Martha's Lacy Luminarias

What better way to christen the craft area than a Martha Stewart project? I first saw this idea in my very own official Martha Stewart Keepsake Wedding Planner -- and Ms. Martha so graciously includes the directions here.
Materials:


It's super easy and only took about 10 minutes to make 2. The hardest part was finding the paper bags (I found these generic ones at Michaels for .29 each). Another hard thing was when I got to Michaels, I found a vested person with a nametag and said, "Hi - where are the doilies?" and he looked at me like I had 3 heads and said, "uhhhh... what's a doily??". The funny thing was, it escaped me at that moment what exactly a doily's purpose in life is - so stock guy and I had a little moment of befuddlement, until a lady employee wandered along and said "Aisle 34B - CAKES". Yes, folks, doilies are made for CAKES. Of course.

Finished product:


Sorry the pic is so dark, but hey, it's a luminaria. It's supposed to be dark. I'm very happy with the way this turned out. I think I shall use these on my guest book table - gracias for the suggestion, Martha.

Krazy Katie's Krafty Korner

Woot! Finally finally I have my crafting area. We are one of few lucky city dwellers with x-tra large closets (we have 3 walk-ins) one of which I have always thought was just big enough to accommodate all of my crafting needs (and also house Alex P. Kitten's litterbox - so unglamorous). So we went to Ikea and bought a white cabinet with shelves and sliding doors (I *would* tell you which cabinet, but who can remember all of those svedka grundel wilkommen Swedish names? I do remember it cost $149). The white cabinet holds many baskets and rubbermaid boxes filled with stickers, thread, rubber stamps, oh my. Also at Ikea, we purchased 2 picture ledges whose sole purpose is to display and highlight my beloved collection of small toys and figurines (Jaime, thanks for Gumby and Goo. Sadly, Gumby has gone missing. I suspect Alex P. snatched him with his little paws and hid him somewhere).

Perhaps my favorite part of my crafting area is the ribbon rod. It's just like a fabric store! B and I put this together DIY-style. We went to our local Ace and found some rod holders that are actually "cafe curtain brackets" whatever those are. We purchased a thin wooden dowel to thread the ribbon spools onto and voila. Ribbon dispenser. (The picture below is B installing the brackets. What a good fiance).


And the end product...



So, notice the big stack o' wedding magazines in the first pic? Gotta get through those soon (my florist has instructed me to find pictures of bouquets. More on that later). Anywho, I can do a good amount of stamping and collage here, but unfortunately the dining room table is still the hot spot for sewing. Ah well.

Let the wedding crafting begin!

Urban Outfitters Sale!

Check it out! Lovely (bridal gown matching) sunglasses found at Urban Outfitters for only $2.49! Bargains galore -- all sale items are now an additional 50% off.

To video or not to video? That is the question.

I attended a wedding recently where the bride and groom were stalked the entire evening paparazzi style by 3 people. 1) Photographer (tolerable) 2) Videographer (errrrrr) 3) Videographer's assistant with giant blinding light and boom microphone (not on your life). I generally am annoyed by cameras in my face, so I instantly ruled out the videographer when I did my initial planning and budgeting, patting myself on the back for being so frugal. Then I came across this...




Ayyyyyyy. Maybe I have PMS or something, but my eyes welled up while watching this. I had an instant urge of "I WANT THIS!!!!!!" but am I just being overly emotional? Is it really practical? Will I watch it more than once? It costs a pretty penny -- should I just pick up a Super 8 camera on ebay and enlist a cousin? Advice, people, advice. Please chime in.

Officiant Woes

So, as previously mentioned, I've been stressing about who was actually going to marry B and I (you know, sort of the whole REASON for all of the nonsense). I finally found some monks who could do it (FREE!!) and what did B have to say about this?

"Sounds weird".

I must admit now that I had a mini 'zilla moment, I may have raised my voice, and I may have said something along the lines of "WTF!!! YOU THINK ITS SO EASY??!! YOU TRY FInDING SOMEONE TO MARRY TWO NON-RELIGIOUS PEOPLE!!!!"

Bs annoyingly calm response - "I dunno - what about the mayor?"

Then we decide that Brian's one shining wedding task will be to find the officiant. And that's that. (of course he has a deadline, though). I'll keep ya posted.

These ARE my shoes

So, to give you a little somethin' - these are actually my shoes. They are 184% perfection and wonderous goodness champagne/nude Manolo Blahnik Jeweled Satin Sandal. Anyone who knows me knows that I have an affection for shoes, and I took this bridal opportunity to go all out. Before you think I've completely lost my marbles, I (of course) found these designer lovelies at the Neiman Marcus Last Call Sale for 64% off. That being said, they were still rather expensive and I'm sure I could have found a more cost-conscious shoe, but these are my true loves and you just can't put a price on that.

Before I hear anything from the naysayers, I am a big girl. I can (and often do) walk in 4 inch heels and I am no ameteur to the ankle wrap strap. My mother keeps saying that these shoes are a danger. Oh pshaw.

This is NOT my dress

However, it is very similar. I realized that I can't very well discuss my "look" without giving some clues to the dress. Duh. For the benefit of those out there who will actually attend the wedding, I'm not going to post my actual dress pictures. I think a girl has to keep some secrets. Anyway, THE dress is ivory silk organza with a very simple silhouette - not a lot of fullness. It is by Pronovias and was purchased at the Glamour Closet for 65% off retail (it is a sample gown). Loverrrific. It is sitting in my coat closet right now - chilling for its big moment in about 350 days. Hi dress - love ya. (PS - the dress above can be found here - and it's ridiculously cheap).

On the road planning

Here I am in Boston! I am on the road pretty often for work, so basically I spend a fair amount of time fiddling my thumbs in hotel rooms at odd hours of the night when I should be sleeping, but my "brain time" is actually 3 hours earlier. So, what's a girl to do? The comfy bed, the free wireless internet, bad TV -- a perfect recipe for online wedding research. Time to hit google, and hit it hard. I really need to find an officiant for our ceremony, but am having a terrible time. Everyone that I seem to find online has too much of a Stevie Nicks/Earth Mother look or they are crazy overpriced. I get it -- prey on the non-church-going crowd and make them pay for their guilt. Maybe I can convince someone to get ordained for the event - any takers out there?? Wish me luck...

Banana Republic sale find

I have been very budget-conscious lately, and have been trying to curb spending - however - "wedding related" expenses can usually be justified in my mind. Add in a bargain, and I am guilt free. Today I found the most surprising item on sale at Banana Republic -- this lovely beaded pearly goodness of a bracelet. I love it on it's own for it's sparkle, but instantly classifed it under "bridal" because of the pearl accents (key to my "look"). The salesperson at the bridal shop where I purchased my dress advised against a bracelet, because she didn't want me to worry about snagging, and I generally agree with her, but this bracelet is not rough and the clasp is a toggle, so I think its safe. And, for $19.99 (marked down from $48), who could resist? I have seen similar looks in bridal magazines for $300 and up - but let's be honest - I would never spend that much on costume jewelry. There's even a craze on eBay (like this one).

Hello big world...

Being that I am such a huge fan of many blogs out there, it is so very daunting a thought to start one of my own. Lo and behold, little Katie is finally getting married, and now is the time for virtual moral support. The *day* is in August 2008 in Oakland, CA, and though I have just under one year to figure things out, I have one gazillion ideas floating through my head, and not a whole lot of focus. This will be my forum to test out DIY projects, creative ideas, and planning tips - as well as seeking advice on simply how to deal with things. Stay tuned - there is much more to come.

(PS - the picture above is where the ceremony will take place at the Dunsmuir House)