50 Lines

All things are in motion.  The greater moments in my life I have felt swept along a current--and I like to think of it as the river of God's goodness. When circumstances exist beyond my own accomplishment or activity, I can only acknowledge the Lord's blessings.  I can only step back, thankful.

We have a new house, the sweetest little Tudor Rival on the quietest little street with large oak trees shading the sidewalks.  We have a backyard full of rose bushes and a mantle with Art Nouveau embellishments.  The house was built in 1927, and I can't help but think of the first owners.  Were they young?  Newlyweds?  I like to imagine these details, the history of a home that is now mine.

We'll be flying to Ireland the day after the wedding.  Eight days there: cliffs, castles, traces of my own ancestry.

The past and present collide, affirming these days of transition and change in my own small existence.  It's a chemical change of sorts--simple and quiet, an altogether new substance of life formed by the exchange of energy.

And I can only step back, thankful.


Enjoy Sarah Jaffe, "Clementine".  Love it.

DIY Ice Cream Topping Tins

So, in addition to changing the wedding location, time, and date, there were other inevitable changes on the horizon.  The reception has now been replaced with what I'd like to call an "Ice Cream Social".  We're talking ice cream, sorbets, tons of toppings, cherries, banana splits, and root beer floats.  Oui!

I remember having these church-wide socials when I was growing up.  I remember all of the homemade ice cream makers spread out on tables in the church parking lot, so many flavors that it would take bowls and bowls to sample all of the different recipes.  Still when I think of summer nostalgia, I have to think of sharing ice cream with people I love.  And the sticky fingers are totally worth it. 

So, here's the "scoop".  Not much about a traditional wedding reception appeals to me.  After we first became engaged and I first contemplated the meaning of a wedding, I had to narrow it down to a very simplistic purpose:  to celebrate making the lifetime commitment of marriage with everyone I love surrounding me, and then to enjoy--really enjoy--this gathering.  I can think of only one other time that all of your closest friends and family gather, and it's the very opposite of a wedding.  I want to make the most of celebrating the life that awaits because the next time it will be a celebration of the life that has already taken place.

So, all of these sentiments to present...
my latest DIY project!

First, let me give props to Eat Drink Chic for this amazing post about a DIY Ice Cream Parlor.  It's definitely a major source of inspiration.  I love the creative method of displaying the toppings and making the table a very coherent visual.  Check it out, here!  Here are some of my favorite photos from this amazing ice cream creation:

So, here are my DIY Ice Cream Tins.  I want a super buffet of ice cream toppings, so these are the first in a series of projects to create serving containers for the Ice Cream Social.

I got these guys at the Dollar Tree.  Score!

And so I painted them using all sorts of colors (as all colors are "my colors"), using the most amazing little gun.  Get this thing before your next spray paint project.  It snaps on to the top of the spray paint can and the trigger applies pressure to the top of the sprayer.  No more tired fingers!

And...here are my little serving tins! 

CrossTimbers!

So, as of today, the wedding is 81 days away!  That's eighty-one!

Jacob and I found the perfect place to have the wedding.  While we love my Aunt Helen's farm and are so thankful that they would let us trample all over it, we realized the risk we were taking with an October wedding.  I just had to trust my instinct, a nagging feeling I had that the weather might be poor.

So...August 28th.  Camp CrossTimbers.  Absolutely.

It's a nice drive, tucked away on a hill outside of McAlester.  It's beautiful, quiet, and quaint.  I love the overall relaxed feeling of the place and even more--imagining all of the people I love in one place.  Hopefully they'll be enjoying some volleyball, paddle boats, and ice cream.  Perfect.

P.S. Jacob made an awesome video of the day we spent at CrossTimbers, so watch it here!

Open Waters

It may be no surprise: I decided to throw away the pattern.

I felt uninspired by it and overwhelmed by it all at the same time.  I had to ask myself--do I have to commit to the puzzle of cutting out pieces and following those rules?  My old battle with rules surfaced.  Are rules guides?  Or confinements?

I decided, finally.  No pattern out there existed for the Wright Dress.  I've embarked out on the open waters of garment construction with no compass and no tangible map. 

I studied the Pettibone dress from the pictures of the lucky brides wearing it.  The bodice I have is a similar style.  I just need to sew in a skirt.  Find the Guipure lace for the neckline.  Sew in a sash.  Done.  Right?

Well, I'm on my way.  I cut out the skirt and several layers of lining.  I had to figure out the easiest way to gather the top, and I discovered a blog post about the ease of gathering with clear elastic, here.  I finally hunted down the stuff at JoAnn's.  It's magical stuff, and it worked perfectly.  You simply stretch it out across the top of the hem while sewing it in.  It created a perfect, even gather. I highly recommend it.

So, here's the next development.  I'm on my way.  And I'm very hopeful about what awaits on the horizon.

P.S. Check out this video.  I'm loving She and Him, a project by Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward.

Tucked Away

More dress updates are coming soon!  I'll be taking it home this weekend for Mother's Day to hopefully finish it up. I've documented all of the elements, and I promise to explain it all.

I've been thinking.  It's been hard to have a project that I've hidden from Jacob.  I usually seek his quiet opinions about paintings, "design", and photos--and I hadn't realized how much I need his input in my work.  We often disagree, which makes me defend things he usually shrugs his shoulders about.  I've learned I'm intentional about utilizing some of the things that his line of work has taught him to avoid.  I have to remind him that while all art is communicative, not all communication is art.  And some blurriness or illegible fonts are okay, when they're there on purpose.

Jacob helps me develop ideas like this.  He helps me know what I like, and be more confident within my work.  Maybe even more determined. So, it's been a battle to keep this project tucked away.  Literally.  I've often wanted to pull it out, and just talk through it with him.

Thankfully, though, I've been able to show it to several of my girlfriends.   All of the affirmation I needed came a few weeks ago, when I pulled it on, zipper not quite completely sewn in, and showed it to Becca.  And she cried. It was perfect.

I joked with her:  "Better than you expected?"

I've surprised even myself.

In the meantime,  I just have to share an exciting purchase.  Everyone, please behold the "wedding boots":

Yes, they're my first pair of cowboy boots.  And yes, they'll be getting me down the aisle tucked under a dress I made.  And maybe I'm learning that some of my favorite things in life stay tucked away for a while, at least until the perfect moment...    

Six-Month-Out Marks

Jake and I celebrated the six-month-out mark by sharing a great hike in the Wichitas with some of my closest girlfriends.  I really love the Wichita Mountains.  This area of Oklahoma is really unique...maybe because it doesn't quite seem to belong.  We loaded up the Vibe with snacks, blankets, and a change of clothes in case we found some great photo spots. 

Once inside the reserve, you can make out an old tower on a hill from the road.  We found a place to park and hiked up to this unexpected find.  It stands tall and lonely, made of the same round red stones that make up the mountains.  The tower was long ago welded shut, but Becca (who else?) found a way in--a small hole between boulders and the old metal door.

One by one, we found our own way of maneuvering in through the small space.  And what we found inside was just short of perfect.  A long, winding cement staircase led to the lookout point above, and old graffiti ornamented the walls.  Someone named Mike left his mark in 1961.

These are some of the pics we took.  Three cheers to Becca for some great shots...

Headpiece Detour

So, what's a great dress without a great headpiece?  (Because I'll have to make that too, right?)

While I definitely appreciate the traditional veil and what it symbolizes, I'm considering a few alternate options.  Here are a few ideas that I love...