Kristin van Ogtrop's Blog, page 376

An Offbeat Way to Save on Weddings: Tomb With a View

I've written a number of stories about how to save on weddings, including a piece on why the "average cost" of $18,000 is total bunk. Readers have also sent me a range of terrific ideas for reasonable nuptials. But no one suggested the truly unique angle featured in a recent story in The Indianapolis Star: getting married at a funeral home.

 

Community Life Center in Indianapolis has 99 weddings booked this year and has already blocked out weekend events in 2012. It's got a chapel, and apparently holding a wedding reception there is cheaper than a banquet hall. The space offers marble floors, stone pillars, sweeping staircases and crystal chandeliers indoors, as well as photo ops in the gardens outdoors (if you don't mind the view of the tombs and gravestones).

 

A bride interviewed by the Indy Star initially considered the outdoor courtyard, but decided against it. "I was worried that people who would come would be creeped out," she said. "I was worried that when taking pictures, (the cemetery) would be in the background." A cemetery official countered with the story of another bride who wanted to be married near her grandmother's grave. "It was very meaningful to the family," he said.

 

Meanwhile, the Associated Press had a story on a Michigan couple who married and held their reception  in a funeral home -- but in this case, the groom was a funeral director. Some guests initially balked at the invite, until they were assured that no caskets or corpses would be near the festivities.

 

I chose an offbeat venue for my own wedding; we had the reception in a girls' school in New York City (actually, Lady Gaga's alma mater). It was built in 1918 as one of the largest private homes in Manhattan; when the school purchased the building in 1934 it left the ballroom intact to rent out for functions. (It was actually a budget-saving choice; we rented the space and then had a friend cater the dinner, which was cooked at another friend's restaurant near the school. My husband had to buy 200 chickens in the meat-packing district the day before the wedding, but that's a story for another post.)

 

Would you be willing to hold a wedding reception in a funeral home to save money? Any savings tips for engaged couples?

 

Ferm Living Spring/Summer 2011

My friend Tinna is the new rep for Ferm Living in Germany so I've been waiting for her to share their latest catalog with me and it's here! Jonathan Lo from Happy Mundane posted it first, so I can't take credit, but here are some additional images that show their new collection for Spring/Summer 2011. I agree with Jonathan when it comes to some of their kids products when he said, "Move over kids, these are mine!" - for sure, Jonathan!

This collection was inspired by, "the world of theatre and entertainment" and is called Harlequin & Happiness and you can view it here. It certainly is happy! You can see lots of diamond patterns, chevrons, and triangles in black, mint, coral, blue and mustard along with whimsical characters for kids and more "grown up" motifs for parents. Wallpaper, ceramics, pillows, wall decals, you have a broad range to choose from.

I like Ferm Living because their aesthetic and products offer versatility since many individual pieces would work very nicely in a variety of home decors, whether you love a minimalist, nature-inspired, mid century, eclectic, even country look... it's a breeze to work in something from Ferm Living to fit every taste and style. This is where some companies fall short, their collections are beautiful but often hard to imagine in a variety of settings if their overall look isn't one that suits your taste. Ferm Living appeals to me, I spot several products that I would use in my home.

Some of these products are available now in the U.S. online and at select stores nationwide. This collection just released but you will start to see more items from it in their U.S. shop soon.

Do you like Harlequin & Happiness? Why? Are these colors ones you'd use in your home? Do you spot an instant favorite? I love the wooden houses to use for display on the wall. Charming!

(images: ferm living)

A Meatless Monday Recipe: Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew

After a three-day holiday weekend filled with some serious food overload, I decided my Monday night dinner should be something healthy and meat-free. It's also in keeping with the Meatless Monday movement that's been increasingly gaining traction in this country and beyond (even chefs like Mario Batali and celebs like Kevin Spacey and Alec Baldwin are embracing it). So I turned to the Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew With Couscous from our recent December issue. It's loaded with filling and good-for-you ingredients, and I used whole-wheat couscous to boost the nutritional benefits even more.

 

 

I had a can of crushed tomatoes in my pantry so I used that instead of whole tomatoes, which resulted in a slightly soupier consistency. I also opted for golden raisins, which I like because they tend to be plumper and juicier. My dinner was completely satisfying—I didn't miss the meat at all—and I loved the sweet pop of the raisins in each bite and the aromatic earthiness of the cumin (one of my favorite spices). The couscous did a great job of soaking up all the sauce, and of course was incredibly easy to make (just pour hot water over the grains, cover, and let steam for a few minutes). I also loved that the stew simmered together all in one pot, which allowed me to take a little TV break while my dinner was cooking. All in all, a great meatless meal that I'll certainly be making again.

 

 

Are you participating in Meatless Mondays?

H&M Teams Up With Boys & Girls Clubs Of America To Give Back!

 

Charity and fashion go hand-in-hand thanks to the folks at H&M and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America now until February 9th!

 

 

Customers who donate to Boys & Girls Clubs of America will receive a coupon for 20% off one item from the H&M kid's collection. And 100% of your donation will benefit the clubs! Hip, hip hooray!

 

The H&M kid's collections combine a great sense of fashion, color and design with durability, safety, concern for the environment and comfort at an affordable price for any family budget. The clothes are perfect for any kid that loves to be fun and fashionable...and for their parents that love to save money!

 

 

Please visit www.hm.com <http://www.hm.com/>  for store locations.
 

Kick-Start Your New Year: Have a Good Laugh

It's true what they say, laughter is truly the best medicine. Not only does a good laugh give you a surge of energy, it also helps reduce stress, boost your immunity, and can help your body regenerate more healthful cells overtime. So for today, all you have to do is embrace the belly laugh.

 

 

Here are some of our favorite sites to find a good chuckle:

 

Funny or Die

Huff Post Comedy

The Onion

 

Where do you go when you need a laugh? Help us out and share your fave funny links in the comments.

 

 

 

One Day, Part 3: Early Thirties

Hi, Bookies:

I was pleased to see that most of us had hoped that the scene on the street was Dex's low point. None of us could tolerate much more of a downward spiral.

I was surprised that Dex would get involved with someone as "straitlaced" as Sylvie. Sylvie was somewhat controlling, but I do feel like her control came from a good place—she wanted Dex to clean up his life. But I kept thinking that if Dex wanted to be with someone who was pushing for him to be a better person, why not be with Emma?

I may be overthinking this, but I felt like Dex and Emma getting lost in the maze at the wedding was symbolic of their relationship. These two never can quite find their way, and here they are talking about their struggles and the journey while trying to find their way through that maze.

The one thing that I struggle with is that these two folks really had only one night together. I wonder if whether they may have over-romanticized that night and the people they used to be. Is what they remember and what they hang on to even attainable? Are they perhaps just following the "idea" of what may have been as opposed to the reality? What do you think?

Now, I have some great news to share: One Day author David Nicholls has agreed to take questions from you Bookies, so start thinking about what you want to ask him. You can post your questions here next week, when we conclude our discussion with Part 4. See you then!

—Danielle

Are you reading this via an e-mail or RSS feed? If you wish to comment, please click here.

Join Us on Pinterest

Yesterday, Holly introduced you to Pinterest, the fantastic visual bookmarking site. It is still currently an invite-only site, but Ben, the creator of Pinterest, was nice enough to hook up all of our Simply Stated readers with access.

 

 

Click on this link to join Pinterest. You'll just need to use either your Facebook or Twitter account to sign up.

 

Once you're there, be sure to follow Holly, Real Simple, and me (if you're so inclined).

 

Then tell us how you plan to use Pinterest. One of my favorite things to do is collect recipes that I want to  try.

 

Space-Saving Bookshelf-Desk

I'm always on the lookout for storage solutions that can work double or triple duty. I currently live in a small-ish space (less than 1,300 sq ft), we lived for the first five years of our marriage in a small place (850 sq ft), and, when we were dating, my husband lived in an itty-bitty place (400 sq ft). I know what it's like to have your home's size significantly limit your design and storage options, and finding great furniture can be difficult. So, when I see a stylish, multi-functioning object that includes a storage component, I want to scream it from mountain tops.



Designer Sakura Adachi has created a fun and functional piece named Trick for Italian furniture company Campeggi that is a bookshelf and desk in one unit:






I think you could easily use the desk as a dining table, as well, which makes the piece even more functional.



(via Swiss-Miss, images from Sakurah.net)

Kick-Start Your New Year: Clean Your Makeup Brushes

You likely use a couple of makeup brushes every day depending on what your beauty routine is. And those brushes can get caked with make up and oil from your skin quickly. So today's the day to clean them up.

 

 

1. Run your brushes under warm water to just wet the bristles.

2. Pour a small amount of baby shampoo into the palm of your hand, and swirl the wet brush around in it.

3. Rinse the brush by swirling in a bowl of clear water. (Be sure not to get the base of the bristles wet, as doing so can cause the glue to loosen.)

4. Use a cloth towel to gently wipe the brush clean. Then lay the brush flat to dry.

 

Aim to clean your brushes once a month. And spray them with a brush cleaner in between deep cleanings.

 

Related:

Beauty Editors' Favorite Products
12 Common Beauty Questions Answered
A Step-by-Step Guide to Applying Makeup

 

Organize Your Decorating Ideas With Pinterest

It's a new year and no doubt you have many projects to take on at home but how do you stay organized when it comes to your finds? I'm decorating a few rooms in my apartment currently and have found Pinterest to be enormously helpful in this regard. What is Pinterest? When I joined, I asked the same question as I wasn't really clear how yet another community-based cataloging site would help me. I am a blogger afterall, can't I just blog when I find something I like? Plus, I've tried FFFFound, We Heart It, Polyvore, Tumblr, StumbleUpon and a bevy of other sites that have the same end goal in mind: to help you organize images on the web for free.

Truth is, Pinterest isn't much different -- like the others, it provides a place for you to organize your finds online and has been called the application that sits somewhere in between a site like We Heart It and Tumblr. But it's not. It's better. In a nutshell, Pinterest is a social cataloging service that also allows you to invite your friends, share the "pinboards" that you create according to themes that you pick, and it even allows you to comment on what your friends have pinned, which is a feature I particularly am fond of because you get to have a little human interaction now and then. You also can only view content from people you know and follow, not the entire world (like We Heart It) so if you aren't interested in all of the questionable "adult" content that some of these other sites will show you and truly want to see only beautiful things that you want to see, then Pinterest is the site for you.

Pinterest is a visual tool, you don't have to give your pins lengthy descriptions, often just a word will do, so if you are not a writer and the thought of maintaining a blog scares you then perhaps Pinterest would be a fun space to play in.

Overall, I love Pinterest and find it to be extremely helpful and addicting. My only note to Pinterest users is to please add tags to your images that include the source of the image and/or the name of the artist, photographer, designer, etc. if you know it. It is only fair to give credit to those who are responsible for the sources of your inspiration, right?

When it comes to decorating ideas, you can organize them easily using Pinterest. Simply open a free account by clicking on Request An Invite and install the Pin It tool into your browser toolbar and start pinning and sharing. Create a variety of pinboards -- you could try creating one called "Living Room Inspiration", "Paint Colors I Like", "Wallpaper I Like" etc. This helps you to keep all of your decorating options in one place and also to see them all together can be a real asset and help you to weed out what doesn't work. You will start to recognize themes in your interests, which can be quite helpful in pulling together a look for the room that you're working on.

I hope you try, and enjoy, Pinterest. Let me know what you think if you are using it because I'd be curious to know whether or not it is helping you with your decorating ideas or not.

(images: pinterest)