DIY Paper Flower Boutonnieres

A few months before the wedding, I made an appointment with a local florist. We sat down, discussed our colors and feel, talked about my dress and flower preferences, looked at pictures of things I liked. Because of the crafty items I was making, I only wanted bouquets for the bridal party and boutonnieres for the groomsmen, parents, officiant, etc. When I received the price estimate in my inbox a few days later, my jaw dropped. After a few days of hemming and hawing, I came to the conclusion that I could not spend that amount on something that would die (despite how beautiful the arrangements would have looked). I went to the fabulous internet for inspiration.

Some cool alternatives I found:
-Lanterns
-Action figures
-Books/miniature books
-Pinwheels
-Button flowers

I decided on paper flowers. I will eventually share the paper bouquets I made as well, but today I'm discussing the boutonnieres. Here is the final product:

To begin, I went to a craft store and bought scrapbook paper in different shades of blue (our wedding colors). I also found a book at the thrift store that I felt no guilt in destroying. Then I started cutting circles. Each piece of 12x12 scrapbook paper yielded 4 circles of 6 inch diameter. Each book page yielded one circle. I grabbed the scissors and started cutting the circles into spirals, beginning at the outside edge and aligning each "row" of the spiral about 1 centimeter apart for the book pages and 2 centimeters apart for the scrapbook paper. I free-handed it but you could find a template if you were feeling particularly particular. I think they turned out great without one. Here is a sample:

Starting at the outer corner, I began rolling up the spirals:

*Stopping in the middle of rolling is not recommended

Once the circle was entirely rolled, I let go of it entirely so that it could relax. If it was staying tighter than I wanted, I would grab the free end and bounce the rest up and down to encourage some loosening. Then I used a dollop of hot glue on the middle of the spiral and pressed it to the bottom of the roll. Aaaaaaand repeat as necessary.

For each boutonniere, I cut a triangle of cardboard and attached one blue flower and two book page flowers. I attached each triangle to a bar pin back and the process was complete. Because I ended up making boutonnieres for 26 people (I added readers, musicians, grandparents, ushers once I realized how much money I was saving), it took a few days and I basically did the processes piecemeal, including cutting spirals in the car while Kevin and I drove up to Steamboat Springs for a weekend. But it was actually pretty hassle-free and everyone looked awesome!

Voting

We are officially one year away from our national election, featuring the race for the 45 presidency.

As the presidential election approaches, let us remember these things:

-Who we are and how we treat people are far more important than our stances on issues and the candidates for whom we vote. Despite differences of opinion, we are all human and should treat our brothers and sisters as such.

-We live in a nation governed by a three-branch government with a defined system of check and balances. To say “the president cut funding for _____” or “the president implemented ______ policy” shows a lack of understanding about how the US works. Please go back to high school and remind yourself not to blame one person when things don’t go quite as you might have hoped. 

-A single-issue voter is one of the worst things to be. This elected official will have limited time to dedicate to your particular cause. Vote for this individual who best embodies the spirit that you believe should be leading our nation’s policies. Furthermore...

-If you are particularly interested in a particular issue, find other ways to make an impact: volunteer your time, get to know those impacted by the issue, make a monetary donation, write letters to local, state, and national policy-makers, or hold discussions. Believe it or not, social media and wearing a particular color are not the only means of raising awareness

-If you don’t vote, you can’t complain about the results. If you do vote, please find better ways to implement your energy and opinions other than complaining and Facebook posts when the results are announced. Feel free to get creative.

-And I'll say it one more time in case you missed it: Who we are and how we treat people are far more important than our stances on issues and the candidates for whom we vote.

                                                                                                                                       

"Things dangerous to come to"

I just watched "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (2013 film) and was totally blown away. Beautiful cinema, great plot, inspiring soundtrack, and a message that was just what I needed right now. I highly recommend it.

I started thinking about adventures. I've been fortunate enough to visit Paris (twice), Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Ireland, and the Caribbean, as well as lots of places in the US. While on our honeymoon in Croatia, Kevin and I talked about where else we would like to travel (eventually).

My travel list includes (at the moment):
-Australia and New Zealand
-Wales
-Iceland
-Africa
-Alaska
-Costa Rica

And my bucket list (at least the parts that cost money) includes:
-Skydiving
-Riding in a hot air balloon
-See the Northern Lights

Hopefully I'll be able to check some of those off my list down the road; in the meantime I'll keep exploring Colorado, dream impossible dreams, and make my daily life an adventure.

Wedding Planning: Where Do I Start?!

Congratulations, you just got engaged! Call you friends and family, celebrate with your loved ones, post it on social media, enjoy a quiet moment with your new fiance!

Now the work begins!

Step one: start the conversation. Sit down with your spouse-to-be and talk about what's important and what's not. I knew that Kevin wanted to have a great party, which meant hiring a great DJ and picking a good venue. Kevin knew that pictures would be important to me, which meant hiring a great photographer. Your priorities will inform your spending decisions. You'll have to determine a budget, a time of year, a day of the week, a feel (formal, informal, etc), maybe a theme. Be flexible and easygoing (you'll likely be surprised by some of the things your fiance insists upon). This conversation will continue throughout your engagement, but start by discussing the basics and getting on the same page. You'll both have to give a little, which is how relationships work too.

Step two: make a wedding e-mail address. I was so glad I did. I used it for all of our vendors and anything wedding-related. The junk mail didn't bog down my regular e-mail and everything was in one place. We used that e-mail address for RSVPs as well, since we decided to save money by not including a little piece of paper with an envelope and stamp in our invitation.

Step three: start going to wedding shows and expos. Write your name and wedding e-mail address on every piece of paper, even if you think it's not relevant. You are likely to win some free stuff and get connected with lots of vendors. Keep going to these throughout wedding planning. The usually cost $5-10, so going to 3 or 4 is not too expensive. Plus you can get free food and dessert samples. Yum! You can bring friends or family too, though I found it was quicker to just run through by myself. Plus I felt bad dragging friends along--these things can be boring unless you are on a mission. Also sign up for wedding websites, such as the Knot and WeddingWire. They'll send you weekly inspiration e-mails (another great reason to make a wedding e-mail address) that can give you some great ideas.

Step four: book some things. Start with what will be gone once it's booked. For example, a venue can usually only have one event per day, a photographer can only shoot one event per day. If you wait too long on certain things, you might miss out on exactly what you want and have to settle. Here in Denver, venues get booked a year out and photographers can be booked 9-12 months out. Things like the baker and the florist can wait longer because those vendors can handle multiple events on the same day. The dress can take some time to come in and alter, so early is better there. Keep in mind the feel you and your fiance discussed. Make a list of questions before you talk to people and write down everything. There will be a lot on your brain, so don't make the mistake of assuming you'll remember details from meetings and visits.

Step five: involve some people. Pick your wedding party, officiant, maybe ushers and readers, flower girl and ring bearer, etc. It's polite to ask people earlier rather than later. Plus it's nice to have friends that are excited with you. Anytime someone says "Let me know how I can help," write his or her name down. Lots of people offered assistance early in the planning process when I felt like I totally had a handle on everything. Fast forward 13 months, and I was so stressed the last 3 weeks. But with so much on my brain and so much time passed, I couldn't remember who had said they would help and didn't want to ask anyone who hadn't offered. So write down those names and hold them to their word. Even if it's just having them come help clean your house or cook you a meal.

DIY Galaxy Shoes

For Halloween this year, I dressed as the universe and Kevin as a spaceman. I already had galazy leggings and a shirt, but I wanted some shoes. Instead of spending extra money on shoes that already looked like a galaxy, I bought plain white sneakers for $9 and got crafty.

Here is the end result:

I used these supplies:

I started by removing the laces and covering the soles with duct tape to prevent them from getting painted/dyed. Next I stippled the black fabric paint in random spots with a paintbrush to act as the deep recesses of space. I let that dry overnight. Then I used spray bottles with some watered-down Rit dye to add the aquamarine blue, violet, and wine colors. That also dried overnight. Then I stippled silver acrylic paint over the black to make it more subtle. Finally I flicked white fabric paint randomly around to look like stars or planets.

They turned out great; I was satisfied with the end result.

Here is the rest of the costume (I meant to get a pick the included the shoes, but some craft beer got in the way of remembering to do so):