Invitations? Check!

I have been pretty busy lately.

Someone whipped me into a panic a few weeks ago by announcing that I needed to have my invitations completed in a mere 15 days. Not only did I have to actually put together 60 invitations, but I also had to come up with an idea since Michaels went ahead and stopped making the paper that I based my first design on.

Thanks Michael's.

No seriously, thank you, because the design I came up with is much, much better. Prepare yourselves to see the cutest invites ever.

Are you prepared?

Keep in mind that my Mom took this pictures with her point and shoot in her basement. There is no stylized setting here.

So basically, you've got kraft paper on a navy cardstock, embossed with an adorable little "blowing in the wind" flower stamp. On the back, are the RSVP directions, loosely held in place so that the reader can take the directions to their desk and follow along. RSVPing through our website will be great for 90% of our guests. But it's going to be quite the struggle for the other 10%.

My Dad wanted to know what people would do if they didn't have a computer or the internet. I laughed... but apparently 2 of his friends who are invited definitely don't have that kind of access. "Oh well" I said, "they can just tell you what they want and hope that you can remember 3 simple orders."

Anyway, the white strip on the side is actually a beautiful shimmery eyelet paper that serves to class up the kraft paper and keep everything banded together. Around the white is some red twine with a red and white tag that has a printed state of Maine outline, with a heart punched into the area where we are getting married.

Are they adorable? God yes. Hopefully the older generations will understand that modern times allow for a more unique invitation. They're not all white and letterpress anymore.... though, if I had the money for letterpress, I'd be all over it! It did take a little bit of convincing to get my Mom to endorse this design... with the kraft paper. But to quote my cousin Nick, "it's all good baby".

I was originally inspired by these invites. What do you think?

Yah... I like mine better too.

Nightmare...

Yesterday, Betsy texted me that there were only 12 short weeks until my wedding.

I called my Mom who talked to me about a friend that got married on Saturday and how she felt bad that it had rained.

Last night I watched Finding Nemo while I folded laundry. Then I watched bits and sections of A Bug's Life. Finally, I read my book about the building of the Panama Canal as I drifted off to sleep.

Next thing I know:

I'm in a canoe with Diana, Andy, JD and Dan, headed down from my Grandparents house to the Saco, 2 days before my wedding. I'm right about to hit Mosquito Heaven and everywhere around me is thick mud. I'm seeing gigantic whale tales just littering the landscape. To my right, a huge pile of ship anchors. Then, we as we move forward, our canoe (which has been drifting in mud up to this point) suddenly and slowly tips over, and we all do a faceplant into the deepest thickest mud you can imagine.

Queue the snakes.

Just as I'm thinking to myself, "oh my God, how could we possible have gotten this much rain?" - so much that the ocean washed up to Fryeburg (hence the anchors and whale tales) - I realize that I will actually die if I don't get out of this muddy rut. The thing is, everywhere that I am trying to get out is literally covered with snakes - Indiana Jones style.

My brain is racing at this point, it's such a beautiful place, how could this have happened? I spent so much time trying to convince the Sadlon/Stephens contingent of just how majestic Fryeburg really is, and all we can see is snakes, mud, anchors and whale tales. 

As I am finally able to get my footing (a spot the snakes must have forgot to cover) I hoist myself back onto the path, and I wake up.

Now, maybe it's just me - but this seems like a very serious worst-case-scenario. Even so, I think it's time to resort to sun dances, prayer, offerings to the Sun Gods and beefing up my Plan B.

Got any tricks/tips for ensuring sunny skies?

Still Stuck for Favors

This whole favor thing is spiraling out of control. First the whoopie pies didn't taste that good. Then the chocolate covered blueberries were too much work. And finally, a horrible combination of the two: chocolate blueberry marble cookies that taste TERRIBLE and were way, way too much work.

Here's the recipe, you can try it yourself if you don't believe me. Better yet, just give me a call and I will give you the other half of the dough that I didn't use because it simply wasn't worth it.

Sure, they look great.

 

But there is more to cookies and wedding favors that sheer looks. Let me explain to you the pain of this process. First you have to boil the berries. Then you have to make 2 separate doughs, which requires the washing of dishes. Yuck. Then you have to chill the doughs because they are too sticky to work with fresh out of the mixer. Then you make each singular cookie with equal parts of each dough, rolling and marbleizing as you go.  Well, I just think that's insanity.

 

So I mixed the 2 doughs together and went about it that way. Turns out, it's still a lot of work and a very sticky mess. Then, after all that, you bake them and have a bite.... and think to yourself: "This needs more chocolate."

 

But even when you add the chocolate chips, there still isn't enough chocolate and the cookies still taste gross. So you continue thinking to yourself, "maybe they really are good, but I can't tell because I don't like fruit that much." But then, your family comes over the next day and tells you, no... they aren't very good. 

And then you slice your finger off while using your mandoline to cut potatoes. So you take some time off from cooking and crafting, and pretty much doing anything that requires any work at all. Next thing you know, it's been a few weeks since your last post and it's a good thing you didn't post about those stupid cookies when you made them 2 weeks ago, because then you'd have nothing to write about. 

And then you go home and throw the rest of the cookies away - because no one ate them - and you wonder, what are you gonna do about favors?

So then, what am I gonna do?