Wedding Card Album

Now for a change of pace, more crafts! This time it's a wedding related one. I've been wanting to make an album of all the lovely cards we received from the wedding. Here's my inspiration: Card Album Tutorial at Something Turquoise. I'm not going to do my own step by step on this one so definitly click the link if you want to make one. Instead, I'll show you how it turned out and give you some tips.

First things first, the album ring. I searched Joann's and Micheal's stores and websites for that silly thing. Every employee and crafter swore they carried them, but alas no longer seemed to. They only had album kits containing an album ring, card board, scrapbooking paper, plastic sheets and embellishments. It seems some of the companies that make these have gone out of business. At any rate I obtained a pack of 3 from Amazon in the end. I wanted a couple so I can do Christmas card albums later.

Other than finding the ring most of the project was pretty straight forward. I think my ring was 1.5" and I wish I gotten a slightly bigger one. I used less ribbon than she did because it was my last piece of ribbon from the wedding. I would have put grommets in the covers, in hindsight. Don't you love my little vine on the inside cover? The whole thing took me three nap times so in the neighborhood of 6hrs.

I'm completely thrilled at the end result! It's totally worth the time it takes.

Do Me A Favor...Tag

I do not as of yet have pictures of them on the favors, but I really liked the tags. They were my last DIY for the wedding so they were kind of special. Their construction was simple, their content was the tricky part. Our favors were seedling trees. We got live oaks and purple orchid seedlings. Huge thank you to my mom for not only the use of her printer, but also helping put them together with me and my aunt. Mwah!

Materials

• Construction Paper/Card Stock
• Craft Cutter/Exact-o knife
• Scissors
• Glue Stick
• Printer/Neat Handwriting & Pretty Pens
• Crop-a-dile
• Ribbon
• Embellishment Stickers

I knew I wanted a simple, large shape for the tags so I went with a pretty generic leaf shape. I used construction paper in different shades of green and my Silhouette to make those. After that step they sat untouched for weeks because A) I had no printer & B) I had no idea what to write on them.

It was tricky because there were two varieties of seedlings and I didn't know which tags would end up on which kind of tree. That meant two sets off plant care instructions on one tiny tag, ugh. In the end I put a link for each trees care on the back of the tags. I wrote the name of the trees in scroll-y pretty green font and then the link in something more straight forward hoping most guests would be able to read it. The problem was links are long.

I ended up folding the slips of paper I printed them on. I rounded the edges of the folded paper and added a green or purple jewel sticker as a kind of door knob. It was a trick I picked up at a scrapbooking party. I think it looked cute. Having a way to access plant information was kind of a no brainer, but what to write on the front took more thought.

I knew they needed to say our names and wedding date. "Thank You" would have been acceptable, but I made a thank you banner for the table they'd be sitting on. My florist suggested "Michael & Katie Sitting in a tree..." Which I thought was funny, but Mike did not. Plus the end kept stumping me. I searched for "love" "garden" quotes.

I read a few and then remembered the Elton John song I'd heard on Gnomeo and Juilet. The song as a whole was sad, but perhaps the refrain would do? It did. The fronts said [Our Names] on the first line, [Wedding Date] on the second and then
"Love builds a garden
Grew it from the ground up
Every inch of it was us
We pulled it all together
Hoping and believing
That love built this garden
For the two of us to dream in"
Appropriate to our relationship and our theme (and something a little different). It won.

Once both sides were printed and glued on (the back folded, corners rounded and jewel attached) I just punched holes and pulled some lavender ribbon through. I think they were pretty and they really popped against the burlap sacks we had around the seedlings.

Bridesmaids Emergency Kits

As most of you remember I made my bridesmaids personalized tote bags with cute little mushroom tags on them. Inside the bags went their t-shirts, necklaces and emergency kits. I passed them out at the bachelorette party.

I assigned the kits to one of the girls, but ended up finding a bunch of stuff on a Target trip so we each contributed about half the contents. I think they came out great and they definitely got used. Yay!

I had a lot of trouble figuring out what to put the kits in. I'd already spent a decent amount and didn't want $25 dollar a piece make-up bags from Etsy (although there were super cute ones). I struck out looking for cool pencil cases. In the end I just got cute little birdie boxes from Target. They were larger than I intended, but we filled them. They weren't a perfect fit inside the bags, but I think they looked ok. My fondest hope is that the girls will find a spot on there desk or in their bathroom for them.

Contents

• Deodorant (travel size)
• Shout Stain Wipes
• Nail File (full size)
• Lotion
• Hand Sanitizer
• Tampons & Pads
• Lint Roller (full size): smaller probably would have fit better
• Pill Case with Advil & Antihistamine
• Make-up remover wipes
• White & Clear nail polish
• Tissues
• Mentos mints
• Sewing kits
• Chocolates
• Bandaids
• Chapstick
• Hairspray (travel size)
• Q-tips

I did the list from memory, emails and pictures, but I'm pretty sure it's accurate. We were supposed to also have bobby pin matchbooks, but those never happened. I bought a bunch of bobbypins, but then forgot to bring them to the salon and then my maid of honor had to run out for more while I was getting my hair done. So, bobby pins in the kits is a good plan. Other than that I think they were perfect.

The Play's The Thing

I wrote a pre-ceremony play. It was a fairy tale version of how Mike and I got together in the style of Midsummer Night's Dream. I thought it semed like a fun idea, but I was afriad that Mike would try to overcomplicate the production or our non-actor wedding party wouldn't want to do it. It was also a surprise to eveyone except the cast. It was super hard not to get excited and spill the beans.

In the end everyone did a wonderful job. I was beyond thrilled. I knew my lines, but it hardly mattered. I was getting married and my brain was buzzing so I could bearly remember my own name. The end got muddled because a cue was missed and my stool was in the wrong spot, but on the whole I give it two thumbs up.

So here for your reading pleasure is our play:

Prologue:

Narrator Enters Clears Throat Loudly

Good Evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is my charge to narrate the tale which led to this exchange of vow. A quick bit of business first, belief in magic and fairies is not required but would greatly enhance your evening. Also, photography is encouraged and sincere applause is more than welcome. Now, we begin as is customary, at the beginning...(short pause Oberon and Titania enter) There once was a king and a queen. Their passionate love for one another caused storms aplenty as well as sweet breezes and flowers, they were fairies. Fairies' love runs deeper and lives longer than that of any mortal, frustrating as that may be.

Their love blossomed into a beautiful girl child. She had golden hair and emerald eyes. Her parents loved her intensely even when they railed at one another. During one severe disagreement, Oberon secretly gave her to a mortal family on Earth to spite his queen. You see, fairies are not born with wings.

Oberon mixed up a forgetting potion and gently administered it while Titania was asleep. Years passed as they are inclined to do.

Enter Puck, Oberon joins.

Oberon: Greetings mysterious servant mine. Whither dost thou wander?
Puck: (giving a short bow) Her majesty is plagued, your grace, with fitful dreams and bade me gather forget-me-nots. She will mix a memory potion and free the lost thought that haunts her sleep so.
Oberon: (fearful) Aye me... Imp. If such thought be found, I will be lost.
Puck: (delighting in the King's sudden panic as it's an opportunity for mischief) Sire?
Oberon: Do as the queen bids you, else she will sense something amiss. Report her reclaimed memories to me with haste.
Puck nods his understanding and exits with purpose.
Oberon exits.

Titania enters, applies a potion to her eyes and lays down to sleep.
Puck creeps in quietly.
Puck: Dream you, my lovely mistress?
Titania: (talking in her sleep) Aye, wanderer. Echoes of memories rain down upon me.
Puck: Be they pleasant or most foul, lady?
Titania: A chaos most daunting. Voices and songs.
Puck: Songs, highness?
Titania: I sung lullabies most sweet.
Puck: Sung to what manner of creature? Use fingers to make donkey ears
Titania: An enchanting babe with golden hair. A fairy?
Puck understands at once and crosses to Oberon who paces on the other side of the stage

Puck bows very low. He is abuzz to see what the king will do with his news
Oberon: Oberon reads Puck's expression She has remembered much...
Puck smiles
Oberon: Smile you on my misfortune, knave? What must we do to soothe her wrath when so much can not be undone.
Puck: Perhaps, sire, if the girl returned?
Oberon: She can not. I was foolish to make the deal I did, but once the bargain was made it could not be undone. Even upon the death of the human child I traded her for. Foolish was that contract. What woe will my queen wake to now?
Puck: Shall I spy upon your daughter now grown so you may comfort your queen with tales of her?
Oberon: Your scheme intrigues, but be she dead or downtrodden we are undone. Go you hence. Make your discoveries and report with haste. All must be discovered before my queen awakes.
Puck exits
Oberon paces
Puck returns
Oberon: Why so long gone my minion? Found you her in good health and high spirits, speak some comfort fool!
Puck: She is lovely, wise and kind.
Oberon: That is no news, sprite. How doth she?
Puck: Aye, lord there's the rub.
Oberon grabs Puck by the shirt and shakes him
Oberon: (threatening) If you have been up to your foolish tricks-
Puck: Not I sire! I merely did your bidding! All that is unwell is the doing of mortal folly, none of my own, great king.
Oberon releases Puck
Oberon: She knows not who she is?
Puck: No sire.
Oberon: Have neither she nor he followed the dreams?
Puck nods
Oberon: We will simply, unite them so she may return to us. Mortals are easily led.
Puck laughs mischievously
Oberon: (shoots Puck a warning glance) Do as I behest. If you botch or confuse your charge I shall smite you with twice the fury that my spiteful queen will do so unto me when she wakes.
All exit

Puck and Oberon Enter. (Titania no longer sleeps on stage)
Oberon: How now? Doth all go to plan?
Puck: They were many, many miles apart and preoccupied each with their own folly when I came upon them in their sleep. Each I commanded to listen to their dreams. Each woke and embarked on a journey to find the other. They are drawn one to another without my tricks.
Oberon: Where doth the young man?
Puck: Here comes he, great Oberon
Enter Mike and groomsman engaged in quiet conversation
Oberon: Is he...worthy?
Puck: An artist of fame in this land.
Oberon: And she?
Puck: Comes a great distance, sire.
Oberon: Fie! The queen will surely wake. Can mortals do nothing quickly?
Puck: No.

Mike and groomsman unaware they are being watched begin to speak in a normal volume
Mike: (defending himself) And I say it was more than a mere dream.
Petevolio: I merely suggest that your immediacy is unfounded. How can you know she is near? Or whether she lives at all?
Randalt: A hallucination, surely. A dream phantom, no more.
Mike: Much more. I'll not be dissuaded by you or any man.

Oberon: He speaks well, perhaps I'll not hate him as a son in law
Petevolio: Least we make merry at this folly of a celebration!
Randalt: A celebration of love before even an introduction
Mike: You jest, but you will see that all is more than well my friends
Petevolio: Let us go and crush a glass to our friends happy delusions
Randalt: There are less pleasant ways to pass the hours
The mortals exit

Katie and her bridesmaids enter
Puck: She comes!!

Dianamona: excitedly Is this the estate you so dreamt? Is it as the dream foretold?
Sandelia: It matters little now. We have arrived.
Katie: Have we? I don't feel weary though the journey was long.
Sandelia: Are you sure you are not unwell my lady? We left in such haste. I feared...illness
Dianamona: Aye, me. I am winded, but it's so romantic a task I need not rest
Katie: Our destination is here and...a ball is beginning
Sandelia: Should we just enter so? Taking no precautions? What if the fairies are having sport with us?
Dianamona: Then they shall have it! Let's be merry awhile.
Dianamona starts to walk on, but Sandelia stops her
Sandelia give them masks
Sandelia: I pray you ladies wear these awhile. If all is well you can cast them aside.
Katie: Onward, onward I am not driven all this way to be so still

Mike enters with groomsman behind guests
They seem in better spirits now that the party's started
Mike scans the wedding guests and doesn't see who he's looking for
Katie's bridesmaids surround her onstage

Puck: Our work is all but done.
Oberon: Aye, let's away before the queen wakes!
Puck and Oberon exit

Narrator enters
Bride, Groom etc exit
Narrator: I shall tell you, gentle folk, first and show you anon. Patience, as I unfold the ending joy of our tale. The king and servant returned as the queen began to stir.
Oberon, Puck and sleeping Titania have taken their places while he spoke Titania stirs, but doesn't wake yet
Puck and Oberon exchange glances
Through all that has come to pass Oberon loves his queen deeply. Looking upon her beautiful face melted all his fear away and he was left with only the desire to bring her peace about their child.
Titania wakes
Oberon helps her to her feet
Embracing her he gestures for Puck to leave
Puck leaves bowing
Oberon whispers in her ear
Titania's face reflects sadness, but not anger
Cast minus Puck resets
He leads her to the other side of the stage where it is as it was before
As for the fairy child and her separated love, they must of course unite under the watchful eyes of the rulers of the fairies.
Boys come forward
The girls part to reveal Katie
Mike sees her, knowing her even with the mask
He takes her hand and leads her to her stool
All is as it must be. Love prevails for fairy and mortal alike. Surmounting all distance and obstacles within and without. As true love must. So, in as a brief a tale as I could manage all is well. Things are and will be as happy (or not so) as love allows.

Call forth someone to unite these two with vows!

Aunt Nancy takes her place, nods to narrator
(Even briefer still those promises shall be, then all present rejoice and feast with me)
Katie turns her back to Mike
He removes her mask
She turns back, they smile
Wedding party takes their place
Send the ring bearer & flower girls across

CEREMONY!!

The Day Before

It's a busy one! I got us 90% packed for the honeymoon, finished up the favor tags and kissed Mike and the kids goodbye at noon. I donned my "Mrs. [his last name] shirt" to go setup at the venue. I loaded my car and dropped Miss Riley off to nap with her flower girl counterpart. Boo's mommy gave me these:

I can't say it enough, my bridesmaids are awesome. I got trail mix and he got wasabi nuts. When I arrived at the venue Lara was out front ready to help me unload. After the first trip with arms laden we discovered they had a cart. Always ask, my DIY bride friends. We got my car and my cousin/day of coordinator's car unloaded in two trips with the aid of the cart.

Set up went pretty smoothly we had quite a few pairs of hands. The venue setup tables according to my floor plan and the linen company draped fabric first. The linen company was great, I was thrilled with their work. The guy from the venue disappeared when we were one table shy and quite a few chairs. Tracking those down was a slight annoyance. The caterer had the table cloths delivered so that was the first task.

Take it from me, bring a hard copy of your seating plan with you to set up. Luckily, people accessed their email via their phone and we got things sorted. I also left the table names at the house so we put post it's down so we knew where things went. That was the beginning of an important lesson (especially if you have creative and elaborate plans) have a simple plan b. So important to your sanity (and everyone else's).

Then when we'd done all we could do we needed to rehearse the ceremony. Those 4 hours we had to get set-up before rehearsal flew by. After a brief rehearsal (we started late) everyone went to change for dinner.

We clean up nice don't we? I passed out the ties and found one missing (eek!). My father-in-law selected the perfect restaurant for the occasion. It was called St. Pete Brasserie. They were very good to us and the food was amazing start to finish. It was a lovely evening. I couldn't have asked for more.

After we left I was kicking myself for not thanking everyone with a toast, duh! I was too busy eating and drinking. Now, "I'm getting married in the morning..."

The Dreaded DIY

I saved the play list for last for a reason, talk about intimidating. As I procrastinated actually starting it for many months some guests left their song requests. I kept everyone up to date on those by having a Requests section on the Tunes to Expect tab of our wedding site.

Two weeks ago I sat down with all the song requests, all the songs I scribbled down over the course of planning and a few Googled lists of good music to dance to. Most of the songs I thought of (and requests) were slow dance love songs. So I wanted to make sure there was a good deal of dance-y stuff. A lot of songs are either completely inappropriate to a wedding, more drunken karaoke than dance music or unavailable for legal download. I made sort of a master list for myself. At that point I cursed not hiring a DJ. You see, most of my music was lost two hard drives ago. I knew I needed to search Mike's mp3s and then buy a bunch. Blah.

The next time I forced myself to work on it I browsed through Mike's music adding anything that appealed to me and crossing things off the list. Than I searched the list a song at a time. I needed four hours worth of reception music. I made separate lists for the "event" songs (cake, bouquet, first dance, etc). After that I saved it and took a break.

When I started buying mp3s I started feeling guilty. There was no way I could accommodate all the requests. We had 3hrs and change when I got to the point of purchasing music. There was no way I could add all the remaining requests or even the rest of my ideas. Suddenly, it was a microcosm of the whole planning process. Us first, than everyone else's input. It's my wedding.

Don't get me wrong I want them to be pleased with the selection. I need them to find there way out to the dance floor, but one request per person (or less) in some cases is how it seems to be shaking out. I decided that was pretty fair. Next step now that I have 4hrs of music is to burn it on to a cd and listen to it for a day or two.

Then I'll reorganize the songs and add anything that is missing. I want to put the list on to at least one other computer if not two. I will say $20 in mp3s beats the hell out of $700+ for a DJ.

Curiouser and Curiouser

My amazing bridesmaids are throwing me a Mad Hatter Tea Party bridal shower next weekend. Yay! So today I made my mad hat to wear to the party. Here's the dress I'm going to wear.

I'd just picked up a cute little wicker fedora at Target for the honeymoon so I wanted to deck that out. It already had a pink band and pink under the brim. With all the pink I decided Cheshire Cat was the way to go. I wanted to make some felt cat ears. I also found a tiny pink fur boa and some spring-y decorations.

I thought I'd be able to just poke tooth picks through holes in the wicker. I really didn't want to ruin my hat. Then Mike suggested pins, like the pile of shirt pins we had left over from his for the wedding. Genius!

Pretty good, huh? I think it'll be really nice with my dress. I'm really excited about my shower. More than the wedding at the moment because I'm not in charge of this party.

Signs For The Backs Of Our Chairs

Screw Etsy (I know that's not my typical attitude but in this case I mean it)! $60 for "Mrs." & "Mr." signs. $30 for a wooden ampersand? Pass. I decided once the sign was painted and dolled up no one could tell the difference between wood and cardboard anyway. Plus, it wouldn't be worth the investment since I have no idea what I'd do with them after the wedding anyway.

Materials

• Cardboard (recycled Amazon box)
• Paint & Brush
• Card Stock/Construction Paper
• Silhouette (or exact-o knife)
• Glue stick
• Decoupage
• Crop-a-dile
• Copper Colored Grommets
• Ribbon

That's right mine says "Something Clever" and his says "Yet to be Determined". We think it's funny on a few levels. First, I picked out a small card board box. I cut the top and lid off so I'd have two pieces roughly the same size. I painted them dark green with acryllic paint and a foam brush. I'm sure any dark colored paint works for cardboard though. I let them dry overnight (or for over a week while I considered my next step).

Next I used my Silhouette cutter and a free font I downloaded called ales and wenches to write out the words we agreed on. I used plain old brown construction paper. I glued them down with a glue stick (to allow for scooting). Then when they were dry I painted a layer of decoupage over top.

I used my crop-a-dile to punch two holes in the top of each and put in copper colored grommets. Then I carefully touched up the green paint around the edges. Once they were dry I fed some sheer green ribbon through the holes.

The Finishing Touches: Bridesmaids Shirts

I knew I wanted to add names to the backs of the girls shirts. I considered rhinestones, puffy paint and the like, but than I saw these. This bride used Sharpie and acrylic paint. Here's what my attempt looked like.

Materials

• Shirts (With cool graphic on the front)
• Small foam brush
• Acrylic paint
• Sharpies
• Cardboard

Here's what the front looks like:

AND

Insert cardboard in your shirt before you start. Work on a hard surface with good lighting. I started by writing the letters with a white paint marker, but it was really hard to see on the white shirt. I went over the white outline with a fine tipped green Sharpie. Although the white paint paint came in handy covering up the little oopsies. Then I used the corner of a foam tipped brush to fill in the letters. If you're handwriting is bad you may want to print out your text, cut it out and stencil it on.

I recommend starting from the end of the word when painting if you're a fellow leftie. I dragged my hand through the paint on my first attempt. Depending on the style your going for you may want a smaller brush. I went outside the lines here and there because I knew I was going to outline the letters. It drys pretty quickly. By the time I had written the next name the first one would be dry.

I outlined the letters with black Sharpie to match the text on the front. Then I let it sit a few more minutes and removed the cardboard. I folded and rolled the shirt and tied it with adorable mushroom ribbon. Here it is all ready to go in her tote bag.

I also made shirts for Mike and I with two mess-ups from the bridesmaids printing. His say Mr. “My Last Name” and mine says Mrs. “His Last Name”. They came out cute. I just pianted over the blurry word with dark green and wrote on it with white paint pen once it was dry. It'll make people giggle since even though we're not changing our names people will call us by each other's name the rest of our marriage.

Rockin' Friday Night...

I cut out all my place cards last night. I know I'm a party animal!

There's me holding a Silhouette cutting mat full of lizards. Those are for the guys.

I also cut a bunch of Tinkerbell like silhouettes. I don't mean that there was something wrong with them. Just that, as you know, I invited Mickey Mouse and I'd hate for the Disney corporation to get wind of my use of their fairy and sue me.

I think they came out great. Mike was super thrilled about the lizards. It's nice to fit them in here and there since they were a part of the orginal abandoned concept that he really liked. We even got a compliment on the lizard on the invitation envelope. This seems to be the time in planning for us to add all of our fun little touches.

I plan to hand write them a little at a time as RSVPs come in. Doing it this way will make it a less daunting task and make RSVPs more exciting (as if that were possible). We're going to roll out butcher paper on the kids tables and write their names directly on it, so I just have to do grown ups.

Next up on my DIY agenda is adding names to the bridesmaids shirts, designing a bride shirt (duh! I can't believe I forgot my shirt) and gussing up these:

suggestions more than welcome.

My Ring Pillow

The other day I saw (and of course pinned) this:

I originally thought I'd just use the small green pillow Lara was kind enough to pass on after her wedding:

There's Isaac bearing the rings. The fedora came from the photo booth props and the bride rolled with it. He's saying "Step...together. Step...together" in all the pictures of him going down the aisle. So, I figured since it was small and green I'd cover it with one of the burlap sacks we got for favors. Something similar to what I did with Jasandra's ring pillow.

The only problem with that plan was that my sweet little girl long ago found that pillow and put it in her doll cradle. I had a thorough search for it over the weekend and it has vanished. Since Mike had a bag of polyfill from some long ago project I decided to start from scratch.

Materials

• 2 4x6 burlap sacks
• Polyfill (or a small pillow)
• Embroidery thread
• Large sewing needle
• Scissors
• Thin rope, twine or raffia
• Ribbon and embellishments

First I set to work removing the stitches from two of the burlap sacks we got for favors (seedling trees for each household). When I turn them inside out, the stitches were white so they were easy to spot. I snipped the ends of each thread at the corners and then pulled them through.

As you can see I pulled all the stitches without removing the draw string. I just wasn't sure if I'd want that element or not and I knew I could always remove it later (and I did). I hand stitched in a tiny X pattern with green embroidery thread. I followed the folds of the bag to create an unfinished edge like my example picture. I really like that look.

I had originally intended to sew it with on the side where the original seams had been and turn it inside out. It'd been a long time since I hand stitched anything and I quickly realized turning it would mean you couldn't see the Xs or the unfinished edge. So, feel free to start stitching on the correct side of the pillow.

On a side note this project was an amazing stress release. I sat in my bed with an 80's wedding movie playing and some chocolate, rather than at my desk or dining room table. I gave instructions for Mike to occupy the the kids and I could her their delighted screams in the backyard through my bedroom window. Remember to leave a decent size gap for stuffing. You have to really squeeze it to get it into the corners.

Once it's stuffed you just close it on up. It's much more difficult to stitch once you've stuffed because the fabric pulls apart. I pushed the stuffing down and pinched the edge with my other hand to keep it together. Once it was all together, I carefully cut off the drawstring.

Ta-da! Pillow. Now, in this picture I was attempting to reuse the cord from the draw string to tie around the pillow, but it was too short for that so I scrapped that idea. I decided to try raffia or hemp cord (left over from my card box project). I also cut a mushroom out of cardboard to put on it in lieu of their wooden heart.

With Moss

Finished pillow with mushroom and ribbon added

Team Bride Has Shirts!

From the beginning I planned to present my lovely bridesmaids with tote bags containing their jewelry, a t-shirt and an emergency kit as their swag. I finished their super cute bags in October and have a bridesmaid completing the day of kits. My intention is to have them wear their shirts at the rehearsal. I was going to make them for the whole wedding party, but Mike informed me that no guy wants to wear a shirt that says Groomsman on it no matter what it looks like. So, I decided to design shirts for just the girls.

Materials

• Photo editing software (photo or paintshop, etc)
• A free font site
• A custom t-shirt making site

OR

• White t-shirts
• Photo editing software
• Printer T-shirt transfer paper
• Iron (ironing board/had surface)

Drumroll....

I found a picture of some old trees in a Google search. I cropped them and turned them black and white in Paintshop Pro. Then I went to fontfreak.com and downloaded a cool free font. I adjusted the color and size until I was happy. I also wrote their names and the year in the same pretty font on the back.

Now, at this point I decided not to do the shirts myself, but to upload them to a t-shirt printing site. I started with customizedgirl.com which was great because there were lots of styles and colors to work with and it was easy to edit. However, when I added up the cost of the shirts on their site I started shopping for deals. I then re-uploaded to Vistaprint.com for about $4 a shirt and free shipping.

The only downside to the switch was that they wanted $5 extra to put the names on the back and I couldn't make the font look right. So I decided I'd put the names on myself when the shirts came in. By the way, I did send the girls an email with the size chart and double checked all their sizes before I ordered. In the end with my image upload fee and tax (shipping was free) I paid the same amount for all 4 shirts as I would have paid for one on the other site. They should be here next week.

If you do them yourself (I always make the kids shirts for holidays this way), remember that once you have the image the way you want it you have to flip it. In Paintshop it's called mirror. You need it completely mirror imaged before you print it so that it comes out correctly on the shirt. Make sure you check the ink levels in your printer before you get started too. Once the image is reversed and printed cut as much white space out as possible before you iron it on. Follow the instructions for the transfer paper. Remember not to move it off the ironing board until it cools to prevent cracking. Also, instruct the receptions to wash them inside out.

When they come in I'll post about adding the names. I'm thinking rhinestones...We'll see. Next I have to decide if I'll do shirts for Mike and I myself or not. I either want Mrs. (HIS LASTNAME) or Mike's Wife that way I can wear it again. Those will probably be t-shirts, iron on embellishments and fabric paint.

All Lit Up

We were so excited to see it with the final lights. Lovely, of course the real ones will have a few more willow branches. I love the delicate little white lights, so fairy like. We discovered that with the lights on in the room it looks like a fairy tale illustration from some leather bound edition come to life. In the dark it looks like a real tree stump adorned with lights.