Dinner at our house

I recreated a recipe I made at a work event. It was just as good!

Chicken & Apple sausage stuffed inside a garlic & rosemary marinated pork loin. Also with roasted veggies and glazed asparagus. So wonderful!

A bit of a sabbatical...

I feel so ashamed! I just realized how out of touch I've been the past month.

As June approaches, it seems like every free moment is spent on tedious details. My awesome craft room is sad and project free right now. :(

I decided I'm just going to wait until after the wedding to really hit the ground running and dedicate much more time to Etsy Betsy. I can't wait too see what all I can do with the extra time!

I'll keep you posted on fun wedding planning projects. But be patient with me! I'm surprised I'm still same.

Wedding Planning Galore

A little taste of how I've spent every free moment I've had.

What I've learned:

1. DIY is SUPER fun!
2. DIY is SUPER time consuming.
3. DIY requires A LOT of resources.
4. DIY saves money.
5. DIY is something to be proud of.
6. DIY is something anyone can do. With anything.

I've spent a great deal of time coming up with ideas or changing some I've already seen to fit our look. I'm really pleased with the result so far, and I can't wait to see it all come together. I've been able to spend a lot of time with my mom, which I'm very grateful for! Jordan has folded more tissue paper poms than I could imagine! What a trooper! The whole process (so far) has been quite an adventure!

 We definitely made our mark with the spray paint. The whole neighborhood smelled of fumes! It's the ultimate "cover all."

 Bless him. My little tissue folder. Clearly, he's had enough! 

 Picking out fabric for centerpieces. Mom is so much more thorough than I am!

 What would we do without Lowes?!?

 Mason jars for $7? Check! That was a find! Most places don't sell them cheaper than $10 for 12. They are exactly a pint. How fitting for the beer!

 These little beauties will be cornucopias of peaches & hydrangeas! Lovely!

 Toying with the initial look. 

The start of the wedding chandelier! Picture this guy with little crystals and some flowers wound around it. Love it! It will be lit up for the ceremony. :)

Preview

I know I've been a bit quiet lately. Been busy! Planning a wedding is....time consuming.

I've finally narrowed down some of my favorite handmade items that will start out the etsy shop.

Of course, there will be many varieties and styles, but here's the gist of one of my favorite items:

Crafting Depression

I suppose everyone goes through it at some point. You decide to make something with this grand vision of how the overall product will look. It's perfect in your head.

Then you start making it. Halfway through, you realize there is no hope for said craft, and you feel horrible. Then, after realizing you aren't creative enough to save the craft and turn it into something else, you hit rock bottom.

That was me. Yesterday.
Behold, my crafting fail:

I hate it. It was supposed to be a jute wreath with nice white tissue paper flowers. Nothing fancy, and certainly not difficult.

But I had to be cheap. I bough electrical insulation in attempt to save some $$. Now, I have a shrimpy wreath base. OH, I just hate it. I have racked my brain for other things I can do with it, but I've hit that rock bottom place.

So, there it sits, hanging on my craft room door knob, reminding me that it's a sad, unfinished project.

Surely you have all felt this at some point? I can't be alone in this?!

I've researched the issue, and next time, I'll be using batting and tulle to add puffiness. I'll continue to mourn over the lost jute until then.

Silver lining: in researching better ways to create the wreath, I came across this. Thank you, Hobby Lobby.

I'm going to leave yarn wreath making to the professionals. Speaking off, check out my friend, Tiffany and her work!
TwoPinkies

I've really got to hurry up with making the inventory for the shop and get it rolling. I am excited about sharing handmade goodies with everyone, but it is a bit of an undertaking!

It's been a long day, which translates to a short night. Tomorrow will be better, for life in general, and finding something good to work on!

Night, sweet friends!

Mod Podge, Moss, & Weddings. OH MY!

This week has been a bit of a whirlwind. Between working 50+ hours and trying to get a laundry list of tasks done after work, I've sort of fallen off the map. BUT I'M BACK!

Had some "fun" this weekend! I can't decide if I should put up tutorials or not. Vote? Perhaps I will later. Just getting down to business with plans for the Etsy shop. Very excited to see where my research will take me. I appreciate everyone being so supportive in the "before/building" stages. :)

As promised, here are the spoils from the weekend, plus some pictures of general, good times.

 I've got to do something with all that extra tissue paper, right?!

 If you think I'm going to buy a wooden letter every time I get the itch to monogram, you are WRONG, sir!

 Remember how I couldn't shut up about moss? Yeah.

I'm quite pleased with the finished product!

It was easy to do. But I love the simplicity of it. I'm thinking about doing the rest of the grapevine wreaths up with the moss "B." Maybe do some wrapped in burlap and some with the tissue paper to unite the two concepts? Either way, it should achieve the look I'm going for.

P.S. I'm feeling adventurous, so here's a bonus SUPER SECRET preview picture of tomorrow night's adventure:

Tennessee Lovin!

This weekend we went to see some dear friends in Knoxville, TN. What a WONDERFUL trip!

Groomsmen suits, sushi, cigars, fellowship, good food, God, and love. Perfect weekend. I'll share a few images.

Back to the crafts this week. Any suggestions!?