• Something to help them find their way: maps of the our city, Pittsburgh
• Something to represent our city: tiny bottles of Heinz ketchup and mustard
• Something that guests might need: single serving packets of sun screen
• Something sweet and themed to our wedding: rock candy sticks
• Something to drink: bottled water
• Something to snack on: little takeout boxes of our special blend of trail mix

Labels: DIY, wedding

posted by Alison 11/17/2007 12:33:00 PM : (0) comments : splink


Friday, November 09, 2007

Crafty Goodness!

There has been a renaissance as of late in the crafting world. Old techniques have been reborn thanks to new technology and a renewed sense of humor. Craft fairs like Handmade Arcade, Craftin’ Outlaws, Bazaar Bizarre, and Renegade Craft Fair feature handmade items that are fresh, inspiring and found no where else. Plus, with sellers numbering into the hundreds there is bound to be something that will knock your socks off.

These fairs are fabulous for finding unique, clever bridal party gifts. Less obvious is that they are also fantastic places to check out local stationers. Many of them will sell greeting cards, calendars, or stationery. It is a good chance to look at the quality of their workmanship up close, discuss pricing and compare vendors. Also, keep your eyes peeled for knick-knacks that can be used as unusual favors or cake toppers. If you can’t find exactly what you want or enough of what you want, many crafters will take custom orders.

I’ll be a vendor at this weekend’s Handmade Arcade. I won't be selling anything really wedding related, but please don't let that stop you from saying ‘hi’ if you plan on attending. It’s always nice to meet bees in real life.

Labels: craft, DIY, handmade arcade, wedding

posted by Alison 11/09/2007 12:18:00 PM : (0) comments : splink


Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Stretching our Floral Dollar with Wheatgrass

Previously: Our Favors Require a Degree in Botany

If I had all of the money in the world I would have sprinkled our reception venue with dozens and dozens of dense, exotic flower arrangements. But as someone interested in having a wedding without going into debt we had to think of something else that would have a similar impact, but with less cost. There is a quality to fresh flowers, the glow of living, breathing things, that I love. So, in lieu of silk flowers we decided to go with live plants, namely wheatgrass. I've been growing the stuff for years and I love how each plant breathes and perspires, furthermore, the bright green fit right into our color scheme.

Plus, the our third try at finding the right variety of wheatgrass did the trick! It grew up thick and the blades were new-leaf green. I wanted to give the impression of a lawn so I added random yellow chrysanthemums to some of the containers. We used our little containers of wheatgrass to add a little to our table settings and as companions to our guest table centerpieces.
It might not be clear from this photo, but I sank small plastic test tubes into the soil of the beflowered grass containers to serve as mini water tanks. We filled the tubes with water using a turkey baster before inserting the flowers. They still looked fresh almost two days later when they were deployed for the wedding.


These larger containers were used to decorate our peripheral tables, like the cake table and the guest book table.


I'll have more pictures of our grass and flowers in action when our photos are released.

Labels: DIY, flowers, wedding

posted by Alison 10/17/2007 09:43:00 PM : (0) comments : splink


Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Three Tiers for Penguins!

Previously...

Cake Test
The Backup Cake



I survived making my own wedding cake and ended up with some pleasing results. The fondant didn't work as perfectly as I would have liked, but we managed to hide most of the flaws by rotating them to the back.

Most of the cake was made late at night the Friday before our Sunday wedding. Our Maid of Honor, Maid of Awesomeness (a title earned through months of selfless service toward our wedding), and our Magic Wedding Elf, Frances, stirred big cauldrons of Rice Krispies and molten marshmallow. All involved did an expert job of measuring out huge quantities of ingredients and getting the proportions just right.

My job was to pour, level and ice each layer. Each tier has two layers glued together with Wilton icing purchased in gallon buckets purchased from the craft store. Despite being mostly shortening it had ideal qualities that made it a good choice. First, it didn't discolor or make the cake soggy even after two days of waiting to be consumed. Next, it worked well when we needed it as a glue. All of our layers and tiers stayed firmly in place, it kept the fondant exactly where it needed to be, and it managed to keep the penguins and flowers attached despite being moved three times.

Most importantly, the Groom really liked the taste of the icing, which is the most important thing. The Rice Krispy cake was really for him, as he doesn't care for regular cake. The icing taste was very similar to Twinkie filling. To me, it is better in small quantities, but Mr. Lollipop couldn't get enough.

The outer layer of the cake was made of plain pre-made Wilton fondant purchased in five-pound boxes from the same craft store at the icing. The fondant tasted like it was made of fresh Lucky Charms marshmallows, but it could easily be peeled off for those who couldn't stand the sweetness. The fondant was one of the harder parts to get right, especially for our 14 inch bottom layer. I discovered a too late that the ideal thickness is a little less than 1/4 inch. It is the best thickness to remain pliable, yet hide flaws.

As I said before, we glued the penguins and flowers on the cake using frosting that we dispensed from a pastry bag. For those who missed my earlier entries, the penguins were made of Fimo clay and are inedible, although that didn't stop guests from trying.

Our cake didn't taste all that bad considering that it was made of two-day-old Rice Krispy Treats. We also served two sheet cakes purchased through a local restaurant with delivery service, a Middle Eastern restaurant called Aladdin's Eatery. We managed to get two awesome cakes, an Oreo flavored one and a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup one, for less than $2 a slice, including delivery costs. Both supplementary cakes were a big hit and saved me worry about serving stale, be-fondanted non-cake to guests.

The cake itself is sitting on an overturned piece of wooden butcher-block counter top left over from a remodeling project. Mr. Lollipop fashioned it into a an ideal cake board by adding some snazzy handles. The cake board was absolutely indispensable for moving the cake from place to place without damaging it. Keep that is mind if you plan on making your own DIY cake.

Labels: cake, DIY, wedding

posted by Alison 10/09/2007 07:14:00 PM : (0) comments : splink


Friday, August 31, 2007

Cake Test

Our cake baker has finally returned one of my messages and now I am officially on my own for my wedding cake. Strangely, I feel relieved. I won't be stuck with a cake that I haven't seen before the wedding and I won't hurt my baker's feelings if I show up with a backup cake. She's a friend and having a tough time, so instead of being irritated I have nothing but sympathy for what she is going through.

Anyhow, full speed ahead!


You know what I learned this week? Icing things is hard. Actually, the spreading of the icing on the cake isn't difficult, but getting it to look professional is really, really hard. The little perfectionist demon on my left shoulder told me that a cake that looked home made would never work. The resident of my right shoulder gave up and moved out a few months after I got engaged, so it was silent.

With a default victory for the demon I decided to blow some more money on pre-made fondant. Despite my misgivings, it is surprisingly easy to work with and looks amazing with just a little effort. I only hope that it scales up well for the larger layers.

I glued our toppers on with just a little bit of icing.

Labels: cake, DIY, penguins, toppers, weddings

posted by Alison 8/31/2007 11:13:00 AM : (0) comments : splink


Tuesday, August 21, 2007

The Other Miss Lollipop

A few days ago, on a whim I googled my WeddingBee name and discovered that the top result is not for a person, but for an airplane. The original Miss Lollipop was a B-17 bomber that flew missions over Europe during World War II. While the lovely Miss L found an inauspicious end at the bottom of the English Channel after only three months of service, the coincidence stirred the aviation genes deep within me.

And those genes came directly from my father, an aircraft mechanic. When I was younger, he took us to dozens of aircraft museums and we would spend hours looking at aircraft spanning the whole existence of human flight. And my dad knew something about each one, some fact or story. I really treasure that time spent with him and with the things he knows best. My brother must have felt the same; he grew up to be a pilot. I grew up to be someone who really loves planes. Every year when I lived in DC I would go to the Air and Space Museum for my birthday and would name as many planes as I could when driving past as a tour guide.

So, my inner aviation nerd collaborated with my inner design nerd to produce two stenciled B-17 travel cases, one for me and one for Mr. Lollipop.


A quick how-to:

The original cases from paper source:

Print your image on the back of a a sheet of contact paper:


Cut it out with a craft knife:


Stick your new contact paper stencil where you like and rub the edges with a spoon to seal.


Lastly, just spray paint, wait a few seconds and peel.

Labels: airplane, DIY, wedding

posted by Alison 8/21/2007 10:26:00 AM : (0) comments : splink


Monday, August 13, 2007

Our Invitation Inspiration - Part II

Part I

Mr. Lollipop once tried to add up all the time I spent on our invitations. I had to stop him because I couldn't contemplate the amount of time I put into them without losing my mind a little. I started sketching in November, did the design in April, screen printed in May, letter pressed in June, and finally mailed them in July. Of course, I had lots of help on the last three, but the point is that I spent lots of time in the print studio that could have been used to learn a martial art or a new language.

Still, I don't think I could bear to let anyone else design our invitations.

I put invitation page together to carry on the tree theme we used on the cover: My original digital mock-up:


Luckily, our parents were really understanding when we couldn't get the letter press calibrated to add everyone's first names.

Also, I drew dozens of trees (one can be seen on the cover), but ended up buying the rights to use a much nicer one from istockphoto.com. That website is a great place to legally obtain the rights to all kinds of vector images for those who like to design, but have trouble drawing. Our map and directions page:


I drew the map using an old copy of Macromedia FreeHand. We used the pattern at the bottom of the page to register the layers of ink.

The full package, including a rehearsal dinner invitation and a website card:


An assembled invitation:

Labels: DIY, invitations, screen printing, wedding

posted by Alison 8/13/2007 12:26:00 PM : (0) comments : splink


Saturday, July 07, 2007

90 Down, 60 to Go

The first round of invitations have been mailed. Phew! Even with three people working for most of the Fourth of July, we only got through the first 50 out of the full 150. 90 have now been completed and we are still faced with one more day of printing, cutting, addressing and stamping.

This is our last major task before getting married, and the biggest time commitment so far. I think we spent less time in premarital counseling than we did on these things.

Luckily, we have the food, bridal party, clothes and location locked down. Now that we have notified everyone we are left with just minor tasks before the big day. Even if those don't get done we can still show up and get married and feed everyone.

Here is the resulting invitation package, including a rehearsal dinner invitation there are 7 pieces. The colors are off due to my busted camera:


The assembled invitation:


The screen printed front cover, a slightly different version from the assembled one above:


Our (redacted) invitation and map pages, letterpressed and screen printed:



We'll be having a drawing contest using our RSVP card. We'll be giving out prizes at the reception. Each is numbered just in case they arrive without a name written on them:

Labels: DIY, invitations, wedding

posted by Alison 7/07/2007 04:35:00 PM : (0) comments : splink


Tuesday, July 03, 2007

The Getaway Dress for My Getaway

My 'getaway' dress was once supposed to be my wedding dress. On a trip to Thailand two years ago, one year before my engagement, I had the top secretly made at a tailor's shop while attending a Machine Translation conference alone. I had been with my (now) fiance for about five years. At the time, I'd imagined a much more casual wedding, possibly with a bowling alley reception. So, I went to the shop, gave them a sketch and it was in my hands three days later.

My wedding has changed to a much more formal affair and my simple bowling-ready dress has been replaced by a beaded number with a train. However, it would be a shame to let such a pretty silk top go to waste. Now, it will be what I change into when my wedding dress gets to be too cumbersome at the reception.

I purchased matching silk after my aborted New York Father's Day trip and made a knee length circle skirt to complete the outfit. Just to add some character, I drew a picture of a vine a few days later and silk screened it around the hem.

Before:


After:

Labels: DIY, dress, preeety, wedding

posted by Alison 7/03/2007 12:01:00 AM : (0) comments : splink


Sunday, July 01, 2007

Wedding Green Screen Chellenge

I like to think that our wedding has special effects shots. We have been using a green screen to capture silhouettes of us and the members of our bridal party. It's been really fun getting everyone to pose and I like the idea of our decorations as more about the people close to us rather than just about me and my fiance.

We'll be screen printing the resulting images on our invitations, stenciling them onto lanterns and incorporating them into our other decorations. The silhouettes are simple enough to lend them well to a variety of media. The other advantage is that with the right pose silhouette figures can make anyone look good, even if they are making a funny face or wearing a stained shirt.

We used the following improvised green screen method to get our shots. First, we bought a roll of green paper from Staples (~$7 if I recall correctly) and temporarily attached it to our dining room wall with masking tape. We left a little on the floor to stand on so our entire figures, from head to toe, would be surrounded with an easy to remove color.

Next, I imported our digital photos into Photoshop and used the magic wand tool to select all of the green area. Using the brightness/contrast controls I turned the brightness all the way up until everything faded to white. Next, I inverted our selection and turned the brightness all the way down to deepen our color to black.

Somehow, reducing our pictures to just two colors makes us seem less like unkempt ninnies and more like sophisticated ninnies. Observe:



In another shot my parents hammed it up. Unfortunately, they were a little too far off the paper to use this image without a lot of headaches:


Our lanterns will one of the most prominent uses of our silhouettes. I made a few for an art installation in February as a test:


Three more lanterns out of the twelve:


Stay tuned for our silhouette invitations and more silhouette decorations.

Labels: DIY, green screen, lantern, mom and dad, wedding

posted by Alison 7/01/2007 01:42:00 PM : (0) comments : splink


Friday, June 29, 2007

Pittsburgh's Secret Jewelery Abode

There is a special building in downtown Pittsburgh called the Clark Building. Instead of being filled with accountant's or lawyer's or optometrist offices, the first four floors are occupied by nothing but jewelery stores. I've never been a woman who craved jewelery, but there is something about that building that makes me happy every time I go there, and this is despite the fluorescent lighting and drab carpeting. I really like the idea of having all of one type of store in one place. We were able to peruse the whole range of quality and price in just an hour, too short to get bored or sick of looking at the same thing.

Both my ring and my fiance's came from stores on the third floor. I wore mine secretly on the bus ride home after picking it up alone. I've never worn a ring, but I found mine to be instantly comfortable. We are each holding one another's rings until our ceremony to help me resist the temptation to wear mine prematurely again and again.

There is also one store in the Clark Building that sells amazing Tacori hair accessories. Unfortunately, they only sell ones made of silver. I can't justify spending $325 on something that won't match my dress.

Still, I want one!

Labels: DIY, hair accessories, jewelery, Pittsburgh, preeety, ring, wedding

posted by Alison 6/29/2007 08:47:00 PM : (0) comments : splink

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