Aylee bits » 2008

Archive for August, 2008

DIY: Monogram candy jar favors

posted on August 19, 2008 by aylee

Spending some time doing your own favors can save you money. Below is a popular monogram candy jar favor. The cheapest I found was $1.25 each jar (contents not included) with purchase of at least 96.

If you do it yourself, you only spend about $0.83 each jar or maybe less, plus cost of candy. In addition, you get full control over the design of the label. You can customize it anyway you want.

Materials:
Jar $2.99/4
2″ round labels $0.46/20 + $5.10 shipping (you can try your local office or paper store to save on shipping)
Label template

Where you can buy bulk candy:
www.bulkfoods.com
www.ilovesweettreats.com
www.bulkcandystore.com
www.economycandy.com
www.candywarehouse.com
www.metrocandy.com

Click here for the full list of Wedding Resources.

Entry filed under: Wedding, Crafts/Projects

Add comment

Free cosmetics up to $25

posted on August 18, 2008 by aylee

Under the terms of a class action settlement, eligible shoppers can receive free cosmetics valued from $18 to $25. Several department stores will be giving away $175 million worth of cosmetics to shoppers who purchased cosmetics (makeup, fragrance, moisturizers) at their stores from May 29, 1994 to July 16, 2003. Giveaways are on a first-come, first served basis and are subject to the cap of $175 million. Shoppers won’t need receipts but they will be asked to sign a form stating that they purchased cosmetics within the specified dates.

Department stores that are giving away free cosmetics include Bloomingdale’s, Filene’s Basement, Lord & Taylor, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue. The free cosmetics must be manufactured by the manufacturers named in the lawsuit including Chanel No. 5, CK One, CK Be, Clinique, M.A.C., and Prescriptives. For a complete list or more information, visit the class action website at www.cosmeticssettlement.com. You can add your email address on the website or call 1-877-604-5776 to receive email alerts on when the stores start giving out free cosmetics.

(Source: Boston.com)

Entry filed under: Shopping

Add comment

8 for 8 - epic swim for the greatest swimmer

posted on August 17, 2008 by aylee

Swimming is my favorite Olympic event to watch. The strength, endurance, and discipline of every Olympic swimmer is just admirable. And Michael Phelps had proven that a million times over. Eight for eight at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Phelps made history by winning eight gold medals in a single event.

I watched every single event he swam with my heart pounding, probably more nervous than he was. It was incredible just watching him. I still watch the unbelievable Men’s 4×100m free relay and astounding Men’s 100m fly. I was shaking in both events.

USA wins back the 4x100m relay

Phelps, Weber-Gale, Jones, Lezak pulled off a shocking comeback in the 4×100m free relay

I am very proud of all the US swimmers, their commitment and great accomplishments. Congratulations to my favorite swimmers along with Phelps: Dara Torres, Natalie Coughlin, Jason Lezak and Aaron Peirsol.

Entry filed under: Life

Add comment

Extra 30% off at J.Crew

posted on August 16, 2008 by aylee

Get an extra 30% off final sale at J.Crew by entering code EXTRA30 at checkout. Available now through Monday, August 18.

J.Crew has entered the wedding industry by storm. The bridal collection is not extensive, but the bridesmaid collection is very popular among brides and their bridesmaids. J.Crew also has a beautiful collection of shoes usually available in different colors, enabling brides to match their shoes with their color motif.

Below are some dresses and shoes on sale:

Entry filed under: Wedding, Shopping

Add comment

Custom T-shirts

posted on August 15, 2008 by aylee

I recently visited Vistaprint, one of my favorite online print companies, and just found out about their custom t-shirts. A new service that brides will surely want to check out. There is a bachelorette party trend that is becoming more and more popular… bridesmaids (sometimes including the bride) donning on similar custom designed t-shirts.

Below is Mrs. Tiramisu of Weddingbee’s bachelorette party

Below is Mrs. Hibiscus of Weddingbee’s bachelorette party

Vistaprint allows you to upload your own design. It also has its own design collection for you to choose from. If you are unable to create your design and find a design in Vistaprint’s collection that you like, you can have one of their designers design one to your liking. You can choose from short or long-sleeved shirts. You can also choose the shirt color: white, ash, or black. You have the option to have the back printed as well. The service is more geared towards businesses, but with prices starting at $6.99 to $9.49, it is worth checking out. Just remember that options like backside printing do have additional charges.

A lot of brides recommend Vistaprint especially for Save-the-Date magnets and other stationery products. I recommend it myself. What I love about Vistaprint are the freebies which allows customers to sample their products.

Entry filed under: Miscellaneous/Other

Add comment

Mom

posted on August 15, 2008 by aylee

I’ve never really talked about my mom and how lucky I am to have her.

Even though my mom has been very strict and moody, she has always been there for us, my brother and me. She always puts us first with everything she does. She stays by my side when I’m sick. She stays up so late to be by my side when I’m having trouble breathing and couldn’t sleep. She is very nurturing to a point that she treats us like babies. She realized this when we were kids, and reluctantly decided to send us away to school… not only college, but high school too. But she still found a way to be there for us no matter how far we were. Being away has taught us to be strong and independent. All my years of being away and dealing with different people without my parents’ presence, has made me more open-minded, patient, and receptive to people around me.

Thank you Mom. I love you.

Entry filed under: Life

2 comments

Choosing a webhost

posted on August 14, 2008 by aylee

WebhostingGeeks I have a few of my readers ask me for webhosts that I can recommend for their wedding websites. It is hard to find a reliable webhost without recommendations from friends or reviews. I’m all for user reviews. That is why I post reviews as much as I can on websites and here on my blog. So every time I find a website that lists webhosting companies with user reviews, I post it.

WebhostingGeeks.com not only features webmaster and customer reviews for each webhost in its list, it also ranks the webhosts based on web hosting rating (i.e. Best Budget Hosting, Best Blog Hosting). Each webhost page on the site starts with an overview of the webhosting plans, ratings and features. This makes it easier for the less tech-savvy consumers to choose what is best for them. However, the site doesn’t have an extensive list. My webhost is not even in the list. Due to the short list, even the webhost that I ranted about before got included in WebhostingGeeks.com’s top 10 list. So I suggest reading the reviews and see what people have to say.

Entry filed under: Miscellaneous/Other

Add comment

DIY: Wedding Organizer

posted on August 14, 2008 by aylee

Wedding planning can be very complicated especially if you don’t have a wedding planner. Being organized can help make the process easier. Getting your own wedding organizer where you can put all documents, receipts, and such in one place is a start.

I. MATERIALS

Binder
I suggest getting a regular 3-ring binder so you can add most documents sized 8.5×11. You can buy them at any office or paper store. Below are some fun binders.

Click images to shop

Dividers
To separate different planning sections (i.e. Attire, Beauty, Reception). Tabbed pocket dividers are best.

Click images to shop

Pockets / Pouches
You need these to put in documents of different sizes that are hard to hole punch.

3-Hole Puncher
Helps in filing documents you receive right when you receive them. I suggest buying a portable puncher that has holes on the side so it can be inserted in the binder.

Click images to shop

Calculator
Very important when dealing with budget and vendors, but you don’t have to have this with your organizer. Most cellphones have calculators anyway.

II. TEMPLATES

Russell + Hazel Templates
RealSimple Checklists
Pash Weddings Planner
MS Wedding Workbook

Click here for my Wedding Resources page which also includes printable Vendor Guides: Questions to ask vendors.

Entry filed under: Wedding, Crafts

3 comments

Organizing with a labelmaker

posted on August 14, 2008 by aylee

I like to think of myself as well-organized, from budgeting to my arts and crafts tools and materials. I was so proud of myself with my organizing skills, until I saw this giveaway at several wedding blogs. The giveaway was a DYMO LetraTag® Personal Labelmaker. I realized that’s one of the things I’m missing. I usually use regular 8.5×11 sheet labels for labeling. But with the DYMO Labelmaker, it would be a lot easier and more convenient. So I entered the contest at the Wedding Chicks blog, but unfortunately I did not win :(.

If there are no more giveaways that I can find, I will have to buy it myself. One DYMO Labelmaker added to my Amazon Wishlist . It would definitely make a great addition to my organizing tools. And now that I have a couple of things planned, it would make it a lot easier for me.

We are making one of the rooms in the basement into an office. I will be moving all my stuff to that room and I am planning to do some re-organizing, meaning re-labeling as well.
I have started making a wedding organizer binder and I need labels for the tabs. A commenter in one blog had a great idea of labeling gifts so she doesn’t forget who gave them, and eventually help her when sending out the thank you cards.

There are a lot of other uses for a labelmaker. DYMO has a list of back-to-school labeling ideas on their website. You should check it out.

As soon as I get the labelmaker and use it, I’ll post a review so stay tuned.

Entry filed under: Miscellaneous/Other, Crafts

Add comment

Wedding links added on the sidebar

posted on August 13, 2008 by aylee

I just saw a post from one of my new readers in a forum directing people to my posts with templates:

I soughted through most of the crap and found a page dedicated to wedding templates.

Apparently all the other posts in my blog that do not feature templates are crap. This doesn’t really bother me, she liked my templates :). But I just want everyone to know that this is my personal blog, hence the title. So I should warn you that most of my posts will be about me and my interests.

But since most of my readers are brides-to-be who like to DIY (do-it-yourself), I decided to add Popular Wedding Links on the side/sidebar for easy access/navigation.

Aylee's popular wedding links