Our BRILLIANT photographer just sent me the disc with all our engagement shots. I don’t have time to upload them all now, but here’s a preview. Also hair and make up went great! I love the Bridal Loft girls!!!
details
I’m making a list and checking it twice!
-Bj’s gift, check!
-shoes off to be dyed, check!
-haircut, check!
-final florist meeting
check!
That’s just a quickie throw somethings together bouquet that my florist does to show you textures and colors. I love the open blooms. The centerpieces will also be with these colors, on chartreuse table clothes, with gold chairs (I know, WHAT, GOLD? but it’s the only thing that works in the room, and so I’m workin the gold).
-Final hair style decision? Um, no. I must say hair style "up do" magazines: prom mags (Emilie’s), wedding mags and others are very prejudice about short hair. They all had long, sort of wavy/curly hair. Also looking at those prom mags made me realize teenagers these days have ample opportunity to "slut it up" Cut out sides and slits up to your high thigh anyone? {shutter}
Got any other place to look? I now have chin length hair and I want it up funky and twisted. Oh and my trail is Wednesday morning.
Why Today was Great
Sure, seeing this flat tire wasn’t the best part of my day, but I did know it was coming, yesterday the tire was almost flat. And it makes me feel like the $36.50 I pay AAA is worth it when they send someone to come do something for me. Turns out I got a nail through the sidewall and it couldn’t be fixed. I’m guessing from pulling into that mud there, remember the pile of crap I had in that very spot last summer? I suppose there is the possibility I forgot a nail (or forty). So I need a new tire, only they don’t make that tire, so I had to get two. But the funny thing is I wasn’t all that upset hearing the news, maybe it was because I had picked up some Chinese food on the way over and was munching on it while I waited. And the drive home was super fantastic with the birds singing and the sun being out.
When I got home I check the mail, and I only got on RSVP back today, but it did come in this ridiculously cute package from Kay:
See that, now that’s what I call an RSVP!!! Hehehe. She had lots of little goodies and pouches with fun colors. I love the metal letters that are also little magnet boards (I know!!!) And when I opened them up things just got better:
Let me just say, Love Hearts? Love them, one pack has already been scarfed. Then I packed up orders and headed to the post office. I made it through all the lights on my first try (it gets really backed up at five in the evening). And even had time to stop at the lighting store. Third times a charm with these guys, they finally had my crazy light bulb in stock:
The original is the one on the left. They don’t make them any more, but it’s so big and cool I couldn’t just toss it. The new one has the same old huge base. I’m making a mental note of this: next time I’m at an estate sale and I get a funky light-bulbed lamp check the pantry for funky light bulbs that might fit it! I did get something else supremely funny in the mail Saturday. I got a bunch of RSVPs, seven pieces of my neighbor’s mail and this:
Uh… What? How the freaking hell did it get to my house? Is it just because I get mail from Japan, that now I’m like the designated receiver for half the country? I don’t know but I’m writing them a note and sticking this in an envelope. Craziness!!
And signs of spring:
awe buds!
I could show you the out of control grass. People are actually starting to mow (ack!) and since I’ve mowed my lawn a total of once since the purchase I think I might want to jump on that bandwagon. I’m going to get a push mower. I’ve done the research and the Brill Luxus 38 seems like the one for me. I just finished reading my step-dad’s Christmas gift to me: Suburban Safari, and while fantastic it’s making me have inner turmoil about watering my lawn. I don’t have sprinklers and I’d have to water with a hose (I didn’t water last year, FYI), so fresh processed city water would be leaking all over the place. But I really want that nice green look. I’m looking into eco grass, grass seed developed for my area to grow shorter, with more diversity (like clover, daises, etc) that require less water. We’ll see how it goes, I have to convert my I-love-a-lush-lawn fiance. Hmm….
Draper Dresser
Oh P.S. Iman sent me this link to an eBay auction with the
wedding, printing, and knitting
This weekend started out with a very long, very necessary, but very long (yes I said that twice) overall strategy meeting about the wedding with our coordinator. "Ohhh drive me Sciarrino," I said, "I think the meeting will only be an hour and we can meet up with everyone after." I was supremely focused (about as focused as I get I guess) during the meeting and knew Bj and Sciarrino were getting multiple calls about our status, but I was shocked when I got into Sciarrino’s cute little car and realized we had been in there three hours. It was all time-lines, details, costs, etc. stuff. And since I’m all about the details I was enthralled. But I was also getting hungry so I was really glad when we showed up to Doug Fir that Brian and Melissa had a table and we I was able to scarf down their extra three onion rings before ordering my own dinner. We crammed into the funky, but almost too cool, round booth along with Beachwood, who met us there, and Matt stood nearby since he happened to be getting an after work drink with a crazy colleague (well he was, oh and sorry we didn’t stop by Saturday, I have no excuse, except it was late and I had just jumped in a puddle and got wet, and wrapping up in a blanket and watching House seemed like a better idea). The concert was so-so, and their jeans were very tight, and the bass guitarist even had his tee shirt cut so you could see his Levi’s label. Hmmm. Oh and they butched the only song of their’s I really know.
The next morning Sciarrino left before we even thought about getting up and I went through a few wardrobe changes before settling on something for the engagement photo shoot (I know, I know, we’re pushing it since the weddings in mere weeks). We were headed over the bridge to find a mythical wall I had seen once that had fantastic texture but haven’t seen for months when I remembered the pearl. I had been walking around there earlier in the week when I fell in love with a printmakers cabinet (and no I’m not telling you were it is, or how much it is or anything else about it, because it’s fabulous and I want it). Anyway I was like, "no turn here!" and we found lots of great walls and called the photographer to meet us over there. He said the shoots are about 30-45 minutes, we took two hours. We like to think that’s because we’re ultra cool, but who knows we might have been cheesy subjects that took too long to get a decent shot. I’m going to go with the former and say that I can’t wait to get my disc in the mail next week. And he should have something up on his blog soon(ish). After the last few shots (jumping in a very suspicious puddle, since apparently Portland knows how to drain rain water and we couldn’t find anything cleaner/bigger) we headed home (to Bj’s). Where we ate Burger King and watched the first disc of House.
We stopped at Fry’s to get a cable to hook up this beast:
That’s right Ribbon Jar got a color laser!! Because it just felt wrong to keep printing out the gift certificates in black and white. And because I like color (SHOCKER). I see many buttons in my future. Anyway we didn’t actually get to that until today because we watched a lot of House. Then we slept in and it was so sunny my Oregonian brain thought I must be getting sick to think it’s so nice out so I stayed in my jammies until four when my brother came over and I opened the door and I was like, "it’s hot out!" So then I had to get moving and open all my windows and let the early spring in, and shower and stuff. But after all that work I just put on joggins and sat back down with a frozen pizza, watched some more House and got Violet’s newest outfit almost done (hey, it’s wedding related). I finished the whole first season (including the extras) and while you might think this pathetic, I find it glorious. Knowing tomorrow I’ll have to go back to maxing out my cell phone minuets, packing orders, fretting about details, and begging people to turn in RSVP cards, I think I was due a nice do-nothing-day.
Lessons
You know the whole RSVP thing is a bit of a pain. I mean I thought that by having the coolest invitations known to man (in my humble opinion) I would illicit quick and clever responses. But despite the "kick ass-ness" of the invites only three of my friends have RSVP-ed, THREE!!! I’ve gotten plenty of cards back mind you, from proper older relatives, work colleagues, friends of the family, etc, but in the friend department we are falling short. And some of the cards I’ve gotten back had nothing in the bubble, nadda! I’m to assume that is a yes, right? So I sent out a mass email today, I was really going to try and hold to tradition and be all polite, but I want my cards back man! I have to get the seating chart going, drinks and food ordered, and all the other "cool" things I have planned. I’m sure at one point I was late sending back an RSVP and this is karma coming back to bite me, so I’m trying not to sweat it. But if you are reading this, and haven’t RSVP-ed, won’t you please? I have a cute little book going and Bj and I will cherish the cards forever, we promise!
Now some people have gone above and beyond, and well, they should be praised:
I love me some colored pencil!
Putting RJ’s valentine’s kit to good use Sciarrino!
Very impressed that my dad found an image online, printed it, AND drew a cake.
Ink is what really makes this fabulous printmaking paper shine, yummy!
Taylor, my little bro, do you still read this blog? Check out the ears my mom drew on you, how funny is that? Hehehehe.
But to be clear, at this point, a yes or no would work just as well!
File it away
This is the only way I can think to describe my life right now:
My mind and all its thoughts tend to want to float out of my head and scramble themselves up. Then when I least want them to (like when I’m trying to fall asleep) they float back down like feathers in the proper order.
It’s very frustrating as I quite literally have fifty things to do RIGHT NOW, and I can’t focus on any one of them with much success. Final decision FINAL. They must be made RIGHT NOW, or in the case of the food February 21st. But have I turned that in yet, no. I walked out into the living room with the appetizer list to show Bj and it magically disappeared from my hands and has yet to be found. Even after I took hours to regain some sanity and sorted through years of paper work to tackle the file cabinet. 
Now that it’s not leaving rust stains on me when I touch it I actually think it has a great patina. Plus it gets some crap off my desk, which is nice. So all of that, sorting every scrap of paper and still no appetizer list. argh!!!!! I have my first dress fitting tomorrow (well I guess today since it’s one AM) and I haven’t lost the ten pounds I wanted or flattened my stomach, or beefed up my arms, crap. I have to dye my shoes, finalize the flower situation, find a better chandelier, figure out what trees I want, how to get them there, what fabric to put around the base, and what ribbon I want to use on everything. I have to pick the alcohol (and I don’t drink), get my hair cut, figure out the music situation (first dance, you’ll see), I have to pay a surprisingly large car repair bill, make the table cards with buttons, make the seating card, make the table markers, make my veil, reserve pedicure and manicure sessions (which all my oh-so-helpful magazines tell me should have been done months ago), get Bj’s gift, get my tax stuff together, deposit checks, go to Comcast, return stuff, write thank yous, and YADDA, YADDA, YADDA.
So ya, that’s why I haven’t been blogging. And in the last week I’ve lost (and thankfully found) my camera, glasses, and mind.
“humorous”
I’ll let you fill in the blanks.
Shower #2 and What I’ve been Up To.
On Saturday a couple of my mom’s girlfriends through me a shower at a local country club. It was extra fun because two of my bridesmaids got to hang out for the first time!
Me with my girls! It was fun to see all my mom’s friends, and one of my very first friends from kindergarten:
That’s Sarah, we were two of only four girls in my first kindergarten class (let’s hear it for the repeaters yo!). And so the four of us sat at a special little table. Cute, cute. The other host, Chris, is the mom of one of the other girls. And I can’t remember who the fourth girl was. We had great conversation, an embarrassing game (trying to answer questions as Bj would, had no clue about most of them. His favorite actress is Kate Beckinsail, who is that?), and yummy food:
It’s nice to have a photographer at these events, thanks Sciarrino! Later in the evening Sciarrino and I made a mess at my place and worked on buttons for the seating cards. We were having too much fun coming up with sayings, pictures, general nonsense for our friends. I’ll make sure lots of pictures are taken at the reception! Sunday was the Bravo Bridal show, which only served to stress me out. It was held in the same place as my reception and the ballroom we are to celebrate in was not decorated to my taste which made me worry if I can make it look as posh as I wanted. Then we got our bid from a lighting contractor (I can’t bring myself to turn on the strip lighting) and it was through the roof. I did a little retail therapy and felt better after picked out a rehearsal/rehearsal dinner outfit. I also found a top to that cute blue skirt I got at the rack a month ago. It also works for that longer white skirt. Bj met us at the mall, I hadn’t seen him for a week! He got me a little pair of shoes with bows for the skirt, so now I have an outfit for the last shower. But of course I couldn’t wait to wear it so Monday night I decided to debut the look for the Snow Patrol concert.
You heard that right! Snow Patrol! And it rocked. Sciarrino picked up my brother, her friend from work Laura, and me and we headed up to Portland to meet Matt, Bj, and Courtney. Before meeting up with the latter two though, the Salemites met up with Matt to see his workplace (an architecture firm, so yes, as cool as you’d think it’d be). Then we went out to dinner at the Doug Fir. Fun, funky place (and where Crafty Wonderland is held). Bj and I might try to get out there to see Youth Group at their lounge on the ninth. Anyway back to the concert. I wasn’t that turned on by the two opening acts (Silver Sun Pick Ups and OK Go), so I busted out the knitting which peeved Bj a little, but hey, idle hands… While we were waiting for the main act Courtney asked me which song was my favorite. I told her the one with Martha Wainwright, so I wasn’t holding my breath to hear it. Well after a bunch of great opening songs, the lead singer said he was going to try something different and asked if anyone in the audience could sing Martha’s vocal. He chose a very excited girl from the back. She came up to the stage and they put the things in her ear and everything and got her a mic. She put her arm around him (good call woman, because he is hot). She did a pretty decent job. I was just happy they sang the song. Couldn’t find a video of that, but here’s another favorite "Open Your Eyes". Great night.
Yesterday was my night with Emilie and we had fun using some of my new kitchen gadgets. We had Panini (Matt assures me this is plural in Italian) with the grill I received on Saturday. Then we were making sorbet in the new ice cream maker (it’s pink!) and it called for the ingredients to be mixed and chopped in a food processor, so you know, I had to open that too. Sue lent us the last disc of season 2 Veronica Mars since aliens must have come and abducted my copy, so we are finally starting on season 3. Then today I tidy up my place since a ribbon rep was coming over. Of course I and to clean up the drool from some of the new things I ordered. Yummy! Now off to update the wedding blog!
Naughty Naughty
Today was a sorta slow Ribbon Jar day so I spend some day in my little craft studio. I beefed up my Basic Grey paper stash a few weeks ago so I pulled out all my patterned paper and got rid of the same size stack. I’m trying to do that whole balance thing, what goes in, must go out. That, and I am a bit worried about where Bj’s stuff is going to go in this place. Which is ridiculous because I’m not where near the small spaces they showed on Oprah the other day. 250 feet apartments, oh my goodness! Anyway after that I pulled out a few things so I could make up a cool card to send Bj. With all the wedding planning it seems like we’ve actually been seeing less of each other. So I pulled out some goodies and whipped this up:
Two slang cards back to back stapled to be a sort of pocket. They are the sex version. I know, so naughty, but I have to collect all of the cards, I just find them so hilarious. Did you see they have new vintage slang. ohhhh. vintage slang!
I tucked some notes in there with little ribbon tabs. After a good cleaning of the studio I got out all that fabric for the curtains I still haven’t made for the room. I ironed it all and cut it to length before I got side-tracked again. One of my best friends from college Taro called me and we talked for like an hour and half. See he is in Tokyo so when he calls I can’t help but chat it up, since it’s not often we can. He’s one of Bj’s groomsmen and it was fun talking to him about wedding plans and what’s going to go down at the end of March, which is like a month away (oh.my.god, must get crafting quick!). Then it was a Smallville marathon so I could catch up with these season while knitting a washcloth. I finished the dishrag before the six episodes were up so I started cutting strips from the lengths of fabric I had prepared before. The whole living room floor is filled up with them now. After realizing Clark and Chloe are probably never going to get together (sigh) I decided to blog about my day since it was about the most interesting one in a week.
p.s. I need a lamp in my studio so I can actually work in here at night. How cool is Heather Bailey’s chandelier?