enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

  • looking back at the wedding.

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    Tomorrow we will have been married for a year.

    I have some thoughts to share about the first year of marriage. (And I am going to ask Paul to write down his too.) But right now I wanted to answer a fun question I got when I asked for blog topic ideas.

    Would love to a hear a 'looking back at the wedding' – what details stand out in looking back more than expected? was there something you worried about or put lot of effort into which looking back you needn't have worried about. when someone says wedding – which image comes to your mind?

    Looking back on the planning –

    I joke about how when people hear you are getting married they always say "Oh how exciting! Don't let anyone tell you what to do, remember, this is your day. But of course you just have to have…." I think it's just the nature of weddings. Everyone has an opinion and everyone wants to help. The trick is to smile and nod and then move on with whatever feels best for you. End of story.

    To me, a wedding is just a party. For the couple and maybe the parents, it has a ton of significance. But for the other 80-200 guests, it's a party. Forgetting that equals no fun for anyone.

    Lookingback

    So I got over all the pressure and expectation and tackled the wedding like I do everything else. With a list. I was very blessed in that I had emotional and financial support from our parents, but without strings. No one close to me pressured me into anything regarding the ceremony or the reception. This meant, I could do whatever made sense to me (within the budget, of course).

    Our venue was awesome. Hands down the best decision I made. (With my dress and the color orange being tied for second. Oh and the DJ and the photographers killed it too.) I DIYed everything I could, but was not fanatic about it. We had 14 months to plan and I went through all sorts of ideas before usually settling on a simple option. I stayed calm throughout the process by staying in charge. The only time I lost my cool was at the rehearsal when things were not going how I expected. I am the type of person that needs to just do it myself. Accepting that, and (nicely) letting the people around me know that, helped things run smoothly.

    Looking back on the wedding day –

    I woke up hungover. That is so embarrassing to admit. But we had an amazing rehearsal dinner the night before and unfortunately, I drank a glass of wine too many. I remember being so annoyed with myself for that.

    But a shower, breakfast, lots of water and advil and I was back in business making centerpieces.

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    I saw Paul about 20 times the morning of the wedding. I don't believe in bad luck. Marriage is about work, not luck. I didn't wear something old or something blue. Or borrowed, now that I think of it. I told people I did because oddly enough, lack of all that causes panic.

    I remember the ceremony so well. Details that stand out best? Nodding at Paul when he said his vows. My bridesmaids smiling at me before we walked into the church. My amazing brother sniffling through the readings.

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    And then I remember the reception. It was exactly what I wanted, a huge party. In retrospect, drinking too much at the rehearsal dinner meant I didn't want to drink at the wedding which I am very happy about. I had a bit of fancy champagne and that was it. I enjoyed the party so much more because I was so present for it. Details that stand out best? Our venue's wedding rep telling us we were so relaxed for a bride & groom. Dancing with my girlfriends to "Call On Me". Paul resting his hand on the small of my back as we went around to tables and thanked people for coming. The DJ saying my dad should be on Dancing with the Stars (which is true).

    Paul and I stayed until the end and then went up to our honeymoon suite. It's so cliche, but a year later, I can say my wedding day and night was the best of my life. I was so happy to be so aware of every second. And waking up the next morning with a wedding band on and a husband beside me was so amazing.

    Oh man. It was so fun. I never want to do it again, but it was so very fun.

    PS : all photos by The Goodness (formerly Lisa Welge) and here's a big list of everything wedding related.

  • earthday treasures.

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  • on my mind.

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    Thanks for the love on the new table! We're still obsessed. Maybe more today than yesterday. Small Q&A : The wood is 1 inch pine. It was the right width, but we had the length cut down to 50 inches. The stain is Minwax color and sealer in one and it was called American Chestnut Satin.

    I kept right on staining after the table. The above crates are going on the wall in our living room. I am dumping the old yellow, gray and light wood theme and bringing in lots of metallic, dark wood and GREEN. But the green is coming in the form of plants.

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    So today – I am off to find some pretty green plants. I want about 100 plants, but I think I have enough vessels for six. Those wooden crates are just begging to be filled with potted plants.

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    And in other news, I took my first face plant into the sidewalk while running yesterday. It was inevitable, I know. And at least outside, the ground doesn't keep rolling beneath you treadmill style. I've got so far to go until I'm half-marathon ready. The longest I have ran at one time so far 5.5 miles. This weekend is our first anniversary and as a gift (to myself? to both of us? who knows?) we're going to attempt eight. And then we are going to celebrate with a fancy dinner.

    Have a good weekend and a happy easter if you are celebrating! I'm currently spinning a million miles a minute so expect lots of posts the next few days.

  • project 4 of 26 / a coffee table!

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    Almost daily, I yammer at Paul about a new DIY project I’ve cooked up. Almost weekly, I decide to follow through on the project. And almost monthly do we actually complete one of these projects.

    I had seen the coolest DIY desk ever on For Me, For You a few weeks ago and from there, found a link to this pretty wood coffee table. They looked so easy and so stylish. TWO CHECK PLUSES. I hopped on board right away and ordered hairpin legs.

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    Two weeks later, the hairpin legs arrived. A week after that, Paul finally had a day off and I wasn’t dying of a fever. So I got Paul excited about a trip to Home Depot. This is how the discussion went :

    e : Okay babe, ready?

    p : Yep.

    e : Oh, we should measure the current table one more time.

    p : Really? You actually want to buy the wood this trip? I thought we were just buying the screws.

    e : What?! No. How are we going to build the table today with just screws and legs?

    p : Oh, we’re building the table today? You still want to do that?

    e : YES.

    p : Oh.

    But seriously. Paul is exactly who I need in my corner when I attempt missions like this. Otherwise I end up with the wrong size screws and holes in the floor. A quick call to my dad about how stain works and we were back from Home Depot with everything we needed.

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    We measured, drilled and screwed on the legs first then flipped it over and stained it according to the directions on the can. I am in serious LOVE with the stain color. And staining in general. I sort of need a deck or wood planter or something to go wild on next.

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    But yay! A new little coffee table. And you might also notice… a new rug! And it all matches sort of coordinates with our new/old trunk! I have been working on a big living room redo and will hopefully share photos next week.

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    26projectslogo This is project 4 of 26.

    I am attempting to tackle 26 personal craft projects before I turn 27 on 02.22.12. You can follow my progress here on the blog, on pinterest or on flickr.

    See project 1, 2 & 3.

  • starting a home decor minibook.

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    As mentioned a million and one times, I would like to get our house a little less big box store and a little more interesting and unique and us. I am going to be chronicling this never-ending journey on the blog, but I also wanted a book to keep photos, paint swatches, scraps & receipts. I started this album this morning and here is the progress so far. Keep in mind there are a lot of things that still need to be added to the first couple pages (and maybe re-arranged now that I look at it again) plus it will expand as we make changes to our home.

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    The book measures 8.5×5.5 and the covers are Hambly clearly heavy overlays. I printed everything so far at home on Office Depot brand Matte photo paper. The kraft paper is from Kraft Outlet. The black pen is American Crafts and the envelope and bracket stamp are from Paper Source.

    Those last two pages are of the coffee table Paul and I are building today. I hope to finish it tonight and share photos soon.

  • self portrait.

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  • oh, college.

    elise talks college. from elise blaha on Vimeo.

    On my "What do you want to hear about?" post, I got a few requests for something directed towards college students. I loved that idea to the stars and back. And, never one to turn down a chance to talk about my life story, I made a video. As always, apparently, it's long. But perhaps it will be interesting if you're currently in college OR want to know a little more about my un-traditional path towards doing what I love.

    Hope you enjoy. love, elise

    P.S. anything else you'd like a video on? I know, I know…something with Paul. It's on the pipeline.

  • i love april.

    Iloveapril
    Paper Source camera rubber stamp, R+H one day at a time notepads, Herschel Supply Co. backpack, Pantone coffee mug, Sunday Afternoons running cap, cb2 facet vase, cb2 paint palette pillow, Sam Edelman wedge sandal.

    Quite the random little LOVE list but that's what sort of mood I'm in.

  • on my list.

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  • right now i am…

    …relieved to be done with the lesson portion of the blog workshop.

    …overwhelmed with the next task of prepping for this craft fair.

    …thankful that my parents are going to visit that weekend and help me.

    …happy to be healing.

    …learning that healing is a process you cannot rush.

    …thrilled that we got the big white trunk turned into a TV stand.

    …excited to build a new coffee table on Paul's day off tomorrow.

    …anxious to get half marathon training again.

    …enjoying Born to Run so much.

    …admitting that I totally caved after Saturday's post and bought it in paperback.

    …proud of my little brother, the accountant, for finishing his first tax season.

    …wondering what my next shop product is going to be.

    …hydrating like there is no tomorrow.

    …welcoming back coffee after five caffeine free days.

    …figuring out what the biggest thing on my to do list today is going to be.

    …loving Paul for dealing with all my complaining the past week.

    …praying that this week is full of productivity.