Grand Rapids may not be the biggest city, and it definitely isn’t the most stylish city, but that doesn’t mean we don’t keep up with the latest wedding trends. Below are the top wedding dress trends of 2016.
Flower Appliques: Angel Sanchez, Rivini, Christos
Feathers: Lela Rose, Monique Lhuillier, Kelly Faetanini
Illusion Bodice: Ines Di Santo, Monique Lhuillier, Pronovias
Keyhole + Plunging Necklines: Rivini, J. Mendel, Angel sanchez
Layer Love + Tiers: Alvina Valenta, Antonia Riva, Temperley london
Wishing you a season of gladness, a season of cheer, and to top it all off, a wonderful year.
What you’ll need:
• Cutters
• Small vase
• White Alstroemeria (4 stems)
• Red Alstroemeria (4 stems)
• Pink Alstroemeria (3 stems)
• Red Roses (3 stems)
• White Roses (3 stems)
• White + Red Carnations (3 stems)
• White Snapdragons (2 stems)
• Red Tulips (5 stems)
• Hawaiian Ginger (1 stem)
• Leucadendron (2 stems)
• Pointsettia (1 bloom)
• Evergreen Branches (6 branches)
Notes:
Keep the stems long until you are ready to place them in the vase. Then cut them to the appropriate length.
Have fun with the shape of the arrangement and don’t be afraid to move a stem to a different spot if you don’t like where you first placed it.
Always turn your arrangement so that it looks good from all sides.
Think of your vase in quarters: Front Left, Front Right, Back Left, Back Right.
Instructions:
1. Prep your flowers. Take the vase you will use for the centerpiece arrangement and fill with cool water.
2. Start with the evergreen branches. Arrange the branches on the outer edge of the vase, with a few of the branches draping over one side of the vase (front left quarter) and take a few taller branches and place on the opposite side (back right quarter).
3. Take the white alstroemeria stems and place a few near the taller evergreen branches and some by the draping evergreen branches. Arrange the remaining white alstroemeria stems inside the vase.
4. Take the pink alstroemeria stems and scatter them throughout the arrangement and in-between the white alstroemeria.
5. Do the same with the red alstroemeria stems.
6. Take one of the red roses and place near the other taller stems and then scatter the other red roses throughout the arrangement.
7. Scatter the white roses throughout the arrangement.
8. Take the 3 carnations, group them together and place them near the front of the vase (front right quarter), on the same side as the taller evergreen branches.
9. Next take the tulips and scatter them throughout the arrangement. These tulips are meant to be wild and whimsical, so let them just go where they want to.
10. Place the hawaiian ginger near the taller evergreen branches, jetting out at an angle.
11. Tuck in the leucadendron in opposite quarters (Front Right, Back Left).
12. Take the snapdragons and place one so it’s partially draping over the left side (front left quarter) and the other near the center middle.
13. Place a large poinsettia bloom near the front of the arrangement (front left quarter).
“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten
and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow.”
It’s hard to believe that Christmas is in 1 week. Up until today, because as I sit and type this, my view is getting whiter by the second, it definitely hasn’t felt like Christmas; the weather has been mild and there really hasn’t been any snowfall. It has been so nice not having to worry about snowy roads, scraping my car, or forgetting my mittens. I am thoroughly enjoying the extra months of being able to forage in the woods for berries and evergreens with relative ease versus last year when I had to defrost every branch because the needles were frozen together. But, here’s to hoping we have a white Christmas
That being said, since it’s so close to Christmas, here is another quick and easy DIY Christmas favor, just in case.
What you’ll need:
• Small pot or planter (I used mini terra cotta pots and painted them)
• Dirt
• Small evergreen branches (I used 3 small ones)
Instructions:
1. On each branch, remove any needles on the bottom ½ inch. Having this ½ inch of clean branch makes placing it in the dirt a lot easier.
2. Fill your pot with dirt all the way to the top edge.
3. Take the three branches and nestle them in the dirt in the center of the pot.
https://jsevents.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/logo-pink-1030x925.png00Jessica Swagmanhttps://jsevents.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/logo-pink-1030x925.pngJessica Swagman2015-12-18 13:54:552015-12-18 13:54:55DIY Christmas Tree Favor
“What I wanted more than anything was one silver bell from Santa’s sleigh.” Chris Van Allsburg, The Polar Express
Growing up, every Christmas, my parents would read us The Polar Express. The book was gifted to my brother in 1986 from my parents, who even had Chris Van Allsburg write him a little message. Over the years, some of the pages have wrinkled and the dust jacket has acquired a few small tears, but all of these things indicate that this book has been well loved.
A wonderful children’s book and the simple gift of a bell is the inspiration for this DIY.
I know that the holidays can be very busy for all of us, rushing around, shopping, attending party after party, and perhaps even hosting a party or two. For those of you that are hosting a holiday party, there is so much involved and sometimes you just don’t have time for the little things. Apart from having me help you, the one piece of advise I can give is to slow down, relax, and just enjoy this time of the year. Also, to do lists are a must and keep things simple!
If you find yourself hosting a holiday dinner party, I have DIY favor that is super easy and can later be hung on the Christmas tree. If you want, you can even write the guest’s name on the bell and use it as a place card.
What you’ll need:
• Large jingle bell
• Velvet ribbon (⅝” wide)
• Scissors
“People are partying, songs are being sung, Sugarplums are dancing, all in holiday fun. Presents are under the tree, reindeer fly high above, peace on earth, goodwill to all, sending joy and love!” D.M. Dellinger
For Christmas, I am decorating with plaid and faux antlers. I made a bunch of large papier-mâché antlers for a style shoot, and I have been in love with (faux) antlers ever since. I figured since I have these antlers, why not use them again, but this time as decor for the holidays. I then decided antler place card favors would be a nice addition to the holiday dining room tablescape.
What you’ll need:
• Molding clay (air dry)
• Craft paint: white, cream, beige, brown, gold
• Small paint brush
• Hot glue gun + hot glue sticks
• Bakers twine (or ribbon)
• Cream card stock
• Scissors
• Hole punch
• Black pen
Instructions:
1. Take a small clump of clay and roll it into a skinny snake shape, approx. 3″ long (this will be the main beam of the antler). Take 4 small clumps of clay and mold them into the 4 small skinny snake shapes of different lengths (these will be the points on the antler).
2. Attach the 4 small pieces to the large piece by scoring the clay and wetting the clay water from your paintbrush. Smooth out any bumpy areas out with your fingers and paintbrush.
While the clay is still soft, shape the antler into the appropriate shape.
If you need to, prop up the antler so that the points + beam dry properly and don’t bend over from their weight.
3. Paint the antler white. Let dry.
4. Take your glue gun and create a large base for the main beam. Then create small bumps + lines along the main beam.
5. Paint random parts of the antler cream. Let dry.
6. Paint the areas around the small hot glue bumps + lines in beige. Let dry.
7. Paint the small hot glue bumps + lines that are located near the large hot glue base in brown.
8. Paint the ends of all the points gold. I like to paint them all at different angles.
9. Take your card stock and cut it into a small rectangular tag and punch a hole on one end. Thread bakers twine through the hole and attach the twine to the base of the antler. Write your the name of your guest on the tag.
10. Place an antler on each plate or on the table for each guest.
https://jsevents.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/logo-pink-1030x925.png00Jessica Swagmanhttps://jsevents.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/logo-pink-1030x925.pngJessica Swagman2015-12-10 20:00:402015-12-14 21:33:14DIY Antler Place Card
