Wedding Welcome Sign – Save Hundreds!

Hello fellow DIYers…

Who am I kidding?

I do not DIY anything. I am the worst. I am creative – when it comes to processes to follow. Not so much when it comes to painting and art. I’ve been trying to write a book practically my entire life, but writers block prevents that.

But weddings are EXPENSIVE!

I really want a beautiful dream wedding… can I do it for a couple hundred dollars? The answer is no. Venues alone run you thousands of dollars (in my area). So I have to find ways to save. And some of the design aspects I found I could DIY for drastically less (🥲).

Here we are. My first major DIY for the wedding! And I’ll walk you through how I saved hundreds so that maybe you can too! (Also some mistakes I made/things I would do differently so maybe you can avoid those yourself).

Wedding Welcome Sign

First – I have a free app on my iPhone (works on Androids too) called Da Vinci Eye. This app uses your phone as a looking glass of sorts – where you can put the image you want over top of the paper you are working on and pretty much trace that image.

I designed the image I wanted in another app called Enlight (basically photoshop editing type app – I do not know if this app is free still, but any editing app that lets you overlay images on top of each other will work). I used images off google searches that I liked, overlaying letters and words and images to design this mock-up:

I bought this large 5.5ft sign at a local thrift store for $50. (Sometimes thrift stores have bargain days, so I probably could have waited and gotten it even cheaper!)

After that, I used the Da Vinci Eye app to project my image on my TV so that I could see where I was drawing / writing at… and I painted away! (The great thing about acrylic paint is it dries quick and if you hate it – you can paint right over it to fix any mistakes!)

I did end up free handing the greenery, and I watched Pamela Groppe’s YouTube video on “how to paint leaves (beginner friendly)”

Things I would have done differently:

I definitely would have used painters tape to line out straight lines with the highest and lowest points I wanted the letters to be. Whether I moved the tripod or if it was just me… some of my letters became a bit slanted or not as big as I would have liked.

While this isn’t what a professionals work would have come out to look like – I paid less than $75 and a few hours and likely saved $400-$500 (as I am sure a custom 5.5ft sign like this isn’t cheap)

Subscribe for future crafting updates! I’ve got a few more up my sleeve (and luckily some friends who love me)

Bucket List: Grand Canyon / Cirque Du Soleil

I am so loved. I have friends who would get on a plane and fly half way around the states to spend my birthday weekend with me. 

It was a very wonderful birthday. We ran around Vegas, went to the Grand Canyon, and saw a Cirque Du Soleil show. 

My heart is so full of this love. I am so happy to have these people in my life and these memories in my mind. 

November is often the month we remember to go through the things we are grateful for. I am so thankful for the people who I have met and those I call friends, they have made life worth living. 

I love you guys. 

All the places I’ve been

 USA
   

 WORLD
    

 I want more blue…

2015 New Years Resolution Completed – Bucket List Update

My New Years Resolution last year was to have a better upcoming year than the previous year was. The last year was topped in the first quarter of 2015.

I wanted to make an updated post to my bucket list post from two years ago. I have organized the list, and moved all of my accomplishments to the top.

I am still living the dream; MY dream.

Have a Cup of Coffee With a Stranger (Achieved 2015)
Dine in the Eiffel Tower (Achieved 2015)
Be Smiling in a Random Persons Photo in the Back (Achieved 2015)
Jump into a Fountain (Achieved 2015)
Drink Champagne in France (Achieved 2015)
Drink Guinness in Ireland (Achieved 2015)
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin, Ireland (Achieved 2015)
Eat Chocolate in Belgium (Achieved 2015)
Eat Crepes in France (Achieved 2015)
Get Lost in a Foreign Country (Achieved 2015)
Dance Like No Ones Watching (Achieved 2015)
Don’t Use the Phone For a Day (Achieved 2015)
Attend a Yoga Class (Achieved 2015)
Become an Early Riser (Achieved 2015)
Do a New Year Dip (Achieved 2015)
Do a Boudoir Photoshoot (Achieved 2014)
Cut my Hair and Donate It (Achieved 2014)
Become a Film Maker (Achieved 2014)
Fly a plane (Achieved 2014)
Be in 5 Magazines (Achieved 2014)
Eat Cajun Food in New Orleans (Achieved 2014)
Go Ice Skating (Achieved 2013)
Drive around Big Sur (Achieved 2013)
Cross-Country Road Trip (Achieved 2012-2013)
View the Golden Gate Bridge (Achieved 2013)
Drive Along Route 66 (Achieved 2012)
Drive Along the Pacific Coast Highway (Achieved 2012)
Drive from Home to the East Coast (Achieved 2012)
Go to Colorado (Achieved 2012)
Become a Runway Model (Achieved 2012)
Stay in Death Valley (Achieved 2012)
Eat a Lobster in Main (Achieved 2012)
Eat Ribs at an American BBQ (Achieved 2012)
Be a Vintage Model For a Day (Achieved 2012)
Be on the Cover of a Magazine (Achieved 2012)
Bake my Own Bread (Achieved 2011)

Here are the remaining open bucket list items. I will continue to work on completing each one, living my life to the fullest. I figured these few items should keep me busy for the next few years:

Climb a Rock Wall
Drink Only Water For a Year
Go For Walk in Central Park
Achieve 1,000 Goals
Add a Picture /video/blog of all my Goals

Attend a 10-Day Vipassana Meditation Course
Attend a Poetry Reading
Attend an Inner Awakening Retreat
Be a Mentor to Someone

Be a Part of an Important Movement
Be a Part of Habitat For Humanity
Be Blind For a Day
Be on Stage in Front of Thousands of People
Be Part of a Disaster Relief Team

Be Part of a Peaceful Protest
Be Passionate About a Cause
Become Courageous
Become First Woman President

Break a Guinness World Record
Build Schools For Women and Girls in Developing Countries
Buy a Stranger a Meal at a Restaurant
Change Someone’s Life For the Better
Completely “Unplug” For a Week

Create a Travel Journal
Do 365 Random Acts of Kindness in a Year
Do a Buddha Meditation

Do a Favor For a Stranger on the Scale of “Pay It Forward”
Do a Twenty-Four Hour Silence
Do Charity Work Abroad
Do Something Crazy For Charity
Do Something New Every Month For a Year

Do Something Nice For a Homeless Person
Do Something Nice For Someone Who Will Never Find Out
Coast to Coast Train Trip
Couchsurfing in 10 Countries
Cruise Around the World

Cruise Mexico
Cruise the Caribbean
Cruise to Alaska
Cruise to Antarctica
Drive Around Australia

Experience the Grand Canyon
Explore Africa
Explore Asia and the Far East
Explore Australia and New Zealand
Explore the Amazon Rainforest

Explore the Desert on a Camel Safari in India
Explore the Galapagos Islands
Get a Lei in Hawaii
Get a Self Portrait in Italy

Go Backpacking Through Europe
Go on a Gondola in Venice
Go on a Real African Safari
Go Shopping in Milan
Go Swimming in the Dead Sea

Go to a Big Medieval Fair
Go to a Big Time Movie Premiere in Hollywood
Go to a Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan
Go to Brazil
Go to China During Chinese New Year

Go to Egypt
Be Time Magazine’s Person of the Year
Become a Cheese Connoisseur
Become a Freelance Writer

Become a Programmer
Become a Published Author
Become a Supermodel
Become a Translator
Become a Travel Writer

Become a Wine Connoisseur
Become an Author a Successful Blog
Travel By Seaplane
Backpack Across Europe
Backpack Across South America

Backpack Across the Himalayas
Backpack Appalachian Trail
Backpack South East Asia
Backpack Trough Australia
Backpacking Through New Zealand

Camp in the Backyard
Travel the Amazon River
Climb a Mountain
Climb a Pyramid
Cross Country on a Train

See the Northern Lights
Hike in Nepal
Visit the Grand Canyon
Visit Yosemite National Park
Hike Machu Picchu

Bake a Cake For Someone For No Reason
Cook 30 Recipes from 30 Different Countries in 30 Days
Cook an Entire Meal from Another Culture
Eat a Gyro in Greece

Eat a Six-Course Meal That I Prepared
Eat a Traditional Food from Every Country
Eat Apple Strudel in Vienna, Austria
Eat Chinese Food in China

Eat Curry in India
Eat Fish and Chips in London
Eat Greek Salad in Greece
Eat Maple Syrup Pancakes in Canada

Eat Mexican Food in Mexico
Eat Olives in Greece
Eat Pasta in Italy
Eat Poi in Hawaii
Eat Sushi in Japan

Eat Using Chopsticks in Asia
Create Passive Income
Establish my Business Before I Turn 40
Gain Financial Freedom
Go an Entire Month Without Spending Any Money

Invest in a Stock
Invest in Gold
Invest in Real Estate
Invest in Silver
Invest in the Stock Market

Save $10,000
Stay on a Strict Budget and Save For a Goal
Attend a Presidential Inauguration
Attend a Sydney Opera House
Attend a TED Talk

Attend a Writing Class
Become Bilingual
Become Fluent in French
Become Fluent in German
Become Fluent in Italian

Become Fluent in Spanish
Complete a Course to Become a Photographer
Complete a Novel
Complete a Rubik’s Cube
Complete all the Books from ’1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die’

Complete an Online Class
Do Crosswords Every Day For a Month
Do Sudoku Every Day For a Year
Get a Scholarship For University
Get a TEFL Qualification

Get Certified As a Lifeguard
Go on a University Exchange
Know the Alphabet Backwards
Learn 100 Basic American Sign Language Signs
Learn a Burlesque Routine

Learn a Computer Programming Language
Learn a Form of Martial Arts
Learn a New Language and Speak It Fluently
Learn a New Word Every Day For a Year
Learn a New Word from an Unknown Language Every Day For 30 Days

Learn a Trade
Attend a High School Reunion
Attend One Wine Tasting a Month
Create a New Family Tradition
Grow Old With the Love of my Life

Have 50Th Wedding Anniversary
Have a Picnic in Central Park, New York
Have a Romantic Flight in a Hot Air Balloon
Apply to Be a Jeopardy Contestant

Apply to Be an Amazing Race Contestant
Attend a Broadway Show
Attend a Charity Ball
Attend a Cirque Du Soleil Show
Attend a Concert As V.I.P

Attend a Film Premiere
Attend a Lantern Festival
Attend a Masquerade Ball
Attend a Paint Party
Attend Carnival

Be in Time Square on New Years Eve
Build a Snowman Taller Than Me
Celebrate the 4Th of July in Washington Dc
Dance Salsa in Rio Di Janeiro

Dance With an African Tribe
Dine in the Dark
Drink a Glass of Red Wine in Chile

Drink Rum on a Caribbean Beach
Drink Tequila in Mexico
Act in a Movie That Hits Theaters Nationwide
Act in a Short Film

Appear As an Extra in a Drama
Appear in a Music Video
Appear on Television
Attempt a New Recipe Once a Month For a Year
Be a Part of New York Fashion Week

Be on More Than 4 TV Shows
Become Great at Playing Guitar
Build a Computer
Build a Functioning Solar Still
Build a Giant Sand Castle

Build a Gingerbread House from scratch
Live in a Log Cabin
Put together a complex Puzzle
Build a Sauna in my Home
Build an awesome Tree House

Build a Website
Build Affordable Green Communities
Complete a Painting in One Day
Complete a Wine Journal
Create a Children’s Book

Create a College Photo Album
Create a Documentary
Create a Publication
Put together a Scrapbook
Create an Iphone Application

Create Melted Crayon Art
Decorate a House
Capture a Tornado on Film
Circumnavigate the Globe By Sail
Climb to the Top of a Rope in a Gym

Cross a Country With Bicycle or By Foot
Do a Firewalking
Do a Polar Bear Plunge
Do Human Bowling
Go at the Top of the Highest Building of the World

Go Bull Riding
Go Dog Sledding
Go Go-Karting
Go Into a Zero Gravity Room
Go Storm Chasing

Go White Water Rafting
Go Zip Lining
Hang Glide
Have a Nascar Experience

Arrive at an Airport and Take a Flight Randomly
Attend a Beach Bonfire
Attend a Beach Party
Attend a Mind Reading Show
Attend an Event at Buckingham Palace

Bathe In Chocolate
Bathe In Milk
Bathe In Oil
Be a Contestant on a Game Show
Be a Couchsurfing Host

Be a Flashmobber
Be a Member in the TV Audience
Be a Street Performer For a Day
Be a YouTube Star
Be an Extra in a Television Show

Be in Two States at Once
Be Inside an Igloo
Be Interviewed By Jay Leno
Be Interviewed On Oprah
Be Invited to the Playboy Mansion

Be Listed As One of People Magazine’s Most Beautiful People
Be Nude on a Nude Beach
Be on a Radio Show
Be on the Cover of Rolling Stone Magazine
Be on the Front Page of a Major Newspaper

Be on Webcam With Someone For Twenty Four Hours
Be Photographed Beside the Pyramids of Giza
Become Ambidextrous
Belong to a Secret Society

Blow Bubbles in the Rain
Buy Someone’s Groceries Just Because
Call Someone, Tell Them to Look Out Their Window, and Be Standing on Their Front Lawn
Celebrate my Birthday in Another Country
Change Clothing in a Phone box

Climb a Light House
Collect a Coin from Every Country I Visit
Collect a Jar of Dirt from Every State
Collect a Penny For Every Year I’ve Lived
Create a World Map With Pins of Where I’ve Been

Dance all Around the World
Dine at Sanyou Cave Hanging Cliff Restaurant, China
Do Everything With my Left Hand For a Whole Day

Do Something Absolutely Spontaneous
Do Something Unexpected
Don’t Talk a Whole Day
Draw Funny Faces on all the Eggs in my Fridge

Friendcation (Atlanta 2015)

A couple of my best friends and I decided we would make a trip up to Georgia – Helen, Atlanta, and Six Flags.

Road Trip!

We had an awesome time. We walked around this cute little German village (Helen, Georgia). Then we headed to Atlanta. Had the most amazing burger at Vortex. Walked around this beautiful botanical gardens with lights and ate s’mores. We danced like no one was watching (mostly to Gage’s embarrassment). We pretended like we were going to go out and party hard, and then we crashed in our hotel room at a normal bedtime. We walked around downtown Atlanta a little, and had breakfast.

Then we went to Six Flags, and for some reason I thought it would be a great idea to become a season’s pass holder.

Did I mention I am terrified of roller coasters?

Bucket List: Dance like no one is watching