Blog and Blogback :)

SmartyPig noticed my blog post about using their online piggy bank as a wedding registry for a down payment on a house, and they blogged about it. :) It really is a nice way to save for anything; they have great rates! I hope parents encourage their kids to use it to teach them to save up for something they want rather than charge it. For too long, we've been a nation of conspicuous consumption and debtors. For our own financial security, let's be savers! (Let someone else buy the new sports car to stimulate economy if you have no savings and/or you're in debt!)

So, I blogged about them, then they blogged about me, now I'm blogging about them blogging about me. My head is going to explode.

:)

Starting to suck less

This is the list from my previous post of "stuff I suck at."

1. Catering - check
2. Photographer - check
3. Map for invitations - check (actual invitations - not yet)
4. Finding a rain location - maybe check
5. Ordering tables, chairs, etc. - tomorrow maybe?
6. Flowers
7. Favors and gifts
8. Decorations - Mommy's helping
9. Wedding rings

Things are coming along...

My Armless Army

My last blog post got some of us thinking... Maybe we should go for the J.Crew dresses after all. There were all sizes, all colors available last night while I was sucking at Photoshop.

But this morning, there were no more size 0 (a couple of my bridesmaids), and 2's and 4's only came in "chartreuse". (a couple of my bridesmaids are in this range) Then, the frenzy began. One of the blondes is a double 0, so she suggested she get a 2 in chartreuse and have it altered. I was texting and emailing all of them at once. I had one blonde waiting to buy the pink because I wasn't sure anyone else could secure a pink. Then, when it didn't look good for more than 2 pinks, one lovely girl suggested we go all green. The blondes were more into the pink until they looked at the color again - actually the green would be better. I'm calling it green, though it's a very yellow green. I wouldn't call it chartreuse, either. Whatev. More frantic texts: "Everyone! Buy green now!"

I think everyone's just about on board. Presenting...

My Armless Army

Ah Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!

Too funny! (To me, anyway.) Ha ha ha ha! I've been sitting by myself, laughing at my horrible Photoshop skills. I started the think that maybe I should prescribe the dresses my bridesmaids should wear, since they're all having trouble figuring out what I want or finding what they think I want in stores. There's a J.Crew dress I kind of like and the colors are kind of cool - not exactly what I had in mind, but colors I'd be happy with. So, I started photoshopping their heads on dresses... Brace yourself...







Ha ha ha ha ha!

Whew!

The original model in the pink dress is from Ethiopia - a little darker than my bridesmaids, so I tried to lighten the arms and legs. Fail. Then I copied the legs to use on the armless, legless, headless manquin wearing the greenish dress. Sco asked why I didn't just use the polygonal lasso tool to copy the arms, too. I said it was too hard. He said no it's not. I said I don't want to. Fail. Then I cut out the heads and half-ass stuck 'em on the bodies. Fail.


I get my skills from "You Suck at Photoshop."

Pogo Photo Booth

Here's what I'm thinking - photo booth guest book. It's been done before - not a new idea. I'm considering buying a Polaroid Pogo printer. It prints photos on 2"x3" sticky cards and doesn't require an ink cartridge. It uses Zink (Zero-Ink) paper. You can print via Bluetooth from a camera phone or from a digital camera hooked up via USB cable. Guests would take a picture of themselves with the camera attached to the Pogo or their camera phone, print it out, stick it in the album and write a little note.

There are some issues with this... I might need someone manning the "photo booth" for several reasons. One, it's so small, someone could steal it. Because we're not in a secure location, someone could conceivably sneak in and nab the Pogo or the camera or both. Two, people might need some guidance. It's pretty simple, but even with instructions, it might be just intimidating enough that some people won't use it. Three, it only holds 10 sheets of Zink paper at once. Someone might need to be there to reload it.

One option I'm considering is building a box for it and the camera. It would hide the camera and printer, with a hole cut to expose the shutter button on the camera and a slot for the picture to slide out. It would have a door in the back so someone could load the paper occasionally. I still might need someone to stand there for that.

Another potential issue is that people might want to redo their photo too many times if they don't like how it came out. The box thing makes this more likely, I think, because the wouldn't be able to peek at the camera's display before printing.

Pogo image source

Photo booth picture: Sco in a real photo booth

Jars, jars, jars

Every nook and cranny of my apartment is filled with jars. My friends and I have been collecting them for use in our wedding - hopefully as hanging lanterns, but that will depend on what the fire marshal says.

In spite of having so many free jars on hand to recycle in this lovely way, I think I need to buy some jars. Cookie jars, specifically.

As I've mentioned, we're having cookies instead of cake. While the caterer will provide the cookies, he will not provide the pretty jars to put them in. And I don't usually buy my pickles and salsa in 3 gallon glass jars.

So, I'm on the lookout for cute, vintage-ish cookie jars. Preferably clear. Go forth, my jar-hunting minions...






empty jar photo credit: P.J. McAdie, flickr

cookie jar source: Real Simple

Registry Indecision

I keep logging on to our registries at Crate & Barrel and B3 - not to see if people have bought us presents, but to change things. I'm so indecisive. Do I want a cork cutting board or a bamboo one? Or one of these cutting mat thingies? We don't need much stuff, but the stuff we have registered for is replacing really crappy stuff. I don't want to be stuck with crappy stuff anymore, so I keep changing my mind.

SmartyPig is easy - no decisions required for us or our guests. It's where we've registered for our house fund. It's a public online savings account. Because we don't need much stuff - I mean, we are in our thirties and have a lot of stuff already - we're asking people to consider helping out with our house down payment. Which actually brings me back to the indecision thing - if we're going to be buying a house in the next couple of years, who knows what we'll need? I don't want to register for a bunch of pink towels to match our pink (yes, pink) bathroom in our apartment when we might move to a house with nice taupe walls. And do we really want that much stuff to have to move?

But I do really want knives that don't snap in half when cutting crunchy bread.





image source