Mrs. Corn introduced the bees, myself included, to Wal*Mart free samples, suggesting it would be a good source for bathroom basket items. I jumped on the idea and headed to Wal*Mart's website. One the site you can choose from a list of items (that is frequently updated). The items arrive in 4-6 weeks, so it takes some planning ahead.
After visiting Wal*Mart's site, I googled around a bit to see who else was giving away free samples. That is when I stumbled upon FreeSamplesBlog.com. It is updated daily with free finds across the web. So here are the first two samples I received: Tampons and Deodorant. Fantastic!
I got some others, but they were too small to really include in a bathroom basket, like a packet of 2 Excedrin. I will put them to goo use though!
I also got a big ol' box of wonderful hair care samples from Mr. Pineapple's friend, Jess. Jess used to work at ULTA and read my post about my crazy frizzy hair. She then wonderfully offered to send me some of the free samples she had been given while working there. She included some of the products you guys recommended like Fekkai and Ojon. I cannot wait to try them out, my hair is equally excited!
Has any one else taken advantage of free samples for a wedding project?
We have finally decided that we will definitely be moving to Clyde, PA on August 2nd. This new home marks our leaving apartments behind and will hopefully be our last rental ever! The foyer. Ryan and I will be going up in a couple weeks to start the process of wallpaper removal, it should be be horrible fun.
This is the dining room, but it could also be the living room, they are mirror images of one another. The living room. The kitchen, pre-paint job the pantry now on up to the second floor
This well-lit red-floored room will be my new studio for creating all sort of lovely things. the right half of the studio Bathroom/Laundry room Our Bedroom The guest bedroom or whatever Ryan wants it to be
The room that will become our walk-in closet
Basement
This used to be the barn on the property (100 acres), but it is know the home of Ryan's friend's parents who will also be our landlords.
Yesterday my friend, coworker and all-time favorite Pittsburgh sculptor, Tim Kaulen, shot some photos of my invitations so I could finally share them with you. (These web images, all of which you should be able to click to enlarge a little, don't quite do Tim's photos justice, but you'll get the gist.) So without further ado:
They were made the old fashion way with an ink jet printer, card stock and a whole lot of elbow grease. When you open the envelope there are two pieces: the primary invitation and a folder containing the details for the ceremony and reception.
The invitation design was inspired by this painting of a tree I made for our home (above). I thought it was a nice way to tie in something personal as well as the season.
This is a shot of the folder open. The inside is a copper pattern I have used on a few other wedding projects, such as return address labels for the save the dates. The folder contains four pieces: map/accommodations/directions card, reply envelope, reply card and an about Ryan and Emily card. (aka the Pineapples :) )
Here is a close-up of the about Ryan and Emily card. I wrote a little blurb about Mr. Pineapple and he wrote one about me. We thought this was a cute was to introduce each other's guests to the other.
Here is the reply card, it is fairly straight forward. I have written out the names of the guests on the cards already. This was there is no confusion about menu selections and i don't have to worry about people forgetting to write their names. Additionally, this should help avoid any confusion about who is invited. I made two versions of the card, one for couples and one for singles.
Here is a close-up of the downtown Pittsburgh map. The street grid is based on a triangle rather than a square... everyone is going to get lost. I put directions and accommodation info on the back of this card. I didn't bother taking a photo of that side because it is purely text.
I cannot wait to send them out! I am about a month early, which is good because we don't have a return address for the reply envelopes yet!
Did anyone else have to wait to send out their invitations because of a move?
Since I decided to make these trees for our wedding I have had second thoughts because of stories, like Miss Milkshake's, where guests were frustrated by not being able to find their cards. I just couldn't dump this idea though, I was attached to it. Luckily, we are having a cocktail hour so guests should have plenty of time to find their card. (Well, at least I hope so. If not they can sit wherever they want, I don't really care.)
I decided to make our cards out of the copper flashing that I picked up from a hardware store many months ago and back them with paper. I could have done something super fancy with the backs of the cards, but I didn't want to make this already complex project even more time-consuming. Here is the final tree (step by step instructions after the photo):
This is a shot of the tree with 34 cards hanging from the little branches. There will be three trees in all, and we are estimating that they will each need about 30 cards on them, but obviously we don't have our final count yet. It's a pretty full tree, so I may make 4, or I may just hope no one strangles me.
Okay, now onto the how-to. (Sorry the photos are not great, copper is not easy to shoot in a dark room.) This is the copper flashing I purchased from Lowe's. It runs about $30 and I have quite a bit left. The flashing is backed with some sort of paper. I don't know what it is or why it is there, but I needed to remove it. When I just tried to peel it off it didn't go well, like taking off a UPC bar code sticker. So, I tried warming the paper side of the copper with my hand for about 5 seconds (just by laying it on top) and it peeled off like magic! You may not have this problem, our house was negative a thousand degrees when I first began this project.
Be careful not to actually touch the face of the copper. The oils on your fingers will create a permanent fingerprint on the surface. You can either wear gloves or just be care to touch only the edges and back that no one will see. I also worked on an old towel because the copper will mark very very easily.
After I decided the size I wanted the cards to be I cut them out of card stock and backed them with double-sided adhesive. A Xyron would work great for this task, unfortunately I got mine a little too late. The cards are about 2" x 2.5" so I cut the copper to be a quarter inch bigger all the way around, 2.5" x 3". Then peeled the adhesive off of the card stock and stuck it approximately in the center of the copper.
The I cut off the corners all the way around. Then I folded the copper over the card stock. It doesn't have to be even all the way around because you will be covering it up anyhow.
Next I added a squirt of Tacky Glue. I chose Tacky Glue because I know it fondly from my childhood spent crafting. I remembered it making anything stick, even when I glued lace onto a t-shirt (I was a fancy 5 year old, who made her own horrible shirts) and my mom washed it over and over. Another glue may work just as well.
Then I took a piece of ribbon and made a loop and stuck it in the glue. (I got the ribbon for $0.50 a spool a Michael's.)
Finally, I added another piece of the card stock (backed with adhesive) to cover the mess and give the ribbon some extra hold.
The result (Mr. Pineapple refers to them as little purses): The next step will be to write the guests' names on the card with an extra fine point Sharpie paint pen. I bought a non-Sharpie one first because it was cheaper, but the tip was too thick: This was just a test of the pen. For the final cards not only will the writing be more delicate, but I will be doing something different for the table number and food choice. (I'll post the results once I start getting RSVPs back).
A few more shots of the finished tree:
Harrison the cat looking for his escort card.
I got the Manzanita branches from Blooms and Branches online. They were the cheapest I found, but I don't know that I would recommend them. There was no protective packaging in the box they were shipped in. Consequently a lot of the little branches were broken off and the 3 main branches were tangled together. Plus they just weren't that nice. I found the containers on clearance at Michael's for $4. The rocks are from my backyard.
Eight months ago I sat down at my computer and started designing the Pineapple wedding initiations. Today I am thrilled (you don't even know) to say, they are done! Every piece has been designed and redesigned, printed and reprinted, trimmed and trimmed again. Spelling mistakes have been made, missed, printed, trimmed, corrected, printed and trimmed.
So without further ado I present to you: Yeah ok, so I did sort of kind of cover them up and not show you anything. My photographer friend is going to take some studio shots of them for me next week so I wanted to wait until then for the big reveal!
I feel like I have actually accomplished something now and have earned the right to wed.
Has anyone else felt this way after completing a major wedding task?
When I was a teenager I had some weird passions. I never spent a day of my life on a sports team. I wasn't particularly interested in school politics. And I quit my first job at Target so I could spend more time (not getting paid, but working longer hours) as a Girl Scout leader.
My biggest passion as a teen was blood donation. For my 17th birthday I organized a blood drive birthday party. I made invitations and used my door to door cookie salesperson skills to invite the whole neighborhood. It turned a huge bash with two blood mobiles and dozens of donors I had never met. After that I was inspired to keep trying to recruit donors and in college created a group called Carnegie Mellon Life Savers.
My sister called me last fall because she wanted to pick my brain about a new design project. The brief for this project was to design to touch the hearts of people in a community of her choosing. Of course, I suggested she try to do something for blood donors. She made 60 fleece scarves embroidered with abstract blood related designs and a "Blood Donors Warm Hearts" tag. Since the scarves were made out of fleece they required no sewing. I think they are absolutely adorable, much better than any of the cheesy t-shirts I have received over the years. And the tag? A perfect touch. So, since I helped her with the concept, I decided to steal the product.
My plan is to make scarves, in neutral colors, as favors for our guests. I am picturing them folded in half and draped over the backs of the chairs in the reception/dining room. (Scarves, candle light, small 6-person tables - do you see my vision?) The tag (which she screen printed herself!) would say something along the lines of: Made with Love Miss & Mister Pineapple 10.18.08
I wouldn't go as far as embroidering them because I don't want to get over whelmed. Since it will be fall and many of our guests are from south of the south, I thought it would be a cute and warm favor.
What do you guys think? Am I getting in over my head? Will guests appreciate them?
You all know what their dresses will look like (well sort of - you know as much as I do, they will be black). And you know they live all over the country. However, that's it. That is all you know about the lovely ladies who are so important to me that I couldn't imagine getting married without them by my side. These women are much more important to me than invitations or cake so here is a proper introduction (in order of life appearances).
First off we have my maid of honor and big sister (but she is actually littler), Kristina
Krissy and I in New York the night before Mr. P proposed, Krissy out and about, the 3 Pineapple kids - my sister is on the right
For the first 20 or so years of my life Krissy and I did not get along. She is two and a half years older than I am and we have a brother between us. You would think being this close in age would be great, but it wasn't. I used to be nick-named "the dentist" because I knocked out so many of Krissy's teeth. She used to make me ride the bus 2 hours to school even though she drove there every morning in a half an hour. Our sibling rivalry was like none other and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't picture us ever getting along.
Then something happened. We both ended up at the same university 1250 miles from "home." She invited me to hang out with her friends when I was still trying to make some of my own and I took her out to lunch using my meal plan. Suddenly I knew who this girl, whom I had lived with and fought with my whole life, was. She was a whole lot like me. Over the past few years we have grown even closer. We talk to each other everyday online - she lives in Manhattan. We give each other advice about design, friends, men, family -- just like sisters in movies do. She even made a movie for me last summer to tell me, for the first time ever, that she loved me.
This is Krissy line dancing around New York City. Needless to say, I cried when I got the DVD in the mail. She has that video up on youtube too, if you want to see just how shocked I was to receive this gift.
I am so happy to have Krissy back in my life and I couldn't imagine a better maid of honor.
Next up we have Kim:
Kim and I met in the fourth grade when it used to be cool to roll you shorts up, definitely Kim's favorite look at the time and she rocked it. Kim lived just a few blocks away and suffered though Mrs. Greenhill's class with me.
Kim had the most beautiful voice I had ever heard, and she still does. Once 6th grade rolled around we both applied to the school of the arts, Kim for vocal and I for fine art. We got in and from then on we were the bestest of friends. We used to sit together on the bus and sing commercial jingles. I even used to tape record her singing so I could play it back to all of my other friends and family. I have always been utterly amazed by that big voice coming out of little Kimmy. She will be performing at our ceremony and I am sure I will cry when I hear her start to sing. Kim is getting married next March and I couldn't be happier for her.
Next we have Lindsay: I met Lindsay in elementary school soon after meeting Kim. My earliest memories of her are riding our bikes to school together. Lindsay also went to the school of the arts, she was the writer and debater of the bunch. Lindsay, Kim and I were attached at the hip. We were so close and saw each other so often that in high school that we had a falling out. Almost a year later I called Kim, hoping the three of us could patch things up. I missed us. We ended up going to see Ocean's 11 and never going another day apart. We worked together at a horrible restaurant after school and got into trouble together on the weekends.
Lindsay lives in West Palm and I miss her very much. The handful of times I have seen her in the last 6 years simply hasn't been enough.
Now onto Christy: You may remember Christy from the post I wrote when I was over whelmed and she had sent me brownies. I remember her as the most fantastic part of my time at Carnegie Mellon. In fact, if I never use anything I learned from my 4 years and $10 million in student loans, the friendship would be worth it.
Christy and I spent 3 years within 100 yards of one another, everyday without speaking. We were 2 of the 15 communication designers at CMU. I was afraid of most of the girls because they gossiped, so I hung out with boys in the engineering school. I later became friends with some of her friends. One day, out of the blue, I asked her if she would like to go to my cousin's dairy farm with me. We were both in a photo class together and the dairy was my project. She said "sure" and the rest is history. We were like peas and carrots, Christy and I. We spent senior year of college going on adventures around western PA during our Friday's off (some of which included MR Boots, frownie brownies, BRENTwood, Ghost Riders and Spring Break WOOO!) For a solid 5 months we went line dancing at Saddle Ridge, at least twice - but usually three times a week. (I have over 1,600 photographs to prove it.)
When we weren't hanging out we would be talking online, avoiding our design work. The day Christy moved to Boston I gave her a book I made. I was a spiral bound copy of all our IM conversations from the past year. I assigned each of us a typeface and called out the best parts typographically. Half of the words are either "hahahahaha" or "omg I'm laughing so hard I can't breathe." I could go on and on about how Christy changed my life, but I don't want to bore you. Just think of the most amazing person you know and Christy is like that. (The best part, she is coming to Pittsburgh next week!)
And now the most recent, Katie I first met Katie when she was my supervisor at Carnegie Mellon. She has a big personality and an even bigger heart. I used to tease her about how she went out all the time. Well, it turns out - she was going out with one of her best friends, Mr. Pineapple. Katie and Mr. P met when Katie was in grad school at IUP, a couple years before Mr. P replaced Katie as my boss.
I am so lucky to have Katie here in Pittsburgh to help me make paper roses and to help my sister with her bridal shower plans. We are also lucky she is here because we have someone to go to Pirate's games with (I think PNC park is Katie's home away from home). My biggest wedding planning mistake so far, according to Katie, is picking Penn State's homecoming weekend to get married. Sorry Katie (there will be a tv in the lounge). Go Nittany Lions?!
Okay, I'm going to flat out say it: you should read this book. Hana Schank writes about planning her own wedding and in the process really puts a lot into perspective. Her writing is quick witted and honest. She describes everything from searching to the dress to dealing with family drama. It is refreshing to read such honesty about guest list tug of wars and trying to hold your own against the wedding industry.
I really wish I would have read this book earlier in my planning process. When I began planning I knew that I wanted to be as laid back as possible, like Schank wanted to be, but there were a lot of assumptions I took for granted. I had only been to two weddings and never really thought much about my options before beginning to plan my own. I assumed I needed to have a bridal party, assumed I needed to have a color palette, assumed I needed to have a bouquet. Many of these things Schank ended up having as well, but she really made me reconsider a lot of elements. Why do the bride and bridesmaids have to carry flowers?
She also writes about planning a Jewish wedding that incorporates her family's culture, without focusing solely on religion. Although I am not Jewish, it was a great lesson in learning that you can pick and choose which traditions to include based on your relationship.
One of the things that made her arguments convincing was her inclusion of a lot of wedding history. When it came to choosing a dress she researched the history and significance of the wedding gown. The same is true for the significance and history of many wedding elements such as the flowers, hora, chuppah, bridal party and cake.
I only gave here 4.5 out of 5 arbitrary pineapples because at some points the book was a bit of a downer. I wanted to reach through the book and shake Schank and say "you said colors don't matter, so why do they matter to you now?!" But, her honesty with getting a bit caught up in the weddingness of her wedding is what made me really love this book.
Anyone want my copy of A More Perfect Union (or want to trade)?
So here are the first two samples I received: Tampons and Deodorant. Fantastic!
She included some of the products you guys recommended like Fekkai and Ojon. I cannot wait to try them out, my hair is equally excited!
