blackboard mason jars

For my daughters beach wedding, we have a theme of mason jars and chalkboard paint. So I had the idea to combine them as a wedding give away.

The idea was for guests to be able to write their names on their glasses to keep track of their drink. They would also be able to take it home.

I mixed up some chalkboard paint. I used 1 cup of flat latex paint with 2 tablespoons of unsanded grout. I mixed them in an old chinese take out container.

I cut the cloud shaped labels out of vinyl using my Brother Scan N Cut. It was standard shape that came with the machine. I then painted them with the chalkboard paint, giving each label two coats of paint.

After they dried, I attached them to the glass and then baked them in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes. After they cooled down, I put them in the dishwasher to make sure they were dishwasher safe. It worked like a charm, and our guests had a cool token of the wedding day.

mother of the bride dress

My blog has been all about my daughter Jenny's wedding lately and there is a few more to come! This one is about my dress. It was a beach wedding, so I wanted something lacy and short. I had an idea of the style I wanted, but really couldn't find anything that fit that idea. I looked and looked online.

Finally, I decided to make the dress. I went to JoAnn's to look for a pattern and couldn't find a pattern in the design I wanted. 

This was the closest I could come to the style I wanted. Something to hide a few extra pounds and fairly easy to throw together. This is a Vogue pattern and it has no buttons or zippers - really super easy. I bought some crepe back satin and lace. All together, I spent $32.00. It took about 4 hours to make.

The hardest part was serging the lace. It was tough and I probably would do it differently next time. I would use better stabilizer.

I tried wax paper - it worked but....  Not quite ...

Here's the dress halfway. I made the pattern about 4 inches longer and cut down the arms to cover the little jiggle I recently picked up. 

Here's the finished product. I bought the hat and adding some finishing touches to have it match the dress.

But for $32, I got myself a nice lacy summer dress. Love love love the lace.

mcclellans family pool party

The annual McClellan pool party in Kalamazoo was amazing this year. The weather was beautiful, we couldn't ask for a better day. Kathleen and Chuck are great hosts and it's always a good time.

I brought my camera this year and we wrestled everyone together for a picture. 

But not after some swimming. This little one had an amazing time in the pool with her uncles.

While this one kept everyone busy and worried - new walker. So adorable... what do you suppose she's saying here?

Deanna and her dad. You can see where Deanna gets her good looks.

You can't tell these guys are related can you? The two babies of the family.

I always love seeing this guy, who recently got engaged to this lovely young lady.

And he still loves his grandma. But ... who doesn't?

I'm not sure if Claudia moved much from her place by the pool - with her legs swinging away. 

Taking a 5 minute rest from busy busy busy.

Photo bomb!

Burke with his with niece and mom.

I think everyone agrees that it was nice seeing everyone - we should do this everyday. :)

wedding alterations

We pulled this beach wedding off on the cheap - big time cheap. My daughter, Jenny ordered the guys vests and the girls dresses from a Chinese company for about $25/each. It took about a month to receive. The trade off was you get what you get. 

The vests came in and even though they were XXL, the vests were small and needed reconstruction.... like adding 10 inches around the waist.  Good thing she has a talented mom.  I went to JoAnns and bought some lining fabric.

I went to work ripping out the back of the vests. I recut it the needed size and sew'd it back together. It worked.

I had to do the same with this vest.

My grandson got a suit and when it arrived, everything fit but the vest. It was way too small. Good thing his mom ordered an extra vest - size XL. This one was a bit of a challenge. I pulled up the shoulders to get the length - remade the armholes and recut the back to half the size. It's still a little big, but he'll grow into it.

This dress was ordered according to the size charts and when it came it was way too big. I had to take 6 inches out of the waist and redo the bust area.

And then there was my dress, yep I made it. I saw Mother of the Bride dresses for hundreds of dollars, and I had a specific style in mind. I couldn't find what I wanted so I made it. Cost me $32.00 and most of it was spent with the lace. Keep watch on the blog on how I put that together.

northern michigan wedding - lake michigan wedding photos

Just in case you didn't get enough of wedding photos - he's some more. The day after the wedding Jenny and Bobby got dressed back up and we went down to Frankfort, MI and took more pictures. I really think they turned out beautifully, but I'm biased.

wedding fake cake

After my success with Matthew's fake birthday cake, I thought I would do one for the wedding. Since it's a beach wedding, I wanted to display the cake and not worry about sand, dirt or weather. We displayed this one and made delicious cupcakes to give to the guests. Many people took a double take on it - they couldn't tell it wasn't real at first glance.

If you missed the blog on how to make them, catch it here. I pretty much did the same thing. I found a pack of 5 hat boxes at JoAnn Fabrics for $20 and mixed up the spackle and plaster of paris.

I piped on the icing made from the same materials and waited for them to dry. I order the little fences and little Adirondack chairs and the tiny little flip flops (so cute). I paid about $20 for all of them. I painted the chairs and the icing the same color. I painted the cake a sand color.

I found some little wooden hearts for about .25 and used my chalkboard paint. I used black because I already had it made up, but if you make your own - make it any color you want.

I pulled some sprigs of grass from the beach and glued them on. I had a lazy susan and I put the cake on it along with some sand and seashells from the beach.

I'm quite proud of it. I already had most of the materials from Matthews cake, so it cost me all of $40 to make.

northern michigan wedding - family pictures

Since all my children and grandchildren were going to be in the same place, I had the idea to take family pictures. I jumped online and bought everyone the same color shirts - even the baby. Thank goodness I remembered Mom would be there too - got one for her too.

It was a struggle as I have quite a few clowns in the family - but after a few retakes, I got some good pictures.