A new chapter begins...

So here we are, just 172 short days until I say I do to the man I have loved for as long as I can remember.  Things are starting to fall into place for us, bit by bit, step by step.  We finally found a place and on the 6th we will be moving in and will start to make a home together as a family.  This is perhaps the most beautiful gift of all...to be together in our own space, to eat together, to laugh together, to enjoy life together.  It has been difficult on us these past few months but now the sun is shining and we are exactly where we needed and hoped we would be!  I am so blessed!  I know if we can make it through the past few months, we can make it through anything together.  By no means has it been easy, but we have done it and now the light is shining at the end of the tunnel and we are on our way to a brand new beginning!  I cannot wait.  Three weeks seems such a long time away.  I know I will be counting the days...I am so excited.  There is even more to do now, but I am ready for it, prepared to do what needs to be done to get us moved and to take care of all my little DIY wedding projects.  Don't think I have ever been so ready for anything, except for my children to be born and for my wedding day to this incredible man I share my life with.  There is a saying that goes something like this, "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all" and I believe that to be true.  In the end, we found ourselves a really nice place, but I really feel that anywhere we are together is truly having it all.  I can't wait for the sunsets outside our windows, the meals around the table, the first time we sit in front of the roaring fire, the day I walk through the door as his Mrs. 

I can't wait to start housekeeping, taking care of my family in the way that only women can.  This is a wonderful day, a wonderful start, a beautiful dream come true!  I have the love of a wonderful man, four amazing children who are practically perfect in every way and a home to build with them all.  God has been really, really good to me!

 

Overload....

Ok, so I have been going crazy...need to stop for a minute and regroup!  I want a vintage Victorian wedding as that is my favorite time period and my favorite look...but all the vintage pics and weddings I find are awash in a palette of pinks, creams, browns.  I love those colors, don't get me wrong. 

I love the vintage look so much, I have even changed from the Damask I had originally planned to the great vintage look of Burlap.  I plan to use several antique pieces in my wedding, like my husband-to-be's parent's kitchen table, like old planters that belonged to my great-grandmother.  I cannot tell you how much I love it all.  I adore it.  I live it, I breathe it.  It is all just part of what makes me, well, me!  The problem is that my favorite colors on the planet are red and black.  I have my heart set on red...red, red, red! 

There is nothing more elegant in my mind than a palette of red, black and cream.  Think about mercury glass candle holders beside a glorious bouquet in red and you will know why I say that.  All the pieces we have purchased thus far are black wrought iron pieces and those things we have that aren't black, we are painting.  I just cannot seem to find a way to integrate the two. I want the burlap, the softness, the beauty of the vintage wedding to somehow go hand in hand with the bold and beautiful color of red.  I cannot for the life of me figure out how to make the two go together in my mind, so needless to say, my mind has been swirling.  I have made or am making most everything for my wedding...the signs, the centerpieces, the invitations, everything.  I have maintained a vintage feel in everything I have done thus far...it's the decor that is killing me.  How do I make it all work?  How do I bring together the two elements that most scream me?  Red is far from the softness I have seen so frequently in pictures of vintage/rustic weddings.  Ahhhh, mind overload.  I think a meltdown is imminent.  So, I believe I will take a break from thinking and just enjoy the time I spend with my children creating these things for my wedding and the fun I have planning what is sure to be the most incredible day of my life...and I will dream in red.  :)

Paper Roses... ♥

Been super busy crafting Paper Roses for my centerpieces.  My little girl has been the BIGGEST help.  She is only 9, but she is already a pro at it.  She thinks we should go into business...LOL.  They really are pretty though and so soft looking.  I think they will make beautiful centerpieces.  We ran out of glue today, (if you attempt this project stock up on glue sticks, you will need lots of them) or we'd still be at it.  Since we got cut short, I decided to go ahead and decorate the base for the pomander to sit on.  I think it is going to be FABULOUS once it is filled with natural moss and tiny little lights.  What do you think?

Now if my honey bear doesn't find something wrong with it,  (He is absolutely meticulous about details) I can move on to making the rest of the bases.  You can see my paper rose pomander sitting on top.  Once it is fully done, I will post again and show the finished product.  I can't wait to see what it will look like all put together.  Much thanks go to my daughter.  Her help has really sped up the process.  She is AWESOME!!! ...and so are these centerpieces, if I do say so myself!!!

Oh me! Oh my!

Oh what to do, what to do.  There are so many projects stretching out in front of me for miles and miles and miles it seems that I scarcely know where to begin.  Got the first project, our Save The Date cards, out of the way and off to the printers.  But there is still so much more to do.  I have to learn how to print on Burlap so I can make runners for the tables and the aisle runner for the ceremony.  Found a neat technique that involves Freezer Paper believe it or not.  So, I will be giving it a try soon.

You can find a tutorial for making these beautiful burlap runners here: Ruffled burlap table runners

I have these beautiful paper rosette pomanders, aka Kissing Balls to make.  (Check out Amy Huntley's Blog for the tutorial:  The Idea Room)  Another really good tutorial can be found at Shindig Parties to Go.  You can find it here:  Hanging Pomanders. The top picture is from the Idea Rooms Blog.  I love  these pretty little balls.  The bottom picture is from Trisha at Sweet Survival to give you another idea of what these look like and what you can do with them.  Her tutorial for a Rosette Topiary is found here: Tissue Paper Rosette Topiary.  Besides Pomanders and topiaries, I have seen some really beautiful wreaths made with these.

I need lots of these for the ceremony and the reception.
I have to get a map made to put in all the invitations still and this is not going to be an easy fete.  Drawing is not my strong suit.  Stick figures, yes.  Maps, not so much.
There are still lots of signs to make using the Glue/Mod Podge Technique.  I hope to have more than a few for the Ceremony and Reception.  They are going to take lots of work if I want to achieve the results Cheryl Westerkamp does with her signs on Etsy.  You can find all of her beautiful creations here: My Primitive Boutique.  I absolutely adore her work but I cannot hand paint decorative Victorian Lettering.  I have to use a transfer method instead.  My initial results with the Elmer's Glue/Mod Podge method has been wonderful so I have high hopes I will be able to make signs that look nice, and almost as good as Cheryl's do.  The photo below is of one of Cheryl's wood sign creations.

I have more than a couple hanging banners to make.  I just love the look of them.  They will dress up my tables nicely I think and add a bit of whimsy to the whole occasion.  Here is one of the banners I am currently working on.

Ok, so on top of all this, I still have centerpieces to make. Pieces that I will paint black that I've picked up at Goodwill and the like so these pieces will match the rest of what I have.  It is never-ending it seems but I am enjoying creating all these little pieces to make our wedding highly personal.  Everyone, including the kids are chipping in and next weekend my cousin and dear friend Danielle is going to come and help me with a bit of it.  I can't express how thankful I am for the help.  Trying to do this on my own is so much work, that any help is appreciated.  I especially love that my children and my Husband-To-Be are actively participating in creating all these wonderful things.  It makes for great family time and it lets the kids feel like a part of the whole process.  When something they have done turns out so wonderful, they can smile and say, "I made that!'  Well, it looks like to me another trip to Michael's and Hobby Lobby are on my list for the weekend.  :)  I am looking forward to it!

Inkjet Transfers Onto Painted Wood Surfaces

For all you fellow crafter's out there I thought I would share my success with you in using the regular glue and Mod Podge method to transfer images onto painted wood.  I have never attempted to do this, so I scoured the internet looking for tips on the best way to transfer an inkjet printed image to a wooden surface.  I found this very simple tutorial here: How To Transfer Inkjet Images To Wood and I thought why not, so I drifted on over to Hobby Lobby and bought myself some Mod Podge.  I already had the cardstock and I had clear Elmer's glue on hand.  A quick note here...do not try this with regular copy paper.  It is next to impossible to get the paper off the wood without ruining the image.  Believe me I tried. :)  Another tip I would like to share is to cut the cardstock larger than the wood so a bit of it hangs off the edges, as it gives you a starting place to work with.  Above all, be patient.  If the cardstock is hard to remove, it isn't wet enough.  Once the cardstock is wet enough, it comes off easily.  Be gentle when you remove the cardstock, your fingers can ruin the image.  (Yep, been there, done that too!)  One last tip, when you paint your cardstock with glue, don't coat the entire page, it tends to jam in the printer if the edges are painted because it has a tendency to curl and do not forget to mirror reverse your image.  (I have ruined more than one piece, simply by forgetting to mirror reverse!)  If you don't and you are using wording, everything will be backwards. Be sure to seal your wood with a good spray.  Do not brush it on as this can ruin your transferred image as well.  I have one picture to share.  There are a couple of blemishes but these were caused by my printer and are easily touched up with paint. Once this little piece is trimmed out it will be beautiful.  Craft on ladies!  :)

Busy as a bee

The time is drawing nearer and I have gone from my every day routine into a frenzied mode of creating.  In order to say money and to have very personalized wedding, I am doing a great many things myself.  From designing and hand distressing the invitations, reception, RSVP, and Save the Date cards to making banners and signs, I am doing it all with a bit of help from the kids and from my dear SO.  I never dreamed it would all involve so much work, but I wouldn't trade it.  This is our day and it should be about US! and it is.  This wedding speaks volumes about our love and who we are as individuals in every tiny little detail.  Here are a few of my creations.  I hope you like them!

Reception Cards hand distressed and Created by Me :)

Tags for the Wish Tree

Part of one Banner

Save the Date cards designed and distressed by Yours Truly

Unfinished Mr & Mrs Signs...these will be awesome all trimmed out.

It's Magic

Do you believe in Magic? I do. I believe magic is all around us if we will only choose to see it and when I open my sleepy eyes and see him beside me, I am even more certain it exists. It exists and moves through me like a gentle rain, a whisper in the wind. I feel him in my soul and certainly a feeling so deep and pure must be akin to magic. The stars shine, the moon glows and he takes my hand in his...yes, Magic! We laugh the laughs we reserve only for one another and those times we are together, me and my Cat Whisperer. Friends tell him they have never seen him happier. I know I have never been happier. Magic...reserved for those who believe in the power of their dreams, in the reality of their most fervent wishes. Magic...what brought him back to me after miles and miles of lonely wandering and untold heartaches. I made a wish one bright spring day that some day he'd come back to me and with a touch, a gentle breath from Divine Love & Magic... all my dreams came true.