Project: Living Centerpieces

Needed:

• smallish plant pot
  
• potting soil
• variety of small green plants (ie lily-of-the-valley, hens 'n' chicks, etc.)
• room to store and mind to care for 17 living centerpieces

End Result:

Project: Tissue Paper Pom-Poms

Needed:

• tissue paper (20x30" sheets)
  
• cloth-covered floral wire
• scissors
• patience and a gentle hand

End Result:

Thanks Martha!

Getting Things Done With Martha!

K recently gave me a stack of Martha Stewart Weddings magazines. Holy Inspiration! With those magazines and the awesome encouragement of my girls K and E, I pretty much have all the details worked out. Which, 9 months from the Big Day, is an accomplishment. But I suppose the hard part has never been figuring things out. With a DIY wedding, the hard part is getting stuff done! I seriously will need to assemble a "craft crew". It really is exciting though being able to imagine how things will look, all put together and waiting beautifully in the reception hall. I'll soon be scanning pages from the magazines to share my ideas with everyone -- stay tuned!

Concept Complete!

After much deliberation and seam-ripping and re-doing, I've finally finished the mock-up for my wedding dress.  Yes it is pink and striped.  It is just a design idea.  However, two key design aspects it does not yet reflect are the fullness of the skirt (I haven't finished the petticoat yet) and the pleated overlay on the bodice.  The real dress will also have a mini-train and pearl beading detail down the center pleat on the skirt.  It's rough, I know.  The seams were quick and sloppy, the edges are unfinished; I didn't even iron it.  Tim Gunn would be appalled.  The real thing though -- it's gonna be a beauty.  I'm sure of it.

FRONT
Strapless, sweetheart neckline, asymmetrical dropped waist


SIDE FRONT
Three pleats down side of "low" hip


BACK
Will feature a mini-train as long as fabric will allow


SIDE BACK
Side zipper, unlike me the dressform has no junk in her trunk

Fascinated By Fascinators!

For financial reasons, I will be doing my own hair and makeup for the wedding.  I'm obviously allowing my girls that same option.  So I've been trying to think of an easy way to glam up an otherwise modest 'do.  My wedding dress has a subtle retro flair (think '30s or '40s) with its sweetheart neckline and dropped waist so I figured, why not continue on that "oldschool" trend?  I thought of fascinators immediately.  Fascinators are feathered, flowered and jeweled hair clips that women began to wear in leu of hats in the 18th century.  As all things trendy are cyclical, they're once again vogue.  I've read them described as "part 20s flapper, part glam" and it's a fitting description.





The possibilities are endless.  Since each of my bridesmaids will be "featuring" a different color, I'd like to make them (or give them the creative freedom to design their own) coordinating hairpieces.  I think I'll keep mine ivory.  I found a great DIY tutorial at Corvus tristis.

Making Compromises...And Coasters

So.  Some recent events and decisions in mine and C's lives have prompted a closer look at the wedding budget.  And that prompted subsequent cutbacks.  As a result, I've decided to use the reception hall's centerpieces after all.  They're a shallow, square dish with a layer of clear, glass vase gems and a small oil lamp in the middle.  Perhaps toss in a couple button mums to coordinate with the spider mum on the tables.

Or, my super-creative sister-in-law came up with the idea of incorporating old vinyl album.  We were thinking as maybe a charger plate of sorts but then I found this really neat DIY project:


On About.com

Maybe a little stinky but C's bro has a torch or two so we could probably do it outside instead of in an oven.

Then I saw an awesome DIY tutorial for making your own coasters and thought they would be absolutely perfect favors (and tabletop decorations) to go along with the custom pint glasses.  The coasters look so easy to do!


On Style Me Pretty

Truly, scrapbooking paper, wall tiles, and modge podge.  So I'm going to use the scrapbook paper I featured earlier with my table decoration idea.  There's a Reuse/Recycle Center in my town that I know has tons of wall tiles (and LPs).

Chalk a few more projects up on my wall.  It'll be time for a craft day soon.

The Pain of Waiting....

I'm so bummed.  My supply site for centerpiece stuff no longer carries the apothecary jar I want.  What do I do now? :(

Oh Shoes

A big pickle of DIY is getting that perfect idea in your head, knowing there's a slim chance of finding it unless you make it, then realizing that making it is just totally over your head.

I have in my head a vision of my perfect wedding shoes and they go a little something like this:

Pump.
Peeptoe.
Plaid.

You may say to yourself "I see shoes like that all the time" and indeed, so do I.  The problem is that RED plaid is prevalent and I want any combination of BLUE or PURPLE or GREEN.  I could find the perfect print at a fabric store but everything I read says quite clearly "DON'T TRY TO GLUE FABRIC TO YOUR SHOES!!!"

So then, the conundrum is: Where do I bend?  Or perhaps not "where" (obviously plaid is going to be the thing to go) but "how".

I noticed yesterday that people are buying or crafting some sort of embellishment to clip onto the toe or heel of a shoe for a special occasion, which can then be used as decor on a purse or hat or memento box, etc.

Examples from Etsy.com:






A cute idea.  One that I could have fun replicating with the right amount of sparklies and feathers.  I still want to keep an eye out for my plaid shoes though.....

Best Boutonnieres

I got a really cool idea for the men's boutonnieres the other day since 3 of the 4 (including the groom) are guitar players.  After snooping around the web I found, of course, that it's been done before.  But that's okay....  I can make that.



C is a Fender man all the way (and the little "rock on" hand is so cool!) but when I was a little girl, my dad owned a music store and I remember always wanting to play with the Tortex picks he sold because I loved all the different colors.  So we'll have to see about mixing the two up.

Centerpiece Take 2

In one of my first posts I declared a love of simplicity.  Getting swept up in wedding details, I kind of lost track of that.  I went back and looked at my previous "apothecary centerpiece" image board and had to laugh at myself.  Three jars on each table?  Really?  Filled with how many different things?  Is that necessary?

So I simplified my plan a bit and found a neat jar that had three stacking compartments.  It's about 12 inches high ("experts" say centerpieces should be under 14 inches or above 30...)  Each compartment will highlight an item.



The black river rocks will go in the bottom compartment, the moss and LED votive candle will go in the middle, and a purple flower (maybe a rose, maybe not) will go in the top.  Interesting, not complicated.  And, in the end, easier to manage and a lot cheaper.

DIY Decorative Balls

Decorative balls are in home stores everywhere, but why pay $5-10 each when you can just as easily make them?  Here are some great ideas I've found:

From HGTV:

From "We Can Make That"

Stuff Needed:
styrofoam balls in different sizes
preserved eucalyptus leaves
decorative pins
moss
rope or twine
low-temperature hot glue and glue gun

Steps:
Eucalyptus Leaf Ball
1. Begin at the top and place the first eucalyptus leaf as desired.  Secure it with a pin or glue.
2. Continue until the entire ball is covered.

Moss Ball
1. Glue or pin moss over entire surface of the ball.

Rope Ball
1. Glue the rope or twine to itself in a small circle for a starting point.  Tack this end onto the ball with a decorative pin.

2. Continue gluing the rope in circles and covering the ball completely.


From Kreative Knack:

From "We Can Make That"

Stuff Needed:
Colored Ball Ornaments or
Painted Styrofoam Balls
Glass Vase Gems
Hot Glue and Gun

Steps:
1. Glue gems on ornaments or styrofoam balls to cover entire surface.


You can really do this with just about any medium.  Use little silk flowers to make a tiny pomander.  Use dried lavender or chamomile to make a potpourri sphere.  I've also seen neat ones with pieces of cut twigs glued vertically to make a sort of "porcupine".  Tons of fun.  Limitless possibilities.

Old School New Trends

I love tying in the old with the new and I especially love the look of apothecary jars!  This is a fun idea because it has a whimsical, foresty feel.  These items are also neat because they get away from the traditional foofy flower arrangements and tie in some different natural pieces: pinecones, berries, fruit and bean pods, etc.  I don't know about incorporating any candles (maybe LED).  I'm thinking another eyecatching touch might be to bunch some moss around the bases of the jars.  Or tie a wide black ribbon around the lid of the tall jar.

From "We Can Make That"

Might not use everything pictured but it's a good plan so far :)