odom wedding v1.0

A couple of weekends ago, I was given the opportunity to coordinate a wedding for a friend's special day. The theme was rustic-chic, and the venue was absolutely gorgeous. In Powder Springs, Georgia, the couple said their vows at The Phillips Farm under a giant oak tree and a setting sun. Amberly had all the decorations, table settings, food, and entertainment planned out. My job was to help make what she dreamed of become a reality on her precious day. With help from family and friends, we turned a barn into a dance floor, created an outdoor dining space, and left some room for a couple of "sweet" tables. Here's the set up for the rehearsal dinner. Wedding day pictures are coming soon!

The sophisticated ring bearer brought a fun energy to the ceremony! Congratulations Amberly and Landon!

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

pink elephants

... hello? ... blog readers? ... are you still there? I know, I know, it's been a while. I'm sorry.. I've been distracted! But I'm BACK with a great post about the first baby shower I've ever helped to throw.. [and for a pretty special friend!] My soul sista, Amy, is preggo with her first baby - Piper Lynn - and we couldn't be more excited! Amy lives in Oklahoma and only had four days to visit home, so we had one big shower shindig! Between five hostesses, we were planning for around 50 people.. and that is exactly what we had. I was in charge of invitations, decor, and cookies. We themed the shower around pink baby elephants with a couple of giraffes thrown in there. I didn't want the shower to scream baby, but I wanted it to be sweet, charming, and classy. Through the colors of white, green, tan, and different shades of pink, I think it achieved just that. 

Project list:

postcard invitations

painted paper mache animals

painted picture frames with letters spelling PIPER

elephant shaped cookies with pink icing 

animal cracker in clear cylinders

floral arrangements

burlap table runner

mother-to-be pin

Everything turned out beautifully, even though the pressure to decorate and set up was intense [45 minutes- eek!]. The other hostesses brought delicious brunch foods such as mini muffins, fruit tarts, pigs in a blanket, and the best donut holes I have ever devoured. I will not tell you how many of those I had. I brought various sized vases and had arranged the flowers the night before.. the wee hours before! All of the decoration went well with the exposed interior brick and white shutters as a backdrop. I was very happy about the room where we had the shower. It came together, and Amy had a great time with family and friends.. so that's what mattered most. I can't wait to meet little Pippy!

architect barbie

Who says architects only wear black? 

I just had to share this with everyone. My friend, Courtney, saw "Architect Barbie" in a magazine a couple of days ago and immediately sent me a picture. This is hilarious.... comes complete with hardhat for the jobsite, blueprint drawings, and the house Barbs designed. What a smartie! Stylish, too. 

While researching more on Archy Barbs, I found the Barbie Shanghai Store by Slade Architecture. Umm, whoever got to design this is a luckbox, and I am super jealous. It's like my childhood dream. Everything Barbie you could ever imagine! Unreal. However, it suddenly closed in March of this year for some reason. Bummer. Check it out anyway...

Fab.u.lous.

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!