Sunday, February 12, 2012

Wedding Journey – Jessica’s Venue #3

Okay, so our first venue was the Biltmore Ballrooms which you can read about in THIS post.    The ballrooms were very grand, and everything was "ala carte"...  Meaning, everything in there needed to be rented.  And it was also very expensive just to rent the room.  So, we had to put the ballrooms on the "we need to check elsewhere" list.  
The second venue was the Piedmont Room which you can read about in THIS post.  Jessica was really interested in this room because she loved the idea of the midtown skyline as her backdrop.  The room has a really warm glow at dusk and it can be really beautiful.  However, Jessica felt it wasn't quite "grand" enough for her "elegant" wedding.  So, the hunt continued.
The third venue that we took a look at is the Dekalb History Center located in Decatur, Georgia.  It is located just minutes from downtown Atlanta, but has a charming historic square.  It was built in 1895 but suffered through a fire (I believe) in 1906.  The outside was damaged and had to be rebuilt, however, the inside remained intact.  It’s a beautiful site that is clad in marble throughout the interior with large, arched windows in the main “ballroom”.

This stairway takes guests up to the 2nd floor “ballroom”. 
Marble stairs

This is the doorway into the “ballroom” where the ceremony and reception will take place.  The kitchen is off to the left making serving very easy. To the right is another room that we will have access to for anything we may need it for, such as a place to have Happy Hour during photos, or maybe to set up a photo booth!
  Entry doorway 2

Aren’t these stairs gorgeous?  We saw pictures of previous weddings and it really is a beautiful place to take pictures of the bride and groom.
Marble stairs 2

This is the room where the ceremony and reception will take place in…  It’s stunning…
Entry doorway 3
Grand Ballroom 2
Grand Ballroom 3
Grand Ballroom

This is the gazebo outside of the venue.  It will be a perfect backdrop for outside photos!
 The gazebo outside
Jessica has decided that this is it.  So, both weddings have found their venues!  Off to find the dress! 

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Girl's Night! (or afternoon...)

My friend Karen and I got together this afternoon for Girl's Night.  On the agenda, watching the movie "The Vow" with Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum.  First, let me state the obvious... Channing Tatum is dreamy...  Okay, more than dreamy...  It shows his naked butt in the movie.  It is actually worth the money of the ticket for the movie!  All the ladies in the theater actually let out a gasp (or was that a giggle?).  Seriously?  He was quite yummy.  But back to the movie...


I do not want to give too much away, other than the fact that Channing was yummy.  It's a touching love story about a woman who loses her memory and forgets her husband.  He works hard to help her to remember their life together.  


There was a potential of a touching love story in this film.  In fact, when the movie began, the couple put a smile on my face.  However, while the actors worked hard to have us rooting for the couple, the story line kept the characters apart for far too long.  Therefore, in my opinion, it fell a little flat in the middle of the movie.  


The best part of Girl's Night is hanging with "the girls".  Thanks Karen for meeting me!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Pinterest Project #1

Today, my youngest child turns 20!  I cannot believe it.  She's grown into a hard-working, responsible and beautiful young lady.  She's got some edges that she needs to smooth out, but maturity will fix all of that.   I look forward to her growing into the woman God has planned for her.  

What does this birthday mean to me?  I no longer have any teenagers!   It is so strange to move into this chapter in life.  The family that I worked so hard to "cultivate" has now split up to "cultivate" their own families.   And I LOVED the "cultivating" part... I loved raising kids.  Yet, all of a sudden, I'm finished.  Don't get me wrong...  A mom and dad ALWAYS worry about their children.   But the day to day... planning meals, doing homework... I thought I would never get through it, yet here I am...  Cooking grilled cheeses for me and my hubby.  I know this chapter will be different, but I look forward to seeing what it will bring.  In the meantime, Happy Birthday Gator!  We are so proud of you!


Down to business...

If you read my blog, you know that I blogged about Pinterest in this post.   It is a virtual corkboard that allows us to basically save our "Favorites" in a visual presentation.  This makes it easy for us to go back and find things on the internet because we've "pinned" them. Pinterest has opened up so many ideas for me.  Just by exploring the site, I'm able to find a new recipe...  or a different way to decorate my front door.   We are even using Pinterest to get ideas for the two weddings.  It truly is a treasure-trove of ideas.   Search for me on Pinterest with my user ID:  Tracy Boyle.  I'd love for us to follow each other!

In that spirit, I thought it would be fun to do a Pinterest Post throughout the year with things that I have tried on Pinterest.  I could give you my thoughts on what worked and what did not work, at least for me.  So here we go...

I originally saw this ornament, or decoration if you will, at one of my clubs that I attend.  Sure enough, after searching around Pinterest, I found it there as well.  I thought it was so unique and beautiful that I had to make one.  The instructions were on Michael's website.  So I set off to make myself one.  It was not as easy as I thought.  I do believe that with practice, I will get better.   While the folding became easier with time, getting the points right and putting it all together became a challenge.  Here is my first attempt:



I kept the two sides apart to show you what it looks like.  Did you notice the "smushed" edges?  That's because I was desperately trying to meld the flower into itself because the points were too sharp to fit side by side.  Also, I used a TON of hot glue (it will not be seen on the right side) because these little buggers are tricky to hold together.




It doesn't quite sit nestled into itself.  So, I believe that is part of my "folding work" that needs to be improved.  

So, for this Pinterest project, my advice is:  Practice, practice, practice.  I would work with a larger sized square for folding.  Although it uses more paper, it would be easier to master the folds.  Use different colored cardstock (but not the good stuff!) to practice.  The different colors will help you to see how the ornament is going to look when you use your fancy paper. When we all get the hang of this project, with the right papers, it makes a GORGEOUS ornament that you would be proud to give to anyone.

Make it a great day!