Just wanted to share this: Laurie at Blooming Lily wrote a nice post on my Into the Blue necklace. I make a lot of different things--some quirky, some simple, some elaborate, some pretty, etc. Into the Blue falls into the pretty category. It took me a loooong time to get the arrangement just right and a lot of consultations with my roommate to see what works and what doesn't (thanks girlie!), but it was all worth it.
Thanks, Laurie!
5.17.2007
5.15.2007
Graduating on the Cheap: Wrap-up
The major pointers of graduating on the cheap have been covered, so now it's time to take care of the little things.
Parking: save your guests some money by encouraging them to carpool.
Cap and gown: most people have to buy the cheapy stuff, and some of us have to rent them. I'm not happy with my $75 or so being spent on a gown, hood, and a very ill-fitting mortarboard (it's top-heavy and doesn't stay on). Keep in mind that most rentals have to be turned in right after the graduation ceremony, so that means we need to get our pictures taken with family and friends before then. If you skipped the overpriced school portrait days like I did but still want some wallet-sized photos for family and friends, haul your rented garments to your local photo place and get it done there. It's much, much cheaper.
Degree frames: personally, I don't care for having a frame with a school logo/seal on there. After all, it's already on your degree, so no one is going to be mistaken about where it came from. Better to save the money on a custom framing job elsewhere, or get something nicer from any ol' store, say Target. Getting a cardboard matte for around $2 makes the degree look like a million bucks without spending as much.
Don't forget to send Thank You cards out to your guests afterwards! The increase in postal rates is not cool (it's been a huge headache trying to revise a reasonable shipping rate for my shop, but I'm disgressing), but people always appreciate snail's mail. Getting non-grad theme notecards will leave you with leftovers that you can use for other occasions.
That's about it for graduation planning. Most importantly, go out and have fun. Enjoy your big day!
Parking: save your guests some money by encouraging them to carpool.
Cap and gown: most people have to buy the cheapy stuff, and some of us have to rent them. I'm not happy with my $75 or so being spent on a gown, hood, and a very ill-fitting mortarboard (it's top-heavy and doesn't stay on). Keep in mind that most rentals have to be turned in right after the graduation ceremony, so that means we need to get our pictures taken with family and friends before then. If you skipped the overpriced school portrait days like I did but still want some wallet-sized photos for family and friends, haul your rented garments to your local photo place and get it done there. It's much, much cheaper.
Degree frames: personally, I don't care for having a frame with a school logo/seal on there. After all, it's already on your degree, so no one is going to be mistaken about where it came from. Better to save the money on a custom framing job elsewhere, or get something nicer from any ol' store, say Target. Getting a cardboard matte for around $2 makes the degree look like a million bucks without spending as much.
Don't forget to send Thank You cards out to your guests afterwards! The increase in postal rates is not cool (it's been a huge headache trying to revise a reasonable shipping rate for my shop, but I'm disgressing), but people always appreciate snail's mail. Getting non-grad theme notecards will leave you with leftovers that you can use for other occasions.
That's about it for graduation planning. Most importantly, go out and have fun. Enjoy your big day!
5.13.2007
Graduating on the Cheap: The Food (Part 2)
...aaaaand we're back! Oh. My. Gosh. I don't think I've had to work this hard in my life. The last 2 weeks have been absolutely brutal--working 19-hour days to prepare for a 3-hour long premiere, another final that lasted 2.5 hours, a 38-page paper due in between, and a grueling 4-hour finale on 3-hour's sleep. I'm still trying to recover. My friends must hate me for sending out graduation invites a week before the event (though I've mentioned it to some of them beforehand), but it couldn't be helped.
So let's get back to business, shall we? Food is always a fun topic. Last time we talked about eating out for graduation dinner, and readers have brought up some excellent suggestions, so check out the comments if you haven't already done so. Today I'll go over some DIY (do it yourself) solutions, which I'm a big fan of whenever possible. For my own college graduation, I had scores of relatives over, and yes, I singlehandedly fed them all. I had a little bit of prepping help with a salad when my cousin's family came over early, but the bulk of the work was done by me beforehand.
The key is to plan a menu that looks impressive but can be assembled piecemeal over a few days. For quick-and-easy dishes that don't look quick-and-easy, I highly recommend Allrecipes.com. The first thing to do is to think about what your guests will eat or not eat. If there are vegetarians, vegans, or people with other special dietary needs, you need to keep that in mind. It's good to have a variety to keep everyone full and happy. If I recall correctly, here's my menu:
-chicken fettucine
-a couple of rising-crust pizzas from the frozen food section of the market (really good stuff, by the way)
-lasagna
-strawberry salad with berry vinagrette
-some kind of baked dessert (can't remember if I made it or store-bought)
-ice cream
Doing everything from scratch takes up time that we don't have, especially if we have to deal with final exams right before graduation. We need a helping hand from canned goods, frozen products, or pre-cut meats, all of which can be purchased ahead of time before studying gets crazy. While you're shopping, don't forget to pick up some snacks and easy-to-heat appetizers. They'll keep your guests happy while waiting for the big meal.
After buying all this stuff, the next thing to think about is cooking time. Desserts and salads are generally easy to deal with, so they can go last (but get the pie crust started early if you're making pie). Usually the main concern is the entree. Most dishes require separate steps, so splitting them up is a good start. We can wash some vegetables ahead of time and chop them up, then store them in resealable bags. The cooking part can also be divvied up into manageable tasks. If a particular dish requires multiple ingredients, it might be a good idea to cook them all separately as time permits, then refrigerate or freeze until it's time to combine all the ingredients. Also, if a particular dish has to be baked, it might be a good idea to cook the filling ahead of time to cut down on the baking time on that special day. Browning certain meats before cooking also helps. Once the prep work is done, all you have to do on the big day is to pop them into the oven or microwave to warm things up, keep guests entertained and occupied with snacks/appetizers.
If you don't want to deal with all the cooking and prepping, an easier alternative is to have a barbeque. The only intensive prep work you need to do is to marinate the meat and make a few side dishes. Granted cooking over the barbeque is not a pleasant task, it's easier than slaving over the stove.
My brain is thoroughly fried and I feel as if I'm not writing everything down as planned. If you've got good ideas to add, fire away in the comments!
Next time I'll cover other small details and wrap up the series.
So let's get back to business, shall we? Food is always a fun topic. Last time we talked about eating out for graduation dinner, and readers have brought up some excellent suggestions, so check out the comments if you haven't already done so. Today I'll go over some DIY (do it yourself) solutions, which I'm a big fan of whenever possible. For my own college graduation, I had scores of relatives over, and yes, I singlehandedly fed them all. I had a little bit of prepping help with a salad when my cousin's family came over early, but the bulk of the work was done by me beforehand.
The key is to plan a menu that looks impressive but can be assembled piecemeal over a few days. For quick-and-easy dishes that don't look quick-and-easy, I highly recommend Allrecipes.com. The first thing to do is to think about what your guests will eat or not eat. If there are vegetarians, vegans, or people with other special dietary needs, you need to keep that in mind. It's good to have a variety to keep everyone full and happy. If I recall correctly, here's my menu:
-chicken fettucine
-a couple of rising-crust pizzas from the frozen food section of the market (really good stuff, by the way)
-lasagna
-strawberry salad with berry vinagrette
-some kind of baked dessert (can't remember if I made it or store-bought)
-ice cream
Doing everything from scratch takes up time that we don't have, especially if we have to deal with final exams right before graduation. We need a helping hand from canned goods, frozen products, or pre-cut meats, all of which can be purchased ahead of time before studying gets crazy. While you're shopping, don't forget to pick up some snacks and easy-to-heat appetizers. They'll keep your guests happy while waiting for the big meal.
After buying all this stuff, the next thing to think about is cooking time. Desserts and salads are generally easy to deal with, so they can go last (but get the pie crust started early if you're making pie). Usually the main concern is the entree. Most dishes require separate steps, so splitting them up is a good start. We can wash some vegetables ahead of time and chop them up, then store them in resealable bags. The cooking part can also be divvied up into manageable tasks. If a particular dish requires multiple ingredients, it might be a good idea to cook them all separately as time permits, then refrigerate or freeze until it's time to combine all the ingredients. Also, if a particular dish has to be baked, it might be a good idea to cook the filling ahead of time to cut down on the baking time on that special day. Browning certain meats before cooking also helps. Once the prep work is done, all you have to do on the big day is to pop them into the oven or microwave to warm things up, keep guests entertained and occupied with snacks/appetizers.
If you don't want to deal with all the cooking and prepping, an easier alternative is to have a barbeque. The only intensive prep work you need to do is to marinate the meat and make a few side dishes. Granted cooking over the barbeque is not a pleasant task, it's easier than slaving over the stove.
My brain is thoroughly fried and I feel as if I'm not writing everything down as planned. If you've got good ideas to add, fire away in the comments!
Next time I'll cover other small details and wrap up the series.
5.01.2007
Graduating on the Cheap: The Food (Part 1)
My life has gotten ten kinds of crazy, as I'm waaay behind schedule and desperately trying to finish my paper by today so that I can get started on other things. Needless to say, the blog takes a back seat. Sorry for the sporadic postings.
After the ceremony is over, you have to feed all your guests, right? There are a couple of ways to do it--eat out or eat in. Today I'll discuss the eat out option.
This is a good option if you have a very small apartment and can't entertain guests, or if you just don't have the time to deal with it. It's also the more expensive option. If it were me, I'd treat the guests because this is a "thank you" to everyone for making the time, effort, and many miles of trekking to get out there. But I also realize that not everyone can afford to do this, so the "who pays" part is really up to your financial ability. I don't think there's any shame in letting everyone pay for themselves; people understand we're poor students.
The choice of place to eat might cut down on some costs. Personally, I like family-style places such as Buca di Beppo's--you get a lot of variety and huge portions for a relatively affordable price. Another cost-containing-but-keeps-everyone-full option is a buffet. People get to pick what they want to eat, and you don't have to worry about picking a restaurant that everyone likes, or that someone orders the most expensive item on the menu and you have to shoulder the costs.
Next time I'll talk about options for hosting the party yourself.
After the ceremony is over, you have to feed all your guests, right? There are a couple of ways to do it--eat out or eat in. Today I'll discuss the eat out option.
This is a good option if you have a very small apartment and can't entertain guests, or if you just don't have the time to deal with it. It's also the more expensive option. If it were me, I'd treat the guests because this is a "thank you" to everyone for making the time, effort, and many miles of trekking to get out there. But I also realize that not everyone can afford to do this, so the "who pays" part is really up to your financial ability. I don't think there's any shame in letting everyone pay for themselves; people understand we're poor students.
The choice of place to eat might cut down on some costs. Personally, I like family-style places such as Buca di Beppo's--you get a lot of variety and huge portions for a relatively affordable price. Another cost-containing-but-keeps-everyone-full option is a buffet. People get to pick what they want to eat, and you don't have to worry about picking a restaurant that everyone likes, or that someone orders the most expensive item on the menu and you have to shoulder the costs.
Next time I'll talk about options for hosting the party yourself.
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