project 2: mantel.

This has been the hardest part for me to get my brain around! I've seen tons of ideas but none that would work with our structure, etc. We have 2 very tall walls that lead to a vaulted ceiling. Currently we have one wall that is a deep red (this is why I call our living room a dungeon), and 2 tanish walls. I don't mind the tanish walls but the red one has gots to go! I needed to come up with ways to decorate our mantel, while keeping the mirror above. I googled, I searched, I stumbled across blog and after blog, and finally found one blog that had tons of ideas! Little loveables there's definitely something loveable about it!

project: mantel

inspiration

photos from little loveables

what i love about it:

1. letters. I'm obessed with the letter K now! And want to show it off!

2. the pop of aqua! Aqua was wedding color!

3. Clocks. I love clocks, maybe because I always have to know what time it is?!

4. Those empty frames are to die for! (oh and that letter K!)

5. The neutral colors, the vintage feel and again the use of letters.

6. That mirror is amazing!

some goodies I've found here and there, that I want to incorporate some how into my mantel decor...

I heart vintage spools of thread! Who says they can only go in a sewing room!

vintage books and that bicycle.

I found books at the thrift store that resembled us in some way. With This Ring...perfect!

aren't those balls of string, and quilt fabric rennamnts to die for! <3

These colors are truly my inspiration for our living room.

what I need to find somewhere... is a vintage candelabara like the one in picture 2!

living room revision!

During the wedding planning process I came across some of the most amazingly talented bloggers. I become obsessed with visiting their little pieces of heaven on a daily basis. I drooled over craft projects, sewing ideas, and home decor.
I have decided that I want to redo our living room. Almost every other room in our home is what I want it to be, or soon will be with just a few additions of accessories! Now that Lane has his man cave AKA the movie room, I want the living room to be more inviting, more homey, bright, fresh with a side of vintage.

My first step is to use as many items we already have. With spray paint, you can transform almost anything! I am envisioning my "revision". My first project is decoration above the couch. We currently have one "painting" highly hung. I have fallen in love with the cluster of photos, frames, artwork, etc. idea. I've always loved "clusters". I use clusters everywhere in our house and when I scrapbook.

project: frame wall.

inspiration board

photos from little loveables

the photo low down.

My original plan was to not hire a photographer and have my neighbor and cousin shoot. Out of everything, the only thing that made me a little worried and stressed, was the photos. Let's face it, I'm a photo gal and I know exactly what I want my photos to look like. (or sum it up by calling me a control freak.)

6 weeks before the big day, I stumbled across an amazing photographer. After swapping emails and hours of drooling over her photos on her blog, we booked the date! I went and had my consultation with her, and I fell in love! She is amazing and we clicked! She gets my style and I am very confident that she will capture everything that I have pictured in my head.

Check Lark Photography for some serious eye candy!

flowers.

After some research and a consultation with a florist, I realized that there was no way I was going to pay that much for something that would be used for 8 hours and then die.Through endless hours of blog hopping, I stumbled across my inspiration on The Sweetest Occasion.

and from Totally Tabletops 

swoon!

I searched every thrift store in the Kansas City metro area for vintage bottles, big and small! I managed to get enough vintage bottles to do at least 5 bottles at 20 tables...for about $100.00. I felt better knowing that the money I spent on those bottles was going to good causes such as, DAV (Disabled American Veterans), Synergy (Domestic Violence Services) and Hillcrest (Assisted Living and Services). I didn't feel I wasted money on things that would later collect dust.

So what to put in these beautiful bottles.... Sam's Club online, has bulk floral. I will be purchasing two kinds of filler from Sam's, which will total $70, including shipping. I will be adding peacock feathers (50 feathers for $9.99 shipped) and one other kind of flower to the bottles to give it the vintage feel!

For the placemats underneath, I used my Cricut machine to cut 12x12 vintage themed paper into flower shaped dollies.

the cake.

In the beginning stages of wedding planning, I wasn't going to have a wedding cake. The venue we are having our reception at, has a dessert bar, so I wasn't going to mess with having a cake. But as I have done with everything, I changed my mind. I wanted my guest to get something traditional at our reception!
After many different ideas of what I wanted my cake to look like, I stumbled across this inspiration board. *currently locating this image! Stay tuned!*

My uncle makes cakes in his home, and he is donating his cake making services to our reception,again as his gift to us!

Cost for cake: $0.00