have a berry good day

Looking for an a'door'nment that feels more festive for Fall? I have recently made a couple of these berry cute wreaths for a friend by substituting the green "new growth" buds with crimson berries! (Her husband is a Bama boy, so I'm sure he doesn't mind the color... considering I almost used orange berries!) This wreath will be able to easily transition from fall to the Christmas season. I love the idea of seasonal/holiday/MY BIRTHDAY wreaths. What a great way to welcome guests and pep up your home's facade! Stay tuned for more wreath experiments.

newlywed wreath

Need a creative idea for a wedding or wedding shower present? Over the registries? Skeptical of online shopping? ..I came up with a simple, personalized gift that any newlywed couple surely would love. I am dubbing it the "newlywed wreath" because of the colors: white- associated with brides and a clean start, tan- to accent, and green- symbolizing new growth in a new life together. Any color palette can be substituted for creating a seasonal wreath. 

Materials needed

grapevine wreath

artificial flowers or decorative elements

wooden initial

felt

(extra: add ribbon to hang)

I arranged the flowers and rolled strips of felt and hot-glued them to the wreath in tiny areas. I painted the wooden initial to match the white felt and hot-glued it also. I had seen the rolled felt strip idea on Pinterest, but I made my own design especially for the newlywed couple, Amy and Mitch. It was a simple project that will bring some character to their new door!


*New song added to the "listen here" widget: Save the Last Dance for Me by Michael Bublé. Reminds me of The Wedding Date with Debra Messing. LOVE it. What's your favorite wedding movie, bloggers?

special day button pins

While preparing for Amy's baby shower, I came across a new craft project I will dub "special day button pins." I wanted Amy to have a pretty pin to wear as the person of honor for the shower. However, I did not want the pin to scream baby. The baby will scream enough for itself beginning in November. I thought it should be sweet, boutique, and unique. I used a variety of fabrics, an antique button, a piece of felt for backing, and a pin. After making one, I wanted to see what other fabric combos would look shabby chic and what other occasions would need special day pins. Bridal showers, graduation parties, teas, college game days.. Shoot, why not any day you want to feel special?! They can be pinned onto shirts, dresses, coats, necklaces, pashminas, headbands, handbags.. a versatile accessory! 

They will soon be added to my etsy store. 

If you haven't checked it out, go to:

www.sweetdorabelle.etsy.com

an artful invitation

A couple of weeks ago, my sister-in-law, Leigh, approached me with a project. For her wedding some years ago, a friend had painted a mini piece of art onto the wedding invitation and gave it back to Leigh as a wedding gift: a keepsake invitation that was framed and displayed. Leigh wanted to use this idea for a coworker friend who is getting married later this month, so she came to me with the idea since her craft isn't painting. I was up for the challenge. 

Questions:

"What to paint?" - something summery. flowers. what kind of flowers? one flower? a cluster of flowers?

"What colors does the bride love?" - purple. and pink.

"What size?" - something small. something delicate. 

"What medium?" - oil? too heavy. acrylic? possibly. watercolor? depends on the paper. prismacolor pencils? hmmm.. sounds lovely. watercolor pencils? YES.

Decision: 

a pinkish purple hydrangea cluster that would float off of the invitation.

I went outside to take a look at Mom's beloved hydrangeas that the deer keep eating, picked a tiny bloom, and got to work. I love purple. It's such a great color. I used three different shades of it: lavender, rich purple, and a pinkish purple. For the leaf I used a medium shade of green with a dark hunter green. Also, a tiny bit of black was mixed in to darken up some areas. After the drawing was finished, I took a small paintbrush and lightly went over the drawing, blending the colors to look more like a painting. It should be framed with a rich darker purple matting, and I would choose a gold or bronze frame [or maybe high gloss off white]. 

I think that makes for a unique gift! 

shoulda put a ring on it

I know the obvious Beyonce jam is expected here, however I've been listening to Adele all day so I'm going to suggest Set Fire to the Rain from her new album.

Sorry if "shoulda put a ring on it" gets stuck in your head anyway.. oopsie!

I went to the little bead and jewelry making store, Perch, in Auburn last week. I made a fun ring as a b-day present to myself, but left there wondering what I could have done different to another one with other beads. I always do this. After I make something, I automatically edit it and envision other directions it could have gone. So I decided.. why not try to make some on my own! I got the necessary goods: thin gold jewelry wire and natural looking beads (this took me FOR.EV.ER! Perch has an awesome selection.. places around Newnan do not.) However, I ended up with some things I really liked! 

_Steps: 1. size 2. string 3. wrap. 

I have designed two rings so far.. maybe after more practice I can start taking orders! ;) These rings can be go-out dressy or every-day casual, especially depending on how simple or intricate I make them. 

..if you like it then, you should put a ring on it.

stationery experiment v2.0

"She used to tie her hair up in ribbons and bows, sign her letters with x's and o's" - American Girl by Trisha Yearwood

If you can't tell, I'm into making cards and other paper goods. I enjoy designing things on the computer [like the valentines cards], but I also like to create personalized and unique postcards or notes from scratch with materials that I have. The beauty of this is that you can take a plain notecard or piece of cardstock and transform it in any way you want: as simple or as creative as you please.. and for cheap! Here, I made some sample notecards out of a bright colored mat stack I found at TJ Max for 3 bones, various ribbon scraps or $1 ribbon [weakness] from Michael's, leftover fabric from other projects, and buttons from grandma's sewing drawer. [I'm a sucker for buttons] They make each card unique and represent a little part of the past that I feel like I'm giving to my friends and family. I used a hole punch and super glue gel in this little project, but hot glue would also work. I plan on doing more of these stationery experiments. Get excited.

Happy card making! xoxo!

..off the floor, out the drawer..

..and on the wall! By the obvious pattern I've started by decorating with accessories, it's only logical that my next crafty project would involve an array of scarves!

- - today's tune: Sweet Disposition- The Temper Trap [scroll down to listen] - -

As Project Bedroom continues, my contemporary-traditional mix of decor grows strong. I found a cool fur pillow that I kindof wish I could wear, teal zebra fabric [originally a shower curtain], and a variety of pretty polyresin knobs used in my scarf rack. I caught the knobs on sale 50% off at HobLob. After what seemed like hours of debate on which ones to pick, i ended up with a fun and eclectic combo of the little jewels! I went shopping in our basement and found some wood scraps of a 2x4. I cut a piece down to 21 inches, drilled 6 holes equa-distance apart, sanded it, added hooks to the back, sprayed it with gold+white crackle spray paint, distressed it with a sandblock, and then finished it with a clear acrylic matte coat. Then I just arranged the knobs how i liked and twisted them into place, securing them with the washer and nut. Little Dora Belle wanted to help. If I'm EVER working on something, she makes herself known and likes to get in the way. But, I love how it turned out! It gets my pretty scarves that I have gotten from around the US and Europe off of the closet floor, out of the armoire drawer, and displayed beautifully on the wall!

I love all the colors on the wall! It filled that little space perfectly.

You could try this with other accessories [maybe seasonal] .. such as, bathing suits, long necklaces, cute cardigans, bags/purses. Who says you can't decorate with clothes and accessories? Not me.

xoxo

How about some Ray Lamontagne - You Are the Best Thing for this blog about valentines and sweet homemade cards. Scroll down towards the bottom of the post. I finally found a gadget that will let me play youtube while reading. Perrrrrfect!

It's February [where did January go?] and the month of ... dun, dun, dun ... valentines. Now, believe me, I've NEVER been one to love Valentine's Day. I may have had two enjoyable Vdays since age 12 to now. As a small child, I'm sure it was fun. I liked making cards. But as I got older, I grew more bitter. I was either worried about how many more/less candy grams and carnations I would get than my friends at school, watching my pals flirt with their boyfriends who were A GRADE ABOVE US OHMYGOSH, or getting awkward presents from boys I didn't like. My friend and I went as far as to boycott the holiday my senior year in high school by wearing all black and listening to Metallica. This hatred even transitioned to college where I once had to go on what felt like a black ops secret mission in order to escape a valentine's date... It's a sensitive subject that I do NOT like to bring up unless absolutely necessary. I'm warming up to the idea of Valentine's Day.. but mostly because I have time to make precious cards for my little nieces and nephews [spoiler alert! Hunter] and for my friends too. And I was toying with the thought of making an awesome one for someoneeee ...however, he has filled my head with falsities about becoming a blog follower. So I might just have to wait that one out.

Anyway, whether you adore Vday or roll your eyes at it, you'll love these cute, personalized cards for the little ones. They still get cupcakes, those nasty little chalk heart things with the words on them, <3 heart shaped cookies [just craved Ryal's Bakery, yum], and strawberry shortcake/power ranger valentines.. why not add to the fun!? I did these on photoshop and indesign and printed them on cream colored blank cards that I had. Here's the finished products:

...roses are red

violets are blue

even though I'm usually bitter

these valentines are cute.