DIY: Make Your Own Herringbone Art

Things I love:

Coasters
Unique Wall Decor
Multi-functioning Decor
Pinterest
Herringbone Style

...and this DIY combines them all!

I have this wonky bit of wall space in my office that I've been anxious about filling. On top of that want, I've also been really pumped about getting some coasters for the office. So, to Pinterest I went and it was there that I found a pin that linked me to A Teaspoon of Happiness and their post on DIY Canvas Art.

It is a very neat DIY inspired by ANOTHER pin of an expensive herringbone style painting. The DIY by A Teaspoon of Happiness had a very cute way of making their own painting with way less expense. I wanted to try it too!

What I used

4x4 wooden square 

Acrylic paints (from Hobby Lobby)

Washi Tape

Paintbrush

Since I wanted something that, depending on how I felt afterwards, would act as either a coaster or wall decor, I wanted to use a wooden square instead of a canvas.

What I did

First I got out about 6 - 8 different paint colors (some I altered by mixing together) and painted random splotches all over until the surface was covered completely.

Then I watched some HGTV while it all dried.

Next I took my washi tape and taped out a design. I didn't use a ruler because I had no patience for that, and just did the whole thing by eyeing it.

Then I took my white paint and painted the space in between the tape. I did two coats. 

After it was dry I removed the tape!

Since I was working with such a small space I decided only to white out one block with my white paint. 

I have to say that I am pretty pumped with the outcome! I'm still on the fence about making it a coaster or wall art! I think I'll go ahead and do some ombre paintings on two other squares I have!

We shall see!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Deep Dish Stuffed Crust Hawaiian Pizza

A couple weeks ago, I saw this recipe for Deep Dish Cast Iron Pizza on A Beautiful Mess's blog. Needless to say, I immediately pinned that for later.

Well later came last night in the form of this Deep Dish Stuffed Crust Hawaiian Pizza. 

One of the greatest divides Joseph and I face is over pizza toppings, so when we order pizza, I never get to choose Hawaiian, which is my favorite. However, when we are working our way through large amounts of ham and provolone (wedding leftovers), Hawaiian pizza is just a sensible option.

So with the inspiration (and dough recipe) from A Beautiful Mess, some seasonings from my cabinet and my trusty cast iron skillet, I bring you this recipe.

Dough Ingredients:

• 1 package of active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp.)
• Generous pinch of sugar
• 1 1/8 cup warm water
• 2 tables. olive oil
• 3 c. flour
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt

Pizza Ingredients:

• 1/2 can pizza sauce
• Provolone Cheese
• Ham 
• 1/2 Can Pineapples 
• Basil
• Oregano
• Garlic powder
• Crushed red pepper

To make dough:

In small bowl, mix together yeast, sugar and water, then set aside for 10 minutes. In a larger bowl, combine flour and salt. Then pour yeast mixture into flour, and add oil and salt. Knead by hand for about 6 minutes, and place dough in a lightly greased bowl, covered for an hour as it rises. Make sure to keep it in a relatively warm place (i.e. not the refrigerator).

Once dough has risen, roll it out or just press it into a lightly greased cast iron skillet. The dough should come up all the way to the edge of the pan to make the crust. 

To make the pizza stuffed crust, I rolled slices of cheese, placed in the edge of the pan and folded the dough over it. (A Beautiful Mess used string cheese, which is brilliant, but I just didn't have any).

The pizza:

This part is a little harder for me to duplicate for this blog explanation. I don't actually use measurements very often, but when I suspect I might blog about something I try and make it a point. Not this time, faithful blog readers. 

Pour a decent amount of olive oil on the base of the crust. Then just be very generous, sprinkling Oregano, Basil, Black Pepper, Red Pepper and Garlic Powder on the crust. 

Then, cover that amazing spice mixture with red sauce, cheese, ham and pineapple. Heat on the stovetop for about three minutes, then stick in the oven and bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes.

The result?

A REALLY thick pizza. It was delicious, though, and I recommend it make it's way to your kitchen very soon.

Happy Pizza-ing!

—Holli Anne

Laundromat Fiction: Chasing a Weird Dream

I've mentioned before how a change of environment can do wonders for some creative inspiration. Normally, when I'm feeling this way, I make my way over to a coffee shop or a park if it's a nice day. 

But sometime while in college, I first got the insane urge to go to a laundromat and write fiction. I never actually did it because I lived in a house with a washer and dryer, and well, I never got up the nerve to be that creepy laundromat loiter. The insane urge never went away, to the point that this became a legit dream of mine. 

Well, now, I'm proud to say our new home doesn't have a washer and dryer, and we have to go to the laundromat to wash our clothes. Dream. Come. True.

It may seem silly, but it actually makes me pretty pleased. 

Another big dream I have is to publish a book, but I have to be real about something: I'm scared to show people my fiction. 

Since Almost There is all about living your dreams and overcoming fears, I decided to start this here Laundromat Fiction series. The concept is simple: I'll publish short stories I write while doing my laundry (most likely in a laundromat). 

These short stories will be pieces, unlike my book, that I don't spend much time proofreading, polishing or over thinking in anyway. Honest feedback is most welcomed!

The subjects won't always revolve around the literal laundromat, but since this is the first one, it seemed fitting. 

Hope to hear what you think!

—Holli Anne

I can’t seem to break my stare away from that gaudy neon sign flashing, one letter at a time, “O-P-E-N.”
There are probably 100 washers and dryers at this Coin Star Laundromat, and part of me wonders if there’s ever a time of day that even half of them are in use. Its seclusion is what attracted me to this particular place.I have actually never stepped foot in a laundromat before, and might I mention, I’m slightly impressed with the way a building as old, dirty, ugly and rundown can smell so damn good. Especially considering there are a total of four people in here now, one really old attendant working on a crossword puzzle or something like that. And three Hispanics, only one of whom I think is actually doing laundry.
I scan the place for a washer as far away from the crowd as possible, which isn’t exactly difficult to do. I find a nice dark corner that looks like the perfect place to wash these blasted clothes.
I’m not exactly looking to make friends while I’m here, especially considering my outfit of choice: my boyfriends button up shirt and a pair of sweatpants, both of which I found in my car. I make a mental note to carry better outfit selections in my car, as I receive a few awkward stares from the big crowd.
When I remember why I’m here, though, I cut myself a little slack. I mean I didn’t exactly plan on killing a man tonight. If I had prepared for such an occasion, maybe I wouldn’t have worn my favorite pair of jeans and that purple sweater mom gave me. In fact, not having planned for this occasion might make me less of a villain than if I had.Either way, I had one mission here tonight: wash my outfit so I can return home in the same clothes I had on when I left tonight, hopefully blood free. I drop my clothes in one of the commercial washers, praying to God no one notices how few of them there are, then have to walk across the joint to purchase soap and make change. I hear snickers from the peanut gallery, but I pretend to not notice.They probably wouldn’t be laughing if they had known what I had just done.
“Hi, can I make some change with you?”
“Machine’s over there in the corner,” the attendant lashes back at me from behind her godawful coffee breath, without even looking away once from her puzzle.
Well, excuse me. I was slightly offended before realizing it might be a good thing if she doesn’t look too closely at my face. If anyone does catch on, well, I don’t know how they would end up here questioning people, but you never really know I guess.
I don’t think I’ll be caught, though. While this may have been my first kill, I’d often contemplated murder—how I’d do it, you know, if I ever needed to. Everyone does, right?Anyway, tonight, when my little sister told me what that bastard had done to her, there was really no other choice. The police didn’t believe her, but I knew my sister, and well, that douche had to go.
I didn’t intend on killing him at first. I was planning to just corner him outside that pizza shop and kick his ass a little. You know, just scare him off. It’s not that I was bigger, but I knew if he didn’t see me coming, and I hit him with just the right amount of force, overpowering him in the beginning, I’d have him where I’d need him. When I saw him, though, well, I guess I got carried away. I snuck up right behind him, stabbed him in just the right spot, pulled the knife out and ran. His blood splattered all over me, but no one was around to hear or see anything. I left him there for someone to find, probably some poor jogger on his morning run tomorrow.Maybe its just adrenaline, but I don’t feel sad about what I’ve done. I keep picturing that arrogant smirk he had seemingly painted across his face in the ally. Before he knew what was coming, anyway. As I watch my clothes spin, I imagine the blood on my hands washing right away with it. If only I could stop staring at that damned blinking sign, maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad place to spend an hour.  

Infusing YOU into your Space

During college I lived in a dorm for three years and then a tiny, CO-ed apartment for the last one. During those years I wasn't dreaming about my dream home or even what that might look like. I had enough sense to know that I wouldn't be living it up in my customized home space as soon as I got my diploma. Since then I have lived in about four different spaces (some very small, some not so much) and I've pinned over 1,000 pins onto my #hgtv board marking tons of spaces I like.

Now I live in a space that is beautiful. However, it's missing a big chunk of me. The pins I see of finished spaces that I love inspire me and, at the same time, frustrate me. I don't have the money or ability to take this existing space I'm in and make it have boatloads of old and new character. I just can't drop everything and paint the walls gray, pick an accent color, run it through the entire house, build my dream wall-to-wall bookcase, make a crafting isle in the office, change all of the light fixtures and magically make everything hardwood. First of all, I don't have the money for that. Secondly, it truly is a beautiful house and I'm not the only one who lives in it. Just because I have endless ideas about how I would like the house to look doesn't mean I should do an overhaul.

I want my dream space but, right now, that just isn't going to happen.

So, where do I go from here?

Baby steps, people! Sneaky, baby steps!

Start small and buy pieces of art or functional accents to make your space feel special and more like you. It may not bring that room into dream status but it will help you feel happy! If you don't want to purchase any odds or ends, then make your own!

That's what I did with these two succulent planters!

You see, the large window in the bathroom is beautiful. However, it always felt like it was missing something. I'm a lover of succulents so I immediately thought that putting a few there would make all the difference, but I didn't want to buy any. I wanted to make them!



I had an old spray paint cap that I washed out and took a hammer to the inside to clear out the bits of plastic that were standing up. I had to be careful though so I wouldn't crack the cap's outer plastic. I removed the succulent from its plastic container and then BAM! done.

I love love love playing with clay and thought it would be neat to make a mini vase for succulent number two. I made it with oven-bake clay (a clay planter DIY coming soon!) and made sure to seal it up tight.  I made it taller but skinner than the spray paint cap to give some diversity to the coupling.

As of right now, I left the clay the color that it was. I plan on painting it later in the week!

It's not a huge room makeover. It's barely an addition. However, these two self-made planters make all the difference for me in this space.  

Remember, you may not have your dream space yet but you're almost there! (See what I did there?!) Work with what you have but don't just give up if what you have isn't a lot. Beautiful things aren't always found in stores or with big price tags!

So have fun with your space!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

DIY: Corkboard Bill Organizer

Now that we are back from this honeymoon and functioning in reality again, it didn't take long to become apparent we needed a little organization help in the financial department. 

This is especially true for us newlyweds, who are adjusting to each other's bills and income schedules. 

While I'm pretty good at organizing, I don't really like worrying with money. Joseph, on the other hand, doesn't mind taking care of this grown up business, as long as I help him organize what we need to pay and when. 

So, I thought a fun corkboard bill organizer would be a great way for us to keep things ordered, especially since we are both visual and the girl half of us detests Excel spreadsheets! 

One great thing about this is that for the bills that don't change, we can just rotate around the board to different categories (as they apply, obviously). 

If you saw my RSVP tracker, you know I'm kind of into corkboard displays. Since the wedding's over, I decided to revamp those same boards for our bill organizer.

I used simple construction paper to cut out the letters and little squiggly lines. Though it looks a little elementary, it makes me happy because let's be real, bills are NO fun!

My different categories are: late, due, income, upcoming and paid.

Late bills…well, I don't want to sound irresponsible, but I'm a realist here. Hopefully we won't have too many things in this category, but sometimes bills come a day or two before that paycheck you are waiting on gets here, especially when you are a freelancer. (I still find it odd that I'm not at the top of everyone's pay priority, but whatever!)

If we do have bills in this section, we'll know they need to be paid first. The "due" category means these are something that needs to be paid in the coming week or so.

Our income board is VERY important for us to keep track of mostly because of how my money works. Joseph's paychecks are pretty easy to track….every two weeks, same amount type thing. Since I freelance, I can usually keep track in my brain of what I have coming and when, but trying to communicate that is difficult. So, I organized it by the date we each get paid and how much comes on those days. Works for us!

Upcoming bills are just what is ahead for the next month, so as the end of month creeps up like it does, we can try to watch out for those beginning of the month bills.

And paid, well that category is just so we can have a little gratification of moving that pin over and seeing our progress. When it's all paid, we'll have a good idea of what kind of money we have left for other non-bill expenses.

How do you organize your bills? Oh, grown up life!

—Holli Anne

DIY: I Spy Book

You know me. I love Pinterest. WHY DO I LOVE PINTEREST?! Because, I find awesome posts like this one!

I love DIY projects, especially creative ones. I also love I Spy books. So, when I found this post about making your own for your kids, I just couldn't help myself! I had to make one too.

Eventually, I'm going to make a little book of my own I Spy pages but for right now I wanted to show at least one. I also think it's a fun, inexpensive way to have fun with the kiddies! Plus, I had fun putting it together.

Below is my desktop craft explosion page! See if you can find the objects in the top part of the picture!

Enjoy!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Oh hey, I'm married!

So…I got married! If any of you are regular readers, I know you've seen all about it in our #hollicon posts. (Thanks so much for following those, by the way!) Since I'm done honeymooning and have been absent for a little while, I thought it would only be fitting to share some of the highlights of my big day! 

The venue: Our March 9, 2013 wedding took place at Sacred Heart Chapel in Point Clear, Alabama. It's a beautiful historic chapel on the bay, complete with big mossy trees and a giant bell tower. I grew up in this area and have always been in love with this place, so a 4:30 p.m. wedding in March on the bay made for perfect weather and ended just in time for some gorgeous sunset pictures. 

The food: We wanted a big wedding but wanted to keep our costs low. We fortunately found a caterer sweet enough to let us order quality sandwich meat at cost to her. We also wanted our food interactive. So the menu: popcorn bar with different seasonings, make your own sandwich bar, more homemade soups in crackpots that I could count and the same thing with cakes. It ended up being really homey and delicious, which is all we really hoped for in this thing! Oh, and our rehearsal dinner was a crawfish boil, so that was the best thing in the world!

The outfits: Well, we talked about our bridal party mismatched outfits before (here). The run down: girls wore teal dresses, cardigans and red shoes. Guys wore grey or black pants and red or teal accessories (tie, suspenders, etc.) Me and Joseph…well we're in the center of that there picture!

The reception: We know that weddings are about the bride and groom and obviously that's what people are there for. BUT, we wanted to keep it as much like a dinner party and as little like a spectacle as possible. It's just our style. So we use items we thrifted for the last six months to make centerpieces and set up an atmosphere much like the way we would decorate our house. I really love how everything came together. We also tried to make our reception atmosphere interactive, too, with paper tablecloths people could color on and board games for playing!

Favorite decoration details: I loved everything as it came together, but I think my favorite stand alone decoration was these signs my husband designed for us. We set them on easels around the reception hall to mark the different areas: "Play, Eat, Dance, Give." Am I going to hang them in our house? You bet your booty I will! 

Favorite ceremony moment: Do I have to have just one? Because I have a three-way tie. Since I wrote the categories, I'm fine with breaking the rules. I LOVED looking at Joseph as I was walking down the isle, realizing I was REALLY getting married. My best friend from high school is a Deacon, so he gave the sermon, and that was absolutely a beautiful experience. (I cried during these first two moments). My other favorite part was that when we were exchanging rings, I grabbed Joseph's right hand. After that, I was so distracted by the fact that I didn't know where his left hand was, that I didn't notice for a minute after the Priest told me to repeat, "Joseph take this ring…" Yay for awkward silence!

Favorite reception moment: Joseph and his band mates from Jam Therapy (his band, where he's an awesome drummer) surprised me with a song! Joseph sang this lovely Beatles love ballad. He's so swell at singing, and these guys are amazing, too. Check them out here if you desire...

The honeymoon: We decided not to plan a honeymoon ahead of time. I mean, we had just planned a whole wedding, so we were kinda structured out. So, Sunday after the wedding, we woke up and decided to go to Nashville. We didn't actually leave until the next day, but then we spent three nights there and one night in Atlanta so we could hit up furniture heaven, aka Ikea. 

Best thing about being married: Having a family of my own is the best! We both feel like we have a new sense of purpose. Things are not just about us anymore. And let's be real. A lifelong sleepover with your best friend ever…what can be better than that? Thanks childhood friends for all the preparation! 

—Holli Anne

P.S. I've changed all my social media names to reflect my new last name, now. Check out my @holli_con Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest! 

P.S.S. You can see most of these pictures and their owners at the #hollicon search on Instagram. 

Advice: Creatively De-stress

I tend to over stress when I really just need to relax. I can't always help it. I'm always trying to find new ways to conquer stress--a way to relax while also staying creative.

I'm happy to say I've found that in clay.




Honestly, I used to hate any activity that was clay-related. I'm not the most patient person in the world but one day I bought me some SuperSculpey and jumped right in. Now when I want to unwind but still work with my hands, I bust out the clay.

This newfound technique has become an under-the-table passion. Not only does it help me de-stress but it also helps me focus and work on being more patient.




So, what's the point of this post?

Easy! Find an a creative activity that helps you de-stress and go for gold! Make it a separate affair from your work and hobbies. Get something that puts NO PRESSURE on you. It doesn't have to be a beautiful outcome--it's the journey that matters.

You never know! One day it may become more than a way for you to de-stress! (I may be working on a little clay project for Almost There! But only as long as it helps me de-stress!)

My fish A, snail B, and tiger C makes me oh-so happy!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

DIY: Party Poppers

I made some party poppers and I'm super pumped about it! Fun for Saint Patty's Day! What, what! The inspiration came from this post by Studio DIY. Their Lucky Poppers are definitely fun! (I really need to calm down with the exclamation points.!!!!!!!!!!!!)

What you need

Paper towel tube or toilet tissue tube

Scotch Tape

Tissue paper

Something to tie the ends

Scissors

Glue

Confetti (bought or homemade)

What to do

1. Cut your paper towel tube or toilet tissue tube in half.

(I used a paper towel tube and cut it in half. Then I cut one of the halves into two more.)

2. Tape the middle up.

3. Use your tissue paper and glue (I used Tacky glue) to cover the tube. Remember to leave enough room on each side of the tube so you can twist it close.

4. Twist one side closed. I used some green string! 

5. Pour your confetti (I used cut up tissue paper) into the open side. 

6. Then tie closed that side!

7. Decorate your paper if you are feeling snazzy. I used my silver Sharpie to do the trick!

8. Pull apart for some party popping fun!

I hope you enjoy this DIY! It's an inexpensive way to add some fun to any occasion!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

DIY: Tissue Bow Ties

I'm not going to lie to you, folks. I was originally going for something like this for today's DIY. Saint Patty's is so close that I wanted a DIY or two that could jive with parties you may be going to or throwing. A green and black bow tie necklace seemed like a fun thing to try. WELL, I didn't make them as pretty as Oh Happy Day but I did do the whole trial-and-error thing and now know how to make little tissue bow ties. 

Why would I ever need to know how to do that? Because, come on, having more crafty things in my crafty arsenal is always a plus!

What you need

Tissue Paper

String

Tacky Glue

Scissors

What to do

First, cut off a square of tissue paper. Then fold the paper fan-style, accordian-style, whichever way it's called. Pinch the middle and use a little scrap of tissue to wrap around it. Before your wrap put a dab of glue on each side to hold the paper in place.

If you want to make a necklace or garland then put some glue on the back of your bow tie and let it sit against your string. 

DONE!

What did I do wrong? Why isn't it so pretty and all of that jazz? I made my folds too thick and the middle strip just as thick so it looked odd. Then, realizing what I had done, I made the folds and strips that tied the middle together smaller. I quite like the way they look now. Trial-and-error, peeps! 

You can see the difference between the thicker ones and the thinner ones. I'm going to make new necklaces this week that will be prettier. In the end I'm happy I did this DIY because now I can make cute little bow ties! Who doesn't geek out about that?

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Instagram Wedding

Holli got married on Saturday. It was beautiful. We'll have a post about the wedding and the reception soon, but this particular post is about Instagram + weddings.

I used to run a blog (Social Spaz) where I talked about social media and networking sites. I'm kind of addicted to online media so when Holli and I hatched the concept of "#hollicon" I was way excited. See, we wanted everyone as pumped as we were about the upcoming nuptials as well as an umbrella term for everyone attending to use. Starting on Friday, I started Instagraming with the tag #hollicon. The wedding party and Holli were on board too and it became an affectionate term that we would say while rehearsing and decorating. Holli even used the #hollicon logo in the reception's decoration. The MC made announcements to #hollicon! As of now, over 100 pictures were uploaded to Instagram using the #hollicon tag.

At first I thought it was just a fun idea but now I see the potential behind creating a term to tag on Instagram for your wedding and reception. Holli can now search #hollicon and see what her friends were doing and the different pictures her and her new hubby were caught in. She doesn't have to worry about being texted or emailed pictures--she can just use the search option on Instagram to get a category filled with her lovely day's pictures!

So if you're about to get married, considering coming up with an easy to remember and spell tag that represents your love! (Holli + part of her new last name.) Then make sure people know what to tag and then give them free reign to snap some pictures and upload to Instagram!

Also, if you haven't seen #hollicon on Instagram yet, go search it under Tags!

We hope you enjoyed the ride (and continue to enjoy it since Holli is honeymooning still)! We can't wait for the official pictures to show you how awesome the DIY decorations and vintage-style fashions that were rocking out at #hollicon!

Follow me @socialspaz & Holli @hkeaton!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Nailing Down Perfect Wedding Day Nails

This guest post comes from one of our #hollicon partners Theresa Kiernan. She's an amazing nail tech and also happens to be one of my best friends and bridesmaids. She talks about things you can do to keep your nails healthy leading up to the wedding and how to do them yourself if you are trying to cut costs. —Holli Anne

I am so excited about Holli’s wedding! This is the first time I have had the honor of being a bride’s maid, but not the first time I have done wedding nails. I am so excited and honored to do Holli’s nails for her wedding. Today I am going to be talking about how to take care of your nails as you prepare for the wedding and how to do a beautiful, classic french manicure for the big day.

Hair, skin, and nails are where your stress is first displayed, so it’s important to keep yourself well rested, hydrated, and relatively stress-free. 

Pre-Care

To care for your nails leading up to the wedding I would recommend filing them so they don’t randomly catch and break within the hustle and bustle of wedding planning. Also, one of the greatest products for nails is cuticle oil. 

The oil helps to keep your nails hydrated and healthy. It’s amazing how they help brittle or damaged nails. If you have acrylic nails, applying this product daily and buffing your nails helps to keep them strong and healthy. I use Arbonne’s Cuticle Oil, but really any quality cuticle oil will do the trick. 

Polishing

Once you have prepped and cared for your nails, you are ready to polish them for the big day! If you don’t have much money and are doing it yourself, here are some tips and tricks to pull off a classy, feminine look.

You want your nails to be well-maintained, especially as everyone is going to be looking at the new ring, but you don’t want it to distract from the ring and outfit. I would recommend some form of a french manicure because it is sharp, but not over dramatic. There are a few ways in which you can achieve this look, one by using a guide or sticker and the other by using acetone or nail polish remover. Either way you will need a base coat, top coat, white nail polish, and a pink polish.

The Sticker-Method

If you want to use the basic, sticker approach here is a helpful tutorial I found on YouTube: Easy French Manicure. You don’t have to cut your own tape if you don’t want to, you can use some prepackaged guides or even 3 hole reinforcers. If you use this method make sure that the white nail polish has dried before pealing it off so you don’t smudge or peal it all off.

Another Method

Another method is to paint the white on your tips and to go back with nail polish remover to create your own smile line. This is for the more artistic-minded brides. There are a few tutorials I found that are helpful including How to do a Perfect French Manicure and a longer, more thorough tutorial entitled How to do: French Manicure. For this method you will need nail polish remover and a brush. If you use a brush I recommend a rounded brush like the one in the second “How to”, because it helps create a perfect, rounded look. I often use Q Tips instead of a brush to make my rounded edges. They work well and I highly recommend them.

Adding Flair

Now if you want something with a little more pop for your wedding, there are a few simple things you can do. Nail Polish Stripers are always fun to add a little design to a nail. The brush is a simple line and one way you can use it is to add a simple line underneath the white. It achieves a very nice look. Also, I like using nail stickers. I have some simple flower stickers I bought years ago that I add to nails for an extra pop on special occasions.

Holli Anne's Nails

For Holli’s nails we are using gold glitter for the tips instead of white. These are some of the inspirations we had for her nails. They are not your classic white tips, but they definitely fit her personality for the wedding. What ever you end up doing make sure you feel comfortable with it. There’s so many fun things to do with nails.

 If you have any more questions about nails be sure to tweet them to #hollicon and I’ll be sure to answer them!

Wedding Stationery: Thinking Outside the Box

This post comes from one of our #hollicon partners, Laurie at Wiregrass Weddings. Wiregrass Weddings is a wedding stationery business, making awesome things like wedding programs, invitations, table numbers, menus...you get the idea. They made my wedding programs, and they make cool stuff! Hope you enjoy! —Holli Anne

In the wedding paper business, I get to see a lot of creativity everyday.It's not only in the work we do, but many of our wonderful clients come up with some pretty fun designs.

You good readers of Almost There seem like you are pretty good at thinking outside the box, so that's what my post is on today: What you can do when you don't see exactly what you are looking for.

Wedding programs are the products we sell the most of, but we like to surround ourselves with anything paper: wedding invitations, thank you notes, banners, place cards, table numbers, menus and anything else someone could dream up for their wedding day. 

Whether you are ordering your products from us or somewhere else, here are some ways you can get exactly what you are looking for that you may not see on the site. I'm using the "options" page on our Website as a reference. (Of course, I can't guarantee what other companies will be willing to do but you get the idea!)

1. Paper Colors

We advertise, natural linen, white linen, grey linen and natural astroparche, but have we definitely printed gold and kraft paper wedding programs? YES, we have! 

2. Fonts and Font Colors

Again, we have a certain selection of fonts we offer, but sometimes, you might need something a little different (this is especially true if you are a design nerd). We actually got a new font for Holli Anne's wedding programs so they would match her wedding invitations. The same holds true for font colors. 

3. Ribbon

Ribbon is always a fun way to spruce up and piece of stationery, especially wedding programs. While there are tons of solid-colored ribbons to choose from, there are many a way to put a twist on ribbon. Some of our more vintage brides choose lace or twine instead of ribbon. Others might seek out polka-dotted or other fun-patterned ribbon. 

4. Design

This is where some fun can really begin. Mix and match existing patterns or dividers or add your own twist. If you are a designer yourself, we can even use YOUR designs on your stationery. Imagine that, right? 

5. Wording

This is also where you can make your stationery really scream you, as a couple. While there are many places to search for traditional wedding stationery wording, including our site, there are no rules that say you have to word things a certain way.  How would you say it? Let's just put it THAT way, then!

If you have any other questions about wedding stationery, tweet us at #hollicon and we'll see what we can do! 

#hollicon: It's Getting REAL!

Today is the first time I feel like the "crazy" hit. Not the "Oh, I'm crazy," type thing, but more so just the people are starting to get here and there are so many details-type deal. Don't get me wrong, the whole last couple weeks have been steadily busy, but now, phew! Things are getting done!

So, I haven't yet posted all my DIYs, but they aren't all quite photo ready just yet. Don't worry, though, I'll have PLENTY to show over the next few days. In the meantime, here's a roundup of what I've been up to last night/today. You can watch me go through the process the next couple days on my Instagram, or of course, I'll be here when I can. Two days to go!

DIY Glitter Cake Toppers. I can't WAIT to show you the final product here.

A little wedding reception signage for our guestbook.

Fuel, of course!

My wedding day shoes from Modcloth came today. I LOVE THEM. And of course I had to wear them around the house to break them in.

Just a few flowers my Aunt and I threw together for inspiration this afternoon. We'll see how the real thing turns out!

And one of my best friends arrived today so we had some pillow talk and my favorite chips.