Nesting

Good Friday morning! I am so excited that this weekend is here! I got to see my parents last night, and G and I are headed down to Austin this weekend to see my bestest girlfriends for a little reunion and to celebrate my friend Taylor's graduation from PA school. I'm so proud of her! And, to top all of this goodness off, I received our custom ring bowl from Paloma's Nest in the mail yesterday. Its beautiful and I can't wait to use it on our special day. I hope you all have lovely weekends!

XO
-L

Sash Panache

Happy Wednesday lovelies! I hope everyone is having a wonderful week. Other than pulling my neck getting dressed yesterday (getting old...) my week has been splendid. I even saw Jane of Sea of Shoes yesterday at Blue Mesa- she is even more beautiful, and tiny, in person. 

So, if you have visited my little blog before, you know that I am smack-dab in the middle of planning our September wedding (eek! 4 months to go!) My goals this month are to finish a boatload of DIY projects, get G's wedding band, and finish accessorizing my dress. I already have lovely green shoes, and am wearing G's grandmother's stunning pearls, but now I'm on the hunt for the perfect sash for the waist of my dress. I have gone round and round- do I want a green sash to match my shoes with a flower on it? Or maybe something sparkly? I'm even considering making my own with a trip to the notions store (check out this great DIY sash post from Classic Bride.)  Here are some of my fave options from etsy and some inspiration photos. I'll let you know what I decide! 

XO
-L 

Image via Ashley's Bride Guide

 

1. Lolita Bridal Sash via LoBoheme on etsy
2. Pearl Vintage Ivory Sash via Bridal Shoppe on etsy
3. Crystals & Pearls Wedding Sash via Little White Dresser on etsy
4. Tulle & Bead Sash via Twisted Crystals on etsy
5. Huaka Crystal Sash via Kirsten Kuehn Designs on etsy

The Wedding DIY Madness Continues...

I am DETERMINED to use my crafty prowess for the good of the wedding! No longer will having a cold, and too much laundry, and a full time job stand in my way. I am on a mission to complete my list of wedding DIY projects. Geoff is out of town on a business trip again, so I am using this time to do some super crafting. I even started this weekend on a bunch of them, making a big trip to a couple of craft stores and gathering all my supplies. I began the super-messy task of gluing moss to paper mache letters last night-here they are in progress (I promise to do a full tutorial when they are complete):

We will hang them on the doors to the reception
(and hopefully they will look something like this:)

 

The rest of the projects on my list:

• Burlap "Just Married" Pennant Banner (a la this beauty from funkyshique on etsy)

• Boutonnieres (with chocolate striped ribbon and yellow billy balls-so cute! Image via Wedding Dress 2010)

• "Bride" & "Groom" Wooden Signs on the backs of our chairs (loving this free printable from Lucky & Lovely. Mine will be similar, but on wooden plaques with chocolate striped ribbon.)

• Painted People Cake Toppers ( I ordered this "paint your own" set from Goose Grease on Etsy and am planning on painting them to look like us. Have to wait till we pick out G's tie though...)

Wish me luck!

XO
-L

For Keeps

Good morning lovelies! Sorry I have been out of pocket for a few days, its been really busy! Oh well, I'm back and sooooo excited about my latest wedding obsession! Paloma's Nest out of Austin, TX makes gorgeous custom ring bowls and keepsakes to be used at your wedding or to mark a special moment in life. I ordered one that says "To have & to hold" & has our names and wedding date on it. So it will hold our rings at the ceremony and then we will use it as an ornament on our Christmas tree. How sweet is that?! I love that this simple little piece will be a lasting memento of our special day. 

A few details from the Paloma's Nest Shop:

"Each and every piece in the Paloma's Nest collection is designed and hand-crafted by Caroline Colom Vasquez in our studio in Austin, Texas, with care, pride, and passion. Caroline uses only all natural materials including fine clays, wood, paper, and cloth, knowing that these items will be passed on for many generations.

All ceramic items are crafted from either white earthenware clay or porcelain clay. Ceramic pieces designed for DECORATIVE USE ONLY; most all pieces are NOT glazed, but ARE coated in a protective surface finish to prevent the pieces from becoming easily soiled by fingerprints and such. We do this because we love the natural tactile feeling of unglazed clay and porcelain, and try to preserve that as an integral part of each piece. Once you touch one, you will understand!"

I love supporting local artists and am so passionate about Etsy- I love that so many beautiful original pieces are all in one place! Check out some of my fave pieces from the Paloma's Nest Etsy shop and find a little treasure of your own.

XO
-L

All images via Paloma's Nest on Etsy

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!