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I wanted to make something handmade and personal for my friends’ wedding recently and I decided on an oversized wine barrel inspired tray. I used a precut wood table top from the hardward store. They actually come in several sizes. This was the medium size: CONTINUE READING
It was a whirlwind weekend here at the Lil Blue Boo house. Our good friends George and Jodi got married this weekend so the last few days have been full of fun activities. We had the rehearsal dinner on Friday. And as usual I couldn’t even go a few days without making something…..I didn’t have anything to wear so I made some dresses on Friday….this is the one that made the cut for that evening. It’s just a variation on the Pieced Tunic Dress pattern:
The wedding was…..wow. I can’t even put it into words. Mr. LBB was in the wedding….it’s a pretty amazing thing that all of these groomsmen have known each other since elementary school and high school. I am really lucky to have married into such a close group of friends: CONTINUE READING
Did you watch the royal wedding today? I was up early…..it’s the first thing I thought about when I woke up this morning. I think I might have had more anxiety than the bride and groom….I wanted everything to just be perfect for them!
For a week now I’ve watched every show on the royal family, royal weddings etc. I’m fascinated by the tradition, the lifestyle, the outfits….and I’m so glad I get to watch from the outside.
I thought her dress was just perfect…..you know I am a huge Alexander McQueen fan. (Remember Boo’s inspired outfit? her headpiece looks just like some of those hats worn today)
Some cool facts about the dress via Daily Mail:
:: The lacework for the dress was carried out at the studios at the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace. The embroiderers were not told which bride would be receiving their painstaking work.
:: The lace applique, which featured the four floral emblems of the UK – rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock – was made using the Carrickmacross lace-making technique, which originated in Ireland in the 1820s.
:: The process is so time-consuming that it takes even experienced stitchers about an hour to sew an inch.
:: Each motif, some as small as a five-pence piece, was then crafted with minute stitches every two to three millimetres.
:: The workforce, estimated to be at least 12 strong, included students from Britain, Japan, China, the U.S., Thailand and Germany — aged between 19 and 70.
:: All were required to wash their hands every 30 minutes to keep the lace and threads pristine, and to renew needles every three hours to maintain optimum sharpness.
:: The dress was stitched in separate sections and put together only at the last possible moment, within the confines of Buckingham Palace where a special workroom was set up.
I’m just in awe of all the wedding details:
I think Will and Kate are just adorable…and so happy.
I can’t wait for the royal baby now!
My family (and many others) think my younger brother Swen looks JUST like Prince William….can you see a resemblance? I have to do a double take when I see a photo of Prince William on a magazine stand!
Remember all those posts leading up to my sister’s wedding?
Wedding Part I: Making the ring pillow, starting the flower girl dress
Wedding Part II: My grandfather’s book, my wedding, heirlooms, THE phone call
Wedding Part III: Sewing the rehearsal dresses, engagement photo shoot preview
Wedding Part IV: Finishing the flower girl dress, more engagement photos
Wedding Part V: Handmade jewelry, gift and favor bags, flip-flops and golf tees, fast food
Well, I finally have the photos from my sister’s wedding! Ash Little did an amazing job (check out his commentary on his blog here). The ceremony and reception took place at Carmel Country Club in Charlotte, NC where we grew up playing golf, swimming and celebrating every holiday and birthday. My favorite photo from the wedding……Perry swinging Boo around on the dance floor:
Before the Ceremony
Boo getting her hair done at Carmen Carmen. See the ballet dancers from the Nutcracker in the background? They entertained her the whole time!
She won’t even let me brush her hair….but she sat perfectly still to get her “flower girl” look!
Perry’s dress was SO beautiful…..and tiny……I probably could have fit ONE leg in it:
Attaching the veil:
Justin’s sister Jenny clasping the bracelet she made Perry:
Putting on Sienna’s jewelry that Jenny made:
Hide and seek:
Watching all the guests arrive:
Almost time to walk down the aisle!
Meanwhile the guys were getting ready:
Here is Justin’s dad entertaining the groomsmen with one of his card tricks:
Justin and the guys playing pool before the wedding:
The Ceremony
Sienna walked with me down the aisle….carrying pretzels in her basket:
One of my favorite photos:
Instead of walking up the aisle…..my dad brought Perry from the front and over the putting green (where my sister started golfing at the age of 3). Here he is reaching into his pocket for a golf ball which he rolled across the green…..it almost went in:
My dad is a member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews…..and one day wants his ashes walked over the Swilcan Bridge and thrown into the Road Hole Bunker…..bagpipes were required:
The vows:
The Reception
Mr. Lil Blue Boo and Boo sharing a father/daughter dance:
Boo danced the entire night as the center of attention:
Perry and Justin sharing a moment:
If you’ve never met us all….then you might not know that everyone in our family is a ham:
My sister and I are the loudest and craziest:
….and we like to drag everyone into our fun:
My dad started the train:
Perry and my dad surprised everyone by singing Rocky Top:
My brother doing the robot to Rocky Top….he’s quite the comedian:
The Details
Perry, Justin, my mother and Tim Bagwell (the family interior designer) did an amazing job putting everything together. They did everything themselves…..from putting together the centerpieces and flowers, to printing all the paper goods etc.
All the tall centerpieces were made using branches spray painted gold. Tea lights and flowers were added.
The “sweet” table: Perry spray painted different hat boxes she picked up at discount stores a robin’s egg blue and collected jars and bowls of different heights and styles.
Favor bags for the cookies and candy….decorated with the wedding logo (Emily Ley Paper designed the wedding monogram and my sister used it to print up all her labels, programs, etc):
The End of the Night
Telling my sister what to expect on her wedding night….LOL!!!
And they live happily ever after!
We are back from my sister and Justin’s wedding in Charlotte, NC. Every detail was perfect: the bagpipes, my dad rolling a golf ball as he walked my sister across the putting green, my dad and sister singing Rocky Top as a duet, Sienna dancing for 4 hours straight! I am not going to even post photos from the ceremony or reception until Ash Little’s are ready….mine won’t even do it justice. But I thought I’d post some photos from the days before right up to zipping the dress!
Here are all the gift bags and welcome baskets my sister and Justin made:
A stack of flip-flops for the bridesmaids so we wouldn’t have to wear our heels at the reception:
Justin’s sister Jenny made all of the jewelry for the bridesmaids….
…..and this Swarovski Crystal and pearl bracelet for Perry on her wedding day. Isn’t it amazing?
Thousands of golf tees for everyone…..
Perry’s shoes and part of her veil:
Sienna playing “pool” with her soon-to-be Uncle Justin:
Perry with the guys bowling at Strike City. We had the VIP room with 4 lanes and our own bar which made it SO much fun! My dad and Justin’s dad are on the bottom right.
I finally got a chance to meet my 4-month-old nephew Cameron (my brother’s son):
The rehearsal was COLD. Here are the ring bearers Ethan and Brady (Justin’s nephews) and Sienna practicing:
Sienna and my matching dresses worked out great! Here we are with Brett and Perry at the rehearsal dinner at Duke Mansion. My sister made the most amazing video for us all to watch with video clips and photos from the years.
Perry and my brother Swen. Sienna kept trying to sneak up the stairs.
Judy, Justin’s mother, used flowers from her friend’s farm for the rehearsal dinner arrangements.
My mom and dad at the rehearsal. Justin was telling how he had to track my dad down at a golf tournament to ask for Perry’s hand in marriage…..and finally found him in China…..but my dad corrected him that it was actually Australia. Whatever….it was STILL far!!!
Sienna getting her hair curled on the day of the wedding:
I took a photo of the photographers Ash and Harrison. I’m sure they’ll cringe at the quality of the photo. Aren’t they handsome?! They did the most amazing job…..everywhere I turned the whole day they were right there.
A gift from my Aunt Sharon to the couple. The photo is of our great-grandmother Mabel (Marjorie’s mother) and the carving set is over a 100 years old and belonged to an woman named Marie Ammon that lived on Hermitage Court for years who had no children. My grandfather’s aunt used to own a large white mansion on Hermitage Court long ago….it is now a nursing home.
Sienna gave Aunt Perry a little gift before she walked down the aisle. A necklace from Hip Mom Jewelry with Perry’s new initials on it. The tag had a little diamond inset. Thanks Ann! She loved it! I added the ring charm that I had bought for my wedding years ago.
Helping Perry zip up the dress (she’ll love that I posted a photo of her in mid-sentence):
Sienna being SO patient with her cousin Cameron before the ceremony:
Right before walking down the aisle….Perry loves Diet Coke as much as I do!
More to come soon! I’ve only been gone a week but it feels like forever! I already miss my family in NC though….and the following fast food:
Chic-Fil-A: Ate there TWO times
Bojangles: Ate there THREE times
Jersey Mikes: Ate there TWO times
I made these matching dresses last night for my sister’s rehearsal dinner….both are versions of the Sienna dress. Mine is just an adult version I cut last night. Really simple and fitted….maybe a little too fitted….might need to invest in some Spanx LOL! We don’t have any full length mirrors in our house….so this little mirror in the guest room was the best I could do….
Sienna is a little grumpy today….allergies and a cold….but she likes the dress.
Check out this amazing preview of my sister and her fiance’s engagement photo shoot. It was taken in downtown Charlotte, NC by Ash Little Photography. So crazy amazing.
Photo from Ash Little PhotographyI was flipping through this scrapbook I made and it brought back lots of memories of my own wedding. I made the scrapbook in 2003 when my grandfather passed away. For his wake before the funeral I enlarged my favorite photos and afterwards I put them in the book with the words from his eulogy throughout. I used a Canson spiral bound scrapbook, spray adhesive and a silver gel pen.
Here is my grandfather and my little sister at my wedding:
My grandfather loved his rose garden. It was huge. For my wedding flowers he cut EVERY rose bud and flower from his garden. When he passed away, I went and dug up every rose bush and moved them to our NC house.
I opened another one of my shadow boxes to snap a photo……this is my great-great-grandmother’s garter belt! My Aunt Sharon gave it to me for my “old and blue” when I was married. My great-great-grandmother must have been a toothpick….I couldn’t even get it over my foot!
Mr. and Mrs. Lil Blue Boo…..married May 5, 2001 in the backyard of my childhood home:
Ok….I know I’ve been on the grandparents kick lately, but I miss them. I just wish they had lived long enough to meet my daughter and to see my brother and sister get married.
My grandfather was awesome. Seriously awesome.
If you get freaked out easily don’t read any further….but I have a quick story to tell:
My grandfather (“Paw-Paw”) fell walking his dog in 2003 and broke his hip. I was able to see him before he went into surgery and he assured me he would be fine and everything would be okay. After surgery he had complications and went downhill quickly. He was in intensive care for a while….he would drift in and out of consciousness and ask us “who is the young man at the end of the bed?” I don’t know maybe he was hallucinating….or was there someone waiting for him at the end of the bed…..
My grandfather passed away one night soon after that.
A few months later my step-grandmother Brownie passed away suddenly from a fall. The entire family packed up Paw-Paw and Brownie’s house and sold it. Soon after my sister called me:
Perry: Ash, Paw-Paw just called my phone.
Me: Shut the eff up. What are you talking about?
Perry: My cell phone rang….it said “PAW PAW Calling” and I didn’t answer it.
-silence-
Me: Well….did……he……. leave a message?
Perry: Um, yes……it was……..just static.
Me: Call the number back.
Perry: I did. The number is disconnected. It doesn’t exist.
When I saw the movie White Noise I had to walk out of the room. If you’ve seen it you know why.
Some other favorite photos from the book:
Chipping away at the Berlin Wall in 1989
Paw-Paw as a young man on the farm in Kansas.
Paw-paw was incredibly detailed and meticulous. He was mathematical and methodical. He was fanatical about documenting his family history (you can see some of that here in “Paid in flour and potatoes”). I’m the same way. We both majored in math. So did my dad. Funny how things happen.
In 2 weeks we head back to North Carolina for my little sister’s wedding! I’ve got a lot to get done before then! Sienna and I finished the ring pillow last night. My sister sent me a ton of photos of what she wanted and a box of fabric to match her dress….
Here is how I made it:
I cut two 11″ x 11″ squares.
I sewed all the way around the squares using a 3/8″ seam and leaving a 4 inch gap to turn it inside out (large enough for my hand to fit in as well).
Then I cut two long strips measuring 6″ x 48″ and 10″ x 48″ and folded each in half right sides together. I sewed the long end closed using a 3/8″ seam.
I took the larger of the strips and turned it right sides out (I did not iron because I didn’t want any creases) and tucked one end into the other…..
……and sewed the two ends together using a blind stitch.
With a needle and thread, I sewed a gathering stitch all the way around the fabric “tube”…..
….until it looked like a large ruffled flower:
I took the square pillow and turned it right side out…..
…and marked the center using my disappearing ink pen.
I pinned the large ruffle flower to the center of the pillow attached it by hand-stitching it to the pillow in between the pleats.
I repeated the entire process using the smaller fabric sleeve.
I “smushed” the small ruffled flower into the pleats of the large ruffled flower and hand stitched them together.
I cut a 4″ circle from the fabric….
…..and stitched around the folded edges….
….to form a small yo-yo.
I placed the yo-yo face down into the center of the ruffled flowers and used a blind stitch to attach.
I took the shadow box I made of my grandfather’s military things from our photo wall……
….and used his United States Navy pin for the center. He passed away in 2003 suddenly and I always thought he would live to see all his grandchildren get married.
My sister wanted some bling, so I added some rhinestone buttons.
Here is my little helper before bed handing me buttons as I sew….we look so disheveled, oh wait, we always look disheveled!
Lastly, I sewed a small ribbon between the ruffle layers for the rings to be tied on with.
One ring pillow finished!
Next project: Sienna’s Flower Girl Dress….I’m drowning in tissue paper….this is scary….I can’t even figure out how to cut the fabric!
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