DIY: Gifts for the Parents

Everyone talks about keepsakes from your planning. You'll want a binder to keep swatches, receipts(?), and more. Um ok.

I started with the idea of a leather-bound, expandable post-bound, scrapbook. I began filling it with 4'x6' cards (in case you weren't aware a lot of the images and collages on the blog are 4'x6' - easy to print on our Canon Selphy). And less than two months into the real planning (two months after we actually set a date), I abandoned that idea. Why? There's just too much to keep track of or organize while you're in the midst of planning.

You're probably wondering why I bring up my scrapbook in a post about gifts for Our Moms. Well I had this idea that we'd give them an electronic version of that scrapbook for their gifts. Our Moms have almost everything under the sun. Our Moms would appreciate a sentimental gift. And here's the dilemma. We have a lot of content. Not everyone cares about all the planning minutia. So how do we keep this tome from being a sleep aid?

The thought is that our manuscript tells how we met and fell in love and then chronicles the crazy seven to eight months of planning. The programs pick up from there - a quick recap of Our Story So Far through to the details of our 10/10/10 ceremony and reception. Cover design will be similar to our programs. Typography and design elements will be consistent with the programs as well. 

We know we're going to use Blurb to produce the keepsake - it'll be a combination of photography and text. Our manuscript will be laid out in Adobe InDesign and then printed to PDF for proofing and finally uploading to Blurb. That's the easy part.

The challenging part? How do you structure the story? The manuscript needs a beginning, a middle, and an ending. It needs suspense, drama, and comedy. It needs to be personable and reflect "us." How do we balance the manuscript? I tend towards cheesy and sappy. cubes tends towards matter-of-fact wit with a smattering of sarcasm. 

If you were writing the story of how you met, fell in love, and planned - and survived - a wedding, how would you organize the story? Chronological - start to finish as it happened? Topical? A She Said, He Said? Or would you just take your blog as is and create a book?

Here's what I'm thinking so far for organization:

• Colophon
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Body
• Special Insert: The Fireflies Say "I Do"
• Conclusion: Just Married

As you can see, I'm struggling with what to do with the body of the book. (In case you're wondering not all of the blog will be published. We're starting with the posts labeled "us" and whittling down from there.)

Send me your suggestions, please! Now that we're happily married I'd like to get the first part of our story tied up with a pretty little bow.

Review: Cuisinart ICE30-BC & Mixed Berry Vegan Ice Cream

This past weekend we finally tried out another of our registry gifts. This time the Cuisinart ICE30-BC Ice Cream Maker.

Two first impressions:

• It's noisy when it's running. Maybe this was because we ran it on our granite countertop.
• Vegan ice cream is not firm enough to eat after 20 to 25 minutes. You do need to refrigerate it the recommended additional 2 hours.

For the inaugural run, we made a variation of the Strawberry Vanilla Ice Cream recipe that I found at Elana's Pantry.

Mixed Berry Vegan, Gluten-Free, Refined-Sugar Free Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 5 oz Blackberries, fresh, deseeded
• 5 oz Blueberries, fresh
• 13.5 oz Coconut Milk
• 1/4 cup, Agave Nectar
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

Instructions

1. Wash and dry the blackberries and blueberries.
   NOTE: If you don't remove the seeds from the blackberries, your ice cream won't be smooth.
2. Blend blackberries, blueberries, coconut milk, agave nectar, and vanilla extract in blender.
   NOTE: If you forget the vanilla, the ice cream will have a coconut flavor. These proportions neutralize the coconut and bring the fruit forward.
3. Remove frozen freezer bowl from the freezer. Place freezer bowl on the center of the base.
4. Place mixing arm in freezer bowl.
5. Place lid on base.
6. Turn the ice cream maker on.
7. Pour blended mixture into the freezer bowl.
8. Mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes.
9. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container.
10. Place in freezer for 6 to 8 hours. Remove 15 minutes before serving.

Details: The Little Things

To anyone who knows me, they know I obsess about the little things. At our housewarming/engagement party this past February, I tucked silverware into coconut milk cans - we were hosting a Thai dinner.

One thing that used to drive me crazy as a photographer was taking photos of gowns on cheap plastic hangers. I actually brought wooden hangers with me to events. (Blame this idiosyncrasy on my grandmother and mother. Growing up almost all of my clothes were hung on vintage wooden hangers.) So of course, when it came down to what my dress would hang on (just for the shot as the weight of the dress will tear the lace bodice) I had to have custom hangers.

This afternoon my hangers made by The Painted House and More (Etsy) arrived. The hangers were chosen based on the colors in our wedding palette - dark brown hanger with silver wiring and black bows. (Yes I know - I'm going slightly overboard on the matching but the overall look of the photos is going to be awesome!)

Here's a sneak peek of my hanger. It was so neat to see my new last name on my hanger.

What do you think? Did you purchase special hangers for your dress?