New Years Eve is my favorite holiday. I just love the romance & promise of the start of a new year as you toast the one before. The sense of renewal is great, and brings such energy and enthusiasm to the coming year.
This has been a wonderful 2008 for Brocade-- I've worked with some amazing brides, met some incredible wedding professionals, and I have so many exciting weddings to come. Thank you for a wonderful, wonderful start! 2009 looks to be a fantastic year filled with opportunities for beautiful, innovative, and brilliant design.
In celebration of the New Year, I'd like to share the new 2008 New Year's Ball: this 12 foot sphere was designed by Waterford Crystal, and has more than 16 million possible color possibilities, with more than a billion color patterns!
The ball has been dropping from Times Square since 1907, and this most recent ball will remain in Times Square, changing colors and being fantastic display for guests, year round.
The New Years graphic features images borrowed from the New Year's website in Times Square. All rights reserved, of course.
May your celebrations be bright, merry, and full of fun. Remember to honor the year before & celebrate the accomplishments, learn from mistakes, acknowledge your disappointments-- and of course, look forward to the chance to start anew. The New Year is a lot like spring: a chance to plant new seeds, to embrace our own personal growth, to take stock at what we'd like to change, revise, and make resolutions about and for: A toast from me to you, for Auld Lang Syne: Happy New Year!
Did you know that 1/3 of all engagements happen between the winter holidays & Valentines day? That means that with Christmas falling tomorrow, many ladies out there will be asked that very special question-- and will embark on a very exciting journey as they plan their weddings.
A 1.07 carat cushion cut diamond with micropave-- Leon Mege is known for his skilled work with platinum and micropave, creating stunning works of art that are absolutely breathtaking.
A Royal Asscher cut diamond (1.63 carats) set in platinum with a tapered pave band. Yum.
1.78 Round Brilliant diamond set in a custom designed Mark Morrell setting made of Platinum.
No matter what you are dreaming of, I wish you a very happy and bright holiday! And if something sparkly does happen to be underneath that tree-- do leave me a comment-- remember, there's just a few more days left in the month to make a can for comment comment-- I want to make as many donations as I can to the wonderful dogs & cats out there that need homes, and in the spirit of Christmas, I will donate 3 extra cans for every comment left between today and New Years Eve! So get to commenting, everyone!
If you love Christmas light decorations (who doesn't), there's lots of ways to get youf fix. Bronners "My Christmas Wonderland" map lets you check out the top Christmas light shows for 2008. If you are traveling, see if one of your destinations is a "holiday hot spot" rated for brightness and with specific details about the show.
What a lovely holiday treat fresh flowers make!
While working on the Brocade holiday card for this wonderful Holiday season, I came up with a few permutations that I decided to launch in my etsy store. I absolutely love Etsy, and have been lurking on Etsy awhile, waiting for the time to be right to feature some of my designs-- so be sure to check them out. I'll talk about them here on my blog.
These cards are multi-purpose: they can either be used as an e-card, delivered via your email, housed on your website or blog, or featured on your social networking profile, or I also have high-resolution versions that are suitable for printing. You can buy the individual files and print them at your personal preferred printer, or I can take care of that for you. The cards can either be used as a flat card or can be converted into a folded holiday card-- your choice.
This whimsical card features hand-drawn elements of ornaments and lettering. I love the shade of red for this-- I really kind of fell head over heels with it. I like how this card is whimsical and fun.
Is that you.... Santa Claus? There's something about the santa hat that says "Holidays" in a way that makes it so you don't have to really say anything else.
Stars and Snowflakes in shades of green and blue make for a seasonal greeting that's modern and fresh.
Cut out ice-crystals hang suspended from the side of this card, a chilly reminder of the icy holiday season with a wish for warmth during the yuletide.
If you'd like to purchase one of these cards, visit my etsy shop!
The oh-so-lovely & talented Courtney of A Magical Affair (be sure to check out her fab x-mas party blog with the cool cactus of carnations) posted about "Cans for Comments": for now thru Dec. 31, if you post a comment to any of my blog posts, I'll donate a can of food to my local animal shelter. We have a great no-kill rescue, "Almost Home" that one of our brides is supporting for her favor, so we are going to support their effort as well, by donating cans to both them and our local shelter.
So, help out the animals this holiday season and leave a comment-- and show your support by starting your own "Cans for Comment" initiative on your blog!
It's that time of year when the "brr" factor is off the charts: cold winds, ice on the windshield. Winter. Snowflakes and icestorms (if you're from Tennessee, you'll know that's the quintessential winter weather in our fickle state) means that there's lots of reasons for mittens, scarves, and warm wooly sweaters.
I love winter weddings, because they provide a unique opportunity to try things that won't really work in the summer. Color pallates go more dramatic, the metallics come out to play, and heartier, winter fare replace the menu choices of the warmer months. Hearty soups, full- bodied wines, and creamy pastas are but a few of the menu selections I've seen on this upcoming winter season's menus.
While planning your favor, why not take that extra step and provide guests with a way to "warm up the chill" at your reception-- with a hot drinks bar.
A hot, yummy treat will sure to be one of the highlights of your winter reception!