12.28.2009

Beagles at the Beach: Part I

Since I'm still sorting through and organizing our wedding pics (!!!), I decided to start recaps our honeymoon in the mean time.

We had originally considered postponing our honeymoon to sometime in 2010, but I am so glad we decided to go soon after the wedding (we left the following week).  We were in dire need of some rest and relaxation and it was nice to take a break from "real life", even if it was just for a week.

If you remember (or if you don't), Mr. Beagle's parents graciously gifted us the use of their timeshare in San Jose del Cabo (about 30 mins. away from Cabo San Lucas).  We left Austin on the Saturday after our wedding a.k.a. Halloween.  Arriving at the airport in San Jose del Cabo was very overwhelming for me.  As soon as we left the customs area, we were I was immediately bombarded by Timeshare salesmen trying to coax us into stopping to talk to them.  I assume this because they target Americans/non Spanish speakers/women... so after several confusing moments where I thought they were persons we needed to meet, I latched on to Mr. Beagle's arm and we walked quickly to the airport exit.  We were aware that salesmen were aggressive in the airport, but I had no idea they would be so pushy and persuasive!  Fortunately this was the only location where we encountered this behavior and once we exited the airport, it was relatively easy to find our prearranged transportation to our hotel.

I didn't take many pictures of our hotel/condo, but here's a shot I snagged from their website:



After we arrived to our temporary home, we settled in, ate some food at the onsite restauraunt, and crashed.  We were so exhausted from a day of traveling and time changes.

The next day we woke up bright and early to eat breakfast at the hotel restaurant.  We found out they serve a buffet every Sunday morning, which was soooo good.



We nommed on pancakes, fried potatos, migas, and beans.  The green mixture in the above picture tasted similar to enchiladas without meat.  They also served a variety of cereal and breads for those not wanting a buffet of Mexican food.  Mr. Beagle ate their menudo, which I decided to pass on.  The coffee in Mexico is made with cinnimon and is very sweet- Mr. Beagle enjoyed his, and I (who normally drinks coffee as black as can be) did not.  They also had a variety of agua frescas.  We tried the papaya which was not very good (or must be an acquired taste), but the orange was so delicious. 


After we could not stuff any more food in our faces eat any more, we spent the rest our Sunday relaxing at the pool (uh, happy hour starting at 2 anyone?), exploring the hotel and beach area, and researching some possible activities that were available.


Although we weren't able to swim in the beach by our hotel because of strong rip tides, it provided us with a gorgeous view.  The beach was not really a smooth sandy, beach, but it felt more like tiny bits of rocks. Walking barefoot is not recommended. :)






...Stay tuned for part II where we venture into Cabo San Lucas.


12.17.2009

Last Minute Project: Cake Topper

I guess I should back up a second here.  Before I start talking about our cake topper, I should really discuss our cake first.  I wanted something simple, tiered, no fondant.... that was pretty much the extent of my criteria.  I have seen our baker's handy work at the wedding of a good friend that I attended:




So I knew that our baker would do a wonderful job no matter what I specified, but I really wanted to keep it simple.

-------------------------------------Now back to our original story-----------------------------------------
 
Once upon a time, long ago, when I first started reading Weddingbee, I fell in love with a certain Bee's wedding.  Actually, I really fell in love with her cake.  So, using her cake as inspiration, I found this really cute salt & pepper shaker set:



Look familiar?  They should.  I was so inspired by Mrs. Cookie's idea to use these as cake toppers that I high-tailed it over to my nearest Target to search for them (of course, I lucked out and found them). Remember her beautiful cake?



After I bought them, I put them away in my craft room and didn't look at or think about them much until about the month before the wedding. When I started doubting my decision to use them atop the cake.
So I went back to the drawing board to find an alternative cake topper.  I absolutely love this book and was immediately smitten with this picture:



I really liked the idea of using bird cake toppers and I thought fabric ones would go perfectly with our theme (if you could call it that).  Instead of using the pattern and materials shown in the book, I bought some felt and thread on one of my many trips to JoAnns and created my own pattern.  After cutting, tracing, stitching, and stuffing, I came up with this:



You can't really tell from the picture, but I added different shades of purple felt for tail feathers.  I used embroidery thread to make the stitches and I had some left over polyester stuffing to fill the inside of the bird.

The original plan was to make two of them, sew in some floral wire (16 gauge) into the bottom of each bird, and stick them in the top tier of our cake.  However, being the indecisive girl that I am, I changed my mind yet AGAIN and ended up going with something completely different.  But you'll have to wait for my recaps to see what it is :) ( I know, I know... the suspense!!)

Did you use a traditional bride and groom cake topper or did you use something a little out of the ordinary?

Last Minute Project: Bathroom Basket(s)

When I first saw our venue, I knew I wanted to include a cute basket full of goodies in the women's restroom.  Women are pretty easy to figure out as far as needs go:



I ended up finding some cute baskets on sale (for half off!) at JoAnns.  The cloth covering inside the basket was originally beige and of course I just had to dye it purple- I used Rit dye and followed the instructions on the back of the box.  To get the purple color shown, I mixed one part purple dye and one part black dye.  It looks lovely, I think.  I attached a small tag on one end that encouraged guests to use the items, neatly arranged all the items, and I was done (quick and easy).
As far as the goodies go, I included a few packages of gum, mouthwash, dental floss, hair ties, a tide pen (a serious life saver for me), tums, tampons, deodorant, ibuprofen, oil absorbing sheets, and hand sanitizer.  I also picked up two bottles of lotion at Bath & Body Works while it was on sale one day- Cherry Blossom (which I loooovve) & (I think) Sea Island Cotton.  At the end of the night, most of the products were used so it was a project that was totally worth it.

I really didn't think the men would enjoy such a basket in their restroom, so I left this instead:



Tums, ibuprofen, mouthwash and gum.... and three containers ($4 each at Target) of mints, lifesavers, and starbursts. This was a big hit among the men (seriously, I got so many comments about "the candy in the bathroom") and a good male alternative (IMO) to standard bathroom basket.
Overall, the project cost was around $50 (this includes the containers, 2 baskets (since I originally thought I would put one in each restroom and then changed my mind), two boxes of dye, and all of the medical/dental/beauty/food supplies).
Are you including any little "extras" for your guests at your reception?