Happy new year's eve everyone! I have more resolutions this year than all of the past years combined. In addition to my year of new hobbies I also want to make one that everyone makes. Eat healthier and exercise more!
Something that doesn't really fit in with my other hobbies is finding crap in the desert to re-purpose into stuff for my house. I live near a part of the desert few people live in. Sadly there are messed up people that use the desert as their dump. Sometimes there is interesting stuff to find out there. I recently came back with a cute end table that I can sand and stain, a cabinet door I might turn into a piece of art or a shelf, ten pieces of unbroken tile, a nice whole piece of glass, and a fairly large piece of wood I'm considering painting and turning into a headboard for our bed.
I've also started a short story. It's a lot more fun than I expected. This vacation has been wonderful. I was actually able to deep clean my kitchen and front room. I still need to organize the bedrooms. One in particular because it is where all of my crafts and books are stored :)
Tomorrow I'll be starting the master cleanse. I find it much easier to lose the weight first then build habits to keep it off. For anyone interested, the site is http://www.lemonademastercleanse.org/ and it works wonders if you have the willpower to do it. My first time on it I lost ten pounds in 4 days, felt amazing the whole time and kept the weight off easily watching my calorie intake. It's meant to cleanse your insides and detox, the weight loss is just an awesome perk.
Happy new year everyone, I hope you had a great 2011 and I hope you have an even better 2012.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Cooking: Chocolate Covered Stirring Spoons
I received an email the other day with an idea for chocolate covered stirring spoons. The idea was for a home-made christmas gift but I thought it was so cute, I decided to try it for my co-workers. Below is the picture from the email (http://www.homemadesimple.com/en-us/pages/home.aspx)
So I gathered the materials: Plastic spoons, chocolate chips (semi sweet, white, and butterscotch), sprinkles, mini candy canes, sandwich baggies, and ribbon. I really thought this looked like an easy project but I could NOT get the semi-sweet chips to be the right consistency. I empied a small bag of them into a bowl and microwaved them until they were melty. I was heating them for 15 seconds at a time then stirring to prevent overcooking but I suspect I overcooked it somehow because it was similar to the texture of a three musketeers candy bar!
I worked around that snag by pressing the chocolate into the spoon and refrigerating that to set it a little. Then, I decorated the spoons with white chocolate and butterscotch dots. I melted those chips in the corners of sandwich baggies and it melted to the perfect consistency. Go figure! After all the dots were placed, I dipped each spoon in sprinkles and put them all in the refrigerator again. Below is my end result wrapped up in a little sandwich bag with a curled ribbon.
They didn't come out anything like the picture but everyone loved them! Some people ate the chocolate right off the spoon and some people used theirs to stir into their coffee. Cute idea!
I worked around that snag by pressing the chocolate into the spoon and refrigerating that to set it a little. Then, I decorated the spoons with white chocolate and butterscotch dots. I melted those chips in the corners of sandwich baggies and it melted to the perfect consistency. Go figure! After all the dots were placed, I dipped each spoon in sprinkles and put them all in the refrigerator again. Below is my end result wrapped up in a little sandwich bag with a curled ribbon.
Writing Improvement: Free journalism courses
With how busy this month has been, I've had a really strong urge to be creative to relieve some stress. One of my year long goals is to improve my writing so I was doing a little research into free journalism courses online and it's amazing how many wonderful people there are out there willing to share their knowledge for free.
- This site http://creative-writing-course.thecraftywriter.com/ has me motivated to try my hand at writing a short story.
- Here is another site with lots of good information on it http://education-ortal.com/articles/10_Universities_Offering_Free_Writing_Courses_Online.html (tons of variety!)
- I also came across this cool tool. You put in your writing goals and get 7 little reminders to help keep you on track. http://www.writershelper.com/writing-goals.html . My goal: To research what makes a great short story, to finish a draft of the story, to receive a critique, and to finish my own book!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Wedding Budget: Pricing your Top Priorities
We decided to set the total budget at $5000, a reasonable amount of money that we could save within the next year. If we get help from friends or family members it will be a wonderful surprise but we didn't want anyone to feel burdened with the wedding expenses and we also didn't want to start our marriage in any debt of our own. This budget is taking a serious amount of research so I'll tackle the biggest chunks of our budget, the photographer, cake, and attire.
PHOTOGRAPHY: After getting prices quotes from about 10 photographers, I think we're going to allow $1000 for the photography. I've seen prices from $500 to $4000 so it will be difficult to find the perfect fit but we have a long time left to look. If anyone can recommend a photographer in the Southern California area I'd appreciate it!
CAKE: I used google image searches to find styles of cakes that I like and emailed them to several bakers in my area asking for estimates on the work. The average for my area (southern california) turned out to be roughly $300 for a cake, $3.50 per slice with buttercream frosting or $4.50 per slice with fondant. The price will depend upon how much detail the cake has, filling, frosting, and how many people you plan on serving.
ATTIRE: I have not been to David's Bridal to look for my dress yet but they have a HUGE selection. After browsing their dresses online I saw several that would be beautiful and they were all under $500. We're hoping to keep my fiance's tux rental at about $100 and no higher than $80 for each bridesmaid dress. David's Bridal also offers a discount for bridesmaid dresses if you buy your wedding gown there! This will put the attire budget at about $1000.
So using $1000 for the photography, $1000 for the attire, and about $300 for the cake, we will have $2700 left for the rest of the elements of the wedding. I think I'll be using the budget tool on http://www.mywedding.com/. All of the budget tools on the sites I've linked to before are awesome and user friendly but I think I like the style of this one the best.
PHOTOGRAPHY: After getting prices quotes from about 10 photographers, I think we're going to allow $1000 for the photography. I've seen prices from $500 to $4000 so it will be difficult to find the perfect fit but we have a long time left to look. If anyone can recommend a photographer in the Southern California area I'd appreciate it!
CAKE: I used google image searches to find styles of cakes that I like and emailed them to several bakers in my area asking for estimates on the work. The average for my area (southern california) turned out to be roughly $300 for a cake, $3.50 per slice with buttercream frosting or $4.50 per slice with fondant. The price will depend upon how much detail the cake has, filling, frosting, and how many people you plan on serving.
ATTIRE: I have not been to David's Bridal to look for my dress yet but they have a HUGE selection. After browsing their dresses online I saw several that would be beautiful and they were all under $500. We're hoping to keep my fiance's tux rental at about $100 and no higher than $80 for each bridesmaid dress. David's Bridal also offers a discount for bridesmaid dresses if you buy your wedding gown there! This will put the attire budget at about $1000.
So using $1000 for the photography, $1000 for the attire, and about $300 for the cake, we will have $2700 left for the rest of the elements of the wedding. I think I'll be using the budget tool on http://www.mywedding.com/. All of the budget tools on the sites I've linked to before are awesome and user friendly but I think I like the style of this one the best.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Wedding Budget: What are your priorities?
So I'd love to jump right in and share the secret to knocking out a wedding budget but it turns out they are pretty difficult! I chose to start this intimidating process with careful consideration of my priorities.
http://www.theknot.com/,
http://www.weddingwire.com/
http://www.mywedding.com/
http://www.costofwedding.com/
You can add and remove items from those lists to fit your unique situation. For example, I removed the venue fees because my parents are going to let me get married in the beautiful back yard I grew up in.
I'm working on talking to local bakers, florists, photographers, djs, caterers, etc to get some average costs to put into the budget because I would hate to come up short if I estimated a cost too low. Wedding planning seems hectic enough without having to worry about dealing with unexpected expenses. Until then, good luck and let me know if you find anything helpful in your own planning adventures!
- Photography is our top priority. Finding a photographer that can work with our theme, make us feel comfortable, capture the major events and the little details in a romantic way will be well worth a good chunk of the budget for us. In ten years when we're looking back on the day, beautiful photographs will be priceless.
- Second is the cake. I always dreamed of having a beautiful, heaven-in-your-mouth cake with tiers, edible flowers, and a romantic cake topper. To quote my best friend, "everyone remembers the wedding cake".
- Next on my list is the dress. I'll be paying for my dress as well as my bridesmaids' dresses and while I'd like to save as much money as possible, I still want the dresses to be beautiful and good quality. David's Bridal has the largest selection in my area so I'll be starting there.
http://www.theknot.com/,
http://www.weddingwire.com/
http://www.mywedding.com/
http://www.costofwedding.com/
You can add and remove items from those lists to fit your unique situation. For example, I removed the venue fees because my parents are going to let me get married in the beautiful back yard I grew up in.
I'm working on talking to local bakers, florists, photographers, djs, caterers, etc to get some average costs to put into the budget because I would hate to come up short if I estimated a cost too low. Wedding planning seems hectic enough without having to worry about dealing with unexpected expenses. Until then, good luck and let me know if you find anything helpful in your own planning adventures!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Calligraphy Beginnings
I spend half the afternoon searching for online calligraphy sources and found a lot!:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calligraphy
http://www.studioarts.net/calligraphy/
http://www.jennibick.com/learning-calligraphy.html
http://www.societyforcalligraphy.com/classes.asp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw4nUdHYQ4E
http://cmcgavren.home.sprynet.com/chiselpt.html
The other half of the afternoon was frustrated information-overload searching through google images for calligraphy fonts I would like to be able to reproduce. I discovered that I'm drawn more to the artistic side of it than the super precise side and that lead me to "Calligraffiti".
Niels Shoe is an artist that practices this: http://www.calligraffiti.nl/ I'm not a fan of the super thick lettering since I'd like to be able to do this with a regular pen/pencil most of the time but I love the artsy style and the way the words and embellishments blend together. Here's an example of his work!
I printed several font examples to begin practicing. I'm looking forward to seeing a change in my daily writing and working up to a skill level that I can address my save the date cards and wedding invitations with class!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calligraphy
http://www.studioarts.net/calligraphy/
http://www.jennibick.com/learning-calligraphy.html
http://www.societyforcalligraphy.com/classes.asp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw4nUdHYQ4E
http://cmcgavren.home.sprynet.com/chiselpt.html
The other half of the afternoon was frustrated information-overload searching through google images for calligraphy fonts I would like to be able to reproduce. I discovered that I'm drawn more to the artistic side of it than the super precise side and that lead me to "Calligraffiti".
Niels Shoe is an artist that practices this: http://www.calligraffiti.nl/ I'm not a fan of the super thick lettering since I'd like to be able to do this with a regular pen/pencil most of the time but I love the artsy style and the way the words and embellishments blend together. Here's an example of his work!
Wedding Planning: Where to begin
Lots of sites have long to-do lists (weddings have so many details!) but here is a small, basic list to get the wedding planning ball rolling. I've already spent two months trying to iron out the details on this list for our wedding!
I also wanted to share an awesome idea I found in one of the dyi forums. I was already planning on making all the guest invitations myself after seeing some outrageous prices but this was different. It was a cute little paper invitation asking the lucky girl to be in your wedding party.
Above is the original idea for the invite. I tried finding the source for this but I originally saved it as a PDF and the only information on it is "Anna from Rifle Designs".
This image is my end result. I found special poems for each of my 5 bridesmaids and customized them to add personal touches. I printed out the poems, attached them to yellow card stock and then added the paper bridesmaid chain on top. (I love the bridesmaid chain idea because upon receiving the invitation, the girls all know who else is included) All of the girls loved them. I'll be on the look out for any other ideas like this. I'd love the chance to show everyone involved how special they are to me during all of this.
Oh and before I close, the other idea was to take all the girls out to lunch and present them with ring pops in pretty boxes and similar invites that say something like "The groom popped his question, now it's the bride's turn!". Pretty cute :)
- Envision your wedding - Big, small, elegant, casual, outdoor, church, traditional, etc. Consider themes as well. Ours will be a starry night romantic theme!
- Choose your wedding attendants - Pick reliable ones! A tip from my best friend was that while large wedding parties can be fun, they can also be chaotic and make for less intimate group photos.
- Create a rough guest list - Only include people that you couldn't imagine leaving out at first. If your location and budget allow, add more to the list before finalizing.
- Choose a location - Pay attention to how flexible they are and what's included in the price. Consider your guest list, decoration ideas, the venue's alcohol and food options, length of time the venue is yours, etc. Once I made my decision on the location it was much easier to imagine how the wedding would look and feel.
- Work out a budget - This step is the one that's currently giving me the most trouble. I placed it last on my list because different locations come with different costs and needs. It seems difficult to create a budget when you have no idea what the average rates are for all of these wedding services. I'll be researching budgets next and I'll be sure to write up what I learned.
I also wanted to share an awesome idea I found in one of the dyi forums. I was already planning on making all the guest invitations myself after seeing some outrageous prices but this was different. It was a cute little paper invitation asking the lucky girl to be in your wedding party.
Oh and before I close, the other idea was to take all the girls out to lunch and present them with ring pops in pretty boxes and similar invites that say something like "The groom popped his question, now it's the bride's turn!". Pretty cute :)
Monday, December 12, 2011
Hobby Buffet: 1 exciting year, 12 new skills
This is my brilliant new year resolution. To devote a whole year to all of the new hobbies or activites I've been interested in. I'll be spending a month on each activity to learn all that I can, or at least all of the basics. My goal is to end each month with a new understanding of each of these choices, some skills or creations I can be proud of, and possibly a new passion to go forward with. I also hope that I can share some helpful information with anyone that comes across my page.
Based on what's happening in my life at this point, there will also be some year-long activities. Wedding planning, scrapbooking, and reading. Developing my writing skills is another year-long goal but that is the motivation behind this blog! Below is my year of activities.
Based on what's happening in my life at this point, there will also be some year-long activities. Wedding planning, scrapbooking, and reading. Developing my writing skills is another year-long goal but that is the motivation behind this blog! Below is my year of activities.
- JANUARY: Calligraphy, handwriting analysis - I started hearing more about calligraphy when I began planning the wedding and people can actually make good money doing this! Learning the basics could definitely add class to my wedding invitations and save me some money. And even if I never make a cent doing this, beautiful writing is always a pleasure to look at.
- FEBRUARY: Photography - I've been really interested in photography for years, just never pursued it the way I should have. My goal with this is to learn enough to take beautiful pictures for myself. If I discover that I have any real talent in it I may start saving for better equipment! I'm really looking forward to this month.
- MARCH: Painting - This hobby has been a fun idea since high school art classes. I love landscapes and would love even more to be able to re-create them on canvas. I also consider this somewhat of a bonus hobby because I'll be able to decorate the bare walls in my house with artwork I can be proud of!
- APRIL: Candle, soap making - I was inspired to make candles after watching an episode of "How it's made" and seeing the beautiful creations. This will take quite a bit of research because I'll be going into this one with not even a bit of prior experience. (Possible wedding favors here!)
- MAY: Personal fitness/training - I bought a fitness plan online and now receive countless emails from "fitness pros". There is so much information out there, I'd love to learn the facts myself and know the theory behind their strategies. Becoming a certified personal trainer is also a future goal of mine to supplement our income if we ever have a child!
- JUNE: Scuba diving - This is the activity I'm looking forward to the most. Exploring is definitely a passion of mine and I'm intensely curious about what's at the bottom of those deep dark bodies of water. This month I will get scuba certified and if there are no negative experiences, save up for my own equipment.
- JULY: Pole dancing - We currently have a portable "stripper pole" set up in the garage. We set it up for parties but after playing around on it we discovered it's an amazing workout! This one will be a serious challenge and I'm hoping the two months before this will have helped me build some core strength and given me a little bit of a head start!
- AUGUST: Gardening - Last year I planted random plants everywhere and they grew like a wildflower field. This year my goal is to grow beautiful plants (flowers and herbs/veggies) and learn the skills behind it. This is the month I plan on getting married so in order to avoid being overwhelmed I will be taking notes and pictures all season for this month.
- SEPTEMBER: Languages (spanish, german, french) - My current goal language is spanish because I know a lot of the fundamentals but the language may change depending on our honeymoon destination.
- OCTOBER: Guitar - I learned a bit back in high school but I'd love to be practicing again and pass my previous skill level. A lot of people around me still play and this seems like a fun group activity.
- NOVEMBER: Cooking, cake decorating - Definitely the most useful skill. I hope to cook at least 6 nights a week, learn a lot of new techniques. and learn some dessert decorating skills during the month to round it out. Some of the more advanced areas of cooking are still a bit intimidating so I'm looking forward to breaking through that.
- DECEMBER: Sewing - My best friend from high school helped me sew my prom dress. She and her mom taught me the basics but I've long since forgotten them. I recently had some fun sewing up a blanket and want to take the skill further. There are so many similar hobbies to sewing (crochet, cross stitch, quilting, embroidery, knotting, macrame, needlepoint, etc!) I might try out a few side projects if this month isn't as hectic as usual.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Introductions
Good morning! I'll be using the name "Crazy Woman" because that's what my fiance calls me. He's called me "woman" for so long some of our friends even call me that. And don't worry...it's not in the carry me around like a caveman context - I don't think ;).
To elaborate on the "about me" part of the page, my fiance proposed to me on November 6, 2011. He cooked me a fancy filet mignon and lobster dinner and served it in front of our fireplace. We plan to be married next fall when the leaves are changing colors. I work full time but I'd love to be a stay at home wife to have time for all of the fun things I want to learn.
I'm a bit nervous about my writing because in the past, I tried to commit to writing in an online journal once a day and sometimes a month would pass between time stamps. I'm hoping this will be different because I really believe writing is awesome therapy for people and this blog idea has been marinating for quite some time now.
Anyway, I've been bitten by the desire-for-new-experiences bug lately and suddenly I have urges to try all sorts of new things! I realize most blogs have a single focus but I plan to pack a lot of useful information into each month's posts. I could probably write a whole blog about the evil things my cats do but I think this will be a bit more educational than that!
So thanks for stopping by and I hope that even if your skill or experience level is beyond mine, my new year resolution might inspire you. I'm going to create a list of all of the fun projects I'd like to start and maybe connect with someone out there doing something similar. See you soon!
To elaborate on the "about me" part of the page, my fiance proposed to me on November 6, 2011. He cooked me a fancy filet mignon and lobster dinner and served it in front of our fireplace. We plan to be married next fall when the leaves are changing colors. I work full time but I'd love to be a stay at home wife to have time for all of the fun things I want to learn.
I'm a bit nervous about my writing because in the past, I tried to commit to writing in an online journal once a day and sometimes a month would pass between time stamps. I'm hoping this will be different because I really believe writing is awesome therapy for people and this blog idea has been marinating for quite some time now.
Anyway, I've been bitten by the desire-for-new-experiences bug lately and suddenly I have urges to try all sorts of new things! I realize most blogs have a single focus but I plan to pack a lot of useful information into each month's posts. I could probably write a whole blog about the evil things my cats do but I think this will be a bit more educational than that!
So thanks for stopping by and I hope that even if your skill or experience level is beyond mine, my new year resolution might inspire you. I'm going to create a list of all of the fun projects I'd like to start and maybe connect with someone out there doing something similar. See you soon!
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