Bridal Shower

This past weekend my aunts and my sisters threw me and Mikie and bridal shower. It was a ton of fun and super cute. There were so many little crafty things that I just had to write a blog post about it. Everyone helped make this happen. My cousins made the crafty things, my sisters baked and decorated and my mom and aunts invited everyone and made the delicious food. It was a wonderful time and I have lots of pictures courtesy of my sister Jamie. Mikie and I are building a tiny house for live in as our first home. This bridal took the tiny concept to a whole new level. There were tiny houses everywhere and tiny food. It all looked great and everyone loved it!

These are beer bottles wrapped in yarn to match my wedding colors! These were all made by my wonderful cousins.

The favors for the guests. They were filled with M&M because our names are Mikie and Michelle :-)

The little tiny cupcakes that my sisters and cousins decorated! (you can also see the little houses that were scattered everywhere)

The dessert table. Full of tiny delicious desserts!

Me and my mom who helped make the desserts and set up everything.

Me and my two wonderful sisters who helped bake and made all the games for the shower!

My sisters trying out one of the games they prepared. Mustache = Mikie. Tiara = Michelle

Everyone playing the fun game. My sister would say something and you had to guess whether is was true for Michelle, Mikie, neither, or both

The lunch table. Full of tiny servings of food. Some of my favorites included the tiny taco salads, the bagel dogs and the mini burgers.

My dessert plate included with a tiny fork.

My uncle got clever and added some decorations to the fan.

Me and my wonderful hosts, Aunt Diane and Auntie Di. I'm so thankful to have them in my life!

One of me and Mikie's favorite gifts. Our wedding cake topper. It was given to us by my grandparents. I think we like it so much because we think it looks like us.

My cousins enjoying their new mustaches.

Paper Flowers

Speaking of wedding...

I found these beautiful flowers on pinterest. And I loved them. I found out they were made of paper and I immediately loved them more. So, I plan on using paper flowers for my wedding. 

This is one of my first attempts. I used THIS tutorial to help me make it. I used a card stock paper instead of just text weight paper. I love the texture of it and the color. I loved them so much that I made more!

I tried different sizes and different types of paper. I found a lot more tutorials and my mom got me a book that she found at the half price bookstore that is all about paper bouquets. 

I think it adds a lovely touch to the wedding and personal feel. I'll need help making all these flowers hopefully my bridesmaids will be up for the challenge. :-)

Guest Post: The story of Michelle's engagement ring!

Step 1: Learn what she wants, Make a plan

Michelle had told me early on she did not want to go the traditional route for her ring.  Since her favorite color is blue, I started there and worked on a plan to create her the perfect ring. 

Step 2: The stone

I contacted a sapphire mine in Montana and had them ship me raw, unmined earth.  I panned through it myself until i found the perfect rough sapphire.  I knew it was the one as soon as I saw it: a radiant light blue color.  I sent it out to be cut and polished into a ring-worthy gemstone.

Step 3: The setting

I took the stone to Distinctive Gold Jewelry and worked with Tony D'Ortenzio.  He was committed to making this ring special, with a story worthy of Michelle.  We talked about different metals and their pros and cons.  Michelle likes a more industrial look, so we decided on Palladium. (see photos).  For such a unique stone, a custom setting would be the right choice.  Tony walked me through the steps and let me choose how involved in the process I wanted to be.  I chose to draw it up, and build a 3d model of it on the computer myself and send it to him.  It was a very simple, geometric form with elegant clean lines.

Step 4: The Ring

Throughout the process, Tony was incredibly patient, helpful and informative.  We selected a band, and he built the ring.  It came out perfect- more beautiful than I ever could have imagined.  And more importantly than how much i like it, Michelle loved it.  It's perfectly tailored to her, and it fits Her personality in a way only custom can.  

-Mikie Smit