agirlnamedcharley

Here are a few photos of the Bridal shower I planned for my best friend, Lindsey! Most of the decor was handmade by myself and the wonderful bridesmaid Deanna and all the grunt work was done by her lovely sister Erin, cousin Ashleigh, beautiful mother Lisa, and lovely friend Mehtap!

It was such a beautiful day to shower my beautiful friend before her wedding (which was September 15th). Enjoy the photos! Photos provided by Ashleigh Dye.

It has been entirely too long.

I love writing. I realize that after this hiatus. I am completely aware that what I am writing isn’t anything profound or important to anyone other than myself, but it is a release that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I miss warm and fuzzy. My life over the past several months has been crazy and hectic. I have been a stress ball of irritability and down-right meanness. It is a wonder that anyone wants to be around me. Planning a wedding, being in a wedding, working a demanding job, and setting crazy goals to accomplish will make a person go insane and I am nearly there. Hello funny farm, here I come.

Regardless of this laundry list of irritation in my life, I am a very happy girl. I am having a lot of fun planning my wedding, planning showers and bachelorette parties for friends, and working out the details for the big day on the beach where I will marry my love.

For my first post in what seems like forever, I have decided to post some inspirational words and images. These have given me peace and allowed me to quiet down for a second to think about what really matters. I hope you enjoy them and are inspired.

Soon to come – ranting or raving about upcoming showers, sneak peaks of wedding crafts, and potential food disasters/miracles as I diet…

-C

I haven’t been crafting this week. I partied with friends, had dinner with my mother, started writing a short story, and attempted to finish a novel I have been reading over the weekend. I am not sure what creative knick-knack I am going to make next, so let me share with you my opinions on this novel I am trying to finish.

Typically I read what I like to call “Fairy Books”. If the novel has an ogre, vampire, elf, or fairy in it, I know I am going to enjoy myself. But reading “Fairy Books” all the time does to your brain what eating chocolate all the time does to your belly, and since I am trying to tone up my body, I thought I ought to tone up the old noggin’, too. This happens occasionally throughout the year but usually ends up with me buying another self-help novel (that gets put on the book shelf half-read and completely forgotten), or a Google trip to the “100 greatest novels of all time”. My Google trip led me to “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck.

I am only half-way through this book and although I am enjoying it, it is a slow read and I have very little patience. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this novel, it is a story about two brothers whose lives parallel those of Cain and Abel (you know, from that well known book called the Bible). There are a lot of beautifully described characters in this book that I hope are going to help me to understand why these boys end up like their biblical counterparts. I am slightly overwhelmed by the sheer number of characters in this novel. It’s almost an exploration of the genealogy of the family and neighbors of these brothers and how all of these characters influenced their future.

My favorite character in this novel is the mother of the two Brothers, Cathy. She weaves a web of sweet, complex lies and manages to get herself into far more trouble than any normal person would ever let themselves get in while managing to break strong men down into pathetic piles of weakness. Women make the best villains in my opinion, and this Cathy is an excellent example. She is tricky, good with a gun, and not afraid to get her hands dirty. Unfortunately she isn’t playing as big a role in this novel (so far) as I would like. It’s mostly a bunch of pathetic men who have allowed some aspect of their past to destroy their greatness. I hope I can manage to get through this book and find out what old John has in store for all these characters and subplots. I am going to have to follow this one up with a really terrible fantasy novel. I couldn’t imagine having to read this in High School! Yikes!

Have a great week friends and if you have read this novel before, leave me a note!

Cake is, hands down, my favorite dessert. I could eat it all day, everyday. I love it topped with buttercream, chocolate ganache, lemon glaze, or powdered sugar. I love it with fruit, nuts, cremes, and candy. Delicious. Always. Even better with ice cream or a big glass of milk.

Cake in large quantities will make you fat. It’s a fact. Unless you are abnormal or run for hours a day (in which case I still classify you as abnormal – where are you GOING?) So what is a substitute for cake? Frosting flavored lipgloss? Cake scented candles? Cupcake shaped office supplies? Or how about a Cake Softie?

Yes. I made a Cake Softie based off a pattern in “The Softies Kit” by Theresa Laskey. I think I purchased this 2 years ago, looked through it and thought I ought to make something, and then placed it on my craft book shelf to collect dust. I have a lot of books like this, but I think they are going to come in handy during this upcoming year of wedding planning. Sometimes you get lucky and collect for a reason unknown to yourself until it is revealed to you.

What is a Softie you ask?

Why, it is a tiny little stuffed animal! Quick to sew and easy to throw. And give to your friends for their 27th (27! 27! You will always be older than me!) birthday because you already baked a whole cake and ate it, too. No need to repeat that mistake.

This little kit came with the supplies to make a little party cake. Pink and white felt, pink and white embroidery thread, a needle, some batting, and a little pom-pom are all you need to make this little cutie. He is completely hand sewn with love.

Cake Making Kit!

All these little ingredients turned into this:

My little cake

The cake measures 3″ in diameter, so it is itty-bitty. It can be used as a pin cushion. After I made it, I had a better idea (of course). What if you filled it with that “drawer” smelly-good stuff in a vanilla flavor? Then you could have a little cake that looks adorable, is soft enough to throw at co-workers heads when frustrated, and will smell up your cube in a good way (while masking your stinky sneaker smell, Susie). I didn’t rip it open to refill it because I am lazy and was tired of sewing. If you can tell, I left off the “whipped” topping that was part of the pattern. Simple is better, in my opinion. Plus we were getting ready to watch “Trueblood” so I wanted to wrap things up quickly.

I will definetly make this adorable cake again in different colors. It was an easy and quick projet that made my friend smile on her birthday (27! 27! Muahahahaha).

Check back soon for my next project… that has yet to be determined.

Dearest Friends, I dropped off the face of the planet but have now returned.

Summer is my favorite season, by far. Grill outs, pool days, margarita’s, and heat are things that I favor greatly. Unfortunately, these activities pair oddly with crafting and blogging. Now that “Summer Vacation” is over and September is fast approaching, I plan to return to my crafting ways. Please forgive me if the majority of my crafts are wedding related, as I am planning to be a DIY bride. I have a little over one year to plan (our date is set for 10-12-12!).

It has been such a busy summer that I couldn’t possibly put all of it in one blog, so I will just share the highlights of the summer by month.

June:

We vacationed in Charleston and attended a wedding in Hilton Head for our dear friends (who are now pregnant!). They were married under a big, leafy tree surrounded by their closest family and friends. It was a very beautiful and intimate ceremony.

The wedding party and their dates

July:

I taught a fashion design class at 7 Hills Middle school! It was a really amazing opportunity and I had so much fun doing it. The girls designed a mini collection inspired by a country of their choice and made collection boards with their drawings. They also made their own mini drawstring skirts. I was so pleased that every girl in the class walked away with a finished skirt. I was so proud and impressed with the girls. We took lots of pictures and I hope to post them all soon! Here are a few to hold you over. They all did an amazing job!

Vogue-ing it!

Check out that flower!

August:

Brandon and I traveled to Chicago to become Godparents to little Katelyn, Brandon’s cousin’s daughter. I had so much fun with all three kids, Little George, Ally, and Katelyn. I might be biased, but I think these three are the most adorable kiddos ever. How precious is little Katey?

Happy Godparents!

I made pizza from scratch for the first time ever and it actually tasted delicious!

Turkey Sausage with Orange Peppers and Hand-cut Pepperoni

YUM!

Jimmy Buffet rolled into town on the 23rd and we attended the tailgating festivities for the 5th year in a row. The event is ridiculous but more fun than nearly every concert I have ever been to. I am not sure if it is the island feel, bright colors, or freely flowing booze that makes it so special, or the people. Jimmy Buffet fans are fun and friendly. And a little crazy.

Parrotheads!

Brian, who we always visit in Charleston on vacation, has officially moved back to Ohio. We are so happy to hang out with him all the time now, but now we have to pay for a hotel when we visit Charleston. It’s bittersweet. But he has a boat and we sped along the Ohio river this past weekend. The weather was incredible.

In between all of these events we grilled out with friends, attended church festivals to gamble, looked at wedding venues, and attended bridal shows. I am pooped! As much as I love the hot weather and all the Summer fun, I am looking forward to Fall. Despite the changes to the Bengals lineup, I am totally stoked for tailgating season. I am also craving the delights of the Fall bounty – apple cider, pumpkin beer, crock pot green beans, chili, and red wine. I couldn’t wait for the green beans… so I made them for Sunday dinner!

Chop, Chop!

Greenie Beanies!

Cornbread mixing!

That’s all I got for now. Have a great week, friends!

I’m ENGAGED!

My man, along with his brother and a lovely girl named Tricia, took me out for the day for a “fancy pub crawl.” A fancy pub crawl consists of a yummy lunch, dressy clothes, wine tastings, and nostaligic bar hopping. The plan was to eat, attend a wine tasting, visit our old haunt the Holy Grail in Clifton, and visit Uncle Woody’s. Uncle Woody’s is where Brandon (my man) and I first met. If anyone wants to hear that story, leave me a comment. For now, let’s talk proposal!

Basically everything Brandon planned went entirely wrong. The wine tasting didn’t start until 5 (we arrived at 2:30). Holy Grail was not open for lunch (they officially closed their doors forever that night). Uncle Woody’s was closed until 8pm. I had no idea what the day would bring, so I just went with it. We ended up at our favorite new haunt, Habits Cafe in Oakley.

Brandon was acting funny during the day and kept getting phone calls. From work, mostly. I thought the weird vibe that I was getting from everyone had to do with the “Rapture.” This was not the case.

We had a few brews at Habits and then headed to Ault Park to take pictures of our fancy dress. The men wore suits. The women wore floral dresses. One man carried a ring in his suit pocket. One girl had no idea.

Brandon took Bradley and Tricia’s photos. They seemed giggly. Almost giddy. Bradley smiles a lot, but his smile seemed bigger.

We switched. Bradley took our pictures. It was getting hot. I turned to go. Brandon said, “Just one more picture.”

I turned. He reached into his pocket. Got down on one knee. And asked me a question.

“Yes.”

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I am dedicating this post to random things I want to share with you. You will understand why later. Enjoy.

– Polyvore is addictive

This is THE BEST work distraction, ever. Hands down. No doubt. Do you fancy yourself a fashionista? Do you feel like you could be a great stylist? Then check this place out. The site allows you to create “mood boards” of full outfits and then TELLS YOU WHERE YOU CAN BUY THE CLOTHES. The site lets you mix and match Vivienne Westwood with Old Navy. It’s pretty ridiculous. Their selection is totally awesome.

My Polyvore.com Creation

The above outfit that I created at Polyvore.com costs over $1000. I can dream.

– Althea is getting married and blogging about it at Elle Girl.

You can read her wedding adventures here. I am one of the 13 bridesmaids in her wedding, too! It’s in 9 days, my dress was designed by Althea, and my shoe heels are 6″ tall. Yowza!

Image courtest of Althea Harper

-I helped pick out my best friend Lindsey’s engagement ring.

It’s gorgeous. She is a lucky lady to have me as her bestest and Adam as her Fiance! I have to point out that I am going to be her Maid of Honor because I am awesome.

Image from charlaineharris.com

If you like Vampires, White Trash, Fairies, and Mattress Mambo… then you will LOVE the Sookie Stackhouse series. The HBO series Trueblood is based off these addictive novels, so if you aren’t into reading you can still enjoy Charlaine’s characters by watching this show. Alexander Skarsgard is delicious.

Nice

– Super Cute Skirt

 If I wasn’t in dress limbo, I would be attempting to make this skirt, courtest of Adventures In Dressmaking featured on Grosgrain.

I want! I want!

Ok, that’s all I have for now. It’s time to start staring at my cubicle wall.