Welcome to the blog for Tradewind Tiaras, Inc. We'll tell you all about our newest products, of course, but we'll also provide great wedding planning tips, showcase gorgeous weddings, and talk about our favorite vendors after 10 years in the business. Visit our main website at tradewindtiaras.com .
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Kate Middleton Silk Tulle Veil Replica
Kate Middleton's silk tulle veil was absolutely exquisite, and introduced millions to the concept of silk tulle veils. Most salons don't carry silk tulle at all, because it's a very expensive material (can't have an 8000% markup on silk tulle!) and notoriously hard to work with. But it's gorgeous--nothing moves and drapes like silk tulle--and we at Tradewind Tiaras think it's worth the effort. We're one of very few designers in the world who work with silk tulle, and we've been making silk tulle veils for years.
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| Kate Middleton's Silk Tulle Veil |
We use only the finest European silk tulle (the domestic silk tulle suppliers' quality didn't come close), and the Kate Middleton Replica veil is edged in Alencon re-embroidered lace. We don't have the Royal Academy of Embroiderers at our disposal, but gorgeous, high-end Alencon lace comes very, very close!
Just look how gorgeously the silk tulle drapes and flows!
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| Alencon Lace embroidered trim on a silk tulle cage veil. |
Do you want to buy your very own Kate Middleton replica silk tulle veil? We'd be delighted to make one for you! It's not on our main website yet (have to wait for my husband/web designer to get home from the JASIG conference), but send us an email and we can step you through exactly what to order to get this look.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Fabulous Product: Daisy Shaped Chocolate Covered Oreo Mold
I'll get back to the butterfly party and tutorials tomorrow, but I just saw these and had to share!
I'm a huge fan of edible favors in general, and I just love this new product from Fancy Flours. A mold for making daisy-shaped chocolate covered Oreos!
Delicious! Beautiful! Easy! Wouldn't these be a magnificent, easy, inexpensive DIY favor for a wedding or really any party? A gorgeous addition to any dessert table? These are so adorable they completely justify the ridiculous number of exclamation points I've used in this post. I really wish I'd had them for the butterfly party--though I would have had to figure out how to keep them from melting in our heat.
I'm a huge fan of edible favors in general, and I just love this new product from Fancy Flours. A mold for making daisy-shaped chocolate covered Oreos!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Butterfly Party: Part 3, the Celebration!
The decor and the food are obviously important parts of a celebration, and are the fun part to plan and craft! But I never lose sight of the fact that I'm planning a party. And not just any party, a party for a two year old. At this age, Niamh doesn't have any friends her own age, so all the kids in attendance were older. It was a unique challenge coming up with games and activities that could be enjoyed by the older kids as well as the birthday girl.
We started with an arts and crafts station inspired by the amazing custom crayon boxes designed by Frog Prince Paperie. I found free printable coloring pages in my theme online, and set those out with the crayons on the low table.
The table was the perfect height for all kids, from two to twelve, who attended the party.
We have our May parties in the evening here in Phoenix, because we want to have the bulk of the celebration in the dark, when it's cooler. So rather than having play time in between activities, I guided the kids from one game to another. Next up was my favorite, butterfly badminton.
Butterfly nets from the dollar section of Target were the rackets, and ribbon and lace made a beautiful "net." I let the kids bat balloons back and forth for the game. No keeping track of points necessary; it was all about the fun of hitting the balloon.
The clear balloons were definitely more sturdy than the pink and yellow ones, which tended to pop as soon as they hit the ground. Have a good supply of balloons if you play this game at one of your parties, because the kids will want to keep going!
Next up was the Chrysalis Contest. So simple, but so fun. We divided into teams, gave the kids rolls of toilet paper, and then had them cocoon one of their friends.
It was a hit with the boys and the girls, the old and the young. After bursting free of the chrysalises and flying around the yard for a bit, we played another excellent game: who can pick up the most toilet paper the fastest? ;-)
Next up was pinata time.
It was too hot to have anything chocolate in the pinata, so I filled it with bubbles and lollipops, two of Niamh's favorite things in the world. I found these bubbles in my party colors at Target, and embellished them using some of the printable scrapbook paper that Frog Prince Paperie designed to go with my party printables.
As always, we don't put loose candy in our pinatas. Instead, I make a baggie of treats for each child. It's still fun diving for the goodies when they spill from the pinata, but this way, each child gets exactly the same thing. No hurt feelings.
After that, it was free play time!
And time to eat, of course!
Chef Daddy showing off his pizza tossing skills. Pizzas cook in the wood-fired oven I built in about 90 seconds, so we can feed a crowd quickly and easily!
After dinner it was time for cake!
The party lasted well into the night, with young friends playing and our friends relaxing under the stars.
Tomorrow I start the tutorials from this party! What do you want to see first?
We started with an arts and crafts station inspired by the amazing custom crayon boxes designed by Frog Prince Paperie. I found free printable coloring pages in my theme online, and set those out with the crayons on the low table.
The table was the perfect height for all kids, from two to twelve, who attended the party.
We have our May parties in the evening here in Phoenix, because we want to have the bulk of the celebration in the dark, when it's cooler. So rather than having play time in between activities, I guided the kids from one game to another. Next up was my favorite, butterfly badminton.
Butterfly nets from the dollar section of Target were the rackets, and ribbon and lace made a beautiful "net." I let the kids bat balloons back and forth for the game. No keeping track of points necessary; it was all about the fun of hitting the balloon.
The clear balloons were definitely more sturdy than the pink and yellow ones, which tended to pop as soon as they hit the ground. Have a good supply of balloons if you play this game at one of your parties, because the kids will want to keep going!
Next up was the Chrysalis Contest. So simple, but so fun. We divided into teams, gave the kids rolls of toilet paper, and then had them cocoon one of their friends.
 |
| The birthday girl in her toilet paper chrysalis. |
It was a hit with the boys and the girls, the old and the young. After bursting free of the chrysalises and flying around the yard for a bit, we played another excellent game: who can pick up the most toilet paper the fastest? ;-)
Next up was pinata time.
It was too hot to have anything chocolate in the pinata, so I filled it with bubbles and lollipops, two of Niamh's favorite things in the world. I found these bubbles in my party colors at Target, and embellished them using some of the printable scrapbook paper that Frog Prince Paperie designed to go with my party printables.
As always, we don't put loose candy in our pinatas. Instead, I make a baggie of treats for each child. It's still fun diving for the goodies when they spill from the pinata, but this way, each child gets exactly the same thing. No hurt feelings.
After that, it was free play time!
 |
| Playing with the ribbon wands. |
And time to eat, of course!
Chef Daddy showing off his pizza tossing skills. Pizzas cook in the wood-fired oven I built in about 90 seconds, so we can feed a crowd quickly and easily!
After dinner it was time for cake!
 |
| Auntie Liz and a very happy birthday girl. |
The party lasted well into the night, with young friends playing and our friends relaxing under the stars.
Tomorrow I start the tutorials from this party! What do you want to see first?
Friday, May 20, 2011
Butterfly Party: Part 2, the Dessert Table
This post is all about the dessert table at the Tykki-Dyw is Turning Two party, the centerpiece of the celebration.
I was inspired by trips to butterfly pavillions--those glass conservatories filled with lush gardens and thousands of butterflies. I wanted to evoke a little bit of that sense, so used soft tulle curtains on the dessert table tent, and hung antique windows embellished with paper butterflies as the backdrop. So simple, really, but I loved the effect.
I'd made the cake before (a Peggy Porschen design) with pink roses and yellow butterflies, thought it would be absolutely perfect for my party. But I don't like to do exactly the same thing twice, so I switched the colors around. I wanted my dominant color to be yellow, anyway. There were about 200 roses on this sucker.
I loved the candy buttons on the dessert table best of all. I adored candy buttons when I was a kid, and had the idea of making them in my party colors. All packaged up in a bag and with the amazing printables from Frog Prince Paperie, they looked completely professional. I had so many people ask where in the world I was able to find candy buttons in my party colors. Tutorial coming soon, so check back next week!
I made sugar cookies, of course, in the party colors.
I wanted the flavors and colors to all be inspired by my fabrics, so I made my favorite cookies ever, Old World Raspberry bars. They're so good, I didn't eat any of the cake. Or anything else. Just these.
I made lemon curd with the last of the lemons from our tree, and made these tiny flower-shaped lemon tartlets.
Edible butterflies garnished these and the layered strawberry and lemon jello "nectar."
Fresh berries are always popular, and I like to have at least one healthier option on the table.
I should note here that Paula from Frog Prince Paperie made these GORGEOUS table tents for me. Stunning. I didn't want to mess them up with my absolutely atrocious handwriting, but letting my seven and two year olds be in charge of the glitter was almost as bad. I didn't do service to her gorgeous design, but my kids had fun, and I was out of time. Something has to give in the last hours before a party!
I found some adorable flower pot shaped chocolate molds on one of my trips to my local cake decorating store.
But knowing that temperatures would be around 100 degrees for the party, I knew I couldn't do chocolate. I remembered gorgeous sugar eggs that my grandmother used to make, and decided to use that technique so I could still use the absolutely precious mold. (Tutorial on this also coming up next week.) Sure, it was like handing a kid a giant sugar cube, but they looked adorable, and the kids loved them! Turns out it took them a long time to eat, too, so it wasn't quite the sugar bomb I'd feared.
Come back Monday for the final post on the butterfly party, and the start of the tutorials. I have all sorts of great projects to share!
I was inspired by trips to butterfly pavillions--those glass conservatories filled with lush gardens and thousands of butterflies. I wanted to evoke a little bit of that sense, so used soft tulle curtains on the dessert table tent, and hung antique windows embellished with paper butterflies as the backdrop. So simple, really, but I loved the effect.
I used the Dab of Jazz fabric again on the table runner I made, and the bunting on the tent (just taped right on there, no sewing involved!). But the actual tablecloth was an old bedsheet my parents had. I've been using it to protect our citrus trees when we get a hard freeze for a couple years, but it was absolutely perfect with our theme! And made out of some miraculous man-made material that didn't require any ironing. ;-)
I loved the candy buttons on the dessert table best of all. I adored candy buttons when I was a kid, and had the idea of making them in my party colors. All packaged up in a bag and with the amazing printables from Frog Prince Paperie, they looked completely professional. I had so many people ask where in the world I was able to find candy buttons in my party colors. Tutorial coming soon, so check back next week!
I made sugar cookies, of course, in the party colors.
I wanted the flavors and colors to all be inspired by my fabrics, so I made my favorite cookies ever, Old World Raspberry bars. They're so good, I didn't eat any of the cake. Or anything else. Just these.
I made lemon curd with the last of the lemons from our tree, and made these tiny flower-shaped lemon tartlets.
Edible butterflies garnished these and the layered strawberry and lemon jello "nectar."
Fresh berries are always popular, and I like to have at least one healthier option on the table.
I should note here that Paula from Frog Prince Paperie made these GORGEOUS table tents for me. Stunning. I didn't want to mess them up with my absolutely atrocious handwriting, but letting my seven and two year olds be in charge of the glitter was almost as bad. I didn't do service to her gorgeous design, but my kids had fun, and I was out of time. Something has to give in the last hours before a party!
I found some adorable flower pot shaped chocolate molds on one of my trips to my local cake decorating store.
But knowing that temperatures would be around 100 degrees for the party, I knew I couldn't do chocolate. I remembered gorgeous sugar eggs that my grandmother used to make, and decided to use that technique so I could still use the absolutely precious mold. (Tutorial on this also coming up next week.) Sure, it was like handing a kid a giant sugar cube, but they looked adorable, and the kids loved them! Turns out it took them a long time to eat, too, so it wasn't quite the sugar bomb I'd feared.
Come back Monday for the final post on the butterfly party, and the start of the tutorials. I have all sorts of great projects to share!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Butterfly Party: Part 1, the Details
Butterflies are everywhere. Tons of people have done butterfly parties--gorgeous ones!--and I usually like to use slightly more unique themes. That makes it easier to come up with original ideas. But my youngest daughter's nickname is Tykki-dyw, which means "butterfly" in Cornish. I tried to go with a different theme, I really did. But I kept coming back to "Tykki-dyw is Turning Two," so a butterfly theme it was.
Still, with all the butterfly things available in the springtime, and with a clear party theme, I floundered for a bit. I didn't know what direction I wanted to take. Until I found the Dab of Jazz line of fabrics.
They were amazing. The invitations and envelope wraps set the perfect tone for the party, and the printable touches I used throughout the party helped to unify the entire affair. I can't say enough good things about working with Frog Prince Paperie!
The covered porch at our house is dinky. Code minimum 8x8. Too small to put anything there, really, so I treat it as the foyer into the backyard. I decided to make butterfly garlands and hang them from the ceiling of the porch, so the guests would walk through hundreds of butterflies as they entered the party area. Such a simple project, but it created a fun, effective, dramatic entrance.
I used two butterfly punches, cardstock, and the printable scrapbook paper Paula created for me so that my paper crafts would coordinate with her printables.
More butterflies were added to a capiz shell chandelier I hung over the dessert table.
The pinata also hung from the porch and doubled as party decor.
This pinata started life as a rainbow-hued $10 pinata from the local party store. I loved the shape, but not the look, so I took the aesthetics into my own hands. Watch for a tutorial in a few days.
Of course, I used the Dab of Jazz fabric to make bunting for the dessert table tent and on the table coverings.
It even made adorable miniature bunting for the cake stands.
The dessert table was surrounded by soft tulle curtains, and I hung antique windows embellished with more butterflies as a backdrop.
Centerpieces were simple: a collection of embellished votives, daisies and sunflowers, and a couple lanterns I already had for my bedroom makeover.
Oh, and a butterfly in a jar! It's not real, but it's so realistic that it fooled a lot of people. Tap on the jar, and the butterfly flits around just like the real thing. I found mine at Big Lots a few days before the party.
And more Dab of Jazz fabric strips were tied around all the flower vases, helping to unify the casual, summery look.
Here in Phoenix, the weather can be glorious in May, or it can be wickedly hot. I always throw evening parties when heat might be an issue, since our temperatures do drop rapidly once the sun goes down (love that desert living). But I knew that I had to keep my guests cool before the sun dipped low, so I found these fabulous yellow parasols and displayed them in a galvanized pail I covered with more of my fabric.
Butterfly-shaped fans were also available and put to good use by kids and adults alike.
The fabric party hats were my favorite part of the party, I think. I just love how they turned out! More of my fabric, of course, and they were displayed on a white wicker cabinet that used to be in my room when I was my daughter's age.
I also made hand-painted ribbon wands for the kids to play with during the party. This station, with the hats and ribbon wands, was set up near the entrance to the party so that they would be noticed and used before heading home.
Butterflies were everywhere! Sparkly, edible butterfly garnishes on desserts and glasses...
...paper butterflies and Swarovski rhinestones accenting simple paper cups...
...even on the beverage labels.
This ribbon and lace "net" made for the butterfly badminton game was inspired by Frog Prince Paperie's gorgeous Beach Baby party decor.
Butterfly nets were used as rackets for the game (more on that in a future post).
At the end of the party, each child was given a terracotta pot filled with butterfly treasures: a butterfly headband, pencils, butterfly-shaped bath fizzies, butterfly-shaped chalk, and a tiny flower pot with sunflower and zinnia seeds to plant at home.
I had so much fun coming up with and crafting all these elements! Sure, my dining room looked like a tornado had ripped through a craft store, but it's all these little touches that make a party really special to me.
Come back for more posts on the party, and tons of tutorials for many of the elements.
Still, with all the butterfly things available in the springtime, and with a clear party theme, I floundered for a bit. I didn't know what direction I wanted to take. Until I found the Dab of Jazz line of fabrics.
As soon as I saw these fabrics, I knew I had my inspiration. The sunny yellows, the raspberry pinks, the butterfly print--all absolutely perfect! I knew I wanted to incorporate these fabrics and colors in as many places as possible through the party.
I sent the above image to Paula at Frog Prince Paperie, and she created the most stunning, whimsical, bright, absolutely unimaginably perfect set of printables for the party.
They were amazing. The invitations and envelope wraps set the perfect tone for the party, and the printable touches I used throughout the party helped to unify the entire affair. I can't say enough good things about working with Frog Prince Paperie!
The covered porch at our house is dinky. Code minimum 8x8. Too small to put anything there, really, so I treat it as the foyer into the backyard. I decided to make butterfly garlands and hang them from the ceiling of the porch, so the guests would walk through hundreds of butterflies as they entered the party area. Such a simple project, but it created a fun, effective, dramatic entrance.
I used two butterfly punches, cardstock, and the printable scrapbook paper Paula created for me so that my paper crafts would coordinate with her printables.
More butterflies were added to a capiz shell chandelier I hung over the dessert table.
The pinata also hung from the porch and doubled as party decor.
This pinata started life as a rainbow-hued $10 pinata from the local party store. I loved the shape, but not the look, so I took the aesthetics into my own hands. Watch for a tutorial in a few days.
Of course, I used the Dab of Jazz fabric to make bunting for the dessert table tent and on the table coverings.
It even made adorable miniature bunting for the cake stands.
The dessert table was surrounded by soft tulle curtains, and I hung antique windows embellished with more butterflies as a backdrop.
Centerpieces were simple: a collection of embellished votives, daisies and sunflowers, and a couple lanterns I already had for my bedroom makeover.
Oh, and a butterfly in a jar! It's not real, but it's so realistic that it fooled a lot of people. Tap on the jar, and the butterfly flits around just like the real thing. I found mine at Big Lots a few days before the party.
And more Dab of Jazz fabric strips were tied around all the flower vases, helping to unify the casual, summery look.
Here in Phoenix, the weather can be glorious in May, or it can be wickedly hot. I always throw evening parties when heat might be an issue, since our temperatures do drop rapidly once the sun goes down (love that desert living). But I knew that I had to keep my guests cool before the sun dipped low, so I found these fabulous yellow parasols and displayed them in a galvanized pail I covered with more of my fabric.
Butterfly-shaped fans were also available and put to good use by kids and adults alike.
The fabric party hats were my favorite part of the party, I think. I just love how they turned out! More of my fabric, of course, and they were displayed on a white wicker cabinet that used to be in my room when I was my daughter's age.
I also made hand-painted ribbon wands for the kids to play with during the party. This station, with the hats and ribbon wands, was set up near the entrance to the party so that they would be noticed and used before heading home.
Butterflies were everywhere! Sparkly, edible butterfly garnishes on desserts and glasses...
...paper butterflies and Swarovski rhinestones accenting simple paper cups...
...paper butterfly napkin rings (not in all my colors, but a bit of spray paint fixed that)...
...even on the beverage labels.
This ribbon and lace "net" made for the butterfly badminton game was inspired by Frog Prince Paperie's gorgeous Beach Baby party decor.
Butterfly nets were used as rackets for the game (more on that in a future post).
At the end of the party, each child was given a terracotta pot filled with butterfly treasures: a butterfly headband, pencils, butterfly-shaped bath fizzies, butterfly-shaped chalk, and a tiny flower pot with sunflower and zinnia seeds to plant at home.
This white wicker shelf has lived outside for a number of years, and has seen better days. I lined the shelves with coordinating wrapping paper for an inexpensive and striking way to make sure that there would be no chipping, flaking paint.
Garden picks (from the Target $1 section) embellished with more of the Dab of Jazz fabric let each child know which favor was hers.
I had so much fun coming up with and crafting all these elements! Sure, my dining room looked like a tornado had ripped through a craft store, but it's all these little touches that make a party really special to me.
Come back for more posts on the party, and tons of tutorials for many of the elements.
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