DIY: Burlap and Lace Rustic Wedding Vase

Phew! It's been awhile but I'm back. I've been haunted by the desire to get back to writing and most importantly creating new pieces for the last phew months.
Now that my family is finally settled into our new beautiful home here in Atlanta I have finally been able to start creating and start a few article concepts.

I've been focusing a lot on honing in on my niche. Who am I designing and writing for? How do I fit into her lifestyle? I now have a much better grasp on my customer and I'm really excited to show you what I've made for her.

Meanwhile, with the loss of so much of our stuff in hurricane Superstorm Sandy it became hard to recognise what we still had and what we need to pick up. For Mother's Day my dear sweet hubby gave me two dozen roses and I realized that we no longer owned a flower vase. At firsts I used the plastic pitcher but then I spotted a milk carton in the recycle bin and got this idea for a cute and quick vase that can be used for center pieces and other table decor.


                                                      This is what you will need:                                                                                          

Cardboard milk carton
Burlap
Scissors
Glue gun
Lace
Other decorations and doodads

1. Neatly cut the top off your carton. Measure your burlap by lining up the top edge of the carton with the clean edge of your burlap and wrapping it around your carton. Add about a half inch to the length to be safe and cut. Make your length cut by measuring the length of your carton and adding two inches.

2. Because burlap has so many spaces, only hot glue horizontal lines at the far sides near the corners to reduce glue exposure. Start with just one line of glue and press your burlap on the carton making sure everything is lined up correctly. Wait till your first line is dry before you move on to be sure that nothing shifts while you rotate the carton to the next side. Once you put down the glue pull the burlap tight with one hand and flip over the carton with the other pressing down for 10 seconds. Do this with all four sides.

Tip: I was able to get rid of the exposed glue by rubbing the hot edge of the gun nozzle along the edged of the carton.

3. Cut flaps on all four corners of the bottom of the burlap.

4. Glue the bottom flaps down, doing the opposites side first (as seen here).

5. Fill in any gaps that may appear at the top of the carton with glue and smooth burlap to the sides.

6. Add lace or any other decorative pieces that suite your event.
Tip: Because lace has even less space to glue down, I glued into the small circles that are in the middle of the pattern and placed small pearl embellishments over them to cover the exposed glue.






Well I hope you like my first official DIY. There will be many more to come. Please let me know if you have any questions or need any clarification for any of the steps. I'm glad to help!

Free Manzanita Tree and Shells

When I first thought about writing this entry I had yet to see the damage that was done to our home by Hurricane Sandy. It's hard to find a silver lining for the fact that I am officially "displaced" due to 3 feet of water that flowed throughout my entire house. Now that I am settled in my parents home in Boston, I can see the extent of the damage in the New York area from a distance of sorts and am deeply affected by the families who are without power during this winter season.
 I sat on finishing this post due to the fact that there are so many devastated families and neighborhoods on the northeast coast. In some ways it would be insensitive to write about collecting twigs for a wedding that at this point is probably canceled due to the fact that many venues, let alone homes are ruined. But being as that I'm obsessed with DIY and helping others save money during these trying times I wanted to share an idea I had while watching for falling branches during my first coffee run after the Super Storm Sandy. Brides-to-be in the northeast who desire a wishing tree for their special day and are still able to celebrate their nuptuals should try to salvage large sections of the fallen trees in their neighborhood. Start looking for long wide tree branches or saw some off of larger sections. In my opinion I wouldn't worry about stripping the bark off. Instead I would sand down any particularly rough patches and just paint the whole thing for a clean consistent look. Try to look for branches that have the most width, which will make for the most drama.

Here is a great Manzanita DIY from Wedding Chicks which also includes a free wish card template made especially for card stock. You can also checkout my previous Manzanita post to get some centerpiece and decor ideas.

Martha Stewart Weddings

Those of you who live near beaches can also take advantage of the seashells and driftwood that has been cast ashore from the storm. Above is an image from Martha Stewart Weddings site. They painted a branch from a Manzanita tree to give a beautiful coral effect. With a smaller piece like this it would be much easier to strip the bark of any type of wood to attain this smooth look.

Do you have any creative twig ideas? Share them with us!

Money-Saving Monday: Pronovias Inspired Etsy Dress

Wonderxue

Pronovias

Ok, I've been MIA for a few weeks but I'm back with your money-saving Monday find.
I am a proud member of the Etsy handmade and vintage community and wanted to be sure to feature my fellow handmade artisans and designers. This week I would like to feature a handmade seller, Wanderxue. This impressive shop has a great selection of designer inspired dresses and low price-points.
It was hard to pick a dress to show you due to the large number of dresses already reserved. I fell in love with this Pronovias inspired gown the second I saw it. I actually like the Wonderxue version better than the designer version. The sweetheart shaped feather bodice covered with white feathers, and tulle skirts makes this piece truly ethreal. And at a price of only $388 it fits any  budget.

Anniversary Special

Last Wednesday was my husband and I's 3rd wedding anniversary. Because of our busy schedules we were not able to do anything romantic. A tender and kiss and hug had to do for the day, but we made plans for a date this coming weekend.

Just last night I found myself looking at pictures from the last three years and realized how drastically things have changed. When we were married I was still working in The City in the fashion industry, but was soon laid off. I was also pregnant at the time so we opted to get married at the courthouse and save money for  our new family.We had a reception a month later in the event room of my sister's building in midtown. Back then and even now I am so glad that we did it the way we had. I don't think that I would have handled the stress and excitement of planning and executing a wedding very well at that stage of my life.

You would think that writing a blog about weddings and making couture veils would cause me to long for a grand affair with all the bells and whistles. Actually I am just as excited if not more excited about being a part of so many other people's weddings. To make something that speaks so intimately to a bride that she wears it for the world to see is my dream come true.

This veil pictured above is the veil I made and wore to the courthouse September 25th 2009. It is not only the anniversary of me and my husband's day of matrimony, it is also the anniversary of my love affair with beautiful bridal things. So cheers to Beyond A Veil! May we have many many years and memories together.

Love, Kiara

Money-Saving Monday: Manzanita Tree/ Wishing Tree

So I bumped into this great discount craft supply site while researching my Babies breath post. The site Save On Crafts sells everything  from preserved flowers to LED lights from 20% to 50% off of retail price.
I clicked on their "specials" button and was delighted to see a faux 4' Manzanita tree for only $45. This tree, which usually sells for $120, comes black but can be easily painted any color to fit your wedding decor.

With Halloween just around the corner these pieces can be used for a Halloween themed wedding or party. Or how about brown for an autumn themed affair with flowers dotting the branches with your wedding colors. My one main tip would be to wrap a plastic bag around the base to protect it from paint splatters. Then consider painting the base also incase the black looks to severe with your new look.

I would personally paint it white and add some salt while the paint is wet to give it a whimsical winter look to it. Then I would hang crystals to a few of the branches to add elegance. What would you or will you do with these great buys?

Here are some ideas I found on Pintrest.

Cheap & Chic: Babies Breath

I once read a quote that said something along the lines of "If I spent as much time finding a mate as I do planning my wedding on Pintrest then I'd be married by now". With constant images of lavish weddings like the Kardashians and the millions of images on Pintrest its hard to not desire a million dollar wedding. This is why Babies Breath is one of my favorite flowers. It covers a lot of space, is very inexpensive, has a clean almost whimsical look  and is very easy to maintain. I did a bit of research and found that the wholesale site Whole Blossoms offers the best price by bunch. 10 bunches of 6 stems is $99.99 with free shipping.

Babies Breath or Gypsophilia as it is technically called has three different types of styles:

Million Star

There is the "Million Star"variety which is used most often for bouquets and garland because of its small clusters that have the appearance of star clusters.

New Love

"New Love" has the same clusters as its sister but the flowers are a bit larger and it has a longer vase life. 

All images from Fifty Flowers

I couldn't figure out what exactly is the difference between this "Party Time" variety and the rest but it was offered on one of the wholesale sites that I found.

Below are a few of my favorite ideas that I found on Pintrest and other various blogs around the web.

Munster Rose Blog

I'm in love with the idea of gluing doilies over colored paper. If you are having a lace theme wedding then this  idea can be used for flower girls and snack holders as well as aisle decor. 

Once Wed

I found this gorgeous garland DIY on Once Wed. There you can find the template for the birds and a detailed description of how to make it. I think that this idea would also be great for holiday parties and any types of showers (baby or bridal).

Munster Rose Blog

This look is so easy. Just mason jars and various trims or yarn make this rustic but chic. Again the doilies on the tea lights add to the simple elegance of this style shoot.

Are you thinking of using Babies Breath for your wedding? what ideas or images do you have in mind for your dream day. Share with us on Facebook! How about you Like us while you're there!

Book Review: Adornments by Myra Callan

Image: Amazon 

Myra Callan, designer and creator of Etsy superstore Twigs & Honey has made a living off of beautiful things. If you have browsed any bridal or wedding blog and especially Pintrest then there is a good chance you have seen her work. And just as I was aksing myself "how do you hand make flowers?" My answer was given in the form of this extremely informative and exceptionally beautiful book. 

Twigs & Honey 

In Adornments you are given trade secrets by one of the handmade communities biggest stars. Everything from petal shaping to feather stripping is described in detail and illustrated by her gifted friend and photographer Elizabeth Messina.

The book, however, is not for the novice crafter. I would recommend this book for an individual with intermediate to advanced skills. Some tools and supplies, such as a millinery iron and various clips and headbands, should be purchased before approaching any project.

Because I am a big fan of Myra Callan and her growing empire I am very excited and happy to have preordered this book. It is of course available on both Amazon and Barnes & Nobles websites at this time. When you get a chance check it out and make something pretty for me!