The Lost Generation

Alright, so this has nothing to do with weddings but I thought it was so cool that I had to share it!

Enjoy!

Sophie

eWedding

There are tons of wedding website services out there. My personal favourite is eWeddings where you have the option to set up a free site or pay for additional features. Plus there are TONS of template options.

If you've decided to skip the formal paper invites altogether a wedding website is a must have.

Sophie

Birdseed Favours

I made these lovely little birdseed favours last week. This is a much more elegant twist on the pine cone bird feeder.

To start, I didn't have any bird feed lying around (I finished it all before winter hit). So I decided to make a quick homemade bird feed with some stuff I had lying around the house but you can buy ready-made bird feed to make your life easier. If you purchase the feed make sure that you choose one that has some interesting colours, sizes, and textures.

The feed I used was made up of organic raisins, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds (I ran the raisins and pumpkin seeds through the food processor before I started).

What you'll need:
Toast (I used one per feeder but you can make smaller feeders if you make two per slice)
Cookie cutter (or scissors - yup, low-tech over here).
Peanut butter
Bird feed (homemade or store bought)
Twine
Labels or tags



Step 1: Use your cookie cutter to cut out the number of favours that you'll need. As you can see, I simply cut out a shape on paper then used that the cut out my heart shapes with scissors (I only made two feeders so it wasn't too bad but this could get time-consuming for a larger batch of feeders).

Step 2: Cover one side of the toast in peanut butter and push it down into the bird feed. Then cover the other side and the edge and press the other side into the feed. Make sure there is no peanut butter showing.

Step 3: Once your favours are covered push the tip of a paint brush or a pencil through one corner.

Step 4: Let the favours dry overnight or for a few days to give them a chance to harden.

Step 5: Once the feeders are nice and stiff, thread the twine through the hole and place a tag on the twine (I used a label made from recycled paper).

I put my feeder outside and even though it's January I've had a few birds munchin' away at it.

Do you have an idea for an eco project? Send it to me here!

Thirst Relief International: Grace Ormonde Benefit Shoot

According to UNICEF more than 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water. That's 1 in 6 people on the planet! Statistically, there is 1 death every 15 seconds caused by water-borne illness; 90% of those deaths are children under the age of 5.

Thirst Relief International is a water development organization founded by wedding photographer, Jim Davis-Hicks. In August of 2009 Thirst Relief teamed up with Grace Ormonde, several designers, and 15 U.S. wedding photographers to create one of the most beautiful wedding gown shoots I've ever seen.

All of the gowns, which each contained a touch of blue, were designed specifically for the Tanzania shoot. You can check out some of the photographer's photos from the trip here. For photos from the shoot check out the Spring/Summer 2010 issue of Grace Ormonde.

Visit the Thirst Relief website for information on how to donate. What a wonderful "In Lieu of Favours" gift this could be for your wedding!

Happy Planning!

Sophie

Coverall Event Coordination

John F. Kennedy Quote

Happy Friday, everyone!

Today I wanted to share a snippet from a talk given by John F. Kennedy at the University of Kansas on March 18, 1968. Even 42 years later these words ring as true today as they did then; perhaps even more so:

"But even if we act to erase material poverty, there is another greater task, it is to confront the poverty of satisfaction - purpose and dignity - that afflicts us all. Too much and for too long, we seemed to have surrendered personal excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our Gross National Product, now, is over $800 billion dollars a year, but that Gross National Product - if we judge the United States of America by that - that Gross National Product counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for the people who break them. It counts the destruction of the redwood and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and counts nuclear warheads and armored cars for the police to fight the riots in our cities. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children. Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country, it measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it can tell us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans."

Have a wonderful weekend :)

Sophie

Coverall Event Coordination

Sock Boutonnieres

Here's a project for a few of those odd socks you've got sitting around. Here's what you'll need"

1 odd sock (preferably a thick woolly one)
Floral wire
Floral Tape

Step 1: Cut the end off your sock about 3 inches from the opening.


Step 2: Cut the piece lengthwise so that you have one long piece.


Step 3: Start rolling the sock from one end. There are a number of ways to do this. Try playing with the shapes you can make before proceeding to the next step.

Step 4: Pinch the fabric together at the bottom.

Step 5: Once you've found a shape you like poke a piece of floral wire through the pinched end of the sock and wrap the wire tightly around the outside so that the flower holds its shape. Leave a little tail at the end to wrap the floral tape around.

Step 6: Wrap the floral tape around the wire. After I finished this step I coloured the floral tape black with permanent marker so that it matched the colour of the flower.

Here are three finished boutonnieres. Unfortunately I only had dark coloured socks on hand but some colourful woolly socks would be really stunning too.

You can also add in some felt leaves, beads, buttons, and other decorative elements to really personalize these pieces. If you make your own sock boutonnieres be sure to send us some photos!

Cheers,

Sophie

Coverall Event Coordination

Tomato Favours

If you grow tomatoes in the summer you're likely used to passing baskets of tomatoes along to family and friends (and anyone else who will take them) once they've ripened. Why not put some of that delicious fruit to work for your wedding this year?

Here are some ideas on how you can make your tomatoes work as guest favours:

1. Seedlings


If you're getting married in the spring you won't have a chance to grow your tomato plants large enough to produce fruit. Instead, why not grow them into small seedlings and pot each seedling so that your guests can plant them at home and benefit from their own fruitful gift.

2. Tomato Baskets

If your plants grow well and produce enough fruit you can create small favour baskets for your guests so that they can take home their very own ripe, delicious tomatoes to use in their favourite tomatoe recipe. A small assortment of cherry tomatoes makes for a colourful gift.

3. Salsa

If fresh tomatoes are not an option perhaps whipping up a special salsa recipe is the answer. Can batches of your salsa to give to your guests as a tasty gift that they can enjoy whenever they wish.

Do you have ideas on how to create tomato favours? Leave them in the comments section or send them here.

Cheers,

Sophie

Coverall Event Coordination

Resolutions For 2010: Healthier Lifestyle

Happy New Year's Day!!!

Given that it's January 1st I thought I'd post another resolution. And isn't this always one of our resolutions? It's probably because there's always more we can do to be just a little more healthy. Most of us drink too much coffee, ingest too much salt and sugar, and don't get enough exercise.

In 2009 I became a vegetarian which has made a surprising difference in the way I feel. I initially became a vegetarian because I'm out to save the world (or at least that's what I'm told) but it turns out that I've felt a hundred times better since making the switch. I have more energy, I feel satisfied but not full after a meal, and I've lost weight. Christmas killed me a bit after receiving a whole cupboard worth of chocolates and treats... once that's gone I'll get back on track! Ha ha!

I used to be in really great shape but after two kids this body just isn't what it used to be. For Christmas I got a Wii Fit system so now I'm adding a daily routine of running, hula hooping, Yoga, and other random activities to my schedule. It also means that I'm getting up earlier so that no one can see how ridiculous I look flailing around on the balance board. I'm not sure if this will make a huge difference in my fitness but I've had friends who swear by it and I've definitely been a little sore since I started using it.

What are you doing to improve your health and fitness in 2010? Perhaps you're looking to tone up or shed some pounds before your wedding. Feel free to share your tips!

Sophie

Coverall Event Coordination