{bottle}d up art

over the weekend, my fiance and I headed to Toronto. it had been quite some time since either of us had been to the city, and we were quite surprised at how big and lively it was. we went to dinner, and afterwards met up with some friends at the Loose Moose. while we enjoyed sitting in this sports bar, I found the most amazing light fixture, and I couldn't take my eyes off of it all night.


this light fixture started at the beginning of the bar, and went all the way to the back. it was made up of Jose Cuervo bottles, Tabasco bottles, and Corona bottles.

of course this fixture started the wheels turning in my head... how is this made? how do they have the bottles hung? what are the main supplies? how could I make this myself?

the best part about this fixture is that it could easily be recreated at home, on a smaller scale of course.
the lighs used were regular light bulbs that the bottles were placed around to allow the light to shine through.

the bottle were hung using the lids from the actual bottles, except for the corona bottles which had some other lid attached. a hole was drilled through the top, and a long rod with some sort of stopper was placed through the lid to hold the bottle in place. this rod was inserted into a hole drilled at the top of the fixture to allow it to hang. the rods varied in length to give the fixture dimension.

I wasn't the only one captivated by this piece of art. I saw several other patrons staring and pointing at it. even my fiance was impressed by the creativity. this would be a great winter project to add to a "mancave". with a few supplies, this beautiful piece could be yours!

hope everyone had a happy & safe weekend!

{tie}d with love

one of my favorite things is baker's twine. this simple twine with white & an alternating color really spice up a craft project, gift, card, etc.

as with the colors, the possibilities are endless. head over to Etsy to find some great supplies or inspiration. or if you would like, here are a few items to get your project started:

{outfit}ting our love

while I have many of the main items checked off on my list, the next item to take care of is the engagement pictures. I simply cannot wait. my fiance and I are not ones to love having our picture taken, but I am looking forward to capturing us as a couple, and to have those pictures to show our kids and grandkids!

as with any upcoming event, I've been thinking non-stop about the outfits, style, and overall feel I want these pictures to have. I know our photographer Amy, from Pure Amour Photography will do an amazing job, and I probably don't need to fret about these details.. but it's me!

as I have been preparing for many other things summer, I have been on the look out for the perfect pieces to wear during the engagement session. so far, I have only picked up one item:

this fancy little number was only $19.80!

this dress is so romantic, and I think that is the vibe I want to go for: soft & romantic. while I am not worried about finding the perfect outfit for me, I am concerned about what I'm going to be able to get my fiance, Nick, into. there are many cute ideas out there, but most of them he would not go for.

as always, I head to the internet, and my favorite blogs to find some inspiration for what I'm looking for:

I found several amazing pictures that I wanted to share with everyone.



i love the casual feel of these pictures. I would definitely love to be comfortable and cute



this romantic setting, and outfits grabbed my attention right away





these letters are so cute! i'm thinking about recreating these with our initials or wedding date.



this is the closest to my little pink dress I could find. I definitely love the blue printed button up with the feminine dress.





i love the preppy outfits on these two



this is simple, cute, and so romantic!

I adore this dress, and his suit. I think my fiance would love to wear this outfit, and I know I would loove a dress like this!

I really think my fiance could handle a simple button-up to feel casual, but yet still look quite put together.

these little letters are so adorable. this could easily be done to match the wedding colors, season, and just about anything!

I cannot wait to show these to my fiance, and get his opinion. I think that we could pull something like this off, without making him feel too much like a Ken doll.

let love {light} the way

as I look around for inspiration, I often find so many neat ideas for table numbers. there table numbers can be framed, painted, stitched, mirrored, fabric, wood, floral, and anything you could imagine. my favorite seems to be illuminated table numbers. this can be done with luminaries, lanterns, or candles.

               

                                                                                                                                         

since my fiance and I set our hearts on a winter wedding, I have always envisioned lanterns being a part of the decor. I searched all over the internet, and in stores, to find a lantern that was afforable and nice looking. I finally found a great lantern at Ikea for only $6.79 (normally they are $7.99, which is still a fantastic deal!). these lanterns are even more substantial than I thought they would be. so I headed down to my local Ikea, and purchased 30!

ever since I've had these in my possesion, I have been dreaming of how I will use them. I had orginally wanted to create a luminary similar to these ideas:

this is a great project that uses cardstock glued together with a letter or inital cutout

this number lantern can be created using this template.

this cute little project can be used using frames, hinged together, or inserted into a lantern. print photos onto vellum paper, and voila!



as always, it occured to me that I could use my lanterns as the table number, and create something by either painting,  using vellum printed numbers, or adhering decals to the lantern to create the perfect table number for all to see! I've decided to use the picture below as my inspiration, but I will not forget the other ideas, nor should you!

once I have made up my mind, and created my final product, I will be sure to post pictures of what I end up with. Happy Tuesday!

                                                                                     

{uncommon}ly fab baby gifts

so, it must be ADD, because he is another post. I guess I’m already in vacation mode!

my boss would be thrilled to know that he sparked this posting. he came in today with a catalog from a place called Uncommon Goods. this might be one of the best places to find a gift for someone who may have everything. it has quirky items that kind of remind me of some things you might find in SkyMall, but much cooler.

I have so many friends/family who have had babies, or are having babies, I think 5 right now. I am always on the lookout for something cute & different to gift to the baby and mom-to-be.Please keep in mind that some of these items are pricey, but that shouldn’t stop you. Take these idea and start Googling, or go to Etsy, there is sure to be something out there similar. Here are a few cutesy things that I will definitely be picking up in the future:

ride ‘em, cowbaby

for all of my college friends

for every little princess

young & edgy

a beautiful box to hold wonderful treasures

born with class

little baby girl sandals

perfect for any prince or princess

carry those little prints next to your heart

a nice personal touch

a manly diaper bag

porn for new moms :)

there will surely be more posts from this website! if you have a couple of minutes, definitely check it out. I can’t wait to see what else I fall in love with!

{LBD} Lovely, Beautiful, Detailed

I'm off to Chicago for a bachelorette party for my friend Stephanie! the weekend should be beautiful, 85 and sunny all weekend. We have quite a list of events, and it should sure be a lot of fun. All of the girls going have decided to wear black all weekend so that the bride stands out. i LOVE black! I often find myself buying black shirts, dresses, sweaters, and it's not like I really need anymore. however, since this is a bachelorette party, I felt I wanted to spice things up. I'm still a conservative/classic girl at heart, so I needed something a little sexy, but still classic. I loved the pieces I chose, and loved accenting with colored jewelry(turquoise, coral, gold) from my giant jewelry box.

I decided to go to another fave site, Polyvore, to check out what was out there and to get a little more inspiration. All the items I looked at were under $50!! here are a few of my favorite things:

I looove animal prints when wearing black!

a little edgy, but definitely something fun & sexy.

simple. classic. done!

big, costume jewelry is something I cannot live without. perfect accent to any solid-colored dress!

jewel toned

About a month ago, I ordered the bridesmaids dresses for my wedding. They are beautiful, romantic, and most importantly, very flattering. The dress if from Dessy, and I would recommend any of their dresses for style and price!

of course since I'm obsessed with detail, I have been mulling over what jewelry should be paired with this dress. should I go simple? should I have big jewelry? small? sparkly? or none at all? After looking at a few things online, I decided I was really drawn to the Swarovski pearls. I was drawn to the beauty, luster, and affordability!

As always, I headed to my favorite site, Etsy, to try to find someone who would make some amazing jewels for my bridesmaids. I was stunned at how many beautiful handmade pieces were out there to choose from. If you love these pieces as much as I do, just click the links, and you will be taken to the Etsy seller's page.

earrings

   

bracelets

   

necklaces

   

while I think that these are very affordable considering their beauty, I have decided to use these to create my own jewelry. I think there will be a lovely sentiment in giving my 'maids earrings, a bracelet, and a necklace made by me.  I have sourced many of the pearls, crystals, spacers, and findings from Fire Mountain Gems, an online bead retailer. once I decide which one of these I will create, I will surely share my product with you!

...to be continued...



{DIY} Hanging Candle Holders

for my wedding reception, I don’t think there could be enough candles in the room. I dream of the room glowing, and filled with romantic light. since I got engaged, I have been scouring the internet for beautiful ways to incorporate candles into the table settings. one trend that I could not resist, but was Manzanita branches with hanging candles.

                 
as you may have figured out, I’m a girl on a budget. this is not necessarily because of financial reasons, but I’m always dedicated to creating and buying based on the best product for the least amount of money.
in order to create this look for my wedding, created by me, I was going to need several items to complete this project:

• Manzanita Branches
• Vases
• Candle Holders
• Wire (20 or 22 gauge)

early on, I spent time searching for affordable sources for these branches. I found the best prices to be from Blooms & Branches. this site offers not only affordable options for Manzanita branches, but many other decorative needs. I also liked this site because it offered instructional videos on how to arrange, and care for your branches. I ended up purchasing Manzanita that had been cut into pieces, as it would be easier to arrange in a vase.

here is a tutorial on how to arrange your branches

the candle holders proved to be the part of the project that I am having the most trouble with. hanging candle holders can be found all over the internet for about $1.99 and up, depending on the size and style. I was determined to find an affordable solution for less than $1.99. this proved to be a little more difficult to find candle holders to use to create the hanging holder. in order to make sure the wire stays in place, the straight candle holders will not work. you must find something with a lip or one that opens larger at the top than the bottom.  I searched the internet, and was feeling a little down that I might not be able to pull this off.

then it dawned on me…. JARS! I had seen the tutorials on how to create hanging mason jar candle holders, but this was too large for what I wanted to accomplish. however, shrinking the size to fit a tealight or votive would be perfect! the jar provides the threading to hold the wire in place, and still gives the illusion of being a candle holder. I again went to the internet to find a source for my tiny jars. I found a site: Speciality Bottle. This site has many different shapes and sizes, and most under $0.75/jar.  I narrowed my selections down to two:

                                                                               

the jar on the left starts out at $0.48/jar, and the jar on the right starts at $0.54/jar

now that I found a source for the jars, it was time to move on the other items. next stop: wire. as it turns out, wire is really cheap, and without spending more than a couple of minutes, I found 15yds of wire for $3.97 at Widget Supply.

I estimate that I will use 1ft-1.5ft for each candle holder. to create the  holder with the wire, please look at this video:

 

so after this is complete, the only thing left to get are the candles. Ikea has 100 tealights for $3.99. with the candles, and the supplies I have listed above, each candle holder is going to cost $0.60-0.66/holder. That is 70% less than what these are selling for on the internet! I couldn’t be more pleased with my findings.

I have not done this project yet, as my wedding in still 6 months away. when I do create these lovely little gems, I will be sure to post the pictures!