Not Merely Living

These Days

are full. 

Whirlwind seems to be a word I used a lot to describe my life lately. The days have been jam packed and joy-filled, and it’s not going to slow down any time soon. Our work and social calendars are slammed this month.

I had an incredible long weekend. I celebrated a birthday and a wedding, took advantage of some much needed nephew time, and got to celebrate mother’s day with my mom (something I haven’t done in years).

Thursday night, my lovely friend Stacy celebrated her birthday with a lovely dinner underneath the bridge and the stars. The evening was just simply magical.

DIY Window Picture Frame

My honey has finally arrived home. He was gone for two weeks on a work trip to India. For some reasons (maybe obvious?) I was a little nervous to share this with the wide interwebs. But now he's back. So if I seemed a little mopey over the past two weeks, now you understand. and I have officially snapped out of it!

In light of our reunion, I'm excited to share with you a very special DIY project today--my DIY Wedding Window Picture frame.

Viet and I got married last June, and for our reception we made a special bar sign from a window pane we picked up at a local scrap yard. For months, I've been wanting to turn this window into a wedding picture frame for our apartment. Finallllllly, I have succeeded.

This is a simple project that you can make in as many different iterations as you can imagine.

All you need is:

+ a clean window

+ white paint (or a paint of a different color of your choosing)

+ photo paper and a photo printer of your choosing (we have the Canon MG620)

+ Photo glue sticks

>>In this project, my main objective was to find a way to reuse the frame we had used as the bar sign in our wedding. I didn't want or need it to be perfect. I just wanted to reuse the frame, which is sentimental to me now. I also wanted it to look clean and well composed.

If you're starting from scratch (aka going to look for windows as the scrapyard), try to think about the type of pictures you have that you want to frame. Are they vertical or horizontal? Do you want to have a few large pictures or many more smaller pictures? This will help you to have a more discerning eye when you go to pick out the perfect frame.

I was in a bit of the opposite position since I was trying to find a way to utilize the frame we already had. After looking closely at the window, I decided to go with a simple black and white theme. I chose my favorite six black and white pictures from our wedding photos and printed them on 8.5 by 11 sheets of photo paper. 

Here's an overview of my process:

Step 1: Clean the frame and paint it to the color of your liking.

Step 2: Thoroughly clean the glass on both sides.

Step 3: Choose and print your photos and lay them out on the front of the frame to decide their design/alignment.

Step 4: Line the photos out on the floor in your chosen order and then flip the frame over.

Step 5: Use the glue stick to coat the outside edges of the front of your first photograph. 

Step 6: Carefully place the photo on the glass and make sure that it lines up parallel to the edges of the pane.

Step 7: Repeat steps 5 and 6 for all the remaining photos.

Step 8: Allow to dry and enjoy! 

I haven't decided exactly where this beauty will live permanently, but I'm very happy with the end product. It's nice to know that this special mememto from our wedding day will stay with us and help us to remember our favorite moments from the day. Are you looking for a creative frame to kick your photos up a notch? 

Happy Making and Happy Monday,

Amit & Casey's Wedding

our friends Amit & Casey with the mad-lib we made for them

What an amazing, fun-filled, magical weekend we have had.

Our dear friends Amit & Casey got married on Sunday. They committed their lives to each other in front of all of their families and friends. I cried happy tears all day, and we're still feeling the joyful buzz of all the fun and excitement.

Several of us friends got together before the wedding to brunch, and we made a little wedding day mad-lib for them (we love mad libs).

They got married at the beautiful and historic 9th District Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

They walked down the aisle to "Heartbeats" by Jose Gonzalez (the cover), and they walked back down the aisle to "Heartbeats" by The Knife (the original). SO Good.

They rented out Foreign Cinema for the reception. It's one of our favorite restaurants in the city (and in our neighborhood). 

you know: photobombing and other shenanigans were happening

Their first dance was to "More Adventurous" by Rilo Kiley. It was also our hashtag for all things wedding over the weekend. Check out the stream on Instagram #moreadventurous.

The line in the song goes:

"I read with every broken heart we should become
More adventurous
And if you banish me from your profits
And if I get banished from the kingdom up above
I'd sacrifice money and heaven all for love
Let me be loved, let me be loved" 

Yesterday we had a post-wedding brunch in our backyard, which couldn't have gone better. We had a bloody mary bar (epic) and a gong (best white elephant/dirty santa gift ever).

Sigh. And now I'm getting ready to head to Alt! I can't believe we're flying out tomorrow!

I have a lot of packing to do tonight. If you're going to be at Alt, please make sure to say hello.

Happy Tuesday,

Right Now

Our very dear friends are getting married this weekend. On Tuesday we celebrated them as they filled out their domestic partnership application, and this weekend we will celebrate them as they enter into marriage.

Several times last night and this week,  I have had to hold back the tears. 

We love Amit and Casey dearly, and we have been friends for a very, very long time.

and all I can feel is the weight of real joy washing over me as we prepare to celebrate them this weekend.

Marriage isn't easy, but these guys. They are brilliant and wonderful and magic, and I know their marriage will be the same.

I'm so happy to call them our friends.

Happy almost marriage guys.

We love you.

P. S. Their ceremony is at the historic 9th circuit courthouse and their reception is going to be Foreign Cinema! I'm SO Excited.

Happy Weekend!

Golden November Craft: M+V Wedding Album

I must admit that starting our wedding album is a daunting step. I'm excited to go through our pictures and sort them and decide how to arrange them, but it's also daunting to go through so many pictures. I can't believe that we have already almost been married six months. 

I've done most of the photo culling already thanks to our wedding recaps on the blog, but now I need to work on layout and captions.

I know that I want to structure the book similarly to the way our recaps were structured (with a few added sections):

I. Rehearsal dinner
II. Getting Ready (girls & guys)
III. Ceremony
IV. Family Pics (not in the recaps)
V. Wedding Party
VI. Portraits
V. Reception

and then I'm not sure what I want to do about our honeymoon. Maybe I want to include it? Maybe I want it to be it's own book? Still sorting through that.

I've been exporing the various printing options for our album. There are so many cool sites that will help you print your own books now a days.

Here's a few I've come across: 

 Blurb

 Snapfish

 Lulu

 Shutterfly

 Tiny Prints

 Picaboo

I was trying to get a sense of pricing, but it seems tricky on some of these sites. It looks like most of your large standard books are going to start around $50 for 20 pages, but the prices goes up dramatically as you add pages (as much as $1.50 per page). 

This seems way too pricey to me. Especially because we're going to at least want three copies: one for us, one for my parents and one for B's parents. Which leads me to the most obvious option, making them myself. This both excites and terrifies me. I'm completely inspired by Elise's Wedding Album. We have lots of extra printer ink leftover from our wedding photobooth, so that means I just need to buy the paper and the binding.

and, let's admit it, it'll probably be fun.

I think I'll try and get as many of the pages designed as possible this weekend. My goal is to get as much of this done as I can before the end of the month!

What do you think? Am I crazy? :) 

 

Tiffany & Tim: Just Married Part II

Happy Tuesday! If you missed yesterday's Part 1, start here.

On the Big Day, I unfortunately didn't get any pictures of the ceremony itself (because I was in it), but let me tell you what I remember:

+the Beatles serenaded the whole party into the ceremony. they were magical.

+it was a lovely, intimate, and moving ceremony. the love was palpable. there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

+the officiants (two of Tiff and Tim's closest friends) were incredible. they spoke to their inspiring and model love.

+it was perfect.

I did get a few pictures of the reception:

+Ya'll. the reception was so fun. the champers were flowing. the photobooth hopping. the food was delicious. 

+Tiffany was a vision throughout the night. 

+the speeches were filled with tender and thoughtful sentiments. I cried during all four (her mom, his dad, best man, and maid of honor).

+the cake was SO GOOD.

+we danced til the lights came on.

+it was perfect.

On Sunday Morning at 9am, Tiffany and Tim participated in a traditional Pae Baek ceremony:

+I wish I'd been able to capture more pictures of Tim and Tiffany's family during this ceremony. The ceremony was so beautiful and warm and loving. Tim's family welcomed Tiffany into their family, and they spoke to how beautiful inside and out she is. It was such a nice follow-up to the ceremony and reception from the previous day. If you haven't heard of a Pae Baek before, you should definitely read up on it. It's a very interesting and powerful ceremony. It was so special to be there and to share in the ceremony.

The amazing weekend ended with a perfect Sunday afternoon sail from the San Francisco marina. The day was beautiful, and the boat was filled with their family and friends that had been there throughout the weekend. It was the perfect way to end their wedding weekend. 

Mr. and Mrs. Han:

It's hard for me to really put into words what it was like to be able to be by my dear friend's side throughout her wedding weekend. I love her so dearly, and she is such a part of my happiness and life here in this city. I think all I can say is that I'm so grateful to be a part of her life, and it is such a precious thing to be able to share in the pure joy of these sorts of big life moments with your close friends. I felt myself being more quiet than usual throughout the weekend because I was just soaking it in and trying to keep my eyes and my heart as wide as possible to capture all the moments. 

I gave a toast on Friday night at the rehearsal dinner (I mentioned this in Part I), and I told the group that Tiffany was really one of the first friends I made after I moved here to San Francisco. She wrapped her arms around me and it was as if we had been friends forever. She is one of those friends that you meet and you just know yep. we were meant to be friends.  and then to be birthday twins on top of that! whew. We are lucky.

but seriously, I am so happy for Tim and Tiffany (I'm tearing up a bit as I write this), and I'm so excited about all the adventures we will share together in the future. Their wedding couldn't have been more fun, more filled with love and laughter and sincerity, more uniquely them. 

So Cheers friends to the happy couple. Here's to love.

-Mere

Tiffany & Tim: Just Married Part I

Here are a few of the pictures I took over the course of the weekend, along with a few of my favorite moments. I was hoping to be able to get this into one post, but I have so many awesome shots you guys will have to check back in tomorrow to get the rest! 

On Friday, the fog gave way to a glorious sunny day to kick off Tim and Tiffany's wedding weekend. They hosted a picnic in Golden Gate Park to get the party started!

Some of my favorite moments from the picnic were:

+seeing all the people that love Tiff and Tim all in one place

+eating peanut butter mochi and korean burritos

+running barefoot in the park

+the moment the sun broke through the sky

+Tiffany's smile :)

Straight from the picnic, we headed to the Golden Gate Yacht Club to rehearse:

+there was laughter and tears and LOTS of dancing; the trifecta (the three bridesmaids) started practicing our reception dances

+Karen even broke out a little America's Cup happy dance:

and then after a quick stop by the hotel to change, we headed to the delicious Il Fornaio:

+At the rehearsal dinner, we toasted to the happy couple (I even gave an impromptu toast! I was scared, but love sometimes gives you strength. It did for me.).

+Tim's brother taught us to do "loveshack" toasts.

+The two officiants bragged about their awesome flip phones.

+Our glasses were never empty.

+Tiffany gave a beautiful gift and thank you to her mom, and there wasn't a dry eye left in the house.

+The room glowed with joy and laughter. Two families intimately shared the same space, and their love warmed the room.

and when we awoke, it was just us girls. We had a simultaneously calm and buzzing day of exciting preparation.  

+Tiff's dress was stunning. It hung in the window all day waiting to be worn.

+The flowers arrived bright and perfect and got us all excited.

+Tiff got a box of Gorgeous jewelry from her new in-laws. 

+The happy tears made several appearances and were danced away.

+There was hair and makeup. and more hair and more makeup.

+and then just like that, we were off.

+I apologize the last picture is so grainy. I took it on my phone in the limo on the way to the reception. I couldn't help but post it, because I lovelovelove the expression on her face.

Tomorrow: the reception, the paebaek ceremony, and the sail.

Happy Tuesday-

My Weekend

This weekend my dear friend got married to the love of her life, and I had the great opportunity to stand beside her.

She was radiant. He was dashing. Their commitment was inspiring.

It was an epic weekend filled with so much love, and I felt so honored to be able to be a part of it. And when I say epic, I mean epic.  We laughted. We danced. We sang. We loved.

I took about a million pictures, and I can't wait to share some of them with you and tell you more about it.

Given that the weekend completely wiped me out (in the best way possible), I'm just sharing with you today my wedding instagrams. Stay tuned tomorrow for a photo play-by-play.

Stay tuned for wayyyy more pictures!

Congrats Tiff and Tim!!!

My Weekend

This weekend Viet and I spent three glorious days in Houston for his nephew Nhat's wedding. The almost 40 degree difference did us good. As always, I enjoyed being back in the south and the humid thick summer heat.

It was the first time we'd been with his family or at a wedding as newlyweds, and it felt very nice. home-y. His parents welcomed us with open arms, and I felt like one of the family. Each time I got called Auntie Meredith it made me smile. We didn't really get to see much of Houston or do any touresty things, but we didn't really mind because instead  we got a lot of quality time with his family. It was very nice and relaxing, and the wedding was absolutely lovely.

Here are a few highlights from our trip:

We love photobooths. Can't you tell?

+ big beautiful sunsets through great trees

+ homemade Pho. every day. sooo good

+ wide open spaces and blue fluffy cloud filled skies

+ Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen = us!!! How exciting :)

+ Remy (because that is how they do it)

+ Dairy Queen, Oh how I've missed you.

+ Seven amazing courses (even though I couldn't eat many of them because of my stinkin shellfish allergy)

+ A day filled with family, good food, and lots of love.

Congrats Truc & Nhat!!!

We're so grateful we got to be there to celebrate with you!

Happy Monday friends!

DIY Glitter Champagne Glasses

 

I wanted to make something special for my friends of honor for my bachelorette party, so I decided to combine two of my favorite things for them-champagne glasses and Martha Stewart Glitter Paint!

This is a very simple project that can be easily customized however you can imagine. A little bit of sparkle makes everything a lot more fun!

I painted most of the main part of the glass with the "Florentine Gold" glitter paint, and then I wrote the ladies names in cursive in different colors with sharpie paint pens (love. them). At the base of the glasses I wrote the year and "Friend of honor" on the base of each of the glasses.

There were many loving toasts made with these glasses over the course of the bachelorette party and on our wedding day.

I was too busy while I was making these in mid-April to take any pictures or to document the process, so I redid the process this week so that I could share it with ya'll.

 How to:

What you need: glasses, glitter paint, foam brushes or poms, paint pens

Start with a clean, dry glass.

You can use a foam brush or a foam pom to apply the gold glitter paint on the glass. You want to try to apply thin strokes in consistent directions. I used the foam brush to swipe up and down on the glass leaving a wide window in the center. 

It's best to let each layer dry before moving on. I waited about an hour between each layer. I usually made these over the course of a few days because I would paint 3-4 layers an evening for a total of about 10 layers. You wouldn't have to paint that many layers, but I wanted a certain thickness. 

Now you just have to trust me that as you start painting these layers, they are going to look like crap until you've gotten enough paint layered on. You'll be able to tell when you have enough layers because they will stop looking like crap and start looking like sparkle!

For this tutorial, I hastily painted on a simple pink heart (Valentine's glasses anyone?!).

See! Look at that sparkle!

What do you think? Do you have any questions I didn't cover? 

I also used Martha Stewart glitter paint to make bags for my friends of honor, which contained all of their thank you goodies:

Check out all the fun colors! 

Hope you enjoyed this project. Sparkle on!!!