WOW! Cupcake Bouquet Center Piece!

Cupcake Bouquets

I ran into this photo being circulated on Facebook and just HAD to share. What a fantastically fun display this would make as centerpieces at a Bridal Shower or even at the Wedding Reception!

The photo here shows a small bouquet being created but, with a bit of imagination, a very dramatic visual could easily be created and in styles ranging from fun and festive to dramatic and elegant. For those of us without the time or possibly the talent for design, a professional bakery, maybe the one being used for the wedding cake, could be hired to put together the perfect display!

For what you will need to create one for yourself, obviously, cupcakes are a must. You could choose cupcakes that match the flavor of your wedding cake or go with something different. Mini-cupcakes will work best so they won't be so big and clunky looking … and so much easier to manage! If your display is going to be larger, consider using two toothpicks for each cupcake attached. Better safe than sorry is great motto in this type of project. And knowing how many people will be at each table will help to determine how many cupcakes should be placed on each centerpiece. One per person or two? Completely up to you!

Choosing the right container is wide open! You simply need to make sure that the Styrofoam insert you want to use will fit into snug into the container you pick. You can use anything from terracotta planters to decorative candy bowls or even round flower vases. You will not want a clear or translucent container as it will show the Styrofoam and the counterweight inside.

For the Styrofoam, there are many shapes and sizes available at craft and fabric stores. Tall cones, big squares and all sizes of round balls. Play around with your ideas and the look you want and that will help you to narrow down the choices to one that is perfect for your project. Once you have decided on the container and the Styrofoam base, it may be a good idea to set the base in place with craft glue. Also, give some thought to stability of the structure. If you are going tall with your design, you may need to add weight to the container or it will be too top heavy after the cupcakes are added. You could add sand or other kind of weight to zip-locked freezer bags and place inside the container before you glue the Styrofoam in place.

For added Bling, there are fantastic and simply beautiful choices to be found at your local craft stores! Everything from beads, crystals and options like foil leaves, butterflies and flowers. Endless possibilities are at your disposal so you can customize this project to fit your wedding theme. Another decorating option would be to have the first name of each guest written on their own cupcake - BUT ... this will mean more work in making certain that every bouquet is specifically made for a certain table and that they get placed correctly at the dinner/reception venue. This is really only an option if you are having assigned seating.

Too much cake for one evening? Why not have a small gift bag placed at each setting so your guests can take one, or two, to go? That way, your guests can enjoy your wedding cake while celebrating with you and then have a special treat for the very next day.

It's all about making this moment yours. Special touches like this add to the moments that you and your loved ones will remember and talk about in the years ahead. Happy Planning!

 

Let's Talk Quality

After speaking with several small business owners, I've noticed a rising trend within the already strained list of concerns of grassroots companies - especially in the businesses that are strongly service driven. It seems that, with the access of technological gadgets and equipment so accessible today, small business owners are not only having to compete with other "like" companies but, now are also up against the weekend warriors.

Clarifying the term, by weekend warrior I don't mean someone who will take on an occasional project for family or a friend without charge to gain experience while continuing training and while currently continuing their education to learn all the important technical aspects of the field. This is a person who takes the direction of their career seriously - someone who respects the difficulty factor and is committed to performing at the highest level possible. I'm also not talking about the person who works a full time job to support themselves and their family while building up their new business - this is the person who, as I stated earlier, will also be continuing their education with periodic classes and training to keep their skills, service, knowledge of current equipment and new techniques up to date - a person who takes their business seriously.

By weekend warrior, I am talking about the people who have simply decided it's pretty cool that people will pay them to practice their hobby. They think they are "good enough" to make a few bucks doing something they like anyway. Maybe it was something they picked up on in high school. And with the explosion of social networks and several other free internet forums and web hosting ... they actually can compete by asking for a fraction of what small business owners charge. BUT ... caveat emptor ... Let the buyer beware when putting important events or projects into the hands of the weekend warriors.

Established businesses charge what they do for a variety of very important reasons. Important to them and important to their clients. They have invested money into continued education and training, update equipment, update supplies, purchased the current programs and material, researched the best and newest techniques and presentations, arranged for assistants to provide full service and improve availability. There is also investment into providing the proper brochures and paid web site layouts and hosting, sample albums, items, products. They do all this for ease of access and information for their clients - because they care about how their clients see them and trust them.

There are vital differences between the Professional and the weekend warrior. The old saying of "You get what you pay for" is seldom more clear than in this situation. For something that is important to you - your wedding, business promotion or any other event that comes only once - can you really afford to go cheap? Shop the Professionals. They have already shown that they care about what they do by investing in their business. And they have already shown they care about what you want by investing in attracting you as a client.

Unique and Creative Ring Bearer "Pillows"

 Unique and Creative Ring Bearer "Pillows"

Traditional soft, lacy pillows with the wedding rings set pristine in the middle is still a beautiful and popular choice for ring bearers. BUT ... what if you are not a traditional kind of bride and groom?  If you are looking for a unique and creative option for your ring bearer, paper mache may be the answer for you.

The Cinderella Slipper (photo right) is a glittering fairy-tale presentation for the symbols of your love. The whole form was made entirely of newspaper and paper mache. Then it was painted (I used spray paint), glittered and finished with a delicate ribbon.

For all you country girls and guys, The Cowgirl Boot (photo below) veers from the traditional pillow while still maintaining flair. And if you like "Bling", the boot can be bedazzled with jewels and other glitzy gems of your choosing. When it comes to the design, you can paint the boot any color and add whatever pattern or design that fits your theme.

DIRECTIONS: I recommend reading through entirely before starting - mainly because some of the steps will depend on what choices you make for your unique design. You may want to jot down some notes on what you will want for your individual project.

What you will need: 

• large mixing bowl
• flour, water
• LOTS of narrow strips cut/torn from newspaper
• several sheets of newspaper
• masking tape
• paint colors of your choice
• medium size paint brush for full body panting
• smaller paint brushes for any detail painting,
• glitter is optional
• spray glue if working with glitter or decoupage
• narrow ribbon in a color of your choice
• hot glue gun and glue sticks
• One spray can Clear Acrylic 

Starting Your Project:

Cut or tear newspaper strips in advance. You will need a LOT. I tore them and just dropped them into a box. Narrow strips are easier to handle, place and manipulate. The length can vary. I always go with longer strips when I will need t be wrapping around on the project and because I can always tear a strip shorter where needed.

Start with forming your project. Using the newspaper sheets, tightly crumple up ball shapes and long, thicker shapes. Use strips of tape to help keep the paper from opening and loosening up. Lay them out on your flat work station to create the basic, rough form of what you are designing (I find it helpful to have an item in front of me to look at or even a photo to help guide me). The most important part of this is keeping the shapes tight.

Once you have the basic rough form, begin taping them together into the shape you are planning for. You may need to add more crumpled newspaper in certain areas. Keep using the tape to tighten and manipulate the form into the shape you desire. This can take some time so be patient and keep working it. 

For the Cinderella Slipper, the heel is also made of newspaper tightly formed. For the Boot leg, I used cardboard from a 12 pack soda can box, cutting the box open and then forming a tube by overlapping the edges and then taping. Don't worry about the seam because that will be covered by the paper mache. You can leave the upper leg straight or make it rounded like I did by simply cutting the top curve before taping the edges together. I then packed the tube with crumpled newspaper to give it stability. The heal on the boot is, again, tightly crumpled newspaper that was shaped and held in place with tape.

Now you're ready to mix the paste. Start with two to three cups of flour in your large mixing bowl. The large bowl may seem extreme but it does help to contain the mess. Add water. How much water depends on preference. Add enough water to make a liquid paste - not heavy thick paste. Best way to think about this is to compare to pancake mix - you want a consistency that is a tad thinner than pancake batter.

Take a newspaper strip and dip it into the paste. You'll need to push it down into the paste, give it a couple seconds and then lift out. As you lift it out, use the fingers of your other hand to gently remove excess paste. This is an important step. Excessive amount of paste left on your project will add a ton of time for drying! A soft touch is needed when doing this so you don't keep tearing the wet paper.

Begin covering your project with the pasted paper strips. As you go along, smooth out ripples and smooth down lifted edges so when it dries, you will have a very finished and smooth appearance. I recommend two layers of paper mache to start. Allow to completely dry and then add two more layers. The drying time during the second round will take a little longer because moisture of the paste will also affect the first two layers. Here is where the phrase Better be safe than sorry comes into play. You want to make sure the project is completely dry or it will rot from the inside out. Give it the time it needs and then a little more, to be certain.

Now, you are ready to decorate! Here are some tips depending on the materials you have chosen. 

• To attach the ribbon, I used a hot glue gun. When pressing the ribbon onto the glue, use the eraser end of a pencil but NOT your fingers. The glue is hot. It hurts and it will burn! Lesson I learned the hard way.
• For painting the entire body of a project, I use spray paint. First of all, it is fast. I put one layer on, let it dry and then apply a second coat for full and even coverage. Second, paint is moisture - so, although using a paint brush works just fine, you have to be fast and be careful not to brush the same area for too long or you could loosen the paper strips there. Once the body is painted and dry, using the small paint brushes and acrylic paint to add the details works great. And the body paint is a buffer between the moisture of the detail paint and the body itself. * Be careful with the spray paint. Do this in a well ventilated area. 
• I used spray glue to apply the glitter on the Cinderella Slipper. Again, it's faster than applying glue with a brush and not as wet. I sprayed the glue in one side, sprinkled a heavy layer of glitter on and then gently shook and tapped the extra glitter off. I also had on thin surgical type disposable gloves - gently pressed the glitter to secure onto the glue. This will help stop the glitter from getting all over everything! I did this over a sheet of newspaper so I could catch the extra glitter and pour it back into the container. * Be careful with the spray glue. Do this in a well ventilated area. 
• After your project is completely dry, painted and/or glittered, but BEFORE adding jewels and ribbons, spray generously with clear acrylic to seal and protect. With glittered projects, I would give it at least two full coats - this not only seals, but will also help keep the glitter in place. Once dry, you can go on to add the Bling!

I hope you enjoyed this blog. I have great fun with paper mache and the possibilities are endless. It is a super way to personalize your wedding day and to have exactly what you want in it.

Mini Soft White and Pink Bouquet - DIY!

DIY mini bouquet - a very elegant and dainty bouquet that would be perfect for the ladies in your bridal party!

The soft white and pink tulle was cut into rectangles and then knotted right in the middle. For a base, a Styrofoam ball was used. Take a sharp pencil or knitting needle, poke a hole in the Styrofoam, add a dab of hot glue in the hole. Then quickly fold the tulle in half at the knot, insert knot into the hole with the glue. Continue this process until the entire ball is covered except for a small area where the stem will be inserted.

The handle was was made by recycling thick plastic stems from silk flower bunches that were used in a different project. First, wrap the stem well with heavy tape, like duct tape or even electrical tape. That softens hard edges. Take ribbon (color of your choice) and fold over the end of the stem that will be at the very bottom (not the end that will be inserted into the Styrofoam ball).

Begin evenly wrapping the stem - usually takes about two to three layers to be sure of even and full coverage. End your wrapping at the exposed end of the bouquet. Use a couple small dabs of hot glue to secure the end of the ribbon (CAUTION - do NOT press the ribbon unto the hot glue with your fingers! Use some sort of tool like a Popsicle stick. The glue will seep through the ribbon when pressed.). Use the uncovered end of the stem to poke a hole into the Styrofoam ball in the space you left empty. Fill the hole only about a quarter way with the hot glue and then insert the uncovered end of the stem. Hold it in place for just a handful of seconds to give glue time to cool a bit and set.

Next, cut a long, rectangular piece of tulle for the base of this bouquet. How much you want to use will depend on how bunched up around the base you want it to be. You can fold the tulle in half (the long narrow way) if you want to create a more tutu-like look or you can leave it open, as on the one pictured, for more length and coverage. Thread a needle with heavy thread or thin fishing line. At the rough edge of the tulle, begin weaving in and out through the material until you have the full length threaded. Holding both ends of the thread securely, begin gathering the tulle together. Wrap snugly around the base of the bouquet (top of the stem handle) and tie the thread ends together securely. You may also want to add a few dabs of hot glue where they will not be seen for added holding power.

A nice touch is the beading. The line is thin and clear so it appears as if the beads are floating about the bouquet. You can use a beaded string or beaded stem clusters. Either way is very pretty. Or add something that may flow with your theme
... like a butterfly or sparkles or tiny bead crystals. It's your day!

ANNOUNCEMENT! The Pure Milk Genius - Wedding Videography GIFT REGISTRY!

Announcing the newest innovative addition to our Pure Milk Genius services! At Pure Milk Genius - Wedding Videography, we are constantly working to bring our happy couples more options, more enjoyment and more ways to make their wishes come true! And our Wedding Videography Gift Registry is a fantastic addition to our services that was created to help us provide every avenue available.

We are constantly thinking and driving towards innovative ways to provide the absolute best service, best options and best packages around. And now, family and friends have a way to give the gift of precious memories from an important and joyous celebration!

Tell us what you think! Your Wedding. Your Memories. Pure Milk Genius.

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Welcome!

Welcome to the newest addition of Pure Milk Genius Wedding Videography! We are very excited about our blog start-up where we will be able to discuss different ideas, tips and DIY projects for weddings along with some wonderful ways to decorate and celebrate.

We hope that you will find this blog to be helpful, informative and fun! And we would love to hear all of your great ideas as well.

Let's make this a great community for all you brides and grooms out there! We are looking forward to seeing you come back often and, please, share the fun!