July 12, 2011

Something Detailed Has A New Home!

Thank you for visiting. Something Detailed has a new blog home.

You can save our blog by using this url: http://www.somethingdetailed.com/blog/

The www.somethingdetailed.com url will take you to our new home page!

Please come make a visit! xoxo

July 7, 2011

Happy 2nd Blogiversary to Something Detailed

 Yes, that's me...in 1986(?) and in 2010. Crazy huh?

Wow! I can't believe I've been keeping this blog for 2 years today! Happy blogiversary to me. Maybe I'll enjoy some cake tonight.

It's been almost 3 years since I started creating beautiful paper details for Nashville Brides. I have met so many wonderful brides, bridesmaids, mothers, friends and wedding planners along the way. Here's to many more people and blogging to come!

With the announcement of the Something Detailed blog turning 2, I have some big news for my loyal readers to enhance your blog experience. Details to come on the big reveal next week!

July 5, 2011

Wedding Invitation: Pool blue, Chocolate & Cream


This wedding invitation is a simple design for an intimate affair. A brocade design creates a border across the top and bottom of the invitation in chocolate brown and cream. 



What's great about this invitation is that the background can be switched from pool blue to any color you'd like - It would be beautiful in light pink for a baby shower or a lemon yellow.

June 20, 2011

Aisle Runner: Alicia & Stephen


Hand painted aisle runner for Alicia and Stephen in 
apple green and blue (David's Bridal, horizon) 


Runners are digitally designed and then painted on your runner 
where ever you would like. This one is at the very end of the runner. 


These runners are pretty opaque and have a poly backing to 
help them hold up under foot traffic.

June 14, 2011

Co-Ed Wedding Shower: Vintage BBQ


Mae Beth & Allen's shower was this past weekend at Jim & Nick's in Birmingham. The 5 Points location has a great room for parties - also great for rehearsal dinners. I kept it simple using centerpieces down each long table. 


Using chalkboard paint, after scraping the labels off about 15 wine bottles (!), the bottles got a nice matte black coat of paint. I then applied cut out letters that included conversation starters for the tables. This one says Superior Grill, the couples favorite, low-key, restaurant. Also used were childhood nicknames, first pet names, where he proposed, first date location, etc.



I loved these little $1 frames from Michael's, customized with a little note "Love is sweet like BBQ". Everything sat on a 12" square piece of burlap. 


These galvanized pails are from IKEA. $.79 each. Customized labels matched the invitations. The flowers were from Import Flowers off Murphy Rd in Nashville. If you haven't been there, you have to go for your next event.


I also made gourmet s'mores for dessert! YUM. I'll share the recipe later this week.

Everyone had a blast. An easy, no set up, no cooking, no clean up shower is always the best. And the couple got some LOOT - I mean the gifts were insanely good, plus the bride has impeccable taste. I'm so looking forward to their wedding in October. 

June 9, 2011

Polite Southern Women (& Men) Reply to RSVP's: Courtesy of Cindy Edwards via Paula Deen

I simply could not resist re-posting this article on PaulaDeen.com (you can read the original here). If you have ever planned a wedding or party, you will become frustrated with people who do not rsvp. If you are in the midst of planning your wedding now, you will soon find out how important the courtesy of a reply to an invitation is. Cindy says it best in this article, so I'll let her be on this soapbox for now. But, I would like to pull out a quote from this article that says exactly how I feel about people who don't bother letting you know they are attending your event.

"Let’s back up for a bit and remember what we know about being polite: Quite simply, it is behavior that seeks someone else’s comfort before that of your own."

How quickly should I respond to an invitation?


by Cindy Edwards

If you have ever given a party or planned a wedding, then you truly appreciate the many hours of preparation that go into a successful occasion. Knowing how many people to expect is key to orchestrating the perfect party or event.

Let’s back up for a bit and remember what we know about being polite: Quite simply, it is behavior that seeks someone else’s comfort before that of your own.

A hostess spends many hours planning her event: setting the date, selecting the menu and finalizing her guest list. It is a special occasion for her and her guests.  Numbers are crucial to the success of her party. After all, she gave serious thought to including you and you should show respect and consideration for her by responding quickly.

Quickly means as soon as possible. Therefore, check your calendar and make arrangements in order to attend or regret promptly if you know that you will not be able to attend.

How should I reply?
Reply in the same manner that you were invited.
If…
… your neighbor calls and invites you and your husband over for a barbeque, you may accept or regret immediately. Or, check with your spouse and call back in a day or two.  I recommend checking with the spouse first!

… you receive a beautiful invitation in the mail with a phone number and a deadline for reply, please check your schedule and reply quickly in the manner requested. The same courtesy should be extended to an invitation that lists an email address. Of course, make sure that you reply before the deadline. Keep your message or call brief, and do not feel obligated to give an excuse or explanation for a regret.

… you receive a formal invitation the requires a formal written response, follow the form or style of the invitation. If it reads:

Mr. and Mrs. John Edward Doe
request the pleasure
of your company
for cocktails and dinner
Friday, the third of June
at half past seven o’clock
234 Shadow Brook Lane
Savannah, Georgia
R.S.V.P.


Note: R.S.V.P. is an abbreviation of the French phrase “respondez s’il vous plait”, which is a request for your reply. I have seen it in all caps (RSVP) and with periods (R.S.V.P.) in several different etiquette books. It may also read “the favor of a reply is requested” or “please reply”.

Simply pull out your informal note cards or your beautifully engraved half sheet stationery and pen the following response spaced in the same manner as the invitation:

Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Michael Watson
accept the kind invitation of
Mr. and Mrs. John Edward Doe
for cocktails and dinner
Friday, the third of June
at half past seven o’clock
234 Shadow Brook Lane
Savannah, Georgia


If you need to regret, it would read:
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Michael Watson
regret that they are unable to accept
the kind invitation of
Mr. and Mrs. John Edward Doe
Friday, the third of June


Note: It is not necessary to repeat the date, time and place of the event in a regret, but it is nice to repeat the specifics in an acceptance so that the host is confident that you have the correct date, time and place.

What if…
… your plans change? Inform your host as soon as possible. You should only change a yes to a no for a very good reason. Only change your response if it is unavoidable and do so as soon as you know. An illness, death or professional conflict is an appropriate excuse.

…  you have out-of-town guests or want to bring a date? Consider the invitation. If it is for you and a guest, it would be fine to notify the hostess of your guest and bring him/her to the party. However, it is just not acceptable to ask to bring someone extra. If you inform the hostess that the reason you are regretting is because you have houseguests, she may extend the invitation to your guests. But, if she is working with tight numbers, do not expect this inclusion and bow out gracefully.

… you can go, but your spouse cannot? Use your judgment. If you receive a casual invitation from your best friend inviting you and your husband to come over for dinner on Friday night and only one can make it, you should explain the conflict.  She will either ask you to come alone or she will offer to include you another time.  You just simply follow her lead. If the invitation is for a more formal or seated dinner, I would probably regret and try not to complicate the situation. 

As always, thanks for reading!

Properly yours,

Cindy
Cindy Edwards embodies everything pretty, perky and proper about the South. She's a wife, mother, volunteer and freelance writer. Cindy volunteers enough hours to exhaust most by serving on the Board of Trustees for the Telfair Museums, the Savannah Book Festival Board of Directors and the University of Georgia Honors Advisory Board. She has also served on the Boards of the March of Dimes and Young Life Savannah. Cindy has been married to her college sweetheart, Dr. Joe Edwards III, for 24 years and is the proud mother of two sons: Joe IV, a junior at the University of Georgia, and Jack, a rising senior in high school. No matter how busy, Cindy always makes time for a competitive game of bridge.