Our wedding..Lisa Arnold Photography

With Ava, My flower girl..Lisa Arnold Photography

The beauty the beach brings to a wedding ceremony!  Okay so I might be a bit partial because our wedding was on the beach…but I’ve seen other beach wedding portfolio’s ….GORGEOUS…

Okay I know what you are thinking…but Laney isn’t that going to blow my budget???

Not necessarily……here are a few tips…

1)  Don’t invite the whole county you live in!!!!!   It is okay to have a small, private ceremony for your closest family and friends.  You have to remember that there will be a few friends and family who will not be willing to travel to your destination so you will have some spots to work with.  Also you could have a very small ceremony and have a big reception when you get back to your hometown.  I did not do this personally but I have a friend who did this and she got to wear her dress twice!!!

2)  You don’t have to travel outside the USA to get to a great location.  I was married on the outerbanks of North Carolina….BEAUTIFUL!!   www.outerbanksweddingassociation.org  (you can find all the vendors you need here)

From the portfolio’s I’ve seen the East Coast seems the most promising …but I’ve seen some beautiful portfolios on location in California as well.

***Tip*** Browse theknot.com’s “REAL WEDDINGS” albums for great locations

3)  Ask  your guests  for help.   I had a 10,000 dollar budget and spent half on the enormous beach house for Joel and I and our guests….My guests were aware that transportation to and from the location was at cost to them but that we would pay for the beach house (which was a semi-oceanfront three story beauty that held 20 guests and was equipped with a swimming pool, pool table, two hot tubs, media room AND elevator)  I also had each family sign up for a night where they would buy and prepare the dinner meal for all 20 guest…which was super easy since the kitchen was massive and there were tons of grills. Your friends and family are usually excited to help and be a part of your special day..and it can be fun for them too!!

4)  Let the beach and your flowers be your decorations…I’ve noticed several beach weddings where they create an isle or an alter and scatter chairs….I feel that it takes away from the natural beauty of the beach/ocean…and it is extra money in your pocket

5) Travel off-season  but be aware of hurricane season

Lisa Arnold Photography

6) Keep your guests informed and communicate with a wedding website…this way you can post blogs asking for help with certain things in the wedding (ie ideas, assembling programs, meals..etc) ..the guests stay informed of your process as well as what is expected of them (which helps your pocket book in the long run)  I even posted a poll on what flavor of wedding cake they prefer

7)Last but not least…Keep it Simple… We were married on a public beach (at no cost to us) We had a meal catered in to our beach house (save on Hall/Event location fees) and had a two tiered wedding cake delivered..We had dancing and drinks on the patio by the pool.  Money SHOULD be spent on a great photographer…you want to document your beautiful day full of Love!!

Our Wedding Cake..Lisa Arnold Photography

Our Wedding Day..Lisa Arnold Photography

You will need:

Stretched canvas

Buttons (if you don’t have enough at home Walmart has an adorable “Bag of Buttons” or you can shop Resale shops…they usually have JARS of buttons!

Needles of various size

Thread or thin yarn

Super glue

1) Decide the pattern of your object and lightly draw it in with pencil on the canvas.

2) arrange your buttons on canvas and glue them in to place (otherwise the children could pull the buttons off the canvas and the buttons could become a choking hazard)

3)” Thread” (this will be easy since you already have it glued down) the needle with your yarn/thread and (“thread” through the buttons holes as you would on a shirt)

4)You can add extra touches (like I did with the attenaes)  because canvas board is very easy to poke through with your needle..and it is sturdy unlike fabric

5) I’m fortunate enough to have a handy husband who made this frame for me out of leftover bamboo (GO GREEN)  that we used for our floors…but you could paint the outside edges of the canvas prior to your button work with acrylic paint or you could hot glue fabric strips…

****TIPS****  I glued the body of my butterfly down first..then the outline of the wings and then filled in the wings with buttons

****IDEAS****  Simple car shapes are great for little boys..sometimes you can find HUGE buttons to use for the wheels…or you could do an easy caterpillar Just draw circles in a line large to small and fill with boy colored buttons

Another cute idea is doing a simple letter outline and filling it in with those adorable buttons

If you are stuck on a shape sometimes simple cookie cutters will do..or you could look for simple coloring pages online, print, cut out shape and trace on canvas.

MAKE SOMEBODY’S WORLD A LITTLE CUTER!!!

–Laney

HELLO…THIS IS MY MOTTO WHEN IT COMES TO CRAFTING (Okay I can admit that I’m still working on living more responsibly in my everday life..and the Reduce is hard for me when it comes to my craft supplies..but hey I’m working on it)

Some of the best projects come from junk!!  You can create unique junque!! hahaha…RESALE SHOPS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND!!  I get a lot of my inspiration from old items…Instead of purchasing a simple accent sitting chair for your home try going to a resale shop and re-vamping it with some low V.O.C  paint

*****GREEN TERMS*****VOCs are solvents that get released into the air as the paint dries. (Other products emit solvents, including adhesives, cleaning supplies, and even some home furnishings.) VOCs can cause acute symptoms, including headaches and dizziness. The long-term effects are less certain, but according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, some VOCs are suspected carcinogens.  (Thank you Consumer Reports)

Resale shops are full of inspirational treasures…think outside the box…old teacups can be turned into pots for plants…old wooden window frames can be hung together as a focal point in your living room…the options are endless…

You don’t have to shop mainstream stores to fill your home with personality.  You can make your world fantastic and help OUR WORLD  in the process!!!

This is a must have site for girls who shop for accessories on a budget.  The have great purses  and 5$ flat rate shipping!!!  

Loooooove them…

here is the purse I’m loving today..

http://www.accessorybug.com/catalog/beige-carly-metallic-faux-leather-satchel-p-2173.html

and only 40 dollars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

happy browsing!!!

A wreath I made for my front door.

CLOSE UP OF BUTTERFLY WREATH

The first thing guests see when coming to your home is…YOUR FRONT DOOR.  haha..obvious i know…Wreaths are a great way to showcase your personality.  Invest in a over the door wreath hanger (I got mine at target on sale)

Here is my story…

I”m browsing everywhere for a wreath that defines Laney and my home.  There are a lot of wreaths out there that are simple and will do (most simple wreaths start around 30 dollars) but there are also a lot of wreaths that only serve a certain taste (ie country type homes which is great if that is your taste but it will still cost you some dough)  I found a beautiful wreath that I looooooooved on the internet…                                                               but I hated the price tag……89.99!!!!!!

Here is the solution:

Go to your favorite craft store (ie..Michaels, Hobby Lobby)

I usually use Hobby Lobby.

Okay so I bought the wreath “bones”  usually made of twigs or grapevine…I chose an angular circle wreath that was on sale for 3 dollars (50 percent off)  ****NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM HOBBY LOBBY UNLESS IT IS 50% OFF BECAUSE IF YOU WAIT A WEEK IT WILL BE ON SALE****

Okay so you have your bones….the hot glue gun is your friend (inexpensive, handy and forms a very strong bond)

Then buy some artificial flowers to suit your taste as well as some accessories if you like (I used faux monarchs).

***LANEY TIP:  GREENERY IS KEY WHEN USING ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS…YOU CAN’T OVER DO IT..AND IT LOOKS MORE REAL..HOBBY LOBBY HAS A NEW KIND OF GREENERY/FLOWERS THAT ARE MORE SUEDE LIKE THAN PLASTIC..THEY LOOK SOOOO FANTASTICALLY REAL***

***STYLE WATCH:  MOSS AND FERNS ARE REALLY HOT RIGHT NOW…THEY CREATE A NATURAL MORE ORGANIC  LOOK***

I also purchased a very small wooden plaque that had a welcoming feel and also matched my color scheme  (it was also my inspiration)

Okay  here we go:

1)  lay out some greenery on your bones…try to follow the direction of the wreath

2)  Start hot gluing the greenery to create a base (you can use a lot to cover the bones of your wreath or a little to keep some of the wood exposed)

3) Decide if you are going to create a focal point on your wreath…I chose two larger flowers and offset it at the top . ..You could use flowers, fake birds, bird nest, fake fruit, seashells, wooden letter…etc …secure your focal point on top of your greenery base so that you can decorate around the focal point…***I’VE LEARNED THE HARD WAY THAT IF YOU ARE REALLY EXCITED FOR THE FOCAL POINT AND YOU PUT IT ON LAST YOU RISK THE WREATH LOOKING TOO GAWDY FROM OVER EMBELLISHING WITH THE FLOWERS**

4) Continue eye-balling the rest of your flowers and gluing them down with the hot glue gun ***DON’T WORRY IF LUMPS OF HARDENED HOT GLUE ARE SHOWING IN A FEW SPOTS…JUST CUT DOWN THE TIP OF A SMALL FLOWER AND GLUE IT ON TOP OF THE EXPOSED GLUE…YOU CAN ALSO USE LEAVES IF YOU ARE DOING ALL GREENERY..OR MINIATURE ACCENTS LIKE BUTTERFLIES, SHELLS, FRUIT..ETC***

5)  Once you are pleased with the amount of media on your wreath..cut down any stubborn greenery and clear out the strings of glue….AND YOU ARE FINISHED!!

SOME THINGS TO REMEMBER:

Be aware of how much room you have between your door and screen door…other wise your wreath will get smashed

If you don’t want to use glue you can fight with green planters tape or bendable artificial flower rods that are available in most craft stores

You can also buy a simple already decorated wreath and add to it to make it more yours..this will cost you more but may be less work

Make sure that you keep your wreath balanced…If you use a strong visual flower/greenery try to carry it around the wreath …I really use the number 3 a lot in decorating …it helps keep the flow of the piece

BE CREATIVE AND HAVE FUN!!!

ENJOY..MAY THIS HELP MAKE YOUR WORLD MORE BEAUTIFUL AND INVITING!!

A couple things about me.

1)  I’m a newlywed

2   I love creating

That said I did not realize the amount of money, work and time it would take to create a home for me and my husband.   I enjoy the challenge of this task and have had a lot of positive outcomes and have overcome some obstacles (primarily creative and financial obstacles).  After posting a few of my projects online I have had quite the buzz requesting “how to _____”  hence the birth of this blog.  Here I will be posting some of my projects, recipes, tips, money saving ideas, fashion alerts …etc…

My goal is to have this blog be a smorgasbord of a resource to the traditional and modern woman.  After all I’m a big fan of mixing old and new concepts to create wonderful pieces.  My personal style is Modage (a mix of modern and vintage media) with a sprinkling of shabby chic.  I think one of the greatest freedoms we have today as a woman is being able to combine personal character to become one dynamic being.  We can be a housewife, mother, CEO, sex kitten, fashionista, athlete, artist, dreamer and inventor and share the same soul.  We CAN achieve the perfect environment to help harbor our wonderful selves, dwell with our families, and entertain guests. We CAN be resourceful, creative and practical to create our own little world…welcome to mine! 

–Laney

A note to all readers :  One thing my fabulous self  is not:  An English Teacher..please pardon my grammar along the way!