Washi Tape Party Skewers

I am helping to host a bridal shower this weekend and part of my responsibilities is to bring the fruit.  We decided on using both fruit skewers and a bowl of fruit as well.  To dress up the skewers a bit, I pulled out my stash of washi tape (several of which I picked up at Dollar Tree), a pen, scissors and a pack of bamboo skewers.

First, I marked the skewers at the length I wanted them to be.  The skewers were all different lengths to begin with--I didn't worry about that, although it would have been easy to even them all up, I suppose.

I scored them with some old scissors and then broke them at the markings.

Lay the tip of the skewer on the washi tape

then wrap it around and seal it shut.

Using the scissors, I snipped a small "v" in the end of the tape creating a little flag shape.

As an added bonus, the tiniest little ladybug you ever did see visited me while I was working on these out on the deck.  Doesn't that mean good luck??

Wedding Weekend - Day Two

Our weekend down in Baton Rouge was filled with lots to do, one of which was the Bridesmaid luncheon that I was hosting with our Flea Market Friends.  Friday morning, I met the other hostesses and we stopped to pick up some flowers for the table decorations.

With supplies in hand, we headed to Houmas House to get things ready.

We arrived a little early and the tables weren't quite ready in the Burnside Cafe', so we had a chance to browse the nearby gardens for a few minutes.
 


Of course, the grounds are just beautiful, with plants and flowers of all varieties, as well as fountains and koi ponds.



Once the tables were ready, we quickly worked together to set out the decorations.  I brought a variety of bottles I have collected (and used for Callie's wedding, as well as my own), crocheted doilies, small crocheted flowers and a blue, mercury glass "B" (Maegan's new last initial) for each table.  We also included a photo of Maegan as a child on each table--some of which were of her playing dress-up as a bride!   We placed the favors at each seat while Esther put the last minute details on the cake, which was beautiful!!

The food was wonderful and it seemed like a nice, relaxing time for all the ladies.


That evening, many of us "out-of-towners" joined Valine's family for an outdoor dinner.  While dinner was being prepared, I finished sewing the garter, made from the fabric and silk flowers from Valine's wedding gown.



Her brother, Scott, spent the day cooking a big pot of Pastalaya


and his wife, Melanie, made a cajun corn dish--Maque Choux (pronounced My-shoo)--which was new to me.


It was such a nice time---not too hot and so great to just relax and enjoy friends and family.





Little Bit sure would have liked a bite or two!!

A Rustic Wedding---the DIY Details

Hey!  Remember me?   Of course, I know that YOU know why I've been absentee for a while, but I'm back!  With lots of news and lots of pictures!    So, I might as well get started with the best part---I got married!   April 13, 2013 at 10:00 in the morning.  Despite some questionable weather earlier in the week, we woke up to perfect weather Saturday morning.  In fact the whole day was perfect!!  Surrounded by our families and our very closest friends, Ron and I got married and we couldn't be happier!!

Of course, there were lots of DIY elements--it just wouldn't have been "ours" if there hadn't been.  The Red River Wildlife Refuge had become a special place to us, as we love walking the trails and picnicking there, so it just seemed like the right spot.  You can't reserve the place, so we knew that we would be taking somewhat of a chance as far as having other visitors wandering through, but, it seemed worth the risk (and it was).

When making plans to have the ceremony there, we decided first of all that the wooden benches they have scattered throughout the grounds would be great for seating.  Knowing that we couldn't drag enough from around the lake for our event, Ron and I decided to make some ourselves to add to the ones that would be readily available.

A good test of your relationship is definitely to embark on a DIY project together.  We quickly learned that we have very different ways of "seeing things"----I am very visual and can picture it all in my head as well as sketch it out while Ron is very analytical.  I draw a picture and set to work, knowing exactly what needs to be done---he measures angles and distances and needs to see the actual product.  Sooo, after I sketched things out and drew a pattern for the angles, we took another trip out to the refuge to measure the angles and be sure things were correct, then set to work.






In the end, we made 9 benches and they turned out great!!!

After the ceremony, we kept a couple benches for ourselves,  and left the rest there for the refuge to use.

Having an amazingly talented graphic designing daughter has certainly come in handy more than once.  This time, I was able to give her some images that Ron and I liked for invitations, along with some personal "tweeks" that we wanted and Jana came up with invitations that were absolutely perfect!  I mounted them on kraft paper cardstock and lined the envelopes with scrapbook paper.


I LOVE the way they turned out---they were just right for the "rustic/vintage" vibe I was going for.


Even Ron got in on helping to put things together, but cutting all the lace for me.

Another "paper design" Jana prepared for me were tiny mint packets---she, Callie and Tyler put them together for us the night before.

As guests arrived at the Refuge, they were greeted with a sign that we made from an old pallet I had laying around.


I also made a garden flag from burlap and trimmed it with a calico binding, using a freezer paper stencil and paint to add a monogram.


For the guest book table, we needed something somewhat portable that could be transported from the ceremony site to the reception site without too much trouble.  I whipped up a burlap table cover and then a small calico "topper" trimmed with lace from the invitations.


Ron drilled a couple of holes in a wood slice to use as the pen holder.  

My good friend, Vickie of Young Blooms, supplied the flowers for the festivities.   I wanted something to serve as a backdrop for the altar area and she came up with the arch you see below.  She used PVC pipe and branches from a shrub in her yard and wove some of the burlap, lace and calico strips into the design.  She assembled it the evening before with Dan steadying the stool that she and Peggy stood on.

It was perfect!


Wonderful friends hosted the reception/brunch that followed the ceremony.  They provided the food--I provided the decorations.  I found inspiration in a few pins on Pinterest and set to work.

I persuaded Ron, Jordan and Kirk to cut up some logs for decorations and I used my brand new wood-burning tool to add some embellishments and we had a cake stand and table decorations.

For the tables, I made burlap and lace runners, cut some circles of various sizes from calico fabrics I had on hand and added a crocheted doily on each table, along with a few glass bottles left from Callie's wedding.   Vickie filled them with flowers and we used small doilies as "coasters".





I also made burlap and lace flatware pockets---I love them!


Our reception site didn't allow us to throw anything such as rice or birdseed, so I looked for other options to celebrate our exit.  When I visited Valine the weekend before the wedding, she helped me combine dowel rods, jingle bells, strips of calico and lace to make the wands that our guests waved as we left the reception.

A
All of these elements helped to personalize our wedding celebration, not to mention how much money it saved.