Hyper organization hack

So I pretty much decided that I was going to use the hyper organized (chou seiri) system, to which end I needed to create a case for my hacked calendar.  I considered upcycling a pair of suede pants into a nice cover, but realized that I don't need a nice one; rather, one that's just nice and functionanl enough.  I found a large wall calender envelope, made of heavy cardstock, and cut around its creases to create the "spine" of my chou seiri calendar. 

For the inside, I added just a couple of pieces of the envelope to make flaps, which I secured to the main cover with some teal colored duct tape I found lying around.  Instead of adding more layers of the cardstock to create pockets, I made some strategic cutouts to accoummodate credit cards, slips of paper, and a pen clip.

Here's what it looks like with stuff put into it:

The final touch was the addition of a Rhodia No. 8 notebook.  I'm glad to say it fits perfectly!  Lots of pages on which to jot down notes and doodles throughout the days.

Now, the only thing is to make sure I use it each and every day.  Knowing that I put a lot of work into making it will help with that.  Not only do I want to keep a good outlook on plans and projects for the year, I also want to see how the cover and tape hold up to daily use.  Never to late to improve, right?  Just the right attitude for the new year.

Mother's Day Bouts

This year I intended to make bouquets for the mamas in my life: mom, g'ma, two sis' in law.   Then I found out my folks were hosting a get-together.  For about 40.  And about 10 moms.  Whoa.

My plan was to go to the farmers market and pick up some flowers to make small boutonnières for them all.  But DC had the excellent idea of cutting flowers from his garden.  Luckily for us, the former owner was a florist, so beautiful -- and many sweet-smelling -- blooms were in abundant supply.  So on Saturday night, before sunset, we walked around the front and back yards with pruners in hand.

DC cleaned them all off and helped me decide on combinations of flowers.  Just a few rounds of floral tape (that I already had on hand), and in a couple of hours we'd made over a dozen little arrangements.  It was fun -- and better yet -- FREE!

[nasturtium, roses, orange leaves, camellia leaves, lavendar, basil]

[boutonnières, done]

[boutonnières, next morning]

We stood them up in a plastic container with some water, and left them outside overnight.  The next day I pinned them on all the moms in attendance: a combination of aunts and cousins, including some visitors from France!  They were a big hit, especially the ones with the multicolored roses and herbs, because of the lovely fragrance.  A nice way to appreciate the mamas and make them feel special, because they are!

Hope all you mamas had a wonderful day!

Family Fiesta

It happened to be really HOT on the day of the Fiesta so we were obliged to set up tents.  The blue went against my color scheme, but when it's in the 90s, shade trumps beauty.   The streamers and papel picado added festive touches,







as did the doily garlands (sewn by Jaxs' mom the night before, and on ribbon instead of bias tape) and paper lanterns.  I re-used some green and pink Japanese packaging paper, from a package I had received, into prize ribbon pins for the family members, which Jaxs' sister helped glue-gun together.

At the conception phase, I'd envisioned square galvanized steel pots, each holding a succulent, placed together in larger squares of 3x3 or 4x4 on a tray and unified with a wide ribbon around the entire thing, creating a centerpiece.  Guests could take individual plants home as favors.  That didn't work out because we couldn't find little steel pots anywhere.  We went with default terra-cotta ones, which I lined down the center of each table.  Still looks pretty cute (especially in this picture, taken by Jaxs' friend who is a professional photographer)!



As far as entertainment, there was loads.  The kids immediately went for the moonbounce (the adults got their turns later), and one of Jaxs' clever friends (and apparently, veteran baby shower organizer) brought white onesies and fabric markers; guests took turns customizing for Little1, and we hung them against the backyard wall to dry and serve as decor.  Check out the ones below -- I'll definitely have to snap a shot of them all being worn!

There was also a little photoboothing:

and most people had their turn at one of the three pinatas!

At the midway(-ish) point, the couple gave a toast -- this is my favorite picture of them.

All in all, a wildly successful and fun event!  I learned that it's really difficult to make reality match the vision -- due to things like logistics, retail availability, working with strangers/acquaintances, and -- of course -- time restraints.  BUT I also learned that despite all that, a smile, a lot of communication, asking people to help with specific tasks, and, overall, going with the flow and allowing things to work themselves out makes for a happy event.  Everyone had a blast, especially Georgzilla and Jaxs, and that's what counts!