Shout out to Simplicity

I just went to check out who had new patterns (yes, I know I still haven't finished that easy skirt I was making! Patience, please!)

Well, I just want to give a shout out to the Simplicity pattern company for this:

Simplicity 2822

Simplicity 2822, a pattern for making storage accessories for wheelchairs and walkers. This is the first pattern I've seen of this kind and I'm sure it will be a welcome to many parents out there. So, good for you Simplicity!




Also seen, Simplicity 2806, for four different types of "green" tote bags and now that Jo-anns is selling organic fabric...

Getting inspired...

Now that the wedding is over (and I got paid!) I treated myself to some reading material. $30 worth, in fact.

 

Real Simple, Country Living, Do-It-Yourself, Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion, Lucky, SewStylish, InStyle, not to forget my own subscriptions of Cottage Living, Domino, Glamour, and a Marie Claire that I picked up because uber-cool Maggie Gyllenhaal was on the cover.

I'm sure I'll be inspired with post ideas after paging through these, so can you wait just a little bit longer, ok?

Wedding 08: Quick Update

Just a quick update to anyone who's interested. There will be more thoughts after I've recovered and processed it all:

• First of all, everything worked out! No vendors failed me (they ALL excelled!), no rain (which was in the forecast earlier in the week), no one passed out from the heat (a miracle!), and the Bride loved all the surprises that the Groom and I had secretly planned (see one below)!
  
  
• I was running around so much I didn't get to see the ceremony BUT the timing was perfect in that my having to chase the best man, who forgot his corsage, I did get to the Bride just in time to arrange her train, tell her how gorgeous she looked, (I hadn't seen her dress before!) and see her start down the aisle with her dad.
  
  
• The reception site is separated from the ceremony site by a slight hill and a stone fence, so when I could get the chance, I would peek over the fence to see how the ceremony was going.
  
  
• We worked about an hour late on schedule the whole evening but there is only so much you can do to rush a bride and groom from a cellphone. I still think we got out of the park by deadline. (I don't know because (bad planner!) the only person who was wearing a watch was the caterer.)

• I didn't get to take many pictures so now I have to wait like everyone else. However, when they get the pictures in, I'll have some up here.
  
  
• The room ended up looking so lovely, despite it's sad beginnings as a conference room.

• During setup, the draping wasn't working so I made the executive decision to have them stop. Note to future brides, 50 yards of tulle goes nowhere, we would have needed 400 yards just to be safe. It was just the wrong weave material for the job. Thank god the bride trusted my judgment when she asked and I told her what I did. If need be though, the floral designer said she has my back.

The Getaway 1956 Rolls Royce

I've done back-to-back conferences with hundreds of people and assisted on events attended by royalty and a recent female candidate for president, but doing a wedding for a friend was a totally different story. Nerve wracking, in fact.

No matter how many times someone said it was perfect, or I was doing a great job, I couldn't just take the praise. This is what I still need to process.

Yeah, yeah, yeah...

I'm still here at home, but not for long.

I just put together an emergency kit for today: safety pins, bobby-pins, mints, band-aids, little packs of Advil & Motrin (don't worry, I saw 16 Candles!) tape, scissors, sewing needles, ivory thread, floral tape, some corsage pins, etc.

But I just couldn't stop surfing for wedding stuff. I think I'm addicted!



I just found this site, thoughtfulday, and checked out the pictures of her wedding. I was drawn to her dress, surprise, it's another bridesmaid dress! This one is by Thread, was $400, and is just perfect for a beach wedding like this one. Also check out her silver sandals!



She had a gorgeous color scheme, yellow and white, and she incorporated it elegantly yet also in a real fun way (check out the groom's yellow socks!)

So, now I'm off to pick up some stuff, including a vegan meal for one of the DJs, then to get everything ready for the event!

Images: by Anna Wolf

Wedding 08: Today's the Day!

Well, here I am the morning of the wedding.

The rehearsal yesterday went well despite the incredible heat.* I actually went straight home, had a popsicle, and took a nap because I was so wiped out. Then later at 10PM there was the post-family rehearsal dinner hangout at a local restaurant where the couple knew the owner. We ended up having the back patio to ourselves and I got to catch up with people I hadn't seen since college.

One of the funniest things of the night was finding out that despite my thinking that I didn't remember the groom at all from those days that once someone mentioned his old girlfriend (as in BradandAngelina) I suddenly remembered him. You know how there are couples that unfortunately get defined as a unit, so that alone they loose context and look familiar but there's just something missing. Well, that was this, once the couple moniker was used an image formed in my brain. Funny.

I ended up leaving around 2:30AM. Wow.

I want to show you a few images of items that were created for the wedding. Hopefully, I will have time to get better pictures of them on-site with my camera since I don't have the patience to wait for the professional pictures.

Table Centerpiece

The glass hurricane vases have moss inside that anchors ivory-painted willow branches with attached crystals. Since this pic, it was decided that pink and cream roses will also go around the lip of the vase, forcing the ivory painted willow stems together and giving them more of a massed look. I don't have a picture of that yet, but it will look great.

The base of the hurricanes will be surrounded by various shapes of candles in shades of cream, white, and a pale pink that the bride calls Blush. However, when I hear that, all I see and hear is Julia Roberts saying "my colors are blush and bashful" from Steel Magnolias. What you can't see clearly in the picture (and I haven't seen in person) are little glass marbles that the bride made with their initials and the wedding date along with "Blush" napkins printed with the same information.

Bouquet

these will become this
 

Favors

There's chocolate in there!

However, that's not all, because two days before the wedding the bride has also created table signs and name cards with a system for designating if you want the beef or chicken entree. Yes, a very busy bride!

There are also silver electric lantern lamps, beautiful white mini-lanterns to light the paths and to be suspended by shepherds hooks in the garden, hundreds of candle tapers, and silver urns to hold the bouquets at the reception. Yes, that's a lot. We don't think everything will be used but why not have everything at your disposal? We can always edit.

Just in my car alone, I will be carrying the painted event sign, five packs of votive candles for the mini lanterns, the electric lanterns, a black and white embroidered table runner, the favors, a bolt of ivory tulle, and a new cake platter!

Well, I'm going to go now, there is still lots to do, including a secret mission! I'll let you know how it all goes, ok?


*I've totally changed my mind on what I'm wearing because of it. No full-length lined linen dress for me!