Plus Quilt and baby subway art

I made this plus quilt about a year ago, but the photos got stuck on my camera.  I was finally able to download them.  It's roughly the size of a full bed, so it'll be perfect on a twin sized bed.  I made this quilt for my best friend's baby shower.  The baby's room is purple and all done in butterflies. 

 On the front of the quilt are giant fleece butterflies that she can "play" with.  The wings move!

 I followed a simple Plus pattern that I graphed out on some old graph paper. 

 This is the quilt on a full sized mattress.

I also recently made this adorable baby subway art sign.  I used my Cricut to cut out the letters from various carts.  I then arranged them all on the canvas and mod podged the heck out of it.  Do you see the silly numerical mistake I made?  I didn't notice till we gave it to the new parents.  So I took it back to fix it.  Thank goodness the mod podge I used is not waterproof so I could scrape off the mistake!

Engagement Shoot Recap

Mr. ST and I waited to do our engagement shoot.  The shoot was part of our package and we wanted to do it in early summer. 
We got all the pictures back and I LOVE them.  Here are some of my favorites!

Ceremony Readings

We will be meeting with our minister this week.  Groomsman MW was Mr. ST's college roommate.  MW's mom will be performing our ceremony. 

That leaves me in charge of finding some readings for the ceremony.  Groomzilla originally made a request that the ceremony be short so I can't pick anything tooooo long. 

It's also traditional in his family to read the "gong" passage from the bible.  His godmother and godfather will be reading that together.  There is this funny thing about being nervous to read during the ceremony that has made everyone say the word GONG funny and then giggle. 

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
   Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
   Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
   And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

It is a beautiful passage.  I've read it in weddings before too and have loved it every time.

For the other reading or readings (I want two more, he only wants one- Ggrrrr Groomzilla!!!) I've been researching some readings from literature.  I can't help but want some aspect of my love of literature and books to be a part of the ceremony. 

How Do I Love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of every day’s

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints – I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life! – and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

I Love You by Roy Croft

I love you,

Not only for what you are,

But for what I am when I am with you.

I love you

Not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making

of me.

I love you for ignoring the possibilities of the fool in me

And for laying firm hold of the possibilities for good.

Why do I love you?

I love you for closing your eyes to the discords

And for adding to the music in me by worshipful listening.

I love you because you are helping me to make of the lumber of my life,

Not a tavern but a temple;

And out of the words of my every day

Not a reproach but a song.

I love you because you have done more than any creed to make me happy.

You have done it without a word, without a touch, without a sign.

You have done it just by being yourself.

After all, perhaps that is what love means.

i carry your heart with me by e.e. cummings

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)

i am never without it

(anywhere i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me

is your doing, my darling)

i fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)

i want no world (for beautiful, you are my world, my true)

and it’s you whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;

which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

And of course, my personal FAVORITE:

Sonnet No. 116 by William Shakespeare

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove;

Oh, no! It is an ever-fixed mark,

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth’s unknown, Although his height be taken.

Love’s not time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle’s compass come;

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But it bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

But I think I may have to translate it for most people, especially Groomzilla. I would love to use it as part of my vows, but he would have no idea what I was telling him. lol.

What did you pick for your ceremony?  Did you choose any nontraditional pieces?  Please share them!!

Bridal shows and expos

The ST house is still attending bridal shows.

Not at my request. 

Yup.

Mr. ST made the request.  Why you ask?  GREAT question!!

A few months back (around March) I officially handed over the job of transportation to Mr. ST because he did not think I was getting good prices, or asking the right questions, or finding out enough about the cooler size on the limo bus.  Whatever.

I continually nagged  reminded him about his job of finding transportation.  We only need one limo bus, for three hours just for the bridal party to and from the ceremony and the reception.  That's IT. 

Here we are less than three months out and NO LIMO BUS.

We trekked up an hour north of our house to a lame, small, terrible show and there was only one company there. 

I made the suggestion that I would spend a day and call around and get a company.  He said no, let's go to this show on the 25th. 

Oh Groomzilla. 

Did you assign a task to your groom?  Did he get it done in time?  Is there hope for my Groomzilla? 

Shoes - the Finale!!!

The shoes are FINALLY done.  You can read about the shoesHERE  and  HERE .

No more paint dye.

No more glue.

No more crystals.

No more glitter.

No more clear sealer spray.

They are done. 

Here is the before.  I never took a great one- only them in the box. Sorry!!

Just getting started on the multi-colored crystal strap. 



Working on the heel strap.  I even put the multi-colored crystals on the tiny buckles. 

Here they are - all glitter and crystal fabulousness!!!  SO HAPPY WITH THEM. 



Did you find your wedding shoes?  Have you ever taken a plain pair of shoes and crafted them into something spectacular?

Scrub a dub-dub - Shower Time!!

It's been a while. 

I know. 

Shame on me. 

Baddddd blogging bride-to-be. 

I've got a millions things going on for the wedding - we are 104 days until the wedding...CRAZY!!!

I had begged, pleaded, demanded that the shower be during the summer.  I knew I would not be able to handle all that extra cleaning, writing, etc during the school year.  There was a week left of school and the bridesmaids commmmmpletely surprised me. 

Mr. ST's parents had been asking to go to dinner at various restuarants in the area to find a place for the rehearsal dinner.  The first place we went to is a favorite bar/restuarant of ours - Calloways.  It's great: there is a bar, a miniature golf and driving range, arcade place and some small rides for kids, plus a go cart track.  Needless to say, the STs and friends hang out there all the time. 

We walked in and I was yelling at Mr. ST for not following the directions of the host,  when I turned left and VOILA! SURPRISE!

Mr. ST is holding our niece, his mom is in the pink/orange, his dad in the yellow and there is me shleping in all the bags for Gabby.... NO CLUE.  lol

Yup, silly face.  I honestly had no idea.  Don't get me wrong, I TRIED to figure it out, but I had no clue. 

You can see the beautiful shell corsage that my mom made for me.  It has is beautiful and I want to put it in a shadow box with the invitation.

Our cake - not your typical shower cake - so it was perfect for us!  The flip flops on the cake are magnets on our fridge now! :-)


It was such an overwhelming day.  I'll recap all the gifts and the bow hat and bouquet.  Those were some SPECIAL bow items.  How was your shower?  Where you surprised? 

Easy Easter Crafts

Easter has sprung up on us!  Haha.  Love a good pun. 

Bridesmaid TBG came over a nice relaxing day of crafting. 

This is my newest Geo Mesh wreath.  I LOVEEEE this stuff.  More and more craft stores are carrying it in stock and they are getting more and more colors/textures as well.  It's easy to manipulate and lasts in all sorts of weather conditions.  This is a bright pink mesh with a glitter line in it.  The peeps are made from foam and from my chick Peeps template I made last year and from bunny peeps from MADE by Dana.  The garland is from the dollar store too.  I was inspired by a few wreaths I had seen on Pinterest and so I go to work.

These are the blocks that Bridesmaid TBG made - sooooo cute.  She came up with the saying herself too!  They are still a tad wet here, but she needed to get home to her pup, Roxanne. 

Hope you had a great weekend!

Why hello!

Hello Blog World!!!

I cannot believe it's been so long since I last posted...well, actually I can believe that. Work has been amazing, busy, but amazing.  Weekends for Mr. ST. and I are spent with family, completing random home owner crap, and catching up on our sleep.

I'm going to try and write more often.  There are some biiiiiig things coming up in the world of the wedding very soon.

Tons of DIY projects are up my sleeve and I cannot wait to share all the failures, er, successes with you!

Hope you had an amazing St. Patty's Day!

<3 Sandy Toes Bride