Personalized Wedding Gift: Picture Frames

Last summer when we visited Chicago, I fell in love with this photo collage in Emily and Ryan's guest room.  

I even went to the boutique and looked through all the letters but couldn't settle on anything I loved enough to have it spelled out. B also pointed out that it would be fun to take our own pictures if we were to do this. Genius - I love a good D.I.Y. project!

Inspired by their Chicago collage and a photo idea I saw earlier this year, I suggested to B that we personalize their wedding gift. My idea was take photos of pretty, artistic numbers of their wedding date (10-16-10). I also wanted to somehow incorporate a picture of Hyde (their last name) street in San Francisco. We ended up taking a bunch of different pictures and settled on these as our favorites:

OCT from a concert venue sign in Chico
16th Street in Sacramento
2010 address in Sacramento
the corner of Hyde and Francisco in San Francisco

I searched their registry and picked two frames from Pottery Barn, which happened to also be on sale! Using Picassa, I made several versions of each picture with different tones and filters. I'm happy I printed multiple versions, because on the computer I loved the black and white (like their Chicago collage), but in the frames the Sepia tone looked the best. 

And here is the final product wrapped up, tied with ribbon and ready to be carried on planes, trains and taxi cabs! 

We included a note with the frames explaining our inspiration for the gift, the extra copies of the photos (in case they prefer the B&W) and also a disclaimer that we won't be offended if they use their new frames for say, their gorgeous professional wedding photos. We had fun taking the pictures and have no doubt they'll appreciate the thoughtful gesture. 

***
Imagine my delight when I saw this awesome wordle collage at their rehearsal dinner. One of the bridesmaids made it as a wedding gift. It includes words and dates from the first day they met (at CareerBuilder, Ryan was on the panel that interviewed Emily!) up to their wedding day, 10-16-10. Another great gift idea!

Monster Mash

It was a dark, rainy night in the hills of Berkeley. Most ghouls and goblins in the bay area were glued to their televisions watching the Giants. While Count Dracula kept score, we 

prepared a hauntingly delicious fest. Over dinner we caught up on life. It was spooky how long we'd all gone without seeing each other! In case you weren't keeping score, the Giants killed the Rangers, who looked more like zombies out on the field. 

Inspired by Martha Stewart Cupcakes, Rachel set up our laboratory. Stocked with chocolate and funfetti cupcakes, frosting and candy in all shapes, sizes and colors. With a glass of Charles Shaw elixir, we got straight to work. 

The creative juices were a little slow to begin, but before too long our eyes beheld an eerie sight. 

Monsters began to emerge. 

Before too long, we were all doing the mash...the monster mash!!

Sarah's monsters

Ashlee's monsters

Rachel's monsters

my monsters

Happy Halloween! Remember to watch what you eat, in case what you eat is watching you!!

Emily & Ryan's Wedding

The weekend before last we traveled to Chicago for Emily and Ryan's wedding. Brian was a groomsman in the wedding. He and Ryan met in college and have been good friends ever since. 

The first time I met Ryan and Emily was in LA when we met up to see the Cubs play the Dodgers. Ryan was one of the first friends of Brian's from Iowa that I got to meet. I was releaved to know Brian had nice, normal friends who were also insanely passionate about sports (specifically the Iowa Hawkeyes). 


The four of us get along really well. Although we live far away, we've had the opportunity see them quite a few times: once to visit them last summer and then we hosted them here in CA last fall.  

During our visits Emily and I would talk, among other things, about friends, parties and weddings. From those conversations alone I knew their wedding would be fabulous. During his toast, Emily's father mentioned that in their family when they think of "wedding" they think of the movie Father of the Bride. He went on to say that if you're looking for Franck (the wedding planner), look at Emily she's our wedding planner. I loved the reference to the movie and it was a sweet statement, because she really did plan a fabulous wedding. It was classy with well coordinated details, tons of family and friends and A LOT of fun!


The Hyde's ~ October 16

Chicago, IL

Highlights:

Gorgeous church, beautiful bride and groom and adorable flower girl and ring bearer.

After the ceremony the wedding party drove around Chicago to get pictures. I was lucky enough to be invited to ride along with them, so much fun! This was the first stops and one of my favorite pictures of the couple. Roscoe Village is where they live.

Next stop was the lake front, with a view of the city skyline. I snuck behind the photographer to get this shot of the whole group. I love how the green flowers pop against the navy dresses. And well, I also love the view of the city in the background - so pretty!

a few of my favorite pictures of the group: 1. Amazing shot of Emily. Not only does she look stunning in front of the skyline, the light wind was perfect for a flowing vail shot! 2. i LOVED the bridesmaids dresses and especially shoes. They were a perfect combination of classy and cute. 3. I also loved how sharp the guy looked in their matching suits. Really an all around good looking wedding party! 4. Last but certainly not least, B's herky belt buckle made it in the wedding. I love that the photograph snagged a photo of it!

click to enlarge  

The maid of honor made this for the back of the limo. This is Emily and Ryan's dog, Archie. His sign says "JUST HITCHED HAWKEYES" 

The happy couple celebrating on the way to the reception. Cheering and a fist pump for the hawkeyes victory and their wedding, of course!!

a few of my favorite details from the reception: 1. the place cards were little tags pinned onto white pumpkins. i loved the subtle incorporation of fall  2.more pumpkins and how cute is that personalized round box cake in the background? I'm not sure if it was a gift or made by the bride but I know it must be inspired by Paper Source!   3. Each champagne glass was filled with bubbly and ready for the toast. Sweet addition, a strawberry on the side!  4. Continuing with the elements of fall, each guest received a caramel apple to take home (sorry the picture is so dark. take my word for it, they were delicious!)

click to enlarge

From the Save the Date to the invitations to the programs and menu cards, all of the paper were coordinated and very well done. Come to find out, one of Emily's good friends is a graphic designer and made them all. Shown here is the menu card in the background, although blurred, you can see the table number uses the same circular design.

Here is Emily and her Kappa sisters doing their tradition for weddings. Although I couldn't hear all the words, it was sweet. I must say it was much classier than singing to John Cougar at the top of your lungs, per the (beta iota) Theta wedding tradition. 

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your special day! We were so happy to be able to make the trip out for their festivities. Here's to many happy years of marriage, Hawkeye victories and continued friendship!! 

Guess who's going to Game 2 of the World Series?

THIS GUY!!!

B was lucky enough to score a ticket to game 2 tonight! I am so excited for him to experience Giants fever in person. I will be rooting from home and scanning the crowd (level one, off third base) for this organge jacket. GO GIANTS!!!

Garlic Parmesan Couscous

 Over the last few weeks we've received several homegrown tomatoes from our neighbors. Every now and then I'll come home and see one or two sitting on our back porch. Towards the end of last week there was a sticky note on the front door that said "more tomatoes!". I looked out back and saw these...

 Since B isn't a huge fan, I have been enjoying the crops by myself. When we received this bunch, I knew I couldn't eat them all so it was time to get creative. Using ingredients I had on hand I came up with chicken parmesan with roasted tomatoes and garlic parmesan couscous.

 To make the chicken: Place the chicken in a zip lock and pounded them with a flat pan. Bread with Italian bread crumbs and baked at 400 degrees for approx 20 minutes.

To make the roasted tomatoes: Chop the cherry tomatoes in half and the larger tomatoes into 1 inch chunks. Toss the tomatoes in a glass baking dish with olive oil, fresh garlic, basil and 21 season salute (from TJ's). Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, at the same time as the chicken. Mash tomatoes to create a sauce. Top chicken breast with sauce and a slice of cheese (I used provolone) and pop back in the oven for a minute or two. 

Meanwhile, prepare the garlic parmesan couscous, see recipe below. I made this recipe up as a solution for an affordable and delicious side. I used to eat Near East flavored couscous and rice pilaf all.the.time. That is until I realized it is so easy to make and probably better for you (less sodium, for sure). 
 

Garlic Parmesan Couscous

1 cup whole wheat couscous

1 cup vegetable (or chicken) broth

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

In large sauce pan, combine broth, olive oil and garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour dry couscous into sauce pan. Stir well. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and slowly add parmesan cheese. 



Enjoy!

Orange and Black

{click to enlarge}

In the spirit of Halloween and a quick recap of our weekend here is a little orange and black collage. I bought a bunch of mini pumpkins (aka pumpkin tree) at TJ's. I put most of them in a vase (top left). Others I placed in the window sill and grouped with white pumpkins from the wedding last weekend. It was an easy and affordable way to add to our fall decor.

B has officially hopped on the bandwagon proclaimed he is a Giant's fan, so I bought him a new hat. It's pretty hard not to when there is world series excitement all around! We'd love to go to a game if anyone has free tickets....otherwise we'll be rooting for the orange and black from the East Bay.

Speaking of orange and black, did you know B and I had the same high school mascot? That's right - go tigers! Although we went to different colleges, with completely different mascots, at least our teams have the same colors - black and gold. It is convenient for supporting both teams on game day. Thankfully the Giants pulled through with a win on Saturday because the hawkeyes and buffs both lost.

Last and deserving least attention (not pictured) are the black ants that have moved into our living room. It was very rainy this weekend so apparently they were seeking shelter. Thankfully we are working on containing them now and they aren't in the kitchen (that is the worst!). It's making me think I should be an ant eater instead of a jelly fish for Halloween.
*ps. two people have now told me they swear by orange oil to fend off ants. going to pick some up tonight! another orange and black. coincidence? i think not.

Just a few more reasons...

why I love my boyfriend: 

# 65. He's taking a communication class with me. I know he'd rather be doing a million other things. I mentioned it enough times to let him know it was important, and so for the next six weeks we're going. It's an eclectic mix of people with an instructor whose accent is a little hard to understand. It's an experience, we're learning and it means a lot to me.

# 82. While at said class last night, during the Giants game that he'd rather be watching, he wrote me a note that said "what is (classmates) favorite baseball team?" Given the game, I'm thinking Giants but know that's too easy. I look at classmate and ponder for a minute before giving up. B writes "Red Socks" because classmate is wearing bright red socks. I tried really hard not to laugh out loud and silently loved him just a little bit more for the never ending sense of humor.

Weekend in photos: Chicago

1. The soon to be Mr and Mrs Hyde at their rehearsal dinner, which took place here. Across the street from Wrigley and so much fun! 2. Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline.  3. All but three of the wedding party went to Iowa. They're all very enthusiastic Hawkeye fans! Thankfully Iowa won their game on Saturday. 4. I loved this path! Must be so pretty in any season, but I especially like it with the fall leaves. 5. Enjoying our short but sweet trip to Chicago! 6. The closest I may ever get to Navy Pier and that's ok (I've been told its a zoo, similar to Fisherman's Wharf).

Not pictured but worth mentioning: 1. I made it to the Renegade Handmade store. The shop was much smaller than I expected, but it was still fun to see. I'm hoping to attend the holiday fair in San Fran. 2.While traveling I had ample time read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It was slow to start, but now I can't put it down. 3. As we were flying home we flew over the Colorado (or maybe Utah) and I saw patches of golden aspen trees blanketing the mountains. It was an amazing site to see!

All in all, a fabulous weekend. I will share wedding highlights + photos and our homemade wedding gift later this week!

Double Rainbow

Remember this divine rainbow card? I made it last month with my new Divine Twine.

I received a few comments, in reference to this video, about a making a double rainbow. It made me laugh because, oddly enough, the video wasn't my inspiration for the card. With the rest of my extra twine, I decided it was time to go for the gold and make a double rainbow. 

The colors really are bright and vivid. 

This card and a copy of this are in route to Miss Kaci. She's running the Denver Marathon on Sunday. Good luck friend; I hope you have a double rainbow kind of day! 

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. 

Go Marsha Go!

This weekend is the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. Last year I really wanted to participate in the run, but did not sign up for the lottery in time. That's right, there's a lottery. This is why: posh/inspiring expotique prior to the race race, gorgeous course through the streets and parks of San Francisco and at the finish line you receive a Tiffany's necklace from a fire fighter. 'nuff said. 

Since I couldn't run, B and I volunteered to cheer on loved ones and strangers. As a runner, I can greatly appreciate all the encouragement along the way. Especially if you hit the wall, there's nothing better to put a little pep back in your step than seeing a friendly face. We spent the morning at the mile 8 thrive mile where we handed out orange slices, rang cow bells and cheered our hearts out. We were also wanting to see two loved ones - Debbie and Brian's sister-in-law, Erin. 

I made them each a sign to hold up when they ran by. Here is Debbie's: 

note: the theme of the marathon last year was run like a girl

The other side for Erin said "go Erin - keep on cookin" 

note: cookin' is a Lackore family joke/word that is completely overused to the point it's funny

This year, our office administrator/office "mom"/one of the nicest people in the whole world is participating in the half marathon (her very first!). For someone who doesn't do races, this is a big deal. Since I won't be there to cheer for her (we'll be at a wedding in Chicago), I wanted to make her a sign. 

I cut out some bright letters on the Cricut to spell: GO Marsha GO! 

When I went to purchase poster board I forgot the letters so I was trying to coordinate from memory. Clearly I did not coordinate too well, as this is a little bright/hard to read. 

I ended up using white paper on top of the poster board and then added the letters. I also outlined the letters to help them stand out a little better. 

Last but not least, I grabbed a handful of Sharpie's and had everyone in the department write a message. This morning I posted this on Marsha's door: 

She LOVED it and said she can't wait to show her team....and I quote "they're going to be SO jealous." Good luck to Marsha and ALL the women participating in this year's race!!

Pinwheel Bouquet

{photo via Oh Happy Day}

I saw these cute pinwheels a few weeks back on Oh Happy Day and thought they were adorable! Pinwheels shown above were created as escort cards for a wedding. Such a fun, clever idea. 

Using these easy to follow step-by-step directions, I decided to give it a whirl. 

Here are some of my own pinwheels! 

To make these I used: #2 pencils, pearl pins, colorful card stock, paper cutter and bone folder. 

If you'd like to make your own pinwheels, I have a few suggestions: 

1. Cut the paper into 4.5 inch squares. Originally I made 6 inch squares and they were too big. The smaller, the better. 

2. Pencils are easier to use than dowels, and cost about the same. I had trouble pushing the pin through the dowel without ruining the pin wheel. 

3. If you're using long pins, be careful of the point on the opposite side of the pencil/dowel. Using pliers you can simply bend the pin point to be flush to the pencil.

I arranged the pinwheels into a bouquet for a friends birthday! Also made a little card, with the same colorful paper, to go along with the bouquet.

 I love how they turned out and plan to make more pinwheels in future!

weekend in photos

{click to enlarge}

 from left to right...1. I cut bangs, first time since 5th grade 2. We took a day trip to Chico, CA. Per Debbie's suggestion, lunched at Woodstock's pizza - delish! 3. Enjoyed walking around the cute college town of Chico, beneath tons and tons of trees. 4. The Sampler @ Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. - prost! 5. Favorites: Crystal Wheat, Kellerweis. Not a fan of: the dark beers  6. The guys sampling wort while on the brewery tour 7. Cool chandelier at a bar in SacTown 8. Turtle art, made from bike parts 9. Weekend tradition - bagels and coffee @ Noah's - on 10.10.10 we drank coffee in honor of Chelsea's birthday

Summer Squash and Corn Chowder

Each week as I make my grocery store list, I flip through my recipe book and pull out 2-3 meal ideas. I never plan what days we will have the meals, I just purchase the ingredients to have on hand for the week. Then I put the recipes on the fridge for when I need them. This is my new routine, since moving in with B. It's working out really well and keeps me from wandering the grocery store aisles thinking "what the heck should I make for dinner?" Plus, I have the chance to keep trying new recipes. 

Here's what we ate this week:
Sunday: Gnocchi with Roasted Cauliflower
Monday: Summer Squash and Corn Chowder 
Tuesday: Pumpkin Pancakes (mix from TJ's) with fruit smoothies
Wednesday: Chicken Taco Salad
Thursday: Beef Stir Fry

The Summer Squash and Corn Chowder was my new recipe for this week (#10 of my 10x2010 personal challenge). I knew B would love the corn, he is an Iowan after all. The summer squash was a delicious addition to an otherwise average corn chowder! And how can you resist a healthy recipe that includes cheddar and bacon on top? Although I try to steer clear of dairy, I went ahead and used regular milk over soy milk. Next time I will definitely make it with Lactaid milk, as suggested by Kaci. 

Summer Squash and Corn Chowder

Ingredients
2  slices applewood-smoked bacon
3/4  cup  sliced green onions, divided
1/4  cup  chopped celery
1  pound  yellow summer squash, chopped
1  pound  frozen white and yellow baby corn kernels, thawed and divided
2 1/4  cups  1% low-fat milk, divided 
1  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
1/8  teaspoon  salt
1/4  cup  (1 ounce) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation

1. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Crumble bacon, and set aside. Add 1/2 cup onions, celery, and squash to drippings in pan; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

2. Reserve 1 cup corn; set aside. Place the remaining corn and 1 cup milk in a blender; process until smooth. Add remaining 1 1/4 cups milk, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to blender; process just until combined. Add pureed mixture and reserved 1 cup corn to pan. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt. Ladle about 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with about 1 tablespoon bacon, 1 tablespoon remaining onions, and 1 tablespoon cheese.

Serves 4

Enjoy! 

Refreshing

As I mentioned on Tuesday in my 10 by the end of 2010 list, I've had a little work done around here! Isn't it refreshing and fun? I absolutely love it!

Around the time I was looking in to getting a new blog layout, one of the blogs I follow, lovely by m, announced that she and her creative husband started their own company, Twig. 

Meet the creative talent behind Twig: Michelle, J. Luce and Steve.

After perusing their website I realized, among tons of other things, they do blog and website design. I wasn't sure if my little ol' blog was the kind of work they did. Out of curiosity, I emailed to ask about pricing. Two quick emails later we were on the road to redesign! 

My main goal was to get a new header, (see above) which I wanted to still include my beloved paisley and add a few buttons (to your right) to categorize my posts. I also widened the posting space and added a few pages (still in the works). I emailed these details, along with a few sample colors, off to the Twig crew and the rest was in their hands. 

I couldn't be happier with the final product! My favorite surprise was that they formatted the text in my posts to coordinate with the colors in my new header. I love when all the details coordinate, even the little ones most people don't notice! 

Over the next few days I'll be making the final touches, so please excuse the unfinished pages. 

Inspiration from the Bride of Frankenstein

Based on the title of this post you're probably thinking: where is this going? Good question. As I've mentioned a few times, I've been doing a lot of Halloween costume brainstorming. I also love inspiration boards and wanted to start making more of my own. In the spirit of Halloween and bringing back Wedding Wednesdays...here is my first inspiration board. 

{photos via Martha Stewart, Better Homes and Gardens, My Expressions, Hostess with the Mostess and Spirit Halloween}

My first thought was, how fun would it be, as newly weds, to dress up as the Bride of Frankenstein (BOF) and Frankenstein. If you don't plan to save your dress for years to come, this would be a fun time to re-wear it. A dress could also be found at a thrift shop or easily constructed with white material and a sewing machine. Unless you have jet black hair and are handy with the blow-dryer and aqua net, I'd recommend splurging for a $13 BOF wig! 

Frankenstein's costume could be constructed very easily as well. Black pants, long sleeve black shirt and an over-sized dark gray suit jacket (hello, thrift store!). For added bulky monster affect, add shoulder pads to the inside of the jacket. A little green face paint and monster accessories and ta-da: Frankenstein! 

As I started looking around at pictures, my creativity grew. Why stop at costumes when you could have a whole Frankenstein inspired monster bash? The party could be a Halloween party, or as seen in the lower left corner, an engagement party! Whether your party is along the lines of mad scientists laboratory or haunted mansion, you could incorporate wedding elements to the theme. After all, you are dressed as a monster bride and groom! 

No matter what kind of party you throw, there are tons of ideas and resources for hosting your own monster bash. I recommend starting your search here, here and/or here. 

10 x 2010

After a long weekend not posting on the ol’ blog, I am back with a list of my next projects and...a winner! I’ll start with the fun news first.

Thank you for your comments about the September Creative Challenge. The winner of the 2011 Paper Source Wall Art Calendar is: Chelsea*. Congrats! Since I believe that everyone is a winner, others who left a comment will also receive a treat. Bet you wish you would have commented too, don’t you?

To keep my creative momentum going from September, I came up with a list of 10 tasks/projects to accomplish by the end of 2010. I look forward to sharing the process and final product of these projects with you.

1.     Refresh the whole enchelleadaEver since I started a blog, back in July 2009, I’ve really wanted a more custom look to my page. I resisted the urge to pay money and have thoroughly enjoyed my paisley background. As a treat to myself for completing 100 posts (yay!) it is finally time to spruce things up around here. Hoping you’ll see some changes this week!

2.     Complete Association of Bridal Consultants certificationJust one more section and a final project to complete and I will be a certified ABC consultant! I have been a member of ABC for three years now. Being certified will just give me a little more street cred' in the world of weddings. 

3.     Learn to Tweet

I want to understand and try using Twitter. Debbie uses it for her blog, as do many other bloggers, and I’m intrigued. I learn best by diving in and just trying it, so that’s my plan.

4.     Make a personalized wedding gift

We are headed to a wedding in Chicago in two weeks. I thought of a fun, unique wedding gift B and I could make together. I am really excited to see it come together and look forward to sharing the process with you!

5.     Make Halloween costumes 

As I mentioned on Day 30, the creative wheels are turning for creative and inexpensive Halloween costumes. My goal is to make the costumes and spend less than $50 total.

6.     Make a wreath

With autumn, and soon the holidays, in full swing I’ve seen loads of cute, festive wreaths. While I don’t know if I trust putting one outside our front door (we do live in Oakland, you know), I really want to make one to display somewhere in the apartment! I’ve already been search for inspiration around the blogland and Etsy. Can’t wait to show you what I come up with.

7.     Mini-books

At the beginning of September I took a two week online workshop on how to make a mini book. Since I was doing the creative challenge, I didn’t have a lot of time to construct an actual book. I have two books that I want to get done before the end of the year. First on the list is our trip to Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park. 

8.     Handmade for the Holidays

I want to support the handmade movement by making my own holiday cards and gifts, or purchasing items from Etsy, with as many gifts as possible.

9.     Make more idea/inspiration boards

I want to make and share more inspiration boards for wedding and party ideas. I recently downloaded Picassa (for free!) and realized I can now easily make a collage of pictures (much like can be done in Photoshop and Publisher).
10. Try a new recipe every weekI love to cook. I’m a new enough cook that trying a new recipe each week isn’t too challenging because I'm still building up my go-to meals. This should be a fun one. I promise to share recipes of good meals and stories of the belly flops (quinoa burgers, anyone?). 


*winner was chosen using random.org. thanks for playing!