I'm married!

There are about a billion things to do when planning THE social event of the season. I'm choosing to blog the creative few that I managed to take pictures of during the crazy season before my wedding. First, the cookies. NolaMom, the cookie-baking fanatic mixed up batch after batch of cookie dough, chilled it all, rolled it out and baked close to 200 wedding cake-shaped cookies. For a while there, cookies covered the whole house. Cindy and I got together and frosted and frosted and frosted and then we decorated the cake cookies to look just like the beautiful cake Melinda from Dede's Decor created for me. (I'll post those pictures as soon as I get them back from the photog.) The result:

After two whole days of packaging the cookies, I started work on the guest book. (I feel I should mention here, in the interest of full disclosure, that I started the book the day before the wedding) I do realize that you can hop on over to Michaels and buy a guest book for 12 bucks, and have little to no stress about the whole thing, but really, is that me? I think not.

I made a 6 by 6 album using just a few papers and embellishments, added photos from our engagement shoot and left space for my guests to sign. The result is so fun. I just can't stop looking at it. And, it is great that people wrote more than just their name. Instead of getting just a record of attendance, Gary and I have a book filled with wishes from our closest friends.

So... after guests signed the book, this is a little video of what they got to see, thanks to the oh so bouncy camera work of my co-worker, Shawn. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSum_ZN-S8U

I can't wait to show you the scrapbook I'll create for the wedding and the honeymoon. Want to know about the honeymoon? It was truly wild...

Sea lions in San Simeon, just across the street from the zebras. Yes. Zebras, right off the highway.

Hangover cures

Is it possible to have a wedding hangover when you aren't the bride or groom? I feel like it has taken me all week to get back to normal and I'm not quite there yet.

I have taken up the "sock-er" practice socks again just to have something easy to knit. The wedding may be over, but kids and sports schedules are busy and this week started with some unhappy news at school that left everyone with the blues so knitting helps lessen the stress. Is it a coincidence that my two WIP's are blue, not a color I knit very often? Hmmmm...I do like the stripes of this yarn.

I haven't blogged about some of the things I am working on because they may (will) end up as Christmas gifts. Blogs aren't good surprise keepers. However, I haven't nailed down what I am making for whom yet, so if I show these and Santa ends up delivering it to you, please pretend you've never seen it before, ok?

I have a knitting crush on Jared Flood. I started the Hemlock Ring Blanket a few weeks ago and have been enjoying it a lot. This is a design that is based on a vintage doily pattern, just made with worsted weight yarn and with a few more repeats added in. The photos on Brooklyntweed (Jared Flood's blog which is excellent) make you want to cast on everything immediately, so I decided to jump in with this one. Right now mine is in the "looks like a jellyfish" stage since it is on circulars, but many photos on Ravelry and the Yahoo group make me hold out hope for greatness once it is off the needles. I'm not using wool since I want it to be washable. Cross your fingers.

He also has a hat featured in the new Holiday Gifts from Interweave Knits. I want to make that too, but don't really have a hat wearing audience to knit for. Any requests? I may make it anyway, being the process knitter I am.

It is Wedding Day!

And the pillow was done six hours before the rehearsal. No sweat.

Congratulations Carey and Gary!

Clear the Cobwebs!

I'm back!

It is all Carey's fault. Really. She had to go and conjure up a wedding full of opportunities to create things. We have all taken the bait. Tracy masterminded the shower, Cheri is helping with the flowers, Mom has made the flower girl basket, and baked, oh, a billion cookies for wedding favors in between keeping Carey on task (Not an easy task) and supplying Dad with a never ending Honey-do list. We girls got together last weekend to decorate those cookies, and Carey swears she will blog the photos of that.

Carey herself is, of course, doing lots too. She designed and printed the invitations and programs, and along with Mom, is putting together the whole sha-bang. I'm sure I have forgotten to mention about 80% of what they have done.

Anyway, having waited until the last minute (did anyone expect anything less?) to do the ring bearer pillow, I figured I should get busy. I intended to do a silk ribbon embroidery in the corner design, but it has been a very long time since I did any silk ribbon embroidery and my supplies were a little dated looking and not all the right colors for this fall wedding. I looked all over town in the usual places and was very disappointed to find most every place had stopped selling silk ribbon. Crafting fads! By chance I found a beautiful supply at the new quilting store in town, Cottage Quilts. She printed me a pattern of a heart that I immediately knew was perfect for the pillow.

Here is what it looks like so far -

Still have to finish the beads.

I'm really liking it. I had a few fits of indecision on what to do with the pillow edges. A ruffle would be too busy I think, so I am making some tassles. I will also try to put a little ribbon or strap type thing for little Patrick to hold on to.

Will post finshed photos sometime before the wedding. Ha! Like I'm not going to finish seconds before the rehearsal.

We had October Good Things last night. We decorated little monogram letters. I chose H for Halloween. We had a lot of fun, almost everyone was there, and the projects were cute. Tracy made raisin pound cake, yummy!

At the risk of beating a dead horse, I got my stuff back from the fair. My socks had in fact gotten a first place - I thought they hadn't received anything, but apparently it wasn't labeled or something.

And, the biggest shocker was I had an extra jumbo ribbon in the bag. I won the People's Choice award for the Home Arts Building! Way to stuff a ballot box friends and family! You make me proud.

Scenes from the County Fair

My Mystery Stole won best of show! I was very surprised and happy. My chicken also got a first place. My socks (and the other socks I saw) got nothing, which helps keep me humble in spite of the purple ribbon. Such is the luck of the fair.

Ribbons, corn dogs, cinnamon rolls, and Chris Daughtry. Quite a night at the fair.