Papercraft on Etsy

Hi everyone! I've been missing out on my blogging time lately and I think I'm having withdraw. It feels so good to be posting again. Why didn't anyone warn me that the last few month of wedding planning are down right hectic? :)

Today, I want to share an adorable little shop on Etsy with you called pghpapercraft. I actually found this shop when I won a giveaway on a fellow blogger's website for a gorgeous handmade burlap guestbook. You will absolutely love this shop! The guestbook is unbelievably cute – all of you burlap-loving brides won't even be able to believe the cuteness. It's perfectly rustic and polished at the same time. Such a winning combo. And the best part? It's fully customizable. Maile (the shop owner) made it incredibly easy to pick out your favorite color of ribbon (to match your wedding colors), and let her know what you'd like the front of the book to say. It's such a beautiful keepsake that you'll want to save long after the wedding.

Papercraft even has matching stationery so you could get menus, invitations, programs and place cards to match. I LOVE this idea. Everything would look so polished and put-together. Personally, I'm digging the purple and burlap look!

Be sure to check out Papercraft on Etsy if you're looking for some handmade goodness to spice up your wedding. It's affordable and oh so cute.

Here's some of my other favorite pieces. Enjoy!

Blue, Gray, Brown Beach Wedding

I'm so excited to show you guys a beautiful inspiration board that was requested by Kishah – a 2013 bride-to-be. It's an October wedding in...wait for it...HAITI. Ugh. The jealousy is sinking in. Beach weddings always turn out beautifully. How can they not, with the ocean as a backdrop?

Kishah had a vision of blue and gray, with possibly some golds/deep yellows thrown in. It needed to be rustic, vintage and beachy of course. I seriously LOVE this inspiration board. I adore the different shades of blue mixed in together to give it an eclectic, laid-back vibe. It should NEVER be a requirement to stick to one color/shade of color. The golds and browns keep the whole thing earthy and grounded. And, it's beachy without being over-the-top and typical of what you would expect. It's really quite romantic. Kishah's wedding is going be gorgeous – no doubt about it!

Photo credits
Center: bouquet
First row: groomsmen, necklace, lantern, cake
Second row: flutes, place setting
Third row: silverware, bride
Fourth row: shoes, Jones Soda, couple, napkin



What do you guys think? Thanks Kishah for the beautiful request. Good luck on wedding planning!

Email me if you'd like a board! Shardiy@b-y.net

The Dress & The Cake

First of all, I'd like to say congrats to L.O.A.H for winning my giveaway hosted by From Kristen, With Love. Thanks to everyone who entered!

Now on to my post. I must say that I had a lot of fun writing this post for you guys. For me, cakes and dresses are two of the most beautiful parts of a wedding. They set the whole stage for your big day and help it come together so wonderfully. I know all of you brides-to-be are probably looking at countless pictures of dresses and wedding cakes, trying to find the perfect ones. But, have you ever thought about a cake and a dress that seem to be perfectly inspired by one another?

I think it would be so much fun to take an element of your wedding dress that you love (the texture, the sash, the beading) and incorporate that into your cake design. I mean, why not? You love your dress (hopefully!) and chances are, you'd love your cake if it was inspired by your gown too.

OR if you're looking for a fun, colored wedding cake, why not match your bridesmaids' dresses to the cake? As long as you don't go overboard and try to recreate a cake that looks just like a dress, it will be a perfect subtle reflection that will have your guests thinking you're so clever, NOT cheesy!

Here's some examples to get you started.

Cake; Dress

Cake; Dress

Cake, Dress

Cake; Dress

Cake; Dress

Cake; Dress

Cake; Dress

Cake; Dress

Sleeping Beauty Engagement

Hello my lovelies!

Today I have an inspiration board to show you that is a little different – it's an engagement shoot board! How cool. Sam contacted me the other day and said she was having trouble with her idea for a Sleeping Beauty inspired engagement shoot. If you ask me, she had it all figured out. She knew the poses, the scenes, the parts of the movie that she wanted to recreate. But, she was having trouble with the outfits and the props. How do you take something that could easily be over-the-top and cheesy and make it cute and modern?

Well, here's my take on it.

Photo Credits
Center: Happily Ever After
First row: couple, flowers, key, crown
Second row: shoes, tent
Third row: perfume, rabbits
Fourth row: couple, bouquet, couple, finger prick

I think it is perfectly whimsical and magical– but not corny. It just screams "fairy tale" to me! I love the patterned dress for something a little more modern than Aurora's long, fuschia gown, and that jacket for Prince Phillip is the perfect alternative to an over-the-top prince outfit. Can't you just see Sleeping Beauty asleep in that little tent, waiting for her true love to kiss her? I love me some Disney movies!

Thanks Sam for the fabulous request! Hope you like your inspiration board.

If you'd like me to make a board for you, don't hesitate to email me at Shardiy@b-y.net!

From Kristen, With Love GIVEAWAY!

Hello everyone! I've got a great giveaway to share with you all today – isn't that exciting? When Kristen contacted me to do a giveaway with her, I was beyond thrilled. I avidly follower her blog, From Kristen, With Love. She has the greatest, most creative posts.You definitely wouldn't regret checking her out. If you're looking for a new blog to follow, she is your best bet!

On to the giveaway! Kristen just opened up her Etsy shop (congrats, girl!), and is kind enough to give away an item for you guys to win. 

Here's what you can win:

These hand painted wooden signs read "Mr." & "Mrs."... the perfect addition to your wedding decor and/or used as a photo prop. Let the world know you're officially a Mrs. by using this statement prop in your wedding photos. Hang it on the back of your chair at your reception to add a personal touch. After the wedding, you can feature the signs in your home to remind you of your special day each and every time you look at them.

The signs are painted white & measure 1 foot by 6 inches and come ready to hang or hold with attached twine.

What could you do with them, you ask?

 Here are some examples!

 

See how cute? Use them one of these ways, or get creative and come up with a different use all together! Thankfully, I have some pretty creative readers and I know your brains are going a thousand miles an hour right now. I know mine is. 

How to Enter:

Fill out the Rafflecopter below and you'll be good to go.

Winner will be selected May 13.  

Red & Silver DIY Wedding

Today I have a gorgeous board for you to look at that was requested by a reader. Yay! I love those. Jenn is getting married June 2013 on the beach. Her colors are red and silver with a little bit of black thrown in. She wants a country style (she's wearing cowboy boots) with lots of DIY opportunities. She's a crochet guru, so that gave me the perfect opportunity to thrown in all kinds of handmade goodies. For example, the red hearts could be tied around napkins, doubling as a decoration AND a favor. Or you could sew tags on them with names, making for cute place cards. There are so many great options – as long as you're willing to sew up a couple hundred :)

Isn't the bright red so fresh and summery?

Photo Credits:
Center: centerpiece
First row: couple, flowers, dessert, bouquet
Second row: boots, cake
Third row: hair, flowers
Fourth row: bridesmaids, crochet bouquets, crochet hearts, boutonniere


Jen's wedding is going to be absolutely gorgeous. I want to point out, for all you DIY brides that know how to crochet (or are willing to learn), the three bouquets in the bottom picture are all crocheted! How stinkin' cool is that? And just think, you could save your bouquet forever. Get to crafting!

Photo credit: The Offbeat Bride

Thanks Jenn, for the request. If you'd like me to make a board for you, please don't hesitate to email me! I'm happy to help. Shardiy@b-y.net.

XO

Thirty-One Giveaway WINNER!

As always, thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway! I'm fairly convinced that I have the best readers of all time. And thank you to Megan, who was kind enough to offer up her second bag to give away on the Blushing Bride. So very sweet.

Without further ado, the winner of the polka-dot bag is:

Maureen!

Maureen, I will be in contact with you shortly to get your mailing info. Thanks again, everyone. Check back for more giveaways in the future. XO!

  

Spring 2013 Gowns = COLOR

As many of you know, Bridal Fashion Week this year boasted all kind of unique creations from some of the bridal industry's most prominent designers. So, what was all over the runway this year? COLOR – and lots of it! Taking the lead from Vera Wang, who has recently come out with all kinds of beautiful alternative-colored wedding gowns, a lot of other designers jumped on the "color" bandwagon too. Is that a good thing? I'm not entirely sure. Don't get me wrong – I love a good, off-beat wedding dress just as much as the next girl. But, would I really wear one? Probably not. And I'd put money on the fact that most brides would probably be right there with me on that. I definitely applaud the designers for coming up with something different though. It's bold, refreshing and a little bit rebellious, which is totally awesome.

So, love them or hate them, here are some colored dresses you can expect to see Spring 2013!

What's your opinion? Love 'em or leave 'em?

Vera Wang

Ines de Santo

Maggie Sottero

Vera Wang

Douglas Hannant

Oscar de la Renta

Vera Wang

Oscar de la Renta

Oscar de la Renta

Vera Wang

Vera Wang

Oscar de la Renta

Fall Orange, Plum, Green Wedding

I know we've all got spring on the brain at the moment, but today I've got a lovely fall color palette to share with you. Heather contacted me last week and asked me for some help with her upcoming fall wedding, and I jumped at the opportunity. She's getting married next October and wants a lively palette of orange, plum and lime green. How fun is that? She wants the entire look to feel very much like fall, but not necessarily like Halloween (although she said that if her fiancé had his way, they'd be married in full costume!). So, here's what I've come up with.

I adore this color palette. The leaf and pumpkin details scream autumn, but the vibrant color palette keep things energetic and fun. Fall is my favorite season for weddings, and Heather's is sure to live up to the hype. I love it that she's not afraid to go bold with lots of color, plus she loves purple – she's a girl at my own heart! There's also so much opportunity for DIY brides here. The pumpkin table numbers would be a great project, and all the leaf details would be easy – not to mention FREE!

What do you ladies think? Love this look for fall?

Photo credits:

Center: bouquet
First row: table setting, groom, table number, green dress
Second row: apples, pumpkin pie
Third row: flowers, shoes
Fourth row: place setting, bridesmaids, cupcakes, leaf headpiece



I love to help brides to be who are struggling with picturing how their wedding/color palette will come together. If you'd like me to make you an inspiration board and feature it on my blog (free of charge, of course!), please don't hesitate to contact me. My email is Shardiy@b-y.net. XO

Polka Dots + a GIVEAWAY!

I've got two things to show to you today – a fabulous collection of polka dot weddings, and a polka dot bag giveaway from Thirty One!

If that's not hard to resist, I don't know what is. Polka dots are just so effortlessly cute. They're fun, playful and add a touch of sweetness to an outdoor spring/summer wedding. Plus, you can pretty much rock them in any color. Go bold with bright colors, or stick to white on white for a more traditional, subtle look. The choice is yours. When thrown in here and there, polka dots are such a fresh, festive idea – especially when combined with other fun prints. Stationery, ties, and even your wedding gown will look fabulous in polka dots!

Click on photo for source. Keep scrolling for the giveaway!

Since we're on the subject of polka dots, it would only be fitting to have a giveaway to go along with it! So here you have it.

Thirty-One Giveaway!

Megan Weaver, Independent Thirty-One Consultant is offering The Blushing Bride readers a chance to win one of her fabulous bags! Trust me, you're gonna love it. Thirty-One bags are so cute, can be personalized, and come in a variety of shapes and sizes, perfect for so many different occasions! Be sure to check out Megan's website to view the Thirty-One catalog!

Here's what's up for grabs: 

 A Thirty-One All in One Organizer in Pink Lotsa Dots! Its got tons of room inside to haul all of your goodies (it would be perfect for a bride or bridesmaid!) and it's got two mesh side pockets. This pattern is just around for a limited time – it's only offered in the month of May. That means you've got to scoop one of these babies up! During May the All in One Organizer is only $5 if you spend $31 at Thirty-One. Plus, they can be personalized. It'd be a great bag to give your bridesmaids as a thank you gift. I am in love with those pink polka dots! EEK!

How to Enter:

Just fill out the Rafflecopter below! Easy Peasy. Good luck to all of you!

Win your dream gown from Ruche! (ARV: $500!)

OH. MY. I have a giveaway for you that is going to knock your little socks off! Remember a couple of days ago when I made a post about my new found love for Ruche? (If not, be sure to have a look!). Well, to honor their new spring collection, Ruche is having a fabulous giveaway where you can win a GRAND PRIZE OF $500 to use towards a Ruche wedding dress or any other Ruche purchase. This is your chance to get a knockout wedding gown for free (or practically nothing). And, you want to know what's better? Many of the wedding gowns found on Ruche are below $500. This isn't one of those deals where you win $500 towards a $6,000 dress and have to cough up the additional $5,500. Nope. You could get this beauty for free (it retails for $499):

Or this one (retails for $349) with money to spare:

Or, this one (retails for $349)

In fact, there are only 2 dresses in the entire collection that are over $500. That leaves enough money to buy shoes, jewelry, a veil – whatever!

So, if you need more convincing to enter (you would be absolutely crazy if that was the case), then let me tell you HOW you enter. Trust me, you're going to love it. All you have to do is get on Pinterest (fun!) and make a board featuring your "dream wedding" (more fun!). Pin pictures from any and all websites, but be sure to include at least 4 images from the Ruche website including a Ruche gown! (You may pin images from the Ruche site and from their bridal page here: http://shopruche.com/bridal/mediashare.html).

Sounds fun, right?


Here's a breakdown of the rules to make it easy to follow:

You've only got a few days to enter, so get to pinning. Good luck!