How to make paper map flowers- Real Northern California Wedding- Amber

April 26, 2011

I’ve been working on a few different projects for décor to go along with our vintage travel theme. I’m neck deep in ideas and waist deep in trial runs, but I like this project because it’s easy and can be extremely low budget.

The folding pattern is a pretty simple one, but what I really like about this project is the paper used. I used city maps that I cut into simple squares using the grids on the map (no ruler needed!) and simple double sided tape. These turned out a little more modern/urban than what I’m looking for, but if I found a more vintage paper, they might work great.

I started out with 2×2 grid of map.

Fold diagonally, corner to corner.

Fold the corners up to the peak of the triangle.

Squeeze the creases created by fold 1, towards the folds of fold 2.

Fold the top corners down to create a straight edge again. These can be folded to the outside or inside.

Fold the outside edge in towards the inside fold.

Apply double sided tape to the edge of flower and bring both sides together.

Make 5 of these and stick together with double sided tape to create a flower.

Here, I made a few flowers cutting the original pieces of 2×2 paper with pinking shears to give them a different texture.

 

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Time Lapse Camera- Judy Loves It!

April 22, 2011

Half the time I have no idea where I find things on the internet.  I am just cruising around and I see a project or product and I think- “I could use that, make that or adapt that for a wedding.” (part of the reason I love pinterest so much.  I can mark ideas and never forget where I saw something).

I came across this time lapse camera.  It is marketed by Wingscapes as a “project camera” they also say it is great for birdwatching.  I say it would be amazing for a reception!  Just think- the camera could be set up in a spot that has a good view of the whole room and you could capture your event in time lapse frame by frame.

What do you think?

 

 

 

 

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Pinterest- Sacramento Wedding Planning

April 18, 2011

Do you Pin?  Check it out- PINTEREST!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh Pinterest how I love thee…

What is Pinterest?  You are about to get schooled.  From their website:

“Think of Pinterest as a virtual pinboard — a place where you can create collections of things you love and “follow” collections created by people with great taste. People use Pinterest to collect and share all sorts of things — wedding inspiration, favorite T-shirts, DJ equipment. You name it, people are pinning it.”

Pinterest is a wonderful way to curate all he inspiration you come across while cruising around the internet.  See a great idea for a centerpiece?  Pin!  Look- it is the perfect hairstyle to go with my dress.  Pin!  Everything goes on to a boards you name by theme so you can go back at a later date and enjoy your finds.  Pinterest also makes it super easy to share inspirations with other members of your wedding party.

For now- you have to request an invitation.  Go to the home page and type in your e-mail and wait.  Or you can e-mail me for an invite at judyatfancypantsweddings.com

Just a word of caution: Pinterest is HIGHLY addictive!  :)

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The Illustrated Bride- Judy Loves It!

April 12, 2011

I stumbled across the most amazing business Sacramento, Ca based wedding business the other day, The Illustrated Bride.

From the website: Custom bridal illustrations can be a new way to reminisce about your wedding gown long after you’ve had it preserved and stored, and after so many years when a wedding photograph seems better placed in an album than on your wall, an illustration becomes a distinctive way to remember your special day.

The artist, Jennifer Hancock has work in fashion for years.  Most recently as a sketch artist at Miosa Couture in Sacramento, Ca.  When several brides expressed interest in purchasing the sketches of their dress done by Hancock.  The Illustrated Bride was born.

The idea of hanging a framed sketch of your beautiful and carefully chosen wedding day finery in your home is just so sweet.  I am all for meaningful keepsakes.   And Hancock’s chic illustrations would make a very meaningful keepsake.

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Real Bride Blogger, Northern California Wedding- The Wedding Gift Registry

April 11, 2011

Over the last few weeks Will and I have started picking out stuff for our wedding registry. Apparently, not only do people buy you gifts for the actual wedding, but sometimes for the engagement as well! It never occurred to me that this might be something we need to get our registry going for until my mother so kindly informed me, and I started getting e-mails every half hour about it from various bride-to-be websites. I just thought people would wing it, or give us a house plant or something. (Clearly I have been to TONS of these events in the past.) I have been politely informed that registering is a courtesy to your friends and family and keeps you from getting the porceline goose shaped dish soap dispenser you never wanted.

Just to clarify, gifts are not the reason we are having an engagement party. Clearly, any excuse to have an adult party with our closest friends and family trumps a 10 inch Nordic Wear skillet any day.

Back to registering.

Will and I are homeowners and already have a lot of stuff so figuring out what to register for has been a little bit of an adventure. The two bits of advice we have been following are:

Register for the unconventional

Registering for the hammock stand and the one painting we both agree would look AMAZING in our living room can be a little frustrating at times because most of the time those items aren’t available at your local Target or Macy’s. To help organize the unconventional items into one place we have turned to MyRegistry.com

MyRegistry allows you to add items from anywhere and organize them into one registry. We can add a ceiling fan from Lowe’s, a funky set of salt and pepper shakers from ETSY.com, and a tandem bike from Shimano. You can also set up cash gifts for high priced items such as a honeymoon. MyRegistry can sync with several larger department stores such as Target and Crate and Barrel, and has an app for both and Androids to register on the run. Love it!

Upgrade

This was really helpful when we were struggling with “traditional” items to add to the registry. We do have everyday plates that we like, but nice china for entertaining would be nice. Yes, we do have pots and pans but they’re pretty beat up and the no-stick no longer slips and slides eggs across it. It would be nice to have some high quality cookware. Our silverwear was purchased at Ross and rusts if we leave it in the dishwasher too long. Some stainless flatwear that will last forever and wear well would be a welcome addition to our everyday life. All of these are examples of items we have, but will probably need to be replaced sometime in the near future. The wedding registry offers the perfect place to start accumulating some good quality stuff, that might otherwise take years to purchase on our own.

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Reduce, Reuse and Recycle your wedding

March 28, 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What to do with all the gently and never-used items after the wedding day is over?  Do they moulder away in a box in the back of your closet, gathering dust, until the day they get shipped off to Goodwill or are plopped down, curb-side at your new Mother-in-law’s bi-annual garage sale.

Why not list the items on one of following websites so another lucky bride can enjoy your wedding largess and you can pocket a bit of scrilla?  Good for you, good for her, good for the planet and good for your closet space. Win, win, win and WIN!  duh…

Searching for items for your wedding?  Consider looking over the many ways you can connect with people looking to sell.  You can save a little or a lot of money depending on what you are in the market for.  Wedding dresses, for example, can be a place you can save hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars if you are willing to go the pre-owned route.

What I like about BrideShare is it is set up like a social networking site.  So you can search for other brides that share your venue, colors or other wedding commonalities.

At my own wedding in 1994, I was able to contact the bride who’s wedding was the day after mine.  We shared the cost of the chairs for our ceremony.  It was an easy way to save a tidy sum of money.

Set up like a more traditional classified ad, RecycledBride, is an easy website to search for items for your wedding.  Just search by categories to find the deeply discounted treasures.

PreOwnedWeddingDresses is a site dedicated to selling samples, used and sometimes new wedding gowns and accessories.  The discounts on the gowns are usually between 25-55%!

Also set up by category, 100 Layer Cake’s Marketplace is an easy resource to search and use.  You will find everything from photo booth backdrops to wedding gowns all for your purchasing pleasure.

WeddingBee’s classified section is set up in a forum format with the most current listing appearing at the top of the list.  Plus side- a lot of info at a glance.  Down side- no pictures until you click on the advertisement.

Ruffled’s Recycle Your Wedding section is easy to use- the most current listings appear at the top with a picture.  Down side- no date on the listing so you cannot tell how long ago an item was posted.

Please, be smart when dealing with transactions.  Craigslist has a wonderful primer on how to avoid scams and scammers when handling transactions on line.

I hope I have inspired you to either sell or purchase some wedding related items.  Happy hunting!

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Northern California Bride Blogger, Amber- “The Hangover” engagement party

March 22, 2011


My mom wants to throw me and Will an engagement party.  At first, I was kind of “eh…” about the whole thing.  But then, after some persuading from my mother, and some thoughts about how it could be done, I embraced the idea of having our engagement party be an un-wedding party.  No formalities, no ties or dress shoes, and glorifying the tacky things we love.  It will give everyone in the wedding party (and then some) the chance to meet and mingle, and gives me the chance to plan something besides “THE WEDDING” for just a minute.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m having fun planning the wedding, but sometimes my brain needs a break in order to continue doing its best work.

Via Hostess with the Mostess

The party theme is based on the movie “The Hangover”, inspired by this blog from Hostess With The Mostess. We love the movie, our friends love the movie, it’s current pop culture, and there is so much that can be done with the décor, food even games.

The planning so far has been pretty fun. For food we’ll be having Mr. Chow’s Wontons, Mike Tyson Mini Sliders, Peppered Steak Kabobs, and ‘Sofa’ Pizza. We’ll be playing some Blackjack, setting up a “Best Little Chapel” and a digital photo booth for sharing pictures of the party in an online album afterwards. There will definitely be some awesome Vegas décor.

“Sofa Pizza” from Simple Bites

I have to be honest though, the best thing about planning this whole thing so far has been watching “The Hangover” with my mom. She hadn’t seen it before, and I prefaced hitting the play button with “Be ready for some crude humor mom.” To which she replied “Okay,” and then proceeded to take notes on the whole movie so that she would have ideas for the party.

Awesome.

 

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Eclu- Customizable Clutches- Judy Loves It!

March 18, 2011

These clutches by Wedzu seller Eclu really caught my eye.  I am in love with the fact you get to choose the color of the silk poms decorating these little beauties.

I will take one of each, thank you!

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Command Strips- Amber Loves It!

March 17, 2011
Via Studio B*

This is a very short little blog post, but it was a total “AHA!!” Moment for me, so I thought I would share it with you.

Our little reception hall has beautiful wood planked ceilings and only a limited amount of overhead lighting when you consider the size of the room. I have been trying to figure out ways to hang additional lighting, such as market lights, and some other décor from the ceiling of the Armory. Like many places, the Armory does not allow tacks, staples or nails to be used. (I can’t say I blame them.)

So how should one go about hanging anything from a ceiling when it can not be permanently attached? My solution: 3M Removable Command Strips. These are those little hooks attached to the wall with an adhesive strip that comes off when you stretch the backing out. I’m not saying you could hang full on chandeliers with them, but if you hung some string lights or paper lanterns across a few they would stay and could look really nice without breaking the rules.

Brilliant!

*Studio B is a super awesome sponsor of FPW!
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Maid of Clay Ceramics- Judy Loves it!

March 16, 2011

I just totally love this idea!  It never ceases to amazing how many flippin’ creative people there are out there.  These adorable vases come from Maid of Clay. What a gorgeous way to display your bridal bouquet on your head table.  Or imagine one filled with blooming branches on your guest book table.

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