Rustic Winter Centerpieces with Sugar

Hello! :) It is that time of year! Eggnog, Pine Trees (or plastic wanna-bees like mine) --- and Holiday Decor!! Recently Erika and I made our way down to the local wholesaler from whom I purchase some of my wedding/ event decor needs. It was freezing in the cooler, but who cares when you are picking out some flowers?!

This arrangement is a sample for one of the corporate holiday parties that I am designing, but it can really be used to spruce up your boring dinner table this holiday season---not assuming it's boring but if you're anything like me there is a fruit bowl and some crumbs for everyday ambiance.

Anyhoo. Anyone who knows me is aware that I am completely self taught, so floral arranging is really just an art to me; I like things to be very organic and loose, but you can play around with your form. You may find that you hate arranging flowers, or completely love it! The hardest part; knowing how much of what to buy!

Here is what I brought:

Spray Roses, White Roses, Hydrangea

Dusty Miller, Brunia, Kochia (Silver) 

Some type of damn berries, Wheat, Dried Pomegranates, Dried Lotus Pods

These Bark containers fit the rustic theme I was going for, and the floral foam, once very wet, will hold the flowers in place exactly where I want them and allow me to use less flowers. 

If you have time, it makes sense to unwrap everything, and snip all of the ends, and put all of your flowers in fresh cool water--- (warm water for roses if you want them to open up fast like an easy date. hehe)

As much as I love Hydrangea, they have to be in water 100% of the time, or they will wither fast. I do not usually put them in floral foam because they die fast this way, so if you use them, skip the foam!

I start with my fillers around the edges, then build it through the center, and go back to add more fillers. OR, whatever you plan to take up the most space with, start there. 

If you can see past my chipped nails (hey I am an artiste!) --- you will see that I am massaging my Dusty Miller into a better shape, these little hairy leaves feel so good! 

No foam necessary for these little vases; they are small enough to hold the shape of the flowers for me! :) 

Bam. 

A little baby one!

This is my little Jayda-Bear!!! 

Themespiration: Floral Crowns

Is it just me, or is the Boho bride look really trending this season?  Everywhere I look I see brides adorning floral crowns that create an ethereal, earthy look. Floral crowns bring an element of whimsy and romance to any venture. Especially, into the fantasy of a wedding. I've been pinning this look like crazy on my  Weddingspiration board. This is a nice way to incorporate florals in an unconventional way. If this is too daring for your special day, then try it for your engagement photos and if you still don't have the courage. You can always resort to pinning this whimsical look for you to adore.

~Stay Sweet!

{My fav! Isn't she adorable?}

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Something Blue

It has been a tradition since the Victorian era - and is practiced by most brides on their wedding day.

Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.
Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride. The belief is that if she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy.
"Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past.
"Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead.
"Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.
As for the blue, the color has been connected to love, purity & weddings for centuries. Before the late 19th century, blue was actually a very popular color for wedding dresses.
And finally, a silver sixpence in the bride's shoe represents wealth and financial security. For optimum fortune, the sixpence should be in the left shoe. These days, a dime or a copper penny is sometimes substituted, and many companies sell keepsake sixpences for weddings.
There are many ways to interpret an old tradition and make it modern. Some trends we here at DIYva Designs have seen include taking a family members wedding gown and either reconstructing it in a way that suits the new bride - or taking pieces of it to incorporate into a new gown. Then there is the something blue... many brides have gone the blue shoes route, or merely painting the soles of their shoes blue for good luck.

via Chic Wedding Blog

Don't have something already in mind? Check out Etsy's Handmade Something Blue Shop!

Or get some more ideas from our Pinterest boards here.

Washington Bridal Showcase 09.11.2011

DIYva Designs joined P. Lawrence Bridal yesterday at the Washington Bridal Showcase and revealed our new endeavor! P. Lawrence Bridal has now become a full service Bridal Salon offering wedding planning, design and custom stationery through DIYva Designs. This new relationship will also be celebrated at our Ice Cream Social next Thursday! Register here

The showcase was a ton of fun with some great exhibitors and of course loads and loads of recently engaged brides- to-be! We had a blast working with P. Lawrence and meeting new creatives and vendors in the industry!

Here is a picture of some of the florals in our booth created by Sugar of DIYva Designs that we are now offering to all of our clients! Aren't they stunning?!

Flowers by Sugar.....?

Aren't these flowers that I did for one of our loveliest clients simply to die for? (I will leave the rest for her photographer----I am horrible with my little camera-phone....hehe!)

Flower Fix!

Among the gazillion other things on my plate at the moment, I have been recruited to come up with ideas for one of my best friend's weddings. For whatever reason, I started by researching ideas for Bridal Shower centerpieces (floral) and came up with a bunch of cool ones for really, any occasion. Thanks to the help of two of my favorite websites, The Knot and Martha Stewart Weddings , and some pictures of a few centerpieces I've done on my own, I found some really funky designs and came up with really great ideas. Clearly, these can all be replicated and altered so let us know if you're interested, or need some ideas of your own!

Here are a few that I have done myself for various occasions!

And here are some I'm definitely trying soon!

These are little tea containers filled with flowers from the garden. I've done this myself using fakies and they last all year long!

This one is just plain gorgeous! I love the richness of the purple!




Umm LOVE LOVE this fruit and flower combo!

Kiwi anybody?!