everything's coming up bluebells!

Hi, everyone.  I'm thrilled to be guest-blogging this week!  Believe it or not, these gorgeous little blooms are already poking their heads out in the part of Canada I live in (Vancouver).  Spring really is right around the corner!  

All these bluebells are a wonderful inspiration for adding the "something blue" to a wedding. These days, you have so many more options than wearing a blue garter!  As usual, a visit to Etsy provides so many choices for the bride who is looking for unique accessories.

These lovely bluebell earrings from Uncommon Originals would make any spring bride sparkle.

These earrings from Jantar are also adorable.

But maybe you're more a classic-pearl-earrings kind of bride.  That's OK.  Both those earrings would make fabulous bridesmaid accessories.  

Or you could put them in these gorgeous bluebell necklaces from Chaton Designs.

Another way to add a blue accent is with an of-the-moment clutch purse.  Erin Pata makes a lovely one crafted from vintage blue chenille.  It's a one-of-a-kind, just like the bride who chooses to carry it!

If you and your friends are vintage vultures, these elegantly retro blue purses from Appetite would be perfect for your bridesmaids.

For something a little more sophisticated, try this stunning clutch from Leighann Kline.

Scrumptious!

For brides who are interested in spicing up their "rear view" (after all, your guests stare at your back throughout the entire wedding ceremony), why not add a touch of blue to your up-do?

Try these lovely blue flowers from The June Bride.

However you choose to add your touch of blue, remember... put a little bit of your own personality into it.  That's what makes it sparkle!

up and away...

Well, M and I are off for the March Break holiday (next week, here in Canada). M and her family are off the Arizona desert, and I'm off to the Caribbean sun with the Husband, my sister-in-law, and brother-in-law and the nieces. If you don't already know, my sister, the other M, will be guest blogging next week. Here are five things that I can tell you about her...

1. She the oldest sister...I'm the youngest, and we have S in between.
2. After a successful career in public relations, she made the brave leap last year to quit her job and go back to school, enrolling in a design program at the Emily Carr Institute in Vancouver.
3. She can now wear her hair in a ponytail, which may seem insignificant to us, but is an achievement for her!
4. She likes potato chips and Diet Coke...her and sister S call it "the elixir of the gods".
5. I can attest to her creative talents, because she used to dress me up and do my hair when I was little. I still remember when she dressed me up as the "cool" Sandy from Grease.

So show her the love people, I know she'll have lots of great stuff to tell you!

some more self love

These pictures are from a bridal shower that Avocado Kiss did last June. I thought it was an appropriate time to post these because tis' the season! Hopefully you can get some great ideas.

For the centerpieces we used large plastic deli containers and turned them upside down. We put in a large floral pick and painted the entire thing black. We added some ribbon and a tissue paper flower (instructions from Martha). We made larger ones for the cake table, using a flower pot and styrofoam ball as the base. For the menus we made sign holders out of wooden craft wheels and floral wire. We added our scalloped menu card and voila!

For the place settings, we used kraft candy bags for the favours (mini size hand cream and lip balm, the bride's favorite things). We also placed some ballots for the penny auction prizes in a small vellum envelope. We used plain ol' pencils so people could fill in their names, and they matched our colour scheme.

On the head table we printed childhood pictures of the bride on pretty scalloped cards and linked them together with ribbon to make a garland. We also used real daisies in small juice glasses for decoration.

For the prize table, we used metal paint cans for people to drop their ballots into. We also used more of our stands to hold signs. We used these banner signs over at the cake and dessert table and the sign in table as well.

It was a lot of fun doing the invites and decorations for this shower. We used the simple theme of black, white and yellow...it kept it sophisticated and fun!

way cool!

How totally awesome are these Tile Tattoos from 2Jane? An inexpensive way to cover up unfortunate looking tiles, or just a way to jazz up plain white ones. When you're finished with the look, just peel them off and start all over again! Love it! Thanks to We Are Not Martha for link...

you MUST check out this site!

You have to check out Animoto. My sister S turned me onto this one. Basically all you do is upload your pics, pick your music and they make this totally cool professional looking video for you. It's GENIUS! If you are at all interested, this is the video she made from our Florida vay-cay! How cool would this be for your wedding pictures...

we've been busy

Just some of the stationery we've been working on lately. Thank you cards for a baptism, a luau themed wedding, and an invitation using my new fave colour scheme!

wish I'd thought of that!

Check out this great idea over at Garnish. Perfect for the tables at a wedding reception!