regina andrew peacock blue gem lamp

I'm going to start out this post with a disclaimer.  You all know about my aqua obsession.  Probably about 99% of the things I post on here are turquoise.  Despite what you might think though, our house is not 50 shades of turquoise.  In fact, I was restricted to only using it in only 1 room (well, 2 - because  the colors had to stay consistent between the master bedroom and bathroom).  In order to get my turquoise fix, I blog about all of the ooey-gooey turquoise goodies that I WOULD have in my home, if only Noel would allow.  So today I'm going to talk about the one room in our house where this color is allowed: the bedroom.

I have been searching forever for the perfect blue lamps for our bedroom...and I finally found them.  This beauty is the Regina Andrew Peacock Blue Gem Lamps from zinc door (one of my favorite places for home decor).

It's absolutely perfect: the proportions, the shape, the color...everything except for the price.  $173 each, and I need 2?  Ugh.  

You're probably thinking one of two things: "holy crap who would pay that for a lamp?!" or "$173? That's not bad."  The problem is - both things are running through my head right now.  Yes, when you look at the big picture, spending $175 on a lamp is slightly ridiculous.  But, for a high quality lamp - it really isn't unrealistic.  Look at any major home decor store like Crate and Barrel or West Elm and you're going to find a lot of lamps in the $150 range.  Sure, you can go to Target or Ikea and buy a lamp for $20, but how long do you think it's really going to last?  And chances are, it is probably a little rickety.  That's not to say that all of Target's stuff is cheap...because it isn't.  I looooooveeeee Target, and they have some seriously amazing stuff there.  I'm just saying you get what you pay for. 

So, back to my dilemma.  Here are some other lamps that I've had my eye on, but none of them have quite matched up to this one.  Either the proportions are off, the color is too light or too dark, so I just am not completely sold.

Sea Glass Lamp - Pier 1 - $50  //  Glass Jug Table Lamp - West Elm - $149  //  Merie Table Lamp - Crate & Barrel - $199 

Sea Glass Table Lamp - Pure Home - $190  //  Aqua Interlace - Lamps Plus - $100  //  Lucy Table Lamp - Home Decorators Collection - $189

Which would you choose?

how to create a QR code

Apparently I yet again don't know how to use autopost.  This post was supposed to be scheduled for yesterday...and this morning when I went to read it, I found out I accidentally had it set for September?  My bad.  So, I'm sorry to keep you all waiting - but without further ado, here is another Wedding Wednesday (err..Thursday) DIY.

Today we're going to talk about our wedding invites.  Like many things in our wedding, we did our invites a little different.  How so?  We included a little something special in them.

You know those square code things you see everywhere?  Those things that you can scan with your smartphone and it brings you to the website?  Well, those "square code things" are actually called QR codes and, for our wedding, we created one of our own and included it on our wedding invitations.  We did all of our RSVPing online through our wedding website, which I would HIGHLY recommend.  Yeah, it may not be the traditional route, but guess what?  It saves you a TON of time and a good chunk of money (postage on 200+ invites, as well as the paper and printing).  You don't have to ask me twice.

I could go on forever about how glad I am we decided to do all of our RSVPing online, but that's not the point of this post.  Since we did ask all of our guests to RSVP online, it was essential that our website was easy for them to get to.  Enter: QR code.  Instead of just writing our website on our invites (which we also did), we included a QR code, so people could scan it with their smartphones, and RSVP right then and there.  Plus, we like to be different, and it's not everyday you see that on a wedding invite now is it?

This is what our RSVP insert looked like:

Good ahead, knock yourself out and scan it.  It will take you right to our page.  Pretty neat, eh?  So, by now, you're probably all wondering how you go about making one of these things.  It's suuuuuuuper easy.  

Step 1:  Find a QR code generator online.  I used the website http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ and it worked perfectly.

Step 2: Enter the website that you want people to be brought to, and then click generate.

Step 3: Once your QR code has been generated, right click on the image, and click "save image as."  Save it to your computer and you are ready to put it into whatever document you want.   

To help my QR code tie into our invitations better, I brought it into photoshop and made the background blue.  Now I don't know a whole lot about the technology behind these codes, but what I do know was that I tried to turn the black parts the light blue, and have a transparent background and it didn't work.  I'm not sure if it didn't work because there is a texture on our background that my phone kept picking up, or if it didn't work because our background was dark and when I made the QR code blue, the colors were essentially inverted.  Moral of the story is, if you want to change the colors of your code, make sure you test it out to be sure it works before you print 200 copies.  

If you have any questions, please let me know!  It really is pretty straightforward and simple, but it added a fun touch to our invites that our guests just loved!  See for yourself:

The above picture shows the actual invite and our RSVP card.  

Below are the directions to the ceremony.  

This card was double sided, with the written directions on one side, and a map on the other.

Until next time!

room & board's architecture bed

Have you all seen the latest and greatest at Room & Board?  Their new Architecture Bed is absolutely to die for.  I am loving its simple, clean lines, and the fact that it comes in a wide array of fresh, fun colors.

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Now just imagine this in an all-white room, complemented by gorgeous turquoise artwork (perhaps a stunning piece from Mae Chevrette).

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Add a pop of yellow with throw pillows and accessories, and that, my friends, is a beautiful room.

Aqua & Yellow Bedroom Inspiration Board by kirstendanielle on Polyvore

DIY Birdcage Veil Tutorial

Hello lovely readers!  Today I'm going to kick off Wedding Wednesday DIY with a tutorial on how to make a birdcage veil.  I have always been in love with birdcage veils, but I never realized there were so many different types.  When I initially went dress shopping, the only birdcage veil they had in the store was the bandeau type that just goes straight across your face...and I didn't like it.

Because I was unaware that different types existed, I ended up buying a long veil - and the more I looked at it, the more I couldn't stand it.  I starting to see all sorts of beautiful birdcage veils on Etsy and at other bridal salons, and I just knew I had to have one.  Since I had already dropped waaay too much money on a veil I didn't like,  I didn't want to go drop $200 on another veil, so I decided to try my hand at making one.  Follow along for the tutorial.

   *Disclaimer: I did NOT make the flower - that is a clip I added on top of the veil*

Supplies:

French or Russian Netting
Scissors
Thread
Hair comb
Needle
Optional: Flower or lace 

Tutorial:

1. To begin, you first need to purchase the material you will make your birdcage veil out of. I used French netting because it isn’t as stiff as Russian netting, and I didn’t want to have a really poufy veil. The French netting is much softer. When I bought it, I bought 1 yard of 19” French netting, and just cut it down. The dimensions you trim the width to are completely dependent upon how large of a veil you want. The wider it is, the bigger the veil/the more of your face it will cover. You’ll have to play around with it by wrapping it around your head/face to determine how large you want it.

2. Once you’ve cut the width how you like it, you need to cut the length. I cut mine across at 12”, but again, this dimension should be adjusted according to the size you want your veil to be.

3. After cutting the fabric, you will make two diagonal cuts. I started my cuts about 8” up on each side, but these cuts don’t have to be exact. Make sure you make the diagonal cuts on the cut edges, leaving the finished edge untouched on the bottom. 

4. When your fabric looks like this, the sewing begins. Starting at one corner, secure your thread to the netting by tying a small knot. Then weave your needle and thread in and out through the tiny squares, moving your way around the edge. You will weave the fabric along the blue lines in my picture.

5. After you have weaved all the way around, the ends will bunch together like this. Secure the ends together by tying off the thread.

6. Sew the bunched end onto the comb. Some people will wrap tulle around the end of the comb before attaching the veil – that is completely up to you. I didn’t. Sorry the picture is a little dark - the comb is there but you really have to look.

7. At this point, you can either cut off any extra thread and be done, or you can sew a flower or some lace on top of your comb to disguise it. I made a couple different veils. In one, I added lace on top. However, for the one I wore on my wedding day, I didn’t add anything on it because I found a different flower comb I wanted to wear. Instead, I just placed the big flower comb over the veil’s comb. 

To add a little sparkle to your veil, you can sew some little crystals or beads at random places.  Overall, making the veil is really easy, but I would buy extra materials.  I had to make several before I got it just how I wanted it - but then again, I'm pickier than most :)  Birdcage veils can be really fussy, so I highly recommend steaming it before you wear it.  Even after steaming it, you may need to bobby pin it in to place (which I would strongly recommend doing anyways, just so it doesn't move).

As always, let me know if you have any questions.  Happy crafting!  

we're back!

Honeyyy, we're hooome!

It feels so good to be home after the most amazing wedding and fabulous honeymoon!  I can't wait to share with all of you all of the gooey DIY details that were our wedding - and they'll all start this Wednesday.  As many of you know, I've been posting "Wedding Wednesday" inspiration posts each Wednesday this year - taking a gorgeous wedding item and showing you how it can be translated into home decor.  Now that our wedding is over, Wedding Wednesday will still continue (hopefully through the end of this year), but instead of just showing you pretty pictures, I'll reveal all the projects and tutorials to make all of the various things we used during our big day!  

This past week or so has been such a blur.  We left for the Dominican Republic at 5am last Saturday (a mere 4 hours after we got home from the wedding madness), so yesterday was the first time I saw any sort of wedding picture whatsoever -- and they were only ones our guests had taken.  Needless to say, I was giddy all week wanting to see pictures...and now that I've seen them, I feel like I'm reliving our wedding over and over again.  I can only imagine how I'll feel once we get the pictures back from the photographers.  So out of my mind excited. 

Once I get our actual pictures back, I'll share them with you all and tell you all about our wonderful day - but for now, I'll leave you with a couple of my favorites our guests snapped.

I'm so excited to be back and to get back on track with blogging, DIY's, and home improvement...so I hope you'll follow along with us as we begin this crazy ride!  See you Wednesday!

wedding wednesday: guest blogger edition

Hey guys!  Today I am SO excited to have the lovely Elle from Elle-oh-vee guest blogging with us!  In addition to all the home decor blogs and websites I've stalked over the last year or so, I've also been on the hunt in the blogosphere for beautiful weddings.  When I stumbled upon Elle's blog and wedding, I feel in loooove. It is full of handmade goodies, personal touches, and is absolutely breathtaking.  So, in preparation for Friday's wedding shenanigans, let's all get lost in the whimsical wedding that was Elle's big day:


Hi all! I am Elle from Elle-oh-vee and I am so thrilled for Kirsten as her wedding day is almost upon us! I know it is going to be a beautiful wedding and cannot wait to see the result of all her dedicated planning.

Kirsten asked me to share a little about my own wedding and what girl doesn't want to talk about her wedding?! J and I got married a little over a year ago. May 29, 2011 was exactly four weeks after we marched in graduation regalia to receive hard-earned degrees. Our wedding date also happened to be the date of J's parent's anniversary. I feel so blessed to share that day with them! 

I have shared a lot about our wedding on my own blog, but one thing I haven't shared much about was what was going on as our wedding approached. Do you remember those terrible storms that devastated Joplin, Missouri? Yeah, those storms hit our little town in Northwest Arkansas just before they hit Joplin. That was one week before our wedding. It had been raining nonstop for several weeks, but when that huge storm hit I was in a total panic. The forecast for the next week promised rain and lots of it.

While several areas were torn up in our little town, our wedding site was untouched. Oh, and about our wedding site. We got married under a big oak tree in the middle of J's parent's property. Which meant that besides the beautiful tree there was no cover for our 500 plus guests. Our reception site was outdoors as well and there really was no other place that could accommodate so many people in case it rained. 

Incredibly enough the rain passed early in the week and it was an absolutely gorgeous weekend. Our wedding day was really windy and prevented some of our decor to be set up, but I was thankful for wind over rain. By the time our ceremony came around the wind settled down to a perfect breeze. I will always remember that feeling of being so blessed to have such a great day with all of our family and friends there with us to celebrate.

Best wishes to Kirsten on her wedding weekend & I hope you'll visit Elle-oh-vee very soon!

To check out even more of Elle's wedding goodness, head on over to her wedding page on her beautiful blog!  Have a lovely week!

wedding wednesday: white

White seemed like an obvious choice for my last wedding wednesday inspiration post, don't you think? After all, how much the day revolves around these little white numbers?  A lot.

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Side note: can you believe how stunning those dresses are?!  I'm drooling over that back.

When it comes to designing with white, I have a love hate relationship.  Love, because I love contrast, and always tend towards white and black in all of my accessories, fabrics, wood.  Hate (I don't actually hate it, I'm just afraid of it), when it comes to the walls.

Successfully creating a white room is hard to do.  Many times, it just ends up looking empty.  If you want to keep your walls white, I would suggest having a white on white color palette.  By layering different textures of white, you create visual interest, and can successfully avoid the "boring" room.  Obviously there are other ways to keep your walls white, have colored furniture, and still have a beautiful room...it is just often times hard to pull off.

So, to all of those white lovers out there...eat your heart out.  Here are my favorite all white rooms.

Kitchen:

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Bathroom:

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Bedroom / Living Room:

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If you want to check out a stunning home whose entire color palette is white, check out this house tour. Until next time!