burlap bags

Back in September I helped design and make the out of town bags for a friends wedding.  The bride loved the burlap bags that I made a few years ago so we did something very similar.  Inside were practical items that everyone seems to need when they are staying in a hotel; aspirin, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc.  Since I also happened to be a guest at this wedding I found that I used almost all of the items that were in the bag.  Later I also found out that one of the guests forgot his belt so he ended up using the rope from the burlap bag..... beautiful and useful!  Love it.

 

 

 

I am thrilled that my daughter's Halloween doll play date is going to be featured on Apartment Therapy today!  You can find it here. 

 

christmas love

My husband and I agreed not to give each other gifts this year.  Instead I decided to make him something.  I saw this ornament on pinterest and knew it would be perfect.  Basically you just take your wedding invitation and cut it into strips and put them inside of a clear glass ornament.  You can find more detailed directions here.  (This would also be darling with a baby announcement inside for a baby born near the holidays)  I also found some chocolates shaped like taxi cabs because our first kiss was in a taxi!  Just a little something at Christmas to remind him how much I love him.

anniversary gift basket

For this past weekends wedding I was also asked by the bride to make an Out of Town gift basket for her parents. I thought it would be fun to do a theme based on their own wedding, which was 34 years ago this August. I put in some daisy cookies (she carried a daisy bouquet) and a favorite bottle of wine called "Barefoot" with a post card of Bermuda - their honeymoon destination- on which I wrote... "for memories of walking barefoot in the sand in Bermuda." I included a sangria mix- which they served at their wedding reception and a Cat Stevens CD with "their song" on it. I wrapped the box in cellophane and attached some chocolate numbers to represent the number of years of marriage they will be celebrating on their anniversary in August. This was a very fun basket to put together and an idea that I hope to replicate again in the future.

Out of Town burlap bags

These are the Out of Town bags I made for my good friend, Elisabeth, from BLUSH. She had the most beautiful wedding at the Jonathan Edwards Winery in No. Stonighton CT this weekend. To welcome her guests to this fabulous event I used burlap bags to include home made cookies (made by the grooms mother) and personalized m&m's, among other things. I used craft paper and the couples custom wedding stamp to personalize the water bottles. Attached to the bags was an invitation to lunch the next day. I used a mason jar stamp for the invitation, hand wrote the party details and then had it color copied. The mason jar tied into the wedding details. Not only were flowers arranged in mason jars but, the bride & groom served the most delicious white sangria after the ceremony in them too! Look for more details from this spectacular event on Elisabeth's blog later this summer.

Out of Town "take-out" box

Did you know that I also offer Out of Town Baskets as a service for couples getting married in CT? I made these for a New Year's eve wedding. They were gold take out boxes filled with gummy sharks (the couple got engaged in front of a shark tank) for the "Sweet" and some sleepy time tea for the "dreams." There was also information about the weekend events tucked inside the box. I tied gold ribbon and star garland on the handles and hand stamped the message to their guests.

Style me Pretty!

I just found out that one of the weddings I did favors for was featured on Style me Pretty today! Check it out here..... I am beyond thrilled! You can see my previous post on the favors here.

Apothecary Jars

Usually you will find large apothecary jars filled with all sorts of wonderful candy and ornaments during the holiday season. But, have you ever seen miniature ones like these? I was asked to contribute some favors for a photo shoot in October that was coordinated by the amazingly talented Candice Dowling Coppola from Jubilee Events. She told me the table would be organic and natural with prominent colors of white, yellow, brown and green. I decided to use these mini apothecary jars which I filled with moss and edible meringue mushrooms. I used copper wire to make a whimsical spiral on the top and placed tiny monograms on translucent paper inside to tie them all together. The shoot was featured on Style Me Pretty and if you look really hard you can see the favors in the background on the dessert table. I adore these jars and am already thinking of other ways to use them for the holidays. What fabulous things would you put inside them?

Ring "Bear"er

These are two examples of fun gifts to give the littlest members of your wedding party. For the ring barer I filled a petite radio flyer wagon with a cute book, stuffed bear, snacks and fun retro toys. For the flower girl I filled a watering can with a camera, colored pencils and a rubber stamp with ink pad, all of which she can use to make a scrapbook of memories from the wedding. The green and white striped scrapbook and a book about being a flower girl are attached with a fun black and white polka dot ribbon.