Over the weekend I whipped up my first bunting to hang on our living room mantle.
I used a fat quarter bundle from Stitch Lab and white grosgrain ribbon I had leftover from wedding projects.
Pinking the edges made for a quick project, but next time I’ll add interfacing to give the bunting a little more weight.
Did you make anything to decorate for Valentine’s Day?
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As someone who has been keeping a journal for a very, very long time, I am always looking for new ways to approach my documentation process. When Amy of Lemon and Raspberry released her latest ebook, Tell Its Story: Journaling the Memories of Your Stuff, a month or so ago, I knew I’d be purchasing a copy.
Tell Its Story packs a punch. In just under 60 pages, Amy discusses material culture (or why you should be journaling about your stuff), helps the reader consider memories attached to common objects (such as a childhood home), provides tips for best photographing your stuff and specific journaling prompts, and rounds everything out with specific projects for telling its story.
Being materialistic is never okay, but it’s okay (and I think Amy would agree), to be attached to (some of) your things and to want to show them off.
I plan to use Amy’s journaling prompts to tell the story of the family heirlooms I have the privilege to own, such as the antique child’s rocker, and even my engagement ring.
If you have stuff, and it has a story, you need to read Tell Its Story.
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Now that Indie Biz 3.0 is technically over, I wanted to share my thoughts on the class, in case anyone is wondering what the class was like, if it was worth the cost, etc.
There were a lot of things I really loved about the class. I enjoyed hearing about the instructors experiences starting and growing their businesses. Unless you’ve been following an indie business owner for the beginning, it’s easy to lose perspective and assume their success happened over night.
The student lounge on flickr was a great compliment to the class. And, it got me interested in using and being active on flickr again (I hadn’t really used the site in years!).
The actual class sessions were highly informative. And long. I printed out the majority of the sessions because I don’t enjoy reading that much text on a computer screen (and that’s also why I skip subscribing to blogs with lengthy posts– a few paragraphs, or several short paragraphs, is good enough for me).
I have, in no way, actually finished the class. There’s a lot to keep up with (sessions + workbook), and it’s hard for me to think creatively when I’ve been at work all day. So in the coming weeks, I’ll be really reading (I skimmed a lot) the sessions, filling out the workbook, and mapping my way to becoming an indie business owner myself.
The class was absolutely worth the money, so if you’re thinking about taking it the next time it’s offered, go for it. I most likely won’t be taking the class a second time (although they do offer an alumni rate), only because there are other resources in the same vein that I’d like to explore, too.
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We (mostly) completed our wedding website recently (I’ll be adding more information as we get closer to The Big Day). If you can’t tell, our website is really a self-host WordPress blog. Lyle already owned the domain lylelovesjulia.com, so I kindly asked him to install WordPress and the ‘Sail Away’ theme from birdthemes.com. I created pages for the things I wanted to include on the website (a bit about us, directions to the church, our registry information, etc.) and used some of my favorite photos from our engagement shoot to add visual interest. Easy peasy.
Did you know that there really aren’t any cute, free wedding websites? There’s not, I looked. (Although Google recently launched wedding webpage templates, but I’d already done all my research when that happened). There are some great not-free wedding websites (Weddingjojo is my favorite), but Lyle wouldn’t let me pay for one (I have to concede that he was right when he said it was stupid to pay for one). In the end, I think ours is really cute and it was really easy to put together. Hopefully our family and friends will find it useful.
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Last Thursday, I took a break at work. I was scrolling through Twitter when I read something that made my heart stop. A girl I followed had died suddenly.
Meredith and I first connected 3 or 4 years ago on LiveJournal. We became pen-pals, friends on Ravelry, and, after LiveJournal wasn’t so exciting anymore, we followed each other on Twitter.
My impression of Meredith was always that she lived life completely. Whatever she did, she didn’t do it halfway. She had great personal style, and it always came across effortlessly. Meredith didn’t have to try to be cool– she just was.
She loved running. Her bike was her primary mode of transportation. And I was envious of her knitting skills.
Like me, Meredith studied journalism in undergrad and later went on to pursue her master’s degree in library science. I loved discussing library school with her, and given her enthusiasm for everything else she tackled in life, I think she would have made great contributions to the field.
Meredith’s death is a cruel reminder that there is no promise of tomorrow. It is a lesson, for me, in living each day with intention. Of doing the things that matter, of making sure the people I love know that I love them, of expressing gratitude.
And my heart hurts for her parents, her boyfriend, and her friends.
On Friday, I headed downtown to the University of Texas campus to check out an installation at the Blanton Museum of Art. 99 trees in the plaza were yarnbombed. It was quite a sight to see.
Meredith would have appreciated it, I think.
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Somewhat recently I decided I needed a personalized wire hanger for my wedding dress on our wedding day. They run about $30, and, even more importantly, the lend themselves well to photo ops:
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This etsy shop appears to be the only one that customizes hangers made only out of wire (there are bunches that customize wood hangers; they may be sturdier but I don’t think they are quite as cute!). She seems to be sold out at the moment, so I’m glad I started my wedding dress hanger shopping early!
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I’m so excited for Indie Biz, which officially begins tomorrow! The first class project was making a portfolio for the class workbook. I had a lot of fun making mine over the weekend (while half-watching a movie, which I think is my favorite way to craft!) and I’m really pleased with the results.
I used a 1″ ReBinder, and I’m now kind of obsessed with them. I wouldn’t recommend them for heavy-duty, every day use (because they are basically just corrugated cardboard), but they are perfect if you want to be able to customize the cover (and why wouldn’t you?).
I painted some cardboard letters with gray acrylic paint, attached with hot glue, and added a few crafty stickers (they’re Martha Stewart via Jo-Ann’s).
Inside pocket. January Day is currently the name I have in mind for a future product line.
I loved making the index tabs. There are few things I love more than index tabs. And $5 label makers.
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In my first post on wedding colors, I planned to spend $30 on Pantone swatch cards. Then I wizened up and realized I could achieve the same goal by swiping paint swatches from a big-box store. Which is what I did. Only I probably would have been better off ordering from Pantone because it was more difficult to replicate the perfect palette I had put together with the Pantone colors than I had anticipated. By the time I realized this, I’d already swiped multiple paint swatches and purchased binder rings, so I decided I was committed to the project and went with it.
I’m using a lot of fabric for various projects and sourcing it from different places, so I wanted to include fabric swatches for inspiration, as well. I’m less pleased with how these came out, since the color changed a quite a bit in the scanning + printing process. I’ll probably end up taking them off the ring. Either way, I suspect my paint chips will come in quite handy. I plan to stash them in my purse for consultation during impromptu wedding purchases.
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We’ve started house-hunting (fun!) but I’ve been a bit disappointed with the lack of proper utility/ laundry rooms in the house we’ve looked at. Most seem to have washer/dryer hook-ups in the garage (ack!). In the duplex we live in now, the ‘laundry room’ is a little closet off the hallway. It’s not so bad, but there’s no room for a drying rack, and I can’t reach the shelves without climbing on top of the washer or dryer (!). So I’m definitely dreaming of a functional AND pretty laundry room in our new house.
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I picked up Handmade Weddings: More than 50 Crafts to Style and Personalize Your Big Day when it was released last month and I am so glad I did. Not to sound like a used car salesman, but if you’re thinking about DIYing any part of your wedding, this is the book for you! True to the title, the book is filled with more than 50 (realistic and attainable) wedding projects, from invitations to reception decor.
The projects are divided up by style (our wedding is Retro Homespun), and if you use the book as a starting point to designing your big day, the authors have done a lot of the hard work for you, selecting a palette and suggesting venues and details. The best part is that you’re not limited to the projects done in your chosen style; the authors have provided suggested variations for most of the projects (and if you’re crafty enough to want to DIY your wedding, you can probably think of other variations, as well).
I haven’t yet made any of the projects in the book, though at least 6 have made my official Wedding DIY list. For a good preview of the book, go here or check out the companion website.
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