Going to the chapel... Finally!

So, as I wrote in a previous post, my sister is finally getting married in August after being with her fella for going on eight years... And I have just finished their wedding present...

My sister doesn't know that I write a blog so I thought it would be ok to show off her wedding gift...

My sister likes everything very modern and chic so she can be a bit of a nightmare to buy for because if it isn't 'just so' then you know about it! However, her fiancé has no problem with most things so they balance each other out!

I wanted to make them something that was unique but also timeless that, hopefully, they would keep for years and years. So, I came up with the idea of using a box frame and tiles to create their initials and the date of the wedding...

For the backing I went through my huge collection of papers I have got from magazines... My collection is HUGE because I don't really make cards but you never know when they could come in handy...

I chose a very simple and classy paper, cut it to the right size and stuck it to the back of the frame. The tiles were bought from Etsy from a shop called Button Lane (who were super quick and easy to buy through). The letters were from my stash!

And here we are... A present fit for a wedding? I hope so!

Glitter and feathers...

Just a quick one this evening... I finally found my other creation with feathers for hair...

I particularly like this one because of the sparkle...

This is also on etsy...

Butterflies and bling...

So, I may be getting a bit of an obsession with fascinators ... I seem to want to make a lot of them but  I then have to sell them because otherwise the house will really be over run by feathers and bling!

My latest creation is another one with butterflies but this time to go on a hair clip which I picked up and thought might make a nice headpiece.

I did a lot of different drafts of this one as I could not decide which side the feathers should go on.

All the feathers are stuck on with silicone glue which, I have to admit, is one of my new favourite things... It seems to work with everything and doesn't have the white residue that seems to be left when using superglue.

I am really pleased with the results - so pleased that it is now for sale on my etsy page (see side bar for link!)

Definitely more of a back-of-the-head accessory rather than a side one!

A second one will follow... I just can't find the picture...

Again, this is available in my etsy shop!

Black hats and feathers...

It is now high wedding season so it is fascinator time... But I always find that it is better to make your own!

I love hats and head pieces - regular readers of my blog will already know this! And I also thought that my etsy shop needed a few new things on it...

So I created this... The base piece is a small black hat with a ribbon rose on it attached to a hair clip... I loved this but thought it needed some feathers to make it look a little more snazzy!

I did experiment with adding some diamonte to it to see if that made it even better but decided that it perhaps didn't need it!

So... Here it is... It is now available in my etsy shop (see side menu for the link) - I am a little gutted that I am selling it but my house already has many, many head pieces and hats so this one has to go!

Gartered!

In the run up to my wedding I realised that I didn't have a garter to wear.

By pure chance there was a simple pattern for one in the magazine 'Simply Homemade' that month and all you needed was a couple of lengths of ribbon, a length of elastic and some pretty embellishments.

The most tricky bit of this project for me was getting the elastic the right length sat needed to sit comfortably on my thigh but also not itch or be too tight - especially if I was planning to wear it on my wedding day!

Once the elastic was measured I set about sewing the thinner ribbon on the main ribbon and sewing the embellishments on.

The two lengths of ribbon were then sewn together and the elastic was then threaded through the ribbons and the elastic was attached together.

The lace was added as an extra.

The finished product was used on my wedding day - a little personal touch of mine - something that was a part of me that I had made myself!

A bed of roses ... Book review

With everything that is currently going on in my life it was imperative that I had a book that was pure escapism and something that was light enough that I could dip in and out of when needed.

 Nora Roberts specialising in these kinds of books. And 'A Bed of Roses' was just he kind of escapism that I needed. It is actually the second book in the bridal quartet series but worked quite nicely on its own. 

It is set around a wedding planning business called Vows which is run by four close friends who all have a particular skill in wedding preparation. This book mostly focuses on the character of Emma who is in charge of everything to do with flowers. Emma is lovely and falls for commitment phobe Jack whom she has known since childhood and Emma has to learn to come to terms with the idea of falling in love with such a man and whether he can give her the fairy tale ending that she so deeply desires.

 This book was perfect for my mood - cosy, beautifully likeable characters and a happy ending which will make you feel gooey inside. If I find the others of the quartet on my travels I may get them as I want to find out what happens to the other three of the friends.;If you like a fluffy romance with a happy ending this is the book for you.

Variations on a theme...

My husband bought home a blue macaw feather from work thinking I would like it for one of my projects. He guessed right.

With a few weddings around the corner it was time to give another fascinator a go.

I already had a few more feathers, a flower and another butterfly (bought a long time ago and it never quite fitted in anywhere) so this was going to be a low budget project.

I experimented with quite a few different ways of arranging the feathers and settled on the design below. Again it was all fixed with super glue.

I hope that I get to wear soon ...

Fascinating Feathers...

I love a wedding. Unfortunately I haven't been invited to many because I was the first of my friends and family to tie the knot. However, a couple of years ago me and my husband were invited to a black tie wedding down in Bath (a five and a half hour drive with a bit of time added on to check why my car was drinking oil - if you can picture a couple in a tux and long evening dress under the bonnet of a car on the M4 then you get it!)

Anyway, as it was black tie I didn't want to wear an embarrassingly big hat but instead opted for a fascinator to compliment my long red silk dress. However, to find a delicate fascinator in the colours I required (and that didn't cost a small fortune) was quite a feat. So I decided to make one.

I knew I wanted a flower and some feathers in either black or silver. So I headed to Claire's accessories. I turn 30 in a couple of weeks but will still be found in this tween-angers dream shop racking through the sale items. Usually then to dismantle them a couple of hours later and turning them into something else. I love it... Even if it is embarrassing to admit it!

I ended up buying a small silver rose with a clasp on the back and a couple of pairs of feather earrings.

I used the rose as my base. I dismantled the earrings (I loved the spotted feathers) and arranged the feathers behind it. I glued them in place using super glue. CAUTION: when using super glue watch your fingers but also be careful to hide where you have glued as it can leave a white residue when dry!

I also dismantled an old hairband that I wore to another wedding (and had been dubious about my choice ever since) but I loved the butterflies on it so took them all off. I placed one on the feathers at an angle and then glued it in place.

I then left it to dry for 24 hours.

I was pleased with the final result and wore it to the wedding as planned. And got lots of compliments. So in future I plan to make my millinery wear... And see what I come up with next!

Claire's: http://www.claires.co.uk

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A little bit of love...

My sister recently got engaged after many years of dropping less than subtle hints to her then boyfriend. I am genuinely delighted for her as I know she will enjoy the whole wedding planning thing - especially the trying in of wedding dresses as she has been dreaming of a wedding for at least the last ten years when our mum got remarried and she hoarded my mothers discarded wedding magazines for months afterwards!

I wanted to give them something that was unique for an engagement present that they would be able to put on a shelf in their new flat (which they hope will materialise in the coming months).

I have spent quite a few months experimenting with decoupage and papier mâché letters that you can get. I love letters that spell out words in a house (though I have been banned from having any of these in our house) so I give them to other people.

This particular set of letters came from hobbycraft and was boxed (but could be purchased separately).http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/hobbies/papier-mache/mache-letters-and-numbers

I gave them two coats of red acrylic paint. The papier mâché absorbs a bit of the paint and needs quite a thick layer so the brown doesn't show through. The next problem is how you leave them to dry. My advice is place them on a tiled surface that won't stain... I left mine on newspaper so had to go over the places where the newspaper had transferred on to the letters.

To give the letters a bit of a nice finish I lavishly brushed on some Mod Podge   which comes in all types of sheen such as Matt, gloss and shimmer. It is inexpensive for the amount of crafts it enhances and it especially great for sealing and for decoupage.
  I then left the letters to dry for 24 hours.
I am an impatient soul at times so this is probably the hardest bit for me!

When it is fully dry apply your sequin hearts. Mine came from pound land I think and around this time of year glitter hearts are ten a penny with it nearly being Valentine's day. I stuck the sequins on with super glue. Other glues would probably be suitable but I don't like to leave anything to chance.

Again leave everything to dry and hey presto! A 'Love' sign. An exciting and creative present or
valentines gift if you wish.

Please let me know if you try this. I will let you know if my sister likes it. Fingers crossed, she 
will!

Mod Podge link: http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/plaid-mod-podge-matte-8floz-236ml/569311-1001