freshlyblended Ornament Swap

I'm happy to say that this year I will be participating in freshlyblended's 5th Annual Ornament Swap! Swapping with others is a great way to meet like-minded crafter's and not to mention receive awesome little treats in the mail ;) This is my first ornament swap so I'm excited to join in on the fun. I hope my swappers like their ornaments!

Halloween Costumes 2010

I am so, so happy with how well my costume making went this Halloween. As mentioned in my previous posts, it was my first full on garment so I was worried whether or not I could pull it off. While it wouldn't be able to be sold in stores anytime soon, due to some of my crazy stitching, I am so proud of how my daughter's Pink Cheetah outfit turned out. It was wearable and functional. And it held up for both her preschool party and Halloween night. No wardrobe malfunctions here!

My husband has a tendency to do low commitment Halloween costumes. Meaning he doesn't like anything too overly complicated. The more he gets to wear normal clothes the better. So we came up with the idea for him to be Wolf Man. We both agreed that a typical plastic wolf mask would be lame (and not good for the kiddies.) So we were quite happy when we came across the werewolf hood in Simplicity pattern#: 2513. It was my first time working with fur and yes it does get everywhere! But it was pretty easy to sew. Luckily we were only doing the hood and not the full on pattern including the chest plate. I am quite proud of it.

As for myself, well I had to take a backseat to a homemade costume since I was focusing more on them. But I got the Sherlock Holmes idea from the Simplicity 2513 pattern. I already had a tweed capelette, a fancy hat, and oxford shoes. All I had to do was pickup a smoking pipe and magnifying glass and I was all set ;)

Minnie Costume for Disney World!

Two years ago, we were blessed to experience Halloween at the greatest place on Earth...Disney World! I knew I wanted my daughter to be something Disney without having the exact same princess costume as every girl in the park. So, we opted for a simple DIY Minnie Mouse costume.

I made the ears and bow: just a covered headband, felt stuffed ears, and a stuffed bow in quintessential red and white polka dot fabric. The tutu is a No Sew Tutu. Google those exact words and you'll come up with plenty of tutorials and videos to help you make one of your own. Good luck on your tutu tutorials!

Halloween Tradition

I'm confidently working through my first official garment pattern by myself. I'm making my daughter's Halloween costume this year. Although I did make her a Minnie Mouse outfit a few years back, it was really simple with minimal sewing really. Patterns usual intimidate me and I usually do better with just tutorials I find in the blogosphere, but I'm really starting to see the advantages of having each piece in the shape in needs to be...less measuring. Which is great because I'm not the best with numbers :P

I am using Simplicity pattern 2327, View C.

My mom would make our Halloween costumes every year. Which thinking about it now, is pretty impressive since she had to make one for me and each of my siblings. Its coming together slowly but surely.

I still have loads of wedding entries to post, but frankly I was getting a little tired of all the wedding stuff (months of planning will do that to ya). But, rest assured they will still be sprinkled in from time to time.

Wedding: Entrance

Meet Pearl! The sweetest, most beautiful white pony I have ever met. We got to make our grand entrance to our reception with her. I never thought I would have the awesome opportunity to ride in on a pony as we were announced the new Mr. & Mrs. We figured how many other people get that chance to ride in on a pony at their reception site? The barn although, oh so hot that day, really made for a perfect atmosphere.

Wedding: Signature Drink

Here we are toasting our Appletini's during my lovely MOH's speech.

For anyone who really knows my husband and I, you know we share a love for the sitcom, Scrubs. It was one of the first things we found out we had in common and our first few dates consisted of nights hanging out and watching all the seasons of Scrubs on DVD. Aaand, for the rest of you Scrub lovers you know that JD loves Appletini's. With our green apple theme, it seemed silly to not incorporate Appletini's as our signature drink. I recommend using signature drinks to help tie in your theme. Signature drinks are also smart if you want to save on money. If you focus on one cocktail you won't have to spend a lot of your budget on a bunch of liquor. We also had beer, wine, and champagne available, but cutting back on the liquor goes a long way. If you're having a hard time figuring out a signature drink for your event, try finding drinks that simply match your color scheme!

Wedding Mess

My apologies and thanks to my then fiance and my daughter for putting up with this mess for the last, oh 2 months or so before the wedding. It was a happy day for all when the floor could finally be seen again :P

Wedding: Banners

We were working on a budget with our wedding, (as I'm sure most do) and if you look in the right places you can find a world of great freebies and printables. Marthastewart.com of course is a great resource. She has these great letter templates to make banners out of. Just print them out on cardstock and cutout. I found circle punches worked great for a nice clean, symmetrical edges. Above, mine are strung up with the same twine that we used on our invites.

Wedding: Reception Details

Just posting a few more quick images of our wedding :)

...the food,

and table settings...

Wedding: Children's Gifts

I wanted to make the children's gifts extra special since my daughter was going to be our flower girl. I tried to think of what I, as a mother, would want her to have. Something that wouldn't just become clutter and be forgotten. I wanted them to have something they could actually use but that was still personal.

Again, I referenced the lovely tutorials from thelongthread.com for these children's capes. They were a bit cumbersome to make since I was making 4 at one time. I felt like a factory worker pumping those capes out in time. It was my first project using an applique so I had to get the hang of the stitching since I just used a zig-zag stitch. The kids loved them, because really...what kid doesn't like being a super hero?

Wedding: Ring Pillow

Back with another wedding project. Sharing today with you the ring pillow I made out of the same fabric I used for the clutches. Gotta keep everything consistant and get my monies worth of course ;) They were real simple, just two squares of fabric stitched and stuffed. Then I finished them with an embroidered 'a' and 'k' as well as our wedding date :)

Wedding: Centerpieces

I liked the whole mason jar trend going on in the wedding world. It fit in with our rustic/vintagey theme and they were pretty inexpensive to buy in bulk. I also used regular canned food cans as well as Starbucks Frapp drinks to supplement the mason jars. A great way to both save money and the environment :) I drink a lot of Sbux drinks so I just saved those and cans that were in good condition and dressed them up with twine, ribbon, and burlap. A very low cost centerpiece with highly attractive appeal.

Above is the final end result at our reception.

Tip: GooGone is a great product that helps get sticky residue off surfaces. I used that to get the Sbux bottles nice and clean.

Wedding: Apple Clutch

I wanted to make my gifts for my bridesmaids. I figured it would be that much more personal. I used Michael Miller/Sandi Henderson Farmers Market in Spring Apple Dot fabric. Lordy was it a painstaking process. It literally took blood, sweat, and tears. First, I had to figure out the purse shape pattern, which took a few muck-ups to get right. I eventually came up with a pattern that worked and from there three more purses were born. Needless to say my fingers got quite a bit raw and bloody getting the fabric in the purse frames. Alas, I persevered through the pain and ended up with 4 cute and personal clutches for my ladies.


Lisa at u-handbag.typepad.com has a lovely tutorial that helped sooo much!

Hiatus over!

Sorry for the absence...I was busy getting married and all :P That and I decided I deserved a little break after all the stresses that wedding planning brings. So to update you in all the happenings, I'll be writing in retrospect for the next few posts. Thanks for your patience and welcome back!

Wedding: Bridal Tea Party

This past Saturday was warm and sunny, perfect for a tea party. My MOH and best friend threw me a wonderful Bridal Tea/Lingerie Party.

We have been scouting out a few tea rooms in the area when we landed on "With Flair" tea room in Chesapeake. The owner Pam is the sweetest thing ever. The tea room itself is in a converted old house by Cedar Road. Her chicken salad sandwiches are on point. None of those weird cranberries, apples, or nuts. Call me old fashioned but I like my chicken salad sandwiches pretty bare bones.

She had everything you would typically want at a tea party: scones, cucumber sandwiches, pimento sandwiches and all sorts of yummy tea. My favorite is the Strawberry Pomegranate...iced or hot...its awesome.

We ate, laughed, played games...which let me stop and say I beasted at the newlywed game. Getting 10 out of 15 questions correctly...what can I say I know my fiance.

With Flair is open for lunch Tuesdays through Saturdays 11am-2pm. I hope you stop by for a bite and a slurp of tea. Tell Pam I say "hello!" ;)

tea lollipop favors made by my MOH :)

ps. notice I wore this dress? I had to wear my tea dress to my tea party :)

SOL: S**t Outta Luck

I'm having quite an off day or few days actually...with my wedding day approaching in exactly one month tomorrow, I am officially freaking out.

I publicly apologize to my fiance, with whom I was quite nasty with last night. I had a meltdown when the last of the wedding party gifts came in and I realized that I had entered the initials incorrectly for the monograms. Call me stupid, but I didn't know that the monogram initials are supposed to have the last name in the middle. Please tell me I'm not the only one on the planet that didn't know this! Lets just say I don't have a lot of monogrammed things. So sue me. So all the monograms are incorrect. I spent majority of the night whining, being rude, and tearing out stitches. There is a no return policy for personalized items at the store I bought them at so I am either stuck with a bunch of incorrectly monogrammed items or I can make the best of it and tear all the stitches out.

But still with the stitches out of a few of them... I still don't know what to do with them. You can still tell where and what was stitched there. I was thinking I might take them to a local embroidery shop and have them redo them. But its still a matter of figuring out where to take them to and when to find the time to do it. We should get wedding leave at work. Kinda like maternity leave but for the months before...oye....is it time for the honeymoon yet? :(

Wedding: Vendors

With roughly 2 months to go we finally have all our vendors squared away. I've made a convenient little section to the right -> of all my current vendors for the wedding in the Hampton Roads area :)

Wedding: Bridesmaid Shoes

I really wasn't too strict on how my bridesmaids should look. I don't have a preference for hair, jewelry, or shoes. As long as they have the dress on the day of, we're good. I gave my bridesmaids the option of wearing whatever shoes they liked in a color that complimented the green apple dresses. Just so they weren't left too much in the dark I did suggest unforgettablemoments.com. They are a dye-able sister shoe company with Payless Shoes. They have a range of colors to choose from. Being a sister company with Payless you know they will fit most budgets too. Only set back is there are not that many styles to choose from. The good thing though is Payless has some of the shoes in store, so if you did want to try on the fit and see what colors look like in person you can go to the store and see. Just go to the front and ask the sales lady for the book of colors for Unforgettable Moments. I think we're going with the Rich Mocha to compliment the apple green. Great for prom season coming up too!

Wedding: Bridal Shoes

I've been looking for green wedding shoes for quite some time. I wanted to have a pop of color under my dress with my shoes. But I haven't been able to find the perfect shade of green. I came across these Green Apple Electra Pumps by Nina on zappos.com and I got all excited, until I try to order and they are all sold out of size 7. Typical.

So I opted for white shoes. I wanted something with a little bling since I wasn't going to have that "color wow factor" anymore. I searched around zappos.com until I found these pretty pleated pumps by Coloriffics. I'm a frugal lady. I get it from my mom who wouldn't let me buy anything growing up unless it was on sale. So spending $80 on a pair of shoes I will probably wear once, (bc who really wears white shoes?) was a bit steep for me. So I googled the shoes to compare prices. And I'm glad I did. Of all places Sears.com had them. I was pleasantly suprised by their evening shoe selection at Sears. Who knew? They have brands like Coloriffics, Caparros, and Benjamin Walk. I perused the site until I found these. They are similar to the Coloriffics with the pleats and bling but at a cheaper price. So I was sold. Hooray for google searches!

PS. I also went to a Sears store to see if I could try some on. They don't carry half of what they do online, in stores. So needless to say we didn't see any Evening/Wedding shoes there.

Passing time...

This has been floating around blogland so I figured I'd pass the time and join in...

1. When do you feel happiest?

After I've accomplished or finished something I've been putting off. (i.e., sewing projects, wedding planning, jobs at work...)

2. How do you take care of yourself?

I give myself time outs by secluding myself to the bedroom and taking a mid-day nap. Unfortunately, I can only do this on the weekends.

3. Are you internally (by yourself) or externally (by others) motivated?

Internally, almost too much, I have to "feel" like doing something or it won't be done. I'll wait and wait until I "feel" like that basket of laundry or what have you. Its a habit I'm not proud of bc life won't wait around for when you feel like it right?

4. What do you do for fun?

Flea markets, antiquing, catching the occasional concert or show depending on the cash flow. Movies with the fiance or netflix on the couch.

5. What intimidates you?

My dreams intimidate me. Sometimes I think I'm dreaming too big and I think I need to pace myself. I have a habit of looking at the big picture prematurely. When I should be looking at the steps at how to get to the big picture.

6. What is something you're proud of?

I'd say my small humble blog. I remember when I even doubted starting you. I'm glad I did.

7. Finish this sentence. I never _____________ ever am on time. For. Anything.

8. Favorite vacation spot.

I don't get to go on many vacays so I'd say good 'ole VB oceanfront. Bc in all honesty even having the time to go there is a feat in itself.

9. Today is a (rate from 1 - 10).

A 3. Really bored. It was a weird day. I didn't even notice people at work today. I was really out of it I guess?

10. Finish this sentence. If you knew me really well you'd know _____________ I have major sleep issues.

If you still want to join in, feel free to post your answers on your blog!

Wedding: Rustic Invites

Our wedding invitations, probably the biggest hurdle of wedding planning, are finally out the door and we are already getting RSVPs in! Getting those out really makes getting married feel even more legitimate. These are our invites. I sewed each pocketfold; all 100 or so of them. The fiance helped print, assemble, and package them while I diligently sewed away. I like how they turned out and so far I have heard nothing but good things about them. It was funny buying all the fabric for them at the fabric store. The lady at the cutting counter was like, "Wow, what are you gonna make with all this burlap?" And I was like, "Um...pocketfolds for my wedding invites." When she responded, "Burlap? That's so interesting, most people want satin or organza for wedding projects..." Haha. Not us. We like unconventional ;) Enjoy!

Currently Obsessing Over: Olive Juice Mary Janes

jazmin mary jane via olivejuicekids.com

How cute are these! Ugh...can't stand it. Once again too rich for my blood, but soo cute for the little one.

Wedding: A dress with persona

stolen from FB. hah thnx Tin!

Meet my recently married cousin overseas in PI and her amazing wedding dress. I really wish I could pull off a little hat like that. Tee...its so dainty! I love the details in this dress. So much personality, from the piping to the ruching and don't forget the black cap sleeves. Amazingness must run in the family ;) Well done cuz!

Dear Fiance: Wedding Gift Suggestions

Dear Fiance,

If you need suggestions as to what to get me for a wedding present I've provided some help for you ;)

Yudu screen printing machine

Cricut Cake Machine
Diamond Hello Kitty Ring via zales.com

and of course a bunna! Thanks!

Love,
Me

Currently Obsessing Over: L of L Kiss Lock Wallet

The Liberty of London prints @ my favorite place Target def scream Spring. I really want this Lock Kiss Wallet. The pattern is coated cotton which means I can just wipe it clean. I lug a lot of stuff around in my wallet. Right now my current wallet is actually a clutch I bought from NY&Co. awhile back. So its sorta silly, I have a clutch within my huge 8lbs purse, a purse within a purse really. I like the added Kiss Lock section of the wallet...more for me to stuff up my wallet with ;) Sadly, most Libery of London stuff has gone quickly. I can only find the blue print in stores and not the poppy pink as pictured. I wanted a L of L teapot also, but those too were sold out within days both in stores and online. The search continues for poppy pink...

Fred Heutte 29th Annual Herb Sale & Festival

The Fred Heutte Center is having its Annual Herb Sale and Festival this weekend, April 17th & 18th, along with a Spring Art & Craft Show. The hours are 9-4 Saturday and 10-4 Sunday and is located in the old train station at 1000 Botetourt Gardens in the Ghent area of Norfolk.

If you go, say hi to my fellow 7CCer Kristin, she'll be the one selling gorgeous aprons and such. Kristin is owner of the Craft and Sew Studio located in Virginia Beach. I might've mentioned it before, but if not...if you've ever wanted to learn how to sew cute things she's the one to see. Her studio specializes in sewing lessons for the beginner to the seasoned seamstress.

Wedding: Official Engagement Photos

I finally uploaded pics from our photographer. Our engagement photos were taken at Norfolk Botanical Gardens in Norfolk, VA. As mentioned in my previous post in was super cold that day. Ironically enough, the next weekend it was like 80 degrees out, stupid Hampton Roads weather...click here to see the entire set.