let me air my dirrty laundry.

They came! The silk flowers from afloral.com came, and I love them! They shipped super duper quickly (I barely just ordered them), they were packaged really securely, and I'm so happy about what the flowers actually look like in person.

I was mostly worried about what the flowers I purchased, were going to look like when they got to me. I've seen those reality shows where they send off for a "great deal" on some "beautiful flowers." And what they get is a rip off for some butt ugly buds.

And you know, I really love them.

My laundry list of flowers:

hot pink ranunculus

light pink carnations

pink mini ranunculus

light pink peony sprays

I'm super stoked.

some strong consideration.

How crazy would this be as an alternative to flower bouquets?

I'm just not sure about the flower thang. And we've got a pretty playful theme. Tootsie Roll pops maybe?

Maybe even using something else to beefcake it up a bit.

**UPDATE: After finally hitting some good luck and finding the flowers that I want, this idea is shelved. However, I think I'll do this for the rehearsal. Give all the girls tootsie roll pops? Yeah, sounds good.

flowers. flowers. flowers.

Oh light pink silk ranunculus, will I ever find you?

It sure doesn't feel like it.

i'm going to felt you up.

I may have found an alternative to my paper flower bouquets.

Because, I've been a little hesistant about the paper flowers in the bouquets. Not in the centerpieces at all. But most certainly in the bouquets. Why?

Well, I haven't put a bouquet together before. And, I've tried tissue paper flowers before... and let me tell you it wasn't pretty. So needless to say I was a little worried about what I was attempting.

This on the other hand may be an idea worth attempting. Yay.

Sidebar: I already have boatloads of felt, since I make felt monsters for etsy. Score!

bridesmaid swag

I've been trying to brainstorm some ideas for the loverly ladies in my bridal party.

They will all be wearing short, black cocktail dresses. With black heels.

So I want to have fun with colors in some fun accessories. I've been thinking about hair details, like those above from Cultivar. Headbands, bobby pins, fascinators, oh my!

And this would be the best way to bring in the color pink fo' sho.

Consider this my warning, dear blogosphere, of the many more posts to come around bridesmaid swag.

dip them in pinks and creams.

I think that I would like to attempt this design for my bouquet. The only trick is figuring out how many stems I'm going to need. Because, in order to keep costs down I would be ordering the silk flowers from online. Which means, I can't see them in person to ensure I'm buying enough (or not buying too many).

This 'flowers business' is exhausting.

But, I'm fairly confident that this picture is exactly what I want from my bouquet. Perhaps I'll take a trip to JoAnns and create one from the ranuculous they have in stock. It can help me get a better idea of what I will need. There. That's it.

Mom's visit, one more thing on the list.

Bring it on.

It is decidely so.

I am going to attempt to make paper flower bouquets for my bridesmaids.

Excuse me, while I grab a paper bag to hyperventilate into.

........

Okay, I'm good. So here's the thing. We've got plans to stick to a tight budget. But we've also got a big bridal party. Which means, that real flowers are out. And even the fake flowers are a little expensive. So, I'm going to attempt to make the bouquets from paper.

I am officially on the hunt for some great tutorials.

That reminds me...

... I need to order those online silk flowers soon.

**UPDATE: I am looking at AFloral for silk flowers, anyone else have somewhere better, let me know!**

Lock it up.

My Mom found this antique gold locket for me this past week. It's exactly what I wanted, and I'm really excited to see it in person. She thinks it's from the 1940s, which is perfect with our vintage, old-timey feel. I plan on attaching it to my bouquet, with a new picture inside.

Hah.

Done and done.

I'm so glad that $10,000 Wedding reposted these paper flowers from Dozi Design.

I highly suggest you to stop what you are doing and click on over to Dozi, to see the blog slash shop slash flickr page. You pick.

Close your eyes, and imagine them pink.

Erm, maybe keep them open instead. They're far too pretty to not look at. :)

Rock...Paper...Centerpieces?

Since my budget for flowers is pretty much nonexistant, paper flowers might be the way to go.

In fact, I'm going to officially say that the centerpieces will be a combination of our rock candy chandeliers and paper flower arrangements.

I think I'm getting butterflies in my stomach, over all the DIY projects I have ahead of me!!!

Want to sneak a peak of the directions?

Crayola Dreams.

Seriously my FAVORITE flowers, all in one place. Peonies and ranunculous are topping the list. The only thing I would change about this bouquet, is the lack of color. I would live my life in technicolor, given the choice.

So dip this baby in a bucket of bright fuschias, pinks, and creamy pinks.... and I'm sold.

http://community.theknot.com/cs/ks/user/page.aspx?username=springchic&MsdVisit=1

And check out the wedding it's from, absolutely stunning.