Candy Buffet

Candy buffets have become a popular feature at wedding receptions. Megan decided early on that she would like to include one to use as favors for her wedding guests.

I already had several apothecary jars - remember, I used them for her bridal shower as centerpieces. Click HERE to see them. Now those same jars are full of sweet treats. I decided I'd better do a "dry run" to see how things will look on the wedding day.

 I ordered candy from a favorite website that I have used several times for other events, Bulk Foods. They have a great assortment of candies, chocolates and nuts among other things and their prices are very reasonable.

 We chose chocolate mints, white heart mints, chewy spearmint leaves, pear flavored Jelly Bellies, chocolate covered caramel corn, old fashioned candy sticks, chocolate pretzel balls and a honey crunch trail mix. I did a little research on how much candy to buy. We decided that 1/4 pound per person seemed a reasonable amount, so just multiply that by your number of guests.

 I think it all will look quite pretty with her color scheme of ivory, sage and brown.

 We're using cellophane candy bags with a personalized label I made with our bird's nest logo. I've got brown and white baker's twine for our guests to  tie up their bags with.

 Instead of scoops I'm using my collection of vintage sauce ladles to dish up the sweets.

Now I get to pack it all up and take it to Utah!

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DIY Wedding Invitations

I haven't had much time to blog lately what with my daughters upcoming wedding. So I thought I would share her wedding invitations and how I created our own and saved some money in the process! 

If you have looked at wedding invitations online or at a printer's you know how expensive they can be. Megan wanted her invitations enclosed in a folder and secured with a band. This is a popular style called a gatehouse fold and can cost as much as $5-6 per invitation.  First, I headed to the scrapbook store and found  cardstock that we liked in her color scheme, sage green and chocolate brown. These would be cut and folded to make the cover of the invitation. 

 Then I created the inner portion (or announcement) on my Printshop program. There are many design programs out there, this just happens to be the one I use most often. I played with fonts and colors until we were happy with the results. We decided to keep things fairly simple- ivory cardstock with brown ink and the sage green cover. I think the double border of brown framing the wording gives a 
nice clean look.

 Next, I created a couple of different insert cards as we will be having a wedding reception in Utah 

and an open house 2 weeks later in Georgia. I chose the logo of a bird's nest  to decorate the inserts. I found one I liked on the internet and downloaded it  and attached it to the invite. Are you with me? 

I also created an RSVP postcard similar to one I saw on Pinterest. I loved this idea, all of the information is on the back and it needs less postage to mail.

I copied everything onto a thumb drive and took it to my local printers. We wanted raised lettering on the invitation and that is something I can't do. They also cut and scored the covers and we had them print the addresses on the envelopes, so worth it!

We added a photo of the happy couple and I bound all the inserts together with a cute heart shaped paper clip I found at LCI Paper.com. 

My total cost (not including the photos and postage) was $1.50 per invitation. Woo hoo! It was not that complicated and considering we've ordered 300 announcements it was well worth the savings!


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Ukrainian Eggs

My small collection of Ukrainian dyed eggs, also known as pysanky, is probably my most treasured Easter decor. This craft dates back thousands of years and eventually was adopted by Christians in Eastern Europe to symbolize the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The colors and patterns all have a special meaning, but I just think they're beautiful! 

The process of making them is by drawing the design with melted wax onto the egg then placing in a dye. That procedure is repeated multiple times using progressively darker dyes and then melting the wax to reveal the intricate patterns. It takes a steady hand and much patience!  

These few eggs are my feeble attempt at this ancient craft. I think I need a bit more practice!

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Simple Easter Centerpiece

Debbie over at Confessions of a Plate Addict does such wonderful centerpieces in a shabby old crate. She inspired me to give it a try, although I haven't found a box as cool as hers yet. I did fine this wooden basket at the Goodwill and decided to have a little fun.

 I painted the box a soft green, distressed it a bit and added a beehive graphic. Then I added a few Springy touches like a nest with a little vintage bird, a glittery Easter bunny and some charming English dessert plates.

I think this makes for a simple Spring place setting great for Easter dinner or a ladies luncheon.

Actually, I'll be taking all of these goodies into my antique store this week , so drop on by! I'm at 

 Merchant Square Antiques


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