Laws in the Lowcountry: August 2012

Friday, August 31, 2012

Hurry up 2pm!

Because I am leaving on a jet plane....

I'm going

HERE

I get to see

HER

and

HER

Do some dress shopping

HERE

Go talk about

THIS

Hopefully eat
HERE

And how can I forget get picked up from the airport by

HER

Whoo hoo!

Here's to a weekend at HOME!!!!!!

Ta ta,

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Will You Be My Bridesmaid?

Happy Wedding Wednesday!

Once we got engaged, I knew I wanted to do something special for my bridesmaids. Since I live so far away from all of them, I wanted to do something different.

I searched and searched and searched, and finally came up with the perfect idea thanks to a combination of Pinterest and Etsy.

I am having 8 bridesmaids and a matron of honor. They are all my best friends and girls that I wouldn't feel right standing up at the alter without.

I first made paper dolls for each of my bridesmaids. I had to be creative since I had so many and the scrapbook paper really only accommodated four. After a few weeks of visiting Hobby Lobby, cutting, gluing, and making cute little faces, my dolls were finished!

I also wanted adorable cards to go with the dolls. Again, I searched and searched and searched, then found Cami's Paperie. Let me tell you, she was so incredibly wonderful to work with! I told her what I wanted, and she quickly adjusted the proof. I feel like sometimes it takes shop owners forever to work on your order, but not Cami! She was awesome. I will be working again with her in the future! I promise you, you won't be disappointed if you ask her to design something for you!!

So without all of the boringly long details and how-to (unless you really want it), here is my short version of making the paper dolls.

making the accordion style dolls

making 4 at a time

8 of the 9

supplies

adding the hair

lots of dolls

gluing them together

failure. these turned out terribly! gave up and went with plain black bands

pearls around the matron of honor

finished product!

exciting envelopes!

I mailed them last Friday and finally had the last girl respond a week later! The suspense was KILLING me, but everyone said YES! So excited to have 9 of the closest women in my life stand beside me on the most important day of my life!

I will wait for another post to introduce all of the girls. Now if only I can get Tyler to ask all of his guys!

Did you ask your bridesmaids in a special way?

Ta ta,

Monday, August 27, 2012

11 Questions, Answers, Facts + Award!

Becca from Beginning with Becca nominated me for the Liebster Award! Thank you! Ya'll go take a look at her blog!

Okay, so for anyone who is new to the Liebster Award the rules are as follows:

1. Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves.
2. Answer the 11 questions the tagger has set for you, and then create 11 new questions for the bloggers you pass the award to
3. Choose 11 bloggers (with less than 200 follows) to pass the award to and link them in your post.
4. Go to their page and tell them about the award.
5. Follow the tagger and visit at least three nominees.
6. No tag backs!

1. Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging when I had a feeling that I was going to move to Illinois with Tyler. I wanted a way to remember the transition.

2. How did you come up with your blog name?
Well, it is exactly what I did-- moved from Carolina Cotton to Illinois Corn!

3. What is your favorite part about blogging?
I love all of the fun things I have found- Erin Condren, Swell Caroline, Bridier Baubbles, Marley Lilly, etc etc!

4. Are there any parts of blogging that you do not like/get annoyed with?
I could write a very long list!! I cannot stand bloggers who constantly talk about numbers and followers? Who cares? Why are you blogging for that anyways?? Girls who are snobby and who talk down to others, especially in regards to designer clothing and labels, drive me nuts. If you aren't humble enough to shop at TJ Maxx or Target clearance, etc, you have a problem! I understand getting a new Tory Burch bag that you are excited about... that you saved long and hard for... but when you get a new bag every week, you are spoiled. That is not how the real world works! Ok rant is over.. I have been saving that up for a VERY long time and had to release it.

5. Have you met any friends through blogging?
I absolutely have! I talk with Megan almost every day as well as Whitney and Shannon. I met up with Megan and she helped me look for wedding dresses. I tweet a lot with a bunch of other girls and Ryann is not only my blog friend, she is my REAL friend!

6. What is your favorite thing to do on your down time?
Watch Law and Order SVU marathons :)

7. What is your favorite holiday and why?
I love everything at Christmas- family, food, friends, hot chocolate, presents!

8. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I will be MARRIED!! And probably no babies yet (at least I hope). Living in the lowcountry of South Carolina and hopefully with a fabulous job!

9. If you could choose one celebrity to be best friends with, who would it be?
These are always the hardest questions. I want to hang out with Kate Hudson. I just love her.

10. What is your dream vacation?
A week or two on a tropical beach with a fruity drink and Tyler!! Ok, and maybe my family too!

11. If you could have your dream job, what would it be and why?
I am still trying to figure that out. I think something in advertising/PR/branding/marketing of an agricultural company would suit me just perfect.

11 Facts About Me:
1. I would pick the lake over the beach
2. I hate MTV shows
3. When I was a camp counselor, Steven Colbert's daughter sat at my table
4. I was a lifeguard throughout high school
5. I prefer thin vs. thick pork chops
6. I'm the oldest of 7 grandchildren on one side of my family, and the only girl on the other
7. I was yearbook editor in high school
8. I was Commissioner of Agriculture in 2006 at Palmetto Girls State
9. I hate cold calling
10. I am getting married in 7 months!
11. I hate blog bullies! :)

11 New Questions:
1. Have you ever moved far from home? Why?
2. What have you learned from blogging?
3. What is a staple item in your closet?
4. What are your most comfortable pair of shoes?
5. What's the coolest trip you've been on?
6. What do you do for a living?
7. Is this your dream job?
8. What is your go-to snack?
9. What does a normal weekend consist of in your life?
10. Any fun Labor Day plans?
11. What's the best "steal" you've ever found (i.e. something very expensive you got for cheaaaap!)

I tag:

Megan from Boots and Beaches
Megan from Sky High Heels and Sweatpants Too
Shannon from guard your heart
Ryann from Unspeakable Joy
Victoria from Mine to Live with Faith, Hope, Love, and Coffee
Claire from The Sweet Virginia Breeze
Callie from The Good Life
Tamara from T Times Three
Taylor from Its the Little Things
Lauren from The Merry Mrs Mobley
Jamie from Cows, Corn & Country Girls

Thanks for reading!

Ta ta,

Friday, August 24, 2012

So We Took Engagement Pictures....

Last night we took engagement pictures! I had NO idea what to expect. I hadn't even spoken to the photographer on the phone... just via email! Luckily, he was great and was very accomodating to my 1000 emails. My coworker had worked with him at her last job and I am so glad she recommended him!

I realized yesterday that there needs to be an Engagement Pic FYI post because I wish I would have done my research beforehand! I am not an expert, but I did learn a few things I must share!

Here are my tips for preparing for an engagement picture session:

Coordinate with your photographer- know exactly where you are going and when!

Visit the site before hand. I am SOO happy I did this a few weeks ago! I had never been to the college where we took the pics or the lake and I honestly got lost driving to the lake when I went, so it helped me prepare.

Lake Paradise

So glad I had an idea of where we'd be located at Lake Land College!

I know this statue looks weird, but he did the coolest poses in the sunset!

Seriously coordinate your outfits with your man. We almost had a problem here-- I was planning to wear a printed shirt with Tyler's plaid shirt, BUT we got it under control in time.

Wear pants or shorts.. Not a skirt or dress. I had a big issue with this. My dress wasn't quite long enough for some of the poses. Ya know, sitting on the ground is kind of awkward in a skirt. Also, doing pictures where he is dipping you shows too much leg! Awk.

Wear flats. The wedges I had on were terribly painful when trying to cross my ankles when kneeling or what not. The 2nd outfit where I had on my flats were SO much easier! Personal preference, BUT you'll thank me later.

Don't take them when its 100 degrees! Ok, so it wasn't really 100, but it felt like it! At first I was OK, but then BOOM it got really warm at 6:30 pm and my hair got totally gross. Hope he can photoshop the sweat off of my face.

Be flexible. Just go with the flow. They are YOUR pictures, BUT the photographer is the professional. I felt weird about a few pictures, but when he showed me them on the camera, I completely understand why he did what he did!

Take a monetary tip. Every wedding book I've read says to tip pretty much everyone for wedding stuff. Thank GOODNESS Tyler had some cash on him, to give the photograher some extra moola, especially since he went over 45 minutes than what I paid for. He was SHOCKED and it is always nice to do something for someone else!

Props are fun! My coworker and I made a banner and I also made a prop for Sarge. It was much more fun than boring pictures of us in different poses.

Take your dog if you have one! I mean lets be honest.. Sarge is our child.

At first it is very awkward. I couldn't stop with the awkward giggles for the first 30 minutes. I mean, I am NOT used to so much PDA with Tyler. Eek. But I had to get over it.

You fall in love with your fiance even more! I know, so mushy for me, but its so true. Ty and I have been so wrapped up in so much lately that we have kind of forgetten the whole reason to get married! We giggled the whole way home about how sweet it was to be with each other!!

Have fun! These pictures are forever!

Where did you take your engagement pictures? Any horror stories? Any funny stories?

Ta ta,

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

How To: Around the World Party

I just went back through all of my really old posts and realized I have never blogged about the "Around the World Party" we had my senior year in college.

Wofford is a different kind of school as we all live on campus. Senior year you live in the nice apartments. About 9 different groups of apartments decided that we wanted to do something fun on a Friday night before going out... I will explain mainly in pictures. The best part was.. WE WALKED EVERYWHERE!

Each apartment (4 girls in each apt) decide on a country. You serve a drink and an appetizer for like 20+ people when you make your way around the world.