To DIY or not to DIY

I have quite a dilemma these days. What is it, you ask?

To DIY or not to DIY...that is the question.

For those of you who may not know, DIY is Do It Yourself. In the realm of weddings, there are so many creative ideas, tutorials, articles, and magazines devoted to those who enjoy DIYing (or DIT...Doing It Themselves). Being the craft lover that I am, I get sucked in. I want to DIY (or DIM...Do It Myself). But the question is how much is too much? How many things should I decided to DIY (DIM)?

I love craft projects, but I'm guilty of over committing myself to projects and hobbies. I think that I can do it all myself. I have a hard time using that handy tactic that I learned in 5th grade-"Just Say No". In attempting to plan a budget friendly wedding, it's ESPECIALLY hard to say "no" to the money saving crafts. Can't you see my dilemma?

There are several things I'm contemplating DIY...DIMing...Doing myself...whatever. Right now, invitations are on the top of my "maybe I should DIY (DIM)" list. We shall see.

So do I DIM? or do I let someone else DIT and pay them for it? Such a predicament.

Here was my latest DIY (DIM) project! It comes with a tutorial as well.

HOW TO MAKE SUPER FUN WEDDING SHOES:


You will need:

• 1 plain, boring, simple pair of pumps

• 1 brooch that you've had for 2 years

• lots of prayer that someone is selling the exact same brooch on ebay

First buy the plain shoes.

Find a brooch that fits perfectly.

Pray for and buy the matching brooch on eBay.

Voila! Super fun wedding shoes! 

 

 

 

 

 

 Pardon me while I prop up my feet...:)

Like Manna from Heaven...

I am often amazed at God's provision in my life. I have never been without something I didn't need, and often times without something I didn't want. I am overwhelmingly blessed by the family I've been given, my significant other, my wonderful friends, the opportunity to go to college and study music, the opportunity to go to a CHRISTIAN college, the experiences I've been able to have, etc. Lately I've been overwhelmed at the Lord's provision for wedding plans. Things are falling into place quickly and pretty easily (or it seems that way).

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about decisions and shoes. Since then, I found a truly awesome pair of shoes! Then I returned them. I know, kind of an anti-climactic story. It gets better, I promise.

I returned those awesome shoes to Dillard's and decided to look for some different truly awesome shoes. Wesley was actually with me, so I asked his opinion. Of course, he picked out the simplest shoes. Plain Jane. Boring. Cute and comfortable, but still not very interesting. I actually went ahead and got them...he's quite the persuasive one. I got them home and finally admitted to myself that I actually liked the simple more than the elaborate ones that I had first gotten. I still wanted something to spruce them up...some bling, some flowers, some something! I looked on etsy.com for shoe clips and found some interesting ones, but nothing that "struck my fancy" as my mother would say. I thought I was going to have to walk down the aisle with boring, plain ole blush/champagne colored shoes. Yes, I realize no one will actually see my shoes, but knowing that they're there will make me stand up straighter, I promise. Just go with me on this one.

So I was in my room last week writing a lesson plan. I looked down at my plain wedding shoes and thought "I need to find something to do with those." I looked for some type of jewelry that I could put up to my shoe just for a visual example. I saw a brooch on my dresser that I had gotten a couple years ago to wear with a dress for a recital I played in. I thought, "Hmm....that's pretty. Maybe I can find something like that. I'll try it to see what it looks like." ( Yes, I always think in complete sentences...) So I put it on my shoe. Then, something AMAZING happened.

It fit PERFECTLY. The shoes are peep toe and the narrowest part is 2 inches...the back of the brooch is 2 inches. It was meant to be!!

"But wait..." you say (as I did). "You only have one brooch, and you have two shoes." You are correct. It made me sad to realize this. I racked my brain to remember the brand of the brooch so I could look it up online. I remembered it was Liz Claiborne, and typed "Liz Claiborne rhinestone brooch" into Google. Lots of brooches. None of them were the ones I needed. I went to eBay expecting the worst, but hoping for the best.

I typed it in the search and scrolled down, and I saw a blurry picture of a rhinestone brooch! Could it be?! I clicked on it to get a closer look...my computer was taking forever! I grabbed my brooch and ran into the living room and pulled it up on Mom's computer. I held my brooch up next to the picture and got a second opinion. After discussion, we decided that YES!! It was the exact same brooch!! I had to order it! I bid on it...but then I had to wait 4 days until the auction was over. It was nerve racking....but fear not! Today, I am the proud owner of 2 brooches for my 2 wedding shoes. It should be coming in the mail the day after tomorrow!

It turns out she bought the brooch 2 years ago and it fell behind her dresser. She recently found it and didn't need it anymore. Thank you, Lord for allowing her to misplace that brooch!

So while brooches on shoes may seem like just another fun detail to the wedding, they are much more than that for me. When I put on those shoes on September 24th (8 months from yesterday), those brooches will be reminder that my God is Jehovah Jirah. He will provide. He provided something as small and seemingly insignificant as the brooches on my shoes. I know I can trust in Him for my future.

Matthew 6:25-34

25“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?^g 28And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

I'll post a picture when I get the other :)

I'll leave you with a blast from the past. This was March 2006. Before we were dating...ahh the memories...

George W. and Scuffed Shoes

This post is a week late, but better late than never! Last Thursday, I got the opportunity to attend the University of Mobile's Leadership Banquet. The set-up was beautiful, and the turn out was great. It was all wonderful...especially the speaker.

George W. Bush.

I'm officially a big fan. I already was, but this up-ed his stats in my heart. He was funny, entertaining, down to earth, and all other good things. I did not get to meet him...He ate at the table front and center, and I ate at the table FAR back and WAY to the left. I was in the same room with him, however, so that's good enough for me. Although I did not get to meet him, I was able to get close to his table...

Yes...my hand was on his place setting. Here's a closeup...

Yes it kind of looks like George W. Blush, but I promise it's Bush. 

Anyhow, picking out my outfit for my first experience of being in the room with a former president was quite a dilemma. First, I had to pick out my outfit several days in advance. For anyone who knows me well, you know I had a hard time with that. I firmly believe that it is my "prerogative" to change my mind...at least that's what I'm told. I picked out my outfit at school, and then realized my closed toed black pumps were at home....dun dun duuun. Fortunately, I went home for Sony Star class last Tuesday, so I was able to get them then. However, there were a lot more beat up than I remembered...(Mom, have you been using and abusing my pumps?!) 

See, I've had these pumps since my senior year of high school. I got them for Homecoming...let's reminisce, shall we? :)

 Notice the shine of my shoes...oooh...ahhh...shiny...

You can't see my shoes here, but I just like this picture with my Daddio.

Back to the shoes...

As you can see they're pretty scuffed up...

What's a girl to do?! 10:45 PM the night before the banquet...no shoe polish...no time the next day to buy any...quite the dilemma...

Naturally I did what any girl would do in such a situation...I got out my black Sharpie.

Yes...I colored in my black pumps. I had to do something! I was going to be in the same room with George W!

Before

After

 Granted, they do have a purple/bluish tint where the sharpie was, when you're standing up, no one can tell...

Good as new!

Now, in my family we like to make fun of each other because we pick the most random times to do things. For instance, changing the pictures in picture frames 5 minutes before we're supposed to leave for Wesley's college graduation. I, however, did not pick a random time to fix my shoes. I chose a time when I should have been doing something else. Something important. Something that was due at 12 that night. Something called homework.

I began my homework at 11:25, thinking it would only take me 10 minutes based on past experience with that class...WRONG! A friend came in at 11:48 and started talking to me, and I never looked up from the computer or quit typing. So I finally finished at 11:52...with time to spare!

I've been told I'm like a vegetable cooker...I work better under pressure...:) Ironically enough, I'm now off to do a project that I've been putting off for 3 days...I'm going to plan a music field trip...oh the fun projects of a Music Ed major!