Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Bright Ideas at the Eleventh Hour

Are you like me?  Do you randomly see something much too late in the game and fixate on it until you go insane?  That's how I feel about Fin's party next weekend.  I stumbled upon cookie/cupcake toppers on Etsy last week.  Yes, last week, as in two weeks before his party.  Well, unfortunately, most shops had a lead time of 3-4 weeks, and one had a lead time of 1-2 months.  Yikes!  I hadn't really thought through what the dessert(s) was going to be.  Leave it to me to wait until the eleventh hour.

Thankfully, I was able to purchase a few things (which I reveal after the party).   I really wanted these cookies as favors.  They said they could probably do them, but I decided to hold off.  For 2 dozen, it would have been a pricey favor for us.  Although, they are adorable and very well done.  Can you tell I still wanted them? 
Source: etsy.com via Abbie on Pinterest

I went in search of an easy sugar cookie recipe on Pinterest, so I could DIY some favors with some cookie cutters I got at Ikea last month.  I stumbled upon an image from The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle and found myself going down the rabbit hole looking for more.  She makes the best cookies! Here are a few that I pinned from her blog.



What's even better?  She posted tutorials!  Next thing I knew, I was ordering supplies on Amazon for two-day delivery.  It's very possible I'm losing my mind.  Because we all know my cookies are NOT going to look like hers by Saturday!

What are your favorite go-tos for favors for birthdays?

Abbie

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Wow... To-Do List Again?

Well, I tackled quite a bit this weekend. It seems like I haven't done much on paper, but I felt like I got a lot off my plate.

Write up schedule of events- Just got email from photographer. Will do this week.
Write thank you for welcome bags- DONE! Not as hard as I made it out to be.
Order table numbers- Didn't work out. DIY'ing it!
Stamp favor tags- Decided to do one stamped tag on the locker basket instead of on each pair.
Print menu cards- Heard back from caterer and decided to print only one instead of 100. :)
Write ceremony order- Written! Meeting with officiant tonight!
Fold napkins and box up- DONE!
Final fitting/pick up dress- DONE!
Purchase last few vases- DONE!
Sort items into Ceremony, Reception, and Rehearsal- I just made a huge mess of my house.
Book mini-moon- Must decide on this week.
Bug the heck out of the last few non-RSVPers- DONE!
Fill mini salt & pepper shakers- DONE!
Finalize make-up- DONE!
Print up direction cards for welcome bags- DONE!
Assemble welcome bags- Almost done! Just need to include schedule of events.
Venue walk-throughs- DONE!
Write up set-up schedule- DONE!
Print floor plan- DONE!
Print table layouts and seating arrangements- DONE!
Get list of room block reso's for welcome bag drop-off- DONE!
Send in final numbers for rentals- DONE!
Send in final numbers for catering- DONE!
Confirm set-up times with vendors- DONE!
Create favor bags to house centerpieces to take home- DONE!
Marriage license- Doing today!
Merge bank accounts- Doing today!
Move mortgage payment to merged account- Doing today!
Confirm kennel arrangements- DONE!
Get dogs in for shots- Doing this week.
Bachelorette- THIS SATURDAY! Not that I'm excited... I don't get out much.

What's even better is that by tackling all of this stuff now, I'll just have flowers to do next week. Yay!

Abbie

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Our Wedding Flowers

It took me what seemed like eons to decide which flowers we were going to use for our wedding. I went back and forth, asked numerous friends, and was generally wishy-washy up until the 4 week mark. I had a basic idea of what I wanted, but the only flower I struggled with was the garden rose. What other flowers did I consider in its place? Dahlias, zinnias, football mums, and a creamy (non-white) garden rose. I knew that we needed to place our order, so I just went with it. A very technical process? Not so much. (J wanted no part in deciding flowers... his stock answer, "Sure. Looks good!" no matter what I showed him.) Without further ado... our wedding flowers: (all images from 50Flowers)
Ranunculus (take longer to open, so will arrive on Wednesday)
Kale
Jeanne Moreau Garden Rose

Green Hypericum
White Hypericum
Assorted Combo (stock, snapdragon, seeded eucalyptus, lisianthus, larkspur, & bells of ireland)

On Thursday, I stopped by the local nursery and picked up some dusty miller and white licorice to supplement as filler/greenery.
We'll see if my creations come out even remotely resembling something like this (even though my flowers aren't the same). Wishful thinking? Fingers crossed.


Abbie

Thursday, July 2, 2009

To-Do List Revisited

I've tried to tackle a few of those items that I put off last weekend. I've also added this week's items to the list.

Order last three ties- DONE!
Finish programs- DONE!
Write up schedule of events- Decided to wait until I speak with the photographer about timing.
Write thank you for welcome bags- Why is thank you always the hardest part?
Order flowers- DONE!! Woo-hoo!
Make massage appointment for week-of- DONE!
Make mani/pedi appts for me and moms- DONE!
Order table numbers- Sent the details to the vendor.
Order table number holders- DONE!
Stamp favor tags- Decided this is a good task to do while watching tv. Maybe Friday??
Finalize readings- DONE!
Write directions for welcome bags- DONE!

Print escort cards- DONE!
Print seating cards- DONE!
Print menu cards- Waiting for the caterer to let us know about the substitution we requested.
Print rehearsal dinner meal/drink tickets- DONE!
Finish birch cones- Only 4 to go
Finish assembling bridal party bags- Somewhat together... still need to finish.
Write ceremony order- Yikes. Not even close.
Finalize jewelry- I keep going back and forth on this.

So, I've gotten a couple more things done. The programs were the biggest task to check off. I finished most of them on Monday night and then tackled the last bit last night. I'll post about them soon. I have Friday morning off, so I'm hoping to get in a little DIY action while I have the extra time. We'll see if procrastination beats me down.
It's amazing how easily I succumb to laziness!

Abbie

Monday, June 29, 2009

Weekend To-Do List

With less than a month until the wedding, the to-do lists are getting looked at a little more closely. I've found myself re-writing the lists in timeline format. Hey... whatever gets the job done, right?

For the sake of all brides out there, I'm posting the "to do this weekend" list I wrote during lunch on Friday.

Order last three ties- Only partially finished. Settled with two.
Finish programs- I've printed them all, but I'm struggling with the sewing part.
Write up schedule of events- Decided to wait until I speak with the photographer about timing.
Write thank you for welcome bags- Why is thank you always the hardest part?
Order flowers- DONE!! Woo-hoo!
Make massage appointment for week-of- Put off until next week.
Make mani/pedi appts for me and moms- Put off until next week.
Order table numbers- Do we want numbers/places/etc?? I can't decide.
Order table number holders- DONE!
Stamp favor tags- Decided this is a good task to do while watching tv next week.
Finalize readings- DONE!
Write directions for welcome bags- DONE!

Needless to say, I was a little overzealous on my to-dos considering I am back at the rodeo on Friday and Saturday nights. But, I did jump ahead and do things on next week's list. Apparently I'm bad at that...

Decide songs-- I had the hardest time getting J to agree to anything. He loves music, but he wasn't really into picking songs. It felt like pulling teeth! I'll do a full post on the songs later.

Create escort "cards"-- I used Martha Stewart mini-envies, affixed clear labels with a blue calligraphy font, and will insert the table assignments closer to date. They're grouped together by last initial in the pic.
Print seating "cards"-- I used my Linda & Harriett chevron notepad and printed names in a green calligraphy font. I then used my paper cutter to cut them into strips and will roll the ends for a nice effect. I'm thinking I'll place them between fork tines. (They're grouped together because I already assigned everyone to their tables!)


Print rehearsal dinner cards-- My bosses at the rodeo are providing dinner and two drinks to each person for our rehearsal dinner, and they asked that I make up little cards for guests to hand in to keep track of the "sale" in the register. This is what I came up with... the drink tickets are in opposite colorways. I hole-punched them and tied them with green baker's twine. The fonts are Gold Rush and Ma Sexy. (The blurriness is intentional.)

Print "after-party" invites-- Okay... this one is a touchy subject for me. J wanted to invite everyone and their brother to the wedding. While I'd love to have everyone we know celebrate, I'm realistic about the budget. J was adamant that he couldn't leave certain people out, even though he may not be best buds with them. I am not really into inviting people later in the evening, but it was my concession to him. So, we are inviting certain people (like some coworkers who threw a hissy fit and his entire softball team) to come to our reception after dinner at 8pm for drinks and dancing. To me, it can come off as "you're not good enough to be invited for the whole thing", but it's not always the case. I think it's all in how you showcase it. Again, I used my Linda & Harriett notepad with Gold Rush, Ornamental Flourish and Ma Sexy fonts.
Dad was busy, too. He went to work on making our wood direction signs (that will be painted later) and boxes to go around some of our vases. He used some of our old fencing and is going to drive it all out from Texas. Yay, Dad!

Abbie

Friday, June 26, 2009

I've Never "Felt" So Great About DIY'ing It!

Horrible title, I know... but I couldn't help myself!

While Mom was in town for my shower two weeks ago (geez, has it been that long already?!), we spent most of our time shopping for a dress for her to wear to the wedding. So much time, in fact, that we had to make an unexpected hotel stay after I nearly fell asleep during hail and snow. Once all of the madness was over, I convinced my mom that her trip would not be complete without one DIY adventure.

My heart was set on a ring pillow like hers. Alas, the budget would not allow it. So, I picked up some felt and decided to make my mom help me. :) It definitely wasn't perfect... and Mom wants to have another go at it-- but I think our first try is magnificient!
It's not as plump as I'd prefer, and I still need to trim the edges with decorative scissors. Maybe add a few pieces of bling in the center of the flowers?? Who knows.

Abbie

Monday, June 22, 2009

Tutorial: Water Bottle Labels

I didn't forget my promise to show you how to create your own water bottle labels. And, I'm finally making good on that promise! Here are a few tips before you begin:
*Aquafina labels can be harder to remove. Brands with paper labels are bit easier to remove.
*Find some fun graphic paper to use.
*Pick up a Xyron! This is my version-- Xyron 500.

*Get a paper cutter... preferably one that cuts to at least 12". Most graphic paper comes in 12" x 12" pieces, so you want to be able to easily cut the paper to 8.5" x 11".

First you'll want to remove all labels from the bottles.

Then, you will need to create a template for the water bottle labels.
*Open a Microsoft Word document
*Select Tools at the top of the screen
*Select Letters and Mailings
*Select Envelopes and Labels
*Select Options
*Under Label Products, select Other/Custom
*Create a New Label using these requirements:
  • Page size: 8.5" x 11"
  • Top margin: 0.39"
  • Side margin: 0.39"
  • Vertical Pitch: 1.5"
  • Label Height: 1.5"
  • Label Width: 8"
  • Number Across: 1
  • Number Down: 7
*Name the new template

Once you've created your template, you can begin inserting your text. Then, print! Now that you've printed your sheets of labels, you can begin the Xyron portion of the project. For the Xyron model I have, you can only run sheets that are 5" wide at a time. {They do make larger versions, but they're obviously more expensive.} I use my Fiskars paper cutter to cut the labels in three sections-- two that are just under 5 inches and one that is just one label wide. Once your sections are cut, you can begin running your sheets through the Xyron.

You put the sheet into one end of the Xyron.
As you "guide" from that side, you turn the handle on the side of the machine. The sheet will come through the other side.
Once you've reached the end of your sheet, you rip the section off. You'll see that the paper now has an adhesive backing.

I cut off one end of the backing that sticks out past the paper, so the edge will be flush with the original sheet you ran through the machine. By doing this, you'll have one straight edge to use to cut the sheet into "labels" with your paper cutter. If you don't have a paper cutter, then you can measure each side and make a line in which to cut using scissors.

Once you've created your labels, you will peel off the backing. You will want to place the label on the bottle from the middle and work your way out to make it as straight as possible.

Then, you're done!

{Note that you will have little strip sections once you've done the larger sections from your original sheets. You can run those through the same way.}

This process really is a snap!

Abbie

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Wedding Wednesday: Birch Cones

I'm stopping by briefly for a quick sneak peek into what I've been slowly working on. They're not as pretty as the Muscari ones, but I think they'll do!

Without further ado... our birch cones!
Sorry for the poor quality phone pic! I was in a hurry this morning. You might remember the birch I bought from this post. The cones tied with raffia are waiting to dry before I hot-glue them together. The birch was a bit thick and not as pliable as I'd hoped. So, I scored the birch with a box cutter before breaking them in two. Then, I soaked them in the kitchen sink for 4 days. Once I pulled them out, I twisted them into a cone shape and tied them with raffia. After they dried in that shape, I hot-glued the seams. Not bad, in my opinion! I'm making two for the flower girls and ten to hang on every other row during the ceremony.

Mom gets here shortly, so posting should be fairly light.

Abbie

Monday, June 8, 2009

Crazy Lady Checking In

Hello, folks! Just checking in with a weekend update. I am utterly exhausted. It was a jam-packed weekend.

Last week, Jen texted me at 7:38 am asking if I still wanted the items I mentioned in this post. HECK YEAH!! She was nearly half-way to Salt Lake City already to pick up a new Westie puppy. I was excited to see her new family member and to finally have those cabinets in my little hands... without exorbitant shipping! When I stopped by Jen's to pick them up, I realized why shipping was so high. Each box weighed 75 pounds! J and I finished putting them together around 11pm on Thursday night. I have to be honest-- I wanted to stay up all night putting things away. Instead, I lined the drawers on Friday night with this (which I ended up not using to line the wedding envies.) On Saturday, I went nuts filling the drawers. I still have boxes of ephemera to go through, most of which will probably end up on Ebay. I'll let you know when I list items. I really need to de-stash! I'll post pics soon.

Yesterday, the time finally came to do what I mentioned in this post. I only got rained on for about a mile, and then I felt disgusting the rest of the time. My sweat crystalized on my skin to give me a nice funk. :) My time wasn't anything spectacular, but I lacked a little something that would have helped: training. I'll be honest. I only ran three times before Sunday. Each time for no more than 40 minutes. If nothing else, I'm consistant! One of these years my body won't let me get away with that. I'm thinking that year will be sooner rather than later.

Afterward, J and I drove "up north" (a place we call North Routt, aka the northern part of Routt County-- we live in South Routt, which is a good hour from "up north") for KA's daughter's first birthday party. The sitting for the drive and sitting for the party did nothing for my legs. We stayed for two hours before making the trek back home.... where I promptly went to bed-- at 7:30. I didn't get up until 6:30 this morning. I think I needed it!

When I got home from work today, I had every intention of writing up a water bottle tutorial. But-- I promptly cut my thumb while trying to open a package from my grandma. I decided that the labels would look better without blood on them. Don't you agree? I could do a quick tutorial without pictures, but that's no fun.

This week is going to be a busy one. Tomorrow, I work at Weight Watchers. Then, Wednesday night, I pick my mom up at the airport! YAY. I am beyond excited. Why is Mom coming to town? We're going to my dress fitting in Denver on Thursday, and my shower is on Saturday! Not only that... I have my hair trial, too. There is a lot of excitement this week. It makes the wedding seem so real now! Time is truly flying.

Abbie

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Did I Forget?

Nope- I haven't forgotten the water bottle tutorial. Unfortunately, life got in the way. I have to say that I got so excited about the programs that I started working on them on Monday night. Can you say DIY ADD? :) And, I ran out of water bottles and haven't gotten back to the store to get more. With working at Weight Watchers on Tuesday nights, I feel like there aren't enough days (or nights!) in the week. I hope to have the post ready for you by Tuesday. Sorry for the build-up!

Abbie

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Programs! Get Your Programs!

I wanted to let you all in on what I've been working on with the lovely Val of Custom Printables. We've been designing the programs! (Or should I say, SHE has been designing them??) Val was ah-mazing to work with and was patient through my indecision and my extremely last minute oops of leaving people off the wedding party list. She was an absolute doll, and I would strongly recommend you check her out. I am not graphically inclined, but I know my way around a printer. Custom Printables was a natural choice, as she designs the artwork and you print! Without further ado... here is our program (with names, dates and locations changed to protect the innocent!)
The first and last pages will be printed on blue paper, with the middle pages printed on Royal Fiber kraft paper. It's not quite as dark as true kraft paper, so we were able to use colored ink. I'm not sure how we're going to create the booklet yet. All of our ideas have them combined at the top... whether by twine, a sewn seam or ribbon. I'll post pics once the final product is done!

Abbie

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Tutorial Request


I've had a couple water bottle label tutorial requests. I plan to make more this weekend, so I will create a little mini tutorial to post next week. My labels are obviously not of designer quality, but I'm proud just the same. This project would be a cinch for you designers out there. Stay tuned!

Abbie

More DIY Fun

After telling you on Wednesday that I didn't do any wedding related stuff until Monday, I realized I lied. Oops! I can't believe I forgot.

First, on Saturday, I took advantage of a gift certificate my parents got me for my birthday last August (yikes!) and got an hour and a half long massage. She focused on my back and arms because of the carpal tunnel issues. It was absolutely wonderful! I spoke to her about using yet another gift certificate that J got me for Valentine's Day for a wedding week massage. I always go to the same masseuse, so when she told me she was taking off that week for her birthday, I was a bit bummed. She did tell me that she will book me the Thursday afternoon prior to the wedding anyway. Yay! I carry my stress in my back, so I'm positive a massage will be a huge help the week of the wedding.

Afterward, I went over to BM Jen's house to try out cupcake recipes for the wedding. I was beyond excited to try out flavors and spent $70 on supplies (because I didn't want to use her stuff for my wedding trials, and the supplies will last until the wedding, too). We tried three different recipes from the 500 Cupcakes cookbook that Crate & Barrel is offering. The first was the Baked Cheesecake recipe. I was in love. J and I cannot get enough cheesecake, even though he is not a sweets person. I hate to say... that was the ONLY recipe that turned out! It was a fairly disappointing adventure. (A little shrimp curry cured my woes.) I'm wondering if the altitude caused the issues, so I'm going to do a bit of research. The other two recipes we tried were Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes and Devil's Food Cupcakes. Both of them fell in the middle and way overflowed. The brownie one looked normal on the outside, but there was no middle at all. Bizarre. Jen and I decided we should make it more of a dessert bar than a cupcake and cake display. I'm thinking mini key lime pies might be fun. We'll see!

Have you had any DIY fails?
*Nearly forgot again... we finally ordered my band! Yay. :)

Abbie

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Wedding Wednesday

The three day weekend was nice, but I have to admit that I did not do any wedding-related tasks until Monday. It rained all weekend, and I spent most of the time deep-cleaning the house. There's nothing better than doing a spring clean! What wedding things did I do?
I used this:
to make labels for these:
{I created three different label templates on Martha Stewart's faux bois paper... one in Goldrush font (featured in the second pic), another in Ma Sexy font, and another with Ma Sexy and Darling Monogram font mixed. The blur is intentional for the blog only.}
to put in these:
{This pic doesn't even show all of them! I stuffed them with bottles, chips and crackers so far. I'm going to pick up Emergen-C to throw in there when I go to Costco in three weeks. I also grabbed a bunch of Steamboat magazines to include. I still need to decide what paper to print the schedule of activities and directions on.}

Creating the water bottle stickers was amazingly easy. I literally applied 50 of them in less than an hour... when it was my first time using the machine! I'm going to create more in a few days. I may use the Goldrush ones for our rodeo rehearsal dinner because the font is just perfect for it! I haven't decided yet. I'm thinking it might not be a bad idea to create a few for our ceremony, either, as it is being held on a July afternoon. They're so easy that I don't mind making a ton of them!

Abbie

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