Tuesday, February 1, 2011

DIY....Peacock corsage (Warning! Not for your average momma)

When I was planning my own wedding, there was one thing for certain....my mom was not going to wear a standard corsage. My mom was the picture of perfection during the planning process: she supported my every whim and didn't demand that anything be her way. This of course excludes her adamant refusal to wear a flower (funny since I work in flowers, huh?)
I hope this doesn't offend anyone.....there are many beautiful corsages out there and some women love them.....it's just not Mom's style.
During planning I decided to start collecting antique brooches to give to our mothers, grandmothers and aunts at the wedding in lieu of the traditional corsage (It went over quite well with everyone, I must say).
You can't see the brooch too well....but I love this pic of us:)

After seeing everyone's reaction to the alternative corsage, I started treating the idea of it differently. I wanted to start making corsages that doubled as jewelry, a sort of keepsake from the day.

With that being said I got the chance to put this idea to work this past summer at my friend Jamie's peacock-inspired wedding......and the ladies loved them!

Add caption


and just in case anyone wants to get a little crafty, here are the steps to create your own pretty peacock corsage.......



Supplies
3 peacock feathers/ 3 silk flower petals/ 2 10"pieces of coordinating ribbon/ matching thread/
scissors/ needle/ beads/ glue/ wire/ floral tape

 cut plumes of two feathers into a pointed shape.....remove excess plumes from the bottom up to the eye of the feathers

 Place three feathers side by side, with the largest feather in the center, and tape the "stems" together.



 Stack 3 silk flowers and stitch together.....sew matching bead to the center
 Cut two 10-inch pieces of coordinating ribbon.
 Make two simple bows.....wire together

 Tape the wire onto the "stem" to attach the ribbon to the feather backing
 Glue beaded flower to the center of the bow

Voila, you have a beautiful piece of peacock jewelry that any mother, grandmother, or aunt would be proud to wear on your BIG day!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Hello Sunshine are you still there?

Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.
Hans Christian Anderson




Oh Spring, could you please get here sooner rather than later......pretty please. I'm not the biggest fan of cold weather. In fact I kinda hate it. If it were up to me I would live somewhere where the temp never drops below 70 and the sun shines every day.....oh I can almost hear the waves crash outside my window as I type. Don't get me wrong...I feel blessed to see all the beautiful seasons we have in Tennessee; warm summers at the lake, fiery mountains in the fall, sparkling snow covered trees in the winter, Daffodils and dogwoods blooming in the spring. Right now though the weather seems to be stuck in this gray limbo....blah. Needless to say I'm craving warmth and color in my life so here is a little YELLOW inspiration to brighten up the day...



Starting next week I will be posting a new original design/diy project each week. To make this a little more interesting I would love to get you all involved. If you'd like to be a part of my little project please leave a comment with a quote, color, word, or image that you could serve as my inspiration for the week. Each week I will pick one comment and base my design on whatever you have posted for me. This could get very interesting.....I'm sure some of you will have some curve balls to throw at me......all I have to say is bring it:)