54 Hours of Texas

Right between Christmas and New Years I took a trip down to Texas to see one of my best friends get married! I was lucky enough to be asked to be Danielle's Maid of Honor- and was thrilled to accept. The trip turned out to be a little crazy with all the winter weather and tons of flights were cancelled. I was fortunate enough to make it to Texas- but not everyone could. One of our good friends (who was also asked to be a bridesmaid) Alyssa wasn't able to come! It was very sad not having her there, and we missed her a lot through out the weekend.

Those of us who could, showed up around Thursday or Friday for the wedding which was on Saturday December 29th. My flights had to be re-booked and I thought I would have to spend the night in the Dallas airport! Luckily once I got to Dallas I put myself on a standby flight to Austin and (even though I was #13 on the list) I made it! I got into Austin close to midnight on Thursday. I was thanking God I made it there safely and in one day!

We spent the weekend at a lovely hotel right in downtown Austin. Everything was perfect about the hotel except the ikkicon convention that was being held there. Ikkicon is an anime convention for those of you who are unsure- and yes this meant tons of people in crazy looking costumes all over our hotel the entire weekend. It was kind of neat to have something so interesting to look at, but a little overwhelming, and WAY too crowded for my liking!

On Friday Meagan and I lucked out with some free time so we explored downtown a little bit. We had lunch on a rooftop patio of this excellent Mexican restaurant called Iron Cactus- I can't remember what I had but it was so delicious!

Friday evening was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. We took a limo out to the church way out in hill country (about 40 minutes out of the city). The venue was absolutely beautiful and we had such a nice time doing the rehearsal and then at the dinner afterwards. I did notice however once the sun went down it got really chilly!

Saturday finally hit, and it was a little bit of a blur- like all weddings are. We woke up, walked to CVS for a few supplies we forgot to pack (razors) and then Meagan and I had some breakfast while the bride and groom met up for some one-on-one time. After breakfast we got all ready at the hotel and then took a ride over to the venue on a tour bus.

When we arrived at the location we got to see the bridal cottage (where we would be finishing up getting ready) When I opened the door I was blown away by cuteness- my pictures don't do it justice!

We put our dresses on- and helped Danielle into hers and then the pictures began. Their photographer took so many pictures of everything- it was really nice, but my cheeks hurt after all the smiling! Here are a few I snapped on the sidelines before the wedding of Meagan and I. 

The ceremony was beautiful and so was the reception- I don't have many pictures from that since I was a little preoccupied ;) Here are a few of the grounds and a couple of the bride and groom after the ceremony!

They looked so happy together- and you could just feel their love emanating from them the entire weekend. I feel so blessed to have been able to be apart of their wedding. More importantly I am excited for one of my best friends to have married such a wonderful guy and her true soulmate. I am thrilled for their long future together!

After the wedding and reception we headed back to the hotel- and I made arrangements for my 4:00 AM cab pick up! I went upstairs, cleaned, showered and packed, and took a 2 hour nap before waking up to head to the airport. My flights home were pretty forgettable- considering I slept almost the entire way. While I was awake for a few minutes I snapped this shot from the window. (I think it is NY)

It was certainly a whirlwind trip to Texas and back. I wish I could have spent more time down there exploring the city, visiting with the newly weds, and seeing their new apartment- but alas the holidays are a crazy time! I am hoping to make it down to visit them sometime "soon" and by soon I mean hopefully this year. 

Congrats again to Danielle and Sean Arnold! 

Bridal Shower in a Box

If you haven't read the story behind this box click here! This post will give you all the details behind how I planned and executed a long-distance-bridal-shower!

Here is how I created the box:
First I chose a theme. I settled on "Snow and Winter" since she was all the way down in Texas missing out on a pretty northern winter (although we haven't much snow up here yet!) Then I gathered inspiration and ideas. Mostly I was inspired by shopping but once I got the idea I made a secret pinterest board for some inspiration. I unlocked it and you can look at it here: A Box of Winter

Next I went shopping and started crafting and assembling the box...
here is what was inside:

 Decorations:

A Banner!

 How to: 

Take Gold Tissue paper fold it in half and cut strips.

Sew a ribbon in the folded part leaving room for ties on either side. 

Take pretty papers and write your message!

Sew a pretty accent ribbon to join the pieces of paper to make a banner.

Use clothes pins to hang both banners together.

Snow Garland! 

How to:

Take paper, Styrofoam balls, cotton balls, yarn, a big needle, and ribbon.

Begin stringing the yarn through paper snowflakes, cotton, and Styrofoam balls.

Add a ribbon at the top in order to tie it to something.

Add a small cardboard snowflake at the bottom to weigh it down. 

This can be hung from floor to ceiling or draped like traditional garland.

A Bride-to-Be Sash

 I looked high and low for a not totally overpriced, tacky, or trashy bridal sash and could not find one. So I ended up making one!

How to: 

Supplies: Pretty fabric, Puffy Paint, Thread

Cut out long even rectangles of fabric (long enough to go from shoulder to hip)

Iron them in half.

Iron down one of the corners on each to create the tail of the sash

Sew together neatly using machine.

Add the desired saying on the sash and let dry! 

(for more detailed instructions contact me)

Food and Favors:

Hot Chocolate! 

 For this I took hot cocoa packets and emptied them into small jars. 

I added chocolate chips and marshmallows to the mix to add some extra fun. 

Garnished with a ribbon and peppermint stick! 

(Bottom Right Photo) shows the left over hot cocoa packets- 

wrapped up all pretty with the instructions carefully cut out and placed inside. 

Other Food and Small Gifts

Some other fun gifts we added (pictured above) include:

Dark Chocolate Peppermint covered pretzels

Hot Chocolate Cupcake Mix

Fake Snow in a can

Pine smelling candle. 

Cupcake Liners

I added a box of winter cupcake liners to go along with the mix! 

Little boxes for the bride and groom.

 Each box included: 

A small bag of chocolate

Candy Canes

A white lovebird ornament

A Stamp

Fake snow and tulle

Packing the Box:

This was where a lot of the snow came in. 

Top Left: Everything wrapped up and ready to go in the box. 

Top Right: First Layer

Middle Right: Second Layer

Bottom Left: Final Layer- Rocking tons of fake snow

Bottom Middle: Bridal sash and note to explain what is in the box.

Bottom Right: An envelope on the outside of the box to tell her she is not allowed to open the box yet and should call me for further instruction. 

Even though this was a bridal shower box- it was heavily focused on snow and winter- I hope this brings you some inspiration for the holidays! 

Throwing a Long Distance Bridal Shower

Hello! I am so sorry it's been awhile since I have posted anything substantial on my blog! In the next few days you can look forward to posts about crafty things, holidays, cats, and graduation! I'd like to kick off this blogging marathon with a brilliant crafty party idea. (this one is a long post! hang in there).

This fall I was asked by one of my best friend's, Danielle, if I would be the maid of honor in her wedding this winter. I was beyond excited to say yes, mostly because I was thrilled to be there for one of my friends during this special time in her life. Among the bridal party- are two of my other best girlfriends: Meagan and Alyssa. You might recognize all of these names-because we all were in Alyssa's wedding this July!

These girls are among my favorite people ever- we all became a group of friends during high school- and since then no matter how many miles separate us we can always know the other girls are there whenever we need them.

Once I was asked to be maid of honor- I started thinking about what responsibilities went along with that. Obviously i googled it- and panic ensued. Google was giving me enormous lists of tasks that are the maid of honors responsibility- so instead I calmed down and emailed Danielle to check what her expectations were. She was pretty mellow saying that she didn't think me throwing a bridal shower or other parties are really possible because she is all the way down in Texas! (I'm up in PA). So since then I had just been doing my best to help out from afar and be a supportive friend. Then it occurred to me- this isn't fair! Just because she is far away from her family and friends does not mean she should have to miss out on a bridal shower- so the scheming started! I contacted the mother of the bride and the other bridesmaid to concoct this outrageous plan.

I created a "long distance bridal shower". My idea started as a box full of cards from family and friends instead of a shower. The box would also include cute things to represent a shower. Alyssa contributed the idea of adding an element of gifts to be sent- and with tons of planning and help from everyone we finally figured it out. This is the email I sent out to all of Danielle's family and friends... (addresses have been edited out and spacing changed for the purpose of this post).

Hello family and friends of Danielle and Sean,
My name is Danielle M. I am the maid of honor in Danielle and Sean's wedding and I have a very important message for you!
I would like to formally invite you to partake in a long-distance bridal shower. We all know that Danielle and Sean are down in Texas, and the wedding is rapidly approaching. Danielle will not be able to make it back up North before the big day. After much deliberation among her bridesmaids, we have decided that Danielle and Sean still deserve to be showered with love (even all the way down in Texas), so we formulated a plan. Instead of having a physical bridal shower for the couple, we would like to gather up all of the cards and gifts and send them in a surprise package to Danielle. The package would be presented as her "long-distance bridal shower" and would include any cards from family/friends and other personal touches to help make them feel showered with love. 
Your Role in the Bridal Shower: 
How you can participate: 
1. Send a bridal shower card with a message of love for the couple.
2. Send a card with an additional gift card or check as a gift.
3. Purchase a gift online or in person to send for the shower.
If you have chosen option 1 or 2, here is what you should do: 
Please address your card/gift to the following address- 
(my address went here)
The card must be received by: November 26
If you have chosen option 3, please follow these instructions: 
Please have the gift mailed to the following address-
(neighbor of Danielle here)
These packages must be received by: December 1
Important Note: We know the holidays can be a financially stressful time of year, and that Texas is far away; you should not feel obligated to spend any money if you are not comfortable or not able to do so. 
Questions you may have:
When will Danielle & Sean get the packages? 
We are still working on negotiating the specifics, but Danielle should be scheduled to open the packages sometime between the 3rd - 9th of December. Please remember that this is a TOTAL SURPRISE! Do not mention anything to Sean or Danielle until after her scheduled "bridal shower!" (PS> the date did change and we had to keep everyone email updated on this)
Where should I shop for a gift or gift card? 
Danielle and Sean are registered at Crate&Barrel. 
Other nice options are: Williams & Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Target, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Be creative! 
Who should checks be made out to? 
Please make checks out to either Sean Arnold or Danielle Harmon. 
I can only send a card, is that O.K.? 
Yes! The whole goal of this shower is to shower the couple with love. A simple card with kind words is just as meaningful as a gift. 
I want to do option 1 or 2, but I missed the Deadline, what should I do? 
Contact Danielle M. at (my email here) to work something out!
Whose address are the packages are being sent to?
This address belongs to Danielle's neighbor. They have graciously agreed to accept the presents prior to the shower in order to keep it a total surprise!
If you have any further questions please email me at (my email here) or call me at (my phone number here)
Thank you so much for your time! We hope you are able to participate in showering the happy couple with love and support! I look forward to hearing from you soon! 
Sincerely, 
Danielle M.

After sending out this email I had many positive responses back. Originally I wasn't sure how people would take it. I didn't want anyone to feel pressured into feeling like they had to contribute or buy a gift if they felt uncomfortable or they couldn't afford to.

The end result was fabulous! We had about 5 people send along cards to be included in the box- and about 16 or so gifts that were mailed to the neighbors. I emailed everyone who was invited periodically to give them updates along the way and I sent along this picture of the box that I sent to Danielle.

Look at my post on how I created this box for more details and pictures! 

While this box was being shipped all the way to Texas- myself and the other bridesmaid were scheming away. We got Danielle to agree to google chat with us to "fill us in on wedding stuff". We even had to move the chat because the box hadn't arrived yet! (I made up an excuse to postpone it). We rescheduled the chat and had to re-coordinate with Sean's mother to have her not move the boxes from the neighbors yet. It was a total miracle but the box made it on the day we had rescheduled the video chat for. And it ended up being flawlessly executed. 

Danielle opened the box when we gave her the go ahead. (Meanwhile Sean's mom was moving all the boxes from the neighbors to their house). It was so fun to watch her open the box and be covered in all that fake snow. When she finished open the box I sent and the cards inside of it. She innocently thought the surprise was over. That's when we had her go downstairs only to find Sean, his parents, and the 16 boxes from more of her family and friends. The couple opened up the gifts and we watched from the video chat. It was so amazing to watch this all unfold and honestly I could not have been happier with the results! I am so grateful to all of Danielle and Sean's family and friends who participated! 

(pictures of Danielle in Texas during the shower soon to come!)

If you are ever thinking about throwing someone a long-distance-party. It can absolutely be done! Don't be afraid to try something new. I think this is probably one of the first long-distance-bridal-showers ever, and I loved it. If you have any questions about the specifics, or any hiccups along the way just comment below and I'll get back to you!

Happy party planning! I hope this inspired some holiday cheer! 

J + A

Earlier this summer I was blessed with the opportunity to be apart of one of my best friend's weddings! I was a bridesmaid for Alyssa & Josh's wedding, and I couldn't have had a nicer time! They decided to get hitched up in Canada on lake Mazinaw which has special significance to Alyssa's family. It was about a 10 hour drive for me to get up there but every single minute or travel was worth it! I can't explain how it feels to watch one of your childhood friends get married. I have known Lys since the sixth grade, and even since middle school she had told me how in love with Josh she was. (Who says no one marries their middle school crush?!). It was years until they finally got together- but now I am so happy they did! They are truly a wonderful couple and balance each other perfectly. All you want for a best friend is for her to be happy- mission accomplished :) I truly feel blessed to have been able to be witness to the ceremony and able to support them in this important occasion in their lives! 

Thrifty DIY Gifts

Hello Readers! I feel like my posts have become few and far between recently! I am so sorry for that, but my summer has been outrageously crazy. I just took about a 2 week trip up to Canada with stops in Lockport, Lancaster, and New Milford before making it home! I went up to Canada for the wedding of one of my best friends, Alyssa Magee Lowery & her fiance husband Joshua Lowrey! It was a beautiful wedding, and I was thrilled to be a part of it! Here is a preview of the beautiful couple! Many more pictures to come!

When I returned home we went into an immeadiate weekend celebration of my sister's birthday! She turned 24 today! Happy Birthday Gabrielle! This morning in honor of her birthday my mom, sister and I made mixed berry scones from scratch and played parcheesi!

Either way the point I am trying to make is... what do weddings, birthdays, and travel have in common?
That's right you guessed it... money. Spending money. I couldn't get around not spending the money on my gas and since I have been very low on cash lately I had to cut my funds where the gifts were concerned. I hope that like the quote says, "It's the thought that counts"; Alyssa, Josh and Gabby won't be offended by this post revealing how little I spent on their gifts since I did invest time, love and creativity into them instead!

So for all of you money strapped crafters out there I have three easily personalized and creative, but most importantly cheap gift tutorials!

Gift 1: Customized Mugs

Cost: $ 2.00 

Gift 2: Chalkboard Coasters

Cost: $ 10.00 

Gift 3: A Line a Day Calendar 

Cost: $ 5.00 

Gift 1: Customized Mugs 

Supplies 

Sharpies 

2 mugs ($1 each at Dollar Tree)

Inspiration and Imagination

Oven

Directions: 

Draw a design on the mug using Sharpies. 

(I found that black works very well and colors show up lighter than normal)

Don't forget to think about doing both sides of the mug! 

Here I stole an idea from A Beautiful Mess for one side of the cup 

and did a super mushy love message on the other side. 

Idea: Write a cute phrase, names, or try an abstract drawing! 

Once you are happy with your design place on a baking sheet and in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes! 

Tip: Add a tag for the cup to explain care of mugs.

Important Note: 

Once you carefully remove the cups from the oven let them cool completely before washing or using! 

Gift 2: Chalkboard Coasters

Supplies 

4 tiles (.35 at Lowes) 

Chalkboard Spray Paint (about $7 at Ace Hardware) 

Felt Adhesive (about $2 at walmart) 

Chalk (.50)

Directions: 

Find a well ventilated area (i.e. outside) and lay out your four tiles. 

Spray a light but even coat of the chalkboard paint and allow time to dry. 

Do several layers until well coated. (I did 3) 

Next take your felt adhesive and cut the size backing you want. 

Apply to chalkboard tile. 

Tip: Watch the thickness of the felt backing you buy. Mine was thick so you can see the coasters are a little high off the table. 

Make sure you wait 24 hours before using any chalk, and when you do start by doing a light chalk coating on each tile first. 

Erase the chalk coating, write your message and wrap with a pack of chalk! 

When I gifted this I combined gifts 1 & 2 for a cute mug/coaster combo. 

Here's how I wrapped it up! 

Pictured above Left to Right: Her Mug, 4 coasters and a box of chalk, His mug & washing instructions

Gift 3: A Line a Day Calendar

Supplies 

379 large index cards (Dollar Tree 100 pack $1 each) 

Markers or Stamps

Basket, Carton or Container of some sort (Thrift Store $1) 

Pretty Paper for Dividers 

Directions 

Take your index cards and start writing! Label the day on each card. You get to really design and personalize each thing. I did the first day of the month with the month and 01 and color code on it. The following days contained only the date in the coded color.

Tip: Try using stamps for a more uniform look or markers for a more handwritten feel

Next make your dividers. Take an index card and place it on the desired colorful paper. Make the divider slightly taller than the card so it will stick out of the stack! Make 12 dividers for each month... I decided to label the back of the dividers and leave the fronts plain! 

*Notice how the dividers are sticking out above the index cards and are all different patterns! 

Next make an explanation card to explain to your giftee to explain what they should do with this calendar. 

Lastly place all of the cards in the container of choice. I purchased a basket and tied it with a bow! 

Here is my sister's first entry into her Line a Day journal: 

Tip: Add little headings on important holidays like the person's birthday, anniversary, or other big holidays! 

Also don't be afraid to try different things. Here is the original project that inspired mine. It has some differences from mine and will give you another great example of creative ways to make this project! (click here) 

I hope you have enjoyed all these craft/ cheap gift ideas. Most don't take a very long amount of time and are nice gifts for a wide variety of people. Not to mention cool enough to make for yourself as a cheap treat! You better believe I am making a mug and calendar for me once I get a free minute :) Have a lovely day all. I look forward to posting again very soon!