DIY: Wedding Luminaries

This is by far one of my favorite DIY projects! These luminaries would be perfect to place next to each row going down the aisle for an outdoors, evening wedding.You could also use them as centerpieces or try stringing them across your venue!

Shopping List:
-High-melt paraffin wax  (IGI 1260)
-Water balloons
-Double boiler
-Cookie sheet

Let's Make Luminaries!:

1. Fill the water balloons with tepid water

2.Melt your wax. Keep the temperature around 180 degree, you can do this by using the double boiler.

3.Slowly dip the balloon in the wax, to just below where the water level. If you have it go above that it can cause the balloon to pop...that's def a mess you don't want!

4. Hold the balloon in the wax for a few seconds, then take it out and dip again a few more times (allow a few seconds between each "dip" so that the wax can cool a little)

5. While the balloon is still warm, place it on a cookie sheet so it's level. This will create a flat bottom for your luminary!

6. Dip the balloons a few more time till it reaches a thickness of between 1/4 to 1/2 inch.

7. Place the balloon back on the cookie sheet again, letting it cool.

8. Once the wax has cooled, pop the balloon over a sink or bucket (make sure it's face away from you). Throw out all of the balloon pieces.

9.Time to level off the luminary! Heat a cookie sheet on the stove, place the luminary top-down on the hot sheet and allow the edges to carefully met until they're level.

10. Put a tea light or votive candle inside and burn on a candle holder.

Shabina Loves Baseball!

Yes, I'm quite the baseball fan. My grandpa has an entire section of his house dedicated to the Yankees, my dads coached baseball for 20 years, both of my brothers have played since they were old enough to hold a bat... I have no choice but to love baseball. Clearly I love events. So it's only logical that I would love baseball themed events!

Annette over at Swanky Tables did an awesome job with the "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" birthday party for her twins.

Then there's the beyond words wedding that Amorology carefully put together. I'm in awe of their creativity! They really are such an inspiration.

Weddings that are over the top and all about little details are the best kinds there are (in my lovely opinion) They really took having a wedding theme to a new level. Instead of having a guest book to sign, people signed baseballs..how cool is that?! Having tickets as the place cards was brilliant. And did you see those tables?! Baseballs filling up the centerpieces, glass soda bottles at each setting, tables labeled by sections...swoon.

Thoughtful Day

For awhile I stopped being so obsessed with wedding invitations and stationery in general..until I came across Thoughtful Day.  They certainly have me in love with paper goods all over again!

                                            They did an awesome job of designing these invitations for Jenna & Jon's circus wedding..which can be seen this week on 100 Layer Cake (you must check it out!) They are even featured in the new issue of Martha!

                                  Pink and orange just scream "summer!" in my lovely opinion. Tara and Scott asked Erica to design something that was bold and included lots of fun flowers because their wedding was going to be at vineyard. Erica hand drew all of the details included in everything from the save the dates to the paper goods for the day of the wedding.

                  I love how elaborate this Save The Date is! 3 different layers, each revealing information about a different part of this couple's wedding weekend.

                                              The couple's theme was "Fiesta Fabulous"...enough said.

                                                  I can't get over how seriously talented Erica is! The couple wanted a program for their wedding that was inspired by the "Steamboat Bill Jr."s film poster, so Erica made some changes to make the couple in the poster look like the bride & groom. Simply brilliant!

50,Nifty, United States..

For some reason today I'm feeling extra patriotic. We have fifty states, each with their own natural beauty, talented professionals, and beautiful weddings. So, I've decided to take on a different state each day and showcase a wedding/event from each. On top of that I'll be featuring photographers, bakers, florists, etc from that state. A lot of other wedding sites feature gorgeous weddings but only from the popular states like California, Florida, New Jersey, or Texas. They don't always give ample love to weddings in Kansas, Wisconsin or even Montana. I want to change that!
So get ready this summer to tour the good ole USA with Shabina Says So!
Now I just have to figure out where to start. As always, if you want your wedding or other event to be featured on Shabina Says So, email ShabinaSaysSo@yahoo.com with photos and your story (and your state!)

Candy Cake? Yes Please!

Anything with candy makes me weak in the knees (if you haven't noticed already). Anything that puts a spin on a classic element sparks my interest. So when I came across Philadelphia Magazine's  article on candy cakes, well let's just say  I was smitten.

The Sweet Boutique sparked up a boring white fondant cake by draping it with rock candy pops.

    

  

Who said pound cake had to be boring? Lochel's Bakery brightened it up by covering it candy dots

This saltwater taffy cake, courtesy of Ocean Studios, is perfect a beach wedding.

 

 Confectionary Arts really takes the cake (no pun intended) They combined key lime curd & chocolate ganache with buttercream, then outlines the whole thing with gumballs!

I'm pretty sure Willy Wonka would be super proud of all these baker's with their extraordinary, candilicous cakes.Which ones your favorite?

Let's Go to the Carnival!

I came across a super sweet, sweets table on the fabulous blog of Amy Atlas -aka the goddess of the dessert world. This fresh take on a carnival theme came from the wonderful people over at Culinary Crafts in Utah! They really did a stellar job of incorporating a ton of favorite carnival foods with the bright colors that are reminiscent of those you expect to see at the Big Top.

                           They incorporated the carnival theme from the beginning with "Ticket" invitations!

                                             There's no such thing as a carnival without cotton candy...true story.

                                         


That right there was a serious dose of color, textures, and creativity! Riley was certainly one very happy birthday girl. That dessert table is sure to satisfy even the sweetest sweet tooth! Can you believe that cake?! Circles, stripes, stars AND gumballs?? Oh my! And those little tents...are they not the coolest things ever?!

I'm amazed at how they were able to carry the theme throughout, from the invitations to the sweets table. The stripes on the invitations were also used for the labels on the candy jars. The colors are seen in the different types of candies, the linens used for the table and the cake! Seriously, there's nothing to not love about this birthday party idea. Plus it can easily be transformed into a baby/bridal shower, or even a fun wedding theme.

All In the Details...Memorable Napkins

Cocktail napkins have certainly gone through a tough roller coaster ride over the past few years. One year they're super popular, the next people cringe at the thought of them. Personally, I thought they were on the "total waste of money" list. That is, until I came across a wedding that made them super cool again! Lisa was a bride on a mission to make her wedding all about her & her groom...and she succeeded! She brought D.I.Y. to a whole new level.
Instead of just putting their names, wedding date, or monogram on the cocktail napkins, Lisa opted to put memorable moments from their relationship on them. She printed the sweet facts of their courtship herself!

I really love this idea!! Most people just throw away the cocktail napkins and their a total waste. But by putting meaningful quotes, funny stories, or quirky facts about your relationship or each other, it brings an extra memorable details to your big day!

P.S. If you're a bride in New Jersey, New York or Pennsylvania, be sure to check out Jeff Tisman Photography! He does such an amazing job at not only capturing your big day, but also brings something extra to the table by shooting the little things that make your day truly yours.