Busy Bees!

Over the past two days, we've been VERY productive! We viewed and secured a ceremony/reception site, purchased Steve's suit coat and ordered his ring!

Tomorrow, the mother-in-laws meet and we'll discuss more of the details!!!!!

Invite Frenzy!

Now that we've moved the wedding date up, we're making mad dashes to get invitations out. I've read so far that it's typical to send to the A-list round between 7-8 weeks before the date. After requesting a quick RSVP (around 2 weeks after delivery), you can send out to your "B-list" invitees (how awful does that sound - "B-list") depending on how many declines you receive.

So, with that timeframe in mind, I'm spending every non-working hour creating my DIY invitations. Since there isn't enough time to warrant a "save-the-date," I might use those for announcements instead. Announcements are apparently good for reaching out to people who weren't invited (or, as I like to put it - people you couldn't invite without taking a loan out for your big day).

The invites look pretty similar to these (below), however the text will probably be typed horizontally, with three pages varying from short to long. The first page will have some kind of image, the next will feature a quote (presumably) from Mark Twain:

"A marriage will give new gladness to the sunshine, a new fragrance to the flowers, a new beauty to the earth and a new mystery to life."

On the last page, our invitees will find the wedding details.

Here's a picture of the Paper Source invite backing (#10). I've duplicated them on my Silhouette die-cut machine (which has been considerably cheaper, although really time-consuming).

Will post the finished product at the end of the week!!!!

Engagement photos!

I LOVED our photographers (Rachel and Rico of Studio Castillero). They were so charming and fun and talented!!!

News!

It's been officially way too long since I've posted. I typically find it damaging when bloggers admit that, and now I can put my foot in my mouth. However, I have some news that will hopefully justify my absence.

We're moving the wedding up! It's going to be a crazy shift in preparation, but I'm excited about that. I went from having my dress, caterer and venue picked with over a year left to plan to having my dress and caterer and only 9 weeks to plan. That's right - nine weeks!

The rationale? For one, money. Second, the idea of having an abundance of time has been driving my Type A personality bonkers. With so much time on my hands, it's been difficult to resist shifting any decision upon sight of the latest wedding blof posting. I keep coming up with new ideas!!! Our e-sssh photographer said something that stuck with me. Their wedding was planned over the course of seven weeks. He said that window of time prevented them from worrying about some of the frilly stuff - stuff that looks cute but is unecessary. His Wes and smile expressed overjoyed in how nice their wedding was, and it gave me Some much needed perspective on what a weren't should be - a celebration of the union. I've been really concerned about little details, and it's starting to drive me crazy.
So, I will officially post the weekend confirming the date and (new) location of our upcoming "I dos."

DIY Infused Vodkas!

This post from Design Sponge is just what I needed! Our herb garden has grown out of control! What better way to utilize the surplus than to create tasty drinks with them! In fact, how awesome would it be to feature our own infused vodkas at our wedding?! I'm really enjoying the idea of using our own plants and flowers. There's something very comforting about that. I really want to create this "living room hospitality" vibe for the reception. Our guests are the reason we're even having a reception and not running off to some beautiful destination to tie the knot.
Anyway, check out the post! I really appreciate the herb and fruit pairings they suggest!

Wedding Glimpse

I really like a lot about this wedding. Check it out!

Stella and Dot = Happiness!

After going to a Royal Wedding/Stella and Dot event hosted by Kim from Kim'sKitchenSink, I indulged on some wedding (and pre-wedding) jewelry.

It got here today:

Look! Even the inside of the cardboard box is cute!

 For the Big Day:

For now:

 For whenever:

 "You have a great eye!"

... Thanks, Stella and Dot.

Overall, I loved the packaging. The ego-boosting quotes are a bit silly, but the presentation of my pretty, shiny jewelry is enough to pursue purchasing from them again. Establishing a strong brand is something that really fascinates me. Last summer, I expressed my love/hate relationship with brands in this piece I call "Branded."

It features Yogi Tea quotes, a picture from an Urban Outfitters dressing room (Where else can you find chandeliers in dressing rooms??), the birthday cake candle necklace Anthropologie sent to me last year, and the floral packaging that came with a pair of Lucky Brand earrings I bought. These are brands I love because they either have a positive image or establish relationships with their customers (despite being big companies). They may only offer illusions of customer appreciation, but they're pretty good ones. 

Here's what I got from Anthro this year:

It really isn't even a decent discount. What sold me, however, was the cute little fabric envelope with star button and adorable verbiage. "This little gift is for you and only you, and cannot be turned into chocolate, flowers or cash." Come on! How cute is that?! Or, "What's in the stars for you Taurus?"

Pretty freaking cute.

I'm sold... 

I mean I'm branded.

My Silhouette SD

I am in love with my Silhouette SD. It cuts out designs and fonts on my computer (opposed to only cutting designs from their online store or cassettes), it draws designs you purchase or create using regular ballpoint pens AND apparently cuts fabric too!! Look at this shirt a mommy made!

Mmmm...

Vintage cupcakes and rustic cake pops! (See more here.)

Invite/Save-the-Dates Design Update

I've altered our save-the-dates to include vintage U.S. stamps, as well as vintage number stamps I've used to show the wedding date:

So, the bottom example is the one I'm going with now. The "Save the Date" text is in pencil above, but will be printed like the first example. I might also stamp the date in red or brown ink. In addition to the stamp in the right corner, I'm going to sew a bit of lace across the top, as seen below:

Also, I've chosen the invite wording and sketched an initial design. I'm probably mad, but so far the details include texturing paper, cutting labels, printing, threading and wood-burning... I should start a pool to see how many invites I get through before I lose my mind....

*excited*

Antique Upcycle

Let me premise this post by saying that the term "Upcycle" is meant to convey the concept of taking something and dressing it up a bit. It's trendy, I know. This is probably the only time I'll ever use the word...

My two current projects involve personalizing a washboard (which will serve as a magnet board) and creating Steve's cufflinks from old typewriter keys:

My logo needs some TLC, but it's getting there. I was going to create some kind of welcome message for it... it could also be the dessert table sign.

Paloma's Nest has wonderful monogram cufflinks. Alas, my DIY mantra (and restricted budget) keep me from loading up on Paloma goodies.