Inspired by...Wedding Flowers

First things first...sorry for the radio silence this past weekend. It was the big recital weekend. I hope I got some good video with my brand new camera. If I did, I will bore you with a short exerpt soon!

There were so many beautiful Befores-and-Afters in this challenge. We were a small but mighty group! I love the reinvention of something old just by looking at it with new eyes. Please go to the Flickr account if you haven't seen them already.

Without any more fuss, the winner of the April Inspired By...Before And After challenge is.....

Sharon Misuraco!

Sharon is a first-timer to the challenge and her name was randomly chosen as the winner of a beaded chain of her choice and also her choice of either the recycled sari silk or some dotty lampwork beads from Amy Houston. I will be in touch!

Sharon took a really drab necklace and edited it down to some really key elements paired with beautiful lampwork glass from Cathie Roberts. The Vintaj elements really work well with the sandy colors of this Beach Day, Tossa de Mar bracelet. Well done!

____________________________

May is Inspired by...Wedding Flowers

"Flowers are love's truest language."

~ Park Benjamin

When I got married in 1992 I chose to have the bridesmaids in a custom made tea length dress made of black velvet. We got married in October and it was a gorgeous 70 degree day {odd for that time in October. The week before it snowed.} The dress was an original pattern inspired by a dress that we found in a Victoria's Secret catalog. {I wish I still had that issue. And I wish I could still fit in that dress.}

For the flowers I decided on hot pink and white stargazer lilies. And they showed up so lovely against the black backdrop of the dresses. I found out that stargazer lilies symbolize wealth and prosperity. {There is more than one meaning of wealth and prosperity. I may not be rolling in money but my life with Husband is definitely rich.} There were two huge altarpieces filled with a profusion of pink including gladiolas {my birth flower}, roses, and many others. When they were transported to the reception, and placed back-to-back it looked like one incredibly full centerpiece. It was placed high above the hors d'oeuvres table. {We got married in the evening with the church lit by candles and the reception was one big really cool cocktail party, no dinner, but more hearty hors d'oeuvres than you have ever seen in your life. The coconut shrimp still haunt me to this day. And the dessert table. Don't even get me started.}

I carried a dozen long-stemmed white roses tied with a ribbon and my grandmother's embroidered handkerchief. Simple. Classic. Elegant.

June is traditionally the month that most weddings occur. The choices that are available to brides these days is mind-boggling. I just wish that there had been more innovation and options when I got married. If I were to do it all over {with the same man of course!} I think that I would make much more artful choices. What about you? Would you do anything differently for your wedding? Or are you still dreaming about the day it will happen?

I have a new blog love called Colour Lovers. This blog features really cool palettes created from every day life and come from all around the world. I haven't figured out how to make my own palettes, but I will. A new article written by Molly Bermea about the color palettes of flowers in a wedding entitled What Hue Are You? was just posted there recently.

Go read it and then come back here.

{Such an elegant and spring-y centerpiece.}

This article at Colour Lovers is all about the color palettes in wedding flowers. And since we are coming into wedding season, I thought that it would be nice to have an Inspired by...Wedding Flowers challenge.

{I love this palette. I would have chosen this for my wedding.}

If you go to the Colour Lovers website to that article you will see many more palettes to choose from. Select a palette to work with as your muse. Or perhaps choose the palette from your own wedding flowers.

I am going to open this one up a bit more and offer to accept more than just jewelry pieces. You can create anything you like based on this Inspired by...Wedding Flowers challenge as long as it is primarily created with beads. And if you include art beads you get extra entries as always!

Think about the jewelry for the bride or the bridesmaids.
Or how about beaded corsages or bouquets.
There could be a cake topper or table decorations.
Or maybe a gift for the mother of the bride. Or the flower girl.

Whatever you decide to create for this challenge, it has to be primarily beaded {it won't cut it to sew one bead onto the front of a fabric ring bearer's pillow}.

The rest of the rules are still the same. How it works:

• Create something beaded using the inspiration of the Wedding flower color palettes found on Colour Lovers. You can even grab a palette from the Colour Lovers site {just right click on the palette you like, save to your computer and then post that as part of your inspiration - read below for a bonus entry if you do}.

• Post your pictures to the Flickr account here.

• If you are so inspired {and I hope you will be!}, feel free to create as many pieces as you like for challenge and post to the Flickr account, but your name will only be entered once. {For extra BONUS ENTRY opportunities, see below}. You have until 11:59 pm CST on Monday, May 31st to post to the Flickr account.

In the description of your picture be sure to add the following:

•Title of the piece
•Short description of your inspiration {if you can share a color palette that would be great!}
•Your Name
•Your email address
•Your blog or website

BONUS ENTRY OPPORTUNITIES:

• If you use an art bead in your piece {art bead is defined as a bead or component created by yourself or another artisan}, be sure to point that out in your description {with a link to the appropriate artisan’s website, shop or blog} and you will have THREE extra entries.

• If you blog, Facebook, Twitter, sky write or take out a billboard to publicize each week’s challenge, be sure to let me know {leave a comment on that week's challenge} and your name will be in for ONE extra entry.

• And since I have asked you to use a COLOR PALETTE from Colour Lovers, if you figure out a way to post that to your blog or the Flickr account, that will count as ONE extra entry!

•That's a total of SIX ENTRIES!

And the prize? It is pretty cool if I do say so myself.

Do you remember setting up a gift registry for your own wedding? And picking all the cool stuff? Well, the good people over at CSN Stores have over 200 web storefronts. They sell it all. And if you win this random giveaway at the end of the month, it will be like your own personal shopping trip at any of their over 200 sites.

I checked out just three sites. I was smitten with the vinyl wall decals and the cool clocks and wall sconces at www.AllModern.com {I am starting to decorate my new home}, the very elegant pet bowls and crates that integrate into modern decor at www.AllModernPet.com {so much better than the one we had with our dog}, and the beautiful baby furniture and bedding for all the cool kids at www.AllModernBaby.com {that my babies totally missed out on}.

How fun will it be to go on a shopping spree!

Go forth and get inspired!

Enjoy the day!