Christmas Craftyness: Wreaths

To get in the festive spirit, my Mum and I recently I went to a great Christmas Wreath Workshop at a lovely local florists (Andrea Fisher’s Luv Flowers).

It was lovely spending time with my Mum doing something crafty and festive, and its even better when there’s plenty of coffee, cake and mince pies!

I went for a bit of a rustic look, wrapping clematis and hazel around the moss and then decorating with gold sprayed hydrangea, red berries and a sparkle of red and gold ting ting. The wreath stays fresh through the moisture in the moss.

The other half did note that it hasn’t got a single holly leaf – which apparently is the point of a wreath – but I love the simple effect of it. What style do you prefer, traditional holly or something a bit different?

Luvflowers run regular workshops – take a look here (highly recommended!)

Salvage: Nursing Chair – Before & After

Yes the stripes are making my eyes go funny too! Well, I’ve finally finished re-upholstering this beautiful nursing chair and am so pleased with it, I was even a bit sad to give it back to its rightful owner! But luckily the colours wouldn’t suit my house so I couldn’t get too attached!

It took around 2months to complete, working on it around a full time job and general life! Most of the time was spent taking off the original fabric, you can’t imagine how many tacks and staples needed to make these chairs! I have thoroughly enjoyed working on this chair and think I gave myself a good challenge, especially with the stripes! I’m now looking for my next project to help with the wedding fund!

Inspiration: Rustic, outdoor and d.i.y vintage wedding

As you know, my boyfriend recently proposed, so not so surprisingly, my thoughts have been dedicated to all things wedding related, from venues to table settings and more importantly, THE dress. For my contribution to the weekly ‘Click Edit’ series on MPDClick’s Trend Journal I just couldn’t resist sharing my wedding inspiration. I would love to say I sourced these images primarily for this edition of Click Edit, but no, they’ve been part of a secret folder I’ve been collating for a while now much to my boyfriend’s amusement and slight horror. A rustic, outdoor affair with a vintage D.I.Y twist is my ideal theme for the big day and here’s the inspiration.

Clockwise from top left:

1. Old church pews and mis-matched chairs unified with white cushions and flowers, as captured by photographer Jose Villa, would create the perfect outdoor wedding scene, the only problem is relying on the English weather!

2. Sunflowers have long been my favourite flower so they will definitely be a big part of the flower arrangements. The pops of cornflower blue and berry purple in this bouquet make the perfect summer contrast. This photo was taken at D.I.Y bride Emily Carlill’s wedding, visit her blog here.

3. I love the idea of bringing the outdoors in with beautiful trees acting as the marquee support, a great idea I shall definitely be looking into. I found this image on Brooklyn florist Amy Merrick’s Instagram profile – which is very addictive, visit her website here.

4. I’ve already started collecting glassware for possible table settings similar to this example found here – think vintage milk bottles with hessian string and fabrics for decoration, simple yet effective.

5. I think a bucket of ‘dancing shoes’ is an absolute essential as captured by photographer Joshua Gull, as wedding’s nearly always end up with a barefoot dance floor!

6. Sticking to the D.I.Y theme I love the idea of serving Pimms and cocktails in old jam jars giving a unique touch to an informal reception.

Now I was going to post some pictures of potential dress ideas, but being such a personal decision, I’m going to hold off and keep you in suspense!

Image source clockwise from top left: JoseVilla; Dominique Bader; Amy Merrick; imbue weddings; Joshua Gull; Patricia Lyon.