more school because I'm no fool!

It's official. I will be done with classes next May, take my comps, and hopefully be interning in the summer and/or fall of 2013. Ahhhh!!! The past few days have been very stressful to say the least. I found out that my assistantship and scholarship does in fact NOT pay for summer classes so I was stuck in a bind. Take the summer classes anyway and get a loan for them so I can be done next May? Or extend my time at Iowa so I don't have to pay for one summer semester, which would add another full fall and spring semester? Hmmmm well, let's see. I'm already going to grad school for free and so really, paying for one summer semester isn't going to be the end of the world. I mean, $4,500 is all I'll pay for my Master's Degree?! I'll take it. It seems very overwhelming seeing it all on paper what I will be doing this summer, fall and next spring but I know I can do it. Thankfully I have a very supportive family and fiance that I know will keep me encouraged and motivated to push through. It might be brutal at times but I know being done next May will be a heck of a lot better than adding an extra year to school!! It's such a relief that things are falling into place so nicely with school AND wedding stuff, finally! Now if only finding a future full-time job and a place to settle down and start a family will go just as smooth....I could only dream and hope it will! But in the mean time, I'm not going to stress about it because I'm too excited that Jordan and I will both be entirely done with school in a year from now, booyah!

The Biggest & Best Cupcake Stand

And now, I present you with the coolest, most awesome and biggest cupcake stand ever!!! This was a joint effort of crafty thoughts and hard work and sweat between me, my mom and sister. And the end product is pretty cool I must say! Since I love monograms, it's no surprise that our cupcake stand would be none other than a giant E!!!!

Mom & Janelle masterminded  the exact measurements
that we would need....

Then, we built it and put it together in less than 2 hours!
Teamwork makes everything better :)

I painted the whole thing on a beautiful Saturday afternoon
and Paisley got to enjoy some sun too!
I also got two free quarts of paint from Ace Hardware!
This saved me $40 and I was able to get ANY color so I talked Jordan into coming with me
and we picked out  a cream and purple for this project!

One week later and on another gorgeous Saturday, it was time to paint the outline!
Jordan taped off all of the edges for me and got my painting area all set up!

Done!
I love how the E really pops now with the purple outline!

The only thing left is to figure out the size of base that we need to put the E on....since it's so tall, I'm scared that at the reception, some of my young cousins (or probably drunk friends) will run into the table while reaching for a cupcake and knock it over! I'm sure Janelle will figure out the perfect calculations for the base because math just isn't my thing and well, it needs one. I don't want it to be a hazard to people just trying to get a cupcake!  This goes perfect with the rest of the wedding theme so far and I love how unique it is! Just one more DIY project that was a success! Thanks again so much to my mom and sister for helping turn my wedding dreams and ideas into a reality with all of your help! 

May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor

It has been less than 12 hours since we've seen the midnight premiere of The Hunger Games and I already want to see it again in theaters. No joke, it was that good. I read all three of the books and while watching the movie, I was still cringing and fidgeting around because I was so nervous about what was going to happen. Even Jordan kept looking at me and at one point told me to "stop cracking." Apparently, I was cracking every knuckle and joint repeatedly without even realizing it. Like I said, the movie was just that good and so true to the book! I was pretty hesitant to see the movie at first, I'm not going to lie. I loved the books and was a freak about them. I even had nightmares sometimes that I was actually IN the hunger games and was fighting to stay alive. I did NOT want this movie to be a disappointment and to ruin the books. I've seen so many book to movie adaptations which have cut out so much of the plot or characters that it just isn't even the same story anymore or as enjoyable.

This movie however, they did everything right. The cast was so perfect and each person fit the role and character from the book that I had visioned in my head. The directors made the Districts look even more run down and depressing and the Capitol all the more lavish and colorful than I had pictured. Which was a great surprise, it really added to the books I thought and gave life to the words. Obviously, the main plot of it is the actual part of being in the arena where Katniss has to fight for her life. This is a battle to the death between 24 tributes from each district aged 12-18 years old. Scary shit, right? Yeah, hence why I was having nightmares! Anyway, with such a young crowd and following, the rating could only be PG-13 so they didn't lose a big chuck of movie ticket sales. Which at first, I thought, "how are they ever going to show kids killing kids and battling like this and do the book justice with it being rated PG-13?!!" And much to my surprise, they did. Every bit of it I think they did justice and Jordan wholeheartedly agrees with that. He even said, "I think that was one of the THE BEST book to movie adaptations I've ever seen. Including  all of the Harry Potter movies." Whoaaaa big words coming from Jordan, who has read all of the Harry Potter books twice and owns all 7 movies in a boxed set.

So whether you've already read all three of the books, have only read the first one, or want to see the movie then maybe read the books, I would suggest to go see this movie. It has a kick-ass strong female role and heroine for once alongside two smoking hot dudes. Really, it's an eye pleaser for everyone. If there's one thing you do this weekend, go see The Hunger Games and may the odds ever be in your favor!

hump day blues

Usually, I love Wednesday's. It's the middle of the week which means only two work days left until the weekend. And it means that I've already survived half of the week. But on this week, ughhhhhhhhhhhh. I woke up thinking, "it's ONLY Wednesday?!!!" I hate weeks like this that just drag on and on and on and on.... Maybe it's because Spring Break was last week so I'm just not back in the mood for school and work. My sleep schedule is still so messed up and I've been dragging some serious ass this week. Or maybe it's because we've had so many consecutive days of 70-80 degree weather in a row that it's damn near impossible to sit down and study or do some stats homework when all I want to do is day drink, play bags and be outside enjoying the warmth and fresh smells that come with Spring. Or possibly and most likely it's because I'm just really, realllllllly starting to feel burned out with things. "Things" being working 30 hours a week between two jobs, TAing for an undergrad class and dealing with some whimpy punks, keeping up with my own class work, training Paisley, and wedding planning while trying to keep myself sane, Jordan happy and trying to squeeze in some chill time for just the two of us.

To say I'm feeling burned out is an understatement. My mind just NEVER stops and I've been feeling like a real crazy person lately. In the past week and days, I can't tell you how many times Jordan has caught me just spacing out or staring off and asks me, "whatchya thinking about??" And all that I can ever reply is, "I don't know." And I'm not even being one of those girls who just says that to get him to pry and ask me more to figure out what's going on. But I just literally DON'T KNOW. There's constantly things racing through my mind of what I need to be doing, what I can do, different wedding ideas or thoughts, school stuff, work, when Paisley needs to eat and go on a walk, how I need to start working out again....I could go on forever but I'll spare you all. My point is, I think I may have overloaded my plate a bit and am now trying to sort out the madness. Which is why, as much as I loooove crafting, I just can't do any this weekend. This is strictly a "catch up on school" and lounge weekend with J man and Paisley. Probably more lounging than catching up but you know, that's what the weekends are for. And it's about damn time we start enjoying them together. This will be the first weekend in March that Jordan and I will both be home together for the WHOLE weekend. So enjoy it we will and we're starting it off early by going to the midnight showing of The Hunger Games tomorrow night. SO freaking exciting!!!!!! Happy Hump Day everyone, keep pushing on til Friday!

Bridesmaids bags, bags, bags.....

Time to cross another big to-do off my wedding list and mark it to-done! Over the weekend, I painted the rest of the bags for all of my girls in the wedding. While in Milwaukee, Janelle had painted the bottom 3/4 of the stencil onto 7 of the bags then when I got home, I finished painting the top design onto each of the bags along with the last three bags. They turned out way cuter and awesome than I had even planned on! I love when that happens! My mom also helped with the project by finding the monograms for each of the bags and she gave me the carbon paper to trace them on. Yay for teamwork and having an awesome crafty Mom and sister! This is my breakdown for these fun and easy DIY bags!

Here's what you'll need for the bags:
-plain canvas bag
-stencil of your choice
-paint
-paintbrush
-tape

Total cost of the project: $40.94. I made 9 bags and one mini bag for my niece, Teagan. I used a 40% off coupon for everything that I purchased (Jordan and I made several trips to Hobby Lobby....) and that saved me an extra $25!

Total time: 6-7 hours. It was time consuming because I had to be careful with the stencil as some of the dots on it were really small and close. Also, tracing and painting on the monograms took about 30-40 minutes a piece. Slow and steady does it for this project!

1. Start with a plain canvas bag of any size you'd prefer!

2. Align the stencil between the handles to get it centered on the bag.
Tape it down so it doesn't move while painting.

3. Use a short and stiff bristle brush and minimal paint!
Also, I worked my way around each pattern by pressing down on the stencil and
only dabbed at it to ensure it only filled the stencil and so no paint got underneath
(otherwise, it just makes the whole pattern run together and that doesn't look good!)

4. Once the paint dries, use carbon paper to copy on the monogram.
I used a fine point pen to make sure it would press hard enough and copy onto the bag.

5. This is how the bag should look with the stencil finished
and monogram copied on.

6. The end result!

7. All of the bags finished! I hope my girls love them as much as I do!
And they can use them after the wedding too which is fun...yay for multipurpose wedding stuff!
(that doesn't scream it came from a wedding!!!)

Close up of my niece's  flower girl "mini tote"
She's only 4 so I thought the curly-cue letter was perfect for her!
I'm sure she'll fill this with her barbies, hair clips, and shoes!

I can't wait to give these out to all of my girls...but first, I got to keep gathering the "stuff" that's going to be inside the bags as part of their wedding gifts from me. But that I'll have to keep a secret so I don't ruin all the fun for the girls! These are so much more personal than ordering a bag and having it embroidered or something...and it was so much more cost effective as well! Just another successful DIY fun and affordable wedding craft for the books! I wonder what my crafting instincts will lead me to next!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Paisley in her green so she doesn't get pinched!

May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Enjoy some green beer 

and may the luck of the Irish be with you today and everyday!

Hit Me

Well it was another beyond successful Sister Vacation that Janelle and I had over the past few days to say the least. We got plenty of lounging and laughing in that's for damn sure. And I loved every minute of it. Saturday night we went to a "Casino Night" that was a fundraiser for the Women's Soccer Club in Milwaukee. We got in for free because we're VIP (and Janelle knew one of the ladies in charge) and then we got $300 in chips to gamble with! Umm $300 of free money to gamble with?! Yes, it was awesome. We sat at a Black Jack table and had a kick ass dealer, Laura. And turns out, Janelle and I both SUCK at playing Black Jack. And after 3 beers, turns out I suck even more at doing simple math and can't even add to 21 anymore. However, like I said, we had a kick ass dealer Laura who was cheating for me and Janelle each time it got to be our turn to hit or stay. Every time I would consult my little cheat sheet card they handed out which basically showed to stay, hit, or double down, based on what you had and what the dealer was showing. Naturally, I made EVERY decision based off of that stupid little card! At least Laura was on our side because every time either of us said "hit meeee" she would check out the card first, and either happily flip it over for us or subtly shake her head no...to which we would reply "ooh I'm gooood. I'll stay actually." Needless to say, had that $300 of free chips been real money, Janelle and I would have walked out with well over $500 each. But since it was for a fundraiser, obviously we couldn't cash out for some real dough. We traded in the chips for raffle tickets, had a few more beers, then didn't even win anything. But I did leave with a bottle of Wisconsin Cranberry Wine...can't wait to try it! Since the night was still young, we went downtown and posted up at a bar that gives out bumper sticker if you stay there to close it down. I'm still not sure why we were hooked after we were told that but whatever. At least they had delicious popcorn and cold beer. They even gave us ALLLLLLLL of the popcorn in a big paper to-go bag when we were leaving...since we were the last two out. And mind you, I love, LOVE popcorn and could eat it for dinner every night. So thank you bar man, that to-go bag of popcorn and the bumper sticker were very much appreciated.

Sunday of course we both slept in til noon, which rocked. Then we laid on the couch and continued to nap off and on while watching reruns of Friends all afternoon. Finally, we decided that we should do something productive so we went to a cute diner and a movie together. We saw "Friends With Kids." It has Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and both the dudes from Bridesmaids in it. The movie was really good--much more of a dramedy than either of us planned on. It was sad but funny then really sad then hilarious all over again. A movie emotional rollercoaster, if you will. Gave a good look into what happens to adult friendships and relationships once kids come into the picture....kind of scary how realistic it was but also, still pretty entertaining. 

Then between Monday and Tuesday, we were maybe productive for about 8 total hours. Hey, it's Spring Break so we didn't plan on being productive anyway! We spent a lot of time looking at hotels and resorts at the Wisconsin Dells for my bachelorette party which I'm so pumped for. It's going to be amazing!!! Then we spent some time painting bags for all of my girls involved in my wedding and cut out some table number stuff. I think we did more talking and complaining about stuff than any painting and cutting. Sister time is way better than cutting out numbers anyway!

Overall, I left feeling so lucky to have the sister I have in my life. She is truly my best friend and I know nothing could ever change that. She's knows everything about me and loves me for who I am and doesn't try to make me into someone I'm not. I think she's the only one who can really handle my sass pants in full force. We laugh with each other and cry with each other. And I know she's always there to help me and support me, just like I am for her. Sometimes, I just wanna go up to the rooftop and shout, "I love my best friend!!!!!" Thanks for the awesome sistercation, Janelle. Boop! Loves.

monogram twine wreath

Crafting is well under way that's for sure!! I have completed my E monogram wreath but didn't take pictures while making it, just of the final product....I was halfway done and realized this, oops! So for the next project, I'll try to get some pictures along the way! I looked at several pictures and blogs to decide how I wanted to make the wreath and then I looked at more tutorials on how to make the felt roses. For the wreath, I found this great jute wreath monogram tutorial and pretty much followed exactly what this lady did. I started by wrapping the E vertically because I wanted the final product to have the stripes going horizontal. Finally, for the roses, I found this handy felt rosettes tutorial and turns out these little babies were way easier to make than I had thought they would be! Super fast and easy, now that's my kind of craft (and accessory that could be glued onto pins for a sweater or bobby pins for my hair!) So, what I found worked best for these was to round the corners of a square piece that was as big as my hand to make the biggest flower and for the next two, I just cut a smaller square. The first few I tried, I cut straight lines around in a circle, exactly like the link above but I thought the flowers seemed too "flat" and too perfectly round...not very flower like! So, the final ones I made and used, I cut the circle using a wavy line instead. Which gave it the petal look and added depth. Then I added some pins I have for the boutonniere's and they have a small pearl on the ends. They gave the finishing touches to the flowers and wreath overall! Perfecto!

Here is what you'll need to make the wreath:

-paper mache letter (Joann's Fabric has these for only $2.99!)
-2 rolls of thick jute/twine
-hot glue gun and glue sticks
-ribbon
-scissors

Felt rosettes:

-felt

-pins with pearl end
-hot glue gun

-scissors

Total cost: less than $8.00!!! I used a 40% off coupon for everything!

Total time for the project: 3-4 hours....and that including stopping for dinner and an episode of Modern Family :)

E Wreath For The Head Table
Between Me & Jordan!

Close Up Of The Flowers.
See what I mean about the wavy edge and pearl pin?!
I love the changes I did to make them my own!

I can't wait to hang this up in our home after the wedding. I'm slowly becoming obsessed with monograms! It will look so cute hanging in an entry way...or maybe our bedroom...or outside on the front door...or maybe in a future baby girl's room if her name starts with E...hmm, the possibilities are endless! Anyway, here's the final craft I have done for now. It's all of the table number holders. These were all very easy to make!

What you'll need for table number holders:

-block of wood

-skinny metal rod

-alligator clips

-hot glue gun

-tulle

-ribbon (I used 4 rolls)

Total cost: less than $10.00...my mom bought some of the materials so I'm estimating but I know she also used a 40% off coupon for what she bought! :)

Total time: 1 1/2 hours and I made 30 of them.

This one is pretty basic so here's how I did it:
1. My mom had pre-drilled holes into the wood and cut the skinny metal rods so that was a big help. I would suggest doing that!

2. Put a dab of glue over the hole and press rod into the hole

3. Put a dab of glue on the alligator clip and attach to the open end of metal. Then, use pliers to secure the alligator clips around the rod.

4. Cut squares of tulle large enough to gather up around the wood block. Mine were approximately 10 inches so I had some extra that could be fluffed up.

5. Cut ribbon long enough to tie around the tulle. I found that 10 inches is long enough to tie a small bow so I did that for the ribbon used around the tulle and alligator clip.

6. Tie ribbon around the top to cover back of clip and any excess glue. 

7. Insert table number in clip! (Which I'll do....as soon as I finish those which are next on my list!)

Table Number Holders
to coordinate with the rest of our theme!

That's all I have for now! I hope you enjoyed the pictures and tutorials. Maybe it'll spark some inspiration in some of you to try a new craft or to work on something you've been wanting to do! Today officially mark the start of Spring Break so tomorrow I'm leaving for Milwaukee until Tuesday to spend the next 4 days with Janelle. I can't wait!! I love having a long weekend hanging out with just my sister. We plan on doing lots of lounging, laughing, gossiping, bitching, more lounging, drinking, and more laughing. I can't wait to see what kind of adventures we find while together. I might even take some wedding stuff with me because Janelle is obviously just as crafty as me and my mom. So we'll see if we get anything done but if not, I won't complain because just lounging and chilling with my sister for 4 days is going to be good enough for me! Happy Spring Break/Weekend Everyone!

Mac Attack

After numerous heart attacks caused from my old and not so trusty Mac anymore, I'm typing this post from my very own brand new laptop folks. Ahhhh!!! This has been a long loooooooong time coming for me and I'm so happy that this day is finally here. I have been saving and saving and saving then used half of my tax return so that I could pay for this bad boy. Not only pay for it with cash, but pay for it comfortably to not feel like I entirely broke my bank. Seriously?! What's happening to me that I'm becoming so fiscally responsible?! Whatever it is, I love it. No more stress and worries that keep me up at night about money and no more waking up in the morning and thinking how am I going to get gas, groceries and pay bills all in this same week? I'm also happy to announce that because of all of this and my entire 180 I've pulled on my views about spending and saving that Jordan has also jumped on board with it! This makes us both more conscious about what we're spending and where it's going....can't have babies or that dream house without a good financial foundation! Anyway, that's not the point of this.


I traded in my old iBook...yes, I was still rocking an iBook which they don't even make anymore. And I upgraded to an HP. I figured, I'm not making movies or doing anything fancy with pictures that I can't do a pc so I might as well get something that's worth the cost of what I'm going to be using it for. This new computer has everything I'll need to get me through grad school, wedding planning, and beyond. I love all of the special features about it. A fingerprint swipe for passwords and a built in webcam for skype? Um yes please and thank you. I'm feeling like I'm finally part of the cool kids club and I can now sit for 7 hours on the couch without being plugged into anything. Well, that's what the computer claims the battery can do.....and I just might have to test that out some day to prove them right or wrong. Whenever I can find 7 free hours to just lounge that is....


Well I've already crossed one thing off my craft to do list. Last weekend I tackled the tying of ribbons onto the bubbles and I'm so happy to say that's done. Now I'm working on the monogram E for the headtable and it's turning out cuter by the second. I will have a picture for sure when it's done. For now, I'm going to keep playing with my new toy and see what other cool features I can find :)

Happy National Craft Month!

March is National Craft Month!!!!!

Yay Happy March everyone! I'm so excited that March is finally here because that means that we're that much closer to it officially being Spring so hopefully the wonderful Spring weather will follow closely behind. Of course, I already have my doubts considering we're supposed to get 2-4 inches of snow this weekend, ugh! Why is that it can be nice and sunny, mid 40s-50s allllllll Winter, and then as soon as March nears and the first day of Spring is in sight on the calendar, we get snow?!! Figure it out already Mother Nature! I wanna see the green grass, fresh blooms and hear the birds chirping already!

Well for March, I'm going to be taking full advantage of it being National Craft Month. Hobby Lobby, Joann's Fabric and Michael's are all having awesome sales and promotions that are going to be happening all month long. Awesome! Last weekend I got a head start and I made all of our wedding table number holders and they turned out way cuter than I had pictured....as soon as I find my camera cord, I'll get a picture posted. Also, each of these stores always has a 40% off coupon available on their website so even if an item isn't included in their sales, I know this helps me to cut costs too. Jordan has also been very helpful to come along with me to all of these stores to help buy stuff with a second 40% off coupon since I can only use one per visit. What a great guy....not like he really had a choice in coming with me or not, but what a great guy nonetheless!

Here's what I have lined up to complete throughout the month of March:

-Our table number signs: We're using pictures of us at each age that corresponds to the table number so I'm excited to see the fun pictures of each of us growing up

-Monogram E wreath for the head table

-Mailbox decal for card box

-Ribbon on the bubbles (not much of a craft but just something that needs to be done)

-Collecting paint chips for the place cards

Whewww!! Looks like I've got quite the to-do list ahead of me but thankfully, I'm already stocked up on supplies for almost all of those projects! I love DIY's and I'm so happy that my wedding is full of them. There's nothing more special and unique than knowing that everything at the wedding was done by either myself, my mom or someone close in my life. Here's to making March one hell of a crafty month and the wedding kick ass one DIY project at a time!