SOLD!!!
I cannot believe it but we SOLD our house tonight!! We are so excited. The girl who bought it is really sweet and she is so excited too. She was the first person to tour the house last week at our open house. She brought her mom back to take a look tonight and we sat down and talked and made a deal. AWESOME!!! Thanks again for all the good thoughts and prayers. They have been workin’ like a charm!!!
WOW. What a Crazy Busy Week.
Sorry I’ve been MIA. We had terrible storms last week and was without power for three days. Not only that, we were trying to wrap up an online course, which is difficult to do when you have no power and therefore, no internet. Plus, power was out all over the Quad Cities and the places that had power and free wireless internet were jam packed.
We spent Friday & Saturday in Iowa City taking a class and last night FINALLY wrapped up our LAST summer class!!!! I am so proud of us. It was stressful taking three classes this summer but we did it and did it well. We are now officially halfway through the MBA program – Woooo-Hoooo! 
Oh yeah, and during that time we’ve been in the process of buying a house, packing, ordering new furniture, doing some engraving orders, and trying to sell our house. P.S. For any local readers who might be interested in a starter house near Augustana College, our house is listed on QCHomeShow.com. CLICK HERE to see the listing. And FYI, we’re offering a closing allowance if we can close by September 5th!!!
So yeah, busy, busy. But, as many of you know, I know no other way. We’ve got three short weeks off from school before we start up again for the Fall. I’ve got some freebies I’d like to upload and other things to write about, but we shall see what I can get done. First priority is selling this house!! Then, we’re going shopping!!!!
Thank You Readers!
Just wanted to say a quick thank you to all the new peeps that are stopping by and especially the dedicated people that check in on a regular basis. It’s so nice to know my stuff isn’t wandering aimlessly out in cyberspace.
We’ve received a lot of hits most recently from Laurie’s awesome blog called Tip Junkie. If you haven’t been there you need to check it out. I am obsessed. It’s a wonderful resource and wealth of information, fun ideas and projects. What’s really cool is that Laurie promotes other bloggers and work at home moms. Gotta love networking ladies! Laurie included my CD Jewel Case Calendars in one of her recent posts. Once my life slows down a bit (I know, I know, yeah right, huh?!) I would like to share more DIY freebies.
In the meantime, please keep reading and posting comments and if you use one of my freebies please share photos!!
Mission Accomplished
WE GOT OUR DREAM HOUSE!!! Well…the offer was accepted anyway. The process is in progress and we’re one more step closer to being in our dream home before the wedding WOOO-WHOOOO!!! We are SO excited!!!
Thank you to everyone who had their fingers crossed and said an extra prayer; it worked and we appreciate it!! Now you’ll have to come over for a BBQ!
OMG We Are In Love!
Queue the angels “AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!”
THIS is one of the several houses we toured today and we are convinced. This. Is. It. THE ONE.
It was the gorgeous window Great Room that got us hooked:
Or, possibly the loft area to the three bedrooms upstairs:
Or, the HEATED TILE in the fabulous kitchen or the brand new granite countertops:
Wow. That’s all I can say. Wow, wow, WOW! 4 bedrooms, tall ceilings, nice neighborhood, literally move in condition. We love everything about this house and wouldn’t change a thing – not the decor, not the paint, not anything. (Well, just a few minor adjustments to make the yard dog friendly, but other than that it’s simply perfect. I would greatly appreciate your thought, prayers, well wishes, ANYTHING to help us get this gorgeous house. We’re going to try to make an offer ASAP. PLEASE don’t let anyone else beat us to it!
Home Sweet (New) Home
Although it may not happen until next year, but because it could possibly happen as soon as next month, Andy & I have decided get a head start on finding a new home. As such, we are going through all our things. I am told I am a pack rat and need to get rid of all excess “stuff,” including the inventory I have in stock from my old engraving store.
So…I’m having a sale!! I have a lot of very nice engraving materials & gift items in stock leftover from when I had my store. They are in brand new condition, just have been in storage since I closed up shop. What better way to get rid of “extra stuff” and help pay for our upcoming shindig?! Check back to see what else I can find.
Here’s the first item:
I have a limited number of beautiful 5×7 marble plaques that can be engraved with your favorite photo and quote. This design as shown above will feature one photo of your choice and one title/quote/saying. They make great gifts for parents, grandparents or to display in your own home…or garden! $40 each or request exact duplicates at a discount: 2 for $70, or 3 for $100. Price includes shipping & a display easel. (Sales tax will apply to Illinois residents.) Professional photos require a signed release from your photographer, no exceptions.
To order, please email me a high quality (300 dpi) scan of your photo along with how you would like the plaque personalized. I will send you a draft to approve and e-mail a bill via PayPal. Payment in full will be required prior to shipping. Other sizes and shapes are available, please contact me for details.
Thank you in advance for helping me efficiently unclutter my house & save for the wedding (& new house!)
How Exciting!!
I have been e-mailing back and forth today with Kate Harrison, author of The Green Bride website and book
I have actually been getting quite a few compliments on the calendars. (Although why doesn’t anyone leave comments on the website??? We are getting tons of hits every day but very few comments.) 
Oh well. Perhaps I can bribe…er um, I mean…encourage comments by offering some wedding freebies?? I will add things as I can find time. The more comments and encouragement I get from my readers, the more I’ll try to share with you!!
So check out the new page for Freebies and check out the post about us on Kate’s site. And for Pete’s sake (whoever Pete is) please start leaving me comments so I know the 20 hours a day I spend online are for a purpose greater than talking (typing?) to myself!!! Okay, yes I am over exaggerating a bit; I do sleep some nights so 18 hours is probably more truthful…although sometimes I dream that I’m online, but that probably doesn’t count, does it? Anyhow, I digress…
And More Fun Stuff
Do you remember making Fortunte Tellers as a kid? (Also called Cootie Catchers – why I don’t know…) I thought they might be a fun addition to the reception. But I need your help. I haven’t figured out what to put inside them! This is what I have so far:
Outside: Laura, Andy, Meckley, Wedding
Inside 1: 1 Love, 2 People, 3 Dogs, 4 Ever
Inside 2: Pink, Orange, Black, White
Fortunes:
BLANK!!! AGH!
Please comment below and help me write some fun fortunes!
I need 4-8 fortunes. Thanks!!
Speaking of the Invitations…
I realized I have not posted photos of my revised invitations and the inserts. So here ya go! Oh yeah, made by yours truly, the mastermind behind elle Z designs of course. (Gotta throw in my shameless plug; I’ve gotta pay for this wedding somehow, right?!)
Front – Gatefold Style
3D Name Banner – My Favorite Part!
Entire Set – Invitation, Directions/Info Card, RSVP Postcard
I’ve said it many times and I’ll say it again, 1 year is too long for me to plan a wedding. Obviously I love all our wedding ideas, crafts, etc. but after poking around online and seeing other amazing work from FABULOUSLY creative and talented brides, I have started to second guess some of my projects. I keep looking at things and finding minor details I would do differently now that I’m up to my ears in wedding ideas.
Check out these girls and you will see what I mean: Amber (who has similar colors, GORGEOUS invitations, AND PERSONALIZED BRIDAL CONVERSE SHOES that make me so insanely jealous I might have to “borrow” the idea! ) and Heather who is also extremely talented. So many fun ideas!
But, I am trying to keep myself from redoing everything. Instead, I keep adding on more and more projects. This crafty wedding may be overkill for some so…you’ve been warned!
Who else has had too much time planning that they find themselves redoing projects or adding more and more to their list?
DIY Aisle Runner – Part 2 (almost) Complete!
Aggghhhh!!! I am so excited I could just scream! I am *almost* done with our aisle runner. Here is the second part in this three phase project:
You may notice I still need to do some outlining but I am anxiously awaiting the paint to dry. It’s killing me to wait but I was starting to get a little sloppy in my rush to finish. After this is done I will attempt to line the entire 50′ of it in black ribbon.
I do believe this is the largest crafting project I have ever tackled. Well, the centerpieces took some time too, but I had two helpers. And so did the invitations. Okay, to be fair, this is the single most time consuming item. When it’s done I expect I will have at least 10 or more hours into it. I stopped counting after the first couple days of work.
What is the biggest DIY wedding project you have done?
