Oscar Loveliness 2011

To start, I love Hathaway and Franco, but last night's Oscars were a tad bit boring...just sayin'.
With that out of the way, here are my fave dresses from the red carpet.

Hailee Steinfeld in Marchesa

This was an amazing dress for this young lady.

I thought it was age appropriate

and was a natural look for her.

Turns out...she helped design it!

Amy Adams in L'Wren

I love AA and I thought she looked FAB.

I loved the green jewels.

It made this "plain jane" dress stand out!

...and the jewels,

that's another story:

1.35 million dollars worth!

Gwyneth Paltrow in Calvin Klein

I loved her look, tres' chic!

However, I think she should have

either darkened her hair a tad,

or wore the same dress

in a darker tone of this color.

Does that make sense?

I thought she kinda looked washed out...

but I loved it...

and her!

Reese Witherspoon in Armani Prive

I didn't love it,

but I thought she looked nice and comfortable

...and I own this dress.

OK, so not the Armani version,

but one very similar,

 that I wore for Mardi Gras

several years ago...LOL.

I'm not even joking.

To end though, I must say, "NO ONE stood above Hathaway".

I loved EVERY outfit she changed into for the night!

(Except, maybe, the tuxedo.)

Anne Hathaway 2011 Oscars

That pretty much sums up what I thought was the best dressed.

All in all though,

pretty boring overall.

What did you think?

CBB

P.S. Congrats to The King's Speech.

I love Colin Firth.

I have loved him since he was Mr. Darcy

in Pride and Prejudice

over 15 years ago.

*In fact,

Helen Fielding said that

Colin Firth as P&P Mr. Darcy 

was the direct inspiration for her Mr. Darcy

in Bridget Jones's Diary.

Don't you just love that?

Christy is Crushin' on...

For my birthday week,
my post of what I'm really crushin' on:

Blog:

Royal Mail

Marianne over at RM,

 is the sweetest thing on the World Wide Web.

She is part of the internet posse

 that I follow

made up of such characters as:

Claire, Faiza, and Karina.

They have not let me in, yet...but I am working on it.

I am pretty cool,

but they do seem cooler...

or maybe just younger!

Go check them out!

Music:

Adele

This "super lady" is awesome.

I love her last album,

but the new one is even better.

Head over to Ellen

to see her performance of

"Someone Like You"

from the new album, "21".

I cried.

Outfit:

Jeans, Heels, and a White Shirt

This is my "go-to" outfit.

I add jewelry, a belt, and a big bag,

but I love nothing more,

clothes wise, 

than a crisp, white shirt!

It goes with anything!

Place:

Vancouver, BC

OK, so maybe it has to do with this show,

but when I visited Seattle years ago,

I missed getting to journey up to Vancouver,

and have always regretted it!

The Olympics renewed my yearning for this majestical city!

Good thing is...

I think my hubs and kids would love this city, too!

Celebrity:

Nathan Fillion

You know, you're all watching Castle,

but I have loved him since

One Life to Live,

2 Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place,

and now...

everyone is loving the cult classic,

Firefly.

Nathan, I love you...

if for no other reason but this one:

Kids Need to Read.

WR4W...and birthdays, like mine!

Since today is the glorious day that I arrived, not so long ago, I am going to try and keep with the wed theme, but showcase a birthday-ish idea, as well.  I thought I would provide ideas for table settings. Regardless, of the amount of money that one puts into a wedding, a dinner party, a birthday celebration, etc. there is always room for class, presentation, and fresh flowers. These are some examples of great table settings that I think are "somewhat" easy!

yellow table
This table reminds me of waking up with sunshine on my face...LOL.
...and what do you do right after you wake up...
you go eat a healthy, hearty breakfast.
Most important meal of the day, right?

red table
This is so easy and yet so elegant.
I could see this table done in any color
and still look Fabulous!

white table

This is the perfect table to me.

All the different flowers for the centerpieces

are so inviting and goes perfect with the light blue tablecloth.

brown and green

I love these 2 colors together.

There were lots of settings,

 using Brown and Green,

that really inspired me.

simple setting

This link shares great "simple" settings.

I love them,

but I would say that...

I am a big fan of Real Simple.

If you look for table settings online, be specific!

It is unreal.

The more descriptions you use,

the better the search.

Now to close, here are my table setting rules:

1. NEVER use plastic tablecloths. (I loathe them.)
2. Centerpieces should never block eye-contact.
3. Mix couples/guests up. How else will they meet other people?
4. Good food. Good wine. Good fun.

Cake stands

Vintage Inspired Cake Stand

Am I the only person crazy for cake stands?
I love these things.
They really are an asset to any kitchen, baker, or decorator.
These days, I'm a bit obsessed with them.
I have made nearly a dozen,
mainly for gifts,
but how easy is making a cake and putting it on something pretty?

There are many different styles,
with a wide price range,
of these stands out there.
However, you can make one in 3 easy steps!

• Buy a plate and something to put plate on.
• Get out the E6000(or any epoxy)
• Put them together

Repurposed Cake Stand

Not a lot of rules,
but remember,
if something heavy is going on the plate,
the base has to be able to hold it up!
I have seen many, many stands:
round, square, cupcake, wood, glass, etc....you get my point.

Below, I am going to share a few that I like,
and the link for you to go see what they are
...and how to do it!

A word to the wise, though:
cake stands made from wood, may need more steps than three
...sometimes a drill may be required!

Wood Cake Stand

Christy is Crushin' on...

I have enjoyed having a theme for the last 14 days...and LOVE the WR4W that kristi started, so now I am going to use Fridays as my CRUSH blog posts day.

Every week, I'm going to give a shout out to blogs I'm reading, music I'm listening to, outfits that I just have to have and some place I'd like to be that weekend. Oh, and who I'm crushin' on celebrity wise!
Here goes this week's crushes:

Blog: Bicoastally

Claire is an amazing writer and person.

Who she is, comes off in what she writes.

100% talent!

Music: Bruno Mars

I love this guy.

The way he sounds and his style,

2nd to none.

Outfit: One-Shoulder Dresses

I love these dresses.

They have been around forever,

but I still like them!

Place: Portwenn

The real name of the city is Port Isaac.

It is in North Cornwall, England.

The city is from the PBS series Doc Martin.

One day,

my family and I will "summer" there.

Celebrity: Liam Neeson

Met this awesome guy in Hazard, KY.

I was 15 years old...

and he has done nothing, but get better with age.

Class act!

WR4W...Photography.

Today, I want to talk about wedding pics and photographers. First of all, I do not like staged wedding pictures. I am a huge fan of wedding photojournalism.

What I mean is, I like great pics taken of an event

without telling anyone

what to do

or how to look

or how to pose.

From what I read and see on most wed blogs, lots of folks are doing it.

It is a trend that will be around for a while.

Therefore, just wanting to show some great examples of wedding photojournalism

on the blog for this Wednesday's post.

These were from my big day.

None were taken by professionals...at the time.

CBB

P.S. Not a fan of the backside photo, but it was a wonderful moment shared with my daughters!

Making a quilt

I AM pretty crafty, but I have never "completed" a quilt and I have trouble tying fancy bows. As many of you know, I am working on a t-shirt quilt for the hubs to give to him on our anniversary this year (I started this project on our anniversary last year)...after I see how it comes out, I am doing one for my eldest daughter, too. I am using all of her "spirit" shirts from school. So, today, I will not talk about bows, but come back soon and I'll go off on that as well.

Now, the t-shirt quilt is coming along, but it brings me back to a quilt I started while living by myself in Winchester, KY back in 2007. I decided that I wanted to make a BOW TIE quilt. Unless you are a professional quilter, this seemed like an easy quilt...well, it was...is not. I have one strip sewn together for a king size bed...LOL. I have most, if not all of the fabric cut out...just haven't sat back down and started on it. That is getting ready to change, my friends. I am going to make this quilt and I have been on-line hunting down ideas, directions, and motivations.

I loved the directions given over @ http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/golden/2011/02/sweet.html

They were simple and true. You may have to do a little research, but the steps are about right.

She says:

pick color scheme
buy fabric for top
wash fabric
cut squares
sew squares into strips
sew strips together
trim edges
iron top of quilt
read about how to bind layers together
buy binding supplies
pin back, batting & top together
sew, sew, sew
trim edges
read about how to finish off
buy fabric for final binding edge
cut fabric
read again how to finish off because it seemed ridiculously hard
iron fabric
machine stitch binding on
pin binding
hand stitch into place

I am not putting a time limit on this quilt, but I am going to dedicate the next few weeks to putting a little more of it together. Today, think about something that you could leave as a legacy and attempt to do it. Future generations will thank you AND you could share it on your own blog.

CBB

Day 14-- I love my little Family!

On the day set aside for love, I have to dedicate my post to the 3 people I love more than anything in this world: Claudia Buettner, Catarina Buettner, and Chad Boyd. I could have nothing, but their laughter, and would be the happiest person on the planet.

Everyday, I feel so blessed knowing I have the opportunity to love such amazing people. As time goes by, and I realize how important "loving and being loved" is...I make a conscious effort to let these 3 know that my life would be nothing without them in it!

Happy Valentine's Day, my 3 Musketeers!
I love you all.

Day 11--I love Peace.

Today marks a special day for those in Egypt and a day our family will not soon forget, either. Just after midnight, we got the phone call from the hospital that my husband's grandmother, Desta, had passed away. His mother was by her side...just as she has been for the last 9 years.

Both of these situations, though not alike and miles apart, have something in common. The hope for Peace. There is not much I can say for Egypt except this time of change, I pray, will be one that alters their fates, futures, and destinies in a positive way. A nation at peace can do great things.

In the last few months, Chad's grandmother fought a very hard battle with her health. She had to be fed through a tube, she was confined to a hospital bed, and she could barely communicate; a shell of the vibrant and spunky woman that my husband remembers.

Now, I like to think, she is at peace.
And with peace , I like to think, comes happiness.
There are moments when happiness and sadness are very similar and when you are forced to choose which you feel most...please, remember to always, always choose happiness.

Where there is faith,
there is love;
Where there is love,
there is peace;
Where there is peace.
there is God;
Where there is God,
there is happiness.
~Sri Sathya Sai Baba

**I have always said that when it's my time to go, I'll make peace and let go and I just assumed all "old" people believed that, too. However, the day they took her to the hospital, this time, I think she knew she wouldn't be coming back home. While waiting for the ambulance, Carolyn(Mr. Chad's Mom) ran around trying to get all her of Mother's paperwork, meds, etc. I just stood there with his grandmother and held her hand. She was already having trouble catching her breath and with each inhale, she would hold my hand--tightly. You could see and hear her trying to breathe. I believe she wanted to let go, but I think in our final hours, we still want to fight to live.

Peace means, to me, non-warring, calmness, harmony.

Day 10--I love NOLA!

I can hear the music in my head, Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans? I miss it both night and day. I know that it's wrong...this feeling's getting stronger...the longer I stay away. Ah, nothing like a little Louis to conjure up the deep emotions I have for my old hometown.

The best place in the world for food and hospitality:
Red beans and rice on Monday and a crawfish boil in all the months without an "R". Mardi Gras parties and Jazz Fest. The Gambit. Drive-thru Daiquiri stands...with samples. Jackson Square. Haunted cemeteries. Gris-Gris. The mighty Mississippi River. Cooter Brown's. Street cars. Purple, Green, Gold--Gold & Black. Dirty Rice. Dirty Politics. Catholic school. Lent-Fish Frys. Humidity. Beads and "Second Line" umbrellas. Dr. John. Newcomers.

You know they say, "You don't know what you have 'til it's gone". I have been fortunate enough to experience that only once, but I'm gonna get her back someday.
I do know what it means to miss New Orleans.

WR4W. Day 9--I love the color Granny Smith Green.

First, I coined the abbreviation for our posts each week...WR4W
What do you ladies think?
It was hard typing all that in the title and then adding what we were ...LOL.

Last week, Spring weddings were the theme and I missed out. So, to catch back up, I want to talk about my fave Spring/Summer color for weddings. I am in love with Granny Smith Green. I love it with red, black, blues(almost any shade), brown, and yellow !

Above are some lovely pics, showcasing this amazing color in action!

Could not get links to work...so here are web addresses for pics:

red:http://gallery.weddingbee.com/photo/a-summer-picnic-wedding-apple-green-038-red

brown:http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/changing-colors-to-chocolategreenivory

blue:http://www.groomsoldseparately.com/weddings/gss-inspiration-board-apple-green-navy/

black:http://formerms.wordpress.com/2009/07/22/black-white-and-green/

yellow:http://weddingstoriesri.blogspot.com/2010/06/wedding-wednesday-color-trend-green.html

Day 8--I love my cricuts.

Yes, I have multiple Cricuts, many cartridges, and the Gypsy...and "Gosh, do I love them". (Not really, the Gypsy so much-yet...I haven't figured it out.) You guys are aware that I have my own room...just for crafting, right? Although, I have been told recently the dining room table, the living room coffee table, and my side of the bed looks like crafting areas, too.

Back the the Cricut, I remember back in the day when I first started scrappin' and everything had to be traced, or printed, or copied...and then cut out by hand! Wow, does this machine save time! I really don't use it that much, but when I get one of them out...I go on a binge like a half-rehabed wino...or Charlie Sheen on a normal weekend.

Currently, I am on a binge.

Valentines.

Wall Decor.

Notes.

Postcards.

Art work.

You name it, I am probably attempting it right now.

Hello, my name is Christy.

I am a Cric-aholic!

Day 7-I love wine and their labels.

If you are looking for a wine snob...go ahead and quit reading, hit next, or just turn off your computer. I am not a wine snob. I do not drink what some magazine, catering to people who have never lived within my budgetary restrictions, tells me to drink.

Good wine is good wine.

When I drink wine, I am almost always surrounded by those I love...family, friends, neighbors, but I have been known to drown my sorrows in a good, cheap bottle of wine, too...and sometimes with no one else but Jane Austen and Mr. Darcy.


Buying wine for me is an experience. I sometimes read reviews, but only if they are in one of my "foodie" mags. I listen to friends suggestions, or I buy the bottle 'cause it's PURTY! (that is hillbilly for lovely label/bottle.


Regardless, as I stated above "good wine is good wine". It is not always what the bottle holds, or the pretty packaging, many times it the who, what, when , and where you share it with that makes it good.

Day 6--I love the SUPER BOWL...ads!

Sure, I love the Super Bowl, but come'on, you all know we wait for the commercials all year, too. You always hope they are going to be better than good b/c these people, corporate buffoons, pay ungodly amounts for us to see them!

Last night I was not too impressed. There were about 4 or 5 that really stood out! So today, I am going to showcase the commercials I LOVED from last night's game...which I was OK with regardless of who won...my hubs on the other hand, who likes the Packers on any other day except when they are playing the Steelers, was hoping for a different ending.

5. Chrysler 200/Eminem...absolutely loved the whole idea of rebuilding the city and actually using one of their own to represent.
4. Coca-Cola-"Border"...wonderful message in these times of turmoil.
3. VW-"Black Beetle"...loved the concept, the music, the visuals.
2. Bridgestone-"Beaver/Karma"...this commercial spoke for itself...you get back what you give. I loved it!
1. VW-"The Force"...you can not tell me this commercial did not beat out all commercials by a landslide. It had it all; kid in costume, nostalgia for the adults, magic and wonder for everyone. This was the best commercial of the night!

I love commercials, but this one night of the year...I wait for b/c I love Super Bowl ads!

Day 5--I love thoughtful gifts.

Giving thoughtful gifts is a trait I think you have to be born with, and very few people I know have this trait.

My hubs has it, so does my best friend, C2. (*I like to think I have it a little, but not like the listeners in the world. Sometimes, I think if I talked less I could give more or at least better gifts.)

However, this weekend a friend gave me my "late" Christmas present (her words not mine) and I was overwhelmed with thankfulness.

Just the gift, a beautiful, personalized bag with my name on it, was great, but the reason she gave it to me with the personalization it had, Mrs. Boyd, was due to a conversation we had about my last name at school. It moved me that she bought this gift for that reason. I mean, isn't that wonderful? She didn't just remember me at Christmas, but she remembered us talking one day and THAT set in motion what ultimately help choose my gift.

I have loved this friend since my children went to school where she teaches, so many years ago, but now I love her even more for just being who she is--a kind, wonderful human being.

I am very blessed with all of my new friends, but Can you really made my day--Thank you!

Mrs. Boyd

P.S. Princess Sexton, I love you, too!

Day 4--I love mail.

I love getting mail. I love sending mail. There is nothing better than knowing someone took the time out of their busy life, and we all have busy lives, to write a letter to you!

I try to send notes to my children, letters to my family, thank yous to just about anyone...and you don't want to get me started on Christmas cards.

Truly, don't you just LOVE opening your mailbox and seeing an envelope addressed to lil' ol' you? I love colored envelopes, stickers, beautiful stamps and just seeing my name, Mrs. Christy Boyd.

Today, I challenge you. Write someone you love a letter--mail it. I promise the results will be wonderful. You will love doing it and the person you send it to will love getting it!

I LOVE MAIL!

Day 3...I love the Ballard Designs catalog!

I love catalogs!

There are so many that I just love to browse through: Crate and Barrel, IKEA, Pottery Barn, Horchow...but there is one that totally stands out for me, Ballard Designs!

Any home DIY-er/decorator has to love this catalog. It is packed with page after page of beautiful, classic home design. Well, it does lean toward the European influence, but stylish nonetheless!

I would give up all of my catalogs (there is on-line catalogs, you know...LOL) just to have this one by my bed, in the bathroom, or dog-eared on my kitchen table.

Some of the items are a bit out of my price range at times, but good design is always within every person's budget. Just ask Nate Berkus.

Go by and visit their website:
http://www.ballarddesigns.com/

You can request a catalog, too. You can thank me later!

If there is a catalog that you love, please leave it in the comments. I would love to check it out!

Wednesdays are for Weddings (Feb. Day 2--I love Bridal showers!)

To stay true to my I love series, and to stay in the fold of Wednesdays are for Weddings, I decided to write about bridal showers. I love them. My favorite are the themed ones held out doors with beautiful flowers and colors, but I really LOVE them all. I love everything from getting the invite, to picking out the couples' gift, to finding the right outfit to wear. It is a social event for me.

I am easy. If you want a nice gift for your wedding, send me a beautifully addressed envelope with my name written in calligraphy...I'm a sucker! Now, I do honor bride and grooms and not bring a gift if requested, but I normally try to donate in their name somewhere or plant a tree.

My fave gift to give is a scrapbook or an "Our 1st Christmas Together" ornament. I feel that folks sometimes get so caught up in what to buy off of the registry...they forget about the little things. One of my favorite wedding scrapbooks, that I made, was for my Ex-husband and his wife. (I knew there would be plenty of pics with my children in them.) She sent a thank you, but I can't guarantee she used it...some folks just aren't scrapbookers!

Anyway, I am sure I will play host to, at least, 2 bridal showers or luncheons. (Thank God for little girls!) Yet, I am very sure they will be very different from each other...LOL. I would say, "I can't wait", but I can.

In fact, I hope I have to wait quite a while.
CBB

A special thank you to Jennifer Jude.
Mary and I loved our co-bridal shower.
It was thoughtful, sweet, and had the yummiest finger foods ever!

February-Day 1 of things I LOVE...

I don't LOVE Valentine's Day, but I do love LOVE and how different people interpret it. Over the next 14 days, I am going to share things that I love with you. I don't normally do these theme-y things, but since I'm in on Wedding Wednesdays...I though I'd try this!

Now, I created this idea(would love for some of you readers/bloggers to join in) so I get to make the rules...LOL. There are none...LOL. Just take a quick moment and write about something, someplace, or someone that you love! Oh, and link back to me, in one of the post--if you can!

Today, I love seeing and saying I LOVE YOU in different languages!

Check out this page to see what I mean:

http://www.travlang.com/iloveyou.html

CBB