Button Monograms: DIY Style

While perusing Pinterest today, I stumbled on the CUTEST image. A wall hanging with a monogram made entirely of buttons. How fantastic! The pillows and wall hangings are absolutely gorgeous, but right now I can't swing the $65 price tag. If you have the money, definitely support Letter Perfect Designs and purchase one of hers!

We'll be making the wall hanging, but isn't the pillow cute too?

For our house, I'd rather save for a date night with my handsome hubs (who doesn't mind the flurry of fabric scraps and glue that is my craft world). They seem simple enough to make, and I might even try it one night this week. Armed with coupons (I'm back on the train full force), I'm sure I can do this for less than $20. 

Hobby Lobby canvases on sale for 40% off

(or get a square piece of scrap wood at Lowe's)

Fabric for the back

All Waverly is 50% off at Joann's!

 This neutral/silver fabric is perfect and I have JUST the place for it

Buttons from Joann's (w/coupon)

Have you done any fun knock-off crafts lately? Please post a link!

Update: the table + leaf + 4 chairs has arrived from North Carolina (via my mom and aunt) and I cannot wait to start staining it. Once we have the table stained gorgeous walnut, we'll be able to pick and install a new chandelier, as well as buy a matching rug. So exciting! The most neglected room in the house (dining area) will now be on par with the rest of its' room friends. 

Color Inspiration

I'm obsessed with our color palette. I can't get enough of every linen or paper that falls within our colors. We're planning on going the DIY route for our invitations, with a little professional help in the design department. More on that later, though. I've been experimenting with different ideas for envelopes, cardstock, etc. The Envelopments line has really caught my eye. No, we're not going the Pocketfold route- but I am in love with their envelopes. I love their rich hues, and huge selection of colors! Envelopments doesn't sell directly from their website, but there are several online retailers that do. Text Style Designs is a great resource for the envelopes, and while they may not have the best prices, I'm incredibly entertained by their color palette tool. You can mix and match different paper colors & textures to get a visual conception of your invite suite. Here's what I came up with.
There will be some white (for the invite itself). But these colors are so much more fun to play with!

Blog Love: Emersonmade

I'm in love with the floral goodies featured on Emersonmade. I found her items through an inspiration board on Snippet and Ink. What a lovely way to brighten up a plain t-shirt or dress! It's a little J. Crew- but a little over the top too. I think I'll be purchasing a set for myself.

Printable Press: Oh My Amazing!

These invitations are blowing me away! It's exactly the kind of feel I want for our wedding: somewhat formal (but it's during the day), so with a touch of whimsy to even things out. The prices at Printable Press are fantastic: you can print them yourself or use an online/local printer. It's DIY for the DIY-challenged. What do you think? Would you be excited to attend this wedding?

State Handkerchiefs

I've already posted about how we'll carry our rings, so it's no surprise to you that we're not having a ring bearer. However, if I was....I would love for him to carry this delightful pillow! The bride made this herself, using vintage handkerchiefs from she and the groom's respective home states. I can't remember for the life of me where this is from, so if you know please post in the comment. I like to give credit where it's due.

What's your favorite DIY project from your wedding? And if you haven't done it yet, what are you planning?

Budget Savvy Inspiration

Last night I got to meet Jessica, Budget Savvy Bride. Seriously, she's every bit as cute in person as she comes across on her blog. And creative to the max! She spoke about areas that she and her husband saved money while planning her wedding. For instance, they wanted burlap table cloths but they ran $40 a piece. Not for this lady- she went to the farmer's co-op and bought a roll of burlap for all the runners for $40. You go girl! After hearing her speak, I was so inspired to have some budget savvy craft projects of my own.
I'll be attempting to make these pomanders myself- blush, of course. I'd love to hang them on the shephard's hooks that line Cedarwood's walkway. They'd also look great on the pews during the ceremony. Would we have time between the ceremony and reception to repurpose? I hope so. Please vote in the form of a comment...

Pomanders:
A. All pomanders different shades of paper (blush, sand, pink, etc)
B. Single shade on each, but several of each shade

Palomas Nest

I'll go ahead and jump on the Paloma's Nest bandwagon. Mr. SE and I must have one of these for our ceremony. Because it will be Catholic (more on that later), the Deacon will bless our rings. This would be the perfect vessel for that!

And for after the wedding? This would look darling on a vanity (earrings or change), or next to a sink (ring bowl). At this price, I think we'll take one for every bathroom. What's your favorite Etsy find so far?
How darling is this "home" bowl? It would be perfect for a housewarming gift!

Canditto: Solution to Your Picture Problems

Brides, you are going to love this! Everyone is taking pictures at your wedding, but it takes the professional photographer awhile to get his pictures back to you, and you might never see the pictures your Aunt Sally took. Solution? Canditto! {I was not asked to endorse this product} This little nugget is fantastic. Your guests put their memory card into the designated slot, and it automatically reads pictures taken within the last 8 hours! There's no need for them to clear the memory card, this little baby reads all the wedding pictures and leaves the rest. Darcy Miller (MSW) does a great job explaining it- I'll let her do the rest....
"What’s a girl to do? Simple. Rent a Canditto. This lovely device corrals all of the digital photos your guests take (it’s set up to only grab images from within the last 8 hours) and puts them all on a little thumb drive. You can rent it for a week, so you’ll get all the photos from any of the events you’re planning before and after your wedding, too.

The new model just came out earlier this month. It costs $450 to rent and it includes shipping. It arrives on a Tuesday, and you have until the following Wednesday to send it back. You just pop your camera’s memory card in and wait for the light to change from red to green. No buttons, no switches. It even comes with a little how-to so your DJ can announce how to use it on the spot. Or you can post a link about it on your wedding website so your guests know about it before the big event.

As long as you place it somewhere highly trafficked and your guests know how it works, you should end up leaving your wedding with an additional gift—instant gratification!"

A Bicycle Built for Two

I'm in love with the idea of a bicycle theme- they're so whimsical and fun! This Save The Date from Wedding Paper Divas is right on par with the feeling I want our wedding to have. It's carefree and hints towards the fun times ahead. It looks like Carrie and Mr. Big are planning quite the Nashville wedding. Wedding Paper Divas has put out some new invitations and STDs that are beyond fantastic. And the price? Perfect!

Did you use Wedding Paper Divas? Or are you thinking about using an online site to purchase and order your invitations?

Engaged Nashville

Come to Engaged Nashville- Girl's Night Out. Ashley's Bride Guide is hosting an event for all local engaged ladies on July 23rd. We'll discuss current wedding trends and our own planning process. I'm looking forward to meeting all the Music City brides-to-be. Please shoot me an email at garrison.se@gmail.com if you'd like to receive an invitation.

Down South Catering will be providing all the delicious food, and Aloft will be offering complimentary infusion cocktails! Here's some pictures from Down South's recent events.

Vegetables, Finally!

Our microwave broke a while back, and GE wanted $75 to fix it. Excuse me, sir? I believe that's close to the price of a new one! Yesterday I hopped over to Target and picked up this little beauty (by Emerson). It was $85 and completely covered with graduation gift cards thankyouverymuch.

Now you know I have a penchant for Lean Cuisine Pizzas, but what you didn't know is that I LOVE VEGGIES! Last night I ate the most delicious bowl of Bird's Eye green bean steamers. Happy as a clam.

Chambre au Mr. and Miss SE

{muscleicious handyman for hire}

Mr. SE was such a fantastical boyfriend last night and put together our WHOLE Hemnes dresser! What a man! The dresser is enormous and came in two flat boxes. Read: lots of work on the consumer's part. Oh well, that's what makes Ikea so cheap and fabulous! So we started around 7pm watching the Bachelorette (obviously) and organizing the pieces of the dresser. We finished the dresser while watching 2 hours of Bachelorette and 1 hour of Meet the Newlyweds (and one large pizza from Papa John's).
The inside of the drawers are lined with cute yellow stripes. It really brightens up the black/brown exterior. This is Mr. SE around 10:30- so close to being done!!!
And here's the finished product in our room!!! I looks like it cost way more, and we're really excited about the end results. We may or may not be purchasing a flat screen for over the dresser- still deciding on that one. As for our nick nacks, some of those will be moving to other locations once we get more established in the apartment. The Eiffel Tower picture? Yea, I took it! What do you think about the finished look?

A Picnic for Two...or 100

We're here in Atlanta for Meghann and Adam's wedding. Mr. SE is a groomsman, and with a palette of espresso and champagne (does this sound like our living room?) the wedding is sure to impress. Tonight was the rehearsal dinner, and we had a lovely time. Mr. SE has taken Adam and the other groomsman to see The Hangover (yes, again). Not sure if that's the most positive message before the wedding, but Adam said he'd really enjoy seeing it. Tomorrow we'll be having the wedding in the early evening, so blogging will be on hiatus. Don't ask me why I didn't bring my laptop- or a toothbrush?!?! I'll definitely post pictures of the wedding- as if that's even a question.For now, take a gander at this lovely picnic inspired wedding from Oh Happy Day! I love, love, love picnics. Mr. SE and I are planning on taking a picnic to Arrington Vineyards next weekend. Also- my mom is planning a picnic for Mr. SE and myself at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore after K's wedding weekend! Purple is SO hot right now, and I'm loving all of the simple details that this event has to offer. Here's the link for more pictures.

Also- Duffie had her first hair cut in Nashville and I'm glad to report she looks fabulous! We went to Nashville Pet Products and she had the whole she-bang for $32. Not bad!

A Church Wedding

{Photo by the incomparable Jose Villa}

Want your wedding in a church, but also want to be outside? Bring in your own church pews. This extremely creative couple in California did exactly that. They rented vintage pews and brought the church to their wedding location. I love love this!!!

Curtains: Part II

Okay, here's the curtain pictures. As I shared before, Mr. SE and I decided on the double rod with thick curtains in front and sheers in the back. We like to keep the sheers closed during the day, and the curtains to the side. At night we like the look of them both closed. The brown sheers are great because they let in just the right amount of daytime light.

Sheers and curtains closed.
Curtains w/matching pillows. Thankyouverymuch. We found these pillows at Bed Bath & Beyond with the same material and colors. Love it!

Mason Jar Goodies

A couple months back I confessed my love for canned grapefruit and how I've been saving the jard. Whatever your reason for leftover jars (baby food, fruit, salsa, pickles), check out this new use via Design Sponge. What a great way to showcase pictures! I'm definitely going to do this with a couple of my old grapefruit jars I have on my desk.

Please bear with me for not posting a lot to day. I just switched all my money from Wachovia to Bank of America and there were a lot of little problems that I incurred. Who knew it was so hard to switch banks?

Table a Deux

Here's some pictures from my special project! I spent the week leading up to graduation refinishing my kitchen table, chairs, and bench. As seen in my previous post, this Pottery Barn table was my inspiration. What I thought would be a quick little project, ended up taking much longer than I thought. BUT- the final outcome was beautiful and I'm so proud of my first refinishing project. Here's a before picture, along with what the table looks like right now. Since we're in day 2 of moving, there's still a lot of STUFF everywhere. Please bear with me, I'll include a prettier picture in a few days.

Table a Deux

Want this fabulous table for $30? I'll show you how later this week....
Ooh, that made you mad didn't it? I'm sorry about that. But I promise the final reveal will be worth it!

Gallery Frames

I'd really like to do some frames like this for our apartment. The shelves don't cost too much ($10 at Target) and the pictures can be changed out seasonally. I like the idea of doing bright photos to contrast the black frame and cream matting. Or you could do a mix of black & white and color. Is this just a trend or do you think it'll last?

Sorry I haven't been blogging much about weddings lately. I've just really had decorating on my mind, seeing as I'm moving next Sunday!!!!

Number Lovin'

Does that kind of sound like Summer Lovin' from Grease? I think that's what I was going for. Anyways- I'd love to make one of these little lovelies like Katie over at Bower Power. She has some fantastic home decorating/remodeling projects. I love the idea of this project. I'm not sure if those are their house numbers, or just numbers that they like. I think I'll do it in our apartment number. Tres chic! See the project details {here}