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.