{ jessica and dylan } march 23

I'm so excited to share that our vintage furniture made its debut at the wedding of Jessica and Dylan.  They celebrated with family and friends at the home of a family member outside of Reedley.  The yard was gorgeous and formed a beautiful backdrop for their tall cream fabric curtain.  We added some of our gilded frames along with hanging cotton.

I loved Jessica's bouquet - we used white peonies, cream cabbage roses with touches of grey dusty miller leaves.  Jessica's bouquet was finished with cobalt blue ribbons.

{ megan and matthew } march 23

What a gorgeous day for Megan and Matthew to get married out at Wolf Lakes Park. The isle decor for the ceremony….soft full hanging arrangements with long colorful ribbons and lined with white rose petals.

Under the pergola, lots of little vases filled with flowers to surround where the bride and groom had their unity sand vases.

The bride's bouquet….

The bridesmaids bouquets….

The soft pink flowers really popped against the bridesmaids teal dresses.

For the photo table, we added a few floral arrangements….

For the centerpieces, half of the tables had lanterns and small vases surrounding the lanterns filled with flowers….

And the other half of the tables, the hanging arrangements used for the ceremony were moved to the reception area….

{ carrie and eric } march 9

I was so impressed by how effortlessly Carrie pulled together her and Eric's sweet wedding.  They held the ceremony in a family members backyard, east of Clovis.  Carrie incorporated many fun bright and pastel colors to create a fun and whimsical celebration. 

My favorite element at this wedding were these pretty wine bottles for the aisle.  My best friend had seen this idea last summer and I've been waiting for the perfect wedding to use it.  We added lace to clear wine bottles, filled them with blooms and attached them to sticks with twine - the bottles lined the winding bridal aisle.  The family later took these to the reception and used them as

additional decorations for the head table. 

{ DIY Terrariums and Cloches }

It's official...Spring is here.  To celebrate the arrival of this season I organized a special project for my bible study group.  We worked together to create mini terrarium's that we gave away as gifts.

These terrariums are easy to assemble, not very expensive and so pretty.  Wide containers are a bit easier for this project but any container that will hold dirt and water will work.  For my samples I used a clear salad bowl, trifle bowl, mason jars and vases.   Small plants work best - scale is important.

If you would like to make a centerpiece or something pretty for your windowsill you might want to consider adding a glass cloche to your terrarium collection.  Cloches or clear bell domes are glass domes traditionally used to warm soil.  They are quite popular right now to highlight small collections or to cover special miniature plants.  I found mine at an antiques store.  If you want to try a DIY cloche chose any type of glass vase - turn it upside down and glue a decorative bauble on top.  For oneof my DIY cloches I glued a bright green drawer pull to a standard rose bowl.

Under my antique glass cloche I decorated for Easter using a plastic child's lamb with a small "lambs ear" plant and moss.  The plant is potted in a small votive candle holder.

For our small terrariums we used several sizes of mason jars.  If you'd like to make your own first add a thin layer of small pebbles to the bottom this helps collect water.  Next, add about an inch of potting soil.  Then select small flowers to plant in each - for our mason jars only 1 flower fit in each jar.  (For my larger bowls and vases about 3 plants fit into each.)  Use a small spoon to add a bit of soil around your flower - so that all the small roots are covered.  To finish each jar we used small paint brushes to "dust" the flower and to clean the inside of the jar.  Add cute ribbons and tags to personalize your gift.  You may want to add care instructions - terrarium needs a light spritz or a tablespoon of water about two times a week.

The ladies did a wonderful job decorating their gift tags with rubber stamps and cute ribbons.

{ vintage rentals - grey wing back chair }

Our pair of petite wing back chairs has been reupholstered and are ready for show-and-tell!  I say petite because when I sit in them they just feel a bit smaller and ultra feminine. The before shot...

Here it is finished with a light grey-silver faux velvet fabric.

Here is a detail of the wood legs...

These lovely ladies are available for rental for photo shoots or for events.  Please contact Amy for further details.  And one last shot of my "design crew".  Yes they are never far from mom.  (Notice the orange carefully set atop the bird's crowns).  Nice touch.

{ centerpiece in a box }

I wanted to share a project I did today - I think it is a great gift idea for the special friend in your life - especially if you are looking for something unique and different.  Today I put together a little gift for one of my sweet sister-in-laws.  She has the sweetest home and four adorable kids.  She has many wonderful traits - one that always touches me is how warm and inviting her home feels.  As family members, friends and gaggles of kids parade in and out I know that she always likes to have something pretty on her kitchen table. 

To send a little love and cuteness her way I put together "Centerpiece in a Box".  With Easter approaching I decided to do something that says spring.  I incorporated a few artificial kumquats to symbolize the oranges that she and her husband grow, along with lavender and a couple of bird's nests. 

I know she also loves candles so I decided to make that the central focus of the arrangement.  To make your own unique candle holder or vase I used a bell shaped vase - any round vase will do as long as it is taller than your candle - and added rope.  Start with a squeaky clean vase - turn it upside on your work surface.  With your hot glue gun start at the bottom and glue the thick rope around the outside.  You only need a dab of glue every few inches.  Keep winding the rope tightly as you move upward.  I only wanted a touch of rope so only the bottom 1/4 is covered.  (This look also works great in the summer with sea shells).



{ thicker jute rope was used for this project - thicker than the twine I usually use}



A cute watercolor spring table runner will help anchor the centerpiece on her table and is very versatile.  I found this one at Target.  {Yes it's washable!}
I packaged up everything in an old wooden box and tied with a pretty ribbon.  If you don't have a wooden box - wrap a sturdy cardboard box in plain brown paper - a neutral backdrop allows your gift to shine.

{ chippy paint door }

I love this door.  I found it at our local Habitat for Humanity Restore.  They collect building materials and resale them.  The proceeds from this store add support for their building projects.  To achieve the distressed look I removed part of the paint.  I had planned to remove all of the paint but as I went through the process I discovered this pretty champagne paint color so I left it at that point.

The door can be placed on saw horses or wine barrels to be used as a table for desserts, guest books or even a small table for two!  I am renting this for $40.