Finds: Framed Objects

When we finally took the plunged and purchased our first place… the thing I’ve been mostly excited about was decorating. I love making a house a home… (even though we havent moved yet ) So I’m all over the place shopping in stores and online to find unique decor items. When I say these framed objects from Think of The… I fell in love.

These frames – with a vase, shelf, or hooks – decorate and emphasize the objects held within. Turn flowers, books, keys, jewelry, articles of clothing, and other ordinary objects into works of art.

How awesome are these…. I know, drool worthy. They are 100$ USD each, but will only be available next month. So if you want to make sure they aren’t sold out once they are made available to everyone… pre-order them. Details on their website.

{Images courtesy of Think of The}

Green Envy Florals

Today’s I’ll continue the floral bouquet features I started a while back. I featured Tickle me Pink and mellow yellow bouquets, and today were going Green Evny. Green (a part from Pink) is my favorite color. There is something so fresh and vibrant about that color that makes me happy. Enjoy these beautiful arrangements courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings.

If you more of a natural kind of gal, then these three bouquet options are unique and beautiful. The first one, is my favourite of all. The uniqueness of including paper crepe four leaf clovers add that extra lucky for the big day. The second bouquet literally looks like you went in the garden and hand picked your flowers. The result… is stunning. The third is a combo of some of my fave blooms: gardenias, lily of the valley and sweet peas. A very aromatic bouquet.

If you want to have a more exotic type of bouquet, you can opt for cymbidium orchids paired with hosta leaves. The fullness of the bouquet is spectacular and rich looking… something that will definitely get noticed when you walk down the aisle.

Next up: True Blue / Purple Rain

All images courtesy of : Martha Stewart Weddings

Mellow Yellow Florals…

Spring is officially here and the birds are starting to chirp. What better way to celebrate the arrival of spring and the sun with beautiful yellow florals. Last week, I featured Tickle me Pink bouquets, and today were going mellow yellow. Enjoy these bright arrangements courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings.

When your going yellow, you have many options to choose from. From really bright yellows to more muted ones, the following arrangements feature many different options.

Sunshine Bright:

Bright yellow mixed with other colors; whether its greens, corals, or orange tones… is a great way to add to a warm colored toned bouquet . Having your bouquet smile as much as you do on your wedding day is definitely a plus.

Muted pale yellow bouquets are used for more simple weddings. When you don’t necessarily want to be over the top, having a hint of yellow adds that extra pop of color you might need.

Next up: Green Envy

All images courtesy of : Martha Stewart Weddings

Tickle me Pink florals…

I’m way too excited for spring to arrive so I decided I would feature lots and lots of bouquets. Now, I didn’t go very far to find these beautiful pieces of art, I simply visited my old friend MarthaStewart.   Each bouquet post will feature a different color and today pink is on the menu…enjoy!!!

There is something so beautiful about flowers that I wish I had fresh bouquets in my house all the time.

I love the unique cuff on this bouquet. It something we tend to forget about when choosing our bouquet, but if you want to have a magazine worthy arrangement, think about the cuff, the handle and even jewelry if it fits in your theme/wedding style.

I was lucky to have peonies for my own wedding, and if I were to do it again, I would choose the exact same bloom. The fullness of the flower combined with its smell put a smile on my face the whole day and I literally wouldnt let go of my bouquet.

Next up: Mellow Yellow

All images courtesy of : Martha Stewart Weddings

{Good Thing} Decorative Medallions

Scrapbooking has been the hot item for the past couple of years. A fun way to keep great memories with a touch of crafyness… even though I need to confess I am not a scrapbooking type of gal, these unique scrapbook paper ideas from Martha Stewart are great for a bridal shower, bachlorette party or even your wedding. I haven’t features Martha Good Things in a while and thought I would continue the series today.

So without further ado, I present you Decorative Medallions

Good thing and Images courtesy of : Marthastewartweddings.com

To set up a writing station, hang these decorative medallions above the table to help it stand out. Then have guests write notes on the loose paper. Once a sheet’s been filled, they can simply slide it into the plastic sleeves of an album. Voila! An instant scrapbook-cum-guestbook that later can be filled with other wedding ephemera.

Good thing and Images courtesy of : Marthastewartweddings.com

Step 1:
What you’ll need: Four sheets of paper, each cut corner-to-corner into four triangles (16 triangles total); tacky glue; 1/16-inch hole punch; needle; thread; 1-inch starburst punch. With long edge of triangle facing up, twist the right point to the left once to create a cone. Add a line of glue to left side, and press shut.

Good thing and Images courtesy of : Marthastewartweddings.com

Step 2:
After glue dries completely, punch a hole on each side about 1/2-inch down. If using lightweight paper, reinforce the area you are going to punch with a piece of clear tape inside cone.

Good thing and Images courtesy of : Marthastewartweddings.com

Step 3:
Thread needle, and sew through point of each cone; pull thread together. Loosely pull center; tie off. Sew through punched holes at top. Use a punch to cut starburst shape and glue to center.

Hope you have enjoyed this little DIY project, though I have no credit for this awesome project. I’m simply sharing the love in hopes this will help you and inspire you in many ways. Thanks you fellow reader for sticking with me in moments of bad bad posting (more lack of) It is greatly appreciated and you are way too understanding

Flower Décor Envy

If there is one thing for sure, I love love love flowers. Seriously, I think I was a florist in a previous life and its surfacing again. I would love to take floral classes and I am seriously thinking about it. You know what? if I could choose my teacher, any teacher – Janie Medley would be it. Whoot Whoot! Mrs. Thang.. you know I love you – you rock! Now, you all know Janie’s work and her very popular blog (and recently revamped) : The Bride’s Cafe.

Images courtesy of The Bride’s Cafe

I meant to post this for a while now and haven’t had the time to get to it…. but thats no excuse I know – especially when its about a good friend of mine. Anyways…  her work has been featured in the latest edition of Bride & Bloom and seriously this is a major case of floral & decor envy. See for yourself you’ll know what I mean.

Images courtesy of The Bride’s Cafe

Isn’t that bouquet to die for? Come on its so romantic and the fluffiness is the best part  – I find. This arragement includes some of my favorite blooms: Peonies, Anemones and Ranunculus…. plus that handle in the tiffany blue – so pretty.

Janie is more than talented – shes the sweetest person I know… and if you are looking for a florist and you are in her area – what are you waiting for – hire her already. Also, I would like to give a shout out to Maria Cooke of Ritzy Bee Events. Her table decor is simply stunning and more than magazine worthy – Rock on girls!!! Rock on!!!

Good Thing: Take a Number

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. I have a confession to make…. I’ve neglected Martha Good Things for a while now so I thought today would be a great opportunity to start again. Honestly I haven’t been on the Martha website in a while… and there are some awesome things on there. So to start off, why don’t you Take a Number

Image & Good Thing courtesy of Marthastewart.com

You’ve put plenty of thought into your reception tables: The centerpiece, settings, and linens coordinate perfectly. Why spoil it with a generic table number?

Our understated card-stock model, featuring calligraphy by Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls, lets guests know where they’re seated without stealing the spotlight. Download up to 20 calligraphed numbers and your choice of two scalloped borders.

Slip the card into a place-card holder, and you’ve got a thrifty, tailor-made number fit for your table.

Download the PDFs

{Good Thing} Fall Boutonnieres

To continue the Fall theme, today’s post features beautiful boutonniere ideas for a fall themed wedding. Whether you decided to use colored leaves or acorns, the outcome will be stunning and not to mention out-of the ordinary. Try something new… these boutonnieres could definitely be a good start

Good thing and image courtesy of Marthastewart.com

How to:

1. As foliage for fresh phalaenopsis orchids, jacquard ribbon with a fern motif (from Masterstroke Canada) is cut into leaf shapes.
2. Bittersweet (from Dry Nature Designs) and vintage silk leaves are tied with taffeta ribbon (from the Store Across the Street).
3. Loops of plaid ribbon (from Hyman Hendler & Sons) are a bright backdrop for realistic acorn trimmings (from Tinsel Trading Company).
4. Tiny prewired pinecone flowers (from Dry Nature Designs) and paper ferns (from Tinsel Trading Company), secured with silk ribbon (by Midori), form an everlasting ornament.
5. The stems of warm-hued freesia are wrapped in brown floral tape and tied with taffeta ribbon (from the Store Across the Street).

{Good Thing} A Scattering of Leaves

Its officially fall and what better way to celebrate than by posting about a great Autumn Martha good thing. If you are having a fall wedding and the leaves change color in your area, why not opt for a different kind of flower basket… maybe a leaf basket with all the bright yellow, oranges and red? This good thing from Martha is easy to do and very cost efficient too.

Good thing and image courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

As a fitting nod to the season, substitute dried leaves for petals in your flower girl’s basket. If fall foliage isn’t abundant when you wed, you can order pressed leaves online (from drynature.com). We lined this pint-size basket with a cotton fabric. Using scissors, cut a large round of fabric and a slit on opposite sides to accommodate handles, then place in basket. Wrap silk ribbon around, and tie in a bow.

DIY : The (Fake) Wedding bouquet

Since I did quite a few Do-it-Yourself projects for my wedding, I thought the info might help out some of you brides-to-be. Now, you must understand that I am no where close to being a professional and if your attempt does not come out to your liking… I am not responsible Just kidding.

Since I had an after-wedding shoot (more on that to come) I realized I needed a bouquet. I didn’t feel like spending an arm and a leg for a fake wedding bouquet so I decided to attempt my first DIY bouquet, and I was really happy with the results.

We had peonies for our wedding blooms, but that was out of the question for this DIY bouquet since they are no longer in season in July, so I opted for inexpensive off-white miniature carnations. They are full-bodied flowers so they look similar to peonies when you cluster them together.

Here are the steps to making your own bouquet:

Materials:

• Flowers of your choice (miniature carnations – $10)
• Floral tape ($1)
• Corsage pins ($1)
• Wide satin ribbon ($2.79)
• Scissors or Cutters

If you buy your flowers several days in advance, I would suggest putting them in a cool place. Since Marc LOVES the AC, our apartment was as cold as a freezer which was perfect for the flowers. If your fiance isn’t an AC fanatic, it’s best that you put the blooms in a fridge (preferably food free, otherwise your flowers will grab the smell of yesterday’s meal). I prepared my flowers the day before the shoot; that way, it was less work the day of.

Step 1: Remove all thorns, leaves or bruised petals on each stem. If you have more than one bloom per stem, you can separate them (but make sure you have a long enough stem with a minimum of 5 inches).

Step 2: Make clusters of about 5 blooms and wrap the stems with the floral tape. Make sure you stretch the floral tape so that it sticks well. Leave at least 1.5 inches of the stems at the bottom floral tape free. That way you can put them back in water and your flowers won’t wilt.

Step 3: Once you’ve completed all of your clusters, start bunching them together to make one big cluster. Use floral tape to secure the clusters into one big handle. Again, leave a 1.5″-2″ free at the bottom.

Step 4: Cut all the stems to the same length, so the bottom is clean cut.

Step 5: Starting at the top, wrap your handle with satin ribbon, overlapping each turn. Once you’ve covered all the floral tape, take your corsage pins and poke them in at an angle (towards the floor). You can make any pattern you like, I simply went all the way down in a straight line.

Voila, your bouquet is done. Place it in water until the very last moment. You have a professional looking bouquet for the fraction of the cost. This bouquet cost me only $14.00 to make. Beats what a florist would charge, don’t you think?