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Work That “Up Do”

Posted by Nicole on Feb 15, 2013 in Blog | 2 comments

Happy Friday and happy President’s Day weekend lovelies! I thought today would be a great day to talk about hair! I was watching to musical “Hairspray” last night and it gave me the best inspiration. Here are some of my all time favorite wedding “up dos” from celebrities that we all know and love.

Anne Hathaway

Not only is Ms. Hathaway a fantastic actress, she also knows how to rock the perfect up do.  I love the relaxed look with the curled hairs in the front.  Imagine walking down the aisle with this beautiful look!

Cameron Diaz

I absolutely love this side swept look that Cameron is completely rocking. I swear that no matter what age she is, she will always be gorgeous (she is only 40 by the way).  I think that this look, with some hidden bobby pins and a lot of hairspray could keep any unruly hairs to the side. Beautiful!

Leona Lewis

Maybe I just really like the side-swept look, but this is too perfect!  It is a little rebellious and rocker-sheek for a wedding, but the right bride with the right theme could easily pull it off.  Also, I would like to mention Leona’s gorgeous eye makeup. That might be a little intense for walking down the aisle, but it still is gorgeous with her hazel-green eyes!

Miranda Kerr

If your hair is not behaving for your big day or even if you just want it to be put back without any fussing, this is the best up do for that!  I think that for the big day, it would be gorgeous to have a pair of long earrings to show off while your hair is completely out of the way.  Plus, with your hair up in a bun, it might look a little too “simple” so why not add a bit of sparkle?  Be sure to tell your hairstylist (or whoever is doing your hair) not to make it too tight so your face doesn’t look stretched and so that you don’t get a headache!

Jennifer Lopez

Curls, curls, curls! For those brides who have gorgeous and bouncy curls, this adorable short cut with a little sparkly accent is perfect!

Kristin Cavallari

Maybe I am a little bias because I am a blonde, but I love, love, love this hair style! I would even consider wearing it for my future wedding day.  It is pulled back perfectly at the top to keep hair out of your face for the dancing at the reception, but it is still left down in the back. Have you ever heard the saying, “Business in the front, party in the back”?  Well, this partial up do represents that perfectly!

Audrey Hepburn

Okay, Audrey Hepburn has got to be one of my all time favorite icons.  She is timeless and can basically pull off any look she wants. I have to say that this up do from Hepburn is my favorite look, not only because I love her as a person, but it is so vintage and classic! It can totally be pulled off in any wedding with any bride.

I kind of want to go out and try all these gorgeous do’s on myself!! That is all that I have for you today  I hope everyone has a fantastic and beautiful weekend!
Don’t forget to like our Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/HBIandCompany
And follow us on Twitter: @HoneyBeeInvites

Also, thank you to StyleBistro and The Divine Addiction for letting me use their pictures of the celebrities and their gorgeous “up dos”!
xoxo, Nicole

The Best Ways to Pop the Question (Youtube Version)

Posted by Nicole on Feb 8, 2013 in Blog | 0 comments

Once again it is that wonderful time of the week where our weekend starts! Considering the fact that today is the Friday before Valentine’s Day I thought I would post my top five favorite wedding proposals on YouTube! Some of the videos are a little long, but TOTALLY worth it if you’re a sap like me.

Number 5:
We have all seen those tear-jerking videos of soldiers coming home to their families, but what about a man in a uniform with a diamond ring in his hand??

Number 4:
This video is really cute because of how many people were involved and because of the creativity! I also cried at the end because….well….you’ll see!

Number 3:
K, who doesn’t love a good Disney movie? Even better? A Disney themed proposal!

Number 2:
I picked this proposal for number two because it goes way beyond expectation and it basically sets the bar too high for all the other hopeful guys in the world.

Number 1:
Here is my favorite wedding proposal video of all time.  I love how silly, light-hearted, and creative it is. I would say yes to him in a heartbeat! I also chose this video because one of my best friends had this guy as her acting coach! Plus, he is an actor in my hometown of Portland, Oregon, so I am a little biased on that one

Aren’t those videos to die for? They truly are all the best examples of “wedding do’s” that I can think of!
Going along with my theme of engagement, The Knot  has some awesome tips and ideas for a creative proposal on the very anticipated V-Day: Valentine’s Day Proposal Ideas

Well, I suppose that is all for now! I hope everyone has a romance and chocolate filled Valentine’s day!
xoxo,

Special thanks to Youtube and YouTubers: RobertaFosse, MattandGinny, Perspectivesnz, bradleyproductionsUS, and carolinazeta7 for letting me use their awesome videos! The links lead you straight to their YouTube Channels. Honey Bee Invites does not own or claim any rights over these videos. They belong strictly to those who posted them.

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/HBIandCompany
Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/HoneyBeeInvites
& visit our website here: www.honeybeeinvites.com

A Shadow Box & Floral Memories

Posted by Nicole on Feb 1, 2013 in Blog | 1 comment

Happy first day of February everyone! I am super excited about today for two reasons: It is the first day I get to start my blog series AND it means we are that much closer to spring and warm weather! Yay! Since the month of February is famous for being the “month of love”, I am going to start off my blog right with a sentimental DIY project. Thanks to The Crafting Chicks, this shadow box project will definitely bring tears to your eyes and warm memories to your heart.

What you’ll need:

• The same roses or pink/red flowers from the bouquet in your wedding
• A Glass Shadow Box (Size does not matter, depends on how many flowers you have, but you will probably want one larger than 8×11) Amazon sells these for cheap
• Scissors or Pruning Shears
• A Hot Glue Gun
• One Piece of Thick Cardstock Paper (same size as Shadow Box)

4) After the flowers are arranged just how you like it, it is time to bring out that hot glue gun and gently glue the flowers to the cardstock. I would recommend using only a small dot of glue on the bottom of the flower where the stem used to be.  Too much glue could make a mess.  Also, try to move as quickly as you can from glue application to paper so that the glue does not dry too quickly!

5) Mount the finished product into the shadow box frame.

6) Enjoy your beautiful and sentimental Floral Shadow Box!

Winners of the Stamp Giveaway!

Posted by Nicole on Jan 24, 2013 in Blog | 0 comments

Happy Thursday everyone!!

So the day has come where we finally get to choose the two winners of our stamp giveaway! I am happy to announce that the lucky HBI fans and receivers of the stamps are:

Andi Gayle

and

Janice Lynn Brown

Congratulations! Andi is the winner of our personalized name stamp for stationary use or for adding a personal touch to any note or gift tag! Janice has won the return address stamp good for any letter or gift-package!  Both of you deserve a pat on the back for helping us promote our company through the web and supporting our creative paper designs, invites, and announcements

In order to accept your prizes you need to send a private message via Facebook to either Allie Fouse or to the Honey Bee Invites Facebook page with the appropriate information regarding the stamp that you won along with an address you would like to have the stamp sent to.

Just to show off a little, here is a small reminder of the fabulous prize you have just won:

Keep in mind that:

• The stamps look just like they do in the picture (simple wooden handle)
• You will not receive an ink pad
• The rubberized calligraphy text will be no bigger than 2.5×4 inches
• They will ship in three weeks (but aren’t they worth the wait??)

We at HBI would like to thank each and every one of you for entering our giveaway and we hope that you still continue to visit our blog for fun pictures and ideas or just to see how we are doing

Stamp Your Way Into The New Year! HBI Giveaway!

Posted by Nicole on Jan 10, 2013 in Blog | 39 comments

Hey everyone! Remember the last post I made that talked a little bit about a giveaway that Honey Bee Invites is having? Well the time has come!! I would like to introduce our giveaway special titled: Clever title right? Well this giveaway is something really special to HBI because the prizes are some very artsy and contemporary stamps that help show off our creativity and delicate themes that we use to create our paper goods! We will be giving away two personalized stamps to two different people! The first stamp will be a return address good for any letter or package and the second stamp will be the winner’s name for stationary use or for adding a personal touch to any note or gift tag!

Super cute aren’t they?? I almost wish I could have them for myself So, you might be asking how to enter to win such awesome prizes? Well here is how:

Really easy, isn’t it? Three simple steps and you are entered into our contest to win! As stated above, the contest ends on the 23rd so get a likin’ and a sharin’ and we hope to see your names in the comment box below!

Important details: The stamps have a simple wooden handle (as pictured), the text on them should be no bigger than 2.5×4 inches, there is no ink pad included, and they will ship in three weeks!
To make things easier here is a direct link to our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/HBIandCompany

Also, to leave a comment just scroll to the bottom of this blog post and press “Read More” or click the bold title at the top of this post and you should be able to leave your link and a note in the comment box!

Thats all for now lovelies!

This giveaway is no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, each participant is providing information to [disclose recipient(s) of information] and not to Facebook. At the end of the contest, each winner will be chosen using a random drawing from the computer (no one from HBI will be choosing the winner as to avoid bias or lack of random selection).

Twenty Thirteen: “Nicole’s Ten”

Posted by Nicole on Jan 7, 2013 in Blog | 1 comment

With the New Year comes new wants and wishes.  Besides the usual desire to win the lottery, lose a certain amount of weight, and to stick with our new 2013 resolutions, we all have a few items on our wish list.  I know that these top ten items called: “Nicole’s Ten” are on my wish list and it is only the first week of twenty thirteen!

Number 10: I have always loved Urban Decay’s makeup.  From their eyeshadows to lip gloss, it is hard to not purchase everything I see and on a college student’s budget that is not always a good thing! For my number ten pick I chose Urban Decay’s NAKED Eyeshadow Palette.

Photo Credit: Urban Decay

 Number 9: Boots, boots, boots, boots! Oh and have I mentioned boots? I am (obviously) obsessed with boots this winter.  My sister has a pair of Steve Madden lace-up boots and I love them! Too bad we don’t wear the same size…

Photo Credit: Nordstrom

Number 8: Polyvore is a website dedicated to fashion.  It allows its users to create an account and put together their dream outfits or just something they wish they could wear everyday! Here is one of the outfits that I created:

Number 7: One thing that never gets old is a good pair of skinny blue jeans.  If I could, I would wear them every day! However, it seems that patterned jeans and pants have become very popular.  For my number 7, I want a pair of patterned pants to add a little bit of “wow” to starting the New Year.

Number 6: During the cold winter days when I am out and about I don’t think I can go anywhere without my scarves. Thanks to Polyvore, I get my fix of infinity scarves to put in my 2013 most desired list.

Number 5: Ahhhh the little black dress for going out or for those days where I feel like dressing up and being classy. Again, thank you Polyvore for the beautiful inspiration!

Number 4: I may not be a diehard sports fan, but I am a diehard Gonzaga Men’s Basketball fan!  The last time that GU made it to the “Elite Eight” in the NCAA tournament was in 1999. So, for 2013, I want them to make it back to that round and all the way to the top!

Number 3: One of my favorite brand of shoes are Toms.  Even though spring is far away I still am looking forward to buying these beauties!

Photo Credit: Toms

Number 2: My number 2 choice is a new purse…because I don’t have enough bags already!

Number 1: Drum roll please….My number 1 choice for 2013 are these amazing stamps made my Honey Bee Invites! They each add a personal touch to any paper decor or letter.  With a simple and contemporary look, and unique and creative design, they definitely deserve to be number one!

These stamps will be featured in our new giveaway! Check our blog this week for your chance to win your own personalized stamp from HBI!!

Also, don’t forget to like our Facebook page here: http://facebook.com/HBIandcompany

And check our website: http://honeybeeinvites.com

All paper goods were created by Honey Bee Invites, copyright 2012.

That is all for now my dears,

Happy New Years From Us To You!

Posted by Nicole on Jan 1, 2013 in Blog | 0 comments

Happy New Year’s everyone! It’s crazy how it is 2013 already, time goes way too fast.

I don’t know about you, but I like my New Years to be full of sparkles and as much glam as possible! These dazzling gold cards and decorations will be sure to add a dash of sparkle to your holiday celebrations. All paper goods created, of course, by Honey Bee Invites.

All paper goods were created by Honey Bee Invites, copyright 2012.

Also, we are really excited to announce our “Stamp Your Way Into The New Year” giveaway prize! Stay tuned next week for more details!

Until next time,

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/HBIandCompany?fref=ts

And visit our website: http://www.honeybeeinvites.com

Credits:
Nikki’s Event Planning and Design, Something Pretty Photography, I Do Linens, Rittenhouse Design & Events, BBJ Linen

New Intern at HBI

Posted by Nicole on Dec 21, 2012 in Blog | 0 comments

Hi all!

My name is Nicole and I am the brand new intern here at Honey Bee Invites. I am from Hillsboro, Oregon and love every second of it. I am very fortunate to have my entire family living within thirty minutes from me and I make sure to visit them as often as possible. Right now my life basically revolves around school, family, friends, and now this internship! I have a younger sister named Erin who I try to be the best role model for, two very loving parents, and our dog Jessi is my family’s rescued angel. In the picture below, my family and I are standing by the statue of Gonzaga’s mascot and as you can probably tell by our warm attire, it gets a little chilly in Spokane!

I am the typical blonde hair, blue-eyed, girly girl but those “dumb blonde” jokes don’t apply here! I am an active student and member of the Dean’s list at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. I am a Public Relations major with a double minor in History and Promotions and a member of the Public Relations Student Society of America. I have been dating my boyfriend Nick for over a year now, and I could not have asked for better! In the pictures below, my best friends and I group together for our “ugly Christmas sweater photo”, and on the bottom, my boyfriend and I are enjoying the warm summer weather on a hike in Washougal, Washington.

This internship is perfect for me because I will be able to manage a lot of HBI’s social media and growing up in this generation means that I know a lot about Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and StumbleUpon to help this company flourish. All of my past jobs have been in the food industry, and although those were perfect starter jobs, I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to branch out and explore my future as a PR major. You should be hearing (well, I guess you’ll be reading more than hearing) from me often and I hope what I say and post inspires both the beautiful brides and active subscribers/followers of HBI to stay with this quickly expanding company.

Thats all for now!

2012 highlights from Honey Bee Invites

Posted by Honey Bee Invites on Dec 12, 2012 in Blog | 6 comments

Super creative title, huh? : )

It’s that time of year again, when a few of us TWIPS “get together” (as in, blog together) to review and reflect on the past year. 2012 was such a packed year for me/HBI! That truly is the best way to describe it….

In 2012 I….

-GOT MARRIED!!
-Helped and watched my handsome husbands company grow and grow and grow
-Went on a 3 week honeymoon in Western Europe
-Launched an entire collection of wedding invitation suites
-Had the opportunity to join 2 amazing vendor lists: Style Me Pretty & Grey Likes Weddings
-Published in the 2012 Edition of Southern Living Weddings magazine! (someone pinch me)
-Officially launched our wholesale collection and got two huge buys from BHLDN (and although their paper goods offering is dwindling, ours did sell out and we are hoping to work with them for different wedding goodies in 2013)
-Tripled our # of clients in 2012 (compared to 2011)

P A C K E D ! ! ! Seriously, that’s all I can say!
But besides how jammed packed the year was….it’s also important for me to review my 2012 business goals…

1. Refresh/Redo website – yikes first one up is a big ol’ F
2. Get published - A+ and thank you Southern Living mag : )
3. Create a wholesale strategy – A
4. Launch Wedding Suite Collections – B- ….launched, but must promote!
5. Use marketing dollars strategically and analyze ROI at years end – A, still need to analyze ROI
6. Connect with more local wedding industry vendors  – A+ I love the fabulous ladies I have grown closer to this year!
7. Participate in more style shoots - B- , we’ve probably done 6 -7 of these this year, which is MORE (technically) but not enough in my mind

Now let’s compare last year to this year. Just for fun! And that completes my recap!

For a touching post by a lovely gal, check out Cris’ blog here! She speaks right from the heart.
And you better get excited to read Shafonne’s blog tomorrow.…she’s got exciting things to share no doubt!

Idea for a Holiday Gift: Custom Chalkboard Sign!

Posted by Honey Bee Invites on Nov 27, 2012 in Blog | 1 comment

Hi there folks! If you’ve been debating what to get your mother-in-law who already has it all, or your best friend who just bought a new place, or even your newly married cousin….worry no more, I have the perfect gift idea (for them or really anyone on your list)….

A CUSTOM CHALKBOARD SIGN! And yes, as the designer, I am partly biased. But this gift is so customizable that it really could fit anyone on your list….I can design it with a single name at the top, a family name, a quote, a fill in the blank opener…..the possibilities are endless!

To order please visit our NEW ETSY STORE!
And just to be extra clear the top white design element is not actually done in chalk…it is a permanent part of the board! : )

Please order before December 10th for guaranteed Christmas delivery!
xo peeps!