DIY flower arrangement

Here's a neat trick for arranging your flowers in wide-mouthed bowls... tape.

By creating a lattice pattern all your flowers stay right where you put them, best of all you can't even see the tape.

I went for a walk this weekend and snipped some blooms from forsythia and another flowering tree that I don't know the name of.  To help the stems take water, take pliers and pinch the ends of the stem.
happy day!

open air vase...

Courtesy of DESIGNLOVEFEST

I have a blog crush...

I love this blog.  Bri's aesthetic is always sunny. 

I think this tutorial on how to make open air vases (perfect for dried flowers or herbs) is brilliant.  I'm wrapped up in weddingcateringmaddness right now, but I think I might need these in the kitchen to dry herbs from the garden.

Just had to share.... have a happy day!

Beer saga continues!

Congratulations Mr. Beer, I am now obsessed.

Two weeks ago I just bottled my first batch of Pale Ale and left it to lager.  I must say using EZ cap bottles are the way to go.  They provide a great seal every time (great for newbies like me), and they look cool.  Word to the wise: I would recommend picking these up at your local brewing store.  Shipping can be expensive otherwise, and most places won't guarantee you unbroken bottles.  I bought mine for $29.00 for (16) 16oz. This weekend I will pop open my first one and try.  I am counting down the days.  When I bottled it I took a little sip and it tasted like the fancy beer you were drinking the night before but left on your night stand before you passed out, but then you woke up in the middle of the night and took a drunken swig.  In other words flat, good beer.  After a two week lager process (adding the brew to bottles and then adding a  bit of sugar to provide your beer with a bit of carbonation) it should be tasting wonderful.

Two weeks ago, after bottling the Pale Ale, I tried a Mr. Beer Cranberry Maibock recipe, it has all sorts of extra goodies added to it, like cranberry puree, honey, Cinnamon, and cloves to make for a very festive beer.  Ho, ho, ho, with a 9.5 ABV you're sure to be flying high with the reindeer. 

I can't wait to share the beer cases and labels I made...soon.

Magazine Box

Adding to the swell ways to wrap presents list is the magazine box.

Using these instructions, I made this.  It would be perfect for jewelry in this size, but can be made all sizes following the simple instructions.

repurposed voss : vase

Voss water bottles are really neat looking, they are made of thick glass, have a fun grey top, and are large.  Do Mother earth a favor,save the bottles to reuse them. I simply took a flat knife (not serrated) and scraped off the lettering.  I then followed up with steel wool, instant vase.  Looks great with a single rose.  To be silly I left "recyclable" on it along with the bar code.

DIY Bird Cage Veil : Shopping for the right Netting

For most DIY weddings, you are spending your time, to save money.  Not like I have all the time in the world, but for wedding stuff, I will always find some.

I have a laundry list of DIY projects that I cannot wait to share.  The one that I am starting now (7 months prior to our wedding, so I can get it right) is the bird cage veil. 

We are getting married in July, and I have long hair, so yet another layer on a Summer day, isn't happening, that's how I decided on the birdcage veil.

I looked around, but wasn't impressed with the quality or the price.  So I have decided to make my own.  I happen to be very lucky...I work in Midtown Manhattan, one Avenue away from 7th Ave, known as Fashion Ave. ; home to all sorts of great fabric stores. 

Here are some snap shots during the netting hunt.  I saw so many types of fabrics that I want... need.  This fabric I liked because it's sturdy, bigger holes, and isn't floppy, so it will stay well.  It was 8/yd.

Sorry about the mobile pics, I remembered that I took my memory card out of my camera... as I arrived at the store. Figures.

Leaf Bunting

While we were collecting moss for the terrariums I became 5 again and decided to collect the colorful leaves on our hike.  Simply tie them to a string...it adds a festive fall look hassle free.

I strung them around the house, added some pumpkins and gourds, and am now officially over my end-of-summer blues.

 

Apothecary terrarium

1 hike + 3 unused apothecary jars = outdoors in the indoors.

I have had these glass apothecary jars.  I had got them as a gift, each was filled with soap, bath salts, and sponges.  All of which I've barely used.

I have been seeing a lot of terrariums around as of late, like this one, and decided that we needed one... err three, well two now because the lucky winner of the BB&H give awaay is...:cue drammatic drumroll:   Tara Jennings of Bowling Green, KY!

Didn't win?  No worries here's how it's made.

1. Gather moss from outside or garden store.

2. Layer in this order... rocks on the bottom (for drainage) 1 inch of soil, moss, rocks.

3. I also threw in some small ferns

4. Mist (water lightly) and keep closed to maintain ideal humidity. 

5. Water every 3 weeks, or if dry.

ENJOY!

*I also thought it would be charming as wedding favors.

Most craft stores sell plastic ornaments like these, that can easily be made into a hanging terrarium. 

If you want to opt for glass you could get these which is most likely what we'd do.

These apothecary jars would look nice as the centerpieces or accent on the guest book table, or as a photo prop.

love note

I am a romantic.  When my fiance is least expecting it he'll find a random love note stashed in his work bag, jacket, sock or wallet.  Using a Hermès catalog (not that he'd know what that is /care) I made this little heart using this tutorial. 

No matter if it's been 2 weeks, months, years, or decades... love notes are the best.  It's perfect as is or with a teeny-tiny post it love note inside.  Cute for Valentines or anytimes.

*took this on the fly with mac cam & excuse the nude face

 

 

chocolate covered pretzels

This was fun task... just not for me.  Going off of directions found online (that my mom was iffy about from the get go) I messed up the first batch of chocolate.  Stressed out with a trillion other things to do, I relinquished the job to my mom.

According to the other blog (which I won't name) all you had to do was put the chocolate in a Pyrex dish and heat it every 30 seconds until it melted it, stirring it between heating.  DON'T and I mean DON'T do this.  It will burn your chocolate, it will suck, it will not liquify, do not pass go, do one collect $200.00.

My mom decided to add a drop of milk and a tad of butter... little by little, heating the chocolate in water in the Pyrex measuring cup.  As it gradually heated she stirred and added a drop of milk and a bit of butter until it was a liquid, but not too runny.  I'm sorry about the quantities of butter, milk, and chocolate... with most moms they just use their mom-given instincts that makes it impossible to get an exact measurement. 

"L: How much butter and milk did you add?
M: Ummm, I dunno, just until it was liquid-y.
L: Okay? Cool, as long as we get this done, but how am I going to blog about it?
M: Just tell them a little bit at a time.  Don't take any pictures, I look like shit.
L: I have to Mom, I need pics for the blog, we all look like shit right now, tough.
M: Ooo, take a picture of my boobs."

True story.

Next Jeremy, my mom's bf was on dunking patrol.  Two hours, two bags of chocolate, one package of sprinkles, and three bags of pretzels later, we had favors for 80 people.  The chocolate hardened better with the sprinkle topping opposed to just chocolate.  NOTE if it's hot/humid cure the finished pretzels in the fridge or freezer, but not for too long or they won't be as crunchy.

After forming an assembly line of my MOH Lucy, BM (haha) Claire, Mom, and Jeremy (I was cutting paper), we had the completed favors that of course I don't have a snapped pic of.  I will upload one later as more pics come in.

These favors were time consuming, but well worth it. 

Favors (80 people with 4 per bag is 320 minis)
Pretzels      $3.00 

Ribbon        $1.00

Chocolate   $6.00

Sprinkles     $2.00

________________

Total  12.00  (that's a sweet deal at $0.15 per person!)

DIY decor instructions

Here are some of the DIYs.  The ones that are linked are from other fun sites, since I followed their instructions I'll let you visit them.

Flag Line

Poms

Foraged Flowers can be found here.  Note, all left overs I put as a back drop behind the guest book table with white lights intertwined, you can see it here in the top left picture.

Table Cloth art is simple: To save time on the hectic day we pre-measured and cut the brown paper to size.  When we arrived to set up we used tape to keep the paper in place.  Using stamps to add interest we stamped a small bird pattern on the tables.  To encouraged fun doodles we put a handful of crayons ($1.00 for 48 at the dollar tree) on the tables.  Clean up was easy, and the paper is recyclable as opposed to plastic table cloths.  We also used 3 cloth table cloths for the bar, food, and dessert tables (not pictured).

Please see here for all associated prices.

...coming up next is how my mom and her boyfriend saved the day in terms of the pretzel favors.

Crafting

VERY VERY little got thrown away at the party, I have listed what and how I will be reusing

I will be reusing the:

Jars for the wedding (just dying them blue, I'll show you in the future).

Brown Paper for misc. crafts and parties.

Flag Paper for scrap booking and crafts

Poms for gift wrap

Balloons for shower and wedding, let alone parties (I had to order 72 of them)

Floral wire for home made wedding boutonnieres and corsages

Tea lights for shower and wedding

String for everything... and the kitties!

The only thing I was bummed about was not getting to use the decorated table clothes (we put crayons on them for fun) in the scrap book, they got too messy with food.

Here's a financial run down of what I spent on crafts:

Jars________________________.70ea     (24)     $16.80     AC MOORE

Flag Paper ________________$12.00                                      AC MOORE

Flag String ________________$2.00                                        DOLLAR TREE

Tissure Paper______________$1.00            (5)    $5.00          DOLLAR TREE

Brown Table Paper _________ $13.99                                        HOME DEPOT

Round Ballons_____________$24.00                                        BALLOON WAREHOUSE

3 Battery Powered Tealights___$1.00           (14)   $14.00       DOLLAR TREE

Pretzles___________________$1.00           (3)                       DOLLAR TREE

Sprinkles and Chocolate Chips__ $8.00                                       PATHMARK

Balloon Ribbon_____________$1.00                                       DOLLAR TREE

Pretzel Ribbon______________$1.00                                     DOLLAR TREE

Floral Wire________________ $1.00                                      DOLLAR TREE

Fishing Line HAD

Heart and White Lights HAD

Misc Bottles HAD

Decorative Tray HAD

Stamps  HAD

(3)Cloth Table Clothes HAD


Hanging Decor 
POMS  6.00 (there were 14 that we later clustered to make big colorful ones)
Flags     14.00  (there were (2) 25' and (1) 20')
______________
Total 20.00   (.42 per pom 4.60 per flag line!)

(14) Table Decor
Brown Paper 13.99
Jars                16.80
Flowers          FR.EE
TLights          14.00
__________________
Total  44.79 (that's 3.19 per table!)

Favors (80 people with 4 per bag is 320 minis)
Pretzels      3.00

Ribbon        1.00

Chocolate   6.00

Sprinkles     2.00

________________

Total  12.00  (that's .15 per person!)

I apologize for the small amount of pictures, I really just wanted to enjoy the day and the people so I wasn't my usual shutter bug self.

As far as food and booze, that's a different story, we spent around 2000.00 on the entire party (which is pretty good considering the amount of people and freedom we had.)

por favor!



Courtesy of Pizzazzerie



Engagement party is inching closer and my excitement is amping up along with the never ending ideas...

Right now let's just talk favors!

I have a few different ideas that need to meet certain needs.

1. Cost effective
2. Eco-friendly
3. Yummy

It shouldn't be too hard right, except I've been researching this for months now, and have too many ideas.  I usually say...

"One can never have too many great options."

In this case one can, and does.

Here they are folks, ideas for the favors.  In no particular order.

1. Seasoned (by yours truly) pumpkin and/or sunflower seeds.

2. Made with love 4oz mason jar pies.

3. From the garden Rosemary and basil infused olive oil.

4. Festive Fruit infused vodka.

Or I could make my life easier with:

5. Cookie assortment A and B.
6. Candy assortment.

Please visit the links to the various how-to blogs I found for these items.  I will post the winner and my own personal how-to  (with a few modifications I'm sure) once it's decided...

sunflower follow up

They're alive!  As mentioned here and before that, here.  My sunflowers became some serious snacking for various critters; between the caterpillars, ants, and a rambunctious little ground hog, I had almost thrown in my gardening gloves.  Until I saw this recipe and then modified it a little bit.

Weeks after brewing my Spicy Garlic Tea, and diligently applying it with a paint brush (this concoction is course no matter the amount of super fine straining...it just kept clogging the 4 different spray bottles I used) every time it rained, watering it only for the dirt and the bottoms to get wet... WE HAVE A CROP (or my Bergen Co. NJ version of a crop).

One point for organic! 

Who says you need harmful chemicals to keep away various species!?

What are some home remedies you've made/used to be more environmentally friendly?

Check em!

three

 I enjoy a drink, or two (three) after work, and on weekends, and any other time.  I really love to collect the bottles.  For our centerpieces for the wedding (we are going sans-florist) we are going to use various collected bottles with flowers such as Queen Anne's lace (one of my favorites), poms, and statice (amongst others).  St. Germain Bottles are the best.  After boiling them, using a steel pad to scrub off the labels, and snipping the metal ring once attached to the screw top, they are quite pretty with one cut flower from the garden.

Case in point...

1.

This is definitely on the list of crafts.

2.

3. All the pretty colors.

Deterrent Tea

You can see my previous garden post here, but as you know my sunflowers have been getting chomped on lately.  Unacceptable, but I didn't want to use a pesticide on the sunflowers because I plan on harvesting their delicious seeds.
I researched and found a recipe for an all natural pest-deterrent made from items you may have in your kitchen already.  I altered the ingredients because I was lazy and didn't want to run to the store, but it still works.

Word to the wise, you will need to apply it every 2 days, or more if it's been raining, because it washes away.

  

You'll need..

• Food Processor/ Blender
• A pot with lid
• Spray Bottle
• Bowl
• Spoon
• Fine Strainer/ Cheese cloth
• 7 cups of water
• 3 whole garlics
• 1/2 cup of red pepper flakes
• 2/5 cup of Chile pepper
• 2 Table Spoons of Vegetable oil
• 2 Table Spoons of ALL NATURAL UNSCENTED laundry detergent

1. Peel and chop your garlic using 1 cup of water.
2. Strain the garlic to get as much juice out of it as possible.
3. You might want to process it again after the first round of straining by adding another cup of water and pressing on the strainer with a spoon to juice the garlic.  Set aside juice.
4. Put the garlic remnants aside.
5. Add the Pepper Flakes and Chile Pepper to the remaining 5 cups of water. 
6. Bring the Pepper Tea to a boil, remove from heat, and let stand for 30 minutes.
7. When the Pepper Tea is cool strain it and add it to the garlic juice.
8. Add your strained pepper flakes to your discarded garlic bowl. optional:

   I scattered the discarded pepper flakes and garlic around my sunflower garden to emphasize the smell.  It didn't look so pretty so if you're worried about aesthetics I would skip this part.

   To make this mixture stick to your plants we need to add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons of ALL NATURAL UNSCENTED laundry detergent.  I emphasise all natural and unscented to A. Be okay for the environment B.Not to be scented to attract any critters.
9. Spay frequently ( I spray every 2 days or after it rains)  your mixture will coat the plant with a reddish tint. 

SOME FAQs
Will it make my produce/seeds spicy?
No (unfortunately) it will not, it washes right off.
Will it stain?
It will stain your clothes, I sprayed this mixture on my strawberry plants (with white flowers) and they only a rainshower away from being white again.
Will it harm my young plants?I put it on young seedlings (1-2 inches) and they have been just fine.

FYI- This stuff is spicy, don't rub your eyes!! (before adding the soap/oil) I tried a finger dip, it was HOT for me and I adore spicy...I'm rethinking this as a marinade for hot wings.

UPDATE!

It's been 2 weeks since I applied this mixture and I have noticed that the ants have left my plants alone as well as caterpillars and groundhogs.  I hope the plants bounce back from their chomp!  I have also sprayed the mixture on my strawberries and the squirrels have left them alone too.  I even use them on my tomato plants.

I have begun a replacement crop for my sunflowers on my fire escape/ terrace and plan to replace the badly damaged plants.  I am also going to fence in the sunflower bed, that's one of the next DIYs.

candy, fruit, h'orderves, oh my!

I made this after becoming obsessed with finding a purpose for my favorite plates that my mom gave me in my first apartment.  When my ex and I split, he decided to keep half of the plates, so now I only have a few.  I decided to make a cupcake platter to use for gatherings.  I loved the way my first one came out so much that I made my best friend and mother one too.
I'd recommend scoring some antique plates at a thrift store.  The glass candle sticks I got at the dollar tree.

leather chairs

My boyfriend and I moved in together back in late march.  Little by little I've been adding a womans touch to our apt.  He had these great antique chairs from his parents that are wood and actually fold up...but the chairs had cig. burns and vinyl seats.
In my travels I pick up a lot and save it in my craft bin in my attic crawl space.  This leather skirt was a size 10 and I'm not.  It was a long leather skirt with silk lining so I kept it waiting.  Originally I was going to chop it and make pillows, but decided that the chairs needed more love than the couch.  I still have plans for the chairs, a good ol' sand and re-stain, but that will come later.   I made 2 leather and 2 silk seats...

Here's how I redid the chairs.
  
Here's 10 steps to ta-da from blah.  Some pointers...
*SAFETY GOGGLES, in the next post I'll show you what can happen when not wearing one when the loading spring goes off.
*use the original seat fabric as a stencil.
*silk wasn't the best choice on the other 2 chairs, opt for a more durable fabric (we have 2 cats)