Wedding Vendor Advice

So part of what inspired The Dandy Fox, was my wedding. I spent many hours crafting and DIY-ing till my eyes were bloodshot and my fingers cramped. I made backdrops, antiqued shutters, came up with love inspired cocktail recipes, handmade our invitation suites and hand made our bouquets and boutonnières by hand painting sola flowers and making my own paper flowers from my husbands old thrasher and transworld skateboarding magazines. All of this was inspired by my love of crafting and to have things that represented our love that were made by us.

I did it with no coordinator, but I did appoint those who were willing to help.

Things to remember
Budget budget budget
We paid for our own wedding, which is something I'm very proud of. My mother gave us our honeymoon airfare and timeshare as a present which saved us a huge load of money. But if you don't have a budget you are going to overwhelmed, over budget and vendors will take advantage of the wedding craze in your pretty little eyes.

You need to find out what type and style of wedding you'd like to have when you are keeping a budget in mind.

Contemporary
Modern
Vintage
Upscale
Backyard
Beachside
DIY

These things will help you target your vendors as well. There's no sense in having club style dj with a modern contemporary photographer in a ball gown in your wedding is in a beautiful country barn house or on the beach.

Almost anything goes now. While its not ideal to have your colors be navy and burgundy in the middle of June, there are ways to make it work.

Make a list once you know what you are working with. Set aside a specific amount of money you'd like to spend, leaving the most $ for what is the most important to you. And keep in mind and write down what you'd like to be able to get for what you are willing to spend. Mine was the photography and the band. Your photographer or videographer is the only tangible way you will be able to remember your special day. So you might have a beautiful wedding, with a bunch of horrible photos that won't allow anyone to Remember how gorgeous your day was.

After you search your vendors, make a top three list. When you talk to them, let them know how much you can spend on them and what you are hoping to have. Know what you are getting when you get it. Most good and note worthy vendors will have you sign a contract and ask for a non refundable deposit when you sign it. This locks you in or your deposit is lost.

Doing these steps will prevent you from going over your budget but they always say to add a "cushion" to your budget so your not stuck tight and panicking at the end.

More advice. I am a hairstylist and makeup artist. I have not only worked on brides, but whole bridal parties doing hair and makeup as a lone wolf. If you are the only one getting your hair and makeup done its not usually too stressful

Benefits of going into a salon the day of are basically that
It's usually more affordable and
you can usually buy touch up products there before you leave.

Cons:
Someone is always late ( usually its the bridesmaid who has children, or the mother of the bride)
Someone forgets to pay in the chaos, so I've seen brides get footed with paying for one of her bridesmaids.
Someone forgets to make an appointment (a good salon is busy so they have to stress their staff out to accommodate the hair or makeup that was forgotten, if they can even do it)
Usually the photographer can't be there, (the photography of getting ready are among my most treasured photos.
Running late at the salon means running late for your wedding, and that means all the girls with you too.
It's not as personal and private

When you have a hair and makeup artist come to your wedding location, or wherever you are getting ready

You can laugh and be loud amongst yourselves spending time together with your closest friends and family while getting pampered and pretty.
Everyone is usually all there at the same time so there is a much more laid back feel and you can have fun and relax.
Your photographer has one less place to get all their equipment/assistants to so they can capture the process of you getting ready.
If you are getting ready on location, if anything goes awry, you are there to answer anybody's questions.
If your running late, your not cause your already there!

Cons:
it's usually twice the price
That's about it. ;)

Hire a day of coordinator to tell all your vendors where to go or appoint someone with a list you've made to let them know where everyone needs to be at what time.

Always leave more than just your own contact number. You can't control everything it will only stress you out and you'll be to busy getting gorgeous anyways!
Each vendor had not only my husband and mines phone numbers
But each parent and the maid of honor and best man.

Okay breathe, I know that was a massive amount of info.
Oh and treat wedding mags like a luxury. There are a ton of absolutely awe inspiring wedding blogs out there that will give you all the ideas and info you need.....for free.

Our wedding was featured on Rock And Roll Brides Blog and featured in issue 2 of their official magazine. Here's the link to check out my day as a bride!

http://www.rocknrollbride.com/2011/12/a-diy-wedding-with-a-mountaintop-view-larry-chelsea/


Here's a list of a few amazing blogs, many offer a lot of giveaways and free downloads to use from invitations to table numbers and props!
Www.greenweddingshoes.com
Www.rockandrollbride.com
Www.ruffledblog.com
Www.100layercake.com
Www.Stylemepretty.com
Www.diybride.com

Eric & Brenda's Vintage Inspired shoot by Raquel Ames Photography!

Today I have the privilege of featuring Eric and Brenda's vintage inspired engagement session! Photos are brought to us by San Diego and Southern California based lifestyle photographer Raquel Ames.
The couple was shot on an exclusive North San Diego County Mountain countryside location that naturally captures Raquel Ames' amazing talents....and how gorgeous this couple is! They worked together to collaborate on prop and styling ideas and they delivered beautifully. There is no filter more gorgeous than a yawning sun. Excited to share their nuptials as well later this year. If you are interested in a wedding, lifestyle shoot or session quote you can contact Raquel at reaphotography@rocketmail.com for a quote or package pricing to capture your special day and moments! Her website link is also located first on our Link Lovin section. Can't wait to share more of this couples love! Congratulations to Eric and Brenda!

Spring has sprung in the weekly Wednesday wants!!!

So a few things on my weekly window shopping list. I have a travel size of escada a limited edition new scent which smells like escada's signature crisp clean scent had a love child with cherries. And since I'm prepping for a spinal fusion this summer, I'm obsessed with spine jewelry and I love cuffed rings. Jewelry baby.

Spring has sprung!!!! by chewybumbum featuring a denim vest

Top
$13 - 2dayslook.com

Denim vest
$46 - ark.co.uk

Jane Norman dip dye shorts
$38 - janenorman.co.uk

Accessorize floral print shoes
accessorize.com

Bjørg ring
forzieri.com

Norma Kamali cateye sunglasses
shoplesnouvelles.com

Charlotte Russe fedora hat
charlotterusse.com

Sheer shawl
modcloth.com

Escada
$53 - debenhams.com

Nivea
$2.73 - chemistdirect.co.uk

DIY gel manicure tutorial

So a lot of gals are wondering how to get the gel manicure look at home for less. Well starting at $35 a pop usually, that adds up every two weeks. $70 every month for a basic gel manicure.....the math please.......thats a whopping $840 a year. $1000 if you want to throw tipping in. Plus the yuck uv light exposure on your hands.

With a few products and 15 minutes you can have the same look for much less. Here are the simple steps. No uv light needed!

Here are the tools you'll need
Gelous acrylic gel or Sally hansens powerful acrylic gel
Acetone
Cuticle pusher, small coffee stirrers work well too.
Your favorite polish
Oil
Hand lotion

* Clip, file and clean under your nail tip as you see fit.
* Start by rubbing cuticle oil around your cuticles to soften them. I personally use avedas cuticle control cause its amazing. Then push back your cuticle to clean your nail bed. If you have a lot coming up I recommend using some cuticle clippers to clean up any major excess. Don't go crazy. They do at the nail salon and you still need some of your natural cuticle left to protect where your nail meets skin!
* Wash your hands and dry
* Apply some hand creme. I use Avedas Hand Relief. It's water resistant up to four washes, keeps them hydrated without being greasy so they stay youthful, and they reduce and prevent age spots on your hands!
* Wipe your nails clean with cotton and acetone

Now to paint! Remember several thin coats ADD UP so don't gunk on super thick layers of polish, just keep it simple. <3

* Apply one coat of Acrylic Gel Polish. Let dry.
* Apply one coat of your favorite nail polish and let dry
* Apply another coat of Acrylic Gel Polish and let dry
* Now apply TWO coats of your favorite polish and let dry.
* Finish with TWO coats of your Acrylic Gel Polish let dry.

Don't worry about the gels dry time, it actually dries pretty quickly. And during your last two coats of regular polish you can use glitter polish too or a nail pen for nail art to play it up, then add you last two coats of acrylic gel.

Your done! Seems like a lot of steps but its pretty nice to do when your watching your favorite show during commercial breaks. Here are the links to purchase the products or you can stop by my salon in Carlsbad,ca at Earth Salon and Spa. You can check out our services or even possibly get a complimentary hand massage so you can test out how amazing the hand relief is for yourself!! Tell them Chelsea sent you!


Gelous advanced nail gel
Sally Hansens Powerful Acrylic Gel
Avedas Hand Relief Lotion
Avedas Cuticle Control

1.5

So I know 1 1/2 anniversary doesn't really count. But I thought I'd post considering a year and a half ago today at this time, I had just finished my wedding ceremony and was taking portrait photos with my amazing photographer Leila Brewster.
My husband is sleeping beside me right now. I'm prepping myself for spinal surgery this summer and I just took a spill and busted my knee right as he was on his way out the door to have an awesome day skating with the guys on a rare weekday off for him. After I cried for 45 minutes (while begging him to go have fun, I'm fine as my makeup is literally dripping all over me)
He rubs my back, waits for me to calm down then helps prob up my pillows for my back and tapes my knee up as only a skater would know how and iced it even though it made me scream. He stayed home with me and ordered me my favorite pizza. I'm such a dud. But I married a stud....mostly. Happy 1.5 honey. Even though you snore now.
And happy birthday to my little sis. You crazy bubs.

Rehab addiction continues

I call my husband the trash man. No he doesn't really bring home trash. Well sort of, but I'm talking amazing artwork, sea glass, antique telescopes. Anyways he brought home this cheap ikea esque shelf thingy once cause he wanted a place to organize and store some music stuff and I wanted to literally light it on fire. I tried to throw it out a couple of times but it always ended up back in the house.
Now that we have more room and I need some girly storage space I thought it was time to rehab with my trusty cabinet full of rustoleums 2x spray paint. And I had a wine rack that needed help.

I cleaned everything down
Buffed the boo boos out with steel wool# 0000 ( remember this grade also works to distress your furniture after painting or to add shine to furniture that is already finished with a sealant)
I painted the shelves in different colors cause I wanted a pop.
Let dry for an hour and then apply your second coat.
Voila. New and Matches our room color scheme that is slowly coming together!

The Beauty Balm Boom

So if you are a frequent shopper of beauty places such as ulta, sephora, department store counters, you've probably noticed a lot of lines tend to come out with the same something new all at the same time. First lip plumpers, then primers, then gel liners, then...well you get the point. So this time Beauty Balms. In case you are wondering, this is what most lines are calling their "BB" Creme. It's intended to be the soft merriment of a primer, tinted moisturizer, anti aging Creme and SPF. And I've had the chance to try a couple. Everthing from Garnier to Smashbox has one. And I really wasn't too impressed.
My skin is pretty difficult to impress and as a makeup artist and acne fighter, you can imagine that I have high standards. I'm also going into my late twenties so even though I have an olive complexion, I have just a few hints of wrinkles (2 to be exact) hyper pigmentation, bigger pores and with oily skin I fight acne and blackheads.
There aren't a lot of products out there that can be oil free and moisturizing without causing me to breakout.......so I thought.
Urban Decay has once again blown my mind. Now I know it's on the pricey side (perks of a makeup artist/hairstylist) but its well worth the $34 for this Beauty Balm. They chose wisely to include it as part of their Naked line. I picked it up at Ulta and got a free gift of their 24/7 glide on black liner and their newer makeup setting spray which works pretty well too. So here's the scoop in why I love Urban's BB Creme the most.
*It only has SPF 20 which is actually healthier for you because of what needs to be in SPF to make it stronger is actually toxic to your body. So it does help provide a healthy level of protection.
* Its oil free but hydrates and helps improve proper hydration over time
* It primes so your makeup stays where it belongs and doesn't clog pores.
* It has a general pigment that will fade into any skin tone without dulling your skin so it can minimize pores, lines, wrinkles and redness
* It actually treats your skin to improve elasticity, firming and reducing spots as well!

If you are really dry naturally I would follow with your regular moisturizer. It's Demi-matte so no matte tour skin type it won't be oily. The consistency is also very liquid to Creme. Most primers are very creamy to help minimize pores and wrinkles but that doesn't work well if you are acne prone. Give it a try!

Weekly Wednesday Wants

Can I say "need em now"? Looove polyvore, lets the the poor lady's closet pretend!!

Weekly Wednesday Wants by chewybumbum featuring long sleeve tops

ONLY long sleeve top
$25 - only.com

High rise pants
boohoo.com

Yves Saint Laurent genuine leather handbag
ysl.com

Chanel black gold jewelry
fashionphile.com

Vintage wayfarer sunglasses
$28 - motelrocks.com

Nails inc
$18 - nailsinc.com

Iveta Abolina Pink Navajo
inprnt.com

Dr Martens Triumph 1914 W Boot GRAPE BROADWAY - Doc Martens Boots and...
$220 - drmartens.co.uk

Prayers

We all have our hurdles, our breaks, our limits. Our compassion from common struggle is what continues to keep us united. Life taken soon is never fair to the rest of us who are left. we are left with uncertainty, the ultimate pain, and fear. whether its at a school, in a two tall business buildings, an airplane, a theatre, on a war front, at a marathon, in our homes, our jobs, our finances, or our hearts and minds. Strength in numbers. Prayer is the oldest invention.

Brighton's Baby Bumptials

So I had the pleasure of attending my friends' baby shower. The moment Tiffany told me she was preggy, I knew we were in for some seriously fun shower times.
As we all know I'm personally obsessed with anything event related, especially when it involves crafting!
Tiffany and Vinny chose the name Brighton, and she was celebrated in style! They went with a DIY Mermaid By the Sea theme. And Tiffany was sweet enough to ask if my aunt (who made my delicious wedding cake) if she would help with her expertise and make a cake for the shower. The cake was an ombré ruffled coconut Creme two tiered cake with white chocolate shells and sugar bubble accents!
There's good looking cakes, then there's delicious good looking cakes!!
I also color Tiffany's hair so I set her up for her signature Ariel hair style and got her to break out of her straight shell by doing loose beachy waves and a waterfall braid!
This was literally time crunched in 15 minutes.
I prepped her with Euforas finishing spray and curled her with a 1 1/2 inch curling iron. I teased her crown and smoothed and started her waterfall braid loose and across her occipital and finished it by tying it into an old fashioned braid. I finished with Bumble and Bumbles shine spray and ran a flat iron through her bangs.
Her color rocks Redkens newer Chromatics line in 6 Rr which has a much lower ammonia content but has the strength to lift and cover grey!

It was such a great time to be a part of , a lot of things were hand made with love , including a watermelon and fruit baby in carriage made by resident sweetie pie Cristen Fick. ( I posted her nuptials a while back on the old blog ill have to update that here!!)
Check out the photos of the big day!
Congrats to Tiffany and Vinny on your beautiful life to come!!

Donzo!

Okay kiddos, so it was a lot of work with this ole back but with my hubby's help and my trusty tens unit, my rehabbed broyhill is up! Sneak peek pic of some more DIY accent pieces to hang over the headboard. Using some awesome monogram letters I found at anthropologie for our wedding that i didnt end up using and some vintage old school shutters! ( yes there will be more steel wool involved)... To be continued! Stay posted dandies!!

Rehab addict

So I really have to hand it to Rustoleum's American Accents. I go for there 2x matte spray for furniture since you get a double coating in one coat. You can always go back and spray a gloss finish if you want. This is a vintage Broyhill headboard I wanted to keep but we needed to rehab it.

First you are want to grab some face masks and gloves for protection. Most paint is pretty unhealthy to breathe in no matter what.

Wipe down your furniture piece well to make sure its clean and there's no chipping and if there are holes you can purchase wood glue to fill and use 220 sandpaper once it's dry to smooth out any lumps and bumps.

Next you are going to want to use #0000
Grade steel wool. This is a great way to smooth out the piece and create the perfect amount of porosity to paint. It's also great to use as a paint distressed once its dried if you are going for a more rustic and distressed look.

Now it's time to spray!

I love spray paint because you get better control than a brush. Just remember to shake it for about a minute before application. Start at the top of your furniture piece and hold your can about five inches from your furniture piece so that you don't cause splats or dripping. Go back and forth to create a smooth look. Work from top to bottom. Let your piece dry for about 30 minutes and repeat the spray process. Let dry. If there's any blotchy spots you can address them now that the furniture is complete and when it's dry you get a true concept of how the paint finishes.

Now set it up and dress it up with some great accent pieces!

What do you think? So fun!

All my products were purchased at
Wal mart!
Rustoleum American Accent Ultra cover 2x
$3.44
Bag of steel wood #0000
$2.50
Face masks
$2.00

The crafty itch

So as some may know, I'm preparing to have a major back operation this summer. I have had to cut back on my regular work as a stylist and makeup artist because its physically too much with the degenerative issues I have in my spine. And I've been waiting to muster up the energy when I'm having s good day, because with a degenerative back diseases, simple easy tasks are difficult and painful. Just washing a few dishes could mean a lot of unbearable extra pain. Now there's a tangent being born here.....
Since we rent, I have a constant itch to add knick knacks and make things feel as much as mine as possible. Renters need apartment therapy sometimes, but nothing beats not having the stress of a mortgage, we could pick up and go if our gypsy hearts chose. Since both my husband and I work in the commission and contract job industries that we do, what never know what's around the bend. Not that anyone does, but we don't even have a cushion around the bend. Which means buying anymore furniture than we already have isn't in the cards if we want to start a little Cushion for the coming months ill be out of work.
Since I'm going to be stuck in recovery for at least four months, I've come across some amazing vintage and funky finds that are begging me to be repurposed. Starting with this amazing brass candleholder that needs some tlc, a vintage broyhill bed frame (going to re knack and just use the head board cause our master room needs one), turn a slowly saddening ikea table into a farm table esque table and ........I'm determined to take a crap plywood dresser and knock it up with some paint, decal printing (I see a tutorial in the future?) and putting some amazing knobs to add character. It's so easy to dress an old piece of furniture up with some cool knobs. I usually hit up world market or wait for knobs to go on sale at anthropologie. I got my rustoleum colors picked, some steel wool, face masks and a silly smile! Here's a sneak peekin!!!

Natural backyard nuptials

I had the pleasure of dolling up Jaimie for her bridal trial. Every once and a while a makeup artist gets lucky and has a bride who already has perfect skin. She's having an elegant but low key wedding in her own backyard! More to come, her main colors are lavender and grey and teal so her look was created with Aveda's twilight eyeshadow trio, a natural strip lash to add morr dramatic effect without having to put too much shadow on her since she notmally doesnt wear much makeup. bronzer and juniper lip glaze. I finished her with Nyx hd translucent powder to reduce shine in photos. Stay tune for her nuptials!! If you ever want a makeup lesson or need any hair and makeup services check me/us out at Earth Salon and Spa. Aveda is an amazing plant based company that works towards the greater global good and amazing paraben free hair color and products!

Visit earthsalonspa.com