Naughty Bits Brownies!

When Leigh Lambert, owner of Naughty Bits Brownies contacted us and asked if she could send us samples of her tasty treats, I was super excited and ready to taste test some of these sinful sweets! I instantly loved the catchy company name and immediately thought about how our clients can incorporate these decadent desserts in their respective events!

When the shipment of brownies arrived, I was blown away by the creativity of both the flavors and the fun, colorful packaging. Leigh sent me all 6 brownies to try and each one was more delicious and unique than the next! The package consisted of the "Man Catcher", "Geisha Girl", "Living in Sin", "Barista Bar", "Cabana Banana Boy" and finally "The Shiksa". SIX, delicious and hefty brownies for me to taste and indulge in?! I was in heaven!

The "Man Catcher" and "Living in Sin", are Leigh's more traditional brownie flavors and would be perfect as a wedding favor for the chocolate loving couple! The peanuts in the "Living in Sin" Brownie, provide a perfectly salty balance to the sweet, chocolate flavor and the "Man Catcher" has got to be one of the best "plain" brownies I have ever tasted! The "Barista Bar" with its rich espresso flavor would be a perfect addition to any dessert bar and will definitely be a favorite of coffee lovers everywhere!

The 2 brownies that really excited me were the "Shiksa" and the "Geisha Girl" because of their unique savory components. The "Shiksa" combines the ever popular bacon with chocolate and toffee bits for an extremely pleasant sweet v. salty flavor profile, and the "Geisha Girl" fused chocolate, wasabi and ginger for a delightfully spicy component to an otherwise traditional dessert.

The "Cabana Banana Boy" was the final brownie that I tried and let's just say, that I am glad I saved the best for last! This brownie was everything I could have hoped for and more. A perfect mix of chocolate, dried bananas, toasted coconut and salty macadamia nuts made what I consider the ultimate dessert! I basically ate this entire brownie alone, and if you saw the size of these things, you would definitely judge me.  I honestly could not get enough!

Although I could spend hours describing the deliciousness of this one brownie, let me spare your the gluttonous details and make a simple recommendation. If you love chocolate, sweets, and fun, please, do yourself a favor and contact Leigh at Naughty Bits Brownies and see if she can provide dessert for your next event! The individually packaged sweets can be personalized and customized (or not) and will serve as fantastic favors for your next wedding, bridal shower, or birthday party!

Thank you Leigh, for letting us try these brownies and thank you even more for creating my new favorite dessert...the Cabana Banana Boy!

Vera Wang Goes Red

The bridal gown world got quite the shock for the second year in a row from iconic fashion designer Vera Wang. The designer's nude & black colored wedding gowns graced the runway last season - and she has turned it up a notch with bold red dresses dominating the runway this year.

via BridalGuide

With this new collection, which took the bridal world by storm this past week in the press, the designer pays homage to her heritage. In China, brides wear the color red to reflect love, romance and joy. The color red is also used the day of the wedding in the decorations of the bride & groom's homes, and even in the gift boxes/envelopes given out at the wedding. And although the color may be bold, Vera's subtle elegant details still shine through in the designs.

This new collection of 15 gowns celebrates the color of love and passion. A definite stray from the traditional white and ivory gowns that made her one of the go-to designers for future brides.

Vera says of the new collection, "Beautiful dream. The symbolism of Red. Boldly romantic, charming, protective, grand, seductive, sexy. From dahlia to scarlet, crimson and vermillion. A celebration of love."

"Vera always likes to wow and show a somewhat rebellious, anti-traditionalist approach in her shows, and I think that definitely came through," said Brittany Robins, Bridal Guide's Assistant Fashion & Beauty Editor. "She never ceases to amaze!"

Need more ideas on how to incorporate red into your special day? Check out our Pinterest boards & custom stationary at our Etsy Shop here.

Something Blue

It has been a tradition since the Victorian era - and is practiced by most brides on their wedding day.

Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.
Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride. The belief is that if she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy.
"Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past.
"Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead.
"Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.
As for the blue, the color has been connected to love, purity & weddings for centuries. Before the late 19th century, blue was actually a very popular color for wedding dresses.
And finally, a silver sixpence in the bride's shoe represents wealth and financial security. For optimum fortune, the sixpence should be in the left shoe. These days, a dime or a copper penny is sometimes substituted, and many companies sell keepsake sixpences for weddings.
There are many ways to interpret an old tradition and make it modern. Some trends we here at DIYva Designs have seen include taking a family members wedding gown and either reconstructing it in a way that suits the new bride - or taking pieces of it to incorporate into a new gown. Then there is the something blue... many brides have gone the blue shoes route, or merely painting the soles of their shoes blue for good luck.

via Chic Wedding Blog

Don't have something already in mind? Check out Etsy's Handmade Something Blue Shop!

Or get some more ideas from our Pinterest boards here.

Top Trends of 2012

With the start of a new year, comes the start of new trends! So what will be popping up all over the wedding world this year? Take a look:

Trend #1: Rustic Glam Barn Weddings - imagine the perfect combination of exposed wood, lace, whimsical flowers with the perfect ambient lighting to set the stage for your big day. Brides are now jumping at the chance to glam up a little farmland to say their I Do's. And the ladies here at DIYva Designs are huge fans of this trend too!

via Tried and True Weddings

Trend #2: Long Sleeved Wedding Dresses - Kate Middleton really is to thank for this trend. After her royal wedding to Prince William, brides everywhere wanted to bring back this trend. Her dress was designed by Sarah Burton, Creative Director for Alexander McQueen - giving a nod to Grace Kelly's 1956 wedding dress.

via Wedding Inspirasi

Trend #3: Water Color Invitations - It seems couples tying the knot are trying more and more to incorporate little creative details into their overall wedding designs. And one way to add a little artistic touch? Include some custom watercolors to your stationery line! Our very own Sugar loves to take the traditional wedding invitation and adding a little pop of personality to it.

via Sealed.

To see more examples of trend setting invitations, check out our Etsy shop here!

Wedding Wednesdays: The Bridesmaid.

You are doing one of two things right now if you are a woman, on the eve of Thanksgiving.
a) You are sweaty and cooking (likely with a glass of wine, and some music or loud offspring diddling in the background.)
b) You are starving yourself because tomorrow you are going to eat like a pig and it's nobody's business but your own. (and everyone reading this blog if they can identify you.)

I am so about to interrupt your glutenous doings; we are going to make some changes to SugarandArt.

Starting with....(drum or wooden spoon roll)....WEDDING WEDNESDAYS! ---Basically, some fun tips, favor ideas, and all things wedding related. We get a lot of traffic from soon-to-be-I-doers, so it's about time we actually make this a semi-consistent wedding blog. (SEMI. We still want to post about EVERYTHING art & design related.) 

Ok so we do not only focus on wedings, but let's face it; they are fun and give people like me (COCD)--Creative Obsessive Compulsive Disorder---- a chance to be as creative as possible when it comes to fashion and design.

I have seen some HORRRIBBLEE bridesmaids gowns. Let's face it; you don't want your sexy BFF looking better than you on your big day. But do you have to do her like this?!:

What the heck was she thinking? I wouldn't have even smiled. We wouldn't even be FRIENDS after this. I wonder if I squeeze her hind-parts will I hear an accordion......ok ok.

There are PLENTY of affordable, sexy, fun dresses that you can slap onto your friends on your wedding day. Make sure it's something that looks good on their body type (have some variation in the style if not the colors) ----and you will have some happy bridesmaids! Take a gander at these, handmade bridesmaid dresses than will make your friends look HOT next to you.

I can see this at an eco-chic winter or fall wedding (it's distressed wool) Guess what? UNDER $300.00 from my favorite indie designer Chabri.

Getting married this spring/summer? Having a laid back wedding? Keep it simple, or dress cotton dress it up a tad with up-do's and long silver or gold earrings. (This one is also from Chabri) 

Semi-Formal shindig? Taffetta looks good on ALL body types, depending on the cut of the fabric. All of these designers do custom work, so you can flex the style around. This one is from yystudio.

 This is a sleek, sexy bridesmaid gown for the fall, good for your voluptuous friend who likes to show those curves! (And might also make a good possible mate for your husband-to-be's groomsman you paired her with.....oh, tmi?) This one is from Lirola. I LOVE her work.

 

D.I.Y. Bridal Workshop!

If you haven't yet heard, D.I.Y.va Designs is on the go again! Immediately following the Launch party, we started planning our first DIY Bridal Workshop, due to the amount of inquiries that we receive and what DIY Planning is all about.

Since so many brides today are opting to get creative and craft their own weddings, we decided to help! We have put together an extensive, 5 hour workshop which will provide our guests with every tidbit they ever wanted to know about planning their own wedding. We will include tips on how to save time and money, how to properly negotiate with vendors, which vendors you actually need, have a mini-makeover session, a hands-on craft session, and of course refreshments! Swag bags will also be included and will be once again full of hand crafted goods, plus coupons from some of our favorite DIY friendly businesses!

See all the details and register by visiting our event site http://diybrides.eventbrite.com/ , and as always, contact us if you have any questions!!

Sara + Tony 4.24.10

Here is a quick snapshot of the wedding we just coordinated this weekend! It was a blast, and I have to say that this sweet couple is now on my ever-growing list of favorite people. I'm such a SAP! I had to leave the room when they started to dance; can you believe I was tearing up like a baby!? (Of course you can.)
Nar made these cupcakes and they were a HIT!!!

Daily Candy Weddings

Sooo I was going to post pictures of my cupcakes that I made/designed for a client tasting today, and even though they turned out great, I'm sick of looking at cupcakes...so we'll save those for another day or when my sweet tooth returns!

For now, I just want to shout out Daily Candy- an awesome online network of deals and hot trends- Check them out if you already haven't!

Recently, the folks at Daily Candy have launched a wedding section with some awesome ideas for newlyweds! Take a look and thank me later!

Lovin' Luke!

I like to consider myself the queen of Internet. No, really, my Google skills are impressive and if it's out there, I WILL find it. So that's precisely why I wasn't surprised when I came across the beautiful work of Luke Eshleman, an extremely talented DC based photographer. After browsing his website and perusing his many photos, I realized that Luke's love for vintage inspired photos totally complements our style. So of course I reached out, let him know I was a fan and asked him to send me pictures so we could feature him on the blog!

Here are a few pictures that I had to share! I can totally see myself in any of these photos!

I Do!

Ever thought of buying your wedding attire online? I know, it's a little bit nerve wracking, but just in case anyone's interested, Gilt Groupe, one of my favorite discount designer websites is having a wedding weekend sale and featuring items from THE most amazing designers. http://www.gilt.com/blog/2010/03/04/1722-big-deals-for-the-big-day-sneak-peek-gilts-wedding-weekend-march-12-14 The sale begins this weekend and you need to be invited (that's where we come in) to get access. Email as at DIYvadesigns@gmail.com if you're interested!!

Save the Date!!

I am IN LOVE with these new photo save the date cards from Hello! Lucky They are so creative and unconventional! It's also super easy since you upload your own pictures and complete the order online. Here's my fave set... Check out their other designs too, they're all VERY browseworthy.

What a simple and literal idea! Makes you wish you'd of thought of it huh?!

Train Ticket Wedding Invitations!

Gooooood Thursday to ya! Thursday is like the dingle-berry of the week to me; it's not quite Friday so you try very hard to dispose of it but it moves slow and just sort of lingers there. Anyhoo I wanted to give you something to make your day go a little faster!! My wedding invitations!

So I told you I had three weeks to plan, design, and execute--- (and be incredibly hot). We got a chance to work with the uber sexy and intelligent Gino Fillipone of Ultimate USA Weddings. (He is an officiant and planner)--- The dude has an office at the top of the Empire State Building ---( I was sooo about to call it the Eiffel Tower lmao)----Our first option for a location was the Apollo Theater in Harlem, since it was sooooo old school New York / Hollywood / My Weird Obsession With Dorothy Dandridge----so I made some invitations that looked like vintage theater tickets. After looking desperately for someone to letterpress my design for a reasonable price (I was getting quotes at $10.00 + per invite x the 60 invitations I wanted but they needed at least a week.)----It turned out to be good luck because the network then told me that they weren't able to book the Apollo anyway, so my theater tickets would have been a waste of money. I found out they were using the Grand Central Terminal and I was like, DUH! Train tickets! So this is what I created right on my computer and printed at home, on photo paper so they were glossy. LOVED it! Especially when I slid each 'ticket' into an awesome brown string envelope and created a vintage date stamp with stuff I had around the house lol.

Now, you will notice that my R.S.V.P info is a wedding website. Any clients that we speak to in regards to R.S.V.P gets the same suggestion from our team: USE A WEDDING/EVENT WEBSITE. Its free, whereas you dish out a silly amount of money on R.S.V.P stamps that might not even get returned! (As for me; I had three weeks to rock and roll. lol.)

Flower Fix!

Among the gazillion other things on my plate at the moment, I have been recruited to come up with ideas for one of my best friend's weddings. For whatever reason, I started by researching ideas for Bridal Shower centerpieces (floral) and came up with a bunch of cool ones for really, any occasion. Thanks to the help of two of my favorite websites, The Knot and Martha Stewart Weddings , and some pictures of a few centerpieces I've done on my own, I found some really funky designs and came up with really great ideas. Clearly, these can all be replicated and altered so let us know if you're interested, or need some ideas of your own!

Here are a few that I have done myself for various occasions!

And here are some I'm definitely trying soon!

These are little tea containers filled with flowers from the garden. I've done this myself using fakies and they last all year long!

This one is just plain gorgeous! I love the richness of the purple!




Umm LOVE LOVE this fruit and flower combo!

Kiwi anybody?!

Three Doggone Weeks?!

I DID tell you I had to plan and execute my wedding in three weeks right?! -----I may as well tell you how we ended up at the Millenium Hotel in Times Square for a week, all expenses paid, getting married in Grand Central Terminal......Now stay with me. I am trying to avoid a more fissiparous means of telling you our wedding story; you at least need the back story, and I am about to type fast (picture me talking fast instead:) Here goes:

I know this really cool, well connected non-profit executive named Jessie, who knows this lady who happened to be a casting director for a Nancy Glass Productions show that would be on TLC called "Married in Manhattan." My fiance and I were planning a summer wedding, but upon hearing the words "free", "wedding" and "Manhattan" in the same sentence we were like "Hell to the Yeah!" SOOOOO we sent in an application video where we talked about ourselves, how we met, yadayada, and the TLC executives liked us so the next thing we knew, we had THREE WEEKS to plan and execute an all-expense paid wedding ceremony in NY~:)
Are you still with me?! --Good.
My first step was to figure out what I wanted, I told you I settled on a vintage theme, but I wanted the colors peach, deep plum, and gold accents. I made my favors the week I found out, by setting my friend Monica up around my dining room table with her children in an assembly line. ("Never would have made it"...(you don't know that gospel song ? lol? That's how I felt!)-------
The next step was to hike to NYC with my bridesmaids, to find the material for my dress. I had Savannah DeVore from NYC creating a custom dress out of Peach Raw Silk and organza overlay. I saw a bride in a dress Ms. DeVore made and I mentally hired her way back then, lol. I also wanted some flowers I drew to be the decal all down the front of the dress, with a swarovski crystal in the center of the ones about my waist.

So we walked around NYC Fabric District for EIGHT HOURS that Saturday, me and my soldierettes, looking for the needed materials to make our headpieces and my dress; feathers, rhinestones, haircombs, fabric and trim---it was the longest (and most fun)---day yet.
I ended up making the bridesmaids headpieces and my veil the night I returned home. (I was that excited lol)--- I used some peacock feathers, which would accent my color scheme perfectly and give it the old Hollywood flair that I was going for, raw silk; starched to harden, and some fancy feather and gem stone finds. They all varied slightly, depending on their hairstyles. For me (below, I used the same theme, with a larger flower petal arrangement and a variation in the peacock feather colors. :)

It was a long damn night, let me tell you; but worth every moment, and every hot-glue singed forefinger!

I can't WAIT to unveil (no pun intended) the designs I have in mind for my DIYva Designs clients! A recent client had me hand-make her veil and bouquet (I'll post it soon:)-----and I think you will LOVE it.

Oh Bonzie Crotty Designs, Marry me!

I don't know about you but I have every mind to look like someone who walked straight out of the 2009 Valentino Spring Collection this year. Yet, some minute part of me would prefer NOT to be looking so chic in the bread line, because that's EXACTLY where I would end up! I think I may have just quenched my thirst for the unattainable: because I have found a designer who is just as talented as the biggest names in the biz, and on her way to being one of them!

Ok now get ready for my next tid-bit of fashion marrow for your hungry bones: you will LOVE the designer I am about to turn you on to. Her designs are handmade from the finest materials, worth every penny, and sure to turn heads if you rock her designs.
Bonzie Crotty ,an Irish Designer, makes the most ridiculously sensationsal corsets, (if you LOVE some tight jeans with a sexy corset, YUM)-----and boleros that will look astonishing with your capris this spring! Ooooh I can hardly wait to post pictures. I think my clients will eat this up!!! Can you imagine one of these white boleros over a strapless wedding gown, with a funky birdcage veil?!

So check her out, there is sure to be a little something in your price range! (Oh, and Bonzie herself is a total sweetheart! I also follow her
blog , add it to your daily reads:)

This one is MINE!!!!!!

Some Cool DIY Wedding Favors:)

My wedding was this past November, in Grand Central Terminal in NYC. ----(I will post later about how we ended up somewhere like that.)-----It was fantabulous, might I mention; very small and to the point: I Do, damnit. But I had to have the details that all brides end up whimpering about, whether they are in denial about it or not. I was sooooo in denial, but in my head I was like Flowers, and Colors and Dresses, Oh My! --so I was more-less a passive-aggressive bridezilla; the friendly bitch. 

I settled on an 'aged' theme. Ok let me just say vintage; the word 'aged' when used in reference to a wedding theme sounds geriatric, like we ran over to the nearest nursing home and crashed Bingo hour. hehe. I settled on a VINTAGE theme, and since I'm a huge Dorothy Dandridge enthusiast, that's who I wanted to design my whole look after. I wanted the waves, the tight waist, the mid-calf dress, a birdcage veil---ooh!
Since my entire business is around hand-crafting events, you can imagine I had my work cut out for me. I had favors to make, invitations to craft, a haute couture dress to design and have tailor made, and various trips to NY with my girls to shop for and design their hairpieces. In THREE WEEKS. My first mission: favors. They are often the most time consuming, unless I'm hand-painting invitations.

The Harlem Renaissance was a tad before Dorothy's time, but I went for that feel on my favors. The original location was supposed to be The Apollo Theater, but the producers couldn't book it because silly old Dreamgirls was being filmed there and they had the place on lock. They even tried to fit us under the marquee, but due to construction yadayada----we ended up in Grand Central. Now that is one beautiful, historical place, and quite exclusive, so I was NOT complaining. (Although I DID have a notion to walk across the Apollo stage singing to my fiance in a theatrical wedding march....)---"I Dooooooo" (In the Yahoo tune. lol!)

So back to the favors: I wanted something practical that people would actually use. I find nothing appealing about little bars of soap that might break me out in hives (unless they are made from scratch in the kitchen, but I'll post on that later, too)---- glass figurines, or other useless favors, and where do they end up anyway besides chalky with mothballs in grandma's cupboard.....?

I decided on coasters; uber practical, and kind of sexy. Very 'Put Wet Things Here', you know? I gathered the following materials:

1.) Wall Tiles (Home Depot) Get a 100 tile box for lilke $12 to make 50 favors
2.) Cork Backing (Art Supply Store)
3) Modge Podge (Art Supply Store)
4.) Decorative paper
5) Ribbon and embellishments

All you have to do is slap some modge podge on the front of the tile, place on top of that a piece of decorative paper (a tad smaller than your tile) and smooth another layer of modge podge on top of that. THEN you cut a square piece of cork backing and peel off the tape, and put that on the back of the tile. Put two together, tie with ribbon, add a trinket that says something sweet, and BAM, homemade wedding favors for about $2.00 each if that.
Here's what mine looked like:

The only extra step I took was cutting out pictures of Harlem Renaissance greats like Paul Robeson, Josephine Baker, Billie Holiday, Zora Neale Hurston, Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington and modge podging them on as well. Then I made a stamp that said 'K & V Est. 11.09.09' ----so people in the future would know where these things came from as they sat their beer and tea alike on top of them. You like?!