Upcycled centerpieces, birthdays and aunties' lunch (long post, but totally worth it!)

The new buzz word among crafty and earth-friendly twentysomethings is "upcycling."

"Upcycling is the practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value. This process allows for the reduction of waste and use of virgin materials." (Wikipedia)

Thinking back, I realize I've been upcycling for years without even knowing it. It all began in middle school when my dear friend Aimee Tetreault and I use to make rockin' art collages out of old magazines and pieces of material. We also use to make pillows out of old clothes.

My mom upcycles all the time. She cleverly takes pieces of what most people would think is junk and turns them into beautiful planters in her flower garden and in the house for her house plants. I must have inherited the gene.

These days I make most of my cards for birthdays, weddings and whatnot out of old magazine scraps. Not only do I save money, but I also get to create a unique piece of art and use up something that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

Jake and I came up with some awesome ideas for upcycled reception centerpieces for our wedding. I told him I wanted to somehow incorporate vinyl records into our wedding since we both enjoy collecting them. Here's what we came up with...

Jake's idea

He suggest buying some old junk 45s from Goodwill and turning them into photos. We plan to buy some of those sticky cd labels you can print on your home computer and printing photos of us on them. Then, we'll stick them to the 45s where the original record label is, creating our own personalized record labels.

Amy's idea

I admit, I stole this idea from a former college roommate, Erin Surginer. Jake and I will pick up some old 78s from thrift stores and turn them into candy bowls for the reception tables. It's pretty easy actually - you just put them in the oven and melt them over a bowl, let them cool, and you have a bowl.

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In other news, Jake and I just finished a whirlwind week. Monday and Tuesday started off the week slowly, but once Wednesday hit we were in a dead sprint until Sunday.

Jake celebrated his 21st birthday Wednesday. His mom fixed wings and nachos and cheese and bought an ice cream cake for the affair. I bought him a T-shirt with a picture of Ernest Hemingway on it to help him embrace his nerdy english teacher side (as if he needs any help).

Thursday evening we went out Benedict's Steak House in Coldwater for a party with Jake's friends from work. I bought him a cake from this totally cool new bakery in Coldwater called Melanie's. It's all vintage and artsy on the inside. Rock out for coffee mug-shaped cakes!

Friday and Saturday were hella crazy with Jake's cousin Angela getting married. Angela and Daniel were married at the Union City Weslyan Church Saturday and Adrienne and I took photos, and I also sang a solo. Friday evening was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Afterwards, Jake, Adrienne and I stayed after to help decorate the fellowship hall for the reception.

Saturday went off without a hitch. It was a beautiful day, Angela was beautiful and people were happy relatively stress-free. Adrienne and I had a blast taking photos and, I must say, we did a pretty decent job for two girls who don't own a camera between the two of them. I'm excited to start editing photos and really turning them into pieces of art.

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Saturday, November 9, I'm hosting a lunch for the women from mine and Jake's families. I know, it sounds girly and foofy and not me at all ... but I think it's important that everyone meet each other. Hopefully all of Jake's aunts will be able to attend. My amazing aunt Ruth is having it at her house and she, my mom and me will make the food. I'm looking forward to discussing wedding and wedding shower plans with everyone. Again .... it's all totally girly and so far from what I normally find entertaining. However, I really want our families to bond as one group so I'm willing to pour all my energy into the otherwise fluffy affair.