Three Nice Things.

Three Lovely things for your Sunday......

1.

o h 

m y

g o o d n e s s. . . . . . 

This Image made me die a little inside, for three reasons;

1. She is  b e a u t i f u l.

2. He is b e a u t i f u l.

3. Together, they are the most beautiful couple I have ever seen.

4. The photography is i n c r e d i b l e.

So I lied. I found four reasons, and could in fact probably find more If I could compose myself.

{Click the picture for more!}

2. 

Martha has done it again!

Super. Duper. Cute.

Generally, I am not a fan of paper flowers. They all look the same. But these are SO nice!
My favourite is {obviously!} the Dahlia. And then the Spray Chrysanthemum. Which is a flower I don't generally like! 

{Click on the picture for More Martha!}

3.

Can never get enough
B o n  I v e r

Justin Vernon is Incredible.
I will always love his music. Always.
The new album is SO pretty, and is definitely included in my Wedding!

Hope you have had a wonderful Sunday.

Here's to a fabulous week ahead. 

x

These are a few of my [current] favourite things!

This post is all bout some current favourite things. Things I have stumbled upon whilst trawling the Internet. =]

These divine beauties below are from from Alexandra Grecco on Etsy. 

Any of the headpieces would make fabulous accessories for your bridesmaids, or even just get yourself a delectable birdcage veil, like "The Valerie" below.

There are even adorable scalloped shorts, floral print skirts, and mini bow hair clips!

Cute!

Next up is an adorable little DIY project. 

Wedding rings are expensive, [We might even get ours from overseas!] But if you are DIY inclined, and have tools at hand, try out this DIY silver ring!

You could use a 50c coin, which is very much the same size as the 10p used in the tutorial!

I love the hammered look of rings, and this is just so cute, and upcycled! You could try making a pair, or even making a little gift for a Bridesmaid or Groomsman. 

I even think it would look nice on a chain if it doesn't fit.

Ah, Happy Saturday!

Enjoy!

x

Easy DIY make up.

If you are thinking of saving some money and doing your own wedding day make up, Don't be afraid! Its not so hard. If you invest in good quality make up and ask for advice from your local make up counter ladies you will be fine. Just practice practice practice!!

Ask and you shall receive... your dream wedding!

If there was a lesson I learned during the planning of my wedding, it was that if

I'd asked for more help, I would undoubtedly have saved a TON of money while maintaining

a lovely day to be proud of.

I know in the throes of  planning you can get lost in the tiny (teeny tiny even) details. 

I really believe that when you involve family and friends, your wedding becomes more joyful for everybody. However, this means you have to let go a little...yes, you can do it. Just relax a bit!

After all, your wedding is about your love for your groom, and your love for family and friends.

I have done posts like this before yes... but its a subject we all can relate to.

Here are some ideas where you could utilise possible talents of those who surround you...

Have your Cake

Do you have an aunt/gran/friend can bake a great cake? 

Just look at these lovlies below...The beautiful cakes in these pictures do not require a professional cake decorator. Imagine a few fresh flowers placed lovingly on top and voila! A very on trend wedding cake. Show pictures of what you want, and you'll get it I'm sure. 

Alternatively...if you have several 

members of the posse who make a 'signature' dessert that makes you drool...have a dessert 

bar in lieu of a cake! Anything goes these days and its all in the presentation my friends.

Cakes, cookies, pies, slices, fudge...mmmmmmm! 

The Handy-man can

DIY is big!

My lovely Papa was happy to bang together a sign post similar to the photo here. It took him a few minutes and it really looked great.

If you know some one who is handywith their handies, embrace the rustic look of DIY. 
Wedding arches, table decor, photo booth backdrops , bench seats made out of logs, dance floors, cake tables, etcetera, etcetera... Oh the possibilities! Custom made for next to nothing!

Be creative!!

Do me a favor

Mum makes a great jam, my sister does an awesome tomato chutney. How lovely to walk away from a wedding with a beautiful jar of homemade conserves. There are printable

downloads of labels available through out the web like this one from Ruby and willow over at 

postcards and pretties.

Uncle Bob loves his gardening and every seed he plants germinates into a beautiful, healthy plant. OK I don't really have an uncle Bob but I'm sure you all have someone like him around. I think plant favors are a great green option for gifts. 

 So...  I think you see what I'm getting at. The biggest new trend for weddings is DIY. Combine that with the global push to be friendly to the environment... and it all makes perfect sense. You must be brave and ask for help. Believe me, most people will feel honored at being part of your special day.

Laura xx

DIY- Bird cake toppers

Here's how to make your very own cute Birdie cake toppers. They'll look gorgeous on top of your wedding cake!

You will need:

Assorted fabric- I found mine in the quilting section at Spotlight including tulle for the veil.

Some nice sharp scissors, some pins, a pen or pencil, a sewing machine ( or a needle and thread) and some old pillow stuffing. ( you can buy stuffing from spotlight also.)

Bits and pieces to decorate with. Glue. Skewers.

Think about your colour theme when you choose your fabric.

1- Sketch a bird shape onto fabric. Make it bigger than you want it, as once sewn it will be smaller. Also exaggerate the shape as it will be less sharp when you've finished.

The size should be in proportion with the size of your cake.

2- fold fabric in half and pin in place so that when you cut, you cut 2 shapes at once.

3- place fabric pieces back to back so the bird will be inside out. Sew around edges leaving a 2cm gap along the bottom.

4- Turn the bird in the right way (this is a little tricky).

5- stuff with polyester stuffing. Make as fat as you like. The sew the 2cm gap closed.

6- For the bride I made a veil by cutting a 7cm square piece of tulle and gathering it one end which I sewed onto the girl bird.

7- Decorate with strings of beads, diamantes, feathers, buttons or black headed pins for eyes etc. Be creative and use your theme!

D.I.Y Clutch.

I have made 7 clutches of varying sizes in varying fabrics, in the past two afternoons.

I have pieces of fabric and old clothes, I get bored, and I decide to make something. This time it was simple fold-over clutch purses & trinket bags.
I like to think of myself as a creative person, but am not so sure that I actually have any "mad skillz". I pretty much just make the project up as I go.
Most of them I will probably gift to friends. I'm not sure what I will do with 7 clutches!

The reason I tell you this, is because I think it is an awesome Idea for DIY Brides! How about giving your bridesmaids a little clutch each? Big enough to hold essentials for the day {lip gloss, compact} and she can re-use it for every day, popped in her handbag to keep her makeup together!

As I said, I have no mad skillz, I literally created a rectangle, from two coordinating fabrics, {with interfacing to stiffen them} and took it from there!
I decorated with buttons and lace, and am pretty happy with how they came out.
There are a couple larger ones {which would fit passports and tickets/travel info. Cute way to keep organised when going overseas!} and wee ones {which fit mascara, pens, lipgloss, etc.} and a really tiny, cute one! {perfect for keeping your tampons from spilling all over the place from your handbag!}

Heres a few pictures for you to have a looksie at.
I am rather proud of my achievements!

This clutch is super soft, so that it can roll up to hold pens & a notepad, or whatever tickles your fancy, and ties with a little black ribbon! {see below!}

This one was an old t-shirt which I got hair dye all over. Shame. But it's now a handy travel pouch!

Pretty handy, don't you think?!

And Oh-so easy.

{With my amazing paint skillz}, I have drawn a couple of diagrams for you.

Two pieces of co-ordinating fabric. Mine were about 30cm by 20cm. {If you are making them for bridesmaid gifts, Why not tie them in with the theme for your Wedding?}

And two pieces of fusible interfacing, cut to size.

Iron the interfacing on the wrong side of the fabric.

Pin the two pieces right sides together.

Sew around, leaving a 1/4 inch seam allowance, and a 2 inch gap so you can turn the bag right side out. Which, coincidentally is your next step. =]

Turn your bag right side out. 

Fold and iron the gap in on itself, and ladder stitch the hole together. Or you can cheat and machine along the whole edge in a pretty stitch, like a zig-zag or similar.

Decide how far you want to fold the bag. Have a good play around to get the proportions right, you don't want to fold the bottom too far and then have a tiny top that barely folds over.

Once you have decided, iron the folds, and then use a pretty stitch again, to sew the sides together.

Then fold the top over, iron, et voila!

If you like you can decorate it with buttons or bows, or even add lace..... possibilities are endless!

I hope that was easy to follow!

It is pretty straight forward if you have an idea of what you want. Feel free to play around with different ideas,  even round the end with a plate before sewing to make a scalloped top fold!

 Happy sewing!

Flower Tips.

I'm pretty sure that the Flowers are the hardest, and most worrying part of any Wedding, and not just for the Bride - Florists have had many panic attacks too!

The biggest problem - from a Florist's point of view, is Brides who have no idea what they want. Florists are there to help and offer advice and ideas, but we can't do all of it for you. We like to have a jumping off point, so coming into the shop and saying "hmm, well.... I like roses." doesn't really give much help, since there are so many varieties and colours.

One of the worst nightmares is a Florist being given no help whatsoever in the theme department and creating a painstakingly time-consuming collection of arrangements, only to find the the occasion being twenty guests in a backyard.

Florists also tend to become the target for Bridezilla meltdowns, yet we, of all people know how important flowers are to a Wedding, and how they ultimately tie the theme together.

We are there to help create the flowers for one of the biggest days of your life. We want to help. But it is hard to when you are having a pre-wedding meltdown.

So here I have compiled a list of what to ask of / bring to a Florist;

Your colour theme.

One of the most important things. Saying "I want Pink" just doesn't cut it. We want to know if it is a dusty pink, a rich pink, a fuscia pink, a baby pink. The more specific you can be, the better.

Paint swatches from Bunnings are FANTASTIC. If you find them in the colours you are having, grab a set for your Florist, so they can match the flowers for you.

Even better, is if you have fabric swatches from bridesmaid dresses, grooms suits, your dress, even Mothers of the Bride and the Groom, if you are having corsages.

via we heart it

Pictures!

If you have a picture in a magazine you can spare {or even copy} of the Wedding or feel you are after, slip a copy in with the swatches. The florist will love you.

Florists need to know what feel you are going for, so that they can cater to your needs with the flowers.

Having a casual, intimate Wedding? You aren't going to need Church decorations, pew-ends and sprays.

Pictures of bouquets help give the florist an idea of what style you would like. Ideally, the florist should have some Wedding Portfolio's, and a collection of Bridal magazines for you to peruse with them. But if you have found a picture of that dream bouquet - bring it along to you consultation.

here

Monies!

Do not demand a quote the first time you walk in to the florist. We need to know details, what arrangements you want, what sizes you want them before we can quote you. Every Wedding is different, and should be priced accordingly.

Not to mention if you have your wedding planned around Big Dates. i.e. Valentines, Mothers Day, Christmas... the week of, and the fortnight before the date, you sadly must anticipate prices to be much higher.

In addition, the Florist shouldn't really be giving you a figure on the first meeting, unless they have a selection of ready priced packages for you to choose from. A good florist will probably have at least two meetings with you.

Flower Freshness?

Flower markets are generally on a Monday, Wednesday, and a Friday. But some florists only go once a week. Ask your florist if they are going to get the flowers fresh for your Wedding.

For a Saturday wedding, A good florist will order ahead, and go on a Friday market to get the ordered flowers, and create the arrangements freshly the day before.

via we heart it

You are in charge.

Don't be afraid to ask for extra flowers. If you want to do some table decorations with loose flowers, plonked lovingly into an old jar, then do just that. Don't pay the florist for something you can do yourself, for free! Ask them for their expertise with the bouquets, but also to order some loose flowers for you to decorate with.

via we heart it

Be honest. Don't tell the florist their work is wonderful, when you are secretly dying inside from the hideousness of the bouquet. Ask them to change it. Tell them where you want it different. The florist is a person too, and accepting a bouquet you don't like and bitching about the florist at the wedding is going to give them a bad rep, when they probably could have done another one better, in no time, and no extra cost.

I hope these tips have helped with any flower woes you may have!

Wedding trends 2010/11

Here are my picks for the hottest trends this wedding season. The big focus is being kind to the earth we live on and there are so many ways we can do that while still having the wedding we want.

Backyard weddings

-a backyard wedding is a great way to create a relaxed vibe for your day. Hanging lanterns and fairy lights will transform the familiar space into a wonderland-

'Anything but white' wedding gowns

-the white dress is taking a back seat to subtle hues. Anything from soft blues and greens through to warm neutrals and pastels. This is an opportunity to really bring out your best features by using a shade that suits your skin tone-

Mismatched bridesmaids dresses

-this is a more laid back look for your ladies in waiting. use different tones of the same colour or stick with one and mix up the styles. This is great when you have bridesmaids of all shapes,sizes and colourings!-

Eco-friendly wedding favors

-give a gift to planet earth and use trees or plants as favors for your guests-

Garden flowers

-using garden flowers for bouquets is becoming increasingly popular. The trend is moving right away from the tight, uniform domes of roses, to loose bundles of homegrown blooms that look freshly picked from the meadow. So beautiful! This is a great cost saver too-

The bird cage veil

-these are so hot! If you like the idea of head wear but the thought of a full veil makes you feel old fashioned, try a bird cage veil. these work best with tea length or shorter dresses but you can make them work with most styles of gown-

Something really old

-as we know, vintage is still huge. Anything you can lay your hands on that is very very old, can be used somewhere in your decor. old typewriters, bottles and jars, vintage tables and chairs, old crockery, vintage fabrics and wallpapers...the list goes on and on-