23 Jun

Craft time! We’re not denying it  - we were left kind of obsessed with every detail in Elsie + Jeremy’s wedding last week, especially the bright bouquets, weren’t you? So, because we know everyone loves a good old fashioned DIY tutorial we asked Elsie to bring it! Once you catch the hang of making these, you’ll find yourself dazzling every corner of your house with handmade bouquets (hmm, that’s not such a bad idea). Ok, take it away Elsie!

Hi Cakelets!

When I was younger I worked at a flower shop. Thinking back to that experience, I knew that bouquet making was  fun and easy so I decided to make my own wedding bouquet while also letting my bridesmaids make theirs too! We got together after the rehearsal dinner, laid out a bucket full of mixed flowers and things I’d collected and had such a  fun time creating our own bouquets!

I loved how each turned out – super unique and special. I was a huge fan of Holly’s bird charm and Katie’s berry twigs and feathers.

Step 1: Collect Supplies. For my wedding bouquets I used fresh flowers, handmade velvet flowers, berry twigs, feather birds, feathers and vintage brooches. I also used some family heirloom ribbon (vintage tatting) and velvet ribbon that I found the first month we were dating! Choose accents that are personal to you!

Step 2: Start from the center and build the floral base of your bouquet. Work your way out by adding more and more flowers.

A Beautiful Mess wedding flowers

Step 3: Wrap the stems with floral tape. Use as much as you need to make it feel secure. The floral tape should go where ever you plan to wrap the ribbon. The ribbon will eventually hide it completely!

Step 4: Add accent piece such as feather birds (they have wires underneath that can secure them onto blooms) or feathers.

Step 5: Wrap the base of your stems (over the floral tape) with a pretty ribbon. I also tied some lace on mine as an accent.

Have fun making your bouquet! Tip: If you’re planning to take bridal portraits, use that to practice making your bouquet.

A Beautiful Mess wedding bouquet

Enjoy…. XO, Elsie

Uber cute, no? As if you needed another reason (aside from your wedding) to make these cuties. We hope this gets you running to your local farmer’s market and vintage shops! Imagine all the fun trinkets you can now add to your bouquet to have it fit your personality. Thanks for sharing the goods Elsie!

Portrait photos taken by Arrow and Apple. Others taken by Elsie, Emma and Rachel

 
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20 Jun

We assume you’re all familiar with Divine Twine? The baker’s twine that comes in the cutest colors ever? Thought so. The company that produces our fave string also makes super cute “bitty bags“, in all sorts of colors and patterns, that are perfect for favors for your wedding.

Jillian put together a few cute projects to show you how you might use both products, if you were to say, buy them in the Pop-Up Shop tomorrow? (hint hint.)

Divine Twine Favors

Divine Twine Favors

Divine Twine Favors

Cute, no? Love how she braided three colors together for the candy bag favors! (Which would obviously require some major bridesmaid help whilst watching a movie and drinking chilled rosé this summer). And wouldn’t the popcorn centerpiece be cute for the favor display or even guest tables? She used pretty tape to make the teeny flag bunting.

Plus the bags make great wrapping for homemade chocolate chip cookies. Or even a temporary home for a teeny air plant. And Divine Twine can be used for pretty much every event and holiday for the rest of your life, so no harm in stockpiling while you can.

Stop by the Pop-Up Shop tomorrow to stock up!

 
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17 Jun

You know that binder you have with all of your wedding inspirations? We promise you’re going to want to squeeze a few more pages inside after seeing today’s wedding! If ever there was a bride who outdid herself, Elsie Larson (of the indie fashion/craft blog A Beautiful Mess) wins the prize. Her wedding is not only irresistible – it’s a DIY masterpiece. A bursting celebration of fun, colors, textures and craft. Our gal pals over at Style Me Pretty featured this wedding yesterday, but there were just too many brilliantly cute details going on that we had to share it too! Lucky for us (and you!), Elsie is sharing tutorials on how you can make your own boutonniere and corsage. Thanks Elsie!

A Beautiful Mess bridesmaids

A Beautiful Mess bouquet

A Beautiful Mess wedding

A Beautiful Mess wedding

Here’s a fun video of their day:

Hello there Cakelets! I’m Elsie from A Beautiful Mess. I recently planned my own DIY wedding and wanted to share a few things with you. When my fiance and I were planning our big day we chose not to hire a florist. Not only did it save us hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars, but making my own corsages, boutonnieres and bouquets is one of my happiest wedding memories! We ended up with pieces that were really special to us and better reflected our personality than something we could have ordered at a flower shop!

A Beautiful Mess boutonnieres

DIY Feather Boutonniere

Step 1: Choose feathers and accent pieces in your colors. I used some berry garland too. I ordered most of my supplies from Etsy.com.

Step 2: Gather the pieces and arrange them exactly how you want them to look on your boutonniere.

Step 3: Using floral tape (or deco or twill tape) bind your feathers together at the base. Be sure they are all secure in the adhesive and will not slip out!

Step 4: You’re done. Just use a floral pin to pin your boutonniere to a piece of paper (this way you can also label who the different boutonnieres are for). Go get yourself a treat or have a fancy dinner with your fiancè because you just saved yourself a bundle!

Making our own feather and floral pieces was one of the easiest DIY’s we chose to do! I highly recommend it and it’s a project that can be done months in advance, which is always nice!

DIY Vintage Brooch Corsage

I own a vintage boutique and we have these pretty enamel floral brooches from the 1960s sitting around everywhere. I thought it would be fun to dress them up as a special corsage for our grandmothers to wear!

Step 1: Collect flowers, berry garland and millenary leaves in your colors. I ordered most of mine from Etsy.com.

Step 2: Choose pieces to accent your brooch. Trim the pieces to about 4 inches.

Step 3: Glue the feathers and findings to the back of your brooch. I used glue dots.

Step 4: Cover the back of your feathers with some twill tape or deco tape. They are already firmly attached with the glue dots, but this just makes the back look a little bit more polished.

A Beautiful Mess wedding corsage

A Beautiful Mess wedding corsages

Have fun! xo-Elsie

What a perfect way to start your weekend, right? Call your girlfriends up, make it a girls night in, and get crafting! Elsie will be back soon, sharing her DIY flower bouquet tutorial. You won’t want to miss it!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Photography: Arrow & Apple / Wedding Reception Design: Sharon Taylor and Stylizing by Kendra Skinner of Lonie Mae / For more of the lovely vendors involved see Style Me Pretty

 
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1 Jun

We have a fun little announcement for the end of the day today… our little piece in the June issue of Brides Magazine is out! Pick up a copy and read about 10 of our favorite DIY projects plus our tips for DIY success.

Thanks, Brides! It was a pleasure. And the whole issue is great!

 
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18 May

Purl is the most fantastic source of inspiration for anyone with even a slight inclination to craft. We spotted this super adorable Liberty of London garter on their blog that you could easily whip up in an afternoon, provided you have basic knowledge of a sewing machine and a little determination. It would make a sweet bridal shower gift too, don’t you think?

Liberty of London garter

How many of you are planning to wear a garter? It’s an awfully cute addition to your wedding wardrobe.

See the whole tutorial here and check out Purl’s extensive inventory of Liberty fabric on their site.

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