I’m not a crafter. In any sense of the word. I can’t sew myself out of a corner.  The only time I’d ever use craft to describe me, would be followed by the words mac’n'cheese.

I subscribe to no less than 50 craft, design, and fashion blogs, wide-eyed gazing at the posts in my Google Reader like a little girl would tear through a Tiger Beat issue. It’s sad, yes. But I am an admirer of crafty design, not a possessor of the skills required.

I usually find that when I get something in my head, it won’t get out ’til I satisfy it. And for months I’ve been determined to find a stress relieving hobby that does not require me staring at a computer for 20 hours a day. However, I never expected to summon my crafting desire at midnight on a Tuesday in a 24 hour Kinko’s in Katy, TX.

If you are a reader of this blog, you’ll recall that this year I am attending 15 weddings. Four of those which I am either in or helping to plan.   Over the next 10 weeks alone I will be hosting 2 bridal showers, organizing 1 couples shower, planning 2 bachelorette parties and attending 3, 2 bridal luncheons, 4 rehearsal dinners, and attending 5 weddings.  And that only takes us up to August 31st. Then begins fall wedding season. I’ll spare you the details. Plus, I’ve gotta leave something for you to read in the book I’m writing about all of it! :-)

So takes me to Monday night. Sitting at dinner with Amber talking about the upcoming 3 weeks of wedding festivities upon me. I had searched all day for bridal shower invites for a shower I am hosting in a few weeks.  I really needed to get the invites out stat, and couldn’t find anything I was looking for. Amber suggested Michael’s and I immediately perked up. I had been searching at every stationery store I could find in Houston. (Actually have a later post planned on this, found some great places!) But nothing had what I was looking for color and budget-wise.

The thought of going to Michael’s always intrigues me. Much like things normal people do, like grocery shopping, when I am in Michael’s, I feel like part of a society of crafty people. “Ah, yes, can  you point me in the direction of the paper mache aisle,” I could hear myself casually say. Or exchange jovial beading tips with whoever happened to be standing on the bead aisle. (Did you know there is a whole aisle of beads?!). Dreams, all dreams.

It was 8:30pm and I was in the city. I had to get the invitations out by the next morning, and the closest Michael’s to my parents was in Copperfield, and closed at 9pm.  I had my mission.

I promptly thanked Amber, and headed out 290 like a wild woman. I arrived at Michael’s 10 minutes before closing. The large front display windows glowed in the otherwise empty suburban strip mall parking lot like an oasis in the desert.  I tore through the aisles, of course having no idea where invitation supplies would be. Passed it up about 3 times. Finally got to the “wedding aisle.” Yes, there’s one of those, too.

I quickly grabbed a modern looking Red & White invitation kit from Gartner Studios, a box of blue favor boxes, a roll (do they call these rolls?) of red ribbon, and a tin of blue flower confetti. Oh, and gel glue.  Martha Stewart brand gel glue. I figured I couldn’t go wrong with anything that said Martha Stewart on the label.  I can’t even explain what made me grab those items. It was as if my hands were possessed. I had no idea what I would do with them once I got home, but I knew I need to get 40 invitations in the mail by the morning.

After a stop at CVS for mailing labels, I arrived back to my parents’ house about 10pm. I felt like I was cramming for a college exam. I spread the contents of all the boxes out on the floor and got to work.

I had seen a party theme on one of my favorite event design sites, Hostess with the Mostess, for a Red & Aqua modern kitchen shower. I’m an event planner.  I can make events happen.  Crafting?  Not so much. Little did I know I was in for a night full of lessons, experiments, and fun.

The invites I got came in a cool packaged set which included a white card stock, printable (or so i thought at the time) invitation, a red scalloped invitation cover, a reply card and return envelope, and a white ribbon and decorative paper center piece that reminded my of snowflakes we would cut into pieces in art class. 40 of each. All for only $25. This was the best part. Cheap. The invites were supposed to look like this when assembled:

I ditched the white ribbon and snow flake and got to work on the invitation wording.  I found lots of cute wordings on the web and decided on a playful one.  The invitation set came with instructions on downloading an online template for both the invitation and the reply card. Since I wasn’t using them for a traditional wedding invite, I made the reply card into a gift registry notification. I downloaded a modern looking font, and I was ready to print. Or so thought I was.  It was about this moment that I realized the only printer we had at the house was black and white. I need a color laser printer, and the closest 24 hour Kinko’s was in Katy. Nothing was stopping me now. I gathered up all the supplies, and headed for Katy, TX.

When I arrived, I made besties with the night staff there.  It was now 1am and I’m sure my frenzied state and the determined looking in my eye humored them to no end. I handed over the invite cards, gave him the template on a jump drive and figured we were go to go. The invite cards that came with the box had a pearlized texture, and raised flower embellishments on the corners and border. Once he ran the invite through the ultra hot industrial machine, all of these details were flattened. No time to waste, we quickly came up with a solution.  He cut similar sized card stock into the size I needed, and we were back in business. At that minute, I knew what I would use the confetti for.

I broke out the box of blue confetti and began to glue 3 pieces at the bottom and one at the top, where the raised embellishment had been. It actually turned out more of a look that I wanted than the original paper. Much more modern looking on the plan white paper. I high-fived the Kinko’s night team and was out the door.  Pushing 2am at this point.

I returned home, finished gluing 4 flowers on 40 invitations. stuffed the invites in the covers, replaced the white ribbon with blue ribbons that happen to come with the blue gift boxes, and wrapped the red ribbon around the cover of the blue gift boxes. Brilliant! I had to say, I was super proud of myself. Oh, I left out the part about adhering all of the mailing labels to the envelopes while on my way to kinko’s. While DRIVING.  Yes, I’m a dangerous multi-tasker.

The end product turned out like this:

It was nearly 4am by the time I got all of the invites stuffed, addressed and ready for mailing. I have to admit, the feeling of accomplishment outweighed the exhaustion. This small project made me feel that maybe I’m not so craft-challenged afterall. Maybe, just maybe there’s hope for me yet.

View the set of images on Flickr here.

tumblers, by slightclutter

It feels as if this post is way overdue. On the other hand, it also feels to be entirely immature.

I’m going to cram a lot into this post, so for you ADD readers, here’s the short version:

• Update on Baby Kailey: she’s doing great!
• I moved in with my parents to help with the baby!
• I still have my place, so there will still be a Christmas Tree Viewing Party 3.0!

• I quit my job!

• I’m freelancing! (yes, read above: i quit my job!)
• I’m really, really happy, excited, and scared as all hell!
• Wedding Bells

Whew. That wasn’t so hard?  Now what took me so long to write this post? (Besides painstakingly searching for the exact right image. Which I will always obsess over.)

First things first. I’m doing GREAT.  In the last 4 months I’ve made some of the biggest decisions of my life, and I couldn’t be more excited about everything. The recession be damned! I know it’s a very real thing, but I’ve decided to not participate in it. ;-)

Secondly, there is entirely no way I would have been able to make any of those decisions without the wonderful friends and family who have surrounded me with support and encouragement. I’d be about 2% of a person without you all.

Update on Baby Kailey + Home Again

Before I get into too much detail with my new career direction, I wanted to give an update on Baby Kailey. Many of you have asked about how she is doing, or who that cute baby is popping up on my Flickrstream.  If you didn’t read my original post on Kailey, it’s here. Short version is…since November my parents have had custody of my cousin’s baby girl. She was 2 months old when she came to stay with us, she is now a healthy 7.5 month old.  Mom has since started back at work, and I have moved in to help out with the day to day awesomeness of having a baby around. I swear, everyday I wonder how single mothers do this. There are 3, sometimes 4, adults in this house, and we are all exhausted! :-)

In February, after the awesomely successful Mom 2.0 Summit, I made the decision to move in with mom and dad to help out as mom started back at work. I was a little worried about leaving my place, but I found a friend who needed a place to stay for 6 months, and it just worked out perfect.  I only had to move my clothes, and he lets me visit whenever I want. Thanks, Trae!

I made the decision so quickly, that I really didn’t have time to think about what a big transition this would be.  Barring a few post-college months, I hadn’t lived with my parents since high school, nearly 12 years ago. In one day I went from being an independent, single, urban, museum district-highrise dweller, to a diaper changing, baby-talking, suburban daughter living in my parents house in Jersey Village.  Head spin!

But every moment’s been worth it.  I’ve been here nearly 6 weeks and I haven’t missed my apartment once. Due to an open invitation from Trae. :-)  I’ll never forget what the wise Laura Mayes said to me when I was contemplating this decision: she said to me, “You’ll never regret spending this time with your family.”  And that really stuck with me.  And has continued to. What is 6 months in my life? A time to be there for my family, to spend time with my mom and dad, and most importantly to experience the first year of a child’s life. There really was no decision to make.

Independence Day

After a few weeks of being home, it started to occur to me what a financial benefit this was becoming. I had not intended on moving home for the sake of saving money, but it was certainly an ancillary benefit. I quickly came to the realization that the time was here and now for me to make another decision I had been struggling with for years.

Most of you know me in one capacity or another, and at one time most of you have asked the question, “So what is it you DO?” A question I’ve struggled with answering, usually with a chuckle.  It usualy starts like this, “Well, my day job is _____, but I also do _______.”  About 4 years ago I made a decision that my traditional (well-paid) Oil & Gas marketing career would never fulfill my career passions.  I tried many companies, much to the dismay of my resume and friends’ skepticism. Over the last few years, I’ve reached out for ways to explore my creative passions in the form of PR, event planning, design, and most recently, social media. As a result, I’ve built up a network of amazing people, dream clients, and many, many new friends. It’s always been a means to an end, as I knew that one day I would make the jump from corporate employee to self-employed. And last Wednesday, that day came.

Yep, in the midst of an economic depression turned recession, on tax day nonetheless, I finished my last day at Halliburton. For 3 days now, I’ve officially been self-employed. And I can honestly say, I haven’t been this happy in a long time. And of course everyone says I will eventually say, why didn’t I do this a long time ago.  But I disagree.  This was the right time.  I had to be ready.  All the elements had to be ready. And this was the time.

I’ve have the amazing opportunity to work on some dream projects over the last few months. Starting with the Mom 2.0 Summit, where I met so many amazing folks.  One in particular, author and wife of Houston’s Mayor,  Andrea White. Since then, I’ve been working with Andrea, and with the Bill White for Texas Senate Campaign on social media strategies, and it’s been a wonderful experience.

COLABorate

So that brings me to my plans. The number one question I get these days is no longer “what do you do?” but rather, “so what ARE you gonna do?” And it seems like an easy one to answer. But it’s been difficult.

I’m not a graphic designer, a web developer, or a traditional public relations person.  Both my undergraduate and graduate degrees are in Psychology. Go figure. And most of what I do relies on the collaboration of those within my network.  I can take a decent picture, but I know a helluva lot of incredible photographers. I can open Photoshop and tell you what color looks good next to pink, but I am friends with some incredibly talented designers who can design circles around me. I can Google CSS lines of code, but call some of the best programmers around friends. Where I’ve found my strength lies is in the communication of an idea with a client.  The development of a strategy.  The execution of that strategy with a team of creatives. This is where I excel.  Bringing my network of talented people together. And it’s taken me 10 years to figure that out. So here I am.

I’ll have much more details in the coming months of my newly formed company, COLAB, and about the projects I’ll be working on. For the sake of cohesion I’ve dubbed it “interactive creative services,” which includes PR, event coordination, graphic design, web design, and social media strategy.  Website launched soon, and planning a networking event to officially announce the start of COLAB. I’ll post all the details here on my blog.

So here I am.  Back in my parents house.  In the suburbs. Eating my words. Remember “Midtown Monica”? I haven’t forgotten her. My new found independence, undoubtedly dependent on dependence of my family, who has never once wavered to help me get to where I want to be.

Wedding Bells

Hahahaha, GOTCHA! Knew THAT would get your attention. No, no, I’m not headed for the alter!  Leading a double life for the past 4 years or so can really take it out of ya. So I’m also looking forward to getting back to some of the things that I so love, but haven’t had the time for. Like writing.  I have a few projects I will be working on, that you will hearing more about soon, including more blogging and a few books I am working on.  One book that is super imminent, A Single Girl’s Guide to Weddings. Why so?  Well, as of today, I have 15 this year. Yep. FIFTEEN weddings. I’m in 4 of them. And 3 are out of the state.  Not only do I have 15 weddings. I have 15 bridal showers. and 15 bachelorette parties. Couple’s showers. trips to Crate & Barrel. In all honesty, I LOVE weddings.  No pun intended. I thought this would be a fun way to share my experiences and observations on love, dating, marriage, and (to borrow a phrase from MagsMac) the ultra important debate between taupe and off-white. I’ve attended 3 already this year, and have 3 chapters so far.  Very excited to see where this goes.

I’m still blogging over at Houstonist, and on my design blog, Design Junky, which recently got a facelift, and of course here on Cosmopolitician. Will be blogging for a new fun blog, deets on that soon!

There’s More?!!  Dang.

Thanks for lasting to the end of this post.  I know it was a bit of a marathon, and I promise to be more brief in the future.

I can’t tell you how much all of your support, encouragement and confidence has meant to me. This community is my world and my backbone. I hope this doesn’t sound to Grammy acceptance speech, but there are a few people I REALLY must thank for helping me get to this point.

Maggie McDonald for your huge smile and constant determination, you inspire me;

Laura Mayes who’s infinite wisdom and grace pushed me to quit my job (so that she wouldn’t be alone in her self-employment!);

Ed Schipul for pretty much everything: every token of crazed wisdom, every vote of confidence, and every “what the eff are you waiting for” speech;

And last but the very UNleast, Mom and Dad, who never let me believe for a second that I could fail at anything.  Even when I have. I love you, I love you, I love you (now what day does the maid come?) :-)

Gwen, and her lovely fiancé Joel Longtine, had been quite the talk of the Twitterverse + Social Media world, ever since their love affair bloomed online for all to see last year.  They embraced it, and continued to celebrate the role that technology has played in their relationship.

I’ll never forget the first conversation I had with Gwen about Joel.  It was June, and Gwen was in town for the Caroline Collective opening party. I could tell she was bursting at the seams to share a bit of information with me, but I couldn’t tell what. When she began talking about Joel, and their initial courtship, I swear I never saw it coming, from the one who I gab with about technology, and business ideas, and social media.  The one who we could talk for hours on the importance of brand, and community, and Mexican food. Never did I expect that the news she was so excited to tell me. was. about. a boy.

This boy, who I would over the next few months, get to know as a caring, loving, intelligent, lovely person. This boy, who had turned this girl on her head, and allowed her to experience true companionship. I watched as a strong partnership was formed. Amidst skeptics, and drama, and naysayers. I watched. As these two friends shared their lives. Online. Offline. Who made their networks of friends and acquaintances a part of their relationship.

On my 30th birthday, Oct 5th, I got a text message: Joel Proposed! It was a wonderful ancillary birthday gift.  And over the next 5 months, I looked on as they planned the celebration of the beginning of their lives together. A day I was so fortunate to be a part of.

So as I traveled to Boulder, a town I once called home, what seems like decades ago, I was ever conscious of the relationship I was in at that time. And how much I have grown as a person. And how these two technology-clad lovers have shown me that love does exist. Even with wires, and no wires, and http’s and twitterstreams, iPhone applications, and custom gmail scripts. At the end of the day it’s still love. And it’s bold.

Other highlights of the trip included spending extra quality time with my Maggie, who will never know how much I adore her.  There’s just not enough words in the world to express that kind of appreciation and gratefulness that she’s my friend. I’m so blessed to have her in my life.

Hanging out with the phenomenal photographer (more about Holly’s talent later), and amazing friend, Holly Hoyt and her sweet hubby Matt, as the four of us drove into Estes Park and visited Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a BLAST and I’ll never forget that trip because of it. More pics from that excursion here. Including Maggie’s snow angel. In jeans. and no gloves. Bravery and stupidity share a dotted line.

Urban Pearl Hair Salon

Got to hang with the Kirtsy Girls twice in 2 weeks which was a rare treat!  And our adorable house that we rented right off Pearl Street was perfect for some girl time.

Thanks to Denver folks Amy Greeblemonkey Giese + Jeffrey Larrimore who kept us entertained and escorted.

Was in heaven for few hours at Ten 20 Nail Salon with unlimited Diet Cokes, M&Ms, and Sex & the City episodes.  And watched as Gwen got her hair did at the hip and quaint Urban Pearl.

It was the perfect wind down to the crazy months leading up to Mom 2.0 Summit.

A much needed rest and relaxation, before the impending changes that were about to occur in my life.

It’s a trip I’ll never forget. More pics from the festitivites here.