Ooooo-kay! This is the last wedding project I’ll bore you with here thrilling installment of Big Day DIY. Nicky dug out this old ukulele case, and we decided it was perfect for a card box/guest book combo. And, since I threw it together with stuff I already had in the house, this was a $0 project – score!

The case was pretty ratty, but no matter. I just lined the lid with some fancy paper, and its aged state gave me free reign to drill holes in the storage box to hold pens.

My actual last-final project will be to make a garter. I was going to just buy one because, 1) the garter toss isn’t something I’m super pumped about, and 2) I am getting burnt out on wedding projects. But the prices of garters I saw in the store were appalling. Guess who’s NOT spending upwards of 13 bucks for some elastic and lace? This girl.

The wedding is coming up quick. Like a freight train. Hopefully the next wedding post will be about the actual wedding . . . eeep!

Cat Morley is the founder of Cut Out + Keep, a huge online community where people from around the world make and share step-by-step craft tutorials. She is a crafter extraordinaire, a comic book illustrator, and an endless font of inspiration and ideas. Cat is a genius and also one of my heroes.

Might I also add that Cat and her fiancé, Tom, are cuter than a basket full of kittens? Is that too much? Check out their latest advert for Google and judge for yourself: http://youtu.be/pGbJ48TEbRA

And, you wanna know what else? Cat has been generous enough to share a tutorial for the chalkboard bunting that you see in the video! I’ll put the link to download the PDF below! Thank you, Cat, for being such an inspiration!

Chalkboard Bunting Tutorial PDF

Sometimes things don’t work out. In fact, things almost never work out how you plan them to. And that is life. Maybe you’ll have winter all the way until May. Maybe some people that you live with will never clear the g-dang cook seconds from the microwave when they’re done using it (Oh, wait, what? It’s not 00.09 o’clock?!).

Perhaps you’ll spend hours making a necklace only to find out you have inadvertently constructed a medieval torture device. Maybe, one day, you will have a minor panic attack about just-how-in-the-heck are you supposed to relieve yourself when you are covered in ten layers of tulle?! And then you will find yourself doing a Google search for “how to pee at your party.”

Life is like that. Things don’t work out like you’d guess. But that is the beauty of it. Today, I have opened a window for the first time in ten months. I have strapped a skirt on over these pasty white things that are my legs. And, I am giving out a pattern that I love – but that did not do well in the shop. You see, that didn’t work out as planned, either. Click the link below to get the PDF. Let’s make lemonade, people!

Shells & Shells Tote Crochet Pattern

So, I’ve had these type of string art projects pinned for a long time, and when I saw this one . . . I definitely knew I wanted a Minnesota one for myself. Luck has it that we had a Friday night home to ourselves for once, and with my hands itching to make something non-wedding related, this is what I chose.

I had all of the materials on-hand: an old blank plaque I salvaged from the trash a few years ago at a former job, nails, string, and paper. And this was easy. Print the map, tape it to the wood, hammer in the nails, tear away the paper, wind the string.

It might seem endlessly tedious to pound in all of those nails, but I really enjoyed myself. My dad taught me how to swing a hammer when I was really little, letting me practice in the garage. I would saw off hunks of two-by-fours and smash nails into them – and I felt infinitely grown-up, building something with my own two hands. I credit my dad, at least partially, for my love of making things – for my problem-solving skills, my do-it-yourself attitude. Every time I pound a nail, wield a power tool, smell sawdust – I think of my dad. And this was no different. I thought of my dad with every swing of the hammer. I’m keeping this Minnesota project for myself, but I anticipate another one coming up. A Wisconsin one. For my dad, of course.

Are you moving much too fast?
And the good times that just don’t last
If you’re always on the go
Make an angel in the snow
And freeze . . .

This is appropriate not only because we STILL have about a foot of snow here, but more so because life has been all-consumed with party planning and projects. ALL consumed, to the point where I have lost my spark. I miss working on my own projects, I miss cooking, I miss reading, I miss blogging (I miss READING blogs), I don’t miss cleaning – but our house is starting to look like a frat (albeit a frat covered in little bits of scrap tissue paper). Every waking moment that hasn’t been at work has been at wedding projects. Seriously, to name a few:

1 ring box

2 bouquets

3 boutonnieres

1 headband

50 candle holders

75 crocheted flower vases

528 paper flowers

40 feet of fringe

1 (failed) necklace

1 shawl

22 hours of folding 100 origami envelopes

I held a piece of thick, delicious watercolor paper in my hands at work yesterday and it almost brought me to tears because I know in my heart that I just straight-up don’t have time to paint. I hoped to start on an altered book project this weekend, but now there are some snafus with the wedding invitations, and we’ll be spending the weekend working out the kinks . . .

But, I am holding out hope. This will be like a forest fire – devastating and destructive. Then, a clean slate. Room for new things to grow and flourish. I just have to wait for flowers to bloom.

Thanks for listening, and sorry for the lack of photos (no time for that, either)!

Catch you on the flipside ♥

I am sure you have either: A) made these, or B) seen them around the web. While they aren’t fancy, these are one of my go-tos for party decorations, because you get a lot of bang for your buck, and they are pretty versatile. I’ve always just kind of winged it with size and number of sheets, but when faced with the fact I would need to make a few hundred, I needed something more precise. And wouldn’t you know it . . . I didn’t really find any sort of specifics out there!

Well, here you go, kids – a nearly scientific formula for tissue paper poms! First off, I used these tissue paper half-reams from Nashville Wraps. They are 20×26″ and are 240 sheets. If you are making these in bulk, you will definitely need a rotary cutter, a straight-edge, a self-healing cutting mat. You will also need a sharp scissors, floral or small-gauge wire, and a small wire snipper. I’m not putting pom pom instructions here, as they abound on the internet.

The small poms have a finished diameter of about six inches.

To make one, you will need 8 sheets of tissue paper that measure 8×8.75 inches. Make one inch folds, starting the fold on the 8 inch edge and folding up the long way (so, when all the folds are done, the folded-up paper is 8 inches wide and one inch tall).

To make a bunch, grab a whole fold of tissue – It will have 24 sheets. Count out 8 sheets and fold them back in half (this folded tissue will measure 20×13). Position the paper so that the 20 inch edge is facing you. Using your rotary cutter and straight-edge (and cutting mat), cut the paper at 16 inches and 8 inches. This will give you 3 strips: 2 that are 8 inches wide and one that is 4 inches. Set the 4 inch strip aside and save it for something like this. Unfold each 8×26 strip so that the 26 inch edge is facing you. Cut this strip into 3 (almost) equal parts: 8.75, 8.75, 8.5. Keep going! I did all of the paper cutting first, then I snipped all the wire. After that, you can just sit and fold and finish.

The medium poms have a finished diameter of about 9.5 inches.

To make one, you will need 12 sheets of tissue paper that measure 13×20 inches. Make 1.5 inch folds, starting the fold on the 13 inch edge and folding up the long way.

To make a bunch, grab a whole fold of tissue paper and unfold it. Cut it right in half along the fold line. This will give you 2 stacks of 24 sheets that measure 13×20. Separate the sheets into stacks of 12. Start a-foldin’.

The large poms have a finished diameter of about 17 inches. This is pretty simple. Take a whole fold (24 sheets, 20×26 inches) and unfold it. Make 1.5 inch folds, starting the fold on the 20 inch edge and folding up the long way.

There you have it. I hope this helps some other poor soul out there. A warning: if you make hundreds of these, the sight of tissue paper might start to make your stomach turn. And, your self-healing cutting mat may or may not bust in half (thanks a lot, Martha Stewart craft supplies). On a lighter note, here are some inspiration photos!

Style Me Pretty

Kara’s Party Ideas

Decorator’s Notebook

Style Me Pretty

Nola West

Once Wed

Apartment Therapy

First, let me start out by saying I never had a dream wedding. I wasn’t one of those little girls that played wedding and dreamed her whole life of a perfect fairytale day. I had other things on my mind growing up . . . namely, growing up and getting out of the house. The thought of a “prince charming” was ridiculous to me, and even playing house seemed quite frivolous. Also, princes in tights were as laughable as their helpless maiden counterparts. I never daydreamed about getting swept off my feet by a knight on a white horse. I’m scared of horses.

But now here I am, planning a wedding. And trying to pay for a wedding. And dealing with expectations about said wedding. A few months back, I read A Practical Wedding, and while it didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know deep in my heart, it did reinforce all the feelings I was having. There will not be a five-course set-plate dinner at our wedding. There will not be a string quartet or bajillion-dollar floral arrangements. My dress is second-hand and it doesn’t have a train. I’m surprised I even bought a wedding dress. There will be no fancy linens or DJ or champagne waterfalls.

We’ll be married outdoors, by my newly-ordained friend, using a ceremony written by us. We’ll have a buffet dinner that may or may not include wood-fired pizza. We’ll have music played by friends and music played on an iPod. Why? Because that’s how we roll. And that’s it.

And all the while, I know this is not what some people expect from our wedding – and that’s a bit hard to swallow – but I’m getting better at it. Because truly, I could put on some over-alls and marry Nicky in a gas station parking lot officiated by a monkey, and that would be just fine. All I really care about is the getting married to Nicky part. The rest is just window-dressing.

This pattern is a bit different in that it’s not worked outward from the center in rounds, per se. You’ll make a “skeleton” base then work back and forth between the two skeletons. I’ll post a pattern chart toward the end that will – I hope – illustrate this more clearly! Remember to pull the beginning yarn end tight after the first couple rounds to keep your magic circle closed up – sometimes it opens up a bit as you’re working the first few.

First, make a magic circle. You can use any yarn and hook, but I used a 5mm hook and Caron Simply Soft yarn.

1. Working in the magic circle, ch 1, sc, ch3. *(Sc, ch 3) 5 more times. Join to first sc. Pull the beginning yarn end nice and tight to close the circle. (6 ch 3 spaces, 6 sc) These 6 spaces are the front skeleton.
2. Ch 3, sl st in BACK LOOP ONLY of next sc. *(Ch 3, sl st in back loop only of next sc) around and join in same st as beginning ch 3. (6 ch 3 spaces) You may want to put some sort of markers through these ch 3 spaces – to show they are the “back skeleton” – as they look very similar to the “front skeleton.”
3. Sl st into the first ch 3 space in the front skeleton. In each ch 3 space, make (sl st, sc, 3 dc, sc, sl st) around. (6 petals)
4. Now, sl st into the first ch 3 space of the back skeleton. In each ch 3 space, make (sl st, ch 5, puff stitch, ch 5, sl st) around. After you finish the last puff st petal, cut yarn, finish off, and weave in ends.
5. Sew a bead or button in the center of the flower.

If you want to join the flowers together – or to an existing piece of work – here is a tutorial for joining as you go.

How to make a big, beautiful puff stitch petal

Sl st in ch 3 space, ch 5. Insert hook in ch 3 space and pull up a loop to the height of the ch 5. *(yo, insert hook in ch 3 space, pull up a loop to the height of the ch 5) 5 more times. Yo, pull through all loops on hook, yo, pull through one loop remaining on hook. Ch 5, sl st in ch 3 space.

Now, here is my secret to not getting all tangled in a mess of loops when making the puff stitch: Keep a finger pressed down on the loops on the hook every time you yarn over. This will feel a little awkward as you work the puff stitch but will assure everything stays even and untangled. So, for every time you put yarn over your hook: pull everything even and lock it in place on the hook with a spare finger, and keep your finger there as you pull up loops through the ch 3 space. I hope this makes sense because it really makes a world of difference . . . and it was impossible to photograph!

_______________________

Pattern chart! Work the black rounds first (this is the skeleton base). Then work the red rounds into the front skeleton. Finally, work the blue round into the back skeleton.

I am the Knit and Crochet Superstar over at Cut Out and Keep this week! I’m so humbled and grateful and excited. Every week, a new craft blogger is featured. I’m really loving this series – I’ve already found several new crafty people to read about and add to my RSS – you really should go check it out!

On a related note, two of my patterns were picked as the most popular of 2012 over at All Free Crochet! I’ll also be included in an upcoming eBook, Crochet Scarf Designs: Cute Crochet Scarf Patterns For All Seasons.

I have a couple observations about this.

First, I have exactly zero decent photos of myself. I am notoriously UN-photogenic and the few photos I have in which I am not blinking or making a funny face also include another person. This leads to high-stress situations in which I have to give in and submit embarrassing photos of myself for bios.

Second, when the topic of a feature comes up in my real life, I inevitably get the question, “Well, are you getting paid to do it?” No, I am not getting paid to do it. But that doesn’t make it less exciting for me. So I’ll just keep it to myself and channel Molly Shannon silently.

*supahstahr*