Pillowcase Dresses!!!!!

I know, five exclamation points is a bit much but it’s hard not to write with so many when I see pillowcase dresses.  These are a recent discovery of mine, one that has turned into a full-fledged obsession.  There is something so lightweight and airy and comfy and kid-appropriate about a pillowcase dress.  They are inexpensive to make, can be made with recycled or vintage materials, and can be totally customized to match a wedding.  I think they’re the ideal flower girl dress, and I also love that they’re re-wearable.  If only I was 28 years younger.  If you don’t like these, you have no soul.  I mean it, I am in love.  Or maybe I just need to get knocked up.  But that’s another blog post for another day…

Even if you’re not a seamstress yourself, you can score adorable pillowcase dresses on etsy.  Take a look at what my own quick research revealed (all images link to their source)!

KayKape's version ($19.99)

Crisp in blue from TheUptownBaby ($25)

From Main Street Bowtique ($40)

Hummingbirds from CreativeBee706 ($20.99)

Also from Main Street Bowtique ($54)

Girlie Bow's Damask adorableness ($20)

A Compendium of DIY Pinwheel Love

I was recently reading a post about pinwheels over at $2000 Wedding, and ever since I’m been stark raving mad about paper pinwheels.  There is something so utterly romantic and playful about them!  And I feel like they have so much hidden versatility, not to mention their absolute customize-ability and cost-effectiveness!  So far, I’ve come up with 10 potential ways to use them, many of which could save you considerable cash:  

  

- Have guests waive them in lieu of bubbles, rice or birdseed when sending you off! 

- Incorporate them into floral centerpieces. 

- Or, forget the flowers altogether and use a bunch of pinwheels AS the centerpiece! 

- Write guests’ names and tables on them, and use for escort cards. 

- Top cupcakes with mini-pinwheels for a playful cake table. 

- Leave them on the kids table for the young and young at heart. 

- Tuck them into the napkins at each place setting for a whimsical favor. 

- Give them to your flower girls to carry during the ceremony instead of a basket. 

- Put your pinwheels on extra-long sticks and plant them in the ground for a festive aisle runner. 

- If you really want to get creative, you could even make your invite with instructions for how to turn them into pinwheels. 

  

Anyways… I clearly have no life… if you want to learn how to make your very own adorable pinwheels, the blogosphere is filled with great tutorials!  I’ve compiled some of my favorites to share but if you know of more, I’d love to hear them!  What would you do with pinwheels at a wedding?   

via Paper Source

via BHG

via Intimate Weddings

via Style Me Pretty

via Once Wed

 

Customizing Your Party (and a GIVEAWAY!)

Sometimes having a blog is the best thing ever.  For example, when people let you try things out to review them, which is what today’s post is all about!  The folks over at Customized Girl totally made my day a few weeks ago when they contacted me and invited me to try out some of their goods (for free, thanks CG!)!  And the even better news is that Customized Girl will be offering a mind-blowingly generous giveaway here at The One! next week, so definitely keep checking back- lots of fabulous freebies on the way!!

Customized Girl, together with it’s sister site, Bridal Party Tees, has some incredible offerings if you’re considering making t shirts or keepsakes for your bridal party gifts, or if you are planning a bachelorette party.  I’ve tried making T shirts through VistaPrint (which were certainly workable), but found CG’s products to be of a significantly higher quality for almost the same pricing and with more options.  And just as importantly, the print quality was excellent!

I can’t share photos of my specific order just yet because it’s a surprise for someone special (but I promise I will down the road), but I’ll tell you this: I ordered a few different types of shirts- a men’s tee, ladies fitted tees, stretchy tanks and even a tote bag.  Each and every piece that I ordered arrived looking exactly as I had ordered it, and the shipping was super fast!  The fabrics are soft and comfy!  The ink was vivid and definitely not going anywhere!  And even though everything I ordered was a tad different, it all coordinated so well I couldn’t be happier!

One of the best things about these goodies is that they come in a variety of price points (unlike some of their competitors) and they always have some cute stuff in their sale section too, so you don’t need to bust out a bajillion dollars to have some fun.  And the customizing software is super-user friendly.  You can use their pre-made designs and change text, fonts, sizes, graphics, or you can start from scratch and make your own!

Aaaaand… it’s not just for girls.  They have options for men and kids too, so you can buy gifts for the whole bridal party (even baby onesies)!  All images in this post are, of course, from the websites, but you should definitely go check it out to see more!

Don’t forget to keep checking back in for the upcoming giveaway- it’s a great one!

Project Wedding’s DIY Challenge: Finalists!

Fabric Boutonnieres

Scrabble Magnet Favors

Paper Flower Bouquets

Monogrammed Luminaries

Porn for the Paper Lover

If you’re madly in love with paper, just like everyone else I know, then you’re going to totally love today’s images.  My dear friend R. made, yes MADE, these gorgeous invitations, totally from scratch for her upcoming nuptuals.  The wedding is being held at an old mill, complete with the original old wood, wrought iron, vintage windows, and it’s right next to a river.  Her details will all be antique-inspired and her materials will be very natural (think: burlap and craft paper).  Her colors are navy, ivory and blush pink.  And yes, I do have an exclusive to blog about it (hey, I’m a bridesmaid, so I get the perks!)

The invitation elements are as follows: (1) Navy outer envelope with wrap around craft paper address labels; (2) vellum inner envelope with invitee names, wrapped in baker’s twine with a Thoreau quote on a vintage tag; (3) the invitation, also on craft paper and with vintage hot air balloon details; (4) RSVP card (with bright pink envelope), information enclosure, and invitation to the welcome BBQ, also incorporating vintage hot air balloons.  DROOL.   Most of the elements were printed at home on the bride’s printer, though the tag was made with a stamp.

Ok ready to fall in love?  And by the way, I’ve had the good fortune of previewing other elements this bride is working on… I cannot wait to show them to you after the wedding!

Vintage Linen Love

As part of my home improvement focus these days, along with my always-important focus on doing projects in a budget-friendly way, I’ve been trying to look at the things I own with fresh eyes and think creatively about repurposing.  And as a collector of vintage linens (but only really cute ones on the cheap, or heirlooms from my family) they are an easy thing I always like to repurpose.  So last weekend, I decided to tackle two of my throw pillows.  Originally, I had purchased the throws from Pier 1 but they were looking a bit ragged and I wasn’t sure they had long-term potential.  So I took the covers off, stowed them with old fabric, and decided to recycle the pillow forms.

For new covers, I went through my old fabrics and my linen closet.  I was so excited to rediscover two old cloth napkins from my grandmother’s estate- they are made with gorgeous, quality linen and have pretty cutouts and embroidery.  I had a pair, but I definitely wouldn’t ever use them for dinner because I only use cloth napkins for company and two isn’t enough for a dinner party.  Moreover, I would hate to stain such pretty pieces with pedestrian dinner food.  And with that inspiration was born!

Next, I went through my fabrics, and located some old green linen curtains which I had custom-made myself for an oddly shaped window when I lived in NYC- and no longer use.  I decided they would be perfect paired with the linen napkins.  Using the old pillow cases as my guide, I made a pattern, cut the fabrics and then quickly stitched the seams on my sewing machine.  I think they work great with our summer quilt (a sale splurge from Anthropologie, my reward to self when I got a bonus this year).

Ok so back to weddings… vintage linens are so versatile- they really can be used all over the place for weddings.  Here, I used vintage napkins but vintage hankies are also great to work with.  Of course everyone has seen those gorgeous examples of hankies-turned-invites like these:

Or you could wrap a bouquet with vintage linen- I did so with my grandmother’s hankerchief but fabric from an old wedding gown, or anything else meaningful would be a nice touch!

And of course one of my personal favorites, the hankie-turned-ring pillow!  I just love this one from AK Collections on Etsy!

Or even vintage fabric bunting hung for a festive touch.

Anyone else have any good ideas for incorporating vintage linens into wedding plans?

Oh Yes she DID!!

I just read about this news yesterday over at the Bride’s Guide and it is just such good news that I had to share it with you.  Ready?

… Vera Wang …

is collaborating with David’s Bridal to launch a new collection for 2011 at a $1500 or less price point! 

*cue Halleluiah Chorus*

That’s right my friends.  I’ve noticed David’s has really been stepping things up lately with more updated gowns and better looking fabrics… it’s really a breath of fresh air to see retailers offering better gowns at better prices!  Hooray for affordable fashion!

And you know as soon as I get my hot little hands on some preview images, I’ll be sharing, so stay tuned!

One of my faves from Vera's fall 2010 collection

Beachy-Casual-Budget-Eco-Friendly Wedding Ideas?

My mom is getting married to her incredibly sweet and very-into-environmentalism fiance.  They initially wanted to throw a tiny beach wedding, but after realizing they couldn’t accomodate all of their friends, they decided to move the party to a golf club.  So I’m wondering if you have ideas for how to bring the casual beachy vibe they love to a country club scene, while still being both budget and eco-friendly.  Thoughts?

Oooh this one’s going to be fun!  It helps that I know the reader who posed this question, so I’ll take some liberty with my assumptions as I answer this question.  And as usual, all images link to their source.

First, I suggest using beach-pails for the flower girl and ring bearer to carry down the aisle.  The flower girl’s could be filled with flowers or shells, or flower petals for tossing- and all of this could be done very inexpensively using local craft store supplies.  And for the ring bearer, I say tuck crumpled fabric leftover from dress alterations inside the pail and call it a day.  Simple, cost-effective, and the kids can re-use the pails in the sand later!

for the flower girl

for the ring bearer

Next, I’m thinking repurposed centerpieces.  I’ve recently seen lots of brides picking up dozens milk glass vases at thrift stores, a trend I love.  And of course, you can DIY your own faux-milkglass out of old jars and bottles if you’d like.  Fill the glasses with a few informal buds, put 3-5 on a table, and voila, instant centerpiece!  Mix in some sea glass and sand, and you have a polished, not-too-matchy arrangement that has impact and casual softness.  And let’s say you have 10 guests per table and five vases- the vases could double as favors, 1 per couple.  So cute!

Milk glass vases

Sea glass

Another thought that instantly comes to mind is using bamboo or wooden flatware.  As I’ve said previously, I’m madly in love with this concept.

And hey look, these can be done in the right colors too!

Instead of doing a fancy cake, the couple should definitely consider a small cake for cutting as part of a dessert bar.  This isn’t a totally original idea, but since they live in Florida, there are a lot of great local ideas one could incorporate… like my favorites, Key Lime pie, honeycake, and orange cake (which is shockingly tasty, if you haven’t tried it before).  And let’s not forget cute sodas or ice cream as part of the spread!  Of course, these could also be used as table centerpieces if you have enough desserts!

yum yum yum

For escort cards, another adorable idea is to write the names and tables on found sea-shells or recycled paper, and then hold them up in a container of sand.  SO cute, and especially budget friendly and personal if you find the shells yourself!

the paper version

another variation on the theme

What other ideas do you have for this theme?  I just love the idea!

Vintage Window Weekend

This past weekend, I decided to give in to my urge (it’s a terribly persistent urge) to start another home improvement project.  But since my condo is for sale, I needed to make sure it was something we could take with us.  It didn’t take long for me to start thinking about our living room- over the sofa, we have been using a set of Chinese watercolors (my first real art purchase, from a gallery in Shanghai) but I’ve been using them there for about 6 years, and I’m a little bored with them.  So I decided to swap them out.  But with what?

I recalled seeing a giant barn window in a friend’s house a few years back, and that is when things started clicking.  I called my Dad, who is the best person I know for tracking down budget-friendly antiques (after all, he scored my vintage steamer trunks)…

Hey Dad, do you happen to have any old windows lying around?

Of course I do!  How many do you want?  Actually, I’ll just send you them all…

And that’s how I became the proud owner of five antique paned glass windows!!  Turns out our family friends had recently redone their farmhouse and had gotten rid of a slew of windows- I love knowing where they’re from!  They arrived in great shape, but filthy, so the first thing I did was clean them up.  But even post-cleaning, the paint was chipping and peeling all over the place, and I was worried about lead.  I tested them and they tested negative, but given the condition of the windows (and just to be safe) I decided to give them a coat of paint anyways.

These are the two I didn't use yet- you can see that they are clean but need some work.

Some of the windows are from the house, and others are from old kitchen cabinets.  I selected one house, and two cabinets, and got to work.  First, one super-thick coat Zinser primer, leftover from when we redid our kitchen cabinets.  This stuff is pretty thick so it seals, covers stains, and also because of the thickness, it shows brush strokes- which was perfect here.  I went for a very rustic paint job- imperfections were ok because once finished, I took sandpaper all over the windows to distress the finish.  I further distressed the finish using watered-down antique white and brown paint (the white was leftover from a wedding project, the brown was a sample size from Home Depot).  Then I screwed eye hooks into the tops of the frames, along with 8-inch strands of chain (also from Home Depot).  It took me about two afternoons (not counting dry time) to get this project done from start to finish and I’m in LOVE!

The finished project over my sofa!

Best part?  The cost!  Here’s how I came out:

Windows: free (thanks Dad!)

Primer: free (leftover from past project)

Paint: $2.99 for tester of Behr paint from home depot

Lead paint test kit: $9.99

Eye hooks: free (leftovers from a past project)

Chain: $2.00 for 6 8-inch lengths of chain

30-Lb wall hangers: $.99

TOTAL SPENT:  $15.97

Ok I know what you’re thinking: that’s nice Sarah, but what does this have to do with weddings? Well, doing this project made me think… wouldn’t it be awesome to use old windows like this at a wedding?  Old windows could be used to make a  folding screen to hold escort cards, a frame for old family wedding photos, or they could even be painted with chalkboard paint  to use as a menu like this bride did:

DIY Window Chalkboard Menu, from Ruffled Blog!

Or maybe you could have guests use permanent ink to sign your window as a creative guest book, one you could hang in your home later?  Or simply use a window to welcome guests into your space.  Oh how I love antique windows.

This may be a Christmas vignette, but you could definitely do this to coordinate with your wedding too!

What uses can you think of for vintage windows?  Any ideas for what I should do with my remaining two?

Bacheloretting, Just $4.74

So, it’s not news that I heart VistaPrint.  But I recently learned that VP makes T shirts and totes, with prices starting at $4.74 (or in some cases, free, if you have the right coupon).  And so I did some looking into it.  Turns out these inexpensive tees are actually quite cute, and of course you can even upload your own design.  Now, I love companies like Zazzle and Custom Ink too, not to mention the adorable custom finds you can get on Etsy or Wedding Chicks, but hey, times are tough.  Sometimes you have to make the call to cut costs, and this is a good way to do so while still getting a product completely personalized (for instance, you could put each gal’s name on their own shirt; or make the bride’s a little extra special)!

Wouldn’t these be wonderful, affordable bridesmaids gifts?  Or perfect for an upscale out of town bag?  Personally, I always love wedding swag and have not stopped wearing my most recent wedding related item, a zippered hoodie from friend P’s bachelorette.  In fact, I *may* or *may not* have recently designed some tees for two different events I’ll be a part of in the near future, and I’m so excited with how they came out!  Here’s some of my favorite VP options!

And remember, if you order from VistaPrint, be sure to use Ebates so you can get cash back too!! 

Oh yeah, and I almost forgot, they make tote bags and hats too.  What designs are your favorite?