purplenat1's Purple Wedding Blog - Wedding By Color http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1 body {background-image: url("http://i342.photobucket.com/albums/o401/Thecutestblogontheblock/LindsayStreetcopy.jpg"); background-position: center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; } ]]> Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:46:42 PST en-us Your groom - So he doesn't help with the planning http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/117205 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/117205 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:38:00 PST I've heard this comment from many brides to be: my fiance doesn't help with any of the planning. I picked the venue, the caterer, the cake, the clothes (mine and his) the honeymoon, .. and the list goes on. Personally, I feel very blessed to have a fiance who has helped with a lot of the planning. He organized the entire honeymoon, and designed out save-the-dates and invitations. What a guy! But if your man just doesn't get into it, I recently read something that should help put the annoying situation into perspective. I think the important message is that, although he doesn't help with the wedding, he has different skills, and helps with other things. Not caring about wedding details doesn't mean he doesn't care about you or your relationship. It just means that he doesn't care what colour the linens are or what vows you choose to speak. ]]> Free photobooth - With a webcam and a website http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/117024 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/117024 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:00:00 PST So this guy created a website that sets up your webcam & computer so that you can take photobooth-like pictures. You could set this up at your reception and not worry about having an attendant at the actual photobooth. Brilliant! Here's his blog post about it: http://www.iherebydecree.com/archive/id/884#disqus_thread Here's the website: http://picturenest.net/]]> Groomsmen gifts - Beer buckets http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/116555 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/116555 Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:26:00 PST I was thinking about putting the bridesmaids gifts into a tote bag instead of using wrapping paper (trying to be eco-friendly here). Then I wondered what we could do for the guys. Men don't really carry tote bags, or bags of any kind, really, so it came to me - beer buckets! I'm bidding on those Stella Artois buckets which are super fancy, but it's in the list of "most watched" so I'm thinking that unless I want to spend a fortune, I won't win them. The Miller variety pack is available, though, for $37 (including shipping) on www.rockbottomdeals.biz, so unless I win the e-bay auction, I think these will be the ones I go for. Option 3: http://www.directfrommexico.com/cu2204.html]]> Bridesmaids - Shoes ideas for Brides too http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/116438 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/116438 Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:16:00 PST I told my bridesmaids to wear whatever silver shoes they wanted as long as they have a back so they don't make that obnoxious flip flop sound. I sent them an e-mail with the following ideas, but I thought it would post it here, because many of these shoes could work for brides too. My personal faves. If I didn't already own 3 pairs of silver flats, I would get these. Gabrielle Rocha Nina Court Bella Vita These ones have hearts on the sole! Romantic Soles Touch Ups OMG, only $25 Chinese Laundry Chinese Laundry2 ]]> Garters - College Sports, Betty Boop & more http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/116190 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/116190 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:41:00 PST I found this garter website a while ago, and I thought I would share. It seems like they have hundreds of options, colours, themes and so on for garters. They've got college sports garters (like Purdue Boiler up!) and a multitude of sports teams. They're hand made by a mother daughter duo, and they seem pretty reasonable (a single garter for $17 and a set for $29). Check 'em out. http://www.sewuniquegarters.com/category_10/Pro-Sports-Hockey.htm]]> DIY Wedding - How to make a veil http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/114905 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/114905 Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:00:00 PST Here's my tutorial on how to make a veil. 1. Decide how long your want your veil to be. 2. Buy tulle (the softest you can find) double the length that you want for your veil. I used 52inch wide tulle, but you can use the 104inch wide if you want a poofyer veil. 3. Round the corners on the tulle. (pics 2-4) 4. Fold tulle in half so now veil is your desired length. I folded it so that the top layer was shorter than the bottom layer, but they can be the same length. 5. With thread and needle, do a running stitch (the regular in and out kind of sewing) along the fold. I knotted a seed bead at the end of my thread so it wouldn't pull through. (pis 5-7) 6. Pull the tulle along the tread so that it gathers, then knot the thread (or knot on a second seed bead) so that the tulle stays gathered. Try to make the gathered tulle the same width as your comb. 7. Sew the veil to your comb (pics 8-9) That's it! You now have a veil. Including the fancy comb that I bought at the mall for this, but not including the sewing supplies I already had, this veil cost me about $26 (the comb cost $20). Overall, I'm pretty happy with this DIY.]]> Wedding Hair Style - DIY version http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/114153 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/114153 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:06:00 PST In some bridal magazine, there was this DIY tutorial for hair. I'm not going to do my own hair. Actually, I have a hair trial appointment for when I go to NY. But I thought I would try this out just for kicks when I tried on the veil I made (more on that later). I think it turned out pretty well for an amateur. I'm also posting pics of inspiration pics. I don't know who this lady is, but I'm sure she's famous, and I love her hair style. :-) Edit: It's Kate Beckinsale]]> Wedding Cake - Cupcakes and Croquembouche http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/113814 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/113814 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:43:00 PST Our reception hall includes cake in the total cost, so yay, free cake! Instead of doing a traditional cake, we're doing cupcakes (as many of you are, I think) and we'll offer little to-go boxes so guests can take desert home with them. However, we're also planning on having a croquembouche which is the traditional French wedding cake made of cream puffs glued together with caramel and built into a tall cone-like shape. Yum. I called a couple French pastry shops on Long Island to get quotes. The first place that got back to me said it would be between $780 and $712 depending on the base we use. Woah! That's way too much for a second cake. Then this morning, great news. I get an e-mail for another baker: $150 for 150 people. WHAT!!! omg. I called to make sure that was right. Wow. I know you get what you pay for, but for a difference of $600, I don't mind getting the so-so cake! Hah! So we've scheduled a tasting with them in March as well. I'm going to eat so much cake that week! Also, I have a little pastry-themed song stuck in my head. Translation (ish) at the right. The French version is clever because it uses all kinds of pastries in the lyrics, e.g. éclair = flash of lightning and the cream filled, chocolate coated pastry. I posted pictures of all the pastries here. Yum. Ayez pitié d'un p'tit pâtissier Have pity on a lil pastry-chef Dont l'amour se perd Whose love is lost Ainsi qu'un éclair Like a flash J'lui ai offert un Saint-Honoré I offered her a cream-puff cake J'en suis tout baba I'm all baffled Car elle s'en moka! Cause she didn't care J'ai tant de peine I'm in such pain Que j'pleure comme une madeleine That I'm crying like Magdalene Car je l'aime Cause I love her comme un chou à la crème like a cream-puff Si mon amour va, toujours croissant If my love keeps growing J'finirai mes jours My days will end dans un puit d'amour! in the well of love.]]> Gift for mom & FFIL - Cranes silk tie & scarf http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/113445 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/113445 Sat, 20 Feb 2010 09:43:00 PST So far I've bought two silk gifts: on purple scarf with cranes on it for my mom, and one red scarf with cranes on it for his dad. Two more to go! I think I may move on to porcelain now.]]> Vendors - All at once! http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/113091 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/113091 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:30:00 PST We live 800 miles away from where our wedding is taking place. So we're driving to NY during our spring break to visit vendors, pick a cake, choose our centerpieces, meet the people at our venue, do a hair trial (me only), and get the required pre-marital counseling from my Pastor. This is going to be intense. On Long Island, and perhaps in many other places, it seems that the cake and centerpieces are included in the cost of many of the venues (cost per person), so we only have one option for flowers: Tim's in Massapequa. Which is fine, because I don't really care much about the centerpieces. For cake, we have two options, Campbell's and Black Forest so we're going to try them both. I'm really looking forward to tasting cake. Yum. Hopefully when we get married in July, we'll be happy with the decisions we make in March!]]> Ask a Question - Gift for Jr Groomsman? http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/112431 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/112431 Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:33:00 PST My fiance's brother will only be 11 at the time of the wedding. We got flasks with cranes on them for the other groomsmen, but figured it would be inappropriate for a kid. I've been trying to think of what to get for him that related to our wedding somehow. He's big into Lego and video games, but that's not very wedding-y. Anything else that screams wedding doesn't look like something an 11 year old boy would actually like. And then it dawned on me. An origami how-to book. I mean, we did make 1000 origami cranes, and those cranes are the theme for the entire day, so why not? I figure if he likes LEGOs, he likes making things and putting things together. So he'll probably like origami. I found a great looking book on amazon for like $10. http://www.amazon.com/Origami-Hideaki-Sakata/dp/0870405802 HOWEVER - my fiance says that it's a good idea for a girl, but that boys don't do crafts or origami. He said it nicely, but he implied that his brother might not like this. Any ideas? What would you get for an 11 year old groomsman?]]> Wedding Decoration - For illusen http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/112374 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/112374 Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:54:00 PST I saw this ad in a magazine (in Style maybe?) and though of everyone's favorite carnival bride. Such an easy DIY with so much potential. Pinwheels are awesome!! Template for flower-y pinwheels: http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/links/FlowerPinwheel.html]]> Wedding Gift Registry - Live in Chicago? http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/111968 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/111968 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:53:00 PST If you like in Chicagoland, there is this really cool registry that you can sign up for. You sign up for amounts at your favorite restaurants and get people to give you money toward fancy delicious dinners at your favorite places, or maybe the ones you've wanted to try but couldn't afford! Cool thing is, you can break down each gift certificate so that if you want, like $200 for an expensive place, a bunch of people can contribute smaller amounts. How clever! I saw these guys are IndieWed and they seem to really have a good thing going. Check it out: http://www.foodieregistry.com/]]> Funny Gift Idea - Crane TP http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/111873 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/111873 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:03:00 PST We made over 1000 cranes for the wedding, and I recently found this TP OL. I'm temped to buy some but I don't really know what I would do with it. Put it in the bathrooms? Give it to the wedding party? Use it myself and laugh everytime I go to the bathroom? What do you think. If you found toilet paper that matched your theme, would you get it? http://www.baronbob.com/toiletpaper-origami.htm]]> Wedding Cake - Cupcake Boxes http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/111547 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/111547 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:15:00 PST We're not really having favors. Instead, we're going to have small boxes so that people can take a cupcake home. (We're having cupcakes instead of a traditional wedding cake.) So I went internet shopping for boxes and found a few options. First, Cudge.net sells some colourful Chinese take-out boxes $16.33 for 100 (plus like, $11 for shipping). There's also the BRP Box Shop (http://www.brpboxshop.com/bakery_boxes/cupcake_boxes.html) that sells boxes designed for cupcakes! There are even inserts for the cupcakes so that they won't move around inside the box. They're more expensive ($38 for 100 boxes with inserts) but shipping is free and they're so well designed! Seeing as I am a regular poster on "wedding by COLOR" though, I might just have to go with the purple ones. But for those brides who want boxes ingeniously designed for cupcakes - brp box shop is a very cool option. ]]> Timeline - Staying organized http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/111378 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/111378 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:55:00 PST I got this detailed timeline from a knottie: http://www.theknot.com/co_profileview.htm?profilename=mrskhanley How helpful! Also, in this discussion page, look for templates for making your own simple timeline: http://www.weddingannouncer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5043 9:00 a.m. - Hairstylist arrives for bride, MOH and MOB 11:00 a.m. - Makeup artist arrives for bride and MOB 1:25 p.m. - Everyone involved in pre-ceremony pictures must be ready to go 1:30 p.m. - Photographers arrive for "getting ready" pictures. 2:15 p.m. - Pre-ceremony pictures begins with immediately family, bridal party, and bride & groom alone 4:00 p.m. - Harpist and DJ (sound system) arrives and set up 4:30 p.m. - Pre-ceremony pictures ends, wedding party assembles for ceremony. Guests begin to arrive 5:00 p.m. - MOB escorted by bride's brother, and parents of the groom are seated 5:05 p.m. - Officiant, Groom and Bestman take their places 5:07 p.m. - Ringbear and Flowergirl 5:09 p.m. - MOH 5:11 p.m. - Bride and FOB 5:25 p.m. - Ceremony ends, recessional 5:30 p.m. - Lion dance 6:00 p.m. - Post-ceremony pictures while guests continue on to cocktail hour 6:45 p.m. - Bride and groom joins for the last 15 minutes of cocktail hour 7:00 p.m. - Dress Change 7:10 p.m. - Guests take their seats 7:15 p.m. - Bride and groom announced into the ballroom 7:20 p.m. - Serve soup while toasts are made 7:35 p.m. - Serve salad 7:50 p.m. - Serve entree 7:55 p.m. - Slide show 8:20 p.m. - First dance 8:23 p.m. - Father/Daughter dance 8:25 p.m. - Visit table to table with photographers 8:45 p.m. - Open dance 9:00 p.m. - Cake cutting 9:15 p.m. - Bouquet toss 10:00 p.m. - Open dance again 12:00 a.m. - Last dance! ]]> Something Borrowed - Busy busy week http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/110667 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/110667 Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:01:00 PST It's been a busy week at school, so my posting on both my blog and others has been pretty minimal. Sorry for not reading, but I have just not had the time! I did figure out how to wear my grandmother's pin, though. I got the idea from GratefulBride and SarahDarling. I tried pinning it on a ribbon to wear around my wrist, but it was too heavy and kept spinning under. So I took off an extender chain on a necklace I have, and used that with a few jumprings. Now I have a very pretty bow bracelet that I think works beautifully with my e-ring. :-D yay! I will be back on board participating... eventually. I've got two papers due next week, a slew of papers to grade, and a convention paper deadline coming up. So... maybe in 2 weeks I'll be back to my usual chattiness.]]> Gifts for Parents - What to get? http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/110327 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/110327 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:42:00 PST Our parents are paying for the major bulk of this wedding, so we would like to give them a gift - a thank-you. Here were some of the ideas I had. First, I thought that some item could be relevant to the theme of our wedding (cranes). I found the following on etsy. I like the polo shirt for my dad, but I don't know that it's wedding-y. Does that even matter? I feel like he'll wear it. I love the cuff links, though. I'm definitely getting them either for my dad or my FFIL. Cuff links - $27 Tie pin - $12 Polo shirt - $30.50 I love the second scarf with the pink back to it. I think I'll definitely get this. But then the issue is for my FMIL and my fiance's step-mother (family gets complicated, doesn't it?) I'm thinking that clutch for FMIL, because it's small - just the size for sunglasses. And she lives in southern California. I don't know if I want to get anything this big for FSMIL. She's really not that involved in the whole process. Scarf (on horse) - $30 Clutch purse - $29 Scarf (on bust) - $29 OK, then I was also thinking of getting everyone a nice box - Leatherette for the Dads - $20 http://www.opentip.com/Home-Garden/Dads-Photo-Keepsake-Box-p-1236998.html Mirrored for Moms - $10 Wooden for Moms - $15 (both orientaltrading.com) I think I like the mirrored one better. Finally, I made some simple pearl jewelry for our moms. I don't really know what I would make for the dads. Any DIY gift ideas for men? Edit: for fiance's step-mother: make pearl/crane jewelry with silver crane beads. Put in small jewelry box. Done. Edit2: note to self: crane tea set for $30 : http://www.laurelleaffarm.com/pages/kitchen&table/goodluckteaset.htm Dad: crane chopstick holders: ebay: 12 for $20 Nick's dad: crane cuff links? ]]> Marriage Fiances - Combining Accounts http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/109851 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/109851 Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:15:00 PST There are many things to discuss before you get married. Do you have similar values? Do you want kids? How many? Where do you want to live? How do you manage your roles? One such important question is how do you deal with finances. Nick and I have already joined our accounts. We make roughly the same amount of money and are pretty open in our discussion about how and why we spend. I really like this about our relationship. I think the more open are responsible you are about money, the less it becomes a problem later on. We've got plans for monthly costs, yearly costs, and even long term funding. I'm glad we started getting all this stuff straightened out now, months and months before the wedding because this way, it's just one less major change after the big day. I'm proud of us for being so organized! And now we're starting our rainy day fund. :-D Yay financial responsibility!! ]]> Bridal Show - Going to Indie Wed today!!! http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/109566 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/109566 Sat, 30 Jan 2010 05:22:00 PST I'm going with a gal pal, and I'm very excited! I found out about it through the chandelier project. You can help donate to cancer research by folding, signing, and donating an origami crane to them. Check it out: http://www.theweddingco.com/events/index.php?event=5 They will have a booth at the bridal show today. ]]> Bridal Show - IndieWed in Chicago http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/109043 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/109043 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:35:00 PST This Satruday, I'm going to a wedding show/market in Chicago that I'm really excited about. It's all local vendors and independent craftspeople with tons of eco options. I don't know that I really need to buy any more things for the wedding, and our venue will be in NY and not Chicago, but I think it will be a lot of fun just to look around and taste cake. Yes, I think cake-tasting will definitely be my priority. First of all, cake is yum. And if there are free samples, why not taste them? But second, I would like to get ideas for cupcake flavors. For those of your in Chicagoland, here's the show's website. Tickets ahead of time are $10 per person, or $15 for 2 ppl. http://indiewed.com/ ]]> Groomsmen - Bought the ties (again) http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/108785 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/108785 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:52:00 PST I had originally bought ties with a sort of purple plaid going on, but I couldn't find a tie that matched for our Jr. GM. The sales clerk suggested I get him a skinny tie. It will be a bit too long, but we can tuck the excess into his shirt. I found a nice skinny tie, and recently I was able to find regular ties that are very similar for the adult groomsmen. So all the GMs will match closely. I also found a tie for my groom. It's also purple but paisley because he loves paisley. It's a discrete pattern, though, and I think its subtlety makes it classy. Yay for ties! Also, the GM ties are close in color to the BM dresses, so everyone will match. ]]> DIY Wedding - Veil Fabric Purchase http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/108315 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/108315 Sun, 24 Jan 2010 09:52:00 PST I plan on making my veil myself, so I bought some fabric at JoeAnne's. It's white tulle but it has a sort of shimmery effect that I think comes through a bit in these pictures. I just threw the tulle over a hair tie, and tied my hair up in a bun. I plan on shaping the veil more, gathering it, and sewing it to a comb. I like that it will be pretty long, but not dragging on the floor. And I think the tulle works really well with my dress. I'm pretty excited! I'll make sure to take pictures when I'm actually making the final product.]]> Something Borrowed - Grandmother's Pin http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/107965 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/107965 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:40:00 PST My grandmother let me borrow this bow shaped pin for my "something borrowed." I don't put much stake into superstition, but I think this is a great way to include family in the wedding. I'm not sure what to do with this pin, though. My bouquet will be silver already (crystals on silver wire), so I'm worried that if I pin it there, even on a white ribbon, it will just fade into the background. I plan on wearing a sparkly headband (see three posts back) so I don't think I would pin this in my hair; it would definitely be too much. It's so pretty, though, so I want to include it somewhere visible... Any ideas?]]> Wedding Photography - The socks shot http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/107797 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/107797 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:52:00 PST At this point, I don't think this kind of picture is new. In fact, I think it's pretty much overdone and no longer exciting. But I don't care!!! Hahaha. I bought these awesome purple argyle socks yesterday on e-bay - $30 for 6 pairs of socks. I think it will be really cute for the pictures. But I also love the idea of them all having matching socks. I mean, when else do you get the power to control other people's undergarments? LoL! BTW - if you've been looking for socks to do this, but you can't find the colours that match your wedding, golfknickers.com has 78 colour options! But they're kind of expensive, even though they're on sale.]]> Wedding Mantra - There are NO bridezillas http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/107540 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/107540 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:57:00 PST I just read this and loved the message. http://offbeatbride.com/2010/01/of-brides-and-zillas#more-4100 No matter what decision you make, someone won't like it. But if you feel good about it, then it's the right decision to make. Take some time to read this and feel good about your choices. Hoorah for strong women!!]]> Wedding Hair Style - Headband and veil? http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/107385 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/107385 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:48:00 PST I've been watching this headband on etsy (seller UntamedPetals) for months now and I can't decided whether or not to buy it. First, it seems pretty expensive - almost $70 with shipping. Second, I want to have my hair up in sort of a loose bun, and I'll also have a long veil. I'm not sure if a big bun, a long veil, and a pretty substantial headband would be too much. Have you seen brides with all of these different elements going on that looked nice?]]> Underneath it all - Bridal Bra http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/107172 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/107172 Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:09:00 PST I bought this longline bra by Goddess on sale at HerRoom.com. It's only $33 in 34B white because that size/colour is being discontinued. http://www.herroom.com/Goddess-689-Lace-Longline-Bra.shtml This bra is also available in other sizes, but it's not on sale. It has gotten rave reviews as one of the best full figure strapless bras. It goes all the way up to 50FF. (That's some serious boobage right there.) So if you're a curvier bride having trouble finding something that's supportive and sexy, here's one option. I'm a fan of herRoom.com - their slogan is "lingerie we buy for ourselves" and they offer tips and videos about how to choose the best undergarments for yourself. There's also a great tutorial for figuring out your bra size. What are you wearing underneath your dress? ]]> Wedding Cake - DIY cupcake stand http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/107053 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/107053 Sun, 17 Jan 2010 21:28:00 PST This is brilliant! Found it on oncewed.com Basically, it's made out of terra cotta plant pots and dishes. You paint them, glue them, decorate them, and stack them. Ingenious. And it looks like a ceramic cupcake stand. Wouldn't a desert table with 3 or 4 of these in different heights covered in cupcakes look phenom? I think I've found a use for that pretty cardstock that I have in our wedding colours!! Maybe I should talk to the baker first, but I'll definitely keep this on the back burner. Here's the link with the DIY instructions: http://www.oncewed.com/7598/diy-wedding/decor/diy-wedding-cupcake-stand-2/?currentPage=1]]> DIY Wedding - 1000 cranes http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/106925 http://www.weddingbycolor.com/purplenat1/milestones/106925 Sun, 17 Jan 2010 10:13:00 PST Here's what roughly 1000 cranes looks like. I've been counting them as I go along, and so far it looks like we've made 55 tiny ones, 170 small ones, 232 regular size multi-coloured ones, 292 purple ones, 166 silver ones, and 100 green ones that were sent out with the save-the-dates. That's a total of 1015 so far, and we've still got about 30 or so silver sheets to fold. We've made it! The plan is to use the small ones on the cupcakes, the multi-coloured ones as place settings, 40 purple and 40 silver ones for escort cards, and then hang the rest from the ceiling of the reception, and from the gazebo where the ceremony will take place. Yay!]]>