Showing posts with label brooch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brooch. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Brooch the Bouquet


When my boss recently asked me what gives me satisfaction at work, I didn't hesitate before responding.

"A big, fat challenge," I told her.

"Not a surprise to me," she responded.

I am director of a marketing communications department. My work day consists of managing quirky creatives and demanding clients. I'm never short of challenges.

But, at the moment I responded to my boss, it occurred to me that interesting, and often difficult, challenges offer me satisfaction, period. Not just at work. In my personal life, too.

So when my son's fiancé recently asked if I'd be interested in making a brooch bouquet for one of her wedding clients, I accepted the challenge.

First thing I did?  You guessed it. Googled brooch bouquets. Much to my surprise, and relief, the images and examples were endless. And, the number of tutorials was amazing.

The bride wanted a brooch bouquet with a twist:  she wanted it to look like a baseball. No problem! Wonder if she knew our son played baseball for 15 years?


Couldn't find a baseball brooch bouquet, but found a carnation baseball bouquet.


This stunning work of art, made by Judy at Fancy Pants Weddings, was my inspiration. Her tutorial is so good, I won't go into how to make one of these beauties. Judy's instructions are all you'll need if you want to try making your own bouquet for your special day. But, many other good how-to's are available  online.

For the baseball bouquet, the bride agreed that a combination of silver, white, pearl and crystal would be a nice combination, creating the right combination of sparkle and a whitish background to represent the ball.


The bride collected some jewelry from her family. I had some nice pieces in the stash of vintage jewelry I use in my crafting. I scoured the thrift stores and also found some additional pieces online and at estate sales. The larger  brooches can be supplemented by earrings, pendants and larger rings, if necessary. This bouquet used 64 pieces.



I wired each piece with floral wire and wrapped each with floral tape. This is the time-consuming phase. To stay on track, I started wiring as soon as I collected the first brooches and wired a few every night.


As I wired, I collected the stems in a vase to get a sense for when I had enough to form the bouquet.

About halfway through the creation of the bride's bouquet, she contacted me about creating one for her bridesmaid. We decided to make that one in red and silver.

Assembling the bouquet takes patience. Finding just the right combination to create a symmetrical shape isn't as easy as it may look. I learned early on that it wouldn't be perfectly round. After assembling the full bouquet, I let it sit for a couple of days. Stepping away from it allowed me see where it could use improvement. After a few days, I disassembled the entire bouquet and reassembled it with much better results.

I finished both bouquets in the red and navy colors of the wedding. The bride's bouquet has a double collar of red tulle and navy satin. The stem is embellished with a repurposed pearl and shell vintage bracelet. The bridesmaid's bouquet is finished with a single navy collar and silver lace trim on the stem.

I'm excited about the final product!









Oh, this was a fun challenge! For any bride-to-be who is creatively inclined and isn't pressed for time, this is definitely worth the effort. Don't be afraid to give it a try.

Make it a great day!
Linking to:



Posted by at 10 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Fill a Gap--Quick and Easily

Ever need a quick solution to fill a small wall space?


After I took down a holiday wreath I had on the dining room wall, I wanted a change from the picture I normally hang there. 

Without a specific alternative to fall back on, I dug into bits and pieces of things I have around the house for a solution.



This pretty vintage gold-tone frame has been hanging on a pegboard in the basement gathering dust for ages. A little scrubbing and it looks pretty good.



A piece of medium-wide grosgrain ribbon and some luxurious, sparkly vintage rhinestone brooches create an eye-catching display within the frame.

The amber/gold tones of the glittery rhinestones and the gold frame pick up the gold accents in the wallpaper. Looks as if it were all meant to be.

So what's going on with the bulb garden in my dining room window?

Funny thing about bulb gardens: everything blooms at its own pace. The first daffodils you saw last week are waning, the second wave is now in bloom. The white hyacinth is now the brown hyacinth.


But the crocus look magnificent and a large, regal purple hyacinth is powering its way to the sunlight.


Three tulips and a second large hyacinth are budding beauties.

Stay tuned for the next wave of glorious color.


Make it a great day!
Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Obsessed with Amber


A girl can never have too much amber. This girl can't anyway.

So, for a flourish of fall around the house, I pulled out nearly every piece of amber glassware I own. And the amber-colored vintage jewelry, amber-beaded tassels and garland and amber-toned ornaments. Then, I threw together a dining room decor full of warm fall color and sparkle. 

To add polish and cohesiveness, I called into service my vintage beveled mirrors and, finally, sprinkled the room generously with satin fabric pumpkins and turkey feathers. A simple recipe for an autumn feel.


Front and center on the buffet, I stacked vintage cake stands and topped them with an upside-down small amber bowl that forms a pedestal for a larger right-side-up carnival glass bowl. I embellished the centerpiece with vintage brooches, beaded tassels, garland and satin pumpkins. Can't you almost smell apples and cinnamon, pumpkin spice, caramel and perhaps a hint of dried leaves?


What a nice warm glow . . . a vintage Fostoria juice glass forms the pedestal for a pretty pumpkin.


The vintage mirrors add special sparkle and interest under the room's arrangements. Love the etched detail on this mirror.




Flanking either side of the buffet's cake stand tower are arrangements of amber-colored goblets, more satin pumpkins and beautiful iridescent feathers courtesy of our flock of backyard wild turkeys.




On the dining room window seat, which catches the southern sun, I positioned a beautiful amber-colored, mirrored-glass mosaic bowl on top of another amber cake stand and filled the bowl with small pumpkins and gourds. The mosaic mirror glass dances in the sunlight, throwing bits of light around the room, changing character and intensity as the day goes on. The cake stand is embellished with amber-beaded garland and positioned on another vintage mirror with beautiful etching.



A large satin pumpkin atop an art glass cake stand adorns the dining room table. Amber-colored fabric-and-bead ornaments on an oval vintage mirror round out the centerpiece.

And, finally, I wrapped the chandelier in evergreen and strung it with an amber prism garland to round out this sensuous fall decor.

But wait! There's more! When you look now, you'll get amber vignettes in the foyer and amber tableware in the kitchen awaiting Sunday guests.

Don't worry--I won't bore you with the rest of it. Not today, anyway.


Make it a great day!

Posted by at 30 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)