Hope and Jake's wedding

 

Whew.. this last 2 months has been a blur, It started in early May when Hope graduated from Optometry school at Indiana University. She then moved home and we had a month to finish all the wedding plans. She had been gone on internships the last year of her schooling, Indiana, South Carolina and Nebraska. Not ideal for wedding planning!

 

 

I made a bunch of  paper roses from coffee filters for mostly church décor.

 

 

I bought silk flowers online and at Walmart, Freds and even the Dollar store

 

 

 

I made the boutonnieres with coffee filter rosebuds, gold metallic leaves and sheet music leaves. I added wired pearly beads for bling. When we pinned them on with pearl headed corsage pins, you didn't have to hide the pin head..it blended in. I also made all the bridesmaid bouquets.

 

 

For the reception centerpieces Ed and I bought a big blue Rubbermaid 20 gallon tote of clear glass vases at an estate sale for $3! There were over 2 dozen vases in 3 different styles and also votive holders.

 

 

I glittered the bases on some, the interior of shallow vase/bowls on others to which I added glass votive holders (also in the tote) which I gave a faux gold mercury glass treatment to and added battery tea lights. She had almost 30 tables we did centerpieces for, for not much! I found 9 foot long navy satin table runners online for 87 CENTS each (Shipping was $20 but oh well!)

 

 

I recycled the pew bows from our daughter Alexa's wedding in January. I removed her purple flowers, left the cream center rose and added the pink paper roses I made. I did 14 of these. They are just hot glued on a rectangle of white felt and that is pinned to a tulle bow that we tied around the pew end.

 

 

She wanted 2 large arrangements for in front of the altar. I got 2 large plastic urns at Freds for $15 each, 2 hanging ferns at Lowes for $8 each and stuck in silk flowers. These were a fav of mine.

 

 

We needed 2 smaller but still sizable arrangements for the back altar. The navy "vase" is a wastebasket from Walmart for a few bucks. More silk flowers. FYI the same floral foam blocks that are $3-$4 elsewhere are $1 at the Dollar Store!

 

 

I made these chalkboard reserved signs for some of the tables at the reception. I added a border of elongated hearts and dots. My kids were making fun of them..I believe the term "tiny dicks" was bantered about...lol. Note to self..no more elongated hearts. (this is one of the 87 cent table runners) Besides all the vases in the $3 tote, there were also a lot of votive holders and small bowls like these we used for tealites.

 

 Hope's bouquet. I used silk flowers and some of my handmade sheet music roses. I added pearls on wire for added bling. Pearl is Hope's birthstone...I have 2 Gemini girls! Her veil she borrowed from her friend Mandy who was married last year and was also in the wedding. All the photos from here on are by Brittany Conner Photography of Knoxville, TN

 

 Her dress was not a DIY or cheap (lol) but when we got it, the little bridal shop gal helping us whispered "Do NOT buy your belt here..buy one online!" They were $300-$400 each. I bought the rhinestone applique on Ebay for I think $25-$30 and we bought the exact ribbon she wanted at Jo-Anns Fabrics for another couple bucks...and it was nicer than the ones in the bridal shop!



Extreme not close up!  Her colors were blush, navy and metallic gold. Hard to get a close up of this many people! I did not take a single pic at the wedding..too busy!

 

Goof shot.

 

Happy couple Hope and Jake. They have been together a long time, through college and her optometry school. They are very happy to be finally married!

 

Some more of the reception décor. It was a evening wedding so we had a lot of candles, real and battery. A lot of the décor was things from my house and vintage stash.

 

 

A beautiful day! I am clearing the decks and getting back to work. Follow me on Instagram at hopeandjoyhome. I try to post there daily. Til next time! Julia

Estate Sales , upcycled bedspring flowers and wedding flowers

 

 I'm still alive! Long gap since my last post. I have been busy..doing what I am not quite sure! This Saturday morning Ed and I went to an estate sale. It was a bit dark when we hit the road. I think that white line is a firefly..I saw my first ones last week! I am not a morning person, but with estate sales, if you are not an hour early you are late!

 

 This one was about 45 miles way so it lightened up on the way.

 

 We filled up the Explorer. The wooden things are vintage wooden tulip bulb trays. They had cool slatted bottoms and were just too cool to pass up. The lady running the sale said she had added shelves to some and made wall units..hmmm...

 

 I got this vintage feedsack..love the hen. It is double sided so it will make a couple pillows.

 

 I got a few printed feedsacks too.

 

 and one awesome silk quilt square.

 

 I got several antique store ledgers from the 1870s-1890s from Old Bridge New Jersey. How they ended up in Tennessee, I'm not quite sure.

Love the pen and ink notations!

 

 I got a 1853 Godey's Lady Book that I just realized I haven't gone through yet. Godey's was a ladies magazine and this is a leather bound edition of the 1853's issues. Ma Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie used to read Godey's.  (Says the Laura Ingalls Wilder nerd)

 

 A fun flower frog. These come in so many different styles and are a fun collectible.

 

 2 sweet pincushion chairs that I couldn't pass up.Also got some ceiling tins, a wrought iron tea cart, an antique cow lithograph and a Victorian frame and 2 industrial stools..plus things I am forgetting..fun sale!

 

 I've been listing antique hardware in Ed's etsy shop www.theindustrialfarmer.etsy.com.  These were huge and awesome.. very octopussy (and not in a James Bond film way).

 

 What I was working on in the studio this week. I had these old springs and wanted a way to upcycle them. I added antique hardware centers.

 

 Some have leaves from the ledgers I got on Saturday..

Some have vintage bingo card leaves..

This one has antique dictionary text  leaves. They turned out like I imagined in my head which is always a plus. It is a bit of a puzzle getting it from an idea to actuality though.

 

The living room is filling up with silk flowers for our daughter Hope's wedding next month. She graduated from Indiana University's Optometry program this weekend..Dr. Marlow for a month before getting married! Stay tuned as I will be sharing the floral arrangements I make for her. Til next time! Julia

Estate finds, santos cage dolls and mixed media collage

 

Hi guys! I am moving from one wedding and onto the next. I am trying to get things listed online in between times. I have been listing things in Ed's shop https://www.theindustrialfarmer.esty.com  and in my vintage shop https://www.hopeandjoyhome.etsy.com and my handmade shop https://www.hopeandjoystudios.etsy.com plus Ebay and our local booths. I have been sneaking in time to make things in the studio. The above is a metal welding rod "rack" that I bought at an estate sale of a welding shop a couple weekends ago. It called out for stenciled numbers so I added 2 in gold paint. So cool for a vase or a planter or to corral whatnot. Rusted perfection!

 

 

 I had to dash and tussle to get a few of these fab drawers before they all sold. I put 2 of the smaller ones online and they have already sold. The larger ones make shipping prohibitive so they went in our booth..love this shabby green paint!

 

I got 2 of these handmade tin can water or oil cans. They have copper spouts..I just thought they were cool folk arty make dos..this one has already sold.

 

 I have been working on making santos style cage dolls. I made these with vintage 1940's-50's doll parts and I made the wooden "cage".

Brown eyed...

And blue eyed..

 

They need a bit more anique-ing and I may add some lace to their lower bodice area..looks a bit off to me now.

 

 

I spent last night working on a mixed media piece. Vintage wallpapers, antique ledger paper, sheet music and paper ephemera and an old photo. Her name was on the back, Zula Mae 1936 Chattanooga, TN. What a great old name! I couldn't leave her nameless so I added it to the front. I colored her dress and gave her some red dancing shoes, wings and added a moon. I loved the old dance school card..perfect for this piece.

 

 

Then I added paint, pencil, stamps, stencils, more paint..I gave my girl a showgirl head dress of vintage bingo markers. I have a hard time knowing when it is "done". This is one of the first mixed media pieces I've tried..I have ideas for more and different ones with different elements and substrates..stay tuned!

Thrift store wedding decor

 Some shots of the table decor from our daughter Alexa's wedding. She shopped for decor at thrift stores and Mom's house! She had 13 tables plus the head table, cake table, book table to fill. She went thrifting for glass hurricane shades and large apothecary jars. The brass rings encircling each centerpiece came from our shed..they are antique brass lighting fixture rings that would have held prisms. She used natural items..succulents from Lowe's that we used at her shower and pinecones from our yard..some sprayed metallic nickel.

She also used whatever bits she had left from making her bouquets...moss and pebbles.

Large candlesticks and floral globes from Mom's stash..

Candles both real and battery operated and pebbles from the Dollar Store. A shabby plateau mirror of mine.

A prism-y candle holder from Mom and a thrift store lantern with moss and a battery tealite. (when I went to Americasmart  the Atlanta wholesale market last month, lanterns were everywhere.)

Vintage floral globe with leftover blooms and another prism-y vintage candlestick from Mom's house.

Victorian glass compote of Mom's, vintage crystal candlestick with gold edging I literally could not sell in my booth for a couple bucks and mercury votive holders from Walmart, Dollar Store and thrift store. Each table was different but still connected. Her sister Hope helped her arrange these, they did a good job! I should have gotten more and better pics..she really had a lot of cute stuff, but it really was a blur!