Quirky Insider

Jen (Marshall) Quinlan, interactive marketer and strategist by day, Pug wrangler and vintage hunter by night. Quirky Insider is a home for all thoughts about vintage, thrift stores, DIY projects, life in Austin, TX and beyond. "Take Risks and Stay Inspired"

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Spray Skateboard Art

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Custom beer cozi project: nautical-themed 30th b-day bash

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Andy Warhol - "Art"

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Quirky Traveler: Smut Putt Heaven, Austin, TX

A spot high up on my Austin 'to see' list is Smut Putt Heaven. I had read about it on the Austin Yard Art tour, and I have yet to visit in person. 

Scott Stevens, junk artist and co-creator of the Austin Yard Art Tour, has evolved his backyard into a "tangled jungle of mannequins". Tree stumps are transformed with doll heads to form a small army of armless nightmares. Plastic cap "snakes" dangle from trees. To get a feel for the yard, see his gigapan photo here or visitors are welcome on Sundays (to be confirmed).  

"His backyard cactus patch has been filling up with body parts for over fifteen years. A crowd of decaying doll and mannequin heads look in all directions at once. Held up on crutches and metal poles, each is in constant movement, bowing down after rain softens the soil or leaning back to contemplate sky and cosmos. Scott has done the impossible by finding a use for dumpster-dived haircutting academy heads. Decapitated dolls' eyes loll around, staring at their torsos dangling in the pecan tree. As the sun decomposes their polymer chains, plastic crackles into branching patterns like leaf veins or rivers. Fungus and mold spread across the humanoid faces – states of decay that look abject, but are profoundly non-violent. They are the material world’s slow unraveling, given time and visibility. Smut Putt Heaven (a.k.a. “Holiness Church of Wonders and Signs Following”) is a retirement home where decapitated heads and headless bodies can decay in peace. A kind of slow, roundabout way to heal decapitation by letting it dissolve into the landscape."

Source: City of Garbage Blog 

In an interview with KLRU, Scott describes his yard as a sanctuary. Guests that are turned off by the yard he shares are often "adults where their inner child has died". His closing tip is for everyone to start their own art yard. 

Location

509 Gate Tree Lane, Austin, TX 78745 Map 

Scott Stevens, Smut Putt Heaven

Alice Cooper-inspired ironing board. Source. 

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Orange-stained college girls with bleached, straight white teeth tottering down 6th Street. Binary code wizards hunched over 105 keys squinting at dual LED display screens. Spandex as a second skin on two wheels darting through truck traffic on the way to Whole Foods. Tight jeans, suspenders flair, double espresso and wax-combed hair.

                     Jen Quinlan, 'Welcome to Austin, TX'

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Quirky Traveler: 29 Weird Things to do In Austin, TX

Tomorrow is my golden birthday. I'll turn 29 on July 29th. What is a birthday more than just celebration of an arbitrary number of days, so then I thought - why not make a list of an arbitrary quantity of my favorite spots in Austin?  

The following list includes my top 29 favorite spots or events in Austin, TX for the quirky traveler. They aren't in any particular order, but all have a celebration of weird flair. Enjoy!

Cathedral of Junk - incredible junk 'cathedral' in South Austin. See Yelp listing for hours and phone number so you can call ahead. 

Museum of the Ephemerata - This spot deserves a follow up post. Proprietors of Victorian parlor museum are a kick. 

Chicken Shit Bingo - Ginny's Little Longhorn has a special type of bingo - where a chicken poops on a numbered board. Sundays only. 

Hippy Hollow - Clothes optional beach and boat spot

Eyore's Birthday - this is still on our to do list. Visit site or look up pictures to see more! 

Peter Pan Mini Golf - retro fun statues adorn this mini golf course. It is also socially acceptable to bring a brown bag of beer to sip on while you play a round of golf.

Krause Springs - the biggest wind chimes I have ever seen

Magnolia's Cafe - pancakes for dinner any day of the week

Rio Ritas - odd flavors of infused tequila 

Driscill Hotel Bar - haunted hotel with amazing hotel bar and stellar Moscow Mules

Lovejoy's Bar - unfortunately closing soon, but this bar used to have a coffin in it

Hi, How Are You mural - Daniel Johnston, a local Austin art legend and designer of the famous Curt Kobain t-shirt

West Lynn Gorilla - you name the holiday, this gorilla will be dressed to meet the occasion 

Casino El Camino - devilishly good hamburgers

Mean Eyed Cat - once a sawmill, now a Johnny Cash tribute bar with taxidermied critters in the ceiling

Austin Gorilla Run - your entry fee includes a gorilla suit, sold! 

Hurse Limo - haunted tours and spooky cab rides

Nik the Goat - lives in S. Austin

Soup Peddler - soup on two wheels, the result of a corporate guy that couldn't take it anymore

Gourdoughs - Specialty donuts with flavors like 'Blue Balls', 'Mother Clucker' and 'ODB'

Austin Bike Zoo - artists that create butterflies or giant snakes powered by bicycles

Midnight Cowboy - once brothel, now distinguished cocktail experience spot

Bats - although it is touristy, the S. Congress bridge bats at sunset are a pretty cool experience. 

Darth Vader Pedi Cab - awesomest pedi cab in town

Grocery Store Bar - Whole Food's flagship store has a wine bar and a beer bar in the center of the store. Who would have thought grocery shopping could be this fun?

Carousel Lounge - Circus-themed dive bar, minus the carnies (most of the time)

Gnome Tribute Bar - visit DB's on West 6th Street

Pickle Shots - visit Kung Fu, free video games on the weekend and 24-7 free skee ball. Also, for a salty treat, try their pickle shots. 

Rolling Roadshow - see Alamo Drafthouse's rolling roadshow including experiences like watching Jaws while floating on a lake or Blazing Saddles in a park while shooting cap guns and eating beans 

Gorilla Run, Austin, TX

Casino El Camino - 517 East 6th Street  Austin, TX 78701

West Lynn Gorilla, Austin, TX

Museum of the Ephemerata - 1808 Singleton Ave., Austin, TX

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Vintage Hunter: Quest for Vintage Cowboy Boots

The Quest

My vintage hunter quest was to find an affordable pair of vintage cowboy boots. I live in Austin, TX - this should be easy, right?

Where to buy?

I started looking at vintage boots about three years ago when we first moved to town. Admittedly, at first I thought vintage boots were "too westerny". With time, I came to appreciate how a good pair of boots can add a lot of flair to an outfit and be mixed with modern separates. 

In Austin, I started first looking where everyone else searches that doesn't know better - South Congress. Littered with tourists, South Congress has several store options (Allen's Boots, Heritage Boot, and Uncommon Objects). All of which have extremely high prices.

I started looking in local secondhand and vintage shops, with mixed results. I also started exploring nearby towns like San Marcus, San Antonio, New Braunfels and Wimberly. The best places I found was the Boot Whispherer in Wimberley, however her collection is top-notch and prices are steep (see previous entry about her shop).  

Victory

Two of my favorite vintage shops ever are outside of Waco, TX (Bon Ton Vintage and Style Station). On a recent trip up to Dallas, my husband and Pugs were willing to patiently let me shop at each of these spots. At Style Station, I scored a great deal on vintage boots and I wanted to share this spot for other local folks in search for the perfect vintage boot at an affordable price. 

Style Station is an old gas station building run by a husband and wife team, Art and Rebecca. Art loves to tell stories and introduce you to his now grown dog (I met him as a puppy) named Shorty. Rebecca is a fashion and vintage expert that will show you her latest projects included hand-painted vintage boots (so beautiful and apparently will be on a band's album cover according to Art). 

They have a collection of about 200+ pairs of boots out front in a large bin (these are the cheaper boots and you have to dig to find good ones). Inside they have shelves filled with better condition boots sort of organized by size. 

I was lucky enough to find two pairs in my size (7.5 men's = 9.0 women's). Each vintage pair was $35 and they're by the same brand, Tony Lama, in good condition. 

Tip: Make sure to bring a pair of thick, tall socks. Art lent me a clean pair, but it would be something handy to have in your purse when looking for boots. 

Boot Valuation

I took a gamble on the boots, as I didn't know much about the Tony Lama brand. I did ask Art to show me how to tell a 'good' boot from cheaply-made ones. He showed me how to look for nail marks on the bottom of the boot. Also if you see a ton of glue on the boot holding it to the sole, most likely it is new and poorly made. 

If you are looking to resell, I'd recommend having eBay or etsy handy in-store. They can be a great way to confirm you're paying the right price, or to help understand other questions you should ask. 

Happy Hunting

Ultimately it comes down to how much you'll enjoy the pair of boots - for me, I'm thrilled! I just encourage ladies to throw out those UGGly Uggs and don't pay Frye's prices. There are some beautiful, affordable, vintage items out there just waiting for you to discover them. 

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Vintage Hunter: Bon Ton Vintage - Forreston, TX

Had a wonderful visit with the folks of Bon Ton Vintage today on our way back from Dallas. If you've never gone, I would highly recommend stopping by this spot located off I 35, exit 391 / Forreston Road near Italy, TX.

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Vintage Hunter: San Antonio, TX - Yeya's Antiques & Oddities

Just a few blocks from the Alamodome sits a yard littered with rusted treasures. An obstacle course of inevitable tetanus opportunities, Yeya's Antiques and Oddities waits for the adventurous vintage shoppers to jump in and start digging.

I was first interested in visiting Yeya's after researching vintage shops in San Antonio, Texas a few months ago. The store had opened in November 2011 and boasted carnival-themed antiques. Note to the vintage hunters, while this store is open Saturday and Sunday it closes early (2:30 / 3:00pm), so you have to get going early in the morning to check it out. 

My husband and I visited Yeya's in June 2012 after reading a Facebook post by the shop owner, Mario (Mario Benitez Cooremans), about recently acquiring a warehouse's contents of military items. Inventory included panels from old planes, navigational dashboard dials and controls, to old propeller parts - all of which littering the back yard area on a sunny Saturday morning when we arrived.

Upon chatting with Mario about how he finds his inventory, he shared a story about having a contact in the San Antonio area that has a warehouse of carnival items. Several times a week Mario drives by in his truck to visit with the man, often only for one item from his warehouse collection to be 'released'. Earlier in the week the man sold to Mario several vintage carnival items. Unfortunate for us, the carousel horses were sold within 24 hours after Yeya's posted pictures on Facebook. Items remaining included plexiglass carnival mirror panels, some chipped paint shelves, and a few seats from rides - not the mix of items I was hoping for. 

Inside the shop, Mario was a wonderful host and offered us ice-cold water. He collects 1920's photographs and local San Antonio artists. He showed me a few paintings of his private collection that he hasn't added to his "archive" yet. We enjoyed browsing the piles quirky mix of items including fermented bugs in jars, an early 1900's dentist chair, old phone switchboard, women's body building trophy, giant ceramic critters like a pig with light bulbs in its ears, and even a Lucy from Peanuts old costume. 

We picked out a few treasures (see pictures below) before heading over to Blue Star brewery for lunch:

Rusty high chair - could be great for a plant stand, $15

Bimbo (bakery) sign - $5

Brass bird cage - $15

Rocky stamp set - $5

1937 Illinois Illini ashtray - $10

Upon returning home from our pick, I was interested in looking up Mario and learning more about the store. Below I've included excerpts from a blog entry originally posted on Junk Nation Review's site. 

What's with the name? 

A rebuttal spin off of a Hotel in Lima, Peru (perhaps this one?) where all is military straight and proper

Yeyas is my dancing name

A nickname of a diva named Dorelia

What was Yeya's business plan? 

Buy a historic outdated building suited for a garage. Update and bring building to code. Buy lot next door. Create your hours to match the average working person. Tues-Fri 10:30-5:30pm and Sat – Sun 10:30-3pm. Fill the entire area with junk mixed in with aviation, carnival remnants, throw in a few plants, buy out concrete foundries, turn down any antique that seems conventional and last but not least, burn the boat and know that there is no going back!

"Turn down any antique that seems conventional." - Mario, Yeya's Antiques

About Mario's background:

With only a few pieces being sold under a bridge to support my outlandish lifestyle. Dream of eating good and sleeping indoors ( I would dive in dumpsters and layout a few found treasures (Junk) in front of my lavish outdoor living quarters (my rock bottom years of living under the bridge) and oddly enough would frequently sell my goods to Impulse Junkers as they made there way back to their paradise.

I remember that it did not take my but one incident of my losing my most prized possession which was a very ornate door knob from what would have had to been part of a castle and my vision was to build a unique house made from junk from all over.

(Sounds Hokey, but you know what, it kept me off the drugs and locked me into the years ahead knowing that eventually I would be able to turn such a knob and be able to lower and raise the temperature if I could only get on the other side of the door this knob would be on.)

That started a pattern for my schedule. I would sleep from 6pm-10pm, stay awake and guard my little junk until all the drunks and crackheads would knock out usually by 1am. That’s when I would get up and go junking until about 5am. I would sleep again until 9am. Wake up get ready, eat shower and open up my under bridge sidewalk junk table until 5pm. On weekends I would work from 10-3 average and you know what, these are my hours today.

Visit: Yeya's Antiques and Oddities

1423 E Commerce Street  San Antonio, TX Facebook [phone] Tue - Fri: 10:30 am-5:30 pm Sat - Sun: 10:00 am-3:00 pm 

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Vintage Hunter: Ermine Vintage in Austin, TX - North Loop

When you're tired of paying South Congress prices for vintage, check out North Loop. A quirky block of indie coffee shops, vintage clothes and antiques, book store, and even a store for 'products for couples', North Loop shopping block has spunk and really good finds.

I was told to check out the neighborhood by several folks. Then when grabbing coffee downtown at my favorite coffee spot, Hideout, the barrista was wearing an incredible retro shirt. I complimented it, and then learned he and his wife are co-owners of Ermine Vintage, one of the North Loop vintage spots.

With business card in-hand, the next weekend we explored the neighborhood. We were not disappointed.

In Austin, Ermine is my favorite vintage shop for its selection, fair prices, great condition pieces, and range in sizes. Mike (my husband) is a tall guy, and he was able to find vintage t-shirts that were a true XL (this never happens). I picked up a red and white halter summer dress (pictured on mannequin below). The shop is small, but offers a great variety.

Pictures above were pulled from their Facebook page including shots of featured dresses and co-owners, Elizabeth Anderson and husband, Brian Horst (musician).

Ermine Vintage 106 E North Loop Blvd Austin, TX 78751-1227 Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 11am-7pm.  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erminevintage Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/erminevintage 

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Seeking inspiration from simple supplies. Doing portrait art with simple wire.

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DIY Fiesta Wreaths, San Antonio Style

I'm an Austin, TX local (for the past 2+ years at least). It is rare that I venture outside of city limits. Today was an outlier - a good friend from New Mexico was visiting in San Antonio for a volleyball conference, thus Mr. Quirky and I made the drive down to visit.

I admit - of my 2-3 visits to San Antonio, I haven't been very impressed. The river walk, Alamo, and downtown scene can be interpreted as quaint, however most of the time the locals are obnoxiously rowdy or tourists are overwhelming. In turn, we've been in a hurry to get the heck out of there and make the hour drive back to Austin.

Today was an exception. I was determined to get a better feel for where locals hang out and better understand where the arts districts are. We did luck out and fell in love with the Southtown Arts District. The neighborhood architecture was fabulous, local businesses appeared to be doing well, art galleries on every block, and we loved two beer spots we 'discovered' - The Friendly Spot and Blue Star Brewing Company.

In my research, I came across a local business that I would love to visit on a future trip (as it was closed on Sundays). I find the name intriguing and their blog inspired this post. Meet 'Pig Liquors' "more than a liquor store". From what I can gather, they might just feature my favorite things ever - vintage clothes, booze, kitsch items, dia de los muertos stuff and local pottery. Heaven?

With no mention of who the fabulous artist is that came up with this idea, I loved a series of blog posts Pig Liquors touted with these fabulous sombrero wreaths. Economical, colorful, funky, and put to good use costume attire you keep boxed up year 'round. I think this is a fun nontraditional way to decorate your front door during the holidays.

To make sombrero wreaths, looks like you'll need:

A sombrero (duh!)

Christmas ornaments - I'd imagine preferably plastic in case they come loose and drop

Streamers or metallic / outdoor-friendly ribbon

Holiday schwag - a spray painted bundle of branches for example

Wreath hook and / or metal wire

Perhaps a shot of tequila?

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My Soap Box Ladies. Resist the urge to buy new, mass-produced, Victorian cameo jewelry. There are so many incredible vintage pieces out there that are waiting to be discovered - by you!

Victorian Rapper Bling While back in Champaign, Illinois for Thanksgiving, I visited my favorite vintage shop in the area - Carrie's. I would not recommend this store if you're looking for a bargain, although it is an excellent mid-range cost vintage shop with an excellent inventory across clothing, jewelry, hats, board games, luggage, decor and furniture.

I fell in love with pictured gaudy brown cameo necklace for $14. It measures 1.5" wide by slightly over 2" high on a thick gold-colored chain. When I wear it, I feel a little bit like a Victorian Flava Flav. Brilliant!

Carrie's Vintage & Antiques 204 North Neil Street   Champaign, IL 61820  [phone] http://www.yelp.com/biz/carries-champaign 

Cameo Earrings When you find a good cameo vintage piece, buy it - even if the jewelry item it is on isn't ideal. I was given these cameo earring costume jewelry pieces when I was a child by a family friend. They're clip-ons, which I don't like to wear. Although they could easily be modified into:

Brooches

Cufflinks

Hair clips

Shoe clips

Necklace

Add to a purse clasp

Happy Hunting!

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DIY Alterna Bride: Shoes on a Budget

There are a lot of options for bridal shoes for us gals that can't afford, nor would ever dream of ever owning, a pair of Manolo Blahniks. As a vintage gal, I was focused on first trying to find vintage shoes that worked. As a last case resort, I had backup plans of scouring DSW shoe warehouse for a pair of white shoes I could dye.

I came up with two strong options that I didn't decide on what I wanted to wear until right before walking down the aisle.

80's Prom Shoes The first pair of shoes I picked up was an incredible pair of robin's egg blue pumps possibly from the 80's. I found them at a thrift store off of Belmont Avenue and Halsted in Chicago Illinois.

COST

They were $14 (I almost forgot to take the bright orange sticker off of the bottom of the shoes before walking down the aisle) with light wear, and a great fit.

TIPS

If you purchase dyed shoes, keep in mind the dye can come off. I resisted the urge to wear the shoes until wedding day, and it did rain. Within moments after the ceremony I had water marks. One additional note about dyed shoes, my friend Claudia had dyed shoes on her wedding day. She did share that her limo driver was very gracious about her shoes dying the white leather interior of the limo. Be warned!

If you find a plain vintage pump, consider buying vintage shoe clips. They add flare and can be a nice way to tie the look together with your dress and other accessories. If you're looking for sparkle, I'd recommend adding 'rhinestone' or 'art deco' to your 'vintage shoe clips' search qwery on eBay.

Vintage Beaded Pumps

The thrift gods were smiling on me when I found these shoes (and their cousin in silver). Some woman graciously donated to Goodwill two pairs of hand-beaded size 8.5 pumps that had never been worn (pity). The heal was made of cheap plastic, and I had concerns about whether they'd hold up throughout a whole day of being on my feet.

COST

$4 a pair! What a steal! I kind of clapped a little in Goodwill when I found them.

TIPS

If you're going to buy vintage or used shoes, have a nearby shoe doctor that you can take them to. In Austin, I recommend Austin Shoe Hospital (downtown location is the store I'm most familiar with). I had the heel replaced and rubber area resoled for about $15 per pair. This still brought total cost to have a beautiful gold 'Cinderella' shoe for under $20.

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"A guilty conscience needs to confess. A work of art is a confession." Albert Camus

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DIY Alterna Bride: Decor on a Budget

Additional thoughts for the DIY alterna bride on a budget:

Vintage Furniture Rentals Consider renting vintage furniture or signature pieces from a vendor. I utilized fabulous LOOT Vintage out of Austin, TX. Rhoda and Anna are a pleasure to work with, have an incredible eye for antiques and style, and provided me with lots of rental options like these quaint chipped-paint antique doors in hues of eggshell and turquoise. I strung twine via natural-colored thumbtacks across the doors and hung black and white photos via clothespins.

COST: Doors - about $45 for the three doors, twine & clothespins $10 from Walmart, B&W photos with white trim ordered online via York Photo for $8.

  Mmmm... Maps! Next time you’re thrift store shopping, keep an eye out the book rack for an atlas. I’ve used maps for wrapping paper, cards and decoupaged them into paintings. I’ve seen on etsy.com adorable map jewelry. For my wedding, I used scalloped edge scissors to cut out hearts. I focused on countries or cities we’ve lived in or traveled to and laid them strewn about on our welcome table.

COST: $4 map book via Goodwill, $3 scissors from Walmart

  Cake Toppers We did cupcakes at our wedding because, well, they’re amazing. Further more, I couldn’t justify the cost of a wedding cake or even a personal cake in addition to the cupcakes. Having that awkward moment shoving icing in our faces just wasn’t a photo opp we were going for. I do however love vintage cake toppers. This chalkware cake topper from the 40’s was the first wedding decor item I purchased, and I enjoyed having it on our welcome table set against a recycled paper letter ‘Q’.

COST: Vintage cake topper via eBay $30, paper letter ‘Q’ from Paper Source for $10

  Mason Jars Who doesn’t love mason jars? To cut down on rental costs, I rented mason jars as glassware for guests to drink lemonade, bloody maries and other cocktails out of. Separately, I purchased larger mason jars from Walmart ($8 for a case of 10-12) and painted them with turquoise glasspaint. The project result - the look of antique mason jars at a fraction of the cost.

COST: $8 per case of mason jars from Walmart, Vitrea 160 turquoise glass paint $4, Vitrea glass paint thinner $4

TIP: Check out these two DIY blog posts (post 1, post 2) to pick up tips and techniques for this project. I found the paint and thinner at Michael’s. It is also available on Amazon.com or other art supplies sites. Make sure though you purchase the paint for glass, not ceramic projects.

Guest Book I cannot believe how expensive wedding guest books are! Seemed to me that they all started around $50 and went up from there. I purchased a scrap book in an apple green hue, purchased a few gold pens, and encouraged guests to draw a picture or leave a note. The results - guests had fun being creative and the total cost was under $35.

 COST: Paper Source scrap book $20, two gold pens at $3 each, vintage-looking photo edges for scrap booking $3.

Photography featured in this blog post by Nadine Photography, http://nadinestudio.com/

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DIY Alterna Bride: Attire for Under $200

This past October, Quirky became Mrs. Quirky when she married her best friend of 6 years, Mike. While there are many aspects of the wedding that I intend to write about (vintage finds, amazing local vendors in Austin, TX), today's post is going to focus on bridal attire for under $200 - it is possible fellow thrifty brides!

In a previous post I wrote about where I found the dress, for today I want to break down total cost of my look and some vintage wedding dress hunting tips.

Cost Summary

$65 - Vintage dress, once hand-made (not store bought), purchased at Style Station in Waco, TX

$60 - dress alterations via Nelda's Tailors, Austin, TX

$35 - Vintage pillbox hat still in box, purchased at Style Station in Waco, TX

$14 - Turquoise dyed shoes, purchased at vintage store off of Belmont Avenue in Chicago, IL

$4 - two yards of birdcage veil netting in ivory hue

Subtotal: $178

Vintage Wedding Dress: Shopping Tips

Buy undergarments you intend to wear with a dress early. Take them with you when shopping. It makes a big difference when trying things on.

Talk to the shop owner about whether they think the garment has enough fabric to be taken in.

Be flexible - if you're shopping vintage, it is helpful to have a silhouette in mind. Understand you won't find exactly what you are looking for.

These dresses are one-of-a-kind. You may need to buy 2-3 dresses to find "the" one dress. Total I purchased my first potential wedding dress candidate at a Goodwill in Albuquerque for $8. In Austin, I found a second dress I liked for $20. Then I found the final dress I went with for $65. Worst case? You can always sell the other ones that didn't work out on eBay, but you do have to be decisive and buy in the moment - so set a budget.

Discoloration / stains - assume they won't come out. What is your backup plan? Could you add a ribbon sash belt over a pesky tear in the waist area? Could you have an area on the dress re-beaded or a flower applique added? Be creative when assessing a garment.

Pillbox Hat & Birdcage Veil

I prefer to purchase online, so my mom helped me to find fabric stores online with reasonably priced veiling. I ordered from Online Fabric Store. They were speedy, offered decent variety, and product when delivered was as described.

Tips:

Veiling can also be referred to as netting. When conducting Google searches try phrases like 'birdcage veiling' or 'russian netting' or 'birdcage netting'.

If you're artsy, veiling can come in a range of colors. I know bright petticoats under dresses is a wedding trend. I could see a bright yellow accent for the petticoat and then picking it up in your veil material too.

The Product:

Product ID:VEIIVO Product Name: Ivory Russian Netting Price: $2.75 Quantity: 2 yards Merchandise Total: $5.50 Shipping: $5.38 Grand Total: $10.88

How to:

My mom, Judy, was my super hero. I underestimated what it would take to figure out how to take the veil material and work it into my pillbox hat. To make matters worse, I also waited until the last minute to work on this detail. My mom jumped in and a few nights before the wedding, purchased a little sewing kit and got to work.

She based her work off of the following DIY tutorial I found. It offers step-by-step guide on how to sew your veil into your hat or headpiece. I found this sketch in her blog most helpful:

Bride Kit

One other thought, these are items that were extremely helpful to have on hand day of. Figured I'd pass this list along to other brides-to-be when planning what to have on hand for your day of:

Sewing Kit - something will pop off. Accept it.

Scissors

Safety Pins - see item #1

Bobby Pins - if you're going to wear anything in your hair, have a ton of backup bobby pins and a patient best friend

Gingerale, tums, gum, bottled water, Tylenol - I felt sick to my stomach the entire day

Liquid B-12 - provides for a nice little vitamin kick before walking down the aisle

Baby powder

Double-sided tape - for keeping stuff where it is supposed to be, and getting fuzzballs of fabric

Eye drops

Flats - I hate high heels

Granola bar - you think you'll eat, but you won't

Cell phone & charger

Tissues - sweaty hands

Multiple pens and checkbook - finding a pen was the toughest thing to do day of, you'll need it when you're filling envelopes with tip checks

Pictures