One of the main reasons I wanted an iPad was to have a larger reading format than my iPhone offered.  Upon my initial iPad purchase, Flipboard was my favorite app for the simple fact that I found it easy to stay current on blog reading, with Twitter and Facebook feeds to Flipboard making the app even more appealing.  Fast forward to now and my son has completely hijacked the iPad, so I rarely get to use it.  Also, we opted not to go with the wifi option for the iPad, so it is pretty useless to me on the go.  My iPhone does everything the iPad can do, just in a smaller format.  One little problem:  There is no Flipboard app for iPhone, it is only an iPad app.  What’s a girl to do?

Byline to my rescue!  Both an iPhone and an iPad app, I am able to stream my Google Reader, My Twitter account and my Instapaper account to Byline.  While I am reading a blog post, I have so many options for what I can do with it!  I can:

• Open it in Safari if I want to read from the author’s actual blog
• Copy and paste the link (great for sending something to Facebook since there is no feed for Facebook from Byline)
• Send the link in an email
• Post it to Twitter
• Add it to Instapaper, which I use as a filing system for reference articles, and longer blog posts that I want to read later
• Mark a post as a favorite
• Add my own note to the article that I am reading

Here is a screen shot from my iPhone of today’s post on Elizabeth Anne Designs.  I wanted you to see how great the photos show up with the text. Using Byline, I don’t feel like I am losing any content by reading from my iPhone as I did with Google Reader.

If anyone else is like me, I easily feel so defeated and out of touch when I get behind on blog reading.  Byline is perfect for reading on the go and skimming posts for relevant content.  I read while sitting in carline, waiting for appointments, having my hair done, etc.  I think you will enjoy it too!

Byline is available for FREE on iTunes.  An in-app purchase of $2.99 provides an ad free version, which I recommend if you are easily distracted by ads (like I am).  Don’t worry, it is well worth the money!

Have you tried Byline or another app for keeping up with blog reading?  I’d love to hear about it!

I love a good reality show.  A couple of Saturdays ago I was feeling a little run down and spent most of my day on the sofa catching up on episodes of Say Yes To The Dress on TLC.  Of course I love the Atlanta episodes and feel connected to Lori, Monte and the other staff of Bridals by Lori because so many of my brides go there for their dresses.  It really is a beautiful salon and my brides rave about the level of service they receive there.  It’s kind of understood in Atlanta that if a bride is having trouble finding her perfect dress, she needs to spend five minutes with Monte at Bridals by Lori.  Nobody can fit a bride like he can, I assure you!

So, it goes without saying that I am very excited for a new show, debuting on TLC this Friday night called, “Say Yes To The Dress: Bridesmaids”.  If you’re an avid watcher of TLC, I’m sure you’ve seen the previews by now.  The emphasis of this show is on the bridesmaids dresses of course, and all the yummy drama that goes along with demanding brides and rebellious bridesmaids.  TLC has ordered 6 – one half hour episodes of the spinoff.  You can read more about it on TLC’s website.

I have a very exciting extra tidbit to share about this new show…one of FAVOR Events weddings was filmed for an episode!  Breathtakingly beautiful bride, Sineat had a stunning March wedding here in Atlanta, and a few of her bridesmaids purchased their gowns at Bridals by Lori.  The film crew started coverage of the bride & bridesmaids having their hair & make-up done early on the wedding day and stayed with us through most of the evening.  As you can imagine, I am on pins and needles waiting to see what footage will be included!  While I was told that this wedding would be a part of the pilot episode, I have not been able to confirm that.  Tonight I will be attending a premier party at Bridals by Lori and we will be viewing the pilot as well as the season premier of SYTTD: Atlanta, so I hope to find out more about the air date and will be sure to keep you posted!

In the meantime, here is a sneak peak of the beautiful bride Sineat and super fun, handsome groom, Joe.  Guys, if you are reading this, your wedding day totally blessed me to my core.  Thank you again for choosing me to be a part of it!

Photography by the incredibly talented Thu Tran of 2Tphoto:

One of my brides is responsible for getting me hooked on Pinterest.  “Hooked”, “Addicted”, “Crazy about”, “Pinterest = Crack” are all descriptive words or terms that you will hear when others talk about the app and for good reason…it’s so true!  I haven’t managed to spend less than one hour at a time on Pinterest, unless I am pinning something quickly as I work, in which case I have to force myself not to look at anything, just pin and keep moving!

If you haven’t heard of Pinterest, it really is a wedding planner’s dream app.  I am probably in the minority among planners, but I am not especially good at creating inspiration boards.  I can manage my way around Picasa, but that’s about it, so Pinterest will help me in so many ways.  By far the best description I can share is the one on the Pinterest site’s “About” section.  It says, “Think of Pinterest as a virtual pinboard – a place where you can create collections of things you love and “follow” collections created by people with great taste.”  A virtual pinboard of everything you find and love on the net. Genius!

I’ve only been a user for a few weeks, but I already have boards for some of my weddings, home projects, fashion & style boards, a wish list board, even a board of tattoos I love.  Here’s a screen shot:

And here’s a link to the board: http://pinterest.com/jkennedy77/tattoos/

You will go nuts over Pinterest too and it is super easy to get started.  You won’t really need a tutorial or help from anyone – you will easily figure it out as you go.  In order to open your own Pinterest account, visit www.pinterest.com and request an invite.  It doesn’t seem like I waited more than a day or so for an email with access information from Pinterest.  Make sure you install the bookmark when you open your account – instructions are on the Pinterest site, and were easy to follow.  Speaking of following, be sure to follow me on Pinterest at: JKennedy77

Happy Pinning!

Note from Jeannine:  Hey ya’ll!  I hope you enjoy reading this post from my friend, Janice Carnevale of Bellwether Events.  She’s such a wonderful person and a talented planner, so you may want to check out her Style Profile that ran in October of last year.  She’s been a great supporter of The Stylish Planner, when I heard that she donated her hair every couple of years to Locks of Love, I asked her to share with us her recent experience.  I really enjoyed learning how simple the process is and seeing Janice’s heartfelt donation.  I know you will enjoy this too.  Thanks, Janice for sharing!

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“It grows back.”  This is what I tell people when they are staring at me, slack-jawed, after I inform them of my regular donations to Locks of Love.

Before photo:

After photos by:  Kursten Roe

When I got engaged in 2005, I swore I would grow my hair long for the wedding, and then donate it afterward.  That didn’t work out because I cut off 4 inches the week of the wedding.  So it was a year later, in April of 2007, when I made my first donation to Locks of Love.  And when I got the thank you card in the mail, I immediately teared up and vowed to do it again.  In February of 2009 I made my second donation to Locks of Love, and last month, February of 2011, I made my third.  I have donated at least 32 inches to Locks of Love.  It really does grow back.

Obviously I am not particularly attached to my hair.  The last few months of the donation process are tough – my hair gets so thick and long, it is really annoying to try to manage.  I like sleep way too much to actually get up earlier to properly style it.  And the shortness of my thick hair after the donation do require that I take some time to style it.  But it grows back.

Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged people under the age of 21 in the United States and Canada.  The children qualify for these high quality hair prosthetics  because the are are suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.  Most of the children helped by LOL have lost their hair due to alopecia areata, a medical condition that has no known cause or cure.  The prostheses LOL provides help to restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.

Hair that is colored or permed is accepted by LOL.  Hair that has been bleached is not – if you are unsure, ask your stylist.  The hair must have been cut and kept in a pony tail or braid – hair swept from the floor is not accepted.  The minimum donation is 10 inches, and curly hair may be pulled straight to meet the minimum. Hair from men, women, and children of all races is needed.  Gray hair will also be accepted.  Shorter hair, at least 6 inches, will be accepted and resold to offset manufacturing costs of these hair prosthetics.  Monetary donations are also accepted, and are fully tax deductible.  A donation of $1000 will sponsor a prosthesis for one child.