Inspiration: Black & White Wedding

Black & White is a wonderful color combination that makes every wedding look extremely elegant, even on a small budget and with very little effort.

The coordination of black and white items is less time-consuming and nerve-wrecking than browsing hundreds of color options, trying to find the perfect match.

A black and white wedding theme is classic and timeless and matches every season and style.


Stationary by Allanah Rose


Photo via Martha Stewart


Clutch by Etsy Seller angeew


Photo By Ann-Kay Design


Black Silk Flower Boutonniere, Photo by Martha Stewart


Groom Socks by Oriental Trading Company


 Dessy Bridesmaids Dresses Style LR100, LR111, 6584


Cake by My Sweet&Saucy, Photo by Jasmine Star


Photo by Images by Berit via Style Me Pretty


Photo by Moore Photography via Style Me Pretty

 
Image by Martha Stewart


FREE Damask Votive Candle Holder Template by I Do It Yourself


Puzzle Cake Topper by Perfect Fit Weddings


Lillian Rose Collection Luggage Tags via Amazon

REVIEW: Christmas 2006

Christmas 2006 wasn't spectacular at all, photo-wise.

I made a christmas wreath:



And our advent wreath:


I can't remember if i made a calendar for MisterT that year, but i think we shared the one he bought for me:



My sister's living room and weird christmas tree:


My mother ringing the bell:


And our new years eve:



MisterT hiding:


And an incredibly terrible amazing firework picture:

Introducing the "Reviews"

This is my online diary and i want this to be a place to keep some memories from the past and present, in addition to the thousands of photos on my computer.

I wish i could have started this earlier but when MisterT and i met, in 2005, nobody knew what a blog was. We didn't spend much time in the internet. So i have to catch up A LOT and the next 20 or so upcoming blog posts are probably ging to be extremely boring for those of you who read my blog.
My dear 3 followers, thank you so much!!! (does anyone else read my blog??)

It's going to be an unspectacular series of "events", e.g. how we spent christmas/ new years eve, how we moved and renovated, and our vacations. All the wonderful things we did as a non-married couple, captured in terrible photos, and then some wedding pictures eventually.

I will add one new post every day but i might edge in a few craft tutorials as well.
And once i'm done with my reviews ( hopefully in two or three weeks) i will primarily focus on our "new" life as husband and wife and my DIY stuff.

Beginning of Fall

Fall has officially begun and it is the time to bring out pumpkins, cosy coats and my scarfs! Most women are addicted to handbags but i am addicted to scarfs. I would buy them all, if only i could!

Fall is wonderful, but am i in the mood for rustic decoration? No, I am totally in christmas spirit already and even caught myself singing "Jingle Bells" this morning. I can't wait to hang stockings, fill our advent calender and decorate the tree! I want to listen to christmas songs all day long, light red candles and eat all those delicious christmas treats that can only be bought once a year.

So far i haven't done any fall decoration, the only thing that matches the season ( somehow) is this bouquet in our bedroom:



It is one of the paper flower bridal bouquets that i made for my Etsy Shop, but nobody buys my stuff i like it so much that i decided to keep it. The colors are just perfect for our bedroom.

So, should i just skip this season and concentrate on christmas crafts instead? I'm still undecided.
I guess i should go for a walk, collect leaves and chestnuts and hopefully see some squirrels...


cute squirrel taking a nap in the birch tree in front of our house

MisterT's Project: DIY Toothpaste Tube Squeezer

MisterT is a very handy and talented man. He has has built some extremely good constructions within the past years and i always admire his ability of drawing detailed design sketchings and his knowledge about how to make exact calculations of materials, up to the tiniest screw.

We complement each other perfectly despite him not being as passionate about crafts and DIY as i am. We are both good at improvising and creating little things that make our life easier; he finds a solution when i am lost and struggle with a project and vice versa.
Yesterday i complained that i was too weak to press out the remains of my beloved Crest Cinnamon toothpaste and that a tube squeezer would be great but it did not want to waste money on buying one.
Today MisterT surprised with this construction:



A DIY squeezer made from wooden skewers and some tape at zero costs :)

It's brilliant and works perfectly! Thank you MisterT!

Inspiration: French Country Garden Wedding

One of my dearest friends is getting married next summer and since her fiance is french the wedding will be held in France. Sound awesome, right?
I have seen some photos of their amazing venue and that place is incredibly neat: a charming old farm in a tiny town deep in the countryside, with super cute and cosy little guestrooms. Double awesome!
And on top of that: they tie the knot at an outdoor garden ceremony and the reception will take place in a barn. Not a wooden barn but a half open stable with rustic brick walls and timber beams. Swoon! Absolutely perfect!!

This is going to be the most amazing and most romantic event ever!
I'm uber-excited and happy for my friend and her “Frenchman” and can't wait to attend this wedding!

I had this idea of creating an ispiration post here on my blog and then reread it next year after the wedding. I'm sure it's fun to compare our ideas and different interpretations of the same theme.

I already know her dream dress because I was the one who discovered it and she fell in love immediately.
It is Style "Telma" by Manuel Mota from the 2011 Pronovias Costura Collection

Screenshot from the Pronovias Website, Photo Courtesy of Pronovias

The Groom probably won't be wearing a black suit or even a tux but rather an earthy tone and maybe a striped shirt or a funny bowtie. Or how about a tweed suit?

Image by Men of Habit via Elizabeth Anne Designs

The couple has a little son who will be almost two years old then. The little munchkin has to be the ring bearer, in a darling outfit of course!

Photo by Luna Belle Boutique

And i'm sure my friends nieces will be flower girls in flowy dresses with lovely details.

Photo via Better Homes and Gardens

A bridal bouquet containing a variety of wild flowers in a wide color range:

Photo by Melissa Munding

A romantic setting including a "Love Letter & Wine Box" ceremony:

Image via Style Me Pretty

Image via The-Oaks.com

I envision pretty little delicacies and plenty of cheese, wine and a cake & dessert buffet. Overall and elegant yet laid-back and merry atmosphere, lots of lovely details and everyone is going to have a wonderful time.

 Design by SHE PAPERIE, Photo by Jeanna Hayes via Hostess with the Mostess


Image via Polka Dot Bride

Image via The Sweetest Occasion

Image via The Sweetest Occasion

Image via I Do it Yourself

Photo by Sarah Yates

Image via Pretty Chic Blog

Image via SundaySuppers

Image via SundaySuppers

Image via Elizabeth Anne Designs

Image via Southern Living

Photo by Sarah Yates via StyleMePretty

Photo via Southern Weddings

DIY: Padded Picture Frame

Wow, that was such a quick project! It took less than one hour to turn one of our cheap looking wooden Ikea "RAM" frames into a padded fabric frame.

I'm not writing a tutorial today as i am not completely satisfied with my technique and still have to figure out how to improve it. But i am happy to share the photos.

Before: 



 And after:



Looks so much better now!



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The Shabby Nest

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homework

DIY Retrospect: My first Scrapbooking Project

A friend of mine gave birth to her first child last year and i wanted to give her a personal and handmade keepsake gift to display somewhere in her home.
I had a rough idea of framing a photo but i couldn't decide how to make it and what else to use for decoration other than blue ribbons and stuff. Every time i started working on it i felt like it didn't look good and wasn't special enough.
It took me a whopping three months and several cancelled attempts until a vision appeared. Finally.
Admittedly a bit later than orginally planned but still two weeks before christmas!

Now with my vision in mind i spread my utensils on the floor ( my favorite way of working on projects) and started cutting and glueing and overlapping and rearranging various kinds of paper and ribbons and embellishments.


I experienced such a flow that i worked four hours straight without a break until it was completely finished. Wow, i have never been that busy with one my crafts. (not good for my poor back though...)
It turned out quite nice considering that it was my first scrapbooking approach ever.

Baby Boy's face is edited for privacy reasons


In any case, my friend and her fiance liked it a lot and said it was so much more thoughful and prettier than the gift from their little boy's godmother and it would get the most special place in his room.

Now, isn't that a wonderful compliment?

I won, I won, I won!!!

I'm on a roll!



I won a weekend city trip for two last week. It's a weekly contest and i went to the company's website to sign up for the current round and then wondered why my name appeared on the screen although i had not signed in yet. It took a few seconds to realize that i was actually one of the winners!
The prize includes airplane tickets and a generous hotel voucher that allows us to book two or three nights in one of the finest luxury hotels!
My idea was to go on a belated minimoon next month but then we agreed that it might be better to wait until spring, weatherwise. That means Mister T and i will be able to celebrate a fabulous first anniversary next year.
Awesome!

Fast forward to last night:
Wendy from The Shabby Nest announced the winners of her ScotchBlue Painters Tape Giveaway yesterday, and again: My name on the screen!! Whoa!!!

I am immensely excited about the tape!
Why? Because:


Mister T and i have painted A LOT ever since we've been a couple and every painters tape we used has been an annoying disaster, especially with the strong red color in our previous appartment's bedroom.
We decided to roughly paint the other wall's lines freehand and then simply cover the stripes with white tape.


Can you see what i'm talking about? Here is a close-up:


By the way, that genius white tape trick worked for a couple of months until the tape chose to loose its adhesive power...


The walls in our current appartment had to be renovated due to some cracks and were then painted white when we moved in, except for the kitchen. We asked to have it painted yellow and the landlord agreed.
White was actually quite refreshing after being surrounded by colorful walls all those years. I still think that it is perfect for the bedroom and living room, but i would love to have some color in the other rooms again ( hallway and bathroom)

However, with nothing else in mind but our wedding, MisterT working too much and having those ultra high ceilings (3,75m) we haven't specifically planned anything yet.

But i have this vision of a striped hallway, similar to our Ikea "Lisbet" rug:

Photo by IKEA

And i would love to reconstruct the previous renter's work in the bathroom:



It's hard to see and the picture doesn't do it justice at all, but it did look fantastic and is one of the reasons why we fell in love with this place immediately. It broke my heart to see how the lady's hard work was destroyed within minutes.

But back to the ScotchBlue tape.
I fell in love with it purely from watching the TV commercials during our vacations in the US. Normally i don't trust the commercials but the tape wouldn't be so popular if it wasn't amazing, am i right? Moreover, the guys on HGTV used the blue tape in almost every episode.
Like i mentioned before i would really love to do some paint work and good tape is a must for these projects. Unfortunately the ScotchBlue isn't sold here and i wonder why we didn't just buy some rolls while being overseas. Well, i guess because there is always so much other awesome stuff that needs to be bought...

And now you know everything about my lucky streak and why i can hardly wait to get the tape!

DIY: Upcycled Milk-Box Paper Lantern

I while ago i stumpled about a video tutorial that shows how to make a paper lantern from an empty milk box.
That is a nice inexpensive and eco-friendly fall project and a great way to reuse old milk or juice boxes!

                                                                     Click HERE to see the video