Violet's 1st Birthday

My daughter, Violet, just turned one.  I couldn't resist making a blog post about her special day.  She loves books so it was easy picking a theme for her first party.  I asked friends to bring a favorite book they had growing up.  My dear friend and graphic designer,  Frida Clements, made the most darling invite with a drawing of Violet holding a book siting in a cluster of violet flowers.

 I chose a color palette of brown, red, and cream that was inspired by an outfit she received at her shower that I had saved knowing I wanted it to be her birthday outfit.  I popped these colors with a little bright moss green, pink and sky blue.  I made this diorama with a little woodsy motif as a centerpiece.

I bought bulk crepe paper and cut strips and then ran them through the sewing machine to give them a little ruffle effect.  I also found some pretty decorative papers that I made a custom birthday banner in the color scheme.  For her name I used pages from an old book to bring in the book theme.  Little red bird clips held up the sign.

 I lucked out and found these cute polka dot plates and wood-grain napkins that matched both the color story and theme. Out of the left over crepe paper I made little tissue flowers using a pinking shears and thread.  I nestled them throughout the house to add bits of color.

Suzanne Rosellini of Rosellini Sweets made a delicious chocolate cake for the occasion.  I couldn't resist making a special cake topper.  I found some wood-grain paper, moss, decorative vintage mushrooms, and some flocked deer and went to town creating this whimsical piece.  Vintage birdie candle holders worked great holding these long red candles I found.  I also spruced up the white cake stand with bits of ric rac, pom poms and a paper doily.

 When I found this mushroom candle I knew Violet needed her own miniature cake.  So she also got a fun topper with little plastic deer, moss and a very special candle.

Here is one more view of the cake before it was gobbled up.

Violet enjoyed her first sugar rush thanks to Rosellini Sweets.  She wasted no time diving in to devour her special cake.  Thanks for letting me share a more personal post.  I loved making these little decorations on a smaller level for our little gathering.  xoxoTes

Cake- Rosellini Sweets

Invite Design- Frida Clements

Photography- Tes de Luna for Crinoline & Tweed

Flirty Forties Birthday Party

What better party idea for two friends turning 40 than a 1940's themed get together?  We picked red, brown, orange, and jade green as our color scheme as those were popular shades of the 40's.   With the invitation we conjured up an image of ladies dressing up and going out for a glamorous night on the town.

 We had our favorite baker, Rosellini Sweets, whip up a couple of cakes for the occasion.  We thought about what might have been traditional favorites cake varieties in the 1940's and decided on fluffy white coconut and smooth buttermilk with butter cream frosting.  We were so pleased when we happened upon these reproduction jadite cake stands.  We created the cake topper using images from vintage sewing patterns as well as other decorative papers and vintage buttons.

For table tops we used these cute rose themed vintage tablecloths.  Our collections of antique McCoy vases provided the perfect choices for lush bouquets of red roses and orange ranunculus.

 Isn't this little deer vase perfect for a small floral arrangement?  For a larger event it might be fun to find different animal vases for each table.

Later in the evening everyone gathered around while the cakes were served.  We're always amazed at how perfectly delicious Suzanne's cakes are.  They taste like the cakes of your dreams.  Tables were embellished with punched paper flower confetti and cute vintage photo signage.  All of our favorite ladies brought their fellows for an evening of music, dancing, cake, and great conversation.

Cakes- Rosellini Sweets

Invitation & Sign Design- Michelle Stewart

Photography- Rich Casey

Venue- Copper Gate

A Day on the Farm

We didn't want summer to pass us by without making time for a little country getaway.  We packed up friends and food and drove out to Oxbow Farm outside of Seattle.  As we planned the trip we thought what a fun wedding theme this could be.  So we whipped up some favors for our guests.  These darling jars of organic local blackberry honey are topped with 1930's feed sack fabric and our staple laser cut element.  This time we went with a cute honey bee.

 We took the opportunity to style up our best girlfriends as bridesmaids.  We stopped by Pretty Parlor and picked up these vintage dresses perfect for a casual farm wedding.  Both had sweet floral patterns adorned with lace and ruffles.  We went with loose soft braids for the hair.  Vintage Magpie supplied us with her lovely flowery vintage jewelry and headbands.    

Katherine from Marigold & Mint put together a charming wildflower bridesmaid bouquet including Queen Anne's lace, red zinnias, chamomile, and sprigs of peppermint. We all dressed up in cute flowered vintage style farm frocks and western boots for the party. 

As our guests arrived we served up a refreshing lemon drop punch with champagne, vodka and lemonade.  We found a darling milk glass punch bowl and cup set. 

Fitting for a farm picnic, we decorated the food table with local fresh produce and fresh flowers.  We used vintage blue and white china for serving plates.  We love animals so the days feast was a variety of organic vegan and vegetarian options.

Our old farm table was covered with a table cloth and napkins we stitched up using reproduction 1930's feed sack prints in our yellow and blue color scheme.  The table was set under the shade and beauty of a grape arbor.  We brought down old schoolhouse chairs giving the table some rustic charm.

What could be a better choice than milk glass for a farm wedding theme, right?  We collected vintage milk glass vases and filled them with local wildflowers.  Each table had an animal theme, the one seen here was the cow table.  Each place setting had a cow wood veneer place card, vintage silver, delicate cut water glass, and the table number centerpiece was a farm vignette shadow box with cows, produce art from old seed packs and the table number.

To beacon guests to the dessert table we designed a "Sweet on You" sign out of wood veneer and vintage fabric .

Kimber Cakes, a local vegan baker specializing in vegan treats that are so rich and tasty you wouldn't believe they are vegan, baked up little blueberry tarts with a flaky pastry crust and the secret ingredient of a splash of vodka and twist of lime. These were served individually with a vintage serving spoon so guests could grab their tart and walk around to mingle. 

What a gorgeous day spent with close friends at a stunning venue.  The only thing we'd add next time would be to bring a band and dance the night away under the stars.

Catering- Rich Casey

Accessories- Violet Magpie

Vintage Dresses- Pretty Parlor

Flowers- Marigold & Mint and other local farms

Laser Cutting- Amy Bengtson

Summer Wildflowers

 It's finally summer in Seattle and gorgeous flowers are blooming everywhere.  We wanted to bring some of these romantic local wildflowers into this bridal beauty photo shoot.  Bridal gown designer Frocky Jack Morgan's ethereal silk embellished slip dress was our choice for a dreamy summer woodland wedding.

 

For a hot summer day, we envisioned a fresh, light face with a soft rosy glow.  We wanted a dramatic berry colored lip.  Tiffany Lowry of Red X was able to find the perfect shade of deep berry lip gloss.  To balance the bold lip, we went with a soft luminescent eye and lush lash.  We stopped by Pretty Parlor where we found a stunning vintage crystal necklace and rhinestone floral earrings.  We loved the way the shape of the earring is mimicked by the light green scabiosa flowers we chose for her hair.

We imagined a summer meadow for this wedding so we asked Tiffany to weave dense vibrant green ball flowers and creamy mint scabiosa into a loose braid.  Audrey's hair swept to the side, enabled us to show off the beautiful clasp to this vintage necklace.

In our second look, Tiffany used a lip stain that reminded us of lips stained from eating juicy blackberries.  We love this edgy yet feminine floral embellished gown.  The blue chiffon blossoms are enhanced by the vintage blue rhinestone necklace.

Audrey's loose braid is twisted into a side bun nestled with local forest flowers.  We found this shimmering blue rhinestone comb at Pretty Parlor.  This is a tribute to our fairy tale bride and we love the mix of vintage glamour with more earthy elements.

Hair & Makeup- Tiffany Lowry

Bridal Gowns- Frocky Jack Morgan

Vintage Jewelry- Pretty Parlor

Model-Audrey Hicks 

Photography- Tes de Luna/Crinoline & Tweed

Flowers- all locally sourced.

Come Join The Circus With Me

On a sunny June afternoon, Delilah and Curtis were wed.  On the couple's first date, they realized that they had both fantasized of running away to join the circus when they were teenagers.  We loved their story and thought it would be fun to run with a circus theme for their wedding party. We knew we wanted to use vibrant poppies for the table centerpieces; to us they epitomized the fun and drama of the circus.

We made these cute pinwheels as favors for guests.  Place cards were attached to the pinwheels, mimicking the pennant banners we sewed to drape over tables and the dessert buffet.  We whipped up some other hand sewn elements including cloth polka-dot napkins, a festive striped table runner, and felt napkin rings.  The table was decked out with fun vintage tin toys, glass jars of pixie sticks and striped candy sticks.  To dress up the clean white china, we accented with custom laser cut polka-dot place mats and found bright colorful flatware.

 The couple loves candy, so we knew we could have a fun time collecting colorful treats to pile up on vintage cake stands and candy dishes on the dessert bar.  A friend created this adorable diorama which we used as a centerpiece for the sidebar.  Circus animals nestled throughout the desserts continued the theme.

As guests arrived, they came upon our welcome table laden with bags of peanuts, popcorn, and red licorice wheels. 

Originally, the bride and groom had dreamed of having a red velvet tent for the reception.  As it was too hot for real velvet, we suggested a delicious red velvet cake instead.

Delilah's favorite color is red so she loved the bright red peep-toe platform sandals that we found. For Curtis, we chose the perfect wingtips with an exaggerated toe as a little nod to a clown shoe.  We topped his look off with some fun striped socks.  Delilahs' bouquet was created from a mix of dramatic Oriental poppies accented with cute wild California poppies.

We caught the bridesmaids enjoying refreshing sidecar cocktails on a quick break after the ceremony.  All of Delilah's bridesmaids wore red halter dresses.  We found vintage jewelry to coordinate with each of their looks.  All of the bridal party wore dramatic hair accessories made especially for us by Violet Magpie.

At the end of the day, we snapped a quick shot of the groomsman making his way to the couple's car to drape the "true love" banner we stitched up for their getaway.

Cake- Rosellini Sweets 

Flowers provided by- Marigold & Mint and other local growers

Jewelry and Accessories- Violet Magpie 

Laser Cutting- Amy Bengtson 

Diorama- Ilyssa Exley

Photography- Rich Casey and Tes de Luna/ Crinoline & Tweed

Groomsmen's Ties- Frankie Four 

Spring Showers Wedding Theme

On a rainy afternoon in Seattle Naomi and Jonathan tied the knot. The couple met as college transplants, and their first Seattle winter of endless rainy weather drew them together.  When picking a date for their wedding, they knew it would be futile to count on a sunny weekend in April.  We suggested that they give their wedding regional charm by celebrating Seattle's spring showers.  We liked the idea of the couple seeking shelter under the umbrella together and made that the main theme for the invitation.  The couple's favorite colors are green and turquoise so we drew together this color scheme and popped it with some bright yellow accents which worked perfectly with the daffodils Naomi wanted in her bouquet.

 The tables for the luncheon reception were decorated with handmade table runners and napkins.  We created a centerpiece for each table of potted spring bulb flowers.  We brought in daffodils to match her bouquet as well as yellow pansies and flowering spring branches that were hung with cut paper raindrops in bright yellow, turquoise, and green. 

We chose to layer the same turquoise and spring green Fiestaware dishes that the bride and groom asked for on their registry.  Floral etched water glasses were detailed with turquoise.  We found the perfect vintage dessert cups in a cheerful bright yellow and filled them with moss and a spring bulb as the wedding favor.


The rainy day theme was continued in the darling umbrella shaped place cards.

Rather than a traditional wedding cake, Naomi and Jonathan chose luscious lemon cakes decorated with tulips and daffodils for each table.  We designed a refreshing bright green signature cocktail of Midori, pineapple juice, Limonata, and vodka.

For the couple's cake, we created a custom cake topper with the image of the embracing couple taken from the invitation.

For the groom, we found a playful turquoise and white striped dress shirt and spring green silk tie.  The boutonniere was a mix of daffodil and lily of the valley wrapped in grosgrain ribbon.

Naomi's bridesmaids wore yellow cotton voile dresses with green peep toe suede pumps.  We found the perfect vintage Bakelite bangle and turquoise enamel bracelet for the Maid of Honor.  Bridesmaid bouquets were a simple mix of locally grown tulips, jonquils,and daffodils.

We styled the bridal accessories featuring a fabulous vintage floral necklace and large silk dahlia hair clip.  Before the big event, we snapped this quick photo of Naomi with an umbrella we found made by local designer, Pare Umbrella.  This was a perfect touch as the bride and groom had requested guests to bring fun, colorful umbrellas.  Despite the rain, the bright colors of the party made for a cheerful day.

Flowers- Marigold & Mint

Cake- Rosellini Sweets

Invitation Illustration- Frida Clements

Laser Cutting- Amy Bengtson

Bridal Accessories- Violet Magpie

Photography- Tes de Luna/Crinoline & Tweed

Ice Garden Wedding Table

 Carrie Middlemiss commissioned us to style this silver and white wedding party table setting to submit for a magazine editorial.  A gilded silver mirror served as a sparkly backdrop for our silver and crystal covered tabletop.  We chose a clean, modern Scandinavian style for the table and softened the look with some feminine cut crystal accents.  We loaded the table with lit candles to balance the coolness of the icy silver and glass.

A silver charger is topped with simple white china and layered with a decorative floral etched glass salad plate.  We collected an assortment of vintage silver, crystal, and mercury glass candle holders in different shapes and heights and scattered them between the flowers and dessert centerpiece.  Keeping with our Scandinavian theme, we chose a repetitive modern shape for the champagne flutes, water glasses, and vases.

We built a centerpiece of desserts using layered Clara French cake stands.  Our photograph of beautiful lace inspired the lacy fondant covered cake baked by Tallant House.  We chose a variety of Trophy Cupcakes in shades of white.

It's hard to pick which little white cupcake would be the perfect ending to a lovely evening.

Cupcakes- Trophy Cupcakes

Cupcake Wrappers- Bella Cupcake Couture

Cake Stands- Clara French Ceramique

Cake- Tallant House

Photography Tes de Luna/Crinoline & Tweed