ElegantKB

Exquisite Eggs Decorated for Easter with Czech Designs

I found incredible eggs at the Marin County Farmers Market in San Rafael today. They only sell them for a few weeks each year. I had a small collection Czech eggs but over the years they all broke!  I was so happy to see this vendor at the market again. His wife is the artist and her work is amazing. They have two sizes - goose eggs, and chicken eggs.  Some are done with very bright, spring colors. I love the detail of the art on the eggs I picked out today. The etching really stands out in contrast with the earth tones.  I plan to get more next year!
The first collection I set on egg rings and displayed on the hutch.  This time I'll display them in a bowl to keep them from falling.  I used dried white beans to cushion the eggs.  By the way the egg artist has a blog with more pictures of the Czech eggs.  Please visit them and enjoy!
http://www.czechinginagain.blogspot.com/
Happy Easter!

ElegantKB's Wordless Wednesday, April 6 2011

Quiet please!

DIY Bridal Shower Tea Party Decorations on an All in One Printer

 

Here are some ideas for how to make your own paper decorations for a Bridal Shower or Tea Party.  I recently hosted a party with the Tea Party theme to honor Kate Middleton. I found some simple and eco-friendly ways to decorate using my All in One printer. An All in One printer has a printer, copier, and fax machine. Mine is an older HP but very reliable. I always use paper that is 50% recycled.
 
To Make Floral Letters as in TEA
I used one of my daughter's dresses with a cute print. I put the skirt as flat as possible on the copy bed and made color copies. Then I drew the letters out in pencil on the back side of the copy and cut them out.  Once cut I coped them again in color with 30% reduction.  I had a couple of sets of letters to work with.  You may also do the bride's name in letters for a personalized touch!

United Kingdom Flags or other flags
Next I printed out the flag of the United Kingdom. It's easy to find flags to print when you search Google images for flags of the world. I copied the flag in color in several different sizes and cut them out.  This worked well for our theme.  If you aren't doing a them that ties back to a country, you may want to do a state theme. For example, print flags for the state the couple plans to get married in.

Portraits and photos
You can easily blow up any color photo by either printing it to fit the page, or by using the color copy size feature.  I used large sheets of paper from a extra large post it note pad.  The type used for meetings. I used double stick tape to center the portrait in the middle of the page. This leaves plenty of room for guests to write their messages to the bride to be. This can be given to the couple as a keepsake later for fun!
I also taped up some copied photos on top of other framed art in the rooms. It made the theme complete and guests really enjoyed seeing the photos.

After the party these can all be recycled or reused. I was very fortunate to host my party with another creative friend who brought her collection of vintage hats. 
We displayed the hats along with these paper decorations and the place looked great.  You can really save money and keep away from plastic decorations when you use a little creativity. I hope you like these ideas for DIY printable party decorations.