Shadow Box

Ever wonder what to do with all those important treasures like your bouquet, toasting glasses and cake topper after your wedding?  Don’t put them back into the boxes they came in and store them on a shelf. Brides often get their dresses preserved; pictures are made into beautiful photo albums and framed throughout the house. Some items are just too big to put into scrapbooks and honestly how often are you going to drink out of those toasting glasses? Why not keep them on display in a wedding shadow box.

Most flower preservation shops offer a shadow box service for brides. They usually take about 2-3 weeks to get them done but they can be expensive. Pricing varies depending on size of the shadow box and additional design work but usually starts at $150.

For those DIY brides, making your shadow box is simple. There are a few things to purchase and then it’s just a matter of picking out which items to put in the box. Any local craft store should have a variety of sizes and styles of shadow boxes.  Suggested items to put in the box:

-Toasting glasses

-Cake knife and server

-Bridal bouquet (may want to take out some of the flowers to make it fit better)

-Cake topper

-Garter

-Invitation/Menu Card/Place Card

-Picture of Bride & Groom

-Any other special items wore for the wedding (Your something old, new, borrowed or blue)

Just to tie it all together you can add in your colors with ribbons (which you probably still have left over from the wedding).

Shadow boxes are a great way to showcase important pieces from your special day. Keep those memories out for not only you but for others to see.  Don’t let them be put away and only brought out on special occasions.