The Reception: Gift

This present only came about after cruising through Target and seeing all the summer wares for sale.

The prices for the melamine plates, tiffin-style box, and cups were dirt cheap. They coordinated perfectly with the picnic cooler that the couple had requested on their registry. I also found a coordinating tablecloth, napkins, and cutlery set. Best part - the cooler serves as the gift basket! Just need to add a bow, and we are good to go!

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(not included in The Reception budget)

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Favorite of the day: Nothing new today

Working on: Ummm...work basket...yeah...

The Luncheon: Gift

Ice cream makers are such a sweet gift for newlyweds. They are usually one of the more popular shower gifts in BT's family, but I snagged this one this time to give to the happy couple.

I also included a basket with toppings, cones, and a scoop. This is the couple with red and black for colors, but I couldn't resist going neopolitan after finding some cute pink and brown ice cream making supplies from the Kmart brand Back to Basics and cute pink and brown gift wrap.

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(Not included in The Luncheon budget)

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Favorite of the day: It is without question that I have weddings-on-the-brain this month thanks to the events I am helping out with. Finding something as wonderful as this makes me wish I could go back and time and do our ceremony over again (not change the WHO, just the HOW).

Working on: Better be a work basket project

The Baby Shower: Gift

The best part of planning these events is the shopping. I'm not ashamed to admit that it's a blast to travel around to favorite stores and browse internet sites with a purpose.

Although it has been fun, I am trying to wrap up the shopping portion of things so I can focus on the projects (particularly the big ones I am putting off. Like a q-u-i-l-t.) So, I decided to get the gifts for the three events out of the way as well.

(A sneaky hand is lurking off to the left)

This gift basket (from our office - not included in The Baby Shower budget) contains all the items needed for a well-stocked diaper bag. The mother-to-be already has the actual diaper bag, but I decided to buy all the items she will need to fill it. The toys, book, and one of the blankets were left overs from Hank's shower. I purposely saved them for an eventual jungle themed shower re-gift (luckily my co-worker is an earth muffin like me, and is grateful for reused or re-purposed items). The basket is layered with disposable diapers, but the couple is planning on using cloth. A few of the items are off her registry, plus other things needed to fulfill the list.

Speaking of the list, I laminated a copy of it with places to check off either items she has or those she needs to replenish. I also wrote out the recommended index cards to keep in the bag with contact info in case the bag is lost and important contact information.

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(Not included in baby shower budget)

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Recent favorite: Love the clear boxes filled with random bits of fun.

Working on: Kisses again

The Luncheon: Detailed

The final event I have been asked to assist with is a luncheon being hosted between the couple's ceremony and their reception. It will be a barbecue, and the mother-of-the-groom has some great ideas for a picnic theme. The couple's colors are red and black, so we will be doing a red and white picnic theme with black accents (we're thinking ants!) Not too many details about this event yet (I will be assisting with decor and food prep the day of), but wanted to have a post to refer back to if needed.

Estimated budget: $100

The Baby Shower: Detailed

Do you have one too? The co-worker or friend that is just so kind and helpful that everybody wants to spoil her when the occasion presents itself. That is Danielle, and she is expecting a baby boy in October. Lucky girl will be taking care of our employee benefit to stay home for an entire year with her baby (unpaid, but if you telecommute a couple days per month you can maintain your benefits).

Everybody agreed that Danielle's shower had to be extra special. We are having it at the Orange County Zoo, as Danielle loves animals. I am using the Animal Parade set for inspiration for a theme. Other elements I am taking care of:

- Table decor (including tablecloths, framed paper cut outs of mama animals and their babies, and the Animal Parade banner)
- A special chair for the mama-to-be so she doesn't have to wedge her pregnant belly into a picnic table
- Plates, napkins, utensils
- Favors
- Cupcakes (it is a potluck, so everybody is bringing food)
- Games + prizes
- An advice book

For these items I am hoping to spend under $75. I'll also be buying and assembling a group gift from the office, and I am making her a quilt from me. I am sooo super excited about this quilt, but of course scared as heck to start it. I have quiltaphobia.

The Reception: Detailed

I thought I would give a little background on the events I am working on.

The Reception will be on September 22. It is for BT's cousin who lived with his family and is practically like a sister. I don't want to go into detail about why we are being so generous with our offer to help decorate her wedding reception site, but let's just say if you knew this gal you would offer to do the same. As mentioned, though $1,000 seems high, I knew I could get things for cheaper than I found through a generic search for certain items, and figured that we could borrow some things. I am fairly confident I won't go over budget, unless we do more projects than those listed here.

We will be providing:

- An entrance sign
- Entrance decor
- An "alternate" guest book
- Box for cards on gift table
- A back drop for pictures, receiving line, etc.
- Decor: fabric for dropped ceiling, lights, 'chandeliers", Moss covered letters to hang behind food table (check!), food table decor
- Chargers, votive holders and flameless candles
- Napkins
- Bubbles
- Dr. Pepper and root beer on tap

I will be consulting on (and helping assemble) center pieces and favors, but hoping somebody else is the lead on these components.

Originally the couple was planning to send out 500 invites (even if the invites were "+1" it would be a lot of people, but this is the Mormon crowd, so figure at least 4 people per invite!!) I heard that the list has been cut back to some degree, thankfully. Still, assuming there will be a sizable crowd attending this event, even something simple like napkins ends up being a significant expense.

The theme and colors are still being finalized, but it appears we are going with a whimsical theme. I have my preference for colors, but don't want to be too pushy. I mean, it's not like I am trying to create the fantasy reception I would have liked to have if I had been more creative back in 2002 and/or the internet was a rockin' back then as it is now. No -- I wouldn't do that.

(As a sidenote, I was called for my one and only official poll - i.e. the kinds quoted on news reports and the like - in 2001 while I was in grad school. The poll was mainly to determine how you used the internet. Of course, school research was my major use. I had hardly any email contacts - still had to use the dreaded telephone. When we got to the shopping section of the poll, I had not bought one single thing online at that point save a magazine subscription. What a difference a few years makes...)

So that's the info on the Reception. Baby Shower and Luncheon deets coming up next!

The Reception: E (&) J

First project for The Reception finished! It's not the framed project I mentioned previously, as I chickened out doing the spray adhesive needed to attach several elements on my own - will have to wait until BT can help me with that one.

From this point forward, I will try to be better about doing "before," "during," and "after" shots of these projects. Some of my fave blogs follow this formula, and have much more well-rounded posts than the - ta-da! - here is something fabulous that appeared out of no where kind of post.

But, in this case, I was so super excited to get started that I practically ripped apart the box shipped from JoAnn with my 24" paper mache letters. Also on hand from JoAnn was a fabulous newish moss product the comes in sheets mounted on mesh. I was worried how I was going to glue clumps of moss on the letters without it looking bumpy, but this stuff saved the day.

(These things are HUGE!)

I basically followed this tutorial. I used three bags of the mesh-backed moss to cover the fronts and sides of these two large letters (fortunately I bought the moss when it was 30% off!) I did this craft a la Michael Jackson, and wore a dollar store gardening glove on my moss pressing hand to minimize glue gun burns (not to say I eliminated them completely, like when I used my un-gloved hand by mistake to press the moss, or grabbed the glue gun at the tip, and other stupidity). Me wearing my moss covered glove would have made a good "during" shot. BTW, the moss package says you should wear gloves if you are intending to handle it for extended periods of time. Questions: 1) How long is "extended?" 2) What horrible malady is inflicted on those who handle moss too long?

To stand out from the moss covered paper mache letter crowd, I pressed a few pearl headed corsage pins into my letters. They will be hung from mid-wall or so on satin ribbons (still need to finalize colors with the bride-to-be, or else I would have added the ribbon as well. Ribbon buying is a project onto itself, as there will be A LOT of it), and they will be be in the opposite order - E, J - with a wooden ampersand (painting the ampersand is a project for another day) in between. J can't stand up on his own, otherwise I would have shown the letters in their intended order.

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Reception decorating budget: $1,000

Estimated project cost for moss letters: $40 (estimate did not include ribbon)

Actual cost: Letters (inc shipping) $23 + Moss (3 bags - 30% off) $18 + pins (on hand) $0 + glue sticks $5 = $46

Remaining: $954

(bad to start out with a project I went over on - most everything else I have bought has been way less than I was expecting it to be!)

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Favorite of the day: I saw a beautiful 1st birthday party, but, with all the details, I suspect the cost was sky high, so I am not sure if I am impressed or horrified.

Working on: Kiss kiss

Mistakes made at the pool today

1) Scheduled swim lessons during dinner time.

2) Am a woman (apparently only dads get in the water for "parent and tot" swim lessons while the moms watch fully clothed on the pool deck - who knew?)

3) Being the only woman, stood out in my tankini, which seemed modest until today with my cleavage hanging out for a pool full of men and babies to see.

4) Didn't try hard enough to wipe Hank's booger nose before we got in the pool, which became worse the more he splashed.

5) Did I mention it was dinner time? Teaching a hungry Hank to swim is like training a bucking bronco.

We have swim lessons at the "Y" for the next four weeks, Tuesdays and Thursdays. I knew there would be some hiccups this first go around, but I didn't anticipate I'd get that feeling I always got when I tried a new sport or activity in my youth - that I didn't know what the hell I was doing and felt I didn't fit in. Well, I'm no longer a quitter, and am not going to let Hank be one either. One-piece swimsuit shopping and finding more filling pre-swimming snacks than cheddar bunnies on the agenda for this week!

(Picture from 4th of July at my parents' house. I was fully clothed at the time)