Wedding Prayer Flags

If you're an attentive thrift store shopper like yours truly, you begin to get a sense of what sorts of treasures come in and when.  I noticed awhile back that Goodwill was getting in lots of sample books. I imagine that interior design places get new sample books yearly. And what are they to do with the old sample books? I guess they end up in thrift stores.

To my recycler's mind, it seems incredibly wasteful.  Old tile samples should be used for mosaic making.  Wallpaper has endless uses, including scrapbooking, book making, and card making.  The cloth and upholstery sample books could be used for quilting.

It's a bit like going into an animal shelter.  I want to save them all. Well, I can't rightly bring home all the tile, wallpaper, and cloth sample books I find. I'd end up on a multi-episode of Hoarders.

However, I couldn't resist rescuing a few sample books. The OCD in me--the part of me who feels compelled to organize the bins in Walmart like this guy--likes that the sample books are organized according to color schemes.  There's also tactile pleasure, as there is a lot of variation in texture and fabric type. That variation would be impossible to achieve if one went to a fabric store, or at least incredibly time-consuming and expensive.

Speaking of expensive, did I mention that the sample books sell for $2 - $3? Each cloth sample book contains anywhere between 50 - 75 sheets of fabric.

I'm a sucker for a good deal, but it's only a deal if you USE what you buy. I decided to use the fabric for wedding decorations. If you look on ETSY or really any party or wedding blog, you'll notice banners are really popular these days. You see them everywhere and in every conceivable incarnation.  I thought I'd do a variation. Rather than the pointed triangles, I let the samples dictate shape. In fact, the bottoms are already zig-zag shape.

My inspiration is prayer flags. It seemed like a natural for my shabby chic sensibilities. I'm also a fan of the fluidity--the movement.

Nothing But Blue Skies

 On Friday, Tobe and I drove to Pullman, Washington, in order to meet with the event coordinators for our wedding venue, SEL Event Center. The drive between Spokane and Idaho is one of my favorites, and that's a good thing, considering that I make that trip weekly. I grew up a farm girl, and I love to watch the seasons change via what's going on in the fields. Tobe likes to play the "Where's the Farmer?" game, as he has a theory that they must be inside napping in their recliners and watching TV all year, since he rarely sees them working in the fields. Mainly, of course, he says this because he knows it will infuriate me.

On this particular trip, I was awestruck by the clouds. I'm not sure I've ever seen a sky that looked like this. It looked almost fake, like a movie set.

I'm excited to share the beauty with guests who may not be familiar with the area.

After our meeting, we walked outside and surveyed the ceremony site. The lawn had just been freshly mowed. It had also been recently watered, and I'll have to check with the venue on what their procedure is for lawn care on the day of an event. It was soggy, and I'm sure it would stain my dress and suck in a few high heels.

 I'll be making use of the gazebo. It will be a bit of a challenge to decorate, since the venue allows only Scotch tape or those removable hooks.

 After the ceremony, guests will make their way into the reception by way of these doors on the side of the building.

 There's a bit of a  problem (in my mind) that the package we purchased does not include a room for the grooms.  The bright-eyed coordinator sincerely suggested that the groomsmen could hang out in this little strip of grass around the side of the building...

Tobe actually thought it was a great idea and envisioned a "man tent" and a fire pit and drinking. Oh boy...

 This is, of course, a closer view of the gazebo and its stone work. For my bridal shower, in lieu of registering for things for our home, we asked people to contribute in the way of live flowers, so I'm hoping that request will yield an awesome flower display on and around the gazebo steps.

 This is the view we'll have on that day. Let's hope those clouds are our decorations on that day, eh? Cross your fingers for only blue skies and sunshine, as the Palouse weather is finicky.

And finally, there's this view of the landscaping. It's mainly trees and small shrubs.

We left excited and feeling like everything is coming together. 

Sewing Up a Storm

33! That's the number of ties I've sewn together in order to make a tablecloth for the cake table. I got the idea from a quilt pattern someone posted to Facebook.  When you follow the link, you actually find this really cool blog all about making things with neckties: http://sewingwithneckties.blogspot.com

The pattern I found actually made use of 44 ties, but I'm starting to wonder how that's actually done. I've yet to think about how I will create a finished back for the tablecloth or how I will make something for the center. I'm not sure I have those sewing skills.

Several people have asked me what I'll do with the tablecloth after the wedding. I'm thinking it might be a nice thing to pull out on anniversaries, or maybe I'll enlist a quilter's help to make it into a blanket that is of more use.

This won't be my only sewing project. I'm also making prayer flags made of upholstery sample books. I  came across them at my local Goodwill and figured I'd buy them and either make a quilt or something. They were pretty time intensive, as you have to tear apart the book and then remove the informational paper backing.

In-Progress: Bridesmaid Bouquet

The third photo is the most accurate depiction of color. I still have to wrap the handle with satin. I made the ribbon roses and lace flowers. The rest I purchased at Jo-Ann's with my mad coupon skills for about a dollar apiece. Once I'm done with grading, I'll make the other three.

p.s. Don't you love the random shoe in the photo? Zeke's in the habit of taking Tobe's shoes, so I have to put them up high until he forgets about them.

Those Corsage Things for Boys...

You've worn one. Or you've bought one for someone to wear. We know what they are, but spelling it is the problem:  boutonnière

As such, I'll refer to it as "the b word" from here on out.

I was inspired by a trip to Swede's Fly Shop. Tobe and I visited a few weeks ago, and I couldn't get all those lovely feathers out of my head. The base is a black cardboard star, which is completely obscured by all the stuff on top. In addition to the feathers, I've added a metal pocket watch and a couple buttons. Finally, I personalized it with each grooms person's name. Look at all those M's! There's also one here for Tobe and his father.

Art of the Bargain

I'm finally getting around to altering some of the thrift store purchases I've made.  I'm pretty proud of the price tags. Yes, I know it takes time to craft, and yes, time IS money, but I like doing it.

Some of these things are really hideous and thus worth the $1 or $2 price tag. However, I'm in need of display boards, particularly chalk boards.

 This is our kitchen table turned art space. Before you go feeling sorry for Tobe, I should note that we NEVER eat at this table.

 I'm making some cool serving trays. One will be covered with rulers, and another will be covered with those awesome little wooden bingo numbers.

 Completely unrelated, I'm going to a friend's bridal shower, and so I made this card. I particularly like the "application for marriage" background and the ad for a diamond ring.

I also made this explosion box in her wedding colors. It will house the bride's gift.

Perfectionist Patter

When I used to work at Paper Pals, one of my favorite parts of the job was making samples for the store.  My friend and co-worker, Hilary, used to tease me as she watched me in creation mode. She would narrate, much in the way a golf game is narrated. In a whisper, she'd say something like, "It looks like she's done folks. No! Wait a minute! She's doing something ELSE. She must be done now. Noooooooooo. She's not finished by a long shot!"  

That is to say that I can spend an hour on a project that would take the average crafter 5 minutes. I can't help it. While not formally trained, I have an eye for design, and I know when something is amiss. And I'm not satisfied until I fix whatever needs fixing.

This same sensibility is turning out to be productive and counterproductive in wedding crafting. I finish a project, only to stare at it and feel it needs tweaking. Such has been the case during my spring break vacation. I planned to work on NEW projects, but the old ones kept calling to me...

(Paper Cake for Candy Bar) Before:

(Paper Cake for Candy Bar) After:

This faux cake has been sitting beside our TV since I made it, and it was bothering me. I couldn't put my finger on what bothered me, but I knew it had to change.  Eventually, I came to the following conclusions:

1.) The flowers on top were too small for the scale of the project.

2.) The "H" also wasn't in keeping with the scale, since each element was supposed to get progressively smaller.

3.) The flowers on the bottom layer didn't really match.

To "fix" it, I re-did the flowers on top with burned cloth flowers I had made for a different project. I topped it with a satin bead-covered heart I had found at a thrift store long ago. To each of the top 3 layers, I added a black element. finally, I removed the flowers from the bottom layer and replaced it with black satin. I also added the word, "sweet," which seems appropriate, considering that the faux cake will be on the candy bar table.

Bride Bouquet Before:

Bride Bouquet After:

I felt like the aqua flowers made things too busy, so I concentrated on a bouquet that would be black, white, gray, and red. I think the resulting bouquet will blend better with my dress, especially since the dress has red details on the bodice.


New Project:  I covered these thrift store canvases with a layer of aqua paint and went over them with crackle medium. Finally, I added a coat of red paint. I'm pleased with the effect. These will eventually have letters on them.

On-Going Project:

A little at a time, I'm continuing making flowers of all sorts. The newest additions are the cardboard aqua ones.