DIY Wedding Welcome Sign

Good morning! Its Wednesday- yay! Only one more day till Geoff comes home from his business trip. I hate it when he leaves, but in one way its good because I get soooooo much stuff done. When he's home, I'd rather be hanging out with him than doing chores! So I cleaned the house from top to bottom and got some wedding stuff done. I am super excited about the Wedding Welcome Sign I finished last night! I took the antique frame we used in our engagement photos (see below) and repurposed it. I wanted a cute sign to hang on the white picket fence outside our wedding venue to welcome guests as they arrive (and let them know they are in the right spot.) Scroll down to see the step-by-step directions and the final product! Adorable!
Have a lovely Wednesday all!

XO
-L

The frame in its original state in our engagement photos.

I bought a piece of plywood and the nice men at Home Depot
cut it to the right size to fit my frame.

I spray painted the plywood black (for a chalkboard effect)
and painted the frame a bright green to match one of our
wedding colors.

Instead of trying to paint such an intricate design, I had a vinyl
decal made at Fast Signs which I applied to the black plywood.

After applying the vinyl, I used Liquid Nails to glue the plywood
to the frame (because the frame was much too delicate to use nails.
I then weighted it down and let it dry for 24 hours.

And voila! Here's the final product- I love how it turned out!

Boutonniere is hard to spell

But hopefully they are easy to make because I've decided to make them myself for our wedding. The top one with the green fabric pinwheels is my fave-I love the unconventional materials and whimsy!

(Sorry for the short post, a bit of wedding stress is zapping my sleep...a little worn out today.
On that note, any girl who says wedding planning never stressed her out is lying-haha!)

Have a lovely Wednesday all!

XO
-L

LOVE the fabric idea!!!! So cute.
Image by Ellie Grover via Elizabeth Ann Designs

I'm kinda obsessed with the little yellow billy balls.
Image by Leo Patrone via Ruffled

Image & DIY Instructions via Event Essentials

I adore how the Orange Dahlia matches his tie!
Image via Bon Mariage

Image via Wish Special Events

Pretty Pots & Guilty Pleasures

My future sis-in-law Nicole is the Gardening Queen. Seriously. She can make anything grow! My mom has the same gift- a serious green thumb (how did I miss out on this gene?) We were in Austin this weekend spending time with the fam and meeting with the wedding planner (SQEEE!!) and Nicole showed me this fab project in Martha Stewart Living Mag. You use this stuff called Hyperturfa (kinda like poured cement) and cool molds like textured bowls and baskets to make gorgeous planters. I'm thinking I need to master not killing my plants before I start making my own planters, but I can't wait to see how Nic's turn out. Pretty!
(Get the full project details here.)

On an unrelated random note, Tori & Dean are back on tonight! I adore her (and love seeing what she wears and her super cute house.) Can't wait! (For some reason, Geoff does not share my enthusiasm for Oxygen, Bravo, Style, or Glee...he's in for a long summer. Poor guy.)

Happy Monday!
XO
-L 

Images via Martha Stewart

If you like it then you shoulda put some paint on it...

Yes, I'm dorky. And yes I love Beyonce. Shoot me. Anyway, lame title aside, I think its the perfect way to introduce my newest DIY inspiration. I love hunting for vintage pieces and furniture that have great lines and structure, but happen to be coated with some sort of hideous varnish or ugly paint. Usually, you get them for a steal, and you get the joy of turning these little treasures into something you truly love. My newest blogger obsession does just that-and I am convinced she could turn a ball of rubber bands, old socks and some spray paint into something cool. Meet Michelle from Three Men & a Lady (thank you to Made by Girl for the introduction.) She really is a genius.

BTW, it is Michelle's fault that I am now obsessed with finding a ceramic owl to paint white.
How stinkin cute is this?! 

I love that she took thrift store candle sticks and plates and mixed and matched to make adorable cake plates. Wouldn't these be precious for a wedding dessert buffet?!

I love the bold yellow she chose for the dresser, and how she transformed a Wal-Mart Table into a gorgeous entryway table.

My fave project (besides the white owl) has to be the awesome sunburst mirror. She took an affordable find from Home Goods that was a little small and increased the circumference using skewers and some glue, then painted it silver to match her decor: brilliant!

Check out more DIY projects and her house tour on her blog here.