Author Archive
48 days and counting.
With only 48 days until our wedding, life is becoming increasingly wedding-project-oriented. I’ve been working hard to wrap up all the custom orders from my shop, and I am not accepting any more custom dog bed or cat bed orders until after I become a Mrs. ! But blogging has definitely taken a backseat – but I’ve missed it! So here’s a few snippets of what I’ve been up to, just in case anyone is interested:
As if wedding prep isn’t enough, Work has been insanely busy these last few weeks. April and October are the two busiest months in my day-job life. And taking two days off for my wedding shower long weekend pretty much killed me, making last week even busier.
Thursday I “worked the booth” at a huge small business conference, and from 7:45 am – 5 pm I talked to a nonstop stream of small business owners. Now let me tell you . . . I enjoy talking to 99.9% of the people I meet. However. . . doing it for 9 hours straight with only a 10-15 minute break from all the talking can really wear even the most outgoing person out.
But this past weekend was a really, really good one. I think I masterminded a perfect way to avoid hiring a florist for the wedding. . . and I hope to show you details later this week. I’ll need to get your thoughts on it. If successful, we’ll save at least $700. Woohoo!
Wedding invitations suffered a setback but we’ve got it under control, so they’re going out today and tomorrow – better late than never.
I guess that’s it. . . I’d love to know what you’re all up to!
Posted in 
Bridesmaids: Dressed. {The Proposed Abode}
Ok, ok. I’m back from my bridal shower/bachelorette long weekend, and let me tell you – I’m still recovering from all the excitement! It was bittersweet going back to work on Tuesday, knowing that a major engagement milestone had passed. My first night back at home I slept hard, like I hadn’t slept in ages. Apparently all that celebrating wore me out.
It was a whirlwind weekend, but we did check a few tasks off the list. I picked up my wedding gown, took the bridesmaids to see the wedding venue, finalized the bridesmaid dresses, and worked on invites.
Things didn’t go as planned with the invites, but thanks to my wonderful friends I got the envelopes addressed, lined, return-address stamped, and got some other details done. There’s still one more step because the RSVP cards didn’t work out. The ink pad I had for stamping them was crappy, and it kept blurring and leaving gel-like blobs of ink. Yuck.
On Saturday we grabbed my MOH from the bus in Philly. You may remember Melissa from when I helped her move into a miniscule studio apartment in Boston last summer. After a very late lunch and errands in Philly, we went home to try out bridesmaid dresses. The most difficult one was for Crysty, who’s going to be 6 months pregnant at the wedding. It’s hard to know what will work then, and even harder to find maternity dresses in white lace, but I think the dress she chose will be fine. Here is the final result:
You probably know I don’t like to buy sweatshop-produced merchandise. I first looked for US-made or sweatshop-free dresses, but the only options I found were very expensive. All of my friends are on a budget, and I didn’t want to ask them to spend over $150 or $200 on a bridesmaid dress.
When I decided to go with neutral / off-white assorted dresses, I thought maybe we could source them from consignment and thrift stores. That way there was no sweatshop activity, and we’d be recycling. But once I specifically looked for off-white lace or chiffon dresses, they were no where to be found.
It was at that point that I realized I’d have to make some concessions. I could have just asked them to wear something they already had, but after looking in their closets I realized they’re all so different that nothing would look cohesive.
With time running out, I had to make a choice: stick to my guns and just let them wear mismatched dresses, or suck it up and find dresses at stores that may or may not have less-than-ideal manufacturing overseas. I chose the latter.
It was still tough to find the right dresses, even new off the rack. My friend and I hit the massive and crowded Tyson’s Corner mall twice, scouring it top to bottom and trying on all sorts of dresses that *might* work. We ended up with 3 or 4. Then she ordered a few dresses online. Finally, right before the big weekend, I saw a few dresses in the window of Dress Barn, and snagged 4 styles for them to try on.
Just in case you want details, here’s where the final choices are from, in photo order left to right:
- Comfy cap-sleeve lace dress. $40 at a tiny store at the mall, brand unknown.
- Exposed Zipper Lace Dress via PiperLime. I can’t find it on the site anymore. Less than $100, I think.
- Strapless Lace Dress by Vince Camuto. $168 at Macy’s – but now on sale for much less.
- Lace bodice, chiffon skirt dress. I have zero info on this dress, but Crysty found it for Reba for only $10 somewhere.
- Lace Tank Dress with Beaded Neckline. $60 at Dress Barn. It’s not a maternity dress, but she’s going to raise the waist to empire height to accommodate The Bump. :)
Clearly my friend Alyssa’s strapless dress was the priciest, but she really prefers strapless and doesn’t like the hoochie-length that so many other dresses have these days. So this was worth it, because she does think she’ll actually wear it again in the future. However, if anyone sees a size 2 or a 4 for less than $168, we’d love to return the full-price one and buy a sale-priced one. :)
We tried some dresses from Modcloth, but they were all a disappointment and will be returned. They’re not constructed well, they don’t fit well, and they’re all so freakin’ short. I love my friends, but I’d rather not have their asses hanging out at my wedding. :)
So that’s the wrap-up of the “supposed-to-be-easy” dress adventure. I was going to have everyone in colorful, fun shoes – but after looking at what’s available online, I just asked them to find neutral, nude or off-white shoes that they liked (no flip-flops, no boots) and call it a day.
Sidenote: Don’t know where else to say this – I can’t imagine wedding planning before Pinterest. Seriously, having a collaborative board for bridesmaid dresses as well as reception decor, stationery, etc – it’s been my saving grace.
It’s seriously ridiculous how much time you spend worrying about coordinated bridesmaid dresses just for the sake of a wedding!
To paint, or not to paint?
The basement guest room is progressing very slowly. I still need to buy sheets for the beds, but I am not sure exactly where I’m going with it, so I don’t want to rush and make poor design decisions.
This week’s big accomplishment? I’ve hung this vintage mirror in the guest room - and I rescued it from my parents’ basement. The plan was to paint it a nice warm yellow, to add some contrast to the space. But now I’m not so sure. Should it remain the way it is, with a vintage bronze-y feel? Does everything really need a coat of paint?
Ponder that, would you, and let me know what you think. In the mean time, I’m heading out of town for my bachelorette weekend. Can’t wait to have so many of my closest friends in one place. That’s a very rare occurrence!
Wedding: Coordinated.
Just when I thought our wedding venue couldn’t make wedding planning easier, they did.
Up until this past weekend, Ryan and I had been working with Michael, our event designer. He took care of all the initial details, helping us work out a menu, floor plan logistics, and sketching out the basic timeline. He gave us multiple tours of the venue, even in the windy October snowstorm, and provided all the info we didn’t know we needed to get the basic plan done. But two months before your wedding, Herrington assigns a coordinator to run the big day, and ensure our reception is set up just the way we want it. This past weekend we met Krissy, our coordinator, and found out about more little details we hadn’t ever thought about.
As soon as Krissy sat down with us to discuss the wedding timeline and other details, our favorite chef showed up with treats. Chef Tom whips up the killer baked goods at Herrington, including a fab coffee cake and the best crusty French bread I’ve ever tasted.
Chef Tom & Krissy with the infamous cheesecake lollipops.
This fateful morning found us sampling his German chocolate coffee cake (an excuse to have chocolate for breakfast? OK!) and the raspberry cheesecake lollipops. The coffee cake was great, but the cheesecake bites dipped in dark chocolate were even better. I’d gotten to try them on a previous visit with my parents, but it was Ryan’s first time. And he was sold. We’ll be serving them at our rehearsal dinner for sure.
As we snacked, we discussed a ton of details and Krissy asked really good questions that helped me identify which parts of our plan needed more thinking-through. We also found out just how detailed we could get with our setup requests.
At one point Krissy suggested that we could have flower petals scattered on our tables, and I said “but who will clean them up?” Her response: “I will, or we have staff to do that.” Makes sense, but it was one of those little moments when it hit me that for once I’m planning a party but I don’t have to do all the work. It’s so exciting. I am sewing (big surprise?) table runners for all the long tables, such as the gift table. I will write a list of how to set things up, and do a mock table setup at home to get a photo, and then I give that to Krissy and she makes sure everything is set up just how we want it.
Now you may be thinking “Duh, Jane, this is how weddings work” – but I’m not used to having this kind of help, and I’m really appreciating that this is the level of service our venue provides. The concept that we’ll be able to have everything set up the way we want it – but not have to be racing around doing it ourselves before the wedding – well, that rocks.
* * * * *
After our meeting, Ryan and I went over to the ceremony site to check some details.
It’s so naked since the palm trees and other tropical plants were removed for the winter, and the new ones haven’t gone in yet.
Despite that, it’s still pretty nice to look at.
* * * * *
This weekend I have my bachelorette festivities, and I get to pick up my gown. My bridesmaids and I have collected 13 assorted dresses in the lacey / taupe-y / chiffon-y style that I was looking for, so we’re sure to have a good dress for each bridesmaid. Photos week!
What the hell? A planned essay on spontaneity
Ladies, it’s my turn to say “What the hell.”
I opened my “drafts” folder this morning to find a post I’d started and never finished. But then I saw this blog post’s title, apparently saved by Ryan.
Here’s what he had written in the body of this post:
To-do:
Quote Aurora.
Complain about women.
Be awesome.
The cat’s out of the bag. Now I know exactly how his mind works.
* * * * * * *
Happy Monday! Did you have a happy Easter weekend? We spent the majority of it on wedding planning, and I had my first mini-meltdown. Details on Wednesday.
Introducing: New Packaging at Janery
This week I’ve been busy as a bee, balancing sewing for many customer orders with some important wedding planning . . . like finishing up the wedding invites!
It’s been a ton of fun taking my massive new sewing table for a spin. Cutting from large bolts of fabric is a walk in the park; so easy that I find myself wondering why I didn’t give in to a huge table ages ago! But the icing on the cake came when I shipped a dozen orders. I lined up the receipts on that 7-foot table, put the ordered products on top of them, and *still* had space left over to package each one up. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Janery is now a much more streamlined organization.
I couldn’t hep but snap a few camera phone pics to share my new packaging style with you all. (Why I didn’t just hop upstairs and grab the real camera is a mystery to me. Oops.)
For months I’ve been struggling to find a simple and affordable packaging style that works for me. When I first launched Janery, I shipped my pillow covers in tissue paper. But it didn’t feel polished. Just because my products are handmade doesn’t mean the packaging can’t be professional looking.
My packaging needed to corral the product while also containing the “care instructions” for the pillow covers. I tried slipping an extra strip of paper in that had washing directions printed on it, but it started to feel like too many things were being slipped in loosely.
After trying several ideas, I settled on the design you see above: Simple strips of recycled brown kraft paper are stamped with my logo on the front, then wrapped around the pillow cover, and held together in the back with a square sticker that has the pillow cover’s care instructions printed on it. The newer stickers I’m printing now have a space where I can write the name and size of the pillow as well.
I kept this super cost-effective by buying a big long roll of the brown paper in the “moving and packing” section at Staples. For $6 I got yards and yards of the stuff – much cheaper than buying a box of pre-cut kraft paper. I cut it down into smaller sheets, then used my paper cutter to make the strips.
The stickers I use are Avery brand, printable, and they’re about 2 inches square. My custom logo stamp was made by Sugarskull7 on Etsy, and my actual logo was designed by Jen at IHeart Organizing.
I know there’s nothing genius or groundbreaking about this, but I’m pretty pleased with it. If you’d like to do something similar, please feel free to copy this idea!
Now I just need to figure out a nice, professional way to wrap up the massive dog beds. If anyone has genius ideas on how to package a 3 ft by 4 ft padded bed, I’m all ears!
And now for something completely different: look what I caught my cat doing online the other day. He’s planning our wedding!
Happy {Easter} Friday! :)
Update on The World’s Biggest Sewing Table
Well, friends, the “world’s biggest sewing table”, which I impulsively started to build last Sunday, is almost done. I’ve trimmed the sides in decorative molding, sanded it down, stained it, and applied many coats of polyurethane. The house is nice and stinky, we’ve surely lost a few brain cells (who needs them, anyway?), but as of this evening the surface should be dry enough for me to set my sewing machine down and give it a go.
The legs are not staying the way they are. I don’t like how stark white they are against the pretty wood top, but I still need to decide exactly what I want to do about them. The tiled floor is uneven, so I need to add legs that are adjustable, or else modify the current legs to be so.
Any suggestions?
Guest Room, Part 5: Chevron Upholstered Bed Frames
Last night at midnight I finished transforming my (antique?) twin bed frames for the guest room. Now I finally feel like I’m really getting somewhere with the guest room makeover!
I got the beds in November, but this is real-time decorating, my friends. Decorating fit in amongst work, wedding planning, Etsy shop running, and too much business travel. This is also decorating that was fit in amongst the whims of the winter weather – which this year, thankfully, weren’t as bad as in years before.
Here’s how I got from the original, dusty and rusty frames that cluttered my parents’ basement to the current awesomeness:
First, Ryan helped me re-size the tall footboards, which would have made the very tiny room feel too cramped in their original size. Next up – sanding, filling scratches, priming, painting, and finally sealing. These steps caused the long delay in completion. The painting and poly sealing had to be done outside in moderate weather, and many weekends were spent hauling the frames out of the basement and into the yard for a few coats of paint or sealer. You can find the detailed painting process here.
At this point, the bed frames entered the guest room – but they weren’t ready for sleepovers just yet!
Some of the wooden side rails were pretty beat up, with large chunks of veneer broken off the visible sides. Even though I was painting and not staining, I didn’t think I could do a good job of patching the missing strips of veneer. Instead, I decided to upholster them with fabric – covering all the imperfections and adding a little extra awesomeness to the frames.
Here are the upholstery steps:
1. Cut strips of fabric that are 2 inches longer, and 3 inches taller, than the bed rails.
The chevron fabric I used was only 54″ wide, with the stripes going in that direction, so I had to sew two pieces together to make a long enough strip for the long rails. I matched up the patterns to make the seam less visible. To ensure I sewed in just the right spot, I first used iron-on hem tape to seal the seam together. Then followed up with the sewing machine.
2. Hem the edges, to prevent fraying and create durability, using iron-on hem tape. Just iron your crease, then slip some hem tape inside, and iron (with steam) again. Be sure to check the length before doing the final side hem, making sure that the strip is just long enough to cover the bed rail.
3. Wrap & staple the fabric to the bed rails. I held the strips in place with some painter’s tape, then stapled the top of the fabric to the inside top of the rail. Pulling the fabric taught but not crazy tight around the front and bottom of the rail, I then stapled the bottom to the inside (bottom) of the rail.
*I applied the staples about 1 inch apart, wanting to be sure the fabric was attached well. Also, I was careful to keep the chevron stripes lined up – I didn’t want them veering across at an angle!
The process took about 2 hours, and really went faster once I got the hang of “staple . . . line up . . . pull taught. . . . staple.”
Once I popped the mattresses in, you couldn’t see the inside rails where the staples were applied. Perfect!
I don’t have bed linens yet (unless you want to see the first sheets I ever slept on) and the light is horrible in these photos, but last night I was too excited about completing the project to wait and photograph them in good light.
Here’s a little detail: The beds have a slightly distressed paint job, because some of the edges showed through when i did the final stain job. It’s subtle enough that I liked it and kept it.
The yellow Dwell Studio pillows from my shop are just there so I can see how the warm gold color works with the dark teal of the chevron and the Tempaper accent wall. I like it, and can’t wait to sew some custom pillows and accessories for the space to bring in even more color and pattern. And then I need to find a light paint color for the yellowish-white walls.
Do you see that mid-century modern cabinet that’s serving as a night stand? I snagged that at Goodwill, and it’s probably going to become a two-toned piece, with white top and sides, and the nice wood face on the front.
So much to do, but I feel like the hardest, most time-intensive project is behind me. From here on out, it’s all about adding the fun stuff!
Do you like the patterned bed rails, or would you prefer a more solid look in your home? I’m stoked; the chevron fabric-upholstered sides really give the beds a custom look. And changing the look is as simple as pulling out the staples and wrapping them with new fabric.
Approximate Cost: $75 (fabric, paint, sealer, sanding sponges)
Approximate # Hardware Store Trips: 7
Approximate time to completion: 3 months, but who’s counting?
You know what? In my almost three years of home blogging, this is the first time I’ve painted a piece of furniture white. Can I get my “Official DIY Blogger” badge now?
***I am most definitely sharing this project over at Thrifty Decor Chick’s Spring Paint Party!!
