Absolutely try the unpasturized milk products. The enzymes and other components are still intact. You should experience a difference. Getting the unpasturized raw milk is the challenge, with our ever so vigilant government groups protecting us from enjoying better health. We so don't need their active support of corporations and factories to live better.
I am so impressed with your blog (having read it in reverse tonight, except for the parts I previously viewed via facebook's link). The narrative is of course wonderful, as are the menu selections. But what amazes me is the quality of your photographs: the height above the plate, the lighting, the process portrayed. FANTASTICO!
Speaking as a bonafide home improvement and DIY junkie, that would be wonderful! Especially all the fun sewing projects that you do. 🙂 Basically, I'd read anything and everything you guys create, make, build, or improve on.
This is brillant. I have SUCH a hard time with meal planning….motly because I'm a brat and I'll see some great recipe I want to try and I'm all, "I'll make that TONIGHT!!!" I'm definitely going to follow your example and try this next week. Especially since I'm on Weight Watchers now, I need to be better about this stuff…
Do you guys plan for leftovers? Is it like, "we're having X two days in a row" or do you get fancy and use the leftovers to make something new?
One thing that helps me with the pantry is keeping a dry erase board on the inside of the door; that way when I'm running low or finish something I can put it on the list and work from there. (Doesn't always work, but that's because I'm lazy….)
We usually eat our dinner leftovers for lunch the next day. So, lunches? Done and done. (And we eat the same thing for breakfast pretty much all the time, except weekends when I get all fancy, so as long as I plan dinners, we're set.)
also – if you tend to find your recipes on the internet, you may want to get some recipe software, or start a binder to keep them in (we do both). If you keep your menu on the computer (I do it in a simple notepad doc), just add those recipes to the next weeks menu when you find them and half your planning will be done!
This post is amazing. And sounds a lot like my life. Especially when I ended up going from one tech week to another. Thanks for sharing! (And I love your writing style!)
Thanks for reading! I am happy to report that this week is (so far) really sane and relaxing. Last night, we were home! Together! and we watched TV. And today I brought my little charge and kidnapped my wife and took them both to the beach for a couple hours and then I got off work early. Yippee!
Ok, I'll go first. (Because I see 14 of you have read this and NOT commented…) – is it because you couldn't do it anonymously? well guess what? I just turned that on, so go ahead. Comment without identity. Thank you.
As a friend from a former life I am interested in your opinions & I really do think that y'all are terribly talented at all things crafty. 🙂 I like new ideas for things that I haven't tried, or a new approach for the things that I have. . I hope that helps!
So, basically, you like it the way it is and I can do whatever I want and you'll still keep reading it??? Amazing. I can't believe you're not sick of listening to me yet.
I invite people over. I had had some regularly occuring events (currently on hiatus) that involved having people over and seeing what a shitty housekeeper I was — so I always cleaned like a fury for an hour or two before folks came, and It Was Good.
Having people over regularly is definitely a good system. We have totally wacky schedules a lot of the time and unfortunately cannot do that as often as we'd like.
Good point about the objects at rest and in motion. I made myself a chore chart and get a kick out of crossing them off. And I use todoist.com, which I LOVE. I am pretty addicted. 🙂
This sounds great. I have been wanting to learn how to make baguettes forever, but have been nervous it would be too difficult. I think I feel ready to give it a try now though, based on this post! 🙂
Man, I need to do a bread round two post I think, maybe with some step by step photos? I have learned so much since this batch! And my loaves are way prettier now. Anyhow, give that recipe a try, it's not really difficult. If you feel adventurous/healthy, sub whole wheat flour for half of the white flour. (I subbed it all once and it was VERY HEAVY.) I'm also planning on stirring in a bunch of nuts/seeds in an attempt to recreate the whole grain bread I buy at the store all the time.
It's frankly shocking how well it turned out, considering how intoxicated we were. Then again, baking is practically a muscle memory for me at this point…
One of the other interruptions to this incredibly busy day was firing Cindy's mother as our calligrapher for our marriage license (Literally. I told her she was fired because she showed up without said license the day before our event), putting in an order of our back-up license at Kinko's (since we are big-time planners and had a back-up plan ready to go), and taking a drive to the only 24-hour Kinko's open on the 4th of July to pick up said license (which ended up serendipitously being free of charge because their computers decided to freeze right as I was checking out!). Busy day indeed.
awesome story! I love your smooshed cake, sounds ridiculously delicious.
my sister made my wedding cake, pretty sure she could have taken some pretty similar pictures of her process (particularly the "how to attack a wedding cake" one). thanks for sharing more of this story! 🙂
I lOVE the aesthetic. And I especially love the cleanness of the white icons. But maybe it might be more interesting if the icons had a white background but were still filled in with the nice brown/blue combo? So the "i" is blue, or the spool of thread is brown and blue, but the back is still white so it stands out. 🙂 Great job, Crafty Broads!
Thanks for the input, guys! I decided to go with the first one for the home page (but the buttons are brown with blue text when your mouse rolls over them). Marty – I am my designer. Crafty, no? =)
You are amazing. I *wish* I could get that much done in a day. Though, like you said, having things you *want* to get done might also have something to do with it… Food for thought 😉
Yeah, I feel like I ought to be freaked out, and when I had to take the bus to the wedding I was coordinating that night, the 90 minute ride gave me some time to do so. But aside from that… I am just relieved that the only thing hurt was inanimate, replaceable objects. And that my insurance covers it!
Happy Birthday! What an amazing cake you created! 🙂 Thanks so much for linking back to my Cucumber Chickpea Bruschetta recipe! It sounds like you had an absolutely incredible birthday feast.
haha yes. all the time! M has a theatre job too-thankfully my job is flexible enough that i can go in late/come home early to spend breakfast/dinner together.
This totally has me in tears this morning (and gave me goosebumps). Fabulous post & so true! (And I do those things you said… since saying “That’s gay” is pretty standard in my hometown, sadly.)
::applause:: It makes me happy that we have come this far, but you’re right: it’s not over. Sometimes, in my liberal internet bubble, I forget how much homophobia is still being spread out there… and then I check my facebook, where I am (sort-of) friends with the kind of people who say “love the sinner, but hate the sin” (ARGHHHHHH!!! This feels even worse to me, too, because they *think* they’re being so open-minded and loving, when in fact they’re the exact opposite).
I try to do what I can. I want to do more.
(also, seasons 1-2 of the L word were my fav. Was “meh” about season 3 and never caught up w/season 4).
One of my best friends’ families had a high school graduation tradition: salmon served at their graduation party. We were in the car about two days before her party and her parents called to summon us for A SALMON TASTING. (Hurray for the Northwest.) Best meal ever: Copper River Salmon, unspecified salmon, Washington coast caught salmon. Copper River. Hands down. (Also most expensive…but my friends parents are all about the value of food. SO good.)
Actually you can’t go out and buy an Alice costume for $20. I have searched high and low for one that was for baby girls and only found sleazy adult costumes. My daughter’s name is Alice, named after Alice in Wonderland. She was born the day before you posted this. Hopefully I can find one as nice as this by November next year or I may have to come to Chicago! Which is actually only 2 hours away, so i totally would.
I’m surprised they aren’t easy to find! If you are really interested in having us make one, drop us a line – we’ve already created the pattern in 12-18 month size, so half the work is done already.
I’m a slacker and want an Alice in wonderland costume for my girl 2weeks before Halloween. I need 12-18m size and it’s impossible to find costume or pattern to make this size. Any suggestions?
Any toddler dress pattern with a similar silhouette will work – just make it in blue. Then you can trace a copy and draw in the outline of an apron to use it for that. Finally cut a sash length of fabric and top stitch to the apron pieces to complete it. Or contact us if you’d like to get a quote for having it made.
The tricky thing with employers, though, is when they’ll *pay* for sick days, but penalize you for taking them. Like, heaven forbid you get sick (typically because a coworker has shown up sick), it goes in your HR file and becomes part of your review at the end of the year.
It’s such a misguided system. I completely agree with you.
Yeah, well, they shouldn’t penalize you in any way! People get sick, that’s like, they need to deal with it like reasonable, compassionate adults, and recognize that people should come first. Jerks.
I always have a problem with pants. I get the size that fits best at the store, then I wear them all day at work and they are completely too big and stretched out and saggy by the end of the day 🙁
I can’t return them for a smaller size since i’ve worn them all day at work and thrown out the tags. How do you know if the material is going to do this ?!
When at the store, give the fabric a good pull (up & down, side to side, and along the diagonal) and see if it stretches at all. Fabrics that shouldn’t stretch will generally be natural fibers (cotton, linen, wool, silk) but unfortunately you won’t find much of that in ready-made clothing, because it’s not as cheap as polyester and rayon, and because a little stretch in the fabric makes it “fit” a wider variety of body shapes. So the best you can do is look for something that’s 100% natural fiber. For pants, wool is great all year round and linen is awesome in warm weather (but it does wrinkle, so it’s best suited for casual wear.)
i have a question! 🙂 can you wear it under everyday clothes or would it show through? I can see it being very wearable under structured dresses, but what about unlined pieces and the like?
A good question! The answer is: it depends both on the corset itself and on the clothes you want to wear it under. Corsets can be designed/constructed to have a smooth exterior, which would give you the same kind of smooth lines as wearing spanx or something like that (except way more comfortable!) – remember, corsets are the original undergarment, so they were designed to be worn under all kinds of things. However. That was in time periods where ladies generally wore many layers and never, ever wore pants, so that’s something to keep in mind. I haven’t personally tried wearing a corset with pants, but I like to think one could be tweaked for that purpose. (After all, there were specialty corsets for horseback riding and pregnancy, so why not pants?) Thank you, you’ve revealed my new quest in life: a corset that works well with jeans!
Let’s see, what else? – under unlined things – YES, you can definitely do that! The reason I made a corset was to add structure to an otherwise completely unstructured wedding dress. This is, in fact, a fabulous way to put a corset to good use.
I’m right in the middle of tech right now (opening a week from tonight) and it’s definitely the hellish variety: an outdoor show that’s suddenly battling high winds, cold temperatures, and rain. Oh, and we’re not 100% blocked just yet.
Needless to say, I’m not seeing a lot of J. Last night was the rare miracle of me beating him home (he’d been out at an event) … and he found me asleep on the couch, still in my rehearsal wear.
Ooh pretty! I like this structure, but I think I was wanting something at the very beginning that showed the final product (or at least a peak at it), so I could relate the in-progress steps to how well it turned out. Even though I knew what the final dress was like, it would have been a nice reminder at the start.
Honestly, they weren’t very… clear. One looked like a dinosaur, maybe? And I have no idea about the other. The rest of it was along the lines of “Such and such event in the chapel this way ->” type stuff.
Oh man! This reminds me of the time we raced to the store to buy cleaning product to remove the sharpie’d statements about what had recently occurred there on the wall of the restroom in the park where my cousin was getting married…
Relaxing? That I haven’t really figured out how to fit in yet regularly. And the personal projects tend to go into “found time” other than the hour I have scheduled for “Art Time.” But I did notice when I skipped sleep that everything else took longer, so bedtime is now sacred. And when I started exercising regularly, I needed less sleep, which freed up a net 30-60 minutes a day.
You have way longer to finish that corset. I don’t know what you’re talking about — “two weeks.” What’s in two weeks? *Certainly* not my wedding. I don’t know what you’re talking about.
No advice for you, but maybe a plea to make me some jeans as well? I have yet to find a pair that fits me correctly. Maybe if you take on some projects of a similar nature, you can carve out time to incorporate your projects into the time you spend on theirs? I don’t know.
But I do reiterate the whole sleep and exercise thing. Training for this damn half marathon has given me a calmer demeanor and more sleep.
Oh that is a beautiful corset! Did you find the pattern online? Can you share the link please? I am desperately looking for a 1870’s corset pattern. Thank you!
I really loved this blog post! Even though I’ve been married for a while now and am far removed from wedding planning, it made me smile and feel better about life in general. It’s so true.
Have you ever planned a stage manager’s wedding? I am a professional stage manager, and nervous about hiring a wedding planner. (I hear GREAT things about you guys!)
We have done day-of-coordination for a number of theatre people, including a stage manager, but so far, no full planning. I expect that’s because most stage managers LOVE to plan =)
Hi! Love this idea. How does one get married at Giddings Plaza? We used to live in the neighborhood and moved to Cincinnati for work, but we want to get hitched in Chicago. Any info would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Ashley! Because it’s a public plaza, there is actually nothing to do — you just show up and use it! The pro is, obviously, it’s there and it’s free. The con is there is no such thing as a permit for the space, so there is no guarantee that the general public will move out of the way for your ceremony. For this wedding, they checked with the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce to make sure there weren’t any events planned for that date, and I recommend you do the same if you’re considering this.
That’s great! We’ll check with them. I saw you guys are thinking of going to Spain. I spent two weeks there a few years ago and loved it. I have a great itinerary if you’d like to see it!
I’d suggest hunting down custom clothing makers, generally, and asking if they can do custom jeans. Also stay tuned – depending on how our beta testing goes, we may start offering custom jeans without in-person fittings in the not-too-far distant future!
plus size clothing for women is so darn ugly and unflattering! I find it discriminating and I hate it! Most clothes look like they came out of trash can. Designers are clueless, probably because they are tiny people and don’t care. We do need a riot to stop this horrible situation! I hope designers read this. Buyers need to have more class and demand decent clothing for all sizes!!!!
YUM! I'm so inspired by you two! I need to try this out!
Absolutely try the unpasturized milk products. The enzymes and other components are still intact. You should experience a difference. Getting the unpasturized raw milk is the challenge, with our ever so vigilant government groups protecting us from enjoying better health. We so don't need their active support of corporations and factories to live better.
I am so impressed with your blog (having read it in reverse tonight, except for the parts I previously viewed via facebook's link).
The narrative is of course wonderful, as are the menu selections. But what amazes me is the quality of your photographs: the height above the plate, the lighting, the process portrayed.
FANTASTICO!
Speaking as a bonafide home improvement and DIY junkie, that would be wonderful! Especially all the fun sewing projects that you do. 🙂
Basically, I'd read anything and everything you guys create, make, build, or improve on.
Glad to hear it! Now if I can just think of a new name…
Yum! The lamb sounds amazing! I want to try that out.
Sounds delicious! Gotta try it this week.
I really like that, but then again, I'm a big Cheese ball! But it does have a nice ring to it!
This is brillant. I have SUCH a hard time with meal planning….motly because I'm a brat and I'll see some great recipe I want to try and I'm all, "I'll make that TONIGHT!!!" I'm definitely going to follow your example and try this next week. Especially since I'm on Weight Watchers now, I need to be better about this stuff…
Do you guys plan for leftovers? Is it like, "we're having X two days in a row" or do you get fancy and use the leftovers to make something new?
One thing that helps me with the pantry is keeping a dry erase board on the inside of the door; that way when I'm running low or finish something I can put it on the list and work from there. (Doesn't always work, but that's because I'm lazy….)
We usually eat our dinner leftovers for lunch the next day. So, lunches? Done and done. (And we eat the same thing for breakfast pretty much all the time, except weekends when I get all fancy, so as long as I plan dinners, we're set.)
also – if you tend to find your recipes on the internet, you may want to get some recipe software, or start a binder to keep them in (we do both). If you keep your menu on the computer (I do it in a simple notepad doc), just add those recipes to the next weeks menu when you find them and half your planning will be done!
This post is amazing. And sounds a lot like my life. Especially when I ended up going from one tech week to another. Thanks for sharing! (And I love your writing style!)
Thanks for reading! I am happy to report that this week is (so far) really sane and relaxing. Last night, we were home! Together! and we watched TV. And today I brought my little charge and kidnapped my wife and took them both to the beach for a couple hours and then I got off work early. Yippee!
I'm drooling over here! You are my cooking goddess! 🙂 You always have the best recipes and the best explanations for fool-proof meals.
I'm glad you are enjoying it! I never know if I'm being helpful or it's too much recipe and not enough chatter or what.
Ok, I'll go first. (Because I see 14 of you have read this and NOT commented…) – is it because you couldn't do it anonymously? well guess what? I just turned that on, so go ahead. Comment without identity. Thank you.
I read this blog because I found you via APW and I'm just interested in what you have to say. also I likey recipes! 🙂
As a friend from a former life I am interested in your opinions & I really do think that y'all are terribly talented at all things crafty. 🙂 I like new ideas for things that I haven't tried, or a new approach for the things that I have. .
I hope that helps!
I read it cuz I luvs you both.
I came over from APW- and stayed. I love to eat. I love to take a peek into other LGBTQ couple's lives… so, keep it up!
So, basically, you like it the way it is and I can do whatever I want and you'll still keep reading it??? Amazing. I can't believe you're not sick of listening to me yet.
Cindy, you're amazing. Love to read all your ramblings and would like easy recipes that are a quick after work solution to good eating.
I invite people over. I had had some regularly occuring events (currently on hiatus) that involved having people over and seeing what a shitty housekeeper I was — so I always cleaned like a fury for an hour or two before folks came, and It Was Good.
That's why we always called it Hell Week (as I'm sure you've heard before). 😛
Oh yes, I have definitely called it hell week on more than one occasion.
Having people over regularly is definitely a good system. We have totally wacky schedules a lot of the time and unfortunately cannot do that as often as we'd like.
Ooh yum. I'm going to adapt this for boneless thighs (which is what I have in the freezer)– thanks!
Keep a close eye on them, they should need less cooking time. And let me know how it turns out!
Good point about the objects at rest and in motion. I made myself a chore chart and get a kick out of crossing them off. And I use todoist.com, which I LOVE. I am pretty addicted. 🙂
This sounds great. I have been wanting to learn how to make baguettes forever, but have been nervous it would be too difficult. I think I feel ready to give it a try now though, based on this post! 🙂
Man, I need to do a bread round two post I think, maybe with some step by step photos? I have learned so much since this batch! And my loaves are way prettier now. Anyhow, give that recipe a try, it's not really difficult. If you feel adventurous/healthy, sub whole wheat flour for half of the white flour. (I subbed it all once and it was VERY HEAVY.) I'm also planning on stirring in a bunch of nuts/seeds in an attempt to recreate the whole grain bread I buy at the store all the time.
Whatever system works for you is the system you need. We tried ChoreWars.com for a while, but I found it didn't motivate me well.
LOL "we're drunk! time to make the souffle!" hahah very nice. no doubt in that situation I would have burnt the apartment down.
so funny, this very moment I'm working on a "perfect day" post. glad I'm not the only one who had a nice weekend. 🙂
It's frankly shocking how well it turned out, considering how intoxicated we were. Then again, baking is practically a muscle memory for me at this point…
One of the other interruptions to this incredibly busy day was firing Cindy's mother as our calligrapher for our marriage license (Literally. I told her she was fired because she showed up without said license the day before our event), putting in an order of our back-up license at Kinko's (since we are big-time planners and had a back-up plan ready to go), and taking a drive to the only 24-hour Kinko's open on the 4th of July to pick up said license (which ended up serendipitously being free of charge because their computers decided to freeze right as I was checking out!). Busy day indeed.
awesome story! I love your smooshed cake, sounds ridiculously delicious.
my sister made my wedding cake, pretty sure she could have taken some pretty similar pictures of her process (particularly the "how to attack a wedding cake" one). thanks for sharing more of this story! 🙂
It's important to attack cakes head on, lest they sneak around back and fall over.
Please look for more updates to this post. Clearly, Cindy is not finished writing this…
ok honey, I fixed it. =)
I lOVE the aesthetic. And I especially love the cleanness of the white icons. But maybe it might be more interesting if the icons had a white background but were still filled in with the nice brown/blue combo? So the "i" is blue, or the spool of thread is brown and blue, but the back is still white so it stands out. 🙂
Great job, Crafty Broads!
i actually like the 2nd best. i don't think it's too much color. can i ask where you're finding your designer? i'm in need of one.
Thanks for the input, guys! I decided to go with the first one for the home page (but the buttons are brown with blue text when your mouse rolls over them).
Marty – I am my designer. Crafty, no? =)
I remember that same point in my business… it is such a fabulous feeling! Congrats!!
You are amazing. I *wish* I could get that much done in a day. Though, like you said, having things you *want* to get done might also have something to do with it… Food for thought 😉
Ok, I'm really looking forward to the one about your perspective on having babies. Bring it!
Uh, that was supposed to sound playful, not aggressive, FYI.
Holy shit, custard that is battered and fried???!!!
That just blew my mind. In a good way.
That looks amazing! And you guys are adorable. Absolutely adorable.
Dude, that's terrifying. You're being all sorts of brave and amazing.
And not at all weird, I would absolutely want to hold the bullet too.
My response to this car shooting is total W.T.F.
Yeah, I feel like I ought to be freaked out, and when I had to take the bus to the wedding I was coordinating that night, the 90 minute ride gave me some time to do so. But aside from that… I am just relieved that the only thing hurt was inanimate, replaceable objects. And that my insurance covers it!
Love the title!
Happy to hear from Julia whenever she wants to/has the time.
Gorgeous work! She looks so happy.
Happy Birthday! What an amazing cake you created! 🙂 Thanks so much for linking back to my Cucumber Chickpea Bruschetta recipe! It sounds like you had an absolutely incredible birthday feast.
Shirley
Shirley, we’ve made that bruschetta a couple times (once for a gluten-free) party, and it is always a hit. Great recipe!
Yay for practical wedding vendors!!
Ooo, I feel featured! Beautiful work, Ladies! Now can someone do something about my hair in those pictures?
You ARE featured! You look fantastic, and I hope you have some more opportunities to wear this ensemble!
This is gorgeous! Nice work!
haha yes. all the time! M has a theatre job too-thankfully my job is flexible enough that i can go in late/come home early to spend breakfast/dinner together.
This totally has me in tears this morning (and gave me goosebumps). Fabulous post & so true! (And I do those things you said… since saying “That’s gay” is pretty standard in my hometown, sadly.)
::applause:: It makes me happy that we have come this far, but you’re right: it’s not over. Sometimes, in my liberal internet bubble, I forget how much homophobia is still being spread out there… and then I check my facebook, where I am (sort-of) friends with the kind of people who say “love the sinner, but hate the sin” (ARGHHHHHH!!! This feels even worse to me, too, because they *think* they’re being so open-minded and loving, when in fact they’re the exact opposite).
I try to do what I can. I want to do more.
(also, seasons 1-2 of the L word were my fav. Was “meh” about season 3 and never caught up w/season 4).
Love the blog, and this corset is awesome!
One of my best friends’ families had a high school graduation tradition: salmon served at their graduation party. We were in the car about two days before her party and her parents called to summon us for A SALMON TASTING. (Hurray for the Northwest.) Best meal ever: Copper River Salmon, unspecified salmon, Washington coast caught salmon. Copper River. Hands down. (Also most expensive…but my friends parents are all about the value of food. SO good.)
Oh sweet jeebus, that pumpkin pie you described sounds amazing!
It is, and you should eat some.
Super cute! Nice work!
How exciting!
Yay for protecting your personal assets! Congratulations!
Hooray! Congratulations!
WHOO-HOO!!!!
YAY for one more step towards being real 😛
Actually you can’t go out and buy an Alice costume for $20. I have searched high and low for one that was for baby girls and only found sleazy adult costumes. My daughter’s name is Alice, named after Alice in Wonderland. She was born the day before you posted this. Hopefully I can find one as nice as this by November next year or I may have to come to Chicago! Which is actually only 2 hours away, so i totally would.
I’m surprised they aren’t easy to find! If you are really interested in having us make one, drop us a line – we’ve already created the pattern in 12-18 month size, so half the work is done already.
I’m a slacker and want an Alice in wonderland costume for my girl 2weeks before Halloween. I need 12-18m size and it’s impossible to find costume or pattern to make this size. Any suggestions?
Any toddler dress pattern with a similar silhouette will work – just make it in blue. Then you can trace a copy and draw in the outline of an apron to use it for that. Finally cut a sash length of fabric and top stitch to the apron pieces to complete it. Or contact us if you’d like to get a quote for having it made.
Love this!!!
No! kidding!
The tricky thing with employers, though, is when they’ll *pay* for sick days, but penalize you for taking them. Like, heaven forbid you get sick (typically because a coworker has shown up sick), it goes in your HR file and becomes part of your review at the end of the year.
It’s such a misguided system. I completely agree with you.
Yeah, well, they shouldn’t penalize you in any way! People get sick, that’s like, they need to deal with it like reasonable, compassionate adults, and recognize that people should come first. Jerks.
YES. This is awesome.
AGREED.
Glad to hear you enjoyed the butternut squash lasagna recipe, and that salad sounds fantastic!
It was so good, we made it again for Julia’s family over the holidays, and everyone wanted the recipe!
So glad to have that dressing recipe now- it was so tasty! And the butternut squash/bechamel sauce lasagna has become a staple around here these days.
Also, my my what pretty ladies in that there photograph. 🙂
Noms. But the picture. Jealous!
You guys are adorable.
I’m ridiculously jealous.
All of this sounds SO delicious.
I always have a problem with pants. I get the size that fits best at the store, then I wear them all day at work and they are completely too big and stretched out and saggy by the end of the day 🙁
I can’t return them for a smaller size since i’ve worn them all day at work and thrown out the tags. How do you know if the material is going to do this ?!
When at the store, give the fabric a good pull (up & down, side to side, and along the diagonal) and see if it stretches at all. Fabrics that shouldn’t stretch will generally be natural fibers (cotton, linen, wool, silk) but unfortunately you won’t find much of that in ready-made clothing, because it’s not as cheap as polyester and rayon, and because a little stretch in the fabric makes it “fit” a wider variety of body shapes. So the best you can do is look for something that’s 100% natural fiber. For pants, wool is great all year round and linen is awesome in warm weather (but it does wrinkle, so it’s best suited for casual wear.)
i have a question! 🙂 can you wear it under everyday clothes or would it show through? I can see it being very wearable under structured dresses, but what about unlined pieces and the like?
A good question! The answer is: it depends both on the corset itself and on the clothes you want to wear it under. Corsets can be designed/constructed to have a smooth exterior, which would give you the same kind of smooth lines as wearing spanx or something like that (except way more comfortable!) – remember, corsets are the original undergarment, so they were designed to be worn under all kinds of things. However. That was in time periods where ladies generally wore many layers and never, ever wore pants, so that’s something to keep in mind. I haven’t personally tried wearing a corset with pants, but I like to think one could be tweaked for that purpose. (After all, there were specialty corsets for horseback riding and pregnancy, so why not pants?) Thank you, you’ve revealed my new quest in life: a corset that works well with jeans!
Let’s see, what else? – under unlined things – YES, you can definitely do that! The reason I made a corset was to add structure to an otherwise completely unstructured wedding dress. This is, in fact, a fabulous way to put a corset to good use.
I need to remember to give you recipes. Maybe someday!!
Break a leg!
(As a costume person I LOVED opening night. LOVED it.)
Ah, Hell Week.
I’m right in the middle of tech right now (opening a week from tonight) and it’s definitely the hellish variety: an outdoor show that’s suddenly battling high winds, cold temperatures, and rain. Oh, and we’re not 100% blocked just yet.
Needless to say, I’m not seeing a lot of J. Last night was the rare miracle of me beating him home (he’d been out at an event) … and he found me asleep on the couch, still in my rehearsal wear.
One. More. Week.
Congratulations to you both on Opening!
Yummmmmmmmmm
Ooh pretty! I like this structure, but I think I was wanting something at the very beginning that showed the final product (or at least a peak at it), so I could relate the in-progress steps to how well it turned out. Even though I knew what the final dress was like, it would have been a nice reminder at the start.
I’m curious what the sidewalk chalk drawings were of.
Honestly, they weren’t very… clear. One looked like a dinosaur, maybe? And I have no idea about the other. The rest of it was along the lines of “Such and such event in the chapel this way ->” type stuff.
I love this, but I am sad there are no pictures. The mental image, however, is most amusing. Wedding planners rock.
Yeah, it was pretty funny. I am actually quite sad that there wasn’t a photographer in the vicinity. I think it would have made a great ad for me.
You are brilliant and amazing.
Oh man! This reminds me of the time we raced to the store to buy cleaning product to remove the sharpie’d statements about what had recently occurred there on the wall of the restroom in the park where my cousin was getting married…
This is hilarious. Feeling really good about our decision to hire you for our upcoming wedding!
I’m not gonna lie – I am really excited about your wedding. I love it so much I want to be a guest and not work it!
You know I love this.
🙂
Relaxing? That I haven’t really figured out how to fit in yet regularly. And the personal projects tend to go into “found time” other than the hour I have scheduled for “Art Time.” But I did notice when I skipped sleep that everything else took longer, so bedtime is now sacred. And when I started exercising regularly, I needed less sleep, which freed up a net 30-60 minutes a day.
Hmm, I guess I really should start doing yoga again…
You have way longer to finish that corset. I don’t know what you’re talking about — “two weeks.” What’s in two weeks? *Certainly* not my wedding. I don’t know what you’re talking about.
AH! Two weeks! (Woohoo!)
No advice for you, but maybe a plea to make me some jeans as well? I have yet to find a pair that fits me correctly. Maybe if you take on some projects of a similar nature, you can carve out time to incorporate your projects into the time you spend on theirs? I don’t know.
But I do reiterate the whole sleep and exercise thing. Training for this damn half marathon has given me a calmer demeanor and more sleep.
I believe this is my wedding you’re talking about – and I had no idea this had happened! Cindy is the best!
haha, yep, it was yours. Glad you were clueless!
I love these! Thank you for sharing; it’s so helpful to see how all the pieces fit together for different couples.
Oh that is a beautiful corset! Did you find the pattern online? Can you share the link please? I am desperately looking for a 1870’s corset pattern. Thank you!
I used a patent drawing to create the pattern for the corset. You can find the patent here: http://www.google.com/patents/US208517
That is crazy pants life. Seriously. I am IMPRESSED.
(Also? That Google Calendar? Freaking amazing example of Why You should Hire Crafty Broads To Coordinate Your Wedding.)
Oh my goodness. How did you fit sleep into that?
hahahahahahaha. COFFEE.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I really loved this blog post! Even though I’ve been married for a while now and am far removed from wedding planning, it made me smile and feel better about life in general. It’s so true.
Have you ever planned a stage manager’s wedding? I am a professional stage manager, and nervous about hiring a wedding planner. (I hear GREAT things about you guys!)
We have done day-of-coordination for a number of theatre people, including a stage manager, but so far, no full planning. I expect that’s because most stage managers LOVE to plan =)
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This is so beautiful!!! Where was their rooftop reception held?
The reception was at Market Bar in the West Loop neighborhood of Chicago – it’s their rooftop, with an amazing view!
Hi! Love this idea. How does one get married at Giddings Plaza? We used to live in the neighborhood and moved to Cincinnati for work, but we want to get hitched in Chicago. Any info would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Ashley! Because it’s a public plaza, there is actually nothing to do — you just show up and use it! The pro is, obviously, it’s there and it’s free. The con is there is no such thing as a permit for the space, so there is no guarantee that the general public will move out of the way for your ceremony. For this wedding, they checked with the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce to make sure there weren’t any events planned for that date, and I recommend you do the same if you’re considering this.
That’s great! We’ll check with them. I saw you guys are thinking of going to Spain. I spent two weeks there a few years ago and loved it. I have a great itinerary if you’d like to see it!
If we aren’t lucky enough to be in your neck of the woods, how would we find someone to make custom jeans?
I’d suggest hunting down custom clothing makers, generally, and asking if they can do custom jeans. Also stay tuned – depending on how our beta testing goes, we may start offering custom jeans without in-person fittings in the not-too-far distant future!
LONG TORSO ONE PIECE SWIMMING SUIT.
That is all.
Indeed.
plus size clothing for women is so darn ugly and unflattering! I find it discriminating and I hate it! Most clothes look like they came out of trash can. Designers are clueless, probably because they are tiny people and don’t care. We do need a riot to stop this horrible situation! I hope designers read this. Buyers need to have more class and demand decent clothing for all sizes!!!!