CHARMED

'Inspiration' slash things I love BOARD at work Blueberries, oatmeal, vanilla soymilk, splenda........best. breakfast. EVER. It's my water.

Since we're having our reception AT a music venue......I came up with the idea to stage a MERCH area with custom designed wedding-esque wares (of course FREE for guests to take.....) After coming across Minepress on ETSY......I died a little, and knew I had to order some button pins. What's great is you can send over the photos or text you'd like and have Rebekah arrange for you onto a pin template.....OR you can do what I did, take her blank template and GO TO TOWN creating a custom masterpiece. Absolutely in love. What a conversation starter......and I can't wait for the POKEMON effect to happen with our guests - gotta collect them all! Got the finished product in the mail yesterday......in love. Will post photos!

More inspiration..... [tissue paper poms] [monogrammed floral flag] [hanging lanterns] [cupcake towers] [fabric flower garland] Sigh . So much to do, so little time.

I think we've given in! After endless back and forth.....we've decided to NOT run off and elope completely alone for the attractive cost of $50........we've decided to rent a space and throw a party for our wedding. It really would be special to be surrounded by those we love. Not a full-on-traditional 'reception' however.......a rough around the edges laid back live-music EXPERIENCE. We're looking at a really sweet music venue - and hopefully planning on having a friend's AMAZING band play. I've been up ALL night researching. I want to stay on a strict and tight budget..........and I want it to be DIY/handmade/homemade.......simple, eco-chic. Some inspiration I've fallen in love with thus far....... [Clear wine bottles - with gorgeous tapered candles at all different heights......how GORGEOUS and stunningly simple is this. I can hunt these bottles for free and pull this 'centerpiece' idea together for just the cost of candles!] [Lovely home...

My mom is my everything! I don't have enough proper vocabulary to begin to describe how marvelous she is. I affectionately call her my momma bear, and yes, although I am a 25 year old 'grown up' lady, I will always be her BABY BEAR. On a girls trip to New York City last year, during which I was esteemed tour-guide, my momma pulled her shoulder dragging a suitcase with broken wheels through the maze of staircases and train stations. I to this day feel terrible that I didn't snatch it from her and help more along the way.......because her shoulder has been bothering her ever since. She's recently been getting acupuncture which seems to help. I was thinking what I could possibly do to help in some way. A way that preferably utilized my sewing machine. :-) I GOT IT. A homemade rice-filled HEAT PACK! (or cold pack - if you pop it in the freezer) All-natural to boot, gotta love that. I excitedly went out to get all of the 'ingredients' for this project. Muslin for...

I've been extraordinarily busy at work lately. Which I'm happy for - since I absolutely LOVE my job. Being the PR/Marketing person for a branch of doctor's offices doesn't sound like it would be a dream job.....but it certainly is to me, my friends. It's been chaotic since our practice has merged with another and now we are officially a NEW practice all together - since January 1 2010. I've designed a new logo, announcement ads for the newspaper, written radio spot scripts, and put together press packages to send off. In my case, I really believe just putting myself out there has served me more than I even realize. My job 'description' has surpassed any kind of outlined list of tasks you can put on paper. I walk through the reception areas in our different offices and my photos are framed and hanging on the walls. I have a make-shift photography studio in the X-RAY department. I update the employee "INTRANET" with my latest photoshop creations...

I am a DIY-design-blog junkie. A. JUNKIE. As in........21 messages on my phone, a pile of work to complete in the next 45 minutes, people stopping by my desk for a quick favor, 3 pages of to-do-lists (99% of the lines highlighted for importance........) yet...........my eyes cannot be peeled away the How-To on creating my own winter hat fashioned out of a crotcheted rectangle of yarn and a puff ball. Anything I can make on the cheap that looks outrageously fabulous and endlessly interesting is something I am obsessed with. With my new sewing-love I'm finding myself surrounded by tons of little scraps of fabric.....which I cannot bring myself to throw away. WHAT DO I DO WITH THESE SCRAPS?!!?!? Solution #1 {of I'm sure a million} - Sew them onto homemade Thank You cards!

A freak stomach-virus has swept through my household. I stayed home in bed sick all day yesterday....dragged my butt into work today, although I remain half-un-concious and hazy....floating through the day under a slow cloud of Tylenol PM and general weakness. I find myself unable to focus.......and have just been staring blankly at my wall for some inspiration. I have SO MUCH WORK TO DO!

Well I'm happy to report I've been logging in some quality time with my NEW SEWING MACHINE. (a most lovely gift from my future mother in law) I've read the manual front to back, scowered the internet reading sewing blogs and looking up how-to's.....I've become well acquainted with Jo-Ann Fabrics....and I think I single-handedly cleared out the soon-to-be-obsolete fabric department at my local Wal-Mart as everything was marked down to $1.50/yard. The poor man who had to stand there and cut yard after yard after yard asked if I was making a quilt - with all that fabric! I happily proclaimed NOPE - I DON'T EVEN REALLY KNOW HOW TO SEW!!!! :-) To which I think his reaction was bitterness and confusion. .......but guess what, once I grasp what the hell I'm doing, I'll have plentyyyyyyy of fabric to do it! At this point we all know I've made a headband, showcased in my last post. Well the options of what I can make for you haven't evolved TOO much. I ca...