I Have My Dress!!

This is what it looks like when you get your dress in the mail.

This is what it looks like when you open the box to reveal a sweet purple garment bag!

This is more of what it looks like when you open your garment bag to reveal a slightly cockeyed dress on a hanger and, even though it's been several months since you saw it, it takes your breath away all over again.

Hi International Readers!

So, Blogger has this really cool feature that allows the blog manager (that's me) to see stats concerning what searches are directing people to one's blog, which posts people look at, etc. One of the pages also tells me how many hits I get from different countries, and it seems that I have an international audience! How cool is that?

I obviously have over 100 hits from the United States, but people in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Canada also have some interest in this here content. Hi guys! Even if you're just cruising by my little blog on your way to find what you're really looking for...I'm glad you stopped by. I hope you find what you're looking for, and if you have any questions I'll try and help you out.

Ring Alteration

The ring can be altered! (maybe)
I either have to send it in to Shane Co or drop it off, and they will lower the setting as much as they can.

How much is that?
I don't know.

When will this happen?
I don't know.
Stay tuned...

Anthology is awesome

And if you've been there, you know. Anthology is this cute little store on State Street that has unique jewelry, craft supplies, art, cards, and other miscellaneum. I was there with a friend the other day and found a potential paint source for the below crane project. GLITTER WATERCOLORS!!! Adding a touch of sheer glitter to a colorful canvas would look great when it catches the light. You've got to like a little sparkle though.

1,000 Paper Cranes Updated

I have always loved the symbolism of 1,000 origami paper cranes at weddings. Wikipedia tells me that they symbolize the giver's wish for a thousand years of happiness for the new couple, and the internet would not lie to me. My mom reminded me of my love for these cranes when she offered to fold them for me one day, out of the blue, because she is awesome. Besides the symbolism, thinking about the time, effort, and inevitable hand cramps that go into hand-folding 1,000 paper squares makes the gift so special. When was the last time you actually made a wedding gift for someone dear to you instead of buying up the cheapest registry items in Williams-Sonoma? I can safely say that I've never done that. Not that Williams-Sonoma doesn't have some bitchin' cookware, and these gifts are probably more practical and useful. Except for the meatball grilling basket. I just can't wrap my mind around that. And the jalapeno popper roaster. Does anyone own one or both of those and use them? Report back, please. I'm getting off on a bullshit cookware you don't need tangent here...(no disrespect intended if you own one...I own bullshit products too)

Anyway, I stumbled across this piece of artwork today on my favorite, Design*Sponge, and was inspired.

I am in love with the opaque bird cut-outs that overlap and merge to create new swirls of color. Wouldn't it be beautiful to adapt this idea as an alternative to signing a matted picture of the couple? You could cut out 1,000 crane shapes, or any image that is significant to you and yours, from different colored tissue paper or crepe paper and layer them on a canvas or flat surface. This could then be matted for guests to sign, and it would be a sweet reminder of your wedding day to hang in your home. Granted, neither of us are Japanese, but we both have a love of Asian cultures, and the minimalist aesthetic in Japanese design. Maybe this is picking and choosing pieces of a culture to appropriate that is not my own, but that's what Americans are great at! A little of this, a bit of that, and voila! Also, I don't think it's being done in a disrespectful way. At least, that is not my intent. My intent is to honor a tradition that I identify with for whatever reason, even though it isn't part of the culture I was brought up in.

Now, truth be told, I would probably be the first to be extremely frustrated by cutting tissue paper. That's almost asking for a stress-induced meltdown right there...here, cut out a thousand paper birds from the flimsiest material known to craftkind. That's like asking someone to build a suspension bridge out of balsa wood. Totally frustrating. This could probably also be done with stencils and watercolors or gouache if you're more into painting. You'd still get the lovely transparent, blending effect from the thin paint without the pressure of ripped paper (bonus). Has anyone done something similar? I think I need to break out my gouache again and experiment. Thank you costume design class for teaching me about drawing and gouache.

Picture of Kara Maria print via Design*Sponge

Eloping in Madison: Part 1

Just for fun I'm going to elaborate on the following scenario, since I'm sure there are people out there who want ideas for eloping in this town. So, suppose you have 30 days to use your marriage certificate but you don't want a big production. In fact, you want it to be just you and your betrothed...and perhaps your parents and a few close friends. Where do we start? Let's narrow it down to the major players shall we? Ceremony location, reception/celebration, and a few last minute extras.

Ceremony:
The obvious first choice is the courthouse. It conveniently has everything you need already inside, and if you choose one of the officiants listed on the county clerk's website he or she will pick up and deliver your marriage certificate for you. You have to know when your ceremony will take place, where (in this case..courthouse), and who will perform it before you can apply for the license. I don't know if there's an extra fee for using one of these officiants, but that's certainly something you could ask them yourself. You could also hire an outside officiant, like these guys, to marry you, but that would cost a significant amount of extra money. Their basic ceremony fee is $275, and if you're looking to elope partially for monetary reasons that's a decent chunk of change. However, it is an option if you want it. The courthouse is downtown inbetween the square and Lake Monona, so you could easily walk to any number of awesome restaurants, bars, and clubs downtown to celebrate.

You can also get married in one of Madison's many parks for next to nothing. All the information is laid out for you on the website as far as the 15 parks you have to choose from, which ones have shelters, what kind of permits you need, time restrictions, and fees for different locations. The parks department has made their website pretty much a one stop shop for all your wedding/elopement venue needs. Availability does fill up pretty quickly, so if you're planning your elopement at the last minute and you are determined to be married outdoors, it would probably help to go into reserving a park knowing that you won't get first choice of time and day. As long as you are flexible with date, time, and park choice you should hopefully be able to find something lovely.

This has been part 1 of eloping in Madison, WI. Next time let's talk about places to have your elopement/small wedding reception.

The Rules

You can find all the how and where information for getting your Dane County marriage license here.  It took me forever to find out that I had to go to the county clerk's office website and not some state agency.  You have 30 days to use your license after it is issued, and there are a bunch of rules for all the ID you'll need to prove you're you.  Oh, and it's $115...cold hard cash.  I don't think I've ever seen that much cash at one time before, let alone held it in my hand.  I imagine it'll be like that scene in Ghost where Whoopie Goldberg hands that huge check over to the nuns...just grit your teeth and do it.

The Love Lab

Once again, Design*Sponge, you have come through for me.  I came across this diy flower lab a while ago and loved the idea of giving our reception a hint of a theme of a laboratory.  (I'm surprisingly getting really carried away with this science thing.)  Feast your eyes on this!

I think this is the bee's knees.  It's clean and beautiful and seems like it would be easy to set up yourself.  You could take it one step further and use acutual laboratory equipment instead of containers that only look like beakers and graduated cylinders.  Cute, so cute.