When having a party or celebration, it’s always the little personal touches that really help pull together the overall theme and add that little unique spark. For something easy and inexpensive, stamp your cutlery! Yes you heard me correctly, personalise your cutlery with stamps! Aren’t they cute!

This works perfectly with wooden forks, knives and spoons, you can stamp them with anything you like or even personalise for each guest and they are perfect for kids parties too!

Let’s get started!! First to the shopping list:

You will need: 
Wooden cutlery (we found ours at Emerald & Ella)
Alphabet stamps
Stamper (to attach your wording to)
Ink Pad

What Next?
Make up your stamp, remembering that you need to make it backwards. You will want to test it out first before stamping your cutlery, because if you are like me then you have put at least one letter back to front!Testing the stamp will also give you an idea of where you need to press heavier or if you have places where the stamp gets too much ink and gives you marks. See the black across the top of the letters in the image above? For me this was coming off onto the test sheets so after I inked the stamp I then needed to clean part of the stamp with a tissue before applying it to my wooden forks, like this…

and then STAMP! and you have this…YAY! So cheap to create and fun to stamp and best of all you have your own personalised cutlery for your special occasion which needs no washing up! (hooray!) Happy Stamping!

With the new year here, how did you spend the last day of 2011?

We created these personalised party bags for our New Years celebration. First we started with simple brown paper bags which we printed guest details along with the evenings party menu. As they are bags we  stuffed them with party horns, beads, party poppers, funny glasses and some chocolate of course! All sealed with a shaped paperclip – cute huh! (My favourite is the pink engagement ring clip)

These are simple for you to DIY at home, and not just for new years eve! These are great for kids parties as take home goody bags or use them as place settings.

Set up your wording in Word or your favourite program and print! When you feed the bag through your printer, make sure that you feed it bottom first to stop it from becoming jammed or eating your paper bag. Not all printers will take the thickness of the bag so if yours doesn’t just print onto another piece of paper and stick it on for a similar look! – Enjoy x

Today we have some lovely floral inspirations for your wedding, reception or just for your home! They are inexpensive and DIY friendly too! Yay!

First up is a gorgeous DIY Flower inspiration for your reception tables. 3 Jars, 1 big ribbon, and some flowers! So simple! Use different flowers, jar styles and ribbons to create your own look whether it be rustic or romantic. Just remember to start collecting jars early and ask your friends and family to save their jars too!

Source: tiffanylanehandmade.wordpress.com via Little on Pinterest

Add some burlap for a more country feel to your jar centrepieces.

Source: Uploaded by user via Jenna on Pinterest

The next look is perfect for a garden or outdoor wedding, bridal shower, or even just a gorgeous luncheon. Use some old flower pots or pick some up from your local hardware or garden centre, add herbs or flowers for an instant centrepiece. Lavender was added here giving a touch more colour to the table. When selecting your herbs for your centrepiece, think about what food you will be serving and complement the flavours. This makes the centrepieces not only look gorgeous but they become functional too!

Source: Uploaded by user via Jenna on Pinterest

If you are having a vintage style wedding or soiree collect some old tins (check your local second hand store or ebay for some bargains) Add your favourite in season flowers using groups of colour and you have an instant fun and interesting centrepiece! For a different look, use standard silver coloured tins in a range of sizes.

Source: marthastewartweddings.com via eunèv on Pinterest

Source: bystephanielynn.com via Julia on Pinterest

A variety of flowers all in the same colour add lovely textures to your centrepiece and are another easy DIY flower arrangement, just pop them in some glass vases and ta-daaa!!

Source: bvweddings.com via Kris on Pinterest

You don’t need a lot of flowers to create a stunning centrepiece. Look for unique vessels for your flowers and remember to test out your ideas and visions before your big day to make sure you are happy with the final look – enjoy creating!!

Source: stylemepretty.com via Beckie on Pinterest

After having a nice relaxing break in Palm Cove and attending the most gorgeous wedding of 2 very close friends I am having a hard time trying to get out of relaxation mode and into Christmas mode!! I can’t believe how quickly Christmas and the holiday season has crept up on me! Even with the stores having their Christmas displays since September! {does anyone else think that September is way to early!?}

So with a cup of hot chocolate and some holiday spirit I thought I would share with you a FREE gift tag printable of the tags I have designed to use on my presents this year..what do you think?!…

To create these pretties, you will need the following…

Shopping List:
* Gorgeous card to print your tags on (I used Kraft card for these)
* Printer (to print out you new gift tags)
* Scissors
* Hole punch
* Ribbons, twine, raffia or whatever you would like to use to attach your tags to your goodies.
* FREE printable gift tag template

1. After downloading the gift tag template, print them out on your favourite card – I used Kraft card for these.
2. Cut out each tag following the line provided
3. Next use the circle guide to punch your threading hole with your hole punch.
4. Thread your favourite ribbon through the hole and there you have it, your own set of gorgeous tags! – So easy! Which is your favourite?

Happy Holidays! and enjoy your new gift tags!

These beach inspired candles are so cute and a cinch to make! Use them for kids birthday parties or add little signs to the top of the candles to create gorgeous little accents for weddings, christenings or even on your dinner table!

You will Need: 
Candles
Small Urchin shells

When selecting the right combo make sure the hole will be the right size to fit your candles snugly. The hole of the shell should be a little smaller than the thickness of your candles. Oh, and if you are going to use them on top of your cake make sure you sterilise your shells first.

What Next? 
Carefully twist the candle into the hole in the sea urchin shell, making sure you twist in one direction only. As the candle goes into the shell you should get a small thread on the candle just like a screw has, this will help to secure it in place. If you are worried or want to add a little more stability, dab some hot glue on the inside of the shell. Below if you look carefully, you can see the marks the twist action should make on your candle…

And underneath looks like this…

Wasn’t that easy and aren’t they cute! These candles can be a little fragile and it’s best to secure them especially when the candles are lit. Put them in sand, pop them on the table or set them in your cake! I can even see these at a Mermaid party!
If you would like to send us some pics of your completed project we would love to see them! Happy Creating!

Today I am excited to bring you a little look at a recent wedding of our gorgeous clients who were married in at the Lamphey Court Hotel in Wales. Nicole and Dave asked us to look after the stationery for their celebration. We created them a custom invitation based on our Little Bird in a Birdcage invitation, and rather than having one bird we included 2 birds in the birdcage design.

The gorgeous colour palette was carefully reflected throughout the celebration from the bright pinks and rose to gorgeous muted tones of lilac. Love bird Table numbers and Love Bird place cards also followed the theme in whites and rose.

Now back in Sydney Nicole and Dave and planning their Australian reception! Happy Planning and Congratulations on such a beautiful celebration!

Well, with a lot of baking inspiration arriving to us last week, I had to do a little weekend baking.

There wasn’t a lot of spare time on the weekend but I did manage to whip up some Banana bread and since I can’t share a slice of the banana bread with you lovely readers, I thought I would create a FREE muffin or cupcake topper printable for you instead! YAY!

Banana bread never lasts long in our house, even if it’s nicely packaged! Yesterday I baked in the blue loaf case from Emerald and Ella - so cute!

And a couple of individual muffin size with little cake topper  decoration just perfect for sharing . . .

Download your FREE cupcake topper template here. All you need to do for this easy DIY is print out the downloaded sheet onto your favourite colour paper or card and use a circle punch or scissors to cut them out! easy! (I used a 1-inch scalloped edge punch)

Once you have cut them out attach each sign to a toothpick with a little piece of tape. If you want them double sided just attach a cut-out to both sides of the toothpick with double sided tape!

Add a little ribbon bow (I used a 3mm ribbon) around the top, pop them into your cake or cupcakes and you have some cute little cake toppers!! – Enjoy! 

I love this simple table runner idea. Great for wine tasting evenings, kids parties, weddings and even dessert tables! the options are endless! This chalkboard table runner spotted here, can be created at home from chalkboard contact paper – Yay! This is a super easy DIY project, all you need is some chalkboard contact paper, and… well, chalk!! Use it for place settings at the table, or to let guests know what each dish is, or what dish goes with which wine.

Think about all the other fun you could have with this stuff! pantry labels, wall decals the list is endless! What other DIY projects can you come up with to use this funky paper?

Take a look at this gorgeous start to a wedding invitation I discovered over at Reason to Read. That’s right, it’s created out of string!  Who would have thought that a piece of birch, a bunch of nails and a mountain of string could create such a gorgeous masterpiece?!

and look at that detail!! It was here I started wondering what other modern or wedding inspired works have people created with this form of art made popular in the 1960′s.

How about this sweet string heart found at Dirtybirdiesvintage on Etsy?

or some table numbers found at Oh So Beautiful Paper?

What about your names in string on a sign at your ceremony or reception found at fraufertig

Are you inspired yet? Would like to create your own String Art project? fraufertig has a great step by step tutorial on how to create your own! – and if you do attempt this don’t forget to send me a photo of your unique artwork so you can then help to inspire other readers! Happy Stringing everyone! 

Well, we are back from our impromptu trip to Melbourne! I hope you had a lovely long weekend. To apologise for no posts last week and for the fact that I just love candy stripe paper straws here is a free downloadable for you – yay!

For a recent celebration we created some sweet little straw flags to wrap around the paper straws. These are really fun and so simple to create. Use them at your engagement, wedding, bridal shower or just as a cute addition when drinking your soda! You can personalise the flags with your names, guest names, personal messages… whatever suits your celebration.

You only need a few bits and pieces to create your own personalised straw flags and they look so cute when you are finished.

Your template may take a little while to download depending on your internet speed.

Shopping List :
* Cute Paper straws that suit your theme
* Printer
* Plain, coloured or patterned A4 paper
* Scissors &/or craft knife + ruler + cutting mat
* Double sided tape
* Free DIY Straw Flag Template

Once you have collected everything, you are now ready to start crafting! . . . Ready?

Step one
Fill in your DIY Straw Flag Template with what you want both sides of each flag to say.
A few ideas: your names, your wedding date, Celebrate, Love, your favourite places, artists or even leave one side blank. Go with whatever best suits you and your celebration.

Step two
Print it onto your chosen paper – yay, pretty!

Step three
Cut the paper along the template lines using your scissors or craft knife, ruler & cutting mat combo. You will then have a lot of little rectangles.

Step four
If you have decided to use card stock rather than paper you will need to roll each flag around a pencil or one of your straws, similar to how you would curl a ribbon. This will curl the card, giving you a nice round edge around the entire straw.

Step five
Attach a length of your double sided tape down one side on the inside of the flag.

Step six
Wrap your cute little flag around the straw, line up the ends and then press together. Press to crease the flag so it is attached to the straw (you can use your fingernails to get the crease right)

Step seven
Neaten up the end by cutting a small triangle and ta-daaaa! You have a cute straw with an even cuter flag on it!

Enjoy your gorgeous new straws!