Monday, October 31, 2011

A Little Something ~ #34

Happy Halloween!

Today's {A Little Something} is inspired by the fact that today is Halloween.  I love this Fall centerpiece with flowers & pumpkins.  It's a great way to incorporate the Fall / Halloween theme without getting cheesy.


I hope everyone had a great weekend full of celebrations!


Thursday, October 27, 2011

Etsy Find - Cottage Creek Arts

Today's Etsy Find is Cottage Creek Arts.  Tammi, the owner, hand paints beautiful wedding signs.  They have a unique, vintagey feel and are the perfect touch for your wedding day.


Tammi is a self taught artistic who lives on a farm in Kentucky.  I asked Tammi to give us a little background on her and her artistic inspiration:

I am a self taught artist who never had any artistic talent that I knew of growing up, just a big imagination!  My first artistic ventures began with building furniture: benches, chairs, picture frames out of old barn wood. I then graduated into painting and would paint anything I could get my hands on. I use to be in a lot of craft fairs and have had my items in a few stores throughout my area. And then I found Etsy and haven't looked back since.

I then graduated into painting canvas'. My inspiration comes from God and I'm so blessed to be doing what I love and owe it all to Him, because like I said, this talent literally came from nowhere.

I am a bit of a perfectionist and much love and care goes into every piece of my artwork! It brings a lot of joy to me to know my work is being displayed in peoples homes throughout the world!
           
Tammi paints canvases that can be used as guest books including thumbprint trees (that are becoming so popular) and tree designs.  She also can do custom wedding signs.  Her creations are pretty amazing!

Thumbprint Tree Guest Books



Love this one for Fall!



As an alternative to the thumb print tree, these canvases come with the leaves painted on as places for guests to sign.




Guest Book Tree Canvases

 I love the vintage buttons on this one!







Tammi has even more great designs in her Etsy shop that you should check out!  She can customize colors and designs for you as well.



Wednesday, October 26, 2011

[Real Weddings] - Kelly & Matt's DIY Rustic Wedding

These pictures are just so sweet.  I absolutely loved working with Kelly & Matt on their big day and am so excited to share it with you now.

Here are a few pictures of their day to get you excited for more to come.  Their wedding will be featured in the Winter issue of the DIY Weddings Magazine.  We discuss all of the DIY details and decor from their big day.

I will be sure to let you all know when it's out so you can check out all the beautiful details!

Such a gorgeous bride!






We used wine corks and candles for decor.  Stay tuned for more details in DIY Weddings Magazine's next issue!


The cake was perfect for the rustic feel of the wedding!



Pictures courtesy of Photo by Jaime

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Polka Dots, Leather, & More - Loving These Fall Trends

Just like most girls I'm sure, I'm always looking through magazines and style reports to see what the latest trends are.  Last week I came across In Style's Style Find picks for Fall - and I'm loving them.

Their editors picked Polka Dots, Leather, Brights and more as the latest Fall trends.  So I got to thinking how can you incorporate these fabulous trends into your wedding day?

Polka Dots at Your Wedding:
Picture via: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6


Leather Accents at Your Wedding:
Pictures via: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5


 Ultra Brights at Your Wedding:
Pictures via: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6



What do you think of these Fall trends?

Monday, October 24, 2011

A Little Something ~ #33

I always love when a bride adds a little pop of color to her wedding day look. 

Today's {A Little Something} is perfect for doing just that.


This belt is the perfect way to add some unexpected color on your wedding day.

Friday, October 21, 2011

1 Year Blogiversary!

It's hard to believe that tomorrow our little blog will be 1 year old! 

Pinned Image

To celebrate this blogiversary, here's a look back on our first year:

-We kicked the whole thing off with this cheesy Welcome
-One of my favorite (and one of the tastiest) groom's cakes we've done
-2011's color of the year: Honeysuckle Pink
-Some of my favorite inspiration - the lake
-A lovely DIY: doily cupcake wrappers
-The start of our weekly (Monday) {A Little Something} series
-Our most viewed post to date: Unexpected Color
-Pictures from our company photo shoots: one and two  (Thanks Morgan!!)
-Oh the Royal Wedding, who wasn't watching?
-Our first feature in DIY Weddings Magazine - which led to a regular feature each season!
-The first post from the other side of SOSN - Liz aka the owner
-Remembering a loved one lost - a hard post to write, but one of my favorites to date.
-Our first styled photo shoot - so fun!


It's been a great  year of learning and growing.  Thanks to all of you who've been following us - we look forward to the next year!




Thursday, October 20, 2011

Etsy Find - UpUrAly

Bridesmaids gifts... what to do?  It's always a big question I get from brides.  They want to get something special for their ladies to let them know how much it means to for them to be part of their big day but they also don't want to get them something they'll never use again.
Well, today's {Etsy Find} is the answer to that question.  UpUrAly is a shop owned by Aly, who lives in Eagle, Idaho with her husband Joe and their pets Kitty and Doja.  In her shop on Etsy, Aly has handmade jewelry rolls, make up rolls and wristlets.  The best part, you can pick the fabric combinations!  So, you can pick a different fabric for each bridesmaid based on her and her personality.  It's something personal and useful!
I asked Aly to tell us a little about herself and how she got into this business: I have always loved making jewelry, crocheting, knitting and doing anything craft related! I even do a little origami. I just love how you can take just about anything from paper to fabric and make a beautiful item out of it, and I also enjoy knowing that it came from my hard work.

Aly has a Music Ed degree and Masters in Education (smart lady!).  She loved the idea of teaching music but realized it wasn't so practical for having a family due to the long hours.  So how did she start her business and get her shop on Etsy? 

My husband bought an old 1915 treadle style singer sewing machine to occupy my time while I figured out what I did want to teach (I'm thinking Spanish or ESL).  So with what I remembered from when I was young that my mom and grandma taught me and a few tutorials from the Internet I taught myself to sew!  I started out with purses and an apron but I wanted something to use everyday for practicality. I already had a shop with some jewelry and crochet items so I decided to start a new one with only my sewn items. For product to put in my new shop I thought about practical things that could be used for every day needs. So I redesigned the brush rolls that are available out there to fit my needs. Such as spaces for my make up brushes but also for my make up. So the make up brush roll came to be. Then while at a friends house a few of my friends liked my idea but also wanted somewhere to organize their jewelry for traveling. I had a sewing book that had a jewelry roll in it already but I didn't like the way it was laid out, so again I redesigned it for my needs and what I thought real women would need out of it. Now I have two different jewelry roll designs to fit most women's needs. As for getting into the bridesmaid gift business, it was totally by chance. Someone saw my jewelry rolls and asked if I could make them for her bridesmaids. So that's how I got started catering to brides =) After I got into that, I have been busy nonstop!

So I still want to pursue teaching and am hoping to get an endorsement in spanish or ESL so I can teach but still have time to grow my family. I think I will always keep my shop open as long as people still like my stuff and to keep my crafting and sewing need satisfied.

Jewelry Rolls


Inside Detail


Inside Detail


Makeup Rolls
Use these for makeup brushes or art supplies or anything else!


Inside Details




 
Fabric Choices - so cute!  And there are more options on her Facebook page.


Be sure to check out Aly's Etsy shop and Facebook page for even more products and fabric choices! 

P.S. I just ordered one of the jewelry rolls for myself...  Aly was so helpful in picking out fabrics and letting me know what would look best together.  Can't wait to get it!


Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Right This Way

Escort card?? I remember the first time I heard someone mention an escort card I had no clue what they were talking about...

So what exactly is an escort card?  These are used to let guests know which table they're assigned to at the reception. Using escort cards allows guests to pick their seat at the particular table you've assigned to them.


So, now that no one confused let's talk about displaying them. There are so many creative and unique ways to do this. Which is your favorite idea?



Pinned Image

Pinned Image

How fun is this playing card idea?
Pinned Image

Pinned Image

Pinned Image
{via}

Pinned Image
{via}

LOVE these ones!
Pinned Image
{via}

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

European Adventures - Nice & Monte Carlo

The weather was perfect, the views were amazing and the food & wine was delicious.  All in all my trip to France was pretty perfect.

The trip started in Nice where we rented a scooter for a day.  It was a great way to see the city and explore the South of France.



Such gorgeous views on the ride up the coast.

A little afternoon wine on our balcony in Nice.

Escargot!  Always trying new things.

Waterfall in Nice - notice the rainbow.  It was so pretty up there!


Next stop on the adventure was Monte Carlo (by bus due to a train strike...)  This part of the South of France is absolutely beautiful.  Everything is pristine from the streets to the buildings to the fancy cars.

The infamous Monte Carlo casino




After one more night in Nice, it was au revoir to France...  Such a great trip with the bf. 

I highly recommend a trip to the South of France if you haven't been there!