Ang's DIY Workshop~ Project Wedding

Ever since I made the bridesmaid cards for my gal friends my creative juices have been kicking in...I've gotten more and more creative with the deco. and details for the wedding. After all it's all in the details right? To jog your memories of my bridesmaid cards here are some pics. I did not get to put up...remember these guys or um gals....huge success~

The first set of paper dolls that I made

This was the ladies 'hair' day~

I love being creative and coming up with new ideas for our wedding. The finished products give me so much gratification! I enjoy making our wedding so very personal with these details. Since I'm doing all the deocrations, props and design work myself, our day will be very 'us' and not a cookie cutter wedding.  Also it's a good way to bring down the cost which we can spend on more important proirities like having a sit down meal and a band which is important to us. Now flowers...that's a whole different story...we're definitely hiring a florist for that, as anyone who knows me knows I have a 'black' thumb..yup I kill plants and can't even name most flowers. 

So to accommodate my new found DIY projects and experiments some changes needed to be made to give me some creative space, hence out goes Barry (my trusty Nissan Maxxima) from our garage and in comes the start of Ang's DIY Workshop :)

I'm not going to show you the finished products here since I'd like you to see them on the day of our wedding, but I'd love to show you some of the process. So with my big sis Anu in town to help with wedding details this past week and my baby gal niece Neharika in tow, I decide to combine entertaining my 3-yr old niece and get Anu to help me with one of my first projects.

While N'ika made herself busy painting her bumble bee which she named Floppy, Anu and I proceed to paint his and her mugs, in my wedding colors, with Mr.Tobias and Mrs.Tobias painted on it :) Not only is it a gift for Scott but will also serve as props for the dessert table at the wedding. So here are the mugs before they were 'baked'. Therefore this picture does not do them justice as this is pre-baking without the shiny and brilliant juicy colors as they look after they came out the oven.

Pre-baked His & Her Mugs

Another project was picking up old discarded large frames from garage/estate sales to re-purpose them into chalk boards, softboards or canvas for the wedding.

For example to make these canvases below, I bought some fabric that I liked and with a staple gun just stapled it to the frame. Now what I'm going to do with these items you'll find out at our wedding. No fun if I give away all the wedding details now is it?

Here is my vision for the center pieces for the dinner tables...each table will have a grouping of silver vases of different shapes and sizes with a monochrome bouquet of flowers in each one. To get these vases and turn them into what I'm looking for I recruited my fiance Scott and we went 'picking' to find these glass vases, cup, bowls of different sizes, heights. Picking: meaning, To find treasures while garage or estate sale-ing...cheap!

So late at night (after little N'ika was tucked in bed all snug) Anu and I started getting these glass vases ready for our wedding...by spray painting them silver. Here we are creating our art, Anu in her PJ's and me in my grunge jeans.

And lastly let me end today's blog post on an adorable note with this picture that I drew and put in a rustic frame for our wedding...just say it with me...aww!

Dressing our cupid for our wedding- our boy Coley

Scott and I met through our dogs. I had two loves of my life at the time, Bobo and Atticus, and when I first met Scott I had just lost my precious Bobo. My sole purpose was to push through my grief and focus on keeping Atticus happy. Atticus and Bobo spent their entire lives together, and I did not want Atticus to die of loneliness. So he and I went everywhere together. That's how Scott first met Atticus.

My bratty Bobo and delicate darling Atticus

 
Scott and I played on a co-ed softball team together. The day I noticed Scott was one Sunday during our practice session, I was out on the field and I could see Scott standing over a drooling Atticus in the dugout. Scott was eating a big over stuffed burrito and was feeding Atticus bits...it was adorable. Of course Scott proceeded to put on his baseball glove in one hand and with the burrito in the other played catch in the outfield next to me. I nicknamed him Jughead (the character from the Archie comics) after that.

I was constantly looking to set up doggie play dates for Atticus. That's when Scott & I started emailing back and forth...when he told me about his dog Coley.

Coley

Coley was labeled the 'Invisible dog' by me and my friends for a while, because as it turned out he was Scott's sister Mandee's dog, and lived in Pennsylvania...LOL. So Scott said he would hang out with me & Atti on our 'playdate'...and he did!  He became best buds with me and Atti, we went hiking, to parks, swimming in lakes & rivers and had outdoor picnics together. Scott & I had just started dating when I lost Atticus to cancer. He was 10 years old. Losing him brought me to my knees, and I finally let myself grieve. I had no one left to be strong for anymore. Scott was by my side everyday.

Six months after we were dating Coley come to live with us. Just when I thought I would never love another dog again....he had my heart at first lick. So Coley, the 'invisible dog' who started my conversations with Scott, who along with Atticus was our cupid, became our family.

For our big day we want our 'cupid' to walk down the aisle, and stand by our side, as we make our vows to each other under the old Oak tree. How do we dress someone who is so near and dear to our heart?

Please helps us by voting on the look you like best for Coley and we'll consider dressing him so....

Matching collar & leash maybe?

Flowers possibly?...nah...he's not a girl.

Maybe a bow tie?...but the groomsmen are going to be in ties.

So maybe a tie then? 

Give him ring bearer duties?

Keep it simple

Or a tux perhaps?.....

Or to just keep it real...au natural! Coz'  that's our boy after all.....handsome just as he is..maybe with a ball or stick in his mouth ;)

A species so intimately involved with our own, which has shared our life since time immemorial ~ Alfred Barbou

A Possible Pippa Moment....

I asked my older sis Anu to be my Maid of Honor at our wedding. For those of you who don't know Anu, she's approximately 2 years older than me. She's a mother of a rambunctious, born-on-my-birthday spitfire tomboy, who's super smart and a one-of-a-kind 2-year old...my favorite and ONLY niece Neharika. Anu's also my first phone call, my biggest supporter, my best friend and my confidant. Did I mention she's also H-O-T....hot! I use her as my inspiration to look better after I push out an 8-pound human being, than before I bore children.

I work out...about 2-3 times a week...and get my butt whooped by Scott at the gym. I've been eating healthier than I ever have, all to ensure I feel 100% beautiful on my wedding day...and all I can think about is my Maid of Honor Anu as she stands by my side....that she is going to do a "Pippa" on me!! LOL

So if you are invited to our wedding as one of our close family or friends, be kind and try to peel your eyes away from "Pippa" and give the bride some love~ <3

Anu (a.k.a Pippa) with my BIL Vignesh and baby gal Neharika