Handcrafted: The Cure For The Common Wedding

Traditional

Happy Thanksgiving! Or, to our international friends, great Thursday to you. On this day filled with traditions, I wanted to take a minute to really look at what that word means.

More to the point, I've been considering what it means to be untraditional. Today in celebration of Thanksgiving our family is planning our day around the movie theater schedule. We will be seeing 2, maybe 3 movies today. There will be no turkey, or even a big meal. Our giant meal will be tomorrow night. On the outside this looks very untraditional, but it really isn't. First of all, my husband's family has a tradition of seeing movies on Thanksgiving. Second, several members of our dinner party will not arrive until Friday, therefore we weighed the tradition of eating on Thursday vs. celebrating with family and found the family tradition to be more important.

How does this apply to weddings? In my family tradition is very important. My parents are the picture of "traditional", but sometimes tradition must be bent in order to honor what is most important about the spirit of the tradition. For example, having your mother walk you do the aisle is very traditional if she was the parent most central to your upbringing. Even eloping is traditional in some families. What I'm saying here is, don't get so caught up in being traditional that you miss the meaning, and likewise, do not get so untraditional that you miss honoring your heritage.

Pecan Pie

I know I am totally slacking this week, so to make up for it I am posting my Mamaw's recipe for pecan pie. By the way, "Mamaw" is southern for Grandmother and it also means "really good cook" in some languages. Okay I made the last part up, but you get the idea.

Stir together:

Lightly beat 2 eggs                                2 Tablespoons milk

1/2 cup of melted margarine                  1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup of pecans halves

In a separate bowl mix:

 1 cup brown sugar                                   1/2 cup white sugar

1 Tablespoon flour

Combine all ingredients, stir together and pour into an unbaked pie shell.

Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes

Using a frozen or premaid pie crust works fine in a pinch. When checking to see if the pie is set (aka done) you want to make sure that it isn't jiggly.

This is one of the greatest pies ever. It's super rich, so slice small unless you are ready for the sugar shock.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Sunny Side of Life

This has already been an interesting week. My regular computer has some sort of problem and I have no time to deal with it. Six people have been added to the Thanksgiving dinner I am preparing. I'm really excited to have them, but it does come with a certain amount of work. I love playing hostess. It tends to bring out my creative side.

My practical tip for the day is to be thankful for what you have. Even if you are not in the U.S. and are not celebrating formally with turkey (or in my case, chicken) try to take a moment to see the positive in your life. It will help you put things in perspective. For example, I could be freaking out that I'm having 8 adults and 4 children in my house eating food I am responsible for cooking, but instead I am rejoicing in the amount of friends and family we are blessed with. It is all in how you look at it.

Look on the sunny side 

In the Swing of Things

The holidays are fast approaching. Thanksgiving for the U.S. is less than a week away. I consider it to be the equivalent of opening day for the holiday season. I have my first party 4 days after Thanksgiving. What I am going to wear is at the top of my concerns. No matter how cold it is outside, I always find myself getting really warm during these things. I have to find ways to dress in layers and still be fashionable. While I was on Etsy today I found this cute dress that would make a great bottom layer. It was in the Classic Tailor's Shop. I love the fullness and swing of it. It is made when you order it and can be made in XXS to 2XL. If your bridesmaids cover a wide range of sizes, this could be a great solution, since it is a style that flatters most.

Welcome to the World!

Slightly over a year ago I had a week of posts devoted to personal friends of mine who have websites. During that week I also featured a real bride/ friend for her outstanding amount of DIY and handcrafted wedding touches. This morning I found out that they have just had their first child.  I'd like to congratulate Kent and Nicole on the ultimate DIY project, and welcome their new little girl into the world.  She is an absolutely beautiful baby. I can not wait to see how she conquers the world.

Equally Obsessed

Erin is so obsessed with ink (and printing) that she named her company Ink Obsession Designs. I am totally convinced that thereis something for everyone in this shop.  I love this shop for the extras, especially when you don't really have extra money.

The shower invites are eye catching. It's great that you can carry through a color theme without being all matchy matchy. I think the table numbers might be my favorite, but that may have something to do with a Christmas DIY project that is looming over me.

Don't forget to look at the change of address cards. Weddings often accompany a move for one or both parties. Keep the page book marked for after the wedding. After month of planning and seeing your color scheme over and over again, you may want to pick out something completely different for you new stationery as a married couple.

Redirected

Sometimes on the way to one thing we find something else even better. First I went to Capitola Gal's Etsy shop because of the the cute computer key necklaces. I thought they would make cute bridesmaid gifts especially for those internet couples out there. Then I got tickled thinking of using the Esc or Ctrl keys as a fun gift to the bride. When I went to the main shop page, I saw so much more. I'm a sucker for copper earrings, which were at the very top, but then my eye went to the obviously bridal pieces, only to find Capitola Gal Bridal shop. There is a lot of great things in these two shops and the prices are great for those brides on a budget.

Getting to know me

I was recently interviewed for a post on The Wedding Hub's blog.  I think it turned out pretty well, or at least I hope it did. There are a few things in there that you might not know about me already. So, if your curious about what makes me tick, take a look.

Speaking of blog posts, my sister-in-law recently posted one of those tagged type posts where she was challenged to post 7 random facts about herself. Now it is my turn.

1. My husband and I talked about marriage after only about a week of dating, but waited a year and a half before we married.

2. I'm a semi-closeted sci-fi geek. I like to think my day to day appearance doesn't scream "Browncoat/ Trekker" but the mere fact that I'm familiar with the term says something.

3. I'm dyslexic, but don't let it hold me back.

4. I was born with a cleft palette, which I think has made me more extroverted. I had one of the earlier successful repairs.

5. I occasionally write political editorials under my first name (which isn't Lynn), and had a letter to the editor published in the New York Times

6. I love Erma Bombeck and hope to one day finish writing the book she partly inspired me to write.

7. I avoid telling people the name of the town I live in because it is a word that has become a slang term for something crude.

p.s. the blog spell check is a little off tonight. If I spelled something horribly wrong, please refer to #3

Okay, Sandy, it's your turn. I am now tagging you and 5 Key Elements to post 7 random facts about yourself.

Where Are We?

I love maps, so last year when I saw Laura Hooper's hand drawn maps I was smitten. Now she has combined the glory of maps with the elegance of calligraphy and put them together on a save-the-date card.

These hand illustrated beauties can include any details you need. Imagine adding in the place you met, the place he proposed, or any other location special just to you.

It would be a disservice to talk about Laura Hooper's maps without also mentioning her amazing letterpress invitations. The calligraphy in this shop is defiantly top notch. It's a great site to explore.

Flip Floppin'

A few years ago I splurged on a really good pair of flip flops. What can I say? I was on vacation at the beach, I couldn't help myself. Anyway, they are the most comfortable shoes. The only problem is that they have a blue and black pattern to the straps that really only looks good with jeans. I tell you all of this to give you a little incite as to why I am loving Switchflops.

The decorative part of the strap is held on with Velcro (thank you NASA). It literally takes 15 seconds to rip them off and put a completely different design on. These should make the day of any bridesmaid. Not only will their feet stay comfy while they get ready and again at the reception, but they are also getting a versatile shoe that they can turn into an everyday shoe.  

There is about 60 different strap styles to choose from and several different shoe styles as well. Get yourself some bridal white, and your bridesmaids the ever popular brown. Get each girl a set that matches their dress and another one in their favorite color for after the wedding.