So Frenchy, So Chic

I am completely in love with this Dossineau photograph of the couple kissing in Paris, and was inspired to create a frenchy themed board.

What do you think?




images from; flower girl, croquembouche, Dossineau photograph, wedding dress, macarons, Invitations, table setting, flowers.

If that wasn't Frenchy enough for you, take a gander at this GORGEOUS video from La Blogotheque of Phoenix performing live in Paris. Yum!

Did you spot the sneaky Bride and Groom?! Awesome!

Decoration D-I-Y Tutorial!

That’s what I am talking about!

I have been getting my craft on {what better to do on a rainy day!} and thought it would be pretty awesome to show you what I have been up to! I've been spending time creating some sweeeeeet garlands for my wedding – I am trying to get as much done now as is possible, to help try to eliminate any imminent wedding stress.

For the monogram paper garlands, you will need;

A sturdy surface, with a mat or a block of wood on top {which you won’t mind getting covered in score lines.}
Some nice patterned or plain paper, or cardstock. {In matching colours for your theme.}
Your computer.
Paper doilies. {I have used a 16cm circular doily, since they fit within A4 paper}
Scissors.
A fairly sharp pencil.
A craft knife/Stanley knife.
Really thin thread.
A needle.
Lace/Ribbon {optional}
A steady hand!

Steps are as follows... with photos!

1. Lay your paper on a firm surface, and the doily on top of the paper. Trace the outline of the doily on to it with your pencil {don’t press too hard in case you make a mistake}. I am using a really cute double-sided piece of paper {120 gsm}, but you could always sandwich two sheets together prior to this with spray glue, or glue stick, to make it double sided, which will look better. Plus, it will be firmer!
Plain paper does help the monogram stand out more, but having patterned paper on one side gives a cheeky flash of colour as the garland sways and turns in the wind.

2. Cut out around the traced line, to reveal your pretty doily shape! Luckily for me, the outline of my doily gives a slightly ethnic feel, which is going to look awesome with the rest of the wedding!
Erase any remaining pencil lines.

3. Now comes a tricky bit. Thankfully, Mr and I have simple initials, so cutting out the monogram is pretty straightforward.
Open a program, such as Word, Publisher, or an editing program – something where you can put a dark text on a light background. Make your monogram!
I used PSP, and a simple font {fancy fonts tend to have lots of swirls and such, which you cant cut out.} I set the font at 72 PT and BOLD. But be creative, play with different sizes, spacings, arrangements. Make it suit your day.

4. Set your newly cut paper doily against the screen of your computer, and centre the monogram in the outline, and trace the monogram onto your paper {this is where the steady hand comes in!}.
Your computer screen effectively works as a light box…. Just be careful with that pencil if you are using a laptop!
It does pay to tidy up the lines with a ruler and a steadier hand, once you are back on your drawing surface.

5. Take your sharp craft knife, and carefully cut out the letters of the monogram. It is often easier to use the ruler as a guide for straight letters.

Carefully pop the letters out as you go, taking care not to rip it.

6. To hang your doily, take your needle and poke a teeeeensy hole in the top. You can either thread the needle and feed it through or just feed the thread through to hole with your fingers. {this leaves a less visible hole}

Thread the desired length through, and break off from the spool. Take the two ends and tie together in a small, double knot.

Hang where desired, et voila!



You can decorate with these doilies however you wish, the posibilities are endless! You can string numerous doilies together, making knots behind each one, so they dont all bunch together or fall off the thread!

You can even attatch them to a length of ribbon or lace, or decorate with a bow as shown in the final picture..

Let your creativity take charge!

I hope this tutorial helped!

Helen

A happy day -Part one

Hello on this lazy saturday morning... well, Im being lazy any way.

This is kind of exciting for me, as this is both our first real wedding, and also its MY wedding!!

I have really been looking forward to sharing the details of my wonderful day with the Ivory dahlia bloggies.

A HUGE thank you to Jo Grams of Moda Fotografica for her absolutely beautiful photographs of our celebration.

So, here it is!

Laura xx

Christchurch Bridal Expo[s]

So this Sunday past, I made a day of visiting both of the Bridal shows in Christchurch.

I have a general idea of what I want for my wedding, so I wasn't attending for inspiration, but more for an idea of what vendors where.

A selection of Christchurch businesses are already jotted down, scribbled into my wedding notebook, so it was great to put a few faces to the businesses, and know who I might be dealing with for my intricate details, such as the decision that macarons MUST be a part of my dessert table. - So imagine my squee of excitement when I walk inside and find J'aime Les Macarons as one of the first stalls at The Great NZ Bridal Show! [and subsequently received a free macaron! - which was delicious.]

As a whole, the Great NZ Bridal Show was well organised, and the displays were good. The $15 door charge was reasonable, though I'm not so sure what the money went towards.
I did however, find one overly forceful vendor, with three staff members, all of whom had severely bad hygiene. I can't quite see the logic in thinking that it encourages couples to opt for your business, over another, well groomed, attentive group.
However, it was a great opportunity to find out about local businesses that I hadn't yet discovered.

The Great NZ Bridal Show was definitely the more popular of the two, and the Wedding Show from Wedding Wonderland left much to be desired. Sure, I found a couple of pretty awesome vendors, for example Ruby & Scarlett, who do some beautiful letterpress. But it felt so empty in the Convention centre, since it was such a large space and the stalls were almost dropped in the middle of the hall, surrounded by office walls.
We also arrived at the time of the exercise demonstration; the music of which was completely overpowering, and I found myself unable to talk to any of the vendors as we were just shouting at one another over the music.
I kind of feel it was a waste of $10, just to wander round a selection of disappointing stalls. Though it is also a shame that some of the more promising stalls, such as Mille Feulle didnt get as much exposure.

Did anybody out there go to the Expo's over the weekend?
Any feedback or notable experiences? Comment us!

I can't have a post without a little eye candy, today forwarded from Green Wedding Shoes.

How GORGEOUS are these flowers? Pretty much what I am dreaming of most nights, except in slightly different colours.

Yum yum yum!

Art Deco decor

Art deco is becoming a popular choice for wedding themes, and why not? The silhouettes found in 1930's fashion are drop dead gorgeous. Think slinky silk and diamantes, finger curls and flamboyant headpieces. Black and white is an obvious choice for an art deco theme but try adding highlights in aqua. Do your research so you can evoke an authentic art deco charm.

Heres some inspiration to get you going.

BOUQUET, TIES AND CAKE- MARTHA STEWART WEDDINGS, DRESS- JOHANNA JOHNSON, NOUVELLE FEMME VINTAGE BUTTON BROOCH- RELIQUE VINTAGE JEWELRY, EARRINGS- WEDDING BEE, HEADPIECE LOOK- WEDDINGISM

Grandma's Doilies never looked so stylish

Doilies.
Made of paper or Lace, are my current [or at least are this weeks] favourite inspiration.
I love that the obvious white goes with anything, and you could even dye them to match your theme. They bring a splash of elegance and whimsy to the occasion, be it lining the tray of a breakfast in bed, or adorning wedding table table tops, supporting floral arrangements. [plus, your Gran probably has a great stash of them in a cupboard somewhere to save you some bucks.]
So enjoy a little bit of doily inspired goodness below!





dress, adorable doily adorned favour boxes, runner, doily bunting, placenames, doily wrapped favours, invites, clutch bag

Playing with colour

Look What I found!

For me colour is so important in a wedding. Its really the starting point when deciding the look of your day. If you are having trouble, I might just have the solution for you!

There are websites where you can upload an image and it will pick out a colour palette right before your very eyes. I really had some fun with this.

dull #444444 #669999 #cc9966 #bbbbbb #887755

vibrant #446644 #55bbcc #bb6611

Here are a couple of sites to try:

http://www.colorhunter.com/

http://www.cssdrive.com/imagepalette/

http://www.degraeve.com/color-palette

Welcome back...

....to another monday.

I trust you had a fabulous weekend?
I spent the majority of mine sourcing goodies for my wedding. Exciting!

However, back to the blog, which has been neglected slightly as of late. I think the both of us are just getting caught up in life. However.

I thought I would give you a selection of inspirational loveliness to get you through the week;

Lets begin with Priscilla Ahn. I love this woman. I love her perfect voice, and just how darn cute she is. Dream is definitely one of my favourites, and gives me chills every time. This would be such a gorgeous song to have at a wedding, don't you think?

I know I am a little slow, since Autumn is here and winter is just around the corner... but I have been going all gaga over picnics.
How about an awesome picnic basket?

Maybe an autumn picnic with a heap of blankets isn't such a bad idea....

Green Wedding Shoes have moved here! But don't worry, it is still as beautiful as always, and full of inspiration!

Have a great week!

We will be back with more very soon!

Five delicious and different gowns

Hello Lovely Ladies. Just for some eye candy, here are five gowns available in New Zealand that I just love. Hope you like them!

Brides Corner

Tutta Bella Bridal Store. Karen Willis Holmes design

Available at To Cherish

By Louise Anderson Bridal Design LTD

Robyn Cliffe Couturiere