Mawwaige is what brings us together today

Guys! I have been married for 5 months already! Where does the time go? I just wanted to reminisce on some of the beautiful shots Lulu's Photography took to capture our big day. So here you go. Sit back, relax, and enjoy your Friday!

Fake it til' You Make It-- Chalkboard Handwriting and a Sloth

You guys! I can't draw. Like me plus a pencil equals a disaster zone. For reals though. It's bad. So for my wedding I thought it would be adorable to adorn the reception with chalkboards since it looked so easy on pinterest.

After painting the board to my liking, I held the chalk in my hand and just sat there. For a long time. I was like okay... now what?

But then after a little research and inspiration T H I S happened...

Ummm yea I was proud of myself. But how the heck did this happen. I mean after all, I KNOW I have bad handwriting.

Well my friends, I am going to let you in on a little secret. It's called inspiration. I pulled up a hodgepodge of some of my favorite chalkboard designs, handwriting, and even fonts I liked. Somehow, my imagination took over, and I created a masterpiece. [Okay maybe not a masterpiece. I like to exaggerate a little sometimes.] 

If you just type chalkboard into pinterest you can get soo many good inspiration ideas. You can also check out my Wedding Inspiration page on my Pinterest. If you aren't following me, shame on you! I'm joking. But really. Do it now here http://www.pinterest.com/jessicazylks/boards/. You won't regret it. 

At the end of all my posts I always get this weird urge to say 'DUN DUN DUUUUUN' like the adorable sloth in The Croods.

If you haven't seen it, you must. Here is the little clip of him saying it. 

Yup. That just happened. 

Sloths and a DIY. 

Your hump day is now complete. You're welcome. 

DIY Wedding Centerpiece

Since my last wedding inspired post was so popular, I decided to make it a regular post on the blog. Today I am sharing pictures of my centerpieces I had at my wedding reception.

TA DA! Look how pretty they turned out!

A lot of help from my family and friends went into making these possible. I had 3 elements in my centerpieces. The first was a large mason jar filled with lemons and babies breath. We simply bought a large order of babies breath and went crazy with it. We also bought a ton of lemons to make these beautiful and natural centerpieces at my outdoor reception.

The second item on the agenda was ANOTHER smaller mason jar modge podged with lace my mom found on a super sale in our local fabric store.

The third were these awesome candle holders my dad made! He was such a trooper throughout the whole wedding process. I printed off pinterest pictures and basically told him to make it! He went up in the mountains, found some fallen tree branches, and made these sweet candles holders. 

All together the centerpieces were very affordable and the perfect style for my country vintage shabby chic wedding!

If you like this style and want more wedding ideas check out my pretty DIY background here!

Also if you haven't entered to win these adorable pillows make sure to enter here!

Now go win yourself some pillows! Ta Ta!

DIY Wedding Backdrop

Oh hey, I'm alive. I just took a little break from blogging since life is hectic. I have been sick, grad school just began, and Cliff just had surgery (you can read about it on my other blog). I haven't had time to be super crafty woman and thrifter of the week, but I have a ton of fun wedding projects I haven't shared yet. I am so excited to talk about this super easy wedding backdrop. The truth is I wasn't the person who made this. I helped a little, but I owe this project to my lovely mom and friend Jen. They helped make tons of my wedding decorations while I was still in grad school.

So as you can see this backdrop is shabby chic and perfect to create with your own styles and colors. I used a few different types of lace I found on clearance at a local fabric store, burlap, and a mint green fabric. And when I say I, I mean my mom and Jen haha. It was simply the task of cutting the strips to the desired length and tying them to some rope (keeping with the rustic shabby chic look). I actually named the style/theme of my wedding as "country vintage shabby chic" and yes my husband memorized it. He was such a trooper. 

Just my mini session with Harmony before the reception.

I borrowed old doors from my parents in law and boom we had the perfect backdrop to stand in front of during the line. It also held the perfect place to do the cake cutting at our outdoor reception.

Overall it wasn't too expensive to make, and it turned out perfect for my wedding theme! Thanks Mommy and Jen for the perfect DIY!

DIY Chalkboard Tray

Hello everyone! I am so excited to launch my new blog with this post. I have been an avid crafter and thrifter for years, and now I finally have the time to post about it. I just moved to Las Vegas with my new husband, and there are thrift stores everywhere. Being thrifty to me is just a way of life. Some may think it's beneath them, but I love to brag about a good deal or an awesome craft I made myself! Follow me through the journey! 

So I just got married May 24th. I made sooo many of my decorations and I couldn't have been happier with the way things turned out. This chalkboard tray can be used for any occasion or decoration in the house. How cute would it be painted to match your kitchen as a "What's for dinner" board.

I used it on a candy bar table, but it could be used in a babies room, a classroom, a party decoration, or in any room in the house. The thing I love about these trays is how custom you can make them. Pick your color, and pick what you want it to say. You could change it every season if you wanted. 

For this craft project I spent about $5 with leftover paint and brushes to use on another project. 

I found a tray similar to these at either the DI or Goodwill for $2. You will also need a foam paint brush, chalkboard paint, and craft paint of the color you choose. 

I started by painting the outer edges the mint green color. I gave mine a few coats. After letting it dry, I taped off the edges to leave only the circle showing. I then painted two coats of the chalkboard paint in the middle of the tray. To condition the new "chalkboard" you rub some chalk over the surface. Then I pulled out my creative side and drew the design I wanted first on a paper, and then right on the tray. Easy right!? 

-Jessica