46 dtg!!!!

Ran around on our usual Monday errands.....

Groceries.... picked up some of the bridal shower gifts still at the in-laws..... picked up my wedding band!!!!!.... looked at some suits for Casey.....ordered the labels for the favors.....made another last minute invitation, only to find out that I really didn't need it.....finished up the rest of the door hangers.....received 2 more RSVPs

you know...... normal Monday stuff!

47 dtg!!!!

Got up bright and early this morning and headed out to Livermore to check out the site and go over some details.

• Figured out tentatively where the lights will be be hung over the courtyard.
• Took a look at the trellis for the ceremony and where the garlands/candles will be hung.
• Figured out where the couples table, cake table, guest book table and gift table will approximately be placed, weather permitting.

Then it was off to work, to massage these 2 giant men.....needless to say I was exhausted when I returned home. So all the things I wanted to do....turned into nothingness.

I did however find out that the labels (for the favors) that I have been searching for are only available online and after purchase and shipping, they cost $20. Boo.

Also revised my address list and RSVP count.....Tuesday is the deadline and we are still missing over 50 people's answers. Good thing I gave myself a couple weeks until I REALLY need to number.......had a feeling this would happen. :)

Big day tomorrow! We'll see what Casey and I can get done on our day off together!

48 dtg!!!!

Today was a scorcher! My goodness!!! Everyone was melting at the bridal shower. But it was still very lovely, everyone had a great time! I got some wonderful, beautiful gifts and we all shared some good laughs.

Now it's just 7 weeks until the big day....with school already started for Casey....and about to start for me.....and there's plenty left to do.

After having dinner with my parents, we headed over to see where Casey works and checked out the Sharks Ice practice facility. Pretty cool place and funny to see Casey in action again.

49 dtg!!!!

Just finished making another invitation.....a last minute addition that my Dad forgot about. I was able to print, cut, assemble, and calligraph the entire thing in one hour. So that gives you an idea, of how much time was spent on the invites over the few months that I did them! And probably more!! Since I had to practice the calligraphy multiple times.

Casey received his groomsman's gifts in the mail....they turned out great, except that one of the engraving was done incorrectly....oh well.....just have to order another I guess!

I also have finally started the collection of my bridesmaid's gifts.....

Bridal shower is tomorrow! Should be loads of fun.....but apparently I have to be prepared to be embarrassed....with games and such. Oh boy. Just don't make me blush girls!

50 dtg!!!!

OMG.....we're starting to creep under 50....yikes.

I talked to a customer at work today who just got married in June at the Garre Winery! She was married underneath the oak tree and had the reception in the tent, which is just down the hill from the Martinelli Center. Small world! We were talking about changing names after getting married and the process that it takes.

I feel like I've been sitting in front of paper and scissors for the last 2 hours.....oh that's because I have! Well, at least I have gotten some more DIY stuff done.

Other things that I got done today, but cannot be posted since they are a SECRET! Don't want to spoil all the fun!!

51 dtg!!!!

Stumbled upon this video......it was in an article about trying to out-do outlandish proposals..... I would die if Casey ever did this....he wouldn't.....he's not the dancing, singing type.



I think this was done by actors/people who worked there.....or it's fake. I hope not.

52 dtg!!!

Work went by quite quickly today because back to school has started....which is nice. Great to have the day wizz by in front of your face.

After work, I headed to Pavia for a pedicure. Gotta have nice toes for this weekend!

Received 4 more RSVPs....all yes!!! That was nice to see!

Continued working on the door hangers.

Casey made another drink concoction which tasted yummy! So now we just have to choose.

53 dtg!!!!

WELL!!! We got a lot done today! Did lots of running around......

• Finally, after scouring the mall, (and every other shoe store in the bay area it seemed like)....I found some shoes to go with my new dress for the bridal shower.
• Bought more ribbon and pins for the door hangers and paper pomanders that I am trying to finish.
• Purchased groceries for the week along with some different juices that Casey will try concocting into a punch. Hope they turn out tasty!
• Tried to find the circle labels at Office Depot for our favors.....but no luck. Need to keep searching, or just order them online.
• Sent in the deposit for our officiant into the mail today.
• Received some more RSVP's in the mail.....so far, 43 yes and 16 no.....that means, still waiting to hear from about 75 people!!?? and the deadline is in a week!
• Casey found out all the info of where and when we can go get our marriage licencse.
• I just did some research on all the paperwork that needs to be filled out and delivered to its rightful places in order to change my name after we're married.

Ai, yai, yai!!!! Oy vay......me oh my....what a day!

54 dtg!!!!

Sanded, gessoed and painted more door hangers!!! Just the first couple of steps, but hopefully I will be done with this second batch by the end of the week!???

Going to do lots tomorrow with Casey! Our first full day off together in a while! We have a fruit punch drink to concoct, shoes to find, ribbon to buy, rings to look at, groceries to purchase, and of course....more crafting to do ! Maybe he will actually help me this time!?

55 dtg!!!!

Had a lovely craft day with my bridesmaids at the in-laws.

• Got all of the orange paper pomander balls done for the ceremony aisle.
• The girls played dressup as I was able to see them all in their black dresses. They all look great! Everyones is different which is just what I wanted!
• Casey and FFIL were finishing up the construction and sanding of the cupcake tower, which is to be painted and decorated soon.
• I taped one of the purple ribbons onto a black centerpiece box, and decorated with some paper flowers and pearl do-dads. The centerpieces are really coming along! And when it gets closer to the wedding, all the little details will come into place.
• Got more blank wooden door hangers from FFIL that can be done.....that will make a total of 25....hopefully that's enough!

Everyone keeps asking me what I am going to do with myself after the wedding. I am spending so much time on all these little projects...which while fun!.....they take up a lot of my time! Well I tell you.........

I'll go back to having a life! No I'm kidding....but seriously, there are many things that will keep me busy...

I will be in school....

Casey and I will still be trying to get adjusted to our new work/social schedules....

I will actually be able to paint again!!!.......who knows, maybe even get back into having some shows!......

I won't be thinking about the wedding while massaging people..... BAD!!......

And I'll be enjoying married life!!

56 dtg!!!

Ahhh....tired.

Had my first day at my other massage job....it was a great start. I will actually be getting more consistent clients!! Yeah!!!!

Tomorrow is the big craft party at the in-laws. We'll get lots done I'm sure. Casey is even coming over to help!

57 dtg!!!!

Look at that....didn't make it under Thursday's blog.

Up late after shopping after work, plus some organizing and more crafting. However, I did finally find a dress for the bridal shower next weekend! It's so cute....totally summer sundress appropo...and reminds me of a tea party. The only thing it needs it some shoes, which I need to get anyway....I used to buy shoes like crazy.......that was when I had nothing else to spend my money on. HAH!

Got everything together for the craft day on Saturday with my bridesmaids. We'll be working on the paper pomanders, and I'll need to finish up the black boxes for the centerpieces while Casey will be helping FFIL with the cupcake tower tiers. All it needs is a little sanding and painting....then I have to go in with the detail work and decorations.

All the little things are coming together!

58 dtg!!!!

Still plugging away at the door hangers and began to make the photo camera boxes. Those are semi-hard to explain, so when those are all finished, I will divulge.

I like that Casey is so involved in the planning, because he gives me more options and ideas.....as well as making me realize that I don't have to go the extra mile with EVERYTHING....that means less work for me!

59 dtg!!!!

My My My.......the days just keep dwindling away....

Got a couple more of the door hangers finished....once they're all done I will be sure to post a picture.....and maybe even some pictures of the Thank You cards that the girls helped me with.

and so that is pretty much it for the day......got lots on my brain/plate for the next couple of weeks before school starts up again..........then there will be even less time for me to play around with DIY projects. Here's to great time management!!!!

60 dtg!!!!

Wow......2 MONTHS TO GO!!!! Yeesh!!!

Today was a very productive day on the wedding front, and all thanks to CASEY!!!!

His first day off after his first week of work was a very productive one..........

He reserved 3 nights at The Venetian in Las Vegas for the honeymoon!

He purchased the gifts for the groomsmen.

He found a guest book!!! One that is way cute, fun and I think will be a great treasure for years to come. All thanks to the guestbookstore.com..... Way cute. And Casey found it! I'm shocked!!

I think we finally finalized/arranged plans to meet with the coordinator at Martinelli so we can do a dry run with the lights, and go through more details. Unfortunately our planner will not be able to join us, but hopefully we can meet with her at the site later. If not, we see her the weekend after to go through the timeline and many other details I'm sure.

Got 3 more RSVPs today.....2 of them were nos, which brings the "will not" count up to 11 guests...which pretty much eliminates one table in the reception ballroom. Casey has already started to plan out the seating chart board that he is going to make, so it will be fun to see who sits where and what details we will have to eliminate.

Can't believe that time is already here.....flying by fast!!!

61 dtg!!!

Continued the door hangers today....paint, sand, cut, paste, coat, sand....blah blah....I have about 5 fully finished ones done.

Went dress shopping with my MOH and friend from work. Trying to find a dress for the bridal shower, and probably something for the bachelorette party. Tried on a bunch of different things, including a very tight strapless leopard print dress......yow. I definitely could not see myself in public with that on.....but the girls made me try it on. Funny.

Did purchase 2 dresses, and while I love them both, not sure if I'll wear them to the bridal shower. May continue looking. We'll see what Casey says.....he's usually my deciding vote.

62 dtg!!!!

Continued with the door hangers today....

Sanded them all, put a coat of clear gesso on each side, and started to layer the coats of green color.

Also attempted to find a dress for the bridal shower, but since summer is almost over, it has been quite hard trying to find a summer dress I had in mind. Hopefully something will pop up!

63 dtg!!!!

After watching Ace of Cakes last night, I was inspired to start laying out the design of my cupcake tower tiers.....what colors? what pattern if any? what flowers??

I drew out a plan on paper with colored pencils....but it's hard to really get a good vision....so I figured I might as well just look at other pictures!

All pictures courtesy of theknot.com

This obviously stood out to me first, because our runners are damask.....and those are the same orchids that we will have scattered EVERYWHERE!

I like the subtlety of the damask against the white, but also the green ribbon.

I love how the green on this one pops....but I think I would go with a green ribbon that is slightly darker.....again, same orchids.

I really want to paint on a subtle piping design, whether it is like this henna, or a damask.

So many choices!

I also did start the test out the Rub-onz on the wood door hangers. I sanded the wood, painted a coat of gloss medium/varnish and then put on the text. The only downside is that you can see the halo around the words, so it looks like I am going to need to paint it before applying the Rub-onz. So we'll see how those turn out!

64 dtg!!!!!

Bought some more scrapbook papers from work to replenish the stock that was used last night! We made quite the mess and made some really cool cards!

Trying to do a test run of the rub-onz transfer sheets for the guest door hangers that I'm making. So far I have been able to make the mirrored text templates in Photoshop, and was able to print them out. I will finish the process tomorrow, but still need to figure out how I want to paint, layout and design them!

Casey is doing much better this evening. He is getting a hang of things, enjoying the guys that he's working with....but definitely needs to work on his schedule. He got maybe 3 hours of sleep last night, was not able to take a nap, and stressed out all day, not eating very much. He's realizing how tired he's getting and that he may be getting sick soon if he doesn't take better care of himself. So at least he's realizing that early in the game.

65 dtg!!!!

Just barely about to make it under the wire here!



Just finished a craft night with MOH and art friends.....making Thank You cards for guests at the hotel rooms. We actually got quite a few done! I was very suprised!

Finally got to see MOH's dress....she looks so cute! Now I just need to find something special for her to pin/wrap around it to make her stand out from the rest of the girls, so you can tell she is the MOH.

Casey's at his job tonight...first day/night on the job! He said there is a lot to know and learn, so it will definitely take some getting used to on his part. It is also a little different getting ready for bed without him here. That will take some getting used to on my part.

66 dtg!!!

Well......I am all wedding-ed out from the last 2 hours. I just got finished writing a long winded, very detailed and fulfilling e-mail to our wedding planner. I am sure she will be overwhelmed at first as there is a lot to read and she and I haven't spoken about details for quite some time. But the ball is not rolling with around 2 months left. OMG...I just said it.....2 months. Yikes!

Today was Casey's orientation to his new job, as his first day is tomorrow. He got a huge pamphlet to read, along with lots of paperwork to go through. He is very excited and nervous at the same time, as many people are when it comes to their first day on the job. So we'll see how it goes tomorrow!

A fun filled evening tomorrow night with some of my art friends. They will be helping with making some crafty thank you cards for the guests. It should be fun!

67 dtg!!!!

Unfortunately my last day at the beach was a foggy and chilly one, so I left earlier than I wanted to. But once returning to San Jose....I wished I was still there because it was a scorcher in the city! Whoo!!!

Had to take care of my burns so I stopped at Whole Foods and picked up some calendula gel and apple cider vinegar. 2 cups of apple cider vinegar in a bath really helps to soothe the burn and also stops it from peeling too much, especially on your scalp. I'll probably be doing that the rest of the week.

The burns didn't stop me from keeping my appointment with my stylist to do a hair run-through.....to see what I think I am looking for is really what I want. Needless to say, we had a great session and she did an awesome job! Still a few things that will be different day of but.....

This is pretty much it! With the flower and the earrings I have picked out!

When I came home....Casey was a little hesitant at first....but you know him, he has to get used to change. And since it didn't look quite like my normal hair, he just kept staring.....

But after we talked for a bit.....he just wanted to see more of my face, so both sides of my hair are mostly behind my ears. Which I thought was fine because then you can see the earrings as well. Good compromise I would say! Even though he likes hairstyles that are up (and I don't)....I still want my groom to be happy!

68 dtg!!!!

(supposed to be posted on Sunday, August 9th, 2009)

Another beautiful day at the beach. Today, definitely got some color, maybe even a little burn.

Found out through a game of trivial pursuit that I really do not know very much geography. Might want to brush up on that.

Talked with my mom some more about the hotel rooms as they seem to be booking up quicker than we thought! May need to look into booking some more if needed I guess!

69 dtg!!!!!

Oh boy.....Casey just made an inappropriate laugh about the amount of
days left....Hahahahaha.

Today was a "veg" day out on the beach....very relaxing.....

We did get a couple more RSVPs in the mail!! And also a little bit of
a scare with the hotel room reservations.....

Casey's grandmother tried to make a reservation and the receptionist
told her they were all booked!!!!! We had no idea how that could be
since we just sent out the invites! So Casey did some research and
turned out the lady just read the book incorrectly....we have plenty
of rooms left. Phew!

Here's hoping for more sun tomorrow!!!

70 dtg!!!!

(supposed to be posted Friday august, 7th)

The start of our weekend at the beach has begun! Hopefully the weather
will be great and I'll get a great tan! Settling in for some lounging,
reading some great magazines and sleeping. Perfect before the 2 month
stretch of wedding planning!

71 dtg!!!!

Well another exciting day!!!

Got 3 RSVP's already! Whee!!! You shoulda seen me and Casey opening them....I was jumping up and down with glee!

I also received my gardenia flower hair pin in the mail......

I purchased from etsy.com and this was how the girl packaged it....isn't it darling!? I didn't want to throw away the packaging it was so cute!

Ta Da!!!!! This obviously isn't how I'm going to do my fair, but it is in the general vicinity of where I want it placed amongst my loose curls that my stylist will create. It totally looks and feels like a real flower! I can't believe it! Very happy with this purchase for sure and excited to see how everything will turn out!

So now I have everything for me!.......Dress, shoes, hair accessory, and earrings! Done!

And this evening I also finished stamping all the frosted votives-- kind of was motivated by the fact that the cat kept chewing on the box of candles since I left it out....so I got them done!

72 dtg!!!

Today was quite successful and efficient!

Found my wedding band at Shane Co. It was the same one I had been eyeing about 6 months ago, so I was very happy when Casey approved and said I could get it. Now we just have to make a decision on his ring since he is hesitant to get titanium (they don't resize those) and tungsten can shatter or break (weird huh!?).

Got my ring cleaned when I was there....love it when it sparkles!

I made the decision on the color towels I'd like for the bathroom.

Found not one, but 2 pairs of earrings at the mall today. They were having a buy-one-get-one free sale that I just couldn't pass up.....why not have 2 beautiful pair of earrings!? I can wear one of them for the wedding and the other for various fancy occasions! (Dinner at the Bellagio!?)

On top of all that, we are getting various compliments on the invites which is always great to hear!

73 dtg!!!!

Well well well!!!!!!

Already getting compliments on the invitations which is nice! Glad people like them!

Ordered the flower for my hair today. Excited to see what it looks like!

Stamped some more of the frosted votive candle holders....I might have about half of them done.

Called Men's Wearhouse to update and edit the tuxedo info...turns out they had the best man named Matthew Jason. Woops!

Probably going to do some exciting wedding stuff with Casey tomorrow! We'll see what we get done!

74 dtg!!!!

Even though today was a very different day without Casey or FFIL.....it was still a great day overall!!!

SENT OUT THE INVITATIONS!!!!! WHOOO HOOO!!!!!!!!! It was such a weird feeling giving up my babies....but I had to!

Received my bridal shoes from UPS today!! They are exactly what I ordered and they do fit. I put them on this evening while walking around the house doing laundry...they definitely do need to be worn in a bit. But they're just so pretty!

Received probably my last bridal magazine in the mail today.......I haven't even looked through it yet, but I can bet you that I won't learn anything new. Those things are so predictable and too much of the same thing.

Casey and I went through our budget of the next few months and it looks like we will have enough to enjoy our honeymoon!! (Thanks to a very generous wedding gift, given to us early from my aunt and uncle!) Casey even said that I would even be able to go to the spa more than once if I wanted!!!! WOW!!!!! I'm so excited!

Numerous times I have wanted to show someone pictures of me in my wedding dress....but I hesitate everytime because I think I want to leave it up until the big day. So hard to do though!!

75 dtg!!!!

The invitations have been calculated and accounted for in my excel spreadsheet and are ready to be sent! Yeah!!!!! I went through and counted all the guests that I have written down....and there are only 137!? I guess we cut some out here and there, so that's good!

So that's a big thing down....just a bunch of smaller things left to do!

We did meet with the officiant Whitney this morning. It went well; she's really nice, very easy going, knows what she's doing and has a great simple outline of the ceremony that we don't really need to fudge with at all.

So now that Casey will have time off during the day, he'll be able to get a lot of stuff accomplished....and he seems excited about that!!

76 dtg!!!

Had my first dress fitting which went very well! I've probably lost around 10 lbs since I first tried it on, but luckily they do not need to take it in at all, just hem the bottom to shorten it....it looks beautiful....stunning.....gorgeous.....I love it!!! I wanted to walk around in it all day!

Then my mom showed me the dress she bought, and the shoes....and the earrings and the bag!! All gorgeous and stunning on her....she looks like a greek goddess!!!

Finished up most of the invitations except for 3, which will be mailed on Monday!!!

Cut 5 more manzanita branches with my dad that will be used for the remaining centerpieces. It was quite a challenge trying to find 5 good ones in a SEA of manzanita bushes.....literally, they are everywhere!

Now I'm home....its past 11 and I need to wake up at 6:30 tomorrow morning to head to Gilroy and meet the officiant. The fun never stops!

77 dtg!!!!

(Supposed to be posted on Friday July 31st, 2009)

Lots that was done today including a tea party with work people.....picking up more 12x21 papers for invites and pomanders, mailing out the Canadian invitations, and heading off to Placerville!