Hair and Makeup Trial

Today was supposed to be my Bridal’s with my Photographer, Kristian.  Unfortunately, she went into pre-term labor a few weeks ago, and has been stuck on bedrest since.  I feel for her, I could not tolerate bedrest.  Her and the baby are doing well, no more labor.

So, I had already scheduled my hair and makeup trials for today.  I went anyway.

I had a little printer malfunction (no colored ink) and wasn’t able to take my hairdresser any inspiration photos.  But, I was able to verbalize what I wanted, and I think she did a pretty good job.

‘Sup?  Here I am with no make-up…ew.  Solid Proof that I love the Hive.

So, there’s the hair.  It’s not as vintage as I wanted, but I love it anyway.

And the make-up.  I think my eye makeup is a little lopsided.  That’s ok, just a trial.  This was a great experience, and I’m certainly glad I did a trial.  She listened to everything I had to say about what I thought I wanted.  It felt a little heavy, but I think it was the jeans and t-shirt that made me feel like I had too much on.

So, what do y’all think?  Vintage enough?

As I sit here writing this post, I’ve napped on that hair style and I’ve cleaned house in that make-up and it’s all (mostly) still there.  Mini CC’s response when she saw me this afternoon: “Mommy, you look gorgeous!”

Excellent…

A confession

Before I unveil my invitations, I have a confession to make.

I am a textile whore.  A fiber snob.

That’s right.  I love textiles!  I need to touch everything.  I can’t make a purchase, any purchase, without touching.  It’s very hard for me to order clothing and fabric online because I can’t touch it.  I have to rely on natural fibers to guide me towards good fabric online.  I even have a hard time with simple things like pots, pans, and dishes, because I need to touch and feel them.  Silly?  Yeah, probably, but my skin has a strong aversion to synthetic fibers.

How did I get to be this way?  It’s all Mr. CC’s fault.  Before I met him, I loved textile arts, and by that I mean knitting and sewing.  I liked natural fibers, but I was not nearly as snobby about them back then.  I was able to justify sacrificing natural fiber for price (in some instances).  Then I met Mr. CC.  And soon, I was introduced to Civil War Re-enacting.  Now, I know what you all are thinking.  Yes, redneck and Southern.  I don’t care.  It’s fun.  I get to go camping, which I’ve always loved, and wear (as) authentic (as possible) Civil War Era gowns.  Complete with corset and hoop skirt.  Anyway, it is an extremely expensive hobby.  A good dress runs anywhere from $200-$400, depending on the material, and a ball gown runs upwards of $600.  People, this is highway robbery.  Okay, I’m totally getting off topic.  Long story short, I couldn’t afford to buy my gowns, so I make all my own clothing, right down to the crotch-less drawers (yes ma’am!) and corsets.  And that’s where my fiber snobbery was born.  You cannot wear synthetic fibers.  Period, you will die.  Ok, so the wool is bad enough.  And with 6-8 layers of clothing on during the dead of summer, I need to get some air in there.  Plus, polyester didn’t exist in 1861.  All of my gowns and garments are 100% natural.  Mostly cotton, but there’s some silk in there too.  The snobbery spilled over into my knitting as well.  You won’t find me knitting with anything synthetic anymore.

So, let me show you the array of fabric that has been purchased in honor of our nuptials.

My first fabric purchase was 100% raw dipioni silk.  I bought 6 yards in a most gorgeous blush pink with the intention of turning it into my rehearsal dinner dress.  I have since thrown those plans right out of the window and now have no concrete plans for this fabric.  Any ideas?  It actually  still matches our color palette nicely.

I bought this “silk” brocade, only 2 yards, with the idea that it would scan nicely into my computer and I could like envelopes with it.  So, first of all, it didn’t scan nicely at all, and secondly, Mr. CC hated the fuschia and orange color palette with a passion (too modern for Mr. Tradional).  It’s really beautiful in person, but it’s synthetic, and kinda makes my skin crawl.  It would make a lovely corset though.  I’m not sure what it will end up as.

I bought this brocade off an Etsy seller who was going out of business.  It’s also “silk” but it’s higher quality and actually feel ok.  It matched our Burgundy and sage color palette (which I decided was too winter for our June nuptials).  There’s a lot of it.  I’m not sure what I’ll do with it, but I think it’s beautiful.

This is a recent purcase.  It matches our color palette perfectly, and I love love love paisley.  I got a great deal on this at Joann’s.  I bought the whole bolt.  It’s 100% cotton lightweight upholstery fabric.  I’ll share the project this was used for later.

This is also a recent purchase.  It’s Joann’s version of Celadon, and it just a touch lighter than Alfred Angelo’s version.  But at $7.99/yard (compared to AA’s $11.00/yard), I just couldn’t pass it up.  I bought a lot of this too (yay for coupons!).

So what does all this have to do with my invitations?  Well, I’m a textile girl.  Until I started on my invitations, I knew nothing of paper, photoshop, illustrator, or the tools I might need.  So, I basically pre-apologizing for my invitations.  I love them, but they certainly aren’t anything nearly as fancy as some of the invitation suites I’ve seen on WeddingBee.  They pale in comparison to Mrs. Cupcake’s unbelievable invitations.  But they are mine and I’m extremely proud of them.  And you all shall see them soon.

My Girl(s)

I really want to introduce the Hive to the girls I’ve asked to stand up beside me and celebrate this day with Mr. CC and I.

I really didn’t have to think terribly hard about who I would ask to be my Bridesmaids.

My little sister is my Maid of Honor.

We’ll call her ABC, it’s completely an inside joke, but let’s just say that someone thought that was her name.  Anyway, She’s amazing.  This girl has more spunk and attitude than I know what to do with.  She’s a student at the University of Alabama (which, yes, causes some tension during football season, since the CrabCakes are Auburn Fans) and is currently somewhere doing an internship with GreenPeace.  I’m not sure where she is right now, I think she’s at that Green Job summit in DC.  Anyway, we’re about as opposite as sisters can get, from looks to personality.  But, I’m immensely proud of the things she’s accomplished in her short life, and couldn’t think of anyone I’d rather have stand next to me on the alter that day.

I chose my three best girl friends and Mr. CC’s sisters to be my bridesmaids.

So, I haven’t seen this bridesmaid since her wedding, in September of 2007, so this picture is mega old.  Check out my short hair… blech.  Honestly, I’ve always been amazed at the fact that we are actually friends.  I stuck my foot right in my mouth the first time I met her (which, btw, I am wont to do).  We’ll call her Lady, since that’s what we used to call each other when we lived together.  This is the only girl I’ve ever successfully roomed with.  We met on the first day of college, she lived accross the hall from me in our dorm.  We lived together Sophomore year, and then I came home to go to nursing school and she stayed for finish her degree.  We’ve kept in touch fantastically, even though we don’t get to see each other as much as we’d like.  She lives all the way in Texas.  That’s a long ride.  Lady has a degree in Retail Floristry Management (and yes, that’s exactly what I stuck my foot in my mouth about).  She’s my numero uno Florist, and will be doing the flowers for our wedding.  Hive, she’s no joke, her flowers for her wedding were amazing, and guess what, she did them herself!!  I’m so excited about our flowers. And I could not have put this thing together without her.

I’m kinda out of creative names for these girls.  I’m not sure they care, but I want to protect them.  We’ll call her Nola, since she lives in New Orleans.  Anyway, Nola and I met in a photography class.  We were the only non-art majors and it turned out we were both going into nursing.  And we went from there.  We have a very bad tendency to fall off each other’s radar for a few months, but we always pick up right where we left off.  Nola and I hopped bars a lot when we were in school.  This picture was taken just days after my 22nd birthday and we were on a double date.  Neither relationship worked out, but it was fun going bowling.  Nola has always been a sister to me and I’m super sad she lives so far away.  But it is a good reason to visit New Orleans!

Wow, another really old picture!  I’m thinking this one and the one above were taken about a month apart.  Here I am at another reception.  Cricket and her husband had a very small ceremony aboard a cruise ship, and a BBQ when they got home.  They have two of the cutest kids I’ve ever seen.  Cricket and I were kinda forced on each other in nursing school.  We kinda had to give each other a bed bath (clothes on of course!).  Nursing school was way more fun with Cricket around.  And I really miss our lazy day lunches together.  She’s a pediatric nurse now, and I really admire her for that.  Pediatric nursing is hard.  I’m too much of a sap to do Pediatrics.  Her husband is going to law school in the fall and they are moving even further away.

Someday, I plan to gather all my girlfriends in one town and we will all raise our children together.

I’m not really sure what’s going on here, but this is Mr. CC’s sister Cali (not her real name either).  She lives in the Valley with Mr. CC’s mom.  I’m totally jealous of her for getting to live in California.  I’ve only been once, but it was gorgeous!!  Anyway, she’s the youngest of my adult maids and we don’t have a lot in common.  But she’s cool anyway.

Here’s Mr. CC (doesn’t he look dashing!) with his sister Cat.  She also lives in Texas, but no where near Lady.  We’ve only met a few times, but we’ve clicked each time.  I really can’t wait to get to know Mr. CC’s sister’s better.

And I know you’ve all seen pictures of my Mini a few times before, but raise your hand if you want to see here again!!

I thought so!

I’m a terrible mother.  This picture is a year old, that was Christmas, last year.  But she still looks pretty much the same, except taller.

Oh, How I wish I were Vintage Shaped!!

Then, I would probably splurge, and buy this dress even though I totally don’t need it.

(Source, via Vintage Glam)

Unfortunately, there is no way my gut would ever get into that gown!  But isn’t it gorgeous!!

I would have to remove these weirdo butterfly looking things on the butt.

I want this gown!!

Cake and Fabric, two of my favorite things

Last week, Mr. CC and I went to the bakery to taste cake (yum!) and pick out designs/whatnot for our cupcakes.  I’m a bad blogger and didn’t take a single picture.  However, we were only there about 20 minutes.

Since we decided on cupcakes, and I felt stupid cutting a tiny cupcake, we decided to get a 6 inch cutting cake.   But, I forgot to decide what it was going to look like.

Y’all probably don’t know this about me yet, but I’m a total fiber snob.  Since textiles are my medium of choice, I swoon over silks, cottons, linens, and other natural fibers.  My skin actually crawls when I just think about polyester.  Blech.  So… what does that have to do with cake?

I found these great cakes inspired by fabrics on Martha a while ago, and then they showed up in my email box today.

(The Calico Cake)

(The Matelasse Cake)

(The Damask Cake, and not the best one I’ve ever seen)

(The Crewelwork Cake)

(The Eyelet Cake)

I totally  heart the eyelet cake and the crewelwork cake.  They are both so simple and pretty.  But which should I choose?  Remember I’m going for a subtle vintage theme.

Oh, and we picked out three different kinds of cupcakes, red velvet with cream cheese frosting, vanilla with dark chocolate, and chocolate with buttercreme.  I told the baker I wanted the buttercream a pale pink, but with the brown icing on the vanilla, I’m thinking that might look a little weird.  It would be a different story if our colors with chocolate and pink.  Do you think I should go back and either get rid of the chocolate, and have all the frosting pink, or just leave the buttercreme an ivory kinda color?

Here’s what I want them to look like, except without the little flower.

(Source)

So, what do you think?

Combat Wounds

Early on in my planning, I fell in love with these centerpieces

From Mrs. Lemon.

But I needed to make them my own.  I spent months researching glassware and candles.  I was never satisfied.  Vases were bloody expensive.  And, I wasn’t particularly fond of clear glass.  I wanted my version to be a little softer.

One evening, I was visiting with my mom and we had a brillant idea.  We, like Miss D’orsay, were going to be recycling wine bottles for the centerpieces.  However, we are using brown and green bottles (for a more vintage feel) and we’re also using beer bottles.

Remember the picture of my crinny with the beer bottles in the bathtub?

That was the beginning of this project.  And, in true Crab Cake fashion, it has taken on a mind of it’s own.  I currently have over 150 wine and beer bottles hiding out in boxes under my daughter’s bunkbeds.  Some have been cut, some haven’t.

My method is a little different that D’orsay’s.  Instead of using the candle and ice method, I have a pendulum that taps the inside of the glass to split the bottle from the inside.  It sounds more complicated than it is.

So, last weekend I was working on my bottles.  I’m pretty confident about the method of cutting the beer bottles.  They break easily (sometimes too easily) and really don’t give me much trouble at all.  I pulled a case of wine bottles out and decided it was probably time to see if it was going to work with the wine bottles.

The bottle looked like this:

I scored the bottle about here:

Mistake numero uno!  Because I scored the bottle so close to the neck, my pendulum didn’t have a lot of swinging space to get a good tap on the score line.  I am inherently impatient and, when 10 minutes later, I still hadn’t gotten the top of this bottle, I started getting mad.  When I get mad, I do stupid things.  I foolishly tried to force the top away from the bottle and this is what I ended up with.

Yes, that is a large hunk of my finger on the end of that bottle top.  Ew.  That sucker bleed for what seemed like eternity.  I didn’t get a picture of the fresh wound, because, well, it was bleeding too badly, and I was pretty sure my bone was visible.  Thankfully, I did this while my mom the Physician’s assistant was around, and she said there was nothing to do for it, so I didn’t run off to the emergency room or anything like that.  But it’s been the bane of my existance this week.  It hits everything.  Even the manicurist was smashing her fingers in my wound the other day.  And, I’m constantly worried it’s going to get infected.  I mean, hello, I work in a hospital.  There are germs lurking everywhere!  But, I’m also a bit OCD about washing my hands and stuff, so I think it’s pretty safe.

A week later:

Please ignore my wrinkly, hairy fingers.  Ew.

This is what it looks like.  It still hurts like hell sometimes, especially if I hit it on something.  But I can tell it’s heeling.  I’m pretty sure I’m going to be left with a decent scar on that poor finger.

Did anyone else sustain battle wounds while working on their DIY projects?

Flaming hoops

We’re trying desperately to get our invitations together and out the door.  I think I have an easier time wrangling my 4 year old into socks, shoes, and her jacket at 6am every morning.

If we can ignore the multiple redesigns these invitations have undergone, the story will be shortened significantly.

Really, I won’t bore y’all with my historic indecisiveness.  I thought Mr. CC was going to shoot me by the time it was all over with.

My mom and I planned to work on them this morning.

The paper was ordered the week before Christmas.  I should have known better than to order anything that week, but the money was there, so I went for it.  When the FedEx man attempted to deliver my paper, we were both at work.  So, he left it on the porch, hidden from plain sight behind a couple of bags of mulch.  Not just hidden from plain sight, but also hidden from my sight as well.  I totally overlooked it on the porch, went out of town, then I checked the tracking system and realized it had been delivered.  People, I had been stalking this paper!  Well, before I flipped on the delivery man, I waited to get home and of course, there it was, safe and sound, on the porch.

I hadn’t ordered the vellum I wanted, but I remembered seeing it at one of the office supply stores and figured I would pick it up later.

I thought that would be the only hurdle we would have to jump.  Boy was I ever wrong.

The day I went to get them printed, I realized (after I had already driven to the printers) that I hadn’t ordered enough paper.  Actually, I ordered half of what I needed.  Argh.  I went to every single office supply and stationary store in town trying to find something similar.  No luck, and no vellum either!  So, I ran home, placed another order online (plus vellum), and hoped it wouldn’t take too long to get here.

FedEx attempted delivery on a day when I was teaching class until 11:45.  They delivered it at 11:40.  And this time, they wanted a signature.  Fortunately, I was home the next day when they delivered.  But what I ordered was not what I wanted.  The vellum was all wrong.  Instead of panic, I redesigned.  Ok, problem solved.

This morning, I went back to the printer and got my invites successfully printed.  However, the cutting was a little bit of a different story.  “A couple of hours.”  So much for our invitation filled morning!

Has anyone else felt like they were jumping through hoops to get their project accomplished?