So............where to begin describing my recent adventure to New York City! it was exactly that, I suppose...an Adventure!
I have so much to tell you all about that I have decided to do it in a few parts. I am going to describe the highlights in bullet point format as to keep from rambling on (as I often do once excited about something! lol)
* Note to self ~ Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT try to bleach your own hair the night before you fly out. yes my friends, its true the very worst that could possibly happen any blonde the night before her holidays! A bleaching accident. I was doing it myself to save on time and money and all I managed to gain was a big curly mop of yellow hair. did you get that guys Y E L L O W. it was the colour of a little chicklet and my face was the colour of snow when I saw it. No hairdressers opened that late at night and no time in the morning to get it fixed. So there I was hysterical the night before our big adventure and my bf and his mum plastering tomato kethup all over my hair in an effort to take the sting out of it! Well lets just say I got a lot of interesting looks at the airport, no doubt people were trying to figure out which starship enterprise I had just come down from. I had decided (mostly without choice) to embrace the yellow fro and head off and enjoy my vacation! But it was an interesting start to a week that got even more strange!
* The flight was lovely ( coming from someone who is petrified of flying) they just filled the time by playing nice movies and feeding us quite regularly. what more could a girl ask for! It was blissful to have to spend those hours without a phone, without work, without anything really, so I have decided now that I rather enjoy flying!
* Upon arriving at our hotel the receptionist informs me that I have post...............at this point Im looking at my bf in sheer shock wondering what the F%&*. I was really thrown by this, kind of expecting to be pretty anonymous in New York having travelled halfway round the world to get there! But alas, it was my very clever, resourceful office buddies who had sent me a birthday card to the hotel I was staying BEFORE I had even left Ireland! And they managed to find a card in Waterford, Ireland with a fabulous picture of an awesome building called the Flat Iron in New York, a building I was later to find myself sitting in front of and giggling at the sheer ingenuity of my office buddies! It was to be a lovely gesture to start the week!
* The first night there we made the subway journey into Manhattan to get a taste of the big city. We were knackered after the travelling but somehow adrenalin kicks in and your ready for everything once your excited.
* After the 2 day of absolutely walking me arse off I had to give into buying very dull but oh so comfortable soft walking shoes (the kind I wouldn't be caught dead in at home, and the kind of pair that are already covered in shite and paint from using them to diy with as soon as we got home) however, these ugly foot thingy where to become my best friends that week and all glamour was chucked out the window having realised just how much walking we did on a daily basis. On some days we would calculate that we had been walking non stop for 7 hours, that this deserved a trip back to the hotel for a nap and a wash before heading back out that night for another excursion! Im pretty sure we should have gotten a few sponsorships card filled out before we embarked on such lengthy walking adventures as many people have raised funds for less effort!! lol
* We ended up eating lots over there too as there was so much choice and we were so keen on trying so many things that meal times became quite plentiful over there! Even to the extent that my dear bf commented one evening that the ol BM's where making quite a regular appearance! that made me laugh as I had to agree with him too. I questioned whether perhaps it was the change in water, or the pressure of the air in the air cabin, (deluding myself of course) to which he laughed and replied, as only he could, " For feck sake, I don't suppose its all the eatin were doin, no ?" guess it makes sense, what goes in must come out right! lol
I will keep posting about my observations of NYC but for now, just know that it was an awesome trip with much fun to come.
x
Bonzie
Last week I received a fun envelope in my mailbox. It's a great day when the mailman provides something other than the ShopWise circular and an ad from Comcast. 
Couture Maps sent me an adorable letterpressed sample! Stephannie Barba is the artist out of San Francisco who comes up with these adorable maps. I think their return address is the cutest. I could just eat up that little crab:
The sample map is of the Seychelles. I wish I could show you how thick and dreamy the paper is. The letterpress just sinks right into it and creates deep ridges:
I was so impressed by the attention to detail. Look at the stamp they used!
Couture Maps will draw a wedding map for any location worldwide! I blogged about them last summer -- their designs just keep getting cuter and cuter. If you're on the market for invitations or other paper goods, Stephannie creates those too!
Look how adorable their storefront is! I love stopping in this shop whenever I get the chance:
A look at the entire inside of the store:
They have walls and walls of stationery from many different companies:
I thought these journals were so precious:
This Crane display caught my eye:
They carry a lot of Anna Griffin stuff too:
Here's their 'invitation corner'! Each of those binders contains dozens of invitations from different designers. The Dandelion Patch carries Dauphine Press, elum, Envelopments, Kate Spade, Twig and Fig, Vera Wang, and Wiley Valentine (to name just a few). 
Please stop in at either of their two stores and tell them we sent you! You don't need an appointment to check out the wedding invitations but you'll get one-on-one service if you call ahead. Also if you're going on a Saturday, aim for the morning or evening when they're less busy.
I just heard that Abel Gance's monumental La Roue is to be released on DVD May 8th. 
This link from Mark Ayres tells of plans to issue a CD box set celebrating the 50th anniversary of the BBC's now-defunct Radiophonic Workshop, pioneering in-house department responsible for themes and sound effects across a range of programmes.
This is the 1st order received fr my neighbour,special promo price for her :RM25 for 25pcs,She doesn't set any theme just 4 makan2 with the family....vanilla cake with buttercream,piping gel & some decorative sugarpaste flower
my very 1st cupcakes.....
Play with gumpaste,This one I've made for Yani to her lovely daughter Alya.(I've got this inspiration fr Anna Putrajaya-bake freshly,she so creative & full of fresh new idea)
This hoop skirt was actually bought for my own wedding in 2006. I bought it from a bride who hadn't used it and then I never used it either. I'm not sure how much she got it for but I remember paying her $50. At this point I'll just be glad to get it out of the house!
I am a regular street size 6-8 and it was just slightly tight on me. It's elastic so I'm sure it could fit anyone from a size 2-10. However if you're more of a 4-6, I think it would be perfect. Height is not as important as the bottom few inches of your gown will drape over it. You can also pull the hoop skirt up or down a few inches as necessary. To give you an idea of height in the picture, I'm 5'9 and not wearing shoes. It falls about 2" above the ground. If you try it on at my home and hate it, I'll re-list it here so you don't end up with something you won't use.
Stephen Laws writes:
We're very excited to announce that Soiree Special Events is now serving brides in West Los Angeles! Our associate AJ is back in action on the west coast and anxious to meet with new brides who are looking for a day-of coordinator, a full service wedding planner, or even something in between.
The Hollywood Reporter's telling everyone, so it's safe for me to say that we have our leads.
I had lunch with Kim a few months ago and she's recently been doing vendor interviews on her fantastic blog. Over the past couple of weeks she's caught up with Evan of MyDeejay.com, Shannon of Starry Night Bakery, and Mike of Monachetti. This week it's my turn!
Caroline - I'll be in touch by email so you & Rob can set a time to get together. Once the photos are taken I'd love to share them here on the blog!
Here's what it looks like on a chair. It's extra shiny because I had my camera's flash on.
This photo is a bit more realistic but blurry with no flash. They're really not plastic-looking but are more sheer and rather see-through:
I'd say the sashes are about 6' in length. They could also make a pretty table runner if you have 5' guest tables. I have about 200 of these guys all packed up and ready to be yours.
A closeup to show you the Grecian-looking pillars. I swear I'll wash the whole thing before you get it...the dried-on cupcake frosting there is a tad gross. I'd say there's about 4" in between each layer:
The top tier is a 6" plate that would be perfect for a mini cake to cut. Or you can stick about 4 cupcakes up here:
The one flaw to this guy is that it's very unstable. We were very lucky at Libby & Dan's wedding that nobody bumped the table. If you end up with this pretty stand, you'll probably want to hot glue or superglue the tiers to each pillar, just in case!
