tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84804278179338467742024-03-13T01:21:45.442-07:00The Fabulous Life of a Beanpintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.comBlogger128125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-63657901569090345352013-09-03T23:25:00.004-07:002013-09-03T23:26:27.335-07:00Yup. Pretty Much. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{image via <a href="http://www.postsecret.com/">Postsecret</a>}</td></tr>
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pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-67212349989181857022013-08-07T00:33:00.007-07:002013-08-07T00:33:50.551-07:00Letter to Baby Bean<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>Hello, dear reader. Baby Bean is now six months old. I wrote this letter to her to include in her scrapbook for her half year birthday. I debated whether to post it or not, but then I remembered the picture below and I thought, 'well, this <u>is</u> a blog of things I have made...and I did have a hand in making that little thing.' Granted, I had a little help from Mr. Bean, but she is absolutely the number one thing I've made that I am most proud of so I wanted to share it with you. And, don't worry. I won't be doing this very often. I am just a bit sentimental as I have been looking back on the last 6 months. </i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{<a href="http://ibreakplates.com/2008/10/im-so-crafty-i-make-people-covergirl/">source</a>}</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dear Baby, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I never really thought I would be writing a letter like this. The truth is, I always thought it would be just me and Daddy. That my biological clock was broken and that I wouldn't ever get that feeling most women seem to be born with. But that moment hit me unexpectedly one night and I told Daddy that I wanted to have a baby. We laughed for a little while because I had never said those words out loud, but then we got excited at the idea of you. While it wasn't as simple as that, it was that simple. One day, you were there. The day we saw your little heart flashing on the ultrasound was the proudest day of my life. I had so much love for that little blinking light that I couldn't hardly breathe. The next 6 weeks were unbearable. The fact that every baby is a mini miracle does not escape me now. That everything has to be perfect - a perfect storm - for this little miracle to happen. For 6 more weeks, we watched the clock ticking by minute by minute. With each minute it got harder and harder because the idea that you were coming got more and more real. And then we got overwhelmed at the idea that we had already worried about you and loved you so much already and you weren't even here yet. We had to wonder what will it be like when you actually are here? </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">The idea of you is overwhelming. That we are now responsible for your well being. For your education. For your success. But we take this role seriously and we promise to do our best to make sure you can do your best. Deal? Deal.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Your birth was nothing I expected. I could write down all the hospital details but it isn't important anymore. I am sure I will give you plenty of guilt trips later on in your life where I can say "do you know what I went through to have you?" and you will hear all about it then. The things I want to remember are these.... The moment daddy walked in to the operating room. Seeing him in the scrubs and knowing we were about to see you. You were taking your time, as if you knew you would be sticking around for a while so what's the rush? He held my hand the entire time. We told each other we loved each other. I kept praying and thanking God for sending me one of His angels. When we heard your cry, we looked at each other and both got teary eyed. We were speechless for a few seconds. Waiting to hear more. Listening to the doctor and nurses. Wondering if everything was OK. Daddy got to look over the screen and see you first. I couldn't wait for them to bring you to me. When they did, it wasn't long enough. They just showed you to us like a prize. I was disappointed. I wanted you in my arms and I didn't want to let go. They took you to weigh you and measure you. 'Where were you hiding all this baby?' the doctor asked. You were a lot bigger than the doctors expected. When they finally brought you to me, it was an awkward angle and the medicine made me nauseous so I had to give you up again. This time it was to dad. I was a bit jealous, but I guess I had you all to myself for so long I am glad he had a moment with you alone. Then you were off again. They sent us to recovery and we were there waiting for you forever. We waited 41 weeks and 2 days to see you, but this wait? It seemed like an eternity. We could hear you crying but couldn't see you. And then. Finally. They brought you to us. I was still shivering but I managed to take a picture of you. Everyone was texting Daddy asking when they could see you, so we decided to send a picture. I didn't realize at the time how beautiful you looked in that picture. I do now. But we sent it with just your name. We don't know what the reaction was. I wish we could have seen it. But Uncle Billy texted back and said "it is pretty emotional out here" so I knew everyone was touched by seeing you for the first time and seeing your name for the first time. Funny how a simple text could mean so much, but at that moment when I hit 'send', it felt real. You were actually here.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Finally I was cleared to be sent to my room. As they were rolling me down the hall I could see everyone standing at the nursery looking at you. It was surreal. So many times I have been the one standing by the nursery looking at another baby. But this time it was my baby. And it was my baby that people were there for. We still had to wait another hour for you. And then, just like that, they rolled you into our room. And you were ours. There were a few more tears at the sight of you. Everyone had only seen you from a distance, watching how brave you were in the nursery. After everyone left and all the nurses were gone, Daddy and I just looked at you and looked at each other. We were in awe of you. It was about 3:30 in the morning by then. And then. As if on cue, you pooped. And then it got really real. :) Daddy had to unwrap your perfect swaddle the nurses left you in. I suddenly realized the last diaper I had changed was at least a decade ago. Daddy realized the last diaper he had changed was Uncle Billy's. But we figured it out. And I feel like we are still figuring things out. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">These past six months, the three of us have been through the roller coaster of all roller coasters. These past six months have been the most difficult thing Daddy and I have ever done in our lives. But one little smile from you makes me feel like the three of us can do anything together. Your smiles in the morning are better than any Starbucks grande non-fat hazelnut latte with whip. Well. Most mornings. I wish I already had all the answers. I wish I already knew what to do every time you cry. I am sorry you have to be our little guinea pig. But you have a forgiving soul. I can see it in your eyes. You have a sense of humor. I can see that in your smile. And you have sense of adventure. I can hear that in your laugh. So, thank you for going on this crazy ride with me and Daddy. We don't deserve you, but we will spend our lifetime trying to prove that we do. </span></span><br />
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Love,<br />
Mama</div>
pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-50875067821809538092013-02-14T18:26:00.000-08:002013-02-14T18:26:22.845-08:00Happy Valentine's DayHad to share. :)
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Hello, Reader! I know I have been full of promises lately, but I really have had good intentions. I keep underestimating how much work I have to do at work and how much work I have to do at home and how lazy I am. The laziness has been winning across the board. However, I'm not too busy to just sign in for a moment and wish you a happy new year. <br />
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The picture above pretty much shows what 2013 will be about for the Beans. It is taken from one of my amazing baby showers. I will definitely post pics of both of them because so much thought and care was taken to make sure they were amazing, but I will let the party planners have their chance to post pics first. <i>Ladies, you all outdid yourselves. </i><br />
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This past year has been pretty good to me. As I reflect back on 2012, one thing stands out to me the most: How many amazing people I have in my life. I get a little emo when I start dissecting moments and gatherings and parties and phone calls and texts and IMs because I really have surrounded myself with some of the most awesome people on earth. No lie. So as 2013 has already managed to be crazier than 2012, I have to say thank you to all my peeps. Thank you for being there for me. For making me laugh. For listening. For listening to me cry. For letting me vent. For letting me hear you vent. For putting me in my place when I needed it. For backing me up when I needed it. For understanding me. For bending over backwards for me. For checking in on me. For giving me advice. For taking mine. Basically, thank you for being awesome. I feel confident that all of you will be on this journey that 2013 brings for Mr. Bean and I. And I cannot wait for Baby Bean to meet every one of you. <br />
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I was going to post all of my 2012 highlights, but I think I will wait on that. I want to make sure I don't miss a thing. I promise to keep up with this blog much better in 2013. Just bear with me. I wish you all the best in 2013! I know it will be the most amazing year yet. :) </div>
pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-82343507463255753122012-10-31T14:28:00.000-07:002012-10-31T14:28:04.537-07:00October Obsessions and GSD<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Happy Halloween!! I'm going to get a last minute post here for October. <i>We look a little miserable here, but trust me, we were greatly rewarded for our efforts with lots and lots of treats. </i><br />
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So, I think I spoke too soon last month. I am technically back in Blogland, but I am trying to research anything and everything I will need and need to know for Baby Bean. This has consisted of lots of internet searches as well as lots of emails asking my friends where the heck to start. My friends are professionals now so they have given me so much awesome information. <i>Yay to having awesome friends. </i>However, any sort of crafting has come to a halt at the moment. But, I am just enjoying the last few weeks of it just being me, Mr. Bean, and the Fred. <br />
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My obsessions this month will be short. Mostly because I have to finish up some stuff so I can leave early and buy some candy for the handful of trick or treaters we'll be getting, but also because I will have a November post up shortly. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{image via<a href="http://cicadadaydream.blogspot.com/2012/04/introducing-geocentric.html"> Cicada Daydream</a>}</td></tr>
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<b>GeoCentric by Michelle Engel Bencsko. </b>I am pretty obsessed with this fabric line. I can't really say much else. Except that I'd like to marry it. That is all. I love all of the patterns, all of the colors. I even love the name. Check out <a href="http://cloud9fabrics.com/">Cloud9 Fabrics</a> if you want to purchase this <strike>for me</strike>. Check out Michelle's blog <a href="http://cicadadaydream.blogspot.com/">here</a>. <br />
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That's it. Told you it was short! This month is GSD month at the Bean household. Getting Stuff Done. My FIL has come over to help us hang lights that I bought <strike>months</strike> before we were pregnant. Replace light plates and outlets that have been begging to be updated since 1982. <i> I'm exaggerating here. Our house was built in 2001, but the builders used the cheapest, ugliest possible materials they could to put this house together. </i>We are seeing the floor in the guestroom now as I'm finally getting my books down to the minimal only-keep-the-ones-I-love stash. Getting rid of books is hard for me to do because I am, at heart, a lover of books. I love my Kindle, but man, I love to hold a book.<br />
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I haven't started purging the craft room, but that will come in time. Right now, I just need to finish up filling a few more boxes of donations. For a while there, you couldn't tell if we were moving in or moving out, but I think we are getting to the point that you can tell we are going to stay for a bit. And that is a good feeling.<br />
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We got the baby's room painted. The closet is ripped out and repainted, waiting for the elfa shelving sale at Container Store. The crib is in the room and will be built this weekend. Her new ceiling fan is hung. <i>Please see the above comment about the ugliest, cheapest materials used on the house. </i>I know I'm somewhat behind in the nursery department, but I'm feeling pretty good about where I'm at in the GSD department, so that's all that matters to me. <br />
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This weekend I will be attending Quilt Market. I am going to try to remain focused and only by what it necessary. And by 'necessary' I mean only what I need. And by 'only what I need' I mean only what I can carry in one bag and not pass out from holding it for 5 hours. Wish me luck. </div>
pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-4575707827628795732012-09-25T14:49:00.001-07:002012-09-26T09:09:04.069-07:00September Obsessions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello, Friend! I think I'm back! I think I've caught up enough at work that I feel more comfortable slacking off and blogging a bit. So, here I am! <br />
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There isn't much to catch you up on. The last few weeks have been really just a lot of working and cooking and cleaning and purging. I am feeling like a normal person again, so I've actually started cooking again. The smell would get to me too much to ever finish what I started, so I've been avoiding the kitchen the last few months. Mr. Bean is relieved because he prefers home food and is not a fan of eating out constantly and he is always too tired when he comes home from work to cook himself. So he is grateful that he doesn't have to worry about dinner anymore. I am just grateful that I am not as sensitive to smells anymore. <br />
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I feel like I am forever saying that I am purging and cleaning, but I think the end is near. I guess I have always had enough room to keep my purging pretty minimal since I have always had two spare rooms to still hoard stuff. But now that Baby Bean will be occupying one of those rooms, I had to really get down to the nitty gritty and get rid of a ton of stuff. My mom is the cleaning/organizing/purging extraordinaire so she has helped me a lot. I am proud of what we've gotten done so far, but there are a million little things to still go thru. I aim to finish that up by this weekend so we can paint her room. Oh, did I not mention that? We are having a girl! When we found out, Mr. Bean's first words were, "First we buy the crib, then we buy the shotgun." :) So I think you can guess what kind of daddy he will be...<br />
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I can't wait to get her room painted so I can start making things. I am a procrastinator at heart, so I know my list of things I'd like to make is more of a wish list, but I will definitely keep you posted on what I do make. This is a craft blog, after all. Not a Pintobean update blog. Word? <br />
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This obsessions post will be short because I really haven't been reading about anything other than baby stuff lately. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{image via <a href="http://www.dotmmo.com/gardens-of-time-992.html">Dotmmo</a>}</td></tr>
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<b>Gardens of Time. </b>Thanks to Sharmee, I am absolutely addicted to this game. She told me she was addicted so I downloaded it to see what all the fuss was about. And now I am<i> obsessed. </i>The part that they get you is that you are limited on your energy so you can only play a limited amount of time. In order to get more energy, you either buy more gold or you wait it out. And trust me, it feels like forever when you wait so it is mighty tempting. But, man, is it worth the wait. <br />
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<b>All Cause of You by The 88.</b> So I am a bit embarrassed to admit this, but if you promise not to judge, I'll tell you. While I was home one day with a bad bout of morning sickness, I started watching <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2287663/">Blue Lagoon: The Awakening.</a> I am a sucker for teen romance movies. Like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1835977/">Geek Charming</a>. Please don't judge. You promised you wouldn't. Anyway, BLTA was a mini obsession of mine for a few days. The movie itself could have been a bit better, but it satisfied my craving for a good teenie bopper love story. However, the soundtrack rocked. I went crazy trying to find a proper soundtrack listing and apparently other people on the world wide web were doing the same thing. Some other awesome songs: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6WBzZ2LnWs">I Do by Dave Thomas Junior</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHQBurTo0C8&feature=related">December Days by Tim Hanauer</a>, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lcc8jDwMbao">No One Here by The 88</a>. <br />
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That's all I've got for this month!<br />
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In other news, I've started up a website. <a href="http://www.pintobeancreates.com/">Pintobean Creates</a>. I haven't done anything with it yet, but that is in the To Do list.....one day... And I apologize for the Papyrus font on there. Mr. Bean typed it all in for me as I've got to figure out how to actually<i> make</i> a website so I can get that started. He knows not what he does.</div>
pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-21767840964963518922012-08-09T18:35:00.000-07:002012-08-09T22:15:03.497-07:00August Obsessions and Other News<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello, reader! I'm sure you noticed that I took an unexpected hiatus from blogging. Or maybe I am thinking too much of myself and you didn't. But, I did, and I'm sorry I dropped off the face of the internet. It was a little burnt out-ness, a little busy-ness, and a lot of tiredness and morning sickness....or as I like to say <i>all day</i> sickness. Yep, Mr. Bean and I are having a baby!! Baby Bean is expected to make his/her debut around January 27th, 2013. As much as I would love to say 'that sounds so far away', Mr. Bean and I are hoping time slows down a bit because we have a lot to do before then and we are already wondering what we got ourselves into. In a good way. <br />
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I know we shocked quite a few people with the announcement. I think most people gave up on us, but that made the surprise that much sweeter. We wanted to do something special to make the announcement to Mr. Bean's parents, but knew to keep it simple because they aren't extravagant people. So, I made some cupcake toppers and a cupcake banner with the news. They were definitely surprised and over the moon. I think my FIL calls me more now than he ever did Mr. Bean or Billy Bean. My FIL is a man of few words, so Mr. Bean is always surprised when he comes home and I am talking to his dad. <br />
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I am overwhelmed with the amount of love and support we've received from friends and family. Especially Mr. Bean's family. I get calls/texts/emails all the time from friends, uncles, aunties and cousins just checking to see how I am feeling. While I don't always feel like talking - the morning sickness has been worse for me in the evening - I can't tell you how much I appreciate their thoughts and kindness. I know the "highly anticipated" - as my MIL says - Baby Bean will be loved wherever we take him/her. And that means the world to me. <br />
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Now on to my August obsessions. <br />
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<b>The Olympics</b>. I missed July's obsessions post in a big way, but I can tell you the only obsession I had. Because it carries over to this month's obsessions list: The Olympics. Mr. Bean and I <b>LOVE</b> the Olympics. I pretty much cry every day at least once. Love hearing the athletes' stories. Love seeing the athletes getting their medals. Love hearing the national anthem. Love the competition.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{image via <a href="http://glossandglam.com/blog/in-honor-of-the-summer-olympics-butters-london-collection/">Gloss and Glam</a>}</td></tr>
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<b>butter LONDON. </b>And speaking of the Olympics, my friend gave me this <a href="http://www.butterlondon.com/gifts-packs/heavy-medal-trio">Heavy Medal Collection</a> from butter London as a gift. <i>Too cute.</i> <a href="http://www.butterlondon.com/">butter LONDON</a> is an eco-friendly nail polish line that I'm quickly becoming obsessed with. I have used all three colors and can't decide which is my favorite yet. But, I think I will have to start stocking up on other colors because me likey. Find out where you can buy their products <a href="http://www.butterlondon.com/locations">here</a>. <br />
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<b>Bob Dylan.</b> I have had an ongoing obsession since about April that I haven't shared since I haven't blogged much. <a href="http://www.amctv.com/shows/mad-men">Mad Men</a>. I started with season one on Netflix and am now down to the final two episodes of season 4. It took a few episodes to grow on me, but I was definitely intrigued with the clothes and the furniture so I pressed on to total obsession. It's a pretty scandalous show and sometimes I find myself yelling at Don Draper hoping he'll hear me, but I can't wait to get started on season 5. I also love the music the show plays as the closing credits roll. Heard this song on one ep and have been listening to Bob ever since. </div>
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That's all for this month. I promise to start working on some more posts! </div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-73197233226635173462012-06-07T21:55:00.001-07:002012-06-08T11:24:36.630-07:00Everyday I'm Rufflin': Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Before we started the wedding planning process, I introduced Julie to the greatness that is The Inspiration Board. I spent hours pulling images from the internet to create inspo boards and color schemes for every event for Julie so she could see what I envisioned all these years for her entire wedding weekend.<i></i> Luckily, she trusted me. She knows I am all about the details. And, luckily, she loved everything. When we started out, Julie didn't know what an inspo board was. At the end of it all, she has recommended it to all her friends that are planning their own weddings. <i>Me so proud. </i><br />
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When I think of Spain, I think ruffles, lace and wrought iron. I wanted to keep to a literal translation of Spain because it was an Indian event. I figured if I didn't go all in-your-face Espana, then the whole Spanish theme that Julie wanted would have gotten lost in the sea of salwars and punjabs. I also wanted a touch of a rustic look since that was the on-going theme of Julie's entire weekend. <br />
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The details for the mehndi were pretty fab if I do say so myself. I, once again, convinced my dear friend Mandy to do some dirty work. <i>I really don't know what I'd do without Mandy.</i> Between Julie, myself and Mandy, we knocked this party of out the ballpark.<br />
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The location was a spot I'd been to for a friend's sangeet/mehndi night over 6 years ago. It is an old city hall and fire station in a cute part of town. I saved it in my mental Julie file specifically for her mehdni. But, I had forgotten about it until Julie started asking me for ideas for spots because she needed a place close to all her events. Luckily her questions jogged my memory because it was kind of perfect. Very charming.<br />
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After we sent out the<a href="http://www.pint0bean.blogspot.com/2012/02/back-that-card-up.html"> invitations</a>, the first order of business was the <a href="http://www.pint0bean.blogspot.com/2012/05/everyday-im-ruffling.html">backdrop</a>, which you've seen already.<br />
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I worked on the backdrop when I wasn't working on other things with Julie and Mandy. <br />
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The second order of business was the centerpieces. I fell in love with <a href="http://mercinewyork.blogspot.com/2010/11/wedding-inspiration-spanish-modern.html">this </a>photo shoot back in 2010 when <a href="http://mercinewyork.blogspot.com/">Merci</a> featured a tablescape by <a href="http://www.rpscissors.com/">Rock Paper Scissors</a>. I'd tucked the idea away for an event, so I selfishly pressured Julie into letting me do this for the mehndi. Imagine how thrilled I was when I discovered Rock Paper Scissors posted <a href="http://rpscissors.typepad.com/r-p-scissors-blog/2010/11/paper-flower-tutorial.html">a tutorial</a> on them. <i> Best.Day.Ever. </i>Julie wasn't totally convinced because she knew it was going to be very labor intensive, but since cost was a big factor, I talked her into it. I also was thrilled because even though I'd loved the idea from the get-go, it was a <i>huge</i> coincidence that their photo shoot decor was for a Spanish modern event. It was meant to be. <i>Love when that happens. </i><br />
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I caught a sale at Hobby Lobby and bought all the paper in different shades of oranges, yellows, and red. I also pulled from my own stash of cardstock leftover from my wedding. Mandy was our designated tracer. I had planned for only 50 of them, but Mandy squeezed in an additional 18. 68 in total. And since I am all about 'more is more', I was ecstatic. <br />
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I know Julie felt that her time was best spent on other things than cutting paper, so I only made her cut about a third of them so she could see them at the event and know it was all worth it.<br />
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Between Mandy and I, we assembled them all.<br />
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Julie and Mr. Bean kept telling me that even though I kept the costs down, I have to look at what our time was worth. But the impact was pretty amazing. It was worth it to me. And I think Mandy agrees. <br />
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I had them placed everywhere I could in the space. Every where there was a table, I made sure there were flowers.<br />
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The third order of business was the food table. <br />
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Since the night was supposed to be an informal event, I didn't spend a lot of time on the banners, but the crafter in me definitely wanted to include a big welcome for everyone that came into the space. Unfortunately, there was not a good place to hang it, so I had it hung on the food table. I was hesitant to keep all the banners in Spanish since it was an Indian function, but Julie said to keep it authentic and even came up with the idea of saying "Bienvenidos" instead of just "Welcome". Too cute. <br />
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I stitched rolls of yellow and red crepe paper on my sewing machine to resemble ruffles to use as decor anywhere I could on the food and dessert table.<br />
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All the wrought iron decor was literally taken off my sister's walls and off her shelves at home. I literally walked around her house one weekend and took pics of her inventory. Lucky for me, she could see my vision for everything. I kept it simple for the most part and excluded any glass so nothing was broken. She and my BIL were kind enough to drive it down 5 hours for the event. There is nothing like free decor. If she hadn't been so sweet as to let me borrow it for this event, some of it might not have made it back.....just sayin'. <br />
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I had the paper flowers placed all over the food table and included my new favorite decor item. A roll of burlap ribbon. I'm kind of obsessed with burlap anything, so it had to make the table. </div>
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I have a wine crate obsession. I begged, borrowed, and stole 5 wine crates for this event. I am not proud of myself. OK, maybe I am. </div>
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The food table was really festive looking. I wish I could have decorated it with everything I wanted to, but ultimately, I kept it simple and nothing of my sister's was broken so I can't complain. <br />
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Last, but definitely not least, was the last order of business: the dessert table. I envisioned this dessert table when I was raiding my sister's house. I am proud to say it looked even cuter than I imagined. <br />
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Priti wowed everyone again with her cake-abilities and made some dulce de leche flavored cake pops in red, yellow, and orange for the event. She's great at creating some insane flavors and colors to coordinate with your event. These were amazing. As usual. <i>If you are in the Dallas/Frisco area, hit me up. I can put you in touch with her. She'll be glad to work on your event with you. You can see more of her work<a href="http://www.pint0bean.blogspot.com/2012/03/turning-neon.html"> here</a> and <a href="http://www.pint0bean.blogspot.com/2011/04/april-shower-food-and-dessert.html">here</a>. </i><br />
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I used wine crates to give the cake pops some height so they could really show off their cuteness. I just think food tastes better when it is presented well. Not that I had anything to do with how good these cake pops were. :) </div>
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I definitely wanted to include the ruffled crepe paper on the cake pop display. That was actually why I spent the time to ruffle crepe paper. The bins for the utensils and the front of the food table was just bonus.<br />
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For the banners, I cut the tops of some red heart paper doilies and attached them to jute twine. Instead of food labels, I made miniature banners to match the other banners and attached them to twine as well.<br />
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I don't have a better close up of it, but I draped some rope around the wrought iron. You can see it here. It is actually old sari fabric that was made into a rope. I bought these at the Quilt Festival last year specifically for Julie's mehndi. <i> I had the color scheme already in my head even then. </i><br />
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I included some flowers where I could. You can see the food label banners here as well. </div>
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Again, here was another banner and the sari rope. <i>Postres</i> in Spanish means desserts. <br />
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We included some mango and pineapple empanadas from a local bakery on the dessert table as well as churros. If you've been to Spain, you know churros y chocolate are a must.<br />
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I kept the actual food labels simple with some cardstock left over from the <a href="http://www.pint0bean.blogspot.com/2012/02/back-that-card-up.html">invitations</a> and used the scraps left over from the red paper heart doilies to embellish it. <br />
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Unfortunately, I never got a shot of the favors at the event, but I will include a post on all the gift wrapping for the wedding shortly. <br />
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All in all, I was extremely proud of this event. I am usually second guessing myself on every detail and I have to bug my friends and my Seester about everything I am unsure about - which is everything. I constantly berate myself and constantly worry what people will think. If it will look cheesy. Or cheap. But this time I think I was too busy with all the other details of the wedding to bother myself with second guessing. So I am proud that I just did it. It wasn't until the night before the mehndi as I was packing it all up that I thought to myself, "Oh, sh*t. What am I doing? Is it enough?" It was probably the largest event I've styled on the smallest budget. And besides the money talk, I put a lot of work into making this an event people would be talking about. And they did. The biggest compliment I heard was from a friend of the groom that said, "This is not a typical mehndi party. Nothing about this is typical." That's exactly what I wanted to give Julie. <br />
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If you are still with me after this long post, here is the thank you portion of my post.....I can't get by without thanking everyone that helped me.<br />
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Thank you, Sarah, for taking pics of all the details you know I wanted. You're awesome. <br />
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Thank you, Julie, for trusting me to pull off an event like this. Your mehndi. For your wedding. Crazy. Also, thanks for sticking it out and cutting those petals. I purposely didn't give you a ton to do because I was afraid you'd call the whole idea off :) but glad you didn't. I hope you see it was all worth it. <br />
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Thank you, Bhavik, for all your work. Not just that night but all week. I know it sucks to be a brother when your sister is getting married because you get stuck with so much of the grunt work, but you are awesome for putting up with all of us. Thank you for always having kind words for me. I'm sorry I always cry, but you and your family mean the world to me. Thanks for letting me be a part of it all. Love you. <br />
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Thank you, Seester, for helping me set up and keep sane. I know we were under a time crunch - which I don't always handle well - but you kept me focused and kept me from losing it. You are always the best at making me laugh at myself. And thank you for letting me raid your house for your decor. You really should just let me keep it all....for my next event. :)<br />
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Thank you, Priti. You are crazier than I am. :) Thanks for helping me set up while I was frantic. Thanks for trusting me to display your work. Your cake pops were amazing. As usual. We make a good team, me and you. :)<br />
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Thank you, Mandy. I secretly call you for help to get a chance to see you. I know you stretch yourself thin with all your activities, but you always manage to squeeze in time for some hard core craft labor when I ask it of you. And you always stay enthusiastic about it - which even I have a hard time doing sometimes. I really don't know what I'd do without you. </div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-44427348721124061292012-06-07T14:31:00.001-07:002012-06-07T14:31:32.281-07:00June Obsessions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I cannot believe it is already June. I didn't really obsess over too much this time around. I haven't really been playing around on the internet lately. I've mostly been catching up on TV and cleaning out the Bean house. I try to do a good spring clean every year, but sometimes it turns into a summer clean. This time around, I realized I've let my house go the last few months so I am spending some time reorganizing. It is a slow process but I think it will be worth it in the long run. Now, on to my latest obsessions.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{image via <a href="http://www.containerstore.com/">Container Store</a>}</td></tr>
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<b>Shelf Dividers.</b> I am a closet neat freak. I say 'closet' because I tend to jump from completely organized to insanely messy if I don't have enough time to put everything back exactly where it is supposed to go. So Container store is kind of my guilty pleasure shopping spot. I could spend all of my life savings at Container Store. Sometimes during lunch, my mom and I will just go and walk the aisles and dream of a perfectly organized Container Store home. Since I'm doing some reorganizing, I've been hanging out at Container Store a lot more. These <a href="http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10004079&N=&Ntt=shelf+dividers">shelf dividers</a> make me smile. I swear I invented these in my head years ago. It drives me crazy when my towels and linens get thrown around in the closet. The shelf dividers maintain my sanity. It keeps all my towels from spilling over onto my teal towels and my tea towels separate from my napkins. I couldn't be happier. They come in <a href="http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10029303&N=&Ntt=shelf+dividers">tall </a>as well for that very top shelf. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNslIHQ3Iss/T9EbNbGeGoI/AAAAAAAADxE/tQq_8RkMoXU/s1600/ModCentury-bundle-450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNslIHQ3Iss/T9EbNbGeGoI/AAAAAAAADxE/tQq_8RkMoXU/s400/ModCentury-bundle-450.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{image via <a href="http://www.fatquartershop.com/store/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?sid=9930671720589930&Store_id=499&page_id=23&Item_ID=73533&Parent_Ids=">Fat Quarter Shop</a>}</td></tr>
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<b>Mod Century by Jenn Ski.</b> I've been reading <a href="http://jennskistudio.blogspot.com/">Jenn Ski's blog</a> for a several years now. Love her mid century aesthetic and I am a <i>huge</i> fan of her artwork. And her home. It's Mad Men pimp. She's now got a fabric line out thru Moda. And it is pretty fantastic. I'm going to need 5 yards of every one of those prints, please.<br />
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<b>Next to Me, </b><b>Emeli Sande. </b><b> </b>I heard this the other day and couldn't stop singing it in my head. Love it. You'll have to click thru to You Tube to hear it, but it's worth the trouble. <br />
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That's all I have this month. I hope everyone is staying cool. It seems like every time I make peace with the summer humidity, it gets hotter and more humid. Bleh. But, hopefully, Mr. Bean and I can take a break soon and head to the pacific northwest to cool off. Hopefully that's very soon. </div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-91630479036457555902012-06-04T06:00:00.000-07:002012-06-04T16:14:50.528-07:00HB2Me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I promise I will return to the crafty posts shortly. I have been busy at work and lazy at home which has been a good combo so far. <br />
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I turn 35 this month and it doesn't make me cringe like I thought it would 10 years ago. Maybe that will happen when I turn 40. Because just typing 40 makes me kind of cringe. I thought I'd share some things with you that I've learned over these 35 hard-headed years of mine. From being a bad judge of character. From being a good judge of character. From making a lot of mistakes. From watching my friends make mistakes. From watching a lot of reality TV. There are a lot of life lessons to be learned from reality TV. <i>That should be #36 on the list. </i>This is a growing list, so maybe when I turn 40 I will have a few more to share with you. But for now, here are 35 things I've learned in 35 years.<br />
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1. The truth always hurts.<br />
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2. Listen to your friends. They see things you don't want to see.<br />
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3. There is a reason why he is called your first love. There will be others. Let go and then just be patient.<br />
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4. Life is short. Never take your friends or family for granted. You never know when they will be taken away from you. <br />
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5. Jealousy = immaturity + insecurity. <br />
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6. Some people will never change. <br />
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7. When you are young, you have a long list of things a guy must be in order for him to be The One. The older you get, the list becomes things the guy must <i>not</i> be in order for him to be The One. When you meet The One, all lists go out the window. <br />
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8. Make sure everything you have on your (above) list of are things you can live up to as well. <br />
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9. An Oprah gem: Kids need to think that you care before they care what you think. This can also say <i>people</i> need to think that you care before they care what you think. <br />
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10. 'Should of,' 'would of,' 'could of' never gets anyone anywhere.<br />
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11. You can learn a lot from a dog....<br />
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(a). Always be happy to see your loved ones no matter how long it's been since you've seen them.<br />
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(b). Even a bump on the road can be a good thing....like as a good pillow for a <strike>cat</strike> nap. <br />
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(c). Always see the fun in things. Make time to play. <br />
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(d). Loyalty is underrated.<br />
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(e). There's nothing like a good walk. <br />
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(f). There's nothing like a good nap.<br />
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(g). Love like a dog loves. Unconditionally.<br />
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(h). When someone keeps pulling at your tail, don't be afraid to snap at them. Translation: You should aim to be the bigger person and turn the other cheek, but at some point you need to just stick up for yourself and not let them keep walking all over you. <br />
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(i). Stay hungry. Stay foolish. <i>Steve jobs said it, but dogs live it everyday. </i><br />
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12. 'When people show you who they are, believe them.' <i>Maya Angelou knows what she is talking about.</i><br />
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13. What goes around always, always, always comes around.<br />
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14. A smile can do wonders. <br />
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15. Your relationship will never mature if both of you choose to keep acting immature. Grow up or get out of it. <br />
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16. If you don't treat <i>him</i> that way, then you shouldn't let him treat <i>you</i> that way. <br />
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17. Self confidence is more beautiful than anything you can buy. Wear it. Show it. <br />
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18. Self respect is better than anything he could pretend to give you. Respect yourself enough to know when you don't need him in your life.<br />
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19. You can forgive someone, but that doesn't mean you have to forget what they've done to you.<br />
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20. Another gem from Oprah: You teach people how to treat you. <br />
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21. Relationships should be simple. You shouldn't have to explain it. If you have to explain it, it's not the right relationship for you. <br />
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22. If you can't introduce him to your friends, then you are not with the right guy.<br />
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23. Take ownership of your mistakes and say you are sorry. It's not that hard. <br />
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24. You are not entitled to <i>anything</i>. Earn it. It makes you appreciate what you have in the long run.<br />
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25. He can't read your mind. Actually, no one can. <br />
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26. Parents actually know what they are talking about. Take their advice more often. <br />
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27. You deserve to be happy everyday. A gem from Ronnie of Jersey Shore. <br />
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28. If he tells you he doesn't see himself ever getting married, he really means he doesn't see himself ever marrying <i>you</i>. See #1.<br />
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29. Regarding worry: All you have is today. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow isn't here yet. From my pastor, Ben Young. <br />
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30. Believe in something.<br />
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31. If it's not working, you can't always fix it.<br />
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32. When you are always giving and he is always taking, you are the one that always end up empty handed.<br />
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33. 'Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.' A quote by Carrie Fisher that has stuck with me.
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34. Haters gonna hate. <br />
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35. Be yourself. It may take a while to figure out who you are, but once you find out, just be. </div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-44171147466652199442012-05-15T13:12:00.000-07:002012-06-07T21:53:02.670-07:00Everyday I'm Rufflin': Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Julie and I have talked about her wedding events on and off for several years. She spent a semester abroad in Spain and met two of her best friends there. When she said she wanted a Spanish themed mehndi night, I thought it was the perfect way to start off the weekend....celebrating some of Julie's journeys while celebrating her new journey as a Mrs. <br />
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Over the years, I've filed away several ideas for a backdrop for the mehndi. All of them were extremely labor intensive. But, I don't mind putting in a little elbow grease when the time calls for it. So I just kept them filed away in my wish list for Julie's wedding decor. I had all materials listed out and the cost breakdown for a beautiful backdrop I was going to make for Julie's mehndi when I came across a photo shoot one day while clicking my life away on the internet. Suddenly all the elements we discussed these past few months came together. <i>Love when that happens</i>. I needed that backdrop for Julie's mehndi. <i> I wish I could post a pic of the photo shoot, but I never saved the source info so I am hesitant to post it without giving proper credit. </i> It actually wasn't a Spanish themed photo shoot at all. It was just pretty and the backdrop just caught my eye. I showed it to Julie and she was won over. Since she wanted to keep costs down for that event, I told her I could make it myself in the colors we chose for the mehndi.<br />
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When we went to India, she and I poured over tons of bolts of fabric at a <a href="http://www.pint0bean.blogspot.com/2012/02/material-girl.html">sari matching store</a> and picked out the colors we wanted.<br />
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We chose 11 different shades of colors in our color scheme. I brought this fabric back with me from India in a backpack along with a large wooden elephant for my seester. <i>Actually that is the elephant in the background.</i> It looks like all pretty and cute here, but after a couple of hours of carrying them around, I felt like I was in an Iron Man competition. It took me a few weeks to forgive it. But we worked it out and now there are no hard feelings.<br />
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When I told my idea to <a href="http://mustlovecraft.blogspot.com/">Anita</a>, she cleverly sent me a DIY link of how to make it. I won't make this a true DIY post because there are <a href="https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1AFAB_enUS448US469&aq=f&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=ruffled+curtain+DIY">plenty</a> out there - I was just going to wing it and then beg her and my grandma for advice - so I will just show you all the pretty pictures of the process. There are a ton of pictures but I didn't want to play favorites. <br />
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I didn't actually follow any one particular DIY. It was more long brainstorming sessions with my mom and of course, Anita. <i>After this little project of mine, I am surprised Anita still answers my phone calls. Probably because she knows I know where she lives. I am not above pulling a <strike>Single</strike> Married Brown Female stunt when I need help.</i><br />
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<b>The Cutting Process.</b> <span style="color: orange; font-style: italic;"> </span><b>6 Hours. </b>I am always scared to cut fabric. Especially when I know that if I mess up, I cannot fly back to India to get more fabric. So, I had my Seester help me get started.<br />
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And notice I made her start the cutting for me. <i>Tnanks, Seester</i>. I probably did this the long way - pun intended - but I wanted to make sure that every row was exactly the same width. <br />
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<b>The Hemming Process. 14 1/2 hours. </b>I discovered the<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rolled-Hem-Foot-P55607-Singer/dp/B00083KWSY/ref=pd_sim_ac_2"> narrow hem foot </a>when I was trying to find a shortcut to hemming. I had about 280 feet of fabric to hem. Not only am I not fond of hemming, I am horrible at it. The two probably go hand in hand, but I wanted the hems to look perfect, so I played around with this hem foot for about 3 days so I could get used to it.<br />
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Look how perfect it looks.</div>
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And how narrow it is. I felt like a professional. </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Yeah, that was just some gratuitous shots of the fabric. The colors were fun to work with. </span></div>
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This was the final product. There were 17 rows total. I was tempted to just leave it at this because I was just so proud of myself, but I forged ahead. <br />
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It was here that I realized that they shorted me on fabric. I was shorted an entire meter of fabric on one color and about 2' of fabric on 2 other colors. So, after <strike>first</strike> my mental breakdown, I made peace with the fabric man and moved on. <br />
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Besides, look how pretty all the thread looked together. It was hard to stay mad. <br />
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<b>The Ruffling. 4.5 hours. </b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Distinctive-Ruffler-Sewing-Machine-Presser/dp/B003265EX2/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1336013010&sr=1-1-catcorr">This</a> ruffle foot made my <a href="http://www.pint0bean.blogspot.com/2012/05/may-obsessions.html">May Obsessions</a> because of this little project of mine. If I hadn't discovered it, I know the few hours I spent ruffling would have doubled, if not tripled. <i> Total life saver. </i>Anita and I made a play date of it and played with it for a couple of hours and I spent two days getting used to the the different settings.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;"><i>More gratuitous shots of the ruffling process. </i>This was probably the most fun part of the entire process. Besides talking to Anita about it all, of course.</span></div>
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As I finished ruffling each row, I just layed them on top of my ironing board. </div>
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I felt honored to be in the presence of all those ruffles. I kind of wanted to sleep in them. <br />
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<b>The Back Sheet. 9 hours. </b>I don't have any snaps of the back sheet because they were pretty boring to look at. This is where I attached all the ruffles. To make it the size I needed, I basically quilted pieces together. To cut down on costs, I asked Julie to give me some old bed sheets from her parents' motel. In hindsight, I would not do that again. I spent quite a bit of time squaring off the sheets as they were not the same size. Washing them had taken it's toll on the size. The biggest challenge I had was space. I do not have a huge home and we were storing most of Julie's wedding stuff in my house. And - the second biggest challenge - I assumed the bed sheets were both king sized. One was a queen and one a king. I was not amused when I discovered this after I spent quite a few hours stitching it all together. It took several more hours to lengthen and square it all off a second time after I added the length and width I needed. I only hemmed the sides during this part of the process and waited to hem the bottom after I was done stitching the ruffles on.<br />
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<b>The Pinning Process. 11 hours. </b>This process involved another mental breakdown. I discovered that each color was a different width. I knew there was going to be a minor difference in measurements simply because of the conversion of meters to yards (to feet to inches). After I cut the rows, I never measured all of them. Only the dark red. I assumed they were the same width: 8 3/4". Biggest.Mistake.Of.My.Life. And that says something. They were each between 1/2" to 1 3/4" different from each other. Hence my second mental breakdown. The way I planned to pin it all together wasn't going to work. So I had to measure and pin it all the way across about every 4" to make sure that each row showed 7" of fabric. If I measured it every 6", it wouldn't stay straight.<br />
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It took over 350 pins for this top half. And you can see my pimped out set up. I grabbed anything I could that had any weight at all to help me keep everything layed out properly so I could keep my lines straight. Including some of the items we were including in the welcome bags. :)<br />
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I cut the back sheet into two pieces once I was done pinning the ruffles down on the top half. Anita had just finished making a quilt, so when I asked her how I was going to stitch all of this on my little sewing machine in my little sewing area - the weight of it intimidated me as well as the size - she recommended cutting it in half and then quilting the two pieces together after I was done stitching it all. This was probably the best idea she's ever had because all of that fabric was not easy to maneuver. <br />
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<b>The Stitching Process. 14 hours. </b>This process took a lot longer than anticipated. And when you get to sewing, time flies by a lot quicker than you want it to. I went really slow since it had more pins in it than a JoAnn's and because the back sheet kept gathering and pinching. So it was a lot of pulling and tugging to get it all straight while keeping the back sheet flat. I had to rip out quite a few seams and start over. The third mental breakdown.<br />
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But, it looked like a peacock was coming to life in my craft room, so the third breakdown didn't last as long as the others. <br />
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The top half after the ruffles were stitched. If you want a size reference, that is a full size bed. It spilled over the sides of the bed about 2' of loveliness on each side. </div>
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And the bottom half after the ruffles were stitched. I went ahead and hemmed the bottom of the back sheet here.<br />
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BTW, if you want to know what those hot pink post-it notes are for, it was my way to track everything. A post it note was pinned to each row and contained the row number, the fabric color number I gave it and the thread color number. I also included the row's number in it's color, like "1 of 3." Meaning the 1st row of this color out of 3 rows total.
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<b>The Finishing Process. 5 hours. </b>This process involved stitching the curtain rod pocket and stitching both large pieces together.<br />
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I jumped the gun and screwed up the right way to do the curtain rod pocket. It was definitely a make-it-work moment. I had to revert to some ghetto sewing techniques, but it got done.
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Not to shabby, though, eh?<br />
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<b>The Party Process. </b><i><b> Still going on. </b></i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{Thanks for the awesome pic, Sarah}</td></tr>
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The finished product. This is my beautiful friend Kelly standing in front of the backdrop the night of the mehndi. The final dimension was roughly 8' wide by 10' high. Or as I like to say 8' of love and 10' of sweat. After it was all said and done, the cutting and sewing process took me<b> </b>63.5 hours in total. I started it in February and finished it in April, a week and a half before the wedding. <br />
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I'm not going to lie. When I finished it, I sat down on the floor, rolled over, and cried like a baby. Like an ugly baby. It was the ugliest, ugly cry face ever and I kept it going for about 30 min. Mr. Bean didn't know what to do with me. He kept asking me why I was crying. When I could talk I told him it was because I was just flat out proud of myself. The size of it alone made me feel like I had accomplished something big. And seeing that very first picture I posted next to this picture of Kelly makes me feel like a proud mama.<br />
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I think most DIY-ers know that often times the brainstorming and research and planning often takes longer than the actual making. This process was no different. I had <i>so many</i> <strike>mental breakdowns</strike> hiccups. And so many learning lessons. And so many ah-ha moments. I didn't keep track of that time because when you work on something of this scale, it basically occupies your mind night and day. And your friend's, too, if you have a friend like Anita. So, thank you, Anita, for allowing me to put you on my speed dial thru it all. But, man. It was all worth it, wasn't it?<br />
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There are a million more pictures of the mehndi to come. This one just got it's own post because, well, it deserved it's own. :)</div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-36344923224423213302012-05-02T20:04:00.001-07:002012-05-02T20:04:50.093-07:00May Obsessions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm working on a crafty post for you, I promise. But, I figured since it is officially May that I would start the month off right with a post on my latest obsessions.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{image via <a href="http://amazon.com/">Amazon</a>}</td></tr>
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<b>OPI: Samoan Sand.</b> I thought about this as I was getting my nails done for Julie's wedding. I don't typically get manicures because I get antsy with the all the small movements and poking and prodding. I feel like I am being restrained and slowly tortured. Like the torture where they just drop tiny droplets of water on you until you go insane. I know. Dramatic. But I really do get sort of a claustrophobic<i> get-me-out-of-here</i> feeling when someone is doing my nails. Anyway, I usually do my own nails and I used to be forever searching for that perfect everyday nail polish. This has been my go-to nail polish for at least 5 years. Probably twice that if I really thought about it. One coat on top of a clear base coat always does the trick. I used to buy countless bottles of nail polish trying to find that perfect shade of a neutral-but-not-too-pink-and-not-too-tan-and-not-too-white. This is it. I always have at least 3 bottles at home for fear of it being discontinued and any time I see it in the stores, I pick up another bottle when I can because it is often sold out. So, stock up. If it gets a little old/thick, just add a drop or two of nail polish remover into the bottle and shake it up. It's just like new. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{image via <a href="http://www.sewmamasew.com/">Sew Mama Sew</a>}</td></tr>
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<b>Summersville fabric designed by Lucie Summers for Moda Fabrics. </b>I am 100% <i>obsessed </i>with <a href="http://www.sewmamasew.com/store/summersville-by-lucie-summers--CLSUMMERSVILLE.html">this</a> fabric collection. I have been eyeing it pretty much everyday. I will add like 40 yards of it into my cart and then dream of all the things I want to make with it. *sigh* I don't know if I can pick favorites, so the only answer is to buy out <a href="http://www.sewmamasew.com/">Sew Mama Sew</a>'s stock. I want it all. And I want it now. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{image via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Distinctive-Ruffler-Sewing-Machine-Presser/dp/B003265EX2/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1336013010&sr=1-1-catcorr">Amazon</a>}</td></tr>
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<b>Ruffle Foot. </b>Seeing ruffles makes me giddy. Making them....not so much. I was asking my mom if there was a shortcut for making ruffles and she practically disowned me she so disgusted. <i>You'll see why I was asking in my next post.</i> But then I found <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Distinctive-Ruffler-Sewing-Machine-Presser/dp/B003265EX2/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1336013010&sr=1-1-catcorr">this</a> ruffle foot and I became her second favorite daughter once again. I didn't know there was such a contraption but man, did it save my life. It makes ruffles in half the time it usually takes. My aunts and my grandma were even impressed. Now I kind of want to ruffle everything. Just doing what I can to make the world a cuter place to live.... <br />
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<b>White Stripes. Icky Thump.</b> When I have a big project to work on, I always rely on my good friends The White Stripes to keep me going. With all the wedding stuff going on, I've had the Icky Thump<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Icky-Thump-The-White-Stripes/dp/B000OYC3J8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1336011851&sr=8-2"> album</a> on repeat for about a month now. Especially<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xsF9fHdAfo&feature=related"> this song</a>. There are very few bands I can listen to over and over again and not get sick of them. Love me some White Stripes. While we are on the topic...have you heard their cover of<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4rYaLBUpLA&feature=relmfu"> Jolene</a>? Kind of fantastic. <br />
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That's it for May! </div>
</div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-51901679883595902142012-04-30T10:18:00.000-07:002012-04-30T10:18:17.807-07:00Still Here<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'm still here. I haven't been able to relax after the wedding like I thought I would. I have sat in front of my computer at home many times so that I can get a post ready but as soon as I sit down my neglected shows that have been sitting on my DVR for the past 3 months keep beckoning me and I am too weak to ignore them. But, I will start working on a post for you this week. </div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-10333494632380208352012-04-17T17:09:00.001-07:002012-04-24T14:19:31.468-07:00It is finished<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, my friends, it is finished. Julie's wedding was this past weekend. If you've been reading my blog recently, you'll know that her wedding has dominated my mind, my time, and the Bean household. It was a long, awesome weekend. Ultimately, I felt much like <a href="http://youtu.be/DLDFOzB2iHc?t=13s">this </a>as I was leaving the reception Saturday night. <i>What an amazing feeling</i>. <br />
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Over the next few posts, I'll be sharing some of the details that I (and others) made for the weekend. I've been holding out on you so as to keep everything a surprise. I am so, so, so excited to finally share all the details with you. Just give me some time to recuperate. I realized I am not as young as I used to be when I woke up Sunday morning. But, I would totally do it all over again....</div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-81339575676471482132012-04-04T14:34:00.002-07:002012-05-15T13:45:01.004-07:00April Obsessions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The countdown has begun. My friend Julie's wedding starts next Thursday. I've been basically running on coffee fumes the last few days as I aim to get everything done by this weekend so I can enjoy Billy Bean's visit for Easter Weekend. Sometimes when I wake up sore from working all night, I wonder how I get myself involved in these situations. But then I remember. Oh yeah. Because I love it. In two weeks, I'll be going thru withdrawal, so I'm not complaining.<br />
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I've haven't had much time to myself lately but I figured I'd share the two things I've been obsessing over lately. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{image via <a href="http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11502553">Costco</a>}</td></tr>
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<b>Cannoli. </b> This obsession popped up out of no where. It started out as an innocent, lazy Friday night. I didn't have time to cook so Mr. Bean looked up a new pizza place that delivers and decided to order a couple of cannoli as well. Ever since then I cannot stop thinking about them. My first cannoli was in NYC at <a href="http://www.ferraracafe.com/home.php">Ferrara's</a>. Mr. Bean and I actually stood in line for these cannoli and had just started asking ourselves why when we got the chance to bite into one. Deliciousness. I don't know why cannoli don't get more love. The crispy shell and the creamy inside. Yum. And they just look so cute all wrapped up in their flaky blankets. If you want to be hardcore, order some from Ferrara's. They ship. It's pricey but worth it. Me? I keep looking at their website everyday wondering if I should commit to a dozen. Because I know I'll eat them all. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{image via <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1606375/">IMDB</a>}</td></tr>
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<b>Downton Abbey.</b> I've heard people talk about <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/index.html">Downton Abbey</a> here and there, but I don't like picking things up after it's been on a few seasons. And then one night my life was forever changed. I was flipping thru the TV guide looking for something to listen to while I was doing some repetitive craft work for Julie's wedding and decided to check out Downton Abbey on Netflix. I thought I would check out the first episode just to see what it was all about but then I watched the second episode. And then the third. In one night. And now I am absolutely obsessed. I even had Mr. Bean pretending not to watch it. So.Good.<br />
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Alright, that's all I have this month. I gotta get to work. I can't wait to show you all the things I've been working on these last 3 months. But, until then, I think I'm going to go look at some pictures of more cannoli online. I know. I'm a simple girl with simple thoughts. </div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-613540556514258992012-03-28T13:47:00.001-07:002012-05-10T14:55:32.456-07:00Turning Neon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I want you to meet my friend <a href="http://virtuouswrongdoing.wordpress.com/">Sarah</a>. She's kind of a big deal. We met, oh, 23 years ago? She was 9. I was 11. She and her sister Kelly had a collection of Keds any kid would die for. And don't get me started on their school supplies. They were the envy of the school, I tell you. Well, maybe not the<i> entire</i> school, but after seeing Kelly whip out the most awesome pencil case we'd ever seen, me and my seester pretty much knew we'd all be friends for life. </div>
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Sarah is always armed with amazing ideas. Her creativity astounds me. She and I tend to egg each other on when it comes to the "more is more" quotient, so when I was crying about not having time to do anything for the shower, she offered to help me. And I couldn't love her more for it. When I told her I was thinking of doing a neon color scheme, she jumped on board with lots of <strike>office </strike>supplies in hand. Literally. She flew from Seattle with a basically a carry-on of goodies for the shower. </div>
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Julie wanted a shower that was "fun" and not ultra feminine, I took advantage since I've always wanted to throw a party filled with stuff from <a href="http://www.confettisystem.com/">Confetti System</a>. Luckily, Sarah loves them, too. I say 'luckily' because she and Kelly spent a quite a few hours making CS style tassels for the party. Sarah and I share a passion for large balloons, <a href="http://geronimoballoons.com/">Geronimo</a> style so that was a must at this party. And we were also in love with <a href="http://bklynbrideonline.com/18122/wedding-inspiration/neon-wedding-inspiration-decor/">this</a> photo shoot. So, put them together, add Sarah, and this is what happens.... </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KE1Y6rMM6C8/T3No8qIRAPI/AAAAAAAADPA/erHBcLmmGGA/s1600/Copy+of+Julie%27s+Bridal+Shower+033+wm-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267px" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KE1Y6rMM6C8/T3No8qIRAPI/AAAAAAAADPA/erHBcLmmGGA/s400/Copy+of+Julie%27s+Bridal+Shower+033+wm-001.jpg" width="400px" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The dessert bar.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">You didn't think I'd have a party and not involve Priti, did you? Yes, my friends, Priti put on another</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><a href="http://pint0bean.blogspot.com/2011/04/april-shower-food-and-dessert.html" style="text-align: left;">insane display of desserts</a><span style="text-align: left;">. O.M.G. The things this woman can do with desserts makes me speechless. And if you know me, you know that hardly ever happens. </span><span style="text-align: left;">If you need to take a moment please do. And take your time. The backdrop was pretty fantastic. When we put it up, we all sort of got giddy. </span></div>
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The champagne bar.<b> </b> Julie<i> loves </i>champagne cocktails so this was a DIY champagne bar. Check out the detail over the windows if you can get beyond the sunlight. Sarah's idea. Looks like the<a href="http://pint0bean.blogspot.com/2012/02/neon-crafternoon.html"> invites</a>. She's a clever one, that Sarah. So we took it to the tables as well. More is more. </div>
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The food table. Sarah made the awesome artwork with artist's tape. <br />
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The whole set up. I'm still giddy. </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The balloons. I can't take it. They are too cute. </span></div>
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A full shot of the dessert bar. Look at all the color! <br />
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And another shot of the dessert table. Priti, me love you long time. </div>
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Pink velvet cake push pops. Seriously. And chocolate bark. And don't forget the chocolate cake shooters there on the bottom right. Can dessert get any cuter than this?? <br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">Brownies and Prit's famous cake pops. I'm going to need to get a napkin. I'm drooling again. Pretty soon, I'm going to start drooling everytime I see Priti. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Let's get a better look at those cake pops. Peanut butter chocolate chip. Would it be cheesy to say 'amaze balls'? </span></div>
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Petits fours. Need I say more? I've always wanted to attend a party where they serve things on little spoons. I can check that off my bucket list. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WeFu5EF9x_8/T3NzO3TonqI/AAAAAAAADQo/w6Ya5TK22ZU/s1600/Julie%27s+Bridal+Shower+038+wm-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267px" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WeFu5EF9x_8/T3NzO3TonqI/AAAAAAAADQo/w6Ya5TK22ZU/s400/Julie%27s+Bridal+Shower+038+wm-001.jpg" width="400px" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">It's never truly a party without food labels. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">It's never truly a party without wrapped plasticware. Martha would be proud. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The decor outside. She texted me a picture of these while she was at Home Depot and asked, "Am I crazy?" I was like "</span><i style="text-align: left;">Crazy awesome!!!</i><span style="text-align: left;">" These are neon flags that you might typically see on construction sites. Just not as cute. But for this party, it lined the pathway to awesomeness. </span></div>
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We couldn't leave the living room untouched. Sarah came up with this awesome idea to cover up Kelly's existing artwork and make something that fit our color scheme a bit better. Too cute. </div>
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Closeup of the fireplace. <i>Love. </i></div>
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My seester was in charge of getting flowers for the event. And, yeah, they were kind of awesome. </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">We decorated the dining table with flowers, paper rosettes and streamers. Once again, my friend Mandy was involved in the labor portion of this as well. I'm pretty sure between her and Sarah, if they never see another score board again, they could die happy. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Kelly has a beautiful buffet, so this was our ode to the post-it note wall. This is also where we kept the favors and prizes for games. Julie is hardly ever seen without a shawl, so for the prizes, I bought some brightly colored shawls that went with the color scheme. </span></div>
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The favors. Julie is always all about her lip balm, so we packaged up some lip balm for everyone to take home. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wr644OkuKII/T3twc2fLekI/AAAAAAAADWQ/dBCnqRa7OFw/s1600/2012-03-04+Julie%27s+Bridal+Shower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wr644OkuKII/T3twc2fLekI/AAAAAAAADWQ/dBCnqRa7OFw/s400/2012-03-04+Julie%27s+Bridal+Shower.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">The photobooth. Julie is the queen of the camera. She is known for her love of taking pictures. So we had to include a photo booth. Sarah spotted this fabric that I had in my </span><strike style="text-align: justify;">archives</strike><span style="text-align: justify;"> stash and it was kind of perfect for the backdrop. Sometimes you need a second set of eyes to help you see that you have a fabulous party in the making with stuff you already have around the house. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Go on over to Sarah's <a href="http://virtuouswrongdoing.wordpress.com/">blog</a> to get the nitty gritty on all the supplies! </span></div>
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I can't forget to thank my seester. She always has to hear my woes and insecurities and everything else that goes with the pressure of planning an event. So, thanks for always listening to me, Seester. And thanks for the awesome flowers and staying up later than you probably wanted to help us set up. You are my better half. </div>
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Thanks again, Mandy. I'm pretty sure I'm going to overstay my welcome with your craft labor pretty soon. But, I hope it's not until after the wedding. </div>
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HUGE props to Kelly for letting us take over her house. She was a good sport about us taking over her living room and dining room and kitchen and office and making tassels and cutting tape and well, she was a good sport about everything.. And she was 7 months pregnant at the time. So, thank you, thank you, <i>thank you</i>, Kelly. You are a rockstar in my book. </div>
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Thank you, Priti. You <i>really</i> outdid yourself with this one. I always love working with you on parties because I know that you care about the little things just as much as I do. And whether you can make amazing cake balls or not, that puts you on my top 10 list of favorite people ever. But the cake balls help. Just sayin'. ;) <i>If you happen to be in the Dallas area and you want to make your party fabulous, contact me and I'll put you in touch with Priti. She does more than just desserts. I think her work speaks for itself. </i></div>
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Thank you, Sarah. I cannot really tell you how much I appreciate how much you helped me. I kind of owe you my life. Or at least my craft room. You started out as just being Kelly's little sister, but over the years I feel like you've turned into my little sister. Love you. When are you moving back home? We could make beautiful parties together.... </div>
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</div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-8484305253119467472012-03-22T13:40:00.000-07:002012-04-23T13:59:39.397-07:00Back to the Hotel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello, there! I wanted to show you one last detail of Julie's wedding invitations that we are quite proud of and then I promise to move on. This was definitely a product of a brainstorming session between Julie and I. The problem? How to include the hotel information with the invitations without it looking ugly/ghetto/cheap. The solution? Make something awesome. What else did you expect?? <br />
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Julie's mind is a spreadsheet. That's how she thinks. That is how she works. That is how she stays organized. She asked me if including a spreadsheet of all the hotel info would look ugly. I bluntly told her yes. So she challenged me to come up with a better way to present the information. I accepted the challenge. Only, when I saw the information, the best way to present it <i>was</i> with a spreadsheet. Boo for it having to be functional. So, I kept thinking about it and then came up with this idea. Kelly and I did something similar for her wedding programs, so I just adapted it to Julie's spreadsheet and voila! Pure genius. OK, maybe I'm going overboard with the genius stuff, but I think it is pretty clever. Yay for it being able to be functional <i>and</i> pretty!<br />
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We entered the spreadsheet onto an 8 1/2 x 11 paper so we'd get two to a page. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_nmEY_tQhKQ/T2t5Ih9cDeI/AAAAAAAADK4/-Hsr62VTH-0/s1600/Julie+Invites+057+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_nmEY_tQhKQ/T2t5Ih9cDeI/AAAAAAAADK4/-Hsr62VTH-0/s400/Julie+Invites+057+wm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We then used a score board and scored the paper.<br />
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Cut it in half and patted ourselves on the back that it actually worked. I was pretty particular that all the folds coincided with the beginning of a column so there was no folds over text. Functional? Check.<br />
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Then it came down to the making it pretty part. I bought cardstock that matched the outer and inner envelopes. <br />
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I then used my Silhouette to write "Hotel Information"on them in the same font we used on the invites.<br />
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Now, I realize the Silhouette has it's own <a href="http://www.amazon.com/QuicKutz-SILH-PEN-START-Accessories-Silhouette-Starter/dp/B001E5326E/ref=sr_1_2?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1332444773&sr=1-2">sketch pens</a>. And now they have come out with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Silhouette-Metallic-Sketch-Pen-Pack/dp/B0046BQ28I/ref=sr_1_1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1332444773&sr=1-1">metallic sketch pens</a>, but I didn't want to pay the price of those sketch pens and to have to wait for them to be shipped to me. Especially because I didn't know how far the ink on one sketch pen will go, so I didn't want to get into the guessing game of how many sketch pens I needed. I am also OCD and didn't know if the gold sketch pen would match the gold in the invitations, so I bought gold pens that best matched the invites, and used my own pens.<br />
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I also realize that the Silhouette has a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/QuicKutz-SILHOUETTE-Ballpoint-Pen-Holder/dp/B003X3QW5I">pen holder</a>. But, for the price, again, I didn't want to have to pay for it and then have to wait for it to be shipped to me. So. This is what I did...<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E9FoW6oDhto/T2t9LbGsJeI/AAAAAAAADLQ/pn-IivIY730/s1600/Julie+Invites+098+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E9FoW6oDhto/T2t9LbGsJeI/AAAAAAAADLQ/pn-IivIY730/s400/Julie+Invites+098+wm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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If you see a sketch pen, it looks like a short, fat pen. That is because the carrier that holds it only holds things that are about 1/2" wide. So, I basically took some thick cardstock and rolled it around my pen until it fit the carrier snugly. Then I taped it pretty well together.<br />
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When I put it inside the carrier, I taped it to the carrier as well. I've used a sketch pen before, and the cap of the pen always pops off or loosens a bit as the Silhouette is working, which makes Pintobean very angry. So I've become accustomed to taping pens to the carrier just to prevent it from messing up whatever it is I am working on.<br />
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The only trick is to get the pressure of the pen right since you are not using a pen holder. This is probably where it is smart to have the pen holder, but I'm not really known for taking short cuts. <i>Yes, I can admit that, Anita. ;) </i>However, the pen pressure isn't an issue unless you find that the pen is not actually touching the page -- in that case just tap the pen down before you tape it to the carrier -- or unless you are working with<i> really</i> thick cardstock because it has some give to it when the pen hits the paper -- you will know you have it too low when you see the ink blotching.<br />
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The time sucking aspect of this is....the Silhouette is not designed to "print" fonts. It "outlines". Meaning, it simply just traces the outline of the letters you are working on. So, basically when you are using the Silhouette to write or "sketch" words/letters, it traces the outline of the font. Translation: You get empty gaps between the lines that you will need to fill in - unless you like that look. <br />
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I enlarged the lettering on the previous pic so you could see what I am talking about. <br />
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So, once they were all printed, I cut them down and used the same gold pen to fill in the gaps. Then let them sit overnight to dry. <br />
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Then I cut just solid cardstock the same size. So, essentially I had the front and back of what would be little hotel info booklets. I then pasted the cards to the spreadsheets. <br />
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For some added cuteness, Julie was trying to figure out where we could use these paper clips she found.<br />
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I made sure we found a place to use them. <br />
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And that, my friends, is the story of how the cutest hotel info booklets <i>ever</i> were made. Oh, and do I need to mention that I rounded all the corners? Because that's kind of my thing. Rounded corners. <br />
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Are you not entertained?!? <i>That<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsqJFIJ5lLs"> quote</a> is a family fave. Had to use it.</i><br />
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I have another really fun post in the making. Just be patient with me. I'm going to really lay this one on thick... </div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-91457715822049874542012-03-16T12:52:00.003-07:002012-05-07T14:05:41.857-07:00The invitations. Pardon me while I ramble.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{Invitation shop in Navsari, Gujarat}</td></tr>
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Julie's wedding invitations are out! Such.A.Relief. I feel like all the big items are done. Now it's just the details. Or is it more appropriate to say, all the <i>huge</i> items are done and now all that is left is the <i>big</i> items? Either way, I felt like I had just finished my last final when we finished the last invite. </div>
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So, before I left for India, Julie basically gave me free reign on the invitations since we were short on time. Since I am such a paper person, I took this job pretty seriously and went to India armed with my own fonts. I sort of hate the fonts that always seem to be used on Indian invitations. Here you have these beautiful invitations on amazing paper and then they go and slap some Times New Roman in italics on them. So, I narrowed my font choices down to my top 10 faves for Julie to approve and took her favorite with me to India. </div>
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Invitation shopping wasn't exactly the awe inspiring event I thought it would be. I've seen some beautiful wedding invitations in my time so this was secretly the one task I was dying to get to, but the three places I was able to visit didn't have anything that left me speechless like I'd hoped to blog about. I had dreams of custom made invitations, but those dreams were shattered
pretty quickly when Julie's parents saw how expensive it would be. :")<br />
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I wanted something elegant, but something a little different. I also wanted something colorful, but the one invitation I fell in love with was the one invitation that lacked color. But I figured we'll make up for it with the wedding. :) So, while I didn't come back waving a flag of valor, I am pretty proud of them. They look kind of awesome.<br />
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Forgive the bad photos. I've tried to take pics in all kinds of light and the shimmer on the invites just do not allow good pics.<br />
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The inner envelope caught my eye out of the stacks and stacks of invitations I went thru because of this gold embellishment. It looked really modern next to the traditional invitations I was seeing. After visiting three vendors, the invitations were all looking the same or too typical, so at the end of the day, these stood out to me. I sent a snap of them to Julie and she loved them. </div>
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We had a girls night one night and knocked out the bulk of the invitations. So I took advantage of the extra hands and had Mandy and Melanie round all the corners. Yes, details are important to me. </div>
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The inside cards for all the events are all staggered like most invitations are. I originally wanted different colored cards for the different events, but the options this vendor had were not what I had in mind. And at the end of the day, the colored cards would not have looked right with the invite. So, I left it alone. <br />
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We went with gold ink as opposed to the brown ink it originally came with because I felt the gold ink would give it a bit more glam. And it does.<br />
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We took some time to address the outer envelopes. I rigged up my Silhouette with my own metallic pen, some cardstock, and some crazy taping skillz and got it to address a few of them for us. I'll explain this a bit more in the next post as I've already received a few questions about it.<br />
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I was on a roll until the third night of invitation assembly, so at the end of the day we had to settle for hand addressing the bulk of them. But, Julie lucked out there. As Kelly put it, Julie is really lucky to have friends that basically practice their handwriting as a hobby. So between Kelly and myself, we finished addressing the invitations that were left. <br />
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Before I left, I also had Julie send me images of a ganesh that she liked just in case I saw anything I wanted to have custom made with it. Came in handy because this invite did not come with a ganesh on it already and I didn't want the job of deciding which ganesh to go with. So I had them add the ganesh on the corner of the invite.<br />
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I am very pleased with the quality of the invitations. It makes me giddy to see them. When Julie brought them over for the first time, I got a little misty eyed. I love the invites, but I also love seeing her name on a wedding invitation. *Sigh*<br />
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Huge props to a preggars Kelly, Mandy, and Melanie for being apart of the invitation committee. We couldn't have finished in 2012 without you guys. </div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-55568559179410261772012-03-09T14:24:00.004-08:002012-03-22T14:35:10.089-07:00March Obsessions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Since I haven't done a proper obsessions list in a while, I've had quite a bit of time to obsesses about quite a few things. I'll share a few of them with you here.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{image via <a href="http://www.staples.com/">Staples</a>}</td></tr>
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<b style="color: black;">Martha Stewart at Staples.</b><b style="color: black;"> </b>Um, I don't know about you, but I kind of think Martha rules. And now that she's conquering <a href="http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/products/martha-stewart-home-office/?cmSearchKeyword=martha+stewart">office supplies</a>, she's not only my BFF, but also my idol. I haven't bought out Staples just yet, but trust me, I will.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6aiodv_ZB-M/T1p7miGcIoI/AAAAAAAADJM/nbbKS8xYlCk/s1600/toxie2011logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6aiodv_ZB-M/T1p7miGcIoI/AAAAAAAADJM/nbbKS8xYlCk/s400/toxie2011logo.jpg" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{image via <a href="http://www.toxicavenger.com/">The Toxic Avenger</a>}</td></tr>
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<b>The Toxic Avenger.</b> I got a heads up about this musical from my friend Laura. She texted me during the intermission and told me that I had to come see it. Within a few minutes, I texted Mr. Bean and ever so discreetly told him he better take me to see this or I wouldn't cook for a month. He surprised me with tickets a few days later. <i>What a guy. </i> *Blush* Anyway, it was down right hilarious. Mr. Bean and I couldn't stop laughing. Try to catch this show if you can. Oh, and for American Idol fans? Constantine is in it. I didn't really care for him before, but I'll admit when I am wrong. He was pretty awesome in it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QnYsA3YNM-E/T1p9E-kO_zI/AAAAAAAADJU/9kvm6tCip1U/s1600/514KV8BniwL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QnYsA3YNM-E/T1p9E-kO_zI/AAAAAAAADJU/9kvm6tCip1U/s1600/514KV8BniwL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{image via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/HoneyPop-Magenta-Honeycomb-Pad/dp/B005EM2V9C/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1331330262&sr=8-11">Amazon</a>}</td></tr>
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<b>Honeycomb paper.</b> I have always been slightly obsessed with honeycomb paper party supplies. It often comes across as cheesy, but that's only when you don't do it right. I discovered you can buy sheets of this stuff in Seattle. And I kind of don't know how I could live without them in my craft supplies. Because it's kind of awesome. Just look at what crazy cute cards you can <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=honeycomb%20paper%20cards&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1680&bih=887&sei=PH1aT7zbC8HE2gXvpMj5Dg">make with it</a>. <i>Obsessed.</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{image via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Trader-Joes-Candy-Cane-Joe-Joes/dp/B00306KHZO">Amazon</a>}</td></tr>
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<b>Candy Cane Joe-Joe's from Trader Joe's. </b>I have always been obsessed with anything peppermint. And I've always loved a good Oreo cookie dipped in milk. I discovered these cookies in Seattle and I instantly realized that it was the one thing I was missing in my life. Love, love, love these cookies. I believe they are a seasonal item, so when we get our Trader Joe's this year I will be first in line with these in my basket. <br />
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<b>The Black Keys. </b>Between work and Julie's wedding stuff, I've pretty much been on my iPod 20 hours a day. <a href="http://www.theblackkeys.com/">The Black Keys</a> have been getting me by. Listen to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oo345vWUGk">Countdown</a> and you'll see why.<br />
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I have tons to share, so I will try to post of it next week. Until then, I've got a big project to star tonight and I. Can't. Wait. </div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-48220402138484225222012-02-29T13:49:00.002-08:002012-03-30T09:01:16.288-07:00Back that card up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'm kind of in love with this invitation, even though I didn't have too much to do with it. Julie and I had a clear vision of what we wanted for her mehndi invitations. She wanted a separate invite from her wedding invitation suite since it would only be going out to a few people. But when I went to India, I asked <i>three </i>different invitation vendors to design them for us, but they all said it wasn't cost effective to "just make 100 invitations." So I had to admit defeat. Enter Sara from <a href="http://www.carrythenews.com/">Carry the News</a>. With just one internet search and a few clicks of the mouse, I found exactly what we were looking for. And you know what? It looked even better than what we imagined. <i>Love when that happens. </i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{designed by <a href="http://www.carrythenews.com/">Carry the News</a>}</td></tr>
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Here is the invitation. <i>Me love you long time.</i> </div>
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I hoard coupons to Staples like I hoard ribbon. So, keep an eye out on their website because they offer 20% off your entire print order fairly often. And I've always found the customer service to be way better than Kinko's. </div>
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I searched high and low for the right color yellow cardstock to print these bad boys on. Julie was pretty specific about the color she wanted, so I was excited when I found it. But, apparently not all cover weight paper is created equal. When I got the cardstock in, it was way to flimsy for an invitation. So, with Julie's permission, we backed them with red cardstock. I would show you a picture of that, but honestly, it looks like a red rectangle. Kind of anti-climactic since I find the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL2txMU50CI">title</a> of my post to be rather clever, so my apologies. </div>
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I am on a mission to round every corner that enters my craft room, so we rounded all the corners.<br />
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And since my motto has always been "more is more," I contacted <a href="http://www.carrythenews.com/">Sara</a> again and asked her to make some custom labels for us. Just keepin' it classy, folks. And, of course, she sent us back some more fabulousness.<br />
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So we printed them, ran them thru the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Xyron-Creatopia-Multi-Function-Crafting-Machine/dp/B002K62KVY/ref=sr_1_16?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1330551123&sr=1-16">second greatest invention ever made</a>, and had the most awesome custom labels ever for our envelopes. <br />
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Aren't they gorgeous??? <i>Cutest mehndi invitations ever</i>. I think I'll marry them. <br />
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</i>And it wouldn't be a true pintobean blog post without the gratuitous shot of the stack of finished envelopes. <i>Sigh. </i>And best of all? Julie loves them. <i><br /></i><br />
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Sara was awesome to work with, so if you ever get a chance, or need something amazing for your event, please <a href="http://www.carrythenews.com/10-2/">contact her</a>. I am already thinking of what event I can have to use her <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/carrythenews">other designs</a>.<br />
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That's all I got for now. Lately, I've been trying to figure out how to stop time Bewitched style but haven't had much luck. But, I have tons to update you on. Just been way to busy to stop and blog about the roses. Oh, and I missed my February obsessions this month, so I'll make sure March is up soon! </div>
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</i></div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-86216815043369899552012-02-10T21:57:00.000-08:002012-04-03T15:22:37.732-07:00Neon Crafternoon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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One of my favorite scenes from the movie <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgacDwgKiZg">Bridesmaids</a> is when Kristen Wiig opens up a package, which happens to be the invitation to her best friend's bridal shower. And the butterfly flies out and keeps getting in her face. <i>Makes me laugh just typing it.</i></div>
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When it came down to picking a color palette for my friend Julie's bridal shower, I wanted something vibrant without using any color palettes she is already using for her wedding events. Neon seemed to be the answer. I have been <i>totally obsessed</i> with this neon trend that I've seen lately. It's <i>everywhere</i>. </div>
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I had a hard time figuring out what to do for invitations after I picked the color palette, though. Aside from having crafter's block and making about 4 different versions of the invite, I got a little cocky while ordering supplies and didn't feel it necessary to order plenty of extra supplies for mistakes. Not sure why my confidence suddenly took over because I make plenty of mistakes, but it did and I had to go with Plan B. Then USPS didn't seem to love my ideas either. They delivered one of my packages of supplies to Pennsylvania. No where <i>near</i> where I actually live. So that left me with Plan C, which turned into Plan D once I realized I was really short on time and Plan C wasn't going to happen. But, sometimes Plan D turns into Plan Delightful and you can't complain.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DPNwNJNirKU/TzV9YmshSbI/AAAAAAAADHA/Ts8K-m81RSI/s1600/Julie+Invites+048+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DPNwNJNirKU/TzV9YmshSbI/AAAAAAAADHA/Ts8K-m81RSI/s400/Julie+Invites+048+wm.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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This was the final product. I had another design going, but by accident I dragged the shape and ended up getting this long line. I thought, 'hey, that looks like fringe!' So I went with crazy with it. And then I remembered <a href="http://www.bellafigura.com/letterpress/fugue.html">these</a> amazing invites and I knew I was on to something. Even though the neon colors on my computer didn't translate to colors that printed, I think the invite looks vibrant. I backed the invite with neon pink paper, but forgot to take a pic of that. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PRZwH4FXtLA/TzV9hTHQ90I/AAAAAAAADHQ/pE8cq2GUDE8/s1600/Julie+Invites+051+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PRZwH4FXtLA/TzV9hTHQ90I/AAAAAAAADHQ/pE8cq2GUDE8/s400/Julie+Invites+051+wm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I made separate hotel cards since most of the people invited are from out of town. Since I couldn't find or order neon yellow baby envelopes, I made them myself out of neon yellow cardstock. The pink flag is a <a href="http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/242425/3M-Permanent-High-Visibility-Laser-Labels/#content">high visibility label</a> from Office Depot that I cut down to the size and shape I wanted. These may or may not resemble the labels that may or may not be missing from our office supply cabinet at work. </div>
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For the envelopes, I decided to get fancy and do some calligraphy. Here is where I got cocky. I didn't think I'd make enough mistakes to warrant purchasing another set of envelopes - they came in sets of 50 - so Plan B came into play when I realized that I am not as perfect as I thought I could be. A huge blow to the ego, but I'm a survivor. I'm not going to give up. I'm not going to stop. I'm going to craft harder. <i>Sorry. Had to do it. </i></div>
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I used <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Ph-Martin%2527s-Bombay-India/dp/B0026I4TR4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328933917&sr=8-1">Dr. Ph Martin's Bombay White India Ink</a> as opposed to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Martins-Bleed-Proof-White/dp/B0007NCP7Q/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1328934138&sr=1-1-fkmr0">Dr. Ph Martin's Bleed-Proof White</a> - what my old calligraphy instructor suggested - because that was all I could find at my art supply store and I'll just say - for other calligraphers out there - I didn't love it. Buy the Bleed-Proof. </div>
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I printed the mailing address with a white pen on more of the high visibility labels. <i>Obsessed.</i> I use these for everything at work, so it makes me happy to see them used on something like a bridal shower invitation. </div>
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Here is the entire ensemble together.<br />
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I am a big believer that all envelopes should be lined. So as much as it hurts me to cut pretty paper, I made sure to find some awesome paper to line the envelopes. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MIKjO4iAsyk/TzV9P3oLIMI/AAAAAAAADGw/h5Sf-SJ4Xjw/s1600/Julie+Invites+037+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MIKjO4iAsyk/TzV9P3oLIMI/AAAAAAAADGw/h5Sf-SJ4Xjw/s400/Julie+Invites+037+wm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And just because nothing makes me happier than seeing a stack of envelopes, here they are all ready to be mailed.<br />
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I was never happier to finish these particular invites since it was Murphy's Law from beginning to end. But, I would have never finished them without Mandy. She came to my rescue and helped me assemble everything and didn't say a word when I asked her to help me line 42 envelopes. <i>Thanks, Mandy. You're wild!!!!!! </i>Inside joke. Just ignore me. And thanks for listening to my crazy brainstorming sessions and not hitting ignore when you saw me calling you, Seester and Sarah. There are very few people in this world that will sit and talk envelope liners for an hour and you ladies are two of them. <br />
Julie and I are neck deep in stuff we have to finish for the wedding, but I can't say I don't love every minute of it. I'll have another post for you soon. Love it. Love it. <i>Love it. </i><br />
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Oh, and if you haven't already guessed it from the title, I've been singing <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nopBvlKfYgY">this song</a> in my head for the last two weeks or so. </div>
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</div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-60382497533748933982012-02-07T09:17:00.000-08:002012-02-07T09:17:42.156-08:00Lately....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/laineylamonto/6267626308/" title="10/15/11 by laineylamonto, on Flickr"><img alt="10/15/11" height="455" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6168/6267626308_b9d015b7bf.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Ha. Saw <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/laineylamonto/6267626308/">this</a> today and had to share. Totally feeling this way lately. Via <a href="http://365sharpies.tumblr.com/">365 Sharpies</a>.</div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-16073297113864704692012-02-06T11:45:00.000-08:002012-03-30T09:02:38.763-07:00Material Girl<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We are living in a material world, my friends. So when I was making out my lists of "must buys" for my India trip, material was at the top of the list. I've bought some beautiful silks before, but I was looking for textiles with patterns. Unfortunately, while I was in Surat - the textile capital of India - I did not get a chance to visit the factory there, but it is definitely on my list the next time I go to Gujarat. However, just walking into a sari matching store is a treat for the eyes.<br />
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Most people don't know that when you buy a sari in India, that there is quite a bit of legwork involved. First, you buy the sari. The fabric for the blouse is usually attached to the sari so the store will cut the blouse off for you and keep the sari to add the "fall." The fall is a length of fabric that usually matches the sari in color that is sewn onto the bottom inside edge of a sari. It adds weight to the sari to help the sari fall well once it is draped around you. When you buy saris here in the states, they usually have this already stitched on them. In India, they typically do not.<br />
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So, you have to get the fabric for your blouse cut from the sari - which
may take a few minutes or you may have to wait for a couple of days to
pick up. Next, you take your blouse to a sari matching store, like
store pictured here. This is for the lining for your blouse. The man above was actually getting something matched when I snapped the pic. <br />
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You may also purchase a ready made petticoat here (the third step) at the sari matching
store, or you can buy the fabric for your petticoat here to have one stitched. Pictured above are all the ready made petticoats that this store was selling. A petticoat
is a long flared draw-string skirt that is worn under your sari to give
it shape and to act as a slip for thinner saris. The sari is tucked
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The fourth step is dropping off your blouse, the lining and or the petticoat fabric to a tailor to have a blouse stitched. It may take up to 2 weeks to get your blouse back, depending on how busy your tailor is and how accurately it was made. Often times you have to go back several times to get it to fit just right, but typically if it's just a blouse, the adjustments are minor and don't take as long.<br />
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The final step is going back to the store to pick up your sari with the fall stitched in. So basically, it is not just like walking into Nordstrom and picking out a dress. However, the process is fun for me because I get to stare at all these lovely fabrics and colors. <br />
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Look how amazing these fabrics and colors are! This was a vendor that had a small stall in a market. I've seen some of these fabrics here selling for up to $25 a yard. There? About $4-5 dollars. </div>
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I got some gold blouses stitched for my friends at the stall above. Just his little store had 5 different gold fabrics to choose from. I kind of died and went to heaven. Yes, my friends, I am definitely a material girl.... </div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-55448286856587884232012-02-04T00:10:00.000-08:002012-04-03T14:25:45.464-07:00Lost in E-notion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've always said that India is like Vegas. Every time you go, it's a different experience. My most recent trip was all about shopping. For three weeks. Dream.Come.True. It was Mr. Bean's dream come true, too. Three weeks of shopping with someone else's money. It was a win-win. <br />
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Ever since I met my friend Julie's life back in 2003, I <strike>demanded</strike> offered to go to India with her to shop for her wedding. Because of that, if it had been up to me, I would have married her off a long time ago just so that I could have done this trip a lot sooner. But, it was definitely worth the wait. Having been to India before, I was somewhat prepared with what to expect. If you've ever shopped in India, you know that it is also a roller coaster of emotions. You leave here thinking you know exactly what you want but once you get there, you are flooded with options <i>and opinions</i>. Or you can't find what you want. Or you find something so amazing, you forget what you wanted in the first place. Or you just simply run out of time. But, if you know me, you know that I love a good roller coaster. Well, actually I don't. I scream my head off on the real ones. Let's pretend my roller coaster statement makes sense and I'll move on.<br />
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The worst part about India, for me, is that I could spend my life savings there and never think twice about it. But that's also the best part. <br />
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The moment I stumbled upon this gem - a stall filled with trims and notions for sari's - I wept a little. It was so beautiful to see. This is definitely one of the top 10 craft wonders of the world. </div>
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Each one of those spools is 9 meters of trim. Those shelves are about a foot deep, too. Do you see my dilemma here? Having my craft room look like this store? Or saving for a rainy day and all that crap? I don't know. Too hard to decide.<br />
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This is also where I curse airlines and their 50 lb per luggage rule. And now most airlines are only allowing one check-in. The torture!!! I could have bought that entire stall and still went looking for more. </div>
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The colors and patterns were amazing. I would just sit and stare and imagine all these lovelies in my craft room. This guy clearly did not share my enthusiasm. <br />
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Now, my friends, I've got to confess something. And I'm not proud of it. But I've made my bed and now I must lie in it. The thing is, seeing all these trims and notions actually overwhelmed me to the point of not buying much. Seriously. If you've been in my situation before you know exactly what I mean. My biggest issue was that the majority of the shops I stopped at were wholesalers, so I had to buy in bulk or 9 meter increments. I knew I didn't have much room in my luggage to actually bring everything I wanted back. And since I couldn't buy in small quantities or in one or two meter increments, I just left it there. And now looking at these pictures I can pick out at least 10 that I should have told myself I can't live without. I hope I can still maintain my street cred as a craft hoarder.<br />
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So, I had a bunch of other pics to post for you today, but I somehow deleted them. So, I'll leave you hanging on the edge of your seats - humor me here - and I'll post some more pics on Monday. Until then, I've got a long weekend ahead of me! By the way, the title of this post is a play off <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxkbTG6PeCI">this song</a>. That was one of my jams back in the day. Awwww yeah..... <br />
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</div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8480427817933846774.post-90051886223056229532012-01-25T15:14:00.000-08:002012-01-25T15:14:23.307-08:00January Obsessions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">OK, so I know I've been promising a post for a while now. I just can't find time to sit down and sift thru all the pics I wanted to share with you. We've started up all the crafting for my friend's wedding in April and I'm fighting the clock for a Jan 31st tax deadline. So technically I'm not supposed to be blogging right now at work but seeing as how I've already chewed off all of my nails, I figured I'd better start doing something else with my fingers before I start gnawing on other things....<br />
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This list will be short because I've really been avoiding the internet like the plague since I got back from my trips. Turns out missing 4.5 weeks of work isn't all it's cracked up to be. Probably not one of my most thought out decisions, but I can't say I regret it. :) Anyhow....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IPOw9MPwgN4/TyA81wUgMnI/AAAAAAAADBw/6CVuLLNXhz0/s1600/scoring+board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IPOw9MPwgN4/TyA81wUgMnI/AAAAAAAADBw/6CVuLLNXhz0/s1600/scoring+board.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{Image via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Scoring-Envelope-Martha-Stewart-Crafts/dp/B0036FDKZS">Amazon</a>}</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>Martha Stewart's Scoring Board.</b> I've been boycotting this product ever since it came out because I thought it was pointless. I've always said I made up this product long before Martha Stewart did. I've used a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tonic-Studios-Guillotine-12-Inch---12-Inch/dp/B000S10N2G/ref=sr_1_1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1327512884&sr=1-1">Tonic Studios Guillotine</a> for at least 6 years now - the same one, in fact. It has little grooves in it at each half inch mark so while I was making my wedding stuff over 5 years ago, I started using it as a scoring board as well. Works like a champ. <i> </i>Even though I am a self admitted hoarder of craft products, I don't like buying all sorts of crafty contraptions unless I really need it because I simply don't have the space. So I've never seen a reason to buy a second product that <i>just</i> scores, but man, is it addicting. I played with it last night and decided I forgive Martha for getting inside my head and stealing my million dollar idea. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ygEAFjghGhs/TyBY0uRMwdI/AAAAAAAADB4/_lu_lCe_ZgE/s1600/tissue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ygEAFjghGhs/TyBY0uRMwdI/AAAAAAAADB4/_lu_lCe_ZgE/s1600/tissue.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{Image via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Art-Tissue-Paper-100-sheets/dp/B00006IDZ5/ref=sr_1_1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1327519926&sr=1-1">Amazon</a>}</td></tr>
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<b>Tissue Paper.</b> I know this is not a new discovery or anything, but this has been a long time obsession of mine. And as of late this obsession has really kicked in. It is so versatile and inexpensive. I could look at tissue paper for hours. In fact, recently, I have. <i>Love. </i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RFio-DV8x54/TyCI29BUEbI/AAAAAAAADCA/4_kfd25sp1w/s1600/soap.aspx" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RFio-DV8x54/TyCI29BUEbI/AAAAAAAADCA/4_kfd25sp1w/s320/soap.aspx" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{image via <a href="http://usa.loccitane.com/FO/Home.aspx">L'Occitane</a>}</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Almond Delicious Soap.</b> <i> </i>I've always been slightly obsessed with L'Occitane, but just recently picked up this <a href="http://usa.loccitane.com/FO/Almond-Delicious-Soap,p29SA050A0.htm">Almond Delicious Soap</a> to take with me to India so I didn't have to deal with a loofah and a bottle of liquid soap. It's only 1.7 oz so very small and light weight. It totally changed my perception of bar soaps. My skin was amazing after using this for 3 weeks. Now I buy the <a href="http://usa.loccitane.com/FO/Almond-Soap-Trio,p955199.htm">trio</a>. Can't get enough. It lasts a lot longer than I thought, too. One bar probably lasts about a month. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>OK, that's all I've got. I need to get back to work so I'm not here too late. I am heading out for San Francisco and Napa tomorrow, so probably no posts until February. Yes, I know. I have a rough life.... I'll be sure to drink some wine for you. ;) This trip will be the calm before the storm tho. When I get back it will be hard core crafting until April. <i>Can't wait. </i></div>pintobeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890850606887028506noreply@blogger.com1