Martha's Crafts

For some reason about 2 months ago I went momentarily ga-ga (more so than normal) for Martha Stewart and signed up for a slew of daily emails. Because apparently getting 20 you-asked-for-it corporate emails (target, IKEA, macys, crate and barrel, borders etc) a day just wasn't enough for me! BUT Martha's have been kind of great. I get a dinner email and craft email every day.

I'm not sure about you but just about every other day I have a near melt down at 5:30 when Michael and I look at each other and go "what do you want for dinner?" "I don't know- what do you want?" and back and forth that goes. Now I have little email folder called "dinner" and everytime I get something that seems appetizing I save it in there. So the other night we had:

Aparagus and Gruyere Tart.

First, it actually looked just like the picture (which almost never happens); second, it was ridiculously easy to make and third, very tasty. Also, it looks really fancy-schmancy so if you needed some finger food for a bridal shower- there you go!

Next, there are two crafts that would be perfect for weddings. I can't justify buying every Martha Stewart Wedding issue lately so forgive me if these are repeats.

Under a Big Sky: Craft How-Tos and Leaf-Covered Candleholder
and

Both nice and nature-y but each in a different way.

Linkage

So it's Thursday... the day is winding down... it's maybe been gray outside your window for so long that you can't remember what the sun looks like... you might need to just go download the new Wedding Style Guide. I wrote about them back in May and what I didn't realize then is that is besides having awesome free downloads, the downloads of past issues are only AUD $4.95 ($3.96 US)! Instant gratification for cheap!

(photo by AMYATLAS.COM)

Doesn't that just look fun and bright and summer-y? OH you know what ELSE looks fun and bright and summer-y and if I had known was possible would have totally been in my wedding?
Cotton! Yes! The fabric of your life! As featured in NY Magazine's Weekend Bash in the Country. Also as in says in the caption "The best part is that cotton doesn’t die, so I’ll have it forever." Wha? I can't testify to the accuracy of that, but even cooler if it's true!

Lastly, I kept seeing the AMAZING Jordan from Oh Happy Day! Mentioning posts she's written for Project Wedding. Since everything I see that Jordan creates on Oh Happy Day is so wonderfully well-thought out and creative I headed over and was really surprised at what I found. Project Wedding looks like it's giving The Knot a run for their money! There are tons of wonderful ideas like this:DIY Weddings: Mapping it out!

and this:

DIY Weddings: The Purple Picnic

So lots of pretty pictures to look through to make it to 5pm! Enjoy!

Awesomeness

So despite the incessant rainyness (raininess? meh- I'm making up a word so let's go with the first) in Boston I have found AWESOMENESS.

First- I agree with Kathryn from Snippet and Ink and this is "currently my most favorite wedding ever" too. Why?

(photo by Josh Goleman)

Yeah. Prepare to blow your mind. The first several photos are photos of them getting ready then it escalates to you gasping a lot then finally by the end you're just doing silent guppy mouth gestures. Also I was really glad to see that they had a wedding planner. I'm not saying that the couple is any less talented but I'm always glad to see that someone didn't just fall into being amazing with no wedding experience. By the way, in case you're in the South, their wedding planner was Liz Demos from Vintage General, a blog I may have to start stalking.

Secondly, I came across Camp Comfort via Nib's Blog and HELLO, NEW HAIRSTYLE!

(collage by Camp Comfort)

I've (thankfully) come to my senses and realized summer in all its humid glory is not the time for me to getting bangs but when Fall rolls around my hair should be long enough where it can be cut to that. The woman in question is apparently Alexa Chung who is "an English television presenter, model and fashion journalist" (thank you Wikipedia). Camp Comfort is definitely bumping out something on my google reader (I'm trying to restrict how much I have on there otherwise I get overloaded) and will hopefully help get me past my summer style which has been dubbed "out of work camp counselor". Iterations have been "slutty camp counselor", "this is the only time I get out camp counselor", or "my clothes are the same age as these children camp counselor" so it's nicely ironic that Camp Comfort will bring me to a newer better level.

Voting Has Begun!

So remember when I was all stressed out getting the holiday card ready in time? Well in the half an hour I had left I made ANOTHER one after that. The little girl in the other photo was just too frickin' cute to pass up.
I had a bell quote floating around my head and I went with "The bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe" from the Polar Express but after it was posted I remembered the one I REALLY wanted to use "All that the children could hear was the ringing of bells" from Dylan Thomas' A Child's Christmas in Wales (which his read of is just about my favorite thing to listen to around Christmas despite the fact it's about 20 minutes long).

But voting is open so please please please go vote for the one above or the one below:

You can click on the images to get to their pages on Minted.com!

HOLY CRAP!

Ahhhh so I knew minted was doing a ginormous xmas card design and I kept MEANING to enter but with the whole losing of the job (did I mention this before- meh- it's depressing- we don't need to dwell) I've been busy trying to both get the new The Future Mrs. Darcy site up as well as find some new freelance clients. This weekend I decided I should really enter and I knew the deadline was Monday so I'll work on it all day Monday and voila! So imagine me strolling upstairs to the office after the dog's been fed and whatnot, thinking about some breakfast and tea for myself, and casually replying to some facebook comments, then FINALLY head over to the Minted site only to realize the deadline is 9am pacific. Which- HOLY CRAP- sends me into a tail spin. PACIFIC?!? Think think think. When is pacific time?! Crap crap. So it's now 9am and by my calculations it needs to be in by either 12. Frantic frantic frantic type type type design design design. Fast forward an hour and a half and-- though I still have low grade adrenaline rush and my hands are both clammy AND shaking it's been uploaded!!
Back up to this past weekend where my last pairs of flip flops and more of our couch were half destroyed by the little pup and -- light bulb-- we have an idea. The only issue was I really expected the images to be of older kids. All the families were of a Mom, Dad and wee baby. Maybe it's just my family but all the Christmas cards we get are of various school age children and/or pets so I had to adjust and use our pup. Whew!

Anyway, as always, if it doesn't win, in 90 days I can sell it myself AND as a matter of fact, putting up all old minted non-winners onto etsy and hopefully the new site is one of my goals for this week! But hopefully it'll just win. :)

And NOW I think I'll get some of that food and tea I was thinking about 2 hours ago.

Getting close!

Hello! I've been kind of AWOL lately- as I'm sure you realized- but I've been alternating by playing photographer and errand girl. Since you probably don't want to hear about my trip to Lowe's, DSW or Crate and Barrel (meh, maybe that last two aren't bad) but the photos of the invitations are pretty nice, if I say so myself. This is all gearing up for the grand unveiling on the website but ye olde programmer/husband has been extremely busy this week.

But in alphabetical order:

Adam + Eve

Allie + Noah

Ariel + Eric

Bogey + Bacall

Elizabeth + Darcy

Ginny + Harry

Holly + Paul

Jim + Pam

Josephine + Napoleon

Rose + Jack

Sally + Harry
(Photos coming soon! The first round didn't come out well so I need to re-shoot)

Sandy + Danny
(Again some photography issues with the rest of the pieces but I did get one of just the invitation)

Sloane + Ferris

So there you have it! Consider it your very own sneak peek!

Polls!

Hey all! I've been working with my friend, Brandy, proprietress of Modern Toile Photography to get her website ready so she can FINALLY share all her photos with the world but the last little element we're working on is the logo.

If you wouldn't mind taking a gander at some options below and casting your vote, well, that would be just lovely of you! (Double click on the images for larger versions)



I'm not entirely sure the javascript version will work so just in case, here's the direct link: http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/1672047/

Gracias!

Talkin' 'bout a clean desktop!

To continue with the random bits that have been lingering on my desktop...

...first I bring you labels! I've been going through pricing for some custom invitations (which I've already half named the Faith Hill/Tim McGraw invitation suite in my head- I don't know why- it just jumped out at me) and it's $50 for a big old box of regular envelopes. The cheapest I can get them printed is $235 for 500 envelopes. Now, granted, if you're smart with what address you use you can use them for shower invitations, wedding invitations, thank you cards and whatever else you want but you're sitting on a lot of A7 envelopes with your name on them if the others come with their own envelopes.

But really who wants to spend another $235 when you're still going to need someone to address the "to" section later on anyway! Not I, Brown Cow. So that's why when I did my invitations and then later sent out moving cards --- WAIT HOLD THE EFFIN' PHONE. How are my invitations (which later became the Elizabeth and Darcy invitations) not featured on ye olde blog? WTF, mate? These are the times I wish I had an underling to yell at instead of berrating myself. We shall remedy that quickly, my dears. The posting of the Elizabeth and Darcy, that is. Not the underling, unfortunately. Anyway, where was I? Ah. Labels.

Those are a little beat up since they were the two that were returned when we flubbed the addresses but you get the idea. I super love the moving card label (left) for the Monopoly moving card (which is also for sale, so you too can have your very own!! In your very favorite monopoly block color-- I went with Illinois/Kentucky/Indiana red but it was a close call over PA/NC/Pacific Ave Green). We have a list of addresses (now corrected) which we use whenever we need to send out a mass mailing. Xmas cards, invitations- whatever, it's great.


Secondly I'll jump ahead and show my effin' invitations! (Shaking fist at mystified husband and dog). Ta-da. These are/were my invitations. The map is the unfolded inside of the written directions (which are below the map). I used labels again on the reply envelope (top right). The whole kit and caboodle went into the pocket of the Envelopement which I loved. The design on the back was someone I scribbled down on the metro and spent foreeeeever refining. The back has our first initials in what looks like a swirly pattern but the swirly pattern is actually "Cox" (my married name) in a funky cursive. No one really picked up on it which I actually like more because it was my little secret personal bit that I had added.

The essentials are all there for the Elizabeth and Darcy suite, as you can see, to the left, where the invitation is chillaxin' in my mint plant. The rest of the pieces can be found in my Etsy store along with a series of invitations in different colors to give you a better idea of what the invitation would look like in your wedding colors.

Don't worry, no swirling letters with my last name on the back. :)

Speaking of etsy, the next item to be cleared on my desktop (since it will be saved here for posterity) is the most awesome shirt ever. I came across this when I was searching for something to wear to my friend's 30th bday party but times as they are (combined with the fact I'm a tight wad) I just couldn't justify $60 and then another $10 for shipping. Grrr. I really want it though. I don't want this to be another "Sgt. Pepper inspired t-shirt that they no longer make for women and I should have just bought it when I saw it online 2 years ago thing!!!! @#$%$#^!!!!" I'm slightly bitter.

Don't you love it? AHHHH I LOVE IT. This will be a present to myself. I'm now not sure I want to tell you about because you could take mine. Le sigh. I'll be nice. It's from Les Enfants Sauvages, which is an awesome store name for awesome things. It comes in several colors and is made of "indian cotton veil" which I have no idea what that is but it sounds very soft. The proprietor will be at the Renegade Craft Sale in Brooklyn this weekend if you're in the area. Damn it! I was just in Brooklyn too.

The tear drop cut outs go around the back as well and it's got a tie of some sorts so you can pull it in at the waist just like Stacy and Clinton would want me to! Waahhh!

[Photo by LesEnfantSauvages]


Lastly I'll just throw some pretty pictures your way. The first was from Antler magazine which is an online mag that I read the first issue but wasn't really loving it except this photo. I have written down "Antler-Ozemhaluk" as the title of the image. I'm hoping that "Ozemhaluk" is some sort of photo credit to give credit where it's due.

The next photo (of the bride) was found on my search for wedding magazines around the world. It was on the home page of an Aussie magazine but I was never able to find the wedding that went with it (much to my dismay) but I liked the photo so much I thought I'd keep it around.

I tried to look it up from the photographer but I couldn't find it on his website and I'm beginning to believe that it's more of an editorial shot than a shot from a real live wedding ceremony.

Touché, internet, touché.


[Photo by: George Fetting]


Super lastly, we have something I was looking through today via Not Martha: Niki-lynn's photo stream on flickr. I was really blown away and then she had a birthday celebration photo and she's FIFTEEN YEARS OLD. If this turns out to be some sort of LonelyGrl whatever marketing bit- I'm revolting.

Ahhh clean desktop. Now I shall go finally work on my website after many months! Woo-hoo!

[Photo by niki-lynn]