WEDDINGS!

My sister Sami, god bless her little heinie, has actually been married for over a year now! BUT she's an Air Force wife, which means her "wedding" was in a courthouse in Montana with a couple of Air Force peeps. SO earlier this month, Ryan and Sami had their "vow recommitment", a.k.a. WEDDING. Ryan is big on family and wanted to have SOME sort of wedding-ish party so the two of them could truly celebrate their love with family, in the traditional sense.
So the challenge was to have a beautiful wedding, but on the cheap-ish. They rented a really nice hall in her town, and luckily for Sami, her mom and her sister are both crafty mf-ers, as well as some of her in-laws!It really was an insanely DIY wedding, but if you didn't know it, I think most people would think it'd been professionally done. I actually didn't get to help with the design part (DAMMIT, that's my favorite part!), but Sami's mom did a fabulous job with it. My contribution was her wedding jewelry. Sami's aunt made their invitations (which I stupidly never took a picture of, it turned out cute), and her MIL handled all the food! It was crazy... and crazy beautiful and crazy DELICIOUS. OM NOM NOM NOM NOM.

So here's what I can show you that was DIY from the wedding:FYI, they did the ceiling part. Don't know how, but it's flippin' gorgeous. The chair covers were also made by us (on a looooong Saturday)The centerpieces were also DIY - fake flowers, but it worked. I draped the pearls along the rims and added the butterflies (all Sami's mom design, though!)

The favors: Decoupaged papier-mache boxes that were painted gold, and filled with homemade white chocolate-peppermint candies.
The arch was also designed and decorated by D'Lin, Sami's mom.

My contribution! I didn't come up with this design, I used the very simple tutorial here.

The necklace! It went nicely with my sister's ivory and light brown Maggie Sottero. This was also modified to have less pearls; my sister's neck is very, very tiny (unlike mine), so I removed most of the pearls and added another pair of the small Swarovski flowers, one on each side. =)

I wish I could post a card I made her for her wedding, but I ran out of time 'cuz it was a crazy weekend (we also went to the SF Giants home opener the day before, and saw our newly-pregnant friends the day after - for which I made the card, which I left at home, heh). I felt like a jerk for using a bought card, but time ran out on me. =/ I DID make her a lovely homemade card for her bridal shower, though! Here it is:

So yeah, this is looking to be the only wedding we're involved in, which is kind of nice. Last year we had 3 (one of which we couldn't attend thanks to my back going out on me the day of the 3rd wedding), and almost every year before that we had at least one (including ours, 3 years ago this June!). The Hubs and my first year of dating, we actually attended 5 weddings in a 14-month period! Luckily, I actually enjoy attending them, and I loooove making stuff for them (and doing DIY stuff for my own). My favorite part are just the little personal touches; yes, most weddings are formulaic, but the details is where you can set yours apart, and THAT'S what I love, love, love. So much that I miss buying "Martha Stewart Weddings". ;p

I swear, if I could find someone who loved micro-managing and wanted me to come up with all the great concepts and design the wedding, we would be millionaires. F'Reals.

I've been busy...

SO. I suck at updating, I realize that. It's not for lack of want, it's lack of having anything relevant to share, heh. That, and this blog isn't a "habit" yet. Trying to make it one, though! Just need to find my niche. In the meantime, here's my latest project: a congratulations card for a friend that recently announced his wife is preggers! I need to mail it to them still, so no reactions from the parents-to-be yet. :)


I found the onesies stamp at Michael'a in the dollar bin, and modified the diaper pattern from one on the Martha Stewart website, in the card crafts section. I see flaws, but overall I'm actually pretty proud of it! I think it's super cute. :)

40 ?'s beauty meme (stolen from Messy Carla)

One of my big focuses this year is to find my way back to feeling good about myself. I've let myself go for a long time, and I'm trying to increase my awareness (and desire) to primp myself more.

I'm also a sucker for filling out memes and surveys, esp. ones that ask me questions about myself. xD MessyCarla posted this great one! Wheee!

Link back if you decide to fill this out for yourself! I love hearing/reading other people's beauty recommendations.

How many times do you wash your face daily?
Not as much as I should - I only do it once a day, in the morning. Should probably do it at night, though. =/ (might steal Messy Carla's idea of finding a good face wipe to use instead... better than nothing!)

What skin type do you have?
Oily-ish. It's changed as I've gotten older. Basically, if I wash my face and DON'T moisturize, I get pretty greasy in my t-zone as my skin's way of giving itself moisturizer... but my cheeks and chin break out more often than my forehead and nose. So I'm not sure anymore. It's probably combination-to-oily.

What is your current facial wash?
Dermalogica special cleansing gel. Friggin' expensive, but the Dermalogica stuff makes my skin feel fantastic (when used regularly).

Do you exfoliate?
Once a week. Might try doing it twice a week, though.

What brand do you use?
Dermalogica Skin Prep Scrub

What moisturizer do you use?
Dermalogica Active Moist

Do you have freckles?
I have moles. Lots and lots of moles. Mostly on my face and arms, as they see more sun than the rest of my body.

Do you use eye cream?
Not currently, but I think I might have to start soon. Starting to get wrinkly up in the creases!

Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
Yes. I used Retin-A for a few months in 10th grade. It worked TOO well, as I was also on the swim team at the time, and the Retin-A + chlorine = super-dry skin! Ugh. My face looked like it was snowing.

Did you ever have to use Pro-activ?
Nope!

What foundation do you use?
I don't. I like Prescriptives, I've used that before. But I hate the feel of heavy foundation, so I use tinted moisturizer (Lorac)

How about concealer?
No, just try a little extra moisturizer and some powder to set it.

Do you know your undertone colour?
green - I glow olive green under my skin.

What do you think of false eyelashes?
I love them in moderation (unless they're on drag queens, then the more the merrier!). I personally don't wear them, 'cuz I have super-long and thick eyelashes naturally.

Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?
Yes, but I don't use it as frequently as I should so I usually go for 6 months at a time. Heh.

What brand of mascara do you use?
Maybelline Great Lash. I stick with the classics. xD

Sephora or MAC?
I love MAC, but I like Sephora, too - I like variety!

Do you have a MAC pro-card?
No.

What make-up tools do you use in make up application?
I bought them from E.L.F. Heh. Cheapies! I use a shadow blender eyeliner brush

Do you use make up base/primer for the eyes?
I usually just use a super-light shade of the color I'm using for my eyes at that time.

For the face?
Nah.

What is your favourite eyeshadow (colour or shade)?
Plum! It makes my hazel eyes pop.

Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
pencil - liquid's too harsh for my style.

How often do you poke your eyes with a pencil eyeliner?
Very, very rarely. It HAS happened, though. OMG does that sting.

What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?
If I was more adventurous, I'd probably love them. As it is, I like sheerer shades so I can have more control over their intensity.

Do you use mineral make-up?
I tried it as a base, but it sets so damn fast that I couldn't get good coverage. Plus it felt like my skin couldn't breathe with it on. =( I have to amend this to say that I used mineral makeup again for my sister's wedding, with a mix my ex-stepmom made me for my own wedding. Using a big brush REALLY helps, and the coverage is excellent when you have a sunburn. My face looked normal instead of bright red! Still heavy-feeling though, will stick with my tinted moisturizer. =)

What is your favourite lipstick?
My favorite lipstick ever was Cliniques "Sandy Beach", which was a pinky-tan sparklyish lipstick. I don't really wear lipstick, though, it feels icky on my lips and fades too easily.

How about lipgloss?
LOVE lipgloss. I wear cheapies to Stila, I ain't picky, haha. My favorite is Lancome Juicy Tubes in Pink Lemonade.

What is your favourite blush to use?
I have a mineral-based one that I really like, but I use it VERY infrequently. I have very round cheeks that don't really need highlighting. xD

Do you buy your makeup on Ebay?
Never have, and probably never will. Nothing against eBay, just don't need makeup that bad. xD

Do you like drugstore makeup?
I have no problem with drugstore makeup! I buy eyeshadows and lip gloss from drugstores, cheaper and I don't feel so guilty if I don't like the color.

Do you go to CCO's (cosmetic company outlets)?
I have no idea what this is.

Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?
I've thought about it - I do enjoy applying makeup, and I think I'm decent at it. I loved designing stage makeup as a theater major in college.

Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?
Not really; I have steady hands from crafting and watercoloring. =D

Name a makeup crime that you hate?
Tattooed eyebrows. FUG.

Do you like colourful shades of makeup (lipstick, eyeshadow) or neutral ones?
I'm all about natural makeup. I'm a firm believer in makeup enhancing your natural beauty. I have no issue with people wearing colorful makeup, though, as long as it's well-done. =)

Which celebrity always has great make up?
Anne Hathaway. She's just gorgeous.

If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item, what would you use?
Tinted moisturizer. It evens out my skin tone.

Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?
Do it all the time! I love makeup, but it usually gets left behind if I'm running late or feeling lazy.

Do you think you look good without any make up on?
I think it depends on my skin condition that day. If my skin's rough-looking, then no. If I'm fresh out of the shower, I think I look lovely, though. xD

In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?
I <3 style="font-weight: bold;">What do you think of make up?
I think the last thing it should be is a requirement. It should be fun and make you feel good, but I think people should feel just as comfortable with themselves without it. I mean, if you wear it all the time because you LIKE to wear it, by all means! I also don't think people should use it as a way of hiding themselves, either - I fear that people who wear a ton and/or go for overly-dramatic eyeliner and lipstick are hiding themselves, and should go for a more natural look. It's meant to make what you have look even better, not completely hide your face!