Stump Stools

How awesome are these? These Stump Stools by the Cumulus Project are made from a fallen maple tree which was taken from the forest floor in Storm Bay, BC. The cover is white leather over natural{?} foam, and attached to the wood with copper tacks. Each stool sits on small, nearly invisible feet which gives them the appearance of levitating over the ground. These stools are best suited for indoor use or a covered outdoor area.




These three have sold and I hope they make more! I could see these as a fun DIY project as well.

Thriving

Remember our living centerpieces?

I was delighted to hear from our dear friend Beth on our anniversary, telling us that the centerpiece she took home with her is thriving and he hoped our marriage is as well. I love our friends.

Heirloom Romance

I see things around the house and imagine how it would look as either wedding or event decor. So, in the spirit of reuse I decided to challenge myself to create little vignettes using only items found around the house or in the yard. That means china, glasses, vases, trinkets and even scraps of fabric from my studio as well as using the abundance of nature. It also makes for something beautiful to pull cherished familial elements into one's celebration.

I started this project last fall and these were taken in early October. We hope to get another photo shoot finished before we move that will actually feature us.

This is a guest book table scene. We used our guest book which was an old photo album we found in the attic that appears to have never been used. I made a new sign from our invitation layout. We still had leftover sandwich boards. The table cloth is the from the same linen yardage we used for Michael's coat. The black box is the old Babbitt box my grandfather kept at their house. My grandmother painted the birds. The lotus bowl came from my mother, the silver flower pin came from Colombia, the tea cup was a gift to my grandmother, the carriage clock was purchased in Paris by my great grandfather as a gift to my great grandmother on their honeymoon, in the late 1800's. The fleur-de-lis cloche is a modern piece.

The Carew Rice scene is an original and one of our beloved tumblers also makes an appearance. My parents received a set of them as a wedding gift, 54 years ago.

Yule

We're hoping to get our Yule decorations up this weekend. In the meantime, I'd like to share with you our decor from last year. All of the greenery was taken from the yard at our old house. We also used the green acorns that we purchased for the wedding, and everything but the stag was in our possession.

Ok, it's really an antelope but we thought we could use it to represent a stag. :)
Holly & mistletoe.

The goddess was purchased by mother about 38 years ago.

I loved making the cedar garland. The trees on the right were part of our table scape the year before. This was more of the direction I wanted to go in, but I missed that turn in Albuquerque and ended up in an entirely different place. I'll post that soon.

We're big on using Magnolia branches as decor elements. Never a wrong time of year to use them!

We were featured on Apartment Therapy last year.

DIY Ring Bowl/Nest

{Photo credit: Stacy Bode}
Aileen, ringbearer and friend extraordinaire.

{Photo credit: Evita Smith}

About two and a half years ago Michael discovered a nest being built in the side of the warehouse that faced our loft parking lot, just above and electrical juncture. He kept an eye on it because he feared that the nest would be abandoned due to it's precarious location. He was right, as usual. He did wait over a week after they stopped working on it before he brought it inside.

We realized it was just too fragile to use for the wedding and needed to look for something else. The bowl we choose has been a favorite of mine since I was a child. The moss came from Pottery Barn years ago. I know, we live in the land of moss but my mother fell in love with the green.

{Photo credit: Michael Judd}

{Photo credit: Stacy Bode}

{Photo credit: Michael Judd}

Michael's Greenman ring made by Bellchamber goldsmiths. They're awesome beyond words.

My engagement ring is an estate enameled white gold ring with a peridot center stone surrounded by diamonds. My wedding band is white gold eternity band and was cast from an antique mold.

{Photo credit: Stacy Bode}

Aileen acquiring last minute wishes from our friends before the ceremony starts.

Living Centerpieces

{Photo credit: Stacy Bode}

We crafted the boxes from old fencing we had in a scrap pile. We made them in the shape of a hexagon, which was an important element tying together our incorporation of bees along with our cake and the mead.

The oak seedlings were purchased from the Arbor Day Foundation. The moss, herbs and ivy were purchased earlier in the year and allowed to grow, allowing us to save a little money. The boxwoods were purchased the week before the wedding. The acorns are from the same batch that I used for Michael's boutonniere. We collected them a couple of years ago.

Measuring to make the cuts at 30°

Bottoms on with drainage holes and screens:

{Photo credit: Evita Smith}