Working on My Wedding!

I have been neglecting my blog lately because I have been busy working on my wedding (vow renewal). I am down to just under one year before the big day! I was thinking maybe I should share my money saving tips and tricks. I am on a tight budget, but really want things to be nice.

We have all seen how beautiful and over the top weddings are now. In fact my favorite wedding planner is David Tutera and you can't get more over the top than that.

I had the big dreams of big centerpieces, gold chargers, draping fabric, chair covers and on and on and on... Ummm.. my budget didn't allow for any of those things;( When I started pricing venues, rentals, flowers, centerpieces and yes, gold chargers etc. my budget of $5000 was completely blown and I hadn't even gotten to food, wedding cake, DJ, drinks, dress, photographer or anything else. I decided if I couldn't have what I wanted I just wasn't going to get my "big wedding", besides we were already married. We had a simple courthouse wedding, but don't we all dream of the fancy dress and dancing the night away?

Just when I thought there was no hope, I started googling "all inclusive wedding venue packages". I learned that I could have my dream wedding with all the bells and whistles if I went with one of these all inclusive locations because weddings are ALL they do. We scheduled a tour of Cafe267 and it was everything I imagined for my wedding! All inclusive really means all inclusive. It includes the on site ceremony, choice of decor (gold chargers included), lounge, hors d' oeuvres, dinner, cocktails, DJ, photographer, cake and day of planner. All you do is show up a couple hours ahead of time with your favors or your own added touches and your dress! They had several different packages to choose from at different budget levels. Best of all you can make monthly payments! That was a blessing for us since we don't happen to have a few thousand dollars just laying around. We chose to go with a package that didn't include a photographer because my sister is an incredible photographer! Also, I do photo editing, so I figure I can get some great shots from the guests thanks to digital cameras and do my magic. We also decided to have our wedding on a Friday evening. Not only was it a thousand dollars cheaper, but all of our guests are coming from out of state, so we figured it would be a way to free up Saturday for sight seeing.

Pictures we took during our tour.

VRBO Packages Available

Welcome VRBO (Vacation Rental by Owner)! I have been working hard to put together special handcrafted bath amenity sets that are perfect for VRBOs, Country Inns and Bed and Breakfasts. Each set includes a choice of handcrafted from scratch shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap and bath soak and comes packaged in a cello bag tied with ribbon. For more information visit my website: http://www.fbessentials.com/

Budding Author

Happy Sunday! A friend of mine is a budding author and has written the first two novels of a promising series. After reading the synopsis I can't wait to start reading these! It has something for everyone romance, fantasy, history and vampires! Please check out the synopsis at his blog http://itwasmeant2be.blogspot.com/ also follow him for updates!

Summer is Here!

Summer is here with a vengeance in Georgia! They don't call it "Hotlanta" for nothing. I have discovered that my poor feet HATE to be trapped in shoes and I am sure I'm not the only one.
Big problem is I don't have the time or money to constantly run to the salon for pedicures. So, between visits I have been giving myself a quick touch up and this is how you can too, ladies!
First of all soak your feet for at least 10 minutes in warm salt water. I use Dead Sea Salt, if you don't have it you can use sea salt found in the grocery store. I also throw in a little Epsom's salt.

Next use a sugar scrub cube to buff away the dead skin and remove the deep down dirt. If you don't have the sugar cube scrub use what you have in your kitchen. Mix 1 tsp of olive oil with 3/4 of a cup of sugar. Rub the sugar vigorously on your feet. Do be careful because this can make your tub slippery. I say tub because me and my 3 y.o. daughter sit on the side of the bath tub with our feet soaking in about 2 inches of water. It's our "girl" time;)

When your done rinse, dry and follow up with a good moisturizing lotion. Your feet will thank you and no more embarrassing "crusty" feet between pedicures!

If you would like to try my handmade lotions, sugar scrub cubes or bath salts visit my shop. http://www.fbessentials.etsy.com/ use coupon code "PEDI10" and receive 10% off

"Me" Time?

I was trying to take a much needed "me" time break Saturday night and was wondering how often everyone else steals a little personal time and what do you do? Between mommy, wife, house and business/work duties I never seem to have time to just relax and focus on myself. When I do I either lock myself in the bathroom for a relaxing bath, give myself a pedicure and paint my nails or watch a "chick flick" with a BIG bowl of ice cream (a bowl of Peanut Butter Captain Crunch does the trick also).
The other night I made a late night run to Walmart by myself which was absolutely fantastic! I enjoyed the drive so much. It was warm out, so I rolled the windows down and listened to music with adult content (no Backyardigans, Barney or Yo Gabba Gabba)! It was NICE! I felt free as I sped through the back country roads, music blaring, and wind whipping my hair. When I got back home I was refreshed! Who knew a trip to the store could be soooo damn good?
What do you do and how often?

Keeping Dry Naturally in Hot Weather!

Now that it's heating up outside it is time to think about your skin in a different way than you did when it was cold. In the winter we needed moisture, moisture and more moisture! Now we need to keep dry! Perspiration can cause all sorts of problems for our skin. Rash, chafing, fungus, and ulcers just to name a few. The solution may already be in your cabinet... There's a safe and natural remedy right in your local grocery store. Cornstarch! Yep, just like Grandma used to use. It is one of the best ways to defeat perspiration in those shall we say, warm spots. There is no need to rush out and buy those expensive highly perfumed (often irritating) powders. Simply apply a little cornstarch as needed under arms, in skin folds or anywhere else a little cool silky powder might help. This is especially important for babies and their sensitive skin. Always try to keep baby under arms, leg and neck folds clean and dry to avoid bacterial and fungal growth.

Busy Day Ahead!

I have a super busy day ahead of me today! Two Cupcake Bath Bomb orders to frost, many packages to mail, labels to apply to personalized lip balms, and finish packaging and packing items to take to the shop! Oh did I mention print and apply the price tags...It's crazy, but I love it! I am so excited about tomorrow...What is tomorrow? I am moving into my retail space at Baby Tracks in Gainesville, Ga.