Star's Inspirations: The Written Word

Whether expressed through a favorite book, a poem, a story, a love letter, a sonnet, or a classic novel, the written word has a romantic and almost nostalgic feeling.  Incorporating the written word in your wedding decor is a unique way to personalize your wedding.  

Are you or your fiance lovers of the written word?  Was it the written word that helped bring you together?  Maybe you were college sweethearts and met in a Shakespeare class or are known for sharing romantic poems with one another.  If so, you may want to consider incorporating your favorites via printed pages at your wedding.  This can be accomplished in many unique yet simple ways.  Start by tearing out pages from your favorite book, break out your scissors (or Cricut, in my case) and get creative.  Some of my favorites are illustrated below.  I find these images utterly romantic and so sweet. 

Photo courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

Photo courtesy of Krista Sew Inspired

Pretty garlands made with book pages...

Photo courtesy of Pinterest

Photo courtesy of La Papeterie Diva

Photo courtesy of All Things Girly and Beautiful

Photo courtesy of I.Wed.Style.

Love this heart garland made with book pages.  Beautiful and an easy project for the DIY bride.  I posted a tutorial on how to make these hearts in my previous blog post "DIY with Star: Paper Hearts"

Incorporating vintage books in your decor is also a beautiful addition.  They can be stacked  as part of a centerpiece or used as table numbers.

Photos courtesy of Simply Perfect Weddings

Photo courtesy of Ruffled

Book pages on a wedding cake.  How pretty is this!?

Photo courtesy of Brides.com 

Using edible Scrabble tiles is also really fun way to share a message, especially if you are a couple that is really into playing board games!  There are so many great ways to incorporate Scrabble tiles into your wedding decor.

Scrabble tiles as table numbers...

Photo courtesy of A Design of My Own

And as place cards...

Photo courtesy of Style Me Pretty

Photo courtesy of Intimate Weddings

Photo courtesy of Pinterest  

I love these cakes!  If they are little too unconventional for you as a wedding cake, they could be perfect for a Groom's Cake or a rehearsal dinner dessert.

Photo courtesy of United With Love

Photo courtesy of Pinterest

These cakes are a little more traditional but still have the fun Scrabble spin...

Photo courtesy of Blog.Celebration.CO.ZA

Photo courtesy of the Ritzy Bee Blog

Xoxo,

Star

Judie + BJ: Old Hollywood Inspired Engagement Session by Callaway Gable Photography

We are so excited to share this amazing engagement session with you! Judie and BJ were married this past weekend at Majestic Halls in Downtown Los Angeles. We had such a special time working with this dynamic duo that we had to share this shoot!

Their old Hollywood glamour engagement shoot couldn't be more perfect to set the scene for their wedding. Not only did they have one of our favorite photographer duos, Callaway Gable Photography, shoot it. But the location, style, and their obvious love and attraction to each other made for a beautiful photo shoot. The entire shoot was flawless, from their wardrobe to the venue to the emotions in each photo. Of course it helps that Judie herself works in the fashion industry.  

The shoot took place at the gorgeous and historic Craven's Estate in Pasadena. 

 

Photos like this are my favorite- so beautiful and study it closer... At first sight you a shoe shot, but examine it closer and Judie and BJ's profile are in the background. So lovely!

 

Such a stunning shot. Black and white just makes it magical doesn't it?  Judie just looks breathtaking here!

Can you imagine what they did for their big day after such a glamorous engagement shoot???  Look forward to seeing their wedding photos soon, but in the meantime, here's a sneak peek!

To view more of the photos from this shoot, please visit the Callaway Gable blog.

DIY with Star: Simple Paper Flowers

I absolutely love all things paper: scrap-booking paper, butcher paper, wrapping paper, card-stock... paper goods, paper decorations, paper embellishments, and crafting with paper!  I actually used these paper flowers as embellishments on my DIY wrapping post last December.  I've been making these paper flowers for quite some time and they are so simple, I had to share them with you!  All you need are scraps of paper and tiny brads, that's it!  You can use these adorable paper flowers to adorn packages or as table decorations.  You can even glue them to fishing line or ribbon to make paper flower garland.

Follow this simple tutorial to make your own...

Step 1:  Cut out approximately 6 paper flowers of varying sizes (they don't have to be perfect :).  The ones I cut were between approximately 1 inch to 3 inches; I also used a variety of colors and textures.  Once they are cut out, punch a small whole in the middle of each flower.

Step 2:  Starting with the largest flower on the bottom, pile the other flowers on top of one another from largest to smallest with the smallest flower on the top.

Step 3:  Take a small brad (I purchased these from JoAnn's) and secure it through the holes.

Step 4:  Quickly run the brad secured flowers under water.  You want them to be damp so the paper is pliable, but not so wet that the paper tears.  The thicker the paper, the more water it can handle.  Starting with the smallest flower on top, carefully fold it in toward the center.

Continue to work down the flower, carefully folding each paper flower in toward the center.

Once all of the flowers are individually folded into the center your flower will look like this:

Step 5:  Gently unwrap the flowers, starting with the largest one.  You can fuss with them a bit until you like what you see.  You can then let it dry and it will retain it's shape.

And there you have it.  A beautiful paper flower that took less than 5 minutes to make!

I used a dab of glue to adorn my gold flower to this little package.  This would be a perfect for a wedding or shower favor!

Give these puppies a try and let me know how it goes!  Happy crafting :)

Best,

Star