Wedding Talk: Asking my Bridesmaids

Well hello! Sorry for the lull in posts this last week. I got back from Florida a couple of days ago, and I'm just now getting back in the swing 'o things. It was pretty nice not being connected during my trip. I'm one of those losers that still doesn't have a smart phone, and I didn't feel like lugging my laptop around on the plane, so I just read a lot! Anyway, I'm glad to be back, and I have something fun for you today.

I came across a tutorial on a blog that showed how to make your own scratch-off card, and I'd been looking for a way to use it. I came up with a design and used the scratch-off tutorial to make cards for my bridesmaids. It was fun to do, and I think they enjoyed them! I documented my process in case any of you would like to try something similar.

What you need:

• print out of your design
• metallic acrylic paint
• paint brush
• cardboard sheet
• glue (stick works well)
• dishwashing liquid
• contact paper (I couldn't find a small roll, so I used clear sticker paper instead)

Since I was doing four, I printed the design 4-up on an 8.5x11 sheet and cut them. Don't forget to make one of them say maid of honor if you have one! I almost forgot :) Also, mark the MOH card on the back so you know which one it is when you give them out...unless you want it to be a surprise or something. ha! Cut your cardboard to the same size for each card.

Use your glue stick to carefully glue the paper to the cardboard piece. I was afraid I'd screw up and make it uneven, because I'm the messiest crafter alive, but I did alright with it!

Cut out your clear sticker to a size that covers your design and place it.

Mix about 1 part soap with 2 parts paint and start painting! I tried really hard to keep it on the sticker part and make it look tidy. I think a more haphazard, messy look could be cute too, especially for a grade school game or something. I had to do SO MANY LAYERS. I was probably not using enough paint or something, but I eventually got it all covered up. The soap makes it kind of sticky when it dries, so I let it dry over night just to be sure. As long as it doesn't come off on your finger, it should be fine.

And there you have it! The original tutorial used this as a sort of promotional game for the blogger's Etsy shop, and I can also see this being a fun way to do prizes for a Kindergarten classroom or something. Scratch off to see what your prize is for not biting the other students, or whatever it is that kids get prizes for. I've also seen these used as save-the-date cards! You scratch off to reveal the date...so cute. That kind of thing would be printed on though...it would take an eternity to DIY a large number of these. As you can see, there are lots of ways you can use this. I might even try to find a way to use it again soon!

i took sister out to the ballgame

I got some tickets to a Jackson Generals (minor league) game from work, so I decided to take my little sis! Before we even got there, she was fast asleep in the car. Apparently they played a lot at school!

We got there and saw some dandy jumper things over beside the park. Those things are like magnets to kids. She jumped for a while, then slid down the slide before we headed over to find our seats.

Our work seats are pretty darn close! We were 4 rows back, so we had a good view of the game. Honestly, minor league games aren't that exciting to me, but I do like the atmosphere of a baseball game, so it was still fun. We got some obligatory ballgame food: nachos, a burger, and candy. I would have gotten us some Cracker Jacks, but sister doesn't like them.

After rolling our eyes at the annoying high-school boys behind us, I realized that we are just as silly as they are. Taking silly pictures is how we spend most of the first inning, I think.

My co-worker brought his sons to the game, so sister made friends with Scott's 4 year old. They took a picture with Sarge (not The General, as I kept calling him), then I had Scott take one of me and sister together. That's my "i don't care who sees me, i'm sweaty and my hair is dirty so just deal with it" attire. Go ahead and put this in the magazines!

It was a fun night! It's always nice to do something a little different from my routine. It helps break the week up, and spending time with sister is always a plus! I can't believe how big she's getting. We were talking in the car about shopping, and she said when she was 16 we could shop for clothes together. At first I was excited, because YEAH that would be awesome! But then I almost started crying because she's halfway to 16. I think I'd rather her just stay a kid...being a kid is WAY more fun than being a teenager or an adult.

*also, I've been working on my new blog design! this same design will soon be implemented in a new website, my etsy shop, facebook, and anything else i need to brand. let me know what you guys think! is there anything else i should add?*

Randy & Jennifer

...the couple...

...the bride...

...the ceremony...

...the decor...

 ...the reception...

This was the wedding I shot the last weekend of August at Kennesaw Farms in Gallatin. It was one of the most fun weddings I've been to! Everyone was having such a good time, and they were all so down-to-earth. Those really are the best weddings, when people aren't uptight. That last diptych is my favorite. The adorable little boy on the left is the bride's son, and that is her tattoo of his footprint and name. I hope you get a feel for the carefree, fun nature of this wedding from the pictures!

Not-So-Casual Friday

Sarah and I came to work last Friday all dressed up. Most Fridays are dress-down days, but on this particular Friday we must have been on the same wavelength. There are some similarities in our outfits besides both having a little bit of a vintage feel. We both have some splashes of red,  similar sandals, and a just-below-the-knee length dress. Since it was Friday, and we were feeling cute, we went out and took some pictures while we were running errands around campus.

I get really excited when I go outside. I love my job and everything I do, but being cooped up inside all day makes me act a little crazy when I get to venture out. There's this absolutely adorable little weeping willow between our building and the main buildings, so we get to walk past it often. I had a willow tree outside of my 7th-9th grade home. I used to go out and sit under it  and read a lot. I hope that someday I'll have one in my backyard with a little bench under it. It makes a perfect little sanctuary for reading and just hanging out.

On me:

Dress- vintage handmade

Shoes- Franco Sarto (TjMaxx of course!)

Earrings- from Rhett

Coffee Cup- from Union's own Barefoots Joe.

Let's talk about this dress for a second. There's an antique mall that I frequent, and this dress came from one of the booths. This booth (which is now gone) had probably 50 or 60 dresses at all times. Each time I went, I found another one to try on. OF COURSE none of them ever fit...until this one day when I found about 20 to try on. No, I'm not kidding. I know the ladies that own the mall think I'm insane. On that one day almost every dress fit perfectly, so I had to decide which one to get. This is the one I decided on because I loved the way it fit and the neckline was something I had never worn before. I used to say I hated this kind of collar, but I've converted. It looks a little like a Peter Pan collar, but the extra red pieces make it a little more fun (to me).  What era does this look like? I'm honestly not sure it's vintage, but it fits better than any modern dress I've ever owned.

Gabrielle and Kristi in Memphisland

Last Sunday was a GREAT day.

  Gabrielle texted me that morning to see if I wanted to go to Memphis just for fun. I fortunately didn't have a prior engagement, so I went! 

 When we got there we were HUNGRY, so we went to Gus's Fried Chicken, which is Gab's fav.

Man oh man was it good! If you're ever passing through Memphis and want a good taste of Southern life...go to Gus's! Our waiter even reminded me of Elvis...just a little.

Before we left the house, we wrote down addresses to a bunch of thrift and vintage stores and let the gps do the thinking. We ended up here, which was a pretty great little street. There were several good lookin stores, but only one of them was open still. (It was Sunday, after all).

Flashback! It was a really fun little store. I didn't end up buying anything, but Gabrielle found an adorable little shirt, and here are some cool things they had...

Holy crap it was so cute! I want to go back and buy something soon...I ALMOST bought an adorable mint green slip, but I talked myself out of it.

Next we happened upon this adorable little coffee shop called Java Cabana. We grabbed a cup before heading home. Isn't it cute?!

Sorry for the lackluster outfit...it was a last minute trip. That's my cutie pie friend Gabrielle in the right picture!

This weekend was a little more event-less, but I enjoy the relaxing very much. I hope we have more trips like this, Gabrielle!

Candyland Family

My daddy was home last weekend! He works out of town so I usually see him once every 3 or 4 weeks. So I went over there on Saturday and we all played Candyland (we = Daddy, Tina, me and Sister)

Thanks for giving me a dirty look, Dad! That's Tina's leg over on the side. None of the pictures of all three of them were in focus...boooo.

In the first two games someone drew the Princess Frostine card (first Tina, then me), and I could tell Zoey REALLY wanted that card. So Tina sent her to brush her teeth and we decided to put the card in the deck where she would get it. Aren't we so nice?! Anyway, she was pretty excited...as evidenced in this little video

I love my family!