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Trader Joe's White Zinfandel & The Property Brothers

Happy birthday to me!

New To Me, Old To The World

On a recent visit (more like raid) to my mother's house, I collected a few things for my birthday party:

First, she's lending me two drink dispensers which aren't my favorite, but don't clash with the look I'm going for and are free to use.

Second, glassware. I borrowed (stole) a ton of vintage glassware that belonged to my late grandfather and his second wife. They immigrated from Cuba to Burlington, Iowa in the 50-60's and started quite a collection of fine household items. I was able to look into one of the sets of glassware because they had a name stamped to the side. Just after a copyright symbol it says, "Culver" in a cursive font then "LTD" in all caps. They're cocktail tumblers with a red and gold paisley print. I found out that they are made of 22 karat gold foil and red enamel, but because the set is missing one (seven are left) and they are not in great condition, they'd only be valued at about $10 a glass. They were made in the 40-50s in New York. Apparently, Culver made very popular glassware and some sets are worth a lot today. I was just excited to find something that was actually made in the era that my party is sort of themed for. Woohoo! I also found a set of four decorative champagne glasses with a gold rim, four water glasses with gold trim on bottom and top, and three coups that boast some beautiful floral engraving--stars of the show in my opinion.

Now that I have enough glassware, I'm thinking about decorations. I would love to have some kind of floral garland action in the room, but don't want to spend a lot. I also don't want it to look cheap. I'm considering making it myself, but the image I have in my head is very involved and I'm not sure I'll have time over the next two weeks to make it happen. Obviously, the garland situation will be a big point of contention. Wish me luck!  

I'm Not, But I Guess I Am

I don't consider myself to be much of a graphic designer. I can do anything with a brush or pencil, but it's probably because of those abilities that I feel like I lack vision with software. With that said, I've always tried my best and, at times, have made some pretty cool stuff. I'm particularly proud of the invite I created this week for my 30th birthday party that's coming up next month. I had a theme in mind and tried to focus on the essence rather than a literal interpretation. I feel like this instance in particular called for this approach because I wanted to evoke a time and place. The only bit that didn't originate from me is the background which I pulled from one of at least twenty different google searches.

I blocked out some details because, c'mon people, it is the internet.

Also, I've been trying to put together a soundtrack for the party. Well, two soundtracks; a theme-following lounge-y one and an after party one that's more current. I've got tons of Cuban son and big band stuff for the former and stuff like The Naked and Famous and the Two Door Cinema Club for the latter. 

I love hosting events for other people, but not for myself--there's just too much pressure and no one else to blame if things go awry. I'll be posting more about the party this month and next so stay tuned for more of that.

-background photo for the invite courtesy of www.berea.edu-

I Think I've Gotcha

The 1920s party came and went and I wanted to go over what transpired in my have-to-find-a-costume-for-this-party dilemma. I did go to a few fabric stores as I mentioned and that only made things worse. I came across some interesting and ornate details that I could use with some fabric that my grandmother had intended to make me a dress out of before she passed. I bought a few things including but not limited to fur, fringe and wine colored velvet. When I got home I proceeded to set up the sewing machine (it stays tucked away in a closet because I don't have a proper work station yet), clear the dining room table for cutting and measuring, close the blinds so I can try it on freely, etc. There were no witnesses to this madness as my boyfriend had gone to NY for business the day before and wouldn't be home until that night. The most important thing about the last statement is that I had no one to run my edits by. I made a box dress (as taught by my grandmother and my usual "watch and learn" technique). I cut and sew, and cut and sew, and tried it on in between every move. None of this mattered because what I didn't realize before or during the making of this amazing dress (in my mind it was spectacular), is that I've got too much hip for this type of dress. I have never liked straight boxy dresses on myself ever and today would be no exception. I tried to reason with myself for about half an hour before I gave up, cleaned everything up and put it all away. All of the embellishments stayed intact yet ineligible for return because they were cut to size for me at the store. These will be saved for another project. Here's what I ended up choosing from my personal collection. I bought this romper from Anthropologie during their awesome holiday sale this year:

I wore black patent round toe pumps that had a thick heel (I'm only 5'6" so it's a very long pant on me, unlike on this statuesque model) and it was a hit. I curled my hair (as in curled, pinned, set, etc.) and created waves then pinned it up to mimic a bob. The make up was heavy but romantic eyes with dark mauve purple, taupe, champagne highlight and black liner. I used a brighter red than I would've wanted, but couldn't rationalize buying a vampy wine color just for this. I regret this now because a) it would've looked great and b) after giving it some thought, I would totally wear it again. Anyway, the party was lots of fun. There were some who showed up in store-bought costumes, some in homemade ones like a friend's boyfriend who came as a moonshiner wearing a flannel shirt, overalls, a gypsy farmer looking hat and a mason jar for his drinks and the rest of us had some kind of interpretation manifested somewhere on a fancy outfit. 

Next day was clean-up day. I volunteered to help because the party was held at my friend's parent's house and I've always enjoyed being with them even in 95 degree weather trying to get feathers out of the grass.

With my boyfriend gone, I made the weekend a staycation and had an amazing time with just the girls. Hope you're weekend was awesome too!

-photos courtesy of www.anthropologie.com-

Happy Independence Day, USA!

4 Years

I met my boyfriend four years ago today. It's weird to think that a) four years have gone by and b) I've been in a relationship that long! Either way, I'm happily boyfriended and hope to be together for many more years to come. He's been enjoying my creations since I've known him and I'm happy to share the latest one with you:

After taking the photos, I added a red and white striped paper to the right of the hot air balloons for the message. Ooh la la.