1000 Pillows

To all of you who have supported this blog, I wanted to let you know that John and I have decided not to wait any longer or do a super expensive wedding. My grandmother’s health is fading and I really want her to be a part of our day so we decided to get Married over the Thanksgiving Holiday in Chicago. We are going to have a small ceremony of just close family and friends and a dinner party.

Many of you have written to me to ask that I continue the love story so I will. I have a lot of planning to do in the next few weeks so I will not update the love story until after the wedding.

1000pillows will take a new turn starting December. It will be the story of our love and I can’t wait to continue telling it.

Love,
Frances & John

Get ready to make a statement with these gorgeous Guess- Blue Patent, pointed-toe pumps. For $79.99 from heels.com you’ll not only strut down the isle, but all eyes will be on the four inch silver stiletto heel!

This weeks pillow or should I say pillows are both 12×16 in size and made from 100% cotton fabric. Both are made with a zipper for easy cover removal and washing.The donation for these pillows is $25 plus shipping. Thank you for supporting our wedding dream!

The love story continues:There are a few things a man has to have to attract me to him and ask anyone that knows me-it is not the material things in life. Although, there is nothing wrong with that according to my high school volleyball coach who once told me, “It is just as easy to fall in love with a rich man as it is a poor one.” For me a few key things that a man has to have are great hands, beautiful eyes and a compassionate being. So when John handed me the grape from the vine, I paid special attention and his hands are perfect. So he had already won me over with his eyes and the only thing remaining from my list was the compassion. Is he compassionate, time would tell? Read more»

If you are a bride on a budget, one idea for your reception could be a cookie table for dessert and a great way to get your family and friends personally involved is to ask them all to bring a dish of their favorite homemade cookies. I found this great Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillow cookie and recipe on Post Punk Kitchen. Do you have any family cookie recipes that you would like to share? Post your recipes in the comments section.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows
makes 2 dozen cookies

Chocolate dough:

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

3 tablespoons non-dairy milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened dutch processed cocoa powder

2 tablespoons black unsweetened cocoa or more dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:

3/4 cup natural salted peanut butter, crunchy or creamy style

2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar

2 to 3 tablespoons soy creamer or non-dairy milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl combine oil, sugar, maple syrup, non-dairy milk and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Sift in flour, cocoa powder, black cocoa if using, baking soda and salt. Mix to form a moist dough.

Make the filling. In another mixing bowl beat together peanut butter, confectioner’s sugar, 2 tablespoons of soy creamer and vanilla extract to form a moist but firm dough. If peanut butter dough is too dry (as different natural peanut butters have different moisture content), stir in remaining tablespoon of non-dairy milk. If dough is too wet knead in a little extra powdered sugar.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bakings sheet with parchment paper.

Shape the cookies. Create the centers of the cookies by rolling the peanut butter dough into 24 balls. Scoop a generous tablespoon of chocolate dough, flatten into a disc and place a peanut butter ball in the center. Fold the sides of the chocolate dough up and around the peanut butter center and roll the chocolate ball into an smooth ball between your palms. Place on a sheet of waxed paper and repeat with remaining doughs. If desired gently flatten cookies a little, but this is not necessary.

Place dough balls on lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart and bake for 10 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and let cookies for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to complete cooling. Store cookies in tightly covered container. If desired warm cookies in a microwave for 10 to 12 seconds before serving.

Check out the new pillow of the week. It is a perfect color for spring! I chose to add a little yellow to the mix because Yellow is the “It” color for weddings this year. If you have any ideas on how to incorporate the color yellow into a wedding theme please leave comments at the end of this post.

The donation for this pillow is $25 plus shipping. This pillow is 16×16 in size and is made with a zipper for easy cover removal and washing. Thank you for supporting our wedding dream!

The love story continues: Dinner that night was a blur. Up until this trip I really was not a wine connoisseur and had no idea how to really order it or what great wine is supposed to taste like. Read more»

The one thing that I will always admit to is my love for cupcakes so when I discovered Cupcake Vineyards Chardonnay, I had to try it.

After one taste I was hooked. It is like treating yourself to layers of decadence. The other reason I thought I would share this fun find is to give you a non-traditional idea of using Cupcake Vineyards Wines for your dessert table at your wedding. Especially if you are opting for a cupcake tier rather then a wedding cake. It would make for a sweet pairing!

One of my favorite places to go to in Malibu is the Shabby Chic store. Now mind you, I usually can’t afford anything in this store, but sometimes I come across something that not only makes me smile, but is affordable- in a Malibu sense of the word.

The Bits and Bobs Crown Jar is one of those items that makes me smile and I think, would make a great gift for your bridesmaids. Fill it up with anything from candies to some of you and your partners favorite things. Hand make a custom tag, slap it on with a ribbon that matches your wedding color theme and you will have a great keepsake jar that will make your bridesmaids feel like royalty because it was semi-handmade by you.

I am from Chicago, but now live in LA so anytime I stumble onto an idea that might benefit Chicago brides to be, I will share it. Lill Studio in Chicago gives you the opportunity to design your own pillow. They even have a fabric called Blushing Bride. You can book a “Design a Pillow” party for your bridesmaids. How cool is that!

Welcome to 1000 Pillows. This blog was originally created to sell 1000 handmade pillows to raise money for my wedding, but sometimes life has other plans in store. John and I decided not to wait until we could raise money for the wedding because my grandmother is sick and we wanted to make sure she would be able to celebrate our dream with us so we got married early on 11/28/09. Read more»