One single photo

I perused many, many blogs daily to find inspiration for outdoor and DIY (do it yourself) weddings. Because of the fairly short engagement (January to September) I was simultaneously searching for bridal shower decorations and theme execution.

One of my favorite blogs during this time of research was Hostess with the Mostess. This single photo inspired the ideas of “displays” for the ceremony site, and I will mention it again in the other display posts.

photo from Hostess with the Mostess blog found here

Because good ideas can be used more than once OR Back to the wedding

I know there appears to be a theme for the homemade gifts, but it was not intentional. I am not planning to create door wreaths for all of the gifts. Homemade Gift: 2 was crafted to provide a gift for a new homeowner, and the grapevine wreath was appropriate for the giraffe theme.

The first wreath was fitting for its recipient because I used the grapevine and cloth combination in the "Love" display, so it was a nod to the wedding.

photograph by Jason Harms of Harms Studio

I suppose I still I have quite a few wedding subjects to touch on, including the larger displays at the ceremony site. Each display was meaningful to the bride and groom for certain reasons.

Homemade Gift: 2

This is for a college friend. I'll call her "Amanda 2" because we had five Amandas between two floors in our college dorm our Freshman year. Amanda 2 recently moved to Lincoln, so I see her occasionally. She also purchased her first home, and every homeowner needs decoration for her front door. Amanda 2 has a little bit of an obsession with giraffes, so it was pretty easy to brainstorm ideas for her homemade gift.



Thank you Hobby Lobby! I purchased the wreath, yellow paint (already had white on hand) and wood letter in a quick trip. I forgot how fast acrylics dry, making the painting process even quicker than I anticipated. I did have fun blending the yellow and white and creating a gradient, much like real-life giraffes.

Homemade Gift: 1

I typically avoid "reposts" and "share this status" ploys on Facebook. But I saw this on the page of a Midland alum who does crocheting, and I thought it would be fun to break away from my normal jobs. Plus I have a whole year! Haha, yes, I know this could possibly end up biting me (I still have to attempt Andrew's 2012 blog dare), but I have two gifts completed and delivered, so I am on track!


I made this door wreath for a Fremont friend; through the magic of Facebook, we have stayed in touch over the last few years. Facebook has this amazing ability to make us think that we see each other more often than we really do. I have watched her grand kids grow through pictures, and she has provided encouragement through comments. I saw her occasionally about a year ago, and she offered support as I traveled back and forth to Fremont while Grandma was in the hospital and nursing home.

I had not seen my friend since September for Amanda's wedding. She and her husband were one of the host couples- so I thought it would be fitting to use some fabric scraps to create something to remind them of their friendship with Amanda and involvement in that day.

Because I am a girly girl

I might have a bad day, I might have a good day- but having manicured nails always makes me feel better. I might rush out the door some mornings without any jewelry, but as least my polished nails can be an accessory. As a banker, my hands are noticed every day as I type, point and write.

As far as "manicured" goes, I don't necessarily mean going to the salon and paying somebody else (though that would be terrific!). I enjoy taking a little bit of time to trim, file and paint my own nails. Having classic red or modern gray nails makes me feel more feminine and put-together. Oh and of course I love a good hot pink to match my golfing ensemble!

I normally stay with reds and pinks- but following these posts at HelloGiggles.com as has inspired me to have more fun. This is about as creative as I've gotten recently, but maybe summertime will bring some more polish playtime...


Amanda told me my painted nails remind her of how all females from Mad Men always have finished nails. Since I can't successfully pull off the bright red lipstick or chain-smoking, I suppose nail polish will do.

Practicing for kids' school projects

Click on photo to see more detail and list of supplies

Project: 10 commandments tablets for church props.
Time: these last few weeks have been pretty busy with freelance work, so of course I left everything for Saturday afternoon and had to take them on Sunday.

Initially I was going to see what we had for Halloween tombstone props and try to manipulate them. But the items we had were terribly small, so I needed to start from scratch. Ben found this video as inspiration. I watched over parts of the instructions and made a quick trip to Lowe's.

The guy at Lowe's cut the 4'x8' (smallest size) insulation for me so it would fit in the car. While he worked on that, we looked at spray paint and found this awesome textured paint.

Click on photo to see more detail

The insulation was very easy to cut with a utility knife. I told the guy at Lowe's not to go to too much trouble measuring. I eye-balled one of the pieces to cut it in half and then created the imperfect curves quickly. More time-consuming was removing the layer of paper to reveal the insulation texture.

Click on photo to see more detail and read tip

There was just enough paint to cover the two tablets. Next: the writing. I found images of the props from the movie "The Ten Commandments." I am slowly learning how to take shortcuts and not sweat over every detail. These tablets will not be viewed close-up, so while I took some time on the lettering, I did not let myself go crazy over every stroke. After the white paint, I added some black edges to create a little depth and readability.

After a few weeks and three projects that were graphic design-heavy, it was fun to get away from the computer and enjoy some arts and crafts time. These tablets will be up the next few weeks, as every week a new symbol/covenant is added.

Click on photo to see more detail