Tag Archives: crafting

wedding

guest post: a shower fit for a bridesmaid

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I’ve got a little treat for you today.  Something different anyway.  Last week I posted about my bridal shower, specifically the handmade gifts and details that went into it.  Well, today my MOH is here to rehash the behind the scenes DIY details that went into the event. Take it away Leigh…

As you may know from Dana’s blogging history, she’s been to a lot of weddings. Beyond just being your standard wedding guest, Dana takes what makes Circa Dee amazing and translates those talents into the fabulous, thoughtful events for her friends and family. A 10-time bridesmaid, 3-time reader, toast-giver, bachelorette party-planner, bouquet mastermind, you name it – she’s done it. So imagine the pressure when Dana asks you to be her Maid of Honor, which means planning an event for her!I jest. (A little.)In all seriousness, helping to plan Dana’s shower meant putting some of her favorite things, ideas, and people into one room. Here are a few aspects of the shower to highlight how we did that.The Theme – As a nod to Dana’s role in so many weddings, we went loosely with a 27 Dresses theme.  We incorporated dress and bridesmaid details throughout the day.
The Invitation – Designed by the lovely Poppies and Petals, we crafted a newspaper-inspired invite. Here, we asked that ladies wear a bridesmaid dress. (While I didn’t remember discussing this much in the past, Dana admitted that she checked her closet the morning of the shower to see if her bridesmaid dresses were still there! Without borrowing any of Dana’s dresses, we still had about a dozen ladies join in the fun of dressing up.)
27 dresses themed bridal shower
27 dresses themed bridal shower
27 dresses themed bridal shower

The Centerpieces – I fully admit to stalking Pinterest for this idea, but adding our own flare. We took a page from Dana’s vintage, rustic style, and used mini galvanized buckets as our base. We then added floral foam, some moss, and a few rocks to weight down the piece. Then, we added everyday kitchen skewers (hello, re-purposing!), stuck into the floral foam. Between the skewers, we strung a piece of yarn and a few mini-bunting flags. (We even borrowed Dana’s punch for this step, under the guise of Poppies and Petals custom card order.) We chose paper in sea-glass and vintage inspired tones, with a hint of pink because, come on, this is a bridal shower! Then, my favorite part, we found a template for mini dresses and cut them out on the Big Shot. Some twine was strung around the waist of the dresses for some extra detail and attached with a too-cute-for-words mini clothespin. I really love how quickly this project came together!

27 dresses themed bridal shower

Decorations – The room at the restaurant where we hosted the event didn’t need much adorning, but we added balloons in sea-glass colors. I also stalked Dana’s Facebook, blog, and emailed ladies who had included Dana in their wedding to find pictures. I had a  blast reliving all these amazing events, and Dana’s various haircuts over the years. Some photos for framed, and others were displayed out on tables. We also asked our guests to leave a wish for Dana and Ryan. These notecards and pens were displayed in a vintage planter I found at a local vintage shop.  I’m hoping to turn these photos and notes into a little book for Dana at some point.

The Favors – Dana already showcase the Ball Jar cookies, which she’d been dreaming of having. We also gave away little tokens to the ladies that wore bridesmaid dresses, of even-more-mini galvanized buckets, filled with candy, and adorned with another little dress.

ball mason jar cookie favors

The Food – No shower is complete without a great spread. Dana’s mom selected a variety of Italian dishes that included Dana’s favorite – Caprese Salad! While Dana unwrapped her mountain of gifts, we enjoyed homemade cookies baked by family and friends. Then, at the end of the party,we enjoyed not one but two cakes – one Tiramisu flavored and one from Alice Bakery (two more things Dana loves!)

bridal shower spread

Thanks for taking time to read about how to put on a party for Dana! I think we met this immense challenge in style and made a great day happen for our beautiful bride!

Thanks Leigh!  I have to admit that it felt totally bizarre showing up to a shower empty handed.  And you should also know that it took everything in me not to bring my camera and snap pictures or instagram the whole event.  After years of bridesmaiding (yes it is a verb), it was a blast to be on the other side!  I just wanted to live in the moment without social media…shocking.  And I bet you didn’t know that my blogging originally began in the wedding world, did ya?

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home, musing

roses for your sweetheart

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Hi guys. Happy Friday!

I’ve been busily preparing for the Philly Home Show up. in. here. Have I mentioned that little event lately?  Not this week.  No?  I’m putting together a bedroom full of reclaimed industrial style.  I can’t wait to share it with you all in less than 2 weeks!  Woo hoo.  Expect lots of repurposed charm and tons of vintage goodies.  There will definitely be sneak peeks on instagram while I am setting up next week.  So tune in!

In the meantime, I am running a bit of a re-run post today.  Don’t hate me.  I promise you won’t remember it.  It’s an easy-peasy 3 step craft for the ol’ V-day.  Or any day really.

Felt Heart Roses!  Hooray!

So you just need felt, scissors, glue and sticks.

Then…

DIY valentine roses

Done!  Told you it was easy.

So if you like doing crafts and you’re local, you should definitely come visit our Craft Room at the Home Show (Feb 2-10).  Denise, from The Painted Home, and I will be freestylin’ in the craft room.  We’ll be upcycling, repurposing, painting, you name it.  I will be doing mini milk paint demos as well!  So if you’ve been curious about Miss Mustard Seed’s milk paint, now is your chance to see it live in person.  I might even have some available to purchase if that is of interest.  Would you like that?

how to measure and mix milkpaint

I know.  The fun never stops.

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making a paper christmas tree topiary

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Happy Friday everyone!  How was your turkey day?  Ours was filled with good food, good people and good memories.  Just the way I like it.

I hope you’re not out battling the mall crowds.  Maybe you are home decorating for the holidays like me.  I’ve got an easy DIY project to share today.  I picked up the vintage paper Christmas tree topiary idea from the BHG Special Interest Publication this season so maybe you’ve already tried it?

If not, I recommend giving it a shot.  You should do it over the long weekend!  You probably have most of the supplies in your home already.  Plus, this is an easy one to do with kids too.  Here’s what you need…

  • 4″ clay pot
  • styrofoam block
  • reindeer moss
  • vintage paper in 4-5 sizes
  • wooden skewer
  • raffia (optional)
  • cranberry (optional)

Cut the styrofoam block to size and insert it into your clay pot.  You may have to secure the block to the pot with hot glue.

Insert the skewer in the center of the block upright.  Make sure it is centered and straight with the pointy side of the skewer sticking out.

Cover up your mechanics with the reindeer moss.  This hides the styrofoam.  You may want to glue this as well.  Reindeer moss is the most expensive supply used in this project however you could substitute it with a lower cost moss but you may not get the same coverage.

Once you’ve got the moss secure, you’ll start building your tree.  I chose vintage sheet music cut in squares.  You may find other interesting paper ephemera or scrapbook paper works for you.  The largest square was 4.5 inches, then 4 inches, 3.5 inches, 3 inches & 2.5 inches.  I used about 4 of each size and started by puncturing the largest squares first and sliding them down the skewer to the moss.

And in just minutes you’ll have a tree!  I topped off the skewer with a fresh cranberry for the star.

I ended up not using the raffia on this pair but you can tie it around your pot and make a bow.  You could also have kids decorate the pots with paint or glitter.

I used this pair to decorate the shop “mantel”.  It complements the book page wreath just so.

Hope you’ll come visit the shop on Small Business Saturday tomorrow if you are local!  You can preview our inventory, special sales & discounts on facebook.

Happy holiday decorating friends!

Linking to Hi Sugarplum
Holiday

garden, home

thanks and a fall wreath

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First of all can I just start by telling you how incredibly moved I am by all of your support and sweet feedback on Wednesday’s post about Ryan’s diagnosis?

Seriously moved over here.

Social media has become a very powerful tool.  As I wrote about us, reviewed it, re-reviewed it, hesitated to post it, I just hoped that a positive message would be transmitted.  We basically want to take something that we are already doing and that is well-liked and make a contribution with it.  So thank you all for your enthusiasm in this fundraiser!  It truly means a lot to us.

Now how do I follow that up with a fall wreath?

Well here it is.  A mini Indian corn wreath.

In January, after we removed the holiday Douglas fir wreaths from our windows, we saved the metal wreath forms.  They look something like this.

I pulled a few out to make mini Inidian corn wreaths.  You can buy clusters of the Indian corn at just about any Farmer’s Market this time of year.  I laid clusters of 2-3 cobs in between each prong, overlapping one after another.  The corn covers the mechanics of the prongs.

The prongs close over the stalks while adding rustic fall texture.

And of course it wouldn’t be complete without a bow!  I went with a simple 4 loop bow.  The ribbon I used is like a combination of burlap and raffia.  It can be found at flowers shops.  I also looped the ribbon throughout the wreath.

Indian corn can be really brittle to work with.  It naturally wants to disconnect from the stalks so hot glue may be necessary for keeping it in tact.  I wouldn’t recommend hanging this wreath outside.  It will be gone in no time since the squirrels love Indian corn.  Definitely hang it behind a storm door or indoors!

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fall round up

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Hello!  Hello!  I’m starting to decorate my home for fall and I’m always trying to think of new display ideas.  I thought it would be a good time to post a round up of my fall decor from last year.  Perhaps you will be inspired…Feel free to pin away!

Mini pumpkin tea lights

Stocking covered pumpkin

Wine glass pumpkin risers

Pine cone place card holder

Birdcage shadows

Bowl o’ joy

Sick jack-o-lantern salsa 

Mini mumkin

There you have it.  Which is your favorite?

Linking to Thrifty Decor Chick

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pinning & framing spring

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A couple of weeks ago when signs of spring started to emerge here in PA, I was itching for a new wreath for my front door.  I spied a pretty one out shopping but it was $40 which didn’t seem like a necessary purchase at the time.  I knew I had plenty of materials to make a new wreath at home so I vowed to not spend any money on a spring wreath and only use materials around my house.  But I was tired of the tried and true round wreaths I have on hand.  (I have a ton.)  I took to pinterest for some pinspiration.  I typed in “spring wreath” and the results were gorgeous and overwhelming.  I finally decided on fabric flowers and a square wreath which was inspired by this pin.

Here is what I came up with in under an hour…

It was so simple to make once I had the vision. First, I shopped the garage and found an old nondescript frame which lost its glass long ago.  A light coat of hot pink spray paint brightened it up but allowed the grain to still show through.

Next, I perused the yard for some twigs which I spray painted white. Then I cruised fabric scraps where I found some springy colors.

Wilson also assisted in creating the door decor.  Because the frame was kind of thin, I took some leftover foam core board and cut a triangle to add in the lower corner with glue.

For the flowers, I cut various strips of fabric anywhere from about 10-18 inches long and just a couple of inches wide.  The larger the piece of fabric, the larger the flower.  Obv.  Then I twisted and turned and fluffed the fabric as pictured below until I got something sort of resembling a blooming rose.  I added a dab of hot glue to the end which I pulled through like a loose knot.

Then I hot glued the twigs and flowers in a delightful pattern onto the frame and foam core board.

Wilson conducted a quality check.

And he approved of the final product. 

Up on the door the spring wreath went.

Replacing the old feather wreath which is so un-springy. It looked like a flock of pigeons were laid to rest at my front door. Which may be an ok look for winter (if dead pigeons is ever an ok look) but not for spring!

Out with death and in with new life!  Bright and cheery for $0 and less than an hour from concept to finish.

Have you found any pinspiration for your spring decor?

Linking to:  Thrifty Decor Chick, Southern Hospitality, It’s a Cinch