Fun Friday: Crafty Valentines

It's getting close. That fateful day where we share love, candy, and words of affirmation. Valentine's Day is Tuesday and I wanted to share with you some of my favorite ideas for fun alternatives to the regular valentine day card.

1. The Candy Alternative by Saltwater Kids (see directions here)

                        

2. A Crafty Book for your honey by PaperVine (see directions here)

  

3. Something Fishy by Faboolous (see directions here)

           
                     

Happy Loving!

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!

      

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: Design your own Dessert Bar

Have you ever been to a wedding and some how you missed the cake? Or maybe, like my good friend Lexie, you just don't like cake. I have been keeping my eye on some great ideas of how to make the dessert portion of your wedding fun and interactive. The bride and groom can have a blast combining sweet treats from their childhood or take a sophisticated route by classing up some classic elements. Just by adding small baggie or to-go containers you can transform your dessert bar into a customized favor station. 

Have fun tying together the color pallet of your wedding with your unique dessert bar

Chocolate and browns are always great for a groom inspired dessert bar 

I couldn't resist showcasing this GREEN dessert bar

This fun ice cream inspired dessert bar adds some nostalgic bliss

Having a winter wedding?

A warm cookie and milk cocktail anyone?

This just made my heart sing. A hot chocolate bar with assorted toppings

 What a great way to class up an old campfire treat! This dessert bar is truly making s'more for everyone.

xoxo Have a good weekend

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.   

My Big Fat Green Wedding: Favors

The wedding day is fast approaching and as we all know by now, we have a pretty resourceful bride on our hands. Most aspects of the wedding incorporate a green or sustainable element (from the venue and locally sourced food/produce to the bride's gown), so of course the favors for the guests were to be no exception.

As a token of their appreciation, the bride and groom have chosen to come full circle with their favor creation. Since the actual ceremony and luncheon will be an intimate affair, in lieu of the traditional flower boutonnieres, the couple chose to present the men attendees with a Beer Buttonaire, made by the bride herself with so much love and care.

The women will also receive special Beerings, crafted with the same design on the watercolor invitations; images of beautiful yellow and green California Poppies that embody the spirit of Big Sur.

Guests will also receive a foot soak to ease the pain after many hours of dancing. Unbleached muslin bags, purchased from Save on Crafts, will be filled with a scented, organic chamomile and Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, a perfect blend to toss into the tub to end the day at this beautiful resort and spa.

As we know from this previous post, the bride creates these Beerings to not only save bottle caps, but also as an additional way to give back and create awareness. If you want to make a difference, other creative Beering designs can be purchased at Beerings for Change.

Have a great week. xoxo, Laura

Beer(ings) Give Back!

Our bride, Janine, from our My Big Fat Green Wedding Series, is a true conservationist. She really strives to be as environmentally friendly and socially responsible as possible, in every aspect of her life (traits that I find quite admirable). She's the founder of Green Wave, which serves to create several initiatives of eco-awareness and collaborates with other charities aimed towards making our earth a better place. So it came to no surprise, when she also came up with this new idea.

After many nights spent on the road with her fiance, Ken, from The Crystal Method, and seeing just how much beer is consumed by the roadies, she decided to come up with a solution to minimize what waste she could. So, she came up with the genuis idea to take the bottle caps from consumed beer bottles (rather than tossing them in the garbage, as they cannot be recyled), and started creating Beerings with them! The one-of-a-kind designs, cut out from vintage magazines and calendars are handmade and sealed with a non-toxic, eco-polyurethane. What a genuis idea, repurposing at it's very best. And the best part, she sells them for only $20/pair, with the proceeds benefititng conservation projects.

Each purchase of Beerings goes back to different GreenWave Programs; Save a Turtle, Buy a Brick or the Save an Acre Initiative. The Save a Turtle benefits Green Wave's eco-scholarships and turtle conservation project in Costa Rica. The Buy a Brick campaign benefits green building developments & schools. The current project is an eco-friendly children's sanctuary in Kenya, in collaboration with NextAid. The Save an Acre aids in Amazonian rainforest conservation, working with the Rainforest Alliance Network and Conservation International.

The styles are all so unique and different, yet all have that nature, beachy, earthy inspiration.

Love, love, love.

I think it's great when someone finds unique ways to repurporse the most odd objects. It goes to show that with a little imagination, anything is possible. To purchase your pair of Beerings, please visit http://www.beeringsforchange.com/

Have a great week :-) Laura