SavvySugar

DIY: Wine Cork Board

CasaSugar — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:00:00 -0700

Cork is a versatile, sustainable, and quirky material, popping up on everything from ottomans to flooring, and of course, wine corks. My friend is going with a bit of a vino theme at her wedding this Summer, and decided to repurpose wine corks as a cork board and use it to pin place cards onto at the event. This clever memo board would look equally cute in the kitchen or bar in your home.

Supplies:

Wine corks
Skill (or craft) saw
X-acto knife
Frame
Hot glue gun with glue sticks
Cork sheet
Foam board
Hammer (optional)
Small nails (optional)

To learn the steps, read more.

Here's how:

Using the skill saw, carefully cut the wine corks in half lengthwise. This nearly 24-by-28-inch frame required 60 wine corks (120 halves).
With the X-acto knife, cut the cork sheet and the foam board to fit snugly into the back of the frame (the same size the glass would be) and glue them together.
If your frame has bendable metal clamps that keep the backing in place, skip this step. But if you're dealing with a thrifted frame with no clamps, use a hammer and nails to secure the cork/foam board into the back of the frame, cork side out.
If necessary, group the corks into piles according to size. Then - and this is important - lay out all the halved corks, flat side down, into the frame to make sure they fit. Create a pattern alternating two horizontal corks with two vertical.
Using the hot glue gun, glue all the corks inside the frame with a small line on the flat side of each. Fini!

Total project time: approximately two hours.

Although you can buy the wine corks in bulk online, collecting your own recycled stoppers will give the finished piece much more character. Stop by a local restaurant or wine bar and ask if they have corks to spare; they may be able to give you a bag. Or, ask your wine-loving friends to share their collection with you.

View 5 Photos ›

Sneak Peek! Coco Rocha's Wedding Invitation

FabSugar — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:09:58 -0700

Coco Rocha recently got engaged to her boyfriend, James Conran! The couple isn't wasting any time getting ready for their big day. They've already met with a wedding planner, and now here is the wedding invitation. The model recently tweeted it for the world to see. Mark your calendars, they wed June 9. Congrats to the happy couple. To find out more about Coco's big day, follow her on Twitter.

Cynthia Rowley's Bridesmaids

FabSugar — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:00:22 -0800

No, the designer isn't getting hitched again. Rather, she is adding a bridesmaid collection to her repertoire. There will be dresses for both day and evening weddings, including floor-length and tea-length frocks in duchess satin, cotton sateen, and tulle. "We wanted to bring a chic sensibility to bridesmaid dresses - a look that is pretty yet sophisticated," the designer said. The collection lands in May, and prices range from $175 to $220.

Urban Outfitters Ties the Knot

FabSugar — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:50:22 -0800

While we usually associate Urban Outfitters with hipsters, its parent brand, Urban Outfitters Inc., is ready to commit to a totally new concept: wedding. The Philly-based company - which also houses Free People, Anthropologie, and Leifsdottir - has announced it will be launching a yet-to-be-named wedding brand in Spring 2011. The collection will be designed by UO's Anthropologie team and will include attire for the whole wedding party: wedding dresses, bridesmaid gowns, occasion dresses, jewelry, and accessories.

"We have found that many brides-to-be are inspired by our aesthetic," said Anthropologie's co-president, Wendy B. McDevitt. "Of course, this means something different bride to bride, but essentially she's telling us that she wants a certain product edit that only we can provide."

Prices will range from $200 for an occasion dress and $750 to $5,000 for a wedding gown. The collection will be available online and at select stores in the US. Cool, right?

Internet Scam Targets Brides-to-Be

GeekSugar — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:15:04 -0800

With many friends and family having walked down the aisle, I can tell you what a zoo bridal expos are. It's where businesses and brides-to-be converge to get ideas and hire vendors for their big day. It usually costs to get in (I've seen entry fees range from $10 to $75), but once you're in, it's a cake sampling, music blaring, fashion show bonanza. Most anyone can put on these types of events with the proper venue, license, and workable marketing campaign, but unfortunately, not everyone marks those first two points off their checklist before collecting entry fees.

A recent web scam has targeted these excited brides and has swindled more than $100,000 out of attendees and vendors alike, without even having an actual bridal expo to attend. The scammers associated themselves with a legit Boston community website, set up a fake Twitter account, then watched the entry fees roll in via PayPal. I think I'll spare you the lecture about getting scammed on Twitter (yet again), but this serves as a good lesson as to how savvy online scammers are. If you can't find any information about an event other than a spammy-looking Twitter feed, then use caution when shelling out your hard-earned cash. Do some research into the show! Bridal expos will have a website featuring the vendors that will be showcased there in order to promote the event. Have you ever been scammed like this?

Speed Read! Jason Mesnick No Longer a Bachelor

TresSugar — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:30:04 -0800

Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney of The Bachelor get married - PopSugar
Obama hasn't quit smoking yet - NPR
Chile trying to keep order following earthquake - New York Times
Bridget Jones might be headed to TV - New York Post
Tonight Jay Leno returns to The Tonight Show - BuzzSugar
Inside the world of women's arm wrestling - Washington Post

Betty Wayne: Voulez-Vous a Civil Union?

Tres Community — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 06:00:01 -0800

User Betty Wayne posted this story in the France Group in our TrèsSugar Community.

I just learned this and wanted to share: gay marriage is almost-sort-of legal in France! A Pact Civil de Solidarité (or PaCS) is a civil union between two people of any sex who wish to combine their debts, contracts, and assets. A PaCS is not available between: family members, those who are already married or PaCSed, nonresidents of France and those under 18.

Couples can file taxes jointly after three years, may collect inheritance and social security benefits, can share health benefits, and must share a common residence. Partners can not jointly file for adoption, however one partner can file for single-parent adoption. A nonresident can not gain residency through a PaCS, only though marriage. A PaCS ends when one partner dies, or after a three month waiting period if one partner requests it. A PaCS also ends if one partner gets married.

I searched around but I couldn't find any information on whether or not one partner is allowed to make power-of-attorney decisions should the other partner become unable to make those decisions for herself . . . if anyone knows please let me know. I'm also not sure if one partner shares the burden of all the other partner's past debts, or if couples only share debts incurred while PaCSed.

In French, "pacser" has become a verb, as in "Voulez-vous pacser avec moi?" or "Les femmes se pacsent." Un Pacte de Civil Solidarité is not equal to marriage, but it's an important step toward equality. If only the US would do the same.

Check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community. Maybe we'll feature your content on TrèsSugar!

Would You Get Married For Convenience?

TresSugar — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:00:57 -0800

Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey have dated for five years, but don't bet on seeing them take a walk down the aisle. Jenny says that tax incentives are the only reason they'd ever gamble on marriage. Let's add "tax breaks" to our list of convenient reasons people get married. Our list already includes the obvious green-card motivation, as well as reasons like homosexuality cover-ups and celebrity power plays.

When a couple feels like they don't need the traditional institution to validate a commitment maybe convenience is the best reason to get married. Would you do it?

7 Marriages of Convenience

TresSugar — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:30:59 -0800

On Big Love last night, there was a marriage of convenience. (Warning: spoilers ahead!). You know the type. When the third wife of a polygamist, who isn't legally married to him, marries the about-to-be-deported fiancé of the polygamist's ex-fourth-wife because she's pregnant with the polygamist's child. Phew! Yes, there are so many marriages of convenience, yet what they so rarely are is convenient.

Besides proving a relationship that doesn't exist, you have to endure a legal relationship with someone you may hardly know. It can lead to all sorts of money problems — extortion in the worst case — and that's before the inevitable divorce. Not to mention marriage fraud is punishable by up to five years in jail. Lesson? Don't be sloppy!

But it's not yet wedding season, so I'm not here to tell you how to make a marriage go off without actually getting hitched. Let's look at all the reasons people say "I do" when their heart says "I can't."

Immigration: Getting married so one party can stay in a country or gain residency is probably the most common marriage sham. Even I have flirted with the idea!
Cover-up: The marriage could be a beard that's covering up homosexuality or a lie that's covering up, let's say, rampant sex with multiple women. Either way the most detrimental thing about this marriage is usually the only person who knows the "arrangement" is the one benefiting.
Power: Back in the land-owning days, people married to meld fortunes and increase power. Today we still see it when two political, celebrity, or business powers join forces.

See the rest after the jump.

Bill Clinton to Take Old-Fashioned Role in Chelsea's Wedding

TresSugar — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:45:25 -0800

When it comes to his daughter's wedding planning, former president Bill Clinton knows Hillary is the commander in chief. Chelsea got engaged last November, and since then she and her mother have been taking care of the planning details according to Bill. But, Mr. Clinton does have an important role. He told Ryan Seacrest (really) this morning:

"I'm just supposed to walk her down the aisle and pay the bills."

Sounds like Chelsea's sticking to at least one tradition: the bride's family pays the bill. If you're married, did you follow the same guideline? If you're not married, what do you make of it?