love is in the details

One brisk, December morning I got a call from my friend Blake.
Blake: Hey Mia it's Blake, I was wondering if you could help me out.

Mia: Of course I can, what's up?

Blake: I'm going to ask Angela to marry me, and I need some help bringing my plan to fruition.  I want to create a vintage picnic in a grove of trees.  I've spent hours on Pinterest and I know exactly what she loves. I drove around and found the perfect spot, I just need help putting it all together.  I'm going to grab our favorite take out for dinner and her favorite cup cakes for dessert. 
I found these old light bulbs that I want to put flowers in and hang from the trees.  Angela will love them.  She also loves roses, birds, and vintage books.  Can you tell me where to find the perfect flowers and help me arrange them?

Mia: Count me in.

I hung up the phone and had weird thoughts, like even though I'm happily married, and probably old enough to be his mother, maybe I want to marry him!

So Blake came over to show me his pins and talk over some ideas. 

We spent a good part of the morning putting his plan in motion.

I had just rained for three solid days, but today the clouds parted and the sun came out. 

Blake was adorably nervous, but I assured him it was going to be perfect. 

He drove Angela to the designated spot, took off the blind fold, and read a poem. Every line was meticulously thought through.

Then he pulled a diamond ring out of his coat pocket and asked her to marry him. 

She said yes.

Angela and Blake's parents snuck over to congratulate them and I snapped a picture of her dad getting his first look at her engagement ring.  Worth 1,000 words.

With Valentine's day just around the corner, love is in the air.  I have two friends who are planning their weddings right now.  Such an exciting time in life.  With wedding planning comes wedding gifts.  I designed two note cards just in case you know anyone who is tying the knot too.  Click on the image to download and print.

On the 7th of January, my man and I celebrated our wedding anniversary.  He surprised me with a trip to San Francisco, booked a bed and breakfast in an old, Victorian mansion, took me ice skating in Union Square, secured tickets to the Michael Jackson Immortal Tour (which was incredible), took me shopping at all the local thrift stores, and was my personal guide on a culinary tour.  So blessed that after all these years, his desire is simply to make me happy. 

If I could give Blake and Angela a little advice, here's what it would be. I can't say we've never gone to bed with unresolved issues, or that I've always been a pleasure to have in "class", but after 17 years of marriage, here's what I know, for sure.

-Two unselfish people can always make a marriage work
-Agree to disagree (thank you Dr. Phil)
-Surprises keep love fresh and unpredictable
-Marriage is simply about two people helping one another reach their ultimate potential.

i do.

It's a big day for our dearest Nicole.  The dresses are altered, the suits are tailored, and the bride and groom are counting down the hours.  The wedding happens tomorrow morning and we're so thrilled, we can't stand it!!! 

Nicole has a handy group of girl friends, and each of us took on a small part of the wedding planning.  I had the pleasure of designing the invitations and doing the wedding flowers.  Nicole loves bright red and aqua, so she and I worked together to come up with an invitation that would represent her vintage inspired colors and decor, while keeping it clean and simple. 

How cute are these two? 

Nicole is a really uncomplicated girl and when I asked her opinion on the flowers, she replied "Just do it, I totally trust you." (my favorite response).  I thought a hand tied bouquet of roses, mums, and wild flowers would be just right for our girl.   

Making a wedding bouquet is probably easier then you think.  Here is a step by step tutorial in case you're feeling in touch with your inner Martha Stewart.  I ordered these flowers from a wholesale vendor, but you can order beautiful flowers from Costco or any grocery store with a florist.  Just make sure they're in season or you'll pay at least double. 

First, take the unwanted leaves off the stems. 

Make a small cluster of flowers.   For this bouquet, I wanted the flowers to look more asymmetric, like I gathered them from a field and tied them with a ribbon.

Tie the small cluster together with wire to secure it in place.  Working in stages makes the bouquet manageable so you're not working with too many loose stems at once.

Keep building on the small cluster, adding more florals, until you achieve the desired look and fullness. 

Wrap the stems in two places to secure the bouquet tightly in place.  Cut off the stems at the bottom to the desired length. 

Secure the stems together with whatever material you choose.  I started with a knot at the top, wrapped lace around the stems to the bottom, then back up to the top. 

Then I took a separate piece of lace and tied the bouquet at the top with a knot.

Add any kind of embellishment.  I pinned on a vintage, rhinestone brooch.

Easy and beautiful.

For the groom, a simple bunch of flowers and berries tied up with twine. 

For detailed instruction on corsages and boutonnieres, see our tutorial {here}.

Got to put the top coat on my pedi.  I'm a bridesmaid tomorrow and the girls are hittin' the town tonight!

mother's day rosette

 Corsages- Part 2

I took on the thrilling responsibility of coming up with a project that all the 12-18 year old girls at our church could make their mommas' for Mother's Day.  I wanted it to be simple enough that every girl could make it with confidence, yet so cost effective the girls could easily afford it.  After searching around for different ideas, here's what I came up with for under $3.

Having a hard time deciding what to make your mom? Look no further!

You'll need satin fabric, ribbon, a center rhinestone, two pearls, two rondelle's (ya, I didn't know what they were either, but they're those sparkly things with crystals around the center), and some felt. 

Cut three strips of fabric about 1.5" x 15" and cut three felt circles.  I made the center circle slightly larger then the two sides.

Put a dab of hot glue in the center of a felt circle and let it dry.

Twist and turn the fabric, gluing it down to the felt as you go. 

Keep twisting and gluing until you get to the end.



Clip the end off with 1/2" remaining, and hot glue the tail to the felt on the underside of the flower.

Make the other two flowers and then glue them all together. 

Still with me?  Ok, now feed the ribbon through the pearl and the rondelle .  Tie a knot at the end.

Hot glue the end of the ribbon to the rosette. Repeat on the other side.

Cut out and glue a felt back that will cover the unsightly scene going on underneath.

Glue an embellishment in the center of the middle rosette. And there you have it. 

 

Happy Mother's Day to all moms and future moms in blog land.  My neighbor, Jodi, recently shared this quote with me that I love.

"Motherhood is near to divinity.  It is the highest, holiest, service to be assumed by a woman". 
-David O. Mckay

For me, being a mother is challenging, and at times overwhelming, but it has also brought me pure joy.  Even when I'm typing research papers at midnight and cleaning pee off the bathroom floor. It's worth it.  

good prom, bad prom

Remember these?

You know, 20 years ago when you were invited to Sr. Prom.   Your date walked up to the door and  pulled a corsage out of a plastic coffin that rivaled an 80's wedding bouquet?  Well it's now 2011 and if we can do heart transplants, we can come up with a dainty and flattering wristlet that doesn't require it's own weather system.

This year I was asked to make some prom flowers for a few couples I adore.  I was determined to create a one-of-a-kind sentiment that could be worn with some dignity.  In case you have kids, friends, or neighbors who might need a corsage this year, I documented the making of one so you could DIY.! 

By the way, I priced these little babies out at the closest market and it cost 45.00 for a boutonniere and corsage.  Plus, they're just not good.  Me to the rescue!!

Here's what you'll need. 

Cut the stem off of three baby roses (aka spray roses) and insert a 10" piece of  22 gauge wire through the center.  Fold in half and pinch wire at the fold.

Tear off a long piece of floral tape.  To get it to stick, you pull it apart ever so slightly, being careful not to tear it.  Keep twisting it around the wire all the way to the bottom.

Do the same to the other two flowers and then stagger them in thirds and wrap all together with another piece of floral tape. 

Grab your foliage and wrap it together with floral tape.  I like to use wax flower, leather fern, and salal (aka lemon leaf).  They're inexpensive and easy to find.

Put the foliage with the roses and wrap them all together with floral tape.  Are you loving floral tape yet?

Make a bow out of ribbon (usually 1" or less in width).  Don't know how to make a bow?  There are lots of tutorials on you tube so  go knock yourself out.  Are you back?  Ok, twist some wire around the center of the bow and leave a wire tail.  I've used a very thin, white, covered wire that you can find at any craft store.

Use floral tape to incorporate the bow into the roses and foliage.

Feel free to embellish to your heart's desire.  I put some little rhinestones in the center of each rose, and a little sparkle in the center of the bow.  Who doesn't enjoy a little bedazzle on prom night?

Then I came up with a crazy idea....a ruffled cuff for the floral to nest on. 
I cut a piece of 4" x 18" (guessing) sparkly tulle and ruffled it on my sewing machine. 

I spent about 1/2 hour trying to decide how to get it to stay on a wrist and after messing with elastic, velcro, glue, etc. (I didn't want it to turn into a hot mess on the dance floor) I decided to sew on some thin, black, ribbon that would tie into a bow.

I attached the flowers and tulle together by wrapping wire around the floral stems, around the back of the corsage, and poking holes through the tulle, twisting the wire together under the whole thing.  I glued a round piece of felt on the wires so it wouldn't poke the princess all night long.  (If you don't want to make the ruffled cuff, you can simply attach the flowers to an elastic band).


Then I took the straight, floral wrapped ends of the roses and curled them around a #2 pencil like a pig tail. 

Here's the finished product.  It's lookin' kind of gigantic in this picture, but trust me, it was the perfect, dainty size for a high school senior. 

Oh, and the boutonniere is a piece of cake.  Just follow the first few steps and wrap the stem with ribbon before you curl the pig tail.  Don't over do it for the boys, less is more!

Here are a few others I made.  Lovin' the feathers?   




I put this one on a sequined, stretchy band found at Hobby Lobby, our local craft store. 



These can be made a couple days ahead and stored in a corsage bag in your refrigerator.  Lightly mist the buds with water to them to keep looking fresh.

Last weekend I made corsages and boutonnieres for Mason and Kyle who live down the street.  They've picked Brody up for school every single morning this year and I LOVE them!  I can't help thinking this time next year I'll be making a corsage for my own 16 year old boy.  I figure it's just enough time to teach him how to wear a shirt at the dinner table and stop holding his fork like a shovel.  I can't wait!

Stay tuned for wrist corsages- part 2 later this week.  I'll show you how to make this Mother's Day wristlet for under three dollars.