update on budget

it has been a while since i've posted about budgets. i'm happy to say that we are still very close to what we originally wanted to spend. i've done some purchasing here and there of decorations, so i will put up a photo soon of all my vintage finds with a price tag of what i've spent.

for the exciting part, i've received my dress from KTJean. i absolutely love it. it is just my style and i cannot wait to wear it. it came wrapped beautifully in wedding color ribbons. thanks Katie!

photog

i'm getting more and more excited. one of my friends who i've known for several years is shooting my wedding. inga has creativity running through her blood. i used to work for her mom and sis at their flower shop on holidays. that is where inga and i met. i was so happy she found photography when she did and went to some of her first shows. now she is super successful and an amazing photographer and i'm so happy she is coming to and shooting the wedding!

"putting up"

okay, so we have a neighbor who doesn't live in his house and he has three beautiful peach trees which are bursting with peaches. so j has been bugging me about doing something with the peaches before they fall off or the birds get them. there are only so many you can eat.

i decided to make some homemade peach chutney and try my hand a my first "canning." i haven't ever canned anything before and can only slightly remember watching my grandmother and my mother do it. i remember lots of boiling water and the fun little sound that the tops made when they sealed, but that is about all i remembered. fast forward twenty years and i'm attempting it for myself. i read up a bit online and went looking for what i needed. i'm guessing australians don't can much because i had a hell of a time finding what i needed and even then i don't think i got it right - only 2 out of 8 jars sealed properly. the jars here are not the two piece lids that you get in the states and they hardly look like they have a big enough rubber seal to get a tight fit. i went to every grocery store, dollar store, kitchen store and finally found some jars at the craft store!

the venture wasn't a total loss. it took me ALL day but i did get two jars which i can "put up". i managed to get a pretty severe burn on my hand from the chutney (blisters in one place). that shit is like molten lava! the chutney is delicious and i will be giving most of it away seeing as how we cannot possibly eat 8 jars in a matter of weeks. here are a couple pics of my product!

success? not totally

failure? not totally

lessons learned:

1) get a proper canning kit

2) find the proper canning jars

3) make sure a friend is around to help

this is what i'd like to wear the day after

how comfortable does this dress look? tucker

diy save the dates

here are the diy save the dates. i designed them in adobe illustrator using some images and fonts i downloaded for free. then printed them on kraft paper which i tri-folded.

the envelopes are diy too. i found a cool side opening envelope and used it as a pattern.

then i used a good old fashioned calligraphy pen to address them. nothing super fancy but it did the job. i like the way they turned out and am now proclaiming that the wedding colors are red, turquoise and kraft! i love kraft paper so much and it is so economical!

winter doilies

one of the most creative ideas i've seen this holiday season. i would do this but they'd melt in less than 30 seconds.

back from the holidays

man, the holidays tend to suck you straight out of your regular schedule. now that they are over, i've realized how close we are getting to the wedding! yikes! i will be posting something about the save the date cards soon, but in the meantime, i better get them out. so here are some great things to look at in the meantime.

I luv garland of any kind and hope to use some kind of garland at the wedding. so here are a few ones that i really like and think would be quite simple yet time-consuming...


In order of appearance confetti system, rebecca thuss, pamgarrison (these are made of coffee filters), Martha Stewart Weddings.

so many adorable weddings lately

please click on these images so that you can see them full size. this wedding is absolutely adorable and has a really sweet story to go with it. you can read the full story here. i especially love the hayrides they gave the kids (as i'm fond of my hayrides when i was little). i also very much love the use of vintage table clothes on top of the boring old white ones. the wedding was held on a farm where you can pick your own blueberries and flowers. luv it!

next up...

i love the glamour of this fall wedding and especially love the shrug she is wearing. i wish i could pull that off in the summer but i'd likely look like a drowned goose if i attempted it. i've never associated myself with the word "glamour" so i should stay clear of things that i give that lable. more here. this is the wedding of christine from pretty.pretty paper.

that's what i'm talking about

yep, that's what i'm talking about. this is the exact type of container collection i'm going for on the tables. milk glass, shiny bits and cut glass or clear vases. now just imagine bright red paper flowers overflowing from them and you'll get the picture. photo: creature comforts via perfect bound

just when you thought you were orginal

i've been really slack lately about writing anything when i post pics. it has been exceptionally busy with work and life so i've just been trying to stay afloat. anyway, good news all around. i passed my fresh meat roller derby trials and am now allowed to start "real" training. i was super excited about that! so we have a break over the holiday and start back to training two days a week in January. woohoo! but back to the post. you know, just when you think you have an original idea, somebody comes right along and tells you they've already done it. i've been admiring for some time a local antique shop's salt and pepper shakers and thought that they would be really cute on top of the cakes and pies at the wedding. since we've decided to go with several good cakes rather than one day old crusty wedding cake, i've been thinking about toppers. i would say "wouldn't it be cute if you put a set of shakers on top of each one," but you can see for yourself how cute it would be. from wedding chicks

a mexico inspired wedding

this is a great wedding that was inspired by mexico. i like the bright colors and the loteria cards. found it on style me pretty.

bridesmaids in boots

this makes me want to have bridesmaids!
from offbeat bride

list of things to do:

1) stencil porch

2) make lights with egg cartons

design sponge

whip up

ponytails are hot

when they look like this. images from design sponge.

i know it's thanksgiving and not easter but....

is this not the cutest thing you have ever seen. that bunny's tongue is precious. can i just say that i'm 'thankful' for bunny tongues? Happy Thanksgiving! from peonies and polaroids