glass etching & bridal shower

My brother Christopher is getting married soon to a super sweet girl named Emily. My sister Kelsey and I hosted a little bridal shower for her where we had lunch and cupcakes and played silly shower games. I put together a "How Well Do You Know The Bride" questionnaire (trivia-related shower games, how can I resist??) and we made a bouquet with paper flower cards on which the guests wrote their memories and advice for Emily. Christopher came for the gift-opening portion at the end of the shower, and we played "The Shoe Game." The bride and groom sit back-to-back so they can't see each other and exchange one shoe so they are holding their shoe in one hand and the other person's shoe in the other hand. Then I read a series of questions like "Who takes more time in front of the mirror?" and they raise the shoe of the person they think best fits the answer. It's funny if they agree and even funnier when they don't! I found lots of fun questions online, but my favorite was: "If you were both trapped on a deserted island, who would be more likely to eat the other one to survive?"

As both a shower host and a future sister-in-law, I wanted to do something slightly more special than just a registry gift. To me, "special" means A) expensive, B) particularly thoughtful, or C) handmade... and you can guess which one I usually pick. Gift-making is a good time to try out a new craft because you can just go buy a gift if the handmade item doesn't turn out as planned. So, here's my first attempt at glass etching!

These photos make the glass look a bit cloudier than it actually was, but at least it makes the plate show up against the wood table. It's not perfect, but I'm happy with how it turned out! I couldn't find any stencils with the right size lettering for this plate, so I made my own out of contact paper, following this tutorial from Keep Calm & DIY. I etched the back of the plate to avoid the issue of food stains in the etched area, so the only step I had to add was making the stencil a mirror-image on the computer. This craft is not too pricey, since you can find relatively inexpensive glassware at places like Target. I boxed it up with some kitchen towels and a hot pad. Now Christopher can just take a peek in the kitchen if he forgets his wedding anniversary!

victory

I got you, finch! You thought you were so perfectly camouflaged in my sunflowers, but I spotted you... and your little girlfriend. She's adorable, by the way. Have you two been together long? I'd love to have some little finch babies around.

Enjoy those sunflower seeds, little guy!

Yes, I'm fully aware that these are different finches than my nemesis, but it still feels like a victory.

me vs. the finch

I have a new nemesis. He has been taunting me almost daily for the last two weeks.

I guess this whole saga started back in the spring when I planted sunflowers to fill in some gaps in the landscaping. They blossomed about a month ago and the backyard wildlife has been going crazy over them. The bees are all a-buzz, and there's a big pile of seed hulls on the porch where a squirrel stuffed its little belly.

But I don't care about the bees or the squirrels... I care about the one little American Goldfinch who has been avoiding my camera for two weeks. Every evening he hangs out in the sunflowers until I come home from work. He sees my car pull into the driveway and watches me as I dash inside to grab the camera. Then, just as I'm about to take the photo, he laughs maniacally and flits away into the backyard tree line. The most frustrating encounter was when I spotted him hanging upside down from one of the sunflower heads... it was such a perfect image with the bright yellow finch framed by the bright yellow sunflower petals. But of course he took off just before I could get the photo.

I caught him just once when he paused briefly to rest in the neighbor's yard, but couldn't get my camera to focus before he got away. I used the blurry photos to make this wanted poster. Keep your eyes peeled.