2017 June
Building A Living Wall...
6/27/2017
Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?
Would you look at this!!
Remember the 4 foot x 10 foot table of succulents that we ended up with when I took apart all the wedding decorations? Brent and Natalie were planning on making a living wall of succulents so all the money spent on wedding flowers wouldn't go to waste. They did it!
They started last weekend and went well into this week, but the wall is up and complete, and looks amazing. It was a ton of work. They used most of the succulents that were in good shape (some have been planted in the garden to set roots) and they now have their back porch ready for normal use.
It was fun to receive the step-by-step SNAPCHAT pictures as they went along so I could share them with you. So fun and creative!
Here are the supplies and beginning stages. He built the box to specification for their wall.
He built it so that it comes complete with its own watering system. What a lot of work!
On Friday of last week I was minding my own business, working in the studio, when Laura called and asked if I had been to the yarn sale yet that was happening out at the extension office. I knew about the sale but I was going to be good and stay in the studio and use what I had. After all I don't knit or crochet.
But NOOOO! I had to go. Not once, twice, or even three times, but FOUR trips out for yarn. The prices were good so I figure I could use it to dye and sell on ETSY, make scarves to take to CONSIDER Boutique, and make my fiber bundles that I sell to artists. Just look at all the wonderful colors!
Now I need to call Operation Care to come get the roll top desk that I had made for Jeff years ago and buy a metal shelf and clear baskets to hold the yarn so I can see all the beautiful colors. 21 boxes of yarn later - that phone call is costing me a lot!! Thanks, Laura!
This week was the first time that I missed the fabric store.....
I was working on the chairs for my front porch and didn't have the right fabric to put on them as I was redoing them.
So.... I got out the paint. I spray painted the chair covers with the inexpensive black spray paint from Walmart to seal the fabric a little.
Next step was to completely coat the chair covers with tthe VALSPAR Project Perfect Black Gloss from Lowe's.
And of course, they needed polka dots so I used the STUDIO 71 paint for them.
The chairs are back from Cherry Blossom Powder Coating and the seats are done. I could have just spray painted the chairs with a shiny gloss paint, but powder coating looks so much better and will last longer too!
Now to finish painting the porch rails this weekend so the rugs can go out and plants can be set. I might actually be able to enjoy this porch before Fall.... or before I start traveling again!
I'm in the studio today trying to clean up a little... after all I have yarn to organize!
What's on your agenda for the weekend?
Happy 4th!!
2 Comments
Linda - Fantastic. I just love succulents so this creation is right up my alley. Lots of smiles here. Looks as if someone inherited your artistic talent.... Thanks for sharing Leslie.
Leslie - I am glad you appreciate it as much as I do, Linda! It really was a great way to reuse and not throw the flower money out!! Both Natalie and Brent are extremely talented..... and are creative with whatever they try!! Thanks for following!! Leslie
Back in the Swing of Things!
6/20/2017
Wow! It's amazing what was waiting for me when I got home after being gone for nearly a month. I just now, the 16th of June, took the pine Christmas greenery out of my front flower pots and planted them with spring flowers. (I guess I shouldn't admit that! LOL!)
I'm slowly making my way through the 'turned upside down' studio, straightening it out from last minute wedding creations, and at the same time I'm trying my best to get the gardens to a point where I'm not ashamed to have company! (I try my best to stay the course when I get in the studio.... I tell myself, "today is the day I will get it all cleaned up and organized again" and then I yell "squirrel"!!
I shipped home a bunch of scraps from Florida that Brent had cut off the wood he was using when he made Murphy's outdoor dog bed. He couldn't bring himself to throw them away and neither could I when I was doing clean up after the wedding. So what else do you do but pay to ship home what anyone else would throw away!
I broke them down into usable pieces, painted them in random colors, and then painted this sign for the house. I had a certain place in mind for it but it liked being somewhere else.... like right over the laundry room door. Perfect!
The strips that I'm standing on are the start of my "When Pigs Fly" chandelier that I'm finally getting back to. It just takes a while for these ideas to percolate and when they hit, it's wonderful.
I'll cut the pig bodies out of these sheets of wood that I created. The stripes on the backside now run the opposite direction. I still don't know what the legs or the base frame of the chandelier will be, but I know that the wings will be made out of aluminum.
No sense having a plan.... the idea just has to hit at the right moment!
And check out my newest chairs,
the Santa Fe Garden Accent Chairs from the My Garden Collection.
They're recycled chairs and are heading in to Crescent Hill TRADING COMPANY later this week. Stop by on Saturday to visit and check out their newest treasures!
And a big 'Thanks' to Bobby Allen for such great upholstery work!
I think this color is just yummy and plan to have a chair done to go upstairs in one of the spare bedrooms.
Patty came to play the other day and I put her to work! As I was planting flower pots and washing windows, I realized that I had a broken piece of glass that looked like it had been shot with a BB. Not sure how that happened but Patty was able to get it apart so I could order a new piece of glass.
I decided that it was time to rip the shutters off the house. They're looking so faded and tired, and the house looks fine without them because of the brick work. So I climbed out the window and started pulling them off. Poor Jeff... he never knows what he's coming home to. At least this time I didn't have the bathtub sitting in the middle of the front yard like I did several houses ago..... and that's a whole other story!
I replanted the containers in my bathroom window once I got home. I took out the dead ones and replaced them with succulents... that's what happens when you're gone a month... or just don't water them. LOL! Hopefully, I can keep these alive!
The clergy stole I was working on is finished and shipped to a dear friend of mine. I started it during ARW and completed it the day after the kids left on their honeymoon. Shipped and delivered, and that feels good! Another UFO checked off!
I used batiks , dyed cheesecloth, beading with a base of thin polyester batting, and lots of hand stitching to complete this stole. The design on the back carries over to the design on the front.
One down and one to go.....
I need to get started on the next stole now because it'll be a gift and must be ready for Christmas delivery!
I've been wanting to show these off to you all for awhile but just haven't had the chance. These earrings are made by a friend of mine, Deb Guess, Most of the earrings I wear come from her. Deb used to teach metalsmithing at the shop studio several times a year and we always came away with fun jewelry creations.
I wore the ones with the pearls with my gray dress to the wedding. The other pair are my new favorites for everyday.
Check out Deb's site at soulwhispersarts.com and tell her I said "Hello!"
And LOOK at my Fathers Day present to me!
I went in to pick up a blade for my jig saw to cut out my pigs, and just couldn't resist a new tool, and in this case, two!
A new jig saw and sander, both on sale and just in time to use on some of that furniture in the warehouse!!
Check out this cute little guy... not sure what kind of caterpillar he is but I found him on a store window and thought he had a lot of personality!
We should all be so fancy in our finery!!
ENJOYMENT... taking time to notice the little things in life!! Enjoy your week!!
2 Comments
Laura Dennison - Love, love, love that stole. And the new chairs!
Mark - So, I am the fortunate recipient of the beautiful stole. I wore it for the first time on Father's Day and had so many compliments. We've yet to take down our Pentecost paraments and each and every part worked together beautifully. I've never had a custom-made stole and each part of this one makes me smile...from the wonder of watching it in the making to the fun of telling the story of how it came to be, from the 'I get to wear it' to the 'I get to call Leslie my friend!' So much joy. Thank you Leslie.
Prep & Wedding...
6/2/2017
What to wear?.....
Oh, yes!
My Blush colored TuTu!!!
Aviana is taking care to listen to Ryan give her last minute instructions before she goes down the aisle (check out his finger shaking in the background), and Gavin seems to be saying "I've heard this a million times!"
Aviana's darling tutu dress was ordered from an ETSY shop called AylinkaShop. The quality is wonderful and she looked oh so cute!
Another long blog!! Lots of pictures for you to take in... but what can you expect after five months of withholding wedding planning ideas and projects! I hop I haven't bored you with all the wedding stuff. The problem now... it is over and I have to figure out what my next big project will be! Oh!... Yeah... the truck load of furniture frames I just bought!
We wanted to do something special for the out of town guests who joined us for the wedding and thought that a goody bag would be a nice treat.
I used the left over linen that came off the side of the tablecloths and created these drawstring bags with the "Eat, Drink and Be Married" saying that the kids used throughout the celebration.
For the script on the bag I used Lesley Riley's TAP Transfer Artist Paper. Good news is, this product is great for paper as well as fabric!
We stuffed the bags with bottled water (a private label of course. LOL), a do 'not disturb' sign, a thank you note, and an info sheet to help with hospitality. Then of course, things like Tylenol, apples, Altoids, gum, nail file, sun screen... just some basics. The bag was made a size that can be reused for shoes when traveling.
Left: It was good that I was able to plant the outside centerpieces, card box and bucket list container early so they'd have time to grow.
Right: Here's a close up of the table candle holder centerpieces before the wax flower was added. Brent made them from boxes and conduit pipe he painted rose gold.
Left: These arrangements were used on outside tables during the cocktail hour. They were planted in terra cotta saucers we spray painted to look like concrete. Dollar Tree vases, a candle and they were ready to go.
Right: The bucket list was used in place of a guest book. They invited their guests to suggest places for them to go and explore, priorities for them to accomplish, and bits and pieces of advice for a great life together. These are all things that they will cherish coming from people who mean so much to them.
Natalie, Brent and I spent a lot of time at Lowe's and Home Depot. Every few days we were picking up more succulents needed for the wedding. The bucket list and card box were on the gift table as guests arrived and made a festive welcome. These all were a lot of work, but oh, so pretty.
Since the wedding was on a Thursday, we were able to get into the event space early to decorate. This was a good thing since the tablecloths were linen and they were able to hang for a few days after I ironed them all.
Check out the bride and groom to be. Love the fact that they dug right in for set up because they wanted to have everything just the way they dreamed.
The white inset in the tablecloths was sewn into the center to widen the fabric without extra seams. Necessity for economy gave us a great focal point. An easy fix for fabric that was not quite wide enough.
The flower bouquets were done by Tom at Delray Beach Florist. He was so easy to work with.
I don't know about all of you but to get my family to stand still and have their pictures taken is like pulling teeth. So glad to have these special pictures to share. It's amazing how we all clean up! Tee shirts and jeans are every day staples for all of us.
Top Right: My three men... Brent, Jeff and Jason.
Below: Jeff and I in a rare moment where the two of us are in the same place at the same time :) .
Center Right: Love this picture of Lydia, my first daughter- in-love, and me under the Banyan tree.
Lower Right: And of course, Brent and two of his very best friends, Mike and Becca. What a wonderful night!!
After the wedding... there was the clean up.
While the kids were in the Maldives on their honeymoon, I was washing, ironing, boxing up and replanting all the succulents (4" x 10' worth of succulents!) that we used in the wedding.
They came home to a lot cleaner house than when they left. The fact that it rained like crazy while they were gone made my cleanup that much easier since I wasn't tempted to get out in the sunshine.
Yes! That's her wedding dress covered with chalk paint!!!! And, yes, it did come clean!
They spent some time in the back yard playing the day after the wedding. So fun to watch them let down and just laugh with each other after all the planning and creating!
Next week I'll catch you up on all the other projects that I've been working on while I shared all the wedding designs. New projects in the works!! Enjoy your week!
5 Comments
Mary Angel - A wonderful read and beautiful photos!
Leslie - Thanks Mary;.... it was a joy to put it together and so relaxing for the event!!
Lesha Stallings - Love all your pictures of the wedding! Congrats for a job well done!
Leslie Wolf - Leslie, congratulations and a job beyond well done. You are most amazing and everything you do is so creative and quite beautiful. Your chairs, pillows, dolls And now a wedding planner!!!! You are an inspiration to most and I look forward to your emails and new products. So happy for you all. Leslie wolf
Jayn Lando - Classic, beautiful, fun, creative, and all so special because you did it just for them with so much love. I loved reading all about it all.
Not a Rehearsal "Rehearsal Dinner"
6/2/2017
He Told Her His Story.... and what a love story!
A saved memento was the beginning of the invitation for our dinner cruise the night before the wedding.
Several years ago, Natalie had sent a text to Brent, which was short and simple. She said, "Tell me a story."
Below was his response to her. She loved it and saved it, and the invitation was designed from her saved memory.
I had the invitation enlarged and put it at the front table where people entered. This was the jumping off point of the pre-wedding party that I was privileged to design.
My main focus, besides a good time - and who wouldn't have good time on a yacht on the intracoastal - was to tell their individual stories to the other side of the family to be. I wanted it to be fun with lots of items for folks to talk about for breaking the ice between 43 people who didn't know each other...
A great big shout out to Meghan and her crew with the Delray Yacht Cruise line. She made planning this party so easy, which was nice since it was being planned long distance. Her crew was amazing and attentive, and so easy to work with. This was definitely not the case with other venues in south Florida. We were upgraded to the Lady Atlantic at the last minute - Thank you very much, Megan! It was wonderful! - so the layout was put together by diagrams. I wish I lived closer... I would have plan another party with her!!
As I was brainstorming on telling a story, my mind first went to books, book pages, trivia, and pictures. Now, how to make that into a party theme? I had trivia that Natalie and Brent had given me to use, and since every centerpiece needs a flower or two, I decided to put the trivia questions on the paper petals of the flowers that would go at each place setting.
Old book pages was my paper of choice and I backed it with fusible interfacing, and then cut out flower petals. Next I used Tap Transfer Artist Paper by Lesley Riley to iron a question on each petal. I then took coated floral wire and zig zagged that around the edge of the petals. The edges were brushed with a copper colored stamp pad, the polka dots put on - because everything needs polka dots - and black to be exact. They were then pinched together and wrapped with floral tape. I hot glued a button in the centers and they were ready to go, except for a vase.
And where to go for inexpensive vases?
The Dollar Tree of course! I
found these little plastic salt and pepper shakers were the perfect size for vases. Off with the lids and on with a a little spray paint, and they were good to go!
Now... how to incorporated photos of the kids.
Up two flights of stairs to the supply gift closet on the top floor of the house to see what I could come up with. I found exactly what I needed!
Thirty 4" cubes that spelled out different words. I had a plan for these once upon a time but ran out of time before the plan could happen. Good for me! They were perfect for fun photo centerpieces!
And I love the little "Tell Your Story..." memento books.
This table is a little worse for wear... as everyone had started to pull books out and write.
All in all, I think it was a huge success!!
6/27/2017
Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?
Remember the 4 foot x 10 foot table of succulents that we ended up with when I took apart all the wedding decorations? Brent and Natalie were planning on making a living wall of succulents so all the money spent on wedding flowers wouldn't go to waste. They did it!
They started last weekend and went well into this week, but the wall is up and complete, and looks amazing. It was a ton of work. They used most of the succulents that were in good shape (some have been planted in the garden to set roots) and they now have their back porch ready for normal use.
It was fun to receive the step-by-step SNAPCHAT pictures as they went along so I could share them with you. So fun and creative!
Here are the supplies and beginning stages. He built the box to specification for their wall.
He built it so that it comes complete with its own watering system. What a lot of work!
Seeing progress... and Voila!, it is finished. I'm looking forward to watching it grow.
Special memories to remember a special day.
On Friday of last week I was minding my own business, working in the studio, when Laura called and asked if I had been to the yarn sale yet that was happening out at the extension office. I knew about the sale but I was going to be good and stay in the studio and use what I had. After all I don't knit or crochet.
But NOOOO! I had to go. Not once, twice, or even three times, but FOUR trips out for yarn. The prices were good so I figure I could use it to dye and sell on ETSY, make scarves to take to CONSIDER Boutique, and make my fiber bundles that I sell to artists. Just look at all the wonderful colors!
Now I need to call Operation Care to come get the roll top desk that I had made for Jeff years ago and buy a metal shelf and clear baskets to hold the yarn so I can see all the beautiful colors. 21 boxes of yarn later - that phone call is costing me a lot!! Thanks, Laura!
I was working on the chairs for my front porch and didn't have the right fabric to put on them as I was redoing them.
So.... I got out the paint. I spray painted the chair covers with the inexpensive black spray paint from Walmart to seal the fabric a little.
Next step was to completely coat the chair covers with tthe VALSPAR Project Perfect Black Gloss from Lowe's.
And of course, they needed polka dots so I used the STUDIO 71 paint for them.
Now to finish painting the porch rails this weekend so the rugs can go out and plants can be set. I might actually be able to enjoy this porch before Fall.... or before I start traveling again!
I'm in the studio today trying to clean up a little... after all I have yarn to organize!
What's on your agenda for the weekend?
Happy 4th!!
2 Comments
Linda - Fantastic. I just love succulents so this creation is right up my alley. Lots of smiles here. Looks as if someone inherited your artistic talent.... Thanks for sharing Leslie.
Leslie - I am glad you appreciate it as much as I do, Linda! It really was a great way to reuse and not throw the flower money out!! Both Natalie and Brent are extremely talented..... and are creative with whatever they try!! Thanks for following!! Leslie
Back in the Swing of Things!
6/20/2017
Wow! It's amazing what was waiting for me when I got home after being gone for nearly a month. I just now, the 16th of June, took the pine Christmas greenery out of my front flower pots and planted them with spring flowers. (I guess I shouldn't admit that! LOL!)
I'm slowly making my way through the 'turned upside down' studio, straightening it out from last minute wedding creations, and at the same time I'm trying my best to get the gardens to a point where I'm not ashamed to have company! (I try my best to stay the course when I get in the studio.... I tell myself, "today is the day I will get it all cleaned up and organized again" and then I yell "squirrel"!!
I shipped home a bunch of scraps from Florida that Brent had cut off the wood he was using when he made Murphy's outdoor dog bed. He couldn't bring himself to throw them away and neither could I when I was doing clean up after the wedding. So what else do you do but pay to ship home what anyone else would throw away!
I broke them down into usable pieces, painted them in random colors, and then painted this sign for the house. I had a certain place in mind for it but it liked being somewhere else.... like right over the laundry room door. Perfect!
I'll cut the pig bodies out of these sheets of wood that I created. The stripes on the backside now run the opposite direction. I still don't know what the legs or the base frame of the chandelier will be, but I know that the wings will be made out of aluminum.
No sense having a plan.... the idea just has to hit at the right moment!
the Santa Fe Garden Accent Chairs from the My Garden Collection.
They're recycled chairs and are heading in to Crescent Hill TRADING COMPANY later this week. Stop by on Saturday to visit and check out their newest treasures!
And a big 'Thanks' to Bobby Allen for such great upholstery work!
I think this color is just yummy and plan to have a chair done to go upstairs in one of the spare bedrooms.
Patty came to play the other day and I put her to work! As I was planting flower pots and washing windows, I realized that I had a broken piece of glass that looked like it had been shot with a BB. Not sure how that happened but Patty was able to get it apart so I could order a new piece of glass.
I decided that it was time to rip the shutters off the house. They're looking so faded and tired, and the house looks fine without them because of the brick work. So I climbed out the window and started pulling them off. Poor Jeff... he never knows what he's coming home to. At least this time I didn't have the bathtub sitting in the middle of the front yard like I did several houses ago..... and that's a whole other story!
I replanted the containers in my bathroom window once I got home. I took out the dead ones and replaced them with succulents... that's what happens when you're gone a month... or just don't water them. LOL! Hopefully, I can keep these alive!
The clergy stole I was working on is finished and shipped to a dear friend of mine. I started it during ARW and completed it the day after the kids left on their honeymoon. Shipped and delivered, and that feels good! Another UFO checked off!
I used batiks , dyed cheesecloth, beading with a base of thin polyester batting, and lots of hand stitching to complete this stole. The design on the back carries over to the design on the front.
One down and one to go.....
I need to get started on the next stole now because it'll be a gift and must be ready for Christmas delivery!
I wore the ones with the pearls with my gray dress to the wedding. The other pair are my new favorites for everyday.
Check out Deb's site at soulwhispersarts.com and tell her I said "Hello!"
And LOOK at my Fathers Day present to me!
I went in to pick up a blade for my jig saw to cut out my pigs, and just couldn't resist a new tool, and in this case, two!
A new jig saw and sander, both on sale and just in time to use on some of that furniture in the warehouse!!
Check out this cute little guy... not sure what kind of caterpillar he is but I found him on a store window and thought he had a lot of personality!
We should all be so fancy in our finery!!
ENJOYMENT... taking time to notice the little things in life!! Enjoy your week!!
Laura Dennison - Love, love, love that stole. And the new chairs!
Mark - So, I am the fortunate recipient of the beautiful stole. I wore it for the first time on Father's Day and had so many compliments. We've yet to take down our Pentecost paraments and each and every part worked together beautifully. I've never had a custom-made stole and each part of this one makes me smile...from the wonder of watching it in the making to the fun of telling the story of how it came to be, from the 'I get to wear it' to the 'I get to call Leslie my friend!' So much joy. Thank you Leslie.
Prep & Wedding...
6/2/2017
Oh, yes!
My Blush colored TuTu!!!
Aviana is taking care to listen to Ryan give her last minute instructions before she goes down the aisle (check out his finger shaking in the background), and Gavin seems to be saying "I've heard this a million times!"
Aviana's darling tutu dress was ordered from an ETSY shop called AylinkaShop. The quality is wonderful and she looked oh so cute!
Another long blog!! Lots of pictures for you to take in... but what can you expect after five months of withholding wedding planning ideas and projects! I hop I haven't bored you with all the wedding stuff. The problem now... it is over and I have to figure out what my next big project will be! Oh!... Yeah... the truck load of furniture frames I just bought!
We wanted to do something special for the out of town guests who joined us for the wedding and thought that a goody bag would be a nice treat.
I used the left over linen that came off the side of the tablecloths and created these drawstring bags with the "Eat, Drink and Be Married" saying that the kids used throughout the celebration.
For the script on the bag I used Lesley Riley's TAP Transfer Artist Paper. Good news is, this product is great for paper as well as fabric!
We stuffed the bags with bottled water (a private label of course. LOL), a do 'not disturb' sign, a thank you note, and an info sheet to help with hospitality. Then of course, things like Tylenol, apples, Altoids, gum, nail file, sun screen... just some basics. The bag was made a size that can be reused for shoes when traveling.
Left: It was good that I was able to plant the outside centerpieces, card box and bucket list container early so they'd have time to grow.
Right: Here's a close up of the table candle holder centerpieces before the wax flower was added. Brent made them from boxes and conduit pipe he painted rose gold.
Left: These arrangements were used on outside tables during the cocktail hour. They were planted in terra cotta saucers we spray painted to look like concrete. Dollar Tree vases, a candle and they were ready to go.
Right: The bucket list was used in place of a guest book. They invited their guests to suggest places for them to go and explore, priorities for them to accomplish, and bits and pieces of advice for a great life together. These are all things that they will cherish coming from people who mean so much to them.
Natalie, Brent and I spent a lot of time at Lowe's and Home Depot. Every few days we were picking up more succulents needed for the wedding. The bucket list and card box were on the gift table as guests arrived and made a festive welcome. These all were a lot of work, but oh, so pretty.
Since the wedding was on a Thursday, we were able to get into the event space early to decorate. This was a good thing since the tablecloths were linen and they were able to hang for a few days after I ironed them all.
Check out the bride and groom to be. Love the fact that they dug right in for set up because they wanted to have everything just the way they dreamed.
The white inset in the tablecloths was sewn into the center to widen the fabric without extra seams. Necessity for economy gave us a great focal point. An easy fix for fabric that was not quite wide enough.
Enjoying their special night!!
Just a few pictures for you to enjoy. We trained that boy right!
Take care of each other and you will have a great married life!!
The flower bouquets were done by Tom at Delray Beach Florist. He was so easy to work with.
Top Right: My three men... Brent, Jeff and Jason.
Below: Jeff and I in a rare moment where the two of us are in the same place at the same time :) .
Center Right: Love this picture of Lydia, my first daughter- in-love, and me under the Banyan tree.
Lower Right: And of course, Brent and two of his very best friends, Mike and Becca. What a wonderful night!!
While the kids were in the Maldives on their honeymoon, I was washing, ironing, boxing up and replanting all the succulents (4" x 10' worth of succulents!) that we used in the wedding.
They came home to a lot cleaner house than when they left. The fact that it rained like crazy while they were gone made my cleanup that much easier since I wasn't tempted to get out in the sunshine.
They spent some time in the back yard playing the day after the wedding. So fun to watch them let down and just laugh with each other after all the planning and creating!
Next week I'll catch you up on all the other projects that I've been working on while I shared all the wedding designs. New projects in the works!! Enjoy your week!
5 Comments
Mary Angel - A wonderful read and beautiful photos!
Leslie - Thanks Mary;.... it was a joy to put it together and so relaxing for the event!!
Lesha Stallings - Love all your pictures of the wedding! Congrats for a job well done!
Leslie Wolf - Leslie, congratulations and a job beyond well done. You are most amazing and everything you do is so creative and quite beautiful. Your chairs, pillows, dolls And now a wedding planner!!!! You are an inspiration to most and I look forward to your emails and new products. So happy for you all. Leslie wolf
Jayn Lando - Classic, beautiful, fun, creative, and all so special because you did it just for them with so much love. I loved reading all about it all.
Not a Rehearsal "Rehearsal Dinner"
6/2/2017
He Told Her His Story.... and what a love story!
Several years ago, Natalie had sent a text to Brent, which was short and simple. She said, "Tell me a story."
Below was his response to her. She loved it and saved it, and the invitation was designed from her saved memory.
I had the invitation enlarged and put it at the front table where people entered. This was the jumping off point of the pre-wedding party that I was privileged to design.
My main focus, besides a good time - and who wouldn't have good time on a yacht on the intracoastal - was to tell their individual stories to the other side of the family to be. I wanted it to be fun with lots of items for folks to talk about for breaking the ice between 43 people who didn't know each other...
A great big shout out to Meghan and her crew with the Delray Yacht Cruise line. She made planning this party so easy, which was nice since it was being planned long distance. Her crew was amazing and attentive, and so easy to work with. This was definitely not the case with other venues in south Florida. We were upgraded to the Lady Atlantic at the last minute - Thank you very much, Megan! It was wonderful! - so the layout was put together by diagrams. I wish I lived closer... I would have plan another party with her!!
As I was brainstorming on telling a story, my mind first went to books, book pages, trivia, and pictures. Now, how to make that into a party theme? I had trivia that Natalie and Brent had given me to use, and since every centerpiece needs a flower or two, I decided to put the trivia questions on the paper petals of the flowers that would go at each place setting.
Old book pages was my paper of choice and I backed it with fusible interfacing, and then cut out flower petals. Next I used Tap Transfer Artist Paper by Lesley Riley to iron a question on each petal. I then took coated floral wire and zig zagged that around the edge of the petals. The edges were brushed with a copper colored stamp pad, the polka dots put on - because everything needs polka dots - and black to be exact. They were then pinched together and wrapped with floral tape. I hot glued a button in the centers and they were ready to go, except for a vase.
And where to go for inexpensive vases?
The Dollar Tree of course! I
found these little plastic salt and pepper shakers were the perfect size for vases. Off with the lids and on with a a little spray paint, and they were good to go!
Up two flights of stairs to the supply gift closet on the top floor of the house to see what I could come up with. I found exactly what I needed!
Thirty 4" cubes that spelled out different words. I had a plan for these once upon a time but ran out of time before the plan could happen. Good for me! They were perfect for fun photo centerpieces!
I covered the edges with old book pages using Mod Podge, then used my phone app, PRINT TO SIZE, to get the pictures reduced to a square 3.6" size and had Classic Printing in Shelbyville print them on card stock for me. The next step was to mount the pictures with double sided tape on black card stock to create a border. And then, again, I used the same tape to fasten them to the blocks. A photo on each side... that's 180 pictures to keep guests entertained! How cute are they?!!!
There were six tables to decorate and I ended up with 5 blocks for each table. That's when I realized that I needed something to raise them so that the 'centerpieces' had some height. Now what do I use??
It's nice to know that Natalie wants to save these blocks for their kids to look at and play with someday as they are growing up. What a great idea!
Did you know that the hard back books they sell only have the name on the spine and that the covers are mostly black once the paper jackets come off? Neither did I but necessity is the mother of invention, or so they say!
Not only did these books give the centerpieces some height, they also became part of a fun game for the guests!
I went through a lot of Mod Podge for this event!
This time I glued around the edges of the book to seal it closed. After they dried, I took black Gaffers Tape and put it over the spine so that the books were completely black. On the way to the airport I picked up the last load of pictures I had printed.Thanks to Mary Ann and Kelly at Classic Printing for all their help! A little double sided sticky tape to secure photos on the front of the books and they looked amazing! I found out not all sticky tapes are created equal... so definitely go with Scotch brand!!
The books were put on the table with a note for the guests to come up with a creative title to match the photo on the front, and to write it onto the back of the books using the Silver Sharpies provided. They had a blast moving from table to table naming books. Brent and Natalie are looking forward reading all the different titles when they get home from their honeymoon. This was a hit and could be used for graduations, anniversaries retirements or wherever a story needs to be told.
There were just SO many fun pictures to choose from...
These were a gift to the guests to encourage them to write down their own love stories... or their grocery lists. LOL
Who knows what great grandchildren will one day read those stories or lists!!
These were created with card stock in much the same way as my little Flip Top Notepads.
They have grommets in the corners to give it a little professional touch on the front and the font choice is the same as what was used for everything else printed for the wedding and pre wedding events.
Each table had five books, five photo cubes, a memo pad and pen, and a flower in a vase. That along with dinner, the bar, and a great view from the top deck kept everyone entertained with lots of mingling and mixing.
Loved spending time with our new extended family and sharing time and memories with lifetime friends.
All in all, I think it was a huge success!!
Old friends from our days and weekends on the swim bleachers. Left to right: Kathy & Morry, Becca, me, Gary & Sherron, and Mike. A great big thanks to all of you for your help with putting all the setup together. Some things never change, and that is a good thing!!
the rehearsal dinner cruise was so much fun! Family... friends... food... The table settings were a hit with plenty to keep guests busy looking at old photos of the kids and writing book titles. There was even a table especially for the little ones, complete with crayons and plenty of coloring space.
Left: Natalie's mother, Sameeha and little Gavin at the coloring table. This is the table where I wanted to sit!!
Right: Marcia and Bob were my employers at their jewelry store in Ohio when I was still in high school. We have remained very close friends - more like family - over the years and I thank them for my work ethic and their guidance and love.
Left: Walt, my sister, Tracy, Lydia & Jason, and Mom. I'm so glad they could all come for the celebration.
Right: This family is so precious. Next to me is Natalie's brother, Bishara, Natalie, Sameeha, and Natasha, Natalie's sister.
Above: Natasha and Keith
Top Right: Abdallah, Sameeha, Aviana and Brian
Bottom Right: Bish, Omar, Mara and Siham
Brent with Aviana... she finally came to Uncle Brent!!!
Sorry this is such long blog!! I've been so excited to share all the projects with you! Next week will be another long blog but with wedding details. Off now to continue cleaning up of all the mess!
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Jayn Lando - What a great night it was for everyone, I'm sure! So personal and so much love. and so much creativity!!! Thanks for sharing it all!
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