I'm so excited about my latest mission video! Check it out!
There is a list of music and vendors and places below the video, but you can see photos and a more in-depth description of the items we had designed on Etsy here!
Music:
"Kiss Me, Stupid" performed by Joe McGinty's band Baby Steps
Check out Joe McGinty here: JoeMcGinty.com/joemcginty
Buy the album on iTunes!
"Good Woman" by The Tall Pines
Check out The Tall Pines here: myspace.com/thetallpines
Buy the album Campfire Songs on iTunes!
Etsy Shops:
Dress by Christy Keerins - clkeerins.etsy.com
Bouquet & boutineer by Princess Lasertron - princesslasertron.etsy.com
Yes/Love/More Magnets: TreeBed Design - treebed.etsy.com
Wedding Announcements designed by Rick Baker & Hilary McHone
Printed by tiny bird arts - tinybirdarts.etsy.com
Jewelry by Gr8n1derful - gr8n1derful.etsy.com
Fabric Envelopes by BleuRoo - bleuroo.etsy.com
Handkerchief by My Mother Mary - mymothermary.etsy.com
Shoe Bag by A cut ABOVE by Susan - acutabovebysusan.etsy.com
Places we went and stayed:
Budget (Thanks for renting us a Ford!) - Flagstaff, AZ
Super 8 Route 66 (Thanks for getting us the suit!) - Flagstaff, AZ
Rock City Gardens - Lookout Mountain, GA
Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding - Rising Fawn, GA
Mayor's Mansion Inn - Chattanooga, TN
Dollywood - Pigeon Forge, TN
Hill House Bed & Breakfast Inn - Asheville, NC
Spark Plaza (a great co-working space!) - Johnson City, TN
Lance Cunningham Ford - Knoxville, TN
The Big Bang Bar - Nashville, TN
National Civil Rights Museum - Memphis, TN
Graceland - Memphis, TN
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Heavens to Etsy!
My Mission for the Fiesta Movement in July tied into Rick's and my wedding! The theme for the month was Design, so we took the opportunity to have various items for the wedding designed through Etsy!
If you don't know Etsy, it's "Your place to buy and sell all things handmade". And it's GREAT! My favorite part of Etsy is the section called Alchemy, where you get get things custom made! You describe what you want and people bid on the opportunity to make it for you.
I used Alchemy to have my wedding dress designed. Here are all the fun things we got through Etsy...
Dress:
Christy Keerins
http://clkeerins.etsy.com
Christy was amazing. Several people bid on the chance to make my dress, but Christy was quick to respond with sketches and fabric ideas, each time getting closer to what I envisioned. I knew I wanted a halter, a-line, tea-length dress. And I knew that I wanted the design to be somewhat based on my Fiesta! She came up with this dress, which I love! It's fun and non-traditional - just how I wanted it! Because Rick and I are fond of bunnies, I asked Christy if she could put a bunny somewhere on the dress. She had the excellent idea of putting a small one on the tie around the neck. Very subtle - almost secret! Rick designed the bunny that was used on the dress!
Bouquet & Boutineer:
Princess Lasertron
http://princesslasertron.etsy.com
When I started looking at various wedding items on Etsy, the first thing I became sure of was that I really, really wanted a Princess Lasertron bouquet! I think they're whimsical and beautiful. I love the fact that it's something I can keep for years to come. Megan, the woman behind the magic, did an amazing job with my bouquet - I have her the sketch and fabric colors of my dress and she created the bouquet to complement it perfectly! As with the dress, one of Rick's bunny drawings was used in the design of the bouquet! So cute!
Yes/Love/More Magnets
TreeBed Design
http://treebed.etsy.com
Three words that have had meaning for me and Rick since the very beginning are "Yes", "Love", and "More". I had seen some magnets from TreeBed Design and asked if some could be custom-made using these words. He came through - the magnets are beautiful!
Announcements:
Designed by Rick Baker & Hilary McHone
Printed by tiny bird arts
http://tinybirdarts.etsy.com
Our wedding announcements are a collaboration! They started with a photo I took of a tree. Rick then printed the image and drew on and around it... Below is the result! We loved the idea of sending a little piece of our art to our family and friends to announce our marriage. We used BleuRoo at Etsy to have them printed.
Jewelry:
Gr8n1derful
http://gr8n1derful.etsy.com
I gave Gr8n1derful an idea of the color scheme we were using for the wedding and the neckline of my dress. She came up with this necklace and pair of earrings! It worked well with the dress and even my shoes, which were silver... I will get more use out of these items!
Fabric Envelopes:
BleuRoo
http://bleuroo.etsy.com
Rick and I fell in love with these little fabric gift envelopes as soon as we saw them on tiny bird arts' Etsy store! They can be custom-made - you can determine the fabrics and sizes! We got several. The large one is to keep our marriage certificate in. Rick had her embroider the word "yes" in the front corner!
Handkerchief:
My Mother Mary
http://mymothermary.etsy.com
Handkerchiefs are so sweet and romantic! We thought it would be nice to have one as a keepsake.
Shoe Bag:
A cut ABOVE by Susan
http://acutabovebysusan.etsy.com
Finally - a shoe bag! I had never heard of a shoe bag. But I DID use this on the wedding road trip. It fit my shoes, my dress (which is quite tiny when folded), and my headband. It's pretty and I used it instead of my regular bag when going around Rock City Gardens on our wedding day.
Etsy made our wedding even more beautiful and memorable. We hope that you check it out, if you haven't before!
If you have your own shop on Etsy, feel free to leave the link in comments and we will go check out your stuff!
If you don't know Etsy, it's "Your place to buy and sell all things handmade". And it's GREAT! My favorite part of Etsy is the section called Alchemy, where you get get things custom made! You describe what you want and people bid on the opportunity to make it for you.
I used Alchemy to have my wedding dress designed. Here are all the fun things we got through Etsy...
Dress:
Christy Keerins
http://clkeerins.etsy.com
Christy was amazing. Several people bid on the chance to make my dress, but Christy was quick to respond with sketches and fabric ideas, each time getting closer to what I envisioned. I knew I wanted a halter, a-line, tea-length dress. And I knew that I wanted the design to be somewhat based on my Fiesta! She came up with this dress, which I love! It's fun and non-traditional - just how I wanted it! Because Rick and I are fond of bunnies, I asked Christy if she could put a bunny somewhere on the dress. She had the excellent idea of putting a small one on the tie around the neck. Very subtle - almost secret! Rick designed the bunny that was used on the dress!
Bouquet & Boutineer:
Princess Lasertron
http://princesslasertron.etsy.com
When I started looking at various wedding items on Etsy, the first thing I became sure of was that I really, really wanted a Princess Lasertron bouquet! I think they're whimsical and beautiful. I love the fact that it's something I can keep for years to come. Megan, the woman behind the magic, did an amazing job with my bouquet - I have her the sketch and fabric colors of my dress and she created the bouquet to complement it perfectly! As with the dress, one of Rick's bunny drawings was used in the design of the bouquet! So cute!
Yes/Love/More Magnets
TreeBed Design
http://treebed.etsy.com
Three words that have had meaning for me and Rick since the very beginning are "Yes", "Love", and "More". I had seen some magnets from TreeBed Design and asked if some could be custom-made using these words. He came through - the magnets are beautiful!
Announcements:
Designed by Rick Baker & Hilary McHone
Printed by tiny bird arts
http://tinybirdarts.etsy.com
Our wedding announcements are a collaboration! They started with a photo I took of a tree. Rick then printed the image and drew on and around it... Below is the result! We loved the idea of sending a little piece of our art to our family and friends to announce our marriage. We used BleuRoo at Etsy to have them printed.
Jewelry:
Gr8n1derful
http://gr8n1derful.etsy.com
I gave Gr8n1derful an idea of the color scheme we were using for the wedding and the neckline of my dress. She came up with this necklace and pair of earrings! It worked well with the dress and even my shoes, which were silver... I will get more use out of these items!
Fabric Envelopes:
BleuRoo
http://bleuroo.etsy.com
Rick and I fell in love with these little fabric gift envelopes as soon as we saw them on tiny bird arts' Etsy store! They can be custom-made - you can determine the fabrics and sizes! We got several. The large one is to keep our marriage certificate in. Rick had her embroider the word "yes" in the front corner!
Handkerchief:
My Mother Mary
http://mymothermary.etsy.com
Handkerchiefs are so sweet and romantic! We thought it would be nice to have one as a keepsake.
Shoe Bag:
A cut ABOVE by Susan
http://acutabovebysusan.etsy.com
Finally - a shoe bag! I had never heard of a shoe bag. But I DID use this on the wedding road trip. It fit my shoes, my dress (which is quite tiny when folded), and my headband. It's pretty and I used it instead of my regular bag when going around Rock City Gardens on our wedding day.
Etsy made our wedding even more beautiful and memorable. We hope that you check it out, if you haven't before!
If you have your own shop on Etsy, feel free to leave the link in comments and we will go check out your stuff!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Asheville, NC
After a fun evening spent with Boss and Tim and Kendra, we were expecting to move on to Cave City, Kentucky to see some mammoth caves and stay the night in a concrete wigwam (!). But it turns out that Hilary’s Fiesta wouldn’t be ready until the following day in Knoxville, Tennessee.
So we changed plans and decided to go to Asheville, NC…Hilary had heard good things and it wasn’t too far away, so off we went…
It was a beautiful drive through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park…winding, tree-lined roads…
Ford found a nice old bed and breakfast for us (Hill House Inn). Waiting for us in our room was champagne and strawberries! The proprietors offered lots of sweets and something called the ‘bottomless cookie jar”.
After checking in, we went into town and had cocktails and a late lunch at The Laughing Seed — a great vegetarian restaurant that Kendra had suggested. Hilary had a Wasabi Bloody Mary and I had some mead. Yum. The food was good, too! :)
We wandered around town for a bit as the sun set…it’s a quaint little place with some interesting art galleries.
We considered going out for the evening, but decided instead to stay in, relax and enjoy the champagne. It was a fun night!
In the morning, we had breakfast on the porch with the other couple that was staying there. They were a curious pair—an older couple from the western part of the state, on their way to their summer home in Connecticut. The husband regaled us with tales of his days “attached to the Nicaraguan embassy” and gave us a CD of his...um...unique interpretations of romantic standards…
From there, we headed toward Lance Cunningham Ford in Knoxville to pick up Hilary’s newly-detailed and re-tired Fiesta!
So we changed plans and decided to go to Asheville, NC…Hilary had heard good things and it wasn’t too far away, so off we went…
It was a beautiful drive through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park…winding, tree-lined roads…
Ford found a nice old bed and breakfast for us (Hill House Inn). Waiting for us in our room was champagne and strawberries! The proprietors offered lots of sweets and something called the ‘bottomless cookie jar”.
After checking in, we went into town and had cocktails and a late lunch at The Laughing Seed — a great vegetarian restaurant that Kendra had suggested. Hilary had a Wasabi Bloody Mary and I had some mead. Yum. The food was good, too! :)
We wandered around town for a bit as the sun set…it’s a quaint little place with some interesting art galleries.
We considered going out for the evening, but decided instead to stay in, relax and enjoy the champagne. It was a fun night!
In the morning, we had breakfast on the porch with the other couple that was staying there. They were a curious pair—an older couple from the western part of the state, on their way to their summer home in Connecticut. The husband regaled us with tales of his days “attached to the Nicaraguan embassy” and gave us a CD of his...um...unique interpretations of romantic standards…
From there, we headed toward Lance Cunningham Ford in Knoxville to pick up Hilary’s newly-detailed and re-tired Fiesta!
Dollywood: An odd combination of things!
Dollywood is an odd combination of things: a celebration of “Appalachian culture”, a collection of kitschy gift shops, an amusement park with some pretty good rides, a bald eagle sanctuary and a sort of shrine to Dolly Parton…who is apparently a mythic personality in Eastern Tennessee.
We started the day after our wedding (July 15th) by driving to Tim and Kendra’s place in Sevierville, TN—which is just spittin’ distance from Dollywood. They are Hilary’s cousins and were kind enough to buy us two tickets to the famous amusement park as a wedding present! We dropped off some stuff at their place, met their awesome cat Boss and made plans to meet later for dinner.
Both Hilary and I are fans of rollercoasters and we weren’t disappointed.
“Thunderhead” is one of those old-fashioned wooden rollercoasters. Those are the best! The rumbling and rattling and clanking sounds—as you get banged back and forth—give you the feeling that you MIGHT just run off the track…which, for reasons I can’t explain, is very fun.
“Tennessee Tornado” is a more modern type with several swirling loops. The signs said it goes 70 miles per hour and that seemed about right!
Here is video of us on both of these rollercoasters:
We also decided to pay extra to do the “Sky Zip”. The official description says it’s “an hour-long adventure soaring through the treetops over Wilderness Pass and catch a never-before-seen view of the Park!”
It included five long steel cable lines (the longest was 800 feet) that you would zip along, suspended by a metal pulley. They strap you into a nylon harness and send you swinging along, station to station. It was pretty great.
The rest of our visit consisted mainly of wandering through the dizzying array of gift shops, each with a different theme: patriotic, Christian, Irish (?), etc…I was tempted to buy an American flag/bald eagle/Dolly t-shirt…but it was so strange and sincere it transcended irony…almost scary…
In fact, a lot of Dollywood was, well, almost scary.
The day ended with an unexpected warm drizzle, sending the tired hordes scrambling for the exit—which was accessible only by going through one last MEGA gift shop—stacks of Dolly cups, Dolly spoons, Dolly snow globes…
A tram brought us back to our car and we returned to Tim and Kendra and Boss’s place for the night. Read about it here!
We started the day after our wedding (July 15th) by driving to Tim and Kendra’s place in Sevierville, TN—which is just spittin’ distance from Dollywood. They are Hilary’s cousins and were kind enough to buy us two tickets to the famous amusement park as a wedding present! We dropped off some stuff at their place, met their awesome cat Boss and made plans to meet later for dinner.
Both Hilary and I are fans of rollercoasters and we weren’t disappointed.
“Thunderhead” is one of those old-fashioned wooden rollercoasters. Those are the best! The rumbling and rattling and clanking sounds—as you get banged back and forth—give you the feeling that you MIGHT just run off the track…which, for reasons I can’t explain, is very fun.
“Tennessee Tornado” is a more modern type with several swirling loops. The signs said it goes 70 miles per hour and that seemed about right!
Here is video of us on both of these rollercoasters:
We also decided to pay extra to do the “Sky Zip”. The official description says it’s “an hour-long adventure soaring through the treetops over Wilderness Pass and catch a never-before-seen view of the Park!”
It included five long steel cable lines (the longest was 800 feet) that you would zip along, suspended by a metal pulley. They strap you into a nylon harness and send you swinging along, station to station. It was pretty great.
The rest of our visit consisted mainly of wandering through the dizzying array of gift shops, each with a different theme: patriotic, Christian, Irish (?), etc…I was tempted to buy an American flag/bald eagle/Dolly t-shirt…but it was so strange and sincere it transcended irony…almost scary…
In fact, a lot of Dollywood was, well, almost scary.
The day ended with an unexpected warm drizzle, sending the tired hordes scrambling for the exit—which was accessible only by going through one last MEGA gift shop—stacks of Dolly cups, Dolly spoons, Dolly snow globes…
A tram brought us back to our car and we returned to Tim and Kendra and Boss’s place for the night. Read about it here!
Visit with the Boss
So our wedding day was chock full - getting married at Lover's Leap, checking out Rock City Gardens, and hang gliding! Then, the next day, we drove to Pigeon Forge and went on roller coasters and ziplines at Dollywood! (Thanks to T&K&B for the tickets - a great wedding gift! Rick's write-up on our day at Dollywood coming soon!)
We were...well...exhausted!
It was the perfect night to relax. And our visit with Boss was just what we needed!
Boss was the perfect host. He welcomed Rick and me into his home - just as long as we didn't sit in his favorite spot - smack dab in the middle of the living room.
And he had these humans there, Tim & Kendra, who waited on us hand and foot. Boy, what a life Boss has!
Dinner was prepared for us - veggie & turkey burgers and salads, with ice cream with fresh berries and fruit for dessert. Yum! And we had the opportunity to do a load of laundry! (We'd only been on the road for a few days, but had managed to go through a lot of stuff in a short period of time!)
Boss even provided entertainment, which he let his humans in on too - we watched My Kid Could Paint That, a documentary about a 4-year-old whose artwork got lots of attention a few years back. It had been on my "to watch" list for a while now!
Here we all are hangin' out in the living room - Rick, Hilary, Boss, Kendra, Tim:
Before going to sleep (oh, man, was sleep ever nice that night!), Boss had the humans entertain us by making funny faces.
The next morning, we had coffee and breakfast before heading off to Asheville, North Carolina.
Thanks to Boss for hosting us and providing us with a much needed evening of rest & relaxation! :D
We were...well...exhausted!
It was the perfect night to relax. And our visit with Boss was just what we needed!
Boss was the perfect host. He welcomed Rick and me into his home - just as long as we didn't sit in his favorite spot - smack dab in the middle of the living room.
And he had these humans there, Tim & Kendra, who waited on us hand and foot. Boy, what a life Boss has!
Dinner was prepared for us - veggie & turkey burgers and salads, with ice cream with fresh berries and fruit for dessert. Yum! And we had the opportunity to do a load of laundry! (We'd only been on the road for a few days, but had managed to go through a lot of stuff in a short period of time!)
Boss even provided entertainment, which he let his humans in on too - we watched My Kid Could Paint That, a documentary about a 4-year-old whose artwork got lots of attention a few years back. It had been on my "to watch" list for a while now!
Here we all are hangin' out in the living room - Rick, Hilary, Boss, Kendra, Tim:
Before going to sleep (oh, man, was sleep ever nice that night!), Boss had the humans entertain us by making funny faces.
The next morning, we had coffee and breakfast before heading off to Asheville, North Carolina.
Thanks to Boss for hosting us and providing us with a much needed evening of rest & relaxation! :D
Wedding Day Hang Gliding!
As if getting married at Lover's Leap wasn't enough for one day...we took the afternoon to go hang gliding!
We did it through Lookout Mountain Flight Park in Rising Fawn, Georgia. They have several packages to choose from and I'm sure that Rick and I would love a longer and more in-depth experience in the future, but because of limited time we decided to first try the Tandem option. Basically, if you're under 250 pounds and willing, you're good to go.
Our flight time was scheduled for 4pm. When we arrived, we discovered that they were a bit behind and we'd have to wait a while for our turn. It was neat watching people take off and land before us!
Waiting for our turn:
While we waited, I took the opportunity to drive the Fiesta onto the field and photograph it with a couple of gliders!
Then, when they were close to ready for us, we suited up in harnesses and helmets. Don't we look hot?!
For the introductory tandem flight, we took off from a field - our gliders were attached to a small plane, which took off and towed us 2000 feet into the air!
Here I am with Rex just before take-off:
And Rick, ready to go:
Here is the plane that towed us into the air!
Take-off was really fun - it gave me that sort of rollercoaster-y feeling right away. Soon after take-off, though, it was just calm and beautiful - floating through the air.
Here is Rick being towed by plane into the air:
It took longer than I expected to get up to 2000 feet. There was a device on the hang glider so that we could watch the elevation. When we got close, the instructor, Rex, told me that there would be an initial drop when we first let go of the plane. There was indeed a drop, but it was fun - not scary at all.
Then we flew. Lookout Mountain was such a beautiful location - so much green! Quiet and peaceful. I looked down below, where Rick was waiting for his turn to fly. I knew that he was going to love it.
Flying!
On the side of the mountain (up from the field where we took off) was the office for the flight school. Rex said "Let's go say hello!" He pulled back the bar on the hang glider, steered us around, and down we dove. The people waved to us as we flew over them and then back out over the field!
Then it was my turn to take over the hang glider. First, Rex demonstrated that if we did absolutely nothing, we'd be okay. We both took our hands off the bar and the hang glider floated along with no problems.
Look, Ma! No hands!
Then he had me speed up (by pulling the bar towards me), "stall" or slow down (by pushing the bar away from my body) and steer left and right by pushing my hips and body one direction or the other. Yup, I was pretty sure I'd want to do this again! Maybe even on my own someday...
Here is Rick speeding up his hang glider and seeing what that thing can do. ;)
Our time in the air was coming to an end - it was time to land. Rex brought us down effortlessly, it seemed. It was a strange feeling landing with only a foot of space between my belly and the grassy field! I felt myself holding my legs up, just in case, but they were suspended in a way that I didn't really have to think about it. We rolled along the field and stopped just a short distance from where Rick was waiting.
"How was it?" Rick asked. I grinned. He was about to find out for himself!
Thanks to Rex and everyone at Lookout Mountain Flight School for making our wedding day even more exciting and memorable! :D
Rick, Rex, and Hilary:
We did it through Lookout Mountain Flight Park in Rising Fawn, Georgia. They have several packages to choose from and I'm sure that Rick and I would love a longer and more in-depth experience in the future, but because of limited time we decided to first try the Tandem option. Basically, if you're under 250 pounds and willing, you're good to go.
Our flight time was scheduled for 4pm. When we arrived, we discovered that they were a bit behind and we'd have to wait a while for our turn. It was neat watching people take off and land before us!
Waiting for our turn:
While we waited, I took the opportunity to drive the Fiesta onto the field and photograph it with a couple of gliders!
Then, when they were close to ready for us, we suited up in harnesses and helmets. Don't we look hot?!
For the introductory tandem flight, we took off from a field - our gliders were attached to a small plane, which took off and towed us 2000 feet into the air!
Here I am with Rex just before take-off:
And Rick, ready to go:
Here is the plane that towed us into the air!
Take-off was really fun - it gave me that sort of rollercoaster-y feeling right away. Soon after take-off, though, it was just calm and beautiful - floating through the air.
Here is Rick being towed by plane into the air:
It took longer than I expected to get up to 2000 feet. There was a device on the hang glider so that we could watch the elevation. When we got close, the instructor, Rex, told me that there would be an initial drop when we first let go of the plane. There was indeed a drop, but it was fun - not scary at all.
Then we flew. Lookout Mountain was such a beautiful location - so much green! Quiet and peaceful. I looked down below, where Rick was waiting for his turn to fly. I knew that he was going to love it.
Flying!
On the side of the mountain (up from the field where we took off) was the office for the flight school. Rex said "Let's go say hello!" He pulled back the bar on the hang glider, steered us around, and down we dove. The people waved to us as we flew over them and then back out over the field!
Then it was my turn to take over the hang glider. First, Rex demonstrated that if we did absolutely nothing, we'd be okay. We both took our hands off the bar and the hang glider floated along with no problems.
Look, Ma! No hands!
Then he had me speed up (by pulling the bar towards me), "stall" or slow down (by pushing the bar away from my body) and steer left and right by pushing my hips and body one direction or the other. Yup, I was pretty sure I'd want to do this again! Maybe even on my own someday...
Here is Rick speeding up his hang glider and seeing what that thing can do. ;)
Our time in the air was coming to an end - it was time to land. Rex brought us down effortlessly, it seemed. It was a strange feeling landing with only a foot of space between my belly and the grassy field! I felt myself holding my legs up, just in case, but they were suspended in a way that I didn't really have to think about it. We rolled along the field and stopped just a short distance from where Rick was waiting.
"How was it?" Rick asked. I grinned. He was about to find out for himself!
Thanks to Rex and everyone at Lookout Mountain Flight School for making our wedding day even more exciting and memorable! :D
Rick, Rex, and Hilary:
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Video of our wedding!
Thank you to Adam Crisp & Tim Barber of Chattanooga Times Free Press for providing us with video of our wedding ceremony! :D
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