Stream of Consciousness x10

1. On Saturday the Bear Triplets went to be with Jesus. I'm so heartbroken for Carey and Jeremy. Please pray for peace and comfort for them. They both wrote beautiful and heartbreaking stories about their three boys (Rudyard, Desmond, and Oscar) on their blogs: Carey's Blog and Jeremy's Blog (warning, do not read these at work like I did).

2. I'm finally getting a DSLR camera! A Canon Rebel. It's my birthday present from my Mom! Thanks Mom! Now I'll need to learn to use it. I am EXCITED!


3. I didn't win Kelly's Korner's $600 gift card. But Kelly did like my 6 ingredient recipe! Woo hoo!

4. I finally finished our Europe Trip 2010 photo album on Blurb. That only took me a year, ha!

I still need to edit the book. But if you want to preview it here, you can!

5. I really want to go to Napa this summer, but the Mr. says it's not in the budget because apparently if we go to Napa we're gonna have to buy several cases of wine. Le sigh.

6. Speaking of budgets, our Pastor wants to talk to use about leading a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Course at Church. (I wonder what Dave would say about a Napa Trip? Le sigh again.) Exciting but kind of intimidating too.


7. We started watching Season 4 of Mad men on Netflix. Good stuff so far!

8. I think I'm gonna have the Mr. take me to Glen Ivy Day Spa for my birthday present. I think that's what I want.


9. I have several weddings coming up this Summer and my company semi-formal party this weekend. I going to hit up Nordstrom Rack and try to find some fun dresses. I'll let you know what I find.

10. I love summer because that means it's gazpacho season! I need to post my gazpacho recipe.

Digital Scrapboking & Photoshop Elements

One of my the items on my "to-learn" list (and Baby Bucket List) is Photoshop Elements. Particularly to learn how to do digital scrapbooking.

Since High School I had loved to do paper scrapbooking and scrapbooked all of my pictures from 1996-2007. But a couple of years ago I just lost my zest for paper scrapbooking. I figured, if all of my pictures are digital, my scrapbooking should be too. But clearly I've dragged my feet on actually learning Photoshop Elements.

So this weekended I watched some YouTube Tutorials, downloaded some free scrapbooking papers and elements and went to town creating my first few pages.

I started with our 1 year anniversary pictures to test out my skills. Here's how I did...


Not too bad for a beginner, right? Right?

My plan is to do layouts for all of my 2009 pictures, and then put them into a Shutterfly or Blurb Book. Then do 2010. And eventually 2008 and 2007. Yikes! How did I get so far behind?

Are any of you digital scrapbookers?

If so, where do you like to get your scrapbooking elements?

I found a few places that have free elements for personal use that I really liked:
http://www.summertimedesigns.blogspot.com/
http://www.shabbyprincess.com/

But I'd love to hear if there are more out there (I am sure there are).

Also, what Photoshop Elements advice do you have for me?

This & That

For some reason "this" and "that" makes me think of that Kia Hamster Commercial. I don't care what people say, I love that commercial.

I know I've been an MIA blogger -- I've had a lot of things on my mind that I can't blog about. Maybe sometime later I'll blog about it.

So here are some random things on my mind...

1. I've already started working on our Christmas cards. I think Shutterfly has the best cards for the price. I really like some other sites (like Minted) but Shutterfly is almost as good for 1/2 the price. I'm probably going to use our Europe pictures on the card since that was the biggest thing for us in 2010. Maybe something like this:

What do you think? Where do you get your Christmas cards done? I have no affiliation to Shutterfly, I've just used them before, so I am open to suggestions.


2. Simply Bags sent me a fun, personalized, insulated lunch bag to share with you all. It's so cute and it definitely helps keep my lunch cold at work. Good stuff.



3. I'm thinking about jumping on the Skype bandwagon so that the Mr. and I can Skype with our families far away. My FIL recommended the Microsoft LifeCam Cinema Web Camera so we may be purchasing one of these soon.

Do you Skype? Do you have a webcam that you like?


4. I used to love scrapbooking, but now I never do it. I'm moving more toward digital scrapbooking (I'm sloooowly learning Photoshop Elements). Should I sell my old scrapbooking supplies on my blog? Do people still do paper scrapbooking?


5. I've been slogging through changing my name. Trying to get all of my Credit Cards, Frequent Flier Accounts, etc. moved to my married name. This has only taken me a lightening-fast two years. What I love about the process is that the only thing that is consistent is inconsistency. Some Credit Cards you can change your name over the phone, some you have to fax a form, some you have to mail a form. I love it.


What's new with all of you?

Continuing to Clear Wedding "Clutter"

Can you believe that after a year and half of marriage, I'm still working on wedding projects?

Well, I am.

I've been trying to get our wedding photos in order. I made a digital scrapbook our of "Pre-Wedding Festivities." And I ordered our official wedding album back in February, but it STILL has not come. Note: I'm not sure what company my photographer ordered it from, but remind me never to use them again.

Even after making a wedding shadow box of my favorite wedding memorabilia I still had an entire box of wedding stuff sitting in my closet for over a year. Note: You can see more about my Wedding Shadow Box Project here.

Most of the box was actually bridal shower and wedding cards from friends and family. Does anyone else have a problem getting rid of cards? I just can't part with them!

So I decided to make a scrapbook of wedding cards and other wedding memorabilia.

First I cut apart all of cards and made collages of the messages like this:

Then for my favorite imagines from the fronts of the cards, I made collages like this:


I also made some collages of my wedding memorabilia (save the date, invitation, program, place cards, etc.) like this:


I love how it turned out. It's a great way to see all the messages from loved ones and cherish my wedding memories whenever I want!

Then what I didn't put into the shadow box or in the scrapbook, I tossed.

One giant box of clutter gone!

10 Ways To Beat the Post-Wedding Blues

Recently, I was talking to a co-worker of mine who got married last month. I asked her how she was doing. And she replied that she felt “odd” now that her big day was over. Finally not in constant “wedding planning mode”. Not unhappy, but almost a feeling of “now what?”

I know that some people fell right into wedding bliss and were so-freakin'-glad to have all of the wedding planning behind him. But I think for many of us it’s natural to feel a little let down after all the hours, money, and passion you’d put into planning your wedding.

My co-worker got me thinking about the "post-wedding blues" and the ways that I beat them.

Therefore, I now present to you, dear readers, 10 Ways To Beat the Post-Wedding Blues.

1. Get organized
Through the magic of a wedding registry, you now have two sets of china, a Panini maker, guest linens, and more kitchen spoons than you know what to do with. Now is the time to get that house or apartment organized!

Use some of you wedding cash and head to the Container Store, Bed Bath & Beyond, or Target to buy some organizing gear. Think about adding shelving in your living room, kitchen, and spare rooms. Buy kitchen cabinet organizers, closet organizers, under the bed boxes, and bathroom organizers. Trust me, a little bit of organization early on goes a long when you’re adding a deluge of new stuff to your newlywed home.




2. Write thank you notes!
In this technological era, a hand-written note is so meaningful, so be sure to write those thank you notes. Set aside a fun night to bake some treats and have some wine with the hubby while writing thank you notes. Use the time to reminise about the sweet things family members said to you at the wedding or how funny his fraterity brothers danced at the wedding.

I ordered some really cool photo-collage thank you cards and through the magic of wine and cookies we finished writing almost all of them in one night!




3. Create Wedding a Wedding Shadow Box and Mementos Box
After your wedding you end up with a lot of wedding crap memorabilia left sitting around or stored in your house/apartment. And if you're like me, you may have worked really hard on some Wedding DIY Projects, so you don't want to just toss all of the stuff or shove it in your Mom's attic. So display your favorite wedding memories in a Shadow Box. Such as the invitation, program, ribbons, a favor, and some pictures.

Then save some other key mementos (like place cards, RSVPs, some flowers, or some of your favorite cards in a beautiful box)

Then toss the rest. I'm talking about business cards from vendors you never use, scribbled notes of ideas, or the 50 leftover programs you might have. Yes, it’s painful, but remember, you’re saving the stuff you care about most.

Here is the Shadow Box that I created:



4. Share the Love
As a former bride, you’re in a unique position to share your wisdom and experience with others. Have a wedding planning binder? Have a wedding “workplan” in excel like I did? Have really cool word doc templates for programs or placecards? Package it all up and give it to the next bride-to-be you know.

I “scrubbed” all of the documents that I used to plan our wedding – like our budget template, guest list template, day-of agenda, wedding workplan, and program template and put it all in a .zip file. I now have sent the package to at least 10 brides-to-be who are friends, or friends-of-friends. It’s a cool feeling to know that your hard work lives on!




5. Get Your Wedding Pictures in Order

Plan out your wedding album and order it (I'll admit, I have not yet done this! Yikes!). Get some great 5x7 and 8x10 wedding pictures made and frame them. The longer you wait, the harder it is, so just get it done. Also get pictures framed for your family and friends who were in the wedding as part of your order. They make great birthday or Christmas gifts.




6. Throw a Party!
You have great newly-acquired party planning skills and I’m betting that you have all kinds of new serving platters and pitchers to hostess with.

Throw a fun theme party or you could invite family and close friends who were at your wedding and use this opportunity to share your wedding video and/or pictures.



7. Join a group
While you’re planning your wedding, you’re part of solid community of vendors, bridal party, family, and guests. Plus if you chat on Wedding Bee, Style Me Pretty, or the Knot then you’re part of a “bride-to-be club”

After you’re married, you could end up feeling like you’ve lost that exclusive community.

Start a Newlywed blog and/or chat with other newlywed women on The Nest, Elizabeth Anne Designs Living, She Just Got Married, or another online community.

Also look for opportunities to connect with other newlyweds in your community through church or philanthropy. If you can’t find other newlyweds to connect with, then join a young women’s book club, cooking class, alumnae organization, or running group. You’ll feel part of “the club” again in no time.




8. Do the Name Change (if you’re changing it)
(Ok, on this one, I’m definitely giving “do as I say, not as I do” advice since it took me a looong time to change my time and I still have credit cars and frequent flier accounts with my maiden name. Regardless…)

List out all the places where you need to change your name and begin the arduous process of changing it.

Hint: Start at Social Security and the DMV and branch out from there.




9. Get your Finances in Order
Money is major cause of marital discontent. So set a realistic budget with your husband and start managing your money wisely. Don’t worry if you don’t do well the first few months; it can take a while to get adjusted to the budget.

Tips: Join Mint.com and/or manage your budget in Excel (I have a great template). Some fun advice can be found on Lean with Green.

To make it more fun to save, set some fun savings goals like “Europe Trip” or “New Flatscreen TV” and watch the money grow!




10. Find some Décor Inspiration and do some Nesting

We’ll all admit it, one of my favorite things about planning a wedding was the “Wedding Porn” – you know, beautiful photography of garden ceremony sites, rows upon rows of escort cards, lavish table settings, 6-tier cakes. Spend an hour at Style Me Pretty and you’ll know what I mean. I still swoon looking at this stuff.

Why not add some entertaining and home décor blogs to your internet “ohhing and ahhing” and start capturing ideas for your current or future home?

Some home décor blogs/websites that I love are:
Apartment Therapy
Elizabeth Anne Designs
Young House Love
Hostess with the Mostess
Urban Nest
Decor8
Design Sponge
Brooklyn Limestone
Rate my Space

Apply your wedding planning skills - like bugeting, theming, shopping, and priortizing - to nesting. You can do a lot of fun decorating with a not-so-big budget!




I'm sure there are many many other great ways to beat the post-wedding blues, and I'd love to hear those from you! Leave a comment to let me know how you beat the post-wedding blues.

PS- I'm you're interested in any of my wedding planning template, budget worksheet, or any other details that I posted above, feel free to email me at newlywedsnextdoor@gmail.com

So You Want To Read My Diary?

A while back I posted that I keep a "scrapbook diary" and a couple of people asked "what is that?"

What I do is when I read a magazine I keep it and then cut out words, phrases, or pictures that I find meaningful and keep them all in a shoe box. I also will keep mementos like ticket stubs or love notes.

Then when I'm going through a stressful time, or a important time, or just a time where I need to get my feelings down on paper I go through the box and pull out any pictures or words that summarize how I'm feeling and past them into a journal page or two.

It's the most calming and cathartic thing I do. It helps me to really visualize my feelings. And it makes a cool keepsake.

For example....

This is the page from when the Mr. FINALLY told me he loved me back in college:


This is the page I made after my baptism:


This is the page I made after we got engaged:


And this is the page I made after our wedding:



Do you do anything in particular to release your emotions? Do you keep a journal? A diary? Scrapbook? Blog? All of the above? None of the above?

DIY Corkboard Tutorial

Thanks for all of the kind comments about our kitchen last Friday. Reading all of your comments made me re-fall in love with our home. Sometimes it's hard to appreciate something you see every day, so thank you!

A couple of you commented on my corks and asked how I turn this:


into this:

(please note: We did not drink all of this wine ourselves -- this includes a ton of corks from my family as well as a couple of corporate events I went to. This board is WAY bigger than the ones I make for friends/family) .

Step 1) Purchase an "Art Board" (they are like wood, but thin and light) from Michaels.


Step 2) Get a hot glue gun and a lot of glue. You will definitely need to use hot glue.

Step 3) Arrange the corks on the board in a 2-by-2 pattern. Two vertical, two horizontal (you'll notice that some corks are longer/thicker than others, so the pairing take a bit of work). Start in a corner and then repeat the 2-by-2 pattern going out and down like this:


It will look like this from the side:


A couple of quick tips: You may want to arrange several corks before gluing them down to ensure that they're paired the way you want. Also, sometime when you get to an edge you'll notice that you don't have room for another whole set of corks. In that case, cut the corks in half with a knife and place the uncut end out to the edge is smooth. Just play around and have fun. You'll get better with each board you make.

When all of the glue has dried, turn the board over and attach a "frame hanger thing" (I don't know what these are called but you can buy them at home depot in the small nails/framing section).


You can then hang it on the wall like this and put tacks in to make a corkboard/bulletin board!

DIY Wall Art

Recently I've seen some pretty cool DIY wall art projects -- notably from Lis Loves and Kelly's Korner. So I thought I'd share one of my own DIY wall art projects from our guest bathroom.

Our guest bathroom is "under the sea" themed (I'm sure you already know, I love the ocean!) -- it's all sea-glass blues and chocolate brown with chic starfish and sand dollars:


To get the starfish on the wall I first hammerd a nail into the wall to make a hole. Then I pulled the nail out and hot glued it to the back on an 8" starfish like this:


Then I let it dry and gently pushed the nail on the back on the starfish into the pre-hammered hole:



I did that a few times and "tah-dah", a wall of starfish!


It was inexpensive, simple, and easily changable!

What fun DIY wall art have you done?

Post about it on your blog and leave a link in the "comments" of this post!

Wedding Memories: Shadow Box Solution

As many of my fellow Newlyweds know, after your wedding you end up with a lot of wedding crap memorabilia left sitting around or stored in your house/apartment. And if you're like me, you may have worked really hard on some Wedding DIY Projects. So you don't want to just toss all of the stuff or shove it in your Mom's attic, BUT you don't want your house to be some odd tribute to your wedding (a la Miss Havisham).

So I came up with what I think is a good middle-ground solution. I created a Wedding shadow box which now hangs in our Guest Bathroom (not too prominent of a place, but still visible). Check it out:


(sorry this picture is a bit crappy, I had to take it without flash since the box is glass. If you look close you can see my ghostly reflection... creepy)

So I've contained the memorabilia to one corner of the house, my newest goal is making sure our house is not overrun with wedding pictures. In a few weeks I promise to give you a house tour like Mrs. Mojito to show how I've displayed photos, etc.

I still have some boxes of wedding memories that I'm going to clean out over my Christmas break (that starts tomorrow)!

What creative solutions do you girls have for storing or displaying memories for your wedding? (Or is it all in the back of your closet?)