Bridesmaid Purses instead of Flowers

Personalized Purses with Fabric Paint - ©Cindy Rippe 2012

Our theme this month for the Designer Craft Connection Blog Hop is "SUMMER CRAFTS".  Since this seems to be a popular time for weddings I thought I'd share this fun idea for Bridesmaids.

You can purchase an inexpensive clutch and decorate it with Fabric Pens and Paint.  A purse with a personalized design that matches the theme of your wedding could be carried down the aisle instead of flowers. These would be perfect as a gift for your attendants or the Mom's too.

I sketched the designs free-hand but you can copy a pattern and use transfer paper to apply it to the purse. Trace the linework and then fill in with fabric paint if desired.  I used a Pentel Gel Roller for Fabric and DecoArt So Soft Fabric Paints.

Make sure you click through see more creative ideas from the other Designers on the Hop! Click the logo in the right column or go directly to the next Designer here.

There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.  Martin Luther

Princess Party to Celebrate the Royal Wedding

In honor of the Royal Wedding why not let the little girls in your life play dress up?  They love to pretend that they can be a real Princess too.

Princess Dress Up Time - Cindy Rippe

Princess Isabella, Princess Abby, Princess Corina, and Princess Izzy had a wonderful time with the Princess clothes and accessories.

Pink Princess Cupcakes by Sugarbaby's in Houston

Every wedding needs cake!  Pretty pink fondant crowns on pink buttercream and sparkling pink sugar decorate these vanilla cupcakes by Sugarbaby's.

Princess Cupcake Wrapper by Wilton

It would also be fun to let the girls decorate the cupcakes with sprinkles and candies.  You can't go wrong with cake for dessert!

"Every girl can be a princess
Any dream can be
Close your eyes and see
A magic wand and soon you’ve gone
From just you to royalty
You don’t need a grand old castle
Rising in the air
Maids to brush your hair
Your heart is pure, you’re thoughtful
Surely princess, you’re almost there
Why just putting on a tiara
And you aren’t the same old you
My life changed so completely
By just putting on a shoe"

Lyrics from Every Girl Can be a Princess on Disney's Princess Tea Party Album and Cinderella DVD set.

Please join me at these creative blogs:
My Romantic Home
and
The Shabby Nest

and
The Shabby Chic Cottage

Don't forget to check out some of the other blogs while you're there.

Painted Wedding Shoes - Wedding Week Part Three

After I painted the Wedding Dress with Dahlias (previous post - Wedding Week Part Two) I decided to paint a pair of matching shoes.  What woman doesn't want a pair of beautiful shoes?  My SIL, Elena, very kindly gave me a pair of shoes to decorate.

Wedding Shoes painted with Dahlias-copyright Cindy Rippe 2011

I used the Pentel Red Gel Roller for Fabric again.  The only problem I had was that after I sketched the flower on the first shoe I had to get the pattern off of it and reverse it for the other shoe.  (Reminder to self: Don't free hand a design on an uneven surface if you need to repeat it.)

I added Black Satin Ribbon and a bow using my favorite glue for fabric -  Beacon Adhesive's Fabri-Tac.  It grabs hold right away and stays on.  Perfect for a pair of shoes that would probably see lots of dancing at the Wedding Reception!

Close up of Dahlia on Dyeable shoes - copyright Cindy Rippe 2011

The music may have stopped but my heart beats to another tune, this rhythm called love.  ~A.C. Van Cherub

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Painted Wedding Dress - Wedding Week Part Two

I decided to continue with Wedding Week for the DESIGNER CRAFTS Blog Connection.  There are so many great ideas.  Don't forget to click on the link below to see them all.

Red is such a strong color trend I thought you'd enjoy seeing a Re-purposed Wedding Dress that I painted.

Ivory Wedding Dress Painted with DecoArt Fabric Paints - copyright Cindy Rippe

I really had fun with this project.  I used DecoArt So Soft Fabric Paints and and a Gel Roller for Fabric Pen by Pentel Arts.  After I sketched the flowers with the pen, I used the fabric paint to add shading and reinforce thick lines.  I also painted few of the flowers on the bodice and made a wide sash to update the look. (one of my few sewing projects)

Close up of Dahlia - copyright Cindy Rippe

Border Close up - copyright Cindy Rippe

This design would be nice for a Bride born in August.  It's the Flower of the August Birth month.

True love stories never have endings.  ~Richard Bach

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Maui Wedding - Easy Centerpiece - Designer Crafts Connection

Wedding Cake with Orchids for Julie and Joe's Wedding in Maui

It's Wedding Day at the Designer Crafts Connection!  Today's Blog Hop features projects for and about Weddings.  Life's been a little crazy around here lately.  I didn't have time to make something new but I thought you'd like this archived idea for a really easy centerpiece.

We traveled to Maui for my niece Julie's wedding.  After we arrived she asked if I could help her create some centerpieces with the box of orchids she was getting as part of her wedding package.  She wanted candlelight for the outdoor reception.

The glass vases, found in the floral department at the grocery store, were a bargain and would work out great!

Tucking orchids under ribbon.

After we filled the vases with sand from the beach (with help from the kids) I gathered leaves from the patio garden and used a double sided tape to adhere them to the vases. (you can see the plants behind Lee in the picture below) Ribbon tied around the leaves gave me a nice place to tuck in the flowers.

Happy to be crafting on the beach!

Lee patiently helping me with a project once again!

We looked at candles but I knew that the wind from the beach would play havoc on the candle flame so we bought Tap Lights instead. That was Lee's job. Assemble and install the batteries for all the lights.

GE Tap Light

Finished Orchid Centerpiece.  Can you see the Tap Light?

The hotel staff added the extra orchids when they set the tables. Very simple and sweet. Julie and Joe loved it so that's all that matters!

The Happy couple, Julie and Joe.

The Tap Light gave a warm glow after dark and the batteries lasted all evening.  Julie gave the vases to family members the next day as Wedding keepsakes.  Yes, I carried mine home on the plane and still use it often!

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is LOVE.  1 Corinthians 13:13

To continue through the entire Blog Hop.  You can go to the main page at 365 Days of Crafts Blog Hop or on the Designer Crafts Blog Connection Logo below. Click forward to go to the next Designer's post.  Keep clicking until you get back here and you will have seen all the wonderful ideas this week.

The world is but a canvas to the imagination.
-- Henry David Thoreau

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I'm joining Tablescape Thursday this week too!

And the Shabby Nest for Frugal Fridays!

Don't forget Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday!

Remember When - Wedding Shower Decor from the 70s

As part of my plan to "ReOrganize"  in 2011 I spent some time cleaning off the shelf with photo albums today.  After we spent some time laughing  at ourselves, we remembered how nice it was that our friends and family were so generous for our wedding.  We ended up having 3 Wedding Showers and each one was decorated a little different. We really appreciate all the effort they made to make the parties special.  I thought you might enjoy a look back at what was popular back then!

Paper nut cups wrapped with lots of tulle and curling ribbon for favors.  There were probably pillow mints inside the cups.

A popular cake at that time was the Double Wedding Ring.  I like the little bride and groom on the left and the bridesmaids on the right.  I might still have those in my Memory Box, you never know!  Notice the satin ribbon bows on the candlestick on the left side.  That was a recurring theme at all the parties. 

A decorated umbrella and "chair of honor" decorated by my friends Lauri and Jeanette.  They sure made me feel like a princess that day.  This was really considered "over the top" decor back then.  Of course, Lauri's little poodle thought the chair of honor was for her!

Opening gifts under the umbrella with my sister, Bev, making a list of the gifts for the Thank You notes.

I'm sure all of you crafters and quilters will appreciate this gift.  It's a quilt made by Lee's Grandmother and hand quilted by her, Lee's Mom (Alice) and even has a few stitches added by Lee when he was really young.  What a treasure - 3 generations.

And finally; here we are at one of the other parties.  We were SO YOUNG!  I think Lee's hair was longer than mine is now!  What kind of fun memories can you dig up?

A Baby Shower theme that started with a Bracelet - Part One

This shower would be hosted by three people, Sarah's cousin Melissa, her Aunt Elena and me.  Since we would all be working together we were able to divide up jobs and help each other with all the projects.  I recommend having help for a large event like this if you want to do so many special touches.  After gathering the guest list, we found a location and set date for the party.  Aunt Linda, Grandma and Nani really helped out with that.  I just wanted to mention this up front because most of the large events that I do are a success because I don't do it all alone.  "Many hands make light work!"

So... how did I come up with a theme for Sarah's Baby Shower and how did it all come together?

Many times new parents have a specific theme planned for the nursery.  It's easy to design a baby shower around a cartoon character, trucks & cars or a even a garden themed room.  It's common to already know the sex and possibly even the name of the baby before it's born. After talking to Sarah and Jason several times; this is what I learned.  They didn't know if they were having a boy or girl, they both love words and reading, planned on painting the nursery green, her favorite flowers are hydrangeas and peonies and she loved the look of shiny mixed pastel plates on a crisp white tablecloth. I spent alot of time thinking about a theme since Sarah is my daughter in law and the new baby would be our first Grandchild! 

It all started with a baby bracelet.  It was so cute! The little beads could be assorted pastels.  The letter beads were a classic style suitable for a boy or girl and I could string the beads myself and attach it to a card.

I used the die cut machine to cut out the B (for baby) from embossed cardstock and found textured green paper that matched the wall color.  The small card size was based on the size of the die cut. It took a long time to make so many invitations but it was a labor of love.

A random trip to Ikea and I see the perfect solution for centerpieces.  Small round glass vases in assorted pastel colors.  They look like beads!  I'll be able to get future use out of them and they'll be lovely with peonies down the center of the tables.

Next:  The search for pastel plates and "What in the world are you going to do with liquid starch?"

Wedding Shower

“A Touch of Paris in an Urban World”
CHA Designer Tablescape # 15

Designed and Created by: Barbara Woolley-Lead Designer,
Helen Bradley, Madeline Faiella, and Patt Bell



Today’s young bride is making a statement in all she does. She’s trendy and hip, she has traveled and yet she’s still anchored to good ol’ family values. Our bridal shower tablescape is urban and chic with just a touch of the elegance and romance that is Paris. Sophisticated colors of steel and black combine with beautiful line art graphics and are offset by a surprising touch of color in the polka dot accents. The look is young, classy and fun. We’ve combined easy to create fabric projects, scrapbooking and paper crafts, clay and wire in this inspirational tablescape.

Wedding Reception

Wedding Reception – “Sheer Elegance”
CHA Designer Tablescape #14

Created and Designed by: Eileen Hull-Lead Designer
and Lorine Mason



Traditional white combines with soft pink and green to set the mood for an elegant and romantic wedding reception. This table for two is where the newlyweds will finally sit down to share their first dessert together as husband and wife. The paper cake and desserts “du foam” are decorated with rhinestones, beads, clay and texture paste. Gossamer table linens, chair covers and mirror tiles add sparkle to the occasion. The basic designs are easy but the details are what add that “something special” to this tablescape.