Fabulous Shoe Friday

This pair deserves a post of their own. I'm in love... but not with the price tag.

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Okay... maybe these can join them (in my dreams, where I also happen to be loaded).

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I need it to stop snowing. Immediately.

Why, Oh Why, Do We Torture Ourselves

On average, I cut my hair off-- I mean, OFF, as in super short-- every two years. My hair grows amazingly fast. Within those two years, my hair has grown down to my bra strap once again. With marriage talk running wild, I decided not to cut my hair the last time the 2-year mark came up. Now, I am at about 3 1/2 years and am going crazy. I want to just chop it all off and be done with it. The funny thing is... once I cut it, I let it start growing again and don't keep it short. No rhyme or reason to my madness. So... when I saw this pic on A Summer Picnic Wedding, I immediately wanted to call my stylist to book an appointment. Good thing it was 9pm. :)

Here's a pic of me with short hair (on our 3rd anniversary in Sept. '05):


A little factoid-- I actually cut all of my hair off THAT day, without telling J!

Wedding Wednesday: Cake Stand

I have been obsessed with finding the perfect cake "stand" for our wedding. Our theme is fairly rustic. At Jen's wedding, the cake was perched upon a great piece of wood, and I loved it. The baker she used had several different wood options, but she retired shortly after Jen's wedding. I tried to contact her to either rent or buy one of her wood cake stands, but she had disconnected her home phone and unlisted her new number. Apparently, she really did not want to be contacted! After scouring the internet, I was beginning to think I would have to give up the dream. Then, my rehearsal dinner invite search went so well using Etsy's Alchemy feature that I was determined to see if I could find my "dream" cake stand there, as well.

Here is a pic of Jen's cake:
Here are two pics I submitted as a visual for the Alchemy bidders:
I only got a few bidders, but I did find one that was willing to take on the job at a very reasonable cost. He has just cut the piece, but it will take quite some time to air-dry and then kiln-dry... with a finished product coming to me in June. I am beyond thrilled. He was extremely informative and explained the proper way to process the wood, etc. He also asked me not to pay until the process was further down the road, so I could be ensured the finished product was what I was looking for. I was impressed with his honesty. Wouldn't it be nice if more people were like that? Now... for a preview of my pre-cooked cake stand!

If you're interested in something similar, feel free to contact Mike. Tell him Abbie sent you!

Ring a Ding Ding...

I am thrilled to announce the winner of the tungsten ring giveaway from Superior Wedding Rings. (Don't worry-- this isn't an April Fool's joke!) I wish I had several rings to give because I know how wonderful it is to find out that something you need for your wedding is now something you no longer need to budget for. Isn't it wonderful? Enough babbling! I know you've been waiting to hear, so without further ado...

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Adrienne said...

I was JUST shopping for a Tungsten ring for the fiance! These are amazing! I would pick the Tungsten Carbide 6mm Beveled Edge Brushed Center ring! It is just what he is wanting!!! Great giveaway Abbie!!

p.s. I am already a follower! :)

Congrats, Adrienne! Shoot me an email from my profile page, and I will get you in touch with Superior Wedding Rings to claim your ring! Thanks again to everyone that commented! I enjoy hearing from you.

Don't Forget...

Don't forget to sign up to win a free wedding band! You have until 7 tonight (mountain time).

Deal of the Day

Today isn't Friday, but I can't help posting about shoes when I find an amazing deal. I've been on the wedding shoe search-- it's become a mission-- so I'm looking any place I can think of that might have a possibility. The plus-- I've stumbled upon some great deals along the way.

These are hot... and so is the price tag!

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Perfect alternative to the JCrew options I showed you on Friday.
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Perfect black pump

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Is it summer yet? On sale for $14.99!
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Don't forget to use Ebates for even more "savings"! I've noticed sometimes they have coupon codes listed in addition to the cash back-- so with 4 (small) purchases, I'm already at nearly $20 cash back!

Must Have of the Week

I've found a new love. I must have it. Don't you think?
It's like they read my mind. Check out Simply Seleta's Fab Friday post for more fabu items!

Fabulous Shoe Friday

Way back in September, I mentioned that my favorite gold Italian-made JCrew heels (perfect for wedding attending) broke while dancing at J's cousin's wedding. Basically someone stepped on my foot right as I was picking up my foot, and the strap broke right off! I finally broke down and purchased, not one, but two, replacements via Ebay. I had spent about $175 on that original pair and worried myself sick that I was throwing money away... until I wore them to 12 weddings! I'd say they were a good investment. I'm excited because the new pairs are of the same quality, but they were a heck of a lot cheaper via Ebay (with my new friend Ebates, as well).

I'm still on the lookout for amazing colored shoes for our wedding. If you find any amazing green or blue shoes, feel free to send them my way!

You Let Me Down...

I am officially out of the money for the NCAA bracket. Dang you, Memphis. My heart is breaking! I was in third place in one and second in another and really could have used some extra moolah. You gave a good showing in the second half... and then you let me down. Sigh.

Wedding Ring... and A Surprise

I have some great news. J picked out a wedding ring! It took him ages to actually go down to the jeweler to try some on and determine his size. I was a bit anxious to get more line items checked off the to-do list, so I've been a bit of a nag about it. With the 4-month countdown on, he finally felt the pressure. Without further ado--
He went with a tungsten carbide ring from Superior Wedding Rings. They offer both men's and women's rings in platinum, titanium, tungsten, palladium and gold. While we were at it, we managed to talk Kyle at Superior Wedding Rings into allowing me to do a giveaway-- a tungsten band up to $120 (in honor of my upcoming 400th post, natch)! To win, you must visit their site and leave a comment here telling me which ring you would pick. To get extra entries, become a follower of this blog AND link back to this contest on your blog. I will announce the winner on next week's Wedding Wednesday post. Happy browsing!