Designed by RJ

It was a beautiful fall day...

2009-11-06T10:02:00.004-05:00

Well mostly anyway. It rained on and off on our wedding day, and was far too chilly to have our outdoor ceremony. But the weather held out long enough for us to take our couple shots outside, admist some beautiful scenery!

I'm expecting our professional shots some time next week, in the meantime here are a few snaps from the Best Woman, Shira:

My train getting fluffed by the photographer...
we had a beautiful backdrop - a blue lake and colourful fall trees.

Giggling after taking some balcony shots. Love how my groom is carrying my bouquet!

Is it on straight?

Teaser!

2009-11-04T09:30:00.004-05:00

We're in the midst of a whirlwind house-painting extravaganza and I haven't even had a chance to download any of the 700+ photos I took on our fabulous honeymoon. But our wedding guests were right on top of sharing some of the great photos they took of our big day!

Here's a sneak peak photo taken by the best man, Travis:

Can't wait to share more with you soon!

Making it Legal

2009-10-24T09:00:00.001-04:00

We're getting hitched today!!!

Bride on a Budget: Floral Inspiration

2009-10-20T19:48:00.003-04:00

Oh Martha, how I love thee. I'm not totally loving the heart shape, but think this is a sweet way to dress a table simply... and could work with so many different flowers!

I can't wait to get to work on my mums... my own mom picked up two pots of white "daisy-esque" mums last week and I think the're going to look so sweet in the mason jars. We also picked up some royal blue sheer for table runners, which will really make the white mums (and tea lights) pop!

So exctied to see everything pulled together this weekend! That's right - in just THREE days!

It's Finally Ours!

2009-10-18T18:54:00.002-04:00

After not a very long period of waiting, the house is finally ours!

We spent all day Saturday cleaning, with much help from the mom brigade! The house hadn't seen a duster in some time.

We have lots of big plans, some for now and some as we can afford them. And I can't wait to get started!

And then there were costumes...

2009-10-13T08:45:00.000-04:00

There are things brides must go through en route to becoming a wife... things like being dressed up by their "best" friends.

A few weeks back I had a surprise shower. I knew something was going on, but I didn't know what. Imagine my surprise when I arrived home only to be whisked downstairs and dressed up à la 1950s housewife!

I had a fabulous, and super fun 50s themed shower - at which all ladies were requested to wear pearls. So much fun!

And then a week later, I was paraded around downtown in a pink boa, cowgirl "Bride" hat and bling-ring! Fortunately it was a bit contemporary arts night downtown, and I didn't get too many strange looks {or catcalls}.

The things a girl lets her friends do to her! *lol*

Happy Turkey Day!

2009-10-12T20:37:00.002-04:00

I hope all my Canadian friends had a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend... it was chilly here {crossing my fingers we have a warm spell in two weeks!}, but beautiful!

Bride on a Budget: Getting 'er done!

2009-10-10T11:08:00.004-04:00

Today is do or die day for wedding projects! The Mr. and I have a long long list of things that must get done today {which is why we're still in our pj's, sipping lattes at 11am}... all the running around and bits and pieces are today, or no-day - because our week is jam packed and this time next weekend we'll be sitting in our new house with {literally} bigger things on our minds than what colour the aisle initials should be painted!

I have a few paper projects left, including finishing up the escort cards {come on rvsp stragglers!} and of course am all out of colour ink!

I still haven't talked much about the escort cards - my "top secret" project... but I'll leave you with this little teaser:

Yup, that's me and my mister, both circa 1980. At the time we lived about 2340 km (1454 miles) apart - though you can hardly tell by the décor! And that's all I'm showing for now! ;)

From Country to Contemporary: the Office

2009-10-07T12:42:00.004-04:00

Can I say how absolutely excited I am that I get to have a room all to myself in our new home?! A room where beads and ribbon can take over. A room where I can shut the door to hide the mess instead of putting away half-finished projects at the end of the day.

SO excited.

Originally I was going to go pink. Lots and lots of pink. But then I found this room:

Better Homes & Gardens, May 2009 issue.

And I love it! Or at least the green and white of it... I'm not entirely sold on the orange yet. So I'm on the hunt for a white & green geometric wall paper and have big plans to paint some existing furniture white.

As much as I'd love to invest in some serious shelving my office will only be in this space until it gets kicked out by our future firstborn, so it will be a "easy-to-relocate" set-up. But I'm super excited all the same!

Bride on a Budget: the Rings

2009-10-06T14:52:00.002-04:00

Our beautiful rings have arrived!

They were made by Rob & Lean, a couple who live in Tennessee. They were fabulous to deal with and we love our rings!

They're made of titanium, the Mr's has an inlay of gold {which is considerably more subtle in reality, we were a little surprised by that}. And mine features a tension set champagne diamond {which would have gone perfectly with my chocolate engagement ring, had I not lost it!}

Bride on a Budget: Balancing Act

2009-10-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

Have you ever wondered how a person manages planning a wedding, working full-time, and closing on their first home all at the same time?

The answer is - they don't! Or at least, not very well.

Yesterday the moms and I went to pick up my dress {which fits, and is safely at home - woohoo!} and then headed over to Fabricland to find fabric for my jacket and table runners. I had a few bridezilla moments {although, to be fair, what bride would want a jacket made of muppet fur? or table runners out of metallic halloween fabric?} and we spent what must have been two hours in the store.

A mother's love knows no bounds, is all I can say.

In the end we left with not only some gorgeous raw silk for the jacket, but some fun sheer for the table runners. And neither mom had thrown her hands up in defeat and left the store.

Was any of the fabric what I'd set out to find? Aside from the jacket fabric being silk - not at all. In the end I considered my timeline, considered that the moms had also generously offered to sew said jacket and runners within said timeline, and decided to just make do.

My jacket will be stunning. And my runners will look nice. And I will be married to the man I love, and that's what really matters in the end.

Bride on a Budget: Keeping It In the Family

2009-10-05T10:13:00.002-04:00

We received one of our last mia rsvps late last week, and the Mr. and I are both very excited this particular guest rsvp'd oui!

Paul is one of the Mr's cousins, and they both grew up in Montreal, so saw a lot of each other as youngsters. Now Paul is an up & coming hip hop MC & harmonica player. We're crossing our fingers for an impromptu performance!

His new album is available online and in-stores (we picked ours up at HMV) - check it out!

Off with her head!

2009-10-01T18:38:00.002-04:00

Are you as excited as I am for the upcoming Alice movie?

I couldn't resist some new Alice in Wonderland inspired charms... this is the first in the series, an ode to the Queen of Hearts!

Available for sale at RJ Charms. Only $12.50, with FREE Shipping in the US and Canada!

Team Canada Autumn Challenge - Vote & Win!

2009-09-28T14:34:00.002-04:00

There's a fun Autumn themed challenge going on over at the Trans-Canada Etsy Street Team blog now, until September 30th. You can vote on your favorite autumn-inspired item... like my Fall Glory OOAK Charm Necklace:

And then comment to be entered for a chance to win some fab Etsy swag!

The Fall Glory necklace is also available for sale at RJ Charms!

Bride on a Budget: Dressing the Aisle, take 2

2009-09-25T23:18:00.004-04:00

Back in July I was all over my aisle decor... I had a plan. But I procrastinated. And tonight when I went to order our paper lanterns online I was dismayed to discover the it would cost $20 to ship $30 worth of lanterns.

No thanks!

So I'm back to square one. Or rather, poms.

The local party stores turned up nothing that would work. So with less than 30 days until the wedding I'm going the pom route. Because I can pick up a few packs of tissue paper at a local dollar store and whip up some poms in no time flat, and in the colours I want!

Ah well. In the grand scheme of things, this is not a major issue, just a minor disappointment.

From Country to Contemporary: the Livingroom

2009-09-22T08:30:00.000-04:00

We're going for our house inspection tomorrow... and fingers crossed there will be no new major issues {we already know we're in for a new roof, asap; and we have aluminum wiring}. Once we get past that hurdle it's literally full speed ahead... closing in three short weeks, the wedding a week after that and then off for our honeymoon!

We decided to cut our honeymoon short by two days so we could come home and paint our new digs before moving our furniture in. So while the Mr. has been taking care of all the practical stuff, like insurance and utilities, I've been browsing the catalogs and décor mags!

We already own most of our furniture, and won't be upgrading any time soon. So we're living with what we've got... here's our livingroom:

We have a red couch, black and cream damask area rug, a few dark pieces from Ikea and a few medium brown pieces from Ikea and grandma {can't wait to show off the vintage coffee table set we're getting!}.

I'm currently loving creme brule and desert camel, both by Behr. But will need to take another look at the house before I confirm which is the main and which is the accent {I think they may switch}. Add a selection from our array of art and accessories and we're set!

Our main room is also the dining area, and leads to the upstairs hall... so I'm seeing a lot of neutral in our future!

Bride on a Budget: Centerpieces

2009-09-21T15:42:00.002-04:00

I knew right from day one that I wanted to DIY my own centerpieces. As much as I love flowers, having them on our tables was not so important to me that I wanted to spend hundreds on centerpieces. I'd much rather spend that money buying our guests a round of drinks...

Our venue is a 2 hour drive away and there are no flower markets {that I know of} between here and there. So after considering a few other options I settled on picking up a few pots of mums, clipping the flowers and displaying them in mason jars {by now most of the family & friends know the Mr. and I love canning}.

The jars will also look cute at our "cottage" resort, and are short enough to allow guests to see each other across the table.

I picked up a pot of mums yesterday to ensure I liked the final effect... and I do! There will be two jars per table, interspersed with tea lights in clear glass holders {provided by the resort gratis}.

It's not fancy by any means, but it's sweet and simple. I figure I will need three pots, and will hopefully be able to find pink and burgundy ones. I may also pick up a bouquet or two of accent flowers - depending on what the grocery store has on hand!

Not including the jars {because I will use those to can next year}, I estimate spending around $30-$40 on 12 tables. Can't beat that!

Eight Days

2009-09-19T09:36:00.003-04:00

No, that's not eight days until the wedding... eight would be the number of days between our wedding and when we take possession of our NEW HOUSE!!!

We've had a crazy hectic week of house hunting, offer making and counter offer making. But in the end, unless we discover something really bad at the inspection, we've got ourselves a home to call our own!

And yes, we're getting it a whopping eight days before the wedding. We have been called insane.

{All photos by the mister, from his cell-cam}

The good news is that we don't have to move that weekend too - wow, could you imagine?! Since we're currently camped out at the in-laws we can take our time to clean, and paint {and paint some more - really, go buy some paint company stocks, we'll be doing that much painting} before we lug all 'stuff' over.

So I'm eagerly adding decor blogs to my reader. I've already got Making It Lovely, Young House Love, decor8, decor addict, and a few more - but please feel free to suggest some must reads for me! I'd especially love to find a few Canadian ones {the I'd stand a better chance of having access to some of the fabulous finds!}

I can't wait to share projects... there will be some doozies {although thankfully non that involve major construction}, but there will be lots of work involved in moving our house from country to contemporary... of course, all on a budget!

Brain Candy Books

2009-09-16T08:30:00.000-04:00

Sometimes my brain just wants candy.

After finishing up three short story collections on the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, I moved on to Steve Berry.

I whipped through The Alexandria Link, and am now into The Romanov Prophecy. The books are along the lines of Dan Brown's novels... fantastical mysteries.

The Alexandria Link considered what if the Bible had been mis-translated back in 900 CE, a good 900 years after Christ's existence and at a time when no one knew Old Hebrew, which the Old Testament was originally written in. Honestly, it made me want to go read the Bible and see if there really were so many discrepancies. Not to mention reading the books and research the theories in the novel were based on.

I've only just begun The Romanov Prophecy but it's based in "present" day Russia, and revolves, of course, around the two missing Romanov children and their supposed descendants... I can't wait to see how this tale gets spun!

So if you liked Dan Brown and his somewhat plausible, but also fantastical theories, you'll quite enjoy Steve Berry - who has many, many more novels to get sucked into!

White Wine Herb Jelly

2009-09-15T08:30:00.000-04:00

Last December my aunt gave the Mr. and I a Small-Batch Preserving cookbook {by Ellie Topp & Margaret Howard}, and I finally got to put one of the delicious recipes to use!

After our big pickle kick I was on a roll, so decided to try out some white whine & herb jelly. Not only do I love savory over sweet, but we also have some fresh herbs growing out back that were in need or a purpose.

So I made two batches... both using an inexpensive bottle of Chardonnay I had on hand. The first batch was made with basil {one of my favorite herbs}, and the second I tried a rosemary and lemon thyme mix.

I've yet to taste either, but they look great!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c. white wine
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
3 tbsp. fresh herbs leaves
3 1/2 c. granulated sugar {I used 2 c. Splenda, 1 1/2c. regular sugar}
1 pouch liquid fruit pectin

Directions:
1. Combine wine, vinegar & herbs in a stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring mix to a boil; remove from heat. Cover and let steep for 30 min.

2. Remove herbs {strain if necessary}. In saucepan, stir sugar into liquid. Bring to a boil, and boil rapidly for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in pectin.

3. Ladle into hot jars and process for 10 minutes {up to 1000ft.} or as required at heights above 1000ft.

Yields 4 cups {1L}.

Notes: You can use red wine & red wine vinegar it you're planning to use this with red meat. To make herb removal easier, just toss the whole branch in - after the mix has steeped you can just pick them out, no straining required!

MIA

2009-09-14T10:48:00.006-04:00

I've been MIA for the past week, and hopefully by the end of this week will have a really good reason for that! The Mr. and I have been busy shopping... for a house!

We saw some doozies (power of sale, and some really crummy houses in some not-so-nice neighborhoods), and we saw some decent houses that didn't need much more than some cosmetic work.

And we even saw one we want to buy - yay! So we're meeting with our realtor tonight to put together an offer... cross your fingers for us!

We also had a funeral for the Mr.'s car... it didn't die completely, but it had a price on it's head and the repairs were way over that price. So now I'm getting up an hour earlier and commuting an hour longer each day to drop & pick-up the Mr.

It's nice to have that time together in the evening, but I am not a morning person, so it's a tad painful in the am... fortunately if we get the above mentioned house, that will all change!

And of course wedding plans... 40 days and counting! That's barely over a month!

I have a checklist that I am furiously trying to work through - but at this point it's all just minor details {a.k.a. décor}. Oh... and have I shown off the cutest ring bearer ever yet? His mom sent me this photo to ok his outfit {sans tie}... and I think he looks so handsome!

40 days... holy! We may well be home owners by the time we get hitched... and no, we don't plan on scrapping our honeymoon plans to move {or paint rather... I plan on buying some paint company stock if we get this house as it's quite the rainbow in there and will need some serious paint work!}.

A Labourless Day

2009-09-08T21:35:00.004-04:00

I love a long weekend. Any reason will do. Whether a weekend meant for feasting, or just a weekend to kick back and enjoy your loved ones.

This past Labour Day weekend the Mr. and I took a trip out to the Niagara regions... one of our favorite places. We hop from winery to winery tasting {and buying!} as we go. Sunday, traffic was baa-ad {seemed like a lot of Americans headed home} so we took the back routes, which was our best idea ever.

Thirty Bench

There are two major winery areas near Niagara, the escarpment and Niagara-on-the-Lake. Previously we'd only touched on a few escarpment wineries, but the back route led us right through them

We stopped off at Thirty Bench {loved the Riesling!}, Crown Bench {we would not recommend a visit here}, No. 99 Estates {a Wayne Gretzky enterprise, where we picked up a nice red mix - weren't fans of the Rieslings though}, and our new favorite - Calamus {a definite must! it's near the Balls Falls Conservation area}.

Calamus

After spending waaaay too much we headed over to Coyote's Run to pick up a few bottles of the Mr's favorite Red Paw Syrah, before heading over to one of the local markets for corn on the cob and some live entertainment. It was a busy, busy weekend, but there was also lots going on - which only added to the atmosphere.

It was a great day and has definitely whetted our appetite for our southern California vineyard tour in late October!

Bride on a Budget: the Guestbook

2009-09-03T08:00:00.001-04:00

One of the little details that was still on my to-do list was the guestbook. I'd debated whether or not I wanted a guestbook. I wasn't prepared to invest or hunt down enough Polaroid film, and I definitely did not want a plain book {you know the kind, where only the first 5 pages get used.}

Well inspiration hit on WeddingBee and I literally hopped right on over to Shutterfly to discover that Tuesday was the last day to save 20% on their photo books. So I spent the next hour selecting photos, quickly got approval from the Mr. once he got home from work, and hit the order button!

{from our e-shoot}

I chose an 8x8 book, because I thought the square format would be fun. And I proceeded to fill it with alternating vertical and horizontal spreads, featuring a variety of our self-portraits from the past three years, as well as engagement-shoot photos and a few other photos of 'us'.

I left the text sections blank for guests to write in, and I also plan on using metallic gel pens to write where each of the photos was taken.

As we're not having a cocktail hour the book will get passed around during dinner, and rest on a side table afterwards. I plan on having our MC let our guests know about, specifically that we really do want them to write in it!

{in Banff, early 2009}

I probably could have come up with something a little more budget friendly, but overall $30 USD isn't a huge splurge, and it's a final product I'll actually want to revisit years from now.

The Details are Coming Together

2009-09-02T08:30:00.001-04:00

We're at 52 days and counting, and my to-do list is a mile long... but I'm not stressing!

I've made no headway on my accessories, mostly because I haven't thought about them since my last foray into jewelry inspiration (does that make me a bad bride?). But the Mr. and I have made a date to go pick-up our marriage licence this week - yay!

And my flower girl is going to be the cutest thing ever!

I tried to order a tutu off Etsy, but the seller never replied to my convo about shipping costs to Canada {despite a note in her shop annoucement with instructions to do just that. boo!}. So mom and I trekked out to the local fabric shop and picked up a Butterick pattern and meter after meter of fabulous pink tulle!

We're using a Butterick costume pattern, and making an ankle length tutu in hot pink and baby pink. Plus, my aunt picked up these fabulous sparkly shoes from Gymboree... I'm a little jealous:

We also finally made a decision on our tie pattern for the boys, and added a mini one to the order from the Cyberoptix TieLab for our ring bearer - he's going to be dapper!

Now if our rings would just arrive already!

41 Litres of Pickles is Not Enough

2009-09-01T10:39:00.004-04:00

How, you ask, can 41 litres of pickles not be enough? When you make your own and they have to last the whole year... oh, and they're DELICIOUS!

The Mr. and I have a fun little tradition - making our own garlic-dill pickles.

It started three years ago when the Mr. came to pick me up from a canning weekend with mom. We were just finishing off our batch of pickles and pulled the Mr. in on the action. Well of course he loved it!

The Mr. is a dork {one of the many reasons I love him}, so he totally appreciated the science behind canning. And anything with a delicious end result is ok by him.

{Me washing cucumbers. Four sinks full of cucumbers!}

So here we are three years later with our annual pickle-making day... but this year we went big! 2 bushels big. And I mentioned 41L wasn't enough right? Well we're sharing 24 of those with our parents, so that leaves us with a meagre 17... give away 5 jars and we're down to one jar a month. No way!

Resolution? We're putting up another bushel next weekend!