Diana Exhibit

Are you ready for a new exhibit? You'll have to go to London to see it. Some of the late Princess Diana's fashions and gowns will be on display at Kensington Palace March 26, 2012 through August 31, 2012. The exhibit is called "Diana". (source)

Designers in the exhibition include Versace, David Emmanuel, Catherine Walker and Bellville Sassoon Lorcan Mullany.   

Proceeds from the exhibit will raise money for the new palace renovations. Kensington Palace underwent an $18.8 million dollar renovation. It will be used for charity events and receptions.

The catch is the exhibit is extremely small. They're only showcasing 5 of her dresses (I've attached the ones rumored to be showcased). So would you pay to see 5 of Princess Diana's dresses? Right now the website has the cost at £14.50, which equals to $19.12 (USD). Children under the age of 16 get in free. 16? I wish that age was implemented here in the states. LOL Also, are most museums in England FREE? I think that's great if it's true.

Any Londoners out there? What's the word on this exhibit? Info is very hush hush over here. 

Also, what's the financial state of The Royal Family? I've noticed they've been cutting back as much as everyone else. Share your thoughts.

A PrintRunner Giveaway!

When a representative of PrintRunner contacted me and asked if my readers would be interested in a giveaway from their company, I told them my readers would LOVE a giveaway. With today's economy, we're all appreciative of giveaways and receiving a great product.

Who is PrintRunner and What services do they offer? PrintRunner is a leader in online printing. They are a full service, high quality printing company located in Chatsworth, California. Their commitment is to provide the BEST VALUE and HIGH QUALITY full color printing at an affordable price.They offer a lot of services you guys: stickers, postcards, business cards, greeting cards, CD/DVD sleeves, thank you cards, magnets, banners and SO MUCH MORE. Whatever your printing needs are, they've got you covered. Click the "online printing" link above to see the vast array of services they offer.

A Very Sweet Announcement! I was going to announce this a little later, but I felt with the PrintRunner Giveaway, this would be the perfect time. I plan on opening A Very Sweet Online Shop soon and linking it to this blog. Sorta like a blog sale. I'll be selling a little bit of everything: clothes, shoes, handbags, clutches etc. All are lightly worn 1-2 times or never worn (yep, the price tag is still on some items). To tempt you I have an extra Jason Wu dress (that 1st lady Michelle Obama wore) and a really cute COACH clutch to sell. I plan on tissue wrapping the clothes I sell and I NEED STICKERS to secure them. I'm getting PrintRunner to print stickers for me. The online store should be up in less than 2 months. Almost everything will be $50 or less. Check my sidebar to subscribe and be the first to know.
  

The PrintRunner Giveaway Prize! So what's the giveaway prize? Stickers! Do you need stickers for your blog, business, event, store, personal reasons etc.? If so, enter PrintRunner's Giveaway below! One lucky reader of A Very Sweet Blog will be chosen.

Here are the details:

Giveaway Prize: Stickers

Sticker Shape: Standard Stickers

Flat Width: 2"

Flat Height: 3.5"

Quantity: 250

Paper: Premium Sticker Stock

Colors: Full Color (4 Color Process), Black and White

Proof: NONE

Ready to Ship In: 3 Business Days

 

*Giveaway is open to US Residents only, ages 18 years old and above

The deadline to enter this giveaway is March 6th (12 Midnight CST).

A winner will be announced March 7th (in that day's blog post).

PrintRunner will begin awarding prizes to the winner and host of the giveaway on March 15th.

To Enter Do The Following:
Follow A Very Sweet Blog on GFC (Mandatory) (+1)
"Like" A Very Sweet Blog on Facebook (+1)
"Follow" A Very Sweet Blog on Twitter (+1)
"Like" PrintRunner on Facebook (+1)
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Tell me what you did to enter in my comments sections, your email address 

and what you plan on using them for. 

I VERIFY all entries, so no cheating!
A WINNER will be selected by Random Number Generator.

Disclaimer:Thank you PrintRunner for providing this giveaway to my readers, I will receive a set of stickers for hosting this.

Remember! Even if you don't win, PrintRunner is your convenient online printing resource. 

Check out their custom sticker printing services.

The Columns Hotel

Three Sweet Chic-adees! Every year my friends Christy, Julie and I get together to specifically celebrate our birthdays. We're all Pisces! Can you believe it? LOL

My birthday always kicks things off! It's February 20th. Christy's is today...February 27th., and Julie's is March 10th. Last year we went to The Melting Pot. Have you been there? If you like chocolate and cheese fondue, it's really fun. I highly suggest it.

This year we chose to have Sunday brunch (yesterday 2/26/12) at The Columns Hotel. It's a historic mansion (built in 1883) and very sophisticated hotel on St. Charles Avenue that definitely has southern charm. It's painted white, showcases the United States, Louisiana State and French Creole Fleur de lis New Orleans flags, is surrounded by lush foliage, beautiful statues and of course HUGE large white columns.

New Orleanian residents go to The Columns Hotel for cocktails, to eat, Sunday Jazz Brunch, weddings and/or baby showers. It's definitely a New Orleans staple. Reminder! I really need to showcase more of New Orleans.

Easy Like Sunday Morning (well afternoon. hahaha)! As soon as we stepped on the porch steps (yes we have porches in the south and take note of the ceiling fans) the maitre d' greeted us. I loved his purple and white gingham shirt and beautiful lavender tie. He put a big SMILE on my face when he said hey beautiful. So sweet! The weather was a little overcast and VERY windy but overall it was nice, so we decided to eat outside. Napkins were placed gently in our laps and we were handed a menu. The service was marvelous dah-ling and the price was fabulous! Who can beat great food, friends, conversation, attentive & impeccable service, and wonderful conversation. BTW Natalie of Use Your Words Little Girl, the dining etiquette book you gave me came in handy. HaHaHa

Food Glorious Food! The Columns Hotel has a wonderful Sunday Jazz Brunch. Reservations are highly recommended. There was a wonderful guitarist who played some lovely songs and you get a mimosa, choice of soup, salad, entree and dessert. I chose the seafood gumbo, house salad, blackened drum and peach cobbler a la mode. Christy and Julie had crabcakes with fried green tomatoes (another southern staple). Christy also had creme brulee for dessert. The pictures below speak for themselves.

Gift Time! We always give each other little treats in celebration of our birthdays. Nothing over the top, but little things that make each one of us smile. I gave the girls $25 gift cards to Earthsavers Spa (local day spa in New Orleans that believes in natural products and beauty techniques) and Hugs and Kisses umbrellas from Nordstrom; Christy gave each of us a beautiful fresh flower bouquet arrangement. I love fresh flowers and the colors in the bouquet are gorgeous. And Julie gave us wonderful bath-time spa treats (hot pink fuzzy socks, super sweet bath bombs, cookies and HELLO! Hello Kitty gel pens that write in pink, red and green). I loved all of my gifts!

I Love My Friends! If you can't tell, I had a really great time Sunday! HaHaHa This was my sweet treat this weekend. We usually get together 2-3 times a year. But always for our birthdays! Sorry for the fuzzy photo below, but my camera phone died. LOL Time to get a new iPhone! LOL Do you have a girls day or night out with your besties? What are some things you like to do?

A Little Lagniappe! I'm a Winner! Ohhhh BTW, I participated in an 'imaginary' Valentine's Day going-on-a-date outfit contest on Sandy's blog at Ooh La Frou Frou for her character Aimee. Everyone voted and my outfit idea won! So she illustrated my outfit idea in today's post (see a glimpse below). I can't believe I put this outfit together (you can actually buy ALL of the items below...look for my name and links on Part II of Sandy's blog to purchase these items). I'm so proud of myself. It is so beautifully illustrated! Sandy is such a fabulous illustrator. Check out "the date" in it's entirety and the outfit ON her character Aimee HERE! Have a Great Week Everybody!

Fabulous Faux Desserts

Several years ago, I wanted to put together a really sweet birthday present for my mom. The idea was to give her small boxes of treats and attach tiny envelopes with various gift cards and money to each item. After giving it some thought, I decided not to use real cookies or cupcakes. Any kind of oil, frosting or crumbs on the gift cards/money would not be cool. LOL

So, I came across a website entitled Kathy's Faux Desserts. Kathy makes an array of faux cakes, cupcakes, cookies, petit fours, chocolates and truffles. I thought her creations were beyond beautiful, her prices fit my budget and I thought her designs would be perfect for my mom's gift. I sent her an email explaining my idea and this is what she put together for me. Yes, an exquisite array of treats. She is just as sweet as the treats she makes.

My mom loved her gift! I was suppose to turn these into a centerpiece, but never did. Instead they were wrapped and sitting in my closet for years. HaHa I JUST took them out again to snap these pics for you guys and tell you about Kathy. It's been YEARS (before 2005) since I've looked at them! That shows you the remarkable craftmanship of her work. So if you're a fan of making centerpieces, need a prop for a photoshoot, need a store display or looking for a special gift, think about Kathy's Faux Desserts. And remember these are NOT edible! LOL

Couture Cake Sprinkled With Sugar Dust

Has anyone been to the store lately? What happened to all of the Valentine candy? I swear these chocolate candymaker companies are repackaging the prior holiday candy (valentine's day) to meet the current holiday (easter) candy demand. LOL I wonder what the shelf-life is for chocolate? When I walked into the store the other day, I had to rub my eyes. There were Easter bunnies, baskets, grass, eggs, and candy just waiting to be purchased. Easter is April 8th!!! HaHa Tell me what hasn't been commercialized!?! I love all of the above you guys, but please remember it IS a religious holiday! Sheesh.

Oh well. To satisfy your springtime easter pastel palette, I bring to you an editorial entitled 'Moon Dust Is Icing Sugar' that appears in the 2012 Spring-Summer issue of UK's POP magazine. Unlike me, I KNOW the model didn't gobble down any of that cake on set! HAHAHA It was probably faux cake anyway! LOL It features model Frida Gustavsson. Fashion editor Tamara Rothstein has picked designs from Christopher Kane, Viktor & Rolf, and Valentino. The set was designed by Gary Card (click on his blog! OMG'd the sets he has designed and campaigns!!! Ah-mazing!) and flirty curls by Tina Outen. Makeup is by Inge Grognard. The photographer is Daniel Sannwald of Management Artists. Enjoy and I would like to thank everyone for all of the beautiful birthday wishes! I enjoyed reading each and every one. I had a wonderful birthday! Now, I just need a dress like the one below, without the poofy hips! This baby has enough back! LOL  ;)