Pack Rat Magazine has 364 days to train for the Boston Marathon.

Weddings are a funny thing. They start out being about two people sharing their love with their closest family and friends, and then they typically become these monster projects that are more focused grouped then a prime time sitcom. In the attempt to please everyone, sometimes no one is happy. One of the alternatives? Don’t half ass it, embrace the things you love, like this totally Knitted Wedding of Freddie and Ben, devotees of knitting and members of the UK group, Cast Off. Flipping through the gallery photos of their wedding, I’m floored by the amount of labor and love that went into this thing. Everything, absolutely everything is knitted. The wedding dress, the bouquet, the obscenely long train, the bridesmaids’ dresses, the food, the cameras, even the cans tied to the back of their “Just Married” bike. Such an outpouring of effort and community love…you can even hear the needles still clicking away. My absolutely favorite moment is when the happy couple come out of the church, under a battalion of over-sized knitting needles held like swords above their heads. If this idea gets your idea box a-thrumming, check out these starter directions for flowers and food and more and make your own knit wedding (mock or otherwise).

Pack Rat Magazine, always the bride’s maid, never the bride

We’re still a few months out until the wedding season is in full swing, but here’s a fantastic contest that will inspire any crafter, regardless of maritial intentions.  Cheap Chic Weddings has sponsored a contest for the last three years, asking contestants to make a wedding dress out of toilet paper.  The most original design wins $500 and is manufactured (with fabric, of course) by one of the website’s sponsors.  This last year’s winner, Hannah Kim, blew me away! Look at the detailing she did.  How did she not tear everything to shreds, let alone make pleats?  Here are some of the top contenders for you to ohh and ahh over.

1st place

2nd Place

Honorable Mentions

Hi kids!  the Feb/March Issue is finally out and rarin’ to go.  Click on the pdf link below!  And remember, if you think you could do better, you’re welcome to show us what you’ve got. Submission deadlines for next issue will be March 20th.  Happy reading.

issue3.pdf

Now we’re cooking with gas. I found thriftyfun.com in my quest for frugal tips and it just tickles my fancy. With a clear, straight forward format and a lot of reader content, this website is the crossroads of clever money saving ideas. And, more than simply helpful, plenty of the ideas and tips are stylish too. For example, this neat-o cereal box-cum-handbag. Sold, right? Click here to link to the directions.

I myself am probably many, many years away from the walk down the aisle. But my best friend was just married this September and I have to admit it, it was easy to get caught up in the preparations. I was never the little girl who imagined in great detail what my wedding would be like, and as I grew up the idea actually made me more nervous then anything else. Standing in front of all those people, having to make sure I didn’t spill anything on my white dress, being on my best behavior in church. Eloping always had a great appeal for me. But my best friend showed me the light. She took her wedding and she made it work for her. Never a fan of white, she wore a green off the rack dress. The ceremony took place in a park outside, over looking a beautiful skyline. And there was no organ music, no “Here comes the bride.” Just the quiet soothing sounds of the wind. And I realized, you can make your own wedding look exactly the way you want to, there are no rules you have to follow. For those of you out there looking to take the pluge in your own way, check out offbeatbride.com. A guide book for those of us who want our weddings to be more party of the century then stuffy matrimonial, the website and book cover the a to z of the alternative wedding scene; such as buying a dress from an indie dress maker and how to find funky wedding rings that don’t break the bank and don’t involve those blood diamonds. Take a look, get inspired, and remember: the only thing keeping you from walking down the aisle to “Don’t Stop Believein’” is you.