Princess Wedding

In honor of today's Royal Wedding, I wanted to share some of my wedding pictures.  This June will mark my 9th wedding anniversary with my wonderful husband!  Every girl wants to feel like a princess on her wedding day and I certainly was no exception.  We became engaged 3 years into our relationship and were married approximately 1 1/2 years later.  I wanted a long engagement so all the details could be worked to perfection.  I made my bridal bouquet and the all bridesmaids bouquets from silk flowers.  Knowing how much a perfectionist I am, I began working on my bouquet 5 months before the wedding.  I knew exactly what I wanted it to look like from the get go!  My favorite roses are lavender so I definitely wanted them to be the main flower.  I decided on lavender roses, white lilies, peach tulips, lavender tulips, white alstromeria, light blue lilacs, ivy and eucalyptus.  I also used some lace from my mother's bridal bouquet as my "something old". 

As you can see from the picture, my bouquet is still going strong!  It just needs some readjustments from being stored - but it is still as lovely as the day I was married.  This is one of the beauties of using silk flowers in weddings.  I will be able to hopefully pass some of these on to my girls for use in their own weddings one day (not that I want to think that far in the future!) 

My traditional fashion sense of style carried into my dress as well.  I found a picture of this Oleg Cassini dress in a magazine and new instantly this was my wedding dress. This screamed 'princess' wedding to me!!  I apologize for the poor details and quality in the pictures - to save time I was taking a picture of a picture so some details got lost in translation.  The dress is ball gown style with layers and layers of tulle and lace.  Instead of a train I opted for a cathedral length veil and a tiara made entirely of Swarovski crystals. 

Wedding flowers are definitely one of my passions - I just love to be a part of the one of the happiest days in a person's life!  Each wedding is so unique and there is just an infinite number of possibilities when it comes to the flowers and decor. 
So, as you see pictures and video of today's Royal Wedding - take time to reflect on your own special day and know that we all deserve to feel like a Princess!

Romans 12:10bHonor one another above yourselves

Hoo Are You?!

I came across this fun linky party at Nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com !!

1. Do you plant a garden or flowers, or neither?

  I absolutely love to plant flowers!  My entire summer is usually spent planting flowers and cleaning out the flower beds.  I would love to attempt a vegetable garden one day when I can devote more time to it.

2. Does it bother you to have your blinds or curtains 
open after dark so people can see in your house?

  Only the bedroom blinds, the other rooms don't bother me that much.

3. Do you like to go camping?

  I have never been camping!  It would have to include a comfy hotel bed, a pool and room service! 

4. Do you have a laptop or a desk top computer?

  I have both a laptop and a desk top.

5. What time during the day do you have your most energy?
  Most of my energy comes in the afternoon and early evening.  I get most accomplished during this time.

Please visit Night Owl Crafting and play along!!!
Please also visit the Waltz on by Wednesday blog hop hosted by Ourjourneytoasimplerlife.blogspot.com

Ukrainian Easter Eggs

  In one of my art education classes, I did a lesson on Ukrainian Easter eggs; also known as Pysanky.  While brainstorming on a new craft to try with my daughter, these beautifully decorated eggs popped into my mind!

It is believed that the art of decorating eggs in the Ukraine goes back to ancient times.  The Ukrainians worshipped a sun god, called Dazhboh, and believed birds were his chosen creation since birds were the only ones who could get near the sun.  The Ukrainian people thus believed the eggs were magical objects and were honored. 

Decorating the Pysanky was traditionally done the last week of Lent by the women of the family. Usually each family had its own symbols and customs for decorating the eggs - passed from mother to daughter. The color / pattern combinations used by each family were carefully guarded.  The work was done secretly at night while the children slept. 

The eggs were decorated with a wax resist. The patterns were written on the egg with the wax, then the egg was dyed yellow.  More wax was applied and the egg was dyed orange, red, purple and black.  After the last color was added, the was was removed revealing the various patterns.  On Easter Sunday the eggs would be taken to church to be blessed and then given to family and others you may respect.

To create a toddler friendly version of Ukrainian eggs, I decided to do scratch art.  We simply began by drawing an egg on heavy paper ( such as cardstock ).  Next we colored our eggs with a variety of brightly colored crayons. After the egg is colored, apply black paint over top the crayon and allow to dry completely.  Once the paint is dry you can scratch it off using any type of sharp instrument appropriate for the age group.  Craft stores sell scratch stick specifically for this type of art. You can create an unlimited number of unique eggs with this technique!  Have fun!

Wordless Wednesday

Just Who is the Easter Bunny??

Just who is the Easter Bunny?


This is a question I found myself asking as my girls had their picture taken with the Easter Bunny at the mall.  Growing up Catholic, I of course know the religious meaning of the holiday - but where did the Easter Bunny originate?


Eastre was originally a Pagan festival to celebrate springtime.  Eastre was a goddess worshipped by Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol - the rabbit. In Pre-Christian lore, the hare and rabbit were among the most fertile animals and therefore became symbols of new life during the spring.


The idea of the Easter Bunny was introduced to America by German settlers in the Pennsylvania Dutch area in the 1700's.  This bunny was known as the "Oschter Haws" and was believed to lay colorful eggs.  Children would make nests for the Oschter Haws to use to hold the eggs.  In the 1800's the Germans created the first edible Easter bunnies made from sugar and pastry.  By the 19th century in America the Easter Hare became known as the Easter Bunny who brought baskets filled with eggs, chocolate, candy and other small gifts. 


Since the springtime festival coincided with the Christian belief of the resurrection of Jesus, the Easter Bunny
eventually became an iconic symbol for our holiday. 


My 3 year old and I decided to make a simple bunny craft to decorate our table.  The materials we used for this fun craft were small terra cotta flowerpots, craft paint, craft glue, pom poms, foam sheets, chenille pipe cleaners, silly eyes, easter grass and ribbon. 


We began by painting the flowerpots white for the bunnies.  While the paint was drying, I cut out ear shapes from the foam and then painted some pink in the middle ( Madailein decided her bunny would have all pink ears! )  We used the craft glue to stick the ears to the back of the flowerpots and the pom poms to form the face and tail.  Glue the silly eyes in 2 small pom poms; cut the pipe cleaners for whiskers and fill the pot with the easter grass.  Final touch -  a ribbon around the middle and Voila!  you have a cute little Easter Bunny!


This was so simple to do with a toddler and only took us about 30 minutes from start to finish.  Madailein is so proud of her bunny since she was able to do a good portion of it by herself. 

Wordless Wednesday!

Enjoy your day!! 

Communion Veils

Recently a lovely lady I work with asked if I could make a communion veil for her daughter's upcoming First Holy Communion.  Of course I said yes!!
I had so much fun creating a veil that I made 4 different ones for her to select from.  I just had to share some of the images of the veils with you!  Stay tuned, I will be opening an Etsy shop soon.  I also just started a Facebook page for I Heart Decorating - come visit and "Like" me today!

Think Spring! April - Month of the Sweet Pea

Spring is by far one of my favorite times of the year. There is nothing more refreshing than seeing the trees budding, flowers growing and smelling the fresh clean spring air.  This season brings a sense of newness and rebirth that no other season can offer.  Right now as I type I am looking out my dining room window and can see tiny buds on my lilac tree - I can't wait for it to bloom again this year!  The sweet fragrance from the flower floats through the house with the cool breeze when the windows are open.  :)  

The birth flower for April is the Sweet Pea; which traditionally has the meaning of departure and bliss.  I like to think this symbolizes the departure from the winter into spring. It typically is seen in white or soft pastel colors, such as lavender, pink and yellow, that would pair perfectly with an elegant spring wedding.

Sometimes the Daisy also symbolizes the month of April.  The literal meaning for daisy is "day's eye" because it opens as the day is beginning. Daisies symbolize innocence and purity and can also signify new beginnings - which can again be tied in with spring and rebirth. They used to be given to new mother's in bouquets to celebrate the birth of a child. 

To brighten up my house I decided to make a new arrangement using some happy daisies in soft pinks and yellows.  Flowers definitely bring a smile to my face and bring such joy when I can pass that happiness on to someone else to enjoy!

"Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world."
-  Virgil A. Kraft