Crystal Earrings and Beaded Orchid Hair Pins

Even though my company The Flirty Bride began as a custom design studio for bridal accessories it wasn't long before my brides were requesting bridesmaid gift items for their attendants.

This is how bridesmaid gift orders usually begin: I meet with a client, we discuss all of the details of their wedding, the venue, time of day and formality of the wedding and then they give me a color swatch which usually consists of a piece of fabric that measures anywhere from 1 to 2 inches.

This order was from a few years back but I just happened to spot the photo in a folder on my computer this evening. I love how it shows how with just that tiny color swatch I am able to match the beads to the gowns. In some instances this requires extraordinary steps on my part driving up to San Francisco or beyond, or going on an online quest until I find exactly what I'm looking for. In the end the efforts are so worth it when I put together a match like this. 

Enter to Win a Copy of "Make Your Own Cat Toys"

Are you a kitty owner who's cat loves to play? Or are you a greenie who doesn't have a cat at home but has friends or family members that do? This book, written by my friend Holly Tse, would be a kittyriffic holiday gift. Full of great ideas and because it's eligible for the Amazon.com FREE Super Saver Shipping program if you order at least 3 copies the shipping is free!

And great news! You can enter to win a free copy with an opportunity to earn additional entries for yourself by sharing the contest with your friends. Just click the book cover above or CLICK HERE to visit the website and enter the contest.

List price is $11.95 and the book can be purchased on Amazon.com.

If you're on Facebook you can join the MYOCT fan site. I just did!

San Francisco City Hall

I love taking pictures while I'm parked at red lights. This is what City Hall looks like from the outside at night... It's really gorgeous.

And this is what it looks like on the inside.

I've posted this video trailer by Savadelis Films once before but wanted to post it again because it went with my snapshot so well. To view more photos from the same wedding the video was filmed at you can visit Jubilee Lau Events' website by CLICKING HERE.

For more standout videos visit Savadelis Films on The Flirty Guide.

Or visit their Website.

The Bee's Knees

--- The Poll is now closed. Final results are viewable in the comments section. ---

LOL It's a new feature coming to The Flirty Guide home page. What do you think? Cute or annoying? Or both?

It would be FANTASTIC if you left a comment to let me know which of the three you like the best or you can use the poll at the top of the right sidebar to make a quick selection.

Thanks!

Option 1: No motion

Option 2: Slow motion

Option 3: Fast motion

Edited to add: The file is too large to upload to Blogger but here is the start and stop version two of you have suggested. Let me know what you think:

To view Option 4: Click Here

A DIY Sentimental Bridesmaid Gift

A fun and flirty new DIY idea on The Flirty Guide.... For weddings or just in time for the holidays!

Bridesmaid gifts can be oh so challenging... So here's an idea that can help you save some dollars and may just create a new hobby or career for you! Learning to make Swarovski crystal earrings is probably easier then you think. All it takes is some jewelry findings, a pair of pliers and a nail clipper and you're good to go!

To read the full story about my bridal client who had me take apart her Grandma's necklace to surprise her sisters and mother with new custom jewelry pieces, and to see the full, DIY, photo tutorial just CLICK HERE.

I started with a vintage Swarovski crystal necklace.

Just a few steps...

Add an ear wire...

Voila!

Interview with "fetch" THE PAPER

Last month I was asked if I'd like to be interviewed by Fetch to chat about my favorite website Dogster.com. I just discovered the article online the other night... Click the title to read "Social Networking Not Just For Humans Anymore."

In the article I assured people who are shy or are intimidated about joining an online community the cool thing about Dogster is that you're completely anonymous. For instance here's the group photo where a bunch of us got together this past summer to meet offline as real human beings. We had to catch ourselves at times not to call each other by our dog's names since that's how we've all known each other for the past few years.

Click to view this picture enlarged. It's hilarious!

I also talked about the Kansas Puppy Rescue where along with the help of some truly heroic friends on Dogster we collectively pitched in and saved not just 6 puppies but ended up saving 8 pups from Kansas. We just couldn't bear to see them become tragic statistics in our countries pet over population euthanasia totals. This is a picture of the first 6 girl puppies we managed to save... You can CLICK HERE to read their saga.

I also talked about how I now have a local friend who I see on an almost weekly basis since becoming friends on Dogster. That's her pup visiting with Kitai at a local mall.

And this little pup actually attended my wedding along with her owners as did 2 other friends from Dogster who flew into town just to help my hubby and I celebrate our big day...

Being part of an online community has helped me tremendously to become a more effective communicator. When I first joined the forums on Dogster I would often write what I meant assuming that people would understand my meaning and intentions. It didn't take long before I realized that you literally have to write out exactly what you mean or people will make assumptions to fill in the blanks. Sometimes they guess right, often they don't. It becomes very clear, very quickly, that in our day to day lives being too vague can create a lot of misunderstandings.

There is an online/forum etiquette to be learned so my advice to anyone when joining a new forum would be to sign up then sit back for a few days and simply read what others are posting. You'll soon learn how things work and where the boundaries are when it comes to what you post, permissible language and the overall tone of a site.

So all in all there is a lot to be gained by joining a forum or social networking site including but not limited to: Making new friends, receiving invaluable information, improving your spelling skills, learning proper punctuation, honing your grammar skills, gaining an expanded vocabulary and learning more effective social skills in general. It's really a win win for everyone and on Dogster you'll learn so much great information about being a better pet owner that your dog ends up a winner too.

Santa Claus Pet Pictures in Campbell, CA

A message from my dog:

Yes I'm gonna get my picture taken with Santa Claus, or as we pups know him Santa Paws, for the very first time this year. Though I've never met him in person before somehow the dude in red always seems to find me to leave me lots of cool presents every Christmas morning. But this year is gonna be different. This year I'm having my picture taken with Mr. Ho ho ho thanks to the newly formed volunteer group "Friends of the Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority."

They are hosting a holiday fund raiser at the Bascom Ave. Pet Food Express located right across the street from the Pruneyard Shopping Center where the old Tower Records used to be.

Pet Food Express
1902 South Campbell Avenue
Saturday December 6, from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Sunday December 7, from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

A donation of $10 is requested and the photos will be available on site.

For more picture info you can contact Caryn Lynn at (408) 423-8600
For more information about the Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority visit www.SVACA.com

Don't end up like me with a terrible Christmas mug shot. That's what happened my first Christmas with my new mom after she brought me home from the shelter. It was supposed to be a cute picture of me wearing a Santa hat but way back then I didn't know how to pose for pictures so this is what she ended up with:

The de Young Museum presents: Corinne Okada Takara

A month ago I was asked to model some gorgeous hats for my friend who is an amazing artist, Corinne Okada Takara. Corinne specializes in using wire and recycled papers to create stunning works of art. Her upcoming show at the de Young museum is what prompted her to ask me to model for her. She told me the pictures would be used on the museum's postcards as well as at the opening night reception where they will be displayed on a cool system that uses floor to ceiling glass panels as projection screens to project the images and a video about the artiist, her inspiration and techniques onto.

Here are the details:

The de Young Museum

Saturday, December 13

3:00–5:00 p.m.

Opening Reception in the Kimball Education Gallery

Celebrate the residency of Corinne Okada Takara with light refreshments, live music by solo guitarist Scott Perry, and a presentation featuring fashions by Colleen Quen.

Admission into the Kimball Education Gallery is free of charge.

In Rhythms and Space, Takara assembles recycled materials with a whimsical creativity into airy three-dimensional tapestries and wearable art, while presenting a visual footprint of diverse Asian cultures at home and in the Asian diaspora. Motifs pulled from the museum collection, along with visual patterns observed in the museum’s surroundings, are interwoven to form these tapestries. Visitors are encouraged to create a tapestry tile from wire, paper, produce netting, and other recycled materials collected on the museum grounds. These tiles will be linked together, forming a colorful, evolving wall hanging that invites one to reflect on the discards of everyday life and find the beauty in their rhythmic gatherings.

Corinne Okada Takara

Rhythms and Space

December 3, 2008–January 4, 2009

Wednesday–Sunday, 1:00–5:00 p.m.

The Ginko Hat

Hair by Armando at Get Your Do Up!

The Ginko Tapestry

The Butterfly Hat, gown by Colleen Quen.

The Fortune Tapestry

All photos by George R. Young

And how does this tie into a wedding blog? Well Corinne's more petite flowers can also be used as bridal headpieces. What a great option for brides who want something truly unique and original. Here her flower is paired with a veil from The Flirty Bride, custom, couture bridal accessories.

Sample Sale at the Unique Bride • Nov. 22nd and 23rd

The Unique Bride is hosting a by appointment only sample wedding gown sale this weekend!

SAMPLE SALE
2 Days Only
Saturday, November 22 - 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 23 - 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Current and discontinued sample gowns up to 70% off!

Or, in celebration of Thanksgiving, receive 10% off any special order wedding gown and/or bridesmaid dresses now through November 2008!**

By appointment only, a definite sell out!

SPECIAL OFFER:
Click Here to print this notice to receive a free pair of discontinued shoes with the purchase of a sample or discounted gown (limited sizes, while supplies last)!

The Unique Bride
1209 Howard Avenue
Burlingame, CA 94010
(650) 347-7001

I'm Kicking Ass and Taking Names! Woo Hoo I'm One of the "Best of the best" Bloggers on Alltop.com

Well I'm not really taking names, but apparently I do kick some ass. LOL

I am THRILLED to announce that my little ol' fun and flirty blog has been accepted to the hot list of top bloggers on Alltop.com.

If you aren't familiar with it, Alltop is a collection of some of the top blogs on the internet. They describe themselves as a "digital magazine rack" where users go to peruse categorized topics, find blog titles of the top blogs within each category and view the 5 most recently posted items (with links) within each blog. Their goal is to provide "aggregation without aggravation."

For a mere mortal such as myself this is all very exciting. Alltop was co-founded by Will Mayall, Kathryn Henkens and a guy named Guy Kawasaki. As many of you know I am constantly online surfing the web and learning new stuff and no matter where I am or what I'm reading I can't help but notice that I hear Guy's name pretty much everywhere I go. Whether I'm at one of the Apple Geek dinners I attend, having lunch at the Apple cafeteria and especially in blog references and on various websites all over the internet I'm always seeing and hearing Guy's name mentioned by his friends, fans and colleagues. In my mind Guy is a mythical Apple guy/book author/web entrepreneur/venture capitalist/marketing/internet super hero. And now my little blog is part of one of his creations. Awesome!

Alltop is a website with a great sense of humor. Here are more of the web badges available to Alltop Bloggers to post on their blogs:

Well, I have to go do a Tae Bo workout now. Being strong enough and limber enough to kick ass doesn't come as easily as it used to when I was younger.

To the powers that be at Alltop, thanks so much for the inclusion! I'll continue to do my best to be worthy of the honor.

If you want to go straight to the wedding page to see The Flirty Guide on Alltop.com just CLICK HERE.

What is it?

A Flirty Bride custom accessory project in progress.. For now I have been sworn to secrecy. I can't tell you yet but maybe you can guess what it is. If you're right I still won't tell you because it's a secret for now :P

Uwink • Where Geeks Like to Eat

This restaurant is now closed :(

That statement is more then just an opinion. It is based on the fact that I went to Uwink with a dozen or so geeks and they loved it. How could they not? The food was good, the prices reasonable and on every table was a double, front and back, computer screen that you can use to order your food, call the wait staff to the table and even play video games on while waiting for your food to hit the table.

It's really pretty nifty. You sit down, create a user name onscreen and go ahead and place your order. If you go out to eat with people who don't always pay their fair share? This is the place for you. Each person runs a separate tab that even figures out the tip based on the percentage you select so no splitting checks or figuring out tax + tip.

The options are clearly marked and there are a lot of them. This was the water screen. I thought about splurging for the Pellegrino....

But instead I got the tap water... With ice.

For dinner I ordered the Spaghetti Marinara.

It didn't look exactly like the photo but it was good. The sauce seemed to be under the pasta instead of on top like the menu picture.

All gone!

One of the games was playing trivia against everyone else in the restaurant playing at the same time. I'd say this is a fun place to go with geeky computer friends but probably not ideal for those on a first date or anyone super competitive.

You're in luck if you live in or near Mountain View, Hollywood or Woodland Hills California. That's where you'll find a Uwink that you can visit.

Vegetarian and Vegan options are available.

Claudia Akers & Amazáe Launch Party

Congratulations are in order! That's super sweet and talented TFG wedding photographer Claudia Akers and wedding coordinator/event designer Crystal Lequang celebrating the grand opening of "le studio de design" their new collaborative design studio located in San Jose, California.

Armando of "Get Your Do Up!" came early to pamper the girls for their big night.

"le studio de design"

Of course having an event designer like Crystal as one of the Studio owners guaranteed the entire event would be a knock-out and she didn't disappoint. Everything was absolutely wonderful. So fun!

No detail was goo small... Just look at this black and white wall. It was sparkly! Tiny, rhinestone crystals adorned the pattern making it twinkle in the candle and chandelier light.

Here I sat and watched a video of Claudia on an on-location photo shoot. Very cool! ETA: I just found out the video is by Studio MSV CLICK HERE to watch a short version of it on Andrew Hsu's blog.

Doesn't this room just scream warm and inviting?

And the party started! Located outside in a tent set up just for the evening I saw lots of friends and colleagues including one that I hadn't seen in months!

That's Mr. Martini Madness himself, Duncan Reyes with Flirty Guide ikebana artist and floral designer Karen Hsu.

And awesome videographer/film maker Mr. Vendor Chic himself, Andrew Hsu. (No relation to Karen except that they are both part of the TFG family.)

And 2 more TFG professionals radio personality and wedding DJ Rich Amooi with weddding videographer David Ethridge. Remember the day I was David's assistant?

Two more TFG professionals that's event designer Lea Mcintosh with TFG newcomer Natti Pierce-Thomson of North American Theatre Technology, a special events and theatrical lighting company.

And TFG's favorite jazz musician Robbie Schlosser, founder, cornet and string bass player of the Magnolia Jazz Band and yup that's me.

Three great florists: Ingela Ruschin, Karen Hsu and Nicole Ha

The party!

LOL I almost turned into a pumpkin! I told my hubby I would be home around ten. I didn't leave until after 11:00! It was a blast and I was having too much fun chatting with Michelle Barrionuevo-Mazzini from MB Wedding Design and Events and John Woods,  who created the draping and lighting for the evening, to go home. Thanks so much for the invitation Claudia and Crystal! Your studio is gorgeous and I am certain your future clients will love, love love it!

It was quite a night, in fact my evening began attending an event up in San Francisco at 5:00 pm, followed by me getting stuck in traffic for waaaaaaay too long to get back down to the South Bay for Claudia and Crystal's party. I'll be blogging about "The Wedding Ring" event any day now. Just have to get a few more pictures together.