Wedding Bonanzas Part 2!

Here is Part Deux that you have been champing at the bit for! 

Wedding Bonanzas....again

If you are getting married in some sort of outdoor space, it is always nice to add a little spice to a pergola or gazebo that you are getting married in/on/around.   For our pergola I went to Joanne Fabrics and got some of the 'extra' material they have on clearance, but also bought some nice material to really make it pop.  Total it ran me around $70 (also with a coupon), but it is already being re-used for some curtains, and the other half is being re-used in another wedding next summer.  

These are my wonderful friends setting it up for us. Easy to drape, just need a tall fellow or a stool.  I would also recommend tying the bottom to whatever the "base" is because it will blow all around during the ceremony, possibly ruining some photo ops-

To make another plug for the Rebuilding Exchange in Chicago, IL, while purchasing the shutters, we came across some reclaimed wood from a house in Detroit to make a "welcome" sign for the entrance of the reception.  It was beautiful wood, and they gave you all the info on the house (the address, etc.) which I thought was rather neat.  My wonderful man friend did all the assembling, but the final product turned out amazingly. 

To paint our name on the sign, we bought stencils at Michaels (with a coupon) and some white outdoor durable paint. Just make sure you let everything dry!

After the wedding, we took the bottom 'stake' part off, and the sign is now hanging on our wall as decor.  So frickin' cute! 

Last, but not least, we borrowed a large glass cylinder from someone else who had recently got hitched, added a simple sign to it so it was known what the cylinder was for, AND to add some cute-ness to the reception/gift table.  I did this by hand, and used some cute scrapbook paper.  Piece of cake. 

To those that need it- Happy Planning! It might seem to be a giant pain in the butt, but in the end it is definitely all worth it. 

Wedding Bonanzas! For The Money Savvy

It might have been a few months, okay about 6, but we were busy getting hitched and now here I am with pictures of things we did, DYI, that others might enjoy. 

WEDDING BONANZAS!!!!

First, the gladiolas-  The day before the wedding I went to the local farmers market and bought some to put in large mason jars that I got from Michaels (with a coupon of course) to add a little accent to some of the tables at the wedding.  Turned out great!



Next, instead of buying a cake topper, you can ask your florist to put a few flowers aside and the bakery can add them to the top and make it look beautiful, and natural.




One of my favorite projects that we did were the place cards, and how they were displayed at the reception. We went to the Rebuilding Exchange in Chicago, IL to find some salvaged shutters which all the place cards could be set into.  What a great success, and also found some vintage hinges to connect them together to make a really AWESOME presentation.

For the place cards themselves, I got simple white ones at a Factory Card Outlet, and bought a stamp and stamped each individual one and simply wrote the Names and Table Numbers. Very easy to do, and I really enjoyed it.  As an extra special touch to the very BIG wedding scene, I wrote a personal note on the inside of each card to the couple for thanking them for being there, or something else personal; whether it be a joke or just statement.  Our wedding guest ABSOLUTELY loved this touch! Seriously....loved it.

On the back we also stamped them with stamps that were literal chickens, salmon, beef, or vegetable which corresponded to their meal choices. These were purchased at the Paper Source.  To make it even easier for the staff, they were also different colors to really tell the difference.

Don't go far, there is going to be a part two!

This Is What Started It All!

I want to say that this blog was made possible all because the worms, but it is to many things, like my fast internet connection and properly functioning keyboard. This was the first time I was able to use my worm vermicompost as part of my planting process.  I started composting in April of 2012, and 2013 IS THE YEAR! I filled up, I should say they filled up, 3 bins (or layers) of decomposed food and worm poop.  

Here is the evidence:

How does that actually happen, you ask? 

We keep putting in our old or used food into the bins, which is a combination of shredded paper, egg cartons, and coir (a special worm fiber ordered from amazon). They eat the food, some of the paper products start breaking down, and before you know it you have this dark black left over soil that literally smells like dirt. I promise it does NOT spell like poo or old food.  The whole process is quite amazing.  *I also have plenty left over if you would like to experiment with some for your plants, I am more then willing to share! It can also be used in house plants. Whoa.

Onto the good stuff: planting!

Originally I thought you took the compost soil and used it in the ENTIRE pot or in the ground, BUT you really just layer it on the bottom, topped with peat moss or store bought soil, and more compost on the top layer.  I am very very excited to see how the plants do this year, but there is really no comparison to the hot hot summer last year that didn't seem to have any survivors.  I planted my herbs and flowers in pots because the area in the backyard does not get good amounts of sunlight.

The final product(s):

HAPPY SUMMER!!!

Avocados & Dog Hair, How They Go Together

Hello All!  

Avocados and dog hair don't really go together at all, but I am going to write about each of them separately, so they are being forced to be together in this blog.  My friend was asking me the best way to get dog hair off the couch. You can take the sticky rollers all you want, but you aren't going to get very far. They loose their stickiness fast, and you are going to go through about 20 of them before they actually get the job done. So....I made her try the rubber glove technique. You basically take the rubber gloves for house cleaning and you rub it all over the couch. The static electricity makes the dog hair clump together, which makes it an easy removal from the couch. If you then need to use the vacuum or the sticky rollers you will get a lot farther. 

Here is a picture to prove her hard work and success:

That's Lily the dog. She is going to be famous now!

This is the website that I originally got the idea from.  Followed by a website the suggested a much less effective way to clean dog hair off surfaces; if interested: Not as good.

Onto the avocados!!! This is a very Pinterest thing, but it was sent to me and now I use it when I go grocery shopping to buy avocados. For the record, I only buy them for my worms. Who am I kidding, but they definitely are an enabler to my addiction. Look at the picture below and then you will be a ripe avocado expert!

How to Crochet a Hat!

For Real, How to Crochet a HAT!!! 

I first learned how to crochet and the only thing that I was making were scarves which are pretty straight forward and you can only give them to so many people before everyone you know is wearing your scarves.  This winter I made it a goal to learn how to finally do something else. I never really learned how to 'read' patterns because I was taught by my grandma who just showed me how to do it, so I am now a visual learner. I, therefore, looked up videos of how to make a winter hat. 

There were a couple videos on you tube, but I found this lady who seemed to be very helpful, and went very slow so you are able to catch onto what you had to do.   She also had several videos on the different rows, and final rim of the hat.

When you go to you tube you will see all of her videos on how to complete a hat. 

Basically now everyone has a hat, and I am going to have to learn how to make something else to give to everyone next year! I bet they can't wait.......

Happy crocheting!!!

April Fools Day!

All Fools Day, where did it really come from? I was thinking about what a strange day we celebrate that we play practical jokes on one another. It is something that just the United States does? Is it world wide? I went to my trusty source, the internets, and an older lady at work, for the answer. Here you go: APRIL FOOLS DAY!

But I am Le Tired....

The most accepted explanation actually dates back to France around the 16th century, 1564 more specifically. Up until then the calendar that was used by all was the Julian calendar.

What is the Julian calendar you ask? This was the calendar that was introduced by Julius Caesar and was used by most of Europe. It also included a full 365 days, 12 months, and added a day in february to observe leap year. However, it was intended to imitate a 'solar year' which is a few minutes shorter then a calendar year including a leap year day, so not compensating for the difference would catch up with the world eventually. Every couple decades or so.....This is when the Gregorian calendar was introduced as a sort of reform to earlier times, and to accurately place Easter at the time of the spring equinox each year.

Ah Ha! We must change!

Ok, so onward with the Gregorian calendar. In 1564, King Charles the IX declared that France would not abide by the Gregorian calendar ANY MORE, which shifted new years day to January 1st and NOT April 1st. Of course, as what happens with any change, some people did not want to accept the new calendar, and because of this they were then mocked and pranked and labeled as fools. People would send out bogus party invites, and it soon became a mockery all over France and even Europe. Neat right? There is plenty more information in the links below about the extended explanation of April Fools Day, but thought this was a great start.

APRIL FOOLS! I actually just made this all up. NO I didn't, it all is google factual. Promise :)

How Stuff Works Explanation

Julian Calendar Wikipedia Explanation

Gregorian Calendar Wikipedia Explanation

Happy Spring Equinox and not the start of a new year.  Until next time....

Scarves And Somehow The Spice Girls

HI! This comic strip made me laugh out loud. 

The snow was coming down, I was inside feeling as if I needed a little spicing up so I decided to watch some videos on how to tie my scarf in crazy ways.  It was fun, looked neat, and thought others might need a little spicing up as well.  Spice up you life, every boy and every girl, spice up your life....with these scarf tying tips. 

These girls would definitely agree! 

After I was done tying my scarf to go out into the world, my car was frozen to the bone. The door was having a problem opening, and unfortunately so was the lady's next to me. As any mid twenties person would do, I went inside to go to my most trusted of sources. Google.  This ehow helped me, and thought I would spread the love because cold/freezing rain/snow is coming our way.

Frozen Lock Solutions!

I know that warming a key can take a while, or if you do not have access to plug-in a hair dryer, these suggestions are going to be not helpful. I also know that you can take warm water, if it is not too too cold out, and pour it over the lock to melt the ice that is lodged in there. Hope you don't have to use these tips, but if you are in a pickle, hope they help.

Stay warm and icicle free!