Wow. That's a Lot of Glass.

You may recall that I have been on the hunt for cut glass to use as candle holders at our reception. Actually, more specifically, Mr. Cupcake's mom has graciously been doing most of the hunting — I've just been transporting everything to our storage space (a.k.a. Momma Cupcake's basement) once FMIL Cupcake hands over her magnificent finds during each of our visits to Central PA. She has been doing some serious bargain hunting and has admittedly become a cut glass addict!

This weekend I decided to finally get out all of the pieces she has found during her weekly trips to the Salvation Army (with the exception of a handful that Mr. Cupcake and I found at some random yard sales and flea markets) to figure out what our grand total is. Mr. Cupcake and I headed over to Momma Cupcake's basement the other day to take the pieces out of their boxes, set them out on the table to survey the collection, and start counting.

Let me tell you. We have a LOT of glass.

The whole shebang laid out on a table in the basement. Mr. Cupcake counted them all.... wanna guess how many?

A close-up shot. (You still counting?)

Another detail shot.... we have five of these cool big ones (shown in the middle). We might use them for the tables set up in the cocktail area and put floating flowers in them instead of candles. (Last chance to come up with an estimate before I reveal the grand total.)

So..... drumroll please..... our grand total iiiiiissssss......

245. Yes. Two hundred forty-five. Pieces. of. Glass! Do you believe it??

We have more than enough for ten pieces per table if we have about 20 tables, and the rest can be scattered on the mantle in the ballroom, the cocktail tables, and random little nooks that need some ambiance lighting.

I am so very excited about this detail. I think it will add some personalized pizazz to the space and a bit of the vintage flair that we're looking to infuse into everything.

Momma Cupcake and I made a little mock-up of a centerpiece to see how ten candles will look around each floral arrangement. We admittedly did not think this through very well.... we grabbed anything white or green from the two floral arrangements she happened to have in her house, threw them into a bowl, and scattered the glass around them. We didn't have votives but added some tea lights to get an idea of how everything would look. Even though it was a little haphazard, it still gave me a good idea of how everything will look and I'm quite happy.


Picture a darker room, an ironed linen, a more well thought-out floral arrangement, and a larger table with China, menus and napkins :-) Perfect, right?

I think we have ruled out our original plan of pouring our own candles, because we realized how time-consuming it will be and it really won't save us much money after all. Votives will do the trick just fine, and we'll just have to find a few different sizes to work with the varying sizes of the glass pieces. Hopefully, doing this will also save us some sanity!

How are your DIY projects coming along? Are you finding them satisfying and fulfilling, or just plain frustrating and time-consuming?