06/04

fit for a queen

In honor of the Queen of England’s Jubilee celebration {June 2-5, 2012}, marking 60 years of the Queen’s reign in England, we’ve put together a list of British finds and party necessities fit for royalty…and you’re worthy!

For a beautiful tea party inspiration in honor of the Jubilee, visit Naomi Kenton’s site here.

Women’s Original British Boot, Hunter {$194}

Union Scarf, French Connection {$88}

Religion Union Jack Knitted Tunic, Asos {$97.41}

Union Jack Sunglasses, Asos {$20.87}

Keep Calm and Carry On Necklace, Bip & Bop {$19.99}

Union Jack Flag Lettering, Rosenberry Store

Tea Cup Bracelets, Stay Gold Mary Rose on Etsy

Vintage China Diamond Statement Ring, Stay Gold Mary Rose on Etsy {$39}

Jam Party Kit, Lakeland {£5.99}
{it’s too late to order these for the Diamond Jubilee, but this would be a fun party favor for an Olympics celebration…and can be made at home with small Mason jars, homemade jam and British-themed toppers and twine}

Union Jack Baker’s Twine, Not on the High Street {$7.42}

British Cupcake Kit, Meri Meri {$12.95}

The Loo Bathroom Sign, Shabby Sign Shop

Hand-decorated Kids Reclaimed Vintage Chairs, Mama Lilly {£85-200}

Union Jack Dresser, Miss Mustard Seed

Classic Union Jack Telephone, Present Finder {£49.99}

Strawberry Trifle Dessert, The Girl Who Ate Everything

{images via Cambridge News, Naomi Kenton, French Connection, Rosenberry Store, Bip & Bop, Stay Gold Mary Rose, Shabby Sign Shop, Not on the High Street, Hunter, Lakeland, Meri Meri, Mama Lally, Present Finder, Asos, Miss Mustard Seed, The Girl Who Ate Everything}

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05/30

antonia + reggie

When Jessica Strong, owner of  A Vintage Affair Rentals, and Emily of Emily Elizabeth Photo sent these ‘backyard wedding celebration’ photos to us, we were smitten. We love the simplicity of the celebration and its uniqueness filled with DIY details by the bride and groom. They really made it ‘their day’ in every way. Oh, and the fabulous food truck…we absolutely love!
Here’s all the wonderful details from the blissful bride:
September 23, 2011 was the day of my wedding celebration.  I was married to my Love, Reggie Lafaye on May 5, 2011 at the Starhouse near Boulder, Colorado with under 10 guests in attendance. This was exactly what we wished for – a small, sacred ceremony and then a super fun, happy party with all of our friends and family with us to celebrate our love.
My vision was one of celebration basked in the aesthetic of myself and my husband which is very earth connected, but still elegant and creative. Originally I wanted a bohemian carnival feel, like gypsies running through the night celebrating being alive! Had we a farm with tons of land, I think with my amazing wedding coordinator, Paige Domiano of Peekay Soiree, we could have achieved that. But since we chose to have our celebration at our home in the city, we had to tone it down a bit.
We still kept an undertone of carnival to the party. Paige made beautiful, mini hot air balloons that sat atop of the pillars as you entered our home. Our guest book, which people left finger prints instead of signatures, was a hot air balloon illustration done by Bluedetoi, a custom artist on Etsy. Several other ‘carnival’ touches were achieved through custom pieces. We have a local godsend in Denver, a company called A Vintage Affair Rentals, I choose to rent an old gumball machine that we filled with chocolate-covered peanuts. Also our bar was an old lemonade stand, which reminded me of an early 20th century carnival or fair. I also made a numbered checkered board for people to put their drinks on while dancing. That was a HUGE project! It took twice as long as I thought to stencil in all the numbers and paint them opposite colors.
We had home-made caramel corn served in old school pop corn bags, and of
course the FOOD TRUCK! Nothing says carnival more to me than a food truck. And Steuben’s Food Truck did an outstanding job serving over 100 people amazing food.

That aesthetic was balanced by the more refined elegant Bohemian touches, which is my essence. I love the creativity of what a bohemian lifestyle is with a touch of old Hollywood glamour thrown in for good measure. My dress was made by Two birds. Since I wore a white dress to our ceremony I wanted something in color for the celebration. And I wanted that color to be a dark teal. The fabric was so soft and did not wrinkle! Also, it photographed beautifully and I was comfortable all night long. My husband wore a vintage suit of my grandfathers as an homage to him. He recently passed and was a very big influence in my life. 
My best friend Mia and I made my bouquet out of peacock feathers. I wanted something that I could have forever, and have a rich and luscious feel (old Hollywood). It turned out so beautiful, especially since we made it the day of the celebration while we were getting our hair done! Thank God we are both good under pressure. We also made my husband’s boutonniere out of feathers as well.

The flowers were made by another one of my best girlfriends who is a genius when it comes to arranging. We used wild flowers with twigs and feathers. I wanted it to look like someone took a walk in the forest and collected these, and that is exactly how they came across. I found all different shapes of vases and spray painted them. Mostly in black, brown but a few white to give it contrast. They sat upon wood slices, some of which has tiny birdhouses next to them.

The lighting was mostly twinkle and gas lights with a lot of lanterns. I love the feel of lanterns especially when they have that gypsy quality to them. We hung the vintage lanterns from our oak tree and them randomly places the others around the yard. My husband and his father hung a ton of the twinkle lights above the dance floor. It looked amazing! That is where everyone gathered after we ate dinner, underneath the “stars” of the dance floor.
We did a lot of things ourselves but two of my favorite pieces I made were the photo booth backdrop and the party favors. The backdrop was totally tongue in cheek. It was a two wolves howling at the night sky that had a full moon and some extraterrestrial activity happening. Everyone, even my grandmother, was howling’ at the moon! And for the party favors, I wanted something that would be a keepsake, and that would not be thrown away. So I made stainless steel and leather key chains. They were all slightly different but very beautiful. I made a handful of them with fur and leather fringe for some of my girlfriends who like that look. They were made from recycled leather and fur I bought from Ebay and the stainless steel rings I bought at home depot.

Right after dinner and all of the toasts, we went to the front of the house for a group photo. Paige handed out sparklers to everyone and this is where the night turned up a notch. We took photos with all of the sparklers, and then headed to the back for a full-on dance party! I was on the dance floor all night long. It was once of the most incredible nights of my life. I was literally high off of all the happiness and love that everyone felt. It is a night I will never forget. I love and thank everyone who made this such a success.
VENDOR LOVE
Photography: Emily Elizabeth Photo
Catering: Steuben’s Food Truck
Desserts: Watercourse Bakery {mini ho ho’s, Happy Cakes – mini pies, homemade S’mores sticks}
Libations: Mondo Vino
Event coordinators: Peekay Soiree, Paige Domiano
Vintage Decor Rentals: A Vintage Affair rentals
Dress: Two Birds
Makeup by Angela Alonzo:  angela.marie.alonzo@gmail.com
Hair: Love, a Hair Studio by artist  Orleana Lynch
DJ: Eric Halborg of  The Swayback
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05/15

rx: sweet happiness

My sister-in-law recently graduated from nursing school {you go girl!}, so in addition to the new Bayan Hippo purse and Curly Girl travel mug we bought for her, I wanted to fill the purse with something medical-related and sweet.

What did I come up with?

Happy Pills.

Sometimes we need a reason to smile…and sometimes laughter, happiness and joy is the best medicine. Instead of filling prescription bottles with real drugs, we filled empty, clean prescription bottles {you can re-use old bottles or buy from amazon.com} with candy, gum, chocolate and mints.

If you’re hosting a medical school or nursing grad party, another fun idea is to stack them for a display on a dessert table, or give them as take-home favors. It’s affordable and so cute!

Or, for the girlfriend who just had her heart broken by a man – these would certainly cheer her up.

Or {the possibilities are endless}, how cute would it be to give to the bride in her day-of essentials/emergency kit or for a newly-engaged bride to get her through a year of planning? An I Do prescription bottle filled with breath-freshening mints. Or, one for each of the bridesmaids.

Good news for you…we are selling these in our Fleur de Lis, a paperie etsy shop. Check them out here and order today. {$5 for file as is and $10 for a custom file}

{images via Tutto Bella}

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05/11

PINTEREST pics of the week: gifts for the grad

It’s that time of year we celebrate those who are about to embark on a new journey in their lives. Maybe they are about to enter the fun and crazy-filled college years. Or, maybe they are celebrating a milestone of a college graduation and about to enter the ‘real world.’ We salute you grads of 2012. Congrats!

For those of you stopping by the endless open houses and celebrations, we found some fun and creative gift ideas via our new favorite site, Pinterest, that will make your gift stand out from the crowd.
{BTW, you can follow us on Pinterest by clicking here}

8 x 10 Art Print She Turned Her Dreams Into Plans by Lindsey at Pen and Paint via Etsy. Lindsay at Pen and Paint is offering Tutto Bella readers 10% off with code BELLA10. 

Write Your Own Way Necklace, Waxing Poetic {$79}

DIY Caddy, Creation Corner
{fill a shower caddy with Top Ramen, a book reading light, ear plugs, shower shoes, 5 hour energy, first aid kit, Febreeze, Pop Tarts, Hand Sanitizer, ear plugs, etc…visit Artsy MaQnolias for more kit ideas}

We all know new grads LOVE and NEED money, so step out of the box a bit and package it creatively with a…

Money Lei, Your Home Based Parties

Here are some other grad gift ideas we found around the web too…

Dogeared Jewels Forget Me Not Necklace, $64 from Zappos
{Make a wish and put on your necklace. wear it as a reminder that I love you.}

Here’s to You by Dan Zadra and Kristel Wills, $14.95 from Compendium Incorporated
{This company has SO MANY great products and gifts for the grad including, Dream Every Day Journal, The Book of 5 by Dan Zadra and I Believe in You by Dan Zadra}

Curly Girl Stainless Steel Travel Mug, Shine Your Light on the World, $19.99 from Amazon
{this would be adorable filled with a Starbucks gift card or VIA packets for all the late night studying for those soon-to-be college students…I bought this for some of my grad parties this year}

{images via Pen and Paint, Waxing Poetic, Creation Corner, Your Home Based Parties, Zappos, Compendium Incorporated and Amazon}

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04/27

pinterest picks of the week

We are obsessed with Pinterest. We find daily inspiration for fashion, parties, wedding, DIY projects and home decor. It’s genius – pin pictures from all over the web to create categorized boards. They can be vision boards, party ideas, portfolios and inspiration – all stored in one, easy and accessible place.

 Become a Tutto Bella Pinterest follower and you will see why we’re so addicted.

This week, we’re loving…

Unique Wedding Bar, Green Wedding Shoes

Custom Memory Journals from Paper Coterie, found via How Does She?
{visit How Does She? to find the $15 credit to Paper Coterie}

Mini Milkshake Shooters, Hey Gorgeous
{visit Hey Gorgeous for the complete how-to tutorial…how cute is the chocolate/sprinkled rim glasses…this is a MUST at my next party}

Baffin Bags Chevron Organizer, Etsy {$18}

Homegrown Monogram Mug, Anthropologie, $8
{this is a cute mother’s day gift filled with a Starbucks card or ingredients for her favorite hot drink}

Individual 7-Layer Dips, The Girl Who Ate Everything

{images via Baffin Bags, How Does She?, Anthropologie, Green Wedding Shoes, The Girl Who Ate Everything, Hey Gorgeous}

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