Happy Halloween!

       Pretty sure I'm amazing at doing her makeup. Just not my own! 

A co-worker and friend of mine does a haunted house in their garage every year. This is her boyfriend with the kids. :) 

I'm sorry, but I'm in LOVE with our living room!

And I'm head over heels for our new dining set! :) 

And we're BACK in the game!

Well, it has certainly been a long time since I've posted, or even touched my wedding craft box....So in a nutshell, we bought house, we paint house, we move in house. Ta da! Sounds easy right?! NOT! I don't think I had a stright 36 hrs in that five weeks when I dcidn't get a phonecall from the broker, realtor, or insurance agent flipping out, and if I didn't get this signed in blood and that signed by Obama, we were NOT getting this house...blah blah blah. Needless to say, I have a little bit of acne going on, and my weight is a little lower than usual. BUT, it all ended well, we just didn't know until the DAY OF if we were closing on that day or not. I don't think I will EVER buy another house again! haha
Anyway, in that time, my hard drive on my NEW computer decided to go suicidal and I lost EVERYTHING! From pictures to wedding stuff, you name it, it's gone. I suppose it's my own fault for not having it backed up, but it was the best computer out of 4 in our house, so I never got around to it. At least most everything we've created has been printed once for a mock-up, so we can re-create it...it just sucks, especially considering all of the long nights I spent on it. I'm more upset about losing all my pictures and videos, but we do have a few on my old computer, so I guess not all is lost. So anyway, I haven't really had time to breathe, let alone think about our wedding. We do have a few more things to do around the house, but since I have a new hard drive in my computer, I thought I'd go ahead and give an update. Oh, and the night my computer died, I found out TWO of my bridesmaids are pregnant. :) Suddenly, I started having pregnancy dreams myself. The Nebraska Furniture Mart deliveryman handed my newborn son over to me on the front porch of our new house. WTF? lol

CLOSING DAY!

It's gonna be a LONG month, but it's a GOOD thing! :D

Well, it seems the seller accepted our counteroffer (FINALLY!) We were SO CLOSE to losing this house...they countered our original offer, and we found out about it just a few hours before they were showing the house to someone else! Luckily, they accepted our counteroffer...but we didn't find out until the next day! UGH! It was SOO stressful! Anyway, so now the fun begins. I have to go in on Tuesday to sign some paperwork and get the inspection underway. Yippee (not!) Hopefully that will get done before Friday. So far, it's looking as though our closing date will be October 8th. Kind of messes up plans for wedding planning, as well as Kyle's 10th birthday party, but we will figure something out. This kind of house won't be found at this price and in this condition ever again...we were very lucky (hopefully I'm not jinxing us!). I've got our current house somewhat packed, but it is SUCH a disaster zone...I hate living like this! Would be nice if we closed sooner so we could start painting and finishing the fence and moving stuff in sooner, but I suppose that's just a dream. :) Here is the front of the house. We face a field and the development is right by a (small) lake. Somewhat reminds me of home. The other pic is the back, which isn't fully fenced yet, but you get the idea. :) FINGERS CROSSED!

STDs

That's SAVE THE DATES, you freaks! ha! These have been done for a while, but I'm just now getting around to posting it on the blog. I know, I suck. :( 


These were my first DIY project, and I am so happy with them! I didn’t want to send just a plain old postcard or something that people would toss in the garbage. I have always liked the magnet idea, but not the price! I looked into making my own. I researched different STD magnets to get an idea of what I wanted. I spent probably around 10-15 man hours working on my own template, which was a HUGE PITA!  I found a seller on eBay selling business card-sized peel and stick magnets. I got 300 of them for $28 and free shipping! They are heavy, thick, and hold really well on the fridge! I made my template business card size and bought printable business card paper at Wal-Mart. Jim fixed the layout so they would print on the paper correctly and printed them out for me. I then punched them out and stuck them onto the magnets. I found out very quickly that I had to really watch how I placed them on there. Once they’re on, they are NOT moving! I wanted to place the magnets on something so that they wouldn’t be flopping around in the envelopes. I found really pretty cardstock, trimmed it down to fit in the envelope and used a single gluedot with each magnet. I’ve received so many compliments about these cute little things…my mom of course bragged that I made them, but many people say they can’t tell! J I had to pat myself on the back..being my non-crafty self, I think my first DIY project went pretty darn well! Sadly, I sealed them already, so I do not have any cardstock to show how I had these set up, but here is the magnet itself! 

9 months and counting!

It's hard to believe we only have 9 months to go! Our planning and craft-making has taken a hard turn....we started looking at houses again, only this time to buy! I think the snakes in the house was the final straw. We can't stay in this house anymore...not to mention the price to heat this thing during the winter, and running out of oil is never any fun during a Nebraska winter! I finally got some of my major medical bills taken care of, so now the bank likes me (so they say!).  SOOO....it looks like we may not be taking a honeymoon right away...but we will be living in a (hopefully) better home instead. Seems like now is the time to buy...and I figured vacations will always be there, but not this buyer's market. Guess it's a good thing we weren't able to get our passports earlier as we wanted. Maybe there is a reason for everything. :)

Oh no!

So I just totally realized that we have to redo the coloring books...well...just part of them. But still! We had a change in the wedding party so it's incorrect! Ah well...I think we will wait until we're closer to the wedding date before we fix them. Ugh, untying those knots in the ribbons is gonna SUCK! :(

 

Cake is booked!

Well, we finally called today to tell the lady that her cakes were AWESOME! We are officially booked! Yay! So we will meet with her around the beginning of the year to discuss exactly what we want. I'm SO happy!

Invitations!

Ok, so they're not TOTALLY done, but I'm not about to print and cut and tape until we're closer to the date, JUST IN CASE something changes. BUT....for the most part, they are complete. Check it out in my bio! I could NOT have done it without Jim! He's a lifesaver! I think we should go into the wedding business! :)

Price breakdown of the pocketfolds and how we made them. :)

The only thing that we did not make are the envelopes...and the ribbon. :) We figured the entire thing including the mailing envelope (except postage) is around $1 a piece.
 
I bought black 12X12 cardstock from Michaels, creme delux text weight paper from Archiver's, the ribbon from Hobby Lobby, the rhinestones from JoAnn's, the RSVP envelopes from Cards and Pockets, and the (ugly) mailing envelope from eBay. I used rubber cement, double-sided tape, a fiskers cutter, a boning tool, and lots of Excedrin. :) Jim (being the wonderful man that he is) helped me make all the pocketfolds! He actually made his own template by looking at what I'd found online and messing around with it himself. He did it perfectly the first time and they're exactly what I wanted! So, once he showed me how to score and cut the paper, I took on that job and he did the angle-cutting (which he did by hand!). The I did the gluing (I used rubber cement, and I curse it everytime I see the bottle!) and boning, cut the ribbon (which was wired, so I often had to trim the wire if it poked out)  and used double-sided tape to secure it every so often. Then I used the tape again to secure the 2x2 I made on the front. To make these, I just printed and cut them and glued a small iron-on crystal (which were on clearance) and had to push REALLY hard with my finger or thumb (which became a PITA, but I love them!) I used the double-sided tape to secure the invitation down and placed all the inserts and the RSVP envelope in the pocket. 

Voila! I realize the outer envelope doesn't match, but they did not look that color on eBay, but I can't beat the price anyway, so I'll deal with it. I'm not printing all of them until we are closer to our date, just to be safe so we don't waste anything. I CANNOT believe we MADE these...from SCRATCH! Seriously! If I can do it, ANYONE can do it!

Calluses!

Ugh, I feel like I'm playing guitar again! But I LOVE how these are turning out! I am about halfway done (ran out of cardstock, as usual). To get these cute little jewels to stick (they're actually iron-ons, but they are were on clearance, so I snatched them up!), I have to use a TINY glue pen, then let the jewel sit for a few minutes. Then press REALLY hard, which dents my finger or thumb. Sometimes they fall off anyway or stick to me, so I have to redo it. After about 80, I hurt. I managed to lose only 1 jewel, though. I think they're super cute and make the J look awesome!

TGF-Facebook!

I was messing around and comparing prices for envelopes for my RSVPs and for my guest book. I've been ordering samples when possible (to prevent another NEON pink catastrophe!).  I decided to add Cards and Pockets to my Facebook page and see what they had on their site. WELL...it just so happens that the sample that I bought for the RSVPs last week are on sale! .12 a piece! I bought 160. The clencher was the shipping, which was like $9 or so, but hey! They're PERFECT! Can't wait til they come in! teeheehee 

Sugar and spice!

Well...I should get "Nicest Fiance of the Year"....Jim has been out of town camping with Kyle, so I've been stuck alone with all of the animals and working every night...needless I say I drove REALLY fast a couple of nights to make it on time. Anyway, the lady that MIGHT be doing our cake dropped off a couple of samples for us to try yesterday. Well, I didn't want to eat any without Jim, so I put them in the fridge and had to WAIT! First thing I did when he got back (after hugs and kisses, of course), was run downstairs and grab the cakes and forks. I am torn between Oreo-filled and Creme de Menthe-filled. We both agreed the Chocolate Raspberry-filled was a no. He likes the CDM...I can't decide! I should have taken pictures of them, sorry! :( They are HUGE...like the top tier of a cake themselves! I gained a few pounds...must have been the cake! haha Hopefully she's not too terribly expensive. I suppose we should call her tomorrow once we wake up.

Got cardstock....and something else, of course!

Busy day! After waking up and having a dr. appt, I ran to Michaels and found they had more black cardstock and NEVER called me! (I had a raincheck and basically got 3 for the price of 2 or so). PLUS I found this cute basket on clearance that I think I'll use for programs. It was the only one of it's kind and did not have a tag on it, plus the baskets section was outside on clearance but the sign was missing. All together I think I paid $14. Can't beat that! I'd also found a coupon online for Archiver's so I ran there (clear across town) and bought out the luxe cream paper for the invitations. I still need a lot more, but this is a start anyway. Then pay house rent, and tomorrow another dr. appt and grocery shopping. Buh bye paycheck! Good thing I'm working tons of overtime!

They're coming along...

I was going to TRY to save a little money (and time) and not do a belly band, but it was WAY too plain and boring. My mom bought a roll of this sheer pink and I slapped that on there. Oh my god...LOVE it! Even Jim likes it better like that! Problem is, I first used rubber cement, but that made it look "wet" and the black bled through the ribbon. So double-sided tape, it is! Tedious work, but so worth it (so far, anyway! I've only made 8 total!) Of course, the ribbon is wired, so I have to trim some of them if it pokes out, but they're looking SOOO good (in my opinion!) Need more cardstock, need more cardstock! I should buy STOCK, in cardstock!

This and that....

Here's some random stuff I've collected so far....
My Michigan garters (Jim's favorite football team), which I ordered off of eBay the day after we got engaged. lol I'd seen them a couple of years ago and always thought if we get married that I would get them. They'll be my "something blue." Perfect. 

I LOVE this honeymoon bag I got from Exclusively Weddings. I had a coupon PLUS it was on sale, and the personalization was free. This bag is HUGE! It has little pockets for bottles of water and a little pouch inside that is removable. Too cute!

I just got these luggage tags today! I ordered them off eBay...I think they cost me $2 or $3. Too cute!

Guest book cover

Well...here's the cover of it anyway. I still need to find mini envelopes that won't cost an arm and a leg, and cut up some cardstock for the inserts. It will be like a well-wishes book but I'm going to affix the pink envelopes to black paper. I wonder what shade of pink I'll end up with this time?! haha

Wedding Day Jacket!!!

I knew I wanted a personalized jacket to wear on my wedding day while getting ready, but I wasn’t willing to spend a ton of money on one, and I didn’t want one that just says “Bride” on it…I would like to be able to wear it again after the wedding. I had found the perfect pink crystals at Michael’s and they were on sale, so I bought a bunch. I knew I didn’t want a long-sleeve jacket, since our wedding will be in late May, and knowing Nebraska..it could be 50 degrees, or 90 degrees, so I want to play it safe. I looked online for a cheap white hoodie. After an unsuccessful hunt, I scoured the mall. Again, unsuccessful. The only short-sleeve jacket I could find was at Younkers, and they wanted $60 for it! Ridiculous, right?! Later on, Jim and I ran to a different mall and he happened to see that same jacket. I shook my head and told him the price. He looked at it again and said, “No, it’s on sale.” WHAT?! He’s so awesome! It’s not a hoodie, but it is short-sleeve, comfortable, and not “cheap-looking”.  I printed our names and the wedding date and then placed the paper over the back of the jacket. I didn’t want to ruin the jacket in case I messed up, so I used a pencil to poke tiny holes throughout the lettering. Once I took the paper back off, I had a general idea of where to place the crystals. I played with them until I liked the placement. I took pictures of it (I wasn’t home at the time) to see how many crystals I used with each letter/number and how they were placed, and then once I was home, I was able to replicate what I had done. I took an iron (I was not about to spend money on a tool that I would never use again) and placed it right on top of the crystals for about 10-20 seconds. Once they cooled, I did a quick iron-over again and let them cool. I made sure they were all on there really good and left it flat overnight. When I put it on the next day, one of the crystals came off, but I was able to iron it right back on, and I haven’t had any issues since. The picture where I am wearing it is missing one crystal in Jim’s name, but you get the idea. The other pictures show how it looks.

Thank god I'm a nurse and not a businesswoman!

I actually bought these shoes months ago, but I haven't shown them off! I CANNOT wear heels...I actually have an extra bone in each foot (yes, I am an alien) and my feet can't take heels, OR FLIPFLOPS! I know wedges will be best for me, so I searched for dyeable (I plan on making them pink) wedges. Couldn't find any ANYWHERE! I'm a tough fit (I have a full size difference between feet), and I did not want to order online, but I found these on Colorriffics.com. I took a chance and ordered them. They came SO FAST and I tried them on. PERFECT fit! I wore them when I tried to dresses and my (worse) foot swelled up one time. I will probably need to get a cortisone injection before the wedding, but luckily for me, my podiatrist (an old family friend), will be there. I keep telling him to bring his little dr. bag with him! :)

They're NEON pink!

So...those envelopes I was so thrilled about that I'd gotten such a good deal on...they're bright, bubble gum, NEON pink! Like electric, bar sign pink! It depends on the lighting, but next to everything, it's WAY different! Guess it's no longer magenta/fuscia and black....it will be all sorts of pinks and black. haha Oh well...can't beat the price!

Out of sheer boredom...some of my favorite e-pics.....