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Sunday, November 26, 2017

CUSTOM CORNHOLE BOARDS

This idea came to me when I saw how much joy my daughter had playing cornhole.  Add in the fact that she owns her own business and voilĂ ....you have the perfect Christmas present!  This was a true joint effort between my husband and me and took quite some time.  But, it was so worth it.  To me, personalized gifts are so awesome, and when they're handmade it's even better.
I'm so thrilled with how they turned out......and even better, our daughter was ecstatic!

My husband was in charge of the woodworking and I was responsible for the bean bags and the artwork on the boards.   We tag teamed this project so well.  He did the research to ensure the boards were "regulation".  I researched the same thing for the bags, including size and how much feed corn they're supposed to have in each one.  I even measured out the corn on my postal scale so each one is exactly the same weight!

I wish I could remember exactly when we started...I think it was sometime in September.  We were able to work in the garage for a time, but due to the change in the weather, we ended up having to move indoors to finish the painting.

I have to tell you I was concerned about getting straight lines for the borders since I had yet to find a tape that really sealed.  But, I am now a personal spokesperson for Frog Tape.  It is outstanding!  No bleed through at all and perfectly crisp lines.
For the company logo, I used my silhouette machine.  I uploaded my daughter's logo to the software and then used the stencil material, which worked great.  I was able to paint right over it, and only needed to touch it up ever so slightly.

I found some canvas in light blue and grey colors (they were so close to her actual colors it was uncanny) for the bean bags and then made a tote bag with some canvas remnants I already had on hand.   It has both a drawstring
top and a shoulder strap for easy carrying.

To help carry the boards, I purchased drawer pulls from Hobby Lobby (when they were 50% off, of course).  We placed two on each board.  My husband visualized two people carrying them with the people in the middle and the boards on either side of them.  Hopefully it works as slick as we planned.


After everything was painted, we finished the boards with a couple of clear coats of gloss finish to add some sheen and also provide a nice protective coat for all our hard work.   

You may already know that I have a hard time waiting until Christmas when I have a really cool gift that someone may like.  That was the case with this project.    We gifted them to her this Thanksgiving weekend in hopes there may be a few more days yet this year when she may be able to have some friends over for a cornhole tournament!







Saturday, November 11, 2017

TWO PIECE WEDDING DRESS (BOHO)

I've been so excited to share this project with you!  My bride Logan came to me with some ideas for a two piece wedding gown for her September wedding.  She also liked the idea of incorporating color into her wedding gown.  I was thrilled to be a part....not only had I not created a two piece gown, but the addition of color was very unique as well.   I was all in! 
I really found this project so interesting....from the patternmaking, draping, fabric sourcing, etc.  It was a real treat!  We went to a local shop together to find the lace....it is an absolutely exquisite Alencon lace.  I was able to find the chiffon online....I ordered several swatches so that Logan could approve the color before I order the yardage I needed.  This skirt is made up of eleven yards of fabric!

This project started as all my projects begin.....with measurements and nailing down the design.    Logan had collected a number of pictures of designs she liked for both the top and the skirt.  All of the tops were long sleeve lace; so pretty!   As we were finalizing the design, I shared with her an idea for a unique multi-keyhole back with covered buttons.   She fell in love with the idea, so we incorporated that into the final design.   The camisole, as you can see from the picture on the right originally began with a small stand up collar.  It was removed at the very end when Logan opted for a simple rounded neckline instead.   I think that was a good call on her part....the simple neckline is perfect.   The back is sheer lace, unlike the front which has a sweetheart bodice underlay.  Logan was able to wear a nude bra underneath the top.  I added some tabs at the cups so she could attach clear shoulder straps and the back strap fell right in between the two bottom keyholes.

She also had several variations of skirts, some tulle, some chiffon....however, they were a basic A-line design with lots of gathers at the waistband.  I shared my concern that a gathered skirt is not very flattering for most women, I don't care how little you are (and Logan is little).....it just makes you look heavier than you are, and nobody wants that on their wedding day!    While we continued to share concept ideas for the skirt, I began working on the camisole.   I was about half way through the top when we landed on this one-of-a-kind draped chiffon skirt with a high leg slit.

The skirt is truly a one-of-a-kind, even if I made another, it wouldn't be exactly the same since the draping is done one piece at a time with very asymmetrical pieces of chiffon.  It has a short train that is easily bustled with ties I placed on the underside of the skirt.
Thank you Logan!  You looked absolutely beautiful and I was honored to create this original for you.