Chanel, Brides & Babies, Fried Food and a Whole Lotta Diapers

I feel like I keep rambling about how busy my life has been in the last 6 months. Well.. It HAS been busy. Overwhelmingly busy. We had our huge move in June, lots of baby showers and bridal showers, babies being born, Laura's wedding & planning my sister's wedding, the MN State Fair (obvi.), brand new jobs and the nightmares of having unfixed pups.

Obviously, I it's hard to blog about all of these things in one post, but I am doing my best to stay caught up with this little blog as best as I can! Can you believe this blog is going on 2 years old? It seems way longer than that..

So.

Brand new jobs. I think I've already talked about Justin and his job a few posts ago and I've mentioned that I took a freelance job for Chanel. In August, I met with my previous Account Executive for Chanel to discuss possibly working as the Business Manager for the downtown Minneapolis Chanel counter at Macy's. The meeting went well and I was offered the job! I have been there a few weeks so far and enjoy it for the most part. This fall, I will have been working in the cosmetics industry for 8 years - whether at a counter or freelance. For the last 4+ years I was a full-time mental health counselor, so it's definitely interesting to be at a counter again (especially in management), although sometimes I still feel like I'm counseling with all of the interesting people I interact with everyday. Retail can get old pretty quick, but somehow I make an exception since it's Chanel. I mean, c'mon. I love Chanel.

Before I accepted the job at Chanel, I was on a desperate job hunt and even had an interview set up for a job focusing on adults, home placement and family crisis situations. After submitting my resume, I received a voicemail (on a Friday) from a man, who I could have sworn said his name was "Stew". I called back to set up the interview time and graciously asked, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name.. Was it "Stew"? And she crustily responds.. "No. It's Sue." OOOPS. Why in the world didn't I just ask them to repeat her name, instead of guessing it? Idiot me! I played it cool and continued to set up a time to meet. In my excitement of being offered an interview, I took the first time available (the following Monday) and went on with my day. Little did I know, I had a meeting scheduled at the same time for something very important to me, so I weighed the pros and cons and decided to call Stew/Sue back and ask for a later time. She never returned my call, so I attempted to call her again Monday morning and we finally connected. The first thing she said to me was this: "I'm sorry-- What could possibly be more important than this interview?" I was a little caught off guard by her tone and apologized again for the inconvenience. She continued to respond sharply to me as I offered to come in at any other time and she refused to budge or swap her lunch hour and told me she would still see me if I cancelled my already scheduled appointment. I thanked her for the opportunity and that was that. Thank goodness I didn't go to the interview, get the job and then realize the person I was working for. That woman needed a vacation or a serious nap.

Now that I'm moving head first into my position at Chanel, I'm getting to know the ups and downs of transportation and the value of my time. Did you know it takes me - on average - an hour and a half (in rush hour) to get to work in the morning? Did you know it costs me 13$ to park in the garage each day I work? It's definitely been a challenge, but I'm not giving up. It's so funny how I've spent most of my life living in the Twin Cities and I don't know left from right when I'm downtown. I am so twisted! I'm slowly getting it though..I've met some fun people so far, including the ladies at my counter. One is a serious veteran who's worked for Chanel for 15 years (wow!) and completely reminds me of Candace Azzara from In Her Shoes.  The other has fantastic experience and started the same time I did, not to mention we totally have a similar sense of humor. Aside from the ridiculous drive and expensive parking, I like it.

I've always loved the Minneapolis skyline.. (Click for source.)

Showers and babies. Mulder finally had her two, little twin girls a couple weeks ago! Her shower was one of the first parties I hosted since living back in MN and I am super happy to share the the shower will actually be seen in an upcoming feature at Baby Lifestyles -- I'll share more deets later! It has been really hard for me to be able to see Mulder and the babies since I accepted the new job. I hate that my new schedule has basically taken over my life! I finally was able to see her last week and make a fun little dinner to celebrate her birthday (with Jade and Nate too). The babies were absolutely breathtaking. Seriously.. The tiniest, sweetest little things. They have the cutest names -- Kendall and Hartley! It's so adorable how one has dark hair and the other is totally blonde.. I can't wait to see them again!

Bachelorette parties & a beautiful wedding It's been really great catching up with new and old friends since the move, especially celebrating my good friend Laura's bachelorette party!  It just so happened to be the same night my sister was hosting a Lady Gaga-themed bachelorette party! It was fun to help her create her costume over a couple weeks and as I headed to Laura's bach party, I stopped to do Gaga makeup for some of the girls! Laura's sisters threw a memorable and fun Girl's Night Out (and In!) to celebrate.. We began at a hotel in Bloomington and headed downtown Minneapolis to Zelo for a super delish dinner.. then back to the hotel for gifts and games! It was such a fun night.

We made this insane skirt out of an old belt, tulle, peacock feathers and tons of hot glue.. 

For the wedding day, I was really honored to do makeup for Laura, her mom and the bridal party as well. She gave me the sweetest, unexpected, little thank-you gift and I died when I opened it -- So stinkin' cute and thoughtful!!

After pure chaos of running home to change and dealing with some unexpected craziness, I made it back just in time for the big event. The wedding was absolutely gorgeous. It was at the University Club in St. Paul - I had never been there before. It was such a charming venue for a wedding, I loved it. The ceremony was beautiful, and I cried a little of course! She looked fantastic and they were adorable together during the entire evening. The reception was special and there were some sweet moments with all of the glass-clinking and kissing and an emotional song/video her dad shared with her. Unfortunately, Justin had already committed to going to the bachelor party for Jordan (Lanae's fiance) happening at the same time. Boo. Attending a wedding alone is stinky, but it was great to see old friends - some who I haven't seen since High School.

A few minutes before the ceremony --  No crying.. God bless waterproof mascara!

The moment I lost it.. She looked INCREDIBLE.

I've never seen Laura so happy!

Our little girl is now a 'woman'. Back up a little bit.. After I finished with Laura's wedding-day makeup, I rushed home to change and get ready for the wedding. On my way, I called Justin and received some dreaded news: Coco went into heat. GREAT. Since neither Romeo or Coco are fixed, we didn't want to risk pregnancy for her - especially since she's so tiny and it would be hard for her to carry Romeo's puppies. Before making it home, I flew into Petsmart to find some puppy diapers and hoped to quickly talk to an expert on what we need to expect and what was actually happening with her. I found a bunch of diapers (holy expensive!) and went up to the Banfield counter where there were 2 women sitting behind the desk. I told them I had some questions about my 9-month old puppy who just began heat and one of the women responded with willingness to help with any questions, seeming to know what she was talking about. She explained how all puppies are different but if we don't plan to breed, that we should keep Romeo somewhere else for the next 4+ weeks. Uhhhh no? Where the heck am I supposed to keep him?! I explained that we could keep them separated and she would have diapers on to prevent from any mess and the woman told me this:

• Woman: "They need to be in separate kennels - far away from each other, or she will get pregnant."
• Me: "Of course..We will keep them separate". 
• Woman: "No. If they are in separate kennels, but the kennels are near each other, she will get pregnant."
• Me: {Laughing} "Wait. How? He can impregnate her from another kennel? Wouldn't that be pretty unlikely that he could reach or.. "
• Woman: "Yes. She will get pregnant. {Touching her temples} They can connect." 
• Me: "Ok. So you're telling me that she can actually get pregnant by just thinking about it?"
• Woman: "Yup."

Are you kidding me, lady?! She was serious, too. I can't believe I actually believed it for a minute, but get out of town! Dogs can't get pregnant by just "mentally connecting". Sheesh.

Regardless of Banfield-crazies giving us false advice, we had been debating whether or not to get her fixed (when we adopted her) because we really wanted to have puppies. We're still kind of unsure about it all, but will most likely have them both fixed - and soon. We don't know much about heat or pregnancy or breeding (gah!), but obviously it's expensive to get a pup fixed (not to mention two!). So that's the plan. It's been a ridiculous nightmare to keep them separated though. Romeo is so intense to be near her, while she just sits and looks at us, as if to say, "Oh, please." I know it doesn't compare to being a parent of a human baby, but diapers are expensive! It's definitely worth it to use them though, since they prevent so much mess (and hopefully pregnancy!).

Poor baby girl!

They barely fit her! They were too big and too small in some places..

Her diapers are hysterical though. So cute and little! I do feel really bad for her.. She seems so bummy since it all began. Romeo has been exhausting us with trying to keep them apart - He's seriously lost it. Poor little guy!

The good ol' MN State Fair. This year, we were lucky to go to the fair TWICE!

My handsome hubby and his gyro

My mom tried to adopt this guy at the mini donut stand, after he said he was from Guatemala. Oh, Mom!

And for round two.. 

We got 'Lloyd Christmas' during our wait for food at the Hollywood Diner

Boys hanging at Heritage

Instead of tossing the mullet through the hole, Vanessa gladly took my dare to go peek her face through  --  hehe

Thanks to my mom and The Current, I have liked Tapes 'n Tapes for some time now! It worked perfect for us to be at the fair the same day they were playing a show! My mom and some girls from work saved good seats for a while before people started going to the front to dance, despite being in the way. Security kept trying to kick them out, until we all jumped up and rushed the stage (a total Footloose moment!) and jammed out the rest of the song! It was pretty exciting! The show was awesome.. of course, we were front and center!

Tapes 'n Tapes

Other than that, I have been helping my little sister plan her wedding and my new party-planning site is in the works!! More details coming soon (duh!)!

Goodnight, dolls.

xo

DIY: Fabric Ruffle Pomanders

As I've been in the midst of party/shower planning all summer, I have spent quite a while trying to come up with ways to create new decor. In my golden list of DIY sites and blogs I love to follow, I stumbled across the easiest-looking DIY pomanders. Last March, my good friend, Jody and I, created about a dozen cupcake liner poms for a Rockstar Party we threw for her sister and hubby's birthdays. We took our cupcake-liner-pom-creating skills to the next level as she helped me create evern more liner poms for the Anthropologie-inspired bridal shower I designed. I have been wanting to try making poms with fabric for some time now, and the last 3 showers I've been planning for have given me the opportunity to give them a shot.

There are hundreds of tutorials out there because they are so easy, but the one I used for inspiration was found at Once Wed. Vanessa and I decided to take on the project together, since we were planning 2 of Lanae's bridal showers and definitely wanted to incorporate them into our decor. I've made lots of fabric flowers before (so had Vaness!), so this came a little easier to us. For this DIY, we used styrofoam balls instead of mini paper lanterns. It seemed a little more practical my my "storage situation", not to mention.. I already had a bunch of leftover styroballs from previous parties.

All you need:

Fabric of your choice 

Scissors

Pen/Pencil

Small piece of cardboard (for original circle, to trace)

Hot glue gun & glue sticks

Styrofoam ball

Unfortunately, these beauties are extremely time-consuming. They take lots of patience, so you might as well throw some Friends episodes on (like we did!) and rip through them! 

First, you need fabric circles. Tons of them. With any sturdy piece of paper - cardboard is perfect - cut out the size circle you want, corresponding with the size of the styrofoam ball. We chose to use 5", 4" and 3" styroballs, adjusting the size of the circles for the bigger sizes. We found the most strategic plan was to trace the cardboard circle onto the fabric - hundreds of times - and then began cutting them out (with fabric folded, to go twice as fast), being careful to cut inside the pen/pencil marks. 

Next, fold the circles in half twice (or 3-fold). At the folded point, add plenty of hot glue before holding in to the styroball. Honestly, getting started is the trickiest part. Once the glue dries, it's easy to pack the folded circles in more securely. Depending on how ruffly you want your pomanders, spread the "petals" out or pack them in as much as you want, as long as the styroball is covered up. 

Next, fold the circles in half twice. At the folded point, add plenty of hot glue before holding in to the styroball. Honestly, getting started is the trickiest part. Once the glue dries, it's easy to pack the folded circles in more securely. Depending on how ruffly you want your pomanders, spread the "petals" out or pack them in as much as you want, as long as the styroball is covered up.

We also made them in white, black and lace.. They turned out SO CUTE! Tip: I planned to hang these little lovies, so I covered one end of a paper clip in hot glue and found an empty spot to press it into the styrofoam ball. Make sure to let the glue dry before hanging.

I loved the mixture of textures.. Lace, fabric and cupcake liner poms + hollow yarn balls.

Credit for inspiration:
Once Wed - DIY Fabric Poms


xo

A Sweet, Yellow Bridal Shower

My sweet Aunt planned special bridal showers for both Vanessa and I and now it's our little sister's turn to be showered! For a long time now, Lanae has talked about having yellow, black and white as her "wedding colors", and now that wedding plans are in full swing, including invitations sent and designs chosen, I'm totally in love with her scheme. She's always been so funny how she describes her "style" and vision for the wedding, often saying she likes it "cute" and simple/modern. She chose a signature damask pattern for her invites, as well as other wedding decor (which I am in the process of making.. EEP!), but for now.. we come to her latest shower. 

A month or so before the shower, Vanessa and I met with our aunt to talk about ways we could help - especially since I just love parties oh-so-much. We decided to create her shower inspired by lemons. The guest list included relatives and family and we chose to go with a mid-day event. We took on the decor and setup, and also helped with preparing the food. You can see, we really amped up the yellow/black/white to really imitate Lanae's idea of a "perfect party". 

Ice Water & Lemonade

Paper Straws - The Sugar Diva

Corsage my aunt made for Lanae.. Made of measuring spoons, a pizza cutter, a washcloth and  a wine stopper (I think). 

I was able to use a few pieces I had, including my white, Cupcake Liner Poms and Hollow Yarn Balls. Vanessa and I created the rest of the poms new for this shower - Check out the Fabric & Lace Ruffle Pom DIY!

Menu:

Meringue Drops

Lemon Slice Candy

Lemon Tarts

Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

Marshmallow Pops

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon & Sugar Pita Chips

Veggie Pizza

Cucumber & Tomato Bruschetta

An all-time favorite recipe I received from my dear friend, Jody. Yu-hum!

Vanessa and I took on quite a few projects while deciding on decor. I have always loved Billy Balls and we knew Lanae especially loves them, so we decided to make some ourselves. We followed the DIY at Design*Sponge and found it a little tricky! We thought it would be a little easier, but actually rolling the felted wool without any creases or cracks was definitely a tasks that kept us laughing. I would definitely attempt to make these lovies again someday!

P.S. Love my extended (and still growing) collection of milk glass?? Aside from a few pieces I borrowed from my momma, I started with a piece from my grandma, gained a few pieces from my friend Anne Marie & her mom and I squeak every time I think of the fantastic thrift store I found the rest of them at. Can't wait to go back!

Vanessa and I spent countless hours during our "Sister Craft Days" working on these Q-Tip Flower Poms. I came across an incredible DIY tutorial at Homemade Ginger with my friend Mulder's Garden Party Baby Shower in mind. Since I had already taken on more than enough projects for the baby shower, I grew really determined to create these for Lanae's bridal shower. We made a total of 9 flower heads with 3 different sizes of styrofoam balls. When doing the largest styroballs, I managed to squeeze the q-tips in much tighter - which totally stunk in the end - because the flower heads were way too heavy for their stems. I've considered transferring them to stronger stems in the future, because they are way too amazing to waste.

{Check out my DIY post here.}

For favors, Vanessa and I dipped pretzels in white chocolate (obviously continuing with the yellow/black/white theme!).

I've really grown to love showers that have some sort of "wishing tree" or "advice" for the bride/mom-to-be. I think it's a really sweet way for the guests to share memorable words, while giving the guest of honor something extra special they can have forever. I created this tree at the last minute, using a long, black-painted branch, ribbon, mini clothespins and some round-ended paper. Guests were asked to share advice or words of wisdom for Lanae.

Cute little bride!

In the bathroom.. Vases full of lemons

Credits:
Paper Straws - The Sugar Diva
Fonts used - Fonts for Peas
Paper for flag garland: Michael's
Fabric: JoAnn & Hancock
Q-Tip Flower Pom Tutorial - Homemade Ginger
Billy Ball Tutorial - Design*Sponge


xo