A few of my favorite things...

This is by far one of my favorite things in our house. My husband and I are beach l-o-v-e-r-s. We love to play in the waves with our pup, love to surf and love, love, love to travel... especially to places waterfront. We take a little bit of sand home with us from every beach to add to our collection. This is one of those little things that is so simple, but something we are in love with. 


What a great way to compare the different textures and colors from across the world. So inspiring! Whenever I walk by this in the living room, memories stacked on top of each other from each place make me smile! We have started another in a different shaped vase ready and waiting for trips to be filled to the brim!

Happy Holidays!

Hoping you have a wonderful Holiday Weekend!

[Sophie, Me, Michael, Monopoly, Coconut & Chandler Ellinghaus]

Our 2011 Christmas Card was the most fun to make, to date.

rustic-ly glam, thanksgiving table

thanksgiving holiday table

...burlap runner on top of white table cloths;natural elements combined with

crystal accents and white vases..and to top it off mismatching chairs.

the flowers were made of locally grown white roses, wheat, eucalyptus, and grass.

...and it wouldn't be a holiday without ...

a doily d.i.y. story...

One of my brides who got married this past Saturday, wanted different! Designing this one was fab because Dommie likes rustic and vintage with a colorful edge...sound like anyone you know?  {wink} She is a crafty lil lady for a living, so for her wedding she wanted a break and didn't want to do a thing. I wanted her wedding to be as unique & artsy as she is. They were frustratingly looking at venues when I came on board, and in passing mentioned a barn on her great grandmother's property...and a smile grew on my face! Done! Unique was off to a good start.

Dommie's criteria: A purse her great grandmother made for her.  It was teal and peach, ribbon sewn on like fabric, with a crocheted lace over top. It screamed to be a mascot for a wedding! So when it came to her place settings...this was too easy. Different, vintage, crafty, barn, crochet......

....doilies anyone?

each place setting had a doily cup. some filled with different local flowers & some with acorns.

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How I did it:

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-supplies: doily, sugar, measuring cup, pot, water, cupcake pan

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-equal parts water and sugar. (since you probably won't be doing 100 of them like me) 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar will be plenty and bring to a boil.

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-dip doily with a fork (be careful, hot and steamy!!) until covered.

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-lay in cupcake tray until dry (about 10 hours depending on thickness of doily)

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-paint or dye to your fav color.

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-feel too cute.

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Not just for a wedding...think outside the box; Thanksgiving table, Baby & Bridal Showers, Candy jar, you name it!

Happy Halloween! DIY come together

happy halloween

diy. chic. elegant. spook-tacular.

elleeventdesigns.com

Halloween DIY Weekend!

getting ready for Halloween Parties, one d.i.y. trick a day...

  

saturday's halloween d.i.y.
[1 of 2]

{chic, halloween lamp shade}

supplies:

 there are two ways you can do this! the easy, easy way or the the easy way. if you have a lampshade chandelier, then all you need is the 1st item. if you want to make your own to hang anywhere, you need the rest of the supplies as well.

-black petticoat (children's or adult, depending on the size of your lampshade)

-lampshade

-removable hook

-battery operated tea lights

-ribbon to hang

directions:

1. lay the petticoat over your lampshade.

2. slide down until it fits perfectly over top.
{if you are doing this on an existing chandalier...congrats! you are done! marvel at the cuteness}

3. tie ribbon to center of lampshade to hang. I used a strand pearls

4. use removable hook to hang anywhere you like

5. for light, hang tea lights in the shade.
{ & now it's your turn to marvel in the cuteness...}

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tip: for a fluffier version, attach one inside the shade AND one outside.

tip: if using tea lights inside the shade for light, attach cutely and/or in tea light hangers...or add a 2nd petticoat inside so no can see.

 Ok, I know what you are thinking...how do you get those cute halloween pillows??? next post!

Halloween DIY Weekend!

getting ready for Halloween Parties, one d.i.y. trick a day...

  

saturday's halloween d.i.y.
[2 of 2]

{halloween pillows}

how to make those cute little pillows!

time:

20 minutes

supplies:

-pillow

-fabric

-fabric glue

-scissors

-marker or chalk

-large print out of halloween silhouette

directions:

 

 

1. print out silhouettes of halloween objects on your computer.

2. cut out the pictures

3. trace onto fabric

4. cut out fabric. take you time.

5. glue onto pillow

6. add embellishments...lace, buttons, etc!

d.i.y. fun continues sunday! a lacy halloween....

{think outside the box and use different pattern fabrics and pillowcases!}

Halloween DIY Weekend!

getting ready for Halloween Parties, one d.i.y. trick at a day...

  

friday's halloween d.i.y.

{make your own wine labels. part 2}

There are tons of Halloween themed wines and liquors out there...but how about you make your own! Do not worry about buying label making sheets for your printer. This is quick & easy but looks like it took an hour!

supplies:

white cardstock

printer

glue

scissors

decorative edger(optional)

ms word, paintshop or similar program (optional for customizing)

directions:

1. make a label on your computer or use the ones I made that I have supplied below. print them out with your page set up to "portrait". size it so the width takes up a little less than half the page, and the height takes up a little more than half.

2. cut them out using your paper cutter or scissors. the bottom is the for the neck of the bottle. measure on your bottle and trim to size.

3. to fan-cify it, use decorative edge cutters.

4. using glue dots or hot glue, attach the label to the bottle. regular glue doesn't work here, you need a stronger one to hold the cardstock in place

5. set out at your party for guests to oogle over and tell you how creative you are!

templates:
I also, provided a blank one for you to enter your own fun names in paint shop or ms word!

see you tomorrow for a d.i.y saturday to turn your regular lampshade into a frilly, chic, halloween party must. you will not believe how easy!

Halloween DIY Weekend!

getting ready for Halloween Parties, one d.i.y. trick a day...

  

thursday's halloween d.i.y.

{make your own wine labels. part 1}

who said a halloween party has to be gore, and blood and scary and can not be cute & chic? i know, right! let's make that cute little lace label with the oh-so-adorable black cat!



supplies:

little adorable doilies...you chose a size!

stamp

ink pad

glue dots

hairspray (optional..one that doesn't test on animals-mandatory)

directions:

1.make sure bottle has label removed.

2.using a stamp of your choice, stamp the doily.

3.glue doily to bottle.

4. to make doily firm and not rip easily when handling, spray the doily with hairspray. wipe the bottle clean. (optional)

5. Make an adorable tag to let everyone know what it is in the bottle, and show them how stinkin' cute you are! i used "murder by malbec"...because i have been before.

see you tomorrow the d.i.y. on the "bloody red" and "bone dry" labels!

Are you ready for some Football?!?

Fantasy Football Draft Party

...complete with Nacho Bar, Pretzel Bar, Football Cake Pops, Smores and more...

Ruffle Pom Pom how-to

I love love love Ruffles! I think I have these at every event hanging from the ceiling, tossed on the floor, mini ones on napkins, filling in bouquets or vases...why? because they are too darn cute! You can use them at bridal showers, birthday parties & especially weddings! Imagine a hundred of them flowing with hanging ribbon from the ceiling of the tent. Mmmm....anyway! At first they are are a little tricky, but once you get the hang of it, you can make 10 in an hour.



Pom Pom how-to by elleDESIGNS

 1. & 2. Start with tissue paper, layer the patterns how you like and trim so they are the exact same width and height. I use 16 sheets if I want them very big and puffy. 8 sheets will do for smaller ones.
3.  Fold the sheets together like a fan and tie a string around the middle, long enough to be able to stick out after pom pom is made,for hanging.
4. Round the edges with scissors. 16 sheets will be hard, make sure you have sharpened scissors and break into parts if you need to. Round, to a point, experiment!
5. & 6. Start, carefully, pulling the tissue apart. Be careful, tissue paper is easily wripped!Make sure your hands are dry!

How pretty! As you can see, blend different patterns and shades of th color for pretty effect!