Wedding Planning 1: Dress Inspiration

Since we got engaged 6 months ago, I've been looking for the perfect outfit for the big day.  I spent a lot of time searching through Pinterest, Etsy, and random Google inquiries, and found some really unique ideas to help inspire me!  

Here are some of my favorites:

This dress by Wai Ching stuns me every time I look at it.  There are photos submitted by brides with custom colors they chose for their dresses, and every single dress looks amazing!  I love the sheer areas and the color layers flowing out underneath.  If it was in my budget, I'd definitely go for this dress.

This embroidered dress by Aida Coronado on Etsy.  I like the simplicity of the design, with the pop of color on the bust.  This would be such a great (and comfortable) dress for an earthy bride.

And this handmade dress by Rai Alexander, also on Etsy.  It has stunning appliqué of a forest scene that reminds me of dressed-up patchwork festival dress.  I also like the detail of the bride and groom on the bottom of the skirt.

While I didn't pick any of these dresses for our wedding, I think I found something that captures my personality perfectly, fits my budget, and that I'll feel comfortable and beautiful wearing in May!  Can't wait to share more of my wedding ideas soon!

You can check out my ideas on my Pinterest wedding board, there are a bunch of ideas I've gone through in the process, including black and white, separate pieces, casual and fancy ideas, and accessories (part of what I'm wearing is posted too, can you guess what it is?)

Karen & Mark: 2 years

I've rarely been posting lately because I've been so busy (school, work, wedding planning, camping, crafting, etc.), but this is a special day to write an entry.  Today is the 2-year anniversary of Mark and my first date, basically the start of our relationship.  We were nervous, excited, and spent the evening sitting outside a restaurant drinking beer.  Mark held my hand,  hugged me goodnight, and we've been nearly inseparable ever since. 

We've since moved in together, gotten engaged, and are planning for the rest of our lives.  I can't imagine my life being any better than it is and I'm so lucky that I met Mark.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of us over the last few years:

 Our first photo together.

Our first big road trip (in the Black Hills)

Vacationing in Florida with Mark's family

Camping last fall

Now we have a fun day planned to celebrate: I booked a hotel in the city (we're far enough in suburbia that it's way more convenient to stay in the city for a night if we want to let loose), so we'll be swimming in the pool, grabbing some yummy dinner, hitting up a few bars, maybe even some dancing!  

(I'm hoping to post some more soon, I have a bunch of recent craft projects, including a Halloween costume idea to share!)

Dreamcatcher 2.0

I just finished another dreamcatcher and this one's up for sale on Etsy!  The colors are completely different from the other one I recently made and I really like how it looks.  Check out some pictures or see it on Etsy!

And also if you're interested, all the headbands in my shop are on sale for $5 so I can get some new stock up.  Thanks!

Bridal flower crown

Recently a friend asked if I could make a headpiece for the bride from a bachelorette party that she was organizing.  She wanted a floral crown that was a little more earthy than typical party gear. She shared a few pins and pictures with me for inspiration and basically let me choose the color scheme and overall look of the piece.

The party was tonight, so now I'm free to share pictures of what I made without ruining the surprise!  (Naturally, I had to try it on to test out the fit, so bear with the pictures of me in someone else's crown.)

I usually shop at Joann's for my craft supplies (they sell most of what I need, and send me coupons through their mailing list), but for this project, I opted to get my stuff at Michael's.  I've always been hesitant of silk flowers, but since this piece needed to last, I was pretty set on trying to find some that I liked.

The wedding is coming up this fall, so I wanted this piece to be a little autumn-ish, but still summery enough for August.  I used mostly small white flowers and some orange and green ones.  I found perfect glassy looking green and orange beads that were pretty earthy, but a little fancy too.

I twisted the wrapped wire and flowers together and fastened the flowers on it pretty securely (I also took each flower off and glued them back onto their plastic stems since they have a tendency to pop off pretty easily).

I didn't know how big to make it, but since I wanted it to fit and stay on, I loop each end of the crown and braided yarn to tie the whole thing on.  The crown itself has some flexibility, so it can be bent to fit better if needed.

I'm so happy with how this turned out!  I love getting requests for projects; I feel inspired to try new things and do my best to make them work.  The bachelorette party is happening now, so I hope that the bride-to-be enjoys this crown as much as I enjoyed making it!  (In fact, I feel some inspiration for my own wedding plans!)

Summer crafting: apron top

Summer has been super busy so far, between music festivals, outdoor activities, grad school, and work, but I've still managed to complete some projects that I'd been meaning to get to!  Here's something that I whipped up this weekend:

(Gin & tonic, the ideal summer beverage)

I bought some corduroy remnants at the craft store this past winter and knew I wanted to make some sort of patchwork project, but I waited until the right inspiration struck.  After five festivals so far this year, I decided a patchwork apron top would be best for this fabric.  I considered making a dress, but my wardrobe is definitely lacking cute tops to pair with shorts.

I made the top of the shirt a little longer, with one panel of black and pink right below it.  I pleated the bust, so it's more fitted than traditional apron tops, so it looks a little less "maternity" wardrobe.  I also top-stitched everything to give it a finished look.

I can't believe how well the fabrics all go together, and they were in the same remnant bin at the same time!  I figure someone else mixed those fabrics as well.  (I also love that remnants are generally 50% their current price, meaning if it's already on sale, I get a double discount!)

The back of the top is pretty open and revealing.  I wanted it to cover a little more, but really, who cares?  It laces up, so there's some detailing over my back.

I added an applique lotus on the front of the top.  I recently bought a different brand of fusible webbing than I'd usually used, and it's a little trickier to apply.  It stuck to the front of the appliques and looked bad, so I had to double up on the layers of my lotus.

I love how this project turned out!  It was just my second totally from scratch, no pattern, homemade clothing item, so I'm pretty proud of the results.  Summer may be almost over, but I'm sure I'll have a few opportunities to wear this before autumn starts to roll in!