Wedding Faves!

I've been to a few weddings lately.....

And last night I was at a wedding in Austin, Texas that had the above napkin fold at the reception!

Do you not just LOVE that?

I have not seen that before .... and I've been to a few weddings lately, folks!

Okay..... I found a tutorial for the napkin fold above! Click on tutorial! It works.....I am seeing fancy napkins in my husband's future!

All the women were quite impressed and we all had our iphones out clicking away!

You KNOW I'll be making those!

I'm thinking paper napkins would be realllllllly easy!

Also...... I've been waiting for a chance to share the cake from my niece's wedding

in May.... which was in Plano, Texas...

Don't you love these flowers in/on it!?

and the fact that it was DELICIOUS only added to the experience! The filling had frozen strawberries in it. I need to ask for more details about that! I will not be attempting to reproduce the bottom photo, only the top. All of this and Texas heat to boot*! *This expression has nothing to do with footwear. Boot here is an archaic noun meaning "advantage," and in the idiom has been broadened to include anything additional, good or bad. [c. a.d. 1000]

When Do You Throw the Flowers Out?

I do have a cut flower obsession. Especially for "flowers after the event".

I bring them home and coddle them for days.

These are bridesmaids bouquets.

How could those girls not have wanted these?

Yes, some did take their's.

(they are the girls like me)

So when you open my fridge you see flowers!

Do you see that the "stock" is turning brown?

I cut those parts off (last night)

and the roses (God love em)

are standing in vases drying now.

No, I'm not going the silica route.

I DO have silica... I'm just trying to free myself!

Below are flowers from the tables that I brought home and they've been in water.

I gave lots of arrangements like these away.

I wonder how they are doing?

Kacee???

Claire?

Jessi?

Magen?

Brittany?

I love those little blue blossoms opening on the hydrangaes! I left 8 vases of orchids and curly willow..... I know.... ....but I can only handle so much! OKAY.....moving on... The only things I made for this wedding were some things for the attendants gifts... I made photoblocks... fashioned after Julia's. Debbie helped me do everything but the sachets. Remember those chiffon flowers we all made? We sewed them on flip flops for the reception... (just for the bridesmaids)

and I showed you these sachets previously, too....

We packaged these up and put them in the girls' bags they got...

along with other goodies.

I promise I'll be finished with wedding talk soon!

I have nothing else right now though!!!!

...and in case you are concerned...

the staff assured me they would

take the orchids and branches home...

some to their mothers...

I'm sure they are thriving

and making people happy and obsessed today!

So...I no longer have any in my fridge....

but they are all over the house...

waiting for their next photo op!!!

Let them eat cakes!

If you have never been to a wedding cake tasting....

let me just say you will love it and you'll need to drink a lot of water the rest of the day!

My daughter's cake turned out beautifully....

For you novices out there..... hee hee.... that bottom layer is fake!

You can adjust which layer is fake by how many slices you want to get out of this cake!

Sometimes at weddings they make a smaller cake and just have sheet cakes in the kitchen.

That's a great option, too!

But this seemed easy and it was!

Makes the cake look so big!

The part that I found amazing,

and

why I'm dedicating a blog post to

the wedding cake,

is the drawing of the cake.

My daughter just talked with the cake designer

and .... as we sat there...

the designer just drew it off on her graph paper!

I was blown away by that!

It's like FUN DOODLING!

So I scratched out on photoshop all the

personal info from the drawing

so I could share it with you....

BC is buttercream... just so ya know...

In the USA we do a "groom's cake" also. Tradition started in the American South...

you know we like everyone to have a piece of chocolate if they'd like....

but I think the tradition has spread across the country.

I know my friends in New Zealand and Switzerland didn't know about this tradition,

so thought I'd explain.

My son-in-law wanted German Chocolate Cake for his groom's cake...

They were both delicious!

Yes, we had a "rod iron stand".

I mean....... she could design a cake...what do you want?

Daughter Married....

I don't have a lot of pictures yet.

These are just some from my camera.

I didn't want to interfere with the professional shots.

Afterall, I was paying a lot of money for some great pictures....

I didn't want to get in the way of that!!!!!

So the above were some the professional was setting up and I tried to discreetly get some of them...

Below are the moms....... Claire and I!

And...here are Frank and I....

Everything went great. It was all beautiful and happened so quickly.

More tomorrow.......

Kiss the Bride!

Once upon a time there was a little girl that just LOVED candles! And she grew up loving all things sweet!

And she met a sweet guy... And now she gets to have her own cake and candles.... next Saturday! I may be absent for a few days....

Silk Sacheting

In April I saw a tutorial

for the cutest felt dresses

made into lavender sachets!

I thought....

"I'll make them out of white duponi silk for the bridesmaids!"

And...so... I did!

They will go in their gift bags!

July is Wedding Month!

Movin on down the aisle

“When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody,

you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”

"When Harry Met Sally"

(Movie)

The above shot was taken last fall....... when we "booked" the wedding!

I bought my Mother of the Bride dress yesterday.

Below is a sneak peek, not found anywhere else!

Note the fabric flower.

No, I didn't make it.

I could have, tho!

more soon........

We can make these!

That's what I said to my daughter yesterday

when we were wedding shoe shopping!

Aren't they adorable!

I don't think she wants such big flowers on her's as it might interfere

under her long dress...but a smaller flower would be sweet!

They are slightly stitched on and hot glued!

If she doesn't wear it.... her momma will!

I mean...after my foot surgery I'll be all about

some fun shoes!

Right?

Are you ready for all that is to come?

I can never remember the name of this vine! Do you know??? My friend, Brenda, that is a Master Gardener gave it to me after my mother died in 2003. I moved it a few years ago to this new location in the center of the yard and it is so happy there! When we have our first freeze, it will look dreadful...but who knows when that will happen here in southeast Texas!

And the wonderful joy of it is

that no matter how hard

the freeze......

it always comes back in the spring!

The above shot was taken a couple of weeks ago when apparently the butterflies were migrating! It was covered in them. Today I took the shot below... it is pouring down rain as another welcome cool front arrives!

Anna sent me a box! I'm hosting a simply wonderful Christmas swap and they are all due to me the end of this week...wait til you see it! But, in her box of swap stuff, she included goodies for me. Among them was this Emergency First Aid Kit for me to take to Silver Bella next month! She also sent wonderful paper goodies!

Anna always credits me with so much in her life.

Little does she know what a blessing she has been to my life.

She has given me the confidence

to do much of what

I do in working

with young moms

and young couples

in my church!

God continues to use Anna!

....and...

on Saturday

we

made

the

date

official

for

daughter's

wedding

Get Ready!

My Daughter's Engaged!

Yes, Friday night he proposed! And, no, he didn't propose AT Gruene Hall!

Let the planning begin!

I'll Be There

..... that was the name of the song I selected for the MOG dance!

Sung by Michael Jackson, who my son adored when he was a little boy discovering music.

...let me fill your heart with joy and laughter...

whenever you need me... I'll be there!

They Did!

More pictures soon!

It was a beautiful ceremony

and

a fun party!

Winning is Good!

I won this circus ATC

titled "She liked to dream big!"

from Katie over at

Ragamuffin Gal!

She arrived in great company...

and wrapped in a vintage hankie!

Katie has been an online friend for awhile now and...

we are going to get to meet

in

November

at Silver Bella!

I know.... I can't believe it either!

There will be lots of pictures taken!

Also...have to show you that today I made a label

for the water bottles I'm including

in the gift bags for the

hotel guests

at my

son's wedding

next month!

Maybe tomorrow I'll assemble the

cookie boxes and glue the

flowers on them!

Maybe!!