Merry Christmas!

Have a wonderful safe and warm Christmas! Art and I have been hard at work re-sizing and re-budgeting our wedding plans, so stay tuned we will have some great news soon!


"Wishing you and your family the Warmest Holiday Wishes"
-Ricki + Art

What I have been thinking:

Its funny that I believed that the world had somewhat changed... I am so happy but saddened at the same time. Happy because we have elected a good person into the office that we really believe will make the changes that we so need. But saddened by the fact that there is still bigotry that believes that it is OK to take my rights away. But that being said, the wedding is still on. There is no way no how that there will ever be anyone that will ever rain on my parade!

OK now that's out of my head. On with Martha Monday:
Since someday Art and I will buy a house it will be inevitable that we will have guests. Here is Martha's rules for a bedside table area...

"Essentials

With the addition of a few niceties, your spare bedroom will be as inviting to visitors as a fine hotel room. Set out essentials such as towels and an alarm clock, then provide little luxuries as well: bottles of water, foil-wrapped chocolates, and a few cut blooms in a vase."

All i have to say is when my front door opens it will be just like a hotel. Who wants to come and stay?!

Love this site...

So i went on to this site today that makes art from your words. I used my Spiritual Autobiography as a basis for this one. Check it out!


So then Art (The wonderful person he is!) gave me the great idea to use this as the cover of our program! Look at this one that is the ceremony...

Save The date Ideas:

Phew! its been a but crazy lately... Lots of work and now i have a second to look at some fun wedding ideas. I have been thinking of "save the date" announcements. Since today is Monday Martha Day i looked to my fav. girl of all time.

I am digging the square single date announcement. I was thinking of throwing a set of birds or some branches to set the tone of the Wedding, Pair that with a yellow background and a grey design, its our total wedding colors!

Here is what i was working on in 5mins.

Chef Eric's Cooking Class

Yesterday my co-workers and i had a wonderful meal courtesy of my vendor Carnegie/Xorel. The place is in west LA called Chef Eric's Culinary Classroom check it out as the space is fun and you get to prepare your meal. We had about 16 of us and had a great time!

Here is a Shot form the class... Kay and Susan (My boss and Colleague) had roasted these tender baby carrots with butter and thyme and then roasted in the oven for about 15 mins; they watch while Leah (Carnegie's VP of sales) is about to add the final ingredient... Honey. This makes the carrots look very bright and works wonderfully with the recipe it heightens the sugar content but no so much that they loose their savory quality. These were then put in this lovely white oval bowl.


We had many dishes to prepare such as a chicken dish (which i heard was great), a grilled mushroom and prescuttio appetizer (which was also nice), a grean bean dish and to finish a chocolate souffle (Which I helped prepare with Susan's help). Pictured above is a completed caprese salad made with cherry tomatoes, baby mozzarella and fresh basil served in a martini glass. So nice, so simple!

The Church (For all of you that have head about it)

This is the interior of All Saints Church in Pasadena. Art and I have gone through a journey to find a happy medium in the religion realm. We have become members for a year now and i have to say i wish i was born into this church, they are such a great caring group of people that are out for the greater good... Got to love the Old English design of the space!

Trip to the florist:

So Martha Monday, Danielle (Our soon-to be Florist) recommended that we did a simple one flower corsage for the moms that tied to the wrist...

We have thought of doing a flower with a fragrance so that it could remind our mom's of this day whenever they smell this flower. Right now we have selected to do a gardenia...

I instantly remembered this little picture from Martha, I LOVE the use of the velvet trim, so classy and soft. Like a fuzzy sweater (hey it will be in fall after all!)

Up-do with Flowers?

Martha has this wonderful idea with flowers and hair... I love this picture because it showcases 2 things:

1. Look how amazing the flower looks in her hair, just a little detail but makes the while coif stand out and look very elegant.

2. I know that a few of you have heard that i am not a fan of the "half up half down" routine of hairstyles, I prefer the look of an Up-do, its just sooo classy and different from the traditional.

What do you think?

Silhouette Artist: Karl Johnson

So for the actual wedding favors we have decided that we will have a silhouette artist at the reception. Check out his work... He Actually cuts these little guys out while you sit in front of him, the process takes about 2 mins. and Poof! 2 are done at the same time! So we will have them glued to a 5x7 for the guests to take home as a memento, AND one will become your page in the guest book to write anything your hearts desire!

Manic Martha Monday

So this is a cute and nice idea for the church programs, Simple flourish motif with the date on it, i picture different shades of gray and yellow cording for the binding.

OMG!!! Love it!

So this pictures is from a great photographer Victor Sizemore, this is such a nice shot showing my idea of gray dresses with yellow bouquets. In real life i am not into the light silver, since we are in the fall i feel that darker gray is more appropriate. But i hope this gives you an idea of where i am going.

Monday Martha

From:

If you want to truly personalize your after-dinner sweets, try serving cookies in your own likeness. The Victor Trading Co. will create custom cookie cutters using silhouettes of you and your groom (send them drawings to use by tracing the outline of your profile from a photograph). To yield the best results, use the cutters on a firm dough that holds its shape while baking, such as our Cinnamon-Orange Molasses Cookies. Offer the treats with coffee or tea for a high-profile way to end your reception.

Yummy + Cute

I like this idea of how the color palette is combined with the style and design of the cake. I have ben thinking of using the orchids and the branches, though i may want to use the silhouette of birds on the cake to represent Art and Myself... What do you think?

Reception Site?

So here is where we are thinking of having the reception. Sheraton Pasadena. The room is to die for. Art and I are going to check it out in the coming weeks.

And The Winners Are...

So here are the 3 top choices for bridesmaid dresses!

1. The Ethereal Goddess 

2. The Princess

3. The Duchess 

So we will be trying on each of these styles before we make our final decision.

Monday Martha Day

God i love this ring pillow... I just picture some nice shades of yellow silk dupoini for the flower on a grey wool pillow.

Martha's Comments:

Silk flowers add elegance to a ring pillow. A crisp fabric holds its shape well; we used silk dupion, shantung, and taffeta. For petals, cut straight-sided ovals with scallop shears. For the flowers on the garland, our petals were 8 by 16 inches; for the flowers on the tables, 5 by 12 inches or 6 by 14 inches; for the 6-inch ring pillow and the flower girls' bouquets, 4 by 8 inches.

Saving the best for Last! Thanks Krista

Krista's comments on some of the dresses were so cute i had to post them as is!

1. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the white flowie empire-style dress.  It looks so Grecian goddess/red carpet gorgeous.  I think that dress has the best chance of looking the most flattering on all body types.  You could even have a fan blowing at us while we walk down the aisle to create the "angel effect"...just kidding...maybe. ;)

2. Also like the style of the light blue, double-strapped dress.  It emphasizes the good and flows away from the questionable.

3. I do also like the 1089PT one.  The square neckline is very pretty, along with the way to bust pulls nicely downwards.

Krista also noted this invitation style:

I really like the Cranes Kate Spade invitation.  It is very simple, refined, elegant, yet not stuffy.  I'm a big fan!!  Very cute!!

DAAAAAAAAAARLING! Diva has arrived at her choices.

Maya my last and only Diva has made her selections:

1. Diva loves this style of dress and notes that it could be used again (i like that note)

2. In a nice jersey knit material this style would be very flattering (I LOVE the pleats!)

3. Diva's utmost favorite dress is this one... which has been chosen a few times...I like the pick-up skirt

Diva loves this color board overall and loved the use of pink in the flowers underwater. I have been toiling with the underwater flower idea and saw this pic and LOVED it.

Kat + Ivy

Kat and Ivy the wonderful mother-daughter duo have taken a look at the gallery and have comment on the following dresses:

1. Kat + Ivy Liked this dress, Ivy liked the 2-tone effect and Kat likes the straps (they are her friends) and the cute little broach (I love shiny broaches)

2. Kat dug this flowy number a third vote for this dress. Love it!

3. Ivy likes this dress and knows it wont be blue in real life.

4. Kat also liked this number too another vote for this style.

5. Ivy's favorite this dress she really likes the pleating on the bottom which is oh so chic; one of the few short styles that i really liked... (we could do this for yours!)

Thanks again for your comments. 

Meghan has spoken...

Meghan has also had a chance to review the gallery. Here are her favorites:

1. This dress is actually one i posted today after hearing some of the comments on the others, This dress (from davids bridal) is a modified version of what Sandra had chosen, I has nice straps in a contrasting finish high waist and this is another good drape fabric.

2. Meghan likes this white dress (yay! a second for this style) who can say no to ethereal chiffon in a great cascading style.

She has a concern (but only until she tries it on) about the pick-up skirt. The skirt may make make you feel or seem bigger when you wear it. But hey we can try it and see!

P.S. Meghan LOVES the grey idea!

Thanks Sandra!

Sandra made some great comments on all of the dresses. I took out the top three that she really liked. You can see her comments and check them to the gallery page and see a picture with the words. So without further a do...

1. Sandra Dug this dress, simple a-line sleeve-less style in a nice relaxed fabric (which drapes nicely)

2. Sandra liked this dress mostly because of the chiffon, (one of my favorite materials... so light and flows nicely as your walk.) This dress is good cause it has a nice neckline and a good high waist style.

3. This dress was in fact in "Platinum Weddings" i have always been a fan of the pick-up skirt. But i agree with the strapless top could use something more. I will post another dress with straps similar so we can see it.

The last pic is of the concept. I LOVED the use of yellow in this picture and the use of "lamps" as a centerpiece. I have told art that it would look really nice with the column filled with water and a branch of yellow cymbidium orchids...

Thanks again Sandra for your comments!

Yay! We have out first set of comments!

Thank you Marcy for giving your top two dresses you liked and making a comment on the invites as well. Marcy really like the pick-up dress and also noticed that both are either spaghetti strapped or strapless. One of my favorite things is how the pick up dresses are opposite colors of the accent sash.

Greek-Style Quinoa Burgers

Quinoa (keen-wa) a is a favorite thing of mine just because it cooks like rice but has so much protein and is so much better for you! Art make the best Teriyaki shrimp bowls over quinoa that we have served to our friends and have had good reviews. This recipe from "Body + Soul" sounds so yummy that we will have to try this soon.

Recipe Link

Out Sick Today

I have been fighting this cold for about a week now. Today is the day that i have to see a doctor (yay!) So we will se what i get out of it... Maybe a nifty anti-biotic! So i do have a life lesson that l went through last night... I had an earache and had to find a way to get me through the night without going to the emergency room. So out came the research! I found 2 things that really worked well:

1. This one is weird but it helps a lot. Take a clean sock and fill it up with salt (i used coarse sea salt) and throw it into the microwave (no more than 30 seconds at a time, trust me) and place it up to your ear. I lied on my side and waited for it to cool down. Repeat till you start to hear a gurgling sound in your ear. This helps to dry out the ear canal and the heat helps with the ache.

2. Use "Similasan Earache Relief" homeopathic drops.  Art was so nice to go out and get me some ear drops. I had an idea of what i wanted but since Whole Foods is far i sent him to the local drugstore. He came back with exactly what i would of gotten from Whole Foods (See thats why i am marrying him!). They are really good, they will feel weird and may sting a little but in an hour or so... RELIEF.

I am still going to the doctor to follow up so we will see what happens!

Nifty Spiffy Look...

So a co-worker friend of mine showed me this outfit from Banana Republic and mentioned that it is so me. What do you think? I think i will try this one on with Meghan when we see each other on Saturday!

Items Shown:
"Heritage Collection"
Glen Plaid Blazer
Glen Shawl Cardigan
Glen Striped Shirt
Glen Striped Trousers

Hmmm... Oops!

So i guess i lied and said you can comment on which dresses and things you might like. Send an email to me and i will post results, include the file name and i will take care of the rest.

New Glasses

I finally ditched my frame-less glasses and bought a new pair of plastic lenses. We went to Positive Eye Ons on Melrose and had a wonderful guy help us choose the right frames. After about an hour both myself and Art Found our new glasses. Art opted for a really nice 2-tone frame that look amazing on him. I opted for a pair of glasses form England, Hand made with a great gray colored frame and a nice reverse.