Thursday, June 16, 2011

Miss B---eautiful!!!!...

So....one of my favorite things about CTMH is that it has opened so many doors for me and has allowed me to meet many people I'm sure that I wouldn't have met if not for our shared passion of scrapbooking! 

Miss Aaron Brown, "Miss B" to me (not sure why I started calling her that...lol), is one of these people.  I met her for the first time last year at our annual Convention in Washington DC.  She was in the audience of one of my classes and being a Texas gal myself, I immediately picked up on her accent :0)  She said she was from Lubbock which I attended Texas Tech so that was a HUGE PLUS for me!  She commented on my blog and my class I taught a few times shortly after and so I started following her blog.  I've since become a stalker of her blog and LOVE her work!!!

Last week, I went to check my mail and look what was there...



A handmade card from Miss B!!!!  I couldn't have been happier had the card been from the White House!  As you can see, it's GORGEOUS, vintagey, has some old buttons which I've since learned are from her great-grandmother's stash (how SWEET is that...to share something so dear with little 'ol ME!!!)...plus it has a lot of textures and materials which I just LOVE!

I've been running around finishing (and, YES, even starting) wedding projects and didn't have time to take photos of my card that would do it the justice it deserves....so, when I saw that she posted it on her blog, I had to steal the photos for myself!

Thank you, Miss B....you'll never know how much I appreciate the handmade card and the gift inside!  You made my day!  Although I won't be at Convention this year due to the wedding, I hope to see you again SOON!  Until then, I'll secretly stalk your blog and remember the very kind gesture during this special time for me and my family!  Thanks!!! 

Monday, June 13, 2011

Wedding Countdown and HUGE to-do list...

Well...it seems we're on the short side of 6 5 4 2 weeks 'till our wedding and while I'm THRILLED to see everything come together, my to-do list is still HUGE!!! 

I've had an abundance of really close friends, a LOT of my customers and some "I fell obligated" family members offer to help in any way.  I haven't actually taken them up on anything yet as it's easier for me to create in the late, late hours of evenings when the boys are asleep and hubby-to-be is watching basketball. 

As time nears and my list doesn't seem to be getting any smaller, I may have to call on these people to "help a girl out"...

In the meantime, I thought it'd be fun if I posted my to-do list here and marked it off as we go!  QT's "we live in a perfect world" idea was to have everything completed by May 15th...it's come and gone and we're still here...maybe he meant "his list" was to be done by May 15th...lol

Here we go (I'm going on memory since my notebook is "missing" right now...could be under all the piles of Hobby Lobby bags and Sweet Leaf B&T and Cocoa Cardstock...lol)...
  • Call for parking Decided not to reserve additional parking since street parking is FREE on Sundays
  • Call Flower shops (decide on flowers 1st)
  • Decide where Rehearsal Dinner will be - call for reservations - DONE
  • Table #s (need RSVP count 1st) - Demo done and all the rest started
  • Seating Chart (need RSVP count 1st) - Preliminary chart done
  • Drink Choices - adult beverages as well as non-alcoholic - DECIDED
  • Card Box (almost done)
  • Bouquet (one to toss)
  • Tears of Joy packets - All pieces cut & items purchased
  • Programs
  • Signage: Drink, Food, Entrance, Mr & Mrs, etc. - Started
  • Call Hotel for reservations DONE
  • Bridesmaids' gifts, Maid and Man of Honor gift - Started
  • Flowergirl gift
  • Ringbearer gift
  • Ushers' gifts
  • Start "Thank yous"
  • Guest Book - Started
  • Frames for engagement photos - Purchased
  • Table Layout
  • Get boys fitted for tuxes - Measured
  • Get dad fitted for jacket (thanks to Uncle G...might have this taken care of)
  • Decide what Man of Honor is going to wear (same as girls or groomsmen????) - DECIDED...now I just have to get him over there to get measured :0) He threw a BIG FIT so now we're on to different things...I think it'll still look good though :0)
  • Find wedding shoes - FOUND and ordered a few pair just to make sure - should arrive via UPS today!
  • Final Try-on for dress (scheduled) - Needs alterations so FREAKING OUT!
  • Find Rehearsal Dinner "attire" for me, boys, QT - FOUND for me...now onto the "boys"
  • Need something old and something blue
  • Tent rental in case of rain - Decided
  • Fan rental in case of HEAT
  • Small gifts for guests (need RSVP count 1st) - Received and will start working on them - DONE, FINISHED, PACKED!!!!
  • STOP ADDING TO LIST!!!
  • ADDED: Champagne Flutes - FOUND for us...got reserved for guests
  • ADDED: Napkins (paper or linen) - paper and they're ordered
  • ADDED: Activity Books for the kids (started)

Saturday, June 11, 2011

"Finally a Bride" shower...

Let me just say that my girls know how to throw a party!!!  They all know how much I love Close To My Heart...they knew I'd be scrapping these pictures using CTMH colors Sweet Leaf, Cocoa and Colonial White so made everything "matchy matchy"...they knew that I have waited for almost 13 years to marry this man that I love and finally have the Taylor name with him and our children!  It was a very special day with tons of presents, lots of WONDERFUL food and some very special friends....did I mention all the HANDMADE goodies!!!! 

Let me share those today...1st let me explain that the theme was "finally"....much to my urging and one of the hostesses is one of my best friends and fellow CTMH Consultant, Sylvia Williams...this came in handy for decoration items such as these:

This 1st project is a 12x12 canvas she made using our wedding invitation package...she added the word
"finally" to tie it in to the shower theme...she borrowed some of the singed silk flowers I've been making for bouquets and such...isn't it GORGEOUS!!!!  After we display this at the wedding, I will probably be putting it into a shadow box and hanging it up in our house.

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 Here's a close up of the flowers....

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Here's a close up of the Dimensional Elements and the damask ribbon from Hobby Lobby...doesn't it go PERFECT with our wedding invitations!  You'll see some more of this ribbon on my card box that I will share later...
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This is the second project Sylvia made...it's a banner made from CTMH's My Creations Banner and more Sweet Leaf B&T from the Wings Paper Packet, Cocoa Grosgrain and Sweet Leaf 1" Stitched Ribbon and Pearl Opaques.  Truth be known, I bought several of these banners (can't beat $5.95) and had great plans for doing something with them...I might still but at least I know that I already have one made in case I run out of time!!!!
Here's a closeup...
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Here are some of the wonderful "handmade" cards I received (I only took pictures of the handmade ones because that's what this blog is all about...my obsession with scrapbooking, paper crafting and card-making and it's quite obvious that I couldn't take a picture of the 30+ cards we've received)...

The 1st one is from my upline, Pamela...she stitched around the edges, she mimicked our wedding invitation using the Friendship stamp set...she used the Mocha Opaques and she's a woman after my own heart...she decorated the inside equally as pretty!!!  If everyone knew how special you feel when you receive a card that has so much feeling and hard work put into it, they'd STOP BUYING HANDMADE CARDS...lol

isn't it gorgeous!
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This one is a tag from Sylvia...she did the same and used Friendship stamp set and added Love Always just like Pamela...
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This card is from one of my good friends and monthly club members, Renee....she used Sweet Leaf Ink and the little eyelet hole detail at the bottom of the card is so pretty...the envelope matched!!!

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This card is from another loyal CTMH fan...Myra happens to be a monthly club member of Sylvia's and is helping us with all the linens and such for the reception...she's an EXCELLENT seamstress and is very generous with her time and suggestions!  Can you believe she made the envelope!!!  See...I told you she was a very "loyal" CTMH fan...everything is CTMH and she's not even a Consultant!  This is a present itself, not to mention the gift card inside...like Myra needed to get us anything else!!!
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This is a gift from another one of my besties, Meg....she's normally right there with everyone else hand-making cards for people but she's elbow deep in a Father's Day album for a friend's husband and she's short on time which I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND!!!  She said that she found this months ago and thought of me...you betcha...I'm gonna be ironing this onto something...I just don't know what yet!
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This is from Dana, a very talented, professional woman that started scrapbooking only a year ago...she started quite ambitious with making a WHOLE ALBUM for her niece's birthday...she asked for my help, I went over to her house and showed her some basics and she's taken off from there!  She scrapbooks all the time and she's a VERY BUSY Attorney so if she can find time to preserve her family's memories, SO CAN YOU!!!!  The bow was tied much prettier when I received the package but I had to hurry and tie it back to take this picture...inside was a well-LOVED gift card!!!!  Thanks, Dana!
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This is a glimpse of our "present corner"....it's so fun getting presents but even more fun knowing that these sweet cards (both handmade and store-bought) and well-wishes that our guests are writing will find a special place in our Wedding Scrapbook for us to treasure always!  

A very VERY SPECIAL Thank You to my hostesses: Cary (my very bestest friend in the whole wide world, my sister and Matron of Honor), Susan (my best friend since the 3rd grade), Shannon (my best friend and once roommate), Sylvia (my best friend and fellow CTMH Consultant), Malinda (the SWEETEST Nini you'll ever meet!!!), Shona (my good friend, hair extraordinaire and monthly club member) and Roann (another good friend and monthly club member)...you girls truly went over and beyond!!!

Even though this small gift I gave to my hostesses didn't even begin to express my gratitude, I hope they enjoyed the "pun" (my *new* name will be "Taylor")...

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the flowers were made using the singe technique...I added tulle in between the satiny layers and added a big Cocoa-colored bead...I sewed the flower onto Sweet Leaf Ribbon and then tied the ribbon around the bottle...

Friday, June 10, 2011

Ohhhhh my aching feet...

So...most brides look forward to dress shopping and SHOE shopping!!!  I thought I would as well but here are my dilemmas...they're the same dilemmas I always face:
  • They don't have my size - I have a BIG foot...but what would one expect from a girl that's 6ft tall...or
  • The heel is too high - since I'm a tall girl, I've never had the need to wear anything higher than 1" - 2"....luckily my QT is 4" taller than I am so if need be, I could wear a taller heel but since I've never worn them, I don't know how to walk 'gracefully' in them...lol...or
  • I get this from my mother...."I can make that"...lol. - It's true...the shoe I want has flowers on top and I'm sure that I can find some reasonably priced basic shoe and adorn the top with what I want...this inhibits me from wanting to spend the BIG BUCKS that stores want for these shoes 'I could make'...lol
So...I thought I'd share my shoe shopping with you guys and my thoughts that run through my head as I look at shoe after shoe after shoe:

#1 - These are perfect...a little too pricey for me and a little darker than what I want...why can't they come in ivory???  They have silver but I don't want silver...LOVE the heel (it's kinda funky) and the FLOWERS...definitely could make something like that!
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#2 - These are what I really, really, really, really want but there's no way in HECK I'm spending $235...they're the right color...the right amount of "bling"...OPEN TOED (I mean why would I go get a well-deserved pedicure if I'm not going to shoe my toes!)...

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#3 - These are "ok"...I don't like the footbed...it looks too casual but the flatness is ideal!  Not sure pewter is the color I'm going for...the gold could work but I'm not a "gold girl" so it would have to be a very subtle gold...nothing too shiny.
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#4 - And what about these...SUPER CUTE flower thingy...again, a little too pricey (was $150 when I was looking...now $70 which is at the very, very, very TOP of my price range...at least I'd wear these again) for me and I could DEFINITELY make these...I mean, what is that flower made of anyway...it looks like crate paper???

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#5 - Love the flower on these...if only it came in ivory...and if only they didn't have the cork footbed...oh, well...
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#6 - IN LOVE WITH THESE...minus the slight color difference (don't they make plain ivory shoes anymore?!?!) and minus the 3-1/4" heel...they look so feminine and the flower on the side is to DIE FOR!!!

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#7 - These remind me of Cinderella...at least I wouldn't have to worry about color...ouch $75 for plastic...I think I'll pass...the heel sure is cute though...
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#8 - Hmmmmmm....this one is very eloquent...LOVE the ankle detain...LOVE the size of the heel...LOVE the open toe...OUCH...price is high...yeah, probably would never wear again...oh, FREE shipping????  Maybe so...

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#9 - These are OK...not really a fan of the gold...looks kinda "bright" to me...nope, price is higher than the ones with the ankle detail...plus "I could make these"...lol

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#10 - I'm really liking these for some reason!  Love the little loop detail and even though they're gold, they're not a bright gold...I think the heel is perfect...there's an ankle strap to hold me on in case I trip...lol...price is very reasonable!

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#11 - These could definitely be a choice...but, Katy...who buys their wedding shoes at Payless...$22.95 does sound pretty good though....this way, we could afford one more flower arrangement :0)
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#12 - Another steal from Payless...not really feeling the silver but I could hide most of it if I could find or make a big 'ol flower to go on top...but, oh wait, look at that heel...it seems a little high for me and it doesn't have an ankle strap so my butt would probably be falling off them 30 minutes in....I guess that's a no, cheap little silver cuties!!!

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#13 - Be still my heart....Ivory {CHECK}....Flower detail on the top {CHECK}...Kinda low heel with ankle strap {CHECK}...Price is kinda high at $60 but they do have FREE SHIPPING!!!  Hmmmm...rounded toe, have I been noticing the rounded/squared toes on all the other shoes I've been mentally taking stock of...I think I prefer square...Bookmark this shoe {CHECK}
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I soooooo wish I could show you #14 through #20...especially since it contains 2 shoes I ended up ordering...I had to order several pair since there's only 2 weeks left, I couldn't chance it....BUT the DSW website won't let me right click and save the pictures and I really don't feel like giving you a bunch of links to go check out...I mean, really, who wants to take the time to do that.

So...there you go, girls...my feet are still undressed with only 2 weeks left.  I should get my shoe choices in the mail next week and after the wedding, I'll share pictures of the ones I bought along with FULL reviews...I mean prettiness isn't everything...they better be comfy too!!!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Keep Calm....

With only 18 days left 'till the wedding....

Our house has gone from this...

KEEP CALM & CARRY ON Poster Print
(courtesy of www.cafepress.com)


to this....
Time To Panic Posters

(courtesy of www.cafepress.com)

I know that I haven't shared much on here in the last few months but it doesn't mean that I haven't been creating!  I have lots of wedding stuff to share...some AWESOME stuff to share from my Bridal Shower last weekend (all using CTMH stuff)...and some "to-do list" updates to make.

Stay tuned to see just how hectic our life gets...


Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Jubilation Blog Hop...

I cannot believe it's JUNE ALREADY!!!  It's already reaching 100+ degrees and in fact, we almost broke an all-time record the other day with 110-degrees!  Summer is definitely here in Texas!

I hope y'all ("you all" for those that need subtitles...lol) are enjoying your weather wherever you're at and I hope sitting in front of the computer doing our monthly Blog Hop will help with the heat or the cold...whatever the case may be.

If you've come from Angela's Blog, you're on the right track...just keep hopping around 'till you get back to where you started. 

Here's the adorable, all-purpose SOTM for June....

Here's what I started to do with it....a VERY simple card set using various images to reflect the different holidays.  I wanted to go with something really quick and easy since I still have a LOT (and I mean...all caps, bolded, underlined A LOT) to do for the wedding which is only 4 weeks away!


Well, if you girls know me, I just wasn't happy with my first go-round so I decided to kick it up a little...it's still pretty basic and believe it or not, this card came together in 30 short minutes while I was cooking dinner...Colors are Kraft (my FAVORITE) and Cocoa...I used various buttons from the Red, Blue and Green Assortments and I threw in Card Chatter - Birthday for the sentiment.
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And here's the inside....simple as well...

Don't forget to hop on over to Doreen's Blog and see what cute thing she's come up with!

And...you can only get your hands on this HOT little stamp set during the month of June.  If you don't already have a consultant, let me know and I'll hook you up!