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I have been busy working to cross items off the to-do list before our little one arrives and becomes the focus of our attention.
One of the things on the list was to find a storage solution – other than a shoebox in the closet - for all the lovely notes and cards we received for our engagement and wedding.
I decided to put the cards in a scrapbook so that we can easily pick up the book and flip through it whenever we like. As I began to paste the cards on the pages, I realized that there was room for more than just cards so I added some photos and keepsakes from our wedding.
While it’s pretty clear that I’m no scrapbooker, I am happy with the end result.
I hope you are opening your mailbox and finding it stuffed with red envelopes and good cheer these days. This year I dug into the stash of Christmas cards from previous years and repurposed them to give them a second chance to spread holiday cheer.
Back to regularly scheduled programming, top secret project #2 was a bridal advent calendar.
I had this idea for a long time but didn’t find the opportunity to execute it until Jen announced that she and Alex were tying the knot. I made the calendar to hold 25 notes for Jen to open in the days leading up to the wedding so that she would feel supported and encouraged as she headed down the aisle. Hopefully Jen and Alex will also use it as an advent calendar for the many Christmases they celebrate together as husband and wife.
This is the odd post where I don’t write about what I ate or baked: if you look beneath the lunch plate and glass of chocolate milk you’ll see our new placemats. I bought the material ages ago, promptly cut out the pieces and let them languish in my closet for an unspeakably long time.
Yesterday morning Haley and I fueled up with blueberry pancakes and got to work. Any project – no matter how big or small – always better with two pairs of hands.
People – can you believe it is the end of August? Gah! Where has the time gone? Our big goal for the summer was to unpack all of our wedding gifts and send photos and thank you cards to our guests. I’m happy to report that as of last week this task is complete. Not exciting blogging material but it feels great to have it checked off the list of to-dos.
I’ve also been working on a couple of top secret projects this summer. Top secret project #1 reached its intended recipients yesterday so now I can tell you about it.
Earlier this spring I used Blurb to put together a book of emails that Andrew and I sent to each other during the first year of our courtship. I was impressed with how user-friendly the software was and the quality of the finished product. While my first book was mostly text, I had a feeling that where Blurb would really shine was showcasing photos. Enter top secret project #1: a book of photos from Janet and Joe’s wedding day.
I wish I could show you some of the inside spreads but I can’t figure out how to do that so you’ll have to take my word for it that there are some cool layouts to choose from.
We chose to have a small(er) wedding because it was important to us that the day be very personal and inclusive. Our friends and family members are a talented bunch and we took great pleasure in having them apply their skills and passions to make our day extra-special.
Toronto arts and crafter Holly created a personalized wedding certificate that every guest signed.
Brita sewed a string of festive bunting that was hung throughout the venue.
Sheridan and Drew serenaded us and our guests.
Janet made us look flawless with her comestic wizardry.
Ryan and Ian took our decor ideas and implemented them beautifully.
Thank you friends and family!
I am a detail-person, no question about it. I love the small things; the way the books are piled on the nightstand, a magazine clipping tacked to a bulletin board, choosing the right mug for my morning coffee.
So it came as no surprise then when I found myself wrapped up in the details of our wedding. The little things probably didn’t mean a lot to other people but they were important to me. Here are some of the projects that kept me busy in the months preceding the wedding.
Wedding photos of our friends and family including those who weren’t able to join us in person.
Our silhouettes on the programs, seating signs and gate.
Table numbers and menu cards.
While I was at work during the day, my lovely matron of honour Janet and her sister Keltie, with the assistance of numerous bridal elves including Ryan, Haley and Brita, were cooking up a bunch of pre-bridal shower surprises for Friday.
I knew we had a morning appointment at the spa, but other than that I had no idea what the day would hold. Those of you who know me know that surprises are very hard for me. I used all my charm and persuasive talents to get Andrew to give me a clue but he repeatedly stonewalled my attempts. Hrmph. I tried to be patient and after an amazing cool stone massage and champagne lunch, I was whisked away an undisclosed location for an undisclosed activity, which turned out to be….
Screenprinting at Blim! I heart screenprinted anything and I’ve always wanted to try my hand at it. Do my friends know me or what? We spent the afternoon burning designs, listening to music, drinking mimosas and eating snacks and screenprinting pretty much anything we could get our hands on. So. much. fun.
This is a question I ask myself on a daily basis. I lean toward evil when I find myself spending too much time ogling wedding dresses I cannot afford. I lean towards good when tears roll down my face and I shake with laughter as I look at cake wrecks. Back to evil when I realize how much time I have spent looking at cake wrecks.
I find a lot of inspiration for reading, cooking, sewing and design on the Internet. When I came across Tara’s post on a recent One Project a Month, via Michelle, I knew I’d found the perfect antidote for our bare walls. My poor photography skills and decrepit camera don’t do justice to how well this turned out. You are all invited over for coffee and tea to see the results first-hand.
Before
& After
Blink, and the weekend is gone. And what a good weekend it was. On Friday night I came home eager to try out the basic sweet dough recipe from the most recent issue of Gourmet magazine. I lost my breadmaking mojo a while ago with the sourdough fiasco, followed by several pizza crust failures, but I’m happy to report that it is back. The recipe results in a bread somewhere between a white loaf and a brioche, and I made the enhanced version with mint-infused milk, orange liquer, and orange zest. It’s a tasty bread on its own and it becomes absolutely heavely when it is toasted and spread with butter or a little bit of Bonne Maman red currant jelly.
You can also see the new table runner I ‘made’ with fabric from Ikea. It feels like cheating to say I made it as the fabric came pre-stitched on both sides so all I had to do was finish the top and bottom. Easy-peasy.
