Decorate: DIY Home Decor Projects

It's another round-up of fun posts that I created over on Paper Muse Press.  Not to brag, but it's a pretty great blog, and if you like anything related to cooking, home decor, DIY, weddings, basically all facets of lifestyle, it's one you must check out.  But now moving on from that shameless plus, I'd like to share a few of my favorite projects from the past year.  There's nothing like a home decor project, whether very small or large to spruce up your space!

Probably one of my favorite pieces of artwork in our home (and one of our most pinned projects) this antique window came out of our basement during the remodel.  I decided to spruce it up and add it to our newly refreshed bedroom.  On a side not, I can't stop painting things gold, it's a problem.  See the Antique Monogrammed Window Artwork post for the step by step.

Nothing adds a bit of personality to a table quicker than chargers, and these were made out of the simplest material out there, plywood.  Paint them any color you want with various patterns, and whoola, a customized tablescape.  The best part is you can paint the opposite side a different color, or the whole thing for a whole new look!  Pop on over and check out the Plywood Charger DIY post. 

I love a good ombre dye project.  I mean who doesn't really?  I decided to try out this craze with some very simple, no sew curtains in bright beautiful turquoise blue.  See my Ombre No Sew Curtain DIY here.  

I'm a huge vintage lover, and piece that's handed down from family members is even more special.  This old stool used to belong to my grandmother, and I decided to give it a refresh by covering the seat with some new oil cloth.  See the Vintage Stool Makeover here.  

And last, but certainly not least, the Washi Tape herb garden.  Washi tape is so fun, and it comes in a huge variety of colors and patterns, so it can be used for almost any project.  It's been stubbornly chilly here in the midwest, so I haven't even begun to think about planting my garden yet.  However a simple solution?  An indoor herb garden to tide you over til it warms up outside, made even more adorable with washi tape decor.  See the Indoor Washi Tape Herb Garden DIY here.

Thanks for checking out all my favorite home decor projects.  I hope you'll follow me over on Paper Muse Press for all my DIY projects, recipes, and more!

xo - Emily 

 

Inspiration and Editorial Shoots: 1950's Wedding at Longview Mansion

Lord knows we absolutely adore a good inspiration shoot now and then.  We got together with the same team that brought you our Bohemian Love Shoot, except this time with a 1950's flair.  The venue, Longview Mansion, is a gorgeous piece of Kansas City history, and once again the talents of Cassandra Castaneda Photography, and rak designs, along with our florals brought the inspiration to life.  When the girls told me what we were doing I immediately started looking at pictures of bouquets from the 50's.  One thing that stood out was of course babies breath, lots of pastel colors, and big blooms.  I also remember seeing a very old photo of a 1950's bride.  All she was wearing was one giant orchid as a corsage, so I knew I wanted to include them in the flowers.  It was super windy, super balmy summer day, but our models were amazing, and we got some great shots to add to our portfolios.  

Cake by Cake Girl KC.

Thanks as always for having us ladies, we love every minute of working with you guys! 

xo ~ Emily

Floral Friday: Gold Leaf and Sherbert

When KC Weddings does their bouquet photo shoot they contact all kinds of different floral designers around Kansas City.  Usually there's a theme in mind, for instance I made this bouquet for the last shoot which was all about using items other than flowers.  This time the challenge was to create an inexpensive bouquet to show budget brides that they can have beautiful flowers without spending a fortune.  I've been really loving the soft pastel color palette that's been so on trend for next year, and of course I had to throw in a few bright touches with sherbert colored zinnias as well.

The flowers that I chose are what most people traditionally consider filler flowers such as carnations, stock, chrysanthemums, and baby's breath.  However used in a similar color palette, and lots of them they make a big impact, and a charming display.  I also added in some dusty miller leaves, and home grown zinnias from my own backyard, and wrapped it all up in grey satin ribbon with a vintage trim of gold leaves.

 

Here's the final shot in KC Weddings.

Don't you just love that amazing mantel and silver tray?  A big thank you to KC Weddings for asking me to take part in the Spring/Summer Issue!

xo ~ Em

Custom: Bow Ties for Bryan and Mae

This is Bryan and Mae...

I've never met them in person, and although it might sound weird to say it because of this fact, I think they're pretty cool!  I came across their awesome photography business Bryan and Mae Photography while scouting vendors for Middle of the Map Weddings.  Needless to say if you've seen their work their pics are beautiful, and they're one of those teams that gets their work featured often on amazing wedding blogs.

They recently got married themselves, and Mae asked me to create some custom bow ties for Bryan and the men in the wedding party.  She only gave me one rule, they needed to all be different, and mustard colored.  I had so much fun sourcing vintage and new fabrics and working on this project.  Here's some pics of the bow ties from the friends that shot their wedding, the also uber talented Bobbi + Mike.

Thanks so much to Bryan and Mae for your bow tie order, and letting me have fun and be creative.  Your day was fabulous (or at least it definitely looks like it from the pics).

cheers ~ emmy-ray

For the Love of Flowers: Jen and Kennie

I was introduced to Jen and Kennie by Julie of Coordinately Yours.  She thought my quirky and eclectic design style would go hand in hand with the vision that this fun couple had for their wedding, and she was definitely right!  I came to our first meeting with lots of ideas, and Jen and Kennie embraced them all.  I loved working with the mix of flowers and succulents, and all the little detailed touches that we were able to put into their arrangements for the reception.  Thanks for letting us be part of your day Jen and Kennie!

All pictures via Christina May of Click Photography unless otherwise noted.  

 

The whie dahlias we got in were BEAUTIFUL!  (photo by me)

Kennie's bout had a small charm with a picture of his mom.  A sweet way to remember someone important.

The flower girls carried miniature bouquets of shasta daisies and monte casino with lots of ribbons.  So cute!

(photo by me)

For the reception the arrangements were a mix of greens, whites, and a little pop of yellow here and there.  Billy balls and succulents added a little novelty to each arrangement, and the containers were a mix of milk glass, and clear bud vases, mason, and bell jars.  

(Photo by me) 

The Foundation, where they hosted the reception is an architectural salvage store as well.  They had this cool old bird bath in the entry way where we made a little vignet with some extra flowers and candles for a pop of color.

Jen and Kennie are avid record collectors so these were an element used throughout their event.  Here's a few little details they created that I thought were super cute:

Record invitations.  So fun!

Records strung and hung over the DJ table.

Of course these balloons aren't record related, but they're just too fun not to share.  I love clean white balloons at a reception.  

love, emmy-ray