just so you know...

....Four months from today I will actually be Mrs. Bassett!!!!!!!!!!

:)

Just thought I'd share that....

Mr. Postman, they are all yours…

HUGE sigh of happiness/relief.  The Save the Dates are in the mail drop-box.  They are out of my hands and are now at the will of the United States Postal Service.  This may be the biggest checkmark on my to-do list yet!

(a very exciting moment, indeed)

On Sunday, my mom and I put ourselves to the task of addressing by hand all of the envelopes.  We were going to just print peel-off labels, but we could save ourselves about $30 by writing them ourselves.  And honestly, I think a handwritten envelope looks so much nicer and more personal (unless you have bad handwriting…luckily my mom and I can pass for decent with a ball-point pen). 

(diligently working...)

(serioulsy the cutest forever stamps...ever.

well worth going to more than one post office for these!)

It took us about three hours of scattered conversation and concentration to get the envelopes filled, addressed, and licked.  I say scattered conversation, because my mom and I didn’t inherit the supposedly feminine attribute of multi-tasking—at least not when it comes to talking.  We both talk with our hands, and so when our hands become occupied, telling a story can be very difficult. 

One of my favorite parts about addressing envelopes with my mom was hearing some of her best euphemisms when she would make a mistake.  These euphemisms include "crud crakers!", “shnikies!”, and my personal favorite, "son of a biscuit!".  It would be all quiet as we both diligently worked, and out of nowhere, “son of a BISCUIT!” and then the sound of an envelope being torn in half (or many pieces on a couple of occasions) would be heard from the other side of the table. 

We used my mom’s address for the return so we had to write it over and over and over, and after about 150 envelopes, Mom literally forgot the address.  She kept trying to recollect the house number out loud…she did have most of the numbers correct (I’ll give her that), but the order was all wrong…

I am just so thrilled to say that this task is done!! One step closer....

...now to work on the design for the fo-real invitations...

adios summertime

SNAP! And the summer is gone just like that! This was my last college summer, and its over in a blink.

If all goes according to plan, I am about to begin my final year at Texas Tech University... crazy.  And in a little over four months....I'll actually be Mrs. Bassett.  Time is about to start flying by!  I'm so nervous that I am going to either let my grades slip because I am focusing so much on the wedding...or I'm not going to get everything done in time for the big day because I was trying to keep up with school.

(big inhale then exhale).

I can totally do this. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own".

I am happy to say that I am genuinely proud of the progress I was able to make over this summer.  Here is a little look at some of the things still in progress...

(still playing with the idea of making cake-pops...whether or not

I decide to go with them, they sure have been a tasty experiment)

(I plan on giving some cheap battery-powered tea lights a fancy face lift)

(stationary doodles.)

(I'm currently obsessed with drawing hands...I don't know if I'll find a place for

this one of Kyle and I holding hands, but I like it.) 

...There's a lot more little details in the works as well and plenty more posts to come.  Luckily I have an awesome family and group of friends who are willing and happy to help me out.  Kyle has even whole-heartedly offered to help with some of the crafts (the craft I have in mind for him involves poetry and a butterfly-shaped paper puncher).

Bring it Fall Semester!

trigger happy

Yesterday Kyle and I tackled our wedding gift registry.  It. Was. Awesome. 

It was so much fun to choose the things that we want to share and use together in the years to come—the things that would make us feel at home together--the things that meshed our unique styles into the new unit called "us".  

Kyle and I tried to go into it fairly prepared.  We had been keeping a list of things that we knew we would need (or need better of) and want, and then Kyle put our list onto a spreadsheet so we could compare the things at different stores (let me just say that I was suuuper impressed by this effort).  

I think that Kyle and I balanced each other out pretty well on this adventure.  I was insanely cautious about using the scanner while Kyle, on the other hand, was a bit more trigger happy.  I caught Kyle as he tried to sneak over to the display with the snow-cone machine and the cotton-candy maker.  He also made me laugh pretty hard when we got to the wooden cutting board section, and he literally started to scan a chopping block that was larger than any counter space we’ve got in our little apartment. :)

...couldn't resist this one...

...attempting to register for the snow-cone machine...

Kyle was a blast to register with!  I was a little nervous because I’ve seen some couples registering together before where the Mr. looks like he would rather be anywhere else in the world but there, but Kyle was the complete opposite.  We really enjoyed picking things that we both liked!  We both seem to lean toward a similar style which made choosing things really fun.  We both love natural elements such as birds and vines, and muted shades of blues, greens, and yellows.  There are several things on our list that we are both really enthusiastic about!  

(Finished at our first store, and excited about the next!)

(...You know you’re maturing when you’re totally stoked about your future shower-curtain rod, food storage containers, and dish-drying mat)

It was a huge sigh of relief to get that job done, and after our day-long adventure, it made me smile ear to ear to walk back into his apartment  (it will be "our" apartment in just 139 days) and picture it with all of the decor, appliances, gadgets, and tools that we are hoping for to transform that space from an apartment into a home. 

meet my new brother!

my new brother....

Cute, right?! This Brother Sewing Machine was my 21st birthday gift from my mom.  She went above and beyond with this thing!  Yes, I'd asked for one, but I'd also asked if I could just have her old one...and she suprised me with this!  I don't know a whole lot about sewing machines, but I do know that this one is awwwesoooome. It has a quick-set bobbin, a special doo-hickey that threads the needle for me, and programmable stitches!

I had been wishing for a sewing machine so that I could get started on several of my craft ideas for the wedding and reception.  I also was hoping to be able to sew some pillow covers and some curtains for mine and Kyle's apartment when we're married. 

And now that I have my super-sweet sewing machine, wedding crafts are in full swing!  I am now a part-time Starbucks barista and a full-time "wedding craftaholic". 

I gave my new sewing machine a warm welcome by sewing up the fabric squares that will go in the middle of the reception tables on the white tablecloths.  I wanted to bring in my wedding colors and add a little more life to the center-pieces with these squares.  So in my head the centerpieces will build up from these squares...I picture tea-lights, an antique book, and a mason jar with a yellow and white wild-flower arrangement or an arrangement made of twigs and tree branches.

(There are 46 of these bad boys)

Another project underway (and probably my favorite one so far) includes the two banners that will hang in the reception hall.  The wedding recepetion will be held at The Watson Building in downtown Lubbock.  Inside there are two sets of stairs that lead up to two balconies on opposite sides of the room.  I am making a banner for each of the two balconies.   On one balcony, the banner will read, "Forever And Ever And Ever", and the banner on the opposite side will read, "To The Mood And Back".  "To the moon and back" is an expression that Kyle's mom, Liz, used to tell her sons how much she loved them when they were young (and still to the this day), and Kyle uses it now to tell me how much he loves me.

Here are the pieces so far....

Since taking these pictures, I have folded over each square about an inch and stitched it, leaving enough room for me to put a small rope through each square.  The rope will stretch from one end of the balcony banister to the other.  I'm going for something kind of whimsical and home-made.

I hope you enjoy!!

Expect a post soon on my (hopefully) tasty wedding favors.

my bridesmaids shall officially be clothed.

I have five beautiful bridesmaids--my two wonderful sisters, Amber and Kelby, and three of my greatest friends, Emily, Cori, and Meredith-- and they now officially shall be clothed at the wedding. In other words, the bridesmaid dresses have been ordered!

Big, Giant CHECKMARK on my list!!!!

You can take a peek at the dress I chose for them by clicking on this lovely yellow text :)

I chose this dress for several reasons. 
Reason 1: The shape mimics the shape of my own dress (yes, I know I haven't posted about my dress, but isn't that supposed to be a suprise!)
Reason 2: The hippie look with the sweet little floral print is exactly the style I'm going for...see previous posts for my new favorite term--"bohemian country French"
Reason 3: The buttery yellow color of the dress is one of the main colors I am using for the wedding
Reason 4: I think it will be very figure flattering on my lovely bridesmaids. 
Reason 5: My wedding is indeed in winter, and therefore the long dress will hopefully provide some warmth if neccessary (honestly in Lubbock, the temperature on December 31st could range from below zero to 65 degrees). 
Reason 6: I LOVE it.  I want to order one for myself!!

I also am in the market for five teal/jade colored cardigans for the girls to wear with the dress.  Again this will add some warmth (to their bodies and also to the "feel" of the wedding) and bring together my weddding colors. 

They will be carrying simple boquets of white, green, and yellow.  I want the boquets to look as if the girls had just gone out and picked a bunch of wild flowers and tied them with a ribbon.