Trend Watch: Stunning Succulents

Looking for the succulents trend post?  It's moved over to Tikkido.com

Strawberry Picnic First Birthday

My youngest daughter, Niamh (say NEEV, it's Irish), is almost two years old!  I'm in the last minute throes of party planning for her bash this Saturday, and realized that I wasn't yet blogging when she had her first birthday last year.  So to build the anticipation for the coming event, I present Niamh's First Birthday--A Strawberry Picnic.

At that age, it's all about the parents, so we viewed the birthday as an excuse to have our friends over and decorate with a cute theme.  I'd decorated Niamh's nursery in a Strawberry Picnic theme, so already had a number of good props to use, like the letters spelling out her name.

I built a wood-fired pizza oven in our backyard (while I was pregnant with Niamh, in fact), so we already had a number of red-checked tablecloths for when we entertain in Italian style.  They were perfect for the picnic theme.

I was especially proud of the cake, and was very happy with how it turned out.

You can hardly even tell that it fell flat on its side while I was trying to take photographs earlier that morning!  

This was actually the second time I've made this cake.  The first time was about six years ago.  I had never decorated a cake before, but my husband was on a business trip, and I saw the most gorgeous calico-fabric-inspired cake on the cover of Martha Stewart Weddings.  I fell in love, and impulsively decided that I was going to make it.  I went to the craft store, bought some tools, and started baking.  

I was so proud of that first cake!  I thought it looked amazing!  And looking back at the pictures now, I cringe.  It was awful.  Really, really awful.  

See?  I told you!  So getting to do this cake design, which I've always loved so much, over again felt like a chance at redemption.  (Photography has obviously also improved over the past few years!)

Favors were homemade strawberry jam (made by me under the guidance of my jam-making friend Liz) and macarons (graciously made by my pastry-chef mother).

I made strawberry bunting out of felt, and tried my hand at floral arranging for the first time.  I used strawberry baskets I bought off eBay for both the favors and the flowers.  They were the perfect touch!

I also made a strawberry-shaped pinata for the kids.  Thankfully, strawberries are pretty much balloon shaped.  A little paint, glitter, and green crepe paper, and we had the perfect pinata.  I should add glitter to all pinatas.  It looked seriously awesome hanging there in the sun.

The weather here in Phoenix can be either gorgeous or wickedly hot in May.  Of course, the weather crested 100 degrees for the party.  I called all our guests, told them to bring bathing suits for the kids, and set up kiddie pools, sprinklers, and water balloons.  

The adults got to sit in the shade with a misting fan--very effective!

Of course we made pizza in our WFO--that's what we always do when we feed a crowd.  The pizzas cook in 90 seconds in that 900 degree oven!

And it wouldn't be a first birthday without a baby covered in cake.

The celebration continued long into the night, well after the birthday girl had been put to bed.  

I can hardly believe she's already turning two!  My entire dining room and kitchen are completely taken over with party prep for this celebration, and I cannot wait to share it with all of you.  

Convey Meaning With Flower Choices and Colors

Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell:
It fell upon a little western flower,
Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound,
And maidens call it love-in-idleness.
Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream (2.1.169-72)

You can't help but be surrounded by flowers on Valentine's week.  The grocery store, street corners--flowers, flowers, everywhere.  Because I love history and literature, it got me thinking about what the different flowers and colors represent.  


Encoding messages in floral bouquets has been around for centuries, but it became extremely popular in the Victorian era, when floriography flourished a way to communicate feelings that weren't considered appropriate to speak aloud.  

If you're a history buff like I am, and would like to incorporate some meaning into your bouquet, here are some commonly accepted meanings for flower colors:


Red:  Love and passion.
Pink:  Love, like red, but of a more innocent and youthful variety.
Yellow:  Bright, unflagging happiness.
White:  Purity, innocence.  Not surprisingly, this is linked to Queen Victoria, who is commonly considered the inspiration for the modern trend of white wedding dresses.  
Purple:  Long a color of royalty, purple flowers indicate success, pride, and accomplishment.
Green:  Health, vitality, and youth.
Orange:  Confidence and strength.
Peach:  Friendship.
Blue:  Calm, peace.

Or just pick the colors you love.  We're not buttoned-up Victorians who need to rely on secret pollen-laden messages to show our feelings, after all.  Sometimes, it's just about what is pretty!

More Embosser Tricks: Monogram on Satin Ribbon

Did you know that the embosser works on satin ribbon, too?

Imagine the possibilities!  The ribbon wrapping your bouquet.  An embossed ribbon enclosing your invitation.  Ribbon with your monogram on the gift bags for the out of town guests, and adorning the gifts you give to your bridesmaids.  A subtle, romantic, custom touch on the pew bows.  

When embossing satin ribbon with your monogram or logo, squeeze extra hard to get a nice impression.  Just like with the embossed velum and napkins, a little bit of practice and you'll easily create beautiful, personalized elements for your wedding.

DIY Project: Easy Ribbon Path Decorations

Looking for the ribbon path decoration tutorial?  It's moved to its new home at TIkkido.com.

DIY Project: How to Get Roses To Open

Do you have a rose flower arrangement you'd like to make for a party, but the roses you bought are still closed tightly?  Full roses take up so much more space that you'll need far fewer flowers.  And fewer flowers means substantially less expensive floral arrangements, always a good thing for a budget bride.

Tightly closed, newly bought roses.

One quick and dirty, highly effective way to get roses to open up is simply to use your hands.  Physically open them up.

Get in there.  Use your hands.  Physically force the flower open.  It can take it, I promise.  Flowers live outside, in the wind and rain.  They're not as delicate as you might imagine.

Once you've opened up your roses, you'll be ready to create your flower arrangements, using about half of the flowers you otherwise would have needed!

DIY Project: Carved Initial Rustic Centerpieces

Looking for the Carved Initial rustic centerpiece tutorial?  It's moved (along with all the other content on this blog) to its new home at Tikkido.com.

Bridal Bouquets Without Flowers

Flowers are the traditional choice for bridal bouquets, obviously, but they aren't the only choice.

And I'm not talking silks.

Whether because of allergies, or because you want to keep the bouquet as a keepsake, or just because you love the look, there are plenty of innovative, beautiful options for bouquets that don't include a single flower.

Check out this gorgeous bouquet made from vintage brooches:

Or how about this paper bouquet, available on from seller Desicra on Etsy?

Or this incredible paper pomander ball/bouquet from Etsy seller WhetherPaperworks.  As cool as realistic paper flowers are, I'm completely in love with how they embraced the medium and used paper printed with text to make these gorgeous flowers.

Or this ultra-chic feather bouquet from Etsy seller Croska:

And last, but certainly not least, this incredible balsa wood bouquet from the amazingly talented team at JL Designs.  Check out the rest of this gorgeous wedding on their blog.  It's definitely worth the click.

And of course, we here at Tradewind Tiaras are happy to make you a bouquet made entirely out of Swarovski crystals.  Talk about sparkle!

An heirloom, a convenience, or simply a thing of beauty, a non-conventional bouquet can be a marvelous choice.

An Amazing Centerpiece Suspended in Air

I saw these pictures courtesy of The Cinderella Project, and my jaw dropped.  What a truly innovative, beautiful floral arrangement.  Love love love.

Plastic test tubes can be bought online for only $7.49/100 at The WEBstaurant Store.

That makes this incredible look a very affordable DIY option.