Wedding Trends 2012: Mixed Metals

Have you ever been told never to mix metals in your wardrobe?

It's an age-old myth that does not apply to the rules of fashion or even decor. In fact, using mixed metals as part of your wedding decor is a great way to add modernity and flair to your event. Let's look at a few of the ways you can use mixed metals.

Servewear

One of the easiest ways of applying mixed metals is through your serveware. Buying seperate pieces and using them together brings a lot of texture to your table.

Photo by West Elm

Photo by Vintage Shelf and Wall

Cake

Using textured gold and silver edible paint can bring mixed metals into your cake as well. Depending on your style, your cake can carry an eclectic charm or be bold and industrial.

Photo by Belle the Magazine

Photo by Post Cards and Pretties

Lighting

Mixing metals in your lighting will add layers of texture to your decor. Consider mixing metals in your  candle votives, chandeliers or hanging lights.

Photo by West Elm

Photo by West Elm

Accessories

Don't think I would forget about accessorizing. Depending on the style of your dress, choose each piece carefully to make sure the selection looks deliberate. Here are a few metals to keep in mind when choosing your accessories: antique gold, bronze, sterling silver, brushed nickel, and copper.

Photo by Anthropologie

Photo by Style Me Pretty

Enjoy mixing those metals!

2012 Wedding Trends: Hand-Painted Wedding Cakes

2012 will bring in a host of new wedding trends, including the rise of hand-painted cakes. And as the reception centerpiece, hand-painted cakes are a great way to reflect the personal and unique style of the bride and groom.

These beautiful cakes by Maggie Austin almost resemble stained glass with their floral, watercolor designs.

Photos by Maggie Austin

Nevie Pie Cakes are also a purveyor of hand-painted cakes. In fact, one of her specialties includes clusters of cupcakes with similar designs.

Not all hand-painted cakes are floral by nature, however. Here are some grafitti-style hand-painted cakes by My Sweet and Saucy.

Photos by My Sweet and Saucy

No matter the trend, however, hand-painted wedding cakes are sure to add a pop of style.

Celebrate with DIY Confetti Shooters!

A few days ago, one of my favorite blogs, You Are My Fave, did a DIY on confetti shooters.

These shooters are incredibly easy to make and really fun for guests to use. They are also a great alternative to rice, flower petals, birdseed, or bubbles.

Photos by You Are My Fave

Here's the supply list:

Mini push-pop containers (these were bought at Garnish)

A 3/4'' dowell cut to 1.5'' long

Your personal stash of confetti

Tissue paper

Glue gun

Tape

Here's what you do: 

Glue the wooden dowel to the base of the push-up container, then place it back inside. Next, fill the rest of the container with your supply of confetti. Use a small square of tissue paper to cover the top of the container and secure it with tape. Then you're done!

Now that our confetti shooters are made, let's look at some of the ways your guests can use them to celebrate your day:

Have the guests line up as the bride and groom exit the ceremony, just before they get in the car for the reception area, or have them wait until after the reception as they leave for the honeymoon. As the guests pop the confetti shooters, make sure your photographer is in place to catch that perfect moment!

6 Surprising Uses for Cupcake Liners

Cupcakes are a sweet edition to any celebration. But have you ever taken a second look at those cupcake liners? With some creative vision, you can actually repurpose your cupcake liners for your wedding. Here are six new ways to use your liners that doesn't include an oven.

1. Gift Toppers

Family Chic blogger Camilla Fabbri repurposed her liners as gift toppers. Just take about 10 liners and staple them together. Fold them over, fray the edges with scizzors and ruffle out the edges. You can find the full tutorial here!

Photo by Family Chic

2. Fashion Pom-Poms

This idea was found at Kara's Party Ideas. These easy-to-style centerpieces add a splash of color for any table. While Kara's poms are more vintage and floral, you can customize yours according to color and size to match your own wedding decor.

Photo by Kara's Party Ideas

3. Create your own Mood Lighting

Why, yes, cupcake liners can be used to soften the lighting at any formal event. Just look at this:

Photo by Ikea Hackers

This post came from Ikea Hackers. All you need to do is cut through the bottom part of your cupcake liners and slip them over your hanging bulbs. It adds a beautiful softening to your lighting and creates the effect of paper lanterns.

4. Jar Toppers

Martha Stewart is known for her repurposing techniques, and this is quite a crafty one. If you're looking to decorate jars as gifts, just cover the tops with a cupcake liner and wrap with a decorative string or ribbon. What's great about this DIY is that it's customizable to fit jars of almost every size.

Photo by Martha Stewart Blog

5. DIY Garland

Cupcake liners are the perfect shape and texture for garland treatments. Crafted by Lindy shows a number of ways to string and hang these garlands. You can hang them in clusters or pull them farther apart for a more playful effect.

Photo by Crafted By Lindy

6. Paper Flowers

Lastly, the bloggers at Intimate Weddings made paper roses from cupcake liners. You can use them in bundles or make large paper bouquets, depending on your number of liners. You can even display them right next to a tray of cupcakes! 

Photo by Intimate Weddings

I hope this was inspiring. Make sure to take out those old cupcake liners and try a few of these out!

DIY Chalkboard Paint Wedding Decor

On Tuesday we covered chalkboard dinnerware from Chalkboard China as table decor. Today we're going to get a little more creative with some DIYs.

If you're a beginner, one of the simplest ways to apply chalkboard paint techniques is with wineglasses. Here's what you're going to need:

-A set of clean wineglasses
-Chalkboard paint (found at your local craft store)
-Painter's tape

Step 1:
Wrap painter's tape around the stem of the wine glass just above the base.

 

Photo by Always Order Dessert

Step 2:
Pour the paint into a container that is wide enough to fit the base of the glass. Gently dip the base into the paint, then wipe the rim to remove exess chalkboard paint.

Photo by Erin McLean Events

Step 3: Finally, allow the glasses to dry overnight. Once they're dry they should be good to go!

Photo by Always Order Dessert

It's as siple as that. In fact, in addition to using chalkboard paint, chalkboard spray paint or contact paper is also available at your local craft store. Using these mediums, you can create customized pieces from just about anything.

If fact, here are some other ideas you can try at home:

-Dip candles or candle votives in chalkboard paint as part of your centerpiece
-Paint shapes on mason jars and use for drinks
-Paint tags for personalized gifts
-Paint a wine bottle and use as a centerpiece for table numbers

Have fun!