The Star Shaped Crayons - How to

I know I have mentioned before, that we have invited many kids to the wedding. Usually there is nothing for them to do other than run around or dance. So my FI wanted to create a kid's activity table with an assortment of activities. This is where the star shapped crayons came from. I owe credit to a few people for the inspiration of this project but unfortunately I cannot remember the names of the Bees or the other websites this came from.

Supplies:

• 2 Box of crayons (preferably 48 or more qty.)
• Shaped mini tin pans (I bought stars but I have seen heart shaped)
• Cookie sheet

Star pan and crayons purchased at Dollar Store

Step 1: Preheat oven 350 degrees

Step 2: Choose your favorite color combinations for each star.

Step 3. Break the crayons in half, remove the paper and put half of the crayon in one tin pan and the other half in another tin pan (at least 5 halves for each star). I found it easier to use an exacto-knife to slice the paper off. I used 5 -6 crayon halves in each star and the crayon was fairly thin. Increase the amount of crayon halves to resolve the thickness.

Step 4: Place tin pans on cookie sheet and place in oven. It will take 3 - 5 mins to melt the crayons. Be sure to use a cookie sheet without holes or you will have a debacle that we had involving melted wax and a smokey oven =) (Whoops!!)

Step 5: Remove from the oven and allow to cool. I am not sure how long it took for the wax to re-set but I would say they should be ready in a hour.

Step 6: Peel the tins off and voila, a star crayon!

FYI... I will be putting them in plastic candy bags as favors for the kids and will label them crayons since my 6 yr old niece pointed out that they looked like candy.

Who is The Roddy Bride & Groom?

How rude of I not to introduce myself or my hubby-to-be from the get go. Well here's a little interesting information about us.

Well lets start with Mr. Roddy. He is my super Gringo A.K.A. my whiteboy=). Born in Lancaster, PA but raised in multiple parts of PA and Colorado. He's a computer techy by day and a student by night to achieve his Bachelor's Degree. He's had one heck of a childhood but has learned to overcome all the challenges he had faced to become the great man that his is.

Now for me. I am a Latina born and raised in Bethlehem, PA. I too am a computer techy. I love to read, watch movies, play sports and video games. With our wedding coming up I am trying to tackle my never ending list of DIY projects. I am oh so excited about marrying the man of my dreams.

So you ask, how'd you meet?

We met back on October 29, 2005 through Yahoo! Personals (yes, we are one of their success stories). After talking for a week or two on the phone we decided to meet in person at a local mall to eat dinner and go to the movie. I was so impressed with the person I met that I knew something was right about this. Sure enough I was right... Almost 4 years later we get to start a new life together with a whole new set of challenges... I can't wait to start!

Here is the story of our engagement: The Engagement

The Ceremony: Developing The Agenda

While attempting to cleanup and organize my personal email I ran across an email from my g'Mom (our officiant) outlining her suggestions for the ceremony... And I thought... Oh crap! I forgot about that.

So yesterday, I decided to review her suggestions and started taking mental notes. The question that came to mind is do we make this a religious ceremony or refrain from it? I had to ask this question because we chose to have our ceremony outside of a church due to my FI's personal feelings about churches and religion in general.

My FI is a true believer in God but is skeptical of the intentions of churches and religions and is not content with their "business" mentality. I have to say that I agree with him on a lot of what he believes. He has been a part of different churches and has seen all sides of them and I have only been involved with one Catholic church in my hometown. I tried a few other Catholic churches (like out by my College) and despised going there for I didn't feel welcomed and they never gave me the good vibes I get from my home church. Just too uptight for me.

Anywho, in reviewing the agenda I noticed that really the only thing religious about her suggestions are the officiant's prayer, the readings, and the wine ceremony (the replacement of communion). I chatted it up with Mr. Roddy and it seems we will be leaning more towards leaving the religious segments in the ceremony. Mr. Roddy himself (my FI not my future FIL) will go through his favorite verses in the Bible and pick out 2 of them for our Mothers to read. All of this has really got me excited with only 99 days to go =)...

So here is a peek at the mock-up ceremony agenda:
Ceremony

• Prelude
• Processional
• Prayer by Pastor
• Readings
• Gathering words
• The Ceremony

- Exchange of vows and exchange of rings
- Announcement of marriage
- Lighting of Unity Candles

• Closing Prayer
• Wine Ceremony
• Bride and Groom thanks family and friends for their love and support.

The 'R' - How To

The 'R' is going to be one large letter 'R' that will be placed on the cake table. It will be decoupaged with color photos of Mr. Roddy and I through the years. It will be a cool compliment to the funky cake that we have designed. This craft has not been completed but we are hoping it is as easy as it looks...

Supplies:

• Big cardboard letter ( I found mine at JoAnn Fabrics)
• Spraypaint - this is the base color (Optional)
• Mod Podge brand glue for decopauging
• Foam paint brush
• Favorite Photos
• Paper Cutter or Scissors to cut the photos
• Ribbon for sides (optional)
• Tacky Glue (for glueing ribbon)

The bare naked 'R'

Step 1: Spraypaint the letter. Let the letter dry completely. You will need very good ventilation for this. Be sure to wear protective gear such as gloves, goggles, and a mask.

Mama A (My Mom) cheesin' with the 'R' =)

Step 2: Pick your favorite photos and cut them to the shape of the letter so no picture hangs off the letter. Do this until the letter is fully covered. You have a few choices here. Only cover one side of the letter with pictures or collage pictures all around the letter. You can even overlap pictures if you wish for a different style. For this project I only covered the front with pictures.

Step 3: Using the Mod Podge and foam paint brush, apply a thin layer of the glue to where the picture will lie. Then apply another thin layer to the back of the photo and then place the photo on the designated spot.

Step 4: This step is optional. With the Tacky Glue, glue a ribbon (the width of the letter side) to the outsides of the letter. Be sure to smooth out the ribbon with your fingers to prevent bubbling of the fabric.

Step 5: Admire your work =)

Front View

Right Side

Left Side

Note: My Mom and I didn't feel the need to add the Mod Podge glue on the top of the photos but you obviously have the option.

The Cake: Crisis Diverted??

Lately, I have been receiving tons of spamming phone calls from slithering snakes.... er wedding companies claiming my FI and I had won something. So much so that I refuse to answer the phone if it is a number that I do not know and let it go to my voicemail since it is my cell phone. Well Friday was no different. BUT this time I had received a phone call from my cake vendor at 8:45pm and one from a man claiming to be from the vendor at 9:00pm. They both stated that they needed me to call them regarding the details of my cake. Now I am worried.

The first thing that came to mind was that the pastry chef (PC) has left. This was very scary to me since the design I wanted stemmed from something that the original pastry chef had completed. At the first meeting, the owner had raved at how wonderful the PC was and that she has won multiple awards and even interned with the great Sylvia Weinstock. Music to my ears...

Well, I called Saturday morning and I found out that my initial fear was correct. The orginal PC had left due to a buyout of some sort. My vendor was contacting me to notify us of the new change. The man who had called is actually the previous PC's husband. Apparently the PC and her hubby are calling all the brides (illegally I may add). According to my vendor it was in the contract that the PC cannot harrass the brides.

Anyway, my vendor had assured me that the new PC is just as good and has won numerous competitions. I have to believe her because since the quality of her PC threatens her the reputation of her company. She is the committee leader of local bridal organizations and other organizations so I am sure she will not take that risk. Let's just say I was more relieved. Really everything is out of my hands. Now I just have to wait and see what my cake will look like...

Pray for us or wish us luck!!

We've Been Approved...

To marry =)!!!

Our officiant (my G'Mom), had sent me and email sending us blessings on our wedding. Like other couples we had to take some compatibility tests by answering important questions about us individually and us as a couple. So we sent her our answers last weekend.

Anyway, my FI wasn't completely thrilled about answering the questions because he assumes that my G'Mom already knows us and knows we are compatible. BUT I know it doesn't work that way. First off, my G'Mom knows me and not really him. Secondly, she didn't know the priorities in our lives and what we thought about important subjects as children, finances and religion. I found this exercise to have been a great one that I would recommend to all couples whether they were getting married in a church or not. What I got out of it is that my FI and I really are compatible and not because I love him witha ll my heart. It is because we want the same things in life. We think alike and feel the same way about the important issues in life and that is the most important thing to me.

So her words of advice... "No matter what, there is only one correct answer, "Yes Dear". Now go ahead and grow old" =)... Gotta love her!

The Cake Stand: How To

In an effort to keep costs down for this wedding, I had done some research to see if we can make our own cake/dessert stands. My inspiration came from the blogger, A_Patchwork_Orange, on the website, craftster.com. Click here to see the details. So intrigued I was. Looking a little more on Etsy and WeddingBee, I noticed that I can get the same results but using a bowl or cup as the base and a platter as the top. So here are the instructions... pics coming soon!

Supplies:

• 1 platter of your choice (I used a large plate from Ikea)
• 1 bowl or cup of your choice (I used a small soup bowl from Ikea)
• 1 small tube of E6000 glue

Step 1: Determine whether the platter would look right with the bowl or cup standing right-side up or upside down. Put the two pieces together and see what looks best for you.

Step 2: Glue the platter to the bowl / cup. Let the glue dry according to the directions.

Excuse the background schtuff =)

The finished pieces.

Note: the cake stand can only be hand washed to protect the glue.

The Ribbon Topiary: How To

Since we both love children and there are many of them in the family, we have decided to have 2 activity tables set up for the children to help keep them busy. Because candles and children do not mix, I wanted a kid-friendly centerpiece that can serve the purpose of "cutesy-ing" up the tables. So, in comes the Ribbon Topiary. This was a tedious project but the end result is fab! Thanks to Bee, Bari516 for the inspiration and instructions!

Supplies (for 2 Topiaries):

• 1 dowel cut in half (I used 2 and cut to my specifications)


• 2 Terra cotta clay pots


• 2 Styrofoam floral Balls


• 2 Styrofoam floral cubes


• 1 Tube of paint made for clay pots


• 1 Sponge paint brush
  
• 2 Spools of each ribbon cut into 4 inch pieces (I used about 6 different ribbons and needed approx. 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 of each spool)


• Pins


• Glue (hot glue gun or crafter's glue)
  
• Moss, Rocks or any other decor to add to the flower pot to cover the floral cube
  
• Music to keep you entertained =)

Step 1: Using the sponge paint brush, paint the Terra cotta pots. Let the paint dry completely.

Step 2: While the paint dries, cut the spools of ribbon into 4 inch pieces. You might want to put the music on now =)

Step 3: Take a piece of the ribbon and create a partial loop where the two ends meet, allowing the ends to skew outwards... Think octopus or a hill shape. Pin the ends of the ribbon to the Styrofoam ball.

Step 4: Continue to pin the ribbon pieces until the ball is fully covered.

Step 5: When the ball is covered, stick one of the dowel halves in the ball until the dowel is the correct length. Be sure to not go too far or the dowel will come out the top of the ball. Remove the dowel and add glue inside the hole. Put the dowel back in the hole. Give it a few minutes to dry.

Step 6: Glue the floral cube to the inside of the clay pot. You may have to cut the cube to make it fit inside the pot.

Step 7: Create a hole in the center of the floral cube by sticking the other end of the dowel in the cube. Remove dowel and add glue in the newly created hole. Re-stick the dowel in the hole of the cube. I used hot glue here so it took a minute or two to dry.

Step 8: Add the moss, rocks or other decor in the clay pot to cover the floral cube entirely. I have yet to do this part so please excuse the unfinished topiary.

Voila! You now have made a ribbon topiary!

**Finished Product Pics coming soon!

The Monogram

I have been waiting for the day for Mr. Roddy to develop our monogram for the wedding. Since he has been extra busy lately, we'll just excuse his 5 month tardiness on this project =). So here it is... the long awaited Roddy monogram.

Whatcha think? I love it... It has that modern, artsy edge that has a little bit of each other in it. As mentioned above, this will be our offical monogram that will be used on all of our DIY printed items except for maybe the aisle runner as I believe I will not be able to capture the beauty of this piece when I paint it.

The Ultimate Checklist

Below is my ultimate wedding checklist... This will help me to keep sane during all of this and maybe it can help you too!

Things to Do:

• Book the Venue
• Book the Florist
• Book the DJ
• Hire a Baker
• Book a Photographer
• Design the Cake and send to baker
• Book the hair stylist and makeup artist
• Schedule Hair and Makeup trial
• Purchase the Dress
• Purchase the Flower Girl Dress
• Purchase the wedding shoes and reception shoes
• Purchase Hair Fascinator
• Purchase Garter Set
• Organize guest list & send to Mom for Bridal Shower
• Develop guest list for Bachelorette Party
• The Save the Dates - Purchase - Write up - Send
• The Invites - Purchase - Write up - Send
• The RSVPs - Purchase - Write up
• The Thank You cards - Purchase - Write up - Send
• Purchase the Place Cards
• Purchase Stamps - STDs - Invites - RSVPs
• Order Tuxes
• Purchase Wedding Rings
• Purchase Parent's Gifts - MOB - FOB - FMIL - FFIL - FMIL (Hubby)
• Purchase Attendant's Gifts - MOH - BM- RB - FG - U
• Purchase Officiant's Gift
• DIY - Helper's Gifts
• DIY - Monogram
• DIY - Photocards
• DIY - the Menus
• DIY - Drink Menu
• DIY - Dessert Menu
• DIY - Card Box
• DIY - "R"
• DIY - Guestbook Pen
• DIY - Centerpieces
• DIY - Centerpiece Underlay
• DIY - Kid Centerpieces
• DIY - Dessert Stands
• Purchase Dessert Stands and Trays
• Purchase Serving Spoons, Tongs, Scoops
• Purchase Aisle Runner
• DIY - Aisle Runner
• Purchase Arch
• DIY - Arch
• Develop Music List - Give to DJ
• Develop Photo List - Send to Photographer
• Purchase Kid's Activities
• Purchase Kid's Activities Table Tablecloth
• Purchase Candy Bags
• DIY - Candy Bags
• Purchase Candy Station Décor
• Purchase Candy Station Glassware
• Purchase Candy
• Order Sheet cake
• Develop Ceremony Agenda
• Send Ceremony Agenda to Officiant (mi Abuela)
• The OOT Bags - Purchase - Organize - Deliver
• Schedule Hair and Makeup Trial
• Write up the place cards
• Develop Seating Chart
• Get Marriage License
• Pick out hair style and makeup ideas
• Set up final appointments with vendors - Baker - DJ - Florist - Photographer
• Send in the final count and menu options to the venue
• Send vendors the dough - Hall - Baker - DJ (1st, 2nd) - Florist - Photographer (1st, 2nd)
• Pick Up Flowers

The Shoes - Part II

OK, so I know I haven't created the post "The Shoes - Part I" yet, BUT that's because I haven't purchased "THE" wedding shoe yet. I have absolutely no idea on what to get yet. Will they be black or will they be red?!?! HMMMM... I'll let you know when that all goes down.

Anyway, so I did it! I went ahead and purchased the WonderWoman flip-flops from Havaianas! I think they are soooo cute and they kind of go with the surprise that I have for my future hubby-to-be. I just can't wait to receive them! It will be one more thing I get to check off my Wedding to-do list...

Source

Chuckas Update:

OK, so if you can recall... In an earlier post I had mentioned that I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do about my wedding shoes and that I was leaning towards the Chucks.

Well, I think I have chosen to not go with the Chucks for a few reasons:

1. My FI absolutely loves me in heels.

2. The beginning of September can be incredibly hot and the thought of wearing socks and sneakers just makes me hot thinking about it.

3. I found some cute Wonderwoman flip flops from Havaianas that be the replacement.

4. It isn't as easy to Salsa dance in sneaks...


On another note, I have nearly completed my Ribbon topiary centerpieces for the kid's activity tables that I had gotten the idea from a Bee blogger. I will post a few pictures later on. Also, I will post some how to's for my DIY cake stands and my collaged 'R' for the cake table...

Come back soon... Love to all!!

RB

Sneak Peek: The Bouquet...

So flowers are gorgeous and smell great but unfortunately for them I am a plant killer =(. Because of this I didn't want them to play a huge role in the decor of our wedding. I just wanted the basics. So as I was searching for florists I came upon an email from a silk florist company called... Forever Silks.


I checked out the website and was anxious to see their work. It was a Thursday and I made an appt. for that Saturday. First off, Ginny (the owner) was so friendly and more than willing to meet with me 4PM on a Saturday!! That was a huge bonus for me since I live out of town and was only in the area that day. My Mom and I met with Ginny. We talked about the wedding and showed her pictures of my dress and other things I have purchased for the wedding. The only instructions I gave Ginny were that I wanted the bouquet to have the colors of my wedding (Black & White with shades of Red accent colors). I told her I wanted her to use her imagination to come up with the something "funky" and unique. To bring in multiple textures to enhance the bouquet.


So... This is what she came up with and we LOVE it!!

View #1

View #2