just married decor

i've been quite busy this past month with preparations for a very special wedding we celebrated last saturday for this couple.  there were so many great ideas that the bride wanted, to add that special touch to their theme which was beachy vintage. 

i thought i'd share a few projects i worked on for the wedding.  most of the pics are staged on our property, both before & after. i was so preoccupied that i didn't take pics prior to the  wedding...ugh.   however, i did hand my camera to a groomsmen's wife and she included some of the decor in her picture taking (thanks erin!) 

this wedding was done on a very low cost budget.  i am very proud of these two for committing to start their lives without any wedding debt.  most everything used to decorate was either a bargain, low cost, re-used, borrowed or already owned. (my kind of decorating!)

first on the list was the table numbers that you may remember from this wedding.  some of them came up missing afterward so i had the task of remaking 3 of the numbers.  not much of an issue except that i couldn't find the file on either my desktop or laptop computer AND i couldn't for the life of me find the font that was used on them.  no problem, i would just use a similar font (as suggested by bride) as they would be on separate tables anyway.  but lo and behold, for some reason i had made a copy of some of the numbers and tucked it in with the iron-on transfer sheets.  the remarkable thing about this is that the exact three numbers i needed were the ones on this copy!  now if that isn't a God thing!
the vintage canning jars were filled with sand and a handful of sparklers for an evening send off for the bride and groom.  the centerpieces were layers circles of seafoam green, sand, seashells and candles.  several hand printed box of matches were on the table as well.

next was a bunting banner made out of burlap left over from the above mentioned wedding.  the bride wanted one for the gift table and one for the head table.  she chose "just married" and of course "gifts".  black lettering was the choice of color and looked great against the burlap texture.

the bride wanted to use vintage items in the decor. canning jars with wire bales in both aqua & clear were used for centerpieces & to hold the bouquets, various galvanized tubs held water bottles & ice, and a retro suitcase was used for holding cards.  

a mini banner with the word "cards" was a later addition but was simple & made from items on hand.  i had a strand of chipboard letters on jute spelling out "christmas" that i took apart.  i made a "d" from a thin heavy cardboard and then glued vintage dictionary pages to the fronts.  i personalized them by using pages with words related to a wedding: love, vow, marriage, kiss, and wed.  i restrung them on black & white bakers twine with added mini clothespins to clip the banner to inside the suitcase lid.  a small vintage embroidered round tablecloth and an authentic fishnet was added to the inside to add some pop & texture to the plain lining. (see above pic)

another decorative element that was on the "to do" list was a picture board made from a large empty frame (in my stash but purchased from hobby lobby clearance aisle).  i drilled holes on each side of the frame and wove vintage sissal rope through and across the opening.  to add some seaside touches to the frame, starfish were tied on the corners.  upon placing pics on the board, it was decided that a backing be added to direct the eye to the pics and not the easel or background behind.  i found some linen-like textured fabric in my stash and stapled it to the back of the frame.  you could also use burlap or coffee bags for another look.

a few signs were made to direct guests to their seats and to the wedding which were made from leftover fence pickets.  the word, "wedding" was stenciled onto the pickets (thanks to my cricut) and then a font from the computer was traced onto the wood for "reserved" and handpainted.  the wedding signs were cemented into empty paint cans placed inside sap buckets and then covered with sand.

the most important project that the couple wanted, to exude some beachy-ness was a trellis.  after seeing a pic of the "look" to achieve, i set out to do my homework.  lowes had rustic poles for less than $7 each. we needed 8 along with 8-inch carriage bolts/nuts.  once i sketched a pic for the mr., he and one of the groomsmen got to work building the trellis.  it took about 4 hours spread out over a few days to get the project to completion.  once they were done, the bride and i took a trip to jo annes to find ivory tulle and ivory fabric for the backdrop. 

measure twice, cut once

it's helpful to have good tools,
extra batteries on hand, along with some
kickin' socks & workboots



mr.1829 and a groomsman checking out their project

the completed trellis waiting for the bride and groom

if you have any questions as to the making of any of this decor, just send me an email and i'd be happy to help out.  these decor items are not our original designs but gleaned from many ideas & pics found on this wonderful world of blogs that we all share delight in.  we, of course, added our own personal touches to make them unique & personalized for our son's wedding.

thanks for stopping by,

*thank you for not copying or using my pics without written permission,

and please give credit where credit is due.

Linking up to:

a fall wedding and decor

hi buds...

life has been SO full as of late and time has flown by so quickly, so...

with out further ado, i'd like to share what i was up to in september as an october 2nd wedding loomed on the horizon.

here are my finished projects that were commissioned by the bride for her bridesmaids as well as decor for the reception.  the bride is a dear friend's daughter, who also happens to be a dear friend of my daughter. (got that?)


 a ralph lauren tablecloth purchased at tjmaxx was partially used for all of the purses, polka dot & muslin for lining, vintage wide wale rust corduroy (from my stash) along with 3 clearanced fabric samples (black check, black stripe and green quilted). large chunky zippers, magnetic catches, and vintage buttons added to the eclectic mix.  the fabric flowers were attached with safety pins so that they were removable.

count them...10 purses-each different with coordinating fabric
(click on pic to enlarge)

next came the table numbers which were influenced by rie at home and harmony (love her style).  i used an ink-jet t-shirt transfer paper, a favorite font that i typed up in my word processor and ironed on the numbers due to a time crunch. 

believe me, the thumb was a bit numb after all that close trimming i did around each number before ironing them onto the tag

i added a small piece of interfacing at the point of the rivet hole to add strength to the burlap.

each of the tags are a double layer that are zig zagged around the edges.  rie helped me with that detail so that the tags were sturdy and would hang nicely.  about 4 feet of jute string was cut for each tag so that it could be wrapped around the neck of the vintage mason jar.

set up -day before wedding 

floral & burlap squares were added to each table for an added punch of color and texture.  two ralph lauren tablecloths were used for the tabletop (and purses) that were purchased at tjmaxx for $19.99 each.   the burlap was purchased at joann fabrics with a 40% off coupon.

wedding day with florists final touches

a centerpiece grouping

topiary centerpiece

full view

  

 and finally a vintage frame takes on a new look as a chalkboard menu. 

the frame was a sweet $1 purchase at a yard sale. 

it was originally an antique gold but i dry brushed it with apple barrel goose feather craft paint.  mr. 1829 cut a piece of luan to fit inside the frame, which i painted with chalkboard paint.  the burlap wire-edge ribbon was from ballard designs (purchased after the holidays last year).  my son's gf helped out by writing out the menu so i could finish the sewing. 

we used a vintage wood art easel to display the menu.


frame before and after dry brushing
(center frame pic is true before color)

chalkboard menu

i will leave you with some pics from the wedding reception which was held in a carriage barn built in 1809.  it was such a gorgeous setting for a wedding. 



taken the afternoon before - centerpieces still to be added

fresh flowers adorn the simple but beautiful cake

where does your garden grow (or is it go)?

entrance to the carriage barn at frog pond

a peek inside



fall decor

the bed and breakfast

(part of the rental package is an overnight stay)

sorry for the delay in my postings...

my dad has been in hospital, rehab and now home but with many issues for my

family to deal with since september.  we are all fatigued, to say the least, but blessed that he is getting better and still with us.

have a wonderful fall weekend

a little bit of this & a little bit of that

i recently finished a project which was a gift for a dear friend for her birthday (a monumental one at that).  the original picture was purchased for $1 at a yard sale a few months ago.  it was a 1/2-inch thick wood laminated etched picture.  it was in sad shape but the size of the frame was perfect for what i had in mind.

before:

it took a. lot. of. work. due to the learning curve i was on.  the decision to remove the laminate from the back was NOT a good idea but what's one to do when you're already knee deep into the project...well, you just. keep. going. and HOPE that your mistake will develop into something better!  

i first removed the frame from the wood picture before beginning on the torturous laminate removal.  with some much needed help from mr.1829 and his trusty side-kick "blowtorch", the last bits of laminate were removed in no time.  

then once sanded, wood puttied (due to the laminate not wanting to let go of the wood AND being a bit too aggressive with the scraper) and chalkboard painted, it was well on its way.  with the addition of a little bit of this and a little bit of that from my stash of "junk", it is now a message center for her kitchen.   some of the inspiration for the elements was found via an online google of chalkboards (silverware hooks) and pottery barn (the burlap pocket).  i added the stenciled corkboards, modge podged clothespins, and scrabble tile pushpins for some funky detail as well as the yardstick border.

it was such a fun project from inspiration to design to completion...especially since it was for someone near and dear to me..."my 12th".  

you may be wondering about that number 12.  It began oh so many years ago when i came across this writing by terri camp, which i had emailed to my bff.  here is an excerpt below that explains it all.

my twelfth best friend by terri camp

...i'm guessing at this moment you are pondering how someone could actually want to claim the title of another person's twelfth best friend.  is it because i am so popular that she has gotten in line with all the others who claim "best friend" status?  is it that she is just so happy to have me for a friend she is willing to allow herself to be considered my twelfth best friend?  no.  the fact is, she had to get in line behind my family. in the best friend line, first comes Jesus, then Steve, then my eight children, followed by my dear sister, which leaves my next best friend in number twelve status.  you know, Jesus had twelve best friends, so i guess it's okay if i do too...

my bff has 9 members in her family, thus the number nine after their name.  she has a wall on the side of her pantry that i sneakily had one of her children measure to be sure it would work...it was a perfect fit!  i love it when that happens.  with the addition of heavy duty picture hangers, wall anchors and a set of chalk ink, it was finished.   

if you have any questions regarding any of the "how-to's" for this project, just shoot me an email, i'd be happy to help.

project supplies:

gorilla wood glue
gorilla super glue
modge podge
craft paint (for stencils)
5-inch stencils
scrabble tiles
thumbtacks
yardstick - cut to fit
corkboard tiles
chalkboard paint
chalk (for prepping surface)
burlap
vintage silverware: knife, fork, spoon
mini clothespins
old hymnal pages- cut to fit clothespins
chalkboard eraser 
chalk ink markers
picture hangers & wall anchors


linking up to Funky Junk Interiors SNS#45 & #69

 The CSI Project  and Transformation Thursday