OMFGYOUGUYSTHISWEDDING.  <== no seriously this time.

But first, I have a little story for you about my personal relationship, because of course I do!  If you care to hear it I mean.  It has to do with the Girl Talk part of this post, but I don’t think I’ve ever brought up Honey’s and my sleeping preferences… because omg how boring that would be of me.

… so would you just excuse this one time that I’m going to do it in this post? :)

As bed sheets go we are fair weather fans.  Exhilarated/better lovers/life feels full of possibilities/sky is the limit when our bed sheets are freshly cleaned.  Hating the very existence of bed sheets at all, and cursing their name, when it’s time to change them out.  Honey and I are used to changing them as a team, and we’ve finally emerged from the period where you accidentally line up the fitted sheet the wrong way every single time that you guys do it together, and for several years.  But we’re beyond that stage now, so things are looking up on the *bare minimum necessary to maintaining a livable adult home* front.

Through this process, naturally, we’ve learned a lot about each other’s personal preferences insofar as bed sheeting goes.  One thing he’s learned about me is that I am devoid of personal preference when it comes to bed sheets.  One thing I’ve learned about him, is he likes to tuck them in with hospital corners.

So here’s something I do:

When I make the bed in the morning, I tuck up the side he sleeps on and I hospital corner the som’bitch.  Sometimes I do a bad job of the corner because I’ll have just remembered he’s on his way home.  Other times I’ll do it with the focus of the Jedi, weirdly testing my limits in the sport of sheeting a king size bed in a NYC apartment.  I can make hospital corners better than you’ve ever had in your life, given the proper amount of time.  I am good; that is what having an out-of-control obsession trying to perfect an act of love gets you- dominance in your sport.

The first time he noticed it, he said: “Aww you tucked in my side… that’s a sign of love.”

Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeese-filled cheesyness, I know.  But smiley face emoticon as well. :)

So…………

Question: what is one thing you do, to show your partner (or a different loved one) love?

Emma of Honey Honey Photography sent in this a lil bit rustic, a lil bit vintage wedding, and it’s equal parts girlishly charming and joyously colorful.  Oh my goodness wtf are these words that I’m using. girlishly charming? really?  Let me just get out of my own way and on to today’s tip…

Fun Tip for Your Ceremony Exit: why throw birdseed or rice, when you can go with a bowl of lavender for a comforting post-ceremony sprinkling?  Taking the lavender approach makes for a triple threat experience – it smells great, it always photographs beautifully, and it doesn’t take with it tiny pieces of your shoulder skin when the assholes the other side of the family invited start gunning it at the center of your face, as if they’re on the front lines of the nation’s War on Women.

Also THERE ARE TEACUPS.  I, like a lot of women in the world these days, am BEYOND beyond obsessed with teacups. omg I am so obsessed with them.  I’m *this close* to starting a hoarding affair with beautiful delicate teacups, that my unborn children can, one day, bring crashing down along with the glass menagerie I eventually will have had to buy to contain/display my insanely prolific and expensive teacup hoarding collection which has at this point become a fetish.

So, that said, I’m really into this wedding.

Emma shared some tidbits about Amanda’s various DIY elements:

Amanda wanted a vintage, rustic and romantic theme for her special day.  She had her dress custom made by Ivy & Aster and started collecting vintage plates and tea cups a whole year before the wedding.  Everything was DIY and made by love by her and her family.  She did all the typography & invitations (she’s an artist) plus her hand-beaded clutch.  Her friend made the cake topper and a family friend did the catering.  The ceremony was held at an adorable old church and the reception was at the fairgrounds.  Oh, did I mention her glittery shoes and vintage 20′s veil?!  All of this thanks to an ex who introduced them to each other!!

And here’s what the gorgeous bride, Amanda had to share with us about the day:

When Matt and I started planning our wedding we knew we wanted it to be about our friends and family having a good time.  We decided to hold the ceremony at the Haddam Neck Congregational Church and the reception at the Haddam Neck Fairgrounds both of which are in the town where Matt grew up.  The places were really special to Matt, they were affordable and they allowed us to have our wedding the way we wanted it.

My mom, sister, mother-in-law and I spent a year collecting glasses, plates, vases, silverware, and linens for the reception.  It was a great way to spend time together and now I have a collection of my favorites for our home.  I printed the save-the-dates and invitations using my little letterpress and I did all of the calligraphy.  My dear friend at Concarta made us the sweetest cake topper that matched my dress perfectly as well as Matt’s police uniform.  It was a big hit!

I was so lucky to win our flowers from fiftyflowers.com and they were just lovely!  Two days before the wedding my Godmother and I prepared them and then she made all of the bouquets and arrangements.  During the days before the wedding the whole family got the fairgrounds in order, from cleaning to decorating.  I actually found it nice to have so much to do before the wedding so I didn’t sit around stressing.

Shortly after Matt and I met, I went to Spain for a summer and he came to visit.  We decided to have a Spanish inspired meal for our wedding to remember that trip.  Matt’s friend did our catering with tapas for cocktail hour and paella for dinner.  For drinks I made sangria and iced tea and we had a few kegs of different beers.

The day of the wedding was an absolutely perfect late spring day.  I was so nervous before the ceremony but once I saw Matt at the end of the aisle I just felt calm.  Our guests played lawn games and danced all night.  The evening ended with Matt and his friends taking over the music and I got to listen to my new husband play guitar.  It was great!

In other news:

~ This Thanksgiving comic by The Oatmeal, tweeted about by Susan Bond, is the funniest.

~ This comic I saw on boingboing (also by The Oatmeal)

..reaches me on a level so deep, it makes me uncomfortable.  And if you have the time, the comic in combination with the comments left on the post = the essence of the internet, and I found it worth sharing.

Ok, SO!  Per the story I shared today…

What’s one thing you do as a little (or big) sign of love?

xx!  Alison

Photography: Honey Honey Photography / Dress and Veil: Ivy and Aster from The White Dress by the Shore / Grooms Suit: Colin’s Tux Shop / Ceremony: Haddam Neck Congregational Church / Minister: James Simpson / Reception: Haddam Neck Fairgrounds, Cake Topper: Concarta / Catering: John Schwartz / Hair: Sarah Colonghi-Maziarz / Flowers: Fifty Flowers and Bride’s Godmother / Band:RSVP / Ceremony Music: Bride’s Uncle / Bridesmaid Dresses: Donna Morgan / Invitations: Bride / Submitted via: Two Bright Lights

Yeah so I just thought I’d start off this post with some cheery pictures a la up top from the last few days, since we’re about to get into some heavy shit here.  

One more pic for the road, below; it’s a couple of personally-meaningful presents I got for my sister.  She has two kids and therefore no time to read the blog/find out early so I risk nothing by sharing with you.  Winning!  (Trying to bring back “winning” – is it working?  No?  It’s not working ok fine.)

So.  I’m UHHHHH.. I’m not sure if you’ve been keeping track here but… Thanksgiving is Thursday.

I know most of you knew that.  I just wanted to make certain everybody is aware.  And I imagine at least 5-25% of my readership is comprised of meth-addicted social pariahs who steal distant neighbors’ unlocked wireless connections and read the blog from bunkers situated on the outskirts of modern society, where they live free of the dictatorial rule of government calendars and forced family celebration days.

Somebody got here once with a search for “christmas meth,” so I’m not just pulling this out of my ass or something.

But forget that.  This post is supposed to be about holiday fighting.  Let’s begin, especially since I have a pressing question for you:

When it comes to the holidays, are your feelings best expressed by this mannequin?

Or are you more like a sad, unfulfilled and anxiety-riddled dog, relentlessly wanting “ups” when he’s just lodged his own foot in his own poo?

Tell me: Have you and your partner already gotten the arguing out of the way, regarding where you’re going to spend the holiday this year?  Or are the two of you popping anxiety pills while you wait for the other one to bring it up?

Or, do you have it all figured out and everybody’s feeling pretty happy?  If so SHARE YOUR SECRETS, WITCH.

Here’s the funny thing about holidays: they are not what they purport to be.  Take Thanksgiving for example.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but Thanksgiving walks around with this swagger, as if it invented the word thankfulness.  It’s all “let’s give thanks” and “this is a time for family togetherness” and “eat three pieces of pie, you’re allowed, it’s me T-Give!”  And such, and then some, and whatnot.  And really, it shouldn’t be that hard to give thanks on this one day that was created in its name, AMIRITE?  I mean it’s even called Thanksgiving; they spelled it out for you!

I’m being silly, I know.  But think about it– consider the fact that holidays, by definition, are designated *family disappointment* days.  The only question is: who will you let down this year?  Will you let down your family, by coming late/not at all this year?  Or will it be your partner’s family who you’ll inevitably let down in some way?  And will you be able to come to that decision about the nature and severity of the let-downs you’ll be inflicting upon cherished loved ones in a calm and civilized manner?  Or will you try it that way at the start of the conversation but inevitably end up replacing the windows on Passive Aggressiveness Manor?  And, when all is said and done, will you have arrived at a plan that satisfies exclusively one of you, or neither of you sufficiently, or better yet neither of you at all, and not one person in the whole family tree is happy despite obvious sacrifices made on all parts?

So yeah.  It can be *a little tough* to remember the holidays are about closeness, family time, and being thankful for what we do have.  But that’s ok!  It’s ok.  Really, it’s only natural.  If you didn’t get a little angry, or sad, it would mean that you don’t really care about potentially letting down people you care about, or who care about you.  It’s one of the oldest problems in relationships, and it’s probably never going to go away.  It’s actually never going to go away, sorry I was giving you false hope there, my bad.   Until we invent affordably-priced hologram machines and can beam Tupac into every American home ocean to ocean, all we can be responsible for is ourselves.  Being humble, thankful human beings and doing our best to make others and ourselves sufficiently happy.

That’s understandable… the holidays can be a rough time.  And really, no amount of me, a random girl on the internet, talking about it is going to help the fact that Thanksgiving and every other big holiday at that, can be wrought with conflict…

… so to help you feel a little bit better, I’ve listed out a few of the worst things I can think of – body-wise – that to me are far worse than the dreaded where-are-we-going-for-the-holidays decision-making process.  Here they are, in no particular order (because each is as bad as the last):

1. Having to make a speech to an audience, and feeling the diarrhea fairy leaving a present in your colon 5 minutes before you have to go on stage.

2. Showering in anticipation of sexual intercourse, and having to poop the moment you step out.

3. The poop in #3 not being a clean pinch.

4. Having to fart, whenever you are not alone.

5. Having to stop a poop prematurely, for any reason at all.

6. Your ex-boyfriend’s roommate walking in on you peeing, because his bathroom is cleaner than your boyfriend’s.

7. Feeling the urge to make an unpredictable poop 10 minutes before a first date.  Also: having to make the decision to release it, or power through and hope for the best.  (This decision is made easier if you do not practice *putting out* on the first date.  Which makes me realize: if I have a daughter, I will be cooking her a 4-course-meal one hour before every single first date for the rest of her life.)

8. Having to poop anywhere between the beginning of the second date, thru until the current year of your relationship because that shit never stops being annoying.

9. Having to make on a roadtrip, when the road is a flat, wide open and heavily traveled 2-hour stretch, devoid of bathrooms.

10. Being the criminal who gets his police interrogation filmed by a documentary film crew, and then afterwards having to poop into a machine.  A little out of place but I was watching a drug documentary and having to poo in a drug loo that separates trafficked drugs from your excrement has got to be up there among Hugest Drags in life.  Sorry, criminals.

The DrugLoo!  Something that exists in this world.  #themoreyouknow #rainbowgraphic

(Ok, now: consider reading that list over, but this time with the knowledge that all but one of these things have happened to me.  Guess which one I got to avoid?  Go ahead, guess.)

So with all of that in mind, here are the two pieces of advice I have for you this week:

Drink more water, it helps.  And at least try to loosen the fuck up.  Aright?

I’m curious to know how you guys handle the holidays–

What do you do when the holidays roll around, and you have to make those plans?  Is it tough?  What have you decided?

xx!  - Alison

P.S. – Love ya!  Happy T-Give!

P.P.S. – Bambino says he loves you.  He made me tell you that.  He also made me take this picture of him and put hearts around it (all his idea).

Happy evening, you guys.  ’sup.

What I’m doing today is a sort of ‘This & That’ blog post thingie, but in a way that will be very weird/foreign to you/you may not like/you may hate/you may love so much that you can’t let it go on living if you cannot have it all to yourself.

Wtf kind of intro was that, Alison?

So ummm, ‘This/That” posts are common in the blog world, and I love them because they are typically lighthearted, fun and cool-thing-you-can-buy oriented.  Today’s is a bit different, insofar as it’s a picture show depicting how trees, on the one hand, are capable murderers of childhood memories, but how, on the other hand, they are amazing at providing overhead shelter to lovers who suddenly find themselves lost in the wilderness (or safely within reach of the main highway).  So.  Definitely a This-n-That post, BUT, a best/worst case scenario one, and centered around decaying trees.  SO OMIGODDDD, shall we begin?  It just sounds like so much fun already.

Actually let’s first digress into some different personal life stuff…

It has finally happened.  Honey and I have finally found a tv show we can tolerate as a couple without one of us sighing audibly start to finish. <== Few and far between, my friends.  And it couldn’t have come at a better time, since I’ve been growing less hopeful by the day on my efforts to get Honey into the Real Housewives of Various Gated Communities I Cannot Legally Gain Entry.

I can’t place it, but there is something about overprivileged plastically-enhanced oral pleasure professionals hosting charity events/arguing/standing in heels the height of small children and holding their real life children only a few minutes a day so that the nanny can go number 2… that somehow doesn’t *grab* Honey quite in the same way it does me.  And by *grab* I mean I’ve sat through every episode of every season of every version of the show, and at least three times.  I’m not proud of it you guys, DUH.  But I can’t ignore the fact that I consistently find myself willfully engaged and listening along as these women attend the day’s plastic surgery appointments and talk negatively about the women not currently in the shot.  It’s some kind of television crack-cocaine situation because I am but a shell of my former self when I’m focused on these programs.  I’m pretty sure I am calmed by the sound of aging women arguing over whether or not they are going to forgive each other.

So yeah, the series we watch together these days is The Walking Dead, and Honey actually just got home and the first thing he said to me after “cook anything?” was “we should watch a couple more episodes of The Walking Dead.”  So there you have it – we love this show.

Alright, SO!  I hope you weren’t expecting a transition.  Because nothing’s coming to me.

So some of you may remember how the ish hit the fan back when that hurricane happened.  I didn’t talk about specifics openly on the blog, for reasons related to my family’s safety in the home.  Opening my big mouth on the internet is my favorite pastime as you well know, but I figured talking about how there were these big, huge holes in my parents’ home had an aura of “someone might break in”-ness to it.  I told my Dad about it.  He said “…someone would have to repel through the roof like in one of those Tom Cruise movies, so I think we’re ok…”  Still, I held off just in case.  But now it’s safe to tell you about it, as things are starting to get back in working order.  So, check it – MY CHILDHOOD BEDROOM: TREE’D!

Funny story; when I was a kid I was afraid of the dark.  Did I say “was” ? because I meant I am an adult who is petrified by total darkness and always have been.  Here’s what happened every night I went to bed as a kid, no joke:

I would lay in bed staring directly into the northwest corner of the ceiling of my room, and worrying that it was haunted.  I felt pretty confident that there was a portal to some other dimension in that corner.  And while I wouldn’t say I believed it was necessarily a portal to *Hell*… I knew it probably wasn’t Oz.

Fast-forward to modern day, and the only times you’ll find me in pitch black darkness is when I feel secure enough with someone (or our frenchie Bambino) sleeping beside me in bed, or on a day I’ve been so caught up with work that I never switched on the lights before the sun set- always a shocking vision for Honey when he arrives home because he can hear us typing, but he cannot actually see me or Bambino at our respective computers.

Anyway, so about that portal I believed existed…

It is now time for the “THAT” part of This & That.  Let’s make it official with a banner…

Nice.  Ok, so I’m beyond pleased that the example I’ve got today of a good tree scenario happens to be the e-session of Leighann and Caitlyn, the smoking hot couple who won our photography giveaway with Cam and Tracy of Cameron Leung Photography!  Be sure to check out Leighann’s rad write-up, below, because I love the way she tells a story.  Plus; other than the fact that Honey has a penis, I feel like we share a rather identical “relationship balance” as couples.  Which of course brings me to today’s big question for you:

Does your relationship have a certain unique balance to it?  Are you young at heart while your partner is calm and in control?  Are you the subdued one, while your partner can be considered a free spirit?  Are you both wild and crazy?  Total grandmas?  Is there something completely different going on with your personalities?  Share how your relationship balances out in the comments; I’m dying to know!

So check out what happens when a tree isn’t behaving badly…

Such a cool shot.  Way better than the other version.  Here’s the write-up; the rest of the shoot follows below!

Caitlyn and I met a little over 4 years ago through mutual friends and we’ve been inseparable ever since. We are complete opposites in most ways, I’m a left-brainer and she’s the right brain. I truly believe that is the reason we get along so well, we are really good at balancing each other out. Caitlyn is definitely an old soul which brings out my inner kid and that pretty much sums us up. We don’t take things too seriously and we’re always looking for a good laugh. One thing we do have in common is our competitive nature so when we heard about the e-sesh giveaway on The Knotty Bride back in June 2011, we set off on a mission – TO WIN!

We had no idea what to expect when we met up with our photographers the day of our shoot. Were we going to feel comfortable with these strangers with their cameras in our face? What if the pictures don’t come out well? What if I worry too much? Fortunately for us, Cam and Tracy were, and still are, beyond amazing! Though we had some initial jitters, they did an amazing job of calming us down and encouraging us to be just that, us.

Caitlyn’s family owns ranch property in northern San Diego County which goes back to her great grandparents in the early 1900’s. About 3 years ago, her dad built a cabin on the property where we have since spent many family weekends. What we fondly refer to as “The Ranch” has become such a special and sacred place for us. It’s a “short” 2.5 hour drive from where we live so when we need a little escape or alone time, we pack a bag and head to the ranch.

When Caitlyn and I discussed our engagement session, the idea of shooting at the ranch immediately came to mind. It would be so uniquely us and we would have 65 acres of pure scenery to work with. Then it dawned on us that asking a photographer to drive that far and spend an ENTIRE day traveling and shooting might be overkill. Ahhh, but not for Cam and Tracy!! I briefly mentioned the idea and without hesitation, they said “absolutely!”

For kicks, and because it was only 30 minutes away, we threw in the idea of going to Julian which is a tiny little town known for its amazing apple pie! Side note: Don’t wear a dress if you visit Julian mid-December, just a bit chilly! Once we migrated to the ranch, I was able to change into something a bit warmer and stop the convulsive shivering. It was there, in the middle of the desolate fields that I could really feel the emotion and memories taking shape.

Every now and then, Cam or Tracy would show us a little sneak peak on the camera and it was at that point that I found myself giddy like a school girl. When we received our finished photos, I was so impressed and grateful for the fantastic work they had done. If I had had any expectations, they would have been blown to smithereens. Cam and Tracy captured us so perfectly, simple and in love.

So happy this turned out to be such a great experience, ladies!  Congrats on being in love so much, while simultaneously being so damn photogenic as well.  Rare talents!

Time for today’s fave app for photo editing!

Go to the app store, and search for ‘photo combine xmas’ if you want this one.  I like it because I love silhouette cutouts and this one’s packed with legitimately adorable cutouts that aren’t lame.  My photos are typically not a good fit for the reindeer shape, but I think this slap bracelet (SLAP BRACELET SHOUT OUT TO ALL MY GRADE SCHOOL READERS) pic I snapped at Kate Spade will do:

I ended up cropping the cutout above; below is an accurate depiction of the options:

Moving on, I haz question(s) for you now.

1. Do you and your sweets have a particular show you watch together?

I’m curious to hear of some options Honey and I might have; you know, outside of half-eaten faces of death eating currently alive faces.  (The Walking Dead should be called “FACES EATING FACES,” not Walking Dead, because that is what it is- face eating.  And I can’t with the face eating frequency.  They’re averaging at least 20 half-off faces an episode and I was bred to handle one, two at most.  I LOVE the plot development of this show, but it’s annoying having to watch it unfold through the fingers of the hand I’m using to shielding my face from being eaten alive.

Wait.

Does this show come in 3-D???  That would be so cool.

2. When you were a youngster, did you think your room was haunted?  Or were you one of those lucky kids who didn’t see portals to evil dimensions in the harmless white paint of a corner of your completely safe room that your parent(s) provided for you with years upon years of backbreaking work and personal sacrifice, you ungrateful human being..?  That was more directed at me, than you, I think.

xx!  - Alison

Photography: Cameron Leung Photography / images of my childhood bedroom/Hell portal: taken by me, whilst shaking before the manifestation of my own childhood prophecies.

Honey let me know something moderately horrifying the other day.

“The most interesting thing happened on my way home from the Cleaners just now” he said, gleefully hopping into the bathroom like a child on Christmas morning.   “I could see you while you were showering.”

“See me? my naked body??”

“Well.. it’s a little blurred out, so no,” he said, seemingly surprised I didn’t think it was hilarious.  ”But I could tell that you were taking a shower.”

He is LOL’ing at this point.

I am fully nakes, and my jaw has dropped so my mouth is wide open.  The first thing I do is shut the window so no one else can see this.

It seems the thick, city-grade window screening we installed outside the window, combined with the high-quality frosted laminate window seal we had on the inside of the window, actually brought us only part of the way, on our journey to No-one-can-see-your-vagina-ville.  And in Shower Privacy County, nobody ever wants to live in any of the neighboring towns.  Especially if you’re a girl.  It’s like living in Austin, Texas vs. living in other parts of Texas.  When I visit Austin as a person from the liberal northeast, I pretty much know what I’m gonna get.  Not so, anywhere else inside of that fine state.  What I’m trying to say is anyone who looked through that two inch section of the window that was OPEN was likely getting what some might refer to as, “the full vaginal canal shot.”

“Was anyone else looking??” I asked, a little panicked at this point.  Though I’m sure the only thing being translated at that point was my wanton sexuality; I catch a full body chill whenever the shower door is open in the wintertime.

He answered: “I’m sure it’s possible that people are looking now.. I was standing there a little while.”

Let me introduce you to my reaction:

[To Self:] “Alison, focus.  Right now, you are feeling: silly for trusting the frosted privacy barrier we stuck to the window without ever actually testing if it was working / angry at the architect who designed our apartment building with all the bathroom windows at vagina level / still haunted by the fact that someone anonymously left their serrated edged knife on the fire escape outside our bedroom window last month (fact) / saddened that any of this is even something I have to worry about as a woman in the world, and / resentful that guys usually find it a little ridiculous to be so vigilant about one’s personal sexual safety.  Did you know that a woman visibly rubbing herself behind a window is something of a formal invitation for rough sex if you’re in the Red Light District of Amsterdam?  Ok.  NOW focus on what you *aren’t* feeling: my beef is not with Honey.”

That’s more or less the conversation I have with myself every time I am confronted with news of what could be my compromised sexual autonomy.  It all occurs within about a split-second.

Thinking back on it I’m just relieved Honey caught me while I was working above the waist.  From now on, I wash everything pelvic-region down in the windowless section of the shower.

Lol just kidding – I don’t shower anymore.

ANYWAY, SO today’s submission comes to us from the unstoppable decorator/photographer duo Sofia and André, of Brancoprata.  And I lub dem.  They work together so seamlessly to create some of the most gorgeous, beautifully photographed weddings and events, and on top of that, they are totally cool and nice and would give you a ride to the airport if they had the time.  SO. KEY.  (The part about them being so nice and cool, not the part about the ride to airport.  Actually, yes about the ride to the airport.  Who doesn’t need a ride to the airport?)

Want to hear another thing I find to be so key?  What our bride today had to say was her most critical piece of advice for everyone heading down the altar:

The most important thing in a wedding is to remain faithful to yourselves. Try to reflect both personalities in every moment and every detail. If you feel lost or find that it is hard to DIY, seek someone who understands and respect what you want. You will always have outsiders opinions but remember that the final decision is yours.

Love that.  Don’t forget it, she’s right.  Here’s what else she shared with us:

We always wanted to have a relaxed, fun, and detailed wedding, but here in Portugal is very difficult to escape the wedding stereotype. We are not a DIY couple due to lack of time and skills, so we had to search hard so that we could reflect our personality in this important milestone. We’re both passionate about travelling and photography.

The place chosen for the wedding (Quinta da Memória) was the easiest choice we had to make: green all over, soothing landscape with a river flowing by and the reception building was rustic and charming: we could breathe harmony and perfection.

Although we come from a devout Catholic family, we chose a non-religious ceremony (the first in both families). We exchanged vows and asked our parents and grandparents to give their perspective on marriage, as well as the most important pillars to make it succeed. It was an intense moment shared by everyone (guests and family). There was an indescribable silence: everybody was absorbing every gesture and every word that was said. We couldn’t be happier at that time!

Our marriage was only possible with the help of the amazing couple Sofia (Decorator) and André (Photographer) – Branco Prata – which captured immediately the essence of what we had in mind, and added their personal touch. They made things happen and we were absolutely delighted with their work beginning with the wedding invitation throughout the whole wedding day itself.

We can’t thank and praise them enough for what they did!

During the wedding we had several moments starting with the ceremony with a romantic decoration that combined perfectly with the surrounding nature, the detail of the ring bearer, a book created especially for us with the title of our marriage “Conquering the World “which in turn also served as a book were we wrote our wedding vows, as well as parents and grandparents wishes for the newlywed.

The final result of the place where dinner was served, was beautifully achieved by Sofia’s decoration ideas. The centerpieces were plants that our guests took home as a souvenir. The numbering of the tables was represented by a number with an important meaning to us. We also had conversation starters in form of notebooks where a question was asked and guests could write whatever they felt like. Each table had its own notebook which then passed in turn from table to table.

The first time I was serenaded by my husband with his friends where they sang the fado of Coimbra (Students’ city where we met 7 years ago). And finally we released sky lanterns with the guests where they shared with their children, loved ones, friends, a magical moment that was blessed with a shooting star.

The most important thing in a wedding is to remain faithful to yourselves. Try to reflect both personalities in every moment and every detail. If you feel lost or feel that it is hard to DIY, seek someone who understands and respect what you want. You will always have outsiders opinions but remember that the final decision is yours. Enjoy the party and don´t stress, things will not always run as planned, so rather than freaking out, enjoy the whole picture, smile and relax! In the end that is YOUR DAY!

Favorite Moment for the Bride:

“I will never forget the way my husband looked at me that day when we first saw each other. It felt like we were standing alone in a crowded place. Definitively I married the man of my life.”

Favorite Moment for the Bride:

“Seeing her walking towards me and when we exchanged vows. It was a perfect moment.”

Congratulations, you two.  Thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us!

Curious; would you like to do a lantern lighting at the end of your wedding?

And… anyone else have any embarrassing stories, other than me?  Would love to hear yours, because of course I would who wouldn’t.

xx,  Alison

Brancoprata is member of TKB’s Vendor Love.  You can explore more of Brancoprata‘s work in our guide.

Photography: André Teixeira, Brancoprata / Wedding dress: Jesus Peiró / Bride shoes: DKNY / Groom suite e botões de punho: Gio Rodrigues / Sapatos Noivo: Olguinha / Hairstyle: João e Carla – J&C / Make Up: Bárbara Brandão / Wedding Bouquet: Jardim da Ângela / Wedding Cake: Capuchinha / Caterer: Dão Catering / Venue: Quinta da Memória / Stationery and paper goods: Sofia Ferreira & Brancoprata’s team / Flowers & Styling: Sofia Ferreira & Brancoprata’s team

Whenever the holidays roll around, I have a lot of trouble answering the question “what should I get you?”  I want to say “this, this, this and this” but what I actually say is: “don’t get me anything!” because I am a classically-trained nondeserver of things.  It’s genetic.  My mom has always told me - as her mom has always told her - “Don’t spend any of your hard-earned money on me, sweetheart.  My family here together is all the gift I need.”

Which we all know is bullshit.  Because who doesn’t want just one little gift – something they can pull the ribbon off of, rip away some pretty wrapping paper, and then experience the joy of discovering what thoughtful pleasantness sits inside?

So, above is a guide to some simple gifts that are likely to be great picks for the young ladies in your life, or for yourselves if you can’t resist. :)

And stay tuned for more lists of things we’re wanting… as well as things we are definitely not wanting.  Excited. :)

Key:

1. Madewell Cat Ring / 2. Cashmere Polka-Dot Sweater, JCrew / 3. Jonathan Adler Squirrel Match Strike – It’s a fucking porcelain squirrel!  And it’s a useful match-strike!  What’s not to love??!!!! / 4. Monserat De Lucca Rose Bracelet / 5. Michael Kors Watch / 6.  -chief Handkerchiefs™ in Broads Converse / 7.  Noir Jewelry Nightfall Crystal Drop Earrings / 8.  Pom-Pom Key Chain / 9.  Bodum – EILEEN 8-Cup French Press Coffee Maker (Gold) / 10.  Club Monaco Sybil Dress / 11.  Pear sweater / 12.  Backup Battery for iPhone - I tweeted about this when I first saw it in-store.  Still a little obsessed.  Pricey, but I’m getting closer and closer to buying it because the stress of my phone batt running out is a stress I cannot bear any longer. / 13.  French Bulldog Ring / 14.  French Bulldog Pendant Necklace / 15.  Mini-Bow Ring / 16.  Polka Dot iPhone Case / 17.  Gelley Karrera Bracelets / 18.  Keeper Chambray Shirt - I have this.  I love this. / 19.  DKNY Sparkle Strap Watch / 20.  Jonathan Adler Smart Phone Dock I feel silly liking this but it’s ADORABLE! / 21.  Gift Boutique Blackboard Piggy Bank / 22/23.  Rubber Stamp Sets / 24.  Mama Bear Mug / Papa Bear Mug - When I texted Honey a pic of the papa one in a Paper Source store he said “BUY!” – I love this mug; it’s huge, yet the perfect size, and just the right amount of adorable.  That’s what she said.

Hopefully some of the above strike your fancy a bit?  Meanwhile, I’m gonna do my best not to buy all of the things, while I work on more lists of more things I need to do my best not to buy.

Oo – any specific types of Gift Lists you’d like me to make up?

xx, Alison

Ah, babies.

Aren’t they the worst?  Jk, jk, I love babies, I do.  They smell like warm pancakes on a crisp November morning while sitting in a room full of babies.

Oo did you hear?  Kate Middleton’s having one.  I heard she’s so excited she can’t stop throwing up.  Every morning.

Recently another friend of ours announced she was pregnant – I can’t wait to touch her baby.  I know that sounds weird but I look forward to handling her baby constantly.  So yeah– that makes approximately everyone we know, is pregnant.  Or is pregnant and already has children.

No pressure.

If you follow me on twitter, you’re no stranger to my feelings on getting pregnant/bearing children.

If you don’t, it can be summed up as Abject Terror, at the mere thought of experiencing any of it on a personal level.  The pregnancy, the harrowing – on both of our parts – escape of my child through my fucking VAGINA.  The same one I’ve really been enjoying all these years, just as it is right now.  The concept of my birth canal suddenly doing things that it’s built to do, but that feel almost certainly like a deathwish.  There’s also the impact society has had on me in my role as a potential mother.  Living your whole life being exposed to funny jokes about “loose vaginas” and how those vaginas are *wholly undesirable* in the jokes.  Not to mention the whole *having and being responsible for another human being besides yourself, who you end up loving more than yourself, and for the rest of your life (because you really never stop being a parent, emotionally)* part.  Oooh that one terrifies me, just writing it.

When I think about my future and what it looks like, 100% of the time it looks like me sitting by a warm fire with my kids, their dad, Bambino McPuppypants because Bambino will never die, and we’re all sharing stories about our days.  It’s a Rockwell painting, my vision of the future.  I even want the house Rockwell used to own in my old neighborhood.

And so the thing giving me pause is– I can never tell if it’s just a commercial ideal that I’ve adopted as my own, or if it’s like, actually my life’s dream to have children.  And I really don’t want to find out the hard way.

The thing is, I know there are a million reasons to have a baby.  I’ve certainly heard every one of them from all parties that stand to benefit.  Even the wives of Honey’s coworkers are ready to share the wonders of having babies with me at the drop of a dime.  And I have an aching desire to give Honey the opportunity to be a father, too; he is built for the job.  If I were to base it off of how I feel around my baby nieces and nephews, then it goes without saying that I would love love love it – definitely for a few hours of the day, at the least.  I find kids fascinating, especially any of the ones related to me.  I can’t get enough of their one-liners, their adorable faces, the way they’re always trying to learn off of those interacting with them.  The way they’re actively involved in their own personal growth as individuals.  The way they seem to want to be wholly good.  It’s a magical thing to witness and to be able to be a part of.  …I’m at no loss when it comes to reasons.

But there are my fears, too, and the fears are in control right now.

As you can see I have a lot of little fears.  It’s far too long a list for me to get into any sort of detail about… however I’ll try.  There’s my professional life, and how it will be impacted.  There’s my body, and my selfish desire not to eff around with it.  There’s the fear that what everyone tells me about their boobs being deflated will also be my fate.  There’s the fear that breast-feeding will be, “like my child is sucking needles through my nipples,” as my mother described it to be (“but only in rare cases, sweetheart, it might not happen to you!”).  There’s not being able to sleep through the night for the first year.  I walk into walls on less than 5 hours.

There’s my time alone.  I treasure that shit.  It’s how I write.

But I would be lying if I said that was pretty much all of it.  It goes so much deeper than that.  It goes to the part of me who’s afraid that having a baby could one day have adverse effects on my relationship with my partner.  People divorce all the time, and you always hear that the biggest contributors to couples growing apart are money, and the having of children.  I know how I am when I’m stressed; it’s not pretty.  And it’s going to be “not pretty” for at least the first several years of caring for a young child.  Then there’s the part of me that’s insecure about how my body will change.  I want to be able to see my reflection and not immediately turn away.  I’m afraid of how my new body might impact the feelings I have about myself physically, and how that, in turn, might impact my sexual and emotional relationship with my partner.  I was chubbier back in college.  I remember how I felt about myself.  I would haaaate to go back there.

I’ve heard: “every woman goes through her own process.”  Just- some women have an easier time than others.  There are the ones who are seemingly born ready, the ones who come to the decision gradually after a deliberate period of soul-searching, the ones who just *know* it’s not for them, and the ones whose process is akin to climate change.  I’m either in the fourth subsection, or the final throws of the second.  I blame *knowing* too much.

Anyway.  The author of the story I found in my inbox yesterday is one Ms. Sharon Ferris, a woman who I’ve come to know via Twitter of all places.  It truly is a great way to meet people, don’t let anyone tell you different. :)  She wrote it in response to something I tweeted on the topic of childbirth, and she gave me permission to share her essay with all of you.  One more thing about Sharon is that she owns a shop that, if you have the time, you might want to check out if you’re in the market for the kind of stuff she sells, and if you like doing business with the good, honest people of the world.  (She didn’t pay me to mention her business, she’s just given me such good advice for so long so it’s all I can do to pay it forward.)

The words I read, below, have gotten me a little closer to where I’m meant to be as far as this whole baby-making thing is concerned.  I’m hoping it’ll have some sort of impact on anyone else who’s experienced or is currently experiencing a similar struggle.

“If I could somehow avoid the whole ripping my vagina open part of having babies, I would so start our family like right now. No hesitation.”

The other day I read Alison’s tweet about considering motherhood.  Her words brought back many of the fears that I had about having a child, many, many, many years ago.

For some reason when I was young, back in the dark ages (I grew up in the late ‘50’s and early ‘60’s) I always seemed to be out of sync with other girls my age and even with my best friends.  Most of them started dating in high school, went to College or University, finished or not, got engaged, married and had babies.  Some maybe not quite in that order, sometimes the babies started before the marriage and back then mostly resulted in a marriage.  I don’t think that they even consider there might be an option.  I didn’t seem to follow this pattern.

When I was a little girl, I never dreamed of getting married and having babies.  Don’t know why.  All my other friends did.  I thought perhaps I was a little weird (probably was and still am, but now it is more acceptable), but I always thought that I would not get married and couldn’t imagine having a baby – no maternal instincts whatsoever.  I had dolls and some that you put a bottle in the hole in their mouth and the water ran straight through a tube in the doll and out the bottom.  I wasn’t impressed, except to try to figure out how that happened.  Sometimes I had visions of being a scientist and mixed strange concoctions in jars in our basement – nothing dangerous but I always hoped something would happen with the mixtures.  Usually they just went mouldy.  If I had been born twenty-years earlier I might have discovered penicillin.

Enough of my misspent youth!  When I was twelve, my sister had a baby and that was the first close up exposure I had to a baby.  I loved my nephew and played with him and combed his hair like Elvis, but I never wanted one like him to look after.

After many years of dating, I met the man I finally ended up marrying.  I was twenty-eight, which was really old for someone of my generation to be on their first marriage.  We were happy and after two years bought a house.  Both of us worked and it never seemed important to talk about children.  There was a slight problem that neither of us would admit to and tried to hide, even from ourselves – he had a bit of a drinking problem.  Many nights spent worrying about where he was and if he would get home safely, left little time to think about a baby and all that responsibility.

We finally admitted the problem and he went for help and stopped drinking (that is a long story, but not important now).  Everything was wonderful and we started talking about having a baby.  I thought I might want one, but couldn’t imagine being pregnant and going through that birth thing.  It totally grossed me out.  One other problem was that by this time, I was well established in an exciting, great career with a great company and couldn’t imagine giving that up and staying home with a child.

Remember this is in 1975-76 and most women stayed home.  My mother didn’t help by telling me that a mother had to stay with her child and couldn’t go back to work.  Also, every other female in the family stayed home.

My husband said that he didn’t care.  If I wanted to work, that was fine and we would hire a nannie, but I still was having trouble getting over the quilt I was already accepting before I was even pregnant.  And, there was still the whole pregnancy thing and the birth thing.

I was having such problems with the decision that I talked to my family doctor about it.  He suggested that I see a Specialist, a sex-therapist.  I thought, but didn’t say, that I wasn’t having a problem with sex, but just with the possible results of sex.

So, I went to see the sex therapist.  She was a lovely lady in her early to mid-forties, her name was Dr. May Cohen (I will never forget that) and I can’t remember anything about the appointment except that somewhere during the conversation she mentioned that she had five children.  That was the only important comment and I came out thinking that if she had five children and worked, then I could have one and work, and screw what everyone else thought.  That is what made my decision.

We had no trouble getting pregnant.  I know exactly the night that I got pregnant.  We were in Chautauqua, N.Y. for the weekend.  The Chautauqua Institution is very old and the hotels had no air-conditioning. It was one of those nights when you were away on holidays and felt that you should have sex, but neither of you really wanted to do it.  Well, that was the first time without birth control and I got pregnant immediately.  I knew the next day that I was pregnant.  I was 34 years old.

I had always said that I thought that you should be able to have an epidural for the full nine months and I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to have natural childbirth.  Somewhere during this whole decision making process, I actually forgot about the fears of being pregnant and the birthing process.

I didn’t have a bad pregnancy, except for the fact that my son refused to be born.  I was three weeks and four days overdue and started to feel like an elephant.  I know that everyone is saying, oh, that wouldn’t happen today because they would induce you.  Well, they tried to induce me after being two weeks overdue.  I was in the hospital for five days being hooked up every morning to an IV to induce labour.  Nothing happened.  They finally sent me home.  Another week went by and I was again admitted to the hospital.  They said they would try a really old method to induce.  They insert a balloon into the vagina and inflate it and the uterus tries to get rid of this foreign thing.  It worked and I went into labour the next morning and my son was delivered at 9:15 pm that night.

He gets tired of me always telling him that he was three weeks and four days late and has never been on time since.  He tells me it was cozy and he wasn’t in any rush.  The only time he moved quickly is when he played football and was being chased by a defensive back.

Through the whole nine months and the problems with not going into labour, etc., I actually didn’t think about the whole process.  It must be nature’s way of dealing with it.  You are committed and there is nothing you can do about it.  The only time I did panic a wee bit was when the resident tried to give me an epidural.  She was inexperienced, it didn’t work and they said that I might have to have it naturally because the anesthetist was in surgery.  That is when I thought, forget this, give me my clothes, I want to go home.  Luckily, before the pain got unbearable, the anesthetist came out of surgery, administered the epidural and I fell asleep for a couple of hours.

It wasn’t nearly as bad as I imagined and I am very glad that I did it, but I would never do it again.  Everyone says that you forget the pain, but I always say, no way, remember, I only have one child.

We hired a nanny.  I had planned to take five months off, but because he was born a month later than expected, I went back to work when he was only two and a half months old.  My aunt said to me at a family party the weekend before I went back to work, aren’t you upset about going back to work and won’t you miss him?  I said no and, honestly, I felt wonderful going back to work.  I was not cut out to be a stay at home mother and while at home I always felt that I was totally out of step with the world.

I have asked him since he grew up if it bothered him that I went back to work, and he said, no. why should it, I had Charm (our nanny who still calls him her baby).  I never regretted it for a minute and he is a wonderful son, my daughter-in-law is great and my two year old granddaughter is even better.  Although, I still am not the motherly type.

This is what you might end up with!

xo, Sharon

I’d love to hear:

Do you identify at all?  Have you ever struggled to figure out what you want to do?

Are you certain you want kids?  Are you uncertain?  What’s your biggest fear?

Excited to discuss this with you guys..

xx!  Alison

If you were wondering: the baby images up top are a font called “MTF Itty Bitty Baby.”  It seemed appropriate.

It’s the holiday season, and what does that mean?  Inexplicably, gifts.  Lots of them- like multiple gifts.  But you have to give them, too.. so.  Meh.

Jk.  BEST SEASON OF THE YEAR.  Your argument is invalid.

The catch: you have to *wrap* the gifts.  And if you’re not an expert crafter, or you’re All Guys, you are just totally intimidated by the whole process; especially these days.  Don’t worry, I am too.  Fortunately, there are people who can help you:

Class:
DIY Pretty Holiday Packaging Class
When:
Monday, December 10, 5:00-6:00 PM PST (official release hour of the online class; students can enroll for access anytime)
A brief description of what will go down:
Add statement pops of color and spark to your holiday gifts this year with our DIY packaging class!  These simple yet unique projects make for beautiful, cost-effective and practical solutions during the holiday rush.  In this class, we’ll be focusing on minimalist designs by repurposing common materials to create eye-catching packaging ensembles.

Pssst… recognize the young lady on the left?  It’s our beloved Renee Hong, who contributes those outtasight DIY projects you guys see here on TKB.  Wheeeee!

Renee Hong is a freelance designer and event stylist residing in Northern California.  She has worked in the design industry for six years and is graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Design from SUNY Empire State College.  She is a DIY columnist on popular wedding blog The Knotty Bride, graphics and brand designer of Geronimo Balloon-Troopers and designer for Sous Style by Elle.  Renee is also co-founder of Golden Hour, a party-planning workshop in the downtown arts district of Los Angeles. Visit her website.

Ali Nelson makes things.  A self-described Utility Creative: freelance designer, writer, gypsy and artist most recently residing in a RV traveling the country as the Creative Director of the Better Together Tour.  She has worked in the art and design industries for seven years and studied Fine Art at School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois.  She spent three years on the visual team at Anthropologie, designs for Seer Outfitters (a clothing line by NBA player Kyle Korver), and hand-letters her way through life.  Ali has done various installations, staging, eventing, and design work for clients such as CNN Latin America, Kutoa Health Bars, Project: Living Well, numerous professional athletes and musicians, nonprofit organizations, churches, commercial and retail spaces.  Visit her website.

SO:

If you’re thinking of enrolling in Renee’s class, here are some ways I recommend you experience it:

1. you can choose to focus on the learning aspect of the course, and acquire some kickass techniques/inspiring ideas directly from a couple of pros, or;
2. you can pop a fresh bag of popcorn and get your Jedi focus on with all that retinally-delicious eye candy getting made.  Your choice.  However what you’re not gonna wanna do is both at the same time, because you’ll end up ruining everything with your popcorn-butter-hand, you nincompoop.  In the off chance that you’re a perfectionist, this will not please you.  (How to tell if you’re a perfectionist: you would go through a full stack of stationery before mailing a single card with a scribbled out word on it.  ..I know this because I aaaammmmm thiiiiiiisss.)

WHATEVER you choose to do, have a wonderful time doing it.

Hope everybody’s having a sufficiently pleasurable weekend!

xx, Alison

On the lookout for more fun things to do/read?  Go check out everything Renee’s created for readers of TKB since the beginning of time of when she started doing it.  AAAAHHH that reminds me!  I have a holiday DIY from Renee coming soon that is seriously my new favorite thing.  Which 50/50 chance means it’s gonna be yours, too.  Thas probability, bitches.

I love this wedding so much that I’ve added it to my spank bank.  For when I just need to relax with some wedding with nobody around judging me.

You think it’s by accident that I’m a wedding blogger?

Ok so this wedding you’re about to inhale – which by the way was submitted by the always on point Cassandra, of Cassandra Eldridge Photography, has been able to prove to me yet again that brides can be some of the most creative and thoughtful human beings on the planet, when it comes to honoring the loved ones who cannot be there in person.  In fact, today’s bride Cara’s approach is so stellar in my opinion, that it capably answers a recent question submitted by one of our readers.  YEAH!  I love it when that happens!!

Dear Knotty Bride:

Recently my grandmother on my mom’s side passed away.  We were very close.  I’m getting married next year and was praying she’d be with me but I’m working on adjusting to the new reality.  (I know how much she wanted to be with us on my wedding day, so it’s a tough pill to swallow.)  Ok before I start uncontrollably crying here’s what I want to ask you:

While I know my grandmother will be there in spirit I really want to figure out a way to do justice to the huge impact she’s had and continues to have, on my life.  I’m having trouble only because everything I think of seems too cheesy after I really think about it.  If that makes any sense.  I want something that speaks to the relationship we had while she was with us.

Any advice?  It would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

-E.

Dear Miss E,

I’m so sorry to hear you lost your grandmother.  I know how hard that is.  Especially with how close you two were.  It gives me joy knowing you were close though, since it probably means you spent some good quality time with her.  That’s all we can take away with us, so I’m glad you have a good chunk of it going forward. :)

I’ve been searching for the same answers you have, E – so we have that in common.  One approach we’ve taken I discussed in a post last year (click here if you’d like to read it) but beyond Honey’s maternal grandmother, I too have had trouble coming up with *just the right way* to inject the memory of other lost loved ones adequately and with grace.

So.  I hope you’ll find just the right type of inspiration in Cara’s words, below:

Andrew and I got engaged in April 2010 in a boat on the Voltave River in Prague, overlooking the Charles Bridge and Prague Castle in the Czech Republic.  Our relationship has always had an international element to it, especially since Andrew is British and I am American.  One of the things that was extremely important to us was to have a wedding in an outdoor environment. Andrew grew up in England and we thought it would be the perfect tribute to his heritage to have our wedding in an environment reflective of traditional English gardens – landscaped hedges and manicured lawns, but filled with wild beautiful flowers at the same time.  When we visited The Morton Arboretum in Lisle for the first time, there was no question where we wanted our ceremony and reception to be.

Our ceremony took place in the Hedge Garden at the Arboretum on June 1, 2012. We had the amazing Heavenly Harpists to play our ceremony, and floral arrangements of peonies at each aisle in bubble bowls done by the incredibly talented Stacey Carlton.  I specifically wanted peonies in the arrangements because some of my favorite memories as a child were of being in my Grandmother’s backyard where she grew those flowers.  She passed away the year before I got married, and it was important to me to have those as it reminded me of her.

The colors for our wedding were centered around corals and pinks.  The groomsmen wore gray tuxedo’s with coral striped ties, and the bridesmaids wore coral strapless ruffled dresses.  Our reception centerpieces stole the show.  Stacey got incredibly creative and assembled the most beautiful arrangements of Juliet roses, peonies, birch wood and so much else in peaches, corals, light pinks and greens.  Our reception was indoors, but really captured the wild beauty of the arboretum and English gardens by incorporating both woody elements and soft florals.  She also placed candles on the tables to create a soft glow and the most impressive touch was that she carved C+A into the birchwood to echo our Save-the-date’s.

I had a lot of fun planning the wedding and bringing the international element, Andrew’s heritage, and our story as a couple together. The best advice I can give to brides-to-be on the planning is get a great photographer – don’t skimp on this.  Andrew and I both felt strongly that after the food’s been eaten, the day is over and the guests are gone, there is only one thing remaining; your photos.  I talked with 6-7 different photographers and chose Cassandra Eldridge because her style was exactly what we wanted, she is so easy to work with and really spent a lot of time and effort getting to know us as a couple.  I received my wedding photos about 3 weeks after the wedding and they were absolutely beautiful!  As for more general advice, don’t sweat the small stuff.  If something is out of place that’s little, the chances are good that no one will notice but you.  And lastly, take a step back, take it all in, and breathe – it’s your day and you should enjoy it and remember it for a long time!

Congratulations to the two of you, and thank you for allowing us to share your beautiful day!

Cassandra Eldridge Photography is member of Vendor Love.  You can explore more from Cassandra Eldridge Photography in our guide.

Extra little tidbit from Cassandra on how these two brought everyone into the experience:

Their wedding day was filled with family and friends… and for those who weren’t able to make it due to the distance, Cara and Andrew set up a live stream video throughout the entire day, so that they could look on from home.  How brilliant is that?!

Such a great idea.  Love that idea!

Ok, QUESTIONS!  Tell me…

1) Do you have any thoughts or suggestions for Miss E, regarding a smart way to bring her grandmother’s memory into her wedding day details?

-and-

2) OMFG, How lovely is this wedding?

Photography: Cassandra Eldridge Photography / Dress Store: Bella Bianca Bridal Couture / Location: Ceremony – Hedge Garden/The Morton Arboretum & Reception – Gingko Room/The Morton Arboretum / Submitted via: Two Bright Lights / Flowers: Stacey Carlton / Ceremony music (harps): The Heavenly Harpists / Reception DJ: Gregg Eisell, Sounds Abound / Officiant: Father Ron Crowley-Koch / Catering: Classic Fare Catering / Cake: The Cakery

Happy Friday, friendlies.  OMG GREAT shoot for you today.  So pumped.  But naturally, we begin with a .gif parade……

In pet news: I’m pretty sure Bambino and I have already got a version of this down: 

… do you and your pet/infant child do any fun tricks together?

Item number 2: see, now this is the trick to washing most dogs/tigers.  You’ve got to fill the tub slightly with warm water, so that they can feel more at home in there, nice and warm.  A few suds are helpful too, if your dog gets bored/you accidentally waterboard it:

Numero 3: Honey and I are heading out to Colorado the end of the month for a mini vacation.  FIRST ONE IN YEARS.  It’ll be my first time going to Colorado too, so that’s neat.  I swear it’s not because of the legal drugs.  It’s actually because we want to work on this move here:

… or die trying?

And lastly: Bambino’s an adolescent now.  And we all know what adolescents are like…

Arighty!  I think that was sufficiently weird.

Ok SO– today’s beautifully styled shoot was submitted by Andi of Andi Mans Photography & Design, and it has a white ruffled cake.  That’s all you need to know.  If you’d like to know more, it’s got antlers – the cutest pair you ever did see, so even if you don’t normally like antlers randomly thrown into photo shoots because what? antlers?  You will still like this shoot, because for some reason the antlers are working.  In fact, I officially want antlers at my wedding when I never did before, because of this damn shoot.  Thanks Andi.

From Andi–

Living in Florida we really don’t get to experience official seasons. I love the crisp weather of cold winters up north, pine cones, minty palettes and more! I decided to team up with some of my favorite local wedding vendors for a styled shoot. I was super excited to not only photography this, but also style it with the table-scape and paper-goods. I have my dear ladies from Solutions Bridal (Roberta, woot woot) style my bride, amazing makeup artist , Simone at Makeover Station and more! I hope this shoot can inspire you to believe in winter weddings that can be created right here, without turning it into a destination! Enjoy :)

You heard the woman.. enjoy it!!!

So, what do you think of today’s winter wedding styling?  Are you digging that ruffled cake as much as I am?  And I’m curious – how many of you would be into a winter shindig when it comes to your own wedding?  Or do you have different season in mind, when you imagine your event?

xo!  - Alison

P.S…. Having a bad day?  Here’s my favorite link for the day, via Buzzfeed.  Once you’ve seen that post you’ll soon realize.. life really ain’t that bad after all.  ;)

Have a great weekend, ya crazy kids.  See you Monday!

P.P.S….

I thought it was pretty neat. :)

P.P.P.S…. Daughter bulldog puppy meets her father for the first time.  Sweet, tender loving cuddles ensue.  Everyone wins.

Photography: Andi Mans Photography & Design / Tablescape/Decor: Andi Mans Photography & Design / Paper-Goods: Andi Mans Photography & Design / Bride Styling: Solutions Bridal / Gown: Kenneth Pool (Arissa) / Earrings: Erin Cole / Bracelet: Paris by Deborah Moreland / Headpiece: Maria Elena / Makeup/Hair: Makeover Station / Floral: Lee Forrest Design / Cake: Anna Cakes / Venue: Hillstone Winter Park / Gifs via Cheezburger

So.

It’s 7pm and I wasn’t going to write anything else today.  Not beyond the post that went up this morning, but – and if you follow me on Twitter you know this – it got to a point where I couldn’t not do it.  I couldn’t not write something.  Here is all I was going to say the moment I decided to say at least something,

==> This is some patronizing-sounding advice but hug someone you love today.  I hugged Bambino, above.  He never hugs me back but I like to think he would if he could.  Who are you gonna hug?

But then I started watching cable news coverage because I like doing things that shorten my life expectancy.  I’m a lefty, so that’s apparently nine years deducted from my life expectancy.  Also I smoked 63 cigarettes my junior year of college, which doesn’t sound like a lot but then I tell you I have bad asthma and that’s when you’re like, “ohhh…. she’s an idiot.”  So with that said, the years I’ll lose as a direct result of visceral anger-as-a-result-of-cable-news-reporting is probably small potatoes compared to the brutal impact of left-handedness, which apparently God hates so much, combined with the asthma probs.  And on a scale of 1 to 10, I am like throwing up at how lefty I am – it’s a dangerous amount of lefty, my handedness.  I mean, I throw like a girl from my right hand.

Aright anyway here’s what made me mad about the national discussion going on today after what happened to these poor children.  I call the following conversation: ”Everything we *shouldn’t* be fighting over or ignoring/changing the topic about, within the first 24-48 hours:”

GIULIANI: “All of us who are parents, you know, this is a nightmare that you live through.  This has to be a total complete traumatic blow to the community.  It’s also one of these things where you’re not gonna get any easy answers–there are no easy answers to this.  Anybody who tries to present easy answers to this, is just ignoring the problem.  We need to really examine *why* this happens… is it happening more *frequently*… How can we *reduce* it.  Maybe we can never end it, but reduce it.  Everything- everything needs to be on the table.  You can’t be an advocate of one social or political view or the other.  This lies deep in the human personality.  The factors that indicate this, science hasn’t figured it out yet, you can’t predict this, you can’t see it with any kind of certitude.

But we have to look at: are there better ways to predict it, we have to look at whether there are better ways to secure these schools.  I mean, he did just walk in at one point, with apparently what I’m hearing was a fairly large weapon.  So.  How did that happen?  Can you secure against things like this.  What do we do about weapons.  We should have a non-political humble discussion..” - WHEN HE IS SUDDENLY INTERRUPTED BY NEIL CAVUTO.  Why?  Perhaps Neil was getting sick of waiting to be the one talking again.  He likes it so much.  Or maybe it was his ties with gun lobbyists.  Maybe he had Mexican for lunch and the runs had dropped their luggage in Cavuto’s ass, and it was flying through the large baggage claim to the small baggage claim, and at record speeds, showing no signs of willingness to wait for the segment to run its course.  We’ll never know what prompted his interruption at that moment.  But here’s what he interrupted with:

CAVUTO: “–yeah, yeah that one we’ll leave aside for now, cause that–but yeah- umm, I see what you’re saying…”

GIULIANI: “Everything should be on the table.  And everyone should have some humility, because we don’t have the answers to this…”

CAVUTO (interrupting): “BUT, what about just guarding……… remember, like, after Columbine there, they, they put metal detectors in some schools? and… they still had some shootings, and… it didn’t stop… Virginia Tech, and….” blah, blah, blah, etc.   But then Giuliani speaks again.

GIULIANI: ”What I’d like to see is maybe, eventually, this country, with everybody laying aside their prejudices, and whatever thing they’re committed to the most.  And just having some humility about this.”

Cavuto changes the subject.

That conversation speaks to what’s going on in America right now.  We’re not supposed to talk about the stuff the lobbyists don’t want us to talk about.  It’s killing us.  It’s like literally killing us.

So.  I liked Giuliani for the first time again, today.

Today.

One more thing.  I went to Twitter before publishing this post, as is common with compulsions left unchecked.  I randomly read one tweet in my feed before clicking ‘Publish.’  The tweet is below, and it made me laugh.

Here’s the thing.  Today is one of those terrible, terrible, horrible days!  It is going down in our history as just that.  100% bad news.  Second most fatal school shooting, after Virginia Tech.  Children, dead.  Senseless violence.  A country that is having trouble figuring out the right way to deal properly with its mentally ill.  A country deeply split on what causes these things, if we can even know, ever.  So today is only a sad day, it’s not for laughter and happy thoughts.. right?

I honestly don’t know.  I’ve never been sure of the official right way to react to these things.

But my dad once told me something that I deemed important and worth remembering – and I don’t remember much, so.  Here’s the thing he said:

“It’s ok to smile and laugh a little bit, even on a day like this.  How will you ever be able to bring an end to anything bad on a large scale, if you’re spending all your time crying and talking about how terrible and sad it is?  Get the emotions out early; keep strength stored up for the long fight towards peacefulness on Earth.”

That’s not verbatim because I am not Rain Man but that was very, very close to the conversation we had at 6pm, the night before finals in my senior year of college.  I remember it really vividly because I was having the closest thing I’ve ever had to a panic attack; I didn’t think I had studied enough, we were living with someone who was starting to behave very irrationally in the home with us, and to boot I had a mean case of bed bugs and nobody was believing me that I had the bed bugs even though I was covered in bed bug bites.

Full Disclosure: I had purchased my unwrapped, used mattress from the inside of a rotting, backyard shed, 30 minutes outside of Raleigh-Durham.  My best friend and roommate at the time had given me the “hot tip,” about discount mattresses.  The things we do in college.

Love to you all.  Have a heartwarming weekend.  Hug someone, too – I was serious about that.

- Alison

I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but it’s the holiday season.  And everyone knows that the holiday season is made up of three main things besides the thing where you have to sort through the office politics of who gets to take Christmas eve/Christmas day off, and that’s:

1. generous gift-giving,
2. the opportunity to spend time with extended family whether or not you’re interested in that, and
3. soundless intercourse in upstairs childhood bedrooms on the DL.  Some might call this disgusting but it is technically *fetish-adjacent* and not a full-fledged fetish, and therefore within the realm of acceptable human sexual desire.  So you’re safe.

But we’ll focus on #1 for today (sorry, I know #3′s the coolest one, but we always talk about #3…).  Anyway, I’m pretty sure I’m over the moon about this post today, and that you will be too.  Let’s see, first there’s the fact that our resident master of the DIY Renee Hong is back, and she’s brought with her some gold tape, some tissue paper fringe, and a cute way to decorate your gift packages this season.  There’s also a proposal video thing I’ll be sharing with you today that’s just face-meltingly cool, so that’s neat.  And then last but not least, I’m putting a Bambino thingie in it.  Not in that order.  So.  All in all you’re gonna be happy you came. :)

First I wanna start with the video, because omg this video.  It’s a little something a young man by the name of Eliu submitted to TKB a few of days ago, and it’s of a most special day in his life…

It’s a sweet as can be stop motion proposal he made to propose to his girlfriend Marissa… and he wanted to share it with all of you!  So cool.  When I was watching it for the first time I got all verklempt – what? ‘verklempt’ isn’t in the wordpress dictionary? no way – but I should note that I’m just a few days out from my period, so.  A little emotional still.

Here’s Eliu’s story:

I proposed to Marissa several days ago. She said ‘yes’ and we’re very excited…

It took more than 800 photos taken over 10 hours in two days.  It also included 4 boxes of crayons, a dollar bill, a load of change, a lump of coal and diamonds (not a broken bottle of salad dressing).  It also left me with two sore shoulders and a crick in the neck.  It was all worth it!  We’ve since been featured on our local news, 9news in Denver…

Thanks, Eliu!  And congrats to both Marissa and Eliu!!!  Aright – check it out guys:

Don’t you just love sweet proposals?  Do they make your heart go pitter patter?  Or do they infuriate you, making steam come out of your ears like in the cartoons?  If you answered the second one- are you a dude?

I honestly cannot imagine how much focus and willpower it took to make that video.  I’d get that special kind of perfectionism-frustrated within 10 frames and be angry at Honey for even inspiring the kind of love that causes a person to commit themselves to a job as hard as stop-motion proposing.  So I’m really glad I didn’t have to be the one proposing in this relationship, given that fact.  It is a TOUGH. JOB. no matter how you slice it, especially in this new era of high expectations and viral videos.

I’m looking forward to 2020, when big huge proposals are no longer “hip” or “in,” and guys are instead encouraged to do extremely low-production, private proposals.  Nothing too labor-intensive/spendy.

Wait did I say “I’m”?  I meant “All Guys” are looking forward to that.  Sorry, typo.

The other day, Bambino and I were walking like we so often do when he needs to make a poopie… when I noticed some adorably decorated miniature xmas trees outside one of our local flower shops in the city.  I tried to point out one of the mini trees to Bambino, assuming he’d appreciate it/enjoy sniffing it.  The whole thing blew up in my face, as most innocent gestures do, for mothers of adolescent boys.  This is what happened:

~FIN~

Moving on to our DIY of the day!

I’m having cuteness conniptions over these things Renee made for you guys today.  You know what would be a neat idea, actually?  Somebody should make approximately several million of these pom things, line an empty backyard pool with at least seven layers of only the most durable, top of the line egg crate available, and then just pitch all the handmade pom poms in and WHAMMO! you’ve got your very own Pinterest-worthy ball pit!  Perfect backdrop for wedding photos too, plus it can double as a catch-all babysitting pit!  Even better – just add friends and family and you’ve got your very own lawsuit waiting to happen!  Yesssss!  I love ball pits.  I miss them.  I want them back in my life.  Am I too old?  Do they have adult ball pits now?  If they don’t, BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY!

Enough out of me; take it away, Renee…………

The DIY I’m about to show you all today is one of my absolute favorites. The holidays are full of projects and procrastination as it is, and this DIY is great because it’s quick and simple enough for you to make while sitting in front of the TV. It only requires only 3 tools and materials, all of which you should be able to find lying around the house. Not only is it easy, but it is super versatile and can be attached to a name tag, garland, place setting… or even to wear as an accessory! The perfect addition for a little last-minute excitement at your event!

What you’ll need:
– Tissue Paper
– Scissors
– Tape

Step 1:
Cut a stack of 10-12 layers of tissue paper, about 2×6 inches. Fringe the stack of rectangles all the way down.

Step 2:
Starting from one end, roll your stack of tissue paper and watch your pom begin to take shape! Focus on rolling the bottom edge tightly, while leaving the fringe part to spin through wildly.

Step 3:
Pinching the stem tightly, use tape to secure the pom. Fluff it up, cut off the excess stem and your party pom is finished!!

A fun and easy way to add pop to any party! What do you think?

xo Renee

On the lookout for more fun things to do/read?  Go check out everything Renee’s created for readers of TKB since the beginning of time of when she started doing it.  Yeah!!!

Over on the Huffington Post, I read an article titled ‘I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother’: A Mom’s Perspective On The Mental Illness Conversation In America.  If you haven’t read it yet, I highly suggest it; it’s the most interesting and important POV I’ve heard so far, generally on the subject of last Friday’s events.  Feel free to let me know your thoughts on it, if you do end up reading it.

Love to you all this holiday season,

Alison

FUN TIP: Totally at a loss for what to gift your guy?  What about a thoughtful gift?  No one’s ever been upset to receive a handmade mix CD of all the songs that have meant something at some point or another to the both of you, throughout your relationship…

If I were to make one for Honey, it would start off with Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream.’  But don’t tell Honey I revealed that to you guys.  Promise me.

My shoulders are at ear level right now.

Let’s jump right in.

Best video Honey sent me this week, by far: 

Best Instagram pics of frenchies, imho:

Personal favorite one of my Instagrams from the past week: click to view.

Best new thing I learned this week: what “fapping” means.  Did I say best?

We start with the Best New Thing, of All the Things.… ok ready for the show-stopper?  On my way home from buying a $400 dollar cup of Keurig coffee at my dentist’s office this week, I harmlessly swung by Williams Sonoma to delight my senses a bit and gather up some good last-minute gift ideas for you guys.

#1 ==>  I found these mugs five steps in.

Gold monogram mugs from Williams Sonoma.

I bought too many.

They were on sale though, 6.99 from 9.95.  I had to.

#2 ==>  If you’re looking for the *original* monogrammed mug, they were made famous by Anthropologie with these babies:

#3 ==>  A little bit more from Anthro, because of course.  This time it’s a stellar pick for your coffee table:

As we go along- keep in mind that I highly recommend you go to the stores to be *sure* you get these gifts in time, especially since most online stores can’t guarantee shipping before Christmas if you place your order later than Thursday afternoon.  (Don’t quote me on this!)

#4 ==>  Honey and I stumbled upon these Milk Bottle Measuring Cups and we had to have one of them.  We are in love with it.

^ Obsessed! ^

#5 ==>  Gloves = something I loves.

This was at J.Crew, Columbus Circle.  I know I am being a total girl, but I am loving what J.Crew is making happen these days.

#6 ==>  Sparkly shoes, anyone?  They had LOTS at J.Crew… though these babies are what my feet really need this season.

Ok I just checked their site and it’s true; 30% off “everything” in store and online.  Online discount code is “CELEBRATE.”

I mean…

#7 ==> Hey.  Have you been to an H&M recently?  Here are some of my fave picks from a visit this week (yes I bought these things because no one thing was more than $5.  Five dollars!!!):

Above was the uber cute (did I seriously just say uber) display at the Columbus Circle store.

I would rather speak with Ryan Gosling using Facetime (aka, I Always Look Terribletime), than see another one of these damned Keep Calm posters.  Let it go.

Oh, speaking of Ryan Gosling.

#8 ==> For one of my favorite ‘Best Things’ today, we have something really special.  In fact it’s probably the very best thing ever in the history of having orgasms that blind you.  <– perhaps the greatest gift of all.  So before I share it, I’d personally like to extend my sincere and heartfelt thanks to everyone who told me about the article in the first place.  Which was an alarming amount of people.  So many, that it led to a brief introspective period on my part, earlier in the week.  But I digress.

And so now I present to you, my official choice for this month’s “Miss Baby Goose 2012 Ultimate Supreme Princess” in the category of: Loaded with Hot Images of Ryan Gosling Flexing/Walking Places with Her.  (Well, my official choice UNTIL I ATTEMPT, IMPOSSIBLY, TO TOP BUZZFEED’s GOSLING PROWESS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR ARRIVES, AND THEN RE-JUDGE THE PAGEANT UNFAIRLY).  Anyway, the article.  In the meantime, the following are my two fave pics of him from that post.  Do share which ones were your faves in the comments, if you’re into him I mean.  I know not everybody’s into him.  My mom, for one, doesn’t get the fascination.  And I don’t get the fascination with John Travolta, mom.  So we’re even.

For some extra fun, peruse the many times I’ve TMI’d all over the Gosling right here on the blog.

#9 ==>  Best Self-Tanner I’ve tried, and I’ve tried many, is Clarins Self Tanning Instant Gel.  OMG get this if you’re in the market for it.  My mom introduced me to this brand a couple months back and I’m hooked for life now.  Self tanning gel is the single reason I can still go out in public during the wintertime.

#10 ==>  Is this gift for a girl in your life?  TAKE HER (or buy tickets so she and her mom can go) TO THIS:

Are you an actual girl?  Then enjoy THIS just for the sake of it:

#11 ==>  The complete discography of John Mayer.   Shut up I know.  But seriously.  You know you love him.

xx!  Hope you like the list!  And its last-minute-feasibility-ness! (assuming you have transportation to/from a mall!)

Have you gotten all your holiday shopping done?  Or are you all over the place like me?  And any faves from above?

-Alison

P.S. – I’m still trying to figure out a way to top Bambino’s holiday outfit from last year’s post… any suggestions for a look you’d like to see on him?  I’m open.  

P.P.S….

Whoever’s noticed that this is NYE party inspiration, and that it’s Christmas Eve right now – you are right.  But srsly; nobody should still be trying to pull together a holiday party at this hour and from scratch.  Not to mention holding a Christmas party on Christmas Eve is like holding a wedding over Thanksgiving weekend.  You are not an animal.

Aright.  Let’s get serious.  Because I have some lovely + glitzy + tasty inspiration for your New Year’s Eve party celebration thing.  If you’re having one of those.  And if you are, and you live in Colorado, which is where we’ll be on New Year’s Eve – I love your shoes!  You look really nice today.   Oh so I hear you’re having a NYE party, is that right?  I just so happen to be in the area that night, we should talk… 

The Facts: today’s inspiration shoot was sent in by Andrea of Gray Harper Event Maker, and features photography by Jade & Matthew Take Pictures.  You may remember some of Andrea’s DIY contributions to the blog – because they were killer.  Ok, here are a few words about the shoot from Andrea:

This New Year’s Eve inspired inspiration shoot is perfect for a small party but also has some great wedding related details.  We were inspired by all things glitter and the cobalt blue and neon yellow that’s been popping around in fashion lately.  We love that all the colors together really worked but were also a little out of the ordinary.  We loved adding New Years streamers everywhere…bursting out of the drawers, hanging from the ceiling, and even in the boutonniere.  Our design wouldn’t have been complete without glitter everywhere, of course, we even covered the noise makers with some!  The dessert & cocktail buffet sits atop a vintage white dresser.  We had delicious macarons, fun rock candy sticks in every champagne glass, noise makers popping out of the flowers, and the signage designed by Samantha Huba really tied everything together.

For the neon glassware – neon was added to the shot glasses by dipping the glass bottoms in neon paint, and then letting it run down the sides, until dry.  

Jade McCully captured this shoot in such a soft beautiful way.  She knows how to get the perfect detail shots!

Hope you enjoyed the inspiration!  Happy New Years Y’all!

Thanks, Andrea!  Commence the awesome:

Gray Harper Event Maker is member of TKB’s Vendor Love.  You can explore more of Gray Harper Event Maker in our guide.

What’d you think of the shoot inspiration?  And just because I’m curious; what are your New Year’s Eve plans?

I’ll be blogging more this week, but if we don’t cross paths, I hope everyone enjoys their mistletoe and midnight kisses!  Cheers to making out with strangers, ya filthy animals!

xo ma peoples.  -Alison

Styling, Decor, & Florals: Gray Harper Event Maker / Photography: Jade & Matthew Take Pictures / Printed Materials: Samantha Huba / Macarons: Maison de Macarons

… ski bunny that is!  guys? guys where’d you go…

I feel like before you read this I should warn you that things got a little out of hand in this post.  I do that sometimes- please just go with it.

To start: my jeans appear to be cutting off blood flow to my feet today, so – I think I’ve got this *girl* thing down.  

Ok, SO!  Here’s what goodies I’ve stuffed in here today:

A) Marissa Boucher & Kimberlee West of The Boudoir Divas stop by, and they came bearing the gift of a dreamy, unspeakably gorgeous boudoir shoot set in the chilly outdoors.  I find it to be excellent proof that a strong lip can kick your face-awesomeness into high gear in these shoots.  Especially the outdoors kind.

B) Bambino McPuppypants III, Esq. drops by as well.  He brought his face, which is gift enough.

Fun Fact: Bambino and I are the same ski-goggle head size.

C) I don’t know how much of a present this last item is, but I’ve crafted a brief list of New Year’s Resolutions I’m considering, as a woman in her late-20s-to-early-30s living in the city.

Post officially starts now.

Before Christmas, Bambino nailed down and executed on some Teletubby time with his best friend Albi, the brown one if this is your first time here.  Albi does this thing where he tries to bone Bambino directly in the asshole.  It’s really cute you should see it.

It’s possible they’re a couple but they’ve never shared that with us, and we’re taking a “don’t ask don’t tell” approach to it, so.. should work out well in the end I imagine.  Just kidding I plan to badger them about it daily because I’m his mother and I want DETAILS.

Interesting fact: I knew the day I looked deep into my itty bitty baby Bambino’s eyes, that he was a bottom.  Or was it when he was neutered and eternally robbed of his drive to reproduce, that I knew.

Love you sweetheart.

Awww.

Bambino got this dog-in-a-noose thing for Christmas which I thought was pretty neat.  Here it is against the only white backdrop I could find, our ceiling.  Ceilings can really come in handy if you blog from home and don’t feel like “handling it professionally.”

Here it is in a Christmas tree!

Here is a creepshot of the dog from underneath:

Here is what Bambino thinks of it:

He’d rather play with the old rope from an old toy he obliterated last year that had a rope in it.  Idiot.

Then Christmas Eve came.

I dressed him up as a whiddle skibunny because we’re finally treating ourselves to a ski trip over New Year’s, and dogs dressed in cute outfits = page views, so.  Oh– I will be snowboarding because I can’t get the hang of skiing ever since I dropped it for snowboarding, back when I was like 9 or something.  I should note here that I’ve both skied and snowboarded a total of, what- 5, 6 times? in my life?  Visiting ski resorts is the Ivy League of activities involving unconscionable spending on what is 45% falling down a hill looking like Maggie Simpson in the wintertime episodes.

So anyways it was totally worth him hating me for a couple minutes.  Wook how coot he is.

Worth it amirite?

>>Animal lovers: Bambino McPuppypants was in no way harmed/tortured in the making of the above photos.  So no letters, please.  I’M TALKING TO YOU, ANN COULTER.

As an aside; you guys should see some of the CRAZY s**t some of these Instagrammers with dogs post on their Instagrams.
I mean, I’ll be looking at these dogs in these outfits and I’ll be like- “WTF IS THIS? wtf why am I looking at this?” but then I’ll be like, I THINK I’LL GO THROUGH THIS FRENCH BULLDOG PUPPY’S ENTIRE PHOTO GALLERY FOR THE NEXT 20 MINUTES.  omg I love it.  I think half the people I follow on Instagram are French Bulldog puppies.

Anyway these are some of our ornaments (hope you weren’t expecting a transition).  Super simple to make so if you’re thinking of trying I included a list of materials.  wedding note: they’d make adorbs place cards or escort cards for your reception.  Mini pretty animals are HUGE right now in weddings!  FALL IN LINE.

Ok, enough of our holiday experience.  It’s time for me to transition as smoothly as possible into this next completely unrelated segment.  Here goes nothing-

Did it work?? ?

Oh Boudoir Divas, how I love thee.  Shall I count the ways?  No? just show us the pictures and shut the F up already? Oh ok.  Sorry.

I’m sorry; I just have to show you these blown up.  298×298 simply does not do any of these images justice…

No seriously; look at this FACE:

I am blown away by the beauty of this shoot.

Thank you Boudoir Divas; your pictures are what I see in my dreams.

So, I’m saying I dream about beautiful brides getting changed in their boudoirs.  But not in like a weird way; the normal way.

I must say; gorgeousness is something I’ve come to expect every time these ladies send me one of their shoots, and they’ve literally never disappointed me.  And I literally do not use the word ‘literally,’ all that often.  So.

OHMYGOODNESS I just checked my watch and it said it’s time for my resolutions!!!!!!111111 >>>>

^ Seriously, don’t.

Here are my New Year’s Resolutions thus far.  Mind you- it’s definitely a work in progress (I’ll whittle it down to ~zero resolutions by December 31st for sure).  But still, after you’ve read/skimmed through/totally skipped mine, I wanna hear one or two of yours if that’s cool.  Or more than that, W-EVS.  ANYWAY the list:

1. Refrigerate morning salads once one hour has passed without you having a bite of your salad because you’re so wrapped in work from the effing moment you wake up that you delay eating several hours, and for no good reason at all, you insane person (I think this is common).

2. No matter how hard you try, guests are going to use not just one, not two, but all of the towels in your bathroom when they wash their hands.  Commit to buying designated hand towels for guests.  Have: “after you pee, use only me; after you poo, use another lavatory because holy shit what are you doing shitting in our bathroom” embroidered in a particularly pretty font that will take you hours to decide upon.

3. Buy Bambino a new coat; one that changes his attitude to “I can handle snow” from “I’m willing to become septic to avoid all weather challenges.”

4. When wasting time on the internet, stop clicking on related posts that catch attention, like “women with lips you have to see to believe” or, “you won’t believe how many bananas can fit down this girl’s throat” or, “click to see what she can do with her mouth.”  I mean I could go on.

5. Floss nightly; more than three cavities is too many cavities for the daughter of a dentist and a hygienist.

6. Stop inadvertently letting people know that my parents met while working late at my dad’s dental practice.

7. Pee more often – this should be #1.  The endless typeface options of Photoshop will wait, and will still be endless, when you get back.

8. Actually eat more than 6 bites of the salads mentioned in Item #1.  YOU’RE JUST WASTING MONEY.

9. When writing, make better use of the following pages on the internet:

• http://thesaurus.com/browse/awesome
• http://thesaurus.com/browse/amazing

10. Teach Bambino how to fetch the Bailey’s Irish Cream.

11. Get plastic surgery to look like the girl in that boudoir shoot I just featured.

Ok– were those Resolutions?  Cuz I think I did something different with that list than originally intended.  Real Talk: HERE is my Real Resolutions List.

Resolution #1: Do more volunteer work.

Resolution #2: Stop trying to handle too many things at one time, so you won’t ultimately get so overwhelmed by the very projects you were originally so excited about starting.

Resolution #3: Stop “feeling like you have to look pretty” for things.

Resolution #4: Embrace the feeling that you are worth personal success, and stop feeling so undeserving when someone complements you on something.

Resolution #4: Take a dedicated lunch break to make time for an increase in daily inspiration and fresh air intake.

Resolution #5: Make more time for friends, and having couple friends over.  Getting together at one another’s homes is so fun – I always plan to have more people over, whenever we do it.  Really do it this year.

Resolution #6: Learn to be less sensitive.

Resolution #7: Eat a bit healther, Alison.

Resolution #8: Allow myself to take breaks more often, and let the phone calls with friends, siblings, mom, dad, whomever.. go longer than I usually let them go, just to get back to work.

Resolution #9: Write shorter lists.

Resolution #10: Open less tabs.

P.S. – Hope you don’t think I smoke crack-cocaine in alleyways after reading this post.  Like I said I realize it was a little out of hand but I owed you some Bambino photos.

xo’s to you all.  much love.

Alison

The Boudoir Divas are a member of TKB’s Vendor Love.  You can explore more of The Boudoir Divas, in our guide.

I am wearing a chambray shirt right now, so my arrogance chose today’s shoot.

Don’t worry- it’s amazing.  It’s made of a very soft, fine denim and the fit is incredible.  Oh and the shoot is neat too.

Just kidding THE SHOOT IS PHENOMENAL.  I am obsessed.  Nathalie from La mariée en Colère submitted this chic, rustic styling inspiration and I’m positively seizing with jubilation over its every detail.  I mean, MACARONS, first of all.  Then there’s mason jars hung by ribbons nearby delicious delicacies on top of weathered furniture next to a chalkboard inside of what seems to be a cottage-like barn situation.  You know you love it.

Plus: the most interesting part of this shoot, to me personally, is the shirt-as-the-new-bolero situation.  I’m curious to know what you think of the look.  Would you consider rocking it?

Arighty now… let’s begin!

So whatcha doing tonight to celebrate?  Partying?  Drinking alone?  Hosting some friends/family at your place?  Watching/wanting to stab Ryan Seacrest in the mouth?  Cuddling with your furbaby? (<== I envy you if these are your plans.  I miss Bambino so much right now.)

Our plans?  So sweet of you to ask; since we’re in Colorado right now we’ll be taking in some fireworks (and Bailey’s Irish Cream).

Have a great night, whatever you’re doing.  And remember… milk is about to cost $7 in the new year.

:)  Alison

Collective: La Mariée en Colère / Photography: Fairy Daily / Paper & Decor: 123 Nous Irons / Gowns: Confidentiel Création / Floral: Fleurs de Mars / Hair Styling: Event Coiffure Bordeaux / Makeup: Jenny Cortie Make Up / Models: Marie, Mylène, La Mariée en Colère / Déco partners: Atmosphère Mariages & Bal de Famille / Alliance: Art et Or / Accessories: Rhapsodie France / Delicacies: Les Caprices d’Amélie à St Emilion

Debating whether to start recapping The Bachelor again.  For old time’s sake.  Lemme know if you want it.

RECAP UPDATE: On a scale of 1 to 10 it’s killing me.  But I’m almost done!  As always I thank you for your patience while I poop the thing out.  

BUT FIRST-

I have to talk about Ryan Gosling’s hair for a minute.

I trust the person responsible for that dye job has since been let go. Yes?

I do not like the blonde hair I’M SORRY.  I know I may be alone in this.  But I really, really hate it.  I hate it so much.  It is like a built-in c**k blocker that prevents the mental and sometimes physical if I’m lucky orgasms I’m so accustomed to with each gaze upon his fancy, fancy face.

Tell me why.  Why is it blonde.  Did it need to be blonde?  Do you like the blonde?  Also- smoking cigarettes?  Also- way too tan.  WHERE DID MY BABY GOOSE GO?????

I’m just banking on the movie being worthwhile in spite of it, as I will undoubtedly be attending its first showing the night of its release, kleenex and change of underwear in hand.

Aright, now.  I got an email recently, from Nico of NLC Productions.  It said:

Sooo…. I just styled a super cool couples boudoir with photographer, Kurt Boomer… We did it in a fountain.. Its kind of edgy.. Nice tight, clean, sexy, sultry shots… When I got the images back… you were the first person I thought of… The only thing is.. There are some shots of her breasts that are very tastefully shot.. I am really looking for someone to feature the whole piece without a ton of content editing.. Hope you’re down.. its been awhile…

Obviously, I cannot wait to show you this feature.  BUT FIRST; we recently got back from a little New Year’s vacation time in Colorado, and it involved flying there, and then flying back.  Therefore, naturally… this list was made in the process because how else do you let off steam than via writing?  Trust me it works.  Hope you don’t think I’m terrible after you read this. :O

1. Oh great he’s coughing.
2. please. stop coughing. please stop.
3. I can’t believe this guy had the balls to get on this plane with that cough. like we wouldn’t mind.
4. Wait- is he even covering his mouth? No.
5. Omg that baby and how it cries.
6. Are there any extra open seats? No.
7. I really hope I don’t cough this whole flight. people will hate me.
8. It’s probably one of the better cries out there, as cries go. It could be worse.
9. YOU PUT YOUR SEAT BACK. YOU ASSHOLE.
10. Can someone pls deal with that crying baby?
11. Do you srsly not see your kid kicking the back of my seat like a soccer ball, DO YOU NOT
12. Yup turning off my phone. I’m turning it off right now, yeah.
13. (To own asshole) “I hope I can trust you with this one.”
14. That fart behaved in a way dissimilar to what I was expecting. Pls no one notice.
15. There should be a law against foot room like this.  Is congress working on this? no, bunch of lazy asses.
16. I can’t wait to see Les Mis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
17. PLEASE. STOP COUGHING SIR.
18. If someone doesn’t do something to settle down this child in the next five minutes, I will do nothing about it.
19. Where is the drink cart I MEAN REALLY
20. /rapid short angry breaths/
21. Thank god that baby is not near me.
22. GODDAMNIT IM NEAR THE BABY
23. I can’t feel my ass anymore.
24. I really should work out more.
25. Your knee is touching my knee.
26. Your knee is touching my knee and I am standing my ground.
27. Move your fucjinh knee. Move your knee.
28. /sleeps 5 hours/
29. With the price of tickets these days the least they could do is give us more leg room.
30. This flight attendant needs to drop the attitude.
31. I just got a lecture on why I can’t have the whole can of Cranberry Apple Juice. How much was this flight again?
32. [lands safely] I’M ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!

… I leave out anything?

And now, the shoot!  I adore this shoot not just because of the interaction between the two involved, but because of the styling inspiration going on.  I am obsessed with those floating floral arrangements.

Also everyone’s really hott.  There’s always that.

From Nico:

Inspiration: I love styling boudoir shoots. The combination of pushing the boundaries between beautifully tasteful and naughty. I have been wanting to style a couple’s boudoir shoot forever, and when I  saw this fountain my vision was completed. Keeping the styling clean, tight and romantic was really important for me as I wanted the focus to be on the shapes of the body, skin tone, and energy of the couple. I loved the idea of using a vintage gold desk as a prop in the water to elevate the couple from the water. We made floating floral arrangements of white hydrangeas, roses, lotus pods and succulents and tossed orchid blooms to soften the water. Working with genius photographer, Kurt Boomer was also an asset to this shoot, as he is open and willing to add his artistry to every idea and every single frame that was shot.

Gorgeous.

I’m curious… would you ever do a shoot that’s a little bit *edgy* – much like the one we’ve featured today?  And are you loving the porcelain skin going on today?  Shows that a tan isn’t necessarily the key to a beautiful outcome, body-wise!

Hope you guys had a sufficiently satisfying New Year’s!  What did you do?  Tell me I wanna know!!  Sorry I didn’t mean to push.

xx!  Alison

Baby Goose, via pinterest

Photography: Kurt Boomer / Styling: Nico Cervantes / Hair and Make up: Luna Bella / Jewelry: Vintage Chanel Pearls, Coast to Coast Collection / Models: Katherine Rodriguez and Ross Gill

P.S. – Are you following me on Instagram yet?  The usual puppy, wedding and lolz you’re used to, PLUS we’re documenting our new home renovation… follow along with us as we make a house a home!

Sometimes I’ll wanna complain about something, and then I’ll remember that I write about weddings and sometimes reality tv on a blog whose mascot is my frenchie and I’ll immediately shut up.

Ok so so far this is my favorite wedding of 2013. hands down.  Really it should be obvious I like this one; it’s a DIY rustic woodsy wedding – I jerk off to these things.  I mean just look:

..right?  Seriously how beautiful is that?

But you know, there’s more to it than just the styling in this one.  I love the write-up the bride sent us.  Their relationship is so sweet and cool; they seem super in-tune with one another.  I definitely believe in all the couples we feature, it’s not that– I mean I wouldn’t– I don’t think I’d knowingly publish the wedding of a couple I thought was hurling inevitably towards divorce within 72 days of their ceremony or anything, it’s just–

They just seem like they’re not the type of couple who’d go days into a standoff over emptying the dishwasher.  With one of them falsely confident that it’s the other’s turn.

Because I got the last two times man.  The last two.  You KNOW this.

JK I’m three behind.

JK everyone in his family, we usually divide housework pretty evenly and I’m cooking him dinner tonight.

Liberty and Colin’s wedding was submitted by the lovely Sara Adams of Sara Adams Photography, and it’s just one of those really pretty ones you wanna get lost in, inspiration- and love-wise.  Jealousy-wise?  You’re going to be crying into your hands like the mascot at the end of this SNL skit featuring Bruno Mars:

One more thing- there’s really nothing quite as visually stunning as a woman covered in lotsa pretty tattoos.  And guess what Liberty happens to be? (besides smart/photogenic/great at writing/in touch with her feelings/seemingly quite grounded/and a haver of great taste obviously)

I mentioned a lot of qualities up there.  The below write-up is sorta what gave me that impression…

When I fell in love with Colin something shifted deep inside a secret place in my heart that I never knew existed. So when he asked me to marry him two years later it felt like an inexplicable moment that you never dared dream of, where everything in your life unexpectedly clicks together in the most profound way imaginable.  We both come from families of divorce and had each sworn off marriage long before meeting each other.  But once we were together it was like the puzzle pieces of our lives clicked perfectly into place and we just knew we were going to be together forever.  Making a decision to let go of your old, cynical ideals and pessimistic conceptions about marriage and opening your heart to the possibility of spending the rest of your life with your one true love was a hugely profound experience for both of us.  It was really important to us to have that joy and delight reflected in our wedding day.  And of course we also wanted to throw the best party of all time!

Our entire wedding was a DIY project, but we both work super hectic jobs so it basically took a village to make it all come together.  I did a ton of planning and crafting in advance and had a million spreadsheets to stay organized.  It was so much fun to spend time with friends and family working on wedding projects – those are definitely some of my favorite memories.  Colin and I created and assembled all the invitations ourselves, my friends and family and I made all the napkins and centerpieces, we hunted high and low in every thrift store we could find for all the vintage mismatched linens, vintage silverware, decor and serving ware and spent hours making bunting and swags, putting old photos in vintage frames, creating the boutonnieres and escort cards, getting all the wood rounds and bottles for the tables, and generally crafting our asses off.

One of the greatest things about planning a wedding yourself is that it gives you a lot of amazing opportunities to work together with your guy to create the most incredible day of your life and to learn how to compromise early on so you both get exactly what you want.  Colin and I had so much fun finalizing the menu, picking out the band (a great date night), doing the invitations and table numbers together, and figuring out all the little details.  We were such busy bees leading up to the big day that when I finally stopped doing stuff and started getting ready I was completely overwhelmed with emotion and appreciation for how much everyone had come together and worked like absolute maniacs to make our wedding happen.  It really spoke volumes about how much love was (and is) surrounding us and how hard our friends and families were willing to work to make our special day come together.

In the end it was absolutely the best day ever.  It was truly everything we’d hoped for and more. All of the most important people in our lives were there and you could really feel the outpouring of love from everyone.  Seeing Colin in his kilt for the first time as I came down the aisle is a moment I’ll never forget, and he’s told me many times since that the same sentiment holds true for him.  All the hard work and planning was well worth it – everything came together exactly as I’d hoped and even the unexpected moments were magical.  It’s not every day that you get married at a pine lodge in the woods and Bigfoot shows up!

When it comes time to make your big day come together don’t feel like you have to rely on conventional customs or what you think others might expect of you.  I didn’t have a color scheme – I let the flowers and the beautiful outdoor setting be the colorful aspect of the decor and chose muted tones for everything else that would allow the natural elements of our surroundings to stand out.   In carrying with the mismatched theme my bridesmaids each wore different cream dresses that were nothing remotely close to a traditional bridesmaid dress.  I found a local garden society that was willing to provide all the flowers for a nominal fee and my girls arranged all the flowers themselves.  And to top off all these nontraditional principles, I decided to wear blue panties to represent my “something blue”.  Let your day be as unique as you are!  And revel in every moment.

And a bit from Sara Adams:

Liberty and Colin met while working for the same company in Hood River, OR. Their wedding day combined their love of the outdoors and all things vintage. It was held at Bigfoot Lodge near Mt. Hood Oregon, with sweeping views of the mountain and surriounding forest. Additionally, Colin’s family is Scottish, so he was married in the kilt that his Scottish grandfather was married in. Friends and family helped DIY many of the decorations as well as all of the desserts! The wedding is a little bit rustic, a little bit glam, and a lot beautiful.

Thank you Liberty and Colin for sharing your beautiful day with us.  Much love and happiness to you both!

(P.S. — do you have a tattoo artists you can recommend, if you don’t mind me asking?  Yours are awesome, I can’t look away.)

One more thing Liberty– I’ll let you know whenever I’m within 50 miles of you so that you can file a restraining order.

So this happened recently.  For the record- he put himself in there.  He’s starting to love cuddles and closeness a lot more than he used to.  And when I’m not available, clearly a guitar case is a quality substitute.

So tell me you guys, do you plan to involve your family and friends in the creation of your wedding?  And if you’re already married, did you include family and friends?  How did it work out?

xx, Alison

Photography: Sara Adams Photography / Hair – Ashley Allen / Makeup – Kristi Fuhrmann / Dress – Enzoani / Band – Boy and Bean / DJ – DJ Clint Kuper / Bouquets and Corsages – Lucy Gorman at Informal Flowers / Table & Aisle Flowers – Bridal Party / Caterer – Jeannie’s Love of Cooking / Pies & Cupcakes – Mother of the Grom / Cake – Gloria Blancato / Submitted via Two Bright Lights / Venue – Bigfoot Lodge

Question for you guys: Have you ever worried about losing your ring, or some other highly sentimental piece of jewelry?

Or, worse, have you ever actually LOST the thing?

I don’t know about you guys, but I like to take my engagement ring off quite a bit.  For example, usually when I wash my hands, it comes off.  I like to take it off when I go to bed, as I don’t like the imprint of an engagement ring on my cheek in the morning (not sexy).  And I especially like to take it off whenever applying lotion – which is usually when I’m riding the subway.

Terrible idea, I know.

This leads me to my next point.  Honey and I designed the engagement ring he gave me, and I wear the thing every day. Naturally it’s really quite special to me.  And unless I know exactly where my engagement ring is, at all times, I will go into permanent freak-out mode at the drop of a hat until it is found. Like full-out panic attack.  I feel ridiculous even

telling you guys about this but it’s real, the fear of losing something so pricey and important to me.  Something so important to us as a couple.

Now.  You wanna know the only thing that keeps me sane, whenever I think I’ve lost it forever?  The insurance Honey got purchased when he bought the ring.  It literally helps me sleep at night, just knowing we’re covered.

I firmly believe that not choosing to get your ring(s) covered is like saying “I’m ok with the very real possibility of losing thousands of dollars one day.”

Who is seriously ok with that?

Trust me on this one.  Insurance is the way to go when it comes to your most important and sentimental jewelry items.

So, if you’re looking for a recommendation for who to work with on this, I’d like to point you in the direction of Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company.

According to Jewelers Mutual, “one of the most common reasons a policyholder makes an engagement/wedding ring claim is due to accidental loss or mysterious disappearance.”  It’s so common to misplace jewelry you guys.  It’s tiny.  It’s worn on the body, so you do a lot of taking it off and putting it on and taking it off, and then putting it back on, and so on, and so on, and so on.  Personally, I feel like I’m always *this close* to losing my engagement ring. So much so, that the actual losing of it can’t be too far off, I imagine.  Yikes.

Here’s a little bit more from Jewelers Mutual that I thought was worth sharing…

It is wise to have coverage on your ring specifically instead of bundling your insurances together.  Bundled insurance policies can cover some jewelry mishaps but there are strict rules to what they will cover.  Jewelers Mutual is the jewelry insurance specific company that can cover you worldwide against common problems like accidental….

… loss, damages, and theft.

So to make the stress of getting married a little easier, I strongly recommend making sure that your newly acquired ring is fully protected.

So, I’m curious: have you ever lost, or almost lost, something sentimental or extremely valuable?  And what did you do when it happened?  What do you think of insuring such things?

xx, Alison

One of our newest members of Vendor Love, Jenny of Jenny Taylor Boudoir Photography, has shared with us some pretty exciting news, and I thought I’d share it with you lovely ladies today, you know, in case any of you are looking to have an incredible 2013 via an exhilarating personal shoot that accentuates your best features (and hides your worst, DUH).

Let me clarify- confidence is important.  And you are 100% beautiful.  I love every bit of you, you know that.  But I also know you have a couple of problem areas that you don’t want flaunted all over the place.  Areas *you* deem “problem areas.”  Nothing to be ashamed of!  I’m certainly no exception to the rule (see: aging face; tushie).

But as long as you’ve got a hella good photographer on your side, to bring out the best in you (also, liquor) then really, there’s nothing to worry about.  Isn’t it great?!!?!

So without further adieuieueeieuee here’s the news!

Jenny let me know that the place is amazing — COMPLETE CHICAGO SKYLINE views out the window, with two rooftop decks!! and of course, complete luxury.  My mouth is already watering.  Let’s hear what her clients have to say about the news…

And there you have it.

Visit Jenny’s site or Facebook page if you’re interested in finding out more info on this neat development, or perhaps to get the ball rolling on your own session?  Your call.  Obviously I highly recommend her.

xo’s to you all.  much love.

Alison

P.S. – WORKING ON ANOTHER POST.  YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS.  STANDBY.

Jenny Taylor Boudoir Photography is a member of TKB’s Vendor Love.  You can explore more of this preferred vendor’s work in our guide.

If you are interested in applying for membership in TKB’s guide, please click here for how to get started.

*All photography included in this post, by Jenny Taylor

Our resident DIY Master of ‘making everything so pretty that I leave for a Michaels Craft Store immediately after putting up each of her posts’ is back.  If you’re new here, her name is Renee Hong… and you’re in for a treat.  She brought with her the raddest disposable camera idea I’ve ever seen.

I think you are going to LOVE this.  Gone are the mundane, company branded cameras of yesteryear uglifying your reception tables and making guests throw up their dinners in disgust.  Here to stay?  ==> Golden stripes on EVERYTHING!!!!!!!  I truly can’t get enough.

Hit it, Renee… 

Hello everyone! So, this week’s project… disposable cameras!! I know disposable cameras are sort of a fad of the 90′s, but I’ll be the first to say I’m still a huge fan. They’re quirky, quick, and it’s always a surprise to see how the photos turn out. However, they’re not usually very well designed, and it might feel a little tacky adding that bright green or orange colored camera into the mix of your wedding/party display. With today’s tutorial, I’ll show you how you can pretty up your camera to fit whatever look you like!

Step 1: Peel off the paper wrapping on the disposable camera. It should unfold into one flat piece.

Step 2: Flip over to the back (inside) side and trace the shape onto your card stock. Be sure to make note of where there are folds and/or perforations! You can also use tape to help you anchor the stencil as you trace it.

Step 3: On the other side of the card stock, create a pattern with your washi tape. I did diagonal stripes with gold mylar tape — repeat the pattern across the entire page.

Step 4: Cut out the template you traced! It may be helpful to use a Xacto knife for the smaller holes. Make folds where necessary to prepare the shape to fit to your camera.

Step 5: Using the original cover as a guide, fold your newly designed cover onto your naked camera, and… you’ve got a brand new, custom designed device! (tip: for a seamless finish, use double sided tape to enclose the cover.) That’s it! You can use your new camera as a table topper, or even throw it in a box with other fun knick knacks to create a little party box!

xx, Renee

So- what do you guys think??  Think Renee hit this one of out of the park?  If you like it,  let her know :)

That’s a taste of a much longer, much more ridiculous strip involving Mr. McPuppypants.  Where did my dignity go I’m looking forward to sharing it with you shortly.

Hope you’re having wonderful Fridays!  More on the way…

xx! Alison

On the lookout for more fun things to do/read?  Go check out everything Renee’s created for readers of TKB since the beginning of time of when she started doing it.  YayYUH!