PRETTIE...GARLANDS

I have always loved streamers, garlands and bunting. They always project feelings of happiness, as well as sense of occasion. I love that they are appropriate for any celebration or event, that you can use them on packaging, in food and tabletop design as well as in your everyday seasonal decorating elements!

These stunning garlands are made from hand punched designer paper which have then been machine stitched together by Mara May - a very talented paper and scrapbooking crafter who also makes beautiful and one of a kind party hats too! The garlands are available here!

PRETTIE...MINI TUTORIAL..TREAT CUPS

I am thinking about the holiday season already....Neighbourhood gifts are a tradition and a lot of fun for the kids to deliver and receive. Traditionally I make some sort of ornament. This year I am going with white and soft pink so it can be displayed during Valentines and Spring (!?!) too. These would also make great shower, birthday or wedding treat/favor cups as well.

Equipment I used:

• Peat moss cups (mine are 1.5" at base and 2" high) from Home Depot
• Acrylic paint and paintbrush
• Crepe paper strip (1.5" x 36")
• Tinsel pipe-cleaners
• Bakers twine
• Fine cut paper shred
• Clothes pegs
• Glue Gun

Step 1 - Gather together all your supplies.Step 2 - Paint the inside and the outside of each peat moss cup with 2 coats of paint - let the paint dry thoroughly between each coat.Step 3 - Glue each end of the tinsel pipe cleaner separately on the inside of the peat moss cup approx 1/2" from the top, making sure that both ends are opposite each other. I let the glue cool down and "dry" for 20 - 30 seconds while steadying with my hand before I used the peg to hold the tinsel in place. The peg will help flatten the glue and the tinsel. Let dry.Step 4 - Remove pegs then gather your crepe paper strip to fit around the rim of your cup. (I used my sewing machine and gather stitched down the middle then pulled and bunched to the correct size) Fold your gathered crepe paper strip in half and glue at the stitch line (starting at one of the handles) to the top outside rim of your cup. Lightly glue a piece of bakers twine around the base of the gathered crepe paper (to help hide any irregularities!) Embellish with a little twine bow and the paper shred. Shape the pipe cleaner to the style of handle you would like your treat cup to have!

I am just going to wrap in a cellophane bag with a pink cardstock base and attatch a simple gift tag with some pink seam binding and deliver!

PRETTIE...EMBELLISHMENTS

How gorgeous are these paper embellishments from here? I would love to decorate some of my kraft gift packages with any or all of these goodies or make a lovely garland with those butterflies!! These yellow and light green hues are fantastic - they are also available in blue, peach, orange and red too!

Sasha of The Gilded Bee is a tremendously talented and generous crafter. She created this paper carnation tutorial which is posted on one of my other favorite blogs Oh Hello Friend... These flowers are make perfect year round or seasonal home decor accents and will look lovely on some of my gift packaging as well! Click on the link/s above and get "lust" in her nostalgia and use of color too!

PRETTIE....INSPIRED #2

This Halloween I am hosting a ladies night out. I put this Inspiration Board together to help keep me on track with how I want the evening to transpire.

Silver Stars, Candlesticks, Chandelier, Silver Spiders, Spooky Ghosts, Black Glass Compotes, Candy & Invitation, Platinum Pom, Cactus centerpiece, Silver Jack-O-Lanterns, Mis-matched Silverware

Colors: Lifeless black, platinum and grey

Styling: Old Hollywood Splendor and Elegance

Decor: 17" round balloons matching my theme colors - black string lights hanging in the dining room from the ceiling - home-made glass glitter garlands and silver tinsel draped over chairs and window frames - Musky perfumed votive candles located throughout the house - Scattered glass vases filled with leafless branches sprayed with liquid adhesive and covered with glitter - An over-washed black linen table cloth with frayed edges - Old wine bottles with Halloween labels holding dripping wax candles and Spooky Halloween images in tarnished silver frames on the buffet table

Tableware: Black glass compotes - Tarnished aluminum platters -Vintage silver cakestands - mismatched ivory china, crystal and silverware - black linen and platinum silky napkins

Food: Buffet style with Halloween feather tree centerpiece in tarnished champagne bucket. Finger foods placed on black and metallic cupcake liners - tiered plates of mini sandwiches, beef skewers, fruit, petit fors and cupcakes - Serving sparkling water, Red wine and Champagne

Music: Shuffled mix of Jazz, Hollywood musical tunes and "Spooky Music/Sounds"

PRETTIE ....TREAT TAGS

We are starting to think about Halloween and our neighborhood will soon be rampant with kids ding-dong ditching and leaving treats at the door. I made these vintage flashcard inspired tags last year for my girlfriend who tied to a pack of Halloween oreos and delivered to each of her 3 sons friends - My boys gave out packets of ghost marshmallows with hot coco mix tied together with twine. This year I have made little cello bags of Creepy Crawlies for the older kids which I have used before as cup cake toppers, treat embellishments and in multiple craft projects - the cockroach will be the perfect "trick" to leave on my unassuming teenagers lunch one day!!

These are just 4 different ways to use the same tags in your packaging using (my favorite!) simple supplies. I am a huge fan of Japanese masking tape (top left), but regular masking tape (bottom left) is a perfect design element and hole reinforcer too! I used the same tags on the right but just trimmed to size and tied with cotton twine and wrinkled seam binding. Vintage paper lace is my favorite way to embellish the "plainest" of packages and usually reserved for special treats!

If you would like to downlad these tags for yourself, just click HERE....enjoy!

PRETTIE...BALLOONS 101

Round balloons come in a range of sizes 16, 17, 24, 30 and 36" in diameter and are the simplest of design statements (and my absolute favorite!)

When planning to use Balloons at your event...

• Will you be using the balloons Indoors and/or Outdoors or both?
• Latex or Milar or both?
• Are you considering a monochromatic or festive color scheme? How will the balloons tie in with your other design elements - party theme?
• Consider the number and age group of your guests as well as the amount of parental supervision you will have available.
• Are you going to fill your balloons yourself onsite? Will you rent or buy Helium?
• Pick up Helium filled balloons on the day of the party not the day or evening before.
• Consider the size of your car when ordering the number of balloons or will you need to arrange delivery?
• Call ahead to order or to deliver pre-purchased balloons - be clear on pick up time so you are not waiting around to watch balloons being filled or that they were filled too early and your balloons are starting to lose their float!

Amy Atlas

Some Balloon decor ideas

• Tie 3 - 5 balloons in a bouquet at staggered lengths to highlight your party location
• Tie colourful ribbons to the end of your balloons and let float to the ceiling
• Weigh down individual or balloon bouquets with a soda can or canned food item (place inside a glass vase and fill around and to the top with co-ordinating party supplies confetti, candy, nuts, paper shred)
• Use individual balloons as table number markers - thread punched number tag through long ribbons (make sure balloons are not placed too low & obstruct dinner conversation!)
• Group 3 - 5 balloons spaced evenly apart and at equal heights as a table centerpiece or as a backdrop on a gift table and/or dessert buffet
• Us as Photographic props individually or in a bouquet.
• Tie together a large group of 9 - 13 in single or multicolors bouquet and give as a gift!

Things that you need to consider when using balloons Outside as design elements....

• Latex balloons will biodegrade with sun, wind and heat and less likely to display well for longer than 4-6 hours
• Fill balloons with helium that is approx. the same temperature as where they are being displayed
• High temperatures will cause helium to be released faster - reducing float time (adding Hi-Float to your balloons makes it harder for the Helium to escape)
• Extreme heat will most likely cause balloon popping
• Extreme cold will cause shrinking
• Larger balloons have longer float time
• Balloons dont last outdoors overnite because of dew and temperature changes
• Use lots of white balloons outside as they fade less
• Darker balloons will absorb heat up and pop faster than lighter colored balloons (accent with darker colors to incorporate your event's theme)
• Consider overinflating your balloons (with air first if you are filling with Helium so as not to waste the Helium) a little and releasing the air till balloon is underinflated so that the latex will have room to expand a little when absorbing heat (can also be done a few days before your event!

** Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing any of the above round balloons in 17" size in any combination of colors in multiples of 3/6/9 or 12 or even larger quantities **

PRETTIE...BUNTING

I love garlands - they conjure up wonderful feelings of celebration and occasion! This gorgeous and nostalgic cake bunting by Dawn of Kiki La Ru is so simplistic - yet it makes even the most basic of cakes a bold and beautiful centerpiece. Her choices of color combinations and fabric design are enough inspiration to create all your other event decor around them! I am really looking forward to seeing what she will have available soon for the upcoming holiday "season"..