Wedding Wednesday: Getting green, literally

While we often talk about green weddings, it dawned on me that there was an actual green element we might have been missing...plants! So today is dedicated to incorporating natural lush greens such as succulents, grass, herbs, and vines, to truly make your wedding green. 

Succulents:

These delightful green plants have roots, stems, and leaves that store water to survive long droughts. They make great favors since they require limited amounts of watering and survive for long periods of time when placed in windowsills with great light. Not to mention, they can add a great earthy green tone or even a gray-blue hue to any color pallet. 

                    
By:            Beautiful Bridal                               Heavenly Blooms                          Santa Barbara Chic

                     

Fresh Herbs:

From thyme to basil, jasmine and mint, herbs add a burst of fragrance and a rustic natural feeling to a tablescape or bouquet. Place them in a silver pot and send them home with your guests to add to their garden or incorporate into dinner next week.

             
By:                  The Wedding Dish                                                               Aislinn Events 

                                  
                                                                        Kate Miller Events

Grass:

While outdoor events will naturally have a grass element incorporated, there are other fun ways to use earth's natural blanket. 

                   
By:        Wedding and Cakes                        Simple Perfect Weddings                    Wedding Bee

Happy Greening!

      

Eco-Monday: Give the Gift of Sustainability

As you start to make lists for what to get your grandparents or your Uncle Bob this year, stop and take a look at Branch. 

Starting in a small one-bedroom warehouse in 2005, Branch now operates out of a warehouse in San Francisco. What drew us in was their great business philosophy:

-They care about sustainability, design, and people

-They curate their inventory based on the things they would want to have in their own homes 

-With a small team feel, Branch has great relationships with the manufacturers, designers, 

  and customers

-They want to make sure every customer is treated with the best and friendly service

In looking over their inventory, Branch offers an entire line of compostable plates, flatware, and cups for your holiday party needs. Even though you are spreading the holiday cheer, you won't be spreading the waste. 

Are your stockings looking tattered? Branch offers a classic Christmas stocking with an updated concern for the environment that combines a reclaimed boat sail and a classic red organic cotton trim. 

Need a good stocking stuffer for your hubby who is always on the run? Branch has a great line of reusable coffee mugs sure to make anyone happy. 

Happy Shopping!

Eco-Monday: Paint the Halls

An easy way to add an eco-friendly element to your house is through paint. When it's time to add a new coat to the kitchen or transform that upstairs bathroom, consider using eco-friendly paint. Average paints contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are often emitted as gases. These chemicals are not healthy for the environment of your house or the environment as a whole. Instead, purchase paints that are approved by the Green Seal Standards. This nonprofit organization is dedicated to improving the environmental standards for many common products. Milk paint is a great alternative because it does not emit VOCs and works well as an interior paint for your house. Any eco-friendly paint uses water as a base instead of a petrochemical base and come in cans composed of 100% recyclable metals. 

Three paints to consider buying are:

1. Benjamin Moore Aura - specifically the GreenGuard

2. Olympic Premium - the Green Seal 

3. Sherwin-Williams Harmony

                               

Eventful Wednesday: A New Tradition

I have noticed that a lot of the "guest books" being used at weddings now a days are not the traditional scrapbook. Instead many people are using unique and creative approaches to remembering their guests and often turn the "guest book" into a piece of art for their newlywed home. We thought we could share our favorites in hopes of inspiring your own creative take on this long standing tradition. 

This is an easy DIY project. All you need is a sheet of frosted heavy plastic from a hardware store as well as wooden letters and craft pens from your local craft store.

I have often seen this idea used in tree form as well, using guests fingerprints as leaves. Don't forget to add a thin tipped pen so that guests can sign their fingerprints. 

There are many options to use this idea on your special day. Using the first letter of the couples new last name, using the first letter of the bride and groom's first names, using the first letters of the couples respective last names...either way it's a great guest book idea to use as decoration in your house!

How fun would a photo book of your guests be on your 50th anniversary? Pictures are worth a thousand words and this great idea captures the joy everyone shared on your special day. 

If you really love DIY projects, you can take your guest's puzzle pieces and turn them into the top for a coffee table in your living room. You can also put the puzzle pieces in a large hurricane vase and display them in your home. 

Eventful Wednesday: Time for Thanks

If you have a large family like me, Thanksgiving is always a great time of year. Family members from around the United States come to one central location to eat delicious food, play football, and then partake in the mad rush of Black Friday shopping. The bigger tradition in my family has always been the adult and kids table. I graduated to the adult table a few years back, but since I have so many young cousins, I still like to visit the kids table. In the past few years I have taken on the role of creating fun table settings for both the adults and kids so I thought it might be helpful to get you inspired with a few decorating ideas. From sophisticated and mature adult table settings, to the fun place cards and activities for kids, I hope that your Thanksgiving has tons of things to give thanks for. =)

The Adult Table

Who says we need to eat like the pilgrims? I love the modern warmth of this table setting. 

Using chocolate bars with homemade wrappers as place settings =)

A fun DIY addition to the center of any table

The Kids Table

My grandmother did a great job of teaching me what Thanksgiving was all about. Have your kids put what they are thankful for on a feather and display this as their centerpiece. 

Yummy treats that will convince anyone to eat all of their turkey first.  

Edible place cards are always a winner with my cousins. Learn how to make these here.

Fun Friday: A new type of flower

 In the spirit of staying green, today we wanted to share with you some great photos and DIY tutorials on how to create felt or fabric flowers. Not only will they stay "fresh" all day long but these pretty flowers can be re-used throughout your house to embellish pillows or clutches. 


    

These great idea boards demonstrate all the different and creative ways fabric flowers could be used during your big day. 

                            

Feel free to get creative and add buttons or attach name cards for seating assignments. 

Embellish a journal and gift them to your bridesmaids, or reuse the flowers from your wedding to embellish a clutch. 

Thanks to Skip to my Lou, you can learn how to make 11 different fabric flowers here.

FUNinspiring Friday: Some girls have all the fun...and creativity

I've been obsessed with Terrariums since we discovered Tend Living a while back and did a posting of it here on our blog.  So it was to my great delight when I discovered that a Green with Envy Intern also created these works of arts (amongst many other things). And it should have been no surprise, since she's extremely talented and creative.  This chandelier-turned-terrarium from Ariel is so clever, and a great way to repurpose an otherwise out-of-date fixture. Not only do the paned panels recall the look of traditional terrariums, but the piece also includes a convenient door — originally for changing light bulbs — which is perfect for the occasional rearrangement of the plants and rocks.

Ariel is currently studying at Corcoran College of Art & Design, and does it all!  Illustrations, concept design & installation, branding and logos, and she even creates her own textiles with repeated patterns based on photos she's taken. AMAZING!

And as if she wasn't busy enough,she also explores with jewelry design, like these found metal pendants on gold plated chains.

You know how they say some girls have all the fun? It's really true in this case( note to mention she's got a ton of energy, creativity and she's gorgeous). Make sure you check out the rest of her stuff, here.

Happy Findings!

Wedding Wednesday ~ The Fabric Florist

At Green with Envy Events, we are always on the look-out for floral alternatives for weddings and special events.  And I'm ecstatic about my latest discovery - the gorgeous fabric flowers of Jane Joss on Etsy.  Jane Joss is an alias for Alyssa and Joslyn Krismer, sister-in-laws (married to twins!) who share a love of interior design and crafting.  Visit their shop and you'll see there is no shortage of love put into these beautiful designs. 

At Jane Joss, they create fun, original floral designs using handmade fabric leaves. Mix and match stems or request a special fabric to create your perfect arrangement. Jane Joss accepts custom fabric orders at no additional charge. They can also use your own fabric to make a custom arrangement. Consider old baby blankets, quilts, tablecloths, or even clothes to create a unique keepsake!

Can you imagine how beautiful a bouquet or centerpiece out of these beauties would be at your next event?  We love these fabric flowers because they're reusable, they reduce floral waste, and they are simply darling.  So next time you need flowers for a special occasion, consider using one of the many floral alternatives that are on the market today.  Not only will it give your party a unique and interesting touch, you're helping save the planet...one flower at a time.   

Do It Yourself ~ Wedding Flowers

A few months back, Green with Envy Events made their way to a beautiful, small Massachusetts town for the wedding of Shannon & Chris Boeckelman. This was no ordinary wedding. This was rustic, romantic elegance at it's finest! What made this wedding so extraordinary (other then the amazing bride & groom and their lively friends and family) was the FLOWERS!!!! Our bride Shannon chose to do all the flowers herself. With her amazing artistic vision and our design expertise, we pulled together a stunning floral presentation. And of course...I just have to share it with you. Enjoy!

First step, the bride collected dozens of antique glass bottles (thanks to her uncle) and a bunch of bell jars. How cool are these bottles?

Next up...the flowers. Our bride ordered all of her flowers from FiftyFlowers.com. This awesome site offers over 2000 flowers choices, at wholesale prices. Delivery is timed perfectly for optimum freshness of your flowers. Shannon and I worked together to choose the perfect combination of flowers. Our inspiration ~ Romantic, Rustic, French, Elegance. I think we nailed it!

The Flowers

• Chocolate Cosmos
• Patience Ivory Garden Rose
• Queen Anne's Lace
• White Hydrangea
• Peach Peony Garden Rose
• Black Dahlias
• China Berries
• White Ranunculus

What you'll need: A team of eager-to-help aunts, sisters, and bridesmaids, a bunch of large buckets, lots of stem-cutters & sharp knives, stem stripper, vases, rubber bands, paper towels, ribbon, green floral tape, pearl tipped corsage pins, and a good 5-7 hours to put it all together.

Now you're ready to go. What made these flower arrangements so pretty, was that they looked effortless. Large bunches of hydrangeas, black cosmos, ivory garden roses and china berries went into the bell jars.

A beautiful combination of peach and ivory garden roses, chocolate cosmos, and white ranunculus went into all the antique bottles. How darling are these? Our beautiful bride is getting excited for the big day!!!

Next up, the bouquets. There are tons of DIY wedding bouquet articles all over the web; we like this tutorial from Wedding Bee. For the bouquets, we used all the different flowers and gathered them in a loose, flowing style. Rather then packing them into a tight ball, we had little bunches of china berries hanging out, Queen Anne's lace popping up, and some chocolate cosmos dripping out. They were stunning!

And now...the final product. Check out these next few pictures from the amazing photography husband & wife team of The Goodness. Lisa and Geoff are some of the most talented photographers in the business. And on top of shooting pictures, they also do incredible design work.

I absolutely adore the centerpieces we set up. A combination of 3-4 antique bottles, one bell jar, small votive candles, and a stack of sliced tree trunk (courtesy of Richie, the father-of-the-bride) topped with an adorable acorn with the table number. LOVE!!!!

Thank you to Shannon and Chris for letting us be a part of your big day and congratulations on your marriage! We wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

As you can see, when you put your thinking caps on, a get a little creative - the result can be breath-taking! We encourage anybody who's in need of flowers to consider doing it yourself. You'll not only save money, but you'll have a lot of fun doing it.

Have a wonderful week everyone! xxoo Carlee