June Wedding To Do's

Up until this point, I've pretty much refused to talk about months that begin in "J". They were just too close for comfort to the big day. However, no amount of avoidance has helped me dodge the fact that we are now into June. Cue the panic, nausea and sleepless nights!

Here were the goals for May:

• Find my wedding shoes (still looking- thought I found them but alas- it was not meant to be)
• Find Shayne's wedding band (have been bugging Shayne to get on this already!)
• Order my hair accessories (ordered and recieved!)
• Work on/finish Ceremony Backdrop Part One (Flower edition) (definitely put some hours in on this- getting closer)
• Work on/finish Ceremony Backdrop Part Two (Wood edition) (my part is done here (sanding and staining) and my stepdad has finished assembling one panel! Yay!)
• Source/order/purchase all plastic ware and utensils, napkins, etc needed (purchased the fun items but still have to pick up the boring stuff- cups, forks, dessert plates and napkins)
• Select music for ceremony, etc. (have decided a few of the songs- it's harder than you think!)
• Add water pitchers to rental order & decide on water glasses (fail- going to do this when I confirm the rest of the numbers for rentals, as for water glasses- we are doing mason jars)
• Make 2 large pinwheels for flower girls to carry (fail- was waiting on their dresses to arrive)
• Decide on head table design- make/buy/find all components (read about that here)
• Finish bunting for the tent (all the flags are made but need to stitch them to the string)
• Decide on bar back drop- make/buy/find all components (decided what this will be just now... but need to make it)
• Design and delegate the construction of the podium (Finished!- well aside from a quick coat of stain)
• Finish aisle hanger decor (Pinwheels are complete, need to attach to the rafia) 
• Finish the bar (Done and fantastic- I'll share a picture at a later date)
• Spray paint frames and create seating chart/photo displays
• Spray paint chandeliers and rewire (2 are done, acquired a third and have to do that one still) 
• Create bar menu and ceremony program inserts (I talked about doing this... does that count?) 
• Get wedding party/parent gifts together and ready (Working on this... at least we have a plan)
• Organize wedding favours- coordinate (Favours decided, still need to coordinate this)
• Make template for table numbers, seating chart, thank you notes, etc Got the program at least...
• Design a poster for the photo booth Got the program for this too...
• Work on road signs See above 2 responses
• Find appetizer servers  Got three of them.... for FREE! Yay me!
• Meet with Shannon and confirm appetizers, dessert bar, late night food
• Decide on champagne glasses- etch if needed  Going plain- too many other projects
• Clean and paint swing set frame Done and looking great!
• Decide on games and organize/create Need to make one but it's in the works at least
• Make rustic signs that are needed Yet another fail
• Start figuring out scheduling/function of the day (who will do what when?)
• Decide on layout of the whole day (ensure everything needed is in order)
• Finish/continue wedding dress alterations Have one final tweak and then it's done!
• Decide on MC for reception and find out who is doing speeches
• Clear coat my brothers metal tent to protect finish

I must say that I felt pretty good about our progress in May but looking at that list now- pretty discouraged! I did accomplish some other things though like having my bridal shower, picking up the bridesmaid dresses, receiving the flower girl outfits and trying them on, various yard work around my mom's place and I'm sure there were some other things in there too. I guess I just have to pick it up since this is my last full month to get stuff done! Here is the June list (well the "what ever is remaining" list)- get ready.... it's a doozy!

• Find my wedding shoes already- this is getting silly!
• Find Shayne's wedding band and possibly change mine up a bit
• Finish Ceremony Backdrop Part One (Flower edition)
• Finish Ceremony Backdrop Part Two (Wood edition)
• Purchase the napkins, dessert plates and forks we still need
• Select music for ceremony, etc. and make CD for DJ
• Make 2 large pinwheels for flower girls to carry
• Finish bunting for the tent
• Create bar backdrop
• Stain the base of the podium
• Finish aisle hanger decor
• Create seating chart/photo display frames
• Spray paint remaining chandelier and rewire 
• Create bar menu and ceremony program inserts
• Get wedding party/parent gifts together and ready
• Coordinate wedding favours- make signage, etc.
• Make template for table numbers, seating chart, thank you notes, etc
• Design a poster for the photo booth if I have a spot to display it
• Work on road signs
• Make the remaining lawn game
• Make rustic signs that are needed (for games, bathrooms, ceremony, etc)
• Start figuring out scheduling/function of the day (who will do what when?)
• Decide on layout of the whole day (ensure everything needed is in order)
• Finish my wedding dress alterations
• Organize schedule with MC and figure out who is speaking
• Tally all the RSVP's and come up with a final number for rentals and catering
• Decide on ceremony traditions, vows, etc
• Get our marriage license
• Meet with officiant to confirm ceremony details
• Rehearsal dinner planning
• Make popcorn and chip cones and stands to hold them
• Decide on photo booth set up and acquire components
• Decide on relief station set up and acquire components
• Hair trial (if doing one)
• Make up trial (free one at the mall for tips)
• Decide on quantities for bar mixes, etc and start purchasing
• Purchase plastic cups and barware needed
• Continue to purchase the beer and liquor required for the bar
• Decide on bar set up (tables etc) and get coolers required
• Make runner for the head table
• Decide on bar tent lighting
• Cut all the wood tree slices, sand and clear coat
• Organize centerpieces and make sure we have all the pieces, etc
• Get a garter
• Finish the cake topper (made a little base for the people- need to assemble it)
• Make a little pouch to hold the rings
• Start to figure out seating chart and where each person will sit
• Meet with photographer to discuss shots we want and scheduling

So that's just a meer 48 things to do with less than 45 days to go... and only 30 days in the month! Wish me luck! I'm going to be one busy girl!!

Ps- I did it! I finally made 5 posts again this week! Yay me! haha ...... but don't get used to it! I doubt I can keep this up until the wedding.... I mean- look at that list!

Pps- Send some luck this way! I am stranded at home today after my car wouldn't start this morning. Let's hope it's something small and inexpensive! I'm trying to look at it positively- maybe there's a reason I wasn't supposed to be on the road today. Also, now I have a day off where I am stuck at home with no plans (because I should be at work) to work on the above list. Let's hope I can knock some of this stuff off! Have a good weekend everybody!

House Update!

It's been awhile since I've posted any sort of home project or update so today I thought I'd just share a few small things that have changed around our house over the last few months- all of them bedroom related. When we last left off in the master bedroom, one side of the room was looking like this-

Yeah, not pretty! That terrible fake maple cabinet with the 2 tall doors held my clothes and Shayne's are kept in the taller chest of drawers. That cheap, ripped, navy clothes hamper wasn't doing us any favours either! There's been a bit of a change here in that we finally brought my thrifted dresser home and put it in place. Before I show you pictures, please note that I have not had time to sand it down and repaint it and it needs it. I did do a super cleaning of it but aside from that- it's pretty much as I bought it at this point. That will change post-wedding.

Such an improvement already! I'm considering a yellow of some kind for the dresser- maybe pale or maybe a sunny yellow... we'll see though. As we all know, I could change my mind at any minute. I think I'll keep the original hardware- something about them is interesting to me. I'll likely spray them ORB or matte black or something though since the original antique brass is not in good condition and will likely clash with yellow.
You may also notice that large gorgeous canvas. That would be a wedding present from my wonderful mom. We were shopping a few weeks back and I fell in love with that painting. It was a little too rich for my blood (we all know I'm super cheap) but my mom offered to pick it up for us as a wedding gift. It seemed perfect as it's something we'll keep for a really long time and we all know how much our house needs some art!

I love it for so many reasons- it's a Canadian artist for one. For two, it's just a series of lines but it immediately evokes the feeling of waves at sunset which is such a great memory for me! It takes me to the beach watching sunsets as a kid with my family or grandma. It takes me to memories of the beach with Shayne and Jixer and/or Diva. It takes me to so many beach memories whether it be camping or high school skip days or whatever- all which are fantastic memories that bring a smile to my face. Plus, it has a 3D quality and is super relaxing and calming. All of these things make it the perfect piece for me. Which says a lot because I'm really picky about art for some reason- I tend to not like store bought pieces. It still needs to be hung but I think this is the spot for it. I love waking up to it each morning.

Those are the big updates in our house as of now. I also added some photos to the couple gallery wall frames that are up on our awkward wall but it still doesn't look very great so I'll wait to share those until I fill it in a bit more.

There's a lot of projects that will definitely get underway as soon as the wedding is complete (in 45 days!!) like the ensuite bathroom for instance which is still in it's demo-ed no drywall state, the deck will be stained, the gardens will be edged and mulched, a headboard will be built, art will go up, organizing and decluttering will happen and that jewellery pile currently residing on my dresser will find a new home (that involves this mirror).

Needless to say, we have a lot of things in waiting at the moment. I'm looking forward to being able to dive into some of these once we say "I do". Just have to get through that wedding to do list first!

Fabric Flower Pot

Today, I am taking a break from wedding stuff to show you a great little update my mom did on a standard clay flower pot. She had a house plant that needed to be transplanted to a larger pot and we all know how expensive large planters can get! Her and I both have a subscription to Style at Home magazine and in one of the recent issues she had seen a tutorial for modge podging fabric onto a clay or terracotta flower pot for a quick and easy update. She decided to give it a go.

She purchased a standard terracotta or clay pot that was the size she needed. These pots are typically pretty inexpensive and available at most greenhouses or home improvement stores.

Image from here.

From here, she purchased some fabric that she liked and a bottle of Modge Podge from Michaels (you can get it at any craft store). I don't have photos of her making it but I do have some of the finished product. I know that to make it you need to cut a strip of fabric that is the height of your flower pot plus some to overlap onto the top and bottom of the pot. It needs to be long enough to wrap around the pot and overlap itself just a little as well.

Then, you coat your flower pot with the modge podge paste. Next you start to apply the fabric to the pot. You just focus on wrapping it nicely around the pot to begin with and don't worry too much about folding it over onto the bottom or top. You put modge podge paste over the fabric as well once it's in place. When you are happy with the placement of the fabric around the pot, you can fold the top edge over and into the pot a little and secure that with modge podge paste both under and on top of the fabric. Same goes for the bottom. Then you just let it dry before filling it with soil and plants.

I also found this online tutorial that you could follow if you want to give this a try yourself.

Now for the best part- the after photos!

I was really impressed with how it came out. It feels great too- not just like fabric stuck to a pot. I'm not sure this would be the best idea for outdoor planters as I imagine the weather would wreck them but for indoor pots, it's a great way to dress them up inexpensively.

Any body else doing some inexpensive spruce ups lately? It feels nice to talk about home decor for a bit instead of droning on about the wedding.

Head of the Table

On May's wedding to do list, one of the items was to decide on the head table design and make/buy/find all the components. I've been working away on that and think I have the general look down and most of the components in place.

We were debating about table shape and tent layout awhile back (you can see some of the options we were toying with here) but ultimately decided to go with round tables. It seemed to be most people's preferred choice (I did a very informal polling on my personal Facebook account) as it was better for conversation, easier to move around, etc and with the larger tent size we felt they would fit properly. I dreamed of rectangle tables with long burlap runners but alas, it was not meant to be. Oh well- round tables will be great too! Here is the rough tent layout we will likely be going with:

Some things have changed a bit since this layout though. The DJ and the bar will be set up in a smaller tent attached to the larger one. This makes things move around a bit. I quickly did up this revised version (sorry for the backwards labels but I don't have the original program I made this in anymore) to give you an idea of how things will change.

This is my thoughts as of this morning anyways- it could change at any minute. It always looks different in 3D too. Right now that one table at the front looks out of place but in reality, I don't think it would stick out the same way.

Now you have an idea of how the head table is going to be situated. We plan on only putting the back wall on the tent (the wall behind the head table) so it will be the white wall with those clear cathedral type windows. The other 3 sides of the tent will be open and airy and the tent poles will be draped with white curtains with tie backs.

Behind the head table will be the fabric strip curtain that I showed you here. That should help to brighten up that area and cover some of the tent wall.

The table itself will have a white tablecloth to the ground which will seperate it from the guest tables since they have a pale grey table cloth. On top of either end of the long head table, I plan on putting a large silver lantern with a candle in it. I plan on placing that lantern on one of the wood discs that will hopefully take place for the rest of the centerpieces (update on that: we have some tree trunks that are the right diameter but had an issue cutting through them with my step-dads chainsaw as it was hard wood. We have recently borrowed a higher power chainsaw and hope that it will be able to cut through them- I'll keep you posted!) Beside the lantern, we will have our bridesmaid and bridal bouquets in clear plain glass cylinder vases (2 vases at each end of the table). Then in the middle, I decided I wanted some letters. I have a love for letters and words and typography so this fit with that.
I decided I wanted it to say Mr & Mrs in the center of the table in 3D stand up letters.

My mom came through for me and found these letters at Michael's on clearance for $1.50 a piece. They are wide enough to stand up on their own and definitely had the right price. I already had the white china ampersand as an accessory in my living room and the scale fit so we went with it. Ampersands are really hard to find!!

Since the "S" only came in silver, I knew I was going to have to paint these all to match. Black seemed boring to me so I decided to go with a bright colour and chose green. Here they are all painted up and ready to go-

Aside from these items, I am debating adding a long burlap runner to the whole table so that I get a small piece of the rectangular table dream. I think it would tie it all together nicely and the letters, vases and lanterns could all sit on it. We will see if we have time to whip one of those up.

The only other decor for the table I am thinking of, is to place the brightly coloured green and yellow parasols to each end in front of the table as well. I showed you the parasols in this post and showed how I plan to use them as pops of colour behind all the chairs during the ceremony. While after the ceremony, all those chairs will be moved to the reception tent for guest chairs at dinner. That means the parasols will no longer be needed- or, I could use them in front of the table for some more interest. This will likely not be decided until the days before when the tent is set up and I can see how it all looks together. It's nice to know I have them though!

That pretty much sums up my plans for the head table decor. I like to keep things simple so I think this will work well. I don't want to add any toule or christmas lights or anything like that- it's not really fitting with our wedding theme although it does look pretty!

It feels good to get some things decided and all the pieces in place- especially considering how close the big day is getting! Now if only we could get that big paper flower wall completed...

Hairy Situation

A big component to a bride's look on the day of the wedding is hair. I have been steadily growing mine out for the big day (also in preparation to chop it off and donate it) and it's safe to say that there is a lot of it right now. I have super thick hair and when it's grown out to mid-back length, there is a TON of it. Let's just say that it's ponytails for me most days and I'm looking forward to chopping it!

I've decided I definitely want to wear my hair up. I had considered down in loose curls but after considering the heat and humidity that we are likely to experience- I knew that was a bad idea. Then I considered half up and half down but again- the humidity would not be my friend. Plus, my hair doesn't hold curls really well (as experienced when I wore it half up, half down with curls for my friend Yvette's wedding). You can see that style below- I'm still at the stylists here so the curls are in tact but they started to fall out by the time we got back to her mom's place to get dressed.

So- that left me with an up-do. I think it will be most practical for the day. It will be up and out of the way and has the best possibility of staying nice and not frizzing.

I've been pinteresting and googling through images for awhile now and come up with a few options that I like. I can either go with some more simple styles (which is fitting with our simple, rustic, casual feel)-

1, 2, 3, 4

Or go for something a little more complex with some curls or braids added-

1, 2, 3

I love a lot of these looks but haven't been able to narrow it down to "the one" yet. To be honest, it might end up being a game time decision. Unless, I go for a hair trial in which case we'll probably make the call before hand. Any favourites to you guys out there or suggestions for something different?
 

What I do know, is that I have decided to not wear a veil. I don't really feel like a veil kind of girl. I was completely decided against one but my bridesmaids and moms convinced me to give it a try at the gown store. It did make for a very pretty and definitely bridal look so I almost changed my mind. In the end though, I'm sticking with my gut feeling and going no veil.

Since there will be no veil, I decided I wanted to add some sort of accessory to my hair. I have always loved the looks of an up do with some sort of hair comb or flower or something. I have been searching for a long time for something and let me tell you- these things are expensive!! In the bridal shops, the combs started at about $65 and went up over $100. That's a lot to me seeing as how it will only likely be worn once. I then turned my attention to my new best friend- Etsy. I have a new found addiction to this website and have ordered quite a few things for the wedding from there and plan on adding a few more!

On Etsy, I found Marissa Fleur (see her shop here). She is actually located over in Latvia in Europe. She makes GORGEOUS hair pieces and I quickly found what I had in mind in her shop. I had been debating between getting a hair comb piece or getting individual pins or clips of some sort. My worry with the combs, while gorgeous, was scale. It was hard to decide what the right size would be. I have a small frame and a little head so I didn't want to overwhelm myself with too large of a piece or end up with something too small. It was hard to judge how big my hair could get since I hadn't decided on a style yet and it's so thick that it can get big quickly. This lead me to looking for some pins. I figured with pins, I could put in as many or as little as I wanted in a cluster to get the comb look while having some flexibility in terms of size. With that thought, when I saw these pins in Marissa's shop, I was sold!

They arrived last week and they are even prettier in person. I adore them and am so happy I decided to go this route! They came in a beautiful little paper box-

I ordered a set of six in ivory with pearl centers (they come with rhinestone centers too for some sparkle but I plan on wearing a pearl necklace and earrings so pearls made more sense).

There was even a happy surprise- a 7th pin with a blue pearl center. This is a great option for my something blue for that day.

I really do think they are perfect for what I was looking for. They are contemporary but classic and so delicate and feminine. I love that I can adjust the size of the cluster to suit my hair style and head size and I can't wait to see them in place that day! The very best part though? The price!! They were only $22 and change including shipping... from Europe!! I can't beat that price and it's one of my favourite looks I've seen so it's not like I even settled. I love when things work out that way!

So those are my hair plans for the big day. Anyone out there with tips or suggestions? Any horror stories or hair victories in general?

ps- Thank you so much to everyone for all the congratulations and feedback on Friday for my blogiversary! I loved learning a bit more about you guys and I really enjoyed hearing what you loved/what you'd like to see here at the blog. I heard you and will sincerely try to post more often and with more photos. I am attempting to do 5 posts this week- I can't make any promises but know that I am trying.

My First Blogiversary!

Tomorrow marks exactly one year since I started this blog of mine. It doesn't seem that long ago really! I started this blog after I started following along with some other blogs. I have always been a crafty and creative person and am always working on some sort of project and thinking of at least 20 others. I wanted to start really focusing on personalizing our home and we were also starting to plan our wedding so it seemed like a good time to start sharing what was going on. Lots of people were asking me what our house looked like, etc so this was a way to share with them what it looked like and what we had going on in our life. It was also a great resource for keeping friends and family in the loop with wedding plans. I could show them what was in my head and what I was striving for. A lot of times that has really helped me out!

This whole blog thing has definitely had some benefits. I've met a lot of great people and stumbled upon a lot of great blogs to follow. I've been much more motivated to start and complete projects as opposed to just thinking about them or only half way finishing them (this isn't always true but I think my ratio of completed projects is higher now than pre-blog). It's been a great way to share wedding ideas with people to help them understand what I am aiming for. It's also been a great creative outlet for me. It helps me think through ideas, compile inspiration and gather feedback from people which I always appreciate. I've really enjoyed it this far- even if I don't have a lot of time for it at this very moment!

I want to take a minute to look back at what I have accomplished on this blog in the past year. It's certainly become a bigger thing in my life than I expected- that's for sure. I wasn't 100% sure I would be able to keep up with it or that I would stay interested but so far so good! I'm going to get all math-y on you now... here are some numbers!


Total posts: 190

Total number of views: 22, 548

Most popular month for views: March 2012 with 3972 views

Total number of published comments: 1023

Most popular post: Organization Obsession Continues with 1340 views (Thanks Pinterest!)

Most commented on post: Pinterest Challenge! with 42 comments

Number of countries people have viewed my blog from: 10

Current number of followers through Google Friend Connect: 12


These numbers astound me. I never in a million years would have expected my tiny little personal blog to get this kind of exposure. I realize a lot of those hits are random google searches or people who stumble here by accident but I know I have some loyal readers and even 1 of those is a surprise to me. I personally find me kind of boring, long winded, whiney and mildly annoying but I'm glad you guys stick around anyways! haha! I really do appreciate those who stop in, follow along, comment and make this whole blogging thing worth while.

In fact, I'd like to learn a little more about you if you don't mind! If you have a minute- please answer the following in the comments section. It's always fun learning about the people who stop in here!

1) Gender? Age range?

2) Where do you live? What do you do for your career?

3) How'd you find Casa-de-Christine? How often do you stop by?

4) What do you enjoy about this blog? Favourite topics, posts, projects, general feedback is all appreciated!

5) What is your least favourite thing about Casa? Be honest- I'm ready for some constructive criticism.

6) Anything you would like to see more of here? I'll do my best to include any suggestions.



I think that is all for now although feel free to add anything else you'd like to tell me about yourself or ask any question of me. I look forward to seeing what you have to say!

Have a great weekend everyone and a happy long weekend to all my American readers! Hope you get nice weather!

ps- Today marks 50 days until the wedding. I can't even believe we are that close already. The days are really booking up quickly with appointments and events, etc. I will try my best to blog at least once a week and share progress as we go but it's becoming increasingly difficult to find the time. I have so many projects to share but the photo editing and post writing just seem to take too long! I'll do my best though- please bear with me!

Rhuberry Crumble

On Mother's Day this past Sunday, my mom had to work. My brother and sister-in-law decided to meet her after work and cook her a nice dinner. Shayne and I decided to join them and we offered to bring dessert. I asked my mom if she had any requests for dessert and her reply was whatever I wanted to make was good by her. She suggested something fruity though.

I scrolled through all the dessert recipes I have pinned and didn't find any that jumped out at me. Taste of Home featured some favourite strawberry recipes last week on Facebook though and I found a recipe for Rhubarb Berry Crumble (which ended up becoming Rhuberry Crumble to me because I kept having trouble saying it). I decided to give it a go. Apple crumble is one of my all time favourite desserts (warm with ice cream of course!) so I thought a crumble with different fruit would likely be just as enjoyable! I'm so glad I gave it a shot because it was quite delicious! The rhubarb all seems to be out now too so it was great timing. I just cut some from my mom's garden- such a great feeling to grow your own fruit and vegetables!

Rhuberry Crumble
Recipe originally from here

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract, divided
• 1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen rhubarb, diced
• 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries, cut in half
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• vanilla ice cream

To make:

1) In a mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, oats and cinnamon until well blended. Add melted butter and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract and combine until well mixed and a crumbley texture is reached. Set aside 1 cup of crumb mixture for use later. Press the remaining mixture into a greased 8" x 8" baking dish (or a 7" x 11" dish). Top with rhubarb, strawberries and blackberries.

2) In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in water and mix well. Add pan to heat and bring mixture to a boil. Once boil is reached, continue stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in remaining vanilla. Pour sugar mixture over the fruit. Top with remaining crumb topping mixture. If needed, you can store the dessert at this point for a few hours until ready to cook and serve- I just covered mine with plastic wrap and stored it in the fridge until after dinner.

3) Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.