i caved...

but i'm happy about it. originally i thought i would make paper flowers for the wedding. i began cutting petals of crepe paper and storing them in little baggies (like floral crack) to bring back to the states. my friends were going to help me put them together and i would construct the centerpieces well in advance of the wedding. they would need no water but i'd have to be careful of flame. they would be like the mexican paper flowers i love so much.

that was then.

this is now. it is not as if i'm running out of time or even craft energy. it is just that as the time nears, i'm so looking forward to hanging out with my family and friends that i don't want to complicate things with making a bazillion paper flowers.

i worked at a florist for four years. i've done wedding flowers. and guess what? i'm going to do my own! i ordered the flowers from an online wholesale florist and they will be delivered on thursday.

i used the dress in the right hand corner as inspiration. i love the red and oranges together. i even ordered tons of red carnations which i absolutely despised just a few years ago. weird how things change....

fabric flowers

a new take on the paper flowers - fabric flowers. One of my favorite things in life is millinery flowers. i think that is why i like old hats so much. these remind me of those old-fashioned treats.

plans

sometimes the best plans are those that are adaptable. i did another run to the thrift store and found some more cute things. but i've expanded my containers to include any white fun vase, any fun shiny vase and also cut or pressed glass. above are just a sampling of the beautiful little vases i bought. and i picked up some red and orange (for contrast) tissue paper to simulate the paper flowers. not my finest job but it was my first go.

i bought the orange paper to give some contrast to the red because i couldn't find a second shade of red or even pink. but i kind of like the orange with the red. what do you think? above is the red and orange and below is the all red. i do like the all red too. i cannot decide. i haven't worked out quite yet where the turquoise is going to come in. any suggestions appreciated.

here are a few more of the little vases. they are all about 2-3 inches high. not big at all. 17 pieces in all for 16 dollars. score!

flowers in the hair

what do you think, can i pull this off? i've always liked the flowers in the hair look and often worn one behind my ear. but on top of the head and oversized? i'm not sure i could pull this one off, although i do have similar hair and a slight dimple in my chin. i reckon her forehead is smaller. i guess i'll have to practice.

spring is near

spring is so coming. we've had about 5 days of sunshine in a row and i can hardly contain myself. here are a few of the aussie beauties in the front yard. there is so much blooming going on, there are flowers on bushes that i didn't even know would bloom.

ideas

so i've used a bit of scrap tissue paper that came in my French General package the other day to try my hand a paper flowers. i didn't do too bad. i took this pic for a friend of mine who wanted to see the boots i was talking about wearing for the wedding if i couldn't afford (which i can't!) the day of the dead boots. a really good friend of mine bought these for me years ago at a thrift shop hoping the would fit me and they did. i wear them all the time and they look cute with shortish skirts. i stuck the flower in there to show her what she would be helping me do closer to the date. fold and poof, fold and poof, fold and poof.

yes, yes, yes, paper flowers

everytime i see paper flowers i'm going to link to them. technically it is stretching it a bit to call these paper flowers, but i don't care. i am going to be making and using paper flowers for the wedding. i absolutely adore fresh flowers but after having worked in the floral industry for several years i know: 1) that they are overpriced and 2) that i wouldn't want anyone to do them for my wedding but me. so in lieu of the real thing and because the wedding is 'mexican-inspired', i will be folding and poofing paper flowers days before the wedding (hopefully with a little help from my friends). these are from Artfool via Once Wed. check out the making and hanging of these beauties at Artfool's new blog.

these are more what i was thinking for the table decor but there will definitely be some hanging. probably not as artfull as Artfool.