Plaster and Poison (28 page)

At the front of the room, Kate and Wayne were on their way up on the stage, where a single chair was waiting for Kate. She sat down, demurely crossing her legs. Derek glanced at me. “What do you think? Should I try to catch the garter? We could have some fun with it later.”
I smiled. “Not necessary. I’ve got on garters of my own this evening.”
For a second he just looked at me, then he smiled. “Guess I’ll just stick close to you, then.”
“Please do.” I snuggled into his side as we watched the proceedings. Kate’s legs, like everything else about her figure, are magnificent, and there was lots of hooting and whistling while Wayne fumbled for the lacy blue garter Shannon had helped her mother pick out.
“At least he’s using his hands,” Derek remarked.
“What else would he be using?”
“Traditionally, the groom removes the garter with his teeth.”
“Oh.” I blushed.
Up on the stage, Wayne held Kate’s garter aloft, triumphantly. All the single men, gathered in a group in front of the stage, started clamoring for the toss, while Derek looked indulgently on from the sidelines. “My money is on Josh,” he said. “He’s taller than anyone else.”
Wayne shot the garter into the room. It flew across the heads of all the men, brushed Josh’s fingertips, and smacked Melissa in the face. I snorted.
“Ooops,” Derek said softly, turning aside to hide his twitching lips.
The bachelors dispersed, while all the single women gathered, waiting for Kate to toss the bouquet. “Go on, Avery,” Derek said, giving me a gentle push. “You may have your own garters, but you don’t have a wedding bouquet.”
I looked up at him. “Do I want a wedding bouquet?” His eyes were steady. “I don’t know. Do you?”
My heart started beating faster. “I wouldn’t mind a wedding bouquet.”
He grinned. “Then this is your chance. Go get it.”
“OK,” I said, stepping out of his arms and forward to join the throng of single women in front of the stage. There are always more single women than single men at these things, and they’re always rabid to win the bouquet toss. I’ve been mauled several times at friends’ weddings. This time, my mind wasn’t on the bouquet, though. It was on Derek and that searching look in his eyes and that rather pointed question he’d asked. Had he meant what it had sounded like he meant? Or was it just wishful thinking on my part?
I had just turned my head to look at him when something hit me squarely on the side of the head.
For a second I just stood there, stunned and blinking—and then I snagged the bouquet before it could lose its tenuous grip on my hair and fall to the floor. If it did, the other women would descend on it like a pack of vultures, and I’d get trampled. On stage, Kate was grinning and giving me the thumbs-up; looked like she’d aimed the bouquet directly at me.
Shannon grinned and patted my shoulder. “Congratulations, Avery. Go get him.”
When I turned to look at Derek, Melissa had gone over to him, and she was whispering something in his ear. She faded away when she saw me coming, my hair straggling from the close encounter with the bouquet and my expression no doubt murderous.
“Great job, Tink,” Derek said when I got closer. “Good catch.”
“Yeah. What did she want?”
“To give me this.” He lifted his hand, Kate’s lacy garter dangling from his index finger.
“Wasn’t that nice of her.” My voice was flat, even in my own ears.
“She’s not such a bad person,” Derek said.
“In your dreams,” I answered. And then thought better of it. “Never mind.”
He just smiled. “Are you ready?”
“Ready for what? ”
“You know the routine, don’t you? Guy with garter—that’s me, it seems—puts garter on girl with bouquet. That’s you.”
“Oh. Right.” I stopped scowling after Melissa. “Now?”
“Can you think of a better time?” He grinned up at me, as he sank to one knee. “Lift your foot.”
I braced myself with one hand on his shoulder—there had been quite a few champagne toasts drunk earlier—while I lifted one foot and felt him slide the garter up over the strappy shoe and the fishnet stocking, all the way above my knee. His hand lingered there for a second before he looked up at me. “You ready?”
“For what?”
“To go take it off again, of course. Along with the dress.”
“Will there be teeth involved?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Derek said, and showed me all of his.
“In that case, what are we waiting for?”
“I have no idea,” Derek answered. In one smooth move he stood and scooped me into his arms, and then he carried me across the dance floor, between groups of cheering and pointing people, across the threshold and out into the night. I tossed the bouquet over his shoulder and into the crowd just before the doors closed.

Home-Renovation - and Design Tips

Upholstering a Wall

TOOLS AND MATERIALS

• Tape rule
• Pattern paper (for squares)
• Scissors
• Vinyl or other fabric
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Pins
• ˝-inch plywood sheets, 4 x 8 feet, enough to cover wall
• Brackets (to link panels if more than one is necessary)
• Batting
• Hot-glue gun and glue sticks
• Staple gun and staples
• Power screwdriver, drill, and driver bits
• No. 2 washers, plain or decorative
• No. 8 oval head Phillips screws (long enough to drive through upholstered panels and into wall)

DIRECTIONS

1. Measure the wall. Figure out height and length in inches.
2. Determine the diagonal measurement (from one corner to the opposite) of the desired square size. A 12-inch square gives a 15-inch diagonal measurement.
3. Determine the number of squares needed to cover the wall, rounding up.
4. Trim the plywood sheet(s) to fit the wall, then link them—if more than one—with brackets and screws to make up a sheet to cover the whole area being upholstered.
5. Cut the squares, remembering to add 1 inch to the height and length of each square for seam allowance.
6. Pin the squares together and sew along the half-inch seam allowances to make rows of squares. Then sew the rows together. It’s a good idea to backstitch to reinforce the intersections between squares.
7. Hot-glue the batting to the plywood, one layer at a time.
8. Stretch the fabric over the batting and plywood and staple to the back. Make sure the fabric is kept taut and smooth as you work.
9. Stand the covered panel against the wall. Starting at one corner, drill a pilot hole through an intersection.
10. Place a screw through a washer and carefully poke it into the hole. Use the screwdriver to drive the screw through the fabric and plywood panel and into the wall.
11. Continue in the same way with a screw and washer at every intersection of squares until the panel is completely fastened to the wall.

Creating a Romantic Gustavian/ Rococo Headboard

TOOLS AND MATERIALS

• 1 plain unfinished wood headboard with one or two (or three) frames on the face
• Decorative resin appliqués (available online or at home improvement stores)
• Steamer
• Craft knife
• Two decorative hardwood finials
• Two 1 x ˝-inch wood dowels
• Semigloss latex paint in ivory and blue (or other pale color)
• Paintbrushes
• Glazing medium and rags
• Medium grit sandpaper
• Tack cloth
• Gel stain
• Semigloss polyurethane
• Drill
• Wood glue

DIRECTIONS

1. Warm the resin appliqués with the steamer and cut them into component shapes with a craft knife.
2. Arrange appliqués on the headboard.
3. Use the steamer to activate the glue in the appliqués, then press them into place.
4. Drill a ˝-inch hole in the bottom of each finial and corresponding holes in the top of the headboard, on the outer ends.
5. Place wood glue in the holes and attach the finials to the headboard with dowels.
6. Brush two coats of blue (or other color) paint onto the headboard, allowing the paint to dry after each coat. DO NOT PRIME WOOD FIRST.
7. Mix equal parts glazing medium and ivory paint to make a glaze.
8. Working in sections, apply glaze generously, using brush. Allow the glaze to settle into corners and crevices and use a rag to wipe off the excess. Let dry.
9. For an aged effect, sand raised edges of wood until wood tones show through the paint.
10. Wipe off the dust.
11. Avoiding the white-glazed areas, brush on a small amount of stain and wipe it off with the rag. Let dry.
12. Finish with two coats of polyurethane, letting each completely dry before applying the next.

Making Paper or Fabric Flowers

TOOLS AND MATERIALS

• Paper or fabric and interface
• Green floral tape
• Wrapped green floral wire
• Glue
• Cardboard
• Pencil or pen
• Scissors
• (Iron)

DIRECTIONS

1. Determine the size of flower you’d like to have, then use cardboard to draw two sizes of petals, one slightly larger than the other. Scalloped edges look especially nice, but aren’t necessary. If leaves are desired, they can be a different shape or the same shape as the petals.
2. Cut out the template and use the template to cut petals of stiff paper or fabric and stiff interface.
3. If using paper, take one green floral wire and dip an end into glue and glue the wire to back of a petal, approximately two-thirds of the way from the top.
4. If using fabric, put a wire between the fabric and interface when fusing them together using warm iron.
5. Continue making petals until you have enough to make the number of flowers you want. Flowers can have anywhere from three to five, six, or seven petals times two.
6. Make the center of the flower by using one long strip of paper or fabric, 2˝ inches by at least 5 inches. The longer the strip, the more luxurious the center.
7. Cut the strip into the shape of a comb, then apply glue along the uncut bottom edge of the strip and roll the strip around the top of a wire until completely rolled up. If desired, you can use the edge of the scissors to gently curl the paper for a fuller look.
8. Starting at the bottom of the paper center, wind green floral tape around the paper and wire until center is secured to wire (and resembles a flower bud).
9. Arrange the desired number of small and large petals on wires around the center and wind around with green floral tape from the top—where the flower is—all the way to the bottom of the wires, to create one single stem.
10. If two rows of petals are desired, start with a row of smaller petals around the center, and secure those with floral tape, before adding another row of larger petals and securing those.
11. If leaves are desired, those can be added last, in the same way. Bend the wires on the backs of the petals out to give the flower fullness.
These flowers look great on their own or in bunches, and depending on the material, can be used on clothing—like Avery’s blue New Year’s Eve dress—for centerpieces or bouquets, or—attached to a ribbon—as a curtain tieback.
Instructions come courtesy of [http://Paper-Source.com] Paper-Source.com, an online company that sell kits of paper flowers of various kinds for those of us who’d like to give crafting paper flowers a try, but who don’t feel quite up for making them from scratch. The kits come with instructions, paper, petal templates, floral wire, and floral tape for making many different varieties of flowers.