Lucky Ladies Weekend {A Smashing Success}

As you can see from the pictures, Elizabeth's bachelorette/lingerie party evening was a wonderful success. We had a blast and the decorations and setting were perfect! The bed and breakfast, Abigail's Tree House was a wonderful location and the host, Lisa, was very accommodating.

Elizabeth was given lots of FUN gifts and we all enjoyed many hearty laughs. Details and recipes from the weekend to come...for now, enjoy a glimpse of the evening.

Invitations by Mail Please

Is the mailed invitation a dying tradition? It seems the generation after me primarily relies on communication via texting and Facebook and rarely checks their “postal” mail. There are always those walking around with the proverbial “cardboard sign” telling us that print is dying. I think there is an unmistakable trend toward the digital market which excites me…but invitations?! Oh, not invitations. What happened to the excitement of receiving a personal, hand addressed invitation in the mail? Where is the appreciation for a paper that feels good in your hand? Do other people frame invitations and hang them on the wall the way I do? Okay, so maybe my appreciation goes a little too deep. But I ask you, to rally with me and renew an appreciation for the printed invitation. Savor a beautiful invitation by displaying it. Respond to the RSVP. And continue to send mailed invitations for any event you plan. No matter the time constraints.
The invitation above was created and mailed in just one day.

It’s not my original design, but my “remix” of an invitation design I found via google images. If you are interested in ordering the original invitations they are available at paper style. I hope that the designer will forgive me for the blatant theft of his/her design and recognize it simply as my admiration of their work (GRIN).

When I learned that my PREGNANT best friend would be visiting Texas during the Labor Day holiday, I jumped into party mode. I wanted so bad to throw her a maternity shower, but until the announcement of her visitation, I didn’t think it was possible. So, that, dear reader is why this invitation was created and mailed in a day. These aren’t printed on paper you want to feel of over and over, they probably won’t be framed by the recipients, and no RSVP is required, but they are were hand addresses, and personalized for the guest of honor. I can’t help but think it makes her feel special and even brightens the face of the recipient more than a choppy text message or mass e-mail. So I’ll continue to mail my invitations and send text message reminders to generation digital.

Paper Lotus Flowers

These beautiful paper flowers will be used as place cards for our dinner next Saturday evening. I discovered that when you placed two different sized fortune tellers together they looked much like a flower, particularly a lotus flower. I was so excited about discovering a way to incorporate the fortune tellers into the decorations for Elizabeth’s bachelorette/lingerie party. Having sent our Asian themed cootie catcher as invitations it was perfect!

And like icing on the cake, after a little research I found that in Asian traditions the Lotus flower represents the virtue of sexual purity. What a truly beautiful symbol for my sister and her closest friends.

The Transformation of a Handle

During the demolition stage of our remodeling I scurried around behind Steven, saving various items I thought we might need/reuse/rework/save/frame. The historian in me wanted to make sure we salvaged items that would bring the “old” back into our home. He would rip, bang, pull and drop and I’d sift, sweep, wrap and bag. These handles are just a few of the items I have stashed away.

This week I’ve been cleaning and reworking them so that we can use them on the drawers for the closet in our master bedroom. We removed them from cabinets in the small kitchenette that was once the maid’s quarters. No employed maid in this house; just little ‘ole me. So, out went the kitchenette. The transformation of these handles was made possible by the use of ammonia, fine steel wool and glove clad hands.

I LOVE finding new uses for old items. I LOVE seeing these paint covered dirty handles transform into shiny, chic handles. And I LOVE my new closet.

Fortune Teller Invitation {Cootie Catcher}

Amanda and I are planning a bachelorette weekend for my sister, Elizabeth. We choose an oriental theme and thought a fortune teller (cootie catcher) would make a unique, theme appropriate, invitation. I found instructions for folding a cootie catcher on Martha Stewart's website. There you'll also find other creative uses for these childhood staples.

As a kid, I waited with baited breath hoping for the future I dreamed of while my friends counted, opening and closing the paper creation that held my future. Will I ever Marry? How many kids will I have? Will I be a millionaire? There were many times, I must admit, that I was quite distraught by the answers I was given. 15 children?! Alone forever? I'll live as a bum? Oh my....Then of course there were the fantasies of driving a Dodge Viper and winning the lottery. Elizabeth's dreams of marriage are coming true. We are excited and can't wait to celebrate with her.

Amanda and I visited an Asian Market in College Station on Saturday. My first Asian market ever. Quiet interesting....kinda smelly, but a good cultural experience.

So, what do you think? Lay some comment love on me. I'm starting to wonder if people really read this blog! Happy Monday.

Painting Pa-weese

Marin was given an art set for her birthday. She asks to paint weekly. Here are photos of her from Friday morning.

Chocolate-Strawberry Thumbprints

Made these Chocolate-Strawberry Thumbprint cookies for the Bridal Shower. Yum! But the strawberries looked like tomatoes to me (tee hee hee). In the future, I think I'll try blueberries or maybe cherries. Despite the topping confusion, aren't they pretty?

Bridal Shower {Nest Is Feathered}

I have trouble sleeping. So most evenings, I doodle. I think. I sketch…especially when I can’t sleep. Above is my “sketch” for the Bridal Shower I helped my sister-n-law Christy coordinate.

Remember the boxed, bird nest invitations? The shower for Kabe and Chelsea was on Sunday. Here are photos showing my favorite elements from the evening. The theme was “Feather Their Nest.” The color pallet was natural “tree/limb” inspired colors with tiny splashes of turquoise and red (their wedding colors).

It was so much fun working with Christy and Kevin. Their food is always beautiful AND tasty. The barn wood bird houses and ostrich eggs were perfect accent elements that really added to the look and feel of the event.

Based on the theme of preparing their new home, we created personalized yellow pages based on referrals from fellow church goers. The little love birds from the invitations were enlarged and each bird posed a potential “home issue.” For example: garage door service, electrical work and lawnmower sales. We asked members of the congregation to write down names and phone numbers for local businesses they’d recommend. People offered lots of advice and everyone enjoyed perusing the referrals for their own needs. I was curious about pest control and window washing referrals! Have a couple names now, so, that’s nice!

Once the little birds were written on, they were placed on the trees or on the clothes lines with tiny wooden clothes pins. Note the tiny, blue paper flower that Kevin made…beautiful! Thank you, Kevin and Christy for letting me be a part of the fun event.