Exciting news!

...but I'm not yet ready to share. Let's just say it's awesomesauce with a side of fantastic!

I do miss writing here, and I have done many pretty things in the last couple of months. Hopefully, I'll find a little time after the holidays to return to my love of pretty.

I will definitely announce my great news, too! You'll like it. I promise!

Meanwhile, check out my totally awesome 80's cakes that I made for a friend's daughter's 14th birthday:



Polka dots and neon hearts - I mean really, who can resist!

Dear Blog: I'm sorry!

Hello! Yes, I still *do* like pretty. Blog, I have missed you. I just don't have enough time in the day! It's been a little crazy with a new career and, oh yeah, I got married!

I'm still waiting for the photos, of course, and I can't wait to share some of the details. I took exactly zero photos that day, so the few pictures I do have are from my guests. Here are a couple of pictures I received from friends.

The candy (and cookie and rice krispie treat and beef jerky) bar.

No joke, people raided the candy bar before dinner. Especially the beef jerky, which was gone by the end of the night! (However, I will have coconut jelly bellies for *years* - not that I'm complaining!)

And here's a photo of the table from one of my awesome guests! (Hi!)

I can't wait for more photos! (As in, I stalk my photographer's blog in hopes of a glimpse!)

And, you know what? I loved having all my decorations around making everything look pretty, but in the end, on the day of, none of it mattered. It just didn't. All that mattered was we got married, we ate amazing food, and we had an awesome dance party!

I will rave about my vendors in a future post because they are amazing and I can't say enough good things about them in enough places!

Love, love, love!

Sneak Preview

I thought it would be helpful for the venue to mock up a table. Ok, mostly I wanted to see it for myself, but I will have a photo printed for the venue.

It will be much more lovely with a simple cream tablecloth and white plates, as the design on the tablecloth distracts from the overall effect, but this is what I had.

Top view:


(On a side note, I want to host a party based solely on this tablecloth my grandmother bought in Europe because it really is gorgeous, but that's a post for another day.)


I hope to have even a few more yo-yos and fabric ruffly flowers per table so they can come down closer to the plates and feel as though they spread into the settings themselves, especially since the tables will be much bigger.




The tags and keys will have people's names and their entree choice noted on them.


Those dahlias are, in fact, the dahlias my uncle planted all over his backyard for me to use at my wedding. They're going to be lovely when I work harder to cluster them properly, plus, these were cut a number of days ago, so they are beginning to wilt, but I still really like them.



The clock is ticking! We're getting close!

Tissue paper flowers. Everywhere.

I know, I know. I've been neglecting you, blog. But I've been trying to be a doer. You know, one who does. So, here is one of the things that I did:


There are tissue paper flowers taking over!


These are the Martha Stewart's poms that are absolutely every.where. Just google it - I promise, you'll find them. Instead of pulling them both ways to make a round pom, I just pull them up one way, and ta-daaaa: Flower. It's kind of the opposite of magic because it's so simple, but when you need to make a bunch of something, simple is good.

I'd say that most of these flowers made with tissue cut about 14 inches long and 6-8 inches wide. But I made some that were a bit bigger. None of this was very scientifically or exactly measured. I used between 5-7 sheets, most of the time. But if you want a more carnation-y look, use more. Be forwarned however - too many sheets of paper can make it very hard to to get a nice clean flower. Ditto if you make the flowers much smaller than 6 inches wide. A couple of them met the inside of my recycle bin for that reason.


Sometimes I rounded the edges. It makes for a more peony-looking flower.


Sometimes I made spikey edges, which makes them look more dahlia-like, which is really what my other flowers are going to be, so I probably should have stuck with that, but I liked the variety, and since I did this for 5 hours one day, I mixed it up a bit.


Yes. Five hours in a row. Now I'm going to have to figure out how to get rid of the tan lines on my shoulders because my dress is strapless. Oy. The good news is that the sun was out in Seattle, and while the rest of the country is experiencing a heat wave, we're having a very lackluster summer here. So, if the rest of the country wants to come cool off, it might be time to come visit Seattle!

Ok, focus. Here we go. My pile eventually grew from this:


to this:


Which I thought would be enough. But it wasn't. So I had to make a few more. In the end, I had enough to make plenty of bouquets of flowers.




And what will I be doing with these, you ask?

Well, these puppies will be holding up the table numbers. Like this.



And this.


Then there will be some real dahlias hanging out with them as well and hopefully each table will have one tissue and two "real" arrangements, 0r something along those lines. That will cut down on cost, and also on the time it will take to make the arrangements the day before. Yes, I know I'm crazy, but there will be a number of us hopefully just squishing the dahlias into the vases the day before. I'm not going to be too picky about it, and it should go pretty smoothly. Don't worry, I have a couple of plan B's - or is that a Plan B and a Plan C? It'll all work out, I'm sure.

Treats!

I know, this is boring, but it's done and I'm excited for that. I have treat bags. They're white. And they have our logo on a sticker. Yes, it's mundane, but you know, it's all these little mundane things all together that say: 'Hey, I thought about the details' on the day-of, right?

Yes, I bought two sizes of baggies - in case some people want to take home more than others. Ok, actually I was indecisive and I decided I didn't really have to decide.

And how much do I love these sticker logos?


More. It's personalization in a snap. And you know what's better? They just magically appeared in my mailbox! I have the best friends ever!

Do you know what this means?

Do you know!?

This means that Chris rounded invitation corners while I addressed envelopes. Then I purchased some ugly stamps (seriously - who designs these things? Who!?) and sent those bad boys off to their prospective guests to squeal in delight when they receive their mail in a day or so. Or maybe I'm the only one who throws the bills and junk mail onto the front porch and makes a noise that only dogs can hear when they receive a wedding invitation. Just me? Huh. Go figure.

You know what I've learned? If you invite them, they will come. Just sayin'. I knew this, but now I know it's true.

INVITATIONS!

(Finally!)

I promised myself I would have these done a month ago. I promised myself I wouldn't be this behind. But these things happen, right? And you still love me, right?

Here they are! With the help of my good friend Agnes, I have finished my very own homemade letterpressed invitations (which have obviously been somewhat - and poorly at that - blurred):


We used the L Letterpress to blind press the lovely tiled design in the top. I think it worked out quite well. Agnes letterpressed while I rounded the corners. The feeling still hasn't returned to the palm of my hand, but oh well.

And here are the RSVP postcards:



Front and back:


Yep, that friends says there's a vegan dinner option. I don't mess around. (But mostly, I just want to be able to eat at my wedding.)

Close up:


You should know that Agnes is a graphic designer and that is why she is so amazing. She even developed this fantastic little logo and printed it on labels. It will go on everything. Watch out - you might find it stuck to your back when you get home!


Here's my attempt at photographing the whole invitation suite. (Agnes even printed the return address on the envelopes for me. So so great! I never could have done such a great job without her help!)


Now I'd better get a move on. Someone has to address these babies - and it sure isn't going to be Chris. Have you seen his handwriting!? Yeah...it's bad. But there are a few more corners to round and he's promised to help!

Happy Fourth of July!

Look what I made.

Mmm...glassy baby and peonies.


This was a hostess gift for my new boss' house warming party. That's right. My new boss. That, friends, means a new career.

I have so much more to share, but I have to catch my breath over here. Life's a little hectic. I promise more here soon! Wedding related, even. :)

Birdcages

Yes, I know that, much like milk glass, birdcages are a little cliché at weddings. But, again, I don't care because I love them. And I'm guessing that precisely zero of my guests have ever been to a wedding decorated with birdcages.

Enough with the chitty chat, here they are:


I heart them.



Apparently, so does my cat, although I think she might have been wondering where the birds were...and whether she could have a little snack.


I don't know exactly what I'll do with them just yet, but you know it'll be good!

Up next: Invitations!

And then there was caramel corn.

No, really - it's the best caramel corn you've ever tasted. Hands down.


This photo doesn't even do it justice, but it is pretty enticing.




I made at least twice this amount for my neighbor's fundraiser for Homeboy Industries. She raised a bunch of money and it was awesome. And we "taste-tested" caramel corn. (It was worth the butter-induced stomach ache.)

Oh, and you should know that it didn't rain on our pretty heads during our engagement photos. Yay! Funny story about that... I mentioned to Chris that some people "prop" their enegagement sessions. He thought that might be odd, so I showed him some photos. All of a sudden he had prop ideas left and right! There were clothing changes and there was shopping to be done! (PS - this photo shoot was only supposed to last an hour!) I talked him down to only one clothing change. We started dressed in our finest - Chris looking dapper in a suit, me in a white top and a grey pinstriped pencil skirt. We were fake reading the Wall Street Journal. No, I can't make this stuff up. He loved every second of it. About half way in we ran to the car to change into our more casual beachy gear. It was then that we realized that I hadn't packed my pants. Or, heck, even my t-shirt. So either the rest of the shoot was going to be all boudoir-ey, or we had to stick with the suits. Needless to say we remained in our formal wear and still had a great time. I can't wait to get a look at the photos from Abbey! I promise to share!

Also, Chris bought me flowers for my dance recital a couple of weekends ago. So pretty. Chris and Serena picked out the the pink roses and one of the students bought me yellow tulips. The combination made for a lovely arrangement.


For those of you who actually read this far, you should know that I have invitations! Printed, even! I can't wait to share them with you once all the pieces come together. Hooray!

Sunday forecast

Sunday is going to be fun! Our amazing photographer, Abbey Hepner, is shooting our engagement photos.

I got my hair cut yesterday by Shaina at La Belle Marie Salon - I highly highly highly highly recommend her. Just throwing that out there.

I have a manicure and a pedicure lined up. I know, that doesn't sound ground breaking, but if you saw my gross toenails you'd realize that this was kind of a big deal. (PS - thank you, Groupon.)

I'm having my makeup trial done on Sunday - how fabulous is that!? I couldn't have made this work out any better.

While I do not yet have my outfit picked out, although I'm now closer - thank you! - I'm mainly focused on crossing my fingers that this is accurate:


That, my friends, is a blurry forecast. With a blurry roundish yellow thing. For those of you in Seattle who have forgotten, that's the sun. It's pretty great when it shows up. But even more importantly, do you see that little thing below the sun? That says there's only a 10% chance of precipitation! On the day when we want to do outdoor photographs! In the middle of a forecast that calls for rain on every other day out of the next ten!

Keep your fingers crossed for us! I can't wait!

Wedding Day Emergency Kit

Everyone needs one. Usually I raid the target travel section for a bridal shower gift for a friend (I know it sounds cheesy - but it's one less thing to worry about before a wedding, and peace of mind is a great wedding shower gift!).

This time, I did it for myself.


And yes, everything is there. Fingernail clippers? Check. Static cling remover spray? Check. Lactose intolerant? I got you.

(Well, plus there is will be vegan dinner and dessert options. That's just how us violently lactose intolerant folks roll.)

It's all organized by type.


I'm loving the clear bags! You can see it! (Although there is a small flashlight in there - just in case!)






And these velcro into a larger travel bag that will be coming with me day-of.

I plan to put these in the ladies room during the wedding so that if one of my beautiful guests might need some mousse or perhaps some floss (ok - *I'm* the one who always needs floss) it'll be there for their use! There will also be a list, so that people will know if what they are looking for is actually in there. But, I promise. It is.

Cost of all the miniatures: Probably something ridiculous like $80 - I may have gotten a tad carried away. Feeling prepared for anything on your wedding day: Priceless.

Milk glass breeds like rabbits around here...

I'm not kidding. Or exaggerating. I'll prove it!

They fill up this here bookshelf.


And then they're on top of the bookshelf, because I ran out of room.


(Oh, and how much do I love the mini suitcases? So much! I have many ideas for their use at the wedding. Mmm.)

Then they spilled into my china cabinet.


And did I mention they made their way to the top of the buffet and the built-ins above that? No? Well, they did.


Oh, and here's some more.


I told you they were multiplying! Here are some of my favorites.








And a super extra special wedding-y one my aunt found:


I know, it's a bit of a cliché today, but for the record, I've loved the idea of milk glass compotes as the wedding centerpieces for two and a half years - waaay before I saw them on every wedding blog. I've decided that I'm still doing the things that I love, even if they've become a tad overdone. I figure most of my friends and family don't spend hours browsing wedding blogs and they won't know that I'm a copycat! Until they read this, I suppose. Shhh.