Ohmygosh! I won!! Now what?

Go me! I won the Weddingbee.com blog's BlumeBox gift certificate giveaway!


A BlumeBox

Except... now I don't know what to do with it!

Blumeboxes are absolutely adorable and I love that they're recycled and earth-friendly. Totally fits with our theme! So now how do I incorporate them?

We already have centerpieces that I love.

My first thought was to plant the pine seedling favors in them. But at 2.99 each, that's more than the cost of the gift certificate, and more than plan A would have cost. When we're trying to have a budget friendly wedding, that's just not a smart move.

Any ideas?

Pointy. So pointy.

Today the box of pine cones I had ordered from eBay arrived. Yea! The pine cones are intended to be part of the centerpiece, general decor in a few other places, and to hold the escort cards to help guests find their table.

Mr. Calico had placed the very large box on the dining room table, so as soon as I got home from the gym I went at it with a pair of scissors. Seriously, there had to be a roll of tape covering the top of the box. Those pine cones were not going to escape! Kudos to the eBay seller, since I imagine that secure packaging is one of the most important aspects when shipping something as fragile and non-water-resistent as pine cones.

Having finally cut through all the clear tape (hey, it's better than red), I opened the box to reveal:



Wow. That's literally a big box of pine cones. Well, the first thing I notice is that they are much bigger than I'd anticipated. I thought they'd be the cute little decor pine cones I saw in my head. These are beautiful, mind you, but they're like the size of my hand. A bit too big for escort cards... I'm not sure.

So I reach in to pick one up and - ouch! Something bit me! What the what??

Uh-oh, I realize as I carefully pick up a pine cone to examine it more closely. Nothing bit me. These pine cones have thorns.



(Not the world's greatest photo, since Blackberry decided to focus on the cabinets behind instead of the cone. Sorry!)

Do all pine cones have thorns? Did I just miss that detail? I can still use them as "untouched" decor, but I can't exactly put escort cards in something that might sort of stab our guests!

Now what?

Two months, 5 days to go...

Two months, five days. Sixty-five days.

Sixty-five days?! I'm getting married in 65 days?? Oy, so much to do!

Tonight's victory: the invitations are ready to go out. Yea! Labelled, stuffed, stamped and ready to be sent out in the morning. And just in time, too! The wedding is May 29... so we might be cutting that a little close. I probably need to read an etiquette book or something. Not much I can do now, though.

Our invitations are adorable. I made some maps and other inserts, but the invitations themselves are a variation of this design from Etsy vendor Little Spark Designs.



She did a great job - I completely recommend her! They were already almost exactly what we (I) wanted, and she was awesome about working with us until they were perfect.

I can't believe it's finally starting to come down to the wire. My to do list doesn't seem to be getting any shorter, Mr. Calico is too busy to help with anything, and I'm getting a little fed up with non-responsive vendors. So many projects... How do I prioritize? The books don't seem to tell you what to do about that. I keep fixating on the ones that interest me, so I'm worried I'm missing a more pragmatic order of accomplishments. (Thanks, Mr. Calico, for the $3 word suggestion!)

And, today, adding to that happy weight on my shoulders, the friend/DJ who had offered to DJ our wedding as his gift to us backed out. Wow. Disappointing to say the least, especially since I had cancelled a meeting this Saturday with a local DJ I had "pre-booked" a few months ago. There was about an hour of anxiety there before local DJ responded that he was still available and willing to meet on Saturday. Phew!

Is anyone else feeling the stress? Has anything helped you out in the last final months? Is there any BIG I might be forgetting??

I guess this makes brides appreciate the honeymoon more. Sure, I'm looking forward to spending time with Mr. Calico and exploring our multiple destinations (more on that later), but I'm also looking forward to a few hours with my Kindle and a nap! :)

Flower Girl, Take 1

Two exciting packages in the mail today: my order from SaveOnCrafts.com and the potential flower girl dress I won on eBay.

The SaveOnCrafts order was disappointing. It's the faux moss mats for the centerpieces, but I'm worried they look too much like astroturf. On the other hand, I was worried about the real moss smelling bad or getting into food, so maybe it's better. I'll consult with Mr. Calico after he gets back home from his business trip. To FLORIDA. That's right - only he could manage to get sent away to Florida for a few days just as the cold and rainy returns to central Indiana.

Anyway, now on to the cuteness:



And a back view:



Please excuse any kitchen randomness. Yes, I hung the hanger from the pot rack. Give me a break! Anyway, I'm excited to see Niece Calico and Sister Calico this weekend, to try on the dress and see if it looks like it will fit in May. I also picked up a pair of shoes for Sis Calico, though I'm not so convinced that I like them with her dress.

Shoes:

Women's Mossimo Supply Co. Odell Flower Ballet Flats - Metallic Gold : Target

Dress:



Any thoughts?

And a 1 and a 2...

And all the way to number 6! Or 8, if we need those two extra tables in the back of my mind.

Oh, Hobby Lobby. How could I forget about you? Tucked away in the back of the shopping plaza, far from the main road, always waiting with you odorous dried flowers, ostentatious home decor and surprisingly large selection of photo frames. And yet, until today, I had.

Having been reminded of the craft store's existance, after work I headed out, armed with a coupon for 30% off wood crafts.

As I entered the store, I noticed that their ribbon by the spool was half off. Score! I found some pretty earthtone shades for the centerpieces (as part of previously described vision) and then headed off in search of the alphanumerical wood section.

First, I found this lovely item:



Wow, thanks. I would never have figured that one out. (What exactly is the purpose of this item? it's an unfinished box, but you wouldn't paint it if it has writing on it... would you?) Well, it did lead me to the next aisle, where I found this:



Numbers! Giant, house number size numbers. Sigh. Well, at least people with digits other than 4 and 7 can shop here. I spent a good five minutes pacing the aisle, staring at the items as if I could magically make little wooden numbers appear.

See these?



Perfect - except they're all letters. :(

With a sigh, I finally collected my disappointed self and headed toward the checkout. I'll have to paint the numbers on, I decide. I don't want to use foam stickers, the only suggestion I've gotten. It just wouldn't fit our nature theme.

Wait, what's this I see? Half off scrapbooking? You are making a scrapbook as our guestbook, I remind myself, and head into the aisle to see if there's anything I'm missing.

And then I see it:


(photo from www.scrapofdifference.com.au)

Look at that! Little three-dimensional numbers! This isn't the exact set I bought, but it's close enough to serve as an example, since the camara has already gone to bed.

I'm so excited! The wooden leaves arrived today, so another step of my DIY centerpiece project is ready to begin: painting the leaves and the numbers. Whoo-hoo!

Has anyone else had a vision they almost gave up on?

The Numbers Get No Respect

I have a vision. It's not a complicated vision. Or at least I didn't think it was. Our centerpieces are recycled glass vases to be filled with decor rocks, filled with a few flowers TBD and placed on a square of moss. Simple and fitting of our nature theme. Each vase will have raffia wrapped around the neck and a painted wooden oak leaf will hang from the raffia, proudly displaying the table number.

Not too complicated, right? True - except for one little detail. I want the table numbers to be raised. Sure, I could just paint them on. But my vision has an element of depth, you know?

So, trusty coupons in hand, I headed out to the craft stores. First up, Joann's. I scored some great bouquet ribbon and a spare vase (we aren't the least clumsy people, Mr. Calico and me) but no numbers. Letters abound. Big wooden letters, little wooden letters. Paper letters, foam letters, clay letters. The only numbers in the store were house number sized. Available in wood or clay, in case anyone is looking, but only in 4 and 7. (Is there a lack of those numbers in Indy addresses or something?)

Next on to Michaels, where I found no numbers whatsoever. What's going on? Don't kids need to learn to count or something?

Any suggestions for the number hunt would be greatly appreciated - help keep the vision alive!

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Check! Mr. Calico has a tux

Ah, men and shopping. Let me tell you, that is one of Mr. Calico's favorite pastimes, especially clothing shopping. Right up there with dental work and Ohio State (sorry to any Buckeyes!). But, after a morning of re-arranging the living room furniture, we (finally) headed out to check one more thing off our list.

Stop 1 was a chain tux shop. We walked in. We waited. Someone eventually greeted us and promised to be with us shortly. We waited a few minutes, then began to wander a bit. We made fun of the paisley tie section. It had now been 15 minutes. We left and went to the Mexican place next door for lunch.

Fail.

OK, so take two. We go to a (very) small tux shop down the road. It smells like french fries. The sales clerk greets us and says she'll be with us in a moment. Did I mention it smelled like french fries? We left, and took a walk to the gigantic formal wear store in the same complex.

Fail.

And take three. Finally - success! An open, airy store that didn't smell like an unhealthy (though potentially delicious) potato product! And, of course, tons of people. We eventually got the host (?) to explain what to do and, with a promise that he would send us a clerk as soon as one was available, we headed toward the men's corner to browse.

Papa Calico went in the intention of looking for a morning suit, but quickly gravitated toward a black suit with large stripes. He loved it. We discussed. He moved on. (That was so not happening...)

Next he tried on a lapel-less jacket. Interesting, very modern. I approved. He approved. And then, he saw it:



The tux! In case it isn't clear from the picture, it's brown! Of course, it looks dapper on him, but with his coloring, he can wear anything except maybe neon orange. And it goes it the wedding theme (nature) and colors (browns and greens) AND the vest and tie are almost the exact shade of Sister Calico's maid of honor dress. But it still surprised me that he gravitated toward that and not a traditional black, or gray, or beige.

Has anyone else's groom chosen a brown tux or a non-traditional look?

Welcome. Bienvenidos. Bienvenue.

Welcome! Thanks for stopping by.

First post. OK, so an introduction, right? I'm... well, call me Lady Calico. Anonymous online living and all. Oh, now a little about me. Hmmm...

I'm the proud holder of a few degrees which let me do two things I love: teach languages and translate them. Go me! Seriously, I love my job.

I also love Mr. Calico. We met in 2008 and we're getting married in May. Very exciting! Of course, all my free time and as much of his as he'll let me steal is devoted to that very thing: our (hopefully) wonderful nuptials.

We've made our home together in a little bungalow in Indianapolis since I left my apartment in more expensive surroundings further north to cohabitate in the name of the recession and our future. The bungalow promises to be adorable and perfect one day, but right now is sort of our cozy home repair project. It's growing on me... when the closet doors aren't sticking shut. Now that the weather's warm(ing), I can't wait to surround it with flowers, or for the magnolia trees to bloom again. Papa Calico is a good homeowner, but gifting the bungalow electronics just doesn't give it quite the same sense of home, you know?

We're both natives of lands further north, which is where we're planning the big day. This alone is an interesting feat, since all of our vendors are at least two hours from us, and has required a few long days (and one day of absolute cake overload).

Great! So now you know a little about me. I guess it's time for the most obvious question, huh?
Why "Twenty-Eight Paws"?

Because there are 28 paws in our bungalow. That's right. We share our little home and our lives with seven cats.

And now the new most obvious question: "Are you crazy?!"

Yes. Yes, we are.

OK, seriously, no. It's just how life turned out. It's kind of like the Brady Bunch of cats. We both had cats when we met and, well, we can't just turn our backs on them, just because crazy cat lady plus crazy cat man equals insane cat couple. They're part of what makes us US... even if it does lead to chaos.

So, as I've already said, thanks for stopping by. I'll be updating with wedding projects and reflections for the DIY-ers and brides to be, as well as cat- and bungalow-related drama. Hope to see you soon!