The Amazing World of Paper

I love fancy paper. I love the look, the feel, and the untapped possibilities of what may be. Initially, I wanted seal and send type invitations, I felt they were a unique and green choice and a way to push my creativity to it's blissful limits. Of course, that was before I started cruising around wedding sites and paper stores with their amazing choices of folders, pockets, scalloped edges, ribbon trims, and monogrammed seals.

As you may remember, Friday was a very bad day. :( Saturday morning Jesse suggested we go into the city for the day. Walk though the park, have lunch, and check out Paper Source on Boylston Street. YIPPEE YIPPEE KY-HAY! It's not often that Jesse wants to got into the city, and it's not ever that he wants to go into a paper store and browse for wedding invitations, so I was super excited. Finally, a reason to wear jeans and a top (I split most of my time between scrubs and yoga pants).

Saturday was a beautiful day in New England, perfect for walking in Boston. After a slight problem with detours and limited parking, we found the perfect spot and hit the city streets. We found Paper Source without problems and for a few minutes I was in heaven. Then, I became overwhelmed. There were so many choices! I should have come more prepared, but at least I got to see and touch. The colors were more magnificent than on the web and the sizes and shapes were much easier to understand. We left without buying anything but with a paper catalog in hand which is much better for me than trying to control the browsers ("now, where did I see that yellow one?, which link had the directions?, what does that package include?") So, we've narrowed it down to a few choices (i think), and I'm posting them here for your enjoyment.




Kinwashi Sheer #10 Booklet: I like this but it will need some stamping to dress it up a bit, most likely with a branch and bird detail, pine cone detail, or pine tree detail. What I like about this one is the natural stick detail at the top, the ability to personalize with detail, and the good price, what I don't like is the lack of color, and the work that will be involved to find the perfect stamp detail and the time it will take to "get 'er done."
Gold Brocade #10 Booklet: This is the same style but with color, which I love. That means no stamp detail needed, although it could definitely be done on the inner layers. What I don't like is that I'm not sure about the shades of colors. They are listed as Coral, Papaya, and Gold. I don't have a problem with the gold but I'm not sure about the coral and papaya- they may be too "tropical" and not enough "country in the fall." I'll have to go back and take another look. Am I sounding crazy yet?

Here are some stamping possibilities, also from Paper Source:


And, another stamping possibility from Paper Source:



As you can see, the choices are endless. Hopefully, we're on the right track. Any suggestions? Favorites? Let me know what you think, and let me know where you get your stamps from- these one's aren't my favs but I'm not sure where to start looking.

The truth about blogging

I have always admired bloggers, spent endless hours pouring over them and living the life of someone else. It's easy to imagine the blogger had a perfect life, just like any other tale, a blogger's tale is edited by the blogger. I do not have a perfect life. There are days that nothing seems to go my way. Sometimes I wake up late and then realize we are out of coffee. Sometimes Jesse and I argue about things that don't matter in the long haul. Sometimes all my patients are crabby and no matter how many song and dance performances I give them, they remain crabby and at those times I wish with all my might that I had gone into any other profession, that Jesse always saw things my way, and that life was more like someone else's blog. I started this blog because I was hoping to be chosen to blog on a popular wedding blog site that I just love, a site where the most important decisions are the color and style of bridesmaids dresses. In short, I was looking for escape from everyday and into "the wedding zone." Well, that's not happening.


Today was one of those days where I needed an escape from reality and what I'm realizing right now as I type is that as a reader I escape but as a blogger I confess. Confession always makes things better. So there it is. I'm getting married but that doesn't mean my life is perfect. I feel much better already. Amen.

Check, Check (2 things off my list)!

First, let me show you how lucky you are that you don't live in northern Maine (and forgive me dear reader if you do). I went home for a few days and although the sun was shining, the lakes were still hard with ice. Arggh! (not like a pirate, more like frustration).


Okay, so let me tell you what I got accomplished this week. (I'm clapping my hands in excitement) First, I found the toasting glassware my parents used at their wedding and I'm really happy with them because they are not traditional flutes and because I love the aged, silver gild and the font used for "bride" and "groom." It was difficult to get the pictures to come out, hope you can see it. I tried to pose them nicely but the light was difficult to work with. I even tried putting some paper in the glass but that just made it harder to read. Bummer.


Second, I finally decided on some centerpieces and was able to find as many as I needed. Okay, the truth is, I bought a lot more than I needed but hey, if 15 are good than 22 are better, right?! I like them so much and I really think they fit the outdoor, simplicity and serenity theme we've got going on. I bought candles in cream and red, in addition to the yellow shown here, just to see how the different colors look but I'm not going to purchase the candles for the wedding until the fall. Last year, I had a lot of candles stored over the summer and they all melted and became a lumpy mess! Booo! I'm not positive but I think in addition to the lanterns, I want a thin pine wreath to encircle it and then tea lights, polished stones, and loose pine cones on the table. I'm much happier with this idea than my earlier one of glass jars with tapers and pine cones. I think it's classier and safer (I was sure the cones would catch on fire at just the wrong moment- actually, is there a right moment for a fire at a wedding reception? I think not!)

Lastly, I would like to give myself a big round of applause for finally figuring out how to place the picture where i want within the blog. Damn, I'm getting goooood.

Bird Fever- Thanks Jackie!

"I was in Fall River Florist Supply today with my aunt and mom and they have soooooo much bird stuff!
little birds, big birds, teeny tiny birds, bird garland, bird nests of all sizes, birds that look real, birds that look fake, doves, birds on the end of stick- they have so much crap katherine, and not lame stuff, nice stuff.
and everything is tax free if you have a tax code--that's the only problem, but maybe we can find someone who has one"

I was so excited when I opened up my email today and found this great email from my friend Jackie. Now, does anybody have a tax code I can use?!?!?


I'm including a photo of one of my bird inspirations. It's from Mrs. Catapillar's wedding from Weddingbee.

Spring Break

I have been taking a break from wedding planning this week and focusing on relaxing activities, like laying in bed all morning and reading books. Yes, this is very lazy but it's been raining since Sunday and I like to relax at home when it rains. Well, today the sun finally made and appearance and so it's back to the grind. Today's small challenge is to investigate cake toppers, to buy or to build? There are so many fantastic cake toppers on line- each one cuter (and more expensive) than the last. I have my grandparent's cake topper which is truly vintage and good looking but I'm afraid it's a little worse for the wear and I'm concerned that if I try to fix it up, I'll end up ruining it. I'm going to my parent's house this week and I'll snap a photo of it to post. In the mean time, here are some of my favorite on line finds.

The birds are from Ann Wood and the cutie vintage bride from Bayberry cove- there's a groom to match but I'm have problems keeping him here (what's new!?). I can't figure out how to make the uploaded images fit into the layout like I want them too. Arggg!! Maybe I need a longer break! If anyone knows how to help me with this problem, HELP ME PLEASE!

Signs

I saw a bride on Weddingbee collecting images of her and her FI's initials and I love indulgences such as this. Here's my first snag... Whooot Hoot!

Buff Bride

Well, I *finally* joined the gym this week and I can't believe it took me so long to get going. I have pulled into the parking lot about 10 times since February, but could never take the final steps to get out of my truck and walk up to the door. This past Tuesday I was out of the truck and in the door before I gave myself a chance to think about it. The gym I chose was Boston North Fitness Center in Danvers, I chose it based on price (very reasonable), location (less than 5 miles from my house), and the fact that they have a very large women's only gym with all the same equipment as the house gym. Tuesday, I took a tour of the gym and found out about the options for joining. I left with an appointment to meet with a personal trainer or Wednesday and feeling very motivated and upbeat. 830 on Wednesday morning came early but I was determined and so it wasn't too hard to get moving. I was even able to get there a bit early to warm up. There are three female personal trainers who are available for hire though the gym, I am planning on meeting with all of them once before I hire one. Wednesday, I met with Diane who was very pleasant but not much of a motivator, that may be because she is leaving for vacation on Sunday. I worked out for 45 minutes focusing on the elliptical machine for my cardio and a short circuit for ab, thigh, and arm toning. I was sore on Wednesday night and even Thursday morning but I reminded myself of the benefits and it didn't seem so bad. Today was my second day at the gym. There were no personal trainers available, and I was worried that it would be hard to motivate myself but today, I surprise myself! I slept in a bit and still made it to the gym for 930 (much better than 830!), I started myself on the elliptical machine with some good tunes cranking in my mp3. 40 minutes on the elliptical and I was winded and weak but I felt good. I walked it off, and finished up my day with 20 minutes of circuit training. Today, without the trainer, I was able to push myself and it was great listening to music rather than someones vacation plans. Maybe I'll continue to surprise myself. I've decided not to book any more trainer appointments and see if I can keep up my Mon-Wed-Fri workout goals- if I find I'm having trouble motivating, I may rethink my trainer options.