Wedding on a Budget: Painted Bottle Centerpieces

I swear, Matt and I should just change the theme of our wedding from "country chic" to "Pinterest," because that is where ALL of my ideas have come from.  I knew from the get-go that I wanted to have a DIY wedding for a couple different reasons.  First, because it would be much cheaper than buying and/or renting decor.  Secondly, because I just love doing crafty projects and this gives me a really good excuse to do them!  And finally, because (as I've said many times before) I can make my wedding exactly what I want it to be.

My first project that I took on was possibly the simplest: the centerpieces.  I found a photo of glass bottles that had been painted - on the inside.  I loved the look.  It was clean and simple with a pop of color.  And, with the paint on the inside of the bottle instead of the outside, it looks much more elegant and less "crafty."  You'll be much less likely to scratch or chip the paint when it is on the inside of the bottle.  But, be careful, because the paint is water-based, you cannot put flowers directly into the bottle (unless you want the paint to dissolve away!).  If you'd like to fill the jars/bottles with flowers, I'd recommend putting a small cup of water into the jar/bottle first so that the water doesn't touch the paint.

I enlisted the help of my friends and family members on this one.  I sent out a request via Facebook that all my friends and family members would save any clear glass jars or bottles that they may have and give them to me to be "recycled."  As a result of this request, I got tons of unique glass items of all shapes and sizes - liquor bottles, jelly jars, pickle jars, mason jars, beer bottles, salsa jars, and many many more.  This made my inner environmentalist feel really good about keeping these items out of the landfills!

For this project you will need:

• acrylic paint - use a few different colors or even mix a couple colors in one jar and make it marbled/swirled.
• something for the paint to drip into while drying (I used plastic cups and an empty pizza box!)
• CLEAN glass bottles and/or jars of all shapes and sizes.
• Patience!!
• Small sized paintbrush (that could fit inside the top of the jar/bottle)

You want to start off with clean, dry glassware.  Dirty or wet glass will not hold the paint and it will come right off.  Pour a bit of paint into the jar/bottle being careful to not get it everywhere!  Depending on the size of of the jar, you'll want to have about 1/2 an inch of paint in the bottom for a medium sized jar.  Cover all of the inside with paint by slowly tilting the jar around until all clear sides are covered (this is where the patience comes in!).  Once most of the jar has been covered, use the small paintbrush to touch up any parts that are missing color, especially right inside the mouth/neck of the container.  Leave the bottle/jar to dry upside down until you think the majority of the extra paint has dripped out (I left mine overnight).  After most of the excess paint has dripped out, turn the bottle right side up and let dry completely.  I'd recommend leaving them overnight once more.  Once dry you can clean up the paint around the mouth of the container by simply scratching it off with your fingernail.

Because I'm only using these items for a wedding and not as part of permanent home decor, I did not use enamel paint for glass.  The enamel paint is more "permanent" on glass and is harder to chip away once you've set it.  Because the enamel paint is thicker, I had a harder time getting it to swirl around in the bottle.  Because of this, I used regular acrylic paint as I'm not worried about the paint being "permanent" - it only needs to hold until the wedding is over!

As I said, I'm going to be using these bottles as part of the centerpieces for the reception.  They'll be grouped together with some "slices" of wood, somewhat like the photo below (photo credit: here).  I can't wait to show you all the finished product!  Be sure to check back in a couple months to see the photos of the wedding decorations in all their glory!

A really fun thing to do with this project is add two or three different colors to the jars.  To do this, add paint in a few different colors to the jar and swirl them around to create a marbling effect.  My grandmother and I did this with clear Christmas ball ornaments when I was a kid and they were gorgeous!

Happy painting!

-C

Keeping Life Organized: Family Media Database

I've got a ton of books and movies, and my friends and family know it.  They love to come and browse the "library" and borrow a title or two every now and then.  I needed a simple and easy way to keep track of who I've loaned items out to and to just keep a visual inventory of what I do have.

Keep Your Life Organized: Family Media Database

My inner geek came out and I had a marvelous idea: a family media database.  Microsoft Access is a database management program that uses a graphical user interface to make things a bit easier on the user.  Even less tech savvy people can use this program and make their own database.  I had the advantage of taking a college course on Access (as it is a requirement for my major), but Microsoft has some helpful training videos and articles for beginners readily available here (Link applies to the new 2013 edition of Access).

In this post, I'll show you what I've done to create my personalized media database.  I've taken screen snippets from my database to show what I've done.

Here, you can see the tables I've created that hold the records for the database.  Creating the links between related tables is very important in order to create queries to customize the information you see.  Be sure to create relationships for the tables that need them!

For each book in the books table, I enter a unique ID number beginning with B (for book, obviously!) and the book's title, author, and genre.  I also indicate what format the book is in (paperback, hardcover, or e-book), whether it is part of a series, and the series name (if applicable).

The movies table is much like the books table.  Each movie has its own unique ID number beginning with M (for movie - I'm so clever!), the movie's title, year made, genre, and rating.  I also indicate the format the movie is in (DVD, Blu-Ray, or Digital), any distinctive notes about the movie, and whether it is a 3D movie or not.

As I mentioned earlier, relationships are very important in my media database.  Without the relationship links, these queries I have created wouldn't work.  I'm not going to go into how to create the queries (you can find that information yourself in the training documents I mentioned above) but I will tell you why to create the queries.  Each query is run when you open it, meaning any records that apply to the query will be shown, even if they have been added since you created the query.  I've set up a few queries to show me different sets of information: which 3D movies we have, which movies are Blu-Ray, which movies are on DVD, which books are parts of a series, list of any duplicate movies (owned in two different formats), and which books or movies have been loaned out.

This database makes keeping track of things so much easier.  I can find the information I'm looking for with the click of a mouse rather than searching through shelves and boxes.  You don't have to stop with media, you can keep a database of whatever information you'd like to keep organized - use your imagination!

Let me know what kinds of things you use a personal database for!

xo,

C

Keeping Life Organized: Going Paperless

Keep Your Life Organized:
Going Paperless

What is the key to creating a more organized space?  Having less stuff to organize.  One of the things I hate the most is paper clutter.  This is for two reasons.  First, because it seems that the inflow of random, needless papers is never ending.  Secondly, it is such a waste.  I'm not an environmental activist or anything, but I just can't see the point in the stacks and stacks of wasted papers that people have in their homes that just get thrown into the trash and take up space in landfills.

There are many different levels of "paperless" for your home.  You may decide you'd just like to do one or two of the things I'll present to you today and that's okay!  Make your choices based on the needs of your family and whatever makes you happy!

I'd like to share some tips for going paperless at home.  Of course, it's almost impossible to be completely paper-free, but you can greatly reduce the amount of paper your family is taking in and getting rid of.

Get a scanner & learn to love the cloud

This will be the best thing you've ever done for your home.  With a scanner, any important documents can be scanned into your computer and saved, reducing the amount of papers you actually need to keep in your home. The only papers I keep are things I definitely need original hard copies of (things with official seals or stamps are examples of things you should keep) and they go straight into a filing cabinet.

By storing the documents electronically, you also gain the ability to access them from anywhere with cloud storage (I like Google Drive or Microsoft SkyDrive).  By keeping copies of your documents stored online, you and your family can gain access to files from home, work, or wherever you need - which is a huge advantage over keeping paper records.  Just be sure to back up all your information regularly.  You never know when a hard drive might fail and once it's gone, it's gone for good.  I recommend backing up your documents to several different places, including to online cloud storage (while it's not likely to happen, what would you do if your internal and external hard drives failed at the same time?!).  There are several sites that can store your backed up files in "the cloud" for a small fee (backup files are much larger than the singular documents you store on your personal cloud storage, hence the need for a different service to store them).

As you begin to scan in the documents you'd like to be kept electronically, you will notice that you're getting rid of a lot of paper, which may feel like defeating the purpose of "going paperless" but, once you've purged yourself of the papers you have and reduce the amount of paper you're taking in, you'll really notice a difference in the amount of trash you're throwing away.  Take recycling into consideration while making the transition to paperless - any papers that can be recycled should be, but be certain to shred any sensitive information before discarding it.

Stop all the junk mail

Here are a few facts I've recently discovered via 41pounds.org, a website devoted to stopping the impact of junk mail:

• More than 100 million trees are destroyed each year to produce junk mail.
• On average, an adult can expect to receive 41 pounds of junk mail every year.  44% of this will end up in the landfill without even being opened.
• The creation and shipping of junk mail produces more greenhouse gas emissions than 9 million cars annually.

Or, if saving the planet doesn't interest you as much, these facts might make you take a second to think about it:

• $320 million of the taxes that you pay are used to dispose of junk mail each year
• The transportation of junk mail alone costs $550 million each year.
• Companies are buying and selling your name and address for 3 to 20 cents each time it is sold.

There are several resources you can use to reduce the amount of junk mail you receive in your mailbox everyday.  First, you should take a minute to consider your subscriptions.  Many magazines now offer electronic versions of their issues that can be read on mobile devices such as tablets or readers.  Often times these electronic subscriptions cost less than their paper counterparts and reduce the amount of paper you will be getting rid of.  Secondly, there are several services that are free to use which can help stop the unwanted junk from ending up in your mailbox.  OptOutPrescreen will help stop all the "you've already been approved!" credit card offers.  Very much like the "do not call" list that helps end annoying telemarketing calls, DirectMail allows you to sign up for their "do not mail" list, which will help stop unwanted advertisements being delivered to your mailbox.  CatalogChoice will help you stop any catalogs that you are uninterested in or would never buy from. DMAchoice allows you to set preferences so that you continue to receive mail that you want and you stop getting mail that you aren't interested in.

By reducing the amount of junk coming in, you're reducing the amount of junk going out.

Sign up for electronic billing

Stopping junk mail is only half the battle.  What about the mail that you actually do want or need to read, such as monthly bills?  None of my bills come in the mail.  Each month, I'll receive an email from each my service providers letting me know that my statement for the month is available.  I'm then able to sign in on their respective websites to view my bill in PDF format.  I can then choose to print the bill if I'd like (which I do for my Home Management Binder).  Even with the paper being used to print the bill, I'm still reducing by eliminating the extra leaflets, return envelopes, and extra pages used by the company when sending paper bills.  With bills that contain multiple pages, I only print the page that has the date and amount due.  And, since I'm printing with my own paper and ink, it is more likely that the document is recyclable (a lot of junk mail isn't able to be recycled due to the amount of heavy metal that is sometimes used in the ink).

When the bill is ready to be paid, instead of sending a check (more paper!), most companies allow you to pay online or over the phone.  Often times you can even set up automatic bill paying - the amount due will come out of your account automatically without you having to do anything.  This is convenient for forgetful people (as I can sometimes be!) and helps keep bills paid on time and is eco-friendly.

Rethink how you use paper products

We use paper every day, even in places we may not realize or even think about.  Every greeting card and letter uses unnecessary paper.  Even simple tasks such as writing a grocery list can use tons of paper over time.  To save paper, try sending electronic greeting cards.  There are several places online that offer such cards for free or a small fee.  If you send out newsletters to friends and family for holidays, as so many people do with Christmas cards, publish it to a PDF file and send it in an email.  While some people may think that email is "impersonal," just remind them why you're doing it this way - you're doing them a favor by not sending a sheet of paper that will just be discarded anyway.  Avoid using disposable plates, bowls, and cups.  Cut up an old towel to be used as rags rather than using paper towels.  You can reduce your paper use in so many small ways - you just have to think about what you're currently doing and ways you can change it!

Make a digital signature

Some digital documents you receive may require your signature before you send them away.  Usually, you'd go about this by printing the document and then signing it.  Then, you'd either have to scan the document back into the computer and send it off, or stuff it into an envelope, stamp it, and put it in the mail.  Both of these options waste paper.  Instead, sign a piece of paper with a black ink pen.  Scan your signature and save it to your computer.  The next time you need to sign a document, there's no need to print: just insert your saved signature and hit send!

Information Sources: Money Crashers, 41Pounds.org, Simple Organized Life

Have any other tips on going paperless in your home?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Stay green!

-C

Independence Day Festivities

Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays.  I know, I say that about almost every holiday.  But, really, what's not to love about barbecues, fireworks, and Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA?  Here in Lincoln, we have an all-day celebration that has recently been dubbed the Uncle Sam Jam.  Held at a public park/lake, there are all sorts of fun activities all day for families to take part in.  Personally, I have never joined in the public celebration, but I love to watch the fireworks show they put on at the end of the night.

For the second year in a row, Matt and I hosted a get-together for our friends and family at our teeny tiny apartment.  Since our place is only about a mile from where the Uncle Sam Jam is held, it makes sense for everyone to gather here.  Indoor space is an issue with our apartment, which is why the 4th of July is the perfect chance for us to have a shindig - most everyone can spend their time outdoors.  There is a big field with a couple cottonwood trees right outside our front door.  We used the big outdoor space for grilling, for the kids to play, to hang out, and light a few fireworks. When the fireworks show was about to start, we all picked up our lawn chairs and blankets and walked to a big parking lot across the street (behind another apartment complex) where we had a perfect view of the show.  It was a perfect evening with no clouds and it wasn't too hot.  I couldn't have asked for a better night for a fireworks show.

I made so much yummy food for our barbecue.  As usual, I will share photos for my favorite creations!  All of these recipes were taken from a Betty Crocker cookbook I picked up at the grocery store called Backyard Parties & Picnics.  It had a red, white, and blue cupcake on the cover and I was sold (I'm such a sucker for patriotic looking things around this time of year - I bought Bomb Pops on the same grocery store trip).

BLT Macaroni Salad

Click the title for the recipe!

Just like it sounds, this dish gets its flavor from the same place as the sandwich: bacon, lettuce, and tomato.  Rounded out with mayo, a hint of lemon juice, and some green onions, this dish was a huge hit with everyone at the party - so much so that I plan on making it for the wedding too!

Red, White, and Blue Trifle

Click the title for the recipe!

I didn't know this to begin with, but I had to hand-make whipped cream for this dish.  Perhaps if I thought it out a bit more beforehand, I may have just gone with store-bought whipped cream to save me some time, but the stuff from scratch was incredible.  This dessert is made from layers of cake cubes and cream cheese whipped cream frosting.  Topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries, this was a perfect holiday treat!

Cherry Cola Brownies

Click the title for the recipe!

These brownies were so rich and chocolatey!  The cherry cola flavor was just enough - not too much, but just a hint.  The kids all seemed to love them and the pan was completely empty by the end of the night.  I would definitely make these again - especially because the frosting was not as hard to make as I had thought it was going to be.

Happy Independence Day!

-C

Wedding on a Budget: Getting Organized

I'm sure there are plenty of people in the world who don't care about having things organized.  They're totally fine with things being in piles here or there or just setting things down wherever.  I am not one of those people.  Don't get me wrong, I do have a messy side - especially when it comes to clothes (mine are all over the place) and dishes (I hate doing them).  But, I like to know where things are when I need them.  And, with something as important as the wedding, I have to be organized.

That's why I created my wedding binder.  It keeps all the info I need in one place and is easily put into my laptop bag or backpack and taken along with me when I need it.  If I need a phone number for the venue's building manager or the DJ's, or need to confirm the date of a fitting or hair trial run, I have it right there at my fingertips.  No matter how badly I stress, even on the big day, all the information will be right there in one place easy for anyone to find - even if I'm busy doing something else.

I created custom printable pages - I love making custom organization printables which you will see more of (someday when I find the time) in my home management binder and kitchen organization binder.  I made a contact sheet for the wedding party for my binder and will also distribute copies to each of the party members the week before the big day.  I also included monthly calendars for each month leading up to the wedding to keep track of meetings, due dates, and appointments.

I have a very specific vision of how I want the venue to look for both the ceremony and the reception.  I've had friends and family who are helping out ask me, "how many centerpieces do you need?" or "where is the DJ going to set up?"  I addressed these questions by drawing out very rough sketches of my ideas (Don't judge me - I'm no artist!  Even stick people are a challenge for me!).  Because we're having the reception and ceremony in the same venue, we have a very special challenge ahead of us.  During dinner, while the guests are downstairs eating, drinking, and being merry, the upstairs (where the ceremony was held) will need to be transformed into a dance floor with a few seats, as well as having the DJ set up.  This is one of the biggest reasons why I made the sketches - so someone else can see my idea and carry it out while I'm enjoying newly wedded bliss.

I printed out copies of the invitations (I personally designed, printed, and trimmed each one), our wedding app posters (that'll be another post...), and the program and added them to the book for color and style comparisons (and also just to show them off a bit - I'm really very proud that I designed them all myself).  My binder is also home to a simple pocket folder and a spiral notebook.  The folder stores any and all vendor worksheets and receipts.  I like to keep the spiral notebook with everything else in case I need to jot down a few notes and am away from my computer.  Of course the binder, notebook, and folder are all in our wedding colors.  As well as being organized, I like to color coordinate.

I'll be adding to the binder as time goes on and I find more information that I'll need to keep track of.  One thing that I know I'm going to make and add to the binder: a day of itinerary, which I will (again) distribute to all VIP's a couple days before the wedding.  How did you organize your wedding planning ideas?  What would you suggest that I add to my wedding binder?  I love hearing from you - let me know your ideas in the comments!

-C