Tulle and Torts

New Year, New Post!

2012-01-29T13:44:00.000-08:00

Hello long-lost blog! It's a new year and a new chance to stay on top of things in the blog-o-sphere. While my posts are sporadic, I'm hoping to put up more tutorials this year, so at least they'll be semi-interesting instead of some personal moaning about law school. Speaking of which, that's almost done with (graduation's in MAY!), so come summer I'll be MIA for a few months while I study/take the bar, then I'll be back for another few months while I (hopefully) work and wait for results. But, while that's going on, I'll likely have more free time and, thus, more time to post! Woot!

Ok, let's get on with it. With my new soon-to-be career getting underway, I've been, slowly, trying to transform my craft/junk storage space into a real-life, functioning office/craft room. First stop, besides pinning many, many organizational ideas, is to implement some storage space to stash all my stuff. I have tons of paperwork laying around everywhere, so I figured what better way to store it than in a file cabinet. So without further ado,

Today's project: FILE CABINET RE-DO!

Here's what you need:

File Cabinet (I got mine at Thrift Town for $7.95!)
Painter's Tape
Chevron pattern (found here)
Spray Primer - make sure it's suitable for metal surfaces
Spray Paint in your desired color

1. First I cleaned my file cabinet with a little soap and water and let it dry. Then I removed all the hardware and sprayed it down with the primer - this took a couple of coats, but it dried pretty quickly

2. Print out your chevron pattern. I printed only one copy and cut along the lines so I had chevron strips. If you're using the same chevron template I did, I used the dark portions (the positive) as my guide and basically taped where the white stripes (the negative) would go (you can see in the photo below what I mean). I took the top part (positive stripe) of my chevron pattern and taped it to the top of my cabinet. Then I used that as a guide to tape off the negative stripe below it. Then I took the second (positive) portion of the chevron template and taped it below that. Then taped off the 2nd negative stripe below the 2nd piece of the template.

I continued taping until I reached the bottom of one side, then I shifted everything over to the front of the cabinet and continued to repeat until I had taped all outward facing sides (I chose not to paint the stripe the back or the top). The template isn't long enough to reach the entire side, so I just kept the tape attached to the template and shifted it as I went along. This was pretty time consuming, but once I did once side and got the hang of it, it started to move a little faster.

3. Grab your colored spray paint and begin painting! I painted in light, over-lapping layers all around, then repeated with a couple of coats until there were no streaks and the primer was fully covered. Be careful not to paint it too much though, because you don't want it to get so wet that it begins to drip. Let it dry a few minutes (maybe 5), then remove the tape. You can touch up the uneven parts with a paint brush if you want. Let it dry overnight.

4. Finally, I decided I wanted a more modern look, so I replaced the hardware. I just went to Home Depot and picked out a new set that I liked better and that matched my paint color - if you do this, be sure to bring the old handle with you so you can make sure the screw holes will be equally-spaced. Then I installed the new handles and kept the old ones for a future project. Voila!

Hope you enjoyed my file cabinet re-do. Stay tuned for future projects as I continue with my Office/Craft Room Clean-Up!

Do you love TWINE?

2011-08-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

Then head on over to Tatertots and Jello for this awesome giveaway!

We planned. We prepped. We married!

2011-08-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

Hello long neglected blog - I've been gone too long. So much so, that Wedding Wednesdays are extinct - why? Because we got married! Yes! We did it! And, if I do say so myself, it was wonderful. We haven't gotten the professional photos back yet (though I'm dying to see them) but we have gotten a few from various family and friends, so here are a couple to share.

My mom walking me down the aisle and giving me away. Contrary to how this looks, there was a actually a full house (probably at least 110 people). We had the first few rows reserved for family members, but somehow (probably because we didn't have ushers) some of the family never got the memo, so they were all sitting in the back. Woops.

A shot of our first dance - we had it semi-choreographed, only because had we been left to our own devices we would've looked like we had two left feet (which we do). Thank you Linden Street Dance for the lesson!

Here's another from the first dance. This one features my dress in all it's glory. Though I guess you don't see the train since this is post-bustle, it was quite pretty too.

Remember the beginnings of the cake topper in the post below? Here's how it turned out! I was pretty pleased. I mean, yes, it was kitschy, but most cake toppers are, so that was okay with me. And I think it was personal to us and our day, so that's what counts :)

And here's the cake cutting! We just got our cake from the caterer, but they did a wonderful job - people loved it. Each layer and the grooms cake were all different flavors, so there were 4 varieties too. We were definitely pleasantly surprised with how it turned out.

I'll have to do a further recap of some of the more stylistic details of the day, as well as a general reflection later on, but for now I'll say that C and I had an amazing day and we loved that all of our family and friends were able to be there. And most importantly, we were thrilled to finally be married! I couldn't ask for a better partner and I am so excited to start this new chapter in our lives together.

Wedding Wednesday

2011-05-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

It's back in full force! Tomorrow is my LAST final as a 2L, then it's summer break, so I will have ALL the time to plan and craft for the wedding. Except for the 40 hours per week when I'll be working, but that's just a small detail. In any case, there are only 80 days until the BIG day and I'm itching to tie up all my loose projects. Here's our checklist so far:

honeymoon - check! (we're going to Aruba!)
hair/makeup - check! Plus I've already done a makeup trial
ceremony/reception music - check!
Flowers - still need, but I'm ordering online
Booze - still need, but I've ordered samples of wine labels to print myself!
Night of Hotel - check!
Transportation - still need

That's the stuff that was sort of pending. All that's really left are the projects and crafts. I've started on various different things, but completing them is the big goal right now. Anyways, without further ado, here's the "start" of our love birds cake topper. Final product still to come, so look out for it!

So far it's been pretty cheap to make too - budget breakdown for the cake topper:

Styrofoam disks (2/pack) - $1 (Dollar Tree!)
Styrofoam balls for bodies (1 bag had 8 balls in various sizes)- $1 (Dollar Tree!)
Colored Craft Sticks (100/bag, various colors) - $1, but only 6 used, so it's more like 6 cents (Staples dollar bin)
Colored popsicle sticks (100/bag, various colors) - $1, but only 1 used, so 1 cent (Staples dollar bin)
Still needed:
sand paper, white craft glue and white tissue paper to smooth out the bodies - all on handFabric for tails/wings and to cover base - 1 yrd of Midnight Colored Satin - $3.59
Beads and flat pins for eyes - on hand
colored tissue paper for banner - on hand
Total Cost: $5.65 Woo, I love a cheap craft!

Also, here's a peek at our invitations - they went out a few weeks ago and I was pretty happy with the way they turned out. Now we're just waiting for the rsvp cards back - what a fun thing to get in the mail every day!

Ok, check back Friday for another update!!!

Last Minute V-Day Gifts

2011-02-11T20:47:00.000-08:00

I already put together a little gift bag for C this year, but as I was looking online in my daily blog readings, I kept coming across some cute diy valentine's gift ideas that I'm so tempted to make and add to his gift. Unfortunately, that probably won't be happening since I still have this annoying appellate brief to work on (who makes an assignment due on a holiday anyways?!), but I figured, at the least, I could share them on the blog in case someone else needed an idea.

Ok, here's a mini round-up of some of my faves:

These cheeky sugar cookies from How Does She. Hah, get it?

A cute idea for leaving little love notes to your sweetie from Made by Lex

Or these cute heart-shaped brownie treats from Twig and Thistle, seen via Style Me Pretty
(clearly I think sweets are way into anyone's heart):

I've also seen some cute ideas for v-day gifts for the ladies in your life (I usually send a little mini-package or card to my mom and grandma):

Like these cupcake pin cushions from Dollar Store Crafts

Or these mini covered notebooks, also from Dollar Store Crafts.

Well, hope that gives you some sweet ideas. Have a lovely weekend!!!

p.s. Speaking of lovely, one last bit of eye candy for you: I am LOVING these crafty heart photos seen at A Creative Mint. These would be really cool pics to put up in an office/craft room for inspiration. Swoon!

Wedding Wednesday

2011-02-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Exciting news: invitations to my San Diego bridal shower went out last Friday, so I'm hoping mine is waiting for me back at the house when I get back from school. Is it weird I'm excited about the invitation to a shower in my honor? Like, I already know I'm going, so do I really need confirmation that I'm invited? Whatever, I'm excited all the same. Here are a couple of pics of the assembly and the inside of the invite:

These were from a set from the now defunct Martha Stewart Celebrations line and I love them. My mom and I found them at TJ Maxx for, like, $7 a box of 24 - we bought 3 boxes so there are more than enough for both my San Diego shower and my Bay Area shower. Perfecto! They're great too b/c they're printable (translation: easy) and so springy/summery - perfect for the timing of the shower(s). So, that's that. I can't wait for the shower - my mom and one of my bridesmaids have been working on it and I think it'll be chock full of creative goodness.

What else - I've been contacting deejays, so I guess that's some progress. I'm kicking myself because I'm finding that a couple of the cool ones (who I could've booked had I started this process earlier) are already taken, so I'm stuck finding alternatives. So annoying since I've been engaged for the longest, but oh well. My fault for leaving this til the end.

I've also started to make some headway into wedding crafts, so that's good too. I need to pick up the pace though because I'm definitely not setting enough time aside to focus on it. I sort of have just been using it as an excuse to avoid ~~writing crappy appellate briefs~~ homework. I really need to just make it a priority to ensure that I have enough time to actually get through it all before the wedding. Siiigh.

Left on the current to-do list (just for this month):
- print/assemble invitations
- finish favor bags
- create hangings (explanation/post on this later)
- book/order dj, honeymoon, flowers, booze

Litigation, Trials and Briefs - oh my!

2011-02-08T23:05:00.000-08:00

Has anyone seen this movie? It is EXACTLY how law school is, mostly.

So it's official - my life is consumed by school. 2 things I've realized lately: (1) it is REALLY intimidating to stand up in front of a group of people (say a jury or a panel of judges) and talk about whatever it is you're supposed to be talking about, (2) law school is exhausting... just saying.

Lately, I've been mostly focusing on preparing an appellate brief to be argued in front of a panel of judges. Additionally, I've been learning various trial techniques for a trial I'm presenting in front of a "real" jury at the end of April. And out of all these experiences, what have I learned? That I hate public speaking. There, I said it. I know I want to be an attorney and all, but really, it's the worst. My stomach knots, I blank on what I'm supposed to be talking about and no amount of preparation seems to fix my sudden urge to throw up before getting up there. It seriously makes me want to quit everything and run to the world of crafts... is that bad? I could make a good living and pay off my crazy amount of student debt, right? (for the record, the answer is probably not, unless I was Martha Steward - oh, how I wish!)

I hope that eventually this feeling will go away, or I'll at least be able to figure out a way to manage it, but let me tell you, as of now, it is def impinging on my ability to seem competent and articulate. No bueno in the eyes of the people judging you. Someone should really warn future law students that litigation is more acting and public presentation than anything else. What I wouldn't give right about now to have actually taken advantage of the acting classes in high school. Like, not to say lawyering is all an act, because it's not in the slightest. But an acting class would be useful in giving someone the ability to memorize, say, an opening or closing argument, and would help ease the shock and horror of having 12 pairs of eyes blankly stare at you while you're trying to persuade them to see your side of the story. It's so scary being up there! Ugh, I hate it.

I guess I shouldn't complain though - law school isn't all bad. On the plus, I've made some good friends, so at least something positive came out of it, right?

My study group at the halfway there party - because we're halfway done- woo!

Anyways, in other news, I totally was driving behind a lady this morning that was doing her hair in the rearview mirror while driving (poorly)- like literally, she was in two lanes at once, swerving because she was too busy trying to get a good look at herself in the mirror. I seriously just wanted to lay on my horn and be like, "wake up crazy lady- get ready at home or once YOU'RE NOT OPERATING A MOTOR VEHICLE." It was ridic.

Also, I'm v. excited for the weekend because we'll be celebrating valentine's day in the city - yay fancy date night! We got a Groupon awhile back (like, December or something) for a deluxe suite in a fancy-schmancy hotel in the city, and they totally let us book for the Saturday night before Valentine's Day - sweet! Unfortunately, I have the aforementioned appellate brief due on Monday (on a holiday? Really?), so most of my weekend I'll be stuck doing that. Hopefully that won't ruin fancy date night though, so we'll see. Anyone else doing something fun to celebrate?

By the numbers...

2011-01-31T23:07:00.000-08:00

26... days since my last post (eek - sorry!)
208 ... pages of reading for this week (booooo)
15 ... minutes extra I got to sleep in this morning (call it a case of the Mondays)
179... days until our wedding (another eek - it's coming up so fast!)
14... days til Valentines Day (one of my favs)
3... number of things I've been wanting to post about on the blog lately (more updates coming!)

That's what's been floating around in my head lately - sorry for the lack of updating. Guess that's a semi-fail on the resolutions so far, but only one month is down, and since I've averaged only approximately 30 posts per year, there's plenty of time to up the ante and increase those numbers twofold! Now to avoid getting bogged down with homework and the like.

p.s. do you like the photo above? It was found here, originally from Woman's Day. Have you all checked out pinterest before? If not, do so. It's a total must and my new fav place for a little creative pick-me-up. Do go :)

Wedding Wednesday

2011-01-05T17:12:00.000-08:00

This is a "new" feature here at Tulle and Torts, and by new I mean regular, mainly because I've come to the realization that I'm getting married in less than 7 months (eek!), so I need to keep track of this stuff somewhere :) So, Wednesdays, for now, will be a time I'll try to sit down and take stock of what's been done and what's left to do. Let's get started!

Today was pretty productive actually. We met with the caterer this morning so C could do a tasting of both the food and cake. Then we all went to the site to meet the venue coordinator and did a walk-through to lay everything out. It was good. Now we just need to find a dj/band and we'll be in business!

Also, I started printing our save the dates last night. I didn't quite finish though because my printer is (a) 6 years old, (b) stupid, (c) low on ink, (d) all of the above... (d!). I had bought just enough paper to cover what I needed plus a few mistakes, but my printer didn't care and ruined more paper than I was able to spare, so the project was halted for awhile. Here's my work area last night (sorry for bad lighting) ...

And here's a preview of our diy save the dates:

I figure a post card would save on postage and it has all the necessary information. I actually toyed with how the Save the Dates should look for SO LONG, but after a failed order with Vistaprint, I decided just to use one of engagement photos and print them ourselves. Plus, we're doing a cookie buffet for our favors, so I thought incorporating the cookie photo would be cute. Whatever, they'll serve their purpose, right? I just hope they make it to their destinations okay. If I had to do it again I (a) probably wouldn't print them myself and (b) I would get a new printer. Live and learn I guess!

On next week's agenda for Wedding Wednesday - favor bags, monogrammed decor, a veil and vase covers. So much to do!!!

OK by me...

2011-01-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

Today as we speak, we're actually heading on a plane back to California after being in Oklahoma for a week - it's been a pretty good trip. We've seen a lot of C's family and visited all the local "hot spots" (see my previous post). I thought today I'd share a couple more photos we snapped while we were in town.

We spent our new years eve reminiscing with C's old friends and toasted as the ball dropped. It was low key, but nice.

The day before that C took me to a Bass Pro Shop - this photo doesn't really do justice to the sheer size of this place. It's like Disneyland for hunters and fishers. I felt like it was part of the true Oklahoma experience :)
Here are some other pics from Bass Pro...

This only shows one, but there was a wall of stuffed deer.

And an indoor waterfall! Fun fact: this is actually the 2nd indoor waterfall I've seen in two days - the first was in Casa Bonita. This one was more impressive.
Otherwise, we've really just spent a lot of time visiting people in town which, oddly enough, I haven't taken photos of. I think because C's mom did, I figured it'd be too much to have 2 people snapping pics. Anywho, we're heading home. Hopefully this next week, though we'll still be "on vacation" will be a little more relaxing and productive. Here's hoping!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T12:39:00.000-08:00

In 2011 I will...

... get married!
... be 2/3 of the way through law school!
... travel!
... turn 26!

This year, I hope to...

... reach my goal weight (I know, cliche)
... update my blog regularly (and more frequently)
... sell something I made
... grow something (I'm thinking potted herbs and then a revamp of our backyard)
... read 8 "for fun" books

The last one doesn't seem so bad, but it might actually be my hardest, mostly because I never make time to read for fun. I really hope I can do it though, because I love to read. Anyone have any recommendations?

Also, it's kind of sad because these aren't all that different from the resolutions I made last year, but hopefully I'll actually meet them this time. I think posting on the blog might help too, mostly because I didn't share my resolutions last year, so there was no one to hound me when I stopped doing them. This way I'll at least have a public reminder that I promised to do something, so (hopefully) I'm more likely to stick to it.

Here's hoping that 2011 is healthy, happy and prosperous - my bet is that it'll be a good one!

Happy New Year!

2010 and a Photo Journal

2010-12-29T18:49:00.000-08:00

Do the holidays go by too fast for anyone else? Seriously, I feel like just as I was able to sit down and enjoy Christmas, it was over and now the new year is upon us - it's crazy! Luckily, I managed to finish up all of my handmade gifts just in time (photos to follow later), so that was good. I also got some awesome crafting materials for xmas, so I can't wait to start new projects to use them. I will need to post more on those soon too!

I hope everyone had a good holiday - we spent the beginning part of our time in SoCal and now we're in Oklahoma until after the new year. I've documented today's adventures - thought it'd be a good way to share what we've been up to.

Basically, today was spent visiting places California doesn't have:

California doesn't have Quick Trips, but they really should. It's like the place to go in OK and it has the BEST donuts (pictured :)). Seriously, I might need to petition for a franchise in the Bay - they would make a killing.

We also don't have Hobby Lobby's and I really wish we did. I spent almost 2 hours in here today and it was fantastic - seriously, the trip made. my. day.

We didn't actually eat here, just walked around inside to look at all of the attractions. Southpark anyone?

And finally,

That's right - we ate here instead. And, yes, I did like it (I know, embarrassing). :)

Mmmmm, Macaroni and Cheese - weird, but so good!

So that was my day today. I'll try to remember to do this again for the next couple of days until the new year. Until then!

Drum Roll Please...

2010-12-18T12:56:00.000-08:00

After a random drawing, the winners are:

For the bunting, number 42, The Schneiders, who said, "I love my garland...I put it on my fireplace, drape it over pictures and mirrors...and put it up the stairs."

And

For the gift tags, number 18, Denise, who said, "My fav holiday decor is the snowmen my grandmade made - it's a husband & wife pair and they're just adorable."

Congrats guys! I'll be emailing you to get your addresses and then will do my best to ship by the 20th. And thank you to everyone else who entered. In fact, I had so much fun participating, I'm thinking about doing another giveaway after the new year! I hope you all will continue to pop by every now and then to see what's going on and to say hi!

Happy Holidays!

Easy Decorating and My First Blog Hop

2010-12-14T22:44:00.000-08:00

A looky at our tree!

Hi everyone - today's a good day because (a) I'm doing a holiday giveaway as part of Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day (it's still open for entry until this Friday!) and (b) I'm participating in my first blog hop! Woo Hoo!

Also, I found a lovely little bit of holiday decor for you (and me) to try:

I'm a sucker for a good paper craft. Isn't it cool? And guess what? After some research, I found there's a blog with a tutorial on it! Go visit Bugs and Fishes to check out the "snowflake curtain" and to see more photos. I'm totally going to try this! Also, if you need some guidance as to how to cut snowflakes, there's another good tutorial over at How About Orange.

Speaking of decorating, I have been LOVING the responses regarding your favorite holiday decorations - seriously, so great! It got me thinking about what I love the most, and while I am partial to a good Christmas tree, I think my favorite thing is what goes on the tree - the pasta garland I made with my mom when I was little. She still puts it on the tree every year (almost 20 years later) and it's so funny because we actually get compliments on it. I'm tempted to make one for my own tree, but part of me wants to wait until I have kids, and then I can carry on the tradition then. But, if YOU have kids, you should definitely consider it as a fun, cheap and easy holiday craft - you just need some string and some uncooked pasta and you've got yourself a garland! I think we used the pasta wheels and the long, tubular pasta (sorry, I don't remember the name) - then you just tie a knot at one end, string it and you're set.

Happy crafting!

GIVEAWAY DAY!

2010-12-12T20:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know it's technically Sunday and Giveaway Day isn't until tomorrow, but since I have a final tomorrow and another the day after that, I'm posting early! Here's my FIRST giveaway:

Do you like? I used the leftover fabric scraps I had from the christmas tree skirt I made last year. I used four different fabrics: one dark green with little white trees, one that says "believe," A red and green stripe with holly berries, and a green and white polka dot pattern. Here's another pic (sorry for the bad lighting - I took the photos at night and our living room was sort of dark):

But wait, there's more! Remember this:

I'm doing a SECOND giveaway! Since everyone's gifting today, I thought someone could use some gift tags!

All handmade with care! Tag styles #1, 2, 3 and 5 are made by me, and my mom made tag style #4.

Want to win? Here's what you do:

1. Leave a comment telling me about your favorite piece of holiday decor.
2. Make sure I have some method of contacting you if you win, either by linking to your own blog or leaving an email address or something.
3. Want an extra entry? Become a follower of my blog (the button is up on the top left) and leave an additional comment telling me about it!
That's it! I will leave the giveaway open until Friday, December 17th, at which time I'll pick two random winners (sorry, U.S. only - no international shipping). I'll then do a follow-up post to announce the winners(and I'll try to contact them too).

Also, if you're interested, the tags made by my mom are for sale! She makes them for all occasions (bdays, holidays, new baby, wedding, etc.) and can take special requests too if there's something specific you need/want. Contact me if you're interested and I'll put you in contact with her to do an order.

Alright, well, that's it! Happy decorating and happy Giveaway Day everyone!!!

Cards, Photos and Calendars -Oh My!

2010-12-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

So, now that we have our engagement photos back from the photographer, what do I plan to do with them? Oh, let me count the ways... I’m thinking save the dates, wedding thank you cards, prints for our walls, prints for an album, table décor at the wedding – trust me, these babies are going to be put to good use!

But, first things first - we need HOLIDAY CARDS! And who do we love for our photo printing needs? Shutterfly! Seriously, they’re awesome, people. And have you seen the options for holiday cards this year? You can – right here! A-maz-ing – and so affordable. Here are the card options I'm liking so far:

The Holiday Love Sketch card:

The Joy to You card:

the Peace and Joy card:

So hard to choose which I like best!!!

And they also have calendars and invitations too! I’m seriously considering making a calendar for our house – is that too narcissistic? We need to use our engagement photos for something!!! Another option: holiday party invites – who’s up for a cookie exchange/cocktail party? Those probably wouldn't involve our photo (probably :) ) but they would be from Shutterfly - so many great options, why not do a one-stop shop! No joke though, we really do use Shutterfly not only to print the photos for our albums, but to print large format for framing on our walls and, now, for cards, calendars and invites too! They have so many options and so many fun projects – they’re great for all your personal needs and for gifts too. If you haven’t done so yet, go check them out!!! And in the meantime, let me know which holiday card you think we should go with. I'm kind of leaning toward the Holiday Love Sketch card, but I don't know. Votes/opinions?

Giveaway - Sneek Peek!

2010-12-10T13:27:00.000-08:00

Don't forget - the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day is on MONDAY!!! I'm sooo excited for it! In fact, I'm SO excited, I'm thinking that I might not just do one giveaway, but TWO!!!! It's too much to handle. Be sure to check out Sew Mama Sew on Monday for the full list of participating blogs doing giveaways!!!

Here's a sneek at one of my TWO giveaways - can you guess what it is?

Check back Monday for all the details!

Apron Envy

2010-12-08T21:55:00.000-08:00

Seriously, I'm in LOVE with all of these from Anthropologie. I'm tempted to try to sew my own but haven't really found a really good pattern for one - at least none like these. They're so not dowdy in ANY way - I love it! Maybe I'll just add one to my Christmas wish list instead :)

**Update** there's an Etsy shop that sells aprons as cute as the ones from Anthro - Sugar & Spice Aprons... I'm drooling over the lemony Gidget apron and the Modern french maid apron - Ooh La La!

Preview: Giveaway Day!

2010-12-06T22:30:00.000-08:00

Guess what?! I'm going to be participating in Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day! Woo hoo!

I'm so excited! And even though I'm in the midst of finals, I plan to make something special. I'll be under the "handcrafted item(s)" category. Are you intrigued? It'll just be like Christmas morning when these under the tree:

Maybe in a couple of days (after I'm done with the current run of finals - 2 in 2 days - eek!) I'll post a clue about what's to come on Monday. I'll also (finally) give an update (complete with photos) on my December Daily Minibook. I haven't done so yet because it's been (a) slow going, and (b) not quite interesting to look at - I'm not really that skilled with the mini-books, but now I've got a secret weapon that'll help tremendously! Maybe that's a clue to the giveaway right there!

Anyways, tune in at the end of the week for some updates and definitely check back on the 13th for the Giveaway (my first yet)!

How To: Simple JOY Stands

2010-12-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

Since it is officially December (yay!), I've decided that I am now allowed to start decorating for Christmas - woo hoo! So, a few weeks back I bought these frames from IKEA, and I had the perfect thought for them: JOY stands inspired by this post over at Shanty 2 Chic last year. Affordable (did you notice they only cost 99 cents a piece?) and Easy! The best kind of decor there is.

So I changed three of these:

into these:

It was easy and cheap - cost me only about $3 total! Here's what I used:

- 3 Ikea Frames (or more depending on what you're spelling), only 99 cents each
- Cardstock and scrapbook paper (on hand)
- Ribbon (on hand)

1. First I measured the size of the insert and used that to cut down my "base," which for me was just a piece of red cardstock. Patterned scrapbook paper would look cute too, but I was going for a more simple look, so I kept the background solid.

2. Cut out your lettering - a silhouette would be perfect for this, or any cricut machine, but since I don't have any, I just sort of winged it by drawing out the letters and cutting around. I used silver cardstock.

3. Glue the letter to your base.

4. Place between the two "glass" (they're actually plastic in this frame) panels, and slide it into the frame.

5. Tie a coordinating ribbon around the base of the frame.

That's it! Then you just place 'em wherever you need a little lift of color :) You could even make them double-sided and use them as a cute centerpiece on your dining room table. They're versatile!

Here is different angle of the display:

And a close-up of the O:

Curious as to what that painting is of behind it? It's a painting of a campfire :) We bought it at the city-wide garage sale last year and C thought it'd be hilarious if we put it above the fireplace.

Funny story, for our engagement photos, C wanted to take a photo of him carrying me in his arms, which seems (sort of) normal, except that he wanted to have the photographer photoshop in a burning building behind us, so it would look like he had just saved me from the fire. I didn't go for it, but had it been done, that's what would probably be hanging about the mantle instead of the campfire :) I wasn't so sure it would fit into our design aesthetic, so I vetoed, but maybe it'll make an appearance in the wedding photos. Who knows ;)

Alright, well, hope that little how-to was useful!

Engagement Photos!

2010-12-01T08:55:00.000-08:00

They're finally done! Yaaayyyy! I have been WAITING for so long to get this - well, it's only been a couple of weeks since we took them, but I have been wanting to get them done since we got engaged, over 2 years ago! It's really been all I've talked about, and now they're here! Woo hoo!

Here's a couple to take a gander at - our photographers are Jeret and Kristy Slack and they are great (super nice too!). You can check out some of their other work here. Until then, here's a sneek at some of our photos:

A cutie of our puppers:

And a fancy one:

Hope you like them!

Home Goods!

2010-12-01T08:29:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure my love of HomeGoods (or of any store that has a good deal on home decor) is pretty well known to all my friends and family, but if it's not, here's my true declaration. I. Love. HomeGoods. No joke - this place is awesome. Are you familiar? It's a whole store dedicated to the housewares departments of TJ Maxx and Marshalls - it's the best! There's not one terribly close to us (the nearest is in Moraga) but we go occasionally AND there's on in Vacaville, which is right on my way home from Sactown (a little too convenient for my own good, but that's why I love it!). So needless to say, we go quite often. And every time we go, we find awesome things...

... for instance:

Our "fancy" dishes - they're white w/ a platinum swirl around the edge. Simple and pretty!

One day we went in and I saw these pretty little ladies (yes, they're female - don't you think w/ all those curves?) in the front display - and, what? They're Wedgewood? (my mom collects jasperware, so I knew it was, as Martha would say, a good thing) So I grabbed them! 10 dinner plates, 10 salad plates, 10 soup bowls, like 5 cereal bowls, 9 mugs, 3 serving bowls and one oval platter! I should probably mention that I only bought, like, 8 dinner plates and 8 salad plates on this first trip, but then I became obsessed w/ getting a set (instead of fine china) so a couple of weeks later my mom and I went on a massive treasure hunt through all of the TJ Maxx, HomeGood and Marshall stores in the greater San Diego area and picked up the rest - score! I should mention too, that for that entire set, I probably only spent maybe a couple hundred dollars, at most. Each dinner plate was, like, $4-$6 and most of the serving pieces I found ended up being on clearance. I even found 3 piece settings (a dinner plate, salad plate and bowl) on clearance for $5!

Anyways, back to HomeGoods. C and I have also found a couple of awesome art pieces for our house:

This baby hangs in our guest room. Isn't it a cool city scene? We love the cars in traffic at the bottom.

And this...

... which hangs in our bedroom. Isn't it cute of the couple in the window? It reminded me of that Edward Hopper painting "Night Hawks" that looks in through a diner window. I just loved it.

So why am I sharing my Homegoods finds w/ you? Because you might get a chance to get your own goods!

Dollar Store Crafts is doing a giveaway of a $50 Home Goods giftcard - go check it out! You can find the deets re: entering here. Then you can have your own treasure hunt - yaaayyyyyy!!! Happy hunting!

A couple more...

2010-11-28T11:23:00.000-08:00

Hello. My name is Morgan, and I have a problem. I'm obsessed with the Silhouette.

Seriously, I just want one soooooooooooooooo bad - don't you? You know you do. Well guess what, there are MORE blogs giving them away! Here's what you do:

1. Visit Shanty 2 Chic and enter to win via one of 4 ways, or go The Idea Room and enter via one of 7 ways(!), or (until tues) go to Decor Chick or to Colies Kitchen or to Moms Review 4 You or to Love Stitched, or even to House of Hepworths! You know, just a few places to enter :)

2. Cross your fingers and hope you're picked!

Contest ends tomorrow, so get to it!

Shameless...

2010-11-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

I know, I know... but I really want one! It's def. going to the top of my xmas list this year!

So, in other news, classes are done for the semester (hence my reemergence on my blog). Yay! Unfortunately, I still have finals, so I'm not totally free and clear for the semester yet, but almost! It's so close I can taste it! Just 5 finals to deal with and then I'm DONE... at least until it's time to deal w/ my law review comment and until next semester rolls around. But, yes, DONE! Hahaha... I have a feeling that it's just never going to end. Once I'm done w/ school, it'll be the same story when I'm (hopefully) gainfully employed. But I guess that's the tradeoff when you enter into a profession that's so deadline oriented and time consuming. Well, as long as I have time to craft, I'll be ok :)

Speaking of crafting, I must say that I cannot wait to start holiday gift making! I'm a little late getting started since I'm sure most every crafter is already knee deep in hot glue and glitter making their xmas gifts, but I HAVE been planning, so I'm all prepared in theory. I just need to actually sit down and do it. So, I have faith. It'll get done. Until then, studying my little bottom off!

In fact, I should probably stop stalking the silhouette giveaways and get back to my outlines. If I devoted half the time I've spent looking at craft blogs to my final study I would be right on track! If only...

I want that!

2010-11-22T23:02:00.000-08:00

So, remember the clip in Napoleon Dynamite where Uncle Rico is selling the tupperware and offers the couple a model ship to entice them to buy? The lady leans over and whispers, "I want that," in a mid-west drawl. See here:

That right there? Totally me right now. And what do I want? A silhouette! Soooo bad! Seriously, have you checked these babies out? I swear there is nothing they CAN'T do!

Honestly, I cannot even begin to list all the cool projects I would make with it - paper goods for the wedding, cards, scrapbooks, gifts, etc. I'm exploding from inspiration and excitement! I'm honestly trying to figure out how I can convince C to let me get one of these (though I'm pretty sure he's already figured out that little can come between me and an awesome crafty item). Still though... I'm drooling until I can get my hot little hannies on one.

Sooooo, why do you care about my ranting? Because you can try to win one! Not from me (sadly - though probably better for you since I would probably just want to keep it for myself instead), but from some lovely ladies around the blogosphere. Here's what you do:
1. Check out the Silhouette site here.
2. Go here, here, here or here to enter.

That's it! Good luck to you all!

December Daily

2010-10-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

I know what you must be thinking - "why is this post about December when it's [only] October." Well, my friends, because I can't help but think ahead and dream of the days when I will be done with finals and ready to celebrate the holiday season. Plus, as soon as pumpkin spice lattes start rolling into Starbucks, I'm ready for it to be Christmas (forget all those months in between!), so this is just another testament to that.

Ok, so on to the post. Daily December is an album project started here that I have recently stumbled across and thought that it was a fantastic idea. So, I'm going to join! Also, me's thinking it might be an awesome way to document our wedding month (next July - finally!), so I thought testing it out during the holidays would be a wonderful way to get my feet wet and see how it goes. Plus it'll be good because the holidays are always busy, so I'll be able to see how well I can manage all the life-goings-on whilst I update a journal, and in theory, this blog (I'll do my best people, but I'm not making any promises).

So anywho, here's the plan:

Now: create the journal/album skeleton/basic foundation pages
Dec: document each day with photos, momentos, stories, etc. and just insert the goodies into your pre-made album as you go along.

I've decided to start December 1st and go through the end of the month (though I think officially, the December Daily that Ali is doing ends on Xmas), but since more of the fun happens at the end of the month, I think trying to go all the way through is the best way.

Here's hoping I can keep up with it!

Crafts I've been meaning to try

2010-09-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

So I don't know about you guys, but I have a back log of crafts I've been meaning to try/do, so I thought I'd post about a couple of them today. While I feel pretty confident in my ability to create each of these, I have trouble finding the time to get to them, so for now, I'm left with just the dream of having days free to craft til my heart's content. Here's what I've been drooling over:

1. A create-your-own chevron-patterned fabric pillow.

We have pillows (x6) that I plan to use as seat cushions for our dining room chairs and I think covering them in something like this would be lovely, maybe in a shade of gray to match our decor. Plus the tutorial doesn't look so bad either.

2. This stenciled doily tote - so easy! (p.s. I have an obsession w/ canvas totes b/c I'm carrying my books around all the time - I've also started using them for groceries, so this would be perfect!)

Seen here and here.

3. Speaking of doilies, I just stumbled across this today, but also from here, a doily table runner, which you might remember I had been looking for here. We ended getting one from target (not pictured), but it's a little...stern, so I think a doily version like this would really soften things up.

Picture via Country Living.

4. A fabric-flower "bib" necklace, anthro-style:

Picture and tutorial via Mandy's Yellow Corner.

5. While these aren't crafts, I've been dying to find time to make them, so I thought I'd throw them into the mix too. I think it's because pumpkin spice lattes are back at Starbucks, I've had a craving for pumpkin flavored treats.

Photo and Recipe via Martha, my fav.

Update: I made them and they were delicious! Here's a photo:

That reminds me, we're hosting Turkey Day at our house this year, and while it might just me and C, I've already been thinking about the feast I'll prepare. Maybe soon I'll post my projected menu (complete w/ photos!).

Wedding Etiquette for the Single Guy (and maybe the single lady too).

2010-09-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

Do you really want to look like this at the end of the night?

I didn't think so. I went to a wedding recently where there was a guy that was basically like this, and while it was funny at the time, it was also not cute. Plus, I'm sure the stories about him that are trickling back to the bride and groom are not making them all that happy, so to save the drama for another mama, you might as well avoid even going down that road.

Here are some guidelines for avoiding just that (and, yes, the person I referred to above did do all of these):

1. If you're single, it's cool to flirt with other single people (meaning you should probably stay clear of those that are technically "taken"), but everyone's going to notice if you're flirting with everyone. It looks desperate and sad, and it'll probably defeat any chance you might've had with any one of those people, so you might as well avoid that practice all together. (And by people I mean the bride and groom's friends, bridal party, grandma, boss, wait staff, photographer's assistant, etc. - just try to use discretion and maybe narrow your focus a bit).

2. Yes, open bar is tempting, but try not to get black-out drunk. No one loves a lush. The guy at said wedding, the minute we sat down at the table after cocktail hour, came with a tray of drinks that he immediately spilled all over his seat, coat and the table. While you might be "creating memories," that's probably not the lasting impression you'd like to leave. And trust me, it only went down-hill from there.

3. It's even worse if you continue the shennanigans back at the hotel that everyone happens to be staying at. Don't be a creepster - seriously, it's not ok and you might just get knocked out or hotel security will be called on you. If you get turned down, don't continue the pursuit just because you're in a different "venue." It's not going to help your chances.

And some do's...

4. If you are looking for a potential connection, do ask the bride and groom to sit you at a table where you might find one (i.e., a single's table). There are probably a number of other guests also interested in meeting people, so request that you sit by them.

5. Do dance! Bring your boogie shoes and cut a rug out on the dance floor. The ladies love it and it makes you seem fun and personable - plus, it beats sitting like a loner at your table all night. So break loose - footloose!

Just something to consider. I'm pretty sure said drunk guy didn't make any friends that night, so I just wanted to help you avoid that same fate by providing some suggestions. :) Cheers!

Things I'm Loving This Week.

2010-09-24T11:59:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I've been MIA for v. long. Law school has been kicking my butt, per the usual. So, < time to blog and > time reading. BUT, I have been trying to fit in bits of wedding planning here and there, so at least I'm able to get some "extra" work in. Things left to do (besides a bunch of crafting-type projects): book a dj/band, get wedding rings, plan the honeymoon, plan the ceremony, CRAFT! I'll have to post more on some of the projects I'm working on at a later date. Until then, here are some lovelies I've been enjoying today from around the internet.

p.s. I should mention that all of the following are ideas we might just incorporate into our wedding.

First up, this cute cake decorating idea - crepe paper flowers. I love it - so easy, cheap and pretty!

Then, these awesome printable invites from Printable Press.

I'm also loving the simple but sweet effect of the doilies on this centerpiece/table number setting, seen on 100 Layer Cake.

Finally, if you're interested in the groomsmen bios for our wedding, you can check out C's blog Corndog Country... obvi, once you read them, you'll realize how tough of a job I have editing them down to a level of appropriateness that'll work for our wedding website, but for now they're good for a chuckle.

Alright, my goal is to post again w/in the next few days - maybe w/ some updates on crafts!

Centerpieces continued...

2010-08-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

So, a word on the cost of the centerpieces: like I said before, the goal was cheap and simple. Here's a breakdown of the costs so far:

Vases x 20: $1/each = $20
Frames x 20: $1/each= $20
25 ft. Ribbon = $5.25
Gold spray paint = $5.95
Gold filigree ribbon= $16
Scrapbook paper for table numbers, I already have
Votive candles and glass votive holders (Ikea, 4/table)= $54
table cloths, napkins, place settings through caterer

Total= 121.20/20 tables= $6.60 per table, not including the cost of flowers.

That's the breakdown for the table designs! The vases and frames I found at Dollar Tree, and like I said in the previous post, we'll probably get the hydrangeas from Costco. At the price they're currently selling hydrangeas at (about $90 for 30 stems) we're probably looking at about another $13 per table. And that's overestimating that we'll have 20 tables. In all likelihood we'll only have 15 tables or less and the costs will go down. So that's it!

Mock Up...

2010-08-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

So, I've been making some advances in our wedding plans. One aspect I've been trying to focus on is the plan for the table settings/centerpieces. My goal: cheap and simple. I'm hoping to have a friend do day-of coordinating, so to keep things easy on her I'd like to stick to simple arrangements that can be set up quickly. It'll be too much on one person to set out a really complicated set-up, so hopefully we can avoid that. I'm doing the flowers myself, so I'm thinking big and easy blooms. My fav so far is hydrangeas and last time I was in SD I did some scouting of wholesale florists, so I think they can be pretty affordable in bulk, especially if I only need 4-5 stems/table. And even though I've found good prices with the wholesale florists, I'm leaning towards just ordering from Costco because I've heard some really great reviews about their flower delivery. We'll see. Anywho, here's the "mock up" of the table setting:

I've since spray painted the frames the same color as the gold paper filigree around the vase - the frames are going to hold the table number. I haven't exactly designed those yet, but it'll happen. We've also picked out the plates - they won't sit on the table at first because the guests will pick them up at the buffet, but here's a pic of those:

So that's the plan for the table-settings. I'm not having individual place cards, but I will have seating cards for table arrangements. I'm thinking I'm going to create boards with ribbon strung across to hang the cards on - photos of those will come later. Until then!

Back Again...

2010-05-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my absence... there's been a lot going on lately, so I took a break from blogoland, but I'm back for now. :) Here's an inspiration board to get me in the mood - seriously though, I NEED this to be my wedding. Not kidding, this is what's it's going to be like. Prepare yourselves people...

Keep Calm and Craft On

2010-02-21T09:41:00.000-08:00

Via Keep Calm Shop

Just run with it

2010-02-16T22:07:00.000-08:00

Since we've had our house, we've struggled with how to furnish it. Granted, it's not a huge space, but it's bigger than the space we had with the apartment, so there are definitely some... empty spots, so to speak. One of our major problem areas was our living room, mostly because it's just sooooooooo long and we have so little furniture in it. The best way we could arrange it was to put the huge tv in one corner and stick the couch on one of the long ends facing the fireplace. That, however, left us with an empty end. I came to the conclusion a few weeks ago that the thing that was missing was a dining room table. Luckily, we found one plus 6 chairs! The best part - it was all for $100! Woooo - I love a deal. It's not a perfect table, by any means, but it definitely fits our needs and it has potential. Sooo, now that we have a table, my new obsession is finding things to put on it :) My current love: table runners. Here are some of the **cough** runners up:

This leafy option from Anthro:

A pretty embroidered option from Etsy:

This spicy runner from Amazon:

Or maybe this modern lacy runner from Target:

I'll have to post a photo of the table to get some opinions on what might look best. Sigh - I love home decorating.

Taupey Tuesday...

2010-02-16T21:53:00.000-08:00

I needed a little wedding ~~distraction~~ inspiration :)

Vote for Me and C!

2010-02-08T14:30:00.001-08:00

We've entered into Crate and Barrel's Ultimate Wedding contest and have until March 31st to get AS MANY VOTES AS WE CAN! Here's how YOU can help:

1. Click here and view our entry to the contest.

2. Click on "Vote for this Entry," enter in a valid email address and create a password - verify same by clicking on the link they email to you and submit your vote!

3. Repeat with any other email addresses you have access to (if you're so willing).

4. Forward to all your friends and beg them to vote for us! In fact, send them either directly to the C&B site or to my blog for directions.

Please help us win! We'd love to have this as a story to tell at our wedding (and for years and years after) - plus we thought it'd be a fun way to incorporate all our friends and family into helping us with an aspect of the wedding. Additionally, after we've spread the word a little more, we may be waging little campaigns to garner more votes, so look out for that. So, please, PLEASE - get out the vote and help us win! We'll bake cookies for everyone who helped!**

Here's a shot of our entry page:

** some restrictions may apply.

Blah day...

2010-02-08T13:46:00.001-08:00

I don't know if it's the weather (lots of rain!) or the stress from school, but today's just a blah kind of day. So, to try and get myself out of my slump, I turned to the blogging world (of course) and found some lovelies that cheered me up (just a bit) :) Here they are to share with you:

Via Something Old, Something New, cute little message cookie cutters from Williams and Sonoma. I'm planning to have our wedding involve cookies in some way and I thought these would be just perf - sadly Williams and Sonoma says "unavailable," so if anyone spots a set, pick 'em up for me. I'd gladly repay you w/ some treats (and of course for the price of the cutters). Anywho, check out the product:

I'm also trying to figure out centerpiece ideas for our tables. I'll post the linen and dish choices we (I've) picked out so far a little later, but in the meantime, I sort of thought these spray painted recycled bottles might be a good (cheap) option for some added table decor. Potentially acting as bud vases though, since I think our candles need to be enclosed in a glass container in some way, and not just as a candelabra. Seen on Once Wed.

Finally, seeing as vday is coming up, I thought I'd post some pretty little love-inspired photos I found over at Green Wedding Shoes taken by Simple Bloom Photography, who also has a blog that's awesome, btw. I particularly liked this cherry cake and the be mine banner, but, really, all the photos are just amazing. Here were a couple of my fav details about the shoot:

Alright, well, I suppose I should be productive. Oh, keep an eye open for next my post re: a wedding "project" C and I have taken on - and you can help!

Law school is hard...

2010-02-02T22:16:00.000-08:00

And I'd rather be crafting. So instead, a compromise: reading property and, on breaks, looking online for fun diy projects for the weekend. Here are some of my current favs from the blogosphere:

An awesome succulent arrangement from succulentlove (via Mint) I seriously might make this this weekend - I could really use a plant in the house that I can't kill w/ ease.

Also, I have some birthdays coming up that would be the perfect excuse to make this via How About Orange. I may also try to adapt the design for a baby shower card:

Wedding related, I'm loving this new ezine: Nonpareil. So many great ideas and fun diy projects - I particularly loved this article on diy accessories, like ribbon covered headbands for the ladies of the bridal party and a funky (but totally pretty) Ruffly Fascinator - I didn't have a photo, but check out the article here.

Finally, this is an old video, but it's my new favorite thing to search on youtube for videos about diy floral arranging. I might use this exact one for a bouquet. Check it out here.

Alright, I'm tired and am still needing to read. Until tomorrow!

We set a date!

2010-02-02T21:59:00.000-08:00

July 30, 2011 - we're having a wedding! Woooo! Also, we have a place to have it - give us another wooo! And the location is...

The Junipero Serra Museum in Presidio Park! Man, I am excited. I'm really loving the Spanish Mission style of the architecture and though it's not in a garden, it's surrounded by a park, so it's basically the same thing. AND it's just plain gorgeous. So yes - wedding plans are progressing! Here's a breakdown of what we've covered so far:

Date: done!
Venue: done!
Bridal Party: done!
Caterer/Cake: done!
Rentals: done!
BM dress: done!

I'd say that's a very decent start considering we still have 1 1/2 years :) Next up on the list is: stationary design, photography, and wedding dress. We're on our way!

A domino replacement!

2010-01-13T19:43:00.000-08:00

So I was in RiteAid earlier and came across this (what I think is) new magazine called Fresh Home. I just did a little googleing and via the Washington Post and Apartment Therapy found out it's been out since last February, but can I just say that it. is. awesome! Awesome thing #1: The subheading reads: "Easy Ideas for Hands-On People." That's me! Awesome thing #2: I want to live in the room on the current cover of the Winter edition. It's so lovely and bright and welcoming. I really think this could be a valid Domino Mag replacement with the added bonus of encouraging do-it-yourselfers like myself to, uh, well... do it yourself :) Seriously, awesome. I want a subscription right this instant. You should check it out. The end.

Here's a photo of the Fall Cover (an edition I magically missed in the magazine aisle the past 10 months). Try to tell me you don't want that to be your bedroom.

Holiday Crafts

2010-01-01T14:20:00.000-08:00

So I haven't really posted much on projects I've done, but seeing as it's a new year and I created this blog, in part, to write about my own creative endeavors, I decided it's about time I started. Anywho, these aren't much, just some things I made for the holiday season. I'll try to do something a little more extensive sometime soon, depending on how busy by 2nd semester gets.

First, for Thanksgiving we went to Oklahoma to visit the soon-to-be in laws. I didn't want to go empty-handed, so I used an idea from Bakerella and made the turkey-shaped cake pops. They were quite delish with their little tootsie roll heads, tic tac noses and candy corn feathers. Quite delicious indeed - and cute too! Gobble, gobble:

After awhile I realized that it'd be hard to transport all those little turkeys, so I stopped with the critters and made cake balls instead. We ended up saving the regular cake balls for C's bday party a week later and they were a hit!

So yeah, after we came back from OK, it was time to decorate for Christmas! My favorite! First I made these cute little guys from Martha:

Then I realized we didn't have a Christmas tree skirt, so I made one, also a la Martha, except the one I made wasn't felt and ended up being sort of small compared to our large-ish tree. Here it is:

Truth be told, I can see why the directions recommended felt. I picked out cute christmas patterned cotton fabric that ended up being too thin. Plus it started to fray a little and I really didn't sew it that well, considering it's technically my first "completed" project since I got my sewing machine in June. Oh well. Maybe one day I'll figure out a way to reinforce it or I'll just make a new one. It's definitely not something that'll be passed down through the ages :) Oh, also, despite my effort to make one, I totally bought a new tree skirt for 50% after christmas, so that'll probably be on display next year. But yeah, it's a nice addition while it lasts.

Finally, I felt that we needed a little holiday cheer outside since we weren't putting up christmas lights, so I spruced up this basic twig wreath I bought during a Michael's sale a few months ago... added some berries and a little ribbon and topped it off with a snowflake ornament. Made the outside of our house just a little bit cheerier.

So that's it! I know it's not much, but sadly it's all I had time for in the midst of finals. Hopefully now that I know how law school is I can manage my time better and accomplish more next year. Here's to better time management skills and a more productive year. Yay 2010!

Update: Ceremony site and new inspiration board!

2009-12-30T17:06:00.000-08:00

So news to come re: potential (and very likely) wedding site - we did some research and visiting over the winter holiday and are tres excited because we might have a site! Nothing's been booked yet though, so when it does I'll "reveal," but until then, I've created a teaser board with the new look of the wedding. It's not all that different, but it does have a different vibe. Here it is:

I want this...

2009-12-10T21:37:00.000-08:00

I was just on the Anthro site and saw all sorts of things that I want but cannot afford, so I thought I'd share. Booo grad school budgets. Here's what I was particularly drooling over:

1. This pretty little dress:

2. A fabric bound classic (actually all of them, but I particularly liked the looks of this one, even if I have read it):

3. A cozy knit throw:

4. These funky candles:

Also, I thought it was funny that they sell these for the price they do:

Because there's an awesome little tutorial on how to make them on Better Homes and Garden here - don't pay the $16, just make it yourself! I should take those words to heart and try making the throw and the dress myself (hehe, sure). At least the little ice skate ornament is doable!

Baby, it's cold outside...

2009-12-10T19:58:00.000-08:00

So who knew it could drop down to 20 degrees in Sacramento?! Not me! And being from SoCal, I'm of course constantly cold. I guess that's why they call it winter! Makes me want to just sit by a fire with a good book (or maybe a craft project) and drink hot cocoa. Instead, I'm buried in flashcards and law school outlines, knee-deep in books, supplements and papers :( Oh well... 2 down, 2 more to go. After tomorrow night I'll have a whole 6 days until my LAST midterm and then it will be a glorious holiday celebration. Until then though...
Oh, and back to the point of this post. Despite it being FREEZING outside (literallly, there is frost everywhere out there), I've been madly craving ice cream. I think it's because I keep coming across delicious-looking recipes and I've had an ice cream maker that's itching to be used. So, I decided to share some of the yummy recipes I've been dying to try. Check them out:

1. Early Grey infused Ice Cream from Mac & Cheese
2. Frozen yogurt with homemade mochi from Oh Joy over at Design*Sponge
3. A new take on the ice cream sandwich: Gingerbread cookies with Pumpkin ice cream from Cannelle et Vanille

Man, they're all so delicious looking. I def need to try to make at least one (if not all) of those recipes sometime SOON. Who wants to come over for an ice cream tasting?!

First Step Photo Vinyl Wall Art $50 Gift Card GUEST GIVEAWAY

2009-12-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, check out this awesome giveaway on Grosgrain!

First Step Photo Vinyl Wall Art $50 Gift Card GUEST GIVEAWAY

Also, check out more giveaways via Sew Mama Sew - tons of stuff to try to win. Isn't the holiday season grand?!

Inspiration Board Wednesday!

2009-11-18T22:25:00.001-08:00

I like how that makes it sound like I do this weekly instead of just sporadically when I want to avoid studying. Anywho, sorry I've been a little absent. Apparently this law school thing is slightly more involved than it looks. However, classes end for the semester tomorrow (already!), so I'll update on some of the wintery projects I'm taking on. Until then, here's the boardy board for some viewing pleasure (hopefully):

Credits: Jose Villa (2), Jose Villa Photography (3), On Paper Press, ON PAPER (2), Myrtle & Marjoram, Jose Villa, Jessamyn Harris, Dollface Studio, Corbin Gurkin, Corbin Gurkin Photography, Love Life Images, Cardgirl Invitations

Baconize it...

2009-11-04T22:26:00.001-08:00

This made me laugh:

Baconize Me!

Color my world...

2009-10-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

So I know they have a bunch of those month clubs - like where you subscribe and they send you one product a month for a year. Typically, I think, it's done with wine or stationery or something. But how awesome would it be to have COLORED PENCILS sent to you once a month. Not only would it be amazing to use BUT the site gives you different options on how to display them so they become an instant art piece in your house! Ohmygoshiwantthat. It's pencil mania!

2009-09-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

So, I've been putting more thought into what I want my wedding to look like, and I think I've put together an inspiration board over at the style circle that encompasses A LOT of what I want to include. Here it is (!):

Credits: Orchard Cove Photography, Lisa Lefkowitz (3), Raya Carlisle Photography, Lisa Franchot, Jose Villa

Now I just to find the perfect venue to fit my needs... sigh - easier said than done. If anyone has cheap, appropriate venue locations in SD, let me know!

Extreme DIY...

2009-09-09T21:31:00.000-07:00

So I was checking out the blogs and came across this... how crazy would it be to MAKE your own wedding dress - and for $10 nonetheless! Nuts, but rather intriguing. They make it seem so easy! See the tutorial here.

Cool Cross-Stitch

2009-09-01T11:19:00.001-07:00

I'm really enjoying these modern, little cross-stitch designs. So different than the cheesy, grandma versions you see at senior citizen craft shows. Me thinks it'd be an awesome wedding gift for a new couple, especially if they're moving into a new home too!

The first two pieces are by Andwabisabi. Check out her Etsy shop here. The last is by Baker's Dozen, seen via Thoughtful Day.

Pointless quiz time...

2009-08-31T23:56:00.000-07:00

As noticed on SD Budget Bride, here's a little pointless quiz re: me and C. for you:

♥ What are your middle names?
Me: Elizabeth
Mr: Michael
♥ How long have you been together?
It'll be 2 years in October.
♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Our first date was our first official meeting.
♥ Who asked whom out?
I guess you could say he asked me, officially.
♥ How old are each of you?
24.
♥ Whose siblings do/did you see the most?
Uh, since I'm an only child, I guess the answer would be his.
♥ Do you have any children together?
Nope.
♥ What about pets?
Nugget!
♥ Did you go to the same school?
Nope.
♥ Are you from the same home town?
No.
♥ Who is the smartest?
Depends on which of us you ask.
♥ Who is more sensitive?
Uh, me, probably.
♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Uh, Kinders?
♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Oklahoma.
♥ Who has the craziest exes?
Hahahaha... uh, pass.
♥ Who has the worst temper?
Me? I don't know - we're both relatively calm and patient people.
♥ Who does the cooking?
Most definitely me, but C. chops.
♥ Who is more social?
Hmm... it depends, but me? I don't know.
♥ Who is the neat-freak?
If you mean who is neater, then most definitely me, but neither of us can be categorized as a neat-freak.
♥ Who is more stubborn?
I would actually say he is - he refuses to admit when he's wrong.
♥ Who hogs the bed?
He does - he hogs covers.
♥ Who wakes up earlier?
Usually me.
♥ Where was your first date?
Brunch at Cafe Durant.
♥ Who has the bigger family?
Immediately, he does. Extended, probably me.
♥ Do you get flowers often?
Only on the rare occasion.
♥ How do you spend the holidays?
Last year, we split time between the families.
♥ Who is more jealous?
This isn't really an issue for us.
♥ How long did it take to get serious?
I'd say about 4 months.
♥ Who eats more?
He does.
♥ Who does/did the laundry?
Typically we each do our own.
♥ Who’s better with the computer?
Uh, I'd say we're about even. I've been upping my skills.
♥ Who drives when you are together?
Well, usually he does b/c he used to be the only one w/ a car.

See... wasn't that unexciting?

Mellow Yellow...

2009-08-31T21:26:00.001-07:00

So I just spotted this cheery and adorable wedding over at Once Wed. It's pretty much what I'd want my wedding to be about - cute little details like handmade pendant banners and signs and games for guests to play. Seriously, I am fully enjoying it - and it's photographed by One Love Photo, whose blog I just checked out and also really enjoy. Go see it for yourself - but until then, here's a little preview of just how awesome it is:

Coffee and Doughnuts!

2009-08-30T16:28:00.001-07:00

Two of my FAVORITE things have been combined - I was so thrilled when I discovered these via Oh Joy, I almost jumped to make them right away. Sadly, I have hw to finish, but perhaps this will be a project for the long labor day weekend! Made by Chockylit... ooooh, do they look yummy:

SacTown guide!

2009-08-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

So just came across this little goodie on DesignSponge: a City Guide CA's capitol - how exciting:

Southern Comfort

2009-08-26T02:45:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else want to move to the South as much as I do? Seriously, who WOULDN'T want to sit on the porch of their house (I imagine all houses in the south have porches), on one of those bench swings drinking sweet tea? Doesn't that sound lovely? I think it does and it is, no joke, kind of all I want in life. Well, not all I want, but something I would truly and deeply enjoy having as a part of my daily routine. So, with that in mind, here's another inspiration board from the Style Circle that emulates that sort of idea:

Seriously though, anyone down to go to Savannah? I think that would be GRAND!

Late Night - Early Morning

2009-08-26T02:00:00.000-07:00

It's 2 a.m., my stomach is craving food and I can't sleep. Le sigh. So, in light of all that, I decided to post some entertaining youtube clips I came across via Old Sweet Song, which, on a side note, if you haven't stumbled across, I highly recommend.

First, a word of advice: don't be a raving lunatic like this lady. Funny stuff:

Then, this cool "photo montage", if you will:

Man, I need to not be awake right now. What is law school doing to me?

scraptastic...

2009-08-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

So, I was perusing the blogs and came across Mint's new sponsors and found a new blog that I will now have to add to my "blogs I follow" list because it. is. awesome. Okay, maybe I'm a little more excited about it than you might be because it's about scrapbooking - but let me tell you, it's not your run-of-the-mill scrapbooking. It's better - and so awesome! I love the mix and match look of it all, like it was thrown together yet somehow, magically, it looks like it all belongs. So cool. It's called Here's lookin at me kid and you should check it out. Right now. Here's a sample:

Seriously full of inspiration. I want to stop whatever I'm doing and just start scrapbooking right now. Who's down?

Pretty little things...

2009-08-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some images I've been enjoying today:

A simple table display from Green Wedding Shoes. You can see the rest of that pretty eco-friendly wedding there too.

Some Coconut-Lemon Cream treats from Project Wedding by Aran at Cannelle et Vanille.

And the article on these diy napkin rings from Utterly Engaged. I could totally see these at an outdoor wedding and they're so easy to make - definitely my kind of diy craft project.

Featured!

2009-08-21T23:56:00.001-07:00

My inspiration board was "featured" on SMP! Check it out here - 2nd one down on the page. And I was so busy with school, I didn't even realize until today! Now I feel inspired to make some more. Oh... this is so much more fun than reading hundreds and hundreds of pages of caselaw.

One week down...

2009-08-21T22:15:00.001-07:00

221 pages read and 16 case briefs later (not including the work done during Orientation week) and I'm done w/ the first week! You may have won the battle this time, law school, but I'll win the war. Now on to week #2.

Inspiration Board, take 2

2009-08-19T19:58:00.000-07:00

2 things that started this off: (1) SMP has launched a facebook-like networking site for weddings called the Style Circle AND (2) through the Style Circle you can create inspiration boards via their "board" creator, so I did! And I LOVE it! It's so pretty and soft and relaxed. Not necessarily the colors I'd go for, but definitely the vibe. It's awesome... I just want to sit here and stare at it instead of reading about property rights (more on school later). Here it is (sorry it's so small. The larger version was too wide for my layout. If you click on the board though it should bring you to a larger image):

Display it like you mean it.

2009-08-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I like when my dishware has a little direction to it:

and

Buy them here and here

And I just bought these and I'm pretty darn excited about them (and they were on sale!):

get 'em here

Bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S

2009-08-11T10:39:00.001-07:00

One of my go-to recipes for gifts and parties and breakfast is banana bread... in fact, every time I have ripe bananas, I'm sure to make some banana bread. It's so easy and delicious every time! Also, I've been using the same recipe for banana bread since I was, like, 7. Seriously... don't laugh, but my "go-to" recipe is from the Gold Medal Flour Children's Cookbook Alpha-Bakery.

Ridic, I know, but I'm telling you, they have some DE-licious recipes in there. Not only do I swear by the banana bread, but they also supply me w/ my favorite recipes for Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chocolate Cake (called the Xtra Special Celebration Cake) and boy is it special! Seriously... I would not trade this book for anything (though I'm pretty sure I have the banana bread recipe memorized since I've used it so much, as you can see by all the baking stains on the page).

Since the recipe is so delicious and I bet you probably don't have the cookbook, I've decided to share my "secret" recipe (though the secret is really that it's from a kid's cookbook!). Here it is:

Ingredients:

3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. mashed bananas (~ 3 large)
3/4 c. veggie oil
2 eggs
2c. Gold Medal all-purpose flour
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with shortening (I use cooking spray). Mix sugar, bananas, oil and eggs in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pan. Bake until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean, approximately 60-70 min. Let cool for 10 min, then loosen sides of loaf from pan and remove from pan. Let cool completely before slicing. Makes 1 loaf.

And that's it! It's also delicious w/ some chocolate chips instead of chopped nuts. Or, plain w/ some cream cheese spread over it. MMmmmmm. If you're a visual person, here's a photo of the final product I put together this morning:

T-2 days!

2009-08-10T22:27:00.001-07:00

So I've been a little absent because I've been busy with homework! Yes, homework, and school has not even begun yet. But it will... in 2 days! I only have orientation classes this week, Wed-Thurs and actual classes start next Monday. Wow! I actually can't really believe it's here already- it's funny because law school's always felt like this sort of unattainable goal. Like, something you always talk about doing but never really get to. Well, I'm here - I'm a law student! It's crazy. 3 more years and then the attorney title - I can already tell it's going to fly by. My two year sabbatical from school certainly did. Part of me is preparing myself for the worst of law school, because I know at times it will be bad. But at the same time, I think I'm finally starting to get excited about it. It was hard, at first, since it wasn't quite where I wanted to be and it was also so far off in the midst of all the other developments in my life (i.e., house and engagement) that the excitement never really hit me, but I think now it has. There are some bummers attached - C. and I are essentially becoming "long distance", even though I'll see him on the weekends and I've pretty much committed myself to no life for the next 3 years, but even so... I knew what I was signing up for and I'm ready to accept it. And they certainly start you off running... the pluses though: (1) I have a pretty awesome schedule considering I didn't get to pick it, i.e., no Friday classes! and (2) I get to re-room w/ my college roommates and (3) I'm one step closer to having a career and not just a job! Woooo... so, law school: Here. I. Come.

Oh, there's one more plus. My return to academia means one other awesome thing... NEW SCHOOL SUPPLIES!

Here are some of the things I've been eyeing... you know, on study breaks and all :)

To stay organized

Because I drink lots of coffee

a pretty laptop cover

and I'm sure I'll be needing plenty of these:

Inspiration Board

2009-07-25T23:12:00.001-07:00

So I attempted an inspiration board, sort of. I'm actually trying to create one for SMP's contest (you can win $250 to Crate & Barrel!), but I don't have photoshop, so I tried a "test" w/ Mosaic Maker. What I don't like about it is the restrictions on the size of the squares... so, like, the inspiration board is supposed to focus around the dress and the mosaic cuts off a little bit of the photo of the dress (and on the other photos surrounding it), so I think I'm going to try to have to find a Photoshop substitute and see how that goes. In the meantime though, here's my test board so you can get an idea of what I'm working on:

Colors: White, Chocolate Brown, Pale Yellow, Periwinkle
Mood: Summer garden party

Center photo: Via the Style Me Pretty Look Book

From Top Left (going clockwise): 1. Via The Knot 2. The Knot 3. Martha Stewart Weddings 4. The Knot 5. Bird and Banner 6. Martha Stewart Weddings 7. The Brides Cafe 8. Brides.com 9. Once Wed 10. Brides.com 11. Brides.com 12. Brides.com

Happy Friday...

2009-07-24T09:52:00.001-07:00

I'm excited for the weekend, but I'm also dreaming of a summer vacation in Ocean Park. I'm hoping these will get me through the workday:

Ocean Park photos from here.

The weekend should be good though. Going out in the City tonight for C's coworker's going-away celebration, hanging out in H. tomorrow and maybe a bridal fair in the city on Sunday. Hopefully some crafts in between too. Fun!

By the way, I just came across these:

Seen here

Kind of kitschy, but I think I like them. They'd be a cute wedding or housewarming gift for newlyweds... hint, hint.

Have a seat...

2009-07-23T17:01:00.001-07:00

So, I was checking out Anthro earlier and came across these lovelies:

Cute, no? I'm thinking I could attempt a diy version... maybe reupholster a thrifty arm chair with some hand-printed fabric, or get a basic folding chair and make a fabric cover for the back rest and seat. I'm smelling a new project for my soon-to-be unemployment!

Sunday Morning

2009-07-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

On the weekends I get a little inspired to bake and cook a little more than usual, mostly since I have more time and I'm not so tired after working all day. This morning was no different, so I took some of the blackberries we discovered growing in our backyard (the one good thing the previous owners of our house did for it), seen here:

and made these:

Delish.

Here's a close-up:

Weekends are the best. Maybe for the next pick of berries I'll make these

Wedding Score!

2009-07-19T12:33:00.001-07:00

Ok, here's the story about the sweet deal I got last weekend. So, you know how Martha Stewart had a line of party supplies and crafts in the party section of Wal-Mart? Not only did she have awesome party decor and invites, etc. but she also had a ton of wedding planning type stuff. I liked it, but despite that, it didn't do so hot, so I guess recently (like within the last month or two), MSO decided to discontinue it. So, first, Wal-Mart just had the surplus on clearance... maybe a few dollars off or something, but still a good deal. But then....

last weekend I went to my local Big Lots (or Pic'N'Save, as I like to refer to it) and guess what I saw?! Martha Stewart party line... more specifically, her wedding line! Woooo! Here's what I scored (sorry in advance for the bad photos):

So, in case you can't tell, that's:

a ring pillow
a guest book
a flower girl basket
6 packs of place cards (40 cards per set)
a set of 40 thank yous
a garter
a just married sign
and a hankerchief for the soon-to-be hubs

AND I got this awesome wedding planning binder too:

Guess how much it all cost...

Yes! $2 bucks a pop... in case you didn't do the math, that's a total of $28... yes, that's right. All that for under $30 and all totally customizable. A sweet deal, no? I thought so. Thank you Big Lots!

An Open Letter

2009-07-17T21:34:00.001-07:00

Dear Lady on the Side of the Road,
I just wanted to let you know that hitchhiking from the shoulder...

...of the carpool lane on the freeway...

... during rushhour traffic...

... in Richmond...
really isn't safe. Just thought you should know.
Not to mention you caused me to be caught up in a traffic jam because passerbys were too busy trying to figure out what the heck you were thinking.
I wouldn't recommend making a habit of it.
Hope you got home safely,
Morgan

... Sorry, that wasn't wedding/anything related was it?! It also didn't really inspire me, so back to business!
Tomorrow I'll take some photos of the AWESOME deal I got last weekend. You'll see... it's pretty amazing! Also, I really love this:

Via Martha.

I wish my whole house was filled with cans and cans of pretty hydrangeas.

Amazing Photo Booth Idea

2009-07-17T11:00:00.001-07:00

as seen on Kiss the Groom and 100 Layer Cake . Created by Sasha Souza.

Simply amazing. I wish I was this creative - maybe I can come up with something equally cool for my wedding. It makes it that much more memorable.

First Post!

2009-06-09T13:31:00.001-07:00

I'm officially a blogger now! It's kind of funny because I feel like I'm about 4 years too late on the blogging scene but, even so, decided to start one anyways because I've absolutely fallen in LOVE with the myriad of wedding and design blogs out there and I wanted to have one too! It really is a great way to keep track of all the lovely ideas and inspiration that I've come across.

So, no projects to post on right now, though not to say they aren't going on. They're just not that interesting. We finally moved in to the new house this past weekend and w/ C (my fiance) out of town, it's up to me to prepare for our housewarming that's in exactly one week! Eeeek! My life's been filled with painting and painting and MORE painting - all over the house. Besides the walls, we've also had to repaint ALL the doors, the door frames, the fireplace AND a crappy vanity in the guest bathroom that we decided not replace right away (the paint definitely gave that a facelift). All in all, the house is definitely shaping up, but it's been so much work and we've barely begun to unpack. Hopefully, once the unpacking is done, I can start in on some new projects with my new sewing machine! I can't wait...

Also, sort of in regards the law aspect of this blog, I had jury duty yesterday and I wasn't picked. Is it bad that I'm relieved?