Everyday Celebrating

mr. & mrs.

Love these handmade eggs!  Can you picture them atop a beautiful intricate wedding cake?

These would also make a great shower or wedding gift nestled inside a birdcage that they can display in their home.
  

Do the hustle!

 
Disco ball cupcakes, anyone?

i heart envelope wraps

I love envelope wraps.  Easy to use and they really stand out in a pile of mail.

This one is in my etsy store.  Stay tuned... I'll soon be adding a chic chandelier wrap. 

Need something special for your next occasion or have an idea for a wrap to use every day?  email me!

 

We are Nashville!

As you may or may not know, I live in the Nashville, TN area.  During the first weekend of May, several areas of Nashville endured a horrendous flood the likes that this area hasn't seen in 100 years.  The images are absolutely heartbreaking.   

Many many volunteers have worked countless hours to help the recovery and rebuilding process.  People in this area are so generous... giving everything they have - food, water, time, clothes, places to sleep, building supplies, their skills, etc.  

One of my friends, Nashville photographer Kate Crafton will be donating her time and talent along with other middle Tennessee photographers during an event called Photos for the Flood.  Basically, for a $50 donation, you'll get a 20 minute photo session and 5 finished images in an online gallery. Great for anyone.. children, couples, great graduation shots, etc.  

 Every penny of the $50 donation goes straight to either the Nashville Red Cross or Hands on Nashville.

All you have to do is email them (address above) and set up a appointment.  Easy as that!  These are some of the best photographers in Nashville and to get to have a mini session with them while helping Nashville is a gift!!

Not in Nashville but want to support the flood relief efforts?   How about these cute shirts?  All these are available for purchase at Nashville Flood Tees.

What about this cute onesie?

   

Everyday Events: A beautiful DIY wedding

Melissa from A Very Chocolate Life, created a wedding with beautiful details she made herself.  It is amazing what lovely details come from paper.

Her bouquet... made from paper...

along with the pomander for the flower girl

poms on the church pews

poms along with lanterns above the dance floor



Some of the other details she made that I loved... banners in the reception
 


boutonnière for the guys


table numbers and holders

Take a peek at Melissa's blog to check out pictures of the rest of her fabulous details!  They are a real inspiration for all of us DIY types.  

Repost: It won't be like this for long.... Last minute Mother's Day gift.

 

This is a repost.  Someone reminded me of this post and said I should repost it as a great last minute mother's day gift.  Great idea!  Did you read my post about recognizing your friends who are mothers? This would be a great last minute idea to give to a friend, sister, etc.   Here are the details from the original post.

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This weekend we took on the inevitable task of making our son a big boy bedroom.
Car themed.  Race car bed.  You get the idea.  I'll post pics of that soon.

One of the decorative items I put together is more for myself than for my son.
I have several pieces of his baby clothes that I'll never part with - the outfit he came home from the hospital in, first christmas outfits, etc.  I have several onesies with his name on them so I put one in a frame. 

I found a great deal on some Pottery Barn Kids frames at Goodwill.  $3 for each and these are the nice heavy wood 18 X 24 frames!  Painted one red.  The polka dot paper is actually wrapping paper.  And the onesie is hot glued onto the paper.  (Make sure you iron the onesie to make it smooth and flat.)

An easy, playful and modern way to remind myself of how fast he grew and how quickly the time passed.  A gentle reminder to myself to enjoy every moment because he won't be like this for long.

Sidenote:  Have a friend having a baby?  Already know their name?  This would make a great shower gift if made in the color scheme of the nursery. 

DIY: Candy Poppers

Got toilet paper rolls, tissue paper, candy, ribbon and paper?   You've got easy candy poppers!
So cute for a shower or a pretty princess birthday party!

A great photo tutorial provided by Style Me Pretty

Old School meets Modern

Remember making these?  Blow up a balloon, wrap string around it and apply fabric stiffener, let dry and then remove balloon?

Carissa of JL Designs in Los Angeles does it again!  I really don't believe I've ever seen anything she's done that I don't love.  Check out her blog for endless eye candy and ideas and the rest of the details of the table above.
 

Let's talk backdrops

One of the best ways to create impact and drama at a buffet table or any event table is with a coordinating backdrop.  Remember I mentioned earlier that one of the reasons everyone loves Amy Atlas' designs is because she always has a backdrop that compliments her table.  Luckily, she's usually not up against a crazy clashing wallpapered room.  LOL

I recently ran across some great DIY projects that would make beautiful and interesting backdrops, even if their original use was for home decor wall art.

First, this stream ruffle board by blogger Stephanie Lynn.  Stephanie gives a full tutorial of how she created this board and it included sewing but don't worry.. those of us who don't sew, can still pull this off with glue.  :)   And I love it.  Two of these side by side would make a beautiful backdrop, even with no flower.  Very striking in a two color design.... black/white... hot pink/black... etc.

 
Another amazing and easy way to create a backdrop which was originally posted as wall art...



The amazing thing?  How she created it?  She used a door mat as a stencil!
 


See?  Isn't that great?  It's kinda like damask!
 

   
And finally, this.  I love the ocean wall art!  Great for a nautical or pirate theme!
 

 
At your next get together, think about how you can pull together a total look with a creative backdrop! Even a piece of patterned fabric goes a long way!

Kentucky Derby Rose Garland

Did you see the Kentucky Derby this past weekend?    Did you happen to see the gorgeous rose garland that is presented at the end?

The Kroger Company has been the official floral sponsor of the Kentucky Derby for years and their florists create this beautiful garland each year.  This year's garland was created out of almost 600 red roses.  The florists HAND SEW each rose onto a satin blanket.



Gorgeous!  I kept looking at it thinking, "what an amazing table runner THAT would be!!!"   Wouldn't it be gorgeous at Christmas?