Wedding DIY: Puppy Bow Ties

The shoes were the inspiration for the dogs' bow ties. These shoes are so darling & add a touch of color! You can order the pumps here: Chelsea Crew.

We matched the fabric as closely as we could with some silky elegant fabric from Joann's.

Here's how they turned out!

I sewed it so that there was a gap in the elastic & the fabric because this fabric does not stretch!

So handsome!

Don't worry, the dogs aren't walking down the aisle but rest assured there will be pictures of the dogs with the bride & groom at the reception!

Wedding DIY: Tissue Paper Poms

To add a little pizazz to the centerpieces for Cassandra's wedding, we decided to make some tissue paper poms. We also broke off some branches from a few dead trees! HA.

For this project, we bought 2 packs of silver tissue paper (five sheets in each pack) & had enough to make 20 mini poms! The white tissue my mom had on hand, so bonus! We used white, ivory, and silver.

To make the flowers, we used this as a guide: via Martha Stewart

Materials: tissue paper, scissors & string

Then cut the edges round or pointed. Peel the layers toward the middle one at a time and fluff. In the meantime, ...

Instagrams printed via Foxgram (SO affordable!). Brent put some muscle into the wine corks & made them into little holders for the pictures & the guest names!

The poms look so fun!

& with that said, this blog may be inundated with wedding DIY fun until then! YAY! FINAL COUNTDOWN!

Wine & Cheese Party: Golden Birthday Style

Did you ever celebrate your golden birthday?  Mine was when I was nine, and while it was magical I didn't have as many years anticipating it as my sister did whose date was on the 27th. Needless to say, we had to do it big! So we threw a wine & cheese party mixed with pink & gold. It was so much fun!

Here's a link to the chalkboard contact paper we used: via Amazon. We didn't stick it--just taped it to the table & we have been able to reuse it a lot. The chalk actually shows up nicely.

The spread! Pretty cream & pink roses, veggie tray, cherry chip cupcakes, etc. Those goat cheese balls left me speechless! Recipe found here: The Kitchn.

Gold & pink in perfect harmony!

Brent got all creative & made this menu to set at the table for our reference. We also filled extra wine glasses with old corks to add to the ambiance.

Such a success that some of Cass's friends say it was the "most fun party ever!" Parties are so fun to plan!

Wedding DIY Projects: Table Numbers & Centerpieces

Working on the centerpieces for the tables my sister & I decided to be a bit creative. Floating candles? Don't pay extra for special floating candles because guess what? Regular old tea light candles FLOAT! My sister will have a few votives with some floating candles and then a few on the table next to some Instagram pictures of her & her honey.

We used the larger ones found at IKEA (see label below) & some fancy wedding washi tape found at Michaels!

With the simple magic of Sharpie Paint Pens & some old wine bottles we created a few masterpieces.

We found the ideas on Pinterest, but found that the easiest way to do the table numbers was to simply free-hand the numbers right on the glass.

PS to get those stubborn wine labels off we soaked the bottles in soap & hot water & then scrubbed and scrubbed!

Hope these ideas inspire you & add some fun to your next dinner party or to your wedding!

Pattern Success: Ditty Bag by Keyka Lou

I bought this pattern a while ago & made a few Ditty Bags from it. SUCCESS! They are cute little dumplings & I use mine as a makeup bag so I get to see the fun & bright patterns every day!

Here's a link to the pattern: Ditty Bags

I gave the purple one to my cousin for her birthday & hope to make a few more in different sizes! Great for traveling & the pattern is only $8! It's a great way to learn about sewing zippers!

September 11th

On this, the 12th anniversary of the attacks in New York, Washington, & Pennsylvania, let us remember, reflect, and pray.

With the tumult and violence in Syria and the possible US intervention, let us continue to pray for peace. “Can we get out of this spiral of sorrow and death? Can we learn once again to walk and live in the ways of peace?” -Pope Francis

Angular Colored Wooden Utensils

Remember this project?

Well, after my sister's bridal shower she was swimming in [boring] wooden utensils. Functional? Yes, but quite lackluster. I convinced her to add some zest & she couldn't be happier with the result.

All you need is spray paint, wooden utensils, & 3M Painter's Tape
For great selection of spray paint... hello Ace Hardware! I give you the mother-load:

Just place the tape at an angle on the wood, spray primer, spray color, let dry & peel tape off.

For the round-handled ones, we just taped all the way around & spray painted.

The blue hues go perfect with her new aqua Kitchen Aid!

Pattern Success: Nigella Yoga Bag

I found this while browsing the interwebs one day & decided to try it out.

Here is a link to the free pattern: Nigella Yoga Bag

And here's how mine turned out. I made one for my sister and one for me. It took less than 2 yards of fabric, and I used IKEA's fabric so that I wouldn't have to line it. It's very sturdy & has two functional pockets. This pattern comes highly recommended by me (and I'm not always the best at following the directions exactly and it still worked out--that's how I know it's good).

The bag is big enough to fit a yoga mat with a yoga towel comfortably. Mine is the blue one & it fits a Pilates mat perfectly too!

Do you know any good free patterns? This would make a great gift & the holidays are right around the corner! Now go make one & be inspired to do some yoga!