Congratulations are in order

I have two exciting posts for you to read today...but not here. Yesterday I guest blogged for the newly married Megan at Butterfly Dreams and Things, where I talked about "wedding withdrawal".

I also want to congratulate Debi Sementelli on making the MyFonts.com Most Popular Fonts of 2011 list! Debi wrote a great post last week thanking all the people who helped spread the word about her font, Belluccia, and even thanks yours truly for some of the projects I did with the calligraphy she customized for Chris and me.

Debi wrote:

Former bride Laura, of  Saying "I Do" In NewYork blog, was also able to use Belluccia to add unique touches to her wedding.  She created a custom stamp which she was able to use to customize napkins, out of town guests bags, post cards, and a name plaque for her guest book. 

Be sure to read the whole post here, and congratulations to both Megan and Debi! I shall drink a celebratory glass of champagne in honor of both of you!

Source

Guest Post: My Mother & a GIVEAWAY!

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful husband!!

Cake made by Kerry for his birthday last year

Today's post is brought to you by my mother. Her last guest post about her troubles finding a mother-of-the-bride dress was wildly popular, and she's back now to talk about making the bags for my bridesmaids gifts! Take it away mom!

Sewing is as much about creativity as it is an expression of love for me. While sewing I am concentrating meditatively on my creation while at the same time reminiscing about the person I am sewing for. So when Laura asked me to make tote bags for the bridal party it was a labor of love. Most of these girls I have known since they were toddlers and teens and therefore, there are many memories stitched into those bags.

The actual process was an adventure. First, we needed to decide the style of the bags which led to a two hour drawing and coloring session with Laura.

Next we went to Joanne Fabrics and Crafts to "audition" fabrics for the totes. That was at least another two hours of comparing and contrasting color and pattern choices. We finally settled on three fabrics; a solid green, a striped green, beige, and brown, and a paisley brown and green (My favorite). Once all of that was figured out it was time to begin construction.

I decided the easiest thing to do was to make a patterns of each section of the tote out of interfacing. Then I would place the pattern on the fabric, place my rotary square on top of it carefully lining up the edges and squaring the corners. Then I’d swipe the edges of the rotary ruler with my rotary cutter making straight, clean cuts like magic (the rotary cutter is the best invention in the world!).

I used an iron on interfacing on the lining of each bag. I ironed the interfacing onto the lining of my first bag and the heat from the iron damaged the fabric! UGGHHH! But this is sometimes my favorite part of sewing. My favorite saying in sewing is “There are no mistakes only opportunities to embellish.” So rather than waste the fabric I salvaged most of it and turned it into an outside pocket for the bag. Once I got that first tote done I took a picture of it on my phone and sent it to "The Boss" for approval.

She liked it and I was on a roll from that point on. Making seven identical totes would have been too boring for me so while each bag is similar in design they are also individualized for each girl.

(Here's mom with all the bags ready to go!)

While making these bags I came across a tutorial on Noodlehead for a lined make up bag and decided that would be fun for each girl at the Bridal Shower as a little teaser to the bigger bags they would eventually be getting.

That meant another seven bags (plus one for a give away on Laura’s blog) and then I also decided to make one for each of my sister’s three daughters. I am really addicted to these bags!  They go together pretty quickly and easily and they make a really nice gift.

Now on to my favorite giveaway I've done so far!! My mom has made one extra Bag for one Saying "I Do" Reader!! (Thanks Mom!)

To Enter:
1. Leave me a comment below why you would like this bag AND/OR leaving a comment trying to convince my mom to open her own Etsy Shop and sell these bags! (I mean come on, RIGHT?!)

Extra Entries: 
2. Follow my blog, and leave me a comment saying you do.
3. Follow me on twitter @Lwoodsny and leave me a comment saying you do.
4. Tweet about this giveaway mentioning @Lwoodsny in your tweet, and leave me a comment saying so.

Contest will end next Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 12:00 MIDNIGHT, and the winner will be announced on Friday, September 2nd! Good Luck!

Guest Post: The Mother-of-the-Bride speaks up!

Hello! Just a reminder if you haven't already...be sure to cast your vote in my Wednesday Wedding Poll! So far, french cream is in the lead!

I am so excited to feature my wonderful mother today on her experiences with Mother-of-the-Bride dress shopping! I think many of us get caught up in the "me, me, me" of weddings and forget that dress shopping can be just as nerve-wracking for our mothers (and mother-in-laws) as it is for us! Some things to keep in mind:

a) Our mothers are just as nervous about finding "the" dress for our weddings as we are.
b) How can you not worry about how the other "mother" will look/wear? There's only one bride at a wedding...there are two "mothers-of-the-bride/groom"
c) They want to do everything they can to make sure your day is perfect, and that includes looking great for your pictures.

In addition to her daily comments on the blog, which I'm sure many of you have noticed, you're going to start seeing LOTS of my mom for various reasons as we get closer to the wedding . So without further ado, here is my mom's guest post:

I am not a fussy kind of woman. I wear little make-up, I’m not a jewelry monger, nor am I a fashionista. Clothes, unlike make-up and jewelry, are a necessity. I like clothes that are comfortable and wear like iron. This brings me to my dilemma: As the mother-of-the-bride I feel compelled to look and act in a fashion that is not really who I am. I have to look a certain way, act with a little more decorum than I normally would, and in general not embarrass the bride, myself, or the family! Pretty tall order for me!

Which brings me to the biggest problem I’m facing. I’m anything but tall! I’m not even average. I’m all of 4’11’-also known as 59 inches. Not a lot to work with here, folks. I’ve been searching online and in stores for the right Mother-of-the-Bride dress and can’t find anything that I really like. Even my daughters, Laura and Melissa, accompanied me to the great and wonderful King of Prussia Mall. We visited 4 stores and I tried on at least 60 dresses, all to no avail. I did go to a wonderful store in New Hope called Sterling’s with my husband. Mind you this was about the ninth store I had been to and is an hour-and-a-half drive from our house. The dresses were fabulous and the woman who helped me was very accommodating, to say the least. I tried on another gazillion dresses and narrowed it down to three. When I stepped out in this dress my husband said “Wow!”

That’s a pretty good sign, eh? He didn’t even grunt at any of the other dresses. So then the discussion ensued regarding the cost of the dress and the additional cost of the alterations. Now, remember I’m all of 59 inches. That means we'd have to:

• Hike up at the waist to preserve the detail of the hemline.
• Alter the top-because everything hits me lower than the average bear (cleavage is fine but it’s best to keep the puppies pretty well penned up!).
• Altering the top means that it needs to be taken up at the shoulders which also means...
• The ruffle needs to be adjusted.

In short, it needed to be taken in, let out, and pulled up- all of which led to a let down for me. By the time all was said and done we were looking at well over $1,000 dollars for a dress that I’d be wearing once for literally a few hours. Plus, at least another two hour-and-a half drives to New Hope. I just can’t bring myself to spend that much time and money on something I’ll wear once. 

June 1981

I think back to how easy it was to find my wedding dress. My wedding dress was found in my mother’s cedar chest and needed absolutely no alterations. How lucky was that?! It was beautiful Chantilly lace, fit perfectly, and was free! Not only have I spent more time looking for a MOB dress than my own wedding dress, I’ve actually spent more time looking for my MOB dress than I will spend wearing it!

I’ve also noticed that bridesmaid’s dresses have names like clover, lilac, daisy, chocolate, and cotton candy. MOB dresses have names like champagne, cognac, wine, kalua, and eggplant. Seriously? Eggplant? Let me just say unequivocally that I am done planting eggs! I don’t want a dress called eggplant and what’s with all the alcohol names for colors? Of course, if finding a MOB dress is this stressful, I could be driven to drink! (Mother: There are plenty of bridesmaid dresses called "eggplant!" and it's a beautiful color!!)

I did find one very nice dress at KOP Mall that is somewhat suitable for a wedding, so that is my fall-back dress. I’m just so limited in what looks good on me. 

Empire waist with a V-neck or sweetheart neckline. That truly is it. (preferably in purple size 12P.) 

Anybody have one of those in their cedar chest?