Fabulous + Fun Foil

It’s becoming very common to see repurposed vintage flatware making an appearance, (even Anthropologie sells sets now!) but building and designing your own collection is of course more fun. Today we’re going to use multi-surface paint and silver/gold leaf to create our very own gorgeous custom silverware set!

Although it’s getting cooler and crisper out, it’s definitely still warm enough to sit around a fire bundled under some blankets, especially if it’s to make s’mores! What is it about the trio of graham, mallow and chocolate that is so incredible? Whatever it is, it’s a universally accepted fact that s’mores make everyone smile, which makes them a perfect treat for your wedding guests! Whether as a favor or a snack to enjoy during the reception, here’s a roundup of some great DIY s’mores ideas:

If you’re searching for seasonal inspiration for your Thanksgiving tablescape, look no further—Holly Heider Chapple has designed the most gorgeous, organic spread and given you the steps to recreate it at home! “My intent when I created this design was to come up with a concept that a beginner could do,” as well as use flowers that are readily available at grocery stores, Holly says. She’s definitely succeeded with this simple how-to! Follow along with this beautiful images from Genevieve Leiper Photography, and let us know how your own Turkey Day tablescapes turn out!

Hammered spoons are a beautiful addition to your wedding tabletop.  Perfect for an elegant, rustic wedding, use them as favors, escort cards, or table numbers – the options are endless.  I’m so happy to have McKenzie Brickl of La La Soiree and Kate Sommers of KNG Sommers Photography stop by EAD today to share a step-by-step tutorial for creating your own hammered spoon place cards, and you can see them in action on a lovely olive green and gold tabletop they created!

There is just so much pretty in this shoot, I’m over the moon! Kelly Maron Horvath of Paper Stories, Lauren LePine of Ryan Alexander Events, Lynn Fossbender of Pollen, Stevi Savage of AveryHouse, and Shannon Spellman of Plate have dazzled me with their interpretation of glitz and glam for the Inspired Creations Contest, it’s an absolute wonderland of handmade charm.  Mercury glass accents, mother-of-pearl buttons, satin ribbons and gilded china from Plate are just a few of the ways that the team incorporated glitter and glam into their tabletop and dessert display.  And since the Inspired Creations Contest is all about being fabulous on an approachable budget, everything from the sewn paper bunting to the ribbon table runner, escort card holder, cake topper, and even the cake itself was created by Kelly, and all of the decorative accents used in the shoot were brought in from the team’s homes and studios. 

This morning’s Pancakes & Honey Breakfast shoot featured several handmade wedding projects, and the team of Suzy from Lily Red Studio, Kelly Marie from Fleur, and Jaclyn Simpson Photography have been kind enough to share their DIY secrets with us! They created several projects – click on the links below to jump to the instructions for your favorite:

Happy Friday everyone!  I have another lovely Inspired Creations Contest shoot to show off today - modern and glamorous bridal fashion inspiration from the Portland team of Sara Gray Photography, Madeline Roosevelt, Amy Wing, and Serephine.  The model is Sara’s beautiful younger sister Emily who is getting married this summer!  The team wanted to incorporate sparkle without going wild, so they kept to a neutral color palette of gold, ivory, white, and silver.  A sassy sequin dress from Nordstrom, glitter heels, dramatic makeup and fabulous accessories make this a perfect look for the modern bride.

I pretty much love anything that Paul Lowe puts together, but for some reason this simple twine place setting is really rocking my world right now.

There is no more fitting way to bring the Inspired Creations Contest to a close than to showcase this vibrant, eclectic, and undeniably gorgeous wedding concept from Courtney Cole of White Flower Boutique, Jenna Kageyama of flutter glass Photography, Emilia Keene-Kendrick of Sweet Emilia Jane, and Erin Lepperd of Erin Ever After.

I’m so sorry for the late post today everyone. Hopefully this adorable Inspired Creations Concept will make it up to you! Styled by Ashley Dicksa of Creative Events by Ashley and photographed by Lilia Ahner of Lilia Photography, this garden tabletop has so many gorgeous elements – I’m pretty much in love!  Ashley was inspired by vintage photographs of hot air balloons and used a romantic color palette of baby blue, moss green, and pale pink.

Today’s gorgeous Inspired Creations Contest concept was created by the team of Revert Photo, A Touch of Bliss, Bella Fiori, and Makeup by Janine.  The inspiration comes from all around the home – which is where the heart is, as they say!

I’m not sure what’s cuter – this retro milkshake bar Inspired Creations Contest concept or the “models” for the shoot, Rachel and John. Kellie Kano and Elissa Keno did an incredible job constructing the milkshake bar and creating a retro look and feel sure to be perfect for any summer wedding reception!

Today’s Inspired Creations Contest concept comes to us from the team of Morgan Gallo Events, Jade McCully Photography (you may remember Jade from these past weddings on the blog), and Emma J Designs, who created a wedding concept incorporating birds and birdcages that is so whimsical and fun!

April put so much love and attention into the details of her Inspired by Fabric concept, and was kind enough to share all of the DIY project instructions with us!  All of these projects can be accomplished by DIY-ers of any skill level, and April truly shows that a wedding is not about the size of your pocketbook, but the size of your imagination!

Created by Kristen of Kio Kreations and Kara Schultz, our next Inspired Creations Contest concept is all about timeless, classic, vintage beauty.

I love these doilies daintily hung from the ceiling by string. Such an inventive and easy idea – they would be perfect hanging above your tables!

I love letterpress, but wedding budgets don’t always allow for letterpress or engraved invitations, particularly in today’s difficult economic environment.  For brides still seeking custom invitations, the Gocco (or now the Yudu!) can be an excellent, and more economical, alternative.  Some brides choose to go the DIY route, but for brides who don’t feel comfortable DIYing, there are a few invitation studios that specialize in Gocco-printed invitations.

Yesterday was my birthday and after a long search, I finally found and purchased a Gocco as my birthday gift to myself. I’ve basically been on the fence about purchasing a Gocco for a year at this point and naturally, by the time I realized just how much I wanted one they were completely sold out basically everywhere. Oops! Oh well, after some sleuthing and a shout out on my blog and some great tips from my readers, I found one and it is supposed to ship today. Hooray! So in the spirit of all things Gocco, I thought I’d share some of my favorite Gocco inspiration.

Happy midweek, beautiful readers! I’ve really enjoyed contributing the blog so far, and I especially love reading all of your feedback! Please let me know if there’s anything I mention that you’d like to hear more about.

I’d like to thank everyone for following along with me this week during my guest blogging stint here on Elizabeth Anne Designs! I hope I’ve helped give you some ideas for DIY projects to incorporate into your own weddings. Before I return to my normal routine on my own blog, I wanted to share a few of our favorite keepsake details from our wedding.