The Bride's Headpiece--a check off the list!

Okay, this has actually been done for quite sometime now, but I've been quite busy with work and passion projects--plus my craft ADHD has me skipping hopping and crocheting myself into a coma these days.

So, for posterity and documentation, I have finished the satin flower headpieces for my sister's wedding.  Actually, I'd just call it a headpiece--made out of two flower units. I figured it'd be easier to have them in two, for easier positioning.

These flowers are cut and singed satin, the technique I will be teaching this weekend at another bridal workshop at Craft MNL!  :-)

I sewed in big natural pearls for the centers.  Whee!  Another check off the list (that keeps growing because of my excitement and craft-hop-skippiness)!

First Styling Gig! Jay ♥ Czacza

So a while back, I posted on silkscreening doilies for a friend's wedding.  It was also for this same gig that I prepared this sample rustic bouquet of fabric roses.  Since the fabric bouquet seemed too minimalist for her, I tried my hand at arranging a fresh one.  And since the wedding happily took place last July, I can now post pictures of how everything turned out!  :-)

First off, the sample setup.  The bride specifically requested for hydrangeas, and thankfully Lex and I were able to source these.  I learned though that fresh flowers are really tricky.  Their availability depends on the weather, the farm's disposition, transportation, etc.  For the setup, I was able to get hydrangeas that had bluish/purplish flowers.

Hydrangeas are lovely, aren't they?  They're also very thirsty flowers.  I learned though that they can last for quite a long time even when cut, as long as they're in water.

Then I tried to think of how to add a touch of charm.  And the first thing I thought of were doilies!  So I got to work having a screen made, and made a few for the setup.  They ended up in varying shades of gray, so I had to note that when I went into producing all of the doilies needed for the reception, I'd need a big batch of a pre-mixed gray.

I also thought of using stickered bottles for the centerpieces.  The decals used had nice romantic words and graphics.  I hadn't quite seen these at a setup before (then again, I don't look around that much), but then I just liked the idea.  The bride agreed.  :-)

I used jute string to hang a sparse curtain of blue beads (for the blue element of her wedding motif), and put in these decorative ceramic balls.  The bride actually suggested these in her pegs.  I love the way candles can totally change how a simple setup looks, so I learned how to make floating candles, and got some ceramics and glassware.

The sample rustic bouquet, and the setup from top view.  The bride vetoed the dried tree-stuff on the table.

I also got some succulents, put them in odd, charming porcelain and added them to the table decor.

Setup details!

And voila!  I was pretty happy with how it turned out.  Little did I know what a challenge it would be, replicating this to a reception setting of more than 120 (the guest list grew--these things apparently happen in the process).

My next post will be how the actual wedding setup turned out.  :-)

Hello, blue roses!

Because I've been especially busy (since the long weekend ended), I'd just like to share some photos of a blue rose bouquet I made as a sample for a friend's wedding.  Though she chose to go with fresh instead (so now I'm learning all about fresh flowers), I'm still pretty happy with this rustic, minimal bouquet.

Close-up of the large flower.

I used two shades of blue of geena silk, and mixed it in with a mid-tone satin.  And to add to the rustic feel, I put in some canvas petals.  I love the way the addition of a neutral tone makes something more elegant, don't you?  :-)  I used this DIY project from Greenweddingshoes (love that site!) as a reference for constructing the flower.  I then wrapped the wire stems first with floral tape, then hemp rope for more of the rustic feel.  The whole bouquet is finished off with the addition of dried flowers, tied together with the roses using cream cotton lace.

It was an overcast day when I photographed these in the yard.  No adjustments to the image.

I'll document the process next time to share.  :-)

To go with fresh? Or with flowers that last?

Okay, I'm no florist.  But I've been into making fabric bouquets and fabric flowers.  And I say--to each her own.  :-)  Through my current styling projects I'm slowly learning more about fresh flowers, and from all of the fresh bouquets I've seen so far, I think it can safely be said that no level of artisan talent can equal the diversity and delicate aesthetic of Mother Nature.

But as a crafter I also say--craft-y-ness + creativity = the happy products of the very human yearning to create as well as to make things last (woohoo, may I dramatize the case for fabric flowers...).  Memories and keepsakes are, I think, a reflection of how wonderfully human we all are.  How we would like to cling to things, to remember things--and to be remembered by what we pass on.  But I stray.  Back to flowers.

I started making fabric flowers for head pieces I was having fun with last year.

Ribbon rose with tinted freshwater pearls on my Alice headband.  Awesomely modeled by Zee.

Then upon further research, my fabric-flower know-how extended beyond ribbon roses, and I think I had too much fun with satin and geena silk and bouquet tutorials.

I got to put this new skill to use with my sister's wedding last year.

All bouquets (except for the bride's bouquet of fresh orchids) are handmade with love.

Close up of some of the entourage bouquets.  Photos above by Nelwin Uy.

And now that I'm taking baby steps into styling, the question between fresh or lasting presents itself even more often.  Fresh is an absolute classic.  But, the mounds of moolah you spend on them sometimes end up being cast away at the end of the celebration.  Which is mainly the reason why people consider craft bouquets (another reason is, I've realized that it's also easier to match dresses to the fabric colors used in DIY bouquets which may not be as available in Mother Nature's floral palette).  The lasting DIY craft bouquets, by virtue of being handmade can also be quite expensive though.  BUT, they can also be quite the budget option as well--IF well--you make them yourself.  :-) And it isn't as hard as you think.  I'm currently cooking up a way of sharing the DIY love with brides on a budget.  Stay tuned for that.  If you'd like to check out the tutorial I based the above bouquets on, hop on over to Elizabeth Anne Designs here.  I just used a different sort of fabric flower, but once you get the base (wire whisk) down, the possibilities for these topiary-style bouquets are as endless as you make them.

Here's a sneak peek at my most recent fabric bouquet flower, using a different base and flower type.

Canvas and geena silk with hemp rope and dried flowers.

Will post more on how this project goes.  Blue roses?  No problem.  Hooray for the inspiration we get from nature.  :-)  I think it's great that we get to celebrate the beauty of what's around us together with a twist of homegrown creativity.