Another DIY Bride

I'm hosting a GIVEAWAY!

2010-06-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

Head on over to mary janes and galoshe's giveaways to enter for your chance to win a $25 Gift Certificate to my etsy shop Crafts by Kristin. This giveaway will end on Sunday, June 20th!!

Rhinestone Bride Hoodie

2010-06-13T16:37:00.000-07:00

When I first came across Bride hoodies I knew I would be making one. I ordered all my rhinestone from Dreamtime Creations in the swarovski hotfix 10mm and 12mm. I followed the same directions I used to make the Bridesmaid's Newsletter Initial. Just like I did when I made the BM's initials, I forgot to print my image mirrored. When I flipped it over I was able to see through it well enough, so I didn't re-print it.

I purchased a sleeveless racerback white hoodie from Max Rave. Since I am getting married in OH in Aug, I figured I was going to be hot as it was, I wasn't going to add to it hehe.

First I laid the rhinestone upside down on laminate tape (couldn't find mylar paper)

Then I ironed it on the pocket of my hoodie. Because I got a sleeveless hoodie I couldn't fit it on the chest area, like I wanted to.

All finished! Took less than 20 min to complete! It does take a lot of rhinestones to make, so buy a lot more than you think you will need. I ended up using all of the rhinestones I had. I was going to make Bridesmaids shirts for them to wear, but I think I will buy them from michae'ls in the cheaper rhinestones.

Invitations MAILED!

2010-06-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

Rob and I went out this morning and dropped off our invites at the post office. I can't wait to start getting RSVP's in the mail! It's going to be exciting to see who will be coming to the wedding and sad to see who can't make it.

all 55 ready to go :)

Best Foot Forward

2010-05-30T11:16:00.000-07:00

Deciding what shoes to wear has been a nightmare. Rob is about 2 inches taller than I am, so I knew heels would be out. Trying to decide on what color to get has been hard as well. Do I go with white and be traditional or do I go with turquoise and be modern....? I already have 2 different pairs, but I don't think I like either of them. The first pair I have is a pair of white flats for the ceremony and then I have a pair of flip flops to change into for the reception. I really like the flats I have, but I am just unsure if I would rather be wearing sandals instead. I am getting married outside in August in Ohio. Not a good combination lol. It will be really really hot and humid. I don't want to be sweating the whole time so I am trying to do everything I can to prevent that from happening.

My Flats My Flip Flops

I really like the flip flops I bought, except they are not the right color. They look like they are turquoise in the photo, but they ended up having a green hue to them. Kinda tealish. Not the color I am going for. I don't think people will notice, but I know it will bug me. I am also worried about them not having a back to them. That was the one thing I was really hoping for if I went with sandals. I am kind of a clutz. Here are some other options I was looking at.

I love the beading on the white sandals. My dress has some beading under the bust and I think these would match really well. I LOVE these Old Navy flip flops. The color is perfect and they have a strap!! And look at the cute rhinestone detail they added. I could even wear them for the wedding and reception and not have to do a shoe change. Decisions, decisions.

Bridal Jewelry

2010-05-29T17:58:00.000-07:00

I love making jewelry, so I knew I would be making my wedding jewelry. I love the way Swarovski rhinestone sparkle, even though they are a little pricey. I made a 2 strand bracelet and a pair of earrings. I used 4mm and 6mm swarovski bicone crystal beads, round rondelle spacers and 2 strand spacers with rhinestones.

I love how vintage and classic they look. I thought about adding a couple turquoise beads, but I didn't want it to look out of place.

I usually don't wear earrings, so these are a perfect size for me.

I love how they turned out and I can't wait to wear them on my wedding day! I wasn't planning on wearing a necklace, but who knows. I might change my mind on that like I do everything else. =)

I am going to make each of my bridesmaid's a bracelet and earrings to wear on the day of. Theirs are going to be similar to mine, only 1 strand and all black!

Invitations DONE!

2010-05-29T17:48:00.000-07:00

After months of looking at pictures, ordering samples, trying different layouts, and 15 or more trips to Kinko's my invitations are finally ready to be mailed. I fell like this huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. For some reason I never thought this day would come. I am such a procrastinator and very indecisive. You can see why I had my doubts.

Last week I finally pulled my butt into gear and went to Kinko's to use their cutter to cut all the paper. I thought this would be really easy. Boy was I wrong! Right after I set my paper down, I realize this was not going to be a fun day. The Kinko's I was at put their cutter in the worst possible spot. The sun was shinning through this HUGE window right into my eyes. I had to put my sunglasses on to be able to see what I was doing. Then it took forever to get the blade to cut the paper and not shred it. After about 5-10 minutes I only had 1 page cut and it wasn't even cut right LOL. I walked up to the counter to find out what they charge to cut everything. She told me it would be under $50, SOLD! After my experience trying to cut it myself, $50 to get rid of my headache was nothing. I would of paid $100! Two days later I went to pick up my paper and it wasn't ready... so about 4 hours later I get a call saying they were finally done and I could come and pick them up. Because of them taking a few hours extra they knocked off $10!! I was so thrilled I wanted to hop across the counter and give her a great big hug!

After getting them cut at Kinko's it took about 3 days to get them all assembled. I had my sister to help me, so that was fun. We sat around and watched girly movies assembling the invitations. I must say, I am really proud of my invitations. I am so happy with how they turned out!

Here is some of my invitation inspiration

I love the look of pocketfolds. I minute I saw one I was hooked. Determining the design was the hardest part. I looked at pictures online for hours and hours. I already knew what color I wanted, so that part was easy.

Here are a couple ideas I had for the invite part inspired by the picture above.

They are all stamped and ready to go. Rob and I are planning on going to the post office after the holiday weekend. =)

Happy 30th Birthday Rob!!

2010-05-18T16:23:00.000-07:00

My fiance is 30 today. 30! That's such a BIG birthday. He of course isn't taking it too well. He refuses to acknowledge that he turned 30 today, so I have been saying 29 +1 lol. I told him I was going to put that on his cake!
For his birthday, we out to lunch at a local dinner we like, then went to Game Stop to pick up Lost Planted 2 that came out today. Now he is out playing disc golf lol. Since he turned 30 today, it made me take a look at some old photos of us. We have been together almost 7 years, and I remember meeting him for the first time like it was yesterday...

I love this picture!! He squeezed into a pair of my jeans and put on my friend's top and started posing LOL. He is still acting like this (well, not wearing my clothes..) always making me laugh! This picture was taken a few months after we started dating in 2003.

Still acting like a goof! LOL

FIRST Giveaway!

2010-05-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

Hello. I have decided to jump on the giveaway bandwagon, like a lot of you have. Emmys boos and rawrs has been nice enough to host a giveaway for me!! All you have to do is go HERE and comment to enter the giveaway. What am I giving away you might be wondering?... A set of 4 Coaster and a Greeting Card of your choice! This giveaway is available to US and Canada only. The giveaway will run from today until May 25th. So get on over there and enter!! =)

New item in my shop - Picture Frame Cork Memo Board

2010-05-09T00:31:00.000-07:00

I am so happy with how this picture frame turned out, I had to share :)

I love how shimmery the paint looks and Swarovski rhinestones are so sparkly!

Click Here if you want more information or would like to make a purchase. :)

I really hope these become a hit, because I think they are too cute! I think I might make these for my BM's as part of their thank you gifts....

99 DAYS and counting

2010-05-07T12:28:00.000-07:00

I am finally in double digits. I will be getting married in 99 days!! I thought this day would never come, now that its here it seems like time has flown! I feel like I just got engaged... not 8 months ago! There is still so much to do for the wedding and I need to get my butt in gear.

List of DIY things to do:
BM Tank Tops
Wire hangers
water bottles
OOT Bags
BM wine glasses
Bride hoodie
Bride tank top
Invitations
finish my cake topper
BM jewelry
Bride jewelry (maybe)
Flowers

I think that's it....
wish me luck! :)

Rings - CHECK!

2010-05-01T16:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a great day. Rob and I picked up both of our wedding bands! I am so happy that we finally paid them off! Now comes the hard part, in order for me to get my wedding band sized properly, they want me to give them my engagement ring for 2 weeks! I am having a hard time with this. I have become very attached to my ring. It hasn't left my finger (unless I am cleaning) for 8 months!! Oh well, you have to do what you have to do. So Monday morning I will make the trip to Zales and give up both my rings until the 17th. I can't wait to see how they will look once they are sizes!

<--------My wedding band

My rings together ------->

Our rings :)

Tuxes - CHECK!

2010-04-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

I thought this would never happen. For some reason we couldn't pick a style we liked, or pick a color for the vests. I figured this would be something Rob would be excited to do, I mean it's only what he will be wearing all night! But, he wanted nothing to do with it! Yesterday we were driving around and were about to pass Men's Warehouse and I talked Rob into stopping in for a second to look around. Next thing I know we are looking at swatches and Rob is getting measured. The women who worked at the store we went to were great! They made us feel really comfortable and answered all our questions.

So here is what we chose for the men....

All the guys will be wearing the same tux. Rob will be wearing the Tuscany black vest, but with the Malibu (turquoise) tie. Also, Rob and his groomsmen will all be wearing Chuck Taylors in Black with Malibu laces.

The groomsmen will be wearing the Tuscany vest in Malibu will a black tie.

My dad and step-dad will be wearing the same tux as the guys. They will be wearing the Tuscany vest in Platinum with a matching tie. They will be wearing regular dress shoes instead of the Converse.

I can't wait to see how great the guys are going to look! Especially the Converse shoes. Once the sales lady told us about them, I knew Rob and all the guys would LOVE them! And who doesn't love when everything matches?!

Disc Golf Anyone?

2010-04-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

My fiance, Rob, is obsessed with disc golfing (sometimes called frisbee golfing, though I found out you should never call it that to a serious golfer. It is always disc golfing) so today he talked me into going to the course with him. I am not a good golfer. I always hit trees. If a tree is in front of me I will hit it. So this time I decided I would walk around and enjoy nature instead of golfing.

I love how pretty Washington is this time of year.

Rob golfing. :)

I love this picture. The sky looks like someone painted it!

Even though I didn't golf, I had a really good time. It was the first day I was able to leave the house in a short sleeved shirt. The forecast for tomorrow looks even better. I am so ready to go to the lake!! Only a couple more weeks! :)

New items added in my shop

2010-04-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

I really love making cards and have been making them for years, so I thought, why not sell them!

Here is a little teaser. :)

There are more at my Etsy Shop. Feel free to check them out!

My Coasters are featured in a blog!

2010-04-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

How cool is this?! This is the first time anyone has featured my items in their blog. They have been featured by myhandmadecrafts. I think I am still in shock lol.

Now, everyone needs to go and check out her blog. And check out my coasters. There are tons of AMAZING shops featured on her blog and I am very grateful to be one of them. I feel like celebrating!

Evolution of Dance

2010-04-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

This guy is too funny! My dad sent this video to me a couple weeks ago and I just watched it again and it still cracks me up. Its about this comedian doing all the different dance moves through the past few decades. I'm sure you all have done at least one (if not more) of these moves.

All I have left to say is, watch and let the memories flow!

It kinda makes you wonder who came up with these. Like who thought doing "the sprinkler" was a good idea? Or the "macarena"? I remember listening to that song over and over and over thinking "this is so awesome!"

Freezer Paper! #11

2010-04-05T17:25:00.000-07:00

I found this tutorial on how to make a freezer paper shirt. To practice I used a tan canvas tote I had lying around. I used my cricut to cut out my stencils (this was really easy).

My fiance and his friend have this ongoing feud about which superhero is better. Batman or Superman. So I thought I would make them each a shirt stating their opinion. I plan on tackling that tomorrow.

Happy Easter Everyone

2010-04-04T20:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some cute photos of my roommate/MOH's 8 week old baby girl Aurora. We were out shopping last week and I saw this dress and knew it would make the cutest Easter dress. And boy was I right!

Isn't she adorable!!

More Coasters

2010-04-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

Just finished 3 more sets. These are getting addicting! lol

A set for 2.

I love using different colored felt for the bottom. I think it adds a little something extra to them!

Coasters galore!

2010-04-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

The last few days I have been doing nothing but making coasters. I figured they would be really easy to make, oh was I wrong! The first few I made had bubbles in them, not good.
Then the next set got a couple fuzzies in them, also not good.
The 3rd time was a charm. They came out perfect!! ---------------->

I decided I would be making these for my girls as part of their Thank You gifts.
I am also making a set for my mom for mothers day. I think for those I will be using photos of my brother and I. (I will post them after I am done)

What do you guys think? I think they are pretty cool!

This is where I got my inspiration.

Turkey Time

2010-03-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

After being cooped up in the house for the last couple days working on invites, I decided Rob and I needed to have a little fun. So we went bowling. Rob and I both used to be pretty good at bowling, and were both on leagues.

That was years ago tho. Today...we stink!

We started off doing ok in the first game. We both broke 100, which isn't too bad. Rob started pulling ahead and it came down to the last frame. The dreaded 10th frame. When I was younger, this frame used to scare the crap out of me. I would get really nervous and mess up.

That was then. Now.... I get turkeys!!!

Rob even made a joke about me needing to get 3 strikes in a row to beat him. I have only gotten a turkey once in my life before this, so I knew it wasn't going to happen. Until the next thing I know, it happened!

After we were done bowling, there was going to be league bowling. I walked past a guy and he says "nice way to end". Wow.

101 Things in 1,001 days

2010-03-26T15:47:00.001-07:00

I have come across this project on a few blogs and I thought, I could do that! Then about 15 minutes into making my list I realized how hard this was going to be. Not just making the list, but executing everything on my list! Here goes nothing!

The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.
The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (i.e. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (i.e. represent some amount of work on your part).

Not familiar with this project? Check out this website.

Start Date: March 26, 2010
End Date: December 21, 2012

1. “Date Night” with Rob once a month (1/33)
2. Marry the man of my dreams
3. Drive cross country
4. Buy a house
5. Upgrade my camera
6. Start a “Newlywed Map”
7. Get Rob to go camping
8. Finish Popi’s scrapbook
9. Save $10.00 for each completed item (1/101)
10. Sell something I’ve made
~~11. Paint a picture~~ (Completed 4/5/10 Evidence)
12. Learn to crochet
13. Take cake decorating classes
14. Buy a new car
15. Donate my hair
16. Try snowboarding once
17. Don’t stalk registries for a month
18. Upgrade to cell phones
19. Take a cooking class
20. Try 2 new recipes a month (0/66)
21. Go to Disney World with Rob
22. Give up fast food for a month
23. Quit smoking
24. Finally stand up while trying to wake board
25. Build something made of wood
26. Take ballroom lessons
27. Organize and back-up all digital photos
28. Take a trip to MD to see an old friend
29. Join a gym
30. Go to the gym (at least) 3 times a week for 6 months (0/6)
31. See a Bengals game
32. Whiten my teeth (Zoom!)
33. Take Fat Man to the park once a month in the summer (0/6)
34. Continue blogging
35. Go back to college
36. Buy a Coach purse
37. Take a trip to Seattle
38.Organize book collection
39. Go on a cruise
40. Volunteer at a pet shelter once a month (0/33)
41. Buy a sewing machine and learn how to use it
42. Don’t swear for a whole week
43. Go to a concert
44. Organize my craft area
45. Decorate house on every holiday for a year
46. Take a “Girls Only” weekend
47. Play paintball
48. Go horseback riding
49. Fire a gun at a shooting range
50. Take a wine tasting class
51. Cook and host a holiday meal at home
52. Change my name
53. Don’t use the computer for a week straight
54. Go to a drive in movie
55. Go to the dentist
56. Attend Rocky Horror night in costume again
57. Re-organize my DVD collection
58. Make a scrapbook page once a week for 6 months (0/27)
59. Get dress up and go to a nice restaurant with Rob
60. Get Fat Man’s tattoo
61. Stay at a B&B
62. Visit Rocking Horse Ranch in NY
63. Take a trip to Wisconsin Dells
64. Hand paint charger plates for Wedding Party (0/8)
65. Hand make bridal jewelry and bridesmaid’s jewelry (0/4)
66. Get holiday shopping done 2 months early!
67. Get nails done (0/5)
68. Save $500 in coins
69. Go to be every night for a week with all the dishes clean
70. Blog every day for a month
71. Take Rob on a surprise getaway
72. Make a recipe scrapbook
73. Pay off my car
74. Learn to play a whole song on the guitar
75. Clean out closet 2 times a year and donate unwanted clothes
76. Wear skirts and dresses for a week straight (0/7)
77. Learn how to drive a manual car
78. Put favorite photos into frames
79. Organize coupons and toss expired one
80. Go white water rafting
81. Visit the ocean
82. Visit a Halloween haunted house
83. Visit a haunted place
84. Get 100 followers
85. Donate blood and find out blood type
86. Make something with my cricut once a month for a year (0/12)
87. Own all my favorite Disney movies
88. Release a message in a bottle
89. Read 10 new books in a year (0/10)
90. Go to a festival
91. Learn how to use photoshop
92. Start a home business
93. Get pregnant
94. Get back into freelance modeling
95. Become debt free
96. Decorate every room in the house
97. Have a yard/garage sale
98. Visit 5 new states
99. Learn to juggle
100. Go on a honeymoon
101. Put $10 into savings for each task not completed

Water Bottle Labels

2010-03-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

I love how personalized water bottles look at weddings. Since our wedding will take place in August, in Ohio, I knew I would have to have water for everyone. All I have done so far is the template, which took a few hours to make. Oh well, it was worth it! They are so freaking cute. I think they are even better than the ones you order online. Next step, ordering waterproof labels from labels by the sheet. I have heard nothing but good things about them.

What do you think?

FREE Photo Book from Picaboo

2010-03-25T16:49:00.001-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

I couldn't figure out how to post the cat book, so here is what our guest book looks like

While browsing the Coupon Codes Forum on thenest.com, I came across a thread stating that picaboo is offering a free photo book (just pay shipping) for all new customers. I already had our guest book made by Shutterfly, so I decided to make a book about my cats. They are always making us laugh and getting into things!

Little Man playing with his pink ball.

Bailey "Monster"

Fat Man loves the outdoors

Little Man and Fat the day after my roommate got the Little Man

Little Man is not so little anymore. I can't believe how big he has gotten in only 7 months!

That's a main coon cat for ya.

He is so strange!

Invite Assembly STAGE 1

2010-03-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

Today is a beautiful day! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and I am inside slaving away making invitations. I figured I would get a head start on assembling my invitations. I know that this will be a long and stressful adventure, so I thought I would break them up into stages so i don't get burned out by them.

STAGE 1:
I ordered patterned paper from cards-and-pockets and had them cut it to my backing size (which is saving me a ton of time!). I also went to Michael's and purchased a Xyron 5" Creative System glue machine. This also saves me a lot of time and money.
So for stage 1 I am gluing the patterned paper to my pocketfolds I also ordered from cards-and-pockets.

My work station.

I love this little machine!