Monday Funday

Mr. ST and I had a very busy wedding prep weekend. 

But before I get to that - I'm asking a HUGE HUGE HUGE favor from ALL of you that are reading this blog.

Mr. ST and I have entered a contest to try and win a videography package from Storymix Media.  We are entered for a chance to win the Free Wedding Video and $250 gift card.  I need YOU dearest readers to go HERE and vote for us.  Just enter a comment and leave a few words to cast your vote for us.  It will only take you a few minutes to go comment HERE and it would mean SO much to me.  If we don't win this contest, there will be no video at the wedding.  We so desperately want video at our wedding.  So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go and leave a comment.  Again, the link is HERE!  If you want to spread the word, that would mean SO much to us too - the more votes the better!!!

I cannot begin to thank you enough for all your help. 

Back to our wedding work.  We mocked up some pocketfolds.  Don't mind the garish paper color. 

There was a paper cutter/scoring tool, clear acrylic rulers, scissors, LOTS of pencil and eraser marks (and a pizza cutter 'cause we got hungry during this trial and error session).

We found this AMAZING template from LCI Paper that showed us how to turn an 11x17 piece of paper into a single pocketfold - meaning there is no cutting the pocket separate from the rest of the sheet. 

We have plenty of work ahead of us, but we've never worked better as a team to complete a project.  It's almost shaping up to be fun...almost.  haha. 

What project did you and your significant other have fun working on?  Annnnd don't forget to leave a comment to vote!!!!

Wedding Website

Since we are finalizing our invites and want to print them soon (eeeek!) we decided we would like our own wedding website. 

I know that when I joined The Knot I signed up for our own page - but since I didn't really care for the site in general (I know I'm such a bad bride) I never really finished it. 

I've also heard great things about the Wedding Wire personal sites. 

I'm looking for sites you have used, or sites you suggests.  Let's hear it girls! What did you and your groom choose?  What did you like about it?  What were some of the disadvantages?  What would you do differently if you had a to do a site over?

Crazy Train

Well...it's been a tough couple of weeks around here.  After our last "disagreement" Mr. ST and I have been communicating much better.  Thank you everyone for your support.  Anut and Mom thank you for making fun of me to lighten the mood. 

In our zest of communication, we began looking at the ever beloved pocketfold invitations. You remember that I designed our invitations and gave you sneak peak.  It was time to sit down and really look at if pocketfolds were in our budget. 

I checked several sites:
Cards and Pockets
Envelopments
Paper and More

I was not happy with the prices I was seeing - we have a way to get the invites printed on the CHEAP.  It's the pockets that were going to cost us so much money.  We were looking at around $150.00 just for the pockets.  No envelopes, no postage.  Yikes.  I know it's SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than ordering them entire thing made, but still not enough savings for us.

Mr. ST happened to be talking to his sister (MOH CG) and she mentioned a store in Brick, NJ called The Paper Mill Superstore.  She mentioned that she got the baby announcements there and that the prices were fantastic.  So, Mr. ST and I checked it out today.  MOH CG certainly came through!  The prices were great.  But we've boarded The Crazy Train with good ol' Ozzy.  We will be MAKING our pocketfolds. No you did not read that wrong - we will be MAKING THE POCKETFOLDS OURSELVES.   A ream (250) sheets of 11x17 card stock paper will run us about $27.00.  A ream (250 sheets) of 8.5 x 11 paper will print ALL of our inserts and invites will run us about $15.00.  The envelopes for both the outside mailer and response will cost $30.00 - so a total of about $75.00 we can have all our paper and envelopes.  A-Mazing!!

I made sure to stress to Mr. ST that it will take an incredible amount of time and patience to put these pockets together.  I also stressed that I own all the tools to make this happen.  He is on board.  So, we did a test print on the paper to determine the colors we liked and will be buying the paper later this week.

Did you run into a surprise vendor you didn't know about?  Have you done your own invites and have any advice to give us? 

Monday Funday Vinyl Crafting

My mom, aunt K and Marty came over today to have a full on crafting day.  We had TWO Cricuts going, some great Pride and Prejudice on the TV, snacks and craziness. 

There was plenty of busting on me for the last blog post.  Lost of talking in high pitched voices - cause that's how we make fun of each other.  There was also some dancing - the hustle, some thriller and some lame, stiff moon walking. 

The dueling Cricuts.

Aunt K has the new Expression 2... allegedly it's complicated.  And has a VERY tiny screen.

Who knows WHAT they are arguing about here...

Mom hard at work on her Jane Austen vinyl sign.

Marty got up to help...he's right there on the left, wandering into the rocking chair legs.

Those sisters... lol. Always nit-picking helping each other!

Aunt K's project...in progress.  She is an expert in transfer tape for the vinyl.

Work in progress. 

Finished project!!

Mom's project had our last name on it...so I didn't post that.   Here's what Marty spent his day doing after he exhausted himself helping mom.  

Testing the carpet out. 

Enjoying the couch.  Tough day for him. 

This is the project I made last week for the bridal shower I had this weekend.  This is what inspired our craft day today: Mr. ST's cousins are getting married this October.  I love this frame.  I would LOVE to do this as a giveaway....maybe for 60 followers hinnnnt hinnnt.  ;-)

All this crafting comes at a price.  When I was spray painting the frames yesterday - I cut my knee with the glass from the frames.  Ouch.

Hope you enjoyed our crazy, crafty, family day.  Did you do anything family related?  And yes Anut, you CAN comment to these questions!!!! You don't have to save your comments for in person.   

Venting

It's 11:45 on Sunday night.  I'm too wound up to sleep.  Mr. ST and I had a disagreement tonight.  It wasn't a fight - no one raised voices or stomped around.  No one went to bed without saying goodnight or a goodnight kiss. 

I made this subway art sign and I worked very hard on it.  I wanted to hang it in the kitchen - by the phone jack on the wall - to cover it up.  Mr. ST said a flat out no.  Well, we started to disagree and I became frustrated. 

The disagreement became about the wedding. 

Mr. ST voiced:

• He does not want our house to be a 'craft house'
• I have too many projects started and not finished
• He has no idea what is going on with the plans for the wedding
• There has been a lack of 'opinion asking'
• He is insisting I spend more money than I think I should on a dress
• He does not think we should spend too much on photography

I voiced:

• I feel like our house is not my whole home because I cannot be creative for it
• That I would like help making decisions
• I do not have more than two projects going for the wedding
• I gave up blinging my shoes because of the cost of the crystals
• I want to spend more on photography than a dress
• That I asked specifically for his opinion on matters and got cheeky responses

I feel like it was a venting session for both of us.  We are still over a YEAR away from the wedding. I want to DIY things for us because it saves money - plus it's who I am - a crafter. 

I know all couples will argue and can disagree about aspects of the wedding.  It's been almost a year since we got engaged and we were both very gung-ho at the beginning - picking out the venue and booking certain vendors.  I feel like we are in a wedding lull now - this no planning land - until we need to really get things done.

When is too early to get things done?  Has anyone ever gone through a lull in planning? 

Temper Tantrum of Happiness

First, I want to thank everyone for the great suggestions about the photographer situation .  There were so many great ideas!  Good news!  We are meeting with someone on Saturday the 6th!  At least I found ONE photographer to meet with us.  Better than only having one to choose from.

Now, time for the tantrum.  I will try to be as mature about this as I can. 

Mr. ST and I got engaged almost a exactly a year ago.  I know I voiced that I didn't want to have to wait TWO years to get married, but with our budget, we didn't have a choice.  We would need the time to save money. 

I drew that.  I know, you are SUPER impressed. 

Then it started to happen.  One set of friends after the next got engaged after us: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven....

I was elated!!  MORE BRIDES TO PLAN WITH!!!!

                                                                         Source

Being as type A that I am, we had our date and venue booked and secured within the week of getting engaged.  haha.  I wanted to lock in at the current rate.  Anyways, I was never worried someone else would pick our date.  It was when all SEVEN of these couples began to plan and pick dates BEFORE ours.  I didn't want to be engaged first then married last.

I know this sounds silly.  I am TRULY happy for each and EVERY one of our friends getting married.  It's just SO hard to sit here and WAIT and watch them get married before us.  There is a small voice in my head that's telling me I will get to learn from what they do, or don't do.  That's nice, but it still doesn't make the situation any better. 

Am I being totally irrational about this?  Did you have to wait and watch other people get married before your own day?  Any suggestions or advice for how I should deal with this?  Thanks!

Photog Phrustration

A while back Mr. ST and I decided to start hounding down looking at photographers for our wedding.  We figured we could have first picks still since we are still over a year away.  I started with calling the photographers that we knew other people used (like Mr. ST's sister - her photog was amazing)


No one called me back.  NO ONE.  One guy didn't even have an email or answering machine.


Then I moved on to looking through Weddingbee's vendor page to see if I could find someone in our area.  BINGO!  A company that has a branch right down the street from us!  AW-Some.  This works out since Mr. ST travels so far to work and has a very long commute.  It would not be hard to set-up an interview.  We set a date, and the company sent out a sales rep.  She was very nice... however, we only got to see samples of what the photographers work.  We would have to book with them before we could meet with any of them.  What if we booked, I met photographer A and haaaaaated him?????  Then what?  So when she called to follow up I simply told her we were still looking and I would get back to her.  (The company has since called me once a week for every week since we met!!!).


Mr. ST asked around to other couples we know getting married soon, or that have gotten married recently.  He got a few more names.  I placed a few more emails and calls.  The biggest problem we are having: most of the photographers are far away.  We would have to take an entire DAY to meet with one, maybe two of them just to interview with them. I don't know if we are that desperate to be riding around the state all day.


Am I going about this the wrong way?  Do brides/grooms/couples still interview photographers?  PA-Lease give me some suggestions!!  We are in New Jersey, so obviously someone in this state is best, although a little bridey told me about someone who will travel from state to state (<3 you!).  HELP!!!

Issue

I got a comment about the blog.  It was a negative one.  So I have decided to address said negative issue to ensure this person never complains again. 


My dog, er... my parent's dog, er.... our family dog (?!?!) complained that there is not a single picture of him appearing in the blog.  Ever.  Since it started.  He went back and checked.  All. The. Posts. 

So, without further ado, I would like to introduce a Jack Russel Terrier named, Marty:

 This is a puppy Marty.  He was not very hairy. 

This was a former favorite past time of Marty's and my dad: Beer, cheese and crackers. 

 Marty likes to drive.  He's not an angry driver either. 

This is an ollllld photo from around 2002ish.  I went through a phase of DARK hair.  It was fun.  Marty liked it. This is also shortly after the FIRST cataracts surgery Marty went through.

Marty "took" my very first stuffed bunny from my first Easter.  Marty still has it now. He would lay on 'Bun-bun' and sleep.  Silly. 

Marty loves 'Bun-bun' so much, he dresses up at him on occasion. 

When Mr. ST and I were in our 'long-distance' phase and saw each other every other weekend, this is where we stayed at my parent's house: blow up mattress in the living room.  Marty liked to come down for breakfast, eat, then go back to bed on the air mattress.  He is also a cover hog.  True story. 

This is Marty and I at the Outer Banks.  He loves the beach. 

Marty is also an avid cyclist.  He loves the wind in his face, smelling all those wonderful smells. 

This is Marty cheering on daddy at his last race in April.  Marty is an excellent cheerleader. 

This is the most recent picture of Marty from Father's Day.  If you look closely, you will see Marty only has one eye.  The cataracts got so bad that it was best to take the eye.  Marty is also now blind in the other one.  So, Marty needs a seeing eye person all the time.  He still goes for his walk every day though and bikes once a week.

Fun Fact:  Marty was my senior year of high school research paper subject: People and the emotional connection to pets.  I convinced the principal to allow me to have Marty in class.  I wanted to surprise my teacher too.  My dad brought Marty to school (thank goodness English was 1st period), waited in the hall, I opened the door when it came time for my "visual" and let Marty into the classroom.  I got the only A+ of the class.  It is still a great memory.

The Ring

I was looking back at some posts and realized I never wrote one about my ring.  Silly me.  I was too excited/nervous/shocked to take any good pictures for several months after it happened.  I figured after almost a year, I could probably steady my hand to take some shots.  <3

I had no idea a proposal was coming from Mr. ST.  Buuuuut, he is much sneakier than I give him credit for.  When I lived at my parent's house, I had an idea board full of pictures from magazines of things that inspired me, or that I eventually wanted to make.  On that board was a beautiful Tacori ring with it's gorgeous little hearts on the side.  I loved Tacori so much that I would buy things from the QVC line because those were the only pieces in my price range. 

Isn't she pretty???

All the rest of the jewelry I wear has hearts on it.  My ankle bracelet, toe ring, right hand ring - they all have hearts on them.  I knew that I would want an engagement ring with a heart on it.  I had by no means put the picture there as a statement to Mr. ST.  That picture was there LONG before I started dating him.  I knew I just wanted that ring.  Weeeeellll, sneaky sneaky Mr. ST took a picture of it on his cell phone.  He looked the ring up then had a heart attack when he saw the price. Instead, he realized I'm not one to follow the crowd or want something that everyone else has.  He knew I wanted a heart, but I didn't HAVE to have Tacori.  So he went to a jewelry and got a ring made. 

Please have patience with my cheesy photography skills and that still not so great shots of my ring. 

I tried my best to get as close as possible... you can see the band has the tiny heart on the side and all the swirly filigree work that I love so much.

 There are pave diamonds all around the center stone.

 It's perfect for my super skinny long fingers.  The ring is a size 4 and it's still a bit too big (it spins on my hand alllll the time - aggravates Mr. ST, but I'm OK with it.)

 Loooooooooooooove <3

So, did your fiance pull any surprised about the ring on you?  Did he know exactly what you wanted without you EVER saying a word?  Did he know your style?  Any good stories?  SHARE THEM!!!

Monday Funday - Korker Bows

*This was set to go live yesterday...but never did.  I'm posting it today manually.  Strange. 

Little girls are SO much fun to make craft for: dolls, dresses, ruffles, lace, bling and - HAIR ACCESSORIES!  I have become obsessed with making bows, due in part that four people I know had/are having girls.

SEEEEE - Even I want to model them they are SO MUCH FUN.

The DIY for today:  KORKER BOWS!

Supplies:

• 100% polyester ribbon
• wooden dowels cut to fit into your oven
• clippy clothes pins or butterfly clips
• scissors
• cookie sheet
• cookie cooling rack
• string
• pot holders
• over - preheated to 275 degrees

You will need to start with 100% polyester ribbon.  Any width is ok (you just need a wooden dowel close to the width too)

I used two different widths of dowels - so I could use some of the wider 5/8" ribbons I had on hand.

Start by wrapping the end of the ribbon on the dowel.  DO NOT CUT THE RIBBON FROM THE SPOOL. Secure it with the clothes pin and continue to wrap to the other end.

 Repeat this step for all the dowels/ribbon you have.  Be sure that the clothes pins on on the dowel well.  Stack them on the cookie sheet as you finish.

Place the tray into the oven and bake for 20- 25 minutes.

 Cool them on the cooling rack till they are no longer warm at all.  They need to "set" after being in the oven.

Once cool, remove the clothes pin from one end. 

 Gently start to unravel the ribbon.  Once you get it started, you should be able to "spin" the dowel to get the ribbon to fall off the rest of the way.

You will have a pretty pile of cuuuurly ribbons.

To turn the ribbon into bows, decide how big you want the bow to be across. For example, if you want the bow to be about 3" across - cut the ribbon about 2.5" in length.  Always go about a 1/2" shorter than you want.  It will stretch out.  TRUST ME.  I learned the hard way.

 Take your string and center it under the pile.  Bring the string up and around, and tie tightly into a knot to secure. 

Fluff the ribbon around to give it better dimension.  I put a small piece of felt on the back and a ribbon loop so they they can be attached via bobby pin or safety pin to clothes, hair, etc. 

I also used the to decorate this Diaper Cake for the baby shower I attended Sunday.  :-)

I also made another quilt.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!