Sticker Save the Dates

Can I get married 50 more times just so I can use all of Martha's ideas? Each time to Gregg of course. :)

Now I wish I had invited more kids!

How fun is this I SPY game. It makes me wish I had invited a whole slew of kids.

Wall Calendar

I love this chalkboard wall calendar. Got to love old Martha.

If I'd seen this sooner...

I wish I could go back and ask my bridesmaids all over again. How cute are these bridesmaid cards! Thanks Bliss List KC.

Letterpress by Lifestyle Craft

Let me just start by saying I LOVE letterpress. I just got so excited when I found this letterpress machine by Lifestyle Craft for home use. It's a letterpress machine, but smaller and somewhat portable. It is coming out this fall and I can't wait. If only it had a smaller price tag. Check out their blog to see how it works.

Crayon Monogram

Oh how I need to make this monogram out of crayons. It is the perfect thing for an art teacher's desk! Thanks Paige for finding it.

Rocket Invites

I promise I'm really not thinking about kids, but how cute are these invites.

Joey!

I love, love, love this baby announcement. Someday, someday when Gregg and I have a little joey I may just have to make these.

Kitchen Initials

Love the initials in this kitchen. And loving the blog I found it on.

Earrings!

"I need them! I want them! I love them! Beautiful earrings. Glorious earrings for pierced ears." (Quote taken from one of my favorite childhood books my mother gave me after I begged to get my ears pierced.)

So my mom and I went and tried my dress on yesterday to figure out what we wanted to do for a veil, hair piece, and jewelry. Veil...Check. Hair Piece...Check. Jewelry...Check and then uncheck.

I tried on these adorable earrings with my dress and much to my surprise they were only $15. I should have known then they were too good to be true, but of course we bought them on the spot only to get them home and realize one of them was flawed. I was quite surprise by this considering this was a high end dress store we were purchasing them from, but they took them back no questions asked, so that was good.

A little bummed I had to erase my line through "buy wedding jewelry," but I came home to find these fabulous earrings at etsy.com. Only slightly more expensive, but much, much more fabulous.

On another related note, I think I have decided that with the neckline of my dress I will actually go without a necklace, but the search is on to find an equally fabulous bracelet to go with my earrings.

I do have two jewelry parties to go to in the next couple of weeks, so I may find some even better finds. Either way I think by the end of August I will really be able to check jewelry off my list.

Save the Dates

I ordered my save the dates from Vista Print and they arrived today, just in time! I am so excited to be able to get them post marked tomorrow, officially 6 months out!

Trivial Pursuit: Gregg and Carrie Wedding Edition

So I'm thinking of putting a trivial pursuit card with questions about Gregg and I (and some random questions as well) at each persons' seat for a fun trivia game for the guests to play with their table mates at the reception.

Mad Lib RSVP

Looking for clever RSVP cards last night and found a fun idea of using a mad lib format for the RSVP card. I've already started designing the cards with this idea in mind and I think they are going to turn out great!

Cake Topper Epiphany

So for some reason laying in bed this morning this idea popped in my head for a cake topper. Originally, I was going to go with the whole initial thing, but I'm over it and want something different. I always played with dolls as a child. I know most little girls did, but I did with an obsession. I don't know how or when I acquired these two paper doll books from the Smithsonian, but I have them and I love the dresses in them. One of the books has different wedding gowns throughout the different decades.  A favorite dress of mine has always been the wedding dress from 1970's. So here's my thought...Mount the paper dolls on foam core with the dress and tux attached add a little tab on the bottom to be pushed into the cake and voula cake topper. I need you thoughts on this... 

I'm even thinking of trying to darken the groom's hair with a marker or paint. I have a back up doll I can try on before I try it on the real thing.  Fingers crossed.

If I was a wealthy girl...

Maybe, just maybe, if I'm feeling up to it, I might attempt to try to make these beautiful, glorious, marvelous cake toppers.

Fun RSVP Idea

My mom found a fun idea for RSVPs...Have a place on the RSVP card for the guest to write a song title they would like to hear at the reception. The article she read said guests were more likely to dance and 'party' at the reception if they hear the song they requested. 

Tactful Labels

So I know it is a fauve pas to print the labels for your wedding invitations, but I think I may have discovered a 'tactful' way around that.

Love Etsy...

But not the price...I love, love, love this wrap.

Engagement Photos

www.staceyschmitz.com

Banquet Invite

I am also the assistant dance team coach at one of the area high schools and I thought while I'm going blog crazy I would share the invite I designed for their senior banquet. Oh and yes even though I did change the address it really is at a country club.

Logo/Monogram

So now it seems I'm going a bit blog crazy, but I do have today off and what better time to catch up on my blog. I know I said I was getting pooped out of wedding posts, but here is one I just couldn't help but share. I think I have finally decided on the 'logo' we are going to use. Of course I could change my mind between now and January, but for now it is my final choice. :)

Screen Printing Class

So my marvelous friend and I finally took that screen printing class I've been wanting to take. Here are the results. Of course now I just want to screen print everything.

Colored Pencil Jewelry

So I found these fabulous bracelets and necklaces on Etsy. How perfect for an art teacher!

Fifth Grade

And last, but not least 5th grade. I got this lesson idea from the KAEA (Kansas Arts Education Association) fall conference. I had the students do a graffiti tag of their name or a nickname using one point perspective to make it look 3D. They then cut out the platform and pop dotted it on their Jackson Pollock inspired, splatter painted background. Oh, the splatter paint background. What in the world was I thinking. I seriously let me students fling paint at paper in my art room. I think there may still be paint splatters on my floors, ceilings, cabinets, and everywhere else. My recommendation for myself next year, do this project when it is warm enough to splatter paint outside.

Fourth Grade

I had my fourth graders study the art of Laurel Burch. We looked at her style and subject matter. They then drew a pet portrait first using pencil and then going over their pencil lines with glue. Once it was dry we colored the glue lines with FX markers or metallic markers. I had them use chalk to add color to their drawings. It was cool to see all the different colors they came up with by mixing and blending the chalk together.

Third Grade

I did this project with my third graders back in the fall, but I was so pleased with how it turned out I just had to share. This was actually one of those time I went to school having no idea what I was going to do with my third graders that day. I had them go outside and collect three leaves all different sizes. We then painted the leaves white and then pressed them onto black paper. I had them use metallic paint and the koosh balls to fill in the background space. Then next class period we colored the leaves using oil pastels and blended the colors together. I also had cut out different kinds of leaves from cardstock. I had them place the leaves on a tan paper and using a sponge and the metallic paint sponge around the leaves to create a composition. We then talked about the black paper leaves being the positive space and the tan paper leaves being the negative space. I then had them weave the two papers together. I was afraid it would take them too long to weave the entire thing, so we just did the two ends. I had a parent tell me they got this piece custom framed (for $120 I might add) to hang in their home. 

Second Grade

I actually just finished this project with my second graders and I am so proud of how they turned out. We started by studying how to look in a mirror and proportionally draw our own faces. The we colored our clothes with oil pastel. We even mixed paint to create our own unique skin tone and hair color. In the background we brainstormed adjectives and nouns that describe things about them. They then chose 5-7 to write in their best handwriting on the black paper. For each word they wrote they had to draw a symbol to represent that word.

First Grade

Starry Night, one of my absolute favorites until one kid says "Is Van Gogh the guy that chopped off his own ear?" This project was really fun. The kids used koosh balls to paint the swirls of orange and yellow in the sky. Then they dipped their fingers in white and blue paint to make different tints of blue for the rest of the sky. We used a wet-in-wet watercolor technique for the land beneath the horizon line. I also had them brainstorm ideas of what kinds of things we would find in a community and then they cut out buildings to create a community of their own.

Kindergarten

I did this project to work on cutting with my kindergartners, as well as teaching them the neutral colors and how to mix white and black to get gray. We started with squares and they had to cut the corners off until they got circles. We then used sponges dipped in white and black paint to sponge paint the background to make gray. It was fun to see how each student's bear took on its own personality. 

New Direction

So I was really good for a while with posting, but as of late not so good. As much as I am loving wedding planning I am getting a little pooped out of wedding posts, so I have decided to switch it up a little. I'm not sure if I have mentioned this on here before, since I have had a bit of wedding tunnel vision, but I am an elementary art teacher. I am almost done with my first year and can't believe how fast the year has just flown by. I am loving being a teacher and love seeing the artwork my students produce, so I thought I would share some of my favorite projects on here. 

Photographer

We finally have a photographer and I couldn't be more excited! All we have to do is sign the contract and pay the retainer. Check out his stuff at http://www.staceyschmitz.com/

Blue Shoes

I know if may be a little weird, but I want blue shoes.

Ideas: Aisle

We had a fabulous meeting yesterday with Jenny with Grand Occasions and it looks like she is really going to be able to help us out with centerpieces and ceremony decor. I am soooo excited to see what she comes up with! Plus, I figured there had to be some sort of perk (besides never having to mow my own lawn) in having a fiancé in the landscape business, so I have put Gregg up to the challenge of finding me birch trees. Fingers crossed he can work some sort of deal, 'cause mama wants her trees. 

Idea: Invitation

I found these save the dates and think the design would make really pretty snowflake invitations.

Check out the responses...pretty funny.

Guest Book

Again, I love having a mom who can sew...Here is an idea for a guest book quilt that we could showcase in our home for years to come.

Flower Girl Ideas

I love having a mom that can sew. Here is the pattern we have selected for our flower girl dress and winter cape. Gregg's niece is going to look adorable in her 'little blue riding hood' cape!

I also love the flower ball instead of the flower basket.

Cake Ideas

I'm not really sure what I want for a cake, but here are some cool wintery cakes we saw at the Bridal Spectacular bridal show.

Logo Ideas

Here is the most recent logo idea I have come up with. It is actually inspired by a bracelet one of my best friends, Alice, gave me after her trip to Europe. The clasp of the bracelet is a C and G combined. I want to find a way to make the logo look more twisted together like the bracelet.

Here is another logo I came up with a while back (just disregard the date...I guess I just gave away how long I have been thinking about getting married.) Definitely has a different feel than the other one. 

I think I would still like to try another logo incorporating a subtle snowflake. I really want to brand our wedding with this logo, so I will probably be working different logos up until it is time to send out invitations. :) 

Cool Store: Thousand Villages

So I have to be honest and I haven't actually been to this store, but one of my friends gave a gift from this store at our holiday gift exchange and I can't wait to check it out. I'll let you know what I find.

Paper Flowers

Melanie found these really cool paper flowers. I love the idea and even if I don't use them for wedding decor I think I'll make a set for my home decor. Nice find Mel! And thanks Wendy for letting me post it! :)

Ideas: Bouquet

One of my bridesmaids got inside my head and found the perfect real wedding on the knot. It gave me a lot of ideas for my centerpieces, my bouquet, and my bridesmaid's bouquets. 

Now I really like this idea, especially since it goes with my idea for the boutonnieres, but I would want to take it down a notch with less of the sparkle sprays and add in some white and blue flowers.

Ideas: Centerpieces

My sister-in-law, Erin, and nephew, Beckett, have been down visiting for about the last 2 weeks. It has been so much fun having them here and Erin has very graciously offered to help me with my centerpieces. She has an eye for style and is the best bargain shopper. She has been on a mission to find me great deals on really nice centerpieces. We have finally decided on 5 different centerpieces all following the same theme.

Centerpiece #1: Three pillar candle holders. My mom ordered these on Friday and it appears to have been just in the nick of time, considering they are now listed as out of stock. We will use white and blue candles on these with crystal garland around the bottom.

Centerpiece #2: Cylinder Vase with frosty twigs. Like the picture, but frosted or sparkly twigs in a cylinder vase instead of square.

Centerpiece #3: Set of 3 cylinder vases with floating candles.

Centerpiece #4: Cylinder with floral topper and hanging snowflakes. (For the floral I would want less twigs sticking out, more low profile.)

Centerpiece #5: Round cylinder with white floral arrangement. (Instead of square and frosted it would be clear and round.)

Possible #5 replacement: I really like #5, but the flower arrangements could get pricey, so here is another alternative that I found.