Bridesmaid Thank You Hankies

Did you see these bridesmaid thank you hankies over on Oh, Hello Friend? These are by Lauren Elise Crafted and they are SO dang cute!!! You must go check out the DIY! And special congrats to Oh, Hello Friend blogger, Danni, who just got married last weekend! So excited to her lovely crafted wedding.

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Real Wedding: Terra and Kevin

First off, this week we are counting down to our big launch on Friday! I can’t wait for you to see the new digs–I know you’re going to love the new look!

Today, I wanted to start off with Terra and Kevin’s wedding, shot by Jennifer of Ever Whim Photography. There are so many creative ideas, which you’ll get a feel for when you read Terra’s description below. My favorite idea that Terra shares: DIY Milk Glass! Check it out below!

I work full time as the Store Merchandise Manager at Urban Outfitters in Santa Cruz, CA and my husband Kevin is a self employed contractor. We have been together for 5 years, but our engagement was on the short side of seven months, and we had a tight budget of well under $10,000. We got married on Sunday April 25, 2010 at the same church my parents were married 40 years ago here in Santa Cruz, CA (Villa Maria del Mar-sits close to the beach cliffs). Our dogs are a huge focus in our lives and were with us the whole day, our French Bulldog Stanley was our Best Man, and our Pug Stella was our Maid of Honor. Since we had a tight budget we did a lot of DIY decorating elements. Our friends helped us put together the succulent arrangements for the tables at the reception and my bouquet. I believe we ended up spending a total of $60 for any flowers/succulents that were used–the rest friends and family donated.

I have always loved the idea of milk glass and found black milk glass that inspired me, however I didn’t love the cost. I ended up purchasing a variety of glass bowls and vases at local thrift stores and painted them black in order to get the similar effect I wanted. Our seating chart was compiled of all of our friends dogs and each table was named accordingly, the dogs pictures were in frames recycled from my aunts old fence. For our cigar smoking section, my husband hand carved ashtrays out of large river rocks from our front yard. I inherited a large collection of vintage brooches and other vintage jewelry with which I had a co-worker create for me my bridal necklace, other salvaged jewelry was added in as well.

Our friends mean everything to us and we were so thankful that they were so involved with us from the very beggining. The one thing that I learned from the whole experience is–never hesitate to ask for help. Everyone you love comes together to help you with any and all aspects to create everything you’ve imagined. We couldn’t be happier with how our day turned out, we are soo lucky to have such great friends and family who all came together to help us with the “inspiration” for our wedding day.

Vendors include:

Photography: Jennifer Hogan of Ever Whim Photography; Cake: Heathers Patisserie; Makeup: Anna Wu; Hair: Aurezu Kuhzarani; Ceremony: Villa Maria del Mar-Santa Cruz, CA; Reception held at Michaels On Main; Officiant: Gregory Ross (the Grooms best friends); Flowers: DIY; Ceremony Music: Steven Griswold (good friend of the bride & groom); Reception Music: Aaron Kushner (co-worker of the bride); Bride’s Necklace: inherited vintage jewelry & brooches-created by Theresa Vu (co-worker of the bride)

DIY Birdcage!

Well, last night was absolutely amazing! The Hitched Event was a complete success and I was so honored to be a contributor!

As part of the event, vendors were asked to provide a little something for guests to collect in their goody bags. I thought it might be fun to give out a little piece of russian netting, which is used for birdcage veils. The fabric has all sorts of crafty possibilities, so I wanted to share with all of you (and our Hitched attendees) some ideas for their birdcage materials!

First up, I added the netting to a fabric corsage. It created a whimsical vintage flair that’s  fun and unexpected. It would look really darling if you added it to an actual floral corsage…say perhaps the mother of the bride? Just a little something extra special to make your mom stand out.

To get the look, simply gather together one end of the fabric, twist and fan out; then apply!

Next up, I put together a little accessory idea for you. I took a simple bangle, dressed it up with some gold trim (available at any craft store) and made a birdcage flower. To make your own, simply fold each corner into the center of your fabric swatch. From underneath, gather the center (along with your corners) and twist just a bit. A needle and thread works best to secure the gathering. Then simply adhere with hot glue to your bangle.

Voila!

The last project involves a bit more fabric. If you don’t have a specialty store near you that sells it, you can find it at a number of places online, including the Grey Likes Etsy store. This last DIY is a flower girl wand. It was very easy to make and is such a fun way to retool vintage! (We also thought it might be fun to add birdcage material to a bouquet which we’ve shown as well!).

To make the wand, start with a painted dowel. Glue fabric trim around top of the wand. Cut large squares of your birdcage material. One piece at a time, fold all four corners to the center, gather from underneath, and sew together, then sewing each layer to the trim. It should take about 4-5 layers to complete. We finished the wand off by adding some rhinestone trim and a vintage earring.

(P.S. If you love the wand and don’t want to do it yourself, this one is available for purchase!)

I hope you enjoyed some of the ideas! Hopefully, if you received birdcage materials from Hitched, you’ll think up something great to do with it!

DIY: Olive Hue Paper

Jane Jeon from Olive Hue Paper Goods is a total love. First off, she’s crazy talented. Second, she’s gone and created a custom download just for Grey Likes readers! We have some really lovely labels (bottom left) and favor tags (top right) for you to download, print and customize! Both come with various colors and I think they are so cute!

Here’s a peek at them, along with a little accompanying inspiration:

Photo Credit: Martha Stewart Weddings

You can check out more of Jane’s work here! Special thanks to her for designing such a GREAT template for us! I hope you enjoy!

DIY: Cheat Bow Tie

I spied this easy cheat bow tie DIY project over on The All Things Original Blog and wanted to share it with you. The project was created by Louise from Super Duper Things. I’m not sure…but perhaps in the right size these might work for groomsmen? To check out the entire project in full size, be sure to head over to The All Things Original Blog!

She Likes Yellow

How cute is this Jar Full of Yellow by Sweet Love Vintage (whose shop you really really should check out here because EVERYTHING in it is SO CUTE!)? The idea is so creative and full of potential. Perhaps you could use the concept as a shower centerpiece, or maybe you could put something fun like this at your guest book table or at your rehearsal dinner; you could make one jar for the bride and one for the groom. This is just a starting off point, but think of all the possibilities! Of course, you could also just purchase this jar of yellow and have it delivered to your doorstep. I always say, DI-Why?

DIY Friday: Tea Envelopes

I spotted this simple and sweet DIY project over at A Print A Day. It would make a really darling favor for a shower, no? (Or perhaps a special “get well” to send off to a loved one?)

DIY: Drink Me!

Custom stationery and design studio, Truly Smitten recently created some totally adorable bottle tags that read: “Drink Me!”. I love those types of commands. Yes, I don’t mind if I do. Sara, the designer behind the fab blog and studio, even went so far as to offer a free download of the tags, so be sure to head over to her blog and save the pdf! These would be so great for any sort of wedding, shower, or Thursday evening for that matter.

Spotted: DIY Centerpiece

I just spied these DIY paper flower centerpieces and felt obligated to share. The bride, Sarah, also handmade burlap sachets filled with chocolate covered espresso beans as favors. You need to check out her entire wedding over on Belle Bride, but I thought I’d give you a little DIY inspiration! These images are by Andrea Dozier and I know you’re going to LOVE them!

DIY: Vintage Inspired Belt

If you’re looking for a way to add a rustic feminine element to your dress (or perhaps change it up for your reception?) I just saw this lovely trim on Etsy that has a world of DIY potential. I’ve put it into an inspiration board for you so as to spark some ideas!

Left to right, top to bottom: 1. Sara Gabriel via Style Me Pretty 2. Lace Trim from Wholeport 3. Born Barefoot