The Bride's Bouquet

I found the page out of the Knot with the picture of the paper bouquet that Briee loved.  I don't have a picture of that particular creation but I did find the web site of the lady who made it.  She is an amazing and talented artist and I didn't see anything that she has made that I didn't like!

Her name is Eloise Corr Danch and you can check out her web site here.

Since that feature in the bridal magazine The Knot, paper flowers and bouquets have been popping up everywhere!  A search on Etsy for paper flowers produced 76,311 results.  There is everything from book pages to tissue paper to scrapbook paper and sheet music. 

For Briee's flowers we used several different papers. 

     Double sided scrapbook paper
     Book pages
     Sheet music

We stuck with primarily white  flowers and added green in the leaves and blue and green in the smaller filler flowers and trailing curls.  

I love this picture of her bouquet!

We also incorporated tulle and some small beads and beaded flowers from her mother's and her grandmother's wedding veils.  It was the most lovely personal touch to add. 

We used a standard plastic and foam bouquet base. It was a good size and lightweight too. 

All of the paper was found at Hobby Lobby, Joanns and Michaels.  Oh, and some vintage books and music  from our favorite thrift stores!  The flowers were cut using Laura's Cricut.  We experimented until we found the shape and size that worked best and  then cut all of each flower we needed at once.  We tried to make notes about which flowers were what sizes and how many  but our notes were either illegible or misplaced :)

I did also make some of the origami  flowers that you can find directions for online.  That is the only origami I will ever be able to do and I had to read the directions for each and every flower! Have I ever mentioned I am not so good with reading AND following directions?

When we had plenty of variety of flowers, (I think we used about 5 different ones)  we just started sticking them in the base and moving them around until they looked good. I wish I would have kept track of how long this all took us.  I know there were at least two days of me holding the bouquet and Laura moving and squishing flowers until they were going the direction she liked!  We covered the handle and the back very last and tried to stick the little curls in right where we wanted them when it was all done.

This was most definitely a team effort.  She would tell you that I made the bouquet but don't be fooled!  She cut, I assembled and together we came up with one of the most beautiful paper creations I have ever made.    Then we did it all over again for the bridesmaids.

Tomorrow's post, boutineers. I will give the guys a turn.

Wedding Wrap Up - Paper Style

May 18th, 2012 has come and gone and while the wonderful memories of the day are still fresh in my mind, here are a few pictures of what we have been up to for the past year and a half.  

All photography by Kathryn Dokter.  Special thanks to her for taking all these pictures and capturing every detail just as I had hoped!

Everything that could be made out of paper was!  

The bride fell in love with a paper flower bouquet and they rest, as they say, is history. 

More details and sources to come as the week goes on. 

 (It may take me a week to remember it all :)

 Congratulations again Briee and Ryan!

Rhubarb 150 Ways

Ok, not really, but if you have rhubarb, you know that you always end up with way more than you know what to do with! 

Here is my very favorite rhubarb dessert. Unlike my Dad, I don't consider eating bowls full of strawberry rhubarb jelly a dessert. This one came from my mother and I remember her making it often at the beginning of every summer.  You won't be disappointed with it, I promise!

Rhubarb Cherry Crunch

4 cups diced fresh rhubarb
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp corn starch
1 cup water
1 can cherry pie filling
5 drops red food coloring (I never add this)
1 tsp almond extract

3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 sifted flour
pinch of salt
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I omit these)

Place rhubarb in 11 x 7x 1 1/2 inch baking dish.  Combine sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan.  Gradually stir in water.  Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until thick.  Stir in pie filling and almond extract.  Pour over rhubarb. 

Combine oats, brown sugar, flour, salt and butter.  Mix until crumbly.  Sprinkle over fruit mixture. 

Bake in moderate oven, 350, for 45 minutes until golden brown and rhubarb  is tender. 

Makes 6-8 servings.

 
I have added several new recipes to the rhubarb section of my cook book over the years so if you need more ideas of what to make, just let me know. 

You can't go wrong with Chocolate Chip

Well, actually you can.  Like when you move from the Midwest to the mountains and all your recipes flop because of this thing called altitude. 

Well, all your baking recipes anyway!  

Thank goodness for the people who have lived here all their lives!  Here is my new favorite recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies from highaltitudebaking.com 

Just in time for National Chocolate Chip Day!

Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies

© 1999 Letty Flatt CHOCOLATE SNOWBALL

ThreeForks Book/Falcon Publishing

This home-size recipe from Letty Halloran Flatt’s recipe book CHOCOLATE SNOWBALL, is altitude-adjusted for 3500 feet altitude and above; over 9,000 feet, you can cut 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter.
 

Yield: 12 jumbo (4-inch) or 24 medium cookies.

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 325°F. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter with both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla, then scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix them into the creamed butter. Scrape bowl. Stir in chocolate.

Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment or oil lightly with canola oil. To make jumbo cookies, scoop dough into twelve (1/3 cup) mounds, 4 to a sheet, 3 inches apart, or scoop smaller cookies by the tablespoon. Bake until cookies are flat and light golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes, depending upon size.

A little pop of color

For those of you that know me, you may be aware of the fact that:

1. I like to rearrange things.  Like I like it a lot. 

2. My wardrobe consists of items that are black, white or grey. 

3. I am not a fan of natural wood in cabinets, furniture and the like.

4.  I like all things vintage, including  vintage sheets and Pyrex, just to name a few.

5. I really love paper and buntings.

 

So when spring arrived I put some of collections to work in my living room.  

Scott thinks it looks like a kids room.  

I think it is fitting for the room we spend the most time in as a family :) 

 Look! My plants are still alive! 

And I snuck in a few paper flowers just in case they didn't make it.  

So far, so good.

 My inspiration came from Pinterest where a girl had strung about 8 different buntings and garlands on a wall in her living room. 

Check out my other inspirational pins on my For the Home board.

  And stop over any time. The coffee is always on.

Back in the day

May is turning out to be quite the busy month. 

The school year wraps up with field day and field trips.
The year end piano recital is fast approaching. 
It's Mother's Day. 
There is a wedding to tend to and Scott's birthday all in the same weekend. 
My sister and brother-in-law's anniversary is coming right up. 
And we have one graduation open house on the calendar at the end of the month.

I know, I am not the only one with a million things going on. I am not complaining, I am just wondering why with all that I still like to wait until the last minute to do everything :)  That is all.

yum, paper cheesecake

So, since I don't have anything fabulous in the works for any of these grand occasions,  here is  the super cute paper cheesecake  and strawberries I made for an anniversary gift a few years back. 

And maybe, if I sit here long enough, I will come up with something new and fabulous and get to work! 

May Basket Making!

We couldn't let May Day go by with out making a few May baskets for our teachers at school.   I have fond memories of making them when I was little.  The combination of gumdrops and popcorn really can't be beat!

I see all over the internet that it is Teacher Appreciation Week and there are tons of cute gifts to make.  And while all those things are right up my alley, we opted for the traditional May basket with all the fixings.

Popcorn
M&Ms
Peanuts
Gum Drops
Paper cups

We did mix it up a bit by including a cute paper cone made from a vintage book page.  I didn't get any cute tags made like I wanted to but we did pack our baskets in some vintage Pyrex and off to school they went!

 Happy May Day!