i do monograms

Need a monogram? Well then take your shot at our monogram giveaway! Just reply to this post by 5:00pm EST on Thursday and you could win 5 free personalized monogram! If you win you will get to choose from our 128 ready made monograms to be personalized with your names/initials, wedding date, and colors. The winner will be announced on Friday! Good Luck!

Congratulations to soon2bamrs! You are the winner of our first official giveaway! Please send me an e-mail with your mailing address and your parasol will be sent out as soon as I receive your information. To all those who didn't win, don't be sad... We're having another giveaway next week- check back on Sunday for what our giveaway will include!!!

Have you noticed that cute little birdies are everywhere nowadays? Not real birds, printed birds! They're showing up everywhere from stationary to handbags... and they're super cute! These sweet little birdie themed thank you cards are from etsy seller pepperinapress


These adorable bird tags are from etsy seller breedingfancy


And Check out these cute little bird nests from escapeconcepts that you can use for favors

Having trouble figuring out what type of flowers to use for your big day? The quiz below tells you what flower coinsides with your personality type. My results are dead on... for those who don't know me personally, in my "real life" I'm a school counselor (iDoOriginals.com is just my "play life") so it's amazing how exact my results are! While I never even thought to use lillies for our big day (my bouquet was all peonies- see the 'Ode to Peonies' post below) I think lillies are gorgeous and would've been lovely as well. So check it out... what flower are you?

You Are A Lily

You are a nurturer and all around natural therapist. People see you as their rock. And they are able to depend on you. You are a soothing influence. You can make people feel better with a few words. Your caring has more of an impact than even you realize.

No longer must brides and grooms choose from the standard limo options... before the big decision was whether you wanted a black limo or a white limo- now you can choose from a variety of "stretches" from Hummers, Corvettes, PT Cruisers, Navigators, Escalades, even Jeep Wranglers (my hubby would've loved a stretch jeep!)... you name it, they can stretch it. Check out these fun limos- the first set are images found at Big Limos and the rest are flickr finds.

It's my favorite time of year... peonies are in season! I am absolutely in love with peonies- as soon as I discovered this beautiful flower I knew I just had to have a bouquet of peonies for my wedding day. And I didn't want to stop there- I wanted peonies for the bridesmaids, the centerpieces, on the cake- everywhere! The first florist we met with told me that our wedding date (June 24th) was a little late for peonies and there was absolutely no way he would be able to get them for us. I was crushed, but I didn't give up. I went to a second florist, and she said she would certainly be able to get them for us- even if she had to order them from out of the country (which she did!) I was thrilled and I am so glad I didn't just settle for another flower- peonies are GORGEOUS and they made our wedding even more beautiful- not to mention they smelled lovely! I think I might go out and buy a bunch just to bask in their beauty and scent and to bring back the memories of our very special day.

My beautiful bouqet by my talented florist Best Wishes, photo by Enigma Productions:

I first started helping other brides with projects like aisle runners, table runners, programs, etc. back in the summer of 2006 after my own wedding. A lot of brides would just look at my knot bio and ask if I would help them with a project of their own. I started getting so many requests that I created iDoOriginals.com in November of 2006. I started out thinking that I would just get a few orders here and there and help out a handful of brides in my spare time. Little did I know that the response to my little hobby would become a full blown business! I have been overwhelmed with orders for items I display on my site and I'm loving every minute of it. I have to admit it is certainly a confidence booster that so many brides choose me to help them with the very special personalized details of their big day. Due to the massive amounts of orders iDoOriginals has been receiving we are adding to the team! My beautiful little sister is joining the ranks and she just had her "training session" this week. The decision is in... she's a natural! She did such a fabulous job during "training" and the items that she worked on turned out amazing- I'm so proud of her!

At the last wedding we attended I somehow ended up being the gofer for the groomsmen and was assigned the task of running out and getting the supplies to decorate the getaway car. I was given a few specific items to get but the rest was up for me to figure out. I ended up going for the usual- toilet paper, crepe paper, balloons, etc. As I was collecting all these items I wondered, what ever happened to the sweet cars with the simple "Just Married" sign on the back and a few cute tin cans dragging behind? For our wedding we came out to find my husband's jeep completely trashed and tied with fishing wire so we couldn't even get in... and what did my husband have to say about it? He loved it of course! He said if his groomsman hadn't gone all out he would feel like they didn't care- so the more crap all over it the better... and that's exactly what he got! Still today, almost a full year later, he still has fishing wire tied around the mirrors that we still can't seem to pry off... boys will be boys.

Our groom's cake (above) was created by Gail Wilson Cakes, and the photo is by our incredible photographer, Enigma Productions.

I was browsing Give Simple for Mothers Day gift ideas and came across these cute little books for brides-to-be and newlyweds

Busy busy busy! There's no doubt about it, I have certainly not been bored lately! I've been having so much fun creating items for all the Spring and Summer '07 brides out there! Mostly I've been working on aisle and table runners- definitely what I get the most requests for. Check out some of my latest projects! The first items are for a destination wedding in Mexico at the end of May- I'm so jealous... I would love to be in Mexico right about now!

A client came to me with the request for custom monograms inspired by nature. She said she wanted her monograms to be calm and soothing to look at and she also mentioned that she would be using river rocks and grapevines throughout her decor. I was very excited to start working on her creations for her and I immediately thought of the beautiful reflection of water, and the serenity of a spa. Check out what i came up with- just click on the images at the bottom to see them larger:

I'm a sucker for online quizzes and I came across this one and thought it was pretty cute, and fairly accurate in my case! I'm "58.3% Elegant Earth" which means:

"Although you have a penchant for rich flavors, luxurious fabrics and designer labels, you splurge only on things of lasting value and high quality. Your guests appreciate your meticulous attention to detail -- little touches such as artfully arranged welcome baskets, organized pre- and post-wedding activities and thoughtful wedding favors ensure a seamless, well-executed celebration that everyone will remember for years to come."

Click here to find out your bridal style!

Check out these fun logos I just created for client's new photography business! Just click the logos to the left side of the screen to see them larger.

Not sure what to give to give as a thank you gift to the gals throwning your bridal shower? Nothing beats a basket filled with thoughtful items hand selected by you especially for her. Does your shower have a theme? If so, you can play off of that with the items you select for your basket. No theme? No problem. Do something simple like filling a basket with shower gel, a bath sponge and a cute umbrella with a note saying "Hoping all your showers are as wonderful as you've made mine!"

If you're not ready to try creating your own basket, don't worry, there are tons out there for you to choose from! Check out this great basket I found online that goes perfectly with my sister's citrus theme- so adorable!

To go along with the "citrusy" (is that a word?) centerpieces, check out these yummy looking citrus themed cakes- mmm!