Emilee Sutherland

Anthro Inspired DIY

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hello lovelies, I'm Christy Schnurle from One Handspun Day. I cannot tell you how excited I am that Emilee asked me to join in her guest blog series while she is away on her honeymoon! Usually I would be turning green with envy knowing that Emilee is probably sipping piña coladas and basking in the Hawaiian sun at this very moment, but I am too excited for jealousy today! I am positively giddy to 'meet' all of YOU and we are going to make a fabulous table sign that was inspired by one of my very favorite places ~ Anthropologie!

When I saw these Anthropologie monogram trees it was love at first sight and I thought it would be fun to recreate them! Now, the first thing you should know is that over at Handspun Weddings we use the term "handspun" instead of "DIY" {if you are the curious sort you can find an explanation here}. Now that we have housekeeping items out of the way, go put on your crafting clothes so we can get a little messy!

Anthropologie Inspired Handspun Monogram Trees

Materials:
Twigs in a variety of sizes & shapes
Oven-Bake Clay (such as Sculpey)
Spray Paint (we used bronze)
Newspaper or tarp (to use when spray painting)
Hot Glue Gun

Step One: Get the base of your tree ready
Choose a twig that is thick enough to support the rest of your table sign. This will be the main 'trunk' of your tree. Mold clay to form a base of 'roots' for your tree. Put your trunk in the middle of the base and shape it to hold the trunk in place. Carefully remove the trunk and bake the base according to instructions for the clay.

Step Two: Glue sticks together to form the shape of your tree
Once the clay is done baking (and has cooled!) put your trunk back into the base and hot glue it into place. Now start putting together the rest of your tree! Glue twigs to your trunk to form the letters or numbers you want. As you move build further from your trunk you may want to use lighter twigs so they are easier to support. You can also use hot glue to add texture to your tree (I added more nodes to the twigs by placing dots of glue on the portion of my tree that forms the 'H').

Step Three: Spray paint your tree
Once you have finished building your tree you just have to paint it! Choose a well-ventilated area outside or in your open garage and use newspaper or a tarp to cover the ground where you will be painting (I used a cardboard box). Now just spray your tree until it is thoroughly covered. Let it dry for 24 hours and you are done! Ta da!!

Take a few minutes to admire your new handspun beauty and appreciate the imperfections it may have that make it uniquely yours!

There are so many ways to use these trees ~ display your last name over your fireplace, use 'MRS and 'MRS' on the sweetheart table for your wedding, arrange 'LOVE' trees among tapered & votive candles or put your house number outside on your front stoop... endless possibilities!

What are some other ways you can think of to use these monogram trees?
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Christy Schnurle blogs about DIY handspun wedding décor and inspiration on Handspun Weddings {the blog of One Handspun Day}. One Handspun Day is a wedding invitation printables shop that pushes the envelope aside to give you creative freedom & new possibilities for your wedding day. To keep up with the latest handspun projects from One Handspun Day, follow them on Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to the Handspun Newsletter.

5 Ways to Tap Into Your Creative Style

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some awesome tips from Debra of Purple Meadows Events!
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What inspires you? How do you come up with bold, bountiful ideas for your celebration or wedding? Is it through music, color, art, blogs, travel? I love to travel especially to places that are rich in color, culture, food and adventure. It drives me to be creative and innovative. I learn from other cultures and it makes me not afraid to express myself because it’s my passion that makes me come alive. I enjoy spending time with local people because I get some of most creative inspiration from them, whether it’s learning to paint, taking a cooking or watching a tango show. So I challenge you to go beyond the magazines, and blogs. Dig deeper. Here are five small steps you can take to fuel your inner creative juices, begin with one or two challenges:

1. Attend a play, musical or play. Do something you’ve never done before.
2. Fill your walls with things that inspire you. Tape up photos of quotes you love, words, empower words, magazine photos. Keep it fresh.
3. Take your project to the park, walk around your neighbor and explore the boutiques and businesses around. Have a journal with with you and take notes.
4. Listen to a new genre of music, watch a foreign film or watch a documentary on a painter or designer.
5. Be Bold. Choose vibrant colors. Don’t be afraid to go bold and bright. One quote I love comes from one of my favorite designers, Kelly Weastler "When it comes to color, be confident, go with your heart and follow your emotions."

Be different. Be unique. Be Bold. I want to share with you our mood board created for a December photo shoot influenced by our crush on the destiantion Spain!

Acheiving Your Goals

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

I'd like to introduce to you Cassie from A Time For Everything, a lifestyle blog all about using your time so that you can achieve a well balanced life... and she went to my alma mater!

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Remember January 1 when you made all those goals and resolutions? How's that going? Have you hit a slump? Did you "fall off the wagon" already? I feel like everyone makes resolutions for the year, but if they slip up or don't achieve it by the end of January they act like they've failed. Guess what? You have 11 more months, and in 11 months you can accomplish a lot. Just look at what they do on Biggest Loser in 6 months! Here are some tips to accomplish those goals:

Prioritize: Take your list of resolutions and rank them. What are the top 10 things you really want to do? Or maybe some have to be done sooner than later, like getting a summer internship. This should automatically make it a higher priority. Try to make this list well-rounded to all parts of life, at least 1 of each: a personal goal, health goal, work goal, financial goal, and spiritual goal, and an experiential goal.

Be Realistic: I've had a goal for years to watch the AFI Top 100 Films and it has stayed simply that, a goal on a list. Because really, I'm never going to watch all those movies in 1 year, so I never even try and start in the first place. Instead, this year I'm picking 12 movies on the list and watching 1 a month. So I won't get them all done this year, but I'll be 12 closer and in a few years it'll be complete! Deciding on paring down goals like this is great for bucket list items and those 101 in 1001 lists people keep as well.

Set Dates: Get out your planner (yes, I'm old school and still physically write things down) or pull up iCal or whatever online system you use and start putting dates to the goals. Remember-use the whole year, not just next month. Start with the priority goals. Let's use the internship example again, you can set a date for finishing your resume and then how many internships you want to apply for each month. Or say you there is somewhere you've always wanted to go, like Catalina Island or even just a restaurant you want to try. Put that activity down in a certain month and also put a reminder a month before to send an email to invite others to come with you. In the notes section of each month you can write what goals you want to accomplish that month, like I'm writing the title of the movie I'm watching that month.
As for those bigger goals, like lose 20+ pounds or organize the whole house, break them down month by month to make them attainable. For example, lose 4 pounds a month (you're done for swimsuits in June!). Or assign a room to each month and you'll be done with the house by next year! Remember, you have the whole year.
A big reason why its good to write these in your planner is so you see them. Part of the problem with resolutions is we write them down in journals or just think them in our head, but visually seeing them over and over will keep you motivated and focused. So lastly....

Put It Where You'll See It: Write the list on a notecard and put it on your bathroom mirror. Make it your screensaver. I took a pic of my list and put it on Evernote (oh how I love Evernote!), so I can check into it at anytime. This visual is especially good for those resolutions that are to be done daily (make bed) or intangible (pray more, or be a better listener). Seeing it day after day helps you make it part of your routine and reminds you to change your behavior.
There are the 4 steps to help you achieve your resolutions for this year! Hope that you accomplish all you want this year. And I'd love to hear what your goals are and what plan you've set to achieve them!

Minimalist Makeup

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

I'd like to introduce you to my dear friend and Makeup Artist, Molly Reynolds. I'm like the least likely person to have a clue about makeup, so for my wedding day, I had to go with someone I trusted. Since today is the 24th, and my 7 month wedding anniversary =) I thought, how appropriate it would be to reminisce on my favorite day! Molly is going to explain what techniques she used on me, and what specific projects she used so you can replicate the look!
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When we met to discuss wedding makeup we agreed that the look would be fresh which was perfect for Emilee, no red lips or false eyleashes for this girl. I cannot put chapstick on her without freaking out, love you girl! The main focus was to create flawless looking skin. First I used a face primer to lay out a smooth base for the foundation which will also help the foundation last throughout the day and on into the evening. The foundation I used was MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Invisible Cover Foundation, this is a long-wearing foundation which creates a soft-focus effect, perfect for any type of light, especially in photos.You want to start from the center of the face and work your way out and I like to use the Sephora Collection Pro Stippling Brush #44, it really works the foundation into the skin and creates an airbrushed look.

One of my favorite products is the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Radiant Touch and I use this to highlight and contour the face and by this I mean bringing out certain features of the facial structure. Then we dusted a NARS bronzer under the chin, along the cheek bones, and sides of the nose to add more definition. And to finish the look I set the foundation with a finishing powder from MAKE UP FOR EVER, it sets the foundation and slightly mattifies the skin without changing the natural contours. Fresh and flawless skin is not only perfect for your wedding day but also amazing for your honeymoon.

You want your makeup to reflect your personality, keep it fresh, its your wedding day and we want to see your natural beauty, just enhanced : )

Marketing DIY - Getting the Most from Facebook

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hi. I’m Donna Queza – Marketing Optimist, and I’m thrilled to be on Emilee’s wonderful blog today! Being creative and determined are two great assets, and not just for your artistic endeavors. If you’re a small business owner, you know that being able do-it-yourself is often not an option, it’s a necessity. And, while hiring a marketing professional can be a great investment for your brand *hint, hint* there are a lot of tactics that you can execute yourself.

Today, I’m going to give you some tips on how you can take your Facebook fan page to the next level, without hiring a designer or marketing consultant.

Put your images to work for you.

Your Facebook page offers two great places to get the most out of images. Since you can’t do too much to personalize your page, it’s important to take advantage where you can!

The first section you can try out your handy work is with the profile image. Did you know your profile image can be up to 180 pixels wide by 540 pixels high? That’s a lot of real estate! You can include your logo, an image that displays your work, your contact information, even a special deal or discount.

KEEP IN MIND: Your thumbnail (the small image shown when you post an update) will be a square (up to 180 pixels by 180 pixels). If you do decide to craft a tall page image, make sure you have a square that you can pull out that will make sense out of context. Don’t be that person with half a face or two letters of a logo.

Are you thinking, “I can’t do that, I don’t have fancy design software.” Take a deep breath my darling pessimist. You can find free online solutions here. (And, if you’d like a video tutorial on how to use the tool to piece together images and create a great profile graphic, leave a comment below and I’ll post something just for you on my blog!)

Now, wouldn’t you love a great header running across the top of your page? Good! Because that’s what we’re going to work on next.

I use my photo strip to add a list of my services to the top of the page.

KEEP IN MIND: The images in your Facebook fan page photo strip will not appear in any particular order. In fact, the order will change each time the page is refreshed. So, we’re going to work on five images that work together, but not that string together to form on panoramic image.

Images in the photo strip are small (97 pixels wide by 68 pixels tall). Use clear graphics and short copy to get the most out of this little space. Again, use your photo editing tools to size accordingly so that you can get an idea of what your strip will look like to scale.

By default, the newest images that you post will show in the strip. To remove them (and get back to your desired photos), simply hover over the image and click the time ‘x’ in the top right corner.

Once you do these updates, I’d love to see your page (and “like” it, too). Please make sure to find me on Facebook or Twitter and let me know how it turns out. And, if you make it through all of this unscathed, I’ll be posting a tutorial on creating a custom welcome tab on my blog soon, so make sure to stop by!

I work with small and mid-sized businesses to help them reach their online marketing goals. You can learn more about my company at http://marketing-optimist.com

Destination Anywhere!

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Lovelies! I'm Jillian Nicole from Uniquely Chic and I'm so excited to meet you all! A little bit about me before I launch into my guest post: I'm a Southern California import, currently living the ex-pat life with my Handsome Husband in Edinburgh, Scotland--yes, it does rain virtually every day and no, I'm not even remotely used to it yet! I'm new to the blogging world, but have quickly fallen in love with having my own little piece of internet real estate and connecting with some pretty fabulous gals from all over the place! And I'm super honoured that Emilee would let me hijack you all for the day while she's cruising around Hawaii! Lucky Duck!:) So, while your fearless leader is honeymooning it up, I thought we would spend a little time talking about European Destination weddings and how to make them your own!

I'm sure some of you have toyed with the idea of a Destination Wedding...I mean really, at some point during the process {or just in your wildest dreams}, who hasn't thought of grabbing their fiancée and just leggin' it to some gorgeous local and making it all offic!?? Well, if you're like I was, and the idea of a Destination wedding sounds great in theory, but then you start thinking of airline costs and how your family would basically disown you for eloping, let me suggest some ways to bring the destination to you! First though, let's take a look at some pretty, pretty pictures to get our destination, wedding juices flowing!


Who doesn't love the idea of having your most special day amidst fields of gorgeous smelling lavender and indulging in a French Croquembouche {those sticky, sweet cones of choux pastry buns that literally translated mean, “crunch in the mouth”. Cute, right?!}!?

Tuscan Villas? Check. Vineyards that go on for miles? Check. al fresco dining in a beautiful, centuries-old building? Check, check, and check!! Italy is my second favourite place in the world {first being London where I met Mr. Handsome!} and if I had to pick a wedding do-over destination, this would be it my friends!

If you're ideal day consists of quaint churches and cobble stone streets, the UK is where it's at! Embrace the stereotypes and traditions of this small {but chic!} island and throw a good ol' fashioned Tea Party your guests aren't soon to forget! Croquet included!:)

So, now the question is, how do we as brides/wedding dreamers {who don't want to fork over major bucks to have our special day in a European castle}, manage to incorporate the feel of a specific destination into our own American-a weddings? Well, I'm so glad you asked!

Tips On Creating a Destination Dream Wedding Anywhere on Virtually Any Budget:

1. ADD SMALL DETAILS FROM THE COUNTRY OF YOUR CHOICE: In love with Italy? Personalize beautiful bottles of Olive Oil and hand them out to your guests as favours. If the quaintness of England is more your style, have your dessert bar set up as a Tea Party with little bits and pieces on pretty stacked tiers.

2. INCORPORATE OTHER COUNTRY'S TRADITIONS: Maybe your fiancée or someone in his extended family has French ancestry. Honour that by having a groom's Croquembouch instead of the traditional American groom's cake! Just like the idea of an Italian style wedding? If your wedding is intimate enough, why not try sitting everyone at one long table and serving food Italian “family style”.

3. SAY IT WITH FLOWERS: Incorporate lavender into your tablescapes or gift your guests with little muslin bags of dried lavender to throw at you and your spouse as you walk back down the aisle. Or include various types of English roses in your bouquet {some even look very similar to peonies without the cost!}. You could also commission your florist to create a pretty, green ivy trellis {like the one shown in the Italy board above} for you and your love to stand under during the ceremony.

These are only a few ways of brining the destination to you, and I would love to hear if any of you have other ideas for creating your dream destination wedding! Thanks so much for hanging out with me today and I look forward to "meeting" some of you in the blogosphere very, very soon!:)

uniquely yours,

Jillian Nicole

www.uniquelychicevents.blogspot.com

Our Tasteful Favs

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hi! I'm Meghan, owner of Meghan Christine Photography. You may have see the interview that Emilee and I had the pleasure of being apart of, but if not, let me just say that my love of Emilee and her creative talent goes deep! So when there was an opportunity to shoot product shots for her company, Tasteful Tatters, I jumped at the chance and thought I would take my Honeymoon Blog Party guest post and show you some of my favorite images of her products.

Looking forward to all the new things Emilee is working on for the future... whether you are looking for darling everyday accessories, handmade home decor, or couture bridal pieces, Tasteful Tatters has it all!

Tips for Packing for your Honeymoon

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

I'm so honored to be kicking off Miss Emilee's honeymoon hiatus blog party!

And what more appropriate than a post on how I helped her pack for her vaycay with her hubby ...

Your wedding is just around the corner! Rehearsal dress, outfit during hair and make-up, wedding dress, jewelry, shoes, check check check. Ah yes, and pack for a spectacular 7 day trip right before pulling off a massive event for 150 of your closest friends. Take a deep breath, grab a cup of tea, and let's get give this exciting part of the journey some special thought in just 3 simple steps:

1. Dress for once in a lifetime memories. I know, you picture being so exhausted post-wedding that you can't wait to flop down on a lounge chair holding hands with your new hubby. Yet in the midst of total relaxation, there are going to be some pictures of beaches, mountain tops, cathedrals, dinners -- photos to capture this special trip. And you want those pictures to look as spectacular as your heart is feeling! So make sure every little top, cozy cover-up, simple dress you throw in your bag is colorful and flattering. And throw in some jewelry or hair clips that will make your pictures look extra cute.

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2. Start with your one must-bring. What's the one dress you've been dying to wear on your honeymoon? The navy one that goes with your marigold cardigan and brown strappy sandals? Great. Now what else goes with your marigold cardigan and brown strappy sandals? Another way to think of this: Pack within a color scheme. Make sure everything you bring goes with navy, marigold and brown. If that red dress really needs to be paired with black shoes and a black cardigan? Save it to wear for date night when you get home. The goal is to make everything in your wardrobe interchangeable so you save space and maximize outfit choices once you arrive. This also makes packing less stressful as you don't have to plan out each day -- as long as you have a few things in each category, you can be spontaneous when you're there.

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3. Don't buy for a week, invest for a year. You just hosted a lovely {albeit expensive} celebration, and are now kicking up your heels on vacation. As easy way to save money amidst all the expenses is to make sure you only buy things for your honeymoon that you will wear back home. If tie-dye and hawaiian print aren't really your thing in real life, then stick to stripes and florals that you can wear year round. If you're really looking to save some money, ask a girlfriend to borrow a few things from her closet that will feel new to you. Or check out a site like Rent The Runway if having a designer dress you borrow for the week will make you feel extra special.

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We're going to pack only great pieces, that all go together, & don't break our budget? Umm, I'm pretty sure husband-to-be is going to be quite impressed, don't you? Heck. He might even be so wowed with your small suitcase and thrifty budget, he'll let you convince him to pack only brightly colored shirts for awesome pictures too. :)

So I want to hear ... Where would you go on your dream honeymoon & what would you be wearing?

You can visit Hilary's site HERE to check out all her amazing styling opportunities for you!

Something's Missing Here

2012-01-17T09:17:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, I am getting reading to head out on my 2 week Hawaiian Cruise Honeymoon tomorrow! But that doesn't mean this little blog will be silent for 14 days, no siree! In fact, every weekday while I'm gone, there will be guest posts by my amazing Honeymoon Blog Party bloggers! We will have wedding inspiration, fashion tips, social media marketing ideas, amazing Do It Yourself projects, and so much more. These ladies have poured a lot of time and energy in creating these posts and I know you will love them. But there's more - I've offered up a little contest as well, the guest blogger with the most comments (well, the top 3) will get free ad space on the blog for 4 months! How awesome is that?! So, friends, please check out the posts and leave comments to help these ladies out.

Now, I also must explain a little something about my trip... the only thing missing will be - my husband. Yes, I know this is my honeymoon we're talking about, but Mr. H recently got an amazing opportunity through a local fire department that we just couldn't turn down, and that starts before we were scheduled to come back. I'll save you the roller coaster of emotion details of all of this, but I'm making the most of a gift vacation by taking a dear dear friend of mine (and one of my bridesmaids!) instead, and I'm super excited for a little girls getaway vacation =) So in case you are looking at my photos and wondering why I earth I'm on my honeymoon with some other girl - that should clear things up a bit haha.

So, now that we've got all the details cleared away - be sure to check out tomorrow's post on how to pack for your honeymoon by amazing stylist Hilary Rushford of Dean Street Society!

New Year, New Plans

2012-01-10T11:19:00.000-08:00

It's finally starting to feel back to normal again over here. With the holidays over (as fabulous as they were) and the house starting to be put back together, and all the gingerbread cookies and turkey leftovers are all gone! Now, I'm ready to get back to work and rock and roll, starting with a healthy new outlook on food. I never post about food on here, but I thought I would just share a little personality to the blog today. I have never been a huge fan of veggies. I don't mind the taste, and if they are put in front of me, I'll eat them. But I have never really consciously worked at getting them into my meal planning. Until now. I just really wanted to incorporate them more into our lives and Mr. H felt the exact same way.

So last "a ha" moment was last week, and I'm here to report things are going great! In fact, I even snapped a photo or 2 of my amazing breakfast I had this morning =) I'm sure someone else out there has come up with this before, but I felt pretty proud of myself for thinking, no, I wont eat banana bread, I'll make something w/ veggies!

The details:
toast
2 eggs
tomato
avacado
cilantro

Pinterest Picks

2012-01-06T09:04:00.000-08:00

Here is a little sampling of some things I am loving on Pinterest right now. I could seriously be on there for hours. Are you on Pinterest? You can follow my pins HERE. This year, I want to really be thoughtful about what I'm pinning. Not just pinning because I eh, so so liked it. Only things that truly inspire and that I love. I want to look at my boards and not see a hodge podge of trendy fads, but of things that represent me. So here is what I'm loving this week!

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Calling All Bloggers!

2012-01-04T08:10:00.000-08:00

Well, it is officially 2012 and I am loving every minute of it. Things are already in motion for a very busy and rewarding year! And one thing in particular that I am beyond excited about is my honeymoon!!! I know what you're thinking, "didn't you get married like 6 months ago?" And you'd be right, I did. But with Mr. H's fire academy and everything, we scheduled our big honeymoon for mid-Jan. A 2 week cruise to... Hawaii!! We've never been on a cruise before so we are just jumping up and down with excitement. With that said, I'm doing some prep work for the 'ol blog while I'm away. A Blog Party!! Gearing up for some fun DIY posts as well as tons of guest bloggers. That's where you come in. My dear friends, readers, and fellow artists - I need your help. I'm looking for everyone, DIY enthusiasts, chefs, writers, photographers, makeup artists, advice givers, health coaches - you name it. I want the last to weeks of January to just be a community of gals sharing their insights to the world - all in one place!

So if this is something you'd be interested in, email me at TastefulTatters@gmail.com to sumbit your request. Please include a link to your blog (if you have one) and your idea or concept for your post. I am so excited to see what you all come up with!!

One more exciting part to this blog party... I'm adding ad spots on the blog for 2012 and the posts with the top 3 number of comments gets free ad space on the blog! How fun is that? So if you get chosen to do a post, I will tell you what day your post will go live and you spread the word and get your friends and networks to comment!

Freebie Friday: Mini Envelope DIY

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday friends! I'm sure you all have amazing plans lined up for New Years Eve 2012!! It's been a while since I have done a Freebie Friday post, so I thought, why not end 2011 with a free download?? Who doesn't love free stuff, am I right? This is part freebie, and part DIY as well, I figure, why not end the year with a fun project as well.

One thing I want to do better in 2012 is to tell the people that I love, that I love them more. Some of those people live far away and I want to send more letters/packages/random surprises to them. Because who doesn't love that?! I found this awesome mini envelope template that you can print out and cut from any fun paper to turn into a mini gift for a loved one. Just print from HERE, and use your creative mind to do the rest. I made one from simple kraft paper, washi tape, and some ric rac ribbon to give you a "mini" example. Happy Friday and Happy New Year friends!

Baby On Board!

2011-12-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

The week before Christmas, I had the amazing opportunity to be apart of a baby announcement video. Seriously, one of the coolest way to announce the gender of your baby to family and friends. The concept was to create a short film of the hospital visit where the couple finds out the gender. Then, after editing and all that jazz, showcase the video to surprise your loved ones. How fun is that?! Anyways, Brienne of Brienne Michelle Photography did just that and she commissioned me to create cute flag garland that says "It's A Girl" & "It's A Boy" as well as these fun little flags that say "Boy" & "Girl." I take on many commissioned projects each year, but this might have been my all time favorite! Check it out for yourself! Thanks Brienne for letting me share your amazing video!

What's Next from Brienne Michelle on Vimeo.

What do you think?! Should Tasteful Tatters start carrying Baby Garland??

Time To Hit The Books!

2011-12-28T08:22:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday! I stayed away from the computer this year to spend quality time with family in the snow... and of course Mr. H, since this was our FIRST Christmas together! We had such a fun time and managed to do Christmas with each of our families. Phew! But now the trees are coming down, the garland has dried out, and the hot chocolate is almost gone... it's time to start planning for 2012! I have quite a few books I'm reading to prep my business planning, and some fun ones splashed in there too! I love to read. Cozy up with a good cup of coffee and I could read literally all day. One thing I hate is folding over the corner of the page to remember my place. Seriously bugs me. Plus, I thoroughly enjoy making bookmarks - like, all the time! For my super fab friend, Kathrina from Joe+Kathrina Photography, I recently made her this fun personalized bookmark and thought I would share it with you! It's a great post-holiday, inexpensive gift for yourself!

First just cut your felt in your desired length and width. I made mine on the smaller side, so it would fit in my little notecard that I send her =) Then, just go to town adding whatever you'd like! I sewed on some buttons on the top, cut out a heart and sewed a "K" onto that. If you're not the sewing type you can always hot glue little cut out pieces of felt, ribbon, buttons, you name it!

All photos by: Joe+Kathrina Photography

This is What I Love

2011-12-20T08:10:00.000-08:00

I love my job. Both of them. On one hand I get to bring awesome vintage finds to weddings/ events and set up this whole scene that will hopefully take your breath away. I also get to make fun necklaces, headbands, veils, & garters. I love getting to work with my hands. The best part of what I do is seeing the end result. For weddings, I don't always get that, because I have to leave before the guests come haha, but for shoots I always get that. Since some just see my inventory, and some just show up at a wedding we styled, I thought it would be fun to show you a little before after situation! Just a disclaimer: this particular shoot was styled by Miriam Corona Events. She did such an amazing job! And yesterday this particular shoot was featured on Green Wedding Shoes! Be sure to check out Jen's full post for more amazing details. And don't miss our cute red bow tie we made for the shoot =)

So here is our vintage white dresser: a huge favorite for dessert bars or guest favors at weddings this year. Isn't she fabulous?! Yes, she is a she =)

And through in some creativity, pops of color, flowers, food, you name it. We've done it all! And you can get something as awesome as this! Hope this provides some inspiration for you brides who are planning your wedding in 2012. You can check out all our inventory HERE and we can get the ideas rollin'! Also, special shoutout to Lukas VanDyke Photography for not only photographing all my inventory, but this awesome Candyland shoot!

DIY Makeup Holder

2011-12-16T11:28:00.000-08:00

Hello bloggerboos! Sorry I've been a tad silent over here. I've been busy prepping for the holidays. This is a fun little DIY that came about from one of my wedding projects. You may remember me tweeting about the dessert tiers I was making from vintage plates for my big day. Here is a little snap shot of one of the tiers I made for the wedding.

It's so super simple. Just round up some fun mismatched plates, tea saucers, candle sticks at a local thrift store. I was able to find each piece for $.99 or less! Then, I glued them together using a super glue specific for ceramics. And voila! An awesome dessert tray.

Now, fast forward 6 months into marriage and my makeup is taking over our little tiny bathroom =) So I re-made a similar tier (using a glue gun this time) with some smaller plates to hold my brushes and what not. What do ya think?! Isn't the little squirrel adorable? He's from Anthro and his cute little tail holds my rings =)

For the Girl Who Has Everything

2011-12-13T08:28:00.000-08:00

I am going to start off by saying... that "girl" is not me! I will also say, that these vendors and shops are not paying me for this, or are they sponsors of the blog. I just love these products and think you will too. This is simply just a mini gift guide of some pretty awesome gifts for that girl on your list who is just so darn hard to shop for, because well, she has everything! Or... her style is super eclectic, and she has that awesome wardrobe, that you just can't compete with =) With all have one of those!

Umba Box - I am a HUGE supporter of handmade and small business! And this is the most amazing gift for those who love handmade - and it keeps coming every month! You can sign up for a month by month or you get get a whole 6 month subscription!!! Ahh I would LOVE a gift like this. You get a totally unique handmade gift delivered to your doorstep each month!

Image 3D - This is probably one of the coolest things I've seen lately. Do you remember being little and going to the fair and seeing these awesome things that you can put a reel of photos in and you pull the lever and then you see the next photo, and so on? I loved those! This awesome company let's you build your own! They market it for wedding invitations... which is pretty freaking awesome. But I started thinking, how awesome would it be to build one of that awesome girls trip you took, or of that event that started your friendship. What an awesome keepsake to give, right?!

Modernality2 - This amazingly affordable Etsy shoppe has the most awesome chevron pillow covers ever! They are so bold and bright and are the perfect statement piece for the girl who has everything. You must see for yourself. PLUS, she has awesome Christmas discounts going on RIGHT now!

Amourouse - Every girl loves to feel pretty in her undies, so why not indulge in quite possibly the most adorable lingerie I've ever seen on Etsy. Yes, I said ever. This amazingly talented gal even makes them into swinsuits! I'm in underwear heaven!

The Body Shop: Blue Corn 3 in 1 Deep Cleansing Mask - I'm not kidding, I'm wearing this at this very moment! I so so love this and my skin feels absolutely amazing. So treat your girlfriend to this amazing skin cleanser, and it is under $20!

Ruche: Spectacle Peep Toe Heels - These are just FABULOUS. I mean, see for yourself. I don't even need to say anything else, they are just fabulous. Not to mention how amazing Ruche is. Take some time and check out their amazing stuff!

Merry & Bright

2011-12-09T11:18:00.000-08:00

Just a little sneak peak of our first Christmas cards Mr. H and I will be sending out this year! This isn't the actual one, but I do love it. And we definitely had fun wrapping ourselves up in those lights. They are actually really hot haha. Hope you guys have a wonderful Friday!

Wedding Invite Ornament

2011-12-08T08:42:00.000-08:00

Another Holiday Craft Corner post! I am just loving these =) I saw this idea on Pinterest, and of course pinned it, not really planning on doing it, just a "saving it for later" sort of thing. All you pinners know exactly what I'm talking about. Then, I went over to a friends this week for a girls craft day and she totally was doing this with her wedding invitations for their tree. It looked so cute and easy I just had attempt it myself. As I was making them for our own first lil' tree, I thought of all the weddings I had been to this year and all the newlyweds who were celebrating their first Christmas and probably needing ornaments like us! Then, I was thinking what a great and easy gift this would be for them. So if you're like me and have saved an invite, program, escort card, any paper products this would make a super fun and easy and amazingly thoughtful gift to give to your newlywed friends!

{ S U P P L I E S }
I used a blade cutter, but you can just use scissors, paper product like an invite, plastic or glass ball ornament ( I got mine at Michaels for $.99 each!)

{ S T E P S }
1 - simply cut strips of whatever paper you are using
2 - wrap your strips around a pencil, pen, or a paintbrush (that's what I used)
3 - stuff your strips into the ball to as full as you want. That's it!

Pretty Packaging

2011-12-06T08:22:00.000-08:00

It's no surprise I love packaging. I spend a great deal of time on packaging for my Tasteful Products and I often get email requests for where my actually get my packaging supplies. I'm always on the lookout for the best products for the best price and there are always new places I want to try out =) I recently saw this post on one of my favorite blogs, A Subtle Revelry, and I think it is perfect! Such a great roundup of packaging suppliers and I love them all! A lot of them are my go-to resources with a couple newbies that I cannot wait to try out.

Cute Tape: the biggest collection of washi tape - plus lots of fun stamps!

Vintage Paper Parade such cute packaging pieces, and great holiday products right now

Heart and Craft this is one of my favorite places to get tags and those last minute touches for your packages. They have the cutest garland up right now!

Twill Tape this is a new shop for me and I cannot wait to check out their amazing twill tape inventory!

Sweet Styled Bakers Twine Bakers Twine Bakers Twine!

Garnish The cutest boxes, bags, bottles etc - all your little heart can desire!

DIY Tree Topper

2011-12-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

As you may have seen from previous posts, it is Mr. H and my first Christmas together as a married couple. We are having so much fun doing normal "holiday" things together, but one thing we've realized is a lot of the stuff our families just had ready to go for the holidays, we don't have. For example - a tree topper. We got our little tree and decorated it all up (ornaments was another thing we didn't have!) and then we realized we didn't have a topper. So as we were looking at a bunch of options in a store, Mr. H so lovingly volunteered me saying, I think you should just make one. At first, I was like... "Oh, I should, should I?" But of course, I couldn't turn down the challenge. So here is our first DIY star tree topper!

{ S U P P L I E S }
You can find everything you need from your local craft store, and chances are you already have scissory, glue gun, and glue. And I found this awesome wooden star on a stick for about $2 and the yarn for about $5 (you'll have TONS left over)

Basically I just wrapped around each point of the star and glued along the way. I tried to make things an non-perfect as possible. But you can just wind around in perfect stripes just as easily. Then for the center I wrapped it around flat in a circular motion. It seemed easiest at the time and it actually was. It was a lot easier than the points. Then, we used some extra yard to wrap the stick around the top of our tree and I think it turned out fantastic!

Some Music Needs Air...

2011-12-02T10:28:00.000-08:00

It's Friday... and Fridays feel different to me now that I work full time from home on Tasteful Tatters. I used to get soooo excited about Fridays because that meant the weekend. And I couldn't wait for work to be over so I could do something fun and "Friday nightish." But now, it's kinda just another day, and usually means I have an event, or an event that weekend, so it is actually more work. Funny how life works out. And I love it. Today I'm working on TONS of projects and sometimes you just need some good tunes to get you through a long "to-do" list. I stumbled across this from my fab intern, Lynlee's Blog, and it just spoke to me, not that I necessarily relate to it - but it's one of those songs that gives you goosebumps it's so pretty. Maybe I'm just a sucker for Bon Iver. If you know me at all, I just love sad depressing songs, I also like to quote Elizabethtown as much as possible (see blog title). So this is what is on repeat for me today, what are you listening to on this Friday??

Our Rentals Featured!

2011-12-01T10:41:00.000-08:00

Happy First of December!! I just love the holidays. I've been working on tons of fun holiday DIY's and inspiration for you guys and I cannot wait to share! But first, our rentals have been working hard this fall, going all over the place in some fun places. So fun, that some amazing blogs decided to feature them! Here are just a few snaps of some of our latest features from The Wedding Chicks and Rustic Weddings! So if you are planning a fall/winter wedding for 2012, we still have some available dates and we'd love to provide rentals and style your wedding!

Pomegranate Holiday Wedding Inspiration

on Wedding Chicks

Fall Rustic Wedding Inspiration

Via Rustic Weddings

Go check out more photos on these awesome blogs and I hope you find some inspiration!

Anthro Inspired Snow Globes

2011-11-29T08:40:00.000-08:00

This is another part of our Holiday Craft Corner, and now that it's post Turkey Day, I can finally share this awesome Holiday decor craft!! This is actually completely my Mother's idea aka Anthropologie Queen. I swear when we walk into our local Anthro, the ladies at the counter are all, "Hey Deanna! How are you this week?" My mom saw these snow globes at Anthro and she just new she could make them herself... so she did, and made them as gifts for us kids!

All you need:
- Mason Jars (you can find these everywhere... even Wal-Mart)
- Fake trees - Michaels
- Fake snow - also at Michaels
- Gluegun

Directions:
So, all you need to do is glue your trees, and anything else you want to add - acorns could be really cute too! Then, add your desired amount of snow into the jar, and then simply screw on the top! And your done. Mom mom used to actually make canned jelly and has tons of old mason jars in different sizes and textures. I love the little globe on the right with all the rivets - it looks so vintagey. If you can score some of these at your local thrift store, you wont be disappointed! Thanks for the snow globes mom!

Cyber Monday Sale!!

2011-11-28T12:24:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday after Thanksgiving friends!! Now, we don't normally do Sale Sales over at Tasteful Tatters, mostly Free Shipping deals and what not... but this year, we are doing a HUGE Cyber Monday deal - 30% Off EVERYTHING in the shop as well as a surprise free gift =) So get your shopping on people!! Also, we package everything ready for gifting to this is a great opportunity to get your Christmas shopping done =)

HWTM: Holiday Party Planning

2011-11-21T10:49:00.000-08:00

I love the holidays! I love mint m&m's, dressing up in boots and coats, big dinner parties. Decorating your home with garland and stockings while listening to N*Sync Christmas (c'mon, you know you do!) Anyways, I wish I could plan like 10 different holidays if I could. That's how much I love it. So for our next Creative Connection Event, we're planning a huge holiday bash! I'm so excited. Tickets are officially available HERE and if you're a female creative in the Los Angeles area you should definitely come join us! Here is a sneak at my inspirations for our little shin dig - we're going all out for this one so you definitely don't want to miss out!

Introducing New Baby Tatters!

2011-11-15T09:41:00.000-08:00

It's that time again before the holidays... where we introduce some new items! This time, we've launched a whole collection of new pieces not only for children, but babies too! I've had so many requests for "mini" versions of my pieces for children, so I just make them and ship them out. I've never had a chance to find a baby to "model" the pieces haha. So I made a bunch of newbies and found the most gorgeous newborn baby to showcase the pieces, or should i say... she was the showcase! So here is a little peak of some new headbands for babies so amazingly modeled by my friend Melissa Dell's new little gem, Aubrey! Be sure to check out our shop for even more baby pieces you can snag for the holidays!

HUGE shoutout to Meghan Christine Photography for capturing these and all the baby photos up in the shop!

Holiday Craft Corner: Scrabble It!

2011-11-11T12:10:00.000-08:00

It’s craft corner time again from one of our amazing interns - April! It is November and the holidays are right around the corner. For today’s craft we will be making personalized ornaments for your tree or a friend. This craft is pretty simple and quick to do.

For this project you will need Scrabble game pieces, some ribbon, a glue gun, and some fabric.

{S T E P 1 } find the letters you will need. Then take your fabric and cut a piece the same size as the game pieces. (you can also use ribbon for this part)

{ S T E P 2 } lay our your letters in order. Then glue the pieces one at a time. After I finished this I realized that between the letters there is gaps in between so I filled it will glue.

{ S T E P 3 } cut a piece of ribbon and make a loop like in the photo and glue to the back of the game piece.

Lastly, just add a bow! :]

I hope everyone enjoyed this craft project! - April

My Holiday Inspiration

2011-11-10T10:17:00.000-08:00

This is our first Christmas as a married couple. We are officially getting to decorate on our own in our own place! This is super exciting for me and I cannot wait to have family and friends over to show off our apartment. Now, here's the catch... how to you decorate a teeny tiny apartment for the holidays?? Now, I'm no designer at all! But these are just my thoughts. We have a small apartment that is painted teal and mint green. Throwing some forest green and bright red around is going to feel like A LOT is going on... so why not go with what we've got already, right?! So in preparation for this holiday season, I've been browsing my fav (Pinterest) for some inspiration in the teal and green family.. and I am loving what I am finding!! Can't wait to show you what i come up with, using the inspiration below. How are you decorating this season??

1, 2, 3, 4

CCLA Recap: On Being Well

2011-11-08T09:54:00.000-08:00

This last Sunday I had the opportunity to host yet another Creative Connection USA Event, this time at the ING Direct Cafe (They are THE coolest bank ever!). I cannot say enough how much I just love these ladies. They continue to inspire me in more ways than I could have imagined. And Sunday was no exception. I was feeling majoring under the weather and these girls just encouraged me so much! My favorite part about this meet-up was that we got to hear from Erin from Well in LA share on staying healthy and balanced while running your own business. It was like everything she was saying struck a chord in my life... and I am happy to stay that I have already started making changes in my daily routine. She has a way of taking things that we know we should be doing... but making them seem simple and attainable. If you'd like to learn more about Creative Connection USA, you can check out our Facebook Page here and you can send me your email at la@creativeconnectionusa.com to get on the mailing list.

These are just a few of the many amazing tips that Erin shared with us on Sunday. I decided to focus on these first and I'm happy to report that I am starting off well and ready to feel the difference of a healthy & balanced life!

Pretty In Peach

2011-11-04T12:49:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to announce we have a new look for the Tasteful packaging this holiday season. If you purchased something from our Shoppe last year around this time, you will remember our packaging was kraft brown, white and silver with two little ornament balls on the outside. We like to stay away from the traditional red and green over here and this year is no exception! Take a look at our new packaging products and colors! With every order in our shoppe, we spend lots of time making each pieces' packaging one of a kind and ready for gifting. So this holiday season - give a special Tasteful gift to that special someone in your life =)

2011 Holiday Guide

2011-11-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

Can you guys believe it is November!? There are holiday cups at Starbucks, Christmas Tree lots popping up everywhere, Christmas inspired pins ALL over Pinterest. I love it all. Something new that I am equally excited for is Emily Henderson's Holiday Guide. This is not your typical "gift guide" you may see floating around the blogosphere, this is chock full of awesome products, diy projects, fashion, decor, you name it! The guide was also a labor of love for a good friend of mine, Lindsay Goldner of LLY Designs. Didn't she do an awesome job?! Be sure to check out the entire guide and don't miss our Holiday Tasteful Ad on page 92!!

Open publication - Free publishing

DIY Fall in Love with Fall Wreath

2011-10-31T13:49:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty excited to share this blog post with you today - this is a super fun DIY project brought to us by another one of my fabulous inters - Lynlee!! So take a look and leave her some love! Take it away Lynlee!

So since we are in the middle of fall, I decided that it would be so fun to be able to make a fun little decorative wreath. Lately I have been obsessed with all things burlap, so that is what I chose to make it out of. I spotted this idea on Pintrest (of course) and just had to make it.

{ M A T E R I A L S }

- Foam wreath

- 3 strips of burlap (4 inches x 70 inches)

- Embroidery thread (I chose brown, but you can pick whichever you want)

- Needle

- Hot glue gun

- straight pins

{ S T E P 1 }

- Cut 3 strips of burlap (4 in. x 70 in.)

{ S T E P 2 } Using straight pins, secure the ends of one strip of burlap and wrap the foam circle. Continue to use straight pins as needed to hole the burlap in place.

{ S T E P 3 } Take the next strip of burlap, using a needle and embroidery threat, stitch loosely along the side of it.

{ S T E P 4 } Next, take the ruffled burlap and attach it to the backside of the foam.

{ S T E P 5 } After you have done this, use hot glue to make sure that it is secure.

{ S T E P 6 } Repeat step 3 with the last piece of burlap.

{ S T E P 7 }With this strip, place it on the front side of the foam, using straight pins (use minimal hot glue to make sure it is secure)

And voila—you have your wreath!!

Once you have your wreath, you can spice it up for any occasion - we added some cute fall Tatters for this one, but you can change it up with just about anything! Happy Monday friends!

It's Giveaway Time!!

2011-10-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

Can I just say, I love Fridays. For many reasons: the weekend, relaxing, crafting, and FREEBIES! I Recently got the opportunity to hook up with the Broke Ass Bride ladies and they are just so awesome - if you are recently engaged you better go check out the site for lots of money saving tips and planning info, ok go!

So, anyways, we were able to a collaborate on an awesome Giveaway being hosted over on their site and guess what the prize is from Tasteful Tatters?? Ladies Choice! Yup, that's right, you get to chose 1 item - whatever you want =) Here are a few snaps of some of the newest items to the shop for you to check out:

So head on over to the giveaway HERE and enter today!! Also, leave us a comment letting us know which piece you're hoping to snag =)

Kitchen Label DIY

2011-10-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

We recently got these cute jars for our kitchen for our sugar and flour to put on our counter. Now, I don't plan on getting either of these confused for each other, but I felt like the jars were missing something. I searched around for cute little labels or something to wrap around them. Hence the concept for this DIY!

Since I always have tons of extra fabric around, I decided to make my own "fabric tape" if you will. I cut 2 strips of a muslin fabric a little wider than my standard double sided tape I just had lying around the house.
>> Then I placed the tape on top of the fabric in the desired length I needed. Then I trimmed up a few places & placed them on the jar. Then I wrote the labels in a fine tip sharpie. Simple as that. In retrospect, I should probably have written the labels before placing the fabric on the tape. But there you have it! The possibilities are endless... I'm even thinking about doing something like this for Tasteful packaging =)

HWTM: Meal Planning

2011-10-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

So I had the amazing opportunity to meet some crazy talented women at our last Creative Connection LA event this past weekend. Meeting & interacting with these women just rejuvenates me. One gal in particular stood out to me this month because her creative outlet is in an area that I majorly struggle with. She is a chef extraordinaire and she shares her skills with others via her blog as well as her meal planning service.

Meet Rachel Oberg

This girl has some serious talent at creating weekly - monthly meal plans for families/individuals specifically for those with eating restrictions - check out his excerpt from her blog:

"As I’ve planned for people over time, I’m realizing more and more that while I do love to plan for the “regular” eaters out there, the people I love to plan for the most are those who are struggling with it. I realized this when Summer entered a contest I held in July for a free menu. To enter, all she had to do was tell me why she deserved a menu. She wrote that she was overwhelmed by new food restrictions in her diet (no dairy, no soy, no corn syrup, and no sugar) and was struggling to come up with things to feed her family (who didn’t share the restrictions), that she could eat too. Insert shout of excitement from me! Someone actually needed my help! She won then and there. And, thus began the journey of realization that I’m on about this little business of mine. The overwhelmed, the stressed, the burdened, the hungry because you can’t think of anything to make… bring your menu woes over here!"

Now, I recently was able to receive a week of menu planning and I swear it has changed my life. This girl is so incredible organized. I received all my meals, recipes, extra tips and notes from her experience with the dish, as well with options to substitutes. She has EVERYTHING covered. So if you are like me (can't cook to save my life) or if you have some crazy (or not so crazy) allergies, this is your girl! She takes into account all your preferences as well as your budget and does all the work for you. And the best part, she's affordable! For one week, a full meal plan is only $15!! And for a month I believe it is $45. SUCH a deal! So head on over to her amazing blog HERE and if you purchase a menu - tell her Emilee sent you =)

Holiday Craft Corner: Bookmarks!

2011-10-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

I am so proud/excited to introduce you to a new holiday column here on the Tasteful Blog: The Holiday Craft Corner. This column will be filled with awesome crafts to make as gifts for this holiday season. Our first project is brought to us by one of my lovely interns April! I think her project would make the perfect stocking stuffer to the bookworm or even that friend that love to have a paper journal - you know who they are! Take it away April:

It's only October but the holidays will be here any day (only 2 months!). I’ve been seeing these cute bookmarkers on pinterest. I’m here to show you how to do this affordable, simple craft. No sewing skills needed for this project!

{ M A T E R I A L S } scraps of fabric, fusible interfacing needle, scissors & thread.

{ S T E P 1 } Fold fabric, and cut a square on the fold. Do the same with the interfacing fabric. Then iron the interface to the fabric (this makes the fabric a little bit thicker)

{ S T E P 2 } Fold fabric in half, sew one side of the fabric. Then trim the edge you sewed and turn the fabric right side out. If a sewing machine isn’t in arms reach, this edge can be hand stitched.

Now, you can leave the bookmark as a square and decorate it to your desire or you can cut the edge facing inward to any design.

Here is my end product - I turned my square into a heart. Now my book has a little love saving my spot where I left off.

A-List Bloggers

2011-10-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

I had such an inspiring weekend with all the CCLA girls at our event as well as just some fun brunch/lunch dates one on one with inspiring creatives. With that said, some of these ladies and more have been inspiring me a lot lately with their killer blogs. So I decided to give them all a little Tasteful A-List shout-out. Head on over to these throughout your week and I promise you will not be dissapointed!

Donna Queza - The Marketing Optimist

Rachel Oberg - De Ma Cuisine

Lindsay Goldner - Linz Loves You

Teri - Beach City Lifestyle

Facebook Giveaway Winner!

2011-10-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

I love giving away Tatters - I love to see people get excited for free Tatters. It makes my heart happy. So, the other day I noticed that our Fan Page wasn't too far off from reaching 500 "likes" I thought it would make for a perfect giveaway to reach our goals! And what do you know, in the matter of just a day or two we made it! Huge thank you to all our fabulous supporters - Tasteful Tatters would definitely not be where it is today without your continuous support and love. So early this morning I randomly picked a winner from our Facebook fans to receive...

$50 worth of Tasteful Products!!!

{our BIGGEST giveaway ever!!)

If you did not win, and you are a Facebook Fan, you can receive FREE Shipping until next Friday by using coupon code: TASTEFULFRIENDS just as a THANK YOU for all your support!! Have a happy weekend friends!

Fall Playlist

2011-10-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

It's playlist time again - I seriously love these posts... I probably make a new playlist every week or something. I just love new music mixed with oldies, mixed with a totally random Glee rendition or hip hop song =) Anyways, this mix was inspired by my dear friend/college roomie/lover of fall Aimee Grover. Without fail, at the beginning of the fall season (and often before!) this lady would have a whole long brand spankin new Fall Mix to kick off our favorite season. She was so fun to live with and inspired me to take extra care of the dubbed, "Fall Mix"

So here is just a peak at the many songs that I've collected for my ever growing Fall Mix - so grab a salted caramel mocha and cuddle up!

Snapshots of my life

2011-10-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

This last week, week and a half has been completely nuts. Between juggling my 8-5 job which has been more like 7:30-7:30 job along with launching 2 new items for the shoppe and meeting new clients and delivery pieces for Treasures, there has just been little blogging time - I'm so sorry! But I promise I'm planning better and have some fun guest posts planned from our interns soon. They are just so darn cute =) Anyways, to give you a little glimpse of my crazy life lately - with simply photos I captured on my phone... aren't phones awesome these days?? Anyone out there get the new iphone 5 yet?? The wallet & shoes are my latest purchases... I'm in love!

New Additions!

2011-10-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

Attention ladies and gentleman! We have a new addition to the Tasteful Family! Isn't she a beauty?! I'm currently in the process of naming her... suggestions are welcome =) This pretty is now available for rent for your next shower, wedding, or photoshoot. I absolutely cannot wait to see her in action!

HWTM: Fall Recipes

2011-10-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

Even though temperatures are supposed to reach 100 degrees today (bleh) I thought I would share my new fall favorite recipe - Pumpkin Pancakes. I had one of my interns over last night for a presentation and I made these... (ahem, Mr. H did most of the work) but they turned out perfectly! Prior to last night, I've only had them at restaurants and some I've found are just too pumpkiny... but these had just the right amount of pumpkin to make you think fall... but not make you feel like you just took a bite of pumpkin pie. Thanks to The Happy Housewife for such an awesome recipe! Try making breakfast for dinner the next time you have some friends over!

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons applesauce
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Combine flour, baking soda, baking power, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
Add buttermilk, egg, pumpkin and applesauce.
Mix until batter is moistened, but still lumpy.
Cook on a buttered griddle on medium heat.

Paper Flower Bouquet

2011-10-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

Since posting about my wedding, I've gotten quite a few inquiries from brides to be & just crafters in general asking about the paper flowers in my bouquet. And I am FINALLY getting around to making an official post about it - sorry! Now, there are lots of tutorials floating about there on the web, and let me tell you - prior to saying "I Do" I seriously tried them all! I found the ones that worked best and now I'm sharing my findings with you, because, c'mon who doesn't love a fresh bouquet of flowers from their favorite love story... that wont die on you! ( All you black thumb ladies like me are totally nodding their heads right now). This is based on using pages from vintage books. Some tutorials are great - but if you have your heart set on using old pages, you'll find that your paper is too brittle and will tear and fall apart. So grab your favorite old book (or maybe a not so favorite that your heart doesn't break when you cut it up) and let's make some flowers!

{S U P P L I E S}

- scissors

- those green floral sticks

- glue gun & glue

- old book

- little tacks (i used cute color ones, but you can use any kind)

{S T E P 1}
Cut circles about 2 1/2 - 3 inches in diameter curving your cuts to create little waves all the way around. I wouldn't make a template because you want each one a little different than the others. Then cut one 1 1/2 inch straight circle. I was able to get about 3 on a page. You'll want about 6 for 1 flower.

{S T E P 2}
Stack your 6 circles and put your smaller perfect circle on the bottom. Then place your tack through the center starting at the top so the back end of your tack is at the smallest circle. Now start scrunching up the paper starting at the top and make the top page the most "wrinkled" aka tighter scrunching, then a little looser on the next, and looser on the next. Do not scrunch your last circle piece. Now it should look like a flower!

Now, these by themselves would make great packaging elements or table decor for a dinner party because they lay flat. However, if you'd like to make them for a bouquet, fold that last circle piece on the bottom in half so that the spine is along the base of the flower (use the tack as your guide). Take your floral wire stick and lay that along one of the edges to create the stem. Use your glue gun to glue the wire to your circle and press the sides together. You can trim the excess paper so that it is just attached to the stick and you don't have the extra paper around it.

>> And there you have it!! Stay tuned next week, where I'll post a tutorial on the paper roses in my bouquet!

1 Year Ago Today...

2011-10-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

Mr. H popped the question.. and I said yes (you can read the full proposal story HERE & HERE). Seriously a day that changed my life forever and when I look back it is amazing to see what God has done in my life in that short year. So many changes, so much love, and a whole new beginning. I can't wait to see what the next year brings! A HUGE thanks to my dear friend Aimee and her hubby Troy of Troy Grover Photographers who saw us through our dating process and offered their time and talent to catch our proposal on camera. I love you both and cannot thank you enough for being there for us on that day 1 year ago! (You can click on each photo to view it larger)

Meet the Interns!

2011-10-06T13:16:00.000-07:00

I'm so very excited to introduce you guys to my fabulous new interns for Fall! These ladies are simply incredibly and have already totally changed my business - in the most fabulous way! I seriously don't know how I got so lucky to snag these two. So enough about me - here is the new TT Team! P.s. keep a lookout for some future posts by these ladies soon!

Meet: Lynlee

Name: Lynlee Marie

Studying in College: Home Economics--emphasis in Early Child Development // The Master's College

Fav spare time activity: My favorite thing to do in my spare time is: reading & knitting.

Quirky fact: I am addicted to reruns of Gilmore Girls

Favorite vintage find: Hmm. Probably the awesome jewelry that was given to me by an older friend my mom and I cared for(:

Favorite thing about TT: I love all of the vintage pieces! All of the stylings that I have seen are just so inspirational and creative! Love it!(:

Meet: April

Name: April Linh Nguyen

Major/School: California State University of Northridge (CSUN), Major: Apparel merchandising, minor in marketing

Favorite thing to do in your spare time: going on adventures, going to the beach, and making things.

Quirky fact: i like to wear dresses, i would wear them every day if i could and if i could be anything i would probably wish to be a mermaid. :]

Favorite vintage find: vintage red with white polka dotted high waisted shorts

Favorite thing about TT: emilee of course! besides that well the beautiful unique hair accessories.

And we like to match =) Soo it works out pretty well!

HUGE thank you to Brienne Michelle Photography for snapping these at our last shoot: THANK YOU!!!

Tasteful Press Kits

2011-10-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

Most of the time, I talk about how I loved to social aspect of college and hate how expensive my "social education" was.... I'm not bitter, I swear. Other times, like more recently, I'm incredibly grateful for the degree I have in Public Relations as it relates to owning my own business. I recently decided to completely change the way I market my business... and to whom I market to for that matter. When I say marketing, I'm not talking "logos" or artwork... I'm talking real marketing plans. With that said, I narrowed down my target market and my goals and objectives for the plan. I knew immediately I wanted to send a Press Kit to my "targets" (that's what we'll call them for now =) I started to kinda panic... ah I haven't done these in so long! But after bouncing some initial ideas off of friends, I am so unbelievably proud of the new Tasteful Tatters Press Kits. I want to give them as Christmas presents! haha Anyways, I thought I would share just a little pick at what they look like, and who knows... maybe you'll be getting one in the mail this week!

There you have it! Pretty, yes? have a wonderful rainy Wednesday friends!

Social Media Tips from CCLA

2011-10-04T20:45:00.000-07:00

If you've been reading my blog or follow me on Twitter, you've heard me talk about Creative Connection LA... a lot. I'm sorry! I can't get enough of it! I may be biased but I honestly think we have the most welcoming, friendly, and talented group around =) That includes all of our Creative Connection Chapters. So for our September meetup, we brought in Donna Queza to share with us some quick tips on how to optimize our use of social media. She did such a great job of explaining the different mediums and how they each serve unique purposes. I learned so much from this session, and I thought I'd pass on some of the knowledge that I was frantically scribbling in my notebook:

Donna: bringing the eduction!

1) Decide what your goals are: Why are you using social media, what do you hope to achieve?
- Who am I?
- What do I do?
- Why does it matter?
- What are you hoping to gain?
2) Create a Twitter Profile description that actually describes who you are AND what you do. If it is too vague, how will people know you are a graphic designer (or whatever)
3) Keep your twitter friends, your twitter friends and make them feel special for that. Don't continually ask your twitter followers to go see something on your facebook page. And I think the same philosophy would work vice versa.
4) "The most powerful part of social media is sharing!"
5) If you want people to talk about you, talk about them i.e - thank you top followers and thank your clients

Notebooks made by The Pomegranate Basket

Photos by Simply V Photography

If you live in the Los Angeles area, pleas join us for our next event - we'd love to have you and we welcome ALL creatives! Be sure to check out our Facebook page for updates!

Peanut Butter Surprise

2011-10-03T08:04:00.000-07:00

So I saw a recipe for these amazing looking cookies on Pinterest awhile back... and of course I pinned it with high intentions of baking these delicious morsels one day... and of course... I didn't. But the other night, Mr. H was craving something sweet and he was telling me about how his old roommates girlfriend who bake them these peanut butter cookies with a small snickers inside. Keep in mind, it's about 8:30pm... close to our bedtime (haha, but seriously) So we decided to try them ourselves... or should I say Mr. H would try them, and I would watch =) They were so so easy and turned out amazing!! So the next time you have some friends over, or are bringing a dessert for a holiday party, you should definitely try these out! Tip: they are even better the next day!

I made him wear this! hehe...

if you're a real pro, you'd probably make these from scratch =)

Add caption

yummmmm!

HWTM: Strawberry Dessert

2011-09-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

I know it's officially fall... but if you're like me and live in the Los Angeles area (particularly my area) it's still an depressing 92 degrees outside. So instead of fight the heat, maybe embrace these last few weeks of warmth by having a bbq outside with some friends by the pool?? I always struggle with good dessert ideas for the heat - everything yummy always seems to melt or go bad. So the next time you have a little outdoor soiree try out these adorable little cream cheese filled strawberries on your guests! (From the official Hostess with the Mostess website - which is amazing, you must check it out for your next party.) They are sooo super simple and you probably have everything you need at home.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

And there you have it! So super easy and a sure way to "cool off" this early fall season =)

DIY: I Heart You!

2011-09-26T09:43:00.000-07:00

My partner in crime!

Elsie Larson is probably one of my favorite "blog people." She doesn't know me, and I only know her through her blog - which I stalk everyday. She also has the most adorable vintage shop, Red Velvet. How clever is that?! There are just some people that you get excited to check out what is new on their blog.. and then you are never disappointed. That is A Beautiful Mess (Elsie's blog). I would admit that probably close to have of my pins on my DIY board on Pinterest are from her blog. Most of which I adore, and never get around to do. But last night, I was determined to do a project for me. Not a client, no creating garters for orders. Just fun. and just for me. The way crafting used to be haha. So I decided to spruce up some jeans w/ some "love" from one of my favorite DIY's on ABM and they turned out awesome! Check out the full post from Elsie HERE - but all you need is a pair of jeans, and some fabric paint and you're good to go! We also took it a step further and make elbow hearts on some old blazers =)

Freebie Friday: Coffee!!!

2011-09-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! Today, I'm excited to share with you this fun freebie from one of my favorite new blogs - Wild Olive. I'm seriously obsessed with her blog and shop. Cuteness overload. Over on her blog this week she did a series called Coffee Week and it was amazing. Earlier in the week she featured this FREE download to make your own coffee embroidery piece - I love love it so I had to pass it on to you. Be sure to check out the rest of her Coffee Week and make something fabulous this weekend friends =)

Wedding Vendor Spotlight

2011-09-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

I thought I would just take a blog moment to say a HUGE thank you to some special vendors who helped make my wedding day amazing. When planning your wedding, there are the majors: venue, rentals, caterer, etc. But there are also TONS of details and sometimes those vendors are harder to find or harder to find good ones because there are sooo many people out there selling this and that. So, if you happen to be planning a wedding and looking for the perfect details to your affair, maybe this little directory of gems will help you out a bit. I used all of these vendors for my wedding and they were AMAZING. Nothing short of perfect and I would HIGHLY recommend them all to you. All the photos were taken by the amazing Margaret Jacobsen and the vendor links are below each photo. Enjoy the eye candy =)

THE dress... yes, it was $40! (Thrifted)

thrifted here

The Shoes!

ModCloth

"LOVE" Hanger

Flowers

Primary Petals

Vintage Plates

The Vintage Table Co.

Flower Girl Tutu

Tutu Source

Coffee, Coffee, Coffee

Annabelle's Coffee

GIANT Cupcake

Bake You Happy

The Bridesmaids Dresses - They picked their own!

The Music Man - Alex Miller

Alex Miller Music

DIY Fill In The Blank...

2011-09-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I was thrifting and came across this amazing wood frame. The wood detail was immaculate and ah, I dunno it just called to me! Oh perhaps it was the fact that it was like $1. Anyways, I brought it home and it sat here with no intended purpose. Then, I went through my DIY "wishlist" {a list of things that I'm dying to do but I "don't quite have the time - but I will one day"} While looking through my wishlist, I stumbled across this amazing project by the fabulous Amy over at Lemon and Raspberry. She has such an amazing blog and seriously inspires me in so many ways! She posted a while back this awesomeness and I knew instantly I needed to try it for myself on this beauty. So be sure to check out her post for more details and step by step instructions. But as you can see, it's pretty easy! You just wrap fabric around the backing of your frame, add your letters ::maybe a tatter =):: once you put the glass back on, you can use a white board marker and change up your sign whenever you want!

I followed Amy's basic instructions, only I had some extra letters from when I made my "bride and groom" signs for our sweet heart table. I got them at Staples in the "signs" section and they worked perfectly!

So now this hangs on our thin wall beside our door so that we can see it on our way out =) Thanks Amy!

A Taste of Autumn

2011-09-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday bloggers! Just had to share with you a little taste of a beautiful autumn shoot I was apart of this past weekend with my rentals and hair pieces. The location was stunning, there were tons of real pies, and... wait for it... there was a giant horse. Crazy, I know. So here is a little prettiness to get your week going, while I wish it wasn't 90 degrees outside and actually felt like autumn =)

photo by: Megan Christine Photography

from my phone <3

Pinterest Picks: Bowties

2011-09-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

If you follow Tasteful Tatters on facebook, you already know there has been a buzz about me starting a "bow tie" collection for fall... well I thought long and hard (like 3 seconds) and I decided I'm doing it! I've gotten sooo many inquiries over the last few months and even made a couple for a bride a few months ago - but it's official we're going to have a whole bow tie collection this coming winter! Are you excited? Hope so! Here are a few cute photos I found via Pinterest to fuel my excitement ~ Happy Friday friends!

1, 2, 3, 4

DIY Round Up

2011-09-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

I've been sooo super busy lately with photoshoots and making veils and garters like a crazy person! You'd think I was getting married again =) Speaking of which... did you see our wedding was blogged the other day HERE? eek!

Anyways, the busier I get the more projects I want to do (isn't that the way it always is?) So, since I can't do them all today... or tomorrow, or the next day - I thought I'd share my favs with you in hopes that someone somewhere is making something fun! Hopefully you like them =)

Lace Table Top


source

Magnetic Antique Tray Wall

source

Bow Paper Clips

source

Office Pin Boards

source

Boho Chic Inspired Shoot

2011-09-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

I had the amazing opportunity to style and provide rentals - as well as build some! for this shoot featuring non-profit Nakate. The girls from Nakate approached us about styling a wedding featuring their jewelry to show how brides can support the cause on their big day and still have an ultra fun and chic wedding. I loved the idea and I think it turned out beautifully! And the ladies over at Style Me Pretty thought so too - so blessed to have them feature it on their amazing site. Here are just a few of my favs from the shoot!

ummm I want one!

Yes, I built that. Power drills and all!

my table made from wood palettes!

If you are interested in learning more about our rentals or if you'd like them at your next event you can get all the info HERE!

Other amazing vendors:

Photography + Concept: Brienne Michelle Photography
Jewelry/beads: The Nakate Project
Floral Design: Petalicious Flowers
Paper Goods: The Pomegranate Basket
Cake: Amanda Christine Cakes + Confections (amandachristinecakes @ gmail . com)
Hair: Anna Quinn Design
Makeup: Kiara’s Makeup Artistry
Dresses: Forever 21
Bride + Groom: Natalia and Lavar Simmons
MOH/Best Man: Meghan Christine Lubeck, Christian Baptiste

Baby Tatters in Real Weddings

2011-09-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share with you some of my Baby Tatters from the Tasteful Tatters Shoppe that have recently been in some Real Weddings! I always say my pieces get cuter when they are on cute kids and these flower girls are no exception! They look like they could be in a magazine =) My good friend from college - and floral stylist extraordinaire over at 1703 Event Studios contacted me a little while ago about making some custom pieces for her 3 flower girls for her wedding at the Marvimon in LA. The photos were taken by Laurel Dailey and I think they are absolutely adorable!! And the Tatters are cute too =)

Hair How-To

2011-09-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have long hair. And I don't brush it... to may hair dresser's dismay, and I rarely wash it. So needless to say, it ends up in a giant bun on top of my head 90% of the time. In high school my mom used to call it a bird's nest. Birds are cute, so I took it as a compliment. Well, with my new red hair I have been scouring the web for some sassy hairstyles to match my sassy color. I am a low maintenance kind of girl and if it takes me more than 20 min to get ready then I'm over it. This is one of my favorite style ideas I found and it is soooo super easy! Check it out and if you have any awesome hair tutorials, leave me a comment I'm always open for more!

Keiko Lynn has probably one of my favorite blogs. She has great taste and I am always inspired from reading her blog. So check out the full hair how to HERE and be sure to check out her amazing blog!

Real Wedding: Sneak Peak

2011-09-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

Hello hello there =) This has been a craaaazy week for me! But I just had to share this quick sneak peak from the most amazing wedding I styled this last weekend. The bride is simply stunning - also, her hair piece is a custom Tasteful Tatters! We had such an amazing crew of vendors - Can't wait to share the rest with you all

photo by: Paul Von Rieter Prygrocki

Home Makeover DIY: Under $100

2011-09-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

Do you live in a small apartment and browse Pinterest daily to find inspiration to decorate your small space... only to be disappointing that you don't have large bay windows or refurbished wood floors and vaulted ceilings? Yup, that was me. I'm a newlywed in a 700 square foot space with all white walls and laminate counter tops. There, I said it. Anyone feel me on that?! Regardless of where you live or your current situation, making a space feel like "home" can seem a little daunting. Now, I'm going to preface this post by saying, I am in no way an interior designer in any shape or form. I just like what I like - take it or leave it =) Here are some ideas and suggestions for you! Here is one wall that Mr. H and I totally transformed for under $100

1) Paint a wall! You can get a gallon of paint for under $30 and it will totally transform your room. If you live in a small space, you probably only need to paint one of the walls instead of all 4. Painting all 4 might make your room appear smaller.

2) Frame it up: I collected a bunch of frames some from the Dollar Store and some from places like Wal-mart - all for under $5 (for the most part) The ones from the Dollar Store I painted white to give a bright contrast on our teal wall.

3) For keeps: you don't always need to go to Home Goods, or fancy designer stores to find that cool unique wall piece - how about something that you cherish that you have already? We chose to showcase some items from our wedding day: 2 forks that were at our sweetheart table that say "I do" & "I do too" I also gave Mr. H a vintage pocket watch as a wedding day gift - we decided to showcase that in an empty frame on the far left.

4) Hooped: For a recent wedding I designed, we made a ton of these lace hoops from vintage lace and quilting hoops. You can grab these hoops at any craft store for under $5 (even less if you snag a coupon!) simply lay any fabric over the smaller hoop, then place the larger over, tighten, and trim!

Have any design tips for a budget?! I'd love to hear em! Leave a comment w/ the link to your latest DIY house project =)

CC LA: Event Recap

2011-08-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

"CC LA?" What do all these letters mean? You may ask. Let me tell you!! I am apart of an amazing networking group called Creative Connection USA. We are awesome. Basically we are a talented group of female creatives striving to make the world a better place by helping each other out. Anyone is welcome, and all are loved =) Hehe... cheesy, I know. But it's true. Some of my favorite people I have met through CC and I love it. As you may have learned from previous posts and our FB page - I am the new LA Hostess and I just had my first meetup a couple weeks ago! It was so much fun and I had a blast putting a face to ppl I tweet with as well as FINALLY meeting my twitter crush - Kathrina Sio from Joe + Kathrina Photography.

amazing florals by Primary Petals!!

my cake pops I made were such a hit!

Anyways, our featured artist - Christina Dely Photography captured some awesome images from the night for us to share. She did such a great job. So if you live in the LA area, check it out and stay tuned for our next meet up - coming in September - we'd love to have you!

Utterly Engaged Feature

2011-08-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

I am so so excited to share this with you today!! I was supposed to have this post up yesterday but I've been having MAJOR internet problems so it's today instead. Anyways, my vintage rentals Tasteful Treasures were featured in the latest issue of Utterly Engaged on Friday. This is HUGE!! Definitely on my professional bucket list. If you haven't heard of or visit Utterly Engaged you need to check it out - they are the first online wedding magazine and every single issue is filled with swoon worthy images and inspiration. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I heard they were going to feature one of the shoots I styled and provided rentals for!! Check out the images below and be sure to leave some comment love on their site =)

The overall concept of the shoot, came from my idea of how beach weddings are so popular and pretty, but what if you don't live by the beach - or what if you love beach-like ideas but you're not a barefoot in the sand kind of girl. Then what do you do? Hence, our concept. We used colors that you would typically see at the sea, pretty blues and creams, with hints of purple and soft pinks to represent seashells and sea-urchins. I used tons of details like using an ivory rope to tie the napkins up and we used corks to hold up the name plates. The idea for the table linens came from the concept of sails from a ship torn and weathered. Almost like a vintage shipwreck - but pretty =) I think it came together beautifully!!

So in light of this HUGE blessing - I thought it would be fun to do a little Tasteful Tatters promo to celebrate! So while supplies last, for every $50 spent at the TT Shoppe you will receive a free TT tote bag!! They are sooo cute, I carry mine around everywhere! So I snapped a quick photo for you all to see! So head on to the job and get your freebie =)

Other fabulous vendors from the shoot:

Photography: Becca Rillo

Florals: Primary Petals

Paper products: Shannon LaBare

Pinterest Picks

2011-08-25T08:13:00.000-07:00

I've been dying to share some of my latest Pinterest Picks - today I'm loving white for the home! What do you think? Any of you decorated with all white walls lately? Share your work in the comments section!

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1, 2, 3, 4

DIY Upcycled Stationary

2011-08-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

Now, I'm sure this has been done before, but I love paper, and I love recycling old things. So this seemed brilliant to me this weekend =) I recently was able to get in contact w/ Mr. H's aunt who lives on the East Coast. We chatted about our love of old things, and she mentioned that she had some stuff she wanted to send me. I really had no idea what it could be, but a few days later when I got the package I was so excited! There were super old ledgers, journal pages, addressed envelopes, old photos, etc all from the 20's. Ahhh, heaven for me. So now, what do I do with all of this awesomeness? I made the old paper pieces into stationary-books to write letters! I added some modern elements as well and just sewed them together! Take a looksie..

See how easy it is?! Now, take a look at the finished product =)

Even if you don't have awesome 1920's paper - you can find some pretty cool "old" scrapbooking paper and make the same thing - all you need is a sewing machine and an envelope!

Freebie Friday: Creative Connection LA

2011-08-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

If you follow me on FB or Twitter, you've probably seen numerous posts about this thing called Creative Connection. Maybe you've even been to one of our events. However, in case you are in the dark about what this is all about, I thought I would take the time to explain it in a little more depth... and do a little giveaway as well =)

So here are the 5 W's to who we are!

Who?
We're a group of fabulous female creatives! That's it - we're just a group of girls who either have creative businesses or are looking to enter a creative field. There are no exclusions- we accept them all: Bloggers, designers, photographers, event planners, social media gurus, marketers, fashionistas, bakers, writers, actors, etc.
What?
We offer support, friendships, networking, you name it! The purpose is to connect each other - make new friends, share your stories, work together!
When?
We meet once a month is cities all over the US. I'm the Los Angeles host so follow me and you'll always know when the next meetup is!

Why?
The group started when Elise Osterman and myself were chatting about the lack of real connections for just girls who are in creative fields. There is a lot of competition, but why not just friendly connections. I mean, we can all help each other out, right?! So the first "meetup" was planned and there were about 8 of us total. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it's is turning into something far greater than I ever could have imagined =)
Where?
Online - everywhere. LA - different locations all around Los Angeles.

Now What? I"m giving away 1 ticket to our next meetup!!!

WINNER ANNOUNCED!

<< CONGRATULATIONS - LINZ!!! >>

I'm giving away a ticket to our next event! Valued at about $8.

(ok, not that expensive, but hey winning is just fun, right?!)

So all you need to do is:

1) Be a follower of my blog (1 entry)

2) Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

3) "Like" Creative Connection USA on FB (2 entries!)

Then, leave a comment telling me what you did and I will pick a winner TONIGHT!

p.s. If you don't win - you can purchase your tickets HERE (Price goes up after today!)

Awkward & Awesome Thursday

2011-08-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

You are going to LOVE this post. I promise. Are you ready for another Awkward & Awesome Thursday?! I sure am! Alrighty then! We are doing another wedding series of this A&A post =)

The Awkward:
I'm taking the liberty to be ok, that even on my wedding day... I can be a tad awkward. Yes, I have been making this face since Jr. High. Enough said.

click to enlarge - trust me - you'll want to =)

and now THE AWESOME!!!!

1) It's my parent's wedding anniversary today - yay! Love them!

dancing at my wedding - photo by Margaret Jacobsen

2) OUR WEDDING VIDEO!!! (Full Length) I'm BEYOND excited to share this with you all. It makes my heart melt xoxo HUGE thanks to our amazing videographer Ryan McDuff

Andy & Emilee Wedding Film from ryan mcduff on Vimeo.

Reflections

2011-08-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was in downtown LA at Urth Cafe... no, not the beverly hills one - the one that I had no idea even existed down the street from the American Apparel warehouse/factory. I was meeting a couple and while I waited for them, I glanced across the street of an empty lot next to an abandoned brick building. And there in the middle was this guy skateboarding. Skateboarding his heart out. He was just going to town, doing turns, making little jumps (I'm sure all you avid skateboarding fans are chuckling at my lack of correct verbage) but just watching him having so much fun being so carefree - not caring if anyone saw him or not. While watching him I realized that I couldn't remember the last time I did something like that. Out by myself, doing something I love, being active, in the sun. Just being in the moment and enjoying life. Don't get me wrong, I love my life, I love my husband and my friends. Sometimes, however, I find myself focusing on "what's next" or new plans I have for the business, etc. I don't want to forget the NOW. I'll never be a newlywed again, and I'll never be 24 again. So thank you random hipster dude on a board. I am now going to focus and LOVE the now. I snapped some photos w/ my zoom lens - maybe this guy will inspire something in you today =)

"Sometimes you just need to dance with one hand waving free."

-Elizabethtown

The "A" List - Photography

2011-08-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

I'm totally copying my dear friend Shannon's new series called, The A-List today. She posted HERE and I just loved it, so here I am... totally copying her =) Next week I'm going to share who is on my A-List for Musicians!!

So for my A-List today I'm showcasing one of my favorite photographers - Trevor Hoehne. He is simply amazing and I'm never bored with his photos. The colors - ahh the colors. I just love everything about it. He has this "blurry" series that I'm crazy obsessed with. Anyways, check it out. Love it. I promise you will.

Tasteful Packaging

2011-08-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

I didn't post yesterday! I am so sorry - I had it all planned and most of it all written... and then I just never posted it. What can I say, it's been a long week. Obviously. So here is my post for Thursday that you get today (Friday) I'm human - I miss things. That's all. But I am really excited to share a little inspiration for you all =)
---------------
I have been working my little fingers away creating custom veils and garters like a crazy person lately - and loving every minute of it. However, I decided to take a little break from some of my recent orders to do some inspiration on my new Tasteful Packaging. Now that the shop is re-opened I want to have a fresh look on my business. You may have noticed by site, twitter, and blog redesign - which I LOVE! So why not revamp my packaging as well, right? That is almost my favorite part... besides my actual Tatters of course =) So I went to my trusty source - Pinterest to look for some awesome packaging inspiration and I thought I'd share my finds. How would you like to see your Tatters packaged?? I'd love your feedback!

source1, source2, source3, source4, source5

Primary Petals Floral Workshop

2011-08-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

Some girls love DIY when planning their wedding, and some would rather just let the pros handle everything. Being in the industry myself, I usually recommend to brides to have a healthy mix of both. Let the professionals handle the majors, and do some projects that really tie in your personalities that make your wedding you. Not, really sure what I was thinking when planning my own - given the above statement. Somehow I thought I was superwomen and could just do it ALL myself. I was very mistaken to say the least. The only way I managed to do it all was by the crazy loving support of family and friends. One of those friends happens to be Samantha Santana of Primary Petals. I went to her originally for some advice on what flowers were in season during my wedding month since I was clueless about flowers. I explained how I was making a ton of flowers out of book pages and what I was looking for flowers to supplement that, and how I was going to do that all myself. Bless this lady's soul when she came to me with an amazing idea! Samantha is gearing up to do some floral workshops and she came up with the idea of doing a sort of workshop at my house w/ all my girls to do our florals. We still had a total DIY look, because they were all basically done by us, but we had a professional instructor showing us the ropes. I had such a fun time and seriously learned a lot. Samantha, you saved us! I cannot thank you enough for the awesome experience!!! With all that said, my Grandpa took some photos of the whole "workshop" in action that I thought I would share a couple =)

And since I've gotten SO many requests to see some of the professional photos of our bouquets I thought I'd let you get a little peak - don't they look amazing!! Probably one of my favorite details of the day =) HUGE thanks to my amazing photog Margaret Jacobsen who captured our day brilliantly.

So if you are getting married and having all full on DIY wedding - I highly recommend hiring the pros for the major things - especially photography and flowers. And stay tuned for hopefully future floral workshops hosted by Primary Petals - you wont be disappointed.

HWTM: Baking Party!

2011-08-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

Jess and me

Turns out I'm on a baking kick these days... who knew! I have always been a self proclaimed non-cooker/baker what-have-you and proud of it. I was perfectly content with coffee for breakfast, snacks for some lunch (make a cupcake or 2!) and some cereal and ice cream for dinner - maybe change it up with a top raman. For reals. But since getting married, I've really tried to make an effort with the whole cooking thing and I kinda like it - kinda. But what I love is baking! I mean, it makes a huge mess, and I don't always do it right - but the outcome is deeelish!
In light of my new love paired w/ my love of party planning, I had a group of girlfriends come over for a little baking party! I asked one of my Martha Stewart like friends, Jessica to come and "teach" us how to make oreo truffles and mocha cupcakes. We had so much fun gabbing, drinking wine, making a mess... and well, watching Jess do all the work! She was a good sport =) And a HUGE thanks to Becca Rillo for taking some photos of the evening =)

{ R E C I P E S }
Oreo Truffles
Mocha Cupcakes - we used the recipe from the Martha Stewart Cupcakes book - but THIS one looks awesome too!
>> Just look at how adorable everything turned out =)

Sneak Peak - Nakate for Weddings

2011-08-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday bloggerroos! I'm actually sooo tired and wish I was still in bed - I really think I need a vacation. I know I just had a honeymoon... but still! Anyways, I have SO many fun posts to share w/ you this week but first I just HAVE to share w/ you a very very sneak peak of the shoot I worked on this past weekend. We did a shoot to show how you can wear Nakate pieces for your wedding. So read on to learn more and Nakate and stay tuned for more on our Nakate wedding shoot! You are going to just LOVE it. What is Nakate you say? Here is a little story about who they are and how they started -

We’re out to put a little piece of Africa in every woman’s life

In 2010, we met a 7-year-old named Cossy Nakate. Suffering from AIDS, orphaned and living in a small African village called Kakooge, Cossy impacted us in a way we couldn’t stop thinking about. We shared our lunch with her. We started paying for her food every month. But it wasn’t enough. We knew we had to change not only her life, but the lives of the women in her village – and the lives of their daughters after them.

So, we brought home a sack of necklaces, and we started the Nakate Project. That was our piece of Africa, our way of beginning to carry Nakate with us into our every day lives – so we wouldn’t forget her, or the way we had pledged to make a change.

Here at Nakate, we’re looking to put a little bit of Africa – a little bit of Cossy Nakate – into every woman’s life that we meet. That way, when they take a little piece of Africa with them, they can help pass it along, until we all are aware, and we all are working to prevent stories like her’s.

When you buy a piece of jewelry from Nakate, you’re not only taking a small piece of Africa with you, you’re changing the future for girls like Cossy.

So, we’re asking – where will you take Africa with you today?

We’d like to send a piece with you.

And today you can help make a difference by participating in their Tipping Bucket Campaign - just go HERE and donate today. The campaign lasts about 4 days and today is the big kickoff!

Grey Likes Taxidermy!

2011-08-04T08:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes you heard that right, and guess what, so do I! Last weekend I had the opportunity to be apart of a completely awesome and unique styled shoot with an awesome team! I honestly don't think I've laughed so hard and so often at a shoot - like ever. Have real stuffed animals around I guess does that to you after 8 hours =) And guess what?! - the shoot is featured on Grey Likes Weddings today!! So go check out more of the awesome inspiration there!

How awesome is this raccoon?! I had the amazing opportunity to provide the vintage rentals for the shoot as well as help style along w/ Kathy LeBackes of the Vintage Table Co. (whom I adore and am pretty sure we're twinsies somehow) If you are getting married and would like to use vintage pieces at your wedding, be sure to check out our site TastefulTatters and check out the Lookbook to see more of our pieces =)

Vendor Love
Makeup: Christina Richardson
Photography: Brienne Michelle, Photography
Flowers Primary Petals
Hair: Anna Quinn
Furniture Rentals, Veil: Tasteful Tatters
Dinnerware: The Vintage Table Co.
Paper goods: The Pomegranate Basket
Cupcakes: Kaitlyn’s Kupcakes

To Look, Or Not To Look

2011-08-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

As I am entering now a month of being married and the wedding photos are slowly popping up on my facebook from guests, I'm getting more and more questions about the wedding process and the wedding itself - i.e. "how did everything go?" "was it just perfect?" and among these, I've often been asked if we did a first look or not. I was kinda of surprised that so many people asked me that, but I think it's mostly because people are considering for themselves if they would do it or not. We did a first look. In fact, we spent the whole day together setting up the venue, making some last minute decisions about linens that were not delivered haha. We were in our sweats sweaty and along w/ all our bridal party making it one big effort to pull our crazy ALL DIY wedding off.

So our first look, was essentially our first look in our wedding attire. Some asked if it seemed less special or less "anticipated" to do it this way. He even had seen my dress before! haha Truth be told, Mr H and I spent much of our time dating apart. We lived in separate towns and both had very busy lives. Then, when we lived closer it seemed our lives got even crazier. So on our wedding day, we figured it's our WEDDING DAY for goodness sakes - let's spend ever second we can together! So for us, no - it was even more special. And when he saw me for the first time, all "dolled" up - it was incredibly special - and when I walked down the isle, I don't believe it was any less. But that is just us. You may feel totally different =) So with all that said - here are a couple snaps of our unique "first look" by the amazing Margaret Jacobsen Enjoy and happy Tuesday!

Click to enlarge

HWTM: Kinfolk Magazine

2011-08-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for the 2nd Hostess With the Mostess post?? I've officially dubbed it HWTM for all those who may have been confused by the title =)

Today I am so excited to share with you my new obsession: Kinfolk Magazine. This little online magazine of a gem is amazing and filled with inspired words and photos. What is the premise? Entertaining in you home! How darling is that?! This is how they describe their work:

"Kinfolk is a collaborative effort to encourage a more natural approach to entertaining. It's the marriage of our appreciation for art and our love for spending time with family and friends."

I could spend hours reading through all their awesome ideas and recipes and they are all perfect for small gatherings - or even just for yourself. Sometimes you need to just spoil yourself on a quiet night, ya know? They also give great tips & recipes on how to throw a backyard picnic! I just love it all! So be sure to go check them out at their site and their blog (which is equally to die for!) And maybe this week plan a little gathering at your home =)

a summer playlist?! umm, yes please!

For the Love of Cupcakes

2011-07-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

It's no secret I love cupcakes. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you've probably seen me post photos of cupcakes, talk about how much I love them, etc. Who cares that they are trendy right now. A good pastry is a good pastry! Anyways, since it's Friday - and I'm in a super good mood at the moment I thought about doing a different kind of freebie... more of a giveaway to my followers. Because, you're awesome! So tonight I will pick one lucky lady (or gentleman) to win an 8x10 poster of... this! I mean, how cute would this be at your desk??

So, if you follow my blog, leave a comment here on why you love cupcakes and I chose a winner at random. And if you're not a follower & you want to enter... just follow my blog, then leave your comment =) P.S. you can get this in another color too. So keep calm people! It's Friday!

The Awkward & the Awesome

2011-07-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

Yay! More Half Birthday Posts! I first heard about this awkward & awesome post idea from Kelly Hicks - I just love her blog and her A&A posts literally crack me up! I recently got some wedding photos that my grandpa took during the whole 3 day extravaganza. He LOVES taking photos and he managed to get quite a few awkward ones of basically everyone - including myself. So for my Awkward & Awesome, I thought I'd do more of a photo collage instead of a list, because I mean, really, how can you put some of these into words! So here are some of the best awkward photos from our wedding =) Hope they give you some giggles!

Look at everyone closely! (Click to enlarge)

And now the awesome! 1) My amazing family! 2) My Best Friend from home Lauren - who I miss so much! 3) My sweet brother Landon and new neice Baby Kate 4) All my lovely friends who worked so hard to set everything up on my wedding xoxo

Happy Half Birthday Blog!

2011-07-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know celebrating a half-birthday is a tad ridiculous - but I love them! You may remember me chatting about how I celebrated my half birthday last year here =) I really use any excuse to celebrate... well, life! Yesterday, I was incredibly inspired my my dear friend Rhi, over at Hey Gorgeous. She wrote a truly honest post and her words and vulnerability got my wheels turning about my own blog. Who am I? Does my blog truly reflect me? And so on.. So what better way to celebrate my blog's half birthday than to see where I've come and hone in on where I want to be, right?!

How old is this ol' bloggeroo anyways? Well, today she is 2 1/2 years old!! (I say she because, well lets face it - this is a total girly blog) And boy what a journey it has been! This blog has evolved incredibly in the last couple years. It started out as an assignment for a Journalism class I took in college. I studied Journalism w/ an emphasis in public relations/marketing. At the time, I thought this was the coolest assignment ever, haha. I loved it so much I continued w/ it even after the class... posting about new fire red vintage boots I got, or my first attempt at making red velvet cupcakes, and my spontaneous trips to NYC =)

Then, I got more involved w/ events at my school and was planning weddings for people in the orange county area. So I started a blog called Something Blue so I could sort of categorize all my wedding inspiration for clients. After I finished school and moved out to Santa Clarita, I merged the two and decided to pursue my new adventure Tasteful Tatters. I blogged about general inspirations I got, my tatters, as well as other DIY projects I was attempting while in this funky transition in life (new place, no job, no friends)

Now, on my 2 1/2 birthday I want to make sure that I am staying true to who I am & what I want this blog to be about. It's easy to compare yourself to all the other creatives out there "doing so much" and "accomplishing this and that" - but what I want is this place to be a source of beauty, inspiration, a reflection of my business Tasteful Tatters and our vintage rentals, and just a place of positivity and love to all who visit. I'm going to post real projects I do, real weddings that my rentals are featured in, real stories of my life, and real brides/vendors who I get the opportunity to work with. Because I believe in living in the now, being present in the moment and loving every minute of it. Or else it passes you by because you were waiting for something else. I believe in this, but I also struggle with it on a daily basis. But that's just the real me =)

So stay tuned all day for some fun little surprises to celebrate our 2 1/2 birthday - I hope it brings you joy!

Tasteful Interns

2011-07-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to announce that Tasteful Tatters/Treasures is now looking to bring on the team another intern. Our current intern Becca (who is amazing and you may remember me blogging about her here) is starting out on an exciting new chapter in her life coming this September. She definitely set the bar high, and I'm so excited to bring someone else on board!

The deets:
- Must be available about 10 hrs a week (excluding events)
- Have reliable transporation
- At least 18 yrs old
- Live near the northern Los Angeles area (SCV, Antelope Valley, San Fernando Valley)
- Must love frequent ice cream breaks
- Knowledge of excel
- Great organizational skills
- Available on weekends for events
- I can offer school credit for marketing, PR, event related, & small business classes

>> So if you are, or if you know, someone who loves events, working with their hands and just down for a good time while working hard, then shoot me an email at tastefultatters{at}gmail{dot}com! Please just write a little bit about yourself and what your career goals are, and why you feel you would be a good fit =)

July Playlist

2011-07-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a Playlist post in a long time! So sorry about that. I try to do one of these once a month or so. This post should really be my playlist for June but better late than never ha. I thought I would share with you guys our wedding songs for this months playlist. Music plays such a huge role in both mine and Mr. H's lives and it's definitely something we're both passionate about. I think one of this first gifts I ever gave him was a mixed CD haha! All of these songs were specifically chosen and mean so much to us and just represent us and who we are as a couple. Anyways, happy hump day and I hope you enjoy our wedding songs =)

Bridal Party Processional: Sweet Child of Mine (Guns n' Roses) by: Vitamin String Quartet

Bridal Entrance: I Want You To Be My Love by: Over The Rhine

First Dance: Sweet and Low (Acoustic) by: Augustana

Father Daughter/Mother Son Dance: You Are the Best Thing by: Ray Lomontagne

Last Dance: Blue Eyes by: Carey Brothers

For all you ladies planning your weddings, I would highly recommend songs that MEAN something to you and your man. It definitely makes the whole day/experience that much more meaningful. I was so torn about our first dance song because I was worried what people would think. It's definitely not your traditional super sappy love song. But in the end I went with my gut and I am SO happy I did. It was probably my favorite moment of our whole day =)

Creative Connection Recap

2011-07-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to attend the Creative Connection LA July Meet up event. I was at the very first event when there were about 8 of us gals eating our breakfast chatting about each other and how awesome a creative support system is. And now we are throwing events w/ 60 + people! It's seriously mind blowing to me how quickly this whole thing has grown. Anyways, I had the pleasure of a doing a little styling for the event and I had so much fun meeting all the amazing ladies in attendance. Aren't they all stunning?!

btw... I TOTALLY stole this amazing photo from Shannon LaBare who also happened to be a featured artist and designed all our paper products =) And all the photos are by Becca Rillo

I absolutely LOVED the industrial look we were going for and had so much fun making the name tag wall for the event =) Those little metal balls are just so cute, don't ya think?!

I was thinking this would make such an awesome table assignment wall or escort card wall for a super chic downtown LA loft wedding, yes?? Now, I just need a bride who wants one! I just love these photos below of fabulous ladies connecting =)

Now, tell me this isn't the coolest thing you've ever seen at a restaurant - milk and donuts! C'mon people - this is so cool!

If you're interested in coming to the next event, head on over to our facebook page and "like" us so you can be in touch and know when the next one is =) Oh, and did I mention I'm the new hostess for the LA Chapter, yay!

Tasteful Giveaway!

2011-07-25T11:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday Bloggers! Since it's Monday... and I wish it was the weekend still - so I would imagine that some of you feel the same way, so why not share some fun news to brighten your day?? I'm doing a giveaway over at Creative Index this week!!

Jessica has the most awesome blog and I seriously think she designed my giveaway post so beautifully! So go on over there and enter to win =) ALSO... if you purchase something from my shop this month & enter the code : "grandopening" you will receive FREE SHIPPING!

Freebie Friday: Festive Drink Labels

2011-07-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

Do you remember my post on fruit infused water here? Well, I've just been on a fruity water kick these days (ok... a week) but hey, at least I'm drinking water, right?! Anyways, the ever fabulous Amy Moss designed these adorable tags for fruity water! Click HERE to go to the FREE DOWNLOAD!

You can imagine my excitement when I saw them, literally like the day after my water epiphany. Anyways, Amy's Blog Eat, Drink, Chic is one of my daily reads and she is just so darling. So head on over to her blog and leave her some love for creating the cutest download ever!!! No go drink some agua people =)

Something Blue: Vintage Plates

2011-07-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

photos by Margaret Jacobsen Photography

As you guys know, I'm a sucker for all things vintage. And that definitely was at the forefront of my wedding. My dress was vintage, there were vintage elements everywhere - including our plates! I was fortunate to meet-up w/ Kathy from The Vintage Table Co. on twitter of all places! She is seriously my kindred spirit. I'm pretty sure we're somehow related haha. Anyways, Kathy rents out vintage plates for weddings, styled shoots, baby showers, bridal showers - you name it! I was fortunate enough to have her as a vendor at our wedding and her plates were the perfect compliment to our outdoor garden wedding. PLUS she is just an all around amazing vendor to work with, and as you start planning you will find what a treasure that is =)

Her collections are to die for!!! All you brides (and everyone else for that matter!) MUST go check out her fabulous site HERE and check out her Facebook Page. I know you will fall in love with her just as I have! P.S. these photos are a little sneak peak of our reception - of course featuring Kathy's awesome plates =)

Can't Wait to Share!

2011-07-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

Speaking of things I love... I couldn't wait to share this. ADORABLE. Someone please buy it before I do =)

{ source }

Summer 2011 Book Update

2011-07-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

You may remember me chatting about this new book I purchased on Etsy - Summer 2011 and how I was going to document my summer and all the exciting things happening to me i.e. wedding, moving, etc. Well, I have an update for you all =) I have a handful of pages done in the book and it seriously LOVE how it's all coming together. I cannot wait to add more. One of my biggest pet peeves about technology is I have my camera phone w/ me everywhere and I take so many more photos but I never print them out. So I finally printed a ton and I can't wait to add the wedding and honeymoon pages =) Anyways, I got lots of inspiration from Elise's blog (she is the one who sells the books) Hope you all are enjoying your Tuesdays!

Hostess With The Mostess!

2011-07-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday friends! This weekend, I was actually using my handy dandy little blog planner =) And I decided to bring some more continuity to the blog by adding another column!! I love to entertain and now that I am a wifey w/ my own little place so I thought it would be fun to show my inspirations for hosting parties as well as sharing some of the home projects I've done that have to do w/ entertaining =) What do ya think?!

First up, I found this awesome idea for transforming the idea of serving water. Mr. H is a personal trainer and aspiring Fire Fighter - healthy living comes w/ the package. So we have water at almost every meal. But let's face it - the Brita pitcher doesn't always fit for entertaining. So when I saw this inspiration over at Cupcakes & Cashmere I had to try it out! Emily had the awesome idea of infusing water w/ fruits and such and displaying them in fun glass bottles and adding little tags w/ images of what is in the water.

So I immediately went over to our local Home Goods - best store ever!! And scored some bottles for only $3.99! I had some limes in the fridge so I cut them up and put them in the water. Chilled them for about 2 hours and the water was perfection! I can't wait to use them for a dinner party =)

Freebie Friday : Ostrich Font

2011-07-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

Yay it's Friday! I can't wait for the weekend and this beautiful beach weather =) Hope you all have a great time! Now, I'm no designer or anything and I know type is very important - so take it or leave it, but I am really digging this free font, so I just had to share =)

Click HERE to download :: seriously my new FAVORITE!

Pop of Color

2011-07-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

So I am in full home makeover mode these days! Probably because I was so used to having all these wedding projects... I just have to be making something =) Anyways, we get to paint our apartment and I've been knee deep on Pinterest searching for the perfect color combos for our little space. You may remember my post HERE about our kitchen colors (which I am loving!) Anyways, we just purchased another couch and I can't wait to get the living and dining area together. I have quite a few shoots and weddings that I'm styling coming up so I feel like sometimes I'm just drained for ideas. But this pretty picture just stood out to me and I can't get it out of my head - totally do-able, right?! Click the link below the photo for a FULL TUTORIAL of the bed xoxo

{source}

Tasteful Tatters is Back!

2011-07-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

I cannot tell you all how excited I am to announce that my Etsy Shoppe Tasteful Tatters is back in action and ready to take on the world! Ok... maybe that's a little much =) but I am ready to start working w/ my hands again. I've missed it! You'll notice that there are quite a few more "Bridal" pieces available for summer and I can't wait to keep adding more! You might also notice a new look around Tasteful Tatters land. We've updated our look so go check out our website too - you'll notice tons of watercolor fun =)

While I was away I did do some custom wedding pieces for some amazing gals! I made a whole peacock set for a group of bridesmaids and a larger piece for the bride - and get this, I did their florals too!! A HUGE first for me! Below are just a few snaps from their big day:

I also had the opportunity to made custom flower girl pieces for an amazing florist turned event stylist/coordinator that I used to do events with in college! I love her style and she is one kick butt stylist! So I was honored that she asked me to create pieces for her wedding. I only have one little sneak peek for this one but I LOVE it!

So head on over to the SHOPPE and check out the new goods! And from today until the end of the month, you can receive FREE SHIPPING on all orders!! Ready, Set, Go! Get Tattered =)

Wedding DIY - Table Books

2011-07-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

I have a fun little DIY to share with you guys today! At our wedding, we had rows of rectangular tables that looked awesome, but I wanted a fun activity for people to do at the tables if they didn't want to dance and for all the people along the rows to be able to interact together. I got this awesome idea from Martha Stewart Weddings and slightly altered it to fit our look and feel. On their site they had this awesome idea to place little booklets on each table asking the guests questions about or in reference to "the couple"- I thought it would be the perfect little activity that our guests could get creative with and pass along to the other tables to swap as well =) And boy were our guests creative! Mr. H and I had a blast going through each book and reading all the hilarious pictures/comments/advice - it was so fun!

{S T E P S} So what we did, was first contact my design guru - Shannon LaBare! She designed our invitations as well as all of our other paper products - so she took the original concept and made it work within our "wedding brand" if you will! I printed her design on cardstock so that the image was on the far right (that way all you have to do is fold in half!) I added 10 sheets of regular white copy paper folded all of it in half, made 2 hole punches and tied with yarn! And you're done! We made 1 for each table of 8 =)

I had tons of fun coming up with questions and even more fun reading all the responses - I took a few photos of my favorites above =) Happy Tuesday!

Dream Catcher DIY

2011-07-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

The blog world is full of them, we all try to come up with cool new ones, many of us spend our weekends attempting countless of them that we collect during the week. What are they? Do It Yourself projects! We love them, and sometimes we hate them. I cannot tell you how many times I've attempted a project and half way through I've just thrown up my hands (and occasionally a glue gun!) when they don't turn out just quite right. This can be for numerous reasons, but a lot of times it's because the instructions include a technique that we are not familiar with or there is a part where a photo would have been a ton of help =)

So think of this post as the DIY myth-busters edition! I took a DIY that is floating around the web a lot lately - the Dream Catcher! There are a lot of good ones out there but I decided to take the one from Lune Vintage for a whirl. I loved how they incorporated vintage pieces into the craft.

Note: The following steps & instructions are based off the original post over at Lune Vintage (link above)

I used all the same supplies listed above, however for the lace doily - I didn't want to part w/ any of my real vintage ones so I got an awesome cotton doily from JoAnns for about $4 and hand dyed it in tea! I also threw in some twine and vintage lace - but we'll get back to that later! To dye your doily just head up some water and place hot water and about 2 dark tea bags along with your doily for about 10 min. Take out and dry (I just let mine sit outside while I finished the next steps). I also didn't use a circular hoop. I got one of those flat wood ones you use for cross stitch - they were much cheaper & it didn't seem to cause any problems for the rest of the DIY.

The original instructions call to use the yarn and do a "half hitch" knot - I believe this is a macrame term. I didn't really understand so I reverted back to my jr. high years and used a super easy knot used for friendship bracelets! I tied the knot to the top of my frame and pulled it over the frame looped around my thumb to create a sort of "4" and then pulled the yarn underneath and then over. When you do this over and over again it creates a sort of over the top braid that twirls around =)

sorry! just realized these photos are a little out of order! But you get the idea, right?

Next, go get your doily and place in the center adding yarn to the 4 corners. Place the yard on to the hoop pulling tightly and add clothes pins to hold in place. This is actually more important than it looks. I thought I was smarter than the tutorial and just tie them, but you can't get an even look that way - tutorial =1, emilee =0 haha

Now, that all your ends are clothes pinned - tie it up! I found it was easier to do top/bottom, then sides =)

Now for the fun part! Add your accessories! I added an old feather charm, some twine, and of course feathers to the bottom strings. I got the feathers for SUPER cheap at JoAnns =) I also added some vintage lace to the hanging string... because it's just so.. me!

After you're done w/ that - it's finished! You can add as little or as much as you want! I love mine so much I want to make 1 more big one and 2 smaller ones to create a little Dream Catcher corner in our living room! We'll see if Mr. H approves =)

Conclusion: Overall, this was a great DIY and can be totally customizable to your likes/style. There were definitely some cheaper alternatives to the supplies and the minor shift in how to wrap the yarn. I would definitely recommend this to anyone and it is so great for groups who have varying degrees of craftiness =) Head on over to Lune Vintage to check out her other awesome projects!

Something Blue: Wedding Video Preview

2011-07-08T07:53:00.000-07:00

Now, I don't want to bombard you all with my wedding stuff - but it's just so exciting I can't contain myself =) Watching wedding videos is probably one of my favorite things haha - I could spend time watching other peoples videos all the time! As weird as that may sound, but when it comes to mine, I am over the moon excited about it. The amazing Ryan McDuff my good friend & incredibly talented from Biola shot our video and was kind enough to make me a little preview while he works on the "main event" I love this video so so much, in fact, if Ryan gave this to me as our video video I would have been more than pleased haha so that is why I had to share it with you, but it is just so goshdarn sweet. Enjoy!

GWS Feature:: Twilight Styled Shoot

2011-07-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

So in case you missed it - yesterday was a very exciting day for me =) The styled shoot I worked on (2 weeks before my own wedding!!) was FEATURED on Green Wedding Shoes yesterday!! WooHoo!! Such a huge accomplishment for Tasteful Treasures and I'm so excited to keep pushing for my dream. When approached by Brienne, I'll admit I was a little hesitant. Twilight what? I knew it had something to do w/ vampires and a hot guy who somehow always had his shirt off - but that's where my knowledge stopped. I hadn't read a word of the books or seen the movies. But the whole concept was way too awesome to turn down - plus I'm always down for a challenge that will push me outside my box =) Anyways, I thought I'd share a little commentary on what Brienne (photog) had to say about the idea behind the shoot::
Certain elements came directly from the book – the hanging flowers at the various locations, the art nouveau inspired details, our “Bella’s” ring, and even the name cards were tied to chess pieces to reference the cover of the Breaking Dawn book. But from there we took some liberties. The color scheme was also inspired by the book – the choice of sapphire blue came from the hair combs given to Bella by her parents that contained sapphire stones. We interpreted the shoot with a bit more of a southern California feel, opting for our own “forest” of oaks and incorporating the colors of the forest into the design. Emilee, my stylist, and I settled on slate greys, deep rich wood tones, forest inspired greens, ivories and creams, a few blacks, and of course, the POP of sapphire blue. The inspiration for the actual look of our models was taken from a Peggy Sirota shoot with Vanity Fair with the original Twilight cast. I loved the natural organic look and wanted to bring that softness to this shoot as well. Emilee worked her magic with the Tasteful Treasures vintage pieces and setup an absolutely magical location.

The florist, Lindsay of Petalicious, added her own elements as well. “The bouquet came from our take on Edward and Bella in the Twilight movie saga. The handle of the bouquet represents the dark edginess of Edward but mixed with the soft white flowers, it brings us right to Bella making it pure and loving. We added the heart locket to the bouquet and a key charm to the boutonniere to represent the unlocking of everlasting love between Bella and Edward.” Lindsay also created the most amazing willow ball cloud to ground the reception table. I mentioned wanting something “sculptural” and she quite literally created that piece from her own imagination.

We chose sunset and the time just after – quite literally twilight – to shoot to capture the moodiness and deep romantic elements of the “wedding”. Using glowing laced mason jars hanging from the trees and in our own version of the “clearing” we added our own twinkles and sparkles. The very last image of the shoot – our “clearing” – was the only image I had in my head from the very beginning of the planning of this shoot. I knew I wanted to re-create it, adding sparkles through the tea lights in the mason jars rather than Edward’s skin, and that the perfect time would be a very narrow window just after the sun had set and twilight had settled in. After placing my models, we set in to wait. It took a little while before I knew the moment was perfect, but as soon as I saw the image on the back of my camera, I knew we had it. The hills glowed their own blues and greens and greys, the shadows had stretched into their own blacks and the sparkles created an aura of light and romance that exactly captured my hope for the shoot.

Now for the eye candy =) Hope you like and find some inspiration!

The Dream Team!
Photography: Brienne Michelle Photography
Styling + Rentals: Emilee Sutherland – Tasteful Treasures
Floral Design: Lindsay Schmidt of Petalicious
Paper Designs: Shannon LaBare Designs
Hair: Anna Quinn
Makeup: Kiara Roberts

* You can view TONS more images over on Brienne's Blog HERE

The Honeymoon Blues..

2011-07-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

If you follow me on twitter you've probably seen my whining about how much I'd rather be back on my honeymoon than hot LA haha... the truth is, the honeymoon WAS amazing - but I am excited for this new chapter in my life!! Mr. H and I started right away w/ house projects and decorating! I'm sure I'll be posting more on that later =)

I wanted to say a HUGE thanks to all the ladies who guest blogged for me while I was away for the Wedding Week Blog Series! All their posts were SO awesome and I loved reading through them all. If you missed it, check out the blog topic labeled WWBS to check out awesome blog advice, DIYs, and freebies! So THANK YOU ladies!!! You all inspire me daily xoxo

Here is a little honeymoon teaser for you all. We went to Hermosa/Manhattan Beach and stayed in a beach front property for the week. It was so relaxing and beautiful! These photos Mr. H took on his phone (mine exploded the first night - definitely a story to share here). I love looking at these, but I'm definitely happy to be back!!

Twitter Tips by Elise Ostermann

2011-07-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world of Twitter…

You’ve created your account and followed a couple of your personal friends. Now what?

Here are my Top Ten Tips about the Twitter world.

1. Build Relationships
Twitter is about building relationships with others. Take the time to invest in
your followers and to invest in the people you are following. Ask questions. Be
interested. Cultivate true relationships with people by using the same tactics we
use to build relationships in real life.

2. Be Diverse
Vary the content that you post. Don’t just post about your day-to-day life or a
product… change it up! Talk about your business in some tweets, talk about your
life, talk about things you’re passionate about, ask questions, respond to other
people’s tweets. Vary the content of your postings to make your account well-
rounded.

3. Be Responsive
Respond to what other people post. Again, always think of your twitter account
as a way to build relationships with others. If you were having an in-person
conversation you wouldn’t be talking about yourself the whole time (and if you
did, you would quickly lose friends). Too often people fall in to a narcissistic
approach to their tweeting – it’s all about them. Avoid that at all cost.

4. RT, RT, RT
Retweet what other people post. Seriously! It’s a good thing. Other tweeters have
good things to say and why not spread that?! The proper way to retweet is as
follows.
Sally tweets: I love fresh clean laundry.
You retweet: RT @sally I love fresh clean laundry.
You retweet with comment: Me too! RT @sally I love fresh clean laundry.

5. Keep Your Social Media Platforms Separate
Don’t connect your Twitter account to your Facebook account. I understand it
might be “easier” for you… but you’re actually doing you and your followers a
disservice. Tweet twitter specific tweets (that use hash tags #, @mentions, tiny
urls, etc). Facebook specific Facebook posts (using Facebook’s tagging system,
posting photos to your wall, etc.). You don’t want your followers on Twitter and
Facebook to see the same content in both places. Neither do you want to clutter
your friends’s newsfeed with twitter content. Treat each social media outlet as it’s
own separate media platform.

6. Time = Success
Be present on Twitter. Take the time to invest in it more than just once a day or
a couple times a week. If it’s about building relationships, than huge times away
from Twitter can be detrimental to building relationships. Download a mobile
Twitter app if you have to. I highly recommend the “Echofone” app for iPhone
users.

7. Encourage Personal Connections
Respond to personal and direct messages from people. Nothing is more frustrating
than taking the time to personally strike up a conversation with someone and
they don’t respond. So respond to your followers. Take the time to respond to
what they tweeted to you. Don’t fall into the Twitter celebrity-syndrome-trap that
too many tweeters fall into. Remember that you’re still a real person and your
followers are still real people.

8. Report Spam!
Be kind to the twitter community and block/report spam. If you get spammed
(which everyone does), take the moment to respond with the simple “block/
resport spam” button. It’s annoying, I know. But if we all report spam, the less
there is floating around.

9. It’s Quality, Not Quantity
Don’t be so excited to gain twitter followers or reach a number that you forget to
cultivate the relationships you already have. It’s honestly not about numbers…
it’s about the people behind those numbers. 100 true followers (who respond to
what you say, RT your postings, etc) are WAY better than 1000 followers who
could care less what you are posting.

10. Find Common Ground
Follow people who share your common interests. Read their bios. Read through
their tweets. Find people with which you can connect. I’ve found that looking
through the people my followers follow is the BEST way to connect with more
like-minded or similar people. Again, take the time to find and connect with real
people. Be selective in who you follow. By doing this, your timeline will be filled
with tweets from people you actually care to read/respond/or RT.

Hopefully those Top Ten Tips help your twitter journey in some small way! If you have
any other questions about twitter or social media, I would suggest doing more research
and reading some books on it. My favorite book is UnMarketing by Scott Stratten (or you
can follow him on twitter at @unmarketing).

You can also always tweet me with any of your questions! I love all my twitter followers
and I always enjoy building relationships with new fabulous people!

Happy Tweeting!
Elise (@eliseostermann)