Look What I Made! (Bridesmaid Bouquet Edition)

"Bridesmaid bouquet? But aren't you already married?"

Yep. In fact, as stated previously, we just passed the one-year mark. And all year, my bouquet and my bridesmaids' bouquets had been hanging in our upstairs guestroom closet. Just chillin'. And dryin'.

Quite a while ago, I decided I wanted to make these into some type of keepsake for my ladies. However, like many things I'd like to do, I kept putting it off. But I was recently spurred on by two events:
1) One of the bridesmaids was moving to Colorado in about a week, and
2) My brother was about to move into that room, and might not appreciate the lovely closet decorations.

So. It was time to get on that sucka.

My basic original idea was to cut the flower heads off the stems and put them into jars. I had been saving our salsa jars, etc., for just this very purpose, until I realized that mason jars are much cooler looking...and they have them at Dollar Tree. And I just went from there.

I was so excited with how they turned out!

The colors are more vibrant in real life. You can see it a little better in the close-ups.

..

Steps I took for the lids:
1. Traced circles on scrapbook paper and cut them out.
2. Printed a sheet of four wallet-sized photos at Walgreen's (the picture is from the rehearsal dinner), cut them to fit the lids, and glued them.
3. Wrote the message (2101 was our apartment number. My bridesmaids were also my roommates!).
4. Painted over each circle with Mod Podge and glued it to a lid.

The flower part was easy--I just snipped each piece and dropped it in! I tried not to micro-manage how they were falling, but just let them sit naturally. I love how this made each jar look different but beautiful, just like each girl (aw).

For the final touch, I used twine to attach a circle tag with each girl's initial on an embossed sticker.

This was a secondary concern, but I was also pleased with how inexpensive these gifts turned out to be. I printed the photos for approximately a dollar at Walgreen's, bought the jars at Dollar Tree, and got the tags and stickers at Hobby Lobby/Michael's with my handy-dandy 40% coupons. I already had the scrapbook paper, Mod Podge, and twine. And flowers, obviously.

The twine is the funniest part, I think. I was planning on using ribbon until I got our friends' wedding invitation in the mail earlier that week. All the pieces were tied up together with a length of twine and a cute tag, which gave me the idea to use twine instead (thanks, Michelle!).

And actually...I used the twine from the wedding invitation itself. (Gasp!) I know, I know, it was with a WEDDING INVITATION (dun dun dunnnn). But I had to take the packet apart, regardless! And I'm sure Michelle would much rather know the twine was being repurposed than thrown away.

The other piece of each gift was a Disney Princess cup, not pictured. I bought them at Disney World my senior year of high school, and we used them as juice cups throughout our time living together in college. Everyone was assigned their own princess (I was Ariel, of course). I figured there was no better parting gift to remind everyone of our awesome two years as roomies (cue tears).

Thanks for the memories, guys! I love you all. :)

30 Before 30 Update

I've successfully crossed one more thing off my 30 Before 30 list! Over the past couple of weeks (should have kept track of the number of days), I re-read the whole Harry Potter series in order. I felt like crying when I finished because they are just so good, and I knew there wouldn't be any more.

The most interesting part about reading them all in a row like that was to see how the first few began as much more childlike, and how the books became darker as the characters faced more serious trials and grew older...and as our generation grew older.

Also, it was a heck of a lot easier to remember all the characters this time.

So now, of course, my husband and I are watching all the movies. We've already made it through the first three in two days.

Coming soon from the list...visiting the St. Arnold's Brewery and beginning the Bible in 90 Days plan. Whoa.

Have you accomplished any goals lately? Do you have a book series you like to read over and over?

Happy Anniversary!

I did want to post about my anniversary on the actual day, like a normal person, but Monday didn't work out quite that way. Lots of work and errands and meetings and one-car-ness. My car was in the shop for almost a week, and on Monday I was afraid Travis's battery was going out and we'd be stranded and not able to even go out to celebrate!

But the car survived, and we had a lovely evening. It was a treat just to spend a number of uninterrupted hours together, doing whatever we wanted. With Travis in a May-mester class that started the week after finals ended, that hadn't happened in quite a while.

We had part of a giftcard to BJ's Brewhouse left from Christmas, so we headed out there for dinner and shared a yummy meal. We asked our waitress to take a picture and Travis told her it was our anniversary, so we wouldn't look like weirdos. We were very surprised when she brought us free dessert later!

Husband, chips and salsa...just the essentials in life.

Doing a good job at channeling my Japanese roots.

Yay!

Next, it was onto the traditional part. We were a little wary about how our year-old cake was going to taste.  You can see how ceremoniously it was preserved. For an entire year.

Aaand we were correct in our predictions. It tasted like styrofoam and plastic bag.

Our reactions:
"I think we just consumed a lot of BPA."
"Yayy, shorter lifespan!"

Fortunately, we'd thought ahead and made an awesome replacement cake, which mimicked the flavor of our groom's cake last year (banana with chocolate chips). We didn't expect the cake to be super popular at the reception since it was an unusual flavor, but it went so fast we never even got a piece.

New Cake vs. Old Cake

This one was also delicious. Box mix FTW. (Shh, Travis bakes for a living so we don't always want to bake from scratch...)

So we ate cake, drank champagne, and watched Downton Abbey. Because we're awesome.

Oh, and presents? (Remember, this was the "paper" year.)

I made these little cards and framed them:

 Travis made me origami tulips (my current flower obsession). The black-and-white ones are some of our wedding photos printed out on paper.

I love this picture. He's being silly and I'm laughing really hard.

 And he also made a crane. That was sort of an inside joke.

And we did indeed order that print I mentioned in my last post. It came in the mail yesterday! I'll post a picture later when we have it up and framed.

Happy belated one year to us, and to all the other couples I know with anniversaries on the 21st! (Especially Matt and Allie.) :)

Fun Five Friday [The Practical Edition]

This week's installment doesn't have any food or giraffe-themed cleaning items, but it does have a few recent and ongoing events that are making life a little easier. :)

1. Less rent for the summer. My [not so] little brother has moved into our spare bedroom for the summer, which means we get to pay a little less for rent and utilities the last 3 months we live here. Which means we can actually put some money into savings instead of taking it out, unlike most of this year. Le sigh.

2. Cleaning out. We're really getting into de-cluttering now in anticipation of our move (which will be a downsize) and are planning to hold a garage sale at my parents' house in July (take note, all you locals!). Hopefully that will garner a little extra cash in addition to ridding us of things we don't need that someone else could use.

3. Apartment search progress. No, we still don't have a place to live, but we're getting there! It's been an odd experience. Maybe it's just because we live in a college town, but in the past, Travis and I have always had to secure apartments wayy in advance of our move-in date. Now, I keep calling and asking about August availability, and no one has any idea. They keep telling me to call back in July! But regardless, we have a couple of good leads. :)

[Okay, I guess these last two are not particularly practical...]

4. This print. 

(source)

Our first anniversary is coming up on Monday! (Aww.) For those of you who don't know, the first anniversary gift is traditionally paper-related. Which is handy, since we are poor, and paper is cheap. :) Perhaps the person who made up these things did that on purpose.

I had some different ideas about what to do for Travis (I'm sure I'll talk more about this later, after we exchange gifts), and finally figured out something cute and cost-effective.

Then, of course, today I stumbled across this print from Silhouette Blue, and a custom 8x10 print is only $20, and I'm thinking I might just have to go for it. You can choose from like a bajillion colors (well, actually about ten), and you can put your wedding date underneath the initials. I just really like it. It could be the very beginning of our frame wall (a secret goal for future living spaces).

But I'm not counting that as my gift for Travis, since (1) I know he is making me something, and I also wanted to make something instead of buying it, and (2) It would not be here by Monday, and the point of our gifts was to be frugal, not pay for fast shipping. Instead, it shall be a gift to us from us. (Don't judge me, you know you do things like that, too. PS, sorry I use so many parentheses?)

5. Nice Girl Notes. I know this blog has been around for quite some time, but I just randomly started reading it today. And it's hilarious. I wish I was as funny as all these people whose stuff I read. I particularly enjoyed this two-part cartoon series on First World Problems (my friends and I accuse each other of complaining about these all the time).

(source)

Regarding packing jewelry. It's so true!

What's been making your week happy?

Scent Sense

I read this article this morning on Apartment Therapy, found it interesting, and was wondering if any of you would, too.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/what-can-your-scented-candle-do-for-you-171265

(source)

The article is entitled "Fragrance Therapy: What Can a Scented Candle Do for You?" I talked a few posts back about how I've gotten into candles this year, because I feel like they relax me yet help me focus.

This piece lists some findings from a research venture in Chicago regarding the effects of different smells on test subjects. Now, as a former Psychology student, I'm immediately suspect of pretty much any research unless it's endorsed by a prestigious journal or organization...but I still thought this was cool. I definitely agree with the findings on lemon scent (my favorite color is yellow and lemon is one of my favorite smells ever).

I'm also interested in what they said about green apple--my mom and I both get chronic sinus headaches that are somewhat disabling, and I've never thought about using my sense of smell to try and get rid of them! I may have to obtain an emergency green apple candle and let you guys know how it turns out. :)

Any of those other scents ring a bell with you? What are your favorite smells?

Jazz Fest, Day 3

My apologies for the delay on this last section--I went to visit my parents for Mother's Day, so blogging wasn't exactly my top priority. Happy Mother's Day, by the way!

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Check out Days 1 and 2 if you missed them.

The morning of our last day in NOLA wasn't super eventful. I'm pretty sure I snoozed our alarm for about an hour. We got up, packed, ate breakfast (I don't think I mentioned that our hotel had really good waffles), and checked out.

We wanted to wander around a little more before heading to the fairgrounds, so we went over to the Riverwalk where there were all these shops and restaurants. Not too much was open (we kept forgetting it was Sunday morning), but the building was air-conditioned, so we walked the length of it for funsies. Then it was time for our last bus ride to the festival!

We'd been trying to see people in the Blues tent all weekend, but it was packed every time. So we sat down there right away and saw a really good local band, followed by Corey Harris and Phil Wiggins. This is also when Laura and I ate the surprisingly good Vietnamese food (I believe I mentioned this earlier).

The local band--all of these guys were really good.

The saxophone player's daughter got up and played the tambourine.

Phil Wiggins & Corey Harris.

They were really great, but we wanted to leave early and head to the Acura Stage to hear Trombone Shorty, who is somewhat of a local legend (and known elsewhere, too). Our friend Stephanie said he's like "the Kanye West of trombone players," which is pretty much true, haha. At the end of their set, his band all switched around and started playing completely different instruments, which was awesome. We also spotted him walking through the festival later. The accompanying security officer confused us until we figured out who he was.

It was packed, so these are just pics of the screen. And someone's head.

Next, we again followed the advice of the Scooby-Doo gang and split up (harhar). The boys went to see a blues guitarist while Laura and I went to save a spot for Iron and Wine. Sam did some old and new stuff--it was a nice mix. He also joked about putting all the good songs at the beginning because everyone was going to leave to see Bruce Springsteen.

We knew there was no way we'd be able to get remotely close to Bruce Springsteen since people had been camped out there all day long, but we decided to give it a shot. We stayed for a very squished 4 or 5 songs, then decided to eat dinner and call it a day. But of course, what we heard was awesome.

The Boss.

I'll spare you the details of our 7-8ish hour drive back, except to say that we got back around 3 a.m., I read almost an entire book, and there was much coffee and some Taylor Swift involved (only while Brad was sleeping).

And that's the story of my first-ever music festival! 

Jazz Fest, Day 2

Read about the first day here.

On our second morning in New Orleans, we decided to take a different approach and...well, explore New Orleans. Or at least the French Quarter.

We got to Cafe du Monde just in the nick of time to beat the humongous line. And it was soo worth it.

This is making me want a cafe au lait right this instant.

We're so attractive in the morning...

We wandered over to the River Walk next.

Twas a windy day.

There were street musicians to see, a flea market to explore, and shops and scenery to peruse.

I had to take this because it was called Sbisa's Cafe! Thanks and gig 'em.

Flea market.

Who could resist a good cathedral?

Inside.

My favorite shop was called The Idea Factory. I didn't take any pictures, because it seemed like the kind of place where the owner wouldn't appreciate it. It was full of these awesome wooden toys, puzzles, clocks, boxes, trinkets, you name it. 

I love wooden toys. If we had a kid, I would have been seriously tempted to buy most things in the shop. 

The one (affordable) thing I did find were these tiny wooden animals that were a couple of inches tall and cost one dollar each. I begged Travis (who was carrying all our cash) for the little giraffe, my favorite animal, but he vetoed the idea. This seems to be a trend with us for giraffe-themed items.

I was pretty sad, since I had wanted a little decorative souvenir from the trip. However, Travis later felt guilty after he had tipped a street musician a dollar and spent money on a beer at lunch, so we went back and he let me get the eight dollar giraffe with WHEELS.

Isn't he cute? I haven't figured out the perfect place to put him yet.

Anyway, back to the French Quarter. We ate lunch at the Green Goddess, one of my dad's favorite places.

Mmm, crab melt.

Yay, salad.

After lunch, we headed over to the festival. The afternoon promised to be pretty packed with people we liked! Unfortunately, at the first "big" concert we tried to go to (Cee Lo Green), the sound was really messed up. :( It was pretty much impossible to hear a good sound mix unless you were right next to the stage. We hung out for a while, hoping it would get better, but eventually had to move on. I was sad, as he appeared to be giving a good concert...

Our group had to split up at this juncture. The boys really wanted to go see Israel Houghton (our friend/former worship pastor DeAndre's muse) in the gospel tent, but if we all went, there was no way we'd get a spot to see Feist later. So Laura and I headed back to the Gentilly Stage to save seats.

Feist was definitely one of my favorite parts of the festival, since her songs are more dance-y (as opposed to sway...ey? Sway-ish?) Everybody was moving around and having fun, and Brad and Travis brought us our dinner so we didn't even have to leave.

Good way to close out the night.

We figured our trip wouldn't be complete without a walk down Bourbon Street, even if it was just to say we did. An interesting experience, to be sure.

We ended up at Pat O'Brien's to try their famous Hurricanes. There was a fountain on fire. 

Then we saw a band on top of a bus.

And that's all I have to say about that. Stay tuned for Day 3!