October & Crafting

My goodness, I can't believe how long it's been since I've regularly blogged here. This season of life has been full in so many ways (more thoughts on that later), but seriously, I've really missed sharing ideas here and keeping up with all my favorite blogs.

The team at Martha Stewart recently contacted me about sharing a craft idea this month, and my instinct is to pass on this type of thing (I tend to freak out and wonder what the heck to make, plus I don't accept freebies through blogging), but I just had a feeling this would be a fun push to jump back into blogging again (and it definitely was -- here I am!). So, they sent a box full of fall-themed MS craft products to create a project with, and after admiring all the goods, I'm planning to donate or pass them on after this. Here's what I put together!

I've had these tiny plain notebooks from the craft store for the longest time, and thought they'd be perfect to decorate as favors or small gifts. I used paper from the MS Halloween pad, which includes textured pages like awesome felted cats (which I cut & glued to one cover), and glittery star paper & other fun designs that I wrapped like book covers. So cute and simple to make!

I styled it into a little table setting using some things I had on hand: a blue table runner, pearly garland, a vase of gold leaves, and pumpkins. I used a MS mini punch to make pumpkin confetti (gluing some of them onto votive holders filled with glitter), and stuck their masquerade masks onto painted skewers along with gold ribbon.

It was fun getting a chance to put this together, so I might share another post using more of the supplies before deciding where to pass them on (thank you again to Martha's team!). And thanks, friends, for sticking by here. Happy crafting and especially, happy October!

My Best Friend's Wedding

Hey there, it's been awhile! I've been waiting almost a year to write that post title! My best friend, who I've known since we were just babies, got married a few weeks ago in June and it was a great day to witness. Planning with her and having the privilege of being matron of honor, the thing that stuck with me most was her entire approach to the day -- she was more focused on the people sharing in the celebration than on any of the little details. Yet at the same time, all of those little details still reflected her simple style and personality so much.

So, some of the "fun" details: her mom sewed white flag garlands that we strung up everywhere the morning of -- across the old Opera House for the reception, outside along the porch, and at the entrance of the church for the ceremony. Totally felt like a scene from Downton Abbey minus (most) of the drama. And since it was Flag Day, we also incorporated paper flags with lantern centerpieces. The chalkboard table numbers were a nod to the groom being a teacher, and the take-home favors included little bags full of nostalgic candy such as peanut butter bars and strawberry candies. It reminded me of all the times growing up that we would raid an old metal cabinet at her farmhouse late at night for some of those same treats.

I only have a few photos of the actual wedding day, but just like her shower, I will share a few more from the planning process soon. Happy July to any of you still reading along!

A Little Metallic...

I found these fun notebooks on clearance the other day to use as favors for a shower...they're doubling as some inspiration for our vintage & metallic theme, which I'm more jazzed than usual about (and hoping to follow up with decent photos of this time!).

Holiday Guide: Tabletop

There are holiday guides aplenty this time of year... two not to miss are In Honor of Design's Holiday Gift Guide (focusing on the handmade community) and A Subtle Revelry's online Holiday issue, both full of projects and ideas from some talented people.

I had the fun of making a few guides for the Holiday issue (above is a snippet of the Tabletop guide - see more here) and will share the other two over the next week. Hope you enjoy!

1. bottle & branch display - french larkspur, 2. mercury candleholder - west elm, 3. tablesetting - alison conklin, 4. mini trees - smile mercantile, 5. cookie trees - melanie acevado

Fall Pumpkins

We've never gotten into carving pumpkins, but ours did get a little spray paint upgrade this year! Drippy metallic on a peach gourd and spotty chalkboard black on a green one. Five minutes and done. And since there were some leaves blowing into our garage, those got painted too. Their shapes looked pretty in silver and matte black. Hope you had a happy Halloween!

(PS. On a much different note, sending prayers to those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Thinking of you all.)

Posting Elsewhere

This is long overdue, but I wanted to share a few other sites I've been happy to be apart of for some time -- contributing ideabooks for the home design site Houzz, and creating moodboards for a party column on the inspiring A Subtle Revelry.

Above is a peek at some of the boards. Victoria and I come up with themes together, I create the moodboards, and she adds thoughts to each post (all of them can be found here). The most recent board I designed includes a roundup of my favorite party fonts -- find the full post here!

(cake photo by elizabeth messina, font roundup here)

Weekend Bits

My brother came to visit from out of state this weekend, and we had a family wedding at the historic Lafette Grande. The top-floor ballroom had three levels of intimate seating, with giant chandeliers and narrow passageways; it felt almost like being on a ship! Aside from celebrating, we spent the rest of our weekend eating good food, talking, and wishing we didn't live so far apart.

(photos taken with instagram)

In case it looked a bit strange here yesterday evening, yes, I made the switch back to Blogger. It feels more like home to me after using it for so many years. I have a post coming up sometime with thoughts on both platforms and a few helpful tips & links I found along the way (sort of a part 2 to this post).

Easter Table

Last year Andrea and I put together this spring table setting, and I thought I'd share again with Easter coming this Sunday. The glittering cookies were based on a recipe from here, and I posted a little DIY for making the billy button inspired flowers here. Hope you have a blessed Easter! We're preparing for Good Friday tomorrow and a weekend of reflection, family time, and celebration on Sunday.

(photos by Andrea Dozier)

Spring In The Shop

Last week, I mentioned a spring shop update was coming, and yesterday it went up - you can take a look right here if you'd like. Going into the new year, this quote about simplifying stuck with me and I knew I wanted to continue refining the shop to better reflect my style, and my love for packaging, decorating, creating. I hope it inspires others to do those very things. And I'm excited to share this with all of you!

Crate Box Cone Display

I love how paper cones look displayed in mass. Last week, I noticed all of the evenly spaced holes on the bottom of an old fruit crate - perfect for sticking a bunch of paper cones into. I made a few miniature cones using various colors (aqua, pink, black, kraft, striped) and turned the crate upside down to create an instant display box. The crate could be painted or customized a little depending on the occasion, too, but I also like the casual look of it as-is.

As for the cones, there are many ways to make them, but one of the easiest methods (learned from Modern Paper Crafts) requires just some simple folding (shown above). Cut paper into a rectangle with a length twice its width plus one inch or so (I used a 2x5 inch piece for mini cones). Starting at the top left corner, softly fold the paper diagonally to the right three times, leaving excess on the far right side. Fold the excess over inside the newly formed top of the cone (this holds it all together). Fill with candy or confetti and enjoy!

Making Boxes

I bought a scoring board just before Christmas and have found it useful for many things, including making all kinds of boxes. I'd like to stop in at Hollander's soon to find some nicer varieties of paper, such as embossed or flocked, to make unique tray boxes for holding mail or other accessories, too.

The steps (shown above) are so simple and can be adjusted for any size box: 1. trim paper to make it square (3x3 inches for tiny boxes) and score all four sides (1 inch in from each edge will produce 1 inch box sides, and so on). 2. cut a slit into each corner, and fold along remaining score lines. 3. form into the shape of a box, adhering the sides using tape or glue. Below are a few of the boxes I've made - teeny tiny ones are definitely the most fun to make!

(tiny stamp box)


(st. patrick's day favor boxes)


(mini paper tray box)

Cake Art

Last night, I followed a link only to discover the most beautiful cake designs made by Hello Naomi. So lovely!

Dotted Dress

Speaking of sweet things this week: a beautifully simple dress and wedding in Italy (spotted on Chasing Heartbeats).

Paper Mache Bowl

A cool project on making gold frosted bowls, from the third issue of Styled. magazine.

gift wrapping.

Besides a roll of white & kraft paper that I always keep handy, the only wrapping paper I've bought in recent years is a pack of stars, stripes, & hearts from Ikea last Christmas. It pairs great with any type of recycled/found papers for a nice homemade look - anything goes. This year I cut up our TJ's grocery bags (they have cute free tags on the back) and then used the rest of it to wrap remaining small gifts, without worrying about perfect corners or avoiding excessive amounts of tape.

my sister's wedding.

Remember these plans for a bright, fall wedding? Well, it turned out beautiful and since it was for my sweet sister in-law (and friend since high school), I thought I'd share a few quick snapshots/thoughts from the day...

1. Us before the ceremony, she was beautiful and so relaxed!
2. Painted wine bottles with daisies as table centerpieces (we filled the hall with tall cocktail tables for a greet & mingle style dessert reception).
3. Cupcakes galore... and not pictured, the best ever ice cream cupcakes too.
4. Drinks table. We also had stations for specialty cheeses and fresh fruit. It was simple, casual, the real focus on spending time with family & friends. An awesome way to celebrate with 200 people!

black and white halloween.

photos by andrea dozier

There's something so exciting about all of the decorating possibilities this time of year (fall through New Years!). Last year Andrea and I did this little series of table settings for the holidays, trying to use the same neutral basics for each setting and adding in a few seasonal items. It was fun to do a twist on Halloween - a black and white party with polka dot fabrics, mini pumpkins, and little touches of gold.

floating centerpiece.

(images: little green notebook)

I know this is already making the internet rounds, but I like this thrifty table setting that Jenny from Little Green Notebook put together for a rooftop dinner party. Such a great use of cheap balloons! She even painted the pattern on the tablecloth.

handmade faves: potter + butler

This shop has the prettiest handmade creations for topping cakes. (above: pom garland, chalkboard banner, and cupcake flags).

a polka dot fall wedding...

My sister in-law is getting married in about 4 weeks and I'm excited for her. The date was just decided in August (!), so it's a short time frame to plan a wedding within, but I'm loving the simple theme: bold colors and polka dots. It fits perfectly with her fun, laid back personality.

Some of the details (with links to above):
polka dot garland, an ice cream bar + cupcakes for the reception, daisy bouquets + dark bridesmaids dresses, craspedias in the floral arrangements, and hanging lanterns in pink, yellow + orange everywhere.

(Update: a few snapshots from the wedding here.)