Inspiration #93: Party on a Goat Farm

This post is a little overdue (by a month!). Ever since I saw this kids' unicorn birthday party on Birthday Girl blog, I wanted to have my own. Throwing my birthday at Harley Goat Farms (Pescadero, CA) was as close as I could get and I have to admit, after visiting this charming farm, I have no doubt that their goats are indeed magical (c'mon, how can you resist a cutie like the one below?). And I now fully appreciate why some couples would want to have a small destination wedding here!

Harley Goat Kid - Photo by Vera Devera (c) 2011

I decided to book a private tour of the farm rather than chancing it with a public tour; the minimum is $400 (or 20 people at $20 each). I purchased muslin bags on Etsy and prepared goat-themed favors: Happy Goat Tahitian Vanilla Bourbon Caramels from Foodzie.com and handmade verbena scented goats' milk hand soaps. The biggest surprise was getting photo booth prop-designer, Maro Designs, to custom make unicorn horns (in pink and silver!) and a goatee. I have no shame.

Yes, that goat is rocking a mystical unicorn horn thanks to Maro Designs

On the day-of, my friends and I rolled up to Harley Goat Farm and were surprised to see how "small" it was. We were a little apprehensive that it could take two hours. But once we started, we realized we didn't want to leave!

Our tour guide was very informative and gave us enough time to take photos and pet the goats. She proudly shared  Harley's colorful history and sustainable farming practices.  Dee Harley's integrity for treating her goats very well, making cheese in small batches, and keeping the business local is both admirable and inspiring.

In the cheese-making room, I got a chance to decorate my own Monet cheese wheel and share it with my friends in the garden afterwards.The fun continued in the cozy cheese shop where the samples are abundant.

Our trusty tour guide also took us upstairs to check out the restored 1910 hayloft where Dee hosts private events, like dinner parties (5-courses, $150) and small wedding receptions. The chairs and table hand-carved by Three-Fingered Bill are quite whimsical and perfect for the setting.

Getting so up-close-and-personal with both the animals and people who produce such wonderful food was invigorating, not to mention the experience was intimate for me and my friends -- we had such a blast! I encourage you to seek out your local flavor makers, like Harley Goat Farms, and support them for your next special occasion.

P.S. In case you make it out to Harley Goat Farm, I recommend picnicking at nearby San Gregorio Beach off of Highway 1. Pick up some garlic-artichoke bread at Arcangeli Grocery Co in Pescadero (the bakery also provides the bread for the samples in Harley's cheese shop) and maybe an ollallaberry pie at Duarte's Tavern.

Monet Cheese Wheel hand decorated by me! Photo by Vera Devera (c) 2011

Inspiration #91: Pimp my photo booth

Like many of you, I adore photo booths. They are so much fun and you can be quite surprised by the resulting images you get.

I came across Playing Grown Up on Etsy and if you're DIY-lite me and want to jazz up your photo booth, here are some props you can buy. For example, I painstakingly spent 1-2 hours making a photo booth bunting out of paper, but Brooke has made an adorable one out of fabric. I wish I had known about this to save me time!

Photo booth bunting banner - $35 at Playing Grown Up

Mr. Mustache Chalkboard - $28

Chalkboard Scroll Banner - $32

Reversible Chalkboard and White Board - $30

Inspiration #88: Sweetest Wedding Gift

My friend, Linda, gifted us with this graphic illustration of me, Fred and our dog, Munch, as rendered from our engagement session with Stephen Hughes. It's absolutely darling and I totally gasped when I unwrapped it. She's a new seller on Etsy as Bashful Onion. Custom illustration ranges from $40 to $70, plus $10 for a pet.

Inspiration #85: Engraved Vintage Flatware

Really, someone needs to deny me access to Etsy. I just discovered WoodenHive's shop and I want to buy so many beautiful things. I was especially tickled to find a fork engraved with the message "Give Thanks." That's Rule #1 for the supperclub I help run in the San Francisco Bay Area AND our other motto is "Hold onto your forks." It's perfect, because without the Ghetto Gourmet, I never would have met Guitar Fred (aww).

I'm tempted to buy these his and her forks (and they're $14):

Bride & Groom Fork Set, $14, WoodenHive

Give Thanks Fork, $15.99, WoodenHive

Table Numbers, $6.50 each by WoodenHive

Etsy Find: Wrap it Up

Continuing on my hide-the-arms quest, I'm considering a wrap -- which ties behind versus having a full panel of fabric. It's less expensive than a bolero and I'm loving Bonzie's charming, Victorian style.

Ethereal Light Baroque ($69)

If I can find $145 to spare, I would buy this (it 's my favorite, the Silver French Vanilla):

The golden yellow Venetian raw silk wrap ($110) is darling too!

Coral Dupioni Silk Wrap ($79) would go with our orange-teal wedding colors:

5 Retro Ways to Package Your Favors

**For the Mid-modern pop girl**

{Above from Bake It Pretty}

 {Above from Hey Yo Yo on Etsy}

**For the Girly Girl**

Vintage inspired brown bags

{Bit of Vintage on Etsy}

Happy Friday Find: Le Petite Flea

I've been following Victoria of sfgirlbybay for more than a year now and was totally psyched she launched a new etsy shop called le petite flea to sell her vintage wares. 

So, look what I scored for only $10!

Yep, a vintage cake topper. Now, I know we considered using the glass Mickey Mouse ears for our cake topper, but I'm a little worried it might be too heavy for the top of the cake (I'll still incorporate the ears somehow).

What d'ya think? I had been dreaming of buying a Lollipop Workshop cake topper, but at more than $135 and up, I'd rather put the extra $125+ somewhere else (like gifts for the bridesmaids -- mas importante).

{All photos by Victoria of sfgirlbybay}

Tied up.

Guitar Fred and I spent Monday night shopping -- not his favorite past time but it was all about him. After he spent 1.5 hrs buying a new pair of shoes (80% off of $169 -- good boy!), I dragged him to the Men's Wearhouse in the same shopping center to look at tux rentals (prices range from $89 to $150). MW has a deal that if 4 groomsmen rent a tux or suit, the groom's tux will be free OR if 5 groomsmen rent, the groom gets a $400 credit towards a brand new tux or suit. Guitar Fred liked the latter option, but we only have 4 groomsmen.

 

{Above: The styles Guitar Fred liked at Men's Wearhouse. Source: theknot.com}

He is going to ask the guys if they can wear their own black suits and we'll provide the ties. I'm not too keen on that since I had my heart set on him wearing either chocolate brown or gray, but I understand that since most of his 3 out of 4 of the groomsmen are flying in from the East Coast, we should watch costs. None of the ties at MW were agreeable to me -- the blues weren't peacock blue enough, and the orange selection was limited. A search on Google didn't turn up much. Then I went to Etsy.com and I found some possibilities, including an ascot (which midway through writing this post, he says he doesn't like.). I also liked the selection my sister's wedding photographer, Ann Hamilton, posted on her blog.

Short of heading to the stores, do you have any suggestions for finding stylish striped silk ties for under $40 online?

{Fred says no, but I think it's fun. Sapphire Blue Ascot Tie by ElegantAscot - $24.00}

{Only 1 of these Teal Paisley Silk Ties in stock at Rabbitstop's shop on etsy.com (guess it could be for the groom if the rest of the guys got solid ties? - $17.99}

{Peacock Blue Skinny Silk Tie at Rabbitstop's shop on etsy.com - $17.99 }

{Club Room Solid Tie - Macys.com - $24.00} 

 

{Jones New York Orange Paisley Tie - Men's Wearhouse - $49.50}

4 Must-Haves for the Circus Themed Wedding

{Josh Goleman Photography}

Ever since I saw Josh Goleman's photos of Adam and Halli's wedding in Georgia, I've been smitten with the circus theme. My fiance and I are incorporating a circus spirit in our cocktail hour (with carnival games, a kissing booth (featuring his jovial dad), and mini-corndogs with a gourmet mustard bar. If you're DIY lite (as one of my fellow Wedzilla bloggers calls it) like me, you can find some great items online to bring the circus to life for your wedding. Here's some of my favorite finds:

{Petitsmetier | Custom Pinwheels - $35 for set of 10}
If you'd rather make them, click here for the how-to.

{Homemade Circus |2 Lovebirds under Red Diamond Tent - $75}

{Royalsteamline | Coney Island 1896 Vintage Wedding Invitation - $4}

{Bunting Boutique | Bunting Flags - $4.50 US}

Top 5 Etsy Wednesday Wedding Bargains under $50

I recently attended the Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco, and if you haven't already gone to RCF in the nearest metropolitan city nearest you, I urge you to go and support craft and design artists, many of whom are on Etsy! Today, I'm sharing some of my top 5 picks for wedding bargains under $50 on Etsy.

#1 {Cake Toppers: Peggies $6 for 2 sets of Guys & Dolls}

Seller NakedPeggies sells custom-painted bridal cake topper peggies for $55-75. If you want to save money, paint the peggies yourself using these "naked" ones.

#2 {Pr. Champagne Flutes: Lovebirds on a Leafy Branch - $22}

#3 {For Him: Vintage Typewriter Key Cufflinks - $24}

#4 {Poster: Custom Romantic Love Bird Silhouette - $17.95}
Custom silhouettes of you and your fiance are available too, but price varies.

# 5 {Placecards: Peacock Placecards - $25 for 25}
{I published this post on Weddzilla.com, check out more tips from other featured bloggers here}

Inspiration #29: Vintage Fabric by Vera

[Desire to Inspire]

I was first introduced to the vintage textile designer, Vera, by my friend, Karman (and actually have a couple Vera pieces thanks to her). According to Fashion's Finest, Vera Neumann, began designing textiles in 1946 after she and her husband, George, founded Printex with partner, Werner Hamm. Since my wedding will draw from an eclectic mix of vintage and modern, it's only natural I consider using Vera tablecloths or scarves. Here's a sampling of great Vera pieces. Enjoy! If you want more, Scott Linden of Linden Tree Handicrafts on Etsy.com has a terrific collection as seen below on his Flickr page.

[Vintage Goodness]


[Meeks Andy Girl Etsy.com]

Etsy Love Face2Face: 2nd Annual Renegade Craft Fair

I'm looking forward to meeting some of my favorite Etsy designers face-to-face this weekend at the 2nd Annual Renegade Craft Fair. A couple hundred talented artists are flocking to Fort Mason this Saturday and Sunday for this FREE event, 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM both days. I've already begun to peruse the list of participating crafters, including Cakespy, Cara Lyndon, HotCakes Design (still sad their shop on College Ave, Oakland, closed), and 16 Sparrows, to name a few. In addition to shopping, there will be demos, such as how to revive old toys into bangles, earrings and brooches using basic jewelry techniques with San Francisco jewelry designers emiko oye and Shana Astrachan. My favorite book publisher, Chronicle Books, is also hosting a meet n' greet with local craft authors.

[Cakespy's Original Mini Watercolor They called it Cuppie Love]

Etsy Thursday Finds: Bridesmaid Gifts under $30

[$14 - Mini Initial & Bird - Gold Plated]

As many wedding experts say, one way to cut costs on your wedding is to limit the number of bridesmaids you have. So far, I have 4 bridesmaids and my fiance has yet to select more than one! Here's some Etsy treasures for less than $30 so that I'll spend no more than $130 including shipping on my gifts:

[$10 - Cosmetic Bag - Tina Givens, Treetop in Raspberry]


[$10 - Eco Friendly Key Fob & Coffee Sleeve]

[$18 Filigree And The Wassabi Chrysanthemum Ring With Sage Green Beaded Pouch - this comes in 33 colors]


[$22.40 - Splash Earrings - Aqua Quartz, Peridot and Citrine - 14K Gold Filled]


[$29 - Short & Sassy Ruffled Apron]