Pinterest

Making It Work

0 · Jul 18, 2014 ·

I’ve been working on several design plans lately. I love it when a bride comes to me full of the most perfect ideas you could ever imagine. Everything from the wedding party attire to the venue to the cutest wedding party favors all match and flow seamlessly, making her a dream to work with and my job rather simple. Then there’s the bride who has a couple ideas, but really needs me to help get the creative juices flowing. That’s why you hire me – because I’m pretty creative. When you can feel her excitement from across the planning table I know I’m doing my job and the excitement I feel is beyond words.

However sometimes it doesn’t end there. Sometimes she continues planning and things go astray. And then there’s the situation that the planning that has already been put into motion really isn’t the direction that you think the event should take and she just can’t see how you’re trying to eat pizza and oranges together in the same meal.

This is where the challenge begins. This is where I have to remind myself that there’s a reason that she hired me. She hired me to make it all work, to make it come together and make it beautiful. I have to find a way to bridge that gap and bring her dream to life.

The problem is we’re so overwhelmed with images and ideas – Pinterest, wedding blogs and various other sources – that we just want it all. And we want it to be amazing, budget friendly and stress free (I mean, you might as well, we’re already living in a fantasy).

Have you ever considered hiring a designer just to unjumble your brain? They can help you focus on your priorities and come up with a plan that is truly you and not what every other Pinterest bride is doing. Maybe mason jars (although sometimes inexpensive), might not be the right “thrifty route” for you. Psst… I have some other fun ideas that are just as cheap, err… cost effective. Talking to an expert – whether it’s a wedding planner, florist, designer etc. before committing to designs and ideas is always a great idea. Who knows, they might have a more inventive, charming or creative idea or perhaps you were on the right path all along. And maybe we can just find a way to make it all work.

Some happy flowers from myself and Ashley Slater Photography for your Friday… Happy Weekend!!

PS – This is not pointed at one of my brides specifically, just general information and thoughts I’ve had based on life and conversations & I love a design challenge xo

Creating vs. Pinning

0 · Feb 18, 2014 ·

The last couple of days I’ve been a little Pinterest obsessed. I had gotten away from it for a while but it really is a great resource for capturing ideas that you love. Generally as I’m out and about in on the world wide web and I come across a picture, a bouquet or whatever else is lovely, I pin it. And occasionally as I’m looking for ideas for an upcoming project, I go back to those lovelies that I previously pinned because I found them inspiring.

I have had many others comment on my boards that I’ve put together – they love my style! Here’s my problem with that statement. The things that I pin are what inspire my style, they are what I find visually pleasing but they aren’t things that I actually created. So is that really my style?

“I know what I like when I see it, but I don’t know how to create it”. I’ve heard that way too many times. That’s why you brought in an expert – because you don’t know how to create it yourself. Unfortunately, even the “experts” might not be about to duplicate it since it isn’t their work.

This goes for anyone in the creative industry that is using Pinterest. Loving their pins is an awesome first step. However, don’t book someone just because they can source beautiful inspirations from around the internet. Make sure the events, florals, pictures or paper goodies they create also show off the style that you love. You don’t want them to copy these pins, just create the same essence that made you fall in love with the pin in the first place.

Examine the artist’s actual work and ask to see things in their portfolio that is similar to what you’re seeking. It’s okay to ask for a simple mock up or sketch, let them prove their abilities. Who knows, maybe some of those pins were actually created by them!

Happy Planning (and Pinning)!

Easter Inspirations

0 · Mar 27, 2013 ·

Easter is this Sunday! Did you know that? That’s a mere four days from now!!! I am starting to hit panic mode as I am helping my mother’s church with their Easter breakfast and guess who’s in charge of the décor? You guessed it.

But I am having designer’s block (you know, like writer’s block, but with décor!) So I have done what any reasonable lady would do, and it’s off to Pinterest!

My first thought was doing something like these tissue flowers, then adding some real blooms and greens around the room with them. They seem simple enough. It’s cost effective and I could clear out some of the mountains of tissue paper that I have stored down in my basement, it’s a win-win! However, my flowers flopped. It’s okay, I can admit when I failed, and I failed with these.

{Tissue flowers are via Design Sponge, see the entire tutorial here.}

So it’s back to the décor board! It is like a jungle out there, idea after idea, the good, the bad and the ugly. I continue to scour through waiting for some great inspiration to strike me…

{Top Left: Via Ruffled Blog, Photography: Brion Hopkins / Wedding Planner: Joy de Vivre / Floral Design: Nico Designs; Bottom Left: Via Style Me Pretty, Photography: Jessamyn Harris Photography / Floral Design: The Monkey Flower Group; Top & Bottom Right: Via Ruffled Blog, Photography: Jenna Trapasso of Red White and Green Photography / Event Styling: Ashley Hayward}

I love these ideas, so fresh and cute and they make me think warmer weather might actually be on the way! As a bonus, any design that incorporates aqua automatically has my attention! However, these do not seem practical to replicate on large round tables, they would be lost. I have more than one table to decorate! That’s the trouble with clusters of arrangements; you have to make them big to have a big impact on a big table.

The real problem is this isn’t a styled photo shoot where we can play pretend and just photograph it from the right angle. This, my friends, is real life. And things here tend to be a bit trickier.

I’ll leave you today with a pretty picture of what I wish my Easter table could look like and I am off to do some shopping. I will be sure to share the results (good or bad!) next week!

{Picture via Ruffled Blog, Photography: Brion Hopkins / Wedding Planner: Joy de Vivre / Floral Design: Nico Designs}

I have a few other spring ideas that have inspired me, you can see them on my Spring Fling Pinterest board. Have a great Wednesday!

Discouraged by Pinterest

0 · Mar 18, 2013 ·

I consider myself a creative individual. I like coming up with original ideas. However, I am beginning to feel like there are no truly innovative ideas left. In this world of technology, where everyone shares everything via the internet (whether it be Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook or whatever), so many ideas are swapped that life has become overwhelming. Our imaginations are forced to be stretched beyond limits; it can bring a person to tears.

There is nothing more frustrating to me than coming up with a really cool idea, doing a little research to make it happen, only to find out that sixteen other people already have done it, blogged about it, and now it’s all over Pinterest. It just doesn’t seem fair! That was MY idea and now it looks like I copied them. I get so discouraged by Pinterest!

Perhaps I’m a little overly sensitive on the issue, because I do not like to copy people. While I don’t think there’s anything wrong with seeking inspiration from others, I strive to be one of a kind.

Photo by Shannon Scott Photography {Smug Shots}

I got married way back in the day before Pinterest. Believe it or not, I survived. I found a ton of inspiration; I did Google searches and found some cool blogs, and did a lot of poking around The Knot. Even so, I had such a hard time trying to narrow down exactly what I wanted to do with my wedding. I chose simple projects, such as hanging these place cards on an old window screen, an idea that I did not find online, but I am sure someone else has done it, and they have probably even done it better.

But because there are so many more resources readily available today, my mind goes on overload. Everyone and their brother seem to be posting things about how to do weddings right and what’s wrong with the wedding industry and DIY projects. When doing a simple search for place card displays for a wedding, hundreds of ideas pop up. Fifty of those ideas would go perfect with your theme and you love them all. How do you narrow it down? You want your wedding to be creative, right?

My best advice is to be true to yourself. While there is nothing wrong with seeking inspiration from others, customize the details. Make things fit your style and reflect your special day. If you’re purchasing props, choose objects that are your style and will fit into your home later to add a little extra meaning. Do not spend hours upon hours researching one tiny detail of your wedding (such as place cards, table numbers or flower girl dresses). Pick a couple ideas that you like and go from there. Do not exhaust yourself with details that won’t matter ten years from now. There is no need for extra stress on your wedding day.

Sometimes I suggest ideas to people and they think it’s the most creative thing they have ever heard, and I look at them in pure astonishment as I have seen this idea done so many times I cannot keep track. Other times, I share something out of my own imagination and they’ve already thought of it. So I will leave you with this promise. I will do my best to share my ideas with you, and try to keep them original. But I might end up posting something that you’ve already read somewhere else. You may like my ideas or you may not, either way I am keeping true to myself and trying to inspire your day.

Oh, and you can see my ideas and what inspires me on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

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