Green Apple & Pink Flower Arrangements

I happened to come across the May issue of Woman's Day magazine at the hairdresser on Friday and was just so drawn to the cover. It's not a magazine I usually read, but the combination of the granny smith apples and pink ranunculus was just so charming and pretty. I also have an affinity for pink and green. And it would be super easy to do yourself. With Easter just days away, I'm thinking of giving it a shot.

Photo: Occasional World
I also love this version of it with peonies (my all time favorite flower!). Look at how grand of a statement you can make with a dozen flowers and two dozen apples. These would be a very affordable DIY wedding flower arrangement.

Photo: Red Pearl Designs
And for a simpler version, just add some tea roses.
There are few things that make me happier than a beautiful, fresh flower arrangement.

Summer Wedding Inspiration Board

There are few things I love more than planning a wedding. It is so unfortunate that most of us only get to do it once in our lives. Well I know not everyone feels that way, but I sure do and loved planning my own wedding. But perhaps what's even better than planning our own big day is when someone walks into your home and says "We want to get married, and we want you to plan the whole thing."

I was so thrilled when a close friend approached me and asked that question a few months ago. First, thrilled that she was getting married to her wonderful fiance, but the offer was a very close second. While many might flinch or waiver, I just immediately started asking questions so that I could get a vision in my head as to how it would all look. This also happens to be the most awesome bride on the planet. She literally wants me to do everything. "My colors? I don't know. Ask Sarah." It's a designer's dream come true.

Now, I have the advantage of having known her my whole life and know her personality and style well. She is classic, but a whole lot of fun and I want the wedding to appear as though it could have taken place in any decade. Classic, classic, classic.

The few guidelines the bride and groom gave me were that they wanted a traditional New England Clambake for 250+ people at an outdoor venue this coming summer. They want it to be very casual, but also very nice. The bride envisions herself in an eyelet dress. And there must be croquet and bocce!

So the date is set for June 25. While these images aren't quite what we'll be doing (although the groom insists I find the above tie), I'm using them as my inspiration board. The colors are going to be light blues and white with a pop of lime, mostly in the flowers. Hydrangeas and peonies-my two favorites and hers too- will be bountiful, lanterns will fill the tent, and Adirondack chairs will be scattered across the lawn of Sweet Berry Farm, a local favorite spot with gorgeous westward views. And it will be strawberry season so picture that cake with a pile of the sweetest, juiciest strawberries you've ever seen. As more of the details unfold, I'll be sure to share them with you.

Dahlia Bouquet

I was having friends over for dinner on Saturday night so I was looking for some flowers for the table. I headed to my family's summer home where my aunts have pretty spectacular gardens, and as it is the season for dahlias and so many were in bloom, I naturally headed to that section of the garden with the clippers. There were about four different massive dahlia plants, but I stuck to the pinks (surprise, surprise). As I gathered them and then wandered about the house chatting and putting clippers away, etc. I was holding the dahlias as a bouquet and thought to myself, why on earth don't more brides use dahlias for their bouquets. They are so stunning and the color variations among one flower add so much dimension to a bouquet. I googled dahlia bouquets and it seems that florists are using them sparingly mixed in with other flowers, but it's almost not even worth it in my opinion because their visual impact is most striking when they are all gathered together. I placed this bunch in a square glass vase and they were quite lovely, but any of you brides who are getting married in August/September should seriously consider these beauties. Plus, they are available in so many colors! Lucky for me, there are still loads of buds on the ones I picked from so I think I'll treat myself to a new bouquet each week while I can.

Wedding Planning: Fall-ing Fast

I was so thrilled earlier this week when I received a call from one of my closest friends telling me that she had gotten engaged over the weekend. Yay! I am so excited for her, but I have to admit that every time I hear someone is getting married, I want to jump right in on the wedding planning (whether I'm supposed to be involved in it or not). I am pretty sure my obsession with it is a diagnosible disorder, but there is something about planning a wedding that is so different than just planning any party-perhaps it's the fact that people have a tendancy to just go all out for weddings. If I had the money to throw a full on sit down dinner party for 200 people once a year, chances are I would do it, but since I don't, I feel the need to live vicariously through anyone I know that happens to be doing it. And since my friend got engaged on Sunday and had the date and location booked on Tuesday (which is only mildly quicker than me getting engaged on a Friday and my mother having me in New York City at the Saks wedding dress sample sale the following Monday) I decided that it wouldn't be too soon to throw together my thoughts on a direction she could go in (should she so happen to want my input-not sure she does, but just in case) based on the few things she told me she had already decided or was thinking about 24 hours ago.

The wedding is going to be in late October of this year at Harvest on Hudson in Westchester county overlooking the Hudson River which should be absolutely gorgeous, and it will be a mid-day event. Based on the time of year, the one thing about the decor she has decided is that she wants to use etched pumpkins as the the table numbers. Based on that, I started thinking "rustic" along the lines of moss and twigs, partially because of their natural elements and partially because moss green and brown perfectly complement a beautiful shade of orange so that the pumpkins can be tied in very easily. Pumpkins and gourds are a perfect accent for events for this time of year, but there is always a fine line when you choose a wedding theme to take it just so far that it doesn't become kitschy. The pumpkin table numbers, some pumpkins scattered about the cocktail tables and monogrammed pumpkins (above) with the new monogram of the couple would be fabulous at the entry or on a stairway or mantle, and would be just enough to make the statement. Moss Covered Monogram Letters (top-and I actually found an image with my friend and her fiance's inititals!) by Spotted Leopard hung with gorgeous orange ribbon on the entry doors would set the tone.

Since I was thinking rustic and I keep coming across these bird's nest wedding accessories on Etsy, I thought this would be a perfect event to tie them into. Besides the natural aspect of the bird's nests, I think the idea of focusing on the love birds is also sweet. This small nest with chocolates (colors can be custom selected-I think green chocolates and orange ribbon) by nholt is the perfect table assignment/favor combination. The tag can read the guest's name and table number.

The nests could be on a table at the entry under two topiaries (maybe even moss covered ones) with a banner with the couple's name and date as seen on Martha Stewart.

This ringbearer's nest by Gardenside Studio is just too cute and is so much better than a satin pillow!

And just to make it all tie together, the groom and groomsmen could even wear bird's nest boutonnieres (but maybe sans feather) by Pomp and Plumage. I strongly encourage anyone planning a wedding to steer away from flower boutonnieres. I have yet to see one that has lasted long enough to still look decent in pictures so go with something that isn't so prone to wilting if possible.

My friend is thinking about wearing the wedding gown that both her mother and grandmother wore, but having it re-made to be a bit more modern. I think the unbelievable Kiss corsage by emersonmade could be a fabulous addition and be that connecting piece between vintage and modern and would bring in just a touch of orange. They have smaller pins and boutonnieres too. The 3 Flower Dahlia Pin (below) would be adorable on a simple white dress for the flower girls and could tie them nicely to the bride with her corsage.

Of course there are lots of adorable flower girl dresses out there and this moss green and champagne one by Pegeen would work very well if she wants something a little more formal for them.

Or this super simple white flower girl dress with a chocolate brown ribbon by Us Angels at Nordstrom would be lovely and perfectly appropriate for a mid-day event.

As for flowers, the options are virtually endless, but for the centerpieces there should be at least a touch of orange to pick up the pumpkins on the table. I think a moss covered container of some sort or something with twigs or vines worked into it would be wonderful.

The combination of oranges, pinks, and greens and the different textures of this bouquet from Martha Stewart is amazing.

Sayles Livingston creates a lighter palette of the same colors here with a larger focus on green which is a bit more refined looking.

Or a deeper shade of roses mixed with berries, also by Sayles Livingston, makes for a truly elegant bouquet or centerpiece.

Last, but certainly not least, the cake! If you took the fondant leaves off of this moss colored ribbon cake by Konditor Meister (best bakery ever!) and replaced them with coordinating fresh flowers or even a moss monogram cake topper, it would be brilliant.

So now that I got that all sorted out for her, all she has to do is pick out the wedding band and the menu.

My friend has been so kind as to say that we will be able to follow her wedding planning on Chateau & Bungalow so as the months go on we'll see if she likes any of my suggestions. She is an incredibly talented and creative person in her own right so she certainly doesn't need my help, but I'll still have fun with it...at least in my own mind. Maybe I should start working on bridal shower ideas.

First Birthday Party Ideas

After all the rain last week, we had a beautiful day on Saturday for my daughter's first birthday party. This was a very homemade birthday. I have not done this much crafting since my wedding when I literally had all my friends working on a different project each night the week before the wedding. I know it's much easier to pay someone else to do a lot of this stuff, but I get so much gratification from doing it myself because apparently I'm crazy. However, all of these were pretty easy crafts so I would say give one or all of them shot if you like them (but start them as early in advance as you can-I started a week before the party to do what I could). So starting with the invitations, I dressed her up in her 1st birthday outfit and took pictures of her and then picked my favorite one for the invite and had 4 x 6 prints made. I bought colored card stock and cut it in half lengthwise so that it was 4 1/4" wide by 11" long. I used glue dots to affix the image to the paper and then trimmed the top. I set up the wording using the column function in a Word document and then printed it on vellum paper. I cut the vellum down to size using scalloped edge scissors and used a 1/16" hole punch in either corner that I put the flower fixtures through. I discovered the scrap booking department at Michaels' has an amazing of assortment of useful things I never knew existed.

Here's a picture of my birthday girl! I found instructions on how to make your own tutu at the Make It and Love It blog. Then I bought a plain white ribbed tank top at Old Navy and added the cupcake detail. For the cupcake wrapper I just pleated the fabric by making even folds and sewing them, and then I shaped and pinned the fabric onto the tank and sewed it on (I am a novice sewer so I still need a lot of practice on manipulating the fabric, but it worked out ok). I hand sewed the ric rac trim on as frosting, just putting a few stitches at either end and in the center. And I added a little cherry on top that I hand sewed on as well.

Because her birthday fell on Easter weekend, I wanted to incorporate a little bit of Easter without going overboard. Luckily bunnies and baskets are cute and springy and perfect for little girls. Here I decorated eggs to read HAPPY BIRTHDAY and nestled them in Easter grass on the mantle. I discovered Paas Color Snaps that made the lettering super easy.

It's always good to set the bar up outside if you can to keep people flowing both in and out of the house. I bought the Gerber daisies and then filled in with pussy willows and forsythia from the yard. Bowls of jelly beans and Annie's Cheddar Bunnies for the kids were scattered about. And if you don't have a metal beverage bucket, I highly recommend getting one. I use mine all the time.

A bunch of spray roses nestled tightly into Carolina's petite mint julep cup with her name monogrammed on it. If you have sterling or pewter baby cups like this, birthdays are the perfect time to pull them out and use them as little vases.

You may remember my post about where to find Party Pom Poms a few months back. One of our readers shared with me that she had made them using the directions from Martha Stewart. They were really easy to make and much less expensive than buying them, but make sure you have a really good pair of scissors.

As you can see here, my cake decorating skills could use some work, but I am learning with each one. I found the cupcake baskets at Michaels' and thought they would be adorable for the kids and cupcakes are so much easier for kids anyway. I bought an icing tip for the first time to make the icing look nicer, but I didn't buy the part that attached the tip to the bottle so for the cake I wasn't able to use the tip. I highly recommend talking to the people at the store when determining what you need (unlike me). I did go back and get the attachment before doing the cupcake icing and you can probably see the difference.

For the kids' peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I used cookie cutters to make them in the shape of bunnies, chicks, and eggs. I would recommend cutting the bread out first and then adding the filling because there is a lot of waste so you can make croutons or bread crumbs with the leftovers instead of tossing so much.

Here is the entire buffet. Check out my post last week about the carrot wrapped flatware if you didn't see it before.

And lastly, the goody buckets. My 3 1/2 year old son and I made the chocolate lollipops. When I was kid, we had a bunny mold and always made them at Easter so I told him we would make them too. It is quite possibly the easiest thing I've ever made. We added a piece of egg shaped chalk and some chocolate eggs and nestled them all in Easter grass in a metal jelly bean bucket.

In the end a good time was had by all. It's amazing the amount of effort we put into things that our children won't even remember, but when Carolina gets older, I know she'll appreciate it. Next up, my son wants me to make him a rescue wagon cake for his birthday in June. Better find a cake decorating class now.

Spring Blooms

I have been looking for some inspiration for floral arrangements for my daughter's first birthday party next weekend. Since a lot of people will be celebrating Easter next weekend and I don't think I've ever met anyone who doesn't just plain enjoy some beautiful flowers, I thought I'd share some of what I found. Nothing seems to say spring more than a bird's nest and some beautiful tulips and daffodils.

I just love how sweet these are. Unfortunately, I don't own any egg cups (despite the fact that I've spent 7 years of my professional career working for French home decor companies and trying to get other people to buy them), but I do have a very sweet petite sterling silver mint julep cup with my daughter's name engraved on it that I think some lillies of the valley would look equally as sweet in....perhaps to dress up the powder room.

I always love the look of wheatgrass in an arrangement, but I am never organized enough to get it growing early on enough to actually use it.

I'm a bit torn on whether to go with bright bold colors which are more my tendency or soft sweet ones that seem more appropriate for a baby. Granted my daughter's personality is a bit more bold than sweet so maybe that answers my question right there. I love the burst that the crysanthemums add to this arrangement.

Put a peony in just about anything and you've won me over. They are hands down my favorite flower. It just about killed me that the florist couldn't guarantee me they'd be able to get good ones for my wedding (in the month of August), but I must say they came as close as possible to the same look I was going for with some gorgeous open garden roses (in case you ever run into the same problem, it is possible).

I also love ranunculus (my bridesmaids carried these). They basically look like a smaller version of the peony. And I don't know what these furry green pom pom looking flowers are, but they are awesome.

Now this is what I call a bouquet of roses! And I love the large leaves that support it because it really needs something of a grander scale instead of just any little greenery.

Again, very sweet and I love the colors together. I'm thinking something like this in one long container with moss that I have may be what I use in the dining room.

Lastly, I always love the unexpected so this little bird perched on a twig which adds an element of rusticness to an otherwise elegant arrangement is really nice.

Photos: Martha Stewart, Stoneblossom Floral & Event Design, Winston Flowers