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June 29, 2012

floral love....{wildflowers}

just recently, i had the opportunity to meet a new florist in town. her shop is fabulous - filled with beautiful florals and surprise goodies. and i'm loving her style - relaxed, organic and a bit eclectic. (though whatever your desire, she'll accommodate!) i can't wait to work with her :-)

my visit got me thinking about one of my faves....cottage gardens and wildflowers. i believe wild flowers are equally suited to both picnics and elegant events.

source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

what do you think? do you like cottage gardens? or are formal gardens your style?

enjoy your weekend, all!

June 28, 2012

real party....{wild west birthday}

i had such a good time putting this birthday party together! the birthday boy is the son of my best friend and i was given carte-blanche on the design concept - so fun!


my favorite element - the "chuck wagon" buffet table!

the day began wet and rainy - thankfully, we were prepared with a tent!
we had lots of cast iron and a menu of hot dogs, baked beans, wagon wheel pasta salad, beef jerky and trail mix. kids ate off of tin plates lined with red & white checkered paper - so cute! wish i'd thought to get a close-up photo.
and the dessert was so yummy: s'mores cupcakes in little mason jars!!
a 'photobooth' was set up inside, complete with horse, moustache & cowboy hat props.....
 we even included a "creek" for gold panning!
each attendee left with a cowboy hat full of goodies :-)

a good time was had by all!

June 26, 2012

inspiration......{beach wedding}

we've just returned from a wonderful vacation on the Cape - my most favoritist place of all :-)
of course, it's inspired me to dream of all things beachy! yes, beach weddings have been done.........
and done. and done. and done.

but there's a reason for that: they're fabulous! upscale or laid back. if mother nature cooperates, it's almost impossible to get a bad photo!


bonhomieEVENTS beach wedding inspiration board 

i'm in love with the mix & match vintage bridesmaids dresses! natural bouquets, beach umbrellas, vintage-y bottles and starfish complete the airy feel of this beach wedding inspiration board.

June 5, 2012

red barn canvas.....{local vendors}

i'm really loving this local vendor series - it give me an excuse to window shop from fabulous local talent and show some love to the handmade community!

i've just come across red barn canvas and she has some great ideas for wedding gifts...............


a beautiful canvas celebrating the newlywed couple...........

or perhaps their wedding song (or wedding vows!)


or a more contemporary version for the couple?

kristy has a canvas for every life event & celebration - anniversary, new baby - and she does custom work, too!

be sure to check out her shop and her facebook page!

June 4, 2012

diy.....{candle sleeves}

hey y'all! been super busy with the wild west birthday party - photos and a bit of insight coming to the blog soon - but i wanted to pop in and share with you the diy candle sleeves i promised!

i used this diy in the 40th birthday celebration, you may recall. it's an easy and inexpensive way to add color and carry through the decor theme of any event you host. i got the idea from martha - shocker, right? but her versions weren't quite what i was looking for so............here's my version.

materials:

vellum paper
tape
tall votive candles in glass holders


i purchased my candles from our local dollar tree. if you're lucky enough to have one in your neighborhood, be sure to visit often. yes, some items from 'dollar stores' can be as cheesy & cheap as they sound BUT you can score some decent staple items and holiday specific party decor pieces. and the best news??? you can buy online and have them delivered to your local store just in case you need large quantities. SCORE! :-)

i chose a repeating decorative design from the invitations i created and, staying with the red & purple color scheme, printed them out on the vellum sheets.


you may notice that my printer is not one that does "borderless printing". if you have the same issue, no worries. just trim the excess.

and the next part is super easy. add some tape to the wrong side of you vellum sheet (lengthwise)

then roll into a cylindrical shape, meeting edge to edge and gently press to secure your tape. then slide it over your candle and.........

et voila! an easy, inexpensive yet classy (or cute or rustic - whatever your party theme may be) option to add color and customization to your event! a couple of notes: be sure that your candle wick is well beneath the upper rim of your glass - the vellum is extremely flammable :-) and you may have noticed i had varied heights at the party - just use different size votives and cut your vellum to fit. and be careful when you're rolling your vellum - if you're too rough and it creases, it will show up as a bright, white line on your sheet.

how cool would these be in an off white and distressed, burned edges?? maybe the next party................ :-)