Wedding Items for sale!

Hello, all. Thanks for your interest in my wedding items. Here you'll find descriptions and photos.

***PLEASE NOTE: on all of these purchases, you are responsible for shipping costs in addition to the price listed, and all sales are final. First-come, first-served and no price negotiations. Thanks!***

Aviva St. Tropez Picnic Baskets, Retails $135 and up

The Aviva is still sold in retail, so you can buy more if needed for your event.

Used once, cleaned, and repackaged.

The Aviva - St. Tropez picnic basket is reminiscent of the old world, but has contemporary charm and sophistication. This Bombay-style basket is made of caramel rattan and bamboo and lined with aqua blue fabric.

Basket includes:

-4 plates (9” melamine)

-4 forks, knives, spoons (18/0 Stainless Steel)

-4 napkins (14”x14”)

-4 wine glasses (8 oz)

-Wine bottle cooler

-Wine key

-Cheese board (6”x6”) and knife

-Mini salt & pepper shakers

-1 Tupperware container

-Striped, coordinating blanket with weatherproof backing

We used these as the centerpieces on the 60” guest tables—no need for any other flair, and you won’t have to pay to rent plates/utensils/glasses/napkins. Also, we considered doing a complete picnic wedding—no tables or chairs. An option for those wanting a casual but chic event.

PRICE: $95 each *

QTY: 14 baskets *Must purchase all of the baskets. Not selling individually.

Stylish DWELL cotton tablecloths

These were used for the gift table and cheese tables. They’ve been laundered and need to be ironed. Everybody LOVED these. They’re super cute, coordinate, and they are still sold at Target, so you can get more if you need them.

DIMENSIONS: 70” round

QTY: 2, one has the bird pattern & one is the geometric design

MY PRICE: $13 each

DIMENSIONS: 60”x80”

QTY: 2, both are the bird pattern

MY PRICE: $14 each

White Cotton Napkins

These are brand new from World Market. Never been used. Full-sized dinner napkins.

QTY: 10

PRICE: $8

120” Pale Celery Tablecloths for 60” Round Tables

These are such a beautiful color and look great with fresh flowers. Used once and have been cleaned. Need to be pressed. No seam, polyester (not shiny) and will go to the floor on a 60” table. A few very minor spots that will go without notice—in far better condition than rental linens I’ve seen at other events, and you can sell these afterwards!

PRICE: $12 Each*

QTY: 9 *Must purchase all. Not selling individually.

White cotton tablecloth

Plain white base tablecloth. Used once, laundered, and in good condition. Needs to be ironed.

PRICE: $14

QTY: 1

DIMENSIONS: 66”x132”

Wood Frames with Paper Insets

These are simple wood frames with a medium brown, matte wood stain. The backs are a bit cheap looking, but if you’re planning to use these in a manner where it won’t show, it’s a great deal. I put decorative papers in these, which will come with the frames. They don’t have glass—they have an incredibly clear plastic, which doesn’t look cheap—looks just like glass.

PRICE: $2 each

QTY: 6

DIMENSIONS: 4x6 image area

Steel Pails

Rustic pails that are great for holding flowers or (as we used them) favors.

PRICE: $2 each

QTY: 10

Canopy/Chuppah

Off-white linen fabric is secured to Manzanita branches. Ribbon accents can be replaced to match your decorations, but the ribbon shown will come with it. The back side of the linen has a couple of imperfections, but it’s not at all noticeable during a ceremony. The front has “I am the Luckiest” on it (which is from a Ben Folds song—give it a listen if you’re not familiar with it). This canopy is held & doesn’t stand on its own. We had siblings hold the four legs, and it was awesome being able to have them be such a close part of the ceremony. This is a great, affordable way to add meaning and style to a ceremony that is outdoors or in a place that doesn’t have much architectural interest or a focal point.

PRICE: $50

Dried Flower Arrangements

Steel buckets with floral foam inside holding dried flowers and Manzanita branches.

QTY: 2

DIMENSIONS: Approx. 4 ½ ft tall

PRICE: $20 each**

**Austin area only & must pick up.

Chalkboard Sign

This is a rustic, freestanding chalkboard with a fold-down shelf. We used it to greet guests & put programs on it. Would also be great for holding favors.

PRICE: $20

DIMENSIONS: 3ft tall

Guest book w/ Pen

Brand new & still in package.

RETAIL: $14.99

MY PRICE: $6

Beverage Dispenser

Clear dispenser with silver colored spout. Works great and used only once. Holds 3 gallons, has center cooling cylinder where you can put ice and you can also put ice in the base. We bought 2 of these for the wedding and are keeping one for our own backyard parties. Great to have!

MY PRICE: $17

DIMENSIONS: Holds 3 gallons

Big Glass Candy Jars

These have screw on lids and can sit upright or at an angle for scooping. We used these only once to hold candy at our cupcake bar.

QTY: 3

PRICE: $24 for set

DIMENSIONS: 7” diameter

Metal Scoops

Plain silver colored scoops for the candy jars. Have blue ribbon tied to handle.

QTY: 3

DIMENSIONS: 7” from handle to end

PRICE: $1 each

Glass Sprinkles Jars

These held candy sprinkles for our cupcake bar.

QTY: 4

PRICE: $10 for set

DIMENSIONS: 3 ½” diameter

Glass Cake Stands

QTY: 2

PRICE: $8 Each

DIMENSIONS: 10” diameter

Cupcake wrappers

You set cupcakes in these paper covers so they look a bit more fancy. We had them at our cupcake bar. They’re in coordinating papers.

QTY: 80

PRICE: $5 for all

Glass Mason Jars (Sweet Leaf)

These standard size mason jars have really cute Sweet Leaf labels on them, and some have ribbon attached. The labels are very easy to remove (no residue) if you don’t want those.

QTY: 16

PRICE: $1 each

Banners

I’m a graphic designer, and I made these Banners. The letters & backing are paper & lightweight cardstock. Ribbon connects them.

LONG LIVE LOVE banners

DIMENSIONS: One is 10ft. The other is slightly longer.

QTY: 2

PRICE: $10 each

BANNERS w/ NO LETTERS

Print your own letters & use spray adhesive to attach. Great for personalizing with your last name.

DIMENSIONS: 9ft. One has space for 9 letters to be added, one has space for 8 letters to be added. Signs can easily be adjusted to accommodate fewer letters.

QTY: 2

PRICE: $8 each

Ground Stakes with Ribbon Ties for Signs

These are bamboo stakes that have pale blue satin ribbon bows. The long ribbon legs w/ knots are for tying to the edges of signs. Use a heavy cardstock backing for your sign, cut a hole at the upper end in each sign, put the ribbon legs through the holes & knot on the backside. Cute & easy for directing guests to the event.

QTY: 4

DIMENSIONS: 1 is 10”, the rest are 28”

PRICE: $3 each

Ribbon/Streamers

I have 3 full rolls of black ribbon w/ white accents. Each roll has 4 yds and the ribbon is 1 ½” wide. 2 rolls are black with white dashed stitching on the edges, and one roll is black with white tiny pom-poms on the edges.

PRICE: $5 for all

I have one full roll and a partial roll of white floral ribbon. One roll holds 75 yds, and this is 2.5 inches wide. Also have a partial roll of medium blue. I bought these to hang from trees and the tent

PRICE: $4 for all

Lawn Games Scorecards

I designed these scorecards for our outdoor wedding where we had croquet, bocce, and washers. Printed in brown ink and mounted on orange cardstock. Stick them in a galvanized pail with some golf pencils & your guests will love them. They’re super cute!

QTY: 25

DIMENSIONS: 8 ½” x 3 ½”

PRICE: $5

Chinese Take-Out Boxes

White, food-safe, brand new. Silver handle. Large enough to hold an entrée portion.

DIMENSIONS: 4”x4 ½” x ¾”

QTY: 49

PRICE: $8 for all

Cellophane wrappers

DIMENSIONS: 2 ½”x2 ½”x9”

QTY: 70

PRICE: $4

DIMENSIONS: 3 ½”x2”x 7 ½”

QTY: 100

PRICE: $5

Wreath

Grapevine wreath with Spring Green satin ribbon and greenery. White buds scattered throughout

DIMENSIONS: 19” diameter

QTY: 1

PRICE: $15

Floating candles

Brand new, white round, plain, unscented floating candles

QTY: 30

PRICE: $4

French/Russian/Birdcage Veil Netting

Brand new and unused. Was going to make a birdcage veil but ran out of time. J

DIMENSIONS: 9” wide, 1yd

PRICE: $5

Powder Blue Crinoline

I had a crinoline custom made to go under my dress. This is one layer of the crinoline, as my dress was way too poofy. You could put an elastic waistband on this remnant and have a perfect, full, right-below-the-knee crinoline. The bottom has a sweet satin ribbon hem, and the netting is silky, not scratchy.

DIMENSIONS: 25” long

PRICE: $15

White Headband

Wide, Satin, unused.

DIMENSIONS: 1 ¾” wide

PRICE: $2

Rhinestone Headband

Two bands of rhinestones on thin wire

PRICE: $15

Vintage feathers

White ostrich, a cluster of 8. Good for a birdcage veil or filler for floral arrangements.

DIMENSIONS: about 7” long

PRICE: $4

White Butterflies

These are made of feathers and have glitter accents. They’ve got metal wire on the back so you can tie them into craft projects. Was going to use them in my flowers but didn’t.

QTY: 5

DIMENSIONS: 3” wide

PRICE: $2 for set

Rhinestone Hair Pins

Blue rhinestones and silver colored pins

Set of 4 for $2

Rhinestone Pin

This is an old school, vintage pin. It’s missing 1 stone from its setting.

$5

Waiting in the Wings

It's been almost a month since my last post, and I have a flurry of good excuses. It turns out that writing regularly develops a productivity habit (go figure!), and that led me back to some neglected scripts. That momentum led to designing our Paper Moon Repertory webpage and getting the ball rolling on building our new company...meeting with a mentor, discussing non-profits. And that momentum led me to...

Wait a minute. Where did my work go? Shit. Switch gears. Find more work.

Sign up for a course in Real Estate. Add new part-time job at a broker's office. Plan wedding (which is in 2 months). I am at a computer/desk for about 17 hours a day.

Wait a minute. How in the hell did this happen? Where did my creative momentum go? Where did my money go? And when can I have that and all of my time back, please?

Few things are more frustrating than when you've begun creating something, you're motivated, and it seems like work stands in the way of any opportunity you have to continue something that you're passionate about. In essence, I want my freelance life back. Back in that life, I was able to manage my own schedule without needing to juggle the demands of 2 bosses, a theater director, and my agent who wants me to drop all 3 of the aforementioned at a moment's notice for a 1 in 135 chance at being in a commercial. Having so many people that I'm accountable to is doubly frustrating on the heels of being a freelancer. I enjoyed my freelance work so much that it never seemed like work, I knew what my clients wanted, and I didn't worry about paying the bills. All of that has completely changed.

What I miss most of all is that I could pursue theatre constantly. Have an audition on Thursday? I'll be there. Need me at rehearsals for 20 hours this week? I'll be there. And I'll still have time to write a script and build a company. And sleep.

Sigh.

Just feeling incredibly tired and like I'm farther away from my goals than I've been in years. And I don't have enough hours in the day to change that. I know that once the wedding is over and my real estate classes have been completed that time will be freed up. I'm heading in the right direction--I just don't have a whole lot of steam left.

McMansions in McGinnis Land

I'd like to find a box of money. Not because it would make me happy or would change my day-to-day routine or because it would change my broken tile floors to wood, but because it calms some inner turmoil that we all experience. Car sounds funny? Got a scary mole? Work's a little sluggish? No worries. I have a box of money. Who else would like one?

We know the answer. And I'll keep it our little secret.

When it comes to boxes of money, Extreme Home Makeover provides it in crane-lift-required quantities. I watched an episode of the show last night, which was filmed in Miami County--my homeland. Two factory worker parents, 4 kids--one of the children has an immune system deficiency that keeps her in and out of the hospital. The house had a serious amount of mold, and it was clear they couldn't live there. Enter deus ex machina. Complete with crane. They bulldozed and replaced with an enormous home (see photo), arguably the largest and most spectacular in my entire county. It was kind. It was generous. It was way too much.

Now, Rachel. Are you just jealous that they didn't give a box of money to you?

Jealous? Um, a little. Cue the violins... No, wait. Bad idea.

All families have their own struggles. And it's not that life should be free of challenges--sometimes life, in the grander scheme, improves because of those challenges. But it is to say that our society has a strange way of determining who gets what, why, and how much. Granted, "Extreme" is in the title of the show, so they're not going to spruce up the house with gingham curtains, hang a Tidy Bowl tablet in the john and call it done. The house is bound to be amazing. But is amazing what we need when there are so many families that struggle with harsh circumstances? If we're going to be generous, why not do it in moderation and affect so many more lives? The obvious answer? It's a TV show. TV's not supposed to show moderation. And, unfortunately, that lack of moderation that has become a nationwide virus (probably brought on from watching too much TV) is driving some "Extreme" recipients into worse financial crisis. A lot of the "Extreme" families are still paying mortgages for the homes that got bulldozed, and they can't afford it. Add a gigantic tax bill for the "improvements" on the land, and how are these people going to make it? Maybe we should talk about rentals or paying off the balance of what's owed before we go building mansions. Just a thought. Check this out (after you finish reading this blog).

http://realitytvmagazine.sheknows.com/blog/2009/02/19/extreme-makeover-home-edition-another-home-in-foreclosure/

In response to this, Rachel has decided to create her theoretical show ("Rachel's Recession Rescue"). Let's say that instead of a brand new, sparkling Ford pick-up, the family gets a reliable, used mini van from a local dealership that's been struggling. We pay a local mechanic to tune it up & detail it for them. Instead of building a 3 story home, we buy a house that's been on the market in town for months and help out a second family that's in dire need of unloading the house. Pay a handyman or out-of-work construction pro to fix up the place. While we're at it, make sure it's a home that's a reasonable size to avoid huge utiltity costs, and pay someone to install energy-saving appliances/insulation/windows. Buy said items locally. And instead of $50,000 cash, how about we get the family decades of high-quality health insurance? Too reasonable for TV, I know. But maybe we need to just throw in some small town gossip over a well-positioned cup of Starbucks and call it a show. Whaddya think, ABC?

My phone isn't ringing.

Well, I'd like to think that at some point we could actually find a way to give people their true boxes of money and make it TV-worthy. That somehow the gift could set minds at ease instead of making hearts race about some strange dream that they're always on the edge of losing. Give these people some reassurance that everything is going to stay ok, not some false sense of security that arises from the end table matching the custom cabinetry. And while I am, admittedly, a sucker for decor, I'm a complete and total sucker for everyone's right to aid and security when sick. If that kind of security was waiting for me in a box, it would be worth more than any McMansion you could build for me on farmland in Miami County.

A Sheep Dog and No Sheep

Let me begin with a confession. Before I disappoint, it's not a dark or intriguing one that necessitates a kneeling bench or dim lighting--although I can be swayed to invent such a confession if it suits your reading pleasure. Perhaps that's sufficient bait to get you to the end of this post.

My confession, though, is simply that I was wrong about blogs. They do serve many purposes. (Travis Bedard, take joy in this victory and relish the fact that I'm admitting I'm wrong.) In fact, admission is the point of this blog. When did I need a map (where we all took wrong turns), and how have I learned to correct the wheel and choose better roads? Here's what I needed to know in the last decade. In serial form. Unless I decide to write about something else.

I've been trained to write. Somehow, Northwestern decided I'd be a poet (I take only partial blame). They trained with great fervor. It didn't quite take, as I'm more of an essayist with bad form--but the impulse to write is there. Courtesy of Northwestern and life, I've also been trained to act. And to throw pots (on a wheel, not on stage). And to paint and play the piano...perhaps simultaneously on said stage if a script calls for it. I've pursued all interests I have, resulting in a somewhat confusing resume that makes me almost right for lots of jobs that I have no interest in. Bravo, liberal arts!

I've had stints on magazines, roles on stage, and illustrations in production meetings, but these are fleeting and need constant pursuit. When I'm between projects, I truly am a sheep dog in a small backyard. Without the tasks I've been trained to do, I'll dig up the flowers.

Enter the blog.

I'm not sure if a blog will be a diversion or a re-direction, but it certainly is a forum to work on my craft and force me to look up the spellings of words. So, welcome to my page that keeps me occupied and philosophizing. Not sure why you're here instead of trying to arrange the purchase of a deeply discounted, obsolete item on Craigslist, but I hope we all learn something along the way. At a greatly reduced price.

And, as promised, here's my false confession fit for a Catholic (says the non-practicing Protestant Irish-Jewess): I never said the "Hail Marys" the priest advised. I was too busy digging up the flowers after my last show; and, honestly, does repeating a phrase make all of that mayhem ok?