grey wood steel blue: June 2010

pale pinks

the flowers are fab

almost western

peonies, poppies, garden & spray roses,
succulents, & lovely de caen anemone's

pale pink dress and the

flowers in the hair, oh gosh so good

wild garden flowers & rustic wooden doors

shabbied inspiration from the high fashion front

all i really loved were those roses and peonies & that pillow,

tweed, burlap, whatever it is i cant wait to get my hands on a

sewing machine back home and start making pillows again

oh 6th grade Home Ec - how you taught me such useful trades

a project from this past spring season

if someone gave you money & asked you to create, what would you say?
uh, a big heck yes!
...
Using only $200 out of a budget of $1000 for decor
and in celebration of International Woman's Day
i arranged spring time flowers of white garden roses,
light pink tulips, funky yellow spray,
bunches of daffodils & wild daisies for the World Vision lunch event
centerpieces were made up of various sized mason jars,
glass vessels & other assorted jars
perfectly paired with votive candles,
a piece of yellow/creme checkered fabric,
delicious local indonesian cuisine
and insightful conversation
...
after the event had concluded
the flowers eventually found themselves in every
crook & cranny of my home

there's really nothing like fresh flowers
...

wildflowers & garden greens

whether from the wild, or plucked from a neighbour's garden,
flowers bring a certain air, feeling, emotion to the setting.
i am stuggling to think of things lovelier than a rustic bouquet of vintage pinks and peaches,
tall grasses, leafy or pine needled trees or people in love
have a wonderful monday :]

a succulent for your thoughts

Leeanne or Lee [i love that name] is my soon to be, sister-in-law's brother's wife
in other words
my husband's, brother's, wife's, brother's, fiancee
She is blonde, fun & so fab
a few months back, we were discussing boutioneer ideas for jake [her fiance]
and she had the idea of using succulents...
not being a native californian, i was unaware of the coolness of the cactus...

once wed just did a real wedding spread
where the couple used succulents, cacti [i love this word..plural for cactus-es]
and moss in their bouquets, as their centerpieces and in pots as party favours
what awesome, cool looking, low matinence plants

i love the desert ecclectic feel of this piece

cute little tins
lee's brother's name is cameron...its perfect :]

peonies, garden roses, ranuculas, succulents, berries & other greenery -lovely

cute pots, cute tiles, cute succulents

succulent boutioneer ideas...

almost looks like a wild artichoke [major yum]

love the bowtie

non-floral ideas part III: candles

elegant, formal & classic
candles bring that flickering light,
romantic feeling that nothing other can achieve
if exploring the non-floral route for
a wedding or event centerpiece,
why not make candles the focal point of the table?

for the past two posts, I have been exploring budget friendly,
non-floral alternative options for my friend Rachel &
her September wedding at Notre Dame University in Indiana.

this post will primarily focus on the use of candles,
whether in votives, glass ware, wine bottles,
wooden stumps or silver candlesticks:

winebottle candlesticks:

For Rachel, one who proudly embraces her Italian heritage
we thought, what's more italian than a bottle of chianti?

talk about classic italian, this easy DIY project looks great on any table
pair the bottle with a personalized wine label, coloured or
creme candlesticks, stack of books,
or other vessels & you have yourself a classic yet ecclectic display

clean, crisp & fabulous on any table

birdcages & lanterns:

glassware & various votives:

other ideas featuring candles:
-using varrying height & sized silver candlesticks
-finding antique silver short candelabras [not the tacky kind] &
combining them with other sticks or vessels
-wooden candle holders

non-floral ideas part II: books, bricks, blocks, boxes & wood

my day dreaming continues as I, again am taking the liberty to explore non-floral ideas
for Ms. Cota's reception centerpieces
the nude colors, natural elements and rustic arena is where i thrive.

this past winter, i created this 'rustic centerpiece' for our dining room table
all sticks, twigs, rosemary, pine needles and lavender were found in my surrounding neighborhood, within walking distance from my home.
it is amazing what you will find and what you'll be able to create out of it...

and now for some ideas:

I love the wooden plank runner used as the foundation for this centerpiece
although the wood sits under the bouquets, if going for the non-floral, budget friendly approach,
think of using silver and glass, layering votives and
varrying heights of candles along the wooden runner instead of flowers
i love the doily/lace around the votives...adds a romantic touch

this is, by far, one of my favourite centerpieces i have ever seen
decor for this wedding shown at http://www.lauryllane.com/blog
was crisp, clean and neutral birch, raw cotton, twine and glass.
simple & fabulous
table centerpieces shown below:

other ideas, using stumps for a variety of items:

cake plate, tapering candles, or main centerpiece focal point

i asked my husband, danny for some suggestions, ideas & thoughts...
so far hes come up with some great ideas
I loved his idea to use old bricks on the table, especially in a classic older venue
Bricks have a story to them AND you can use them a number of ways..

use them to create a square, use just one, layer candles on them, adorne them with vintage tins, photos in frames, mercury glass urns or other knick knacks

books...now theres a great idea!:

lovely, lovely, lovely

for the studious, the romantic, the victorian or the mere lover of history, poetry or culture
why not use classic books as your centerpiece focal point