Kopah's Soap Box

2 weeks and counting

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:35:00 +0000

2 weeks from today I will be a wife! I just got home from my bridal shower so I am on a high from several cups of tea and many great laughs and a few (happy) tears! I have such wonderful friends and a wonderful mother and mother-in-law to be.

I had many gifts to unwrap and find a place for in our house. We are desperately going to need to re-model our kitchen after the wedding because we are running short on cabinet and storage space!

The first set of German family arrived last night and it's starting to feel real! I am getting so excited, almost giddy with joy and happiness from getting to marry a wonderful man and spend precious time with all our dear family and close friends before the wedding. Things are about to get crazy here in the next couple of weeks but I will try to post here again before the wedding!

Just checking in...

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:50:00 +0000

The wedding is quickly approaching and I am in full planning mode. We have been collecting candlesticks and milk glass vases and mason jars and wine boxes....I scour Ebay and the local thrift stores constantly for anything vintage I can find. I really hope that all the planning and collecting and preparing will result in the beautiful vision I have in my head!

Today I hit the jackpot at Goodwill, I even snagged a couple of non-wedding goodies like a polaroid camera I had been after (crossing my fingers that it works but it looks like it's in really good condition!) and a really cute vase for the house. It's been rainy and overcast here and my camera battery is dead so I have no pictures for you. One of my goals for after the wedding is to improve my picture taking abilities and to take more photos overall. We paid so much money for our camera and I hate that it only gets used on vacations.

The house is quiet now and I can hear the rain falling pretty hard outside so I'm going to take advantage of these few minutes of peacefulness and enjoy a cup of tea and watch the rain. Have a lovely weekend everyone!!

Photo: Flickr

How Does your Garden Grow...

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:08:00 +0000

At the moment, slowly. We have almost everything in the ground now. Our once prolific squash now seems to have some kind of disease on its leaves which I think I am controlling with a neem oil spray (organic of course). We have already suffered from a bout of white flies, they are persistent little things and I am trying to combat them in a number of different ways. I've ordered yellow sticky paper, some kind of attractant of beneficial bugs that will help eat the whiteflies, neem oil, insecticidal soap, and some homemade garlic, onion, and red pepper spray that made my kitchen quite smelly for a few days.

I'm also collecting coffee ground and tea leaves to put in the garden and egg shells and egg boiling water, apparently a good source of calcium for vegetables. In addition to all this madness, I've developed a sort of addiction to ordering seed! I have these ground cherries that I have been dying to plant but we are trying to focus on everything else we have planted and it's still really hot down here so I don't know how that will affect some of the things we have planted like carrots and kale which really need a cold snap to have a good flavor. We shall see...it's an ever growing science experiment in the back yard right now!

Photo: Candice

We're almost there...

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:16:00 +0000

Sorry posting has been so intermittent over here, I always have good intentions but lately I feel like all my time is being consumed by other things. The wedding is quickly approaching, a little more than 4 weeks to go! The big tasks are done for the most part and now it's all about the little details.

I have moments when I feel like everything is coming together really nicely and other moments where I panic and am overcome with anxiety thinking it will never be what I envisioned it to be. Which is actually pretty funny when you think about all the details you agonize over like which wine glass to use or which plate or chair looks better and it's completely lost on your guests. They come to see you get married, to dance, to eat, and to have a good time and when it's all said and done you probably won't even remember which plate or chair you decided to go with either...all you will remember is how happy you were in that moment, how nice it was to have all your family and friends in one place celebrating such a momentous occasion, and how much fun it was laughing and dancing and crying together for the first time, as man and wife...

Photo: Flickr

I'm missing New York...

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:44:00 +0000

Photo: Ana Santos

A Perfect Saturday Morning...

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:48:00 +0000

How was your weekend? Mine was very relaxing. I spent time with family and caught up on my ever growing pile of magazines...

Photo: Candice

Ebay Junkie

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:52:00 +0000

I've turned into an ebay junkie. Like most junkies, I don't claim responsibility for my actions. It's the wedding's fault...it's turned me into a deranged lunatic who has thrown all logical thinking out the window at any attempt for something that will make my wedding day more beautiful.

I decided late last week that it would be a much better idea to look for vintage linens and silverware for the reception rather than pay to rent some tacky polyester linens and flatware that wouldn't really mesh well with the whole "vintage garden party" theme I'm going for.

Thus commenced a weekend of staying up until 2 am, trying to win countless ebay bids and spending an entire day glued to my laptop checking my watched items over and over until I wore the print right off of my keyboard.

I know, I know, i could have used e-snipe, but there is something about the thrill of victory when you are right there in the last seconds of an auction, fighting it out, probably with some old grandma who has been trying for years to complete her collection of silverplated 1934 Rogers flatware. Some kind of competitiveness you didn't know you had shows up, and it leads you to pay more than you ever intended for some rusty silverware as you silently curse the old grandma who's last dying wish is to complete her flatware collection. Like most addictions, it brings out the worst in you.

But I'm happy to say that I am now the proud owner of 90+ pieces of flatware and several beautiful vintage embroidered linen napkins.

Photo: Flickr

Our seedlings

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:39:00 +0000

Here's the first round of seedlings. We started two varieties of tomatoes, chives, lettuce, spinach, cilantro, and basil. There are more seeds on the way: onions, winter squash, carrots, lavender, and leeks.

We went to talk to a neighbor the other day about keeping backyard chickens. I'm not quite sure if I'm ready for the responsibility that comes with keeping fowl in our yard, but it's definitely peeked my interest. The chickens were very cute and surprisingly quiet. For now though, I think we're going to stick with our raised garden bed although, there have been some discussions about backyard beekeeping...stay tuned!

Photo: Candice

Gardening

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Sorry it's been quiet around here for the past few weeks...we've been busy getting our new garden ready! In Florida the Fall season is the best time to grow. According to a book we bought specific to Florida gardening, you can grow year round here but we decided to try our hand at it during the easiest growing season.

I'm finally starting to understand how to use Photoshop so I got kind of fancy when putting together this photo collection and added text to the photos! Not bad, huh?

Photos: Candice

Our Labor of Love...

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:35:00 +0000

This is the result of weeks worth of work, and headaches (and I'm not going to lie, many arguments), but the invitations are finally finished! We dropped them off at the post office this afternoon.

I was a little reluctant to let them go, they looked so pretty in a big pile with all the vintage stamps so delicately affixed to the corner of each invitation. I am so happy we decided to go with the vintage stamps. It ended up being an easy and fun addition and they really stand out against the chocolate brown envelopes. We chose stamps that were relevant to our life and the theme of the wedding.

In that last photo you can see the front card in the invitation set, it's a monogram we designed. I'm so happy with the way they turned out. In retrospect, I don't know if I would ever take on the task of designing the invites again, but we got through it and the end result is perfect!

Photos: Candice

Delicious Pancake Treats

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:37:00 +0000

Is it weird that I want to register for this? For some reason I have always thought these were the coolest thing and have wanted to try making them, but of course never had the pan. Then I read an article about them in one of my magazines which really peaked my interest. Oh what the hell, I'm registering for it!

Photo: Williams-Sonoma

In over my head?

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:53:00 +0000

What was I thinking taking all this stuff on so close to my wedding? I am running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I want so badly to focus on my shop and preparing it for the impending holiday rush (please, oh please, recession, let there be one!) but I also have to prepare for the craft fair in November and all the little wedding details that still need to come together and did I mention that there seems to be something on our calendar every weekend leading up to our wedding! My new soap molds arrived today which means now there are no more excuses for putting that off (darn!). I'll let you all know how the liner free molds work, I am excited to use them!

The Silver Lining

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:27:00 +0000

Mike and I just got back from a very relaxing weekend at the spa. We were celebrating Mike's birthday (32 today, Happy Birthday Baby!) and our 1 year engagement anniversary. A year ago this week we were in Alaska. I can't believe how much our life has changed over the past year. This has been a really tough year, I just hope the worst is behind us. I'm ready to get back to a normal routine. I'm ready to get back to work. I'm ready to have our life back. I mean there has definitely been a silver lining in all this. Mike and I have gotten a ton of quality time together, which at times maybe hasn't been such a positive thing! We've really been able to focus on our wedding planning and get a lot of things done that normally would have been difficult to do while working. I've been able to focus on a lot of hobbies and things I just didn't have time to do while working full time. I have to look at the positives, otherwise I would go crazy worrying about all the things I can't control, and right now that is a big list.

Photo: Samantha Lamb

Holiday Rush

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:16:00 +0000

What are you all doing to prepare for the holiday rush? I feel like I am already behind. I need to order more supplies. I am still waiting for my molds to arrive and then I can really get moving. I'm just so overwhelmed between wedding planning, job hunting, and craft fairs and holiday prep my head is spinning! I really want to integrate some new projects/ideas into the shop too before the holiday rush but I might be piling too much on my plate. Not to mention, I am already starting to think about Christmas gifts, I am going to be making a lot of gifts this year since the purse strings are, well lets just face it, they are glued shut right now! Note to self: Hop in time machine, go back in time, pick a wedding date that isn't in November, right in the middle of the holiday season!

Get to soaping!

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:53:00 +0000

As if I needed one more thing to add to my to-do list, I just found out that I was accepted to participate in a local holiday craft fair! I'm so excited but also super stressed about the idea of having to make all those soaps. I need to get started now so I can get it all done before the wedding. I ordered some new molds which should help tremendously in the process. They are no-liner molds and they come with a cutting mold which I'm psyched about because my soaps always end up being slightly different in size from batch to batch because I can't cut them uniformly! Once the molds arrive I should be able to jump in and start making soap, I want to make about 200 bars of soap. It's a 2 day show and any overflow inventory should be able to carry me through the holiday season.

Photo: Flickr

Settling in...

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:57:00 +0000

Well the last of the boxes have been unpacked. I guess you could say we are officially moved in! It only took two + months to do it! There is still A LOT to be done. I honestly get really anxious when I think about all the things that have to be done but at least the house is livable and for the first time in three years, all of our things are in one place and THAT is a great feeling. While it doesn't quite feel like our home yet, it's A home, and that's a start.

Photo: Alexandra Grablewski

Wedding updates

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:18:00 +0000

Planning a wedding is some seriously stressful stuff, especially when you've taken on the task of doing EVERYTHING yourself! The time is going so fast, I want to stop and relish in this moment for a while but there isn't time for that! Not with flower arrangements, and invitations, and rehearsal dinner planning, and wedding favors. "Wedding" is the topic everywhere I go and I guess this is how it will be for the next two and a half months....

Print Gocco

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:37:00 +0000

I really would love a Print Gocco. We almost bought one recently to create our wedding invitations but decided to go with good old fashioned printing instead. I have a ton of ideas going through my head and a lot of the projects I want to start involve screen printing but we only have huge screens and to coat and prepare the screens for a 3 x 5 design just seems crazy! I mean, just look at the beautifulness (word?) you can create with a Gocco...

Photos: A Lovely Morning Blog, Bridbird, Morris & Essex

Flowers Blooming

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:30:00 +0000

There is a hibiscus bush right outside my kitchen window that is blooming right now. This is what I get to look at every morning while I wash dishes and make tea. This is one of the things that makes moving from New York worth it. Our backyard is full of butterflies too but they wouldn't sit still long enough to be photographed!

Photo: Candice

Wedding updates

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:09:00 +0000

Mike got his suit yesterday, he looks so good in it, I am a very luck lady ;) I can't believe how much stuff we are getting done. The invitations are almost finished. We came up with a concept and now Mike is working his magic in photoshop. I went through 80 pages of vintage stamps last night on ebay and am going to start ordering those today. I feel like once the invites go out I will be able to breathe for just a bit before I have to jump into the next wedding task. As each big "to-do" gets marked off the list I feel a little bit less anxiety about the whole planning part and a little bit more excited about the fact that I am getting married!

Photo: Ben Blood Photography via Once Wed

Antiquing

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:54:00 +0000

This weekend my mom and I drove to Mt. Dora to go antiquing. We found some great stuff, including an amazing wood and glass display cabinet from the original Macy's Department Store in New York, it was beautiful. The thing was ginormous though, you would need an equally amazing and huge house to put it in.

These were two of my favorite finds. I'm kicking myself for not getting the thread cabinet...the 24 hour rule has passed and I am definitely still pining for it.

Photos: me

I'm a lucky girl...

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:50:00 +0000

My soon-to-be hubby is such a wonderful cook.

Photo: Mike

A Little Anthro Love...

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:26:00 +0000

If I could register at Anthropologie, I totally would...

Photos: Sporades Tablecloth, Latte Bowls, Geometric Garden Plates

Strawberry Bubblegum

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:17:00 +0000

This print makes me happy...

Photo: Papermoth

Stamping

noreply@blogger.com (Candice) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:44:00 +0000

I'm on the hunt for vintage stamps for my wedding invites. I know, I know, if you are doing the math in your head right now you will realize that this is probably something I should have started months ago!! But, like all the planning for this wedding has gone, I have been MAJORLY dragging my feet!

Honestly, Mike and I have never had this much on our plate at one time and I feel like at any given moment I could have a major melt down so I keep barreling through, trying not to think of everything there is to do but honestly trying to plan a wedding in a recession while you are unemployed and have just purchased a house is really enough to give anyone a headache! But we were talking about stamps weren't we? Yes, so anyway, I have been on the hunt for vintage stamps today. There is something so beautiful about a wedding invitation adorned with lovely vintage stamps...

Photos: A Lovely Morning, Heather Ross via Decor8