To the letter

On one of our first dates, my fiance and I spent half the time talking about fonts. Needless to say, I LOVE fonts. So I just had to repost this entry by sfgirlbybay.

I still quite like the look of letters used as decor accents. I am a big fan of graphic type and have a fondness for fonts of all kinds. I really love the look of funky vintage letters, like the ones used above, to spell out a special word, or message. I thought I'd take a look around and see what's out there in the way of alphabet accessorizing!

I get my letters from a local shop, Timeless Treasures, and owner is so helpful
and is always up for helping to find you the letters you seek.

Clockwise from left to right: Fabulous Font Coasters from CarolinaCottage;
Custom Embroidered Wall Wear from Neawear; and beautiful
Ceramic Letters from artist Stephanie DeArmond.

Clockwise from left to right: Wood Type Collage from Green Chair Press;
Recycled Metal Letters from Urban Outfitters; Oversized Letters from
Pottery Barn; and colorful Enamel Letters, also from Urban Outfitters.

Hors D'Oeuvres working menu

My mother raised me to be a good little list-making girl. Ever made a list of the lists you need to make? Daily? Do you have your own little list language? Then you know where we are coming from.
I mention this because I am going to post our real-life list of food we are planning for the reception, not a thoughtfully composed post. Here it goes ...

egg rolls from China gate (cut into finger food size) And I still need to ask about spring rolls.

sauer kraut and pork and dumplings

stuffed mushrooms

mini quiche

chocolate fondue dipping, strawberries, marshmallows, Oreos, rice krispie treats fruit or _________________

shrimp on ice with cocktail sauce

peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

salsa(s) and chips

slab of cheese(s) with crackers

veggie tray

bacon wrapped chestnuts

carved roast beef on mini buns…build your own deal

fresh fruit - cut up

artichoked dip/crab dip/____________________

Baker's Candies

Tortilla, meat roll-ups

beverages…

punch

coffee

ice tea?

lemonade?

water?

signature drinks

cakes

nuts

mints

Enough meat?

Enough vegeatble dishes?

Enough traditional?

Enough salty?

Enough sweet?

Enough drama?

Enough food?

Long distance wedding shower

Here is the dilemma: Work is crazy right now and neither the fiance nor I will be able to fly home before the wedding to have a wedding shower. Though we are both home-sick and pro-gift, I just don't think it will work. So, what are some non-tacky alternatives?

It has been suggested that people have the shower without us and we attend via phone or web-cam. As for gifts, I've heard about gift-card parties or parties where you bring a gift no larger than two fists so it can be easily mailed. Or they could have a Pampered Chef party where guests pick out items for us and then the company sends us our new kitchenware. We really need new kitchen everything, but I've been really turned off of Pampered Chef after buying $30 measuring cups that don't work.

Anyone else have cute ideas out there? Should we just pass up the shower entirely?

A tisket, a tasket ...

In a perfect world, our out of town guests will receive a basket like these (from Modern Bride) when the arrive at the hotel. I make no promises, but unbelievably cute and thoughtful trinkets are now the goal.

Googly-eyed

Hilarious. For more from this installation project, go to FilthyLuker.

A $10,000 Wedding in Reverse

From A Practical Wedding:

I thought we'd end the week on a sweet note. This wedding is the perfect antidote for feeling burned out by all of the spend, spend, spend associated with the modern wedding. Dianne and Chuck met online, and had only been dating a few months when she was diagnosed with stage IV lymphoma. When she told Chuck that it he should run away he told her "When God gives you a gift, you don't give it back," and proposed to her at her hospital bedside.

Which brings us to the upcoming nuptials. The couple is getting married in their backyard, and the next night they are asking all of their wedding guests to walk with them at the Leukemia and Lymphoma society's annual Light the Night Walk. Their goal is to raise $10,000 for blood cancer research with their wedding, instead of spending $10,000 on their wedding.

In the midst of the intense narcissism that sometimes surrounds weddings, this story is so refreshing, and touching. It reminds us to be careful and thoughtful about how we spend our wedding dollars, because the money we spend on our wedding is very real money that we should be using to make a small difference in the world, whether that is supporting vendors we like and trust, or starting our marriage with this kind of profound tzedakah. You can give a donation to Dianne and Chuck's goal, here, if you feel so moved (remember teeny tiny donations help too). Think of it as a small rebellion against the madness of the wedding industry.

Best of luck to Dianne and Chuck! They have promised to update us after the wedding, and I for one am rooting for them.

Photo via Apaoli's Flickr stream

Google-ify your wedding

Today, Google released a collection of templates for Google Docs. Check out all the wedding related tools here! There are more detailed spreadsheets out there, but these are a great start.

Why I have been gone

I'm sorry that my posting has dropped off this past week or so. I've been devoting as much time and mental energy as possible to finding a new apartment. We have narrowed it down to two great options and hope to make a decision today. Soon, I will be back in the blogging/wedding state of mind, but at the moment I am just coming up for air.

Just so you don't leave empty-handed, here is a dose of cuteness ...

Kefir for what ails you

(Tina Fey from Lifeway Kefir)

In lieu of more common forms of entertainment, Ben and I have been hanging out at the Whole Foods, discovering new and exciting foods. Martha Stewart talked about my new favorite product on her show today: kefir. Apparently this is a yogurt-like product with amazing healthy super-powers which is rapidly gaining recognition. While I'm glad that it could potentially be replenishing the good bacterias in my body, I really just think it is darn tasty.

Update on the list

I talked earlier about my list of 23 things to do before I am 24. With only 17 days to go, here are the items left on the list:

1. Sew something I love (recruited a friend to do this with me soon)
5. Visit a museum (maybe in NYC?)
7. Take Ben to Arugula (going tonight!)
15. Go antiquing (still working on this one)
18. Go to the statue of liberty (going on Sunday!)
23. Make a wedding hair appointment (ugh, why can't I just DO this already?)

Looking back, I'm proud of myself for checking off so many goals. At one time running a mile seemed like something only a super-hero would do. Now I run more than a mile 5 times a week!

My drinking tea from the leaves goal wasn't as positive as an experience, but I blame that on bad leaves.

I'm kind of hesitant to even think what will go on my list of 24 for 25. I'm motivated to shoot higher in what I want to accomplish, but how high should I go?

Pillow Dreams Project

I read about this in Blueprint Magazine and had to share it with all of you. The Pillow Dreams Project is a business that buys and imports high quality pillowcases made by local women in South Africa, Vietnam and Thailand. This enables these women in each country to continue their traditional lifestyle and produce their traditional crafts while still making a living wage. Once the products reach the US, they are sold through home shows and over the Internet. Of the profits made for each pillow, they donate 50% to projects benefiting children in each continent where the pillows are produced. To buy a pillow, visit www.pillowdreamsproject.com.

From left:
Vietnam
Sage/Green and Pink Design on Silk, 16 x 16 inches, $30.00
South Africa
Botanicals green potato print on cotton, 16 x 16 inches, $40.00
Thailand
Hmong, Green Cotton with White Geometric Design, 16 x 16 inches, $20.00

Top Shop USA

Enough said.

Hand drawing my wedding map

I'm not really sure what brides did without technology. With Google maps open in one window and Couture Maps open in another window for inspiration, I used my Wacom tablet to draw my official wedding map. It took longer than I expected to make everything flow together. For those of you who live in the Omaha area, let me know if anything looks incorrect. Now I can start putting the invites together! (Sneak peek on invitations to come soon ...)

My American/Moroccan Idols

'The dream' is to move to Africa and pursue some creative and humanitarian venture. I have stumbled upon a couple who has beat me to my goal. This couple moved to Morocco and started producing beautiful concrete tiles.

From their website: "Caitlin and Samuel Dowe-Sandes lived and worked in New York and Los Angeles for over a decade before moving to Marrakech in June 2006. Samuel, a filmmaker, and Caitlin, a public relations executive specializing in design businesses, fantasized for some time about living in an exotic place together and starting a creative venture. The move to Marrakech delivered on both of those promises.

Shortly after arriving in Marrakech, the couple bought a 250-year-old home in the medina, or ancient walled city, and set to renovating it. Drawn to the geometric black-and-white cement tiles of the home's courtyard, they soon found themselves sketching their own designs. With these tile designs, they found a balance between their own modern aesthetic and the home's traditional architecture. An appreciation for the flexibility and practicality of cement tiles as well as the medium's design possibilities led the Dowe-Sandes to found popham design."

Sparks are flying

I couldn't have put it better myself. It sounds like Perfect Bound is thinking about the same type of send-off that I am: "As an unexpected touch, I'd love to incorporate sparklers (a budget friendly version of fireworks) into our wedding send-off. I think they photograph so beautifully and literally light up the night. Sparkle has a great website filled with ideas and commonly asked questions such as, Will sparklers burn my dress? Each 10 inch sparkler lasts for approximately 45 seconds and they say to plan on at least 5 sparklers per guest. What you don't want is a send off line with guests who have used all their sparklers before you even begin your send-off. A box of 288 is $45. A box 48 of 36 inch sparklers is $60.
(photos from www.sparklersonline.com)

Happy Fourth of July!

Just weird

Splendora find: Did we really need Hypercolor to come back into existence (nice try AA with the fancy new name Thermochromatic)? I mean really? The 80s, I know just won't go away, but COME ON NOW!

American Apparel, $34.

Blue summer treat

If I were going to be watching fireworks on the Fourth instead of working, you can be sure I'd have the fiance make me one of these babies:

Blueberry Mojito

Yield: 1 drink

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4 tablespoons blueberries
• ½ cup lemonade
• Splash soda
• 1 ounce light rum
• ½ ounce dark rum
• Mint sprig, to garnish
• Lime slice, to garnis
  

Method:

In a tall 16-ounce glass, muddle mint leaves, lime juice and sugar. Add 2 tablespoons of the blueberries and mash until juicy. Fill the glass three-quarters with ice. Add lemonade until the glass is two-thirds full. Add splash of soda, light rum and remaining blueberries; stir. Slowly pour dark rum into the drink so it floats on top. Garnish with a sprig of mint and slice of lime; serve immediately.

Stick-on tattoo

I was just handed a brilliant little invention. As a girl who used to write list on her hand so much that they would end up on my face the next morning, I totally support the To-Do Tattoo.

Here is what Fred and Friends has to say about the product:

TO-DO TATTOO
the perfect solution for your shoddy short-term memory

Here’s a tongue-in-cheek tribute to anyone who's ever scribbled a reminder on their hand or wrist. Err, that would be about everybody, right? Our To-Do Tattoo kit includes
12 graphic “To Do” forms that you can apply to your body wherever it’s most convenient (or creative) and a skin-safe, washable-ink gel pen. You’ll never again have to make lame excuses for missing bowling night or your mom's birthday. Nifty peggable blistercard packaging.
Design: Andy Ward, OOF Collective

Chocolate meltaways

I miss Baker's Meltaways chocolates.

Color Codes
Silver: Milk Chocolate Caramel
Red: Solid Milk Chocolate
Red/Silver Stripes: Milk Chocolate Raspberry
Blue: Solid Dark Chocolate Black
Silver Stripes: Milk Chocolate Mocha
Gold: Milk Chocolate Mint
Mint Green: Dark Chocolate Mint
Orange: Dark Chocolate
Orange Bronze: Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter

Sugar-Free Meltaways
Pink: Sugar-Free Milk Chocolate
Purple: Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate
Silver/Gold Stripes: Sugar-Free Milk Chocolate Mint

Rent, buy or DIY

I haven't seen much written on the topic of cake stands. Are they out of style? Overlooked? Do you just rent one and not worry about it? From a little poking around, it seems that Martha has put a couple DIY cake stands out there and it seems rental companies and bakeries have them readily available to rent for $40-70. Buying one will run anywhere from $40-$400, but when will you ever need a cake stand again?

Sharing the awkwardness

This is not wedding related at all, but when I feel awkward, for some reason I feel the need to share the experience with everyone around me. So here it goes.

After my daily morning run, I felt compelled to use the park's porta-potty. Using a porta-potty is an uncomfortable experience in itself, but as I was perched in that blue box I heard the distinct sound of heavy machinery rolling closer and closer. Fortunately, I had switched the little handle to say 'occupied' even though I was in the middle of nowhere with little chance for fellow pee-ers. When I peeked out, I saw that indeed there was a large man in bright orange waiting for me to finish so he could move my stinky closet with his fork-lift. I waved 'hi' and got the heck out of there.

Just call me porta-potty girl. Golly.