Blue Bonnets

I will be adding pictures to this post tomorrow once my camera charges and I figure out how to attach the bow to the bouquet. However, my FIRST bouquet is done!! It's cute and I like how it came out. I can't wait to finish mine!

Ask & You Shall Receive

199 days

So after my rant yesterday about the brooches I ordered taking forever, I got two in today! Of course! (As the title says, ask and you shall receive!) One is for Jessica's bouquet and the other is the last one for Nicole's! I am going to finish her bouquet tonight!

I will post later with pictures!

Where Art Thou?

So I got my new purse and Ugg insoles in the mail today and, yet, I'm still waiting for a bunch of brooches. I know that most are shipping from China, but I really want them! I need one of them to complete my bouquet and another to complete Nicole's. I want to be able to get these done and this super slow snail mail is preventing me! However, none of them are late since ebay has given them a million years as a delivery range.

Well, that is the end of my vent.

Doscientos

200 days until our wedding!!

More Clutch Stuffers

So I bought the girls compact mirrors for the wedding clutches the other day and have since thought of some other small things that I would like to get:
-chapsticks, I found a set of rainbow Lip Smackers in Skittles flavors online that I'll be getting for them
-mascara, I'm going to check out the dollar store for a small, travel tube of mascara for everyone but my two sisters for touch ups
-aspirin, just in case they end up with a headache at the reception
-tampon/pad, because you just never know
-breath mints/gum, in case the meal makes our breath stinky

That's what I have thought of so far, but it kind of covers the basics!

Secret Santa

My friends from college and I have done Secret Santa/Mysterious Moses since our freshman year. Last year we decided we wanted to continue the tradition and so we set up an exchange using Elfster. We are doing the same thing this year and, although we don't meet up to exchange the gifts anymore, I love that we have this to help everyone to stay in touch.

So this year, as luck would have it, I got one of the members from our wedding party! I was so excited to pick out gifts for them and today they came in! I can't wait to send them out!

Walking on Sunshine

Cristina and I went to Alfred Angelo today to order her bridesmaid dress! She'll be wearing this dress in black with Sunshine trim. It's so pretty and only $125! The rest of the girls and I will be going on January 7th to order theirs (Cristina will be in Miami and so we went this weekend). The dress looks so nice but, sadly, I forgot my camera and my phone doesn't take good pictures. Now I can't wait until January 7th!!

What Cris's dress will look like.

Clutch Stuffers

I have been looking everywhere for cheap compact mirrors to put in my girls' clutches and I finally found some today at Forever 21! I got metal ones that say BEAUTY on the front for myself, my maid of honor, and the three bridesmaids. I got a plastic rose one for Matt's sister, and two plastic heart ones for my sisters. The metal ones were $2.80 and the plastic ones were all $1.00. Super cheap and awesome! I also love that the metals ones say BEAUTY because it ties into the fact that my wedding dress is based on Belle's dress from Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

I also found a hair piece on Etsy for the wedding! It's so beautiful and will look gorgeous with my dress! This is the picture on the shop's site and I'm sure mine will look just like it.

I also decided that I may want to do wedding I Spy. I found a picture of one on Pinterest that has really cute ideas. I'm going to start making the cards on Vistaprint shortly!

That's all for now. I'll be sure to update again soon!

L‡ Breithe Mhaith Agat

Happy birthday to my wonderful fiance and future husband! He turned 24 today!

(The title says Happy Birthday in Irish Gaelic.)

Just One More

I only need one more brooch for my bouquet and it will be DONE! I ordered it off ebay a week or two ago and it shipped from China, so it should be here within in the next week or two. I can't wait to finish this project; it's been a labor of love and it already looks beautiful (even though everything is all bunched together).

That's all I have for now!

The Brooches and the Bride

I ordered more brooches today and I also received some of the ones that I ordered in the mail!

I got the brooches from this post in the mail, with the exception of the first one (it shipped from a different seller). However, the one that looks orange in the picture is somewhere in between orange and red and won't look right with either bouquet, so I'm not going to use it. (I like it, so maybe I'll wear it but not for the wedding.)

As for the ones that I ordered, here are the pictures:

Jess

(to replace the one that wasn't really orange)

Jess

Shannon 

Hannah

Yesterday I hosted my Lia Sophia starter party (I'm going to start selling the jewelry) and I found earrings that I really want to wear for the wedding. I like the ones that I have, but these are prettier and I love the necklace that matches them. (That means I'll wear them after the wedding.)

Another note: Matt and I were looking at the rings that we had picked out months ago online and they no longer have them. They have replaced them with the exact same thing that is way more expensive. So we went searching for similar ones closer to the price of the originals and found some at Kay! They are only about $10 more than the first ones and are the same thing we were looking at! Now we just need to order them before they disappear too!

mine

Matt's

I also have another addiction: Pinterest. It took me a while to get on the bandwagon, but now I can't stop pinning things! I have gotten some great ideas looking through others' wedding boards, though!

This brings me to my last item: while looking through ModCloth for dresses to pin to my Fashionista board, I found this beautiful off white dress. I think I may buy this as my little white dress for the after party. It's not really clubwear, but it's so simple and I could definitely wear it afterwards (even after Labor Day). I found some amazing orange pumps from Alloy, too, that I think I'll get to go with it!

I think that about wraps up my ridiculously long post for now!

Covering It All

Last night I completed to cover of our guestbook! I started by using the Glue Dots to fasten a piece of ribbon around the front. Then I wrote everything in pencil (it's a linen cover so it can be erased) and then wrote over it in silver Sharpie. I really love it! All that's left to do now is buy and add in the envelopes!

The picture was taken on our bed, the black and white around it is our comforter.

Card Box

Materials

• set of three paper mache nesting boxes
• wrapping paper
• stapler or glue
• ribbon
• pearl "ribbon"
• glitter cardstock
• bow

Instructions
1.  Wrap the boxes with the wrapping paper; I did the tops and bottom separately to make it easier to assemble later on.
2.  Cut holes in the bottom of the smallest box, the top and bottom of the middle box, and the top of the biggest box. Also cut a slit in the top of the smallest box that is big enough to fit a card through it.
3.  I stapled the boxes together from the inside so that you couldn't see anything. Glue would work, too, so long as you use something really good.
4.  Wrap and glue the ribbon around the boxes, wherever you put it is up to you.
5.  Hot glue the pearl ribbon around the boxes (where they meet).
6.  I printed out the word "Cards" backwards and glued it to the back of the glitter cardstock. I cut the letters out so that they read the correct way and then glued them onto the smallest box.
7.  I put the bow on top of the smallest box, behind the slot for the cards.

Wedding Wishes

The photobook that I ordered from Snapfish to use as our guestbook came in today! It's perfect and there is more than enough space for us to put in the needed envelopes. I'm looking into an engraved nameplate for the front with our names and the date, but I'm not sure yet. I may find a way to write the information on (the cover is linen) maybe with a stencil. Stay tuned for updates!

Seven Hills of Rome

7 months until our wedding!!

Mixed Bag

I got (yet another) box of stuff from Vistaprint today! In it were the rest of the stickers for the menus, envelope seals, the rest of the accomodation cards, my tote for the honeymoon (and after), and the brochures for the out-of-town bags. (It also had the calendar that I made for my parents for Christmas.) I'm really excited because now I can make the rest of the menus (except for the actual menu)!

I love the brochures so I'm posting them here.

Also, the guestbook that I created on Snapfish shipped today! I can't wait to get it!!

Bountiful Brooches

I bought more brooches today off of ebay and I received the other 5 that I had already ordered! They are all beautiful! Click here for pictures of the ones that I received and here are the pictures of the ones that I bought today; the last two for my bouquet, one for Jess, and the last one for Nicole's.

mine

mine

Jess

Nicole

I also finished the pearls for Shannon's bouquet last night. I now have three of the brooches that I'm going to add in and it's almost done! Yay!

A Day Well Spent

Matt and I went to North Attleboro (where I got my wedding dress) to run a couple errands today!

We started with Michael's where I bought some scrapbook stickers and a pin cushion. I only spent like $4 with a coupon which is definitely the least amount I have ever dropped there.

Then we went to Christmas Tree Shops and picked up a few things with the friends and family 20% coupon I had. None of it was wedding related, but we did get a storage ottoman for less than $10.

I have also decided to put instructions for some of my DIY projects here, starting with the one below. To find more (once I've posted them) click on the "how-to" label link under all of the groomsmen pictures on the left. (They'll have a simple title unlike my normal posts to make it easy to find what you're looking for.)

We went to Walmart next and got more silver wiring (finally) for the bouquets and a couple other things.

We had a late lunch at a local Chinese restaurant and it was delicious! I love pork fried rice and it is addicting! Even after I was full I kept eating it!

We came back and stopped at our local Walmart (I had pictures that I needed to pick up) and we've spent the rest of the day at home.

I have been working on DIY projects all day including our menus, invitations, and (after I finish this post) bouquets. I had a picture of Matt and I printed for the inside of the menus that I added in since it looked a little bare. I FINALLY made a good template for the invitation pocketfolds that I'm DIYing and made a mock-up. (I'm going to get a paper cutter so that the edges are all even and straight since it's hard to do with scissors and cutting each individually.) I also finished three totes: mine, Shannon's, and Matt's mom's. All in all, it was a fu and productive day!

Dress Hangers

Materials

• wood hangers
• sand paper (for finished wood hangers)
• small wooden plaques
• wire (bent into name)
• acrylic paint
• acrylic paint sealer/top coat
• scrapbook letter stickers
• silver Sharpie (optional)
• rhinestone stickers (optional)
• ribbon
• jewelry wire

Instructions
1.  If you're using finished wood hangers (most sold in stores are), you'll need to sand off the top coat or the paint won't stay on. It only takes a small piece of sand paper per hanger and about five minutes. Once the hanger looks dull, the top coat is off.
2.  Paint each hanger and wooden plaque, depending on the color you may need two (or more) coats.
3.  After they dry, add the letter stickers on the front of the hanger in the center (I did the girls' bridal party roles) and to the plaques (this is where I put their names).
4.  Write the wedding date on the back of the wood plaque with Sharpie.
5.  Apply the sealer on top of the letters so that they are really adhered to the hangers and plaques.
6.  If you choose to do so, add the rhinestones (or other embellishments) once the sealer has dried.
7.  Use the ribbon to tie a bow and string a small piece of the jewelry wire into the bow.
8.  Wrap the wire around the hanger handle so that the bow is at the front.
9.  Drill two holes in each wood plaque and string the ribbon through creating a loop, tying large knots at the back. (If using satin ribbon, burn the edges so that it doesn't run or rip.
10.  Hang the plaque around the back of the hanger so that the name faces front.

For instructions with pictures, click here.

Shakespeare's Boston

Matt and I went to the Boston Opera House today to see Boston Ballet's performance of Romeo & Juliet. It was absolutely gorgeous! The dancers did a phenomenal job and the sets and costumes were gorgeous (and borrowed from the Ballet of Canada)! I am so happy that I bought the tickets and grateful that Matt humors me by coming along. (To be fair, I have a whole season of PC basketball to watch with him.) And now, we are off to a PC hockey game against Alabama Hunstville. We certainly are classy people.

On a wedding related note, I got six of the brooches that I ordered from ebay in today! They are beautiful and will go really well in my bouquet. Tomorrow, Matt and I are going to (a different) Michael's to raid their supply of silver wiring for the bouquets, as well as Walmart and Christmas Tree Shops!! (I have a 20% off coupon that I'm dying to use!)

Bagged Lunch

I went shopping today for DIY projects and bought the black paper for the menus and some of the paper for the invitations at Michael's. Also for the menus, I bought some silver braided ribbon to go around the binding. I got some needles and thread, too, because the fabric I ordered came in!

I ordered a 1/2 yard of chiffon in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, white, and black for the flowers that will be attached to the tote bags. The colors are gorgeous and I'm definitely going to start working on them tomorrow night!

I also ordered our photobook from Snapfish tonight that we'll be using for the guestbook!

It's in the Bag

I received another package from Vistaprint today with lots of goodies! I got the totes for our VIP girls and moms, some of the stickers for the menus, the guestbook signs, the thank yous that I ordered as small gifts for our moms, and the labels for the bubbles for after the ceremony.
Here are the totes:

The pictures of the stationery are on my website here.

I spent an hour early putting the labels on the bubbles. It was easy since they were plain plastic bottles, but I like having the labels on there explaining what the bubbles are for.

The fabric for the flowers for the tote bags should be coming in tomorrow, so I'll probably get started on those using CvilleClaire's instructions!

By the Book

I have changed my mind about what we are doing for our guestbook. (Honestly, I don't know how Matt deals with me sometimes.) I really love the Wedding Wishes Guestbook from Organize.com but it's pretty expensive and I've seen some other really great personalized ideas. I really loved fellow Knottie Zimsgirl's guestbook: she made a photobook using her engagement pictures with space for guests to sign. So I'm going to combine that idea WITH the envelope idea from the Wedding Wishes book to create a one-of-a-kind guestbook for our wedding! I have already created the photobook with Snapfish (and will get it really cheap thanks to My Coke Rewards). I left spaces and whole pages blank (or with just a quote) to glue in small envelopes. I'm having blank business cards (they have a design on the front, but no writing except on the back) printed with Vistaprint that will guests will write on and put in the envelopes. I now have to order everything and glue the envelopes in (not sure which glue would be best). I'll post more when I start working on it!

front of the cards

back of the cards

I have also changed my mind about the invitations. (Of course!) I decided to make envelopes on Vistaprint that match the invites instead of buying the metallic ones. I'm also going to use 12x12 black cardstock (maybe glittery, depending on price) to make my own pocketfolds. I made a template/mock-up with some plain white 12x12 scrapbook paper today and it's going to look really awesome! I think I may buy a paper cutter, though so that I can do multiple papers and keep in fairly uniform. It's still going to be a lot cheaper than buying everything and, since I like DIY projects, more fun! Again, I will post more when I get started!

Sick

I went to a clinic today because my sore throat from yesterday hadn't gone away and I found out that I have strep throat. This means that I am stuck at home for the next few days because I can't be around the kids. Yuck.

Hanging with Friends

I finished the bridesmaids hangers! My parents were here this weekend and my dad drilled the holes in all the plaques, as well as the Mr. and Mrs. signs (which I also finished). They look really cute and I'm super happy with them! I can't wait to give them to my girls!

Juliana

Jessica

Cristina

Shannon

Nicole

Hannah

Olivia

Matt's sign

My sign

Brooch Heaven

I got two more in the mail: the green one for Shannon's bouquet and the purple one for Hannah's. Now I just need to get more silver wiring so that I can finish these bad boys up.

Beautiful Brooches

I ordered some more brooches on ebay tonight! One of Hannah, three for Nicole, and two for Shannon! Here are the pictures:

I also received one of the brooches that I previously ordered in the mail today! It's the orange one for Jessica's bouquet and it's so pretty! Click here to see a picture in a previous post!

Hanging by a Moment

I got the wire for my dress hanger! That means that I was able to finish my hanger!!

the wire

my completed hanger!

I bought more wire yesterday at Walmart so that I can continue working on the bouquets. I also received two of the brooches I ordered in the mail today, however, one of the purple ones is way too pink so I had to find another one on ebay that I'll have to order. I may use this pin some other way, maybe give it to my flower girl since it's little pink flowers.