3 Full Moons today. How, you ask??

As I drove away from my parents house, there were 4 teenagers at the end of a driveway half way down the road. As I approached, 3 of them mooned me! So that's 5 bare buns in the course of about 6 months--the first one was on Rt 18 a few months back (again, a teenage boy mooning from an overpass), then a woman mooning her friends (and everyone else) in Myrtle Beach, and then the three teens today.

Today I went to our reception venue to sign the contract and pay the deposit. I also got to see for the first time the ceremony room they have (in case it rains and we can't have our gazebo ceremony). It was all very awesome. I visited the bakery next to the reception hall and they had Halloween cupcakes in their cupcake holder. Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera. I also visited the gazebo and worked some things out in my mind about it.

I had lunch with a friend and dinner with my parents. Mom and I played Scrabble and then I visited their neighbor.

Now I am home and it is quiet and I am sleepy. Bliss!

It's a little too Becky Home Ecky

Thanks to Antoinette and my mom for the (published and unpublished) comments.

Antoinette suggested taking the skirt from a dress pattern I love and attaching it to a muslin of a few dress bodices from my last posting and seeing how it shakes out. Mom suggested using a TNT dress pattern that I love.

Let's start with Antoinette. I *love* this bodice from the Hillary Duff pattern. So tonight I cut out a muslin (fabric is reclaimed from a disaster nightgown that I hated and hardly ever wore).

I am liking this so far!!



A dress form would come in handy right about now--you can bet your bottom dollar it would be pinned to it this instant!

As for Mom's suggestion, I think there's really only three dress patterns in the running and really only 2 of them are truly TNT. Two of them have 60's shift dress retro styling. Which fits with our Hawaiian theme, since a lot of Hawaii feels like it's pleasantly stuck in the 60's.

McCall's 5799 that I made this summer. Imagine it in white with red piping and our wedding logo hibiscus flower. Could work, huh? Could also look like a high school cheerleader outfit.



There's also Simplicity 3833, which may very well be my most favorite dress of all time.
Here it is in red:


Here it is, slightly shorter, in brown with aqua flowers:


So I'm thinking about it...in this kind of fabric...

It's pre-beaded silk. I found it in the JoAnn's clearance bin a year ago. I think I got it for like $1.50 or something. It's only a quarter of a yard but I thought it looked really neat and maybe I could make a purse or something equally small from it sometime. Of course, I don't know if I could actually find this fabric again.



Imagine the Simplicity dress made from this fabric and piped with ivory piping--wouldn't that look amazing? And look expensive?

This photo is showing two concepts in one; on the left is the hibiscus flower fabric I bought back from Maui (I think it's a fat quarter--but would be enough for a sash or band). On the right is some generic white fabric up against brick piping. When I saw that I thought "ut-oh, cheerleader territory".



So I'm thinking I might make a trip out to FabricLand sometime soon to check out their white fabrics. Their selection blows JoAnn's out of the water.

Here's what I am making on Sunday. It's the brown vest on the left. I cut it out tonight. It's the first time I used my scissors since I had them sharpened. Cutting is bliss again!


And finally, here are the flowers remaining from the farmer's market. Each day I remove the dead ones. This bouquet was so tightly packed that I didn't realize there were some snapdragons included!!


Guess who said the subject line!!

Favorite skirt; dress ideas

I love this skirt. I've had it for ages. Here's a closeup of the skirt:


I bought this eyelet fabric yesterday. I'm going to make a skirt out of it and line it with white fabric.



So for the wedding dress...I'm wearing red heeled sandals that I love. Wedding colors are red and white (though I don't think Pete's outfit will have any red in it at all).
I'm thinking of red piping--red sash--red details...no pouf, no train, no lace, only knee length. No veil. Probably wearing a white lei with it.

Here are some (mostly New Look) candidates.

I've been wanting to make the pink dress on the left for ages but am afraid the skirt is too full. I think the yellow dress on the right, while I love the top half of it, and has a midsection that could be red, also has a skirt that is too full.


I've made these before. I like the skirt part of the dress. not too full, not too straight. Nice a-line.



Liking the peach dress on the right (afraid the skirt is too full). Liking the dresses on the left too.



Dress on the left looks awesome but neckline too wide. There's a few options on the right.


I made the short sleeved tunic on the left with round neckline. it was kind of a disaster but i think that was due to fabric choice. I like the hot pink dress on the right but am afraid the v-neck is too low. The light pink dress on the right has a cowl neck.


I made this dress with the v-neck 2 summers ago but hated it. I do like the idea of the sash (mine would be red). But the skirt was too full and 50's like for me.

Farmer's Market flowers & white fabric

Flowers from the Princeton farmer's market this week (photographed at my work desk)






Tonight I went to JoAnn's and looked at white fabric: white satin, white satin with crystals, white eyelet, white shirting, white bottomweights, and even white denim. I came away feeling that I needed to know first the dress I want to make; then I can choose the fabric. I was intrigued most by the white denim and the white satin with crystals. No pix, though. I also looked at red fabric, red piping, red bias tape, and red ribbon.

In lieu of a guestbook; fun non-floral centerpieces, Trivia Game

Instead of a guest book, guests will sign these pieces of paper and write wishes on them if they'd like. The papers already have holes in them, so we can make them into garland!

Pete's on an airplane flying home now. It's always funny going through these transitions. I did my usual post-airport things like going grocery shopping, loading the dishwasher, and making a big list of all the things I want to do. (done, done, and done!)

Pete and I have been focusing a lot on the wedding stuff, and we both discussed how it will be nice to focus on non-wedding things again. He can get back to swimming and I can get back to sewing, both activities we have missed during his visit. But the wedding stuff will continue, just not as intensively as we focused on it the last 6 weeks. Or will it?? ha ha ha ha ha!

This blog is turning into an all-wedding-all-the-time blog, which isn't what I meant to happen. It always annoyed me how people who are getting married only talk about their wedding, but now I understand what an all-consuming process it is.

I do have more crafty wedding ideas. I will continue to talk about them.

I read somewhere that no one remembers the table centerpieces. Reflecting on that statement, the only centerpieces I remembered from weddings past were one that was silk flowers, and two that were kind of awful fresh flower centerpieces. I want to have non-floral, non-candle, very-cheap-without-looking-cheap centerpieces. They would then be surrounded by loose dendrobium orchids. Maybe on a red table runner so the white dendrobium orchids stand out.

Well, today we had lunch at Chili's and they had one of those stand-up rectangular cards on the table describing their partnership with St Jude's Childrens Hospital, and I noticed that the chili was actually "cut out" on top of one of the 4 sides. And then it hit me...cardboard (cardstock) centerpieces, just like those--the top can be (on all 4 sides) the island (which would be cut out) and then of course, the name of the island, and then underneath, a different "fun fact" on each side...maybe a fact about Hawaii, maybe a fact about Pete, or myself, or the visa application process, or have some pix of us. Printed in color by Staples, Kinkos, or similar shop as a flat piece, then Pete and I would cut out the island bit a the top and tape together. Memorable, cheap, biodegradable. Love it!


My "proof of concept". Or draft. Pete's drafts are a lot fancier than mine!


Close up of one side of the "centerpiece".

Also thinking of having "trivia cards" on each table...so our guests can learn more about us, interact with each other by asking each other the questions and guessing at the answers.
Here's the front:

Again, my drafts aren't nearly as fancy as Pete's drafts...
And here's the back:


I have to start the next part of the application process, which is filling out an affidavit of support, which basically makes me inventory everything I own (I think my car is the only thing of value I really own--my fabric stash is next on the list, ha ha!), and my checking and savings accounts, how much my house is worth, how much is left on my mortgage, what's in my retirement funds, my last three tax returns, my W2s, my pay stubs, blah blah blah. Plus producing all the documentation that backs up the numbers I fill in. I have been poked and prodded physically this year in so many ways for my back & knee pain, so now it's time to be financially prodded as well for the visa. I also need to have my employer write a letter about my salary, how long I've been employed, and if the position is temporary or permanent.


I think I will start a periodic series in my blog, called:
Laughable "thing I should do for my wedding" tip from a bridal guide: Hire a teenager from my neighborhood to guard my gift table at the reception. It says this duty should not fall to a friend because "she would not enjoy the reception". Snort on both counts.

Side note: I saw Dr. A (of the urgent care place) in the supermarket tonight. I'm sure he doesn't remember me, why would he? I saw him 4 times back in Jan/Feb/Mar.

Desserts and sandal cupcake toppers

We went to LaBon today, yum! We are thinking of having desserts from LaBon for our dessert buffet at our wedding reception. We will have cupcakes instead of cake, but guests won't be forced to eat the cupcake because they won't be served any dessert. Instead, they can step up to the buffet and pick out the goodies they want. Featured here are a Napolean, a cupcake, and a brownie. LaBon has the only cupcakes in NJ where I like both the cake and the icing. But I don't know if they will deliver all the way to Belmar, nor how much that would cost. The counter person didn't seem to know.


Pete with his cupcake. He surprised me by chosing chocolate. Usually he has vanilla (or carrot cake, but LaBon doesn't have carrot cake cupcakes).


Pete also requested having sandals with our laptops as cupcake toppers, so here they are:

Today is Pete's last full day in NJ. He departs for England tmw night, and probably won't return until it's time for the wedding! I'm thinking of flying to see him over Thanksgiving week. and then we probably won't see each other again until the wedding. Well, maybe I'll fly for his birthday in January. I don't know. Time will tell.

Elvis card box

So I saw this card box on OffBeat Bride and laughed so much it made my back hurt (of course, that's when my back hurt all the time anyway).

I told Pete I want an Elvis card box...so he drew Elvis this morning:


and colored in with gimp:


This blows me away too--I love how it looks!!

We also booked the largest room for our wedding reception. Yeah!!

Laptop cake toppers; our eclectic guest list; amazing placecards

Soon after we were engaged, Pete told me he wanted laptop cake toppers (well, we're having cupcakes, so cupcake toppers). We talked off and on about how we were going to make them: out of clay was the initial idea. Then we bought the clay and didn't even open the packaging. Didn't seem like it would work out. Then we ordered a dollhouse laptop but didn't like that either. In the car last Saturday we started talking about them again....how would we make them? Pete said he wanted to find bits of plastic and make them...and that they should be shiny. Which made me think, why don't we just use cardboard and paint it? And use nailpolish because it's shiny? and then it hit me like a flash--we should just take pix of our laptops and print them out at the drug store--the photo paper is already shiny--just paste to cardboard and done? So I took pix (though I forgot to take a pic of Pete's laptop top--so he took one with the lights reflected in it) and he scaled them down in gimp, and we had them printed last night, he picked up the prints this afternoon...

Well, look what I made tonight:


The quarter (which is a Hawaii quarter) is there for scale. Since my laptop is smaller than Pete's (I have a netbook, he has a gargantuan HP) I think I'll use the middle laptop for my cupcake topper).

Here's what the back of our laptop cake toppers look like (you know, the "lid" of the laptop):

The white spots on the lid of Pete's laptop are from the lights in the cafe where he took the picture. He said he likes the spots and doesn't want them shaded in (via my handy sharpie marker!)

I am really blown away by how nicely these came out, how relatively easy they were, and how cheap they were to make (I mean, I think it was 20 cents per laptop!!)

Pete would like to add miniature leis to the laptops, draped over the corner of each laptop.

While I was at work, Pete worked on the place cards. Instead of table numbers, we're having table names named after Hawaiian Islands. Here's the Big Island Table. The hibiscus is from our logo; the island in green really is the Big Island of Hawaii. Don't you just love our guest list?








I'm equally blown away by how amazing these place cards look!! Thank you Pete!!!

The answer's in you, somewhere

Look at what Pete did: he drew all the Hawaiian islands in Gimp, and then made our mock table name cards. He included each island's nickname.


Here's a close up of Maui (The Valley Isle):

They will undergo further refinement.

I had more parts of our invitation printed at the drug store just to see what they look like. They are pretty amazing!!

We're going back to the Waterview/Riverview on Saturday to figure out which room we want to have the reception in. They have a choice of three rooms and the one we like the best (has a great view of the Marina, is on the second floor, has an outdoor balcony for our guests to hang out on, has a real 70's style bar (even though I don't drink, I think it looks cool)) is actually the smallest room and holds 120 max. My second favorite room has a view of the marina, but is on the first floor so it's not as good, there's no balcony, it doesn't have a real bar (they just set up a makeshift one in the corner) and it holds 150. The third room has no view, no cool bar, but it does have a lot of windows, is relatively light, has an indoor balcony, and holds 250 people, so there would be plenty of room for everyone and everything (including our table of pix that we paid for on trips, a table for pix of people we wish could have been there (hello Pop Pop in his Hawaiian print shirt--would've fit right in!)), and of course a gift table, table with the place cards, and an area for photo ops with cardboard Elvis.

Unrelated:
I love this quote from Tim Gunn:
"Part of what was so unshackling was the whole aspect that when you're studying art or design, the answer isn't in the back of the book. The answer's in you, somewhere."
LOVE that.

Oh, and my horoscope today was about how I need to rest and relax. Woo! I have NO doctor's appts next week at all! Tmw I go to the physiatrist to talk about my knees. I will ask for the MRI but I'm pretty sure access will be denied.

He's a bit two dimensional

We picked up Pete's ring today, and it fit! So here are our rings:


Here I am with cardboard Elvis:


and here's Pete with cardboard Elvis:


I think Elvis will fit in nicely at our reception, don't you?

Myrtle Beach Saturday

Well we're back in Jersey now. It's always bittersweet to leave, but it also feels good to be home (though last night it wasn't feeling that way as we packed).

Here are some highlights from yesterday:

The beach suddenly bloomed with people:


Lunch was the Shoney's breakfast buffet (no pic)

Mini-golf was Jungle Lagoon. This was a course we had played before, and one which I had played with my Dad in the early 90's. It has my favorite hole in all of Myrtle Beach, a giant sized mountain. I didn't take any pix of that hole, but here's one we did take:


Then after another nap (I am a pro-napper now, only to be awakened by the karaoke from the tiki hut below) we took the pix we wanted to take to use as the front of our reply postcards. Pete came up with the shell-heart idea, because drawing a big heart in the sand was too difficult:



We took some other pix as well:


These Ted Allen style glasses were on the lifeguard stand (they were prescription Anne Klein glasses, probably $400 is what I'm guessing--that's a tough loss!)



And found this deceased horseshoe crab on the beach (we saw a ton of them at the aquarium). For most pix of us we used a gorillapod.


Dinner was K&W chopped steak, soft roll, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes with gravy, yum. Pete had their pork BBQ, which I did not recall seeing in previous years.

It must have been good:


Then it was time to watch the official town fireworks from our balcony.

And Pete wanted some pix of him swimming so we went down to the pool:


This morning, we took some last pix:






Final Shoney's meal:


Other memories not on film: a group of pelicans flying by our balcony; an unidentified bird crashing into a wave and emerging with a fish in its talons; also lots of fish just jumping out of the ocean one morning while we were nearby. We didn't see any dolphins this time.

My parents picked us up at the airport and fed us and gave us a bunch of goodies. Thank you!

And we opened up cardboard Elvis--he's actually life sized and hanging out by the mantle (no pix yet).

All MB 2009 pix are in my flickr album.

Of course I want to go back again right away!!