Trying Something Different...

Look for me here.

Thanks for reading!

-FT

Something you should be paying attention too…still.

Here we are a few months have passed since the Gulf Oil Spill, did you forget? I completely understand…life gets in the way and it’s always so soon we forget about major events.

I’d like to just take a quick moment to pass on the info on a great project my good friend Molly at Emerson Street Creative is doing. She’s currently selling prints of her original paintings of Gulf wildlife with 100% of profits going to the relief effort. As of right now she has donated $1,116 to various relief organizations.

Please visit her Artfire Store and her website to find out how you can help and get some great art at the same time. She’s truly an inspiration and it’s an honor for me to call her a dear friend. Plus, she’s one freaking amazing artist with a huge heart.

-Tina

7 Kids, 1 Wedding

It’s been officially 10 days since I’ve become Mrs. Woodsman. Our wedding was great, we were only $10 over budget (that will be another entry) and now we’re finally back into full swing of life. I feel like I have so much to share but decided to begin where I got a ton of compliments…KIDS!

I understand that it’s a completely personal preference whether to include kids in a wedding and on a guest list. I come from a big, very close-knit family. My brother and I are the babies of a huge group of first cousins and closer in age to our second cousins. We’re all like siblings and to the younger ones more like aunts and uncles. If I could have included them all I would have.

From the beginning I could only be insanely excited that I was marrying into the Woodsman’s wonderful family AND he was already uncle to 5 of the best kids! Done deal, they were all going to be in our wedding. This meant 3 flower girls (nieces), 2 ring bearers (nephews) and 2 ushers (cousins) all under the age of 11. There were skeptics but we knew that this is our family and we honestly couldn’t think of our wedding without them.

Our flower girls looked so cute and were defiantly stars of the show. So many compliments on how cute they were and I must say my gut of not making them look like mini-brides was win! Anyways, one of them even caught my bouquet! A memory that will forever stick out is while in line waiting to head down the aisle my oldest niece (I just LOVE saying I have nieces and nephews…proud Aunt here!) turned to me and said it was the best day of her life. My heart melted and so did my fear of tripping! One of our nephews, the main ring bearer did a great job of keeping our actual rings safe and looked so handsome in his tux. My cousins who were our ushers owned seating people, from what I hear they seated like it was their job!

Each one of them rose to the occasion and we never had a doubt in our minds that they wouldn’t. They kept the order before the ceremony, got the dancing starting and kept the party going until after midnight. They helped keep us grounded…completely oblivious to the enormous stress of a wedding day. They were there to have the time of their lives and have fun…something we should take a step back and think about.

So thank you…

Kyle, Ethan, Trent, Maya, Olivia, Emma and Jackson!

We love you.

Check out some awesome photos from our wedding taken by friend C. Wade Photography !

Anatomy of a Wedding Invitation

When planning a wedding, everyone has his or her own idea of what is the most important. Some brides dream of their dress and sparkly tiara while grooms just want to be reassured that there will be plenty of food and beer (gross generalization, I know). We of course, like everything else have been much different. Throughout our planning our list of importance has pretty much been:

#1 Invitations

Yep, invitations have been the one thing that we have put the most time and planning into…everything else has just fallen into place.

Through out my career I have done numerous wedding invitations. I always worked really hard with my clients to make sure they got exactly what they wanted. Of course, I could always steer them in a direction that was a little different than they thought they wanted but ended up working out better than they had hoped. I’ve always designed them outside of the box and made them to be memorable but when it came to my own, I was straight-up brain dead.

The Woodsman and I (being graphic designers) felt completely self-inflicted pressure to make really kick-ass stationary. We had too many ideas and no starting point, what to do? Ask Emerson Street Stamps to created a completely custom stamp that would be used on everything! Not many details were given but she sketched on the fly and came up with something so perfect you’d know it was us just by looking at it! (It also doesn’t hurt that she’s a very good friend and bridesmaid). Next, we took a trip to the Paper Source. One of my most favorite stores EVER and picked exactly what we wanted (poppy and chartreuse accent paper and fino luxe cream for the main parts). The Paper Source is so inspiring those of us who love paper and crafting. It was there that we found another perfect element for our stationary…a desk embosser with a bird motif. It was love at first sight! We printed and cut everything ourselves. Simple laser output and 2 rotary cutters did the trick. Lastly, we gathered a few bridesmaids, 2 heat guns, lots of custom mixed Zing embossing powder and went to work.

We spent months trying to express ourselves and our quirky, handmade, semi-formal, DIY summer wedding on paper…I can finally say that we’re done and we couldn’t be happier. The best advice that I can give anyone would be to stay true to your ideas and your wedding. Calligraphy, white raised card stock and lined envelopes don’t have to be the only option. More and more people are making their own invitations and that is an amazing thing. Explore your option and keep in mind they don’t have to break the bank (ours total didn’t at all).

Thank you to all that gave input, proofread, carved stamps and battled a hot apartment to glue, emboss and assemble our invitations. We greatly appreciate the help and love :) Once everyone has gotten their invitations in the mail, maybe I’ll post some pictures of the complete finished set! Until then happy crafting and it’s now under 2 months till the big day…still no stress.

You're a What?!

Two actual weeks in and I'm still alive! Hooray! Seriously, it's been two weeks into my new job and what a difference it has made! I get home earlier, my boss is great (and very appreciative), got a new MacBook Pro, got my own office (eventually) and most importantly I have my sanity back. It no longer takes me hours to decompress after work and I actually enjoy my longer drive to work. There is really no point to this entry except that I love my job, even though it's not really anything I thought I'd ever be doing.

For as long as I can remember I always thought I'd be the person behind the computer/lens/canvas. I've been an artist my whole life and now I'm...MANAGING! EEK! I used to shutter to think about being a manger of projects and having to be the one on the front lines making sure everything gets done I am surprisingly loving it. I knew I wanted to make a change and I think this is exactly what I was looking for.

It's honestly nothing I've never done before. I've always worked for small agencies where we all had to do everything and always talk to clients. I must say that my design background has been helping and of course I'm picking up on things that most people wouldn't notice in designs and advertisements. So with my new found like of a career, hopefully that'll de-clog my brain enough to start getting back to my feather stuff and Etsy and Artfire stores. They've paid the price of 24/7 job stress! I can truthfully say I've never been so happy to be on the other side of the computer! Till next time! FT

P.S.
We have our engagement pics this weekend. We're working with some really AWESOME photographers...I couldn't be more excited. I'll for sure keep you posted on the experience!

Flowers & Feathers!

Here I am last day of my unplanned vacation….and unemployment. I’m both happy to go back to work but sad to go back to work. Over the past two weeks I’ve done a ton and slept a little. Finally this morning I was finally able to sleep past 7:30am, figures right?

It’s less than 4 months until I get married, and I’m really happy I had this time to make all the stuff I needed to make. Aside from a bunch of jewelry, I finally got around to making my hairpiece and my wedding party’s hairpieces. I’m actually really happy with the way they both turned out.

Orange dahlia and feather clips for the bridesmaids (I love color!)

Vintage silk camellia with feather and pearl clip for myself, I used one of my grandma's deco style earrings for the center. I'm still practicing the birdcage veil but it should be done soon!

Gift Makin' Time!

I like to make stuff…I like to make stuff for other people even more.

When it came time for me to figure out the gifts for my side of the bridal party I knew I was never going to find what I wanted to give them. So, just like everything else I do, I came up with an idea and I’d just figure it out along the way. Now 3 bracelets and 8 necklaces later, I’m sharing the results.

Of course I make jewelry for my hobby, but I’ve never not used feathers or assembled findings. I wanted something unique to each person, asymmetrical and birds. After a little research and finding an AWESOME Etsy seller (Below 14th Designs) and having a mini panic attack at Michaels I got everything done, just the way I wanted.

For Bridesmaids:

18” asymmetrical necklace, sparrow connector from eebeads.com and The Solamente Pendant from Below 14^th Designs personalized with first initial and birthstone charm.

For Flower Girls:

Sparrow chain with toggle closure and The Solamente Pendant from Below 14^th Designs personalized with first initial and birthstone charm.

I'm so happy with the way they turned out that I've made a set for myself. Who knows, maybe something like this is something that I'll be able to pursue as a jewelry maker when I get some more free time...only 3 months to go!

Things I will NOT miss about my last job:

-Pee on the floor and all over the toilet seat. Yes, 4 adult men had crappy aim and couldn’t keep 1 bathroom clean for the one female.

-The boss farting either right next to me, near me or within earshot and then yelling “Come In!” or “Where’s the German Shepherd” (No, I am not being dramatic)

-The director sleeping at his desk all day, then yelling that he has too much work to do.

-The manager talking shit about the boss then turns into his best friend when he’s in the office or on the phone. (“What’s goin’ downnnnnnnnn dude?”)

-The boss wearing undershirts, Adidas tear-away pants and Crocs to work everyday.

-The boss always having his hands down his above stated pants, even in front of clients

-The boss picking his nose all the time

-Me having to be there early to answer the phone for the director because his creative “genius” couldn’t be interrupted (ie: so he could sleep more)

-The endless amount of Neiman Marcus, J Crew, hockey stuff and “As Seen on TV” packages that I had to sign for knowing that my pay, bonus and overtime had been cut

There is much MUCH more that I could add but some stuff isn’t worth it…what is worth adding is that I met my future husband there.

I guess sometimes even in the worst situations the best things can be found. For those of you have listened to me vent over the past year about all this, thank you and I finally took your advice to blog about it.

Hello Monday!

It’s been awhile. I know, I know, my excuse is that I’m super busy but over the last 2 weeks things in my life have changed and for the much better (and less busy). Here’s a short recap of the major events:

Last week I FINALLY got to take a few days off of work. I spent one day with one of my Maid(s) of Honor Danielle, picking out her dress, and having in general, carefree wonderful day. It was nice to relive the days when I didn’t have to work so much and we’d just hang out all day. It was shopping, nails and catching up, I couldn’t ask for more! I then made a quick trip down to Austin, TX. Down there I surprised my other Maid of Honor, my cousin Heidi. It was great, I hadn’t seen her for 3 years and we needed some time together. While down there I got to catch up with other family, meet some new family members and bask my stressed out body in the sun and warmth.

Although I had to come back to reality and much colder weather, I was ready and felt all warm and tingly when I saw the Woodsman in his pickup pulling up to the arrivals at O’Hare Airport. We’re getting married in less than 4 months and things are going amazingly well…oh yeah, and I had an interview the next morning. The third and last interview that I will (hopefully) ever have; AND I got the job!

I thought, piece of cake, just get through the last few weeks of hell on Earth, and you’re golden. I gave my 2 weeks on Wednesday only to get fired on Friday. WHAT?! FIRED?! Yep, my boss who most of you know is a complete fail at humanity. He once told me when he cut our staff down by 1/3 that “No one leaves here so be happy you still have your job…” that is completely B.S. I left but he was right, he needed the last word and fired me. What a big, badass guy…he really showed me :)

I now have a lot of time to relax and recoup the past years of hell that I’ve gone through working at that place and I couldn’t be happier. Seriously, I needed out and didn’t even owe the guy notice but my morals and good work ethic got the best of me. I’ll be around, catching up on wedding stuff (I have plans to make ALL the attendant gifts and pretty much everything else). I have a box full of feather stuff to get listed and lots of laundry to get through. I’ll keep you posted on what I get done and how things are going.

Times are finally a’changin and I’m willing and ready…

P.S.

I LOVE baseball…GO WHITE SOX!

Flippy Flops

Finally, I can post this! Why, you ask? I’ve officially asked all my bridesmaids…only took me 3 weeks! I knew from the beginning I wanted to do something nice to ask all my girls. Problem is, I’m NOT cheesy, I suck at writing anything sentimental and I’m not made of money…what’s a bride-to-be to do? I guess I could have been simple and just asked but I’m much too crafty for that.

What does everyone need, can be found in any color and aren’t hearts? Old Navy flip-flops!

2 for $5, available in any size and color. It was the perfect solution; they could be worn where ever, whenever (I would never dream of ever telling anyone what kind of shoes to wear) and made a useful gift. I bought 8 pairs of orange flip-flops and made little cards asking each gal to be my bridesmaid or MOH. I think they all really enjoyed them. It’s just a small idea I’d thought I’d share for all you non-cheese brides out there that don’t mind DIY projects.

I wrote a little poem (by writing I mean combined lines from multiple poems I found online) that seemed to be straight to the point but also nice and non-bridezilla.

Take these flip-flops to the beach,

or dance in them on “The Night”.

Either way,

Will you be my bridesmaid?

It’ll make our wedding day just right.

Not too horrible right?

P.S.

We also asked the 3 flower girls and 2 ring bearers with very cute cookies from Weddingish.com. Check out their site for some great personalized gifts.

Flamingo Headbands?!

Hello all! It’s back to some craftiness for this gal. This coming Saturday I’ll be in a craftshow with my FSIL. I honestly don’t have many details about it, except that it’s a PTO fundraiser, 12 hours scrapbook crop and craft show (I will not be staying 12 hours!). Here’s the school’s site if any of you are from the Richmond/McHenry, IL area and want to stop by Nippersink Middle School to say hi!

Ok to my actual point…this past Christmas I made my future niece and nephews (5 in total and I can’t even begin to say how excited I am to have nieces and nephews!) feather stuff and they LOVED it! In the words of Emma who is 6 “Did you make these from a flamingo?!” I made the girls (very girly pinks and purples) headbands and hair clips and the boy a simple feather charm on a leather cord. I never in a million years thought that they’d like them as much as they did….surprisingly they were so easy to make! Normally when I’m using natural feathers like pheasant I spend hours picking out “matching” feathers and feathers that are up to my quality standards. This was completely different. With all those fluffy neon-dyed feathers, I didn’t have to spend the time sifting through bags and bags to find nice ones. These might be just what I need to boost my sales a bit.

Over all I thought they turned out so cute and the girls have been wearing them pretty often and they’ve stood up to their wearing. With my FSILs encouragement I made a ton for this upcoming craft show. I’ve even had an order for a headband/hair clips. My hopes it that these sell at the PTO Craftshow and who knows, maybe they’ll sell well online. Right now I don’t have any pictures taken but I’ll be sure to post some from the show.

Wish me luck!

Oh Dear…

I’m going to be a Mrs in less than a year! (5 months be exact)

So where have I been the past few weeks? Besides drowning in work, job hunt and crafting for custom orders, I also go engaged. Still, over a week later, seems so foreign for me to stay. Not that it’s a bad thing, just very very different. I knew from the time I met the Woodsman I’d marry him, I just never thought about when. 14 months later, here we are, planning a late-July wedding, and I couldn’t be happier.

It’s going to be my mission not to over read, over think and over do being a bride. I’ve been to weddings where everything was dictated by Bridezilla. From our hair, to our tan lines…I, will not do that. I’m generally a pretty easy going gal and well the Woodsman is even more chill than I am. So far, it’s working. We had visions of casual grandeur about our wedding. It’s pretty ironic actually. We wanted a backyard wedding (courtesy of the Woodsman’s parent’s land), with a tent, paper lanterns and a pig roast. Oh, how reality hit and things change quickly. From the get-go we were asked a million questions about everything and didn’t have an answer for them at all. Neither of us are planners and that’s been our main obstacle. We agreed that no matter what, this wasn’t going to be a stress fest and we were going to stay flexible with everything. After all, it’s just one day…

Once the budget and approximate number was set there was no way we could afford our “casual” backyard bbq wedding, unless we cut the guest list down to 75 people. Both coming from large families, and being one of the youngest on each side there was no way that was possible. Our perfect solution came from my FFIL, his golf club wasn’t too far, could host an outdoor ceremony and give us a discount if we booked with them. Without typing all the details we ended up booking with them and now our wedding is a month sooner. It’ll be an outdoor ceremony and cocktails and a nice big, bright space on a golf course . We’re saving a ton and although it isn’t what we had originally envisioned, it’s no longer a planning nightmare and we’re both happy.

Flexibility, my friends (and fellow brides)…is key.

Although we’re only a few weeks into the planning process, we’re only 5 months away from the big day. If things go like they have been, I think we’ll be fine. I have lots of other crafty stuff, including my dress being handmade by mom my on board for this blog. Lots of exciting things to come, it’s all the good stuff I’ve been waiting for…

Cheers,

FT

(Isn't that pic at the top hilarious...that's totally something I'd say!)

Next Number Please...

For the exception of a few miserable years, I’ve always had long hair. The miserable years I am referring to is when I was about 6, I was forced to cut it. Long story short (hehe ironic), it was so long and curly and I’d fight every time it would need to get brushed (some things never change) so I was ordered to cut it…SHORT, by my Dad. Of course, having no say in the matter, it got cut…short. At first I didn’t mind it much, but then a neighborhood kid came up behind me and asked my brother “who’s that boy?”. Granted it was the really strange drooley, awkward staring, set his house on fire because he was a pyro kid, but nonetheless I was so freaked out that I said my hair must be what defines me and is who I am…Fast forward to years later (about 20) and here I am, still with long hair and about to write about stuff that has nothing to do with getting a haircut. Yep, nothing to do with hair or a haircut…I guess I just needed a good intro to whatever it is I’m trying to say so I here it goes.

Here we are into the 2^nd month of the New Year and I’m just as confused and tired as ever. I, like everyone else wishes that the next year will be “their” year. Whatever that means, right? So far, this year has been more days of applying for a new job and no response (job search is going into month 6), working for a person who has lots of bad karma coming to them and me still not knowing what I really want to do or where things are going. Well, I still have long hair but let’s just say that I feel a little lost.

Does the whole figuring out who you are just magically happen? Do you just fall into your place? The reason that I ask is because I’m still a first time adult and time’s flying by and it’s kinda freaking me out. Ok, yes possible quarter life crisis but I’m pretty sure I did that around 22. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happier than I’ve ever been and I have to credit my Woodsman, family and best friends for that but the rest of things are in chaos. Is that part of life…when one thing FINALLY happens (love and happiness) does everything get out of sorts? I am so thankful and fortunate for my personal life but the rest of stuff just seems like a big deli counter and I’m waiting for my number to be called so I can order my potato salad.

The Woodsman keeps telling me that I need to really figure out exactly what I want and it’ll happen. What I don’t understand is how I’m supposed to get there when I don’t know where to even start. I’m really not being picky; I just want something better (decent job, to have a family, not worry about money so much…the usual). I think with his thinking is that I’ll have to start small like. So I guess the whole point of this isn’t to say I’ve come to some big conclusion and I’ve figured out exactly what I should be doing or saying. It’s just to say this is where I am. Even though my hair hasn’t changed (and of course nothing physical should define you as a person), the rest of my being and me has. My hope is that it gets a little clearer…soon.