Sunday, January 31, 2010

You are the best!!


heart heart heart heart

Thanks a million for your congrats for my engagement!
You guys are so super sweet!! I read and adored each
and every single comment/e-mail I've received for the
past week! I feel so lucky that people like you
have become my blog friends. Thank you, Thank you!!!


vy
Drawing by our friend Vy

As for the wedding, we were thinking about doing
a small one just because 1) we don't have lots of
money for it and 2) we are too shy for a big wedding.
But yesterday for the first time I stopped by
the wedding-related magazine section at a bookstore
and was totally consumed there seeing a whole bunch
of beautiful wedding dresses, cakes, handmade gifts,
and all sorts of stuff. And now I want a fancy wedding.

Poor Joe. He was describing this shift of my plan
as "Ayumi's got a wedding bug." I know he really
wants a very small, conservative wedding but...
isn't a wedding supposed to be a girl's thing?
It doesn't have to be a humongous one but I might
have to be a little pushy now because I really
want to wear a pretty wedding dress and other
pretty stuff! Well, I guess we'll see..

The place-wise, it seems like we'll do it in Japan.
The major differences in how a wedding is done
here and in Japan are that in Japan, you would
go through a wedding consultant and she'll pretty
much take care of everything. You would of course
have a chance to select your own wedding dress and
stuff but you wouldn't have to worry about who to
ask to decorate the place or where to order flowers.
So it comes out much more pricey, and there isn't
too much challenge to prepare the wedding for you.
Another difference is that in Japan, each person
attending a reception is pretty much required to
bring money. I know. We all hate it. But it's a sort
of unavoidable tradition. So being invited to a
wedding in Japan could be not just fun but a pain,
because you would be paying at least $200-$500.
I don't want to make my friends suffer
just because I invite them.

Having these thoughts in mind, I thought doing in
America might be better. Less expensive, more
creativity involved, people happy attending,
but Joe really wants to experience it in Japan.
Also, it will be a great chance to finally push
his family to visit Japan, the country he loves.

We'll see how it goes... :)


vy2

Getting back to crafty talk, here is a pincushion
I made today. I feel like I've been picking the
same fabric repeatedly to make logcabins, but
I certainly love having the pink poodle in the
middle and using pink and brown fabrics to go
around her.

vy4

Cute ;)

vy3

The back side is linen/cotton.
I really like how it turned out!


vy7

Another one I've finished making recently is
this little patchwork drawstring bag.

vy6

I'm having lots of fun with the
silk-screened fabrics...

vy5

and adding my handmade label saying 'hello!'

Thank you so much for those of you who ordered
the silk-screened fabrics and PDFs for label designs!
I've listed some fabric as well as the poodle
pincushion and the drawstring bag in my shop.
As usual, tell me that you come from here when
you snatch an item there so that I'll
add a little gift ;)


Thanks for taking your time to stop by!




subscribe

34 comments:

  1. So much fun to read your thoughts on wedding plans, it'll be interesting to see what you end up deciding! :)

    I have a question about the pincushion (which is just lovely by the way!), what did you use to stuff it? I tried making a pincushion a few weeks back and stuffed it with polyfill, but it seemed too light...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ayumi, planning a wedding can be stressful! Try to have fun...and for some eye candy, check out Alicia's recent post at Posy Gets Cozy to see the incredible wedding dresses that her friend creates in Portland - they are so sweet and maybe just right for you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. congrats for getting engaged!
    iwish you 2 to have a happy marrige life together!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congrats!! Planning a wedding doesn't have to be stressful at all. Mine was everything I wanted it to be, semi-formal in some regards, yet outside and relaxed in others. I just didn't allow myself to get stressed, I didn't want to ruin the anticipation of my wedding at all. I hope that you get everything you want, and I know in the end, you'll think it was a perfect day! Remember, all you walk away with is your hubby and a dress that will just get bagged up, but the hubby is the only thing left from that day!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love your poodle pincushion!

    Could you mix up traditions from both sides for your wedding?
    I have a very culturally diverse family and we blend things all the time :)
    Wishing you the best~
    andrea

    ReplyDelete
  6. Congratulations on the engagement! It's a wonderful time in your lives. Enjoy each other and the moment.

    39 years ago I faced a similar dilemma. Small wedding, no dress, intimate family dinner in leiu of reception... We both worried we'd regret that decision over time.

    We do not. Still in love and planning a 40 year special anniversary. Looking back, there's a lot more to life than a white dress and a big party. Still, no reason you can't plan a small affair and still wear a white dress!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good luck on your wedding and planning. We did the simple and I wouldn't of traded it for anything. My sister did the huge and she wouldn't of traded it for anything, so I guess it's to each their own. Just have fun and don't stress out over it.
    I love your pin cushion, I too am curious what you stuffed it with.
    Take care and have a great day. God Bless!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Congratulations for the engagement and good luck for the wedding plan ^O^

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Ayumi,
    I went through what you went through 15 years ago when I married my Austalian husband. I am from Malaysia, Chinese descendent, and we also give money for wedding gifts to cover the cost of the reception. We ended up having 3 weddings receptions - the real wedding was in Australia, the reception was in 2 countries, different locations because my parents wanted to invite all the extended families and their friends. My wedding in Australia was the most meaningful because I did not know half of my guests in Malaysia.

    Whatever you decide, all the best! Oh, I also wanted to buy the pincushion but it was gone by the time I saw this post! I never seem to have luck getting your things on time! LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Congratulations!!! I know how the wedding bug goes, I recently got engaged too. We are going to have a very small wedding as well. I'm loving the planning and preparing! Congrats again!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. just went to your shop and there's nothing in it! love all your designs, thanks for sharing them!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Too cute!

    And on the wedding front, maybe you can have your real ceremony in Japan, and then a little dinner party / reception in the States where you show the video. That's what my friend did because she's from Alaska, yet we all live in CA. so she went up to Alaska for the main ceremony, with family & friends there. but then the rest of us didn't feel left out, because we got to come to the ceremony in Ca. But we did have the option of going to Alaska if we wanted to. And hey, maybe many of your friends want to try out a Japanese wedding too? Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  13. japanese wedding just ooze loveliness and perfection to me, but i wouldn't be too happy to give up my creative side for it.
    It's a tough one!! good luck in making the decision.

    ReplyDelete
  14. The sketch done by your friend is so sweet!
    Hearty congratulations, Ayumi!!
    So happy for you guys :)
    The pincushion and little pouch are adorable like always!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Aww! Congratulations! I am so very happy for you!
    Your blog brings sunshine to my day! As a matter of fact, there is an award waiting for you on my blog because of all the sunshine you bring! Stop by when you get a chance!
    Bethany
    This, That, & T'other

    ReplyDelete
  16. I went to your etsy store cause I MUST HAVE the pink pincushion and it is not there! The world just may end. I swear I would have given it a good home where it could have lived out its pink sweet life in happiness in my craft room. ~sighs~

    ReplyDelete
  17. Just my $0.02 but I think you should do both. The small quiet wedding in Japan and the bigger, artistic, casual wedding in the US. The US one could be super simple -picnic -or drinks and appetizers, but you could do all your creative artsy things with that and your friends who can not travel all the way to Japan can attend.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I really really enjoy reading you guys' comments!! Thank you for giving me an idea for my wedding plan and for telling me about your wedding! This is so helpful!!!!

    Ellen and Julie,
    I used a lot of polyfil to fill the pincushion. I find softer pincushion to be easier to use compared to those really hard ones like the tomato-shaped one. It might make it nicely stiff if you add lots and lots and lots of polyfil.

    Poppyprint,
    Wow thank you for such a great idea to hop over Alicia's site to check out the wedding dresses her friend makes! I am excited now!!

    andrea creates,
    Mixing up traditions would be absolutely the best! Joe hates dancing so I guess we use the Japanese tradition there to avoid dancing and I love creating gifts so we shall take that part of American tradition!

    Rachel Lynn,
    Congratulations for your engagement!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Congratulations on your engagement. How exciting!! I hope you get all the wedding plans worked out and everyone is happy.

    I love love love that pin cushion. How adorable. Can you show how you go about stitching closed the pincushion after stuffing? I made a pincushion recently, but the closing part...what a mess....I need some help in that area..big time.

    Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. If you decide to have your wedding in the US, you could always go to Japan for a honeymoon!!! Or go to Hawaii for a honeymoon!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh my! As a waitress (10 years)and banquet manager (5 months, and I quit before I lost my sanity!) I'm going to tell you to do what your heart tells you! You say you're shy? He doesn't like to dance? In that case keep it simple. Some people love the extravaganza. Some don't. I got to the point in my waitressing career where I DID NOT want to work weddings even though they were the most lucrative. Why? Because of the stress involved. When your dress, flowers, seating arrangements, centerpieces etc... take on more importance than the reason for the whole get together--
    Anyway, you're an adorable couple and I wish the best for you!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Congratulations!

    You're much too sweet to turn into Bridezilla. I'm sure there is no Brideitus in your future.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Congratulations on your engagement! Omedetou gozaimasu~
    I have been reading your blog for a while now and i love it, but i rarely get the chance to comment. Now i really have something important to say though.. I know you've been living in the states for a while so I thought I'd let you know that I know a wedding planner in Tokyo. I'm sure your family might be able to find someone for you, but if you think my friend could help, let me know and I'll put you in touch with her, ok?
    good luck with the decisions~
    mata ne,
    jessica

    ReplyDelete
  24. oh, i missed your last post so a belated congratulations! this is such a fun and exciting time for you! on a practical note--try to indulgent wedding but within reason (hmmm...is that an oxymoron?) --this is just one day (or two if you get married in japan and in the u.s. :-) but you'll have a lifetime together. i say ('cos of course you need my opinion! :-) get the dream dress, beautiful flowers and save money on the rest!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I think it's terrific to bring $ instead of presents. I had two ceremonies too as mum wanted a traditional asian one. The guests $ covered the whole thing. The other one we had in a church and boat cruise just for family even though his side is Lebanese and normally have a huge reception. There were tears and some stress but we stuck to our guns and budget and it came out beautifully. Best wishes to your magical day.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Just wanted to say congratulations on your engagement! I wish you two all the happiness. I've been missing in action, I love your silkscreen fabrics. I've got some catching up to do!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Congratulations!! I stumbled across your blog and I am totally hooked!! You are incredibly talented.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Congratulations! I have only discovered your blog today, but I love your work =)

    Also, I wanted to comment and show you this site that inspired me when I was planning my wedding: offbeatbride.com

    Have fun!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Congratulations! I invite you to enter my Valentine giveaway. You could win a pink, bead-knitted purse, hand-knit by me, with a chocolate bar charm.

    S.W.A.K.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Congratulations!!! I am sure that no matter how you decide to do it, you will be beautiful and the day will be one to remember for years to come. Good luck with everything!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hi, I followed you over from the Homeschool Den & I've 2 more wonderful blogs to drool over now. But, I wanted to add my .02c & say, that just because it's tradition doesn't mean you have to do it. Here it's tradition for the Brides' family to pay. Neither of us were into having pay for us so WE paid for everything from start to finish. Only thing is be sure to make a list for him 'cause if you think he'll KNOW what to do you may be standing outside after leaving the wedding to go to the reception asking... "Where's a car?" ...He had a huge bronco that as raised and even w/o a huge gown on I had to hike my 5ft1 self in...yeah...not a pretty photo & his parents gave us their car.

    Also, we actually eloped. Came home to share with my mom who was dying of cancer I was married & she share b4 I give the news how excited she is to see Dad walk me down the aisle. How many wives have been grounded (yes grounded) by their parents because you 'slept over' at your husbands house? Yes, married & my parents grounded me but I couldn't break moms heart. So...my advice...do what the 2 of you want to do. Tradition, what others want or say you should do don't matter. Do ONLY what you want to do (hopefully you won't get grounded). Remember...it's YOUR wedding, HIS wedding not the Planners', MIL, Parents, best bud...yours & his. Keep in mind who will be saying vows to one another 'cause THAT's the important thing.

    Honey

    ReplyDelete
  32. I agree with your point, please share with us more good articles.1987 Mitsubishi Tredia AC Compressor

    ReplyDelete
  33. Whats up, This is a wonderful summation, I located your blog checking google for any similar subject and observed this. I couldnt find as well significantly other tips and information on this posting, so it was fantastic to discover this one. I will almost certainly be returning to think about a number of other articles which you have written another time.
    Hyundai Ignition Coil

    ReplyDelete
  34. Beautiful post. I love your blog. Thanks for sharing. so many wonderful things.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the moment to leave a comment ;) I always love hearing from you!