Busy day

Well, today was quite a busy day--I wish I had pictures to show for it, but as it is I don't.

The day started out early--at 7:30. That wouldn't be so early if I hadn't stayed up till 3:00 at a sleepover. Ah, the joys of single life. I'm enjoying "girl time" while I have it. :-) Rebekah Durling was kind enough to rise long before the rest of us to make breakfast--and let me say, that's some kind of friend. To bed at 3, and up at 6:30 to make homemade waffles.

From the Durlings I hurried over to a friends house. Her neighbor recently passed away, and had wanted to give Richard and I some furniture to start out with. Her children took what they wanted, the rest was fair game. Richard and I took most of it. We got:
A book case (usual stuff, not durable but it'll last a few moves)
A second bookcase (hand made by one of the sons 30 years ago in shopclass. Solid wood. Very large and durable.)
A cabinet (usual stuff--nice folding doors)
A second cabinet (solid unfinished wood. Large, durable.)
A Recliner (comfortable, lightly worn, neutral color)
An end table (enclosed, good condition though some wear, lots of storage space

Plus some assorted odds and ends from the garage sale--such as a grill kit (new) pampered chef items (new), a couple skirts, and assorted glass vases that will be used for wedding decorations.

Also, while we were doing this, my aunt Denice called and said she had a wedding present for me.
:D :D :D :D A PIANO!!!! :D :D :D :D :D

I was feeling pretty peppy after all of this, but the day wasn't over yet. No, I had to make a stop by Golden D'Or--my latest favorite fabric store--for the Bridesmaid fabric.

The trip this time brought back a lot of memories that the first trip hadn't brought. Many, many years ago Amanda and I decided to make presents for two fellas we knew. They were outdoorsy types, who enjoyed history (of the sword fighting variety), and were in desperate need of good sturdy hooded cloaks. Daniel knew of a good place in Downtown Dallas that had a lot of inexpensive fabric outlets. We're talking hole in the wall places, here. As in, the entrances of some places were designed for 18 wheelers to back up into--not really a proper door. It reminded me of a bazaar, sort of. In a very American, run-down sort of way. We made our way through piles and piles of the assorted fabrics, searching for the perfect durable fabric for a couple of good looking cloaks. Finally we found it. A gray and a green, perfectly suiting the two young men.

Amanda and I were thrilled--as were the young men. We promptly set to work and soon after had two worthy gifts. We even waterproofed them, and I happen to know that at least one of the young men continued to use his cloak for many years. The fabric (and trip to the Dallas Fabric Quarter) scraps were subsequently immortalized in a friendship quilt I made for Amanda. We were, however, strictly ordered to not RETURN to the Dallas Fabric Quarter without someone who was 6 feet tall, much larger than us, and well versed in the defense of young ladies.

But today I disobeyed that command--though I can plead ignorance. I didn't realize it was the same place until I drove around the block. It is a pretty run down area, though--at one point I was looking for a parking lot and the safest place to park was across the street at a Club. I couldn't bring myself to that so I parked in a less open spot. The easiest way to find Golden D'Or is to look for Lipstick "Gentleman's" Club--the fabric shop is right next door. Daniel sure did warn me well. :)

But I got my fabric. And it is beautiful. And I have just over 45 yards of it. Hurray!!!

Happenings

Life has been busy, but very good.

Wedding planning is interesting. In March I had the wedding perfectly planned. I'd started addressing envelopes. The rough draft of the invitation had been made. The songs had been picked out. The bridesmaid dresses had been designed. The dye had been purchased and experiments were well under way. The pianist had been asked, the music delivered. And there was much more.

And yet now I find almost all of that has changed. The location of the wedding is different. The entire feel of the wedding has gone from VERY casual cowboy-esque party, to fairly formal. The number and identities of the bridesmaids have changed. The timing is different. The songs (I suspect) will change. And the fabric is changing as well.

The change of the fabric sounds like a minor change, but it isn't. The whole wedding has essentially been planned around a single type of fabric, linen, that would require individual dyeing of 6 different colors for the bridesmaid dresses in order to look right. I've been practicing my dyeing techniques for several months now. I selected the fabric because in Revelations chapter 19 the wedding dress of the bride of Christ is described as being pure white fine linen, which is the rightous works of the saints. A handmade white linen dress. I thought it would be neat to have that as a picture. I still do. Which is why I originally planned the wedding around that simple linen dress. But with less than 4 months to go to the wedding, the dress not even started, and the daunting thought of having to dye 35ish yards of fabric 6 different (but complementary) colors, in addition to making three of them myself... well... I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

This is similar to what I was going for--so similar that we've used it as a guide.

Hence the trip with Amanda today to Golden D'or Fabric Outlet. Oh, my goodness. What an AMAZING store. I love it. I decided before I went that the change in fabric would be based on three main things--first, I had to be able to find all six colors in the same type of fabric (no dyeing). Second, my linen has to sell on Ebay (I've got about $280 in linen fabric sitting in the corner of my room--I need to recoup at least $200 of that if I'm going to pay for this change). Third, I have to find someone to sew the wedding dress (as it won't be linen there is no real need for me to make it myself--especially as I have three BM dresses to make already).

The third thing shouldn't be too hard--I know a lot of seamstresses. The first two, on the other hand... well, they were going to be challenges. I looked at Joann's, and found 5 of the 6 colors. There was nothing similar to the coral, though. I thought that finished it--and the I found Golden D'Or.

And today I found ALL SIX colors!!! They are in a fabric I NEVER would have considered--not because I don't like it (I love chiffon!) but because it is difficult to sew on and expensive. But not at Golden D'Or. The most expensive of the 5 polyester chiffons (one is a silk chiffon, that elusive coral, and therefore more expensive) is $5 a yard.

FIVE DOLLARS!!!

At Joann's that stuff starts at $8.00 a yard and goes up from there. Of my fabrics the chiffon starts at $3.50. And goes up to $5. Tack on the lining (which is absolutely necessary with the sheer chiffon) and that bumps the price range up to $6.00-$7.50 a yard.


I can handle that.

So now I just have to find a seamstress and get that linen sold. :-)

Preparation

The last few weeks have been a flurry of activity. Thankfully I was prepared for the business, so it didn't entirely bowl me over. Yet, I haven't gotten much in the way of sleep the last few weeks. Ah, well. It does make the waiting somewhat easier. Emphasis on the Somewhat. :P

The first thing I did was track down a wedding checklist. I was so turned around the first few days I knew I'd need a bit more help. The Wedding Wire has a good sample, and is fully customizable. According to the checklist, here are some of the things I've gotten done the past few weeks:

Decide on the budget
Choose flowers from FreshRoses.com
Choose a color scheme for your big day. Collect ideas and determine an overall theme/style you want for the event.
Determine a timeframe for your wedding date. Narrow down your wedding date to a few weekends that don't conflict with other family events.
Choose your bridesmaids and groomsmen. Invite them to be in your wedding party.
Book your photographer.
Book your ceremony musician.

I still have a list of things to do--purchase the remainder of the bridesmaid dress fabric, and the dye. I need to find the official wedding location--which will determine the official wedding date. We need to make an official guest list--which can't be determined until the location is determined (regardless of the size of the venue we'll be able to fill it). So yes, it's a busy time. But that's a nice thing. :)


In a look back on the previous months, here's a couple projects I've been working on:

Designing a dress pattern.And no, that isn't my dress. But it IS pretty, no?

 

Starting a mockup (yep! Tammy and the bachelor is playing in the background! Nothing like a sappy movie to get the romantic juices flowing ;) )

An Unusual Holiday, part 2

[Edited to add pictures]

"Don't worry, we're going to get some time alone together today. Even if we have to duck behind some bushes somewhere and just disappear." Sitting on the bench at the front entrance of the botanic gardens, I remembered Richard's hopeful prediction and accompanying grin. I knew he couldn't possibly want that more than I did, but as I surveyed the group of people I was pretty doubtful about logistics. My birthday party had ended not long ago, and both Richard's family and my family had caravaned to the botanical gardens for a picture shoot. Our families aren't small, and all told we had nearly two dozen people. The likelihood of having any private moments together was pretty slim. I made up my mind not to be upset if it didn't work out.

My family

Much to my surprise, after about an hour of mad picture snapping Richard told me we were going to go on a walk. Again, I was skeptical. His family isn't fond of courting couples being alone. In fact, to my knowledge they had only allowed it twice--both during his sister's courtship. The first time was when his now brother-in-law proposed. The second was just before the wedding. But, Richard was quite determined, and though puzzled, I wasn't inclined to argue.

Richard lead me to a smaller separate garden then steered me down a shaded path off to the side. I'd gotten a bit ahead of him when he called my name. Turning around I saw him leaning down to pick up a piece of paper off to the side of the path. I hadn't noticed it when we passed. Holding it up Richard announced, "This is your birthday present. I wrote you a long letter, and the five parts are hidden around the garden. Here's the first part."

Delighted, I grabbed the first part, unfolded it, and immediately began to read.

"Oh, no!" Richard objected, laughing at my enthusiasm, "You can't read them until you have all of them--then I want to sit down somewhere so I can watch you."

"Awww--well, then you'd better hurry up!" I said, darting off in the direction he'd indicated the next part of the letter was.

Suddenly the mysterious walk made sense. I'd known things were pretty tight; Richard's car, bought a mere 6 weeks ago, had broken down three times in the past 7 days--and that wasn't even counting repairs in the other 5 weeks. The diamond necklace had startled me until he explained it had been purchased before the car troubles.  My man loves giving gifts, so instead of purchasing something else he'd chosen to do something much more valuable to me--give the gift of his time in writing a wonderfully long letter and then presenting it in such a creative way. I was glad his family had been understanding about the idea.

I don't know how long I was looking for the remaining letter parts. I do know that the uncomfortably tall (but adorable) dress shoes were quickly abandoned in my quest, and the next while was filled with love, laughter, and intense searching. I do believe Richard had as much fun in watching me search as I had in the triumph of discovery . The first part I've already mentioned.

The second was hidden by some monkey statues (hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil).

The third was on a ledge above a door  in a little Japanese house on the water.

The fourth was tucked in the railing around a large pagoda in the middle of the garden.

On the fifth one Richard pointed me toward a shady trail through some tall bamboo. When we got there he confessed that he'd have to hide the last part of the letter--he'd only finished it that morning. I spun around and closed my eyes like he said (well, they were mostly closed. I didn't think he'd mind me looking at the bamboo).

After what seemed like a VERY LONG TIME (but probably wasn't long at all) he told me he was done. I turned, eager to find the final part, but instead I found Richard, kneeling across from me and holding a ring.

 Richard tells me the look of shock on my face was priceless. I don't know. I couldn't see it. I do know that about a million thoughts rushed through my mind at an astonishingly slow rate (anyone who's been startled should know what I mean by that). They started with, "What does he think he's doing? Doesn't he know he can't do that yet? What about all the things that had to happen first? and where'd he get that ring anyway?" and continued on to, "Well, should I make him get up? Wait... he just asked me to marry him... I think he's serious!!"

All things considered, I wouldn't have minded seeing the look on my face. I think it would have been pretty comical. In the end I weathered the shock and, of course, said yes.

 

An unusual holiday indeed, Part 1

 My Easter Dress

 It was Resurrection Sunday and church had just finished. Much to my delight I'd managed to stay awake the entire service--despite having my bestest girl friend over the evening before. We'd stayed up till an unmentionable hour curling hair, doing nails, and in general "prettifying" whilst talking about our respective men. In all our prettifying we must have forgotten about that one ingrediant known as "beauty rest," because we certainly didn't get much. Despite difficulty in getting up, I'd not only stayed awake the entire morning but also paid pretty good attention. Now church had let out and my Man suggested we take a walk around the church.

The day was not only special because its beauty and the fact that we were celebrating our Saviors resurrection, but also because it was my birthday. It doesn't happen often that the two dates coincide, and I'd been pretty excited about it happening this year. On top of that, my man had informed me earlier in the week that he was making a very special birthday present for me. Several nights we'd parted earlier than our habit so he could continue work on said present. When he invited me on the walk I eagerly accepted, and not just because I love walking with him (though I do, immensely). I also absolutely adore presents--particularly ones that are well thought out and take several days to make--and I knew that was what this walk was for.

My expectation did not go unfulfilled. Part way around the church we stopped, and my man pulled a little pouch out of his pocket. "Happy birthday, Baby."

Inside the pouch I discovered a beautiful diamond heart pendant. I admired it a few minutes, and then quickly removed the necklace I was wearing and clasped the new one around my neck.

"I know it isn't the diamond you were hoping for..." Richard's voice was apologetic, "but I hope it'll do until I can give you the other one." I assured him that I was perfectly satisfied with the gift, and added, tongue in cheek, that he'd never hear a word of complaint from me about any gift of diamonds he choose to give me.

Content though I was, there was one thing I wasn't satisfied with. "Wait--but you didn't make this." I asked as we continued our lap around the church, "So there are two gifts? What about the one you made? Do I get that one now?"

"Nope!"

"Hey! But I thought you said I get that one now! You are giving it to me TODAY, right? It's my birthday, you know. You have to give it to me on my birthday."

"You'll get it today."

"But when?"

Later."

"Why later?" (as you can see, I'm a rather inquisitive person. Particularly when it comes to presents. Most particularly when it comes to surprise presents from my man that I know he's been working on for some time.)

"I can't give it to you now."

"Why not?

Richard just grinned at me. He loves dodging those questions just as much as I love asking them. Finally I had to acquiesce. Pry though I might, I couldn't get any further information about the mysterious handmade gift.

Continue reading for:

An unusual Holiday, Part 2

My garden!

Back in January I got quite a bit of money in graduation presents. It was seriously amazing, I didn't actually realize that people gave money to graduates--at least, not anything different than a birthday present or something. I don't recall many monetary presents when I graduated high school. Most of the money elected to save as I have some rather large upcoming expenses in the (hopefully) near future. But there was one luxury I afforded myself from the graduation presents:

Sewing day!

I think I'm going to give up on posting every week, and write when the bug gets me. It's what I do anyway, and I may as well stop apologizing for it. *smiles*

So, today was a sewing day. I had intended it to be a sewing day for some time--from now on Thursday, Friday evenings and Saturdays are sewing days (usually)--but today I was working on something I didn't plan to be. A new dress for Resurrection Sunday. I've never had a new Easter dress before, though in My Man's family it is a yearly tradition. In his household the weeks leading up to Resurrection Sunday are full of pattern pieces, scraps of fabric, thread, and late nights as 5-6 girls piece together their new dresses. Sunday morning dawns with all of them grinning proudly in their new creations. Well, today was that day for me--I've pieced and serged and cut and sewed all day long. The dress isn't quite finished, but it is close enough to try on. I'm quite pleased with the results and shall post a picture by and by. Right now I just have one burning question in my mind:

Why did I bother to clean my room first?

:-P

Yeah.... it always looks like a hurricane after a sewing day. And after all that work I really don't want to mess with it. So I'm going to go to bed here in a few minutes and hope that sometime in the night a little lost leprechaun from yesterday will decide to do a good deed and clean it up. I just hope when he does he puts it all away in the proper spot... :P