3 Part Painting Series

Yes...I know I didn't SAY any of these things but the quotes were so fitting that I wanted to make a 3 part simple painting series so they could be used at the wedding for décor but also hang in our home afterwards. I am by no means a professional but I like how they came out! Haha! :)

 

 

 

Who says artificial flowers have to be tacky???

I found these beautiful peach peonies and burnt orange roses at the Hobby Lobby about an hour from where we live. All the other places I looked at, artificial flowers were very pricey and for something that's probably going to wind up in a dumpster some day, I wasn't willing to fork out the money that some places (Michaels, Joannes, Walmart, Target, Ocean State Job Lots...) were asking for them. But THESE beauties...cost me $20 altogether.

This is the finished product! I added in some artificial sunflowers that were $3 for 16 of them as well as $1 artificial berries. I added in the pheasant feathers that I already had from prior wedding crafting that were left over, with the exception of my bouquet in the middle which has real feathers from the birds that Justin hunted in the past.

Not too shabby, eh?

A few more DIY crafts and rustic decor!

This is my DIY card box...well, crate. I bought the crate at Walmart for $8.00, stained it myself with mahogany wood finish and used left over burlap and lace ribbons to accent. I bought the flower and the "B" from Michaels craft store for only $1.00 each. I made the pennant banner from twine, card stock and stickers. I like how it came out!

 I spent DAYS working on these votive candles. I bought them at Michaels and they came already in the glass holders so all I had to do was get creative with all my bits and pieces of ribbons, raffia and mini fake pearls!...The part that sucked was that after all was said and done I realized that I put so much work into them and no ones even going to care! At least they will look good in photos. I have no idea what I will do with them yet as my current plan was to put them on tables as part of the centerpieces, but my centerpieces have since been changed and these wont fit in! I think Ill just put them along the head table instead. Maybe one in front of each bridesmaid and groomsman!

 

 

This was a quote I found and loved. So, I bought the stretched canvas for $3 and got to painting! I used acrylic. It is currently hanging in my house right now and just will be placed on a small easel at the wedding for display...after, it will be able to go right back on the wall! 

 

This is one of the main focus's for the centerpieces. Day of, it wont have the lid on. We are going to fill it 3/4 with water and then float a cream colored candle. Just a mason jar wrapped with raffia and with colored glass beads in the bottom :)

 

This banner was a pain in the @$$ to make, and it didn't even turn out the way I wanted or expected it to. Burlap is SO hard to work with. I wish I had researched it more. Knowing what I know now, I could have made the cutting and painting easier if I only knew how to use the crap! I made a few different mistakes. A) There IS a difference between utility burlap and craft burlap. I thought I was being smart by buying a huge roll of burlap from the Tractor Supply store....more of it and more cost effective. Come to find out, the threads are looser so it comes apart easier and doesn't cut well....BUT, B) If I had known to wet the burlap with a water spray bottle or to spray seal it first, it would have cut a lot cleaner. I almost want to throw the darn thing in the trash and start over with CRAFT burlap! But, a few friends and family members have seen it and really like how messy it looks because it adds to the shabby chic of our wedding theme.

This votive candle holder, I found at Walmart. I FELL IN LOVE with it. It didn't have a price tag so I took it to the register expecting the worst but it was only $14! Total steal for something I loved so much. It will go on the head table in front of Justin and I <3

Setting the Mood

We are getting married on Sept 13th 2014, in the backyard of a friends home, which is a sentimental place for us because its the same place we first met as well. Our theme is inspired by the beautiful fall foliage New Hampshire has to offer in the autumn months. It could be hash tagged under rustic, vintage, shabby chic, country.

Our friends home sits on a little hill side surrounded in trees, a small pond and a beautiful view of the mountains off in the distance. His home is already a source of natural beauty so we wont need MUCH decorating and hope for a perfect blend of ethereal ambience for our guests to enjoy. We have rented a high peak pole tent with soft inner lighting and tablecloths the warm color of copper.

We plan to incorporate burlap, lace, artificial pearls and berries, rich colored silk flowers, mason jars and other vases wrapped in ribbons of deeper reds, burnt oranges, browns and pops of yellow.

My fiancé is an avid hunter and fisherman so we wanted to add in some personal touches to make it truly us in a sense. It was his idea, after seeing my pinterest wedding boards, to do the pheasant feather boutonnieres. The idea of using the feathers from the real birds he shot scared me as I didn't want to ruin something he worked to get, so I bought some from michaels to practice with and found them to be surprisingly very easy! Rule # in DIY weddings, DONT underestimate your ability to fashion something amazing! Its bizarre what can be created when you know how much it means to you!

I was shocked my garter came out as good as it did in this photo. First shot, I think I did pretty decent. I got the elastic lace and fabric ribbon from Joannes and the ribbon from Walmart. I found the feather pendent on the free rack at my work. It was like it was meant to be! I used blue thread to sew the pieces together so there's my something blue.

Unity candle sets can easily go for 40 bucks and that is just ludicrous to me. Again, ribbon and burlap was bought at Walmart and the candles, base and candlestick holders all at the Dollar Tree. I made this set for about $5.00 all together. Works for me!

Gettin Hitched!

We are getting married! Finally! This whole wedding is going to be one big DIY project. My inner creativity is going to have to shine through to try and create a beautiful day for us and for family and friends to share as we are bound in holy matrimony! Pinterest has been a big help and so have other friends who share in the DIY wedding spirits! Its coming along slowly but surely. Just wanted other brides out there to know with a little elbow grease and some creative juices, that you can create some really awesome one of a kind things for your big day. Super easy and budget friendly for the most part, you cant beat it! Enjoy!