I have a son-in-law!

Jessica’s and Trey’s wedding day has come and gone and they are now celebrating their love for each other on a cruise ship, appropriately named “Dream”.  Fred, Brittany, and I arrived back in South Carolina today and as I unpack, I have so many mixed emotions.  Joy mostly, because I know that my daughter has found the love of her life; someone that I know with all my heart will love her for the rest of his life, will protect and cherish her and their future family.  This was never more evident than it was as Trey was giving his vows to her at the ceremony.  There was not a dry eye in the house and I can’t wait for the photos and videos to come back so that I can share that special moment with everyone who was not able to be there.  Jessica and Trey are an example of real, true, and awesome love and watching it unfold has been one of my greatest blessings and happiest moments of my life.
We were so fortunate to have quite possibly the most talented photographers in the world who are also the nicest two people you will ever meet; David & Vicki Arndt, and when their photos are ready, I will certainly share them with you all, but for now here are a few photos that I was able to take.

Rehearsal

If you look closely, you can see Cinderella's castle through the window at the alter.

As with most weddings, ours was not without a bit of drama here and there.  My oldest daughter was transporting the bridesmaids to the rehearsal and ran out of gas on the way there, resulting in them arriving about 30 minutes late for the rehearsal.  A stranger noticed their predicament and kindly ran to the nearest gas station for them and all ended well.  Here is a short video of them running to the chapel from the parking lot!

Jessica came into my room about midnight the eve of the wedding to give her dad and I her  thank you gifts to us, so this was our last "late night talk" before she became a wife! 

Hair and make-up!

Ashley & Jessica

Getting ready for the big moment!

Ashley and Jessica just before the ceremony began.

Jessica with her flower girl, Kylie

Outside the Grand Floridian before the ceremony

Trey and his mom - mother/son dance

Off to the port to hop on board "The Dream"

Is it possible to be very, very happy and very, very sad at the exact same time?

The Pinterest Bride

Pinterest and brides go together like love and marriage.  Without a doubt, planning my daughter’s fairytale wedding without Pinterest was inconceivable. In case there are a few people out there who are not familiar with Pinterest, it is a pin-board style website where you can create your own theme-based boards.  You can browse the internet or other pinboards and repin anything that catches your eye to your own board.  It has become such an integral part of planning a wedding that when we visited Disney for the planning session, her wedding planner had emailed her several months before and asked for her Pinterest website.  Just by viewing her site, the planner was able to get a comprehensive idea of what type of wedding my daughter was dreaming of.  When we arrived for the planning session, she had a presentation ready that had incorporated the colors, theme and overall “look” she found by viewing Jessica’s Pinterest site.

We recently had Jessica’s bridal shower and it was without a doubt a true Pinterest shower; from the decorations and food, right down to the favors and games that were played.  Her future mother-in-law and I were put in charge of the decorations and the dessert table and after choosing an “inspiration” photo from Pinterest, we went went to work.

Since Jessica’s wedding colors are light pink, champagne/ivory, and gold, this is the photo from Pinterest that we used for inspiration for the dessert table.    I must give most of the credit to Linda (Jessica's future MIL) for the beautiful display that resulted.  She truly outdid herself and came up with some beautiful display pieces and floral arrangements for our dessert table.  We met earlier in the week and I gave her all of the glass containers and other "treasures" that I found, and when she brought them back on the day of the shower, I was blown away by the special touches she had added to each item.  She used a lot of vintage looking costume jewelry pieces, ribbon, tulle and flowers and transformed our thrift shop finds into a stunning Victorian display!  Here are some photos of the dessert table at the shower.

Some of the display pieces were made using ordinary finds from the thrift shop.  I purchased a lamp for $1 and an ivory platter for .50 cents.  

I removed the wiring and top portion of the lamp base, painted it with a  metallic gold color, and then used E6000 (best crafting glue ever!) to attach the ivory platter.  So, for $1.50 and a few cents worth of paint, I ended up with a beautiful serving piece to match our theme.

The bridal party wanted to keep the favors simple, so I went with bookmarks.   Using my graphics program, I incorporated some of the artwork that we are using for the actual wedding and designed a bookmark.    Once they were printed and cut out, I just laminated them and added some ribbon through a hole that I punched at the top.   They ended up being very easy and very inexpensive favors, along with being something that everyone can use!

Our Beautiful Bride!!

Recycled Wedding Dress

Fred and I celebrate our 28th anniversary next week on the 13th, and it’s hard to believe it was that long ago that this photo was taken.  And what a wonderful 28 years it has been.  Oh yes, we've had our ups and downs; thankfully, they've been mostly ups.  I've been truly blessed with someone who loves me, faults and all, and there has not been one day in the past 28 years that he has not told me so.   As our girls were growing up, one of the things that I was most proud of was that all three of them have stated on multiple occasions that they would not settle for anything less than the love and commitment that their parents shared.  Our middle daughter, Jessica, has found that love, and will be marrying the man of her dreams next month.

I think every mother dreams that her daughters will one day wear her wedding gown, and I am no different.   Heck, I have three daughters so one of them will surely show an interest in wearing it, right?  Wrong ):  As beautiful as I  believe my dress to be, each of my daughters has expressed the desire to choose their own wedding gown.  Admittedly, I had a few minutes of sadness, but as any true crafter would do, once the initial sadness wore off, my thoughts turned directly to “how can I incorporate my dress into each of their weddings?”  After scouring the internet for ideas, I've settled on ring bearer pillows and garters for each of them.  Since my dress has a five foot train, I can actually make everything with the train and still leave the dress intact, just in case one of them changes their mind in the future (:

I’ve been putting this off for several months now, really just afraid to make that first cut.  But, I’ve brought it down from the attic and it’s sitting in my craft room.  Tonight’s the night!  

I’ll post photos of finished products when they are done!

How Much Is That Doggie In The Window

Back in March of 2012, my daughter Brittany and I started a small organization called Doggie In The Window (DITW).  The main focus of DITW is educating the public on the horrors of puppy mills and fundraising for the rescue, rehabilitation, and medical expenses of puppy mill survivors.  The “how” and “why” DITW was conceived is exciting and involves my life-long heart throb, Donny Osmond, but it is also a long story and worthy of its own future post!  Today, I just want to bring this very important issue to everyone’s attention and give you some information on how we can all put an end to the suffering of these poor dogs.   

While the puppy mill business is an industry oblivious to moral and social responsibility, I must believe, in my heart of hearts, that the vast majority of humans would NOT purchase a puppy from a pet store or online, if they knew where that puppy came from. This is where you and I must step in.  You can learn more about puppy mills and how you can help by visiting our organizations’s website, Doggie In The Window.  There are so many unsolvable problems facing our world today, but this one does not have to be.  We can end the suffering of man’s most beloved friend if each and every one of us did just one thing.  Visit the website to learn how you can make a difference.
 CLICK HERE to visit Doggie In The Window

My Addiction (or one of them at least)

They say the first step in kicking an addiction is admitting that you have a problem.  Well, I've admitted it to everyone I know, I've even splashed it all over Facebook, but I'm still obsessed with fonts.  One of my new favorites is called "colored crayons" and I've recently been using it with my vinyl cutter to make decals.

Colored Crayon font is used for the words Peace, Love, Adopt - and you can Download it here

Shelter Dogs Rock font is called Waterbrush and you can Download it here

The Wedding

Our middle daughter, Jessica, is getting married in Disney World next month, so the majority of my crafting has definitely been wedding themed.  I have made (or still need to make) her favors, ring bearer pillow, aisle runner, guest welcome baskets,  personalized handkerchief, shower favors, bridesmaids gifts, flower girl dress, along with a few odds and ends. Just typing it is stressing me out since at least half of the list falls in the "still need to make" section and I have exactly 45 days left.  Actually, subtract 3 days from that as we are leaving for Orlando a few days before.

While we were down in Orlando this past November for the planning session with Disney's wedding staff, Jessica & Trey met their photographers, David & Vicki Arndt, for an engagement shoot.  (dvarndtphoto.com)

I'm finishing up the favors this week, and will be back soon to post photos!