New blog to show my creative side.

http://ramblingsfromagirliegirl.blogspot.com/  Please drop by and say "hello".  It is a bit more active than this one at the moment.

Spring Break 2010

Go Fight Win!!!! Good Luck to Jordan!!!

My dear neice, Jordan, will be trying out for 8th grade cheer leader this Friday night.  She is a cheerleader for the 7th grade, so she knows the drill.  I just wanted to say Good Luck to her and I know she will do her best.

I really hope she makes it, we had such a good time going to her Football and Basketball games this school year.  Oh....and she looks just adorable in her cheer uniform.

She is the girl in the front.

I am really enjoying a new "toy" I got last week.  It is the Xryron Wishblade.  It is an electronic cutter that cuts all these cute little die cuts.  I have used them in making cards, invitations, wedding favor bags and boxes, so far.  I am new at this but having so much fun with the creative process.  Here is a card I made for my neice's try-outs to wish her luck.  I am entering it in Couture Cardstock's Daily Contest.

The first pic is the cover, then the second, and on the last David and I will write a personal note.

I am in love with the sillouettes. 

Hope everyone has a great, and dry weekend.

Best Wishes,

Tiffany

http://www.diamondeventsbytiffany.com/

Top O'the Morning to you!!!! And a Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!

St. Patrick's Day is one of my most favorite holidays.  All the bright, pretty green is like a Spring awakening from a dull drury winter.  I love green, and it looks good on me, if I do say so myself (hey...what can I say?  I am blonde and fair skinned).  I LOVE the fact you can wear silly curled toed Leprechaun shoes or bobbling shamrocks on your head.  The sillier the better.

We spent Saturday morning at the Greenville Avenue 31st Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade.  I read that this year had a record attendance and beleive me...it WAS crowded.  But not too crowded to have a lot of fun.  We rode the Dart train and just made it a fun time.  My neice, Jordan, brought a friend and her mom (Krystal, my sister), my mother, AJ and his fience Holly, and David and I all got up bright and early to head down to Greeville Ave.  Everyone was Irish, that day.

We caught a lot of beads, saw dogs all decked out in green, and took a lot of photos

Tonight we are going to an Irish Pub but since it is in the middle of the week, I am sure it will not be too wild.  We hope you have a fun and festive St. Patrick's Day.  Be safe!!!!  If you are hosting a party or just looking forward to a quiet evening at home, these cupckaes from Celebrations.com are the perfect treat.

St. Patricks Day Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

yeild 24

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Guinness Extra Stout

• 1 1/2 Sticks Unsalted Butter

• 3/4 Cup(s) Unsweetened Chocolate Chunks

• 2 Cup(s) All Purpose Flour

• 2 Cup(s) Sugar

• 1/2 Tablespoon Baking Soda

• 3/4 Teaspoon Salt

• 2 Large Eggs

• 3/4 Cup(s) Sour Cream

Steps

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees

• Bring stout and butter to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. Do not boil.

• Add unsweetened chocolate chunks to hot stout/butter mixture. Whisk until chocolate melts. Turn heat off and let cool.

• Add sugar to chocolate mixture and whisk to combine.

• Sift flour, baking soda and salt.

• In a stand-alone mixer with a whisk attachment, combine the eggs and sour cream on medium speed.

• Add stout-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and combine on medium-low speed until encorporated.

• Slowly add flour mixture in thirds to chocolate mixture with whisk attachment. Scrape the sides with your whisk to make sure you get all the dry ingredients combined.

• Place cupcake papers in pan and divide batter into cups evenly. Fill about 2/3 of the cup.

• Bake for 18-24 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch, and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cupcake.

• Let cool on wire rack before frosting.

Guinness Buttercream Frosting for St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

IngredientsBest Wishes,



• 1 Cup(s) Unsalted Butter (room temperature)


• 2 1/2 Cup(s) Sifted Powder Sugar


• 1/4 Cup Milk


• 1/2 Whole Scraped Vanilla Bean


• 1/2 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract


• 1 Cup(s) Guinness Extra Stout


Steps


• In a sauce pan, simmer Guinness on low heat for 10-15 min, until it stout becomes reduced and thicker in consistency. Similar to a syrup. *Tip: keep your eye on the store, so stout does not over cook. Let cool.


• In a stand alone mixer, cream your butter for 1 minute


• Slowly add the powder sugar in thirds, alternating with a little milk each time till mixture is creamy.


• Add scraped vanilla bean and vanilla extract.


• Slowly add reduced Guinness a little at a time. Taste test to desired flavor. You may not use all the Guinness reduction.


• Place buttercream in a piping bag with a #848 french star tip, frost cupcakes and enjoy!




Tiffany
http://www.diamondeventsbytiffany.com/

Pete's Piano Bar

Good morning,

This morning's challenge from Couture Cardstock is to use circles.  I am posting this on my blog as a way to enter that challenge. 

Unfortunatly, the second part of this 2 page layout will not be posted.  Too bad cause it is really cute...but we were at Pete's Piano Bar and well...inappropriate things seem to happen at Pete's and it was captured in the background of a very good photo of our group (the only group shot we got).  It is funny to look at and rmember but not for a contest.

I go to Pete's for my birstday every year and since David's B-day is the day before mine, we had a combined celebration.

If you have never been to Pete's, you should really go.  If you enjoy loud, offensive (at most times), and just acting crazy, you will love it.  It is really fun for a Bachelor or Bachelorette Party.

Best Wishes,

Tiffany
http://www.diamondeventsbytiffany.com/

Cute as a Button

I am entering a design contest for paper crafts at Couture Cardstock. This is a layout featureing my darling neice Jordan.  She had just come off of the soccer field, looking fabulous. 

This started out being a door hanger but I am going to keep it as a scrap book entry.  I placed the bright green cardstock behind the layout when scanning and I think it really makes it POP....so I am keeping it.  I love how accidents become something worth keeping.

Wish me luck,

Tiffany
http://www.diamondeventsbytiffany.com/

DIY Bride Tip: Couture Cardstock

     

 If you are a DIY Bride or just love playing with paper, you should check out Couture Cardstock.  They have an amazing line of paper that has a lot of possibilities. 

They have a color pages of color combinations and most wedding colors are available.  How pretty your DIY menus or programs would be on their specialty papers.  They have several weights and finishes and even a pure silk blend.

"Couture Cardstock only offers products we use in our personal paper crafting. We acknowledge that you work hard for the money you earn, and we think you should get to keep more of it in your wallet." (from their website http://www.couturecardstock.com/)

Check them out, they even have a "buy one / get one free: section.

Best Wishes,

Tiffany

http://www.diamondeventsbytiffany.com/

Super CUTE Super Bowl Cupcakes

Need a fun idea to bring to the Super Bowl Party?  Try these Super Cute Super Bowl cupcakes.

The recipes and directions for these Super cuties can be found at http://www.celebrations.com/

Go Saints!!!

Best Wishes,

Tiffany

http://www.diamondeventsbytiffany.com/

Chic Wedding Trends for 2010

According to The Wedding Report, The holiday season is the most popular time of year for engagements. Approximately 650,000 couples become engaged between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day. The Wedding Report also reports an estimated 2.2 million weddings projected in 2010. As they plan, brides will discover their preferred style for the celebration. Getmarried.com reports, “From runway fashions and edible passions to techie automations and color saturations, the new bridal trends are all about personalization and expressing your unique bridal style.”


Wedding trends for 2010 combine the “wow” factor and unique details to show the couple’s personal style.

Some of the trends are:

1. Receptions featuring “comfort foods” like mini cheeseburgers / sliders, mashed potato bars, pizza and even pot pie. Wolfgang Puck advises, on getmarried.com, “Upgrade ingredients and prepare them with great expertise. Serve hors d’oeuvres like Kobe burgers, wild mushroom risotto, smoked salmon pizzas, slow-braised short ribs or a simple chicken pot pie with lobster.”

2. Wear-again bridesmaid dresses. In this economy, many cannot afford a dress they will never wear again. Keep this in mind and choose a bridesmaid gown to suit each bridesmaid and one she will be seriously able to wear again.

3. Men go Old Hollywood Glam. Grooms want to show their personal style, too. Let them show their charm in a dapper white tuxedo with black-rimmed lapels or a sharp-looking vest and nostalgic pocket watch.

4. Brides are blogging. “Now more than ever, Get Married is seeing brides enjoy sharing snippets of surprises, ideas and images throughout their wedding planning experience”. Everyone loves feeling clever with their details and DIY projects and reading feedback with comments from other brides. There are many formats for wedding blog, http://www.mywedding.com/, http://www.getmarried.com/, and http://www.bridaltweet.com/ are just a few that offer blogging options.

5. Chic personalized details. From monograms on the cocktail napkins to childhood photos as the table numbers, personalized details are a top trend for 2010.

This is YOUR day; let your true style and personality show.

Best Wishes,

Tiffany
http://www.diamondeventsbytiffany.com/

But your Guest List and have a Fabulous Wedding on a budget

Saving money, while planning your dream wedding, is easier said than done. Budgets are tight and weddings can get very expensive. According to The Wedding Report, a market research publication, the average American wedding costs almost $29,000. That is AVERAGE. Most people do not have that kind of budget. A wedding does not have to cost more than a new car. In fact, remember that the more “high-end” weddings of more affluent families skew these figures. So how can a wedding be planned, on a lower budget and still be a fun, exciting, and fabulous event?


After becoming engaged, it is important for couples to set down with who ever else may be involved in financing the wedding, and come up with a budget. Include all money that is available for financing the wedding. It is best not to take out a loan, if it can be prevented. No one wants to enter their new married life in debt. A great tool for assistance in coming up with a wedding budget is a “Wedding Budget Calculator”. A Budget Calculator can be found by doing a search on Google, or at most commercial wedding websites. Most are similar and one is no better than the other. The calculator tool will include all the pertinent items, such as catering and flowers. It is important to be able to account for every little item in order to keep on the strictest of budgets.

Discuss the vision for the perfect day. Make a list of what is important to you and what will be necessary to make this day happen. Jot down what is absolutely needed, such as officiate and wedding license. The only requirement to be married is someone to officiate and a license. That would make everything very simple, if one were talking about just being legally married. However, wedding planning is an entirely different matter. For most, must haves to host a wedding include ceremony site, reception site, wedding rings, flowers, favors, lighting, DJ or band, and let us not forget the white wedding dress. The list can go on and include so much.

There are many ways to cut the wedding budget. One can still have a fabulous wedding on a smaller budget by cutting out unnecessary items and focusing on a few details that are important. One of the easiest ways to cut the wedding budget is to cut the guest list. This alone will possibly cut the budget by thousands of dollars. When the number of guests are cut, other cuts will follow. So much of the budget goes on a “per person” basis. If there will be a meal at the reception, the catering cost is “per guest”. The guests will need a place to sit, cutting down on this number will cut down on tables, chairs, and place settings. When the numbers of tables are cut, naturally, the numbers of centerpieces are cut; in turn, this cuts the flower budget. One can see how once the ball is rolling in cutting out each item, the budget will go down, as well.

How can one cut the guest list when there are so many people to invite? Well, first decide whom it is necessary to invite. Close family and friends, of course they make the cut. However, is it necessary to invite your dad’s, boss’s daughter? Is she a close friend or an acquaintance met a few times at company parties? So you grew up, next door to someone all of your life, how long has it been since you have seen or communicated with this person? If it is over a year, it might be ok to leave them off the list. Unless the parents are helping with the wedding bills, it is not necessary to invite their friends. If a family friend has had an influence, of course find room on the guest list. Leave off “And Guest” on the RSVP card, and cut the guest list even further. If a guest is in a committed relationship of more than 6 months, their significant other’s name is added to the invitation. This should end confusion if a “date” is to be included. Adjust these tips to fit your needs and you will see your budget decline.

According to Bridal Association of America, The average wedding caterer cost, including food and food service, drinks and drink service and cake and cake cutting fees is $12,790. (http://www.bridalassociationofamerica.com/Wedding_Statistics) If the average wedding guest count is 150 people, that comes to about $85.00 a person. If 50 people are cut from the guest list, there is a savings of $4,250.00 on catering alone.

Since catering is not the only cost that is dependant on the number of guests, the savings will add up in other areas, as well. For example, since the guest list has been cut by 50, and most round tables in reception halls seat 10, you are eliminating 5 tables. In turn, there is an elimination of five table clothes, five centerpieces, and 50 chair covers and sashes. If each of the items are broken down with the average cost, here are the savings:

Tablecloth 17.50 x 5 = 87.5
Centerpiece 60.00 x 5 = 300.00 (average centerpiece cost, found on ProjectWedding.com was 50.00 to 70.00)
Chair Covers and sashes 3.50 x 50 = 175.00
Total savings: 562.50

Cutting the guest list by 50 people has saved almost $5000.00 on the total cost of the wedding. This is just taking into account the above examples. Having a dream wedding is within reach while inviting those who are most important in a couples life. Just think with a smaller guest list, there will be more time to spend with each of the guests. They are there to celebrate this occasion, after all.

There are many creative ways to cut the budget down to what is more affordable. Cutting the guest list is only the beginning of what can be done. The “average” wedding cost of 29, 000 is not required to have a fabulous wedding.

Best Wishes,

Tiffany
http://www.diamondeventsbytiffany.com/

Low Carb Cheese Blintzes

For all the brides who made "lose weight" a New Years resolution, here is another low carb dish. I found this recipe on Kimkins.com.I went on a low carb plan in 2007 and I lost 95 pounds in less than 6 months. 

try this yummy dish....

Low Carb Cheese Blintzes         

Written by Kimmer on 12/16/09

Makes 10

Egg White Crepes

10 large egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
16 teaspoon cinnamon

Cheese Filling

16 oz 2% cottage cheese, drained
4 oz ricotta cheese
1/4 cup light sour cream
3 packets Splenda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/16 teaspoon salt
Davinci blueberry sugar free syrup

Place cottage cheese in a mesh strainer sieve inside a large bowl and let drain in the refrigerator overnight. Discard the liquid (whey). Don't skip this step or you'll have watery crepe filling.

Crepes

Treat a heavy 8" nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat on medium low. Pour in 2 tablespoons of egg mixture and tilt to cover bottom of the pan with a thin coating. When the sides start to crisp up, carefully flip for 5 seconds and remove to a warm plate.

Filling

Add drained cottage cheese, ricotta, sour cream, Splenda, vanilla and salt to a blender. Blend until the filling is smooth, about 2 minutes.

Place a crepe on a work surface with cooked side up. Place 1/10 of cheese filling about 1 1/2 inches from the top of the crepe. Fold top edge of the crepe over the filling and fold both sides inward to enclose the cheese. Roll the crepe over to seal the filling in.

Treat nonstick skillet with cooking spray and fry the blintzes on both sides until the filling is hot and brown spots appear on the crepe, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drizzle with blueberry syrup and enjoy!

Tip: Add fresh blueberries to syrup for non-low carbers.

Calories: 88
Carbs: 3 grams
Protein: 114 grams
Fat: 3 grams

Personally, I am recommitting to my attempt at healthy living. What better time to start than the New Year? If you are planning a wedding and have a beautiful white dress to wear, and want to drop a few pounds, join me. I heave read, do not remember where, that those with support are more likely to stick to a weight loss plan. Whatever you choose to follow, good luck!!!!

Best Wishes,

Tiffany
http://www.diamondeventsbytiffany.com/

Lapis and Green

I absolutely love the deep color of  lapis with the bright cheerful green.  They compliment very well together.

A great way to decide on the colors of your wedding, or any event, is to find photos that inspire you and put them together to see if they fit.

Here I used photos I found on the internet of weddings in the colors of lapis and a bright green.

Be creative and see what you can come up with.

Best wishes,

Tiff

http://www.diamondeventsbytiffany.com/