in a creepy mood

halloween always gets me in the mood to read some poe. i'll be curling up this weekend with some masque of the red death. happy halloween!

another day in new york

RT and i decided to take a last minute trip to new york, our last before winter settles in and it gets too cold to walk around. we went with no real plans... a first for us! it was nice to wander around aimlessly and just enjoy the city.

m&j trimming. i love this store. this is the mother ship of all trim stores. it can definitely be overwhelming since there's so much inspiration packed in every shelf! it literally goes from floor to ceiling.

tinsel trading co. i nearly hyperventilated upon entering. this shop is GORGEOUS. most displays in the trim district focus on function rather than design. the tinsel trading co. not only has lovely inventory but the store itself like a beautiful vintage treasure chest. i walked around the store clapping my hands with joy at all the vintage goodness. i so badly wanted to take photos of the inside but i was too shy to ask.

kinokuniya. i can not stay away from this place. it's like a drug. i got another scrapbooking book and some more pretty notebooks which hopefully will be filled using inspiration from the scrapbooking book. i'm going to test out a whole new scrapbooking style! new to me at least.

brunch at braai in hell's kitchen. i liked that their brunch menu offered pretty standard brunch fare but with a south african twist. makes trying new cuisines a lot less intimidating. my breakfast sandwich was made with an english muffin, eggs, spinach, onions, feta, and a tasty sauce that i couldn't identify. i loved the spicy potatoes and peppers that came with it. i think it's called chakalaka? unfortunately it took forever and was stone cold by the time it got to our table. i still inhaled it and had it been warm, it would have been perfect.

we ended our trip with tickets to how to succeed in business without really trying. we bought super discounted tickets using an online promotion and somehow ended up in the front row?! it is truly amazing to experience a broadway show up so close. especially one with dan radcliffe! i nearly fell out of my chair when he came within five feet of us. he's a pretty good singer and dancer! and i loved the set and costumes, so retro! the show itself has an incredible, infectious energy. i'm pretty sure i had a semi-crazed smile of wonderment and excitement on my face throughout the entire show. i hope i didn't freak out any of the performers.

last stop was chicken and rice and then a heartburn filled car ride back home. bye new york! see you in the spring ^_^

crepe paper

oh beautiful crepe paper... have i got plans for you :)

here comes the bride

i saw this "here comes the bride" banner on martha stewart's website and knew i had to include it in our wedding. and i had the perfect banner bearers in mind for the job!

supplies:

linen fabric

iron on transfer paper

disappearing ink marker

wooden dowel

sewing machine (optional. this can all be done by hand too!)

iron

printer

it was a challenge finding iron on transfers with good ratings. i grabbed these at A.C. Moore with a 40% coupon. i used my home inkjet printer and the print quality was excellent.

definitely do a test run to get a feel for how much heat, pressure and time you need to get a good transfer.

not too shabby! they say to cut as close to the edge as possible but i liked leaving a small border. it helped when ironing on those darn serifs later on.

the instructions said not to use an ironing board but a hard surface like a table or countertop. a pillowcase will protect your table.

i drew lines using a disappearing ink marker to help me to keep everything nice and straight.

looking good so far!

i ran into some trouble with the serifs. if i ever use this font again on an iron on transfer, i'll focus extra hard on the serifs and use the point of my iron to apply some really intense pressure. peel slowly! don't get impatient like i did.

photos stop here since the sun set and i ran out of good photo light :)

from there, just sew a few straight seams to finish the edges. fold over and sew the top of the banner to create an opening for the wooden dowel. slip in the dowel and hand it off to a couple of cute kids! 

photo by our friend marco at magic touch photography

the banner in action! the banner bearers are my cousin's ridiculously adorable and awesome kids. they were total pros! it was such a fun way to include kids our wedding.

making our wedding cake topper

photo by mr. p

photo by our photographers, gina & tony

i was worried that making our own wedding cake toppers was going to be a stressful endeavor. i'm not really known for my drawing/painting skills! i even bought an extra set of dolls just in case. lucky for me, it was so much fun to make these and i'm very pleased with how they turned out.

note: my unfinished wooden dolls were purchased from goose grease. love their customer service :) they sell finished dolls and custom orders too if you're not up to painting your own!

in case anyone was curious, 47 is RT's lucky number and my life goal is to find platform nine and three quarters. or at least the leaky cauldron so that i can get into diagon alley.

i'm back! and i'm back a mrs. ^_^ it's been a crazy few weeks getting married then honeymooning in hawaii. hawaii is so lovely... i dream about it while i stare at my work computer screen. it's been a bit of a struggle getting back into our normal routine. mornings are not pretty! but it's wonderful to be back and we're enjoying our new lives together as a mr. and mrs. not that it all that different... we've been together for over 7 years!

photo by mr. p - the same mr. p who did our mini e-session!

i'm really excited to share with you some of the things i made for our wedding. i love crafting but knowing that it was for our wedding made it even more enjoyable. at no point did anything feel like a burden (except for those darn programs that no one took!) and i put a lot of love and work into all the little details. hope you enjoy them too! check back soon!