My Last Pre-Wedding Post...

   Today is my last day of being single, and I couldn't be happier. Tomorrow is a start of a new life, and I couldn't be more pleased. My dream is coming true. The man I love asked me to marry him just 6 months and three weeks ago, and I said yes. It's been quite the adventure getting here, but we made it. We aren't any worse for wear, we are both happy, and I believe in my heart that God made Sam just for me. I hope I can be the wife he deserves, and live up to the standard I've promised him.

   My father is finally here after a long night of driving out to the city with my future brother-in-law. The bouquets are finally being finished, thanks to my sister-in-law to be, who has more tallent for aranging flowers than I do. Thanks to my future mother in law, and the dear friends around me, I have a wedding, reception, and a meal for my guests. There are always bumps in the road, and I've hit all of them. There are always trials, heartaches, and the need to accept things at their face value, and I've overcome all of them. But I did it with help.

   I now put myself foreward, I present myself to you at my face value. I came to a realization this morning, I'm not the "Do It Yourself Bride", I am the "did it with help bride", and very humbly so. Family doesn't always mean related by blood or marriage, it's the people who love you, care for you, will do anything to see you succeed, and will help you reach any goal. My family has been here for me through all of this, and I know, family, and the marriage I am about to embark on, are the two greatest gifts a person can ever ask for.

   So here's to us, we've made it down a long hard road, and we see the love we have for eachother grow and blossom every day. And here's to the family who has kept it all together when we're not looking.

Ready for the wedding?

I find it amazing that we spend our whole lives planning for one day, and we don't take one day to prepare for the rest of our lives.

   I'm getting married in 5 days. It's crazy to think about. Last I checked I was still 7 years old riding around on my dad's shoulder and pointing at all the scary grown-up rides at Great America. My dad was the strongest man in the world. I was still playing with Polly Pockets, and I was convinced that one day I would be a world renown horse trainer like Pat Perrelli. And I always dreamed of my wedding day. It would be beautiful, at my grandparents home tucked in the California Mountians, and that my true love would look like the mix of Shia LeBeouf and Juaquin Phoenix, (okay, no one said I was very ambitious when I was a kid, because that would have been one ugly guy... Anyway!).

   Well, Polly Pocket is gone, I don't ride horses, and Great America is a thing of the past. My wedding isn't in California, and my man is way better looking than the Shia/Phoenix mutt I dreamed about. I always dreamed that I would be happy too, and I am glad to report, I was wrong, I'm happier than I ever could have dreamed.

   Since I met Sam, I've not dreamed about the wedding, but the marriage. The good times and the bad. We've traveled a long hard road to get to where we are, but I believe we are stronger for it. If we had not faced the trials we did, I'm not sure we would be getting married on Saturday. It was our love and devotion that kept us together when we were so far apart. And it was the simplicity in our hearts that made us believe we only needed eachother to be happy.

   I'm not sure if I'm ready to have a wedding, but I know I'm ready to be married. God allows us humans to love. And He also gave us the free will to love whoever we chose. I thank God for those gifts. They are the most precious things we possess.

The Monster-In-Law Myth

Jane:    "Maybe you should have someone play special music during the ceremony"...
Me:     "Jug of Punch"?
Jane:    "Please don't make me say 'no' again"

    Now you see an example of my wedding planning process for the past 6 months. We're 12 days before the wedding, and I came to a realization, she's not out to get me! She's not going to murder me in my sleep, she isn't going to hate me for chosing "army green" (as she would call it) for the accent color for the wedding. She doesn't bite, scratch, claw, hiss, cuss, or spit.

Yesterday She hosted my bridal shower. It was a lovely affair. She decorated my house, she made pizza, and she even put blueberries in the punch. She invited enough people to make my house seem small...

My own mother and I don't see eye to eye, and we haven't spoken since a week after Sam proposed. So, I felt like I've been planning the wedding alone. And everything is going right. I thought it was my new-found brilliance for organizing for the big day, but it wasn't. She did it. She's "ruined" my wedding plans more than once. She's told me I just cannot walk down the aisle to a song that encludes reference to alchahol and death (it's a light irish tune). And she has assured me that this wedding will come off without a hitch.

Isn't it funny how we look at the woman who does everything for our bennefit, is the hand behind all of our plans, and the force that guides us to the right decisions, and we call her The Monster-in-Law. But she's not that way, or at least mine isn't. I wouldn't trade that "monster" for anything.

P.S. She's having my reception inside.

I've been lazy, I know...

Alright, so I havent posted in a few days...as a matter of fact, I'm not sure when I posted last, but I'm back! The other day my blog had 45 page views! This is a new record for me, and it greatly surpassed the previous record of 13. Well, my blog flat-lined again. Which means I'm not doing my job. So, I'll tell you about yesterday!

   My girls came over at about 4:30 while I was getting things set up at the house, and creating a small "David's coming" presentation on my dining table. They got the grand tour of the house, (which you will get in a few weeks) and I got to show them all of my ideas for the wedding! They got to see my bouquet, the wishing jar, cake topper and all of my other lovelies!

   Next we went back to the main house and we tried on dresses! If I had had half a brain yesterday I would have spent most of my time taking pictures of our fun, but I can tend to be an "in the moment" type of person. The girls were introduced to their jewelry and tried on their dresses for my final inspection. And they look gorgeous! The dresses fit like they were tailored for each girl... Oh wait, they were! I let the girls figure out where the hem was going to sit on their dresses, and as long as they weren't going to be micro dresses, I was fine. They decided to have them just at the knee. To make sure the hems weren't too high, they each sat in their dress to see where the hem would fall.

   Then, we all headed out to the venue. I think we all agreed that the reception cannot be inside unless it is pouring rain and Dorothy is trying to fly her house again. Our guest list has gotten considerably larger since we rented it, and the inside is positively too small to hold upwards of 120 guests. Even 50 in that room would be a bit of a squeeze. It's a bit worrisome when you have such a small space to seat so many people, in the heat of June where there are only 5 windows that open, and only 3 in the seating area. So, I'm opting for an outdoor reception as well. The property is large enough that even David would agree that the wedding and reception can be held at the same location.

   We came back to the main house and talked wedding plans, ate supper, and everyone went home. It was a very full day. But I love having my girls around me. All in all, very good day.

   Today Sam and I are venturing out to the venue so he can see my vision for the wedding and reception. And, hopefully I can convince him that an outdoor reception is the only thing to do (He likes air conditioning). Wish me luck!

Love Birds and Fashion

Yesterday was a very long shopping day, and to show the fruits of my labor, I made today a craft day. Now, it's not very much, but I do have a few surprises!

As you all know, the theme for the wedding is Love Birds/Vintage. So why not have vintage love birds! I cheated a little, and bought a premade necklace chain, but I didnt like the finding, so I replaced it with a watch-chain style clasp (matching the clasp on my pearls). 

As you can see, I had to wire the chain to the back of the pendant because this necklace was designed to have a split chain. But, we make do with what we have. As you can see there is a small pearl in the nest. It lended a lot of character to the piece, and was a quick fix to give it personality. As you may remember my Tulle Poofs, I cut the pearl off of it's stem and used Janes "Freaking Hot 3000" hot glue gun, and glued the small pearl in place.

Next, I have this wicked-awesome knot hole, lent to me by my big sister-in-law Beth! I thought it was so cool when I first saw it sitting in her garage at her Memorial Day barbeque. So, I made a table decoration out of it. I found these birds at Michaels for $3 each. I really liked them, and they are a pretty good size for the knot hole.

I cut a chunk of cardboard and covered up the bottom, and using the "Freaking Hot 3000" again, I glued the cardboard into place. (I used glue as apposed to nails or screws because this piece is just borrowed, and I didn't want to put any cracks in the wood. Glue scrapes off very easily.)

Next came the nest, I just used a few handfuls of hay from the barn. I twisted the center to make it look a little more like birds had woven it, rather than a very clumsy girl.

Last, but certianly not least, I put in the love birds. I think this will be a real eye catcher at the reception! Or at least I hope it will. I set the birds in a little deep so anyone would have to have a double take on my craftiness!

I'll bet you think I forgot about the surprises! Well, I didnt! And here's where I get to show them off!

These are the bridesmaids dresses, lovingly sewn by Jane. Aren't they pretty? Each one is tailor-fit to each of the bridesmaids. I'm so glad they like the color and style. I chose this very versitile pattern because the dresses and necklaces are gifts to the girls. As you can see here, the necklace is already on the form to see where it will hang on the neckline.

And here is a photo of the necklace up close. (this photo was taken of the prototype before the pearl was added)

Well, I hope you enjoyed the post! I hope you come back soon for more DIY ideas!

My Wedding Bouquet

As you know, I've been trying to style my wedding bouquet, which, wasn't working for me. Flowers didn't look right, it needed depth, I don't like it... I even came to the point where I was going to sell my flowers to the highest bidder and buy a bouquet from the supermarket! But, I didn't have the right perspective. I still dont, which is why my dear sister-in-law Lana stayed up until 2 in the morning with me trying to create that lasting memory of a bouquet.

And here it is! Isn't it beautiful? I'll take you step by step through all the things in this bouquet that make it a part of me. It's beauty is enough to look at, but there's always a story behind what you see.

My felt flowers, which you've seen the tutorial for. They've all been hand embroidered by yours truly. My wedding colors, and a tribute to my late Grandmother Mary who made her living by creating things out of wool.

And then there are Janes contributions. She found the idea for this blue flower online. It is made from the left over lining from the bridesmaids dresses, cut into circles with slits in them, and the edges are melted over a candle. Then they are stacked until the flower is large enough to suit whoever is making it, and it is then sewn down through the center with a button, or, as pictured, 3 small pearl beads.

Here is the second of Janes ideas. I'm not sure how she made it, but it is a tulle poof. If I can convince her to make more, she will be starring in my next tutorial! But for now I just get to enjoy the delicate beauty of...tulle.

When I was told I needed to add depth to my bouquet, I never thought it would mean both the physical appearance and the story behind it. My wonderful man brought me home from California last October. It was only 1 week after my 19th birthday, and I came home with a duffle bag half filled with clothes. I had nothing. But, in my very tiny room, he left me a present. A beautiful bouquet. As soon as they were out of their prime for live flowers, I dried them. Unfortunately most of the flowers were too delicate and fell apart once they were dry, but two things survived, baby's breath, and 10 roses.

A lace doilie. This is part of Janes herritage for sure. When I first arrived, I started immediatly picking up on her southern womans wisdom. The first thing she told me was that "a woman is nothing but a simple cotton thread. But the thread twists, it weaves together, and the harder you work at it, the more beautiful it becomes." That was when I decided that I just had to have a doilie in my bouquet. I looked in antique shops and thrift shops, but I never found "the one." When Jane found out that I wanted one, she imparted with me a gift. The last doilie she made. It's beautiful vintage colors, and charm, coupled with its history made it an essential part of the bouquet. Thank you Jane.

I just have to say, isn't this bouquet handle cool? Lana's mother found it online, and sent it my way. I love silver, and this will match the embroidery/beading on my gown, and the silver in my veil.

And here are my final facets. Sam is wearing a small bird pin on his lapel for the wedding. And, symbolically, or some other such nonsense, I decided that I needed a bird too! So we could be two love birds meeting at the end of the aisle. And here, also, is my white lace daisy. Sewn on the only pure white flower of any of the bouquets. This, along with the one on my veil, and the one on my gown, is one of the daisies from my Grandmother Viola's wedding veil.

So, here it is. My bouquet is complete. Thanks to two very wonderful women in my life, and thanks to Sam, my life is complete too.

A Single Lace Daisy...

I've not accomplished much since I graduated. Sam and I have been working on the farm, and I was able to enjoy a long weekend with him (and long weekends in his line of work are few and far between).

   Three days ago I had the flu. Yuck. Stomach cramps lasted all night, and into the next day. But, they subsided, but in my dire illness (and yes, this is an extreme exaggeration), I finished my veil! It's beautiful. I folded the material (which is actually an old shawl) to stagger the design on each end, and sewn onto a hair comb with...fake, but pretty pearl beads. I wish I had a tutorial for you, but I'm not even sure how I did it. Weaving threads until it looked right, I just played it by ear.

Like I said, I had no idea what I was doing to make this work, so I just fiddled with it until it looked right. It took three days of playing with it until it took shape.

Although I don't look particularly "bridal" in this photo, I started writing this post before I even had the pictures! It's such a lovely piece though, and that is simply my opinion.

I really love the detail on the bottom of the veil. It was purchased in India in the 1920's, made of Indian silk and the design woven in is silver bound thread. They certainly don't make them like this anymore! It was a gift from my Great-Grandfather Fredrick to my Great-Grandmother Hazel. It was passed down to my Grandfather who gave it as a gift to my Grandmother. From there, my Grandmother gave it to me. It's simplicity is what attracted me to it, and it was the perfect fit for my vintage wedding.

And here's where I tell you that I lied! I said that my veil was finished, but when I sat down at the computer, I realized that it wasn't! So I quickly attached my Great-Grandmother Viola's lace daisy from her own wedding veil. As you can see, this photo wasn't exactly staged. But here's the proof that my veil is, now, indeed done.

And that's all folks!

It's Graduation Day...

   That's right! I'm 19 years old, and I finally have my GED. Not to toot my own horn, but I am so proud of myself! This month and the next will have been the buisiest in my life. I finished my GED testing on the 8th, got the results on the 10th, send out wedding invitations on the 18th, graduating today, tallent show on the 2nd of June, and wedding on the 23rd.

   But, enough about me, This is where I get to thank those people around me who have encouraged me, who pushed me to do better, and who helped me along the way. Thank you Sam, for being my inspiration, my guidence, and the boot in my ass when I needed it. You helped me more than you will ever know.

   Thank you to my wonderful in-laws, (even you, dale) for pushing me as hard as you did, for handing me my purse and telling me that I'd be late for class, and for getting on my case when I didn't go at all.

   And thank you Dad, you always helped me see that I was meant for better things, that life had meaning, and that one of it's biggest meanings is to enjoy the life you have while you still have it, and to live every day like there was a new adventure to be had.

   So, I leave behind highschool, the adventure that, given my unwillingness at times, might never have happened. It's time to take up a new adventure. Whatever that adventure might be, I don't know, but I hope I won't take it for granted.

   -Sarah

Just a Mushroomy Day

The weather outside is beautiful, not a cloud in the sky, upper sixties, slight breeze; just a perfect day to be in the great outdoors. And where am I? Inside. Being a mushroom. Living proof that fungi has intelligent movement, ever protecting itself from the decay of sunlight. No wonder I can't tan. I have, however, a reason for being a mushroom today. While I would love to work on my wedding tan, I have bouquets to make. So, I am slaving over tiny pieces of felt, embroidering, sewing, and teasing them until they resemble flowers. This is positively the most boring job in the world. I wish I could take my work outside, but there are small dogs that like stealing flowers out there, as well as dirt, and wind, and all those other tricky little elements that make up the outdoors that are not friendly to WHITE felt flowers. So, a mushroom I must be.

There is something I would like to share, though. I keep having bizarre dreams about the wedding, and I had one yesterday morning that was a real humdinger! I had my dream wedding, but it wasn't my dream wedding. I dreamt that Sam and I were getting married in San Francisco, in a grand hotels ballroom. Beautiful marble floors, granite columns, richly colored walls, and gold crown molding (and yes, my dreams are very detailed). It was, however, Davids (Tutera) worst nightmare! The wedding was at 11:30 pm, and I was supposed to have my hair done at 8, but there was some goof with the hairdresser and my hair wasn't even started until 12 am, and it was a horrible disaster. The wedding was then at 2 am, Sam was missing with all of his groomsmen, I only had one bridesmaid, dinner was burnt, and I was so thankful when I woke up!

Upon awaking I realized that I had overslept my beauty sleep and could expect Sam home in three short hours. Yes, I slept til noon. Something I haven't done in 8 months, and was relatively ashamed when I trotted down the stairs. Too late in the day for a shower, I got NOTHING done. (And yes, I must use caps in this post. The past few days have been quite the challenge.) Thank heaven, today I was up at 6 (back to the norm for me), and beat my mother-in-law in the race of "Who can get up in the morning first!" Although, I'm pretty sure she was awake long before me, which isn't much of a surprise.

While making my new felt flowers, I watched Julie & Julia, the movie that inspired me to start a blog. No one really cares about my wedding ideas, but it keeps me on task. I can sit down in the morning, write out my to-do list, and in the evening, I let you know all the things I've done throughout the day, and admit to you what hasn't been done. As a side note, I havent finished my veil yet. We're only 4 weeks and 4 days until the wedding, and I feel I am hopelessly unprepared. Sometimes I feel bad because I'm not always sure if I'm prepared to be a wife! Bride lasts from tide to tide, but being a wife lasts all her life! I'm not worried though. Sam is wonderfully patient, and has seen me at my worst, and already knows I will burn the cassarole.

Well, I should get back to mushroom-dom and finish these flowers. But, Sam will be home in a few hours, and he can steal me away from my tidious task, and help me look at the bigger picture...fixing a tractor.

I suppose that's all for now. Maybe another blogpost tonight to tell you what all I've done for the day, but until then...

   Today we went to our first premarital counseling session. It seemed odd, to say the least, because the motions that our preacher said we would go through, we've already gone through (but he knows that, and respects it)... I wasn't sure how to look at most of it, Sam and I know how to fight and reslove conflict, we know how to put up with eachothers faults (Sam popping his knees, and my OCD/ADD behavior [I'm paranoid and I can't get anything done!]), we work together on the farm, I make his lunches and listen to him when he needs to unload after his days work at the cheese factory, and he knows how to hold my hair back when I puke... What else is there?! Okay, I'm still technically a teenager, so I don't always get it, and I am permanently right; but that only lasts 5 more months. The counceling was actually very good. We had the opportunity to relay some of the wedding details, and share in interesting stories from both sides of the conversation. All in all, the first half of my day was well spent.

   Second half of my day started out with pie and coffee with Sam at a local diner. A lot of fun. He always orders Snickers, and I tried Blackberry. We talked about the counceling session, went through some reading material that the pastor sent home with us. It was some good talk time.

   Next, we came home, and found my future sister-in-law slaving over a styrofoam ball, swatch of fabric, teasing it to form a pomander by candle light... Okay, it was Lana, and she was trying to figure out how to make my mess of felt flowers come together as 3 pomanders. The candle, I assume, was only for ambiance.

   Then, Sam and I went down to work in the barn, and came back up with the announcement that Lana was going to try her hand at giving me the vintage hairstyle I so desire for the wedding. We both agreed that my hair is too long for the style, and I plan on getting it cut, and having a trial run done at the same time (it will save money and time if I do both at the same hair appointment).

   After the hair-raising fun, we decided to go online and look at reception table centerpieces. That's where I came up with an interesting idea: Use one big item in the center of the table, and make favors and surround the large item. This means that the guests take home most of the centerpiece, have a fun keepsake, and we have less to clean up at the end of the day! So here were the ideas so far, Lana's favorite Bird Seed Hearts I have to admit, they were pretty cool. Our theme is love birds, so it really does match. Then my thought was Potted Herbs, which would bring greenary around the tables, and give it a very natural atmosphere.

   Hair is decided. Wedding is on its way. Centerpieces are still up for debate. And todays blogpost is officially done. Until next time...

My Got-Done List...

Here's my got-done list, from the to-do list I made this morning.

Project #1

I put stems on my felt flowers! It was long (2 hours) and boring (eh) process. But, its done! I realize that I have to make a lot more for the pomanders, but, I have all the flowers cut out, all I have to do is embroider and wire them.

Here is a shot of how long of stems I put on the flowers. It's better to have them too long than too short!

And here is Janes Tulle Poof! It's amazing, isn't it? Leave a comment, and I'll put up a tutorial for the poof.

Jane and I were talking about using fake nests and putting little miniature birds in them as center pieces for the tables at the reception. Not an hour later a dear friend of the family pops in for a visit, and says "any you ladies wants this nest?" Jane is worried about anyone getting the ew-ickies with a real nest with real poop in it near their food, which I can understand. But, I think it's too cool, so it's the centerpiece of the sweetheart table.

Remember my wishing jar? Well, a wishing jar is no good without wishing cards! So, a few days ago I went to the craft store and bought a package of scrapbook paper, and a large die cutter. And you know what to do from there!

Isn't that slick? It comes out in a whole shape (if you're going to try this, make sure that it is not a punch for a whole sheet, but one that makes tag punches).

And here is my project complete. An old note paper box filled with my wishing cards, and my decorated wishing jar.

And for tomorrows project, I need to fix the veil to a haircomb, and bead the top of it.

Tomorrow is another day. I put in a good days work today. On top of wedding projects, I raked grass at the house, planted 3 herb pots, fed calves, and helped grind cow feed. It's been a very busy day.

Wedding Bliss?

   I woke up this morning, still in my wedding daydream, counting the days until I'll be the wife of my true love, in the blissful fog that I tend to be in. I sat down at my computer, and after a shower of morning kisses from my adoring and sometimes pestering fiance, I realized that there's only 35 days until the big day! So, here's my to do list!

This is my to do box, actually. I'll explain. Its crunch time. I've got 5 weeks, I'm not David, and I'm starting to go into panic mode.

Here I have glass boxes to spray paint the frames of. Flowers to be made, flowers to be wired, and Styrofoam balls to make pomanders. A bunch of green tulle to make tulle and pearl puffs for the pomanders/my bouquet. Birdies to stick in the pomanders and one for my bouquet too. (Alright, this is where my brain starts chasing the rabbit, I'm gonna talk about the birdies for a minute. A large part of the theme for the wedding is Love Birds. I bought Sam a small mother of pearl bird pin, and made his boutonniere out of it. I wanted to wear a single bird too, because we'd be two love birds meeting at the end of the aisle. Yes, I know its corny. But we're both corny.) I still have my veil to wash, set, sew, and bead. I need to finish addressing and mailing invitations.

I'm really hoping my parakeet survives me this month. I've been a little preoccupied... her cage was cleaned yesterday, but that's only because of the barn cat that slipped into the house and decided to knock over the cage. Now my brain is really chasing the rabbit.

Here is our unity tree. You're probably scratching your head, wondering why this deranged stranger is showing of a marijuana plant, and what the heck is a unity tree. But, I can answer both those questions! I should start with the most alarming... A unity tree... (hope you appreciated the inserted humor) It's not pot. Note the 5 leaves instead of seven. It is a bonsai Money Tree. I was always told that money doesn't grow on trees, but, I've found one!

A slight collaboration in my mind between my mother-in-law, and my Grandmother. My mother-in-law came up with the idea of the unity tree because it puts down roots, and my Grandmother always told me that there's two kinds of love: pie and flowers. Pie love is where you can only love so much, and each time you need to give something love (a slice of pie) the pie is sliced thinner. But love should be like a flower. It starts with roots, and as you grow to love, a new flower blossoms, it can only grow, and become more beautiful; rather than the pie that is only divided until there's nothing left. So, I liked the idea.

This little beauty cost $25. But considering that it'll last a lifetime (maybe, I have no skills when it comes to horticulture).

Well, I need to go, and make my to-do list my got-done list.





But David Tutera says!...

Okay, that's a real cheap shot, but I used anyway. Famed wedding planner David Tutera tells all of his brides to do something that they will be scared to do a few weeks before the wedding. So when they get the jitters, or something goes wrong at the wedding, they can look back on what they just did and realize that their wedding is a piece of cake.

Well, it just so happens that I get the opportunity to do the same thing! (And, no, David is not coming in to kill my wedding plans.) There is a local talent show being held 3 weeks before the wedding, and I'm entering. Now, last time I got on a stage, of any sort, with my guitar, I quickly found out that my guitar was desperately out of tune, my electric tuner had died, and I was found in the church basement by my step father, bawling my eyes out, because I had just humiliated myself in front of my whole school... If you haven't realized by now, I'm a little scarred.

I have, however, more confidence than last time! I will go up on that stage an amateur singer and musician, and I will come down... still an amateur singer and musician, but I will have more experience, I will have something to look back on the day of the wedding, and if I'm lucky, I just might win the grand prize and go home $1000 richer! (We're hoping for the richer, but I think experience is all we will get...and yes, there is a mouse in my pocket!)

I will be singing "Rhythm of Love" by Plain White T's, with an acoustic guitar as my only accomplice. (Yes, accomplice, because stealing applause is a crime!)

But for now I'll just eat my cheerio's and banana slices, and play guitar in my off time.

I Have Not Been Completely Lazy...

Okay, so I have been a little lazy over the past week, but I haven't been unproductive. I'm still trying to figure out which style of pomander I'm going to have my bridesmaids carry. But as for me, I am going to carry a felt flower bouquet. Because I already walk like my 61 year old father, I don't think I need to swing a pomander like the pope does his incense. I'm starting to get off subject.

Project #1

You already know about my wishing jar, well, I found a second one. I waited a week, and it was still at Goodwill, so I bought it for $4. It would have been worth $8 if someone, instead of me, had cleaned it.

It was awful, to say the least. But, it matched. I like the shape of these jars, so I couldn't resist.

I was not thrilled that this beautiful whatever-it-is-jar had been covered in dots and stripes of nail polish and then coated in some ungodly lacquer that wouldn't come off with the strongest paint stripper known to man.

And that is why I spent the past week, with a razor blade, cleaning the glass of it's cruel embarrassment.

Project #2

I bet you dont know what this is! But I'm going to guess that you've figured out by now that it's handle is soon to be red. What I have here is a Foley Pot Strainer. Hold the handle firmly and rest against the side of a pot. Tip the pot gently, and strain it's contents. I thought it was pretty cool. My kitchen is yellow, but, my cookware is red and white enamel. I couldnt justify humilliating this fun piece of historical cookware, only belonging to an ultimate foodie, as the only utensil in the kitchen with a yellow handle.

So I painted it! In my opinion a coat of paint did this beauty a world of good. And now it can smile proudly as it hangs in desplay in my retro kitchen, awaiting its first pot of pasta needing to be drained!

Project #3

I have had a thought, I want to put up the wishing jar at the reception, but, I'm worried that no one is going to know what to do with it! So, I'm writing out instructions. I was worried about it, because I cannot find the right frames to go with the wedding, so I've decided to borrow a frame from my mother in law.

Here's the frame, now what to fill it with? I was thinking of buying some scrapbook paper, but it didn't seem very crafty. So I came up with a different idea!

Every woman who is planning her own wedding without the aid of the renowned "wedding planner" has been through the motions of ordering the invitations. I'm sure that you have ordered a few samples so you and your sweetheart can figure out which one will best suit the overall theme of your wedding. My advice, DO NOT through them away! Even if you've already decided on another invitation. If it has your wedding colors, save it. I'm a major pack rat, and I find uses for everything I keep. These paid off.

I cut the invitation into sections on its fold lines to avoid unattractive creases in the middle of my instructions

Slipped them into the picture frame, and voila! It is ready for instructions to be framed for my wishing jar. Best part? Free. That's right. The frame is borrowed, sample invitations are free at Invitations By Dawn . The only thing this project cost me was my time (a two minute project if you have mastered scissors!).

Well, that's about all I've been up to recently. Hope you enjoyed this post, and come back soon for more DIY ideas!

And Here's Where I Need You...

I decided to make my own bouquet... and not with real flowers either! I wanted a bouquet that would last forever, without wilting while drying, so, real flowers were out. I hate hate HATE silk flowers! They get dusty, they look so fake, feel fake, and just make me cringe when I touch them. So, that brought me to felt flowers; which you saw the tutorial for in the last post.

Now, I've been having some trouble with the bouquet design! I tried making the bouquet, but it was so small, the flowers kept falling out, and it just looked like a bridesmaid bouquet because the largest base I could find was 3 inches. Not going to work. So, I tried a pomander! You know what it is, it's that funky flower ball that hangs from a ribbon, and may or may not look awkward going down the aisle. But, hey! I am awkward! Awkwardly enough my own awkwardness attracted my awkward future husband to me in the first place; so that makes it awkwardly sweet.

This brings us to the purpose of this post. I need you to help me decide what design to use for my pomander. Now, I have 3 designs here. I want you to leave me a comment, and tell me which design you like the best. And I don't care if you dont know me, and are just browsing blogs! Leave a comment. Let me know what you think.

Design #1 This was a design that I found online, It looks sweet up close but From a distance, it all looks like a great big ball of fuzz (and you have my full permission to have From a Distance stuck in your head ALL day)

Here is design #2 I covered the whole styrophone ball in white organza, then attatched the flowers in lines down the sides of the ball to give the appearance of flower vines going from top to bottom... Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking either.

And this design #3 The blue is a little more subdued than what is pictured. The blue is actually the same fabric as the bridesmaids dresses. The green leaves in the center was the bottom of design #2. It's gives kind of a poinsettia vibe, but I really liked the fact that it was a focal point for the pomander because it truly accentuated the embroidery that seems to get a little lost in the flower frenzy.

Okay, so, now you've seen all the designs so far, so find your oppinion, and let me have it! If none of the designs speak to you, or send you to a place of unexplored extasy that only felt flowers can enduce, then don't break it gently. Just break it.

Felt Flower Tutorial

I'm going to take you step by step through making your own felt flowers. A lot of women, like me, enjoy doing things themselves, and this project, while time consuming, is rather enjoyable, as you get to see something from start to finish, and get to relate your pride in that you did it yourself.

Here's what you'll need: Green and White felt, Scissors, Assorted Embroidery Floss, Needles, Fabric Marking Pen (designed for tailors and quilters, washable) and Assorted Buttons. All of these items can be picked up at Hancocks fabrics, or Jo-Anns fabrics.

White felt: Start by making marks on your fabric with the marker, in the general shape you want your flowers. I prefer a 5 leaf flower. Pictured on the left, you can use a guide for the center of your flower such as a coin, and branch the petals off of it. I draw mine out free-hand, but if you're not comfortable without a guide, the coin will do the trick!

Here is an example of how my flowers look. Make them in assorted sizes so they can be stacked for the finished product. Note: The flowers don't have to look perfect! Different sized petals can give them a very unique look.

Cut them out carefully along the cutting lines you made. But, if they don't look quite right, don't be afraid to trim them! Remember, there's more where that came from!

Green Felt: Use your marking pen on the green felt (note: you will have to draw your design onto the same spot a few times before the ink will show up well enough to use as a cutting guide). Make generous sized leaf shapes and cut them accordingly.

Here's what you have to work with so far. Select a smaller felt flower cut out, and thread your needle with a strand of embroidery floss (note: do not separate the threads in the embroidery floss).

I'm going to show you one of my favorite embroidery stitches, but if you know your stitches well enough, you can skip this part. Insert your needle through the back of the flower, and push the needle back through the same hole, only leaving a loop of thread in the front.  

Next, push your needle through the back of the flower again, about 1/4 of an inch higher than the first stitch. Slip the needle through the loop of thread, and pull gently to tighten it.

Then push your needle back through the second hole, on the other side of the loop so that your thread has created a second loop around the top of the first loop.

Repeat the process on all the other petals, and your result should look something like this.

Find another flower cut out, slightly larger than the first, and start embroidering it. Remember, only the edges of the larger one are going to be seen, so add the flare where it will show.

Running stitches are the best to use for the big flower. They show beautifully, and add some real fun to the whole flower.

Here's a photo of the large flower finished. I told you it was fun looking!

And it shows perfectly to give this elegant flower some personality.

Next you have your leaves. I really like the white on green, so we're sticking with it.

Just make a simple diagonal stitch...

Then a second, starting from the center of the first, and branching outward.

Your finished leaf should look like this! If not, oh well, sometimes you have to make it up as you go along!

To keep things simple, I did a running stitch on the second leaf. It keeps a nice homey look to the leaves, while still dressing it up a bit.

Next, put everything together! Lay down your leaves, face up, and stack the bottom and top flower, and top it with a button. Make sure the flowers and leaves are positioned in the spot you want them!

And finally, sew it all down. Make sure that your needle and thread go through ALL of the layers. Dont miss either of the leaves (which is the hard part), and dont let either of the flowers shift too much as you sew.

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial! And come back again soon for more Do It Yourself ideas!