Fake dreads

Some warn people that they shouldn't use wool dreads because they smell like sheep. They may or they may not depending on what kind of wool you use. The more lanolin left in the wool, the more sheep it will smell, especially when wet. The best thing is to choose a yarn which is well processed and with a fussy structure to it. This means a 1 tread yarn very lightly spun. If you use this your wool dreads won't smell more sheep than natural human hair dreads.

I have been making dreads today and I got 6 double dreads out of 1 skein. I have 1 left so I'll get 12, possibly 13 (there were some left on the first skein) 4 ft dreads. Folded in half they will definitely add length (and volume). Once they're all finished I'll fold them in half and sew on hair clips to keep them in place.

Me working on one dread.

For tutorial go here.

Here be dragons - some other day

I have been battling with the little cake topper dragon most of the evening and it's not really a success. One problem is that there are very few free patterns out on the net, so I decided to go for trial and error. It's been mostly error so far but I'm slowly making progress. I will eventually solve this.

I have also bought the wool yarn I'm going to make my fake dreads from. Or some of the wool dreads at least. I haven't decided if I'm going to have some brightly coloured dreads or not. Maybe I should have ribbons instead in bright colours. The yarn I bought today is dark brown and will blend in with my own hair colour. These fake dreads are meant to add more length because though I don't have any real plan yet, I want to have them tied up somehow.

Something like this I think.

Via Offbeatbride.com.

Outdoor inspiration

I have a vision of course. I am a designer so of course I have a vision. It also means I'm constantly looking for pictures that can explain my vision to people around me who are involved in this. Today I found the outdoor inspiration pictures.

This comes from the blog Bohemian Hellhole (a really nice blog if I may say so) and is about the person behind The Custards and her style. And it's spot on, with the colours and the atmosphere.

I won't be able to create that lushness because it is a yard after all, but the flowers will be there. As will the mismatch furniture and colour. I will do my best to make it look as inviting as I can and this picture above will be a great help to explain what I want to accomplish.

Superhero lollipops

Cuteness overload. I was looking at Chupa Chups lollipops the other day thinking it would make a fun little extra treat for everyone. Customizing them would make them even better.

Of course it's entirely possible to do something else, but I really like this one. Or Batman and Robin. That would definitely bring out some laughter.

Go to zakka life for the template.

Impressive DIY

Want to try to remake a pair of wedges? In particular a pair of perspex wedges? This is certainly a reminder that even shoes can be seriously DIY:ed, so if you stumble over a pair of sort of cool shoes that could be even cooler with some changes, just do it!

Go to (IN)DECORIOUS TASTE for tutorial for the shoes above.

Nerdy and absolutely lovely cake topper

It is the cutest topper ever. It made the Offbeat blog today but have been on the tribe for a week or so.

Click on image to go to the blog post on OBB.

And for those who have no idea why this is nerdy I suggest you start watching some Monty Python, especially the Holy Grail one. ;)

Propaganda invitation

It's funny how my mind works. I posted the picture of the Hong Kong couple wearing Red Army uniforms and that got me thinking about classic communist propaganda posters. The Chinese had a certain style on some of them that I really like. Considering our political past, it works too. I chose one that is very typical and copied the worker and the farmer, cut out the soldier (we are only two after all) and gave them our faces (and hair). Done!

I love the little subtle hint with the hammer and sickle! It's also incredibly simple graphically. All I need to do now is to find a good paper! (And have a fight with the printer.)

Comrade, lets get married

This is Jordan Chan and Cherrie Ying, a celebrity couple from Hong Kong and this is also one of their wedding pictures. This is nostalgic for sure. In the early 1950's this kind of a portrait of newly wedded communist couples were not unusual in China (one such rather famous one is in the book "Wild swans" by Jung Chang showing her parents in such a photo). 

It's refreshing to see something else than the traditional white dress/suit/lets try and look cute thing.

Via China Daily.

Blankets

We have no idea what the weather will be like in mid-August. Statistics tells us that it should be sunny and warm, but we could have rather bland weather too. The risk of rain is always present but August is usually the best time of the year for planning an outdoor event in southern Scandinavia.

I'm planning for chill at night anyway. Even if it's a warm and pleasant evening and night it's rarely as warm as in July when we can have tropical nights. Inside the barn there will be no need to for something to keep warm, but I'm planning for a lounge area just outside of the barn and some blankets might just be a good idea. These blankets can also be used for the ceremony to sit on.

I'm going to buy cheap fleece blankets from IKEA, and some quilt cover sets, cut the quilt covers so I get two sheets of fabric, sew one fleece blanket together with one sheet and give it a final edge finish with zigzag shears. Quite simple and perfectly in-theme. That's always something to look in to, quilt covers (or sheets). Really cheap ones are often cheaper than buying the same amount of the same kind of fabric per yard, and if you just need fabrics for simple things such as this, it's a good idea to check quilt covers first before looking at other fabrics.

Mushu and piglet

We're not religious and we don't believe that stars decide our personality and what will happen in life. However, it was rather funny to realise that the key personality traits we have, are the traits we should have according to our Chinese zodiac signs.

I'm a pig, homely, crafty, creative and a rather kind and gentle individual who likes to care for people I love with treats and little presents. I really am that way! Darling is a fire dragon. Bold, dominant, brave and passionate, with an air of a male lion in public. He's even up-scaled in size, 6'5 tall and nothing but muscles. If he only was the show a fire dragon can pull off I wouldn't been interested, but he has other, more gentle sides and we have many interests in common and think alike in many areas.

We've been joking about our signs since we found out, which was shortly after we became friends. I call him Mushu sometimes, and he calls me his little piglet.

Today I realised that toppers based on our Chinese zodiac signs would actually be rather fun. I made the little piglet today and will try and make the dragon in a day or so.

The light at the end of the tunnel

I have been going back and forth about how we're going to light up the barn. I've been thinking about party lights, but to get the desired effect we'd have to get quite many and though we have electricity, it'd be a big job solving the cable issue.

Then there's the crafty mason-jar-in-plank solution.

Pretty, but I'd need to get planks and a lot of rope too. And I'd have to saw all those holes. Quelle nightmare. For real.

However, today I saw the perfect solution. Wheels plus mason jars and any other kind of décor I'd like to add.

I very much doubt that I can find wooden wagon wheels on the farm, but I know that there are metal ones from old machinery with decades of patina. I only need to get some wire for the jars and something to hang the wheels in and we're done. I love simple solutions.

Browncoat invitation

I have been working on the invitations. I had decided on the polaroid kind, but there's still time to toy with ideas. Yesterday I crashed my computer working on this:

I embraced my inner nerd. If there's any sci fi series that would work with our theme, it's Firefly. I also made it in English. Thing is that we're inviting a bunch of people who don't speak Swedish and though I've made the site in Swedish and in English, I'd rather not have two different invitations. Everyone knows enough English to understand what the invitation says after all.

I'm going to think about it for a while. I might change my mind again.

Quickfix when the wallet is empty

I would really like a sleeve. Or two. Well, I have two arms after all. However, money's tight so I'd never be able to pay for something like that before the wedding. Besides, it takes some time to make one too and I don't feel like stressing about it either.

There are solutions though. There are henna tattoos, an ancient way of decorating skin. I won't call it mendi because this technique is found from Morocco to China, and it's called differently depending on where you are.

There are also fake tattoos in the shape of polyester/spandex sleeves. I'm seriously tempted to wear that. If I did get those I'd have to reconsider the sleeve I was going to have on the dress because the tattoo sleeve will end somewhere just below that dress sleeve and that's not very pretty.

The only on-line store I've found in Europe who sells these is found in the UK (of course) and is called Space Monkeys.

The final version

I'm going to wink at Star Trek. The yellow dress I found is typical for the late 60's with it's experimental cut. The Star Trek uniforms are equally famous for original cut. Well, not the Star Trek Enterprise then. I don't want people to think "oh, that's a Star Trek dress" so I have decided to not do the two colour thing in the dress. I'm choosing a yellow fabric, but I'll cut the neckline in the asymmetric way Uhura and nurse Chapel's dresses are cut. I think that's the only real detail I need for those who knows their Star Trek to squee. The dress itself has a cut reminding you of a Star Trek uniform tunic from the early The Next Generation era so I really don't have do anything else.

 

I also found the colour scheme for the petticoat. It'll be a strong pink/raspberry red kind of a colour in soft tulle. I think I'm going to nick the idea to tie small strips of aqua tulle to the pink tulle, just like this tutu I spotted on Etsy. Without further ado:

I found the image below as a colour inspiration. I'm also wondering if I should find a polka dot ribbon, a rather wide one, to add to the tulle. I have to be careful though so I don't make it too full, because I'm not making a squaredance dress. I just want some ruffles because it's candy fun.

Sunshine!

I think I may have found the dress that will make the foundation of my design.

I'm not going to buy this one though it's a lovely dress. It's too short, and the skirt isn't wide enough IMO. But I love the cut and I can see myself adding pockets to it. A girl has got to have pockets! I'm not going to keep the sleeves and the neckline needs to be lower, but not too low though. Not too long, too short, no décolletage, easy to move around in.

The colour is lovely. That navy is getting more and more difficult to justify. I could have the bottom part of the dress in navy, but the problem is that it might look like I'm wearing an apron. Or possibly too Star Trek-ish. I'm NOT doing geek things here. I'm such a sci fi nerd but star Trek just don't belong in this.

Dress from Beautvintage.com.

Colour!

I've been looking a bit on Etsy.com today, mostly because I'm in need of some inspiration. There are many pretty things to look at over there. For a splash of colour (and things to pull inspiration from), have a look at these! Click on images to go to the shop in question.

Dress

So I've been thinking. 50's? 60's? Sort of? Freestyle crochet? Possibly. Sunflower yellow and dark blue. That's a winner though I am hesitant to use blue and yellow since it's our flag's colours. I don't want people to think of our flag when looking at me. Sunflower yellow and cerise? Now that's a glowing combination! And I could make a visible tulle petticoat in yellow with dark blue satin trimming to go with that. Or it could all be too much. Inspiration pictures:

I'm not wearing white. Why? There are several reasons for that.

• I've been married before
• I don't really like white on myself
• I want to have fun in this dress and wearing it on other occasions
• We're offbeat in so many other ways that I don't feel like dressing traditionally

White is really a rather new thing. Just wearing something nice looking was the way to do it for a very long time until European nobility decided white was the thing - and that had a lot to do with the 19^th century screwed up ideas about female sexuality. White has for a very long time been the virgin colour. Well, I'm not a virgin.

Invitation angst

Sometimes hanging out on Offbeat Bride can cause you to have a complete frustration meltdown on ideas. I had this idea for wedding invites that I'd make Polaroid-like invitations. Well, then I stumbled over this invitation... No, it's too expensive and too complicated but it got me thinking. Maybe I should reconsider? Do something completely different?

Good thing it's still 3 months until deadline.

And now I have changed my mind again. The Polaroid idea is perfect. I've got the kraft paper bags it will be sent out in already and I think it's a good way to tie it in to the website design and the feel of this event.

BTW, I'm really falling in love with this heart.

Ceremony

We're having a secular ceremony. The formality takes but 20 seconds but it can of course be extended with elements we choose. We've not come that far yet though.

It'll be held in a nearby field. The surroundings aren't that fancy; a field, a wall of spruce trees behind a low dry stone wall. Had my parents not cut down the huge beech tree in the garden that would have been the obvious place to hold the ceremony, but it's gone, and the views over the road isn't that exiting. I prefer spruce trees.

Again it's simple, birch brushwood will provide the frame on which I'll hang frames in various sizes. Such can be found in the local thrift shop for a modest price. Some jars and some cans with wild flowers and long strips of fabric as some sort of very simple bunting will accompany the frames. As the focal point a small worn table will be perfect. I'll think of some simple decoration around that table eventually.

As seating we'll use some of the plank benches from the barn and some blankets and cushions. Hopefully we'll have family members playing some music.


That's it. And I have decided that we'll have sunshine. Period.

I see the light

Light is a lot more complicated than one might think. I like the idea of simple multicoloured party lights, but there are of course options. You can create pretty DIY lights from mason jars and a piece of plank. It's a good solution if you're at place where it's difficult to have electric lightning.

For simple party mood light you can always use cans. Fill them with water, put them in the freezer and use a nail and hammer to create patterns. Add on some thin metal wire loop that will make it possible to hang them. The really simple thing is to hang mason jars in wire.

In our case electricity is no problem so we could go for the classic multicoloured party lights. Or we could get 12 IKEA lamps and make a large one. That will certainly give light enough, maybe too much I'm afraid.


But then again, maybe not. It's a huge space under the ceiling in this barn. It's a fun idea anyway. If you're interested you can find the PDF-file and instructions here. Check out the Flickr photostream too.