The Dark Side of DIT-Part One

DIT can still basically mean DIY.

There-I said it.

I'm not saying that men don't care about weddings.  They do care and some of them have very decided ideas about how such a thing should proceed.

I am saying that when it comes down to details, decisions, and minutia--that's when a lot of guys check out.  In my case, Wes is perfectly happy to help with whatever project I happen to have going on.  He prefers that the necessary pieces, elements or components be in place first and that he has a guide for proceeding.  I can't just point at a pile of paper and sticky elements and say "have at it."  I have to have it organized and do the the prep work and make a model so he'll know how to proceed.

That's great.  That's also more work . . . and depending on what it is it might actually be quicker to just do it myself.

Quicker, easier, less fuss and less muss . . .  but it can still rankle.

It's a completely bitchy thing to say, but willingness to help is no substitute for ability.

How do you deal with it?

Think of all the really mean, biting things you could say, want to say, would dearly love to say . . . and keep it to yourself.

Be patient, do a tutorial, let the man help.  You'll be less enraged-I promise. 

*This also applies to household tasks, decorating projects, road trips, etc.  STFU-a problem solver for a lifetime.

Invitations Leaving the Station . . .

Is July 1st too soon?

It occurs to me that I've bitched, moaned, and complained about the invitations here . . .  but I haven't actually shown you the invitations.

Behold my genius in these crappy pictures.

All awesome photos are mine

So-our plan was to spend the least amount of money on these puppies as possible by using paper goods that we already owned and buying matching envelopes in paper bag from Papersource.  Neutral wrapper + colorful scrapbook paper insides = awesome.

That didn't happen.

Brainwave the first . . . I could make the envelopes out of our stockpile of actual paper grocery store bags!  Excellent in theory but I failed in execution.  I created a template but cut the flaps too short.  

Brainwave the second . . . We could make the envelopes out of the boatload of 12 x 12 scrapbook paper I amassed when I was kidding myself about actually getting into scrapbooking. 

This . . . was a winning plan.  I handed Wes the envelope template, a pile of paper, a stapler, some scissors and some glue and he got it done.  You can see our colorful assortment along the top of the first picture.

The other components include the invitation and textured card stock backing, a postcard RSVP card, and an information hang tag all bundled together with a raffia bow.  I also picked up some typewriter key stickers for the back flaps.

If anyone is interested I'll go into more detail about the actual materials and construction details.  Leave a comment and I'll hop right to it.

I am pretty proud of this project--we used a lot of the things we already had on hand and the new crafting supplies were minimal.  I positively love that we used up a lot of old material that might otherwise have gone to waste.

How about a little list action?

What we had on hand

• about half of the necessary postage
• textured card stock
• leftover expensive ass cotton paper that made printing my thesis cost a bloody fortune (still bitter)
• photo corners

What we purchased new

• fiskars deckle edge paper tearing guide--sounds ridiculous, is ridiculous, but it works 
• a glue pen
• extra card stock
• the rest of the postage
• stickers

Project Wedding Dress: DITing a Fitting Assistant

I had Friday off last week so Wes and I put our time to good use.  (By which I mean we had our weekly lunch date--this time at Agua Linda's, puttered around Academy and Goodwill, and watched even more South Park on Netflix).  Bliss.

Then we got down to business.  I put on Hudson Hawk (Netflix gets a lot of play around here) and busted out a bowl of water, a Pyrex pie plate, and coils of paper tape strips I prepared the night before.  It was time to get busy on our latest DIT project.

I've already started working on the fit of my wedding dress muslin.  I talk about that more here.  However, fitting on yourself is pretty damn difficult.  I was finding it pretty much impossible.  So I finally bit the bullet and purchased a jersey covered dress form.

I got this one . . .

Source

. . . from Store Supply Warehouse.*  It came with the topper and the base and it's pretty much awesome.  It's also a size 8.

I don't know if you noticed-but I am not a size 8.

Why order a size 8 form then?  Well, the price was right.  It's foam which means it is pinnable.  Larger forms have triple digit prices.  Larger forms would not be any more helpful than this form because even though they are bigger they are not bigger in the right places.  A plus size form with a flat belly--what would I do with that?

I bought this form because I knew that, while sewing for myself, I could customize a paper tape form molded to my body to go over it.   The adjustable base and the form underneath make my paper form a lot more stable and usable.

What's a paper form?  Only the most awesome thing ever for the home sewer.  Mine looks like this-disregard my hair situation . . .

 . . .  and it is made from the gummed paper tape you can buy from Staples.  There are really awesome tutorials that outline the process, but essentially you moisten the gummed paper tape and wrap it around your body to create a molded form.  This one has lots of pictures and this one, on jejune.net I found particularly helpful.  The tape hardens as it dries and what you are left with is essentially . . . prison armor.  (You can thank Wes for that one.)  The hardened shell is stiff enough to stand up on its own, hold its shape, and it is pinnable.

I do have some additional tips if you want to undertake this yourself.

• We cut our strips to about 12 inches long and then we cut them in half lengthwise.  This really does help them get around curves more efficiently and smoothly.
• The criss-cross action is essential.  It cuts the taping time down a lot because it essentially means you are doing two layers at once.
• Don't wet the tape completely.  Just moisten it.  If you over saturate it with water you will rinse away the adhesive and then the edges won't lie down.  Think of it as licking a stamp.
• Don't be afraid to clip puckers or wrinkles in the paper tape as you wrap to make it lie smoothly.
• Apply a layer of paper tape to the inside of the form as well.

Then you'll have a really nice, smooth form that is customized to you for less than ten dollars.

Here she is in action.

*Seriously you guys-this business is pretty awesome.  They shipped quickly and they called to let me know when my order would go out.  They emailed The prices are pretty fantastic too.  I have my eye on some wooden hangers-which they sell in bulk and for less than what you would spend at Target.  Check them out.

Dragging Ass on the Wedding Invitations

These invitations . . .

Envelopes to the left-along with my recent reading material

. . . might be the death of me.  We just are not super motivated to finish them although we do-finally-have all of the components ready to go.

Of course, the prep stage was pretty damn murderous as it involved making an envelope template, prepping and cutting out fifty envelopes from paper bags and realizing that they were too small to close properly.  Scrapping that plan and making envelopes out of scrapbook paper.  I couldn't find the cardstock weight I wanted to use for the RSVP postcards plus I figured we could save money on postage so we scrapped the whole postcard idea but now . . .  I kind of don't like how they look so maybe I will go back to it . . . you get the idea.  Figuring out how to print addresses on these envelopes is also turning out to be a monumental pain in the ass.  And . . . I might change my mind about that as well.

Dressperation? The DRESS Unplugged? Eff It. . . This Post is About my Plans for the Procurement of a Wedding Dress

It ain't cute but it gets the job done.

So . . . wedding dresses.  They can cost the Earth, even at a classy establishment like David's Bridal.  I don't particularly relish the idea of repeating my dress shopping experience and I have a sneaking suspicion that what I want exists in my size only in my head.  What's a girl to do?

Well . . . if she's somewhat handy with a sewing machine she could consider doing it herself.  Which is what I'm going to do.

So what does this dream of mine look like?  Feast your eyes on this little number.

1, 2, 3, 4

My wedding dress inspiration.

Number one is a short pale yellow silk with an attractively poofy skirt that illustrates the length I want.  Number two is the one that I have dirty, dirty dreams about.  Pockets, a sweetheart neckline and some cumberbundy action around the waist that I find oddly attractive.  Three is a sleeve option I like if I punk out and want to cover it up some.  Four is a color story I'm particularly in love with.  Also, I have a deep appreciation for the use of what looks like eyelet.

To summarize, I want short, poofy, clean lines and very, very pale pink.  My plan is to Frankenstein a couple of patterns together and play with them until I get the look I want.

What do you think?

Flowers Anytime?

What's a girl to do when she dreams of this?

But she doesn't have much of this?

Source

If you're me you relate this unfortunate incident to all such unfortunate incidents in your genteely impoverished childhood that seems Dickensian in retrospect and boo-hoo a little bit.
Then you get down to business.  Plotting business.

Say hello to my current obsessions .  . .

Ranunculus

Green Hydrangea

Pink Anemones

Cafe au Lait Dahlias (drroooool)

Sigh.  Beautiful.  Dusky.  Vintagey.  Preeeeeeeeettttttttyyyyyy.  What must I do to make you mine?

I can't afford to purchase you in bloom but maybe . . . I could grow you.  And keep you with me forever and ever and ever.  Now we're talking . . . but how. 

We currently live in a jail cell/cave that has the very odd combination of huge windows and very little natural light.  Or artificial light for that matter.

Wes suggested that we create a set up like this . . .

utilizing compact fluorescent bulbs.

I like this idea for a two reasons.  One, I could grow the flowers I want for the wedding sure. And two, I could grow the flowers I want like all the time.  Not to mention tomatoes.  Don't get me started on the impossibility of finding decent tomatoes at certain times of the year.

This article totally makes me thing it's possible and I have to say I am really hyped about the possibility of having tulips whenever I want them.

It must be said though.  YouTube and eHow regularly save my bacon and/or make a fool out of me.  We shall see.

*Just for kicks. . . google "growing flowers indoors" and count the number of marijuana references.  FUN!