Pretty Wedding Stuff

So pretty.  I'm on a super "earthy" kick lately.  I love wood, moss, rocks, and grass.  Some of these are wedding ideas...

- the paper cake concept is awesome.  I would have a mini-wedding cake and a huge dessert table.  everyone can fill their paper-cakes with all the goodies of their choice!

- the moss letters would be so cute at the guestbook table.

- the wooden candle holders would go everywhere....maybe place them in a bed of grass.

- if I decided to "fake a bouquet" it would be one like this.

- poms are amazing.  super affordable "flowers".  they're such an easy detail to "color-up" a party.


- how perfect to pin all my ideas on this faux bois magnetic board!

Wood Wedding Bands

When he told me he wanted a wooden ring I was shocked, then really confused...
When I think of wood I don't think wedding band.  I think camp fire, cabins, and rustic.  So if anyone knows Dan this is NOT a surprise to you!

Of course I want him to choose the band of his dreams.  Dan is a simple man and I realized a wood ring is the ring of his dreams.  DUH!

So surprise surprise!!  After some searching I agree wood rings look really nice.  Good job, Dan.

We could start a marketing campaign!

"WOOD IS A MAN'S BEST FRIEND. "
"WOOD IS FOREVER...when it's petrified."
"Well worth one day's salary."
"Nothing says I Love You like WOOD."

 

Make Educated Decisions When Buying an Engagement Ring

When I returned from a wonderful birthday spa weekend with the girls, Dan sat me down to chat about rings.  I was A) shocked, B) super excited and C) thrilled to use my GIA knowledge!  Of course every time we went to Costco we (mostly ME with Dan at a distance) always "casually strolled" past the diamond case.  I reminded him  there was a beautiful ring there that might give him a good start to for shopping around.

So off we went to Costco.  My left ring finger was tingling the whole way there.  This was the ring I wanted...but being a diamond geek I was disappointed to find out most Costco rings are not graded and do not include a GIA Dossier Report.  No good.  Plus the ring was a size 7 and could not be sized down to a 4.5. 

I left it up to Dan to jump start the search...after all...I gave him a general idea to run with.  I would've been elated with anything Dan chose and would've been OK with a ringless engagement too.  (Yes, I'm serious, stop rolling your eyes!) Well, that didn't go very far because it was a bit too overwhelming and I think he was running out of time.  So...I was fortunate enough for him to seek my advice.

We battled the Diamond District and through lots of research we decided on Icing On The Ring to custom make the Costco ring.  (So happy we did!!)

Dan proposed in Boise with this awesome Elvis ring and meanwhile our wax model was being prepared.  Here's my 1st diamond and the wax mold.  Cool, huh?  But I really couldn't judge what the final product would look like.

Fast forward to Sept. 19th, 2009....drum-roll!!!  We picked up the final product.  Vic handed the ring box over to Dan to put on my finger and when he lifted the top we both almost fell to the floor.  The center stone was amazing.  My gut feeling and last-minute decision was worth it.  These pictures don't do it justice...

I'm so excited to marry Dan the Man.  The Elvis ring will always hold a special place in my heart- lots of sentimental value :)

Save Water- Get Airplants

I love love succulents and air plants!!  I am still going to make the ECO GLOBES, I swear.  How cool are these from LBrandt? 

 

Cleaning Your Engagement Ring

I love Pricescope.com.

I'm learning so much from the forums.  Best jewelry/diamond tips and tricks ever.  How do I safely clean my ring?  What does hard water do?  Pricescope has totally come to the rescue!

My jeweler recommends an ultrasonic cleaner, so I just purchased one for an ultra low price of $19 + shipping.  You can read the reviews here and buy for cheaper on Geeks.com with a coupon.  This is the OEM version so don't pay over $30 just because there's another retailer name printed on it.

Bring over your jewelry, friends- I will clean it for you!  The ultrasonic cleaner will clean anything- ranging from CD's, eyeglasses, coins, dentures, razor blades, tweezers, eyelash curlers, cuff links, keys, and other collectibles.  I can't wait to try it out!

The professionals use a steam cleaner.  I heard pairing the ultrasonic with a steamer is the best way to go because it eliminates any film and water spots from hard water.  It's supposed to be just as effective as the professional jeweler cleaning.  I'll purchase the Jewel Jet later on...because Dan is the family treasurer and it was a compromise we made.  There's a great deal at Frontgate for $69 plus a $10 off coupon!  Total bargain considering they usually sell for over $100.  The manufacturer sells refurb models on eBay too.

I wonder if I can keep it on the kitchen counter?  I would use this more than the toaster :)