Door Hangers

Ah my Saturday night project… door hangers!

I’ve been MIA for the last few weeks but I have been very hard at work crafting, building, and organizing. My wedding is one week away and I’ve been knocking things off my to-do list one by one. I plan on posting about all my big projects after the wedding. I want my guests to be surprised and not know what to expect. ;)

I made these hangers to put on the hotel room door knobs. I found the frame at a random store on sale for .75 each. They originally had silly sayings on them so I spray painted them ivory. Then I got out every crafting supply I own and destroyed my kitchen. I think they will be handy since our photographers and guests will be going in and out of our rooms. It will make ours stand out from the sea of hotel doors. We will bring the newlywed one with us on our honeymoon to Jamaica.

One week! Oh wow! After 15 months of hardcore planning it’s almost over. I’m really glad we’re leaving for Jamaica the day after our wedding. I think if we just came home the day after I would be a little depressed. This has consumed my life for so long that it would be strange to have no project to work on. Besides my dress being altered a little too small and the nightmare of dealing with my florist, everything has been pretty seamless. I expect some hiccups the day of but it will just make some great stories to tell our kids one day. :D Wish me luck and I’ll be back in 2 weeks!!

Ring Photos

Today I decided to take pictures of my freshly cleaned engagement ring. I recently read this post about how to take proper photos of a ring. I think they turned out pretty good!

Wedding Day Beauty - Skin Care

Since becoming engaged my beauty product collecting tendencies (obsession?) have gone into overdrive! I have spent hours thumbing through magazines and searching the web in hopes of discovering some miracle product I’ve never seen before. All of my minor insecurities have suddenly become my biggest flaw that needs to be camouflaged. Am I being hard on myself? Most likely… but this is a big event! Since I am already a girl who is fascinated by the beauty industry, this year has become the ultimate preparation project. Plus I think it’s really fun.

Now I’m not even talking about fitness and nutrition-, which are also a huge part of my beauty regimen. I’m talking about the gunk that I will spritz, paint on, and rub in the day of my wedding.

Let me preface by saying I’m no beauty queen and nor do I claim to be. (Unless you count the handful of pageants I was in when I was 4, ha ha.) I am just a very detail-oriented person. I feel my best when I know I haven’t overlooked something. I doubt anyone around me even notices all the effort, but I don’t care, this is just for me.

Since I have devoted so much time to this area of the wedding-planning process I would like to share my experiences with the wedding community.

Today… Skin Care! I have combination sensitive skin. Getting the right product routine down has been a bumpy ride. Literally- one sudden move and I’m covered in blackheads and pimples. I’ve often joked that the reason my skin even looks clear is because my pores are filled with blackheads. Gross. I am also a picker. It’s a disgusting habit but it’s one I regrettably find quite satisfying. And if I product test and break out – I have to deal with me picking, and then scarring. So for the last year my goal has been to clear my skin up which will leave me nothing to pick at, which should ultimately result in a wedding-perfect complexion!

My biggest decision was whether or not to purchase a Clarisonic. I researched the thing for a month. I read every review I could possibly find. About 90% of the user reviews I read raved about their results. I became a fan of their Facebook and I follow their Twitter. I tried to win one for 2 months. I even contacted the company in hopes that my (old) job in the beauty industry would score me a discount. After 3 months of pining away for one of these things I realized I would have to pay full price. I even researched the best place to buy it. QVC offers the Clarisonic PLUS with lots of extra cleanser goodies and replacements heads. They also offer the 3-payment plan, so I bit the bullet and ordered it.

You should have heard me squeal when UPS put the box in my hands. YAY! I imagined that within days I would have a baby-soft, clear complexion.

I have been using it for 3 months now. Is my skin perfect? No. Is it better? Yes. Do I like the Clarisonic? Yes, and I am glad I bought it. It takes a week or so to decide which speed and brush head works best for your skin. I use the delicate head on the lowest speed. I do NOT recommend using the supplied cleansers. They’re terrible. I do find that it does a terrific job of removing make-up and exfoliating. I do notice that my moisturizers absorb better and my dry spots/oil are not as extreme. I still get blemishes and blackheads but not nearly as many as I used to. One of the coolest parts is the body brush. I use it on my armpits. It reduces my razor burn and my Dove moisturizing deodorant absorbs better. Yeah, I have pretty hot armpits now. Lol. Overall, I feel the Clarisonic was a good investment.

Cleansers and Moisturizers:

These are currently working VERY well for me:

Avalon Organics Cellular Renewing Wrinkle Defense – Facial Cleansing Milk

Daytime Moisturizer: Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base

Nighttime Moisturizer: Bobbi Brown EXTRA Moisturizing Balm

I use these products every day. If I get particularly nasty pimple or cyst I (carefully) pop and drain and then apply triple antibiotic ointment (from the drugstore). This usually makes the pimple or cyst go away in a day or so. I don’t recommend Neosporin for this use. It has an extra ingredient that really irritates my skin. I drink tons of water and eat healthy which will also help my skin be in its peak condition on w-day. I have 3.5 weeks left and my skin is currently clear. Now I just have to maintain and try extra hard to keep my fingers off my face.

Wish me luck! :)

PS: My favorite resource for reading beauty product reviews is www.makeupalley.com

Tableaux Event Rentals

Today I booked my chair rentals for the ceremony. We will be using Tableaux Event Rentals in Vacaville, Ca. I took some pictures of the displays in their shop. Ummm…. eye candy!

Our ceremony will be in a secluded area of a public park. Tableaux is right accross the street from the park which will make delivery and pick up very convenient. I don’t need to rent much for the reception, but if I did I would definitely use this vendor. They specialize in modern decor but have a little of everything.

Getting this taken care of today makes me feel more prepared and one-step closer to finishing. Tomorrow my fiance and I are headed to San Francisco to pick out wedding bands… fun! I will post pics as soon as I can.

Have a FABULOUS weekend!!

Invitations

Whew! Our invitations are finally on their way to our lovely guests. It feels SO GOOD to be finished with this project!!
I made the decision to hand craft our invites after scouring the net for countless hours trying to find an affordable, unique invitation that fits our colors and theme. After ordering several samples and reviewing price quotes; it was determined that nothing really “fit” what I was looking for. All of the navy blue price-
conscious options were either too “corporate” looking or were clearly for a summer (nautical) wedding.
Thus began the task of designing our invites. WHAT A TASK! But after finishing and mailing them this week, I’ve decided it was all worth it because they completely convey the style of our wedding.

So here we go, the complete how-to and method behind my madness:

***SUPPLIES***
-Signature Pocketfold in “Champagne Metallic” … www.cardsandpockets.com
(on sale!)
-“Night” blue cardstock … www.papersource.com
-“Night” blue envelopes in 4 bar & A9 … www.papersource.com
-Cream cardstock paper… www.staples.com
-Regalia design paper … www.envelopments.com
-Swirl Stamp … www.heroarts.com
- Midnight pigment ink, embossing powder, embossing heat gun, tape-runners, curved corner cutter, etc … www.Michaels.com
-HP Inkjet printer
- Fonts: “Feel” (script) and “Optima” (print) I uh, "found" them somewhere online ;)

***PROCESS***
1. Decided which inserts we really really needed
2. Researched and decided on wording for each insert including the main portion of the invitation
3. Using word, I typed up the information and picked which colors will go where and positioned everything so it looks balanced. I also made sure enough room would be left for the stamp.
4. I went to www.weddingmapper.com to create our map. I used the good ol’ fashioned “paint” program to fancy it up.
5. Figure out all of the measurements for each piece of cardstock. I made sure that there was only ¼ inch spacing on each piece. (between the night and the cream) I made several mock-ups to make sure everything was perfect.
6. Custom sized the page for each insert for easy printing. Put all of the PDF files on a zip drive.
7. Went to my local Kinkos. My main man Paul (the perfectionist) helped me make sure everything was straight, and aligned. He also figured out how many prints could fit on each piece of cream cardstock to maximize space. He printed all of my inserts and cut them to size for me. I also had all of the night paper cut to the correct matting size.
8. I rounded the corners on all of the cream cardstock
9. I started an assembly line! I stamped the swirl design, and sprinkled on the clear embossing powder. Then Mr.50 used the heat gun to emboss the stamp.
10. Next I used glue/tape runners to affix the cream cardstock to the night backing. The map is on back of the Directions card. To save paper and space.
11. Repeated this process for each insert. Then put everything together! We made clear labels with our website that is behind the inserts on the pocketfold.
12. Finally, the patterned paper was cut into 2” strips and wrapped around the pocketfold as the “belly band.”
13. Put all the invitations in the envelopes and used the “Sharpie” metallic pens to address them.
Oh and don’t forget the postage!

I purposely didn’t use any ribbons, or stones, or bumpy items on the invites. Using such items would really jack up the postage. When I went to buy the 61 cent stamps the USPS employee thanked me for making it easy.

This has definitely been the largest project. I recommend having plenty of patience and time if you decide to make your own invitations.

Finally … I kissed those suckers goodbye!! :D

Bridal Shower

There are some of the highlights from my bridal shower. It was gorgeous!

Since there will not be any pink in our wedding, I requested a super girly, tea party-esque, pink bridal shower! Did my friends and family deliver or what?! My bridesmaid Kryssi Patel was the photographer.

I was blown away by all the little details: * strawberry and lemon ice cubes for the homemade lemonade * candy pink painted vases with pearl designs * powder sugar stenciled hearts on the brownies * tiny pink picture frames with our engagement photos * shrubs pruned into hearts * homemade scrapbook so each guest could write a special message * lot’s of love, time, and energy!

Bachelorette Party - Pimp Cups!

The pimp cups at my bachelorette party were a hit! Everyone really enjoyed them and we’re even using them at my bridesmaid’s birthday party next week!

Here is how I bejeweled the goblets:
1. Find a PLASTIC goblet. A thicker plastic is best. I found mine at Wal-Mart for $1-$2. When picking a cup remember that jewels cannot be where the mouth is and there needs to be enough flat-ish space for the decorations. Margarita cups are not recommended.
2. Head on over to your local craft store for jewels and stickers. Keep in mind that the stickers need to be flexible to accommodate the curves of the cup. I picked a few colors to make the cups look cohesive. I used the Martha Stewart pink glitter letter stickers for the names and “Bride.” Next I found strips of rhinestones. It is very important that you use the strips. (all hooked together with a clear backing) This way you can make lines around the cup. Individual rhinestones will take forever and the glue will make a mess. You can always cut off of the strip if you need just one or two.
3. I sealed the rhinestones onto the cup with clear nail polish and let it dry before applying another coat. The mouth won’t be near any of the stones so it is ok. Some of the cups have thread criss-crossed down the handle. Definitely get creative! It was a very fun project.
4. I used the leftover letters and rhinestones to make a sign for the front door of the hotel room. It was perfect! Especially when room service came. They knew what to expect before coming in the room. (there was penis paraphernalia everywhere!)