I’m on a roll, kids. Posting 2 days in a row. I’ve been teaching myself Photoshop & design using Pugly Pixels‘ amazing tutorials and PS resources. Check it out if you’re interested in upping your blogging game!
I put together a little holiday glam look book of items that would make any outfit more festive. Enjoy!
bow | necklace | ring | collar | earrings
Have you heard of pumpkin trees? I had not until I went to Trader Joe’s this morning. Apparently the cashier thought these were old news because when I shared my excitement with him, he flatly replied “we have these every year.” Ok, then. Sorry about that. We’ll chalk it up to being 9 in the morning, maybe?
Another Trader Joe’s employee that I talked to was a little more helpful and shared my enthusiasm. He told me that pumpkin trees are not pumpkins at all, but rather a relative of the eggplant. Go figure. He stressed that these should not be eaten, though a little Googling suggests that these are used in stir fry in Southeast Asia. Eat at your own risk, I suppose. They’ll last a few weeks, and the stems should be trimmed every 3-4 days.
I think they’re so fun to add a festive touch to an autumn centerpiece for a dinner party. They look great on their own, but these could definitely work as an accent in an arrangement, too.
Have you ever seen used these fun little guys? If so, how did you use them?
For our wedding, we knew that we wanted to have a dessert buffet with mini goodies so that our guests could try a sampling of deliciousness. We had a huge assortment of treats ranging from chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate mousse cups, apple pie pops, mini raspberry cheesecake, and mocha truffles. My goodness, I’m drooling just thinking about it. How embarrassing. We also had a small two-tiered strawberry buttercream cake with an adorable cake topper from Ready Go, which I fell in love with from the second I found her Etsy shop. Cute right? The Groom bears such a striking resemblance to my Hubs (I think it’s the beard!).
But I knew that all of our fabulous goodies would need just-as-fabulous display trays. Not finding anything that I loved for sale, I went about making my own. I did some antique shopping with Sarah in Hagerstown, MD this spring on the hunt for various items for the wedding. We hit the jackpot with a stuffed-to-the-gills warehouse that had so much stuff, most of it wasn’t accessible as there was just no pathway to reach it–other stuff was in the way!
I managed to find a great assortment of vintage china plates, platters, teacups, and sherbet dishes to make handmade cake stands and dessert platters for a garden-style dessert buffet that sat under a big oak tree in the yard we were married.
Making the cake stands is super simple. Pick out your plate/platter and a base. The bases can be anything from teacups, to candle sticks, to sherbet dishes, to milk-glass juice glasses. The sky is the limit. After making sure all of the dishes are clean, mix up a little epoxy, apply it to either the base or the underside of the plate (but don’t apply to both, it will make the epoxy less effective), stick together, apply pressure for a minute, and let dry. Presto! Super cute dessert plates that are personalized to fit your theme.
Guess what! All of these cake plates are for sale in my newly resurrected Etsy shop. Please do take a look and pick one up for yourself! Also, I’d love it if you would add my shop to your favorite shops, because I plan on keeping it stocked with all of the DIY projects I blog about.
[all photos by Stamp 48, except the first + last photo, which was taken by our wedding photographer, Red Shoes Photography]
I’m convinced that getting icing on cupcakes to look like it does on cupcakes sold at cupcake shops is about as easy as folding a fitted sheet. (No matter how many times I watch Martha demonstrate it, my sheets still ends up into flattened wads.) If you want picture perfect cupcakes, why not stick a darling cupcake topper on it? I ran across Knock Knocking’s Etsy shop, and love these cutie little accessories for your favorite little cakes. Voila, you won’t even notice what the icing looks like.
[photos used by permission from Knock Knocking]
The Fiance and I have racked up many miles together, so airport waiting holds a special place in our hearts.
[I love the new IND airport. Such great design!]
Last weekend, we headed to Indianapolis for a Vintage Bowling Bridal Shower thrown by my future sister-in-law, the lovely Krista. She put together an amazing party that was filled with so many people I loved from so many different phases of my life. High school friends, college friends, old church friends, Justin’s family, my family– what a fabulous combination. My heart was overflowing.
[Bridesmaids: Emily, Candy, me, Krista, and Erin. I'm a blessed girl!]
[all photos by Stamp 48]
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I would be having a few girlfriends over for a crafting party. With a combo like this, no one could have a bad time:
Oh yeah, we crafted, too. I hadn’t done any crafting in so long, so it was very fulfilling to break out the supplies for this. I made some Christmas gifts (hint: it involved etching cream), jewelry, and gift tags, while others made a wreath, painted with oil paints, made handmade cards, and beaded. It was a very productive morning.
My camera was a little fuzzy that day (odd.), but I was able to get a picture of the wreath made from an impossible-to-count amount of shatter-proof ornaments. How amazing is that? (Zanzibar seems to approve.) Stunning, Sarah.
In a couple of weeks, I will be hosting a few girlfriends for a crafting brunch (are mimosas and glue guns a dangerous combo?) to give us a chance to enjoy each other’s company while making some fun little DIY projects. I have a couple folding tables that I’ll set up and cover with Kraft Paper in my ever-so-spacious living room/dining room/kitchen so that we can spread out and do our own thing.
Here are a few things that I will be making for myself and for lovely little Christmas gifts or maybe some presents for myself:
