I'm going nude (a nap time mani, new custom order + wedding course update)

The past few days after leaving the hospital from baby Blayze's birth, I've had the stomach flu. I first thought it was food poisoning from the hospital's cafeteria but after my husband came down with it only a few hours after being home, I knew differently. Needless to say, I was in bed all weekend and got a bit behind on a few things.

I am now feeling fully recovered and have been able to knock out quite a bit of things-like a new mani! Here's to nap time manicures with quick drying polish! I am loving the nude color. Simple, natural and hey, it goes with everything!

Polish: NYC-Fashion Safari

I have also caught up on most of my orders and sent out several handmade pretties including this completely custom order. This Canada bride is the sweetest ever and I'm her very first Etsy order (I still remember my first Etsy purchase)! I am so thankful and honored that I was able to work with her.

I created boutonnieres for the guys, corsage pins for the ladies and hair clips for her bridesmaids. I also include a little gift for her since the pieces were for everyone else.

So, I realized after I sent her package off, I didn't take a photo of the 6 boutonnieres all finished! This is all I have (the one on the right isn't 100% complete). There were 5 navy wrapped bouts and one white bout.

Since I want the gift to be a surprise for the bride, I will share what I made her in a later post. ;)

It has been a while since I've shared any updates from the Wedding/Event Planning course that I'm taking but that may be because I haven't really put too much time into it. I have been coordinating a wedding for the past few months amongst lots of other events and projects. Since the wedding was at the end of June, I dived right back into my studies and finished Unit 3 (finally)!

This Unit was all about the photographers, DJs, live music, flowers, honeymoons and travel. Since I've worked with photographers several times whether it be with styled shoots, weddings or other types of collaborations, lesson 10 was my favorite to read because I was really familiar with the content and I absolutely admire photography. 

If you want to cut the costs of your wedding day, DON'T do it with your photography! Those photos will be all that you have to look back on from your big day. There had been countless times that brides have regretted their decision with the photographer(s) or lack thereof. Find someone that you are comfortable with and really love their work because those photos will be your treasures from that special day.

As far as honeymoons go, bridal consultants don't get too involved but it was fun learning about different places to travel and when. Did you know that when it is summer time here in the U.S., it is winter time south of the equator and vice versa? Good thing to know if you are getting married in July and are thinking about going to Tahiti or Bora Bora for your honeymoon. Maybe a second thought?

Unit 4 is up next! I'm about half way done!

If you're a bride or have been a bride, what's the first thing you bought/booked for your wedding day?

I think mine was the venue then the dress...

Floral Design class + Wedding/Event Planning course update//FUN FACTS

This past week was full of fun facts and pretty spring blossoms!
Since Easter is tomorrow, we created our first all around arrangement within a colorful Easter basket for Floral Design class this week. We used daisies, carnations (which have been in all of our designs so far), alstroemeria, ming fern, and wax flower.
I really enjoyed creating this arrangement and guess what? We even got out of class on time! This never happens by the way, but hopefully we can keep this momentum up. For the bow, we were supposed to place one on each side but I cheated and just plopped it on top. Ha!
Here's the arrangement from this week.

One side.

Other side.

A fun fact I learned in floral class this week was that you can put a bit of clear lemon lime soda in a vase of flowers to help expand their life. The sugar in the soda will help nourish the flowers and the carbonation will help keep the vase clean. Cool right?

I also completed lesson 3 of my first unit of Wedding and Event Planning. This lesson was my favorite so far because of all the interesting customs and traditions of weddings within several different cultures.

Here are some fun facts I learned about the traditions we still carry out today in weddings:
*The tradition of a bridal bouquet originated in ancient Rome with the belief that fragrant florals and herbs would ward off evil spirits.
*The wedding cake originally symbolized fertility. Same with the tossing of rice.
*The kiss at the end of the ceremony symbolizes an exchange of spirits, uniting the couple in both body and spirit.
*The reason why we have bridesmaids started within some cultures that the idea of hiding the bride among similarly dressed women would confuse any evil spirits. This also applied to groomsmen.
*Having the groom stand on the bride's right side started in ancient times when men armed themselves with swords. If any danger came to the couple, the groom would easily be able to draw his weapon with his right hand. This is the same reason why we place a knife to the right of our dinner plate when we set a table.

I also learned of some pretty interesting customs from many other countries including:
*In the Chinese culture, the bride and groom will have a drink with each table as they visit the guests. (I can imagine the photos by the end of the night!)
*In the German culture, on the night before the wedding, it is tradition for the guests to break pottery and play pranks on the bride and groom. Also, during a German ceremony, the groom will kneel on the hem of the bride's dress to symbolize his control over her and the bride will rise and step on the groom's foot to assert her power within the marriage.
*In the Scottish culture, when a couple first decides to wed, they will notify the baker who will create a dense wedding cake for them. Then, brandy is poured over it once a week up until the wedding day.
*Russian newlyweds will tie a doll on their wedding "getaway car" if they want their first born to be a girl or tie a bear to the car if they want to have a boy.

There was SO much more that I learned and as you can see, it was a lot of fun! I love how ancient custom still plays a role in why we do things today during weddings. Whether or not they still have the same meaning, there is a reason why each tradition started in the first place and it's quite fascinating! Even for the most "non-traditional" bride, there is always something that companies a wedding which rooted from ancient meaning.

Are there any intriguing wedding traditions or customs that you've learned about?

Recently (new orders, new glasses, wedding course update + the park)

Recently,

*I have been extra busy with the shop creating and sending out orders. I LOVE my job!
*I decided on a final design for my new business cards and sent in my order.

*I officially completed lesson one of my Wedding/Event Planning course (with an A+) and I am just about done with lesson 2. This lesson goes into more detail about the beginning stages of planning a wedding from the guest list to invitations to starting a timetable.

Each time I listen to the audio for the lesson, I feel so drawn in. I get to listen to an experienced planner who is based out of New York which is even more compelling because one of my goals is to visit NY in the near future--hence this mug I bought from Target as a reminder.

* I received my new glasses in the mail from Firmoo! This time, I opt for the "geek chic" look with the larger lenses. When I opened the packaging, to my surprise, they even came with a case and repair kit!
After I put them on, I really loved how comfortable they fit, their durability and the way they look when I wear them. To be honest, I prefer to wear them over my other lenses from the Dr.s office!
You can get your first pair for free with the cost of shipping and feel them for yourself. :)

*With the weather warming up, my husband and I took our handsome little man to the park where he tried to feed the ducks but picked up the bread off the floor instead and ate it, played on the swings with daddy and even threw lots of wood chips around.

LOVE LOVE LOVE my little family! Thank you Jesus!

My week is treating me pretty well and I hope yours is too!
Have a beautiful (almost) weekend!!

Wedding Planning course + Floral Design class + ORGANIZING (or an attempt at it)

Lately, I feel as if everything is in a bit of a whirlwind. I have so much to do and yet, as one woman, I wish I can stretch the hours in a day so I can get it all done! It's been such a blessing to get to do what I LOVE to do! I'm seriously so grateful that I can say that I just LOVE my job(s). Even when you are doing something you love though, it's easy to get burnt out when you don't take time out for yourself and your family. It's easy for me to think about EVERYTHING I have to get done instead of taking it a bit at a time. I'm learning.

As you may or may not know, I started my Wedding/Event Planning course recently. I have read the first lesson and I feel like I'm hooked! I haven't even completed any projects for the course just yet but it's sooo exciting to finally start this journey (officially).

What I got from my first dose of content so far, is that I really need to focus on organization. I can be organized in some sense when it comes to certain things, like my shop. I use a white board, a calendar, post its and a filing box but I still feel like I can improve with the shop/blog/etc. I'm not the most organized person all around and when planning events, it's a MAJOR issue. So, I guess I can start a "mid-new years resolution" right? {Get more organized}

I also started my floral design class. It's been quite fun so far BUT hard work as well! I really didn't think it would require so much "knowledge" and patience. Haha! I really do enjoy it though and can't wait to actually experiment with my own designs. So far, you have to do almost EXACTLY what is being instructed. The only experimenting I've had is choosing the colors of the flowers I'd like to work with-and even that is hard when everyone is rushing to pick their fav. first. It's great to learn the basics though which is what I need! Here are the 2 designs I have completed so far:

First week was learning to create bows and creating a single carnation corsage

This past week was creating a symmetrical arrangement of a dozen carnations. I tried to create an ombre effect with it. I gave this to my mother for her birthday today. Happy Birthday Momma!

So on top of 2 new courses, I have my beloved shop to keep up with. It's my pride and joy (other than my sweet, adorable son)! Today, I started a few new organizing projects in my craft room and first was my huge box of shipping confirmation receipts and purchase receipts from etsy.

That was organized to a T. Promise.

I also have my white board of orders to complete. I really haven't seen it completely WHITE in a LONG time! As soon as I finish an order, another arrives! It's amazing! 

With that, add the items I need to get done for the craft show in Long Beach, the giveaway items for the Elevate Conference and the new business cards I need to get done by next month.

I feel like I need an assistant at times. I know several handmade business owners that seem to be able to do it all! They are like super people I swear! lol If you are one of those, please tell me how you do it! :)

Anyway, like I said, it all seems to be a bit of a whirlwind right now and yet somehow, this little baby makes it all better. At least temporarily. :)

There's my busy self in a nutshell right now. How do you de-stress? Do you have any great organizing tips to share? :)

Have a beautiful night friends!