Monday Mention: Recycledbride.com

Now if you aren't planning a wedding don't count Recycled Bride out just yet. It is a great sight even if you are planning another type of event.

So what is Recycled Bride? It is a website where people can sell things for weddings or other events. If you are a Bride they have great deals on wedding dresses that sometimes haven't ever even been worn. I found that a lot of brides on there had changed their venue and their original dress didn't work anymore so they are selling it to recoup some of the money to buy a new dress.

The greatest thing I found on the site was decorations. These could be used for any event and are at a fraction of the price if you were to buy them new and retail. I love all the apothecary jars and there were a lot on there when I was looking for a great deal!

Happy party planning!

Friday From Our Portfolio: Red and Black Centerpiece

Every Friday we will be posting something from our portfolio. This week it is from a wedding we did ith the colors black, red and silver.

This was done as a centerpiece on a 60 inch round table. The tablecloth is white with a red velvet overlay gathered. There is a cast iron black bowl filled with red and silver Christmas ornaments. This is an inexpensive way to add some pop and color. The little boxes are filled with Hershey kisses and tied with a silver ribbon. This can be beautiful for a formal event or winter wedding.

Thursday Things We Love: Hanging Decor

Thursdays will be devoted to "Things We Love" there are so many great decor options when you are planning an event.

Today's theme is hanging decor. I have fallen in love with all things hanging. Wether it is poms or crystals or just random things I love it. Following are some great pictures of what other people have done with hanging decor.

Find out how make these great garland poms at Crafty Moods

 These pom pom garland are such an easy inexpensive way to add color to your event. They may take a little bit of time to make but the won't break the budget.

This great picture was found on Mywedding.com

 Just a few small hanging decorations can really add some depth to your decor. The poms that were used to help direct attention to the bride and groom were used beautifully.

Also found on Mywedding.com

 If you follow this blog regularly you will find I am a bit of a sucker for rustic things. But being a city girl I always like an elegant twist on the rustic and this set up is absolutely beautiful.

These great pom pom vines can be found on Once Wed

 Another take on the Pom Pom Garland. I like how the leaves break up the Poms a little!

These crystals were found atsisterflowers.blogspot.com

 Crystals can be hung from almost anywhere. They look really beautiful in centerpieces against the soft flowers!

I love love love these chandeliers from stylemepretty.com

 These chandeliers just make me happy to look at. It is so neat how they are hanging from ribbons!

And this last one is also from stylemepretty.com

 Last but not least this beautiful array of chandeliers. It makes it feel so airy and bright!! I absolutely love it! Now it is time to take a look at what you can hang for your next event. I would love to see pictures of what you have done with the things we love!!

Wednesday Tip of the Week: Using Gifts as Decor

 

For birthdays, weddings and showers you general receive gifts beautifully wrapped. One was to really get to enjoy the wrapping longer is to include them in your decor. With weddings this is especially weasy as it is not uncommon to receive at least some of the gifts in the mail before you get married. Depending on your decor a bridge may help set the scene like in this picture or cute vintage boxes and suitcases to set smaller gifts in with the larger gifts surrounding.

Tuesday Tutorials: Easy Earrings for Bridesmaid Gifts

Tuesdays here at Perfect Party Design will be tutorial day. Each week we will post a tutorial for things you can do yourself to save on costs for your event. It is hard sometimes to include everything you want in your budget when you have to go out and buy it but hopefully with these tutorials you can cut back a little and still have everything you want at your event.

Easy Earring Tutorial
Bridesmaids gifts can really start adding up even when you might only have 3 or 4. So I was trying to find an inexpensive gift that would help you all save money and possibly even mean more to your bridesmaids than something bought at the store. So here it is.

Supplies
Super Glue
Resin Flowers (I found mine online at Finding Beads an ebay store)
Stud Earrings (Found at a jewelery making supply store or craft store)

Some people might choose to use a jewelery glue but from my experience super glue works the best in projects like this. You take the glue and put a small dot of it on the earring stud.You then stick the flower to the stud and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat for as many earrings as you need.

And here they are!

This is super easy but people love these. I give them as hostess gifts or even as favors for parties and people love them. If you are giving them as gifts Paper Mart has some great little tins that you can put them in.

In addition you could cut out a circle of scrapbooking paper and stick it to the top of the tin to give it a little more pizazz and put a piece of cotton inside for the earrings to rest on.



Hope you enjoyed our first Tutorial. We will definitely have some more difficult ones. Just thought we would start with an easy idea that can save you a lot of money!

Monday Mentions: Blvd Bliss Designs

Well friends here we are! The beginning of Perfect Party Design. I am so excited to share some of my designs with you and others ideas I find along the way. I will of course always credit the ideas to whomever I believe to be the original thinker of these said ideas.

I have always loved planning parties. From the time I was a little girl I remember coordinating colors and ideas into a work of art for gatherings of friends and family. I do have to say that my taste has become more refined and I love the details.

But enough about me. Every Monday I will be hosting Monday Mentions. I came up with this idea after being inspired by so many great minds on the internet. I love how you can stick any random idea for a party into google and get so much inspiration from other bloggers as well as find great deals on the things you nee for these parties.

Today's mention is of a dear friend of mine who runs Bliss Blvd Designs a great company that does invitations, stationary and party decor. She is amazingly talented. My fiance and I recently went to her to order our invitations for the big day. She is very reasonably priced and has quality work. We gave her the theme of our wedding and she came up with a fantastic invite. I think it is really important that the invitation to any event helps express the mood and style you are wanting. This invitation definitely will do that!!

Not only does she do great invites but she also runs a great blog. She always has great pictures that have helped inspire some of my creations. Below are some pictures of her work and she also run an Etsy Shop that you can purchase pre-made stationary or request a custom job!

Some of her great work...

Thanks for coming and being a part of our first Monday Mentions...check back throughout the week for more great ideas and tips!

Under Construction

Ok friends...please be patient with us!! We are under construction and will be debuting our new blog and new direction in the beginning of July!! Check back around the 11th and you will see the new and improved Perfect Party Design!!

A New Direction

With my wedding fast approaching I have been trying to decide what direction to go with my blog. I am going to transition over the next few months into...Perfect Party Design....why? Well let me tell you.
My best friend in the whole world and I have been talking about what we are good at and what we love....it is decorating and throwing parties. Wether it is for her kids or as a service for someone in need give us the colors and we can design something beautiful! So we will be sharing some tips and tutorials over the next few months for parties, showers and weddings.
If you want to be updated on our great party designs add us to your blog feed and you are in for a treat!
Don't worry though I will still be sharing some great stuff about the upcoming wedding and ideas I have!
Have a great night!
Emily

Need Some Advice!

I am so excited about my most recent steals! I want to have a kids candy/toy bar at our wedding! There will only be a few kids but they are some of my most favorite people and I want them to have as much fun as all the grown ups. Instead of renting a table I will be using a coffee table or end table that we can then use in our home. Here are my choices...

End Table on the Left
              Coffee Table on the Right





 So the story of the tables....The one on the left came from a garage sale for $3. It was all I had with me at the time and the nice mas selling it decided that was exactly how much he wanted. The one on the right came from the salvation army. My best friend and I were headed home from a wedding and decided to stop in and see what new projects we could find. Turned out they were having a 50% off everything sale (who knew the salvation army did that?!?!?!?) and so we got this great table for $20. Now it is time to make these two tables our own! Can't believe I got both tables I need for my new family room for only $23!!

Here is where I need your help....Which table would you use?? The smaller end table or the coffee table that can open up into a circle? Second question....should we do them just white or with some shabby chic action??

I'm going to paint them this weekend so let me know what you think!!
Thanks for your help guys!!
Emily

Staging Homes and Weddings

Just over a week ago I got to go to Utah to visit my family and help my mom stage a couple houses she is selling up there. It was so nice to see my beautiful family. I love them so much and have really missed them since I have been gone. But enough about that. As I left for Utah waiting in the beautiful LAX airport :) it dawned on me that staging a home is very similar to decorating/staging for a wedding. So I will share with you a few tips that you can use whether you are planning your wedding or getting ready to sell your home.

These are the two houses.....aren't they gorgeous? hahahaha...not yet

Tip #1 Location, Location Location..
If you find a house in a great area but looks ugly as all get out then you are going to get a better deal and you can make the outside even better with some plants and a little TLC. Same goes for your venue. If the location is great for your guests and it needs a little sprucing...PERFECT. You are going to get a better deal on the price and it will be more your own.

Tip #2 Less is More
The pictures are before and after shots. As you can see it didn't take a lot to define this area as the dining room. The best part is we bought that table for $100 with eight chairs (which we didn't use for this house) and instead got some nice leather chairs at Overstock warehouse sale for $70 for the pair. The centerpieces were a combination of tins from ikea and flowers from Tai Pan Trading. With just these few pieces we were able to define the space and make it look beautiful. With a wedding you need just enough to be able to define the feel and style you are going for without overwhelming your guests. If you are wanting a vintage theme (like me :)) you just need enough vintage items for the guests to feel as though they are in a different time period. Be sure to not put so much that it looks cluttered.

Tip #3 Pick a Theme and Stick with It
It is important that as you stage a home that you pick the style you are going with and stick to it. The color scheme throughout the house will help give it flow. The flow is what makes people feel comfortable and feel like it could be their house one day. Think about the model homes you have been in. The reason people love them is because the style stays the same throughout and it tells your subconscious, "This is a nice place".  With your wedding style you want to do the same thing. From the rehearsal through to the end of the reception you want to keep a style that will help your guests feel what you as a couple are all about. My fiance always says that we would have been so happy in the 1950's (not that we aren't happy now). We like things simple and quaint. So we are planning a vintage wedding from simple decorations, an old bread box for the rolls, a wooden toolbox to hold silverware and napkins. It just needs to flow and keep the same style throughout.

I have some great projects and ideas I am working on this week so check back soon for more ideas and tutorials for your wedding and life in general!


Emily

My New Obsession....Globe Strand Lights

Ok....so I'm not sure that is the correct name for these but I am obsessed with these

Thank you to Pottery Barn for these great images

I absolutely love the ambiance and feel they add to any party and especially what they will do for my wedding. Now I am on the hunt to find them for a little bit better price than I have found so far. This is the best part of being a bargainista! I am going to wait and hunt until I find them for a price that fits into my budget. I know I can find them for less if I am patient. Time is a big factor is saving money on any project. It's when you are in a time crunch that you have to spend what the going price is on the open market. If you have some time you can usually find things for less than they first appear. So give yourself time and you will find a great deal!!

On another note. I know I promised pictures of the staging project in Utah. I have been pretty sick the last week since I got back. But I am feeling better and will create a good long blog with lots of tips for staging that can help you on any home decorating project in the next few days! For now I am off to bed...have to be up in 4.5 hours for my wonderful fiance's graduation! So proud of him!!

Just a Quick Tip

Found a fantastic store today! (ok I didn't find it...my mom introduced it to me) If you like to find great deals on doors and things for your house projects and you like donating to a good cause checkout a Habitat Store in your area. The money spent there is used to help fund the Habitat for Humanity Organization in building homes for the less fortunate. It is a great cause and I found some fabulous deals!!

Have a great week my friends!!

The Chair of My Dreams

So this is a project I worked on when I first got to California and haven't had the time to blog about yet! I saw this wedding show once where instead of boring old chairs they had mix and match old vintage chairs and benches. The wedding was in this open field lined with big oak trees. It looked amazing!!! But of course  to rent all those would be sooooo expensive. So I found this chair at the Salvation Army for $10....and then I found out it was half off day at The Salvation (I didn't know that they had sales at thrift stores but they do...score for me :)). So I got my chair for $5. And here it is.....

 Now don't judge me....this chair has great bones!! I really liked the carving on the back of the chair and the legs. It has potential!! This was me first refinishing furniture project so any tips or comments you have are greatly appreciated.
How to Make This Chair a Masterpiece Bridal Bargainista Style
Supplies
-Screwdriver
-Paint Stripper
-Gloves
-Scrapers
-Old Rag
-Sandpaper
-Base Coat Spray Paint
-Spray Paint (I user Krylon it seems to go on the smoothest)
-Top Clear Protective coat (The indoor/outdoor kind puts a great seal on it)
-Staple gun and staples
-Material for the seat cover
-Padding to replace the top layer of padding on the chair

Now you are ready to start
1. First flip the chair over to unscrew the seat part of the chair from the rest of the chair. Once you have done that the chair will look like this...

2. Now you are ready to start stripping. This chair had a glossy finish over the stain that had to be removed. I sprayed on the paint stripper and let it sit for about 15 minutes and then it easily came off with the scraper and the old rag. The old rag came in handy for the round parts of the legs and the small crevices in the carvings. It is best to do this in small portions. This will help it not feel quite as overwhelming!
3. After that you have striped the whole chair it is time to do a little sanding. Just some light sanding will help smooth out the wood and make the paint go on easier.
4. Now for the base coat. My biggest tip is to take your time and do lots of very thin coats. I rushed a little (I was so excited to see the finished product) that I got some drips that had to be sanded out later. The better the base coat the smoother your color will go on. Do at least 3-4 coats of the base.
5. Time to add color. I used white but you can use any color you want. Once again though keep the coats thin and do quite a few.
6. Now for the protective coat. An you are finished with the paint.
7. Take the seat and use a screwdriver to take out all the staples. This is a time consuming process but not really difficult.

Time to take the ugly off!

8. Once you take the fabric off take the top layer of padding off and replace it with the new padding. Staple the padding to the bottom of the seat. Make sure you stretch the padding when you put it on.
9. The next step is to cut the new fabric out by using the old fabric as a pattern. Once you have the fabric cut staple it on making sure you stretch it well. You want it to look tight at first...it will loosen up over time!
10. Now screw the seat back onto the chair and....

Tada!! This is it....my chair creation!! Now I have seating for 1 at the wedding!! I have my work cut out for me but I am hoping to put together enough cool, random but coordinating chairs for all my guests!!

Thanks for reading!
Love Ya,
EM

Time for a Challenge

Well friends...just a little update! I am spending the next 3 days on a whirlwind of home staging here in Utah. I flew in last night to help my Mom stage the first two of many homes for clients! I am so excited....shopping, decorating and painting!! It is an amazing feeling to transform a room into a beautiful space. So with that I will head back to the garage to paint some more and when I get home I will share lots of pictures, tips and info about what we did!!

A cross between Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn

So I have been having a hard time lately what direction to go in with my fashion in life and my wedding. It is funny how sometimes we know who we want to be and how we want to come across....but we lose sight of that and get stuck in a rut! Well today I decided I am over being in a rut!!

As I was contemplating what I feel is my true style I figured out it is a cross between Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. I am pretty reserved and classic most of the time but I like a little sparkle and pazzazz in there to make me shine!!

As for the wedding I think my plans and ideas are the perfect cross between the two. I was very inspired by the Royal Wedding. Mt mom is on board to sew my dress and I have taken a lot of inspiration for the design from Kate Middletons dresses!! Well that is all for today...short and sweet!!

Use My Easter Egg Technique on Your Wedding Project

So this year for Easter I made a centerpiece for our table. I decided to create one instead of buying one. For $15 I was able to make a beautiful centerpiece and have a new fruit bowl :) It isn't tough but can add a lot of fun and color to a simple table setting. I love making decorations for the home and the techniques used here could be used for projects during other times of year or for your wedding centerpieces!!

Below are the supplies you will need to create this centerpiece:

You will need two dozen eggs, a needle, a skewer (or something to make wholes bigger) and a bowl to empty eggs into

You will need a decorative bowl to hold your eggs after finished

Mod Podge is used to decoupage the eggs(available at any craft store like Michaels)

Other supplies not pictured:

Colored Tissue Paper (you will need just a sheet of each color you want to use...a little goes a long way

Paint Brush to apply the mod podge with

Easter Grass, Rafia, or something you like to put in the bottom

With all these supplies you are ready to get started.

1. First you are going to do what I call...blowing the eggs. You are going to use the needle to put a hole in the top and bottom of the egg. After you get the needle through use the skewer to make a little bit larger hole. (This will make the process a little easier. Then you blow on one end of the egg so the yoke and eggs whites all come out of the egg. It is ok if the hole is as big as 1/4 of an inch...this will make them easier to blow and the hole will be covered by the tissue paper.

You can cook up the egg yokes and make some scrambled eggs

2. Now that the eggs are all blown you can start getting the tissue paper ready. Depending on how many eggs you will do per color determines the amount you need for each color. Cut the tissue paper into small pieces, between 1" and 2 " squares. Doesn't need to be exact...just around that size. I like to seperate the colors into little sandwhich baggies so that they are easy to get to when needed.

3. Now you are ready to decoupage. Dip the paint brush into the mod podge and brush it over the egg. The tissue paper will then stick to the egg and then brush another layer over the top of the tissue paper. Repeat this step until the entire egg is covered. Somtimes the tissue paper will tear if you touch it while still wet. To avoid this I will do one half of the egg and then move on to another until the first half is dry. Then I will go back and finish the other half of the egg.

Eggs after blown but before decoupage

Eggs half way through the decoupage process

4. After the eggs are all done and completely dry it is time to assemble. Take your bowl and place the grass in the bottom. Place the eggs inside and move around until you like the arrangement. That's it! You are done and have a beautiful arrangement!!

You can do a similar arrangement with hearts or spheres. It can be used for other holidays or for a centerpiece at special occasions!!

I might be crazy.....but it should be fun

Last night while Robby was at dialysis I went over to JoAnn's Fabric. I like looking at the patterns and material to see what I might be able to create and I had a crazy idea.....I want to sew my own wedding dress!! I know I know...it is going to be hard but I really want something original and unique!!

So.....what to do....well I will start by sewing simple things like pillows and canvas bags. Then I will create some clothes like a shirt or skirt. Then maybe a jacket. I will work my way up to be able to sew my very own wedding dress!! It is going to be awesome!!

With that I have decided I am going to make, recreate or buy vintage everything for the wedding!! It is going to be so interesting and beautiful!! I am super excited and can't wait to share it with you!!

My greatest creation...thus far!

So I was walking through a store full of old things the other day and there it was.....it was like it was calling to me! A vintage hospital cart, avocado green, rusted and beautiful! I had always wanted one and thought it would be perfect for the grooms cake at the wedding! And after the wedding it could be an end table!

Isn't she beautiful??

I know....I know...it needs some work! Following is a description of what I did to make it beautiful and perfect.

Step 1

First I got a flat head screw driver and took the try a part. In pieces I was able to touch up each part as needed and really clean it well.

Step 2
I got some chrome polish from the auto parts store to polish the silver push parts of the car. This worked great at getting most of the rust off and shining it up. There was a little rust left on it but it helped it keep the vintage look.

The one on your right has been polished and the one on your left has not.

Step 3

I sanded the trays to get the rust off and the extra paint. When I do it again I will use paint stripper instead of just sand paper...live and learn.

Before I started sanding I power washed the dirt off.

Step 4

Now it is time to paint. First I put a layer of primer followed by many layers of cream paint. It took quite a few layers but after the paint was on I put it back together. 

I think it turned out beautifully....

This was a fun project! I loved it so much I listed it on my favorite site....etsy.com.

I love sharing my creations with others. In a later blog I will share how you can share your creations and make money for your wedding!! It's pretty sweet!

You Never Know What You Will Find in the Strangest Places

It is a great day to be alive. I have found so much enjoyment in recreating old items and finding deals on new things to be able to start planning our wedding on a limited budget. The joy I have found is what I am hoping to share with other brides and women in general who want beautiful things in their life and home.

Tip Number 1: Look in places you don’t expect to find something you love!

One of my favorite places to look for great deals on unique items is thrift stores. My personal favorite is Deseret Industries (DI). You never know what you will find on a shopping trip or how you will be inspired.

Last week my mom and I went to DI to take a look around. As we were walking through the store I saw two vases that were randomly placed. We looked at them and thought they could be perfect center pieces but wanted o look around some more. As we went through the store some more we found a couple more vases that matched the first two and were with all the other vases. The more we looked at them…they were perfect so we picked those two up and went back to find the other two. As we searched for them we realized there were only two…that workers had put them back where they belonged. I was thrilled to have the two and glad I picked them up when I did.

$3 Centerpieces!! Can't Beat That!!

You might be asking… “What will you do with two random vases?” These two vases match my style perfectly. There are a lot of things I could do.

1. If I find other vases that are mismatched but coordinate I can put the same flowers in each and use those as my centerpieces for guest tables.

2. With two they could go on the gift table or couples table.

3. They could be décor for the ceremony.

There is so much we can do with these beautiful vases with a little imagination and creativity they will add perfect touches to my perfect day.

Remember to always be open to getting your décor at any store that has what you are looking for. Whether it is a thrift store or the Pottery Barn…if it fits your budget and goes with your style then go for it!