holiday

We're busy today with the annual neighborhood pancake breakfast in the morning and a good old-fashioned American cookout this afternoon.  I'll have a proper post on Wednesday, but in the meantime, I wanted to share one of our favorite wedding-related gifts yet, some beautiful handiwork from my sister-in-law-to-be, Melody.

Isn't she a clever one?  (If you're someone who likes a good sock monkey now and then, you should visit her little Etsy shop.)

Emily Post says that wedding gifts must never, never be used before the wedding, but we couldn't resist taking this straight home and hanging it on the wall...

hooray

I've been waiting all week to tell you about one of last weekend's more exciting moments: I won something!  More importantly, I won something that we needed!  Boutonnieres for my man and his brothers/groomsmen!  Just when I was starting to think about making some, I entered this contest that Mouse was hosting over at Souris Mariage.  And then I won!  How great is that?

It's pretty great.  I wasn't feeling very inspired about boutonnieres, and my big plan was to put the project off until the last possible moment, just in case a good idea finally occurred to me.  I was thinking of using fabric.  Or maybe paper.  To be honest, I wasn't thinking very hard about anything at all.  I just couldn't figure out what we should have.

My partner-in-crime, however, was pretty sure he knew what we needed.  A sheriff's badge for him and deputy badges for his two brothers.  I thought it was a fine plan, but finding the right badges turned out to be harder than we thought it would be.  Ebay and Etsy were both full of either extremely expensive collectibles or cheap plastic junk made for a seven year-old's birthday party.

And then there was the fact that my man's desire for a sheriff's badge led to the desire for cap guns.  And for our officiant--my hero of a brother--to wear a big black hat with a wide flat brim.  "Like the preacher on Little House of the Prairie," said my husband-to-be.  To which I said, among other things, "no."

But now, we have one less thing to worry about.  Lovely, handmade boutonnieres that will hold up well in the late-June heat.  They even have buttons on them!  My man and I both agree that these will do just fine.  Big thanks to Mouse and to the good folks at Eventcetera!  We're truly grateful.

thanks

Along with all of the hope and anxiety--and joy!--of wedding planning, I've realized that one of the other major emotions I've been encountering frequently is gratitude.  For my partner-in-crime.  For the love and support of our parents.  For the unbridled excitement and massive encouragement we've received from our friends and family.  There is so much to be thankful for, and when other things have become a little too overwhelming, I like to just let that feeling of gratitude take over.

Of course, one can't--and shouldn't--feel this way so frequently and not express it to the world, which brings me to the theme of the day--thank you notes.  I must not be the only one dwelling on them this week.  Over at Once Wed, diy projects are back--speaking of things that I'm thankful for--and the first thing new columnist Amy Moss is taking on is--you guessed it--handmade thank you notes.  Her project is specifically for thank you notes for one's bridesmaids, but take a look and I think you'll agree that there's potential to do all kinds of things with the idea...

If carving rubber stamps and printing notecards sounds like too much work, 100 Layer Cake is hosting a thank you note giveaway this week.  Maybe you could just win some gorgeous stationery.  (If you do win, please let me know so that I can be incredibly jealous.  I love Wiley Valentine...)

For my part, I'm trying to stick to notes of my own--and my man's--doing.  He's already printed our "official" thank you notes--they're amazing, of course--but there are so many things to thank so many people for right now.  I'll admit, at times, I just cheat and go with some really nice letterpress printed notecards.  Like this.  Or these.  Or those.

Sometimes, though, that simply won't cut it.  Last weekend, I found myself in need of something that packed a bit more punch.  After some cutting and gluing and taping, I ended up with a few of these:

It might not look like much, but, boy howdy, were these challenging.  I swore.  A few times.

The little "clothesline" is baker's twine--currently one of my favorite materials.

I cut the tiny pennants out of card stock, attached them to the twine with glue and tape--don't ask--and pulled the twine through the holes I punched in each side of the card.  I am making it sound much less complicated than it actually was at the time, I assure you.

They were totally worth it, though, in the end.  I couldn't help opening and closing each one a few dozen times, just to watch it all work.  I hope the recipients end up having as much fun with them as I did.  I also hope they make it through the mail all right, but that's a whole other story...

blue

It was a busy, busy weekend here at headquarters.  Plenty got accomplished and there were a few fun surprises, too.  There's one thing, though, that I absolutely have to share right away.  You were so patient about my belly-aching and hand-wringing over the big shoe dilemma, so  I think you should be the first to know:  I have found the shoes.

It turns out I needed blue shoes.  I had no idea.  I put them on my feet and then I just didn't want to take them off again.  They were a little spendy, but just like with the dress, I have all intentions of wearing these constantly after the wedding.

Of course, the nice girls at the shoe store have already pointed out that now I have the "something blue" thing taken care of.  I'll be honest, I hadn't been too worked up about that whole thing.  I don't think that some superstitious Victorian rhyme is going to do me much good at this point.  I've already ditched so many other traditions, what's one more, really?

I did learn something interesting, though, about the saying.  Of course, I've heard the whole "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue," but I'd never come across this last bit.  Have you ever heard "and a silver sixpence in her shoe?"  Maybe this is common knowledge in the on-line wedding world.  It could be that I just don't get out enough.

According to my somewhat-reliable source, the sixpence symbolizes financial stability, which is certainly something I could use right now.  Unfortunately, they stopped minting the sixpence coin in the 1960's, and I just don't think a nickel is going to cut it.

Besides, walking around with a coin in my shoe would kind of be a drag, even in comfortable shoes.  And these shoes are incredibly comfortable.  I'm kind of fighting the urge to wear them right now. They remind me of a bird's egg.*

So enough, now, with all the shopping and buying and getting.  It makes me kind of anxious, actually.  I'll be back on Wednesday with some crafty goodness to share...


*A bluebird's egg.  A sparrow's eggs are whitish, usually.  With brown speckles.  These are important things to know.

messes

This is one of our last free weekends before we fly to Ohio, and I have plans to make several wedding project-related messes.  Here's a peek at the first of them:

I wrote about this adorable diy cake topper kit from goosegrease months and months ago.  Obviously, I haven't done much with it since then, but now it's time to get busy.  It turns out that some of my concerns about the project were valid.  Painting is hard.  And there's definitely pressure to get the details right.  Which is tough, since a few of those details are still up in the air.  Should the bride wear her glasses?  Which tie will the groom finally decide on?  What about the as-yet non-existent whimsical, wispy head piece thingie?, etc.

All the worries aside, though, this is kind of fun.  It reminds me of Mrs. Reiff teaching my fifth grade art class.  I could hear her voice in my head tonight as I cleaned the paint out of my brushes, telling us to handle our brushes gently, as though we were petting a cat.  (It sounds a little funny now, but I think we understood what she meant at the time...)

So.  I have more painting to do this weekend.  And some sewing.  And maybe some stapling and gluing as well.  I'll be back on Monday to let you know how it all goes...

Happy weekend!

partners

In retrospect, this post really should have come a long time ago.  I know I've mentioned the fact that my man has single-handedly crafted our invitations, facilitated our heart-making adventure, and chosen our wedding colors--or lack thereof.  But maybe I haven't been totally up front about how involved he's been in the other departments, too.

We've been collaborating on almost every aspect of the wedding planning.  This hasn't been a big surprise to me.  Right from the start, I fully expected to share the fun--and the challenges--of putting together a big party that also happens to be a celebration of our commitment to one another.

What has been surprising to me, though, is that many people--even a few who know us--have been under the impression that the wedding is my territory.  They assume that the decisions we've made are my decisions and that while I'm struggling with catering contracts and difficult bridesmaids, my man is quietly cheering me on from his (imaginary) armchair.

Apparently, the stereotype of the well-meaning but generally clueless groom is alive and well.  While I think it's all pretty silly--this is the twenty-first century, people--I do understand where all the misconceptions come from.  I recently met a groom-to-be who simply shrugged his shoulders when his sister asked where he and his bride were registered.

I think it's sad, really.  That shoulder-shrugging guy is totally missing out on what could be a pretty good time with his special lady friend.  Planning a wedding together is a little bit like building a house.   Except maybe with more drinking and dancing at the end.  Oh, and funny clothes.

Lucky for me--and lots of other girls out there--plenty of grooms are stepping up.  For every shoulder-shrugger, there's a guy who's booking venues and loading ipods with cocktail hour music.  Some of them are even blogging.  It all makes good sense to me.  The marriage isn't supposed to rely on the hopes and energies of just one person.  Why should the wedding need to?

So, with all that said, here is my over-due thank you to my partner-in-crime:  Thank you for being an active participant in this little adventure we've undertaken.  I won't say that I owe you--because that would imply that I think the whole wedding thing ought to be my "problem" in the first place--but I will tell you that I am eternally grateful that you are the man you are.  I'm genuinely looking forward to the last few weeks of this--and to the years and years that will come after.

getting wet

My heart is full.  Yesterday, my man's family threw us a "co-ed" wedding shower: a tasty barbeque on a gorgeous day with lots of laughing and lawn games and little kids running around.  It was pretty much perfect.  I can't do it justice here.

And it was probably good practice for us, what with the being the center of attention and all.  It's not something that either of us is incredibly comfortable with, even among people that we know so well.

In the middle of the day, though, I looked around at all the faces looking at us and realized how secure I felt in the idea that our marriage will exist in this context of support and family.  I've said it before, but as much as I think of myself as an individual, I really do like having the sense of being part of a greater whole.

I know what you're thinking.  Yes, I am kind of a sap.

But I am a lucky sap.

I am also--if this post isn't any indication--a somewhat sleep-deprived sap, which brings me to my next subject.  After several months of posting here five days a week, I'm going to scale things back just a little bit.  Please don't panic.  I'll still be posting every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  I just need some extra time for all those last-minute things that are cropping up.  And the things that I've known about all along that I just haven't dealt with yet.  The countdown stands at forty days, folks, and this bride-to-be has things to do...

Also, my man has pretty much made dinner ever single weeknight since I started posting here, and while he's been incredibly great about it, I'd like to be able to offer him a break that doesn't consist of handing him a take-out menu.

So with that in mind, I'll see you all on Wednesday.  I have dinner to cook.  And a lot of thank you notes to write...