Wedding Guestbook with Photos

DIY Guestbooks are one of the searches most often coming to my blog. One of the details of our wedding that we now treasure is our DIY guestbook. Mine is the Polaroid type that is gaining popularity now. They are selling them also at a high price on the internet, but I decided to just do my own.

Here is a picture of the cover. I bought this wirebound book at Michaels, pasted an aqua sheet of paper on the cover, then put the scrapbooking stickers to decorate. I was tickled pink with the outcome.



We had two types of guestbooks, the traditional version and the photo version. I spent a lot of time deliberating over traditional type guestbook to buy. I'm calling the traditional guestbook the type that says "Guests" on the outside and a bunch of lines on the inside. They range from $9.99 at Michaels to $200.00 for a beautiful silk bound book. In the end, I realized that the traditional guestbook wasn't going to mean much to me so I opted for the Michael's version for $9.99. After all, it only has your guests names and addresses in it. It is not worth it to spend a lot of money on this type of sign-in guestbook because once you open the book to sign you lose the appeal of the outside. Most of the pages on the inside look the same. And honestly, are you going to be looking at it often, or ever? Like all things related to a wedding, this is another "essential" where they try to price gouge you. Usually there is a pen that accompanies it, which is usually a crappy ballpoint that doesn't write well. In my opinion, the pen is also not worth it.

To pull this off, you need a friend who is willing to take charge of this project at the wedding. Thank you Renee!! Of course you need a Polaroid (I borrowed one) and film, glue to paste the pictures in the book. I also bought a quality set of Staedtler felt tip markers so they could write a message in different colors. It would also behoove you to get the DJ involved so everyone visits the Guestbook Area.



Encourage your friends to be creative and write something fun. If you can see from one of these pictures, a couple of my friends blacked their teeth out so I would be sure to miss the gang from South Carolina. Hardy har har. Another wrote some sage advice to "remember to always laugh and dance".

So much of wedding is about "supposed to" and buying things out of some Pavlovian response. Think about what really matters to you. What do you want to be left with after the wedding? It was hard for me and I'm sure it's hard for anyone planning a wedding. Throw in a finite budget and it becomes even more important to discern what is the best option for your wedding day.

By the way, I think this a great memory book for anyone throwing a party, baby or bridal shower. You can even plan to do this for someone and present it to them as a gift. It is so fun to read what people write and see their smiling faces.

Clean and Green Laundry Soap

Ever since I had a roommate who introduced me to the virtues of recycling, I have been an aspiring Granola. For those of you who didn't go to college in the mountains of North Carolina that means Tree Hugger, Earth Mama or just plain wannabe Environmentalist. Although I'm not enough of an overachiever to go all the way Granola, I still recycle, have a pair of Birkenstocks and I make my own laundry soap. Since this is saving me a bundle of money and keeping the water free from nasties, I want to share this easy recipe with you.



1 cup washing soda--NOT baking soda and cannot be substituted for baking soda
1 cup borax
2 cups ground soap--I recommend Dr. Bronner's Castille Soap

and you can put 1/4 cup Oxi Clean in there too.

I just use my cheese grinder to grind the soap. You mix it all together in a big bowl and use 2 Tablespoons for a load of laundry. It doesn't seem like much because it isn't full of all the fillers that store brands have. Some people add essential oil for fragrance but we prefer no fragrance to help with any allergies.

Generally I use cold water to wash my clothes because I like to save the hot water expense for my scalding hot baths. For fabric softener, get a Downy ball and fill up to the line with White Vinegar. I promise your clothes will not smell like vinegar. I store mine in this canister which is much more chic than a box of Tide. I'm about to start experiments on homemade dishwasher detergent so if you've found one that works, let me know.

My original recipe came from www.modcottage.com.

It's Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel

I'm sending out a little financial warning for those of you who get sucked into marketing traps like me. Ah, but I am smarter this year! Forewarned is forearmed. It is a battle out there, a battle for your money. Be choosy about who you give it to, or might I suggest saving some of it?

Beware of the COUPON. This little harmless and apparently fruitful incentive to get you into a shop can be a big pitfall in holiday spending and all year round. Oh, I've been sucked in too many times. I'm thinking of Bath and Body Works with their buy one get one free. If you are like me, it's very difficult to throw something away that is free. But it isn't free. If you need to stock up, then great, but I don't even care for their items that much. This is how I know that this marketing works. I feel perfectly fine to go buy a lotion for $11.00 so I can get something for free. Ladies, maybe you like the smell, but there is nothing special about this overpriced soap and lotion. It's standard drugstore fare ingredients which is why they can afford to give you something free when you buy an item. So, not just to pick on this store, I'm saying beware of all the 10%, 20% coupons that take you into a store where you don't already need or use something. Open the lid to the trash can and THROW IT AWAY. Save your money for what you really want. Those dollars add up.

Number two is beware of the FREE GIFT WITH PURCHASE. Oh a couple of months ago I was salivating for the Nordstrom makeup bag and sample giveaway. I was inventing things to purchase to add up to $100 so I could get that. These free gifts hynotize us! We get the swirly circles in our eyes and can only focus on buy, buy, buy. Nevermind that most of the samples we won't even like or use. There is always justification when you are getting a free gift. Oh, ladies I know how hard it is to resist, but DO RESIST sometimes. Allow yourselves to receive the the goodie bag sometimes, but not everytime. It's not worth it to wreck your budget. And by all means, if you don't like something you get at any store, take it back. It feels a little embarrasing, but you'll all get over it.

I've gradually been hunting products that are just as nice at the drugstore. I'm not generally a fan of most items because I feel they don't compare in quality. However over time I am proud to say that I no longer buy department store mascara. I love Voluminous or Lash Exact mascara just as much as the pricier brands. I've also discovered that I adore a certain Cover Girl foundation more than Laura Mercier, Giorgio Armani or any of them. And it has spf 25. I'm still working on skin care.

Go, shop, and be smart and creative with your purchases especially this time of year when every store wants your money. Look at that FREE something for what it really is, a shiny, perfumed worm just luring you to bite.