Insta-snap!

We discovered this totally fun and fabulous Fuji camera... for instant photos. Like Polaroid only updated and stylish! Who doesn't love instant photos? I know we do.

Kevin, our ever excitable UPS driver delivered two of these puppies today so we took them for a test drive around our office ...

Look at all the fun photos we took. We had no problem burning through 3 packs of film but then we are the snappers.





The camera has adjustments for close up and far away... a built in flash.... and lightening and darkening features. Photos develop in a few minutes, and pop out of the top of the camera.

Too fun! Here's a link- get one!

You'll have the best time, and it's great for scrapbooking too.

Dish with Trish No. 5

This is the BEST custom gift idea ever!!!

I had never even heard of pyrography until I saw one of these creations in person and I knew I had to have one! They are made by Brooke Brink and Corinne Melzard of Love Handles.
The photo below is a gift to my friend Molly at her recent baby shower (as seen in a previous blog) from her friend Brooke. It's a toybox for their baby with pictures of all things meaningful to them. They have a pug, they got married at the Towers, Thaksgiving is their favorite holiday, Stephen loves to take pictures and they have a zebra theme in the baby's room, it's just awesome!




I happen to be the very lucky owner of this gem! It was my Christmas present this year. I told my husband that it was the only gift I wanted and I ordered it for myself, but I didn't see the finished product until I opened it on Christmas morning and it was a wonderful surprise!
So I decided on a Rhode Island theme for the mirror and just printed out images from the internet of what things I wanted included and sent them along to Brooke. She emailed me a few times to ask questions, but the design was 100% hers, I had no idea what it would look like.
She came up with the "At Home in Rhode Island" which I thought was so clever, I had sent a picture of the RI license plate so that she could incorporate the wave somewhere and to my delight she made a little Isaac license plate!!! I also couldn't believe the Newport Bridge, I sent a photo of the bridge at sunset with the lights on but I was sending it more for the shape, she totally recreated the photo on the wood, how is that even possible?!
This is my most prized possession after my scrapbooks of course!

When Mariah and Don decided to get married I was so excited, not so much for their marriage, but to order something from Brooke!!! I decided on the lazy susan because they have a big kitchen table that is the center of activity.
Since they were planning an elopement on Block Island, we needed a Block Island theme combined with wedding, what's better than that?! I came up with a list of things I wanted to include, names, beachy stuff, ice cream etc. and also sent an image of the ferry boat and the map of what the island looks like...wa la! Another masterpiece is born!
It was so fun giving it to her and seeing her reaction, she cried and couldn't believe it, there is just something so fabulous about these things!
Mariah also say that this is her most prized possession, it's what we're grabbing if the house is on fire...aside from people of course!

And here is one of the oh so talented crafters...Brooke Brink! Isn't she adorable! You'd never know what kind of talent lies underneath that sweet face just by looking at her...

You can buy pre-made pieces on their Etsy store or you can email Corinne or Brooke@lovehandleschicks.com to talk to them about a custom order.

Wouldn't a wedding theme or Newport theme be an amazing wedding gift?! It will guarantee your gift being the best one the couple receives!

If you are the bride, tell someone you want one, or order one for yourself! You could also do a box to have at the reception for cards!

Who doesn't like to have something that's one of a kind?!
I know I do.

Great Ideas No. 19 ...Custom Photo Stamps

You probably recognize these little cuties from previous blog posts... Trish and I photographed Luke and Will this fall. Their mom has great taste, and always sends us the sweetest photo cards. This year our Christmas card arrived with an added surprise... these custom stamps from http://www.stamps.com/ . What a great idea!


Check out the website that Aimee used to make these adorable cards. http://www.tinyprints.com/ They have a ton of very stylish templates to choose from. They also make gorgeous calendars, another great idea!

Great Ideas No. 6 ...Out of Town Guest Bags

Our friend & event planner, Raina of Raina Dawn Events offers these fantastic "Out of Town Guest Bags" to her clients planning destination weddings.

The bags come packed with a weekend itinerary, travel guide, map, water and snacks... everything your guests will need for a fun filled weekend. So useful and totally thoughtful... these bags are a great idea!

You can reach Raina at her website: http://www.rainadawnevents.com/ if you are interested in the guest bags, coordination for your event, or day of event management.

Albums, Raves & Great Ideas...

Some of you may remember Michelle and Joe from this summer- they made several appearances on our blog... engagement photos, wedding, trash the dress session! Here they are again, well- their albums anyway!

Michelle ordered a two volume set of albums. She chose the navy blue with light blue ribbon to coordinate with her wedding colors. The albums each live in their own little presentation box. I love how they look stacked on top of each other!

And here is the inside of the albums... this one is Michelle's fine art B&W album.

After Michelle received her fab albums she sent us this awesome thank you note. The photo on the front is a shot Melissa took at her wedding. It's a photo of all the guests on the dock during her cocktail hour... Fun photo & a Great Idea!



How cute is this stamp she had made at Zazzle.com?! One of my favorite photos from the wedding...

As if that wasn't enough great uses of her photos- Michelle used some of the shots from her engagement pics on this cute card that she put into the gift bags for her out of town guests- Great Idea!

We love it when people think outside the box and use their photos in different ways!

Thanks Michelle and Joe!