Vintage photos

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Project Wedding: Place Cards & Table Numbers

I wrote a post many months ago about place cards and the endless possibilities. I did quite a bit of research here and there, looking at ideas, and finally decided to make them myself. I wanted to do something clever -- like attach the cards to vintage keys or coordinate the place cards with our wedding favors in some way -- but I honestly was running out of time, so I decided to go the simple place card route, with an added touch of my own personality and style.

I went to Michael's to see what crafts and supplies I could find, and discovered the endless variety of stock paper they had! Aisles and aisles of it...all kinds of different decorations, colors, patterns, you name it! I must have spent over an hour just looking through everything, trying to figure out my game plan. And if you know me, I am paper obsessed and take it very seriously. :)

If you're a bride-to-be, you may already know that Michael's has an entire aisle devoted to weddings — invitations, favors, candles, guestbooks, etc. They had their own place cards as well...and believe me, I was very tempted to just buy those and not make my own. But they were oh so dull, and I wanted a pop of color and creativity!

I finally found a book full of beautiful card stock paper — in patterns of black & white, seafoam green, lavender, deeper greens, and creamy whites. The best attribute? The paper was double-sided, which meant when folded, you could see two coordinating colors complemented each other perfectly. It worked for our color palette — natural hues that were understated yet elegant. I decided I'd buy white card stock as well, to adhere to the tops of the place cards so as to write guests' names and table numbers.

Arriving home, I settled all my purchases onto the dining room table — my craft table for this project — and started cutting out the paper to match the width and length of average place cards. After cutting out 10 or so, I realized this was going to take a bit longer than I had planned. We had around 130 guests coming, which meant my "craft hour" had just begun! After cutting all the different place cards in coordinating colors, I started gluing the white card stock onto the folded placecards. This was much faster than the cutting part!


Once I was finished, I placed them all in an empty stationary box (with the loveliest pattern), and they waited there until I was ready to write names of guests and table numbers. This is where it got tricky.

Mike and I sat down with his parents to discuss the seating arrangements....who would be sitting with our bosses? What about our beloved aunties? Should we seat the bridesmaids and grooms at Table 3 or Table 4? It took a good bit of time, but eventually we had a seating chart everyone was happy with. Here are a few photos of the finished product at the wedding. Bobby Hill and Mark Arrington of BobbyMark's Designs decorated this table with leaves and birch branches for a rustic, elegant look!

spotteddogphoto.blogspot.com

spotteddogphoto.blogspot.com

spotteddogphoto.blogspot.com
As with any project, you never know just how it will turn out until the very last moment. With the placecards, I was thoroughly pleased — plus, they were handmade and took much more thought than simply buying pre-made cards! But I wasn't done yet...to go with these lovely place cards, I needed table numbers. My plan was to match the color palette and the card stock I had used for the place cards. Only that project took quite a bit longer....

Thank goodness for my sister Laura, who helped me create these bad boys. There were 16 tables in all, so we needed 16 table numbers. We started by tracing hand-drawn numbers onto the black & white card stock, then cut them out. Next we adhered the cut-out numbers onto a full piece of card stock that had a colored background — so the numbers would pop!





It doesn't sound that time-consuming, but it actually was! If I didn't have Laura's help, it would have taken double the time. To add to this, we started making these table numbers the day before the wedding! Ahh, wedding craziness....you gotta love it!

But the result was beautiful — we had 16 lovely, handmade table numbers that coordinated with each place card's color scheme. So that when a guest would pick up their place card, they would be directed to the table that a.) matched their table number (obviously), and b.) matched the colors they held in their hands. Delightful! Thank you, Laura, for all your amazing crafty help! Here is the finished product — displayed on the bride & groom's table!

spottedogphoto.blogspot.com

Friday, January 20, 2012

End of the Week Inspirations

I hope everyone had a lovely week and is ready for a refreshing weekend of relaxation! I am so excited to start the weekend, as it is my 26th birthday on Monday, the 23rd, and there will be moments of lovely celebration I'm looking forward to in the next few days!

But, before everyone departs from their computers — as I am prone to do over the weekends — I wanted to give you a bit of inspiration that popped up here and there for me throughout this week! I love moments like those — where an image will spark an idea, and you can just revel in the beauty of it all.




This Parisian dinner evokes wondrous ideas that will inspire wedding decor and reception ideas! I just love the billowy fabrics and the way it just falls on the street (although I can only imagine how dirty it will be!!) This image just has a certain je ne sais quoi

ebeautyblog.com
This gorgeous "Princess Braid" is actually pretty easy to master — with a bit of practice of course! It's so wispy and elegant. Would be a perfect complement hairstyle to an empire waist gown! 

Grace Kelly

I am so enamored by Grace Kelly — her radiance, her style, and her natural beauty! Her style has such refined elegance, that I'll look at images of her whenever I need my own personal dose of inspiration!

isa2.stylemepretty.com

These ribbon-backed reception chairs give off a whimsical, feminine flair that is so easy to master. For small receptions, you could decorate all the chairs in this way, or for bigger parties, just the bride and groom's seats. 


oncewed.com
How darling are these herbal boutonnieres?! These are perfect for a spring or summertime wedding — they'll smell splendid while you wear them and are an inexpensive alternative to floral boutonnieres. 


reasonstobreathe.tumblr.com
This would be the ultimate place to have an outdoor wedding, wouldn't it?! (Of course, not in the road obviously.) The vibrant colors of the trees and the pink petals covering the ground is just breathtaking.

myfotolog.tumblr.com
 This vintage post box would be a great addition to a wedding reception....stick little favors inside, family photos, engagement photos, bud vases, trinkets, candles, and more into the little holes and you have an enticing little treasure-filled box guests can have fun with.


kissthegroom.com
What a clever little idea for a before-wedding-getting-ready shot? Dainty, with a touch of vintage. Kind of reminds me of The Secret Garden, no?


yellena.com
I can't get enough of this color scheme — the blues, greens, aquas, and lavenders complement each other so lovingly. Has a mysterious vibe to it as well that is so captivating....a Klimt painting comes to mind also! 


Well, there you have it. Another week's worth of goodies and images that will hopefully make you smile and foster some inspiration in your own creative worlds! Until next time!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Invitation Keepsake Ornament

When Mike and I got back from honeymooning in Los Cabos, we spent an afternoon unwrapping all our amazingly generous gifts from our wedding guests. It was like pre-Christmas with all those gifts spread before us. We had a ton of fun and we discovered so many lovely presents that we were so excited to use. Among those gifts, Jennifer, one of my Maids of Honor, made me a beautiful Invitation Keepsake Ornament -- just in time for the holiday season that was around the corner. There was such creativity and thought put into it, that I immediately wanted to share it with the world!

Here's what she did:

- She took our Wedding Invitation, and cut it into long, thin strips, carefully cutting between the lines of the invitation so you could still see the wording on the page. She then curled each strip of paper around a pencil, so that they became dainty little curlicues.

- She then placed the curled invitation strips into a clear plastic ornament, placing them so that you could see the intricate design detail and the invitation's wording through the ornament.

- After tying a ribbon around the top so as to hang on a Christmas tree, mantel, whatever, the ornament was complete!

This past Christmas, I proudly displayed it in our home. However, since I thought it such a darling craft idea that is fun and simple to do, I asked Jennifer if she wouldn't mind writing up the directions and submitting it to Sophie Magazine, the magazine where I work. She was very excited to show off her idea, and it was published in our December issue of Sophie.

Be sure to check it out, and make one of your very own Keepsake Ornaments!! You can use not only wedding invitations, but baby shower invites, birthday invitations, anniversary cards, photos, even pretty card stock! I've included a photo of the craft spread that was published in Sophie Magazine -- with steps and photos to follow. You can also check it out by clicking here: December Crafty Girl


It was such a sweet way to use our invitation to remember our wedding by. It is something I'll cherish forever! And every Christmas, it will be placed on our tree. :)