Hitched

Hi there, it's me...Mrs. Harvey. I just popped in to tell you our wedding was everything we hoped it would be. Beautiful weather, wonderful friends and family from all over the world, great food, gorgeous flowers...and monkeys! It was a perfect day and I enjoyed every minute of it. I'll give you more details later, right now I need a nap.

The Home Stretch

Hey! How's everyone doing out there in Bloggyland? If you've seen that little wedding countdown thingy below, you know that my wedding is now only 3 days away (and it's almost midnight, so nearly 2 at this point). Wow, how time flies when you're busy. I wanted to stop in before I leave town tomorrow and thank everyone for all the nice comments & best wishes I've been getting over the past few months. It's been great being able to chat about my wedding with you. I don't really have any local friends so I can't tell you how much your words mean to me. Thanks!

Just some little fabric strips for my cake

Now for the update. My dress is done, my jewelry is made, gifts are wrapped, everything's paid for, mini-moon is booked, nails are un-bitten, slight tan is achieved, and so on and so forth. I'm pretty set for this thing to happen. In the end I feel pretty good, calm even. When Nick went to pick up the tuxes today, the shop keeper man said I was the calmest bride he'd ever spoken to. I take that as a compliment. Now I'm going to try for a little beauty sleep. Cheers everyone!

Ode to Kitties

So, I was tidying up for the onslaught of British relatives when I happened upon an email from my cat loving Aunt Kathy. She sent me this link and it made me laugh so hard I was crying about half way though. Please watch this, it's so funny!




And in support of my own feline family members...

These kitties melt my heart.


Have a great weekend, and give your pet some extra cuddles from me.

Quick Note

I bet you're surprised to see me. Yep, the wedding is now a mere 11 days away. There are family members flying from Australia and the UK at this very moment. My dress has a hem and a zipper (sorry ladies, no more piccies till after the big day). Gifts are arriving almost daily and I still feel the need to blog. There's your proof that it truly is an addiction.
I just wanted to share a couple things with you this morning before I get back to my dressmaking saga. The first is a book that I walked past a few moments ago on my way to the coffee pot.

Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair. Now who wouldn't be drawn in by a title like that? I ask you. Maybe not the most appropriate subject for someone getting married next weekend, but this book is hilarious. It made me laugh out loud pretty much on every page. It's sort of a funny autobiographical look at a girl going through a divorce who ends up learning to knit along the way. It's hysterical, seriously. Buy this book and read Laurie Perry's blog too. If you're not convinced, I'm sure the blog will do it. I've had such a rubbish time finding a good book lately, so this one really made my day. Check it out!

And here's my latest Etsy mail from the lovely Mary of marajane01. This is my 3rd order (I think) from Mary and I'm gonna say it again, she's lightning fast and definitely takes the time to make sure the colors are correct when she prints (she spins yarn too). I love that. If you're considering buttons as giveaways for your handmade goods or you need them for a wedding favor, contact Mary...now! I'm going to use these to hold the names on these guys for the wedding. And if you're worried about me finishing all of these little projects, you'll be glad to know I only have about 10 more monkeys to make. Most are already assigned to their respective guests and divided by tables.
So that's it for me. I've got to feed the kitties and get to the needle & thread. More later. Have a great Tuesday!

Flash Back

This morning I was looking around on Etsy and came across this listing. OMG! It took me right back to my childhood. It's so funny how a thing or song can do that to you, isn't it? There's a great scene in the movie Ratatouille that I think really illustrates that feeling. Take a look at this clip (Keep in mind this is the only video I could find, it's bad and recorded in the theatre!) and you'll see what I mean (about 1:10 into it, but the first part sets it up if you haven't seen the film).

I apologize again for the bad quality of this clip, eugh.

Etsy Mania...and a Dress Update

Yesterday I received four Etsy packages. Wow! That made my day.

More wonderful bridesmaids gifts, from Jenn Maruska Design. Thanks for making that card wallet for my sister, Jenn. It's so cute!

And one for me.

Some buttons for my monkeys. I also got some cool brownish monkey eyes, but they'd have ruined the photo for sure. Check out Charms Galore for more.


And one for me, haha. I already bought two of lindylou2's sachets, but I just had to get my own and one more to give. Which would you keep?

I've always wanted to buy soap from Hello Crafty, have you seen this one? I'd never want to use these soaps, they're too pretty, I'll just give them away instead. I think my niece will love those little bird soaps. Lucky, lucky bridesmaids.

Dress Update: Yesterday I spent about 12 hours on the wedding dress. I've now got a silk skirt with lining basted onto it. I basted the skirt to the bodice to check the fit before stitching the skirt pieces by machine. It seems to be fitting nicely. Today I hope to start putting the lace skirt layer together. This will be a challenge. The pattern of the lace will overlap and I'll need to hand stitch the embroidery down to the adjoining piece. Does that make sense? Let's just say, it's not going to be fast or easy. Take a peek at the latest photo here.

One Beer at Table Two

Nick and I are not a silver doves & monograms type of couple. So, rather than get the usual custom printed match books & cocktail napkins we went for beer coasters. I found this website called My Wedding Labels, and they can print pretty much anything cool you might need. The print quality is excellent and they have tons of design choices. I'd much rather have these laying around than a white napkin with my name on it.



And last week I got my table numbers made (all 8 cocktail tablecloths too). I had to take a little break from the dress and do something else. I used some pre-cut scalloped ovals from Paper Source, my sewing machine, buttons & embroidery thread. I'll tie them onto the centerpieces with some fabric that I've used here & there. I'm very happy with the final version.


My goal for this week is to get my dress completely finished. My matron of honor arrives early Sunday morning for a quick visit. Wouldn't it be fun if I could just mess around while she's here & not be working on my projects? Wish me luck. As of last night, the dress had a skirt hand basted onto it. The first time I've seen it look like a dress!

Handmade Gifts

As you all know by now, I'll be getting married in a few weeks. I'm pretty much making everything I can for this party, but for a few things I decided to just let go and shop! You'll be happy to know that the majority of our wedding party gifts are Etsy purchases (I'm making the rest). I've ordered a whole plethora of fun stuff, here's some now:

I've always wanted to buy some monkey soap. This one's from dreamy1 and will make my flower girl very happy.

My 11 year old niece is going to be a junior bridesmaid. She'll love this necklace and matching earrings from jensjewelry. Jen went out of her way to alter these pieces to fit my niece. She also made a bracelet kit to match.

This one's a gift for me! I bought a bunch of rose colored pearls & crystals to sew onto my dress. When I saw this, I had to get it from RingsbyMarie. She made one in my size and had it in the mail the next day!

Who wouldn't like an adorable little lavender sachet from lindylou2? They smell divine and are as cute as can be. I liked them so much, I ordered 2 more.

Our ring bearer, Nick's nephew, will dig this beetle soap. His mom and my future husband were brought home from the hospital in a car like this. I doubt it smelled as sweet! Thanks to SpecialtySoapShop for making it especially for me.

At my rehearsal dinner/BBQ I will be giving this bracelet kit to my flower girl, Nick's niece. I though it would be a great way for her to bond with my niece. It will be nice for them to make friends before the big day. Put together special by handmadeliving.

There's more to come too! I've been having some fun amidst all the work. :)

Seattle's Best

Here's my morning cup of coffee in action. Notice I have the same mug as the famous Gromit of Wallace & Gromit fame.

I meant to tell you about my favorite coffee in this post, but I got so wrapped up in my new cuddly toy that I kind of lost track. haha We stopped in to get a coffee at Seattle's Best this weekend and I have now confirmed it as my favorite brand of coffee. Nick and I tend to put a lot of cream in our coffee, we don't like it strong. What's great about Seattle's Best is that I can put a little cream in and still drink it. I love it. It has a very smooth flavor. They also have a blend that's named after a ginger cat. How could I resist that? His name is Henry and we had to adopt the plushie version. He just reminded me so much of my Jody (minus one tail). He even has the same little white feet & pink toes! So cute.

This past weekend Nick & I traveled to Ahwahnee to visit out friends Jim & Julie who are hosting our wedding at their home. We met some other friends there to talk about the sound & lighting for the event. I'm so glad to have worked in entertainment at Disneyland so long. I can't tell you what it's done for my wedding. Most of my best friends are techs at Disney, so the lighting and sound will not only be exactly what we want, but excellent (and nearly free). The place is shaping up for Spring too. The grass is coming in, flowers are popping up. Jim & Julie have really done a lot of work on their property to prepare for the event (Julie's really happy to be getting so many things done too). Nick and I are soooo lucky to have such nice friends.

Ahwahnee is about 20 minutes from the south entrance of Yosemite National Park.

Now I must return to the sweat shop. I'm way into the production of my dress and still have a long way to go. Yesterday I finally got to sew some pieces together. I nearly have a bodice now. Maple was so helpful!

She's really just interested in my toast. Naughty girl.