Dear BHLDN,

I know I was a Weddingbee and have a penchant for crafting.

But I also know that I'm not the only one who thinks it's absurd to charge people $14 for 20 toothpicks topped with slivers of lotka paper (which even the outrageously priced Paper Source sells for $3.50 for a 20 x 30 sheet).

Ribbon tailed pennants

It is even more ridiculous to charge people $32 for 5 tissue poms.  You know, as I know, that all it takes to make these ubiquitous poms is 8 sheets of garden variety tissue paper, which goes for $1.  One dollar!

Paper pom set

And these paper dot garlands?  For the $18 you charge, I can buy a circle punch and enough paper to make you 20 garlands.

Polka dot garland

Don't even get me started on the pinwheels or the kraft paper pennant garland.

Between you and me, though, what I really want to know is the name and contact information of the silly people who WERE willing to shell out $$ for their faux-DIY wedding.  Because I've got quite a number of things I'd like to market to them . . . .

Thanks.  That's all.

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I like free stuff.

This is a public service announcement to all who, like me, love free stuff.

First of all, the awesome Dina Kantor, who created this whimsical illustration for us, is doing a giveaway for one of her custom illustrations here.  I am, of course, totally entering.  Because Jellyby needs to be immortalized in one of Dina's fab drawings.

Image Source

Second, if you're celebrating Passover and need a little help, guidance, or inspiration, JewishBoston.com is offering a DIY seder kit, called "Seder in a Box."  It comes with all you need to run a seder, including a basic haggadah, seder plate, matzo cover, and even a few plastic frogs!  Best of all?  It's free!  Last I checked, they were running low on supplies, so if you want one, you'd better register now.

That's it: two opportunities for free stuff.  Don't say I never do anything for you.  ;-P

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"It's me! I'm the bobblehead!"

Every once in a while, I get an idea so genius, so monumental, that I can do nothing but be in awe of myself.  I was searching for a gift for my husband for our second anniversary, and kept coming up with only lame ideas.  But one night we were watching reruns of "The Office" -- our favorite show -- and the idea practically smacked me in the face.

A personalized bobblehead!!   There's a hilarious episode of "The Office" in which Angela gives Dwight a bobblehead -- of him! -- for Valentine's Day.  His reaction to the gift is awesome; it's one of those scenes that we watch over and over because it's just that great.

I ordered the bobblehead from Webobble.com, and I couldn't be happier with their service.  I submitted three headshots of my husband, and they sculpted the head in a matter of days.

They allow you to suggest changes at each stage and don't progress to the next phrase until you approve the proof.  The first head they sculpted got the mouth and smile exactly right, but the nose was bent the wrong way and the hair wasn't curly enough.

I made a few suggestions, and the next day they had a new proof for me to review.  Once I okayed it, they proceeded to bake the doll and and paint it.

A few days later, they had the baked and painted proof ready for review.  I thought the eyebrows weren't thick enough, the shirt color was a little off, and the eye color was a bit too green.  A day later, they made the changes I suggested and shipped it off.  It arrived at our house two days later.  All the way from Shenzhen, China.  (Which of course means I could have gotten it for about a quarter of the price had I gotten my act together and ordered it from Shenzhen when I was there over the holidays.)

I paid about $140, which included extra charges for the customized body (you can choose from a zillion standard bodies for no additional charge, but I wanted the bobble to be wearing my husband's usual uniform of yellow tie, blue shirt, and khaki pants) and for rush production and shipping.

My husband loves his bobblehead, but probably not nearly as much as I do.  It's standing on my nightstand, bobbing yes to any and all questions I ask of it.  It's so much more compliant than my actual husband!  Just right now, I asked my bobble husband whether I'm awesome, and it just nodded yes, very vigorously. Bobble husband is so wise!

Are you a fan of "The Office"?

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Two for two

Happy second anniversary to my husband!

Yeah, he's one lucky dude.

And I'm not so bad off myself!

Here's to two years down, a lifetime more to go.

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I'm BHLDN. Seriously, seriously bhldn.

Today is a very, very special day.  A day full of love and beauty and sunshine and rainbows.

Today is the debut of Anthro's wedding line.

(Oh, and it's also Valentine's Day, I guess.)

But let's go back to the debut of Anthro's wedding line.

Tulle Era Dress

For my next wedding (don't worry, husband, it'll still be to you), I'll be wearing this charming little retro dress.

Agave Peep Toes

With this pair of amazing shoes.

Gin Fizz Shift

But maybe if the second wedding doesn't come soon enough, perhaps I can make do with this darling shift.

On a Wing Heels

Or maybe just this sexy, whimsical pair of heels.

Sigh.

I'm in love.

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Love Illustrated

I've often thought I'd make a good cartoon: I have a cartoonish face (big eyes, smushy nose, buck teeth) and a cartoonish life (I swear an anvil* nearly dropped on my head the other day), and I've got all types of silly schemes I am looking forward to implementing against an evil nemesis.

* Ok, it was a hammer, but close enough.

But since Tom already has Jerry, and Jem the Misfits, I have to satisfy my desire for an illustrated life elsewhere.  Our friend's sister, Dina Kantor, made me this sweet illustration based on our favorite wedding photo after I fell in love with the whimsical illustration and photography work on her blog and website.

Illustration by Dina Kantor (Sam and Gertie Photography)

Since our third(!) anniversary is coming up, I was thinking of maybe having the illustration printed on canvas or simply framed as part of an anniversary gift -- sort of like this framed version of an illustration Dina created for my sister- and brother-in-law to commemorate the arrival of our niece:

Image source: Dina Kantor (Sam and Gertie Photography)

It's pretty awesome, right?  (I particularly like how the illustration picked up on all the details important to my BIL and SIL: the framed photo of our parents dancing and the Dylan and Springsteen prints.)

Image Source: Dina Kantor (Sam and Gertie Photography)

For her own wedding, Dina created a display of illustrations she made of family wedding photos.  It's such a charming and modern take on a traditional concept.

Image Source: Dina Kantor (Sam and Gertie Photography)

The most genius touch, though, is that she made a framed illustration of each of her wedding guests, which doubled as favors and escort cards.  I so wish we could have had something personal and fun like these instead of the semi-useless tchotchkes we imposed on our guests.

Sigh.  Maybe for the next wedding.  ;-P  I kid, I kid.

What are your favorite personalized gifts?  Any additional ideas for third anniversary gifts?  (It's supposed to be leather . . . or crystal . . . but I'm not really into either.)

Editor's note: My friend Alisa just pointed out that the upcoming anniversary is my SECOND, not third. Doh! Apparently marriage has broken my brain. The second anniversary gift is cotton, so perhaps I should screen print Dina's illustration on his/her t-shirts and make my husband wear it as punishment for making time stand still?!

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Our Wedding Album!

We got married eons ago, but look at the gorgeous surprise that arrived at our door this week: our wedding album!

Our wonderful photographer, Leigh Miller, created so many beautiful images of our wedding weekend that it took Mr. ADD and Ms. Procrastinator forever to choose the photos for the album.  I must say, though, that it's actually kind of fun to have the album come so many months after the wedding.  Not only were we wedding'd out for a while, we were also so saturated with media from the weekend that I don't think we would have appreciated the album quite as much.  Now that some time has passed, it's lovely to have a chance to reminisce about the wedding itself (and to curse the pounds we've put on since).

Leigh uses Cypress for her albums.  The company's bookbinding and matting work is meticulous, and their album designs are timeless and beautiful.

We ordered the "Cypress Album," which is a ribbon- or library-bound album in a presentation box.

Cypress has an array of sumptuous fabric and ribbon colors.  We chose to go with a monochromatic palette that reflects our wedding colors.  The album cover is in "light plum," the silk ribbon is "plum," and the box is covered in "plum brocade."  My photos don't do the fabrics justice: the album cover has the shine and texture of silk shantung.

Leigh designed the layout, and Cypress individually mounted each photo onto matted pages.  Of course, for a paperphile like me, the deckled edges and thick, luxurious feel of the album pages are totally swoon-worthy.

Over all, we're really excited about how the album turned out; it's a special heirloom that we hope we and our kids and grandkids will enjoy long after 3D holograms replace digital photography.

The only downside to using Cypress is that their albums don't come cheap.  I'm not sure we would have splurged on such an extravagant keepsake, but we were lucky to have been given the album as a wedding present by a group of very generous wedding guests.

Did you end up getting a wedding album?  And where do you keep it in your house?  I feel like we need to build some museum-quality showcase for something this pretty!  Our place is so not worthy of housing such a lovely item.

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Paper Cuts

In my fantasy house, I'd turn this

and this

and presto! chango! into this:


Laser Cuts by Jellyby on Polyvore.com

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You ain't a beauty, but hey you're alright.

My husband is a very unwilling photo taker.  He loves to take copious random, out-of-focus, completely unflattering shots of other people, but getting him to agree to being in front of the camera . . . for hours . . . while a photographer tells him to act like he's in love (with his, ahem, hot wife no less) . . . was a task of Herculean proportions.

If only his idol were to have stumbled into our engagement shoot . . . .

Kella McPhee via Blogness from the Edge of Town

Yeah, these lucky soon-to-be-weds were taking their engagement photos in Jersey when who should just happen to amble by but the Boss himself.*

Who then proceeds to serenade them.

At sunset.

On the beach.

Given the obsession my husband has with all things Springsteen, if this had happened to him, he quite likely would have shoved me into the ocean, whispered sweet nothings into Bruce's ear ("'Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run."), and proposed marriage to him instead.

Instead, the only mofos who photobombed our engagement shoot were a pack of Chinese tourists, who seemed disgruntled that we were blocking their shots of the John Harvard statue.  (You might not want to get too close to that statue, dude, the drunk kids pee on it.)

Who do you wish would have photobombed your engagement or wedding photos?

* Special thanks to our friend Laura, who taunted us with this story.

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Rue La La Wedding Sale

Even though we got married over a year ago, I was nonetheless weirdly thrilled to discover that Rue La La is having a wedding-themed sale today.

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A number of gorgeous Nicole Miller dresses are on steep discount, including this Grecian number, which I will be wearing in the fantasy second wedding in my dreams:

Image Source

(Don't worry, in this fantasy wedding, I'll still be marrying my husband.  Unless he does something to piss me off tonight, in which case I'll be marrying Mark Ruffalo.)

Back to reality.

They also have some gorgeous china patterns on sale, including Lenox's "Chirp," which would be so adorable in the Anthropologie-esque house that Mark Ruffalo and I inhabit in my dreams:

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. . . and "Guilded Tapestry," which looks crazy busy in this photo, but is beautiful in person:

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Click here for an invite to Rue La La if you need one.

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Our Project Wedding

It's a little strange to think that my husband and I have been married for almost sixteen months. I still think of us as newlyweds.  Not the blissed-out, fawning-all-over-eachother type of newlyweds, but the still-working-out-the kinks, but kinda-amazed-we-still-like-eachother type.

Meanwhile, our Chewish wedding is having its second fifteen minutes of fame as the featured real wedding on Project Wedding this week.  Check it out here.

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One year ago . . .

One year ago, on this date, we had a pretty awesome Chewish wedding.

In the last 364 days, we bought a house and moved in together after almost fifteen years of long-distance dating; one of us started an exhausting medical residency, while the other had on-again, off-again relationship with a Ph.D. from hell; our families celebrated weddings and reconciliations and survived difficult illnesses and hospitalizations . . . .

With so many changes and crises, it's been a challenging year in so many ways.  But somehow we laugh . . . a lot.  And even when there are tears, we manage not to feel alone.

We're not always capable of being our most charming selves with one another.  But somehow we love each other, even when there are occasions when we might not like each other.

One year ago, on this date, we had a pretty awesome Chewish wedding.  But somehow even if that day had sucked, what's important now is that we have a pretty good Chewish marriage.

Because that's really what matters, right?

Happy anniversary to my husband!  And happy anniversary to all the other 3/28/09 couples!  One year down, a lifetime more to go . . . .

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You're So Pretty

Remember our inaugural giveaway?  (I know, I know.  Everyday is a giveaway on my blog, since I dispense -- for no charge -- so much wisdom.  But I mean a giveaway of something real, something of actual value.)

Photos courtesy of BusyButtons

Crafter extraordinaire BusyButtons customized a ring pillow for lucky winner Katie and was lovely enough to send me photos of the gorgeous creation.

Lace!  Rosettes!  Button!  Drool.

Tecolote Tank

It's too late for me to get a ring pillow, so if and when a paycheck comes in, in honor of Busybuttons, I'm racing to Anthro to pick up some rosettes of my very own, in the form of the Tecolote Tank.

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One month from now, on this date . . .

We got married.

Photograph by Leigh Miller

And my husband still hasn't finished his thank you notes yet.

Sigh.

P.S. Hello Weddinggawker readers!  You can read more about our ring here and our wedding here.

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Weddinggawker

The popular food blog filter/gallery foodgawker always makes for good browsing when I'm hungry and in need of inspiration. So when I heard they were creating a similar site for wedding inspiration photos and blogs, weddinggawker, I had to check it out.

I know, I know, the wedding's over, and I have to move on.

But look! My gorgeous purple silk shantung Manolos made it on the front page:

Sweet!

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Hello my pretties.  Besos.

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Inaugural Giveaway: Marie Antoinette Ring Pillow

It's no secret I love vintagey lace, fabric flowers, and buttons. Imagine all the oohing and ahhing I did when Etsy seller and crafter extraordinaire BusyButtons showed me their gorgeous "Marie Antoinette" ring pillow.  And when this mother-daughter team offered to do a giveaway of this ring pillow on my little blog, there was much giddiness, off-tempo clapping, and awkward jigging on my part.

Got that pathetic image out of your head?  Good, because you're in for some serious gorgeousness in the form of this pillow:

Isn't it so darling?  And perfect not just for a decadent, rococo wedding, but even for a rustic outdoor wedding with an Anthropologie-esque edge.

And best of all, you can customize this pillow with your choice of ribbon to match your wedding colors.  J'adore!

To win this beautiful confection of a pillow, visit Busybuttons, check out the lovely array of ring pillows available there, then write a comment below telling us which Busybuttons design is your favorite.


Want to double your chances to win?  Subscribe to or follow this blog, or link to this post from your blog.


You have until Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010, at 11 pm EST to enter.

What are you waiting for?  Get commenting!

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