Wedding Wednesday: Frosted Dahlia's

When I think about winter, I immediately think about frost hitting the delicate petals of flowers that have yet to close up for the season.  The icy gloss...the shimmer and shine...

These delicate statement rings are sculpted out of a pearlized polymer clay, taking on the appearance of frost and oh so perfect for the bridesmaids at your wedding. They're simple and sweet, yet make a statement and are most definitely something that your girls will wear over and over again.

To coordinate with your maids, we can work with your wedding colours or a certain flower from your bouquet and sculpt it in the same pearl clay.

A beautiful statement for your wedding!

Wedding Wednesday: Bridesmaid Gifts

If you're like me, you want to make sure that your wedding attendants {in most cases your absolutely bestest of best friends and your closest of close sisters} have the absolute best time at your wedding...right down to the personalized gift that you give them for the big day.

Incorporate their sense of style with your wedding colours, and give them a handsculpted ring on an antique adjustable ring base.

2" pebble cocktail ring

2" pearl Dahlia cocktail ring

Have your wedding flowers all picked out? Let me sculpt them, and create a one-of-a-kind design that will match your wedding beautifully!

double rosette ring

2" teal and white marbled Pansy ring

These statement rings pack a punch, but can be custom made to order and sized appropriately so they blend with your wedding and don't overshadow the beautiful elements of your big day!

Wedding Wednesday: Brooches for Mom

Have a gift for the mother of the bride or groom yet? Stumped on what to give?

Brooches make an excellent gift, and can be personalized in a number of ways by incorporating their favourite colour or flower! Delicate petals, all hand sculpted, are layered to create magnificent one of a kind pieces...just like your mom!

2" lilac sprig brooch

They make amazing corsages for weddings - no allergy concerns and they can double as gifts for mothers and grandmothers, helping with your overall budget

2" blue rosette brooch

Have your wedding flowers already picked out? I can match the style and colour to make sure that the sculpted pieces flow seamlessly with your real flowers!

BlogHer Sponsor Love: Hanlon Lain Photography

 I have something incredibly special to share with you, from my photography sponsor Hanlon Lain Photography.

Last week, my mom got married. It was her second wedding, a late-in-life-love after my Dad passed away almost 7 years ago. Lainie captured the most lovely and tender moments!

I just love the vintage vibe to the photographs. The light is so yummy and soft, the details are perfect, and everything turned out so be very dreamy.

I am so proud of my friend, Lainie, who has taken her passion for photography and turned it into her art. What she sees through her lens is truly amazing!

Food&Wine Friday: Creamy Brie Cheese

While definitely not a cheese that screams summer with its melty, gooey goodness, there's something to be said for the colour and texture of a good brie cheese.

It's almost a rustic white on the outside rind...as if someone has tried to scrape it off. It reminds me of chalk...which takes me to a place of burlap, chalkboards, hay bales....a rustic vintage glam wedding.

When I see the brie pictured above, I see a rustic cheese board lined up with artisan breads, red wines and brie wheels...just waiting for wedding guests to dive in during the cocktail hour.

I also see a gorgeous wedding gown with a lace overlay....a sculpted dahlia in the brides hair...her bridesmaids with matching dahlia rings...

Layers and layers of delicate petals come together to create it, similar to the layers and layers of heavenly cream that come together to create a beautiful wheel of brie. What could be better at your rustic wedding...not many things, I tell ya...not many things.

Wedding Wednesday: Custom Guest Books

Brides everywhere are customizing every aspect of their wedding, and with good cause! It's your day to shine, and to show everyone who you are...right down to your guest book!

Some are going with amazingly fun photo booths for their guests to get a copy and to sign a copy fort he guest book; others are going with traditional photo albums.

I've been asked what I would do for a guest book, and it's so incredibly simple....paint, paint, paint!

custom painted journals with ribbons and skeleton keys

Painting a journal and embellishing it with ribbons and skeleton keys is perfect for a rustic, vintage glam type wedding, whereas....

custom handpainted journal with sculpted pansy embellishment

adding a sculpted flower would be perfect for a spring, garden wedding!

The journals translate so incredibly well as a guest book with approximately 100 unlined pages for guests to write sweet notes on, a sturdy coil binding and a whimsical embellishment to go with the theme and tone for your day. They can be painted in any colour combination in either a painterly or linear style, to become a natural element of your wedding.

A book to cherish for a lifetime that you will love reading, over and over again!

Wedding Wednesday: Sculpted Bridal Accessories

I've been in my studio alot lately...dreaming up some amazingly whimsical designs for brides. Oh...if only I could do it all over again! One of the things that I would most definitely change would be my hair.

Don't get me wrong, it was super pretty, but it was incredibly formal and it just didn't suit my artsy-fartsy personality.

To do it all again...

oversize white ruffle peony on a headband

And for my girls...

black ruffle peony hair clips

I don't know why I didn't think about using my skills as an artist four years ago when we got married - I got crafty and made a few things here and there, but definitely could have gone all out when it came to whimsical designs to make our colours {black, white and lime} really pop. Can you imagine the white ruffle peony with a lime centre and some tendrils in my dark chocolate hair?! Amazing!

Special Post: Emmaline Bride

Have you heard of Emmaline Bride before?

I was first introduced to this amazing handmade haven by the photographer that we used when I was pregnant, and then for our newborn and 1st birthday photo shoots - Rosina di Trolio...probably going back 2 years now?

Anyhow! You're looking at one of the newest preferred handmade artisans in The Marketplace on Emmaline Bride!

I'm absolutely thrilled and have been sitting on it over the weekend, just waiting to announce to you all!

What can you expect to find?

Beautiful handmade rings for your bridesmaids

Delicately hand sculpted corsages and brooches for the mothers of the bride-and-groom

Gorgeous handpainted guestbooks

Hilarious and handmade photo booth props

I'm so proud to be included as a preferred handmade artist, and look forward to working with all of you inspired brides to make your wedding extra special!

Guest Bloggin': How I Rock My Marriage

Hey friends!!

While it is moving day and I said that there wouldn't really be a post today (that post is coming later...oops! So much for scheduling!) I am guest bloggin' over at Elf: A Family Blog about How I Rock My Marriage, so while we're waiting on the moving truck to take arrive, I thought I'd shre it with you all!

Have a read...and quite possibly a giggle!

Happy Monday!

Sponsor Love: Wedding Accessories by Jacques Vert

Which wedding accessories do you choose for your wedding?

If you are planning to attend a wedding or perhaps you are getting married yourself, it isn’t always easy to find perfect wedding outfits because of the wide range of choice. On top of that are the accessories that are of importance as well. If you are unsure of which accessories to wear with your wedding outfit or when going to a formal lunch event, then it might be worthwhile for you to read this post. I have lined up some accessories that I believe would make a great addition to any occasion wear outfit.

Jewellery

When deciding upon what type of jewellery to choose, I’d recommend opting for less chunky jewellery such as this elegant fine black enamel and marcasite effect pendant necklace. The necklace is set on a silver colour chai with little ball beads and would look great with any wedding outfit.

Fascinators

For those who have never heard of this term, a fascinator is a fashionable headpiece that is often worn on special occasions. Fascinators come in various styles and are created by colourful feathers, flowers and other sorts of fabrics.

Often, these fascinators can be worn in two different ways. There are fascinators with combs attached to them which you have to stick in your hair in the opposite direction, ensuring the hairs are woven between the teeth of the comb. The other, more common, form is the headband fascinator which can simply be placed on top of the hair.

Purses

Finding the right purse to go with your outfit can often be a tricky task because you have to ensure that all your belongings fit in the bag (and we’ve got many things we put in our purses) whilst at the same time making sure that the colour is right.

This purse is an elegant fondant pink fabric clutch styled bag, with a curving flat to the front and satin draped twist detail to finish. You can combine this purse with a crème or black dress, or a similar colours dress.

This post was sponsored by Susanna Cha, on behalf of Jacques Vert

What's Next Wednesday: Craft Show...T-Minus 3 days!

That's right folks...3 days! AHH!! I cannot believe how much stock I've made for this weekend!

• 36 painted glass ornaments
• 22 paper styro ornaments
• 45 notestacks
• 38 tiny stacks
• 24 pinwheels
• 9 basic masks
• 9 couture masks (4 still in the works)
• 7 thick journals
• 1 thin journal
• 152 favour pouches
• 7 party packs

Grand total of 217 items! CRAZY!

But it was certainly well worth it, and I absolutely love each and every item!

Now I have to pack up all of this...



and I am OH SO EXCITED to share the new ornaments for this season!!


this one reminds me of chocolate milk...so I call it Brown Cow


perfectly papered in various greens and patterns!


I adore this one! Purple, silver and electric lime green...so unexpected!

Want to get a couple ornaments of your own?? Enter in the giveaway happening at Peanut's Tale!

Talk-To-Me Tuesday: French Toast Cupcakes

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of creating a cupcake tower for a very good friend's wedding. Her theme was very simple...fall


tiny fondant, handsculpted pumpkins and leaves


set up and ready to be devoured!

One of the recipes in particular turned out so deliciously well and I wanted to share it with you all. My husband and I decided that these are probably the best cupcakes that I've made yet!

French Toast Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cup(s) sifted cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/2 cup(s) (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup(s) sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract (or substitute maple syrup)
  
• 1/2 cup(s) whole milk
• 1/2 bag of Hershey's Cinnamon chips
  

Preheat oven to 400F, and line muffin tin with cupcake liners

Mix dry ingredients, then add wet and mix well

Mix in cinnamon chips

Bake for 10 minutes, using a toothpick to check for doneness. Bake for an additional 3-5minutes if needed.

Frost with buttercream

Buttercream

1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
3 cups icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
splash of vanilla

Seriously, to die for!! Complete sugar overload, but I promise you that it's worth it! For the wedding, I made mini's (and we kept some full sized ones at home...shhhh!) so the sugar overload wouldn't be so potent! You could even drizzle a bit of maple syrup on top, or garnish with a maple sugar candy!

Enjoy!! (we certainly did!)

What's Next Wednesday: Craft Show Prep, Week 2

Man oh man! I have been on-the-go and in creation mode for the past few weeks! Between wedding cakes, cards for weddings, stationary for the craft show...it seems to never stop!

Here are a few things that I have been working on!



Seasonal Stacks - 12 pages of handcut and stamped stationary, bound with cream ribbon. Perfect for gifts that need to be sent in the mail!



Tiny Stacks...they measure about 2"x3", and are the perfect stocking stuffer! Great for tossing in your purse to jot down quick notes, putting cute notes in your kiddos' lunchbox or tucking lovenotes in your sweetie's wallet! Bound with coordinating ribbon.



On the way...or rather, on the coffee table right now and all cut last night, 160 favour pouches, 12 more stacks of everyday stationary, 18 more Tiny Stacks! Then to be completed....7 journal embellishments, 30 ornaments, and as many pinwheels as I can make before the show!

Tip Me Tuesday: Fondant on a Cake

This past week, I had a very very important project to work on.

My mission: feed 160(ish) people cake for a wedding...and not just any wedding...but my best friend's wedding, and be a beautiful bridesmaid at the same time!

Here's the cake...




And my gorgeous bff cutting it with her new husband.

So...here are some tips from me to use, when using fondant and making a tiered cake

• bake your cakes and freeze them a couple of days prior to the event - seal in that freshness and make sure that they'll be stable when you're stacking them!
• fill and frost, then refrigerate overnight before starting your fondant work
• internal supports are your friend! For this cake, I used 4 plastic Wilton dowels in the middle tier, and 5 in the bottom tier. Put them in the cake AFTER you've done all of the tiers in fondant and decorated
• if you're IN the bridal party and doing the cake (who does that!?) have a clear plan for your week (bake and freeze Wednesday, fill and frost Thursday, fondant on the friday)
• slab cakes are your friend if you have a massive amount of people to feed!

Link up your homemade project with Tip Junkie!!

Wow-Me Wednesday: Custom Wedding Card

A couple of weeks ago, Heather from Forrat's Chocolate's {Richmond Row} asked if I could create a custom wedding card using the colours royal blue and cranberry.

Here's what I whipped up!



I used bronze brads in the corners to give it a bit of a vintage flair



And frayed the edges of the papers with a dull cutting blade

I hope it WOW's you! It's simple, but shabby-chic and was perfect for what Heather needed it for!

link up your WOW-Me project with Ginger Snap Crafts!

Wow-Me Wednesday: Wedding Cupcakes

I just realized that I completely forgot to post the photos that I took once all of the 12 dozen cupcakes, one 8" cake and cookie favours were all set up!

Here they are!!

Vanilla, Chocolate and Blueberry cupcakes


Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting


Gluten-free Chocolate truffle cupcakes


The entire cake display!

Pretty awesome and I'm really proud of how they all turned out!

Have you made something pretty great lately? Link up with Ginger Snap Crafts!!