Beautiful Details By the Seashore

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2011-12-08T17:50:00.000-05:00

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Deck the Halls and Mantels and Tables!

2011-11-28T14:04:00.027-05:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone and now December will be here in just a matter of days. Have you started shopping and decorating? We have lots of great ideas for decorating. Our sea urchin Christmas trees make a beautiful centerpiece display for your dinner table. View them here in the latest issue of The Party Dress magazine:

Our starfish and scallop shell Christmas garland would look beautiful hanging from your fireplace mantel or over a doorway.

And our little silver tray of seashell Christmas trees make a cute little display on a tabletop or would make a great gift idea.

And don't forget the tree itself. We have a number of nautical ornaments for your coastal Christmas tree!

Whenever you decorate, turn on some Christmas music and have a glass of egg nog and savor every moment! Christmas comes but once a year.

And don't forget to visit our Facebook fan page and become a fan. There's a surprise waiting...today only - Cyber Monday!

By Candlelight

2011-10-24T16:28:00.001-04:00

So who doesn't love the glow of candles? There's something so soothing about the warm calming glow of candlelight mixed with the scent candles in the air. After all, candlelight is associated with comfort and joyous times. Whether relaxing with friends or having a holiday celebration or meal with family, candles are almost always present and associated with smiles and laughter. So today I wanted to share some of our news items in our shop that will help you create that feeling of comfort and joy this holiday season. The sea urchin candle holder above would be perfect on your counter top or even as a centerpiece on your dinning room table. Add two or three for extra ambiance.

Our beautiful new sea urchin Christmas trees are already selling and are sure to be a favorite for holiday decorating this year. Watch for them to featured in the Holiday edition of The Party Dress magazine and blog beginning November 7. Can't wait for you to see how they are displayed! Great ideas for entertaining.

And the newest item in our shop is our jingle shell votive holder. It really gives off a wonderful glow, reflecting all of the beauty of this mysterious shell, of which I happened to find each and every shell on this votive.

Will you have candles on your table this year?

Chalkboards Are All The Rage!

2011-10-05T10:33:00.021-04:00

Since chalkboards are all the rage these days, I had to share this cool DIY project with you. Chalkboards are not just black anymore. You can create a chalkboard in your favorite color.

Take a look at the chalkboard tutorial that Bonnie at Coming Home to Roost has shared! Her chalkboard is a light coral color. Isn't it beautiful? Seems to be really easy to make too!

Photo: Going Home to Roost

The possibilities are endless. Take a look at this frig! Love the color!

Photo: A Stylist's Life

How about on furniture?

Photo: Fifthroom Living

I know what I'm doing this weekend! I'm trying this project and guess what color I'll be using!!?? AQUA! And you might even see seashells on mine. Who would have ever thunk it? Can't wait! I'll be sure to share my final results.

Crazy Over Capiz Lighting

2011-08-25T16:10:00.019-04:00

I've been wanting a new hanging lamp in my kitchen and I think I've finally figured out what would be perfect. A beautiful rectangular capiz lamp from West Elm! It's so gorgeous and would be perfect over my kitchen sink and bar.

I also like this one. It's is a beautiful shiny shade of tan or gold. This one is available at Z Gallery.

Take a look at this beautiful capiz curtain! Wow, what I'd do to have that in my home.

And while I'm at it, I might as well buy some table lamps for each room!

Here's a lovely capiz votive holders to give the room a beautiful glow.

Or I could make my own if only I didn't have to ever sleep! Take a look at the DIY faux capiz post on Completely Coastal. Maybe you'll be inspired to make your own.

And last but not least, take a look at this beauty! This is no ugly duckling!

So thanks for visiting my blog and I will be sure to post photos when I have my new capiz lighting installed!

Seashells and More by the Seashore

2011-08-16T16:43:00.053-04:00

Arial photo of Drum Inlet where we shell.

Its been about three weeks since we took our last shelling trip, but I'm so ready to get back out there before cold weather gets here. Hopefully we have another 2 months here in North Carolina. And maybe a storm or two will glide by us in the Atlantic without coming inland and causing anyone any harm to person or property. That's always the best time to great shells, sea fans, starfish and driftwood...just after a storm whether a hurricane, tropical depression or nor'easter.

We travel by car first, towing the boat about 35 miles to this great little rural community called Sea Level, NC. They have a campground, boat ramp and little country store where we some times get ice cream by the scoop as we are leaving.

Tiny canal leading out to intercoastal waterway.

Once on the boat we navigate down the tiny canal to the sound and finally over to the inlet, Drum Inlet. This same area has a small island called Sand Dollar Island where you can find huge sanddollars by the dozens. We only take a couple of the larger ones and leave the rest to populate. They are so beautiful.

As we scoot along in the knee to thigh deep water over to the inlet, we keep watch for sandbars. Once there, we unload our chairs, cooler, bags and buckets for shelling. Andrew and I usually take off as soon as we hit the sand in search of our sea treasures.

Left is the inlet and right is the sound area.

Below is a short black and white video of a 360 view of Drum Inlet. Sorry it's in black and white. It was so bright out I didn't realize that I accidentally switched the video to black and white.

360 View of Drum Inlet

And here are some of the shells we found on that day. Lots of whelk shells. Mostly broken ones that have tumbled in the ocean for years and years or left buried in the whelk graveyard I call it. Most people toss the broken shells back to the sand, but we grab them, paint them and turn them into pieces of beauty and give them life again by adding sand and air plants of different varieties.

A Helmet shell

Whelks, helmet shells, wood with oysters (far left) and other treasures we found that day.

Our unwanted shells are now wanted again!

So that's a look at our shelling adventure. We hope you have as much fun shelling as we do!

Busy Summer!

2011-08-16T10:15:00.036-04:00

It's been a really busy summer thanks to all our customers. Andrew and I would like to send out a BIG "Thank You" to everyone who has supported our Etsy shop, Facebook and our blog! We are so happy that you like our shop and continue to come back.

Not sure if you saw us on the front page recently, so I wanted to share this with you. One of our vintage sea life bottles was recently on the front page. And it didn't stay around very long. It was such a lovely bottle I almost hated selling it. I was definitely sad to see it go. I know it has a lovely spot in its new home in Washington state. You can see the bottle in the photo below in all its glory on the front page. It was a vintage aqua glass ink well.

I also wanted to share with you a couple other new items that I think you might like to check out. Take a look at this beautiful vintage solid brass scallop shell planter!

And below is a beautiful floating candle holder made from jingle shells that we picked up off the beaches in North Carolina. Jingle shells are usually white, goldish and dark gray. They look like shiny coins on the beach. And they are often referred to as "mermaid toenails." But they reflect light so well and look beautiful by candle light!

And we have a new mermaid for the mermaid lovers. She is the perfect soap dish and would also make a great business card holder or ring and jewelry holder. There are so many ways to display her.

The last photo I want to share with you is something new we are making, when we can find driftwood. It's a driftwood votive holder. A friend recently gave us this piece of driftwood and after Andrew drilled into it, we realized it was cedar. It smells so good! We hope to have more of these in our shop this fall. But if you are possibly interested in purchasing one of these, let us know and we will put you on our waiting list.

Thanks again and be sure to stop by tomorrow! I'm going to share with you photos and video of our special shelling spot in North Carolina, reachable only by boat!

And the Winner Is....

2011-07-25T13:34:00.012-04:00

Lynnette at Seashells by Seashore

You have won a whelk shell air plant and the beautiful cast iron mermaid. I know these items will be perfect with your seashell collection from Little Shell on the Padre Island National Seashore. Enjoy!

Thank you to everyone who posted comments and became fans of our Facebook page. I really enjoyed reading about your summer vacations past and upcoming! Thank you for sharing.

Beach Lover's Giveaway!

2011-07-08T11:23:00.026-04:00

We're approaching mid summer and lots of families are spending their summer vacations at the beach. The ocean is warm and the sand is hot and the only thing cooling us off is that wonderful ocean breeze. Don't you just love this time of year? Whether you're on the beach on in the house by the A/c, we want to hear about your summer. Have you visited an amazing beach or done something fun and exciting this summer? I know I have and there is more to come.

SUMMER GIVEAWAY

We invite you and your friends to join our summer giveaway! The winner will receive one of our aqua blue whelk seashell air plants and an adorable cast iron mermaid (pictured below). We found the whelk seashells on the beaches of North Carolina. We specifically love the ones that are broken. They are perfect for air plants. We have a selection of air plants and holders in our Etsy shop.

Giveaway runs through Friday, July 22, 2011

To enter all you have to do is 1) leave a comment on this blog post telling us anything about your summer vacation. We want to hear what you've been doing. 2) Come over to our Facebook page and BECOME A FAN! FYI, we just moved to a NEW Facebook page so if you were a fan before, be sure to head over to our NEW page and "Like" it.

So hurry over to our Facebook page and become a fan and become eligible to win these two beautiful items from our shop!

We will post the winner on Saturday, July 23 on this blog and on our Facebook page.

The cure for anything is saltwater - sweat, tears or the sea

GOOD LUCK!

Decorating with Your Flea Market Finds

2011-06-22T13:56:00.051-04:00

My husband and I love to rummage the flea markets on the weekend. I do most of the shopping and he does the socializing. He says he's getting to know the vendors so they will "cut us a deal next time." I'll let you know if that theory is true in future blog posts.

I must admit when we first started frequenting flea markets, I was uncomfortable bartering with the vendors, but now it's fun to see how good of a deal I can get. We love collecting vintage bottles especially the aqua glass bottles. As some of you may know, I turn a lot of them into vintage sea life bottles.

I love to display my bottles on vanity trays, especially vintage mirrored vanity trays. And the square vanity tray in the previous two photos is my favorite! I won't be parting with this beauty. It was originally a tarnished gold tone. I took out the mirror and gave it a coat of white paint. I love how dainty and feminine it is. It really showcases the bottles. Gives them a stage to shine on.

The tray above was not a flea market find but it serves the same purpose and I love the mosaic mirror and how it reflects light. This was available at Michael's during Christmas so I snagged it with a 50% off coupon.

Sometimes I even find old seashells at the flea market. I love to decorate my foyer table and my mantel with these finds. I recently found a wonderful piece of old coral and a large helmet shell (see above) with barnacles on it.

Photo: HGTV

Try clustering similars items like bottles or seashells. Place clusters of your favorite bottles on trays or in a wooden or wire caddy. Add flowers from your garden and you have a stunning centerpiece.

Photo: HGTV

Think outside of the box for storage items. Use old drawers or dressers for storing items like day-to-day odds and ends or maybe sweaters in an old dresser that has no drawers.

I hope you find the perfect treasure on your next visit to a flea market!

Carol

Recent Shelling Trip

2011-06-21T13:48:00.042-04:00

About two weeks ago, I took Friday as a vacation day and my husband and I and our two dogs packed up and headed to our family beach house in Atlantic Beach, NC. We left on Thursday evening because we had big plans for Friday. We were going shelling and looking for driftwood.

It was a beautiful day but a windy one. We took the little Wahoo (boat) over to Shackleford Banks and then to Cape Lookout to go shelling. If you've never heard of Shackleford Banks, you are missing out! That's where there are wild ponies (small horses) that have lived there for hundreds of years. Word is they came over on ships that wrecked into the island.

Below is a short video of the ocean side of Shackleford Banks. No shells, so we loaded up in the boat and headed to Cape Lookout.

We rode past the Cape Lookout lighthouse and I snapped this quick picture.
We found a little cove sound side and walked a short distance over the sand dunes to the ocean. Below is my favorite photo that I took that day. And this photo was NOT staged in any way. We found lots of whelk shells and also scallop shells. I love shelling at Cape Lookout. Not all of them were in perfect condition, but they are still beautiful in my eyes. Also, all of the shells had vacancies thank goodness otherwise we would have put them back.

This is a Portuguese Man O'War that had washed ashore on the beach at Cape Lookout. I've never seen one on the beach like this. I was amazed at the color and size of this thing. The man-of-war's body consists of a gas-filled bladder-like float. It looked like a balloon at first glance. The float (body) may extend as much as 6 inches above the water. The tentacles can extend as much as 165 feet in length. They are extremely venomous and have caused a number of deaths. Not something I want to go swimming with. How about you?

We had a great day and found lots of shells. Here's what I've started creating with some of the broken shells. These are available in my Etsy shop.

Thanks for stopping by!

What's Your Color?

2011-06-16T13:10:00.034-04:00

Happy Friday everyone! Today I thought I would share with you some of my favorite coastal color combos for decorating your home. There's nothing more important than color to reflect your style and mood.

Seaglass

One of my favorite things to collect on the beach is seaglass. I find most of my seaglass on the beaches of Topsail Island in North Carolina. My mother has a HUGE collection. I will share a photo of it with you one day. She has some of the largest pieces I've ever seen. I love finding the different shades of blue and green glass. You can't go wrong with the beautiful shades of the sea.

White

Or you could go with mostly white and accent with small touches of color like the photo above.

Navy and White

Or go bold with the nautical colors of navy and white and maybe even throw in some red for extra accent. I love this rich navy wall with the white sofa in the photo above. A room with lots of windows could handle this color easily! So pretty!

Tropical

The above outdoor room is so beautiful with the green, fuschia and natural wood colors...feel like you live in the rainforest. This can easily be carried indoors as well.

Natural

Neutral and natural decribes this living room. The carpet reminds me of sand and oh to have that beautiful driftwood table! I can smell the salt air now. How about you?

Pastels

Pastels are calming and soothing. My favorites are light shades of aqua, pink, peach and yellow...the colors of the Caribbean Ocean and the amazing colors of seashells, especially seashell pink. What an amazing bedroom this would be to wake up in your coastal home.

What's your favorite coastal color to decorate your home?

Have a FABULOUS weekend!

Carol

Who doesn't love Mermaids?

2011-06-13T16:31:00.036-04:00

One of my favorite things to collect for my Etsy Shop are mermaids...so when I saw these benches, I fell in love with them. Take a look at these beauties.

Recently on one of our weekend visits to our local flea market looking for vintage treasures for our Etsy shop, we came across an amazing artist(s) who creates furniture from a variety of wood including driftwood and cypress. His name is Johnny Long of Eure, NC.

Johnny makes the benches and his very talented granddaughter paints the mermaids and beautiful sea life scenes on them. One doesn't go without the other in my opinion. What a wonderful team they make.

I would love to own one of these beauties...and hope to one day when I find a place to put one. They would be beautiful in your garden, on your deck or anywhere you can think of at your coastal home, indoors or outdoors.

This one was another of my favorites because of the sea turtle and the mermaid has blond hair.

If you are interested in any of these beautiful benches or a custom-made bench, you can email Johnny at adamsapple2@yahoo.com. I'm sure he would be happy to work with you on a mermaid bench for your home.

Aren't these beautiful?

Sea Turtle Rescue in North Carolina

2011-06-08T10:20:00.039-04:00

photo by Greg Adams

Celebrating World Oceans Day with Rhonda at
Shellbelle's Tiki Hut

Sea turtles are so beautiful. They are charismatic but they are also threatened and endangered. So if you are a big sea turtle fan, you need to come visit the beautiful beaches of North Carolina and make a special trip to Topsail Island, NC to visit The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. The center is a nonprofit organization staffed by volunteers to help save sea turtles.

The sea turtles come in with many injuries such as hooks, propeller injuries from boaters, exposure to cold weather during winter months, etc. There are usually anywhere from 10-20 sea turtles at the center at all times. They are treated medically, given lots of TLC and when restored to health they are released back to the sea.

It takes many people each day to keep the center running smoothly. It is often difficult and hot work, not to mention dirty and smelly. However, the rewards are plentiful. To see the look in the turtles eyes as they are eager and able to return to the sea. What an incredible group of volunteers!

If you have ever visited the beaches of North Caroina in the summer you have probably seen where volunteers have roped off the nests of the sea turtles to protect the eggs from beach goers.

In North Carolina the nesting season is mid-May through August.The Loggerhead Sea Turtle comes ashore to nest 3 to 5 times during a nesting year. She deposits an average of 120 eggs per nest. The eggs will incubate in the sand for about 60 days then they begin their journey to the sea.

The center is located at 822 Carolina Avenue, Topsail Beach. Visiting hours are 2:00 - 4:00 pm every day except Sunday and Wednesday.

A rehabilitated sea turtle is released back to the sea.

Make a donation or Adopt a Sea Turtle Today!

Happy Anniversary to my Wonderful Husband

2011-06-07T15:19:00.012-04:00

Today, my husband and I are celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary, 6-7-08. I thought I would make the date easy so he wouldn't forget. And of course, where else would we get married other than on the beach? It was a perfectly beautiful day and one I will always cherish. Maybe in seven more years, we'll renew our vows on the beach. But for this weekend, we are looking forward to a three-day beach weekend. Can't wait to go boating, shelling, enjoy some seafood and watch beautiful sunsets from our deck.

I know it has been a couple of months since I have added any new blog posts, but I promise to do better this summer! Thank you to all of the customers who have made purchases from our Etsy Shop this year! It has been going great and we appreciate all of your support!

Watch for new posts next week!

Underwater Living Art

2011-03-04T11:13:00.021-05:00

If you've ever gone snorkeling or scuba diving in the ocean, you know the vast difference between being underwater as opposed to on dry land. There are huge physical and optical differences. I love the incredible feeling of inner peace you get from the feel of the water, the visual stimulation you get from the colors and the amazement of the many different types of sea life. This is what I get from looking at this incredible project and it makes me want to plan a trip to Cancun next month! This is the incredible work of Jason de Caires Taylor. Jason creates concrete sculptures and places them in the waters off Cancun, Mexico and many other islands. But I think my favorite is the 400 life size sculptures in Cancun.

His artwork explores the intricate relationships that exist between art and environment. His works become artificial reefs, attracting marine life, while offering the viewer privileged temporal encounters, as the shifting sand of the ocean floor, and the works change from moment to moment.

The large number of angles and perspectives from which the sculptures can be viewed increase dramatically the unique experience.

Need I say more? This is truly beautiful living art.

Visit his website to see a gallery of photos of these beautiful sculptures.

Using Seashells as Decor Accents

2011-03-02T15:47:00.029-05:00

It's almost like it's spring in North Carolina and this weather is giving me spring fever already! I can hardly wait for summer and a beautiful warm day to walk on the beach and wade in the ocean. So I thought I would share some easy decorating ideas for your beach house using the seashells you have laying around.

From Southern Living, place starfish, sanddollars and seashells in a beautiful ceramic bowl to instantly and inexpensively add an organic accent to the room.

Ocean treasures can also be arranged in oversize glass vases and set upon a mantel for a coastal focal point in a family room. Add a little sand and your favorite seashell and you have a beautiful display.

Put to use one of your larger finds from a beach scavenger hunt. This sea biscuit sand dollar can double as a paperweight on your desk. Conch shells also look great sitting alone on a desk or coffee table.

I love the huge clam shells to decorate a home or beach cottage. This look from House Beautiful is fabulous on this beautiful table under a shell decorated mirror.

Or make your own little arrangement inside your clam shell like Debbie at Love of the Sea does every holiday and season change.

One of my favorite vintage things to decorate my home with is beautiful pieces of milk glass. This is a pretty vintage Westmoreland milk glass scallop shell bowl. Available now in my Etsy shop.

Have fun decorating and I'm hoping warm weather is upon you soon!

Too awesome not to share

2011-02-20T08:59:00.014-05:00

My sister-in-law recently shared a catalog with me and I just loved a lot of the items. It's a mixture of home decor but also a lot of very interesting coastal decor. It's called At West End. Take a look at this beautiful mermaid vase.

I just LOVE mermaids. How beautiful and different is this!? I would love to have one for myself. It makes me want to start creating pottery again.

These cast iron seahorses are fabulous. I wish I had these in my shop! Maybe my flea market metal man can get these for me one day.

Is this guy not the cutest thing you've ever seen? I know he's not coastal, but he's crazy adorable! Just buy a pear and he comes to life when you add his feet and eyes! What a cute centerpiece!

I hope you find something you like but don't forget to come back to my Etsy shop! We'll be adding new sea life bottles to our shop in the next couple of days and other vintage coastal finds!

In My Own Backyard

2011-02-18T09:30:00.010-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I got an excited call from my husband. He had uncovered something exciting in our backyard. He had been working in the backyard clearing out some trees that day when he saw a couple of brown bottles. His first thought was that someone had been back in the woods drinking. Upon a closer look, he saw more bottles and could feel them under foot. He started digging and undercovered even more bottles. The more he dug around, the more he found. What we discovered was the development we live in used to be an old farm back in the day and we happen to leave in the area where they would dump their trash. We found a huge pile of old bottles.

Lots of Clorox bottles and a variety of other bottles, some usable and some not so. The best finds have been the cobalt blue bottles which are a variety of Phillips Milk of Magnesia bottles and Bromo seltzer bottles in different shapes and shades of blue. There are still more bottles. We still haven't found them all and we're pretty sure that the deeper we dig, the older the bottles will be.

We found one green bottle which I think might have been an old vinegar bottle with a fern growing in it. I think I’ll keep it as a little terrarium (see below).

I can't wait to sit down and create more beautiful sea life bottles with some of these beauties! Be sure to check my blog and my Etsy shop often for new items!

Thanks for stopping by!

Braving the Cold

2011-02-04T10:31:00.022-05:00

First let me apologize for not posting any new posts in the last two months. We had an awesome holiday season. Many thanks to Maya at Completely Coastal and also to Debbie at Love of the Sea for featuring our items on their blogs during the holidays. I love following them. If you don't already, you should go check out their blog sites!

No matter where you live in the US, if you've been watching the news this winter you've become well aware of what a cold and brutal winter it has been, especially on the East coast. I was so happy to hear that Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow and hoping spring will indeed come early. But in the meantime, we've been braving the cold temps and snow and visiting the outdoor flea markets. I still can't believe the vendors still show up. Anway, here are a few new items we've found in the cold and snow, some of which have already found a new home.

This is a photo of Marily before and after. I gave her a makeover. She's actually a vintage cast iron bank. Although the rubber stopper in the bottom is missing but could easily be replaced with a cork if you still wanted to use her as a bank. Or just use her as a beautiful decor item. She is still available in my Etsy shop.

This is a beautiful little shabby chic spice rack. I found this at the local flea market and knew my customers would love it and they did! This one is no longer available.

And here's another cold weather flea market find. Anchors away! Nope, it's really Anchors Aweigh...and it's a song. Did you know "Anchors Aweigh" was written in 1906 as a march for the Naval Academy Class of 1907? The music was composed by Lt. Charles A. Zimmerman, bandmaster of the Naval Academy; the lyrics were written by Midshipman Alfred H. Miles. It was first performed at the Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia in 1906 (Navy beat Army 10-0!).

And these great bookends are available in my Etsy shop while they last.

Thanks for reading my post. I promise to start blogging more. Next I have a great new site to share with you with awesome coastal decor items!

From Trash to Treasure

2010-11-29T14:37:00.020-05:00

Almost every weekend, and usually Saturday morning unless the weather is bad, my wonderful husband and I usually start our morning by enjoying a bagel and coffee at Panera Bread. I love their hazelnut coffee! And just to tell you how much I love hazelnut coffee, I also carry with me a can of GFI hazelnut coffee that I add to it. Yummm. Yes, I love my hazelnut.

Anyway, after we've had our bagel and coffee, we head to the flea market(s) to look for anything beachy, vintage and of course old bottles. The dirtier they are, the more I like it. My husband would rather buy them already cleaned but half of the fun to me is cleaning them up and giving them a makeover! And so far I've been able to clean them all except one.

Here are a few we found this weekend. We found a lot of little bottles that will make cute little seashell bottle sets. I've already started on a set. I see aqua, I see blue :)

And I had to show you this bunch we found at another flea market. Look at that cute little white bottle. I love that one. It's one of my favorite. It's an old Scuffkote shoe polish bottle....white shoe polish. No need to clean that one out. I think it is beautiful white.

Here's the awesome bottle caddy my husband made one day while I was at work. He even organized them! He's a keeper don't you think? But now we have so many bottles, he has to make another caddy!

Here's another little treasure I found at the flea market this weekend. I found two little pink glass boats. I just loved these. Had to have them for my Etsy shop. One has already sold. Have one left.

And finally, here is my trash turned into treasure. All of these bottles are currently available in my Etsy shop.

Thanks for stopping by!

LOVE OF THE SEA: Loving Beautiful Details by the Seashore.....

2010-11-12T10:32:00.002-05:00

Here's a wonderful feature post by Debbie of Love of the Sea about our bottles and other handmade items in our Etsy shop.

Thanks Debbie for this awesome post!

LOVE OF THE SEA: Loving Beautiful Details by the Seashore.....: "For those of you that have followed my blog for a bit - you know that I love Etsy. Everything about it....I spend hours and hours just mean..."

New Brass Christmas Ornaments

2010-11-04T10:24:00.029-04:00

Since our Christmas ornaments were so popular last year, we are bringing them back, new and improved for this holiday season. One of our most popular was the Happily Ever After ornament for the newlyweds or the just engaged Bride and Groom soon to be wed. This ornament also makes a great bridal shower gift. We will customize this ornament with whatever year you would like.

Below are some of our newest coastal Christmas ornaments:

Everyone loves starfish!

Here are just a few of our coastal Christmas ornaments.
Dolphin and By the Sea ornaments. All available in our Etsy shop.

Beautiful seahorse ornament on a green velvet ribbon.

And below is our new Jelly Fish ornament...but it's really a sea urchin.
You'll love this one. It's so sparkly.

We also have snowflakes and Rudolph too!

Metal etched Rudolph on a red and green ribbon

Stop by our Etsy shop to find that perfect Christmas ornament!

Also, be sure to stop by The Essential Beachcomber blog and

browse around and join the Holiday Ornament Party!

Started Christmas Shopping Yet?

2010-10-21T16:50:00.002-04:00

Here's a quick little poll that I thought would be fun to see how people Christmas shop. When do you start Christmas shopping? Can you believe it's only 65 days away?

poll by twiigs.com

Sneak Peek - New Site Launching Soon!

2010-10-19T15:36:00.006-04:00

Just wanted to give you a sneak peek at our new site design. It should be going live very soon! Hopefully sometime this week. We are very excited about the new fresh, clean look.

We'll have new content and images in our portfolio from our weddings this year. Hope you'll come visit and take a look around!

Happy Planning!

More Lovely Vintage Seashell Bottles

2010-10-19T11:15:00.010-04:00

I just wanted to share with everyone the new set of bottles that are now in my Etsy shop. This set is the clear glass but they are a nice collection -- probably dating in the early 1900s. One is a MIFFLIN Chemical Company bottle with MIFFLIN on each side. The MIFFLIN bottle is the one with the sugar starfish. It has these funny little flat areas on each side of the bottle like it was meant to sit on its side.

The other two bottles are some sort of medicine bottles. The one with the purple noble pectin with barnacles has the lines and numbers in ounces up to 8 ounces. The last bottle with the orange and white pointed shell on it is the smallest and that shell is a mitra mitra. Very cool shell isn't it?!

You can see more in my Etsy shop and look for two new ones tonight! I'll be taking photos of them later today and posting this evening.

Thanks for looking!

We Love Seashells and Vintage Bottles!

2010-10-07T11:27:00.007-04:00

I'm very excited to share the new bottles I found about a month ago. They were a rare find at a local flea market. My husband and I had our arms filled with these dirty old aqua bottles. That might be why we got such a deal on them. The small bottle with the sea urchin on the top is a very old Rumford Baking Soda bottle. The word RUMFORD is on the front of the bottle. This guy had boxes of bottles but we only grabbed the aqua bottles, which might have been a mistake. I hope I can find him again.

So after cleaning up the bottles, I decorated them with a variety of sea creatures. I added natural jute around the necks of each bottle. I thought they looked beautiful on this vintage mirrored tray I found about a year ago at a local antique store. I painted the tray white and look how beautiful it turned out!

You can find these bottles in my Etsy shop.

Real Beach Wedding: Ocean Isle Beach, NC

2010-10-05T11:44:00.026-04:00

Here is a special wedding I wanted to share with everyone. Kirsten was not a client of mine but a customer of mine. Back in April she purchased a customized nautilus shell ring bearer pillow from me from my Etsy shop. Today she sent me the photos from her destination wedding and oh what a beautiful wedding it was! So here they are.

Kirsten and Jason were married on August 1, 2010 at Ocean Isle Beach, NC.

Isn't her dress beautiful!?

Kirsten's son was the ring bearer and carried the ring bearer pillow we created.

Her colors were canary yellow and a dark orange.
We created the pillow in yellow with two types of dark orange ribbon.

And they used their real wedding rings on the pillow!

Thanks to Leslie Koehn of Glass Photographic for the incredible photos.

Congratulations Kirsten & Jason! We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness.

New Seashell Chalkboard

2010-09-08T16:01:00.005-04:00

I'm very excited to share with you my latest creation. I've been working on this for about two weeks now and finally finished it last night just in time for a showcase on Etsy.com. It's a chalkboard that is decorated with all types of wonderful sea creatures.

I thought this would be great for weddings or for anyone's beach house. Or if you are like me and just LOVE the beach and you're landlocked, then just to remind you of your next trip to the beach.

I painted it white and used the chalkboard paint to paint an oval in the center of my board. You can find my chalkboard in my Etsy shop.

PS: That red sea fan in the left of the photo is one of the many items I found on the beach this past weekend in North Carolina after Hurricane Earl. Isn't it beautiful? I thought it belonged on my mantel.

Thanks for looking!

Fall Sunset Beach Wedding

2010-09-02T20:46:00.003-04:00

Here's a wonderful inspiration board from Style Me Pretty featuring wonderful shades of fall, perfect for a beach wedding in September or October.

New Vintage Bottles

2010-08-20T09:10:00.007-04:00

So if you've been following my blog for any time, I'm sure you've gathered that I love creating things (not only jewelry). And as of late, I've been collecting a lot of vintage things like milk glass and mason jars. But I've also been picking up these great vintage (old) bottles from flea markets. And since I love sea life so much, I decided to start decorating them. So that along with the beach wedding ring bearer pillows that I have been creating, was the reason I decided to open a new Etsy shop. This shop is dedicated to wedding accessories and coastal home decor items. Whereas, my original Etsy shop is dedicated to only jewelry.

So above are a few of the bottles I have created. My weekend will be busy searching for new bottles and creating.

Have a great one!

NEW! Seashell Pomander

2010-08-04T14:11:00.006-04:00

Last weekend was a beautiful beach weekend in North Carolina. My husband and I spent hours combing Topsail Island for seashells and sharks teeth (his favorite thing to collect). While there I collected about 100+ small white seashells to create this sea shell pomander. Here is the final product including turquoise grosgrain ribbon, crystal pins and freshwater pearls. I spent about 6-8 hours picking up shells and gluing the shells on the 5" ball form. It will soon be listed in my new Etsy shop. Your flower girl would look so cute carrying this or it is simply amazing sitting in a bowl of seashells or on the mantel.

Tuesday's Inspiration: Vintage

2010-08-03T15:28:00.007-04:00

Not only are vintage weddings budget friendly, but they are growing in popularity and also very very beautiful. See for yourself...

I love this one also.

Very Vintage Save the Date

2010-07-28T16:43:00.004-04:00

www.lucky-luxe.com

What a novel idea for a save the date! I recently saw these beautiful hankies posted on Style Me Pretty and had to share. These are Save the Date cards/hankies. They are created by Lucky Luxe Couture Correspondence. What a fabulous gift for your guests, long before the wedding day arrives!

My Love for the Turquoise Mason Jar

2010-07-27T13:20:00.017-04:00

So in the last two years I've become really obsessed with the color turquoise. And what an incredible year this is since Pantone declared turquoise the color of the year!

I've started collecting the light turquoise blue mason jars. They are so beautiful for just having around the house, dinner, rehearsal dinners or receptions. You can even use them as votives or to store beautiful things in, like sea shells. Here are some of my favorite photos of mason jars.

Hues of Color

2010-07-23T09:37:00.007-04:00

Beautiful Details was recently featured (February 2010) in Beverly Clark's Elite Wedding Collection magazine where we spoke about color trends. One of my favorite things was my suggestion for your bridesmaids dresses. Instead of having your bridesmaids dress in the same color, have them dress in hues of your favorite wedding color. Like is shown below in the inspiration board from Style Me Pretty, the bridesmaids are in hues of turquoise. That way your guests don't see blocks of color but a beautiful bouquet of color, which is so much more appealing to the eye, don't you think?

Make sure you notice all the handmade items by Etsy artisans!

Happy Planning!

DIY Flower Favors

2010-07-21T16:47:00.008-04:00

When I ran across this easy and pretty favor idea, I knew I had to share it with you. Not only is it easy, but it's also budget friendly. I found this on Martha Stewart Weddings. These favors are definitely eye catching. And they are made with colored tissue paper. You could place just about any type of favor you wanted in these. You could also use them to contain your wedding toss.

Here's what you will need:

Your favor or toss
Tissue paper
String or heavy thread
Ribbon

You can download the template and read and view the complete instructions here!

Happy Planning!

Beach Weddings and the Tides

2010-07-21T14:16:00.003-04:00

Because this is such important information about having a beach wedding that most people may not think about, I have decided to repost this blog post in its entirety.

If you are having your wedding on the beach, one of the most important things for you to do when picking your wedding date and venue is to determine what the tide will be. The best time to have your wedding on the beach is at low tide. Not only will there be lots of beach area for your setup, but it will eliminate some of the noise from the waves. The surf isn't as loud at low tide as it is at high tide.

Tides can creep up on your quickly. The last thing you want is your guests getting wet during the ceremony or the musicians or sound system getting swept away by the surf. If you can, pick a location that is not affected by the tides.

Below is a link to tide charts for local area beaches in North Carolina. Find your location:

NC Tide Chart

I hope this information is helpful in your planning and keeps your ceremony dry.

Happy Planning!

Inspiration Board - Shell and Sand Beach Wedding

2010-07-19T15:45:00.006-04:00

Here's a beautiful natural colored beach wedding inspiration board. Be part of your surroundings by wearing ivory or taupe which blends beautifully with the sand on the beach. Natural materials like raffia, dried bamboo and chiffon are perfect for beach weddings. Add just a touch of blush and/or soft pinks... all blend well with this shell and sand inspired wedding theme.

DIY Painted Vases

2010-07-19T14:54:00.008-04:00

Normally, I wouldn't be interested in flea market and yard sale items such as glassware and vases, but after seeing some of the beautiful wedding reception decor on Style Me Pretty, I have fallen in love with milk glass and the blue Ball jars.

Turn the below vases into fabulous centerpieces. Just clean and dry the containers and spray in your preferred color. Apply 2-3 coats for the perfect coating.

Before

And here is the full article on Style Me Pretty DIY Projects.

After

Real Wedding: Travis & Cassey - Barn at Valhalla

2010-07-13T10:23:00.007-04:00

This is a beautiful wedding that Beautiful Details assisted with on May 22. The wedding was held at the Barn at Valhalla in Chapel Hill, NC. Thanks to Stephanie Brown of Stephanie Brown Photography for the beautiful photos. Catering by Thrills from the Grill.

Don't Forget the Marriage License

2010-07-12T13:14:00.022-04:00

Wedding at the Barn at Valhalla

Unless you are a bride who does her homework well in advance, you may not be aware of the requirements of obtaining a marriage license. There are a number of very important when, what and wheres. Here are some of the most important snippets:

Apply for your marriage license no earlier than 60 days before your wedding date. The application is only good for 60 days from the date you receive it.

The Bride and Groom must appear in person to apply for a marriage license.

As long as you are 21 years of age you will need two of the following proofs of identification:

A current driver's license (make sure it is not expired!)
Current Passport (make sure this is not expired either!)
Military ID
Certified copy of birth certificate
State-issued ID card

The cost is $60 for a marriage license and you MUST bring CASH. That means, no checks or debit cards. Bring along that green paper stuff.
They only issue licenses between the hours of 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday - Friday, excluding holidays.

So that's some of the most important details that I wanted to bring to your attention. But there's more where that came from. For special circumstances, such as being 15 years of age or younger and/or if this is not your first marriage, you might want to visit the Wake County Register of Deeds website and read further. You can read the detailshere: Wake County Register of Deeds

So read up and follow the instructions so there are no glitches on your wedding day.

Happy Planning!

For the DIY Beach Bride

2010-06-24T16:16:00.009-04:00

Do you love handmade items? Maybe you are making lots of your own wedding items. Maybe you just love anything beachy or wedding related. Well, I gathered a couple of my favorite handmade beach wedding items from Etsy.com to share with you.

Top left, an elegant wedding sign with the Bride & Groom's name, wedding date, location and a couple of beautiful seashells. This item was created by Nana of the Family Attic. Visit her shop at www.etsy.com/shop/familyattic. This sign sells for $51.95 + shipping. Take a closer look at this item!

Top right, an elegant nautilus shell ring bearer pillow customized to your wedding colors. This item was created by your's truly, me! These are one of my most popular items for beach weddings. The shells come in pearl and natural brown and white. Visit my shop at www.etsy.com/shop/silverbeadsandclay. This ring bearer pillow sells for $36 + shipping. Take a closer look at the item!

Bottom left, an adorable wedding cake topper made of wood and is completely customized to look like the bride and groom in every way! This item was created by the Lollipop Workshop. This item sells for $135.00 + shipping. Take a closer look at this item!

Bottom right, an incredible ceramic personalized starfish bowl that can be given as a gift to the bride and groom or used as a ring bearer pillow to carry the rings. This item was created by Erin of Elm Studios. She has lots of other wedding related items to choose from as well. This item sells for $20 + shipping. Take a closer look at this item!

I hope you find something perfect for your wedding or get inspired to create something special!

Happy Planning!

A New Seating Trend

2010-06-23T15:57:00.013-04:00

Photo by Rae Leytham Wedding Photography

A new trend I’m seeing in outdoor weddings this summer is wedding benches instead of chairs. Especially for beach weddings, white benches look great and can be arranged in a number of fun ways. Benches are easier and faster to place than conventional garden or chavari chairs. Benches can seat anywhere from 3-5 guests depending on their length. They give the ceremony a rustic and romantic. For a green garden wedding, natural wood benches blend in with the surroundings.

I love the look of this beach wedding with the benches at an angle.

Here's a beautiful rustic garden wedding with natural wood benches.

Tips for Tipping

2010-05-26T16:36:00.005-04:00

Even when you think you have covered everything for your wedding day, there is one thing that many bride’s overlook. Rewarding your vendors for their services. Basically, anyone who provides a service should be given a tip. Tips should be given just before your vendor leaves. That way you can judge how much to give them according to the job they did for you. And all vendors would love a thank you card. It’s a great testimonial for them to book other clients in the future.

While some vendors include a gratuity percentage or amount in their contract fees, many do not. Many just leave it up to you. And figuring out who to tip and how much to tip can be tricky. Here’s who to tip:

Officiants
While you don’t have to tip your minister or priest, a donation to their church is always appreciated. Many will not accept tips. A typical amount is $75 to $100 and this is separate from any other fees you may have been charged by them. If you have your own minister or priest from your church perform the ceremony and they do not charge you, you should definitely make a donation to the church.

Catering Staff
Many caterers include a stated percentage that you will be charged for the staff services, in this case you do not have to give anything additional. If there is no upfront fee for gratuity, you should tip each person on the caterering team, including the caterering manager, chef, chef’s assistants, waiters, bartenders and any other essential workers who help to serve guests. Bartenders should get 10% of the total liquor bill. Waitstaff should be given 15% of the total catering bill. Waitstaff usually do the hardest physical labor on your wedding day, so if you want to give more, I’m sure tell will appreciate it.

Limousine Drivers
Give the driver between 10-15% of the limo bill.

DJs
If the DJ owns the company, you don’t have to tip him, but if your DJ is an employee, you should give him between $50-$100 depending on the job he did.

Wedding Planners
Wedding planners won't likely expect anything; however, if yours did a great job you can always offer a token of your appreciation. (Note: Non-monetary thank-yous like professional photos of the wedding for the planner's portfolio can go a long way too.) Approximately 50 percent of couples do tip their planners.

So don't forget to include the tips in your budget when planning your wedding. Have someone you trust give out the tips, like your wedding planner or the maid of honor or give them out yourself at the end of the night.

Happy Planning!

HOT 2010 Wedding Trends

2010-03-13T08:20:00.015-05:00

Crystals

Crystals are top trend this spring and summer. From crystals on the dress to crystals dripping at the reception as centerpieces. Crystals allow for more creativity in the linens and the reception space. Crystals look great with everything. Lots of brides are opting for crystal centerpieces instead of flowers.

Linens

A bride doesn't need to go with the traditional white linens anymore. Especially since there are so many beautiful options. Black and white damasks are very popular this year. Add a pop of color such as bright pink or tiffany blue, and you have a beautiful and statement-making table design.

Dress Trends

Crystals, lace and one shoulder dresses are very popular this year, especially the one shoulder dress. Some brides are wearing the one shoulder dresses, but it's especially a popular design for bridesmaids. And the one shoulder dress looks great on all body types. Such an easy option for your bridesmaids.

Gowns with crystals, cubic zirconia, and/or pearl embellished bodices are very popular at the moment.

Wedding Cakes

More and more brides are opting for buttercream instead of fondant. Buttercream tastes better and is the best value. It's creamy, light and not too sweet. It's also easy to cut.

Fondant is made of sugar, corn syrup, gelantine and glycerine and is rolled out in sheets which is wrapped around each layer of the cake. Fondant cannot be refrigerated so you need to choose your filling with care and discuss it with your baker. Fondant does however hold up really well outdoors and in the heat, more so that buttercream.

A lot of brides are also opting for a smaller wedding cake mixed with cupcakes. Cupcakes allow for more variety in flavors and are also popular if there are a lot of children at the wedding.

Happy Planning!

Beautiful Beach Wedding Cakes

2010-03-08T08:26:00.021-05:00

If you are having a beach wedding one of the main focal points of your wedding reception will likely be the wedding cake. Beach themed wedding cakes are so beautiful to me! The design details options are endless. And besides the bride, the wedding cake will be one of the most looked at and photographed things at the wedding.

I'm sure you are probably collecting photos of your dream wedding day. That's great! But make sure you consult a professional. Usually the more complicated the design, the more that can go wrong. Ask a professional cake baker if the design you have in mind will work for your wedding. You'll need to keep in mind temperatures and other environmental factors.

Also make sure the cake tastes good. Go to a cake tasting with your baker. Tastings are always fun! Sample as many samples as the cake baker will let you. While sampling, also keep in mind not only what you and the groom like, but also what flavors your guests might like. A good way to do this is have different flavors on different layers. That way your guests can pick the flavor they desire.

As for design and prices, wedding cake usually runs anywhere from $1.50 as high as $15.00 a slice. The more complicated the cake, the higher the price tag. Fondant icing is more expensive than buttercream and if you want an elaborate shapes and colors or handmade sugar detailing, you'll pay for the cake designer's labor.

Lastly, before the big day arrives, make sure you know how you and the groom should cut your cake. Talk to your wedding planner before your big day so you won't be totally confused on the day of.

Happy Planning!

Fun and Novel Wedding Ideas

2010-03-03T09:53:00.015-05:00

While having my morning coffee, I was browsing the web and ran across this incredible shot taken by Kay Meyer Photography. What a great capture and what an incredible idea for a fun and unique wedding toss. Those are tiny beach balls the guests tossed up in the air as the bride and groom were pronounced husband and wife. We love fun and original wedding ideas and the wedding photo above definitely captured such a wedding.

Here's a novel idea. Instead of using the same old guestbook that everyone has seen before, why not have your guests relay their wedding wishes on seashells. Pick up some silver and gold permanent ink fine tip markers and ask your guests to write their wedding wish on the inside of the seashell. You can display the shells in your home and pick one up whenever you want to remember that special day again. Your guests won't mind standing in line to sign this guestbook!

Another fun idea is to have a cutout at your reception. Everyone loves the cutouts at amusement parks, especially the kids. But I promise, the adults will love this just as much if not more! There are lots of websites that sell all types of theme cutouts. Guaranteed to make your guests chuckle!

So make it memorable and have FUN!!!

Happy Planning!

Beach Weddings and the Tides

2010-02-26T21:02:00.014-05:00

If you are having your wedding on the beach, one of the most important things for you to do when picking your wedding date and venue is to determine what the tide will be. The best time to have your wedding on the beach is at low tide. Not only will there be lots of beach area for your setup, but it will eliminate some of the noise from the waves. The surf isn't as loud at low tide as it is at high tide.

Tides can creep up on your quickly. The last thing you want is your guests getting wet during the ceremony or the musicians or sound system getting swept away by the surf. If you can, pick a location that is not affected by the tides.

Below is a link to tide charts for local area beaches in North Carolina. Find your location:

NC Tide Chart

I hope this information is helpful in your planning and keeps your ceremony dry.

Happy Planning!

Something special for your ring bearer

2010-02-23T20:17:00.006-05:00

Are you the non-traditional bride and you're having a beach wedding? We have something special for your ring bearer. You'll love our gorgeous nautilus shell ring bearer pillows that we make at Beautiful Details. They come in the natural brown and white striped or the beautiful white pearl. We add satin fabric pillows inside the shells in almost any wedding color you need. We add a pretty satin bow with a pair of faux rings. What a great added touch to your destination wedding.

You can find our ring bearer pillows in our Etsy.com shop. Feel free to email us if you have any questions.

Color Coordination for Your Destination Wedding

2010-02-13T09:43:00.012-05:00

Beverly Clark's 2010 issue of Elite Wedding Collection magazine is out and Beautiful Details is featured in a great article created by editor Kim Carmel. What better magazine for Beautiful Details to be featured in than this wonderful destination wedding magazine. You can pick up a copy at your local Barnes & Noble bookstore. But I'm also going to share the article with you, so keep reading.

Whether you were the kid who enjoyed drawing with crayons or the one who ate them, choosing your wedding colors should be a fun experience. A unified color scheme creates ambiance for your guests and tells them a little something about you two. Are you elegant and refined? Perhaps a cool, traditional palette is most appropriate. Effervescent and boisterous? Warmer, bolder shades will express your energy. Read on for more tips on setting the scene with color. The Primer
In addition to the white or ivory of the bride's dress, most contemporary weddings incorporate two additional colors, one dominant hue and one accent color. For the dominant, think of a color that both of you like. Colors you typically wear and have in your home. Do you tend to surround yourselves in blue? If so, what shade? Powder blue? Navy? Turquoise?

Once you've chosen your dominant color, look to the color wheel for your accent. The ones on the opposite side of the wheel tend to work well together, such as blue and orange, red/pink and green or yellow and purple. In order to avoid a color scheme reminiscent of holidays or your favorite football team, stay away from the purest forms of these colors. For instance, royal blue and orange may feel too childlike or informal, but bright orange with powder blue accents feel celebratory and sophisticated.

If, in your case opposites don't attract, find colors neighboring your dominant hue. Green lies between blue and yellow on the color wheel, so either of these shades would pair well with green. Or, as bridal expert Carol Lasitter of Beautiful Details Bridal Consulting proposes, design a scheme based on varying shades of your one favorite color. "Monochromatic weddings can be extremely beautiful, especially if you add different textures and fabrics." Lasitter suggests outfitting bridesmaids in two or three varying shades of purple, for example, to keep things visually interesting. "This way your guests don't see blocks of color, but softer, more dimensional shades of your favorite colors."

Don't forget about neutrals: black, gray, brown, beige, ivory, white and metallics. Neutrals complement almost any other color, provided you can differentiate between cool and warm (for example, sunny yellow works beautifully with warm gold or beige, but is harder to match with cool silver or blueish gray). For a crisp, clean look, you can even build a color scheme from neutrals.

If you're stumped for ideas take a look outside. Mother Nature is the ultimate color coordinator. Tying the knot by the sea? Consider building your palette from colors of the sand, surf or local flora and fauna. Marrying in a grassy park? Develop a color scheme using all greens, or the opposite--fuchsias, reds and pinks. Also find out if your ceremony or reception area has any dominant colors that you could build from, and consider the time of your event. "An evening beach wedding could play off the natural spectrum of the sunset--turquoise, pinks and oranges," says Lasitter. "Or, a daytime ceremony might inspire a couple to go with more neutral colors, such as sand and blush with pops of coral."

SETTING THE MOOD
Colors project different moods (blue tends to be peaceful, yellow is cheerful, red can be seductive), so think about the vibe you want for your big day. As Lea Armstrong of Wedding Paper Divas emphasizes, your color choices and invitation design communicate the tone of your event to guests even before they arrive for the actual event. A neutral or black-and-white invite relays a traditional, formal tone. A rich, vibrant color scheme expresses a more light-hearted, non-traditional affair. For something in between, use white or ivory as your main color, adding one or two subtle accent colors.

WORKING WITH COLOR

Now that you've picked your palette, let the creativity begin. Most couples maintain a backdrop of white or ivory, incorporating their wedding colors into invitations, flowers and linens. Many of today's brides and grooms are finding new ways to add even more color to their big event.

2010 Biggest Trend

2010-02-11T12:22:00.021-05:00

Now that 2010 is well on its way, the most popular trends are starting to emerge. The biggest and best wedding trend that I've seen so far for 2010 is.... Be Yourself and Personalize Your Wedding. An example is the photo above where the groom was a surfer so the ringer bearer carried a toy woody with a surfboard on top. The rings were tied to the top of the car with a ribbon. This incorporated the groom's hobby and was such an original idea. They personalized their beach wedding ceremony.

Instead of having the traditional cookie-cutter wedding, step outside the box and incorporate items that reflect your personalities. Do you have a hobby you love, a color you love, something you collect or an exotic place you like to travel? Use your creativity and find a way to incorporate your passions into your wedding celebration.

Themes are in! Themes can be fairytales, colors, seasons or almost anything. Theme weddings can be done tastefully as long as you don't go over the top with the theme. Think of multiple ideas for your theme. As an example, if you love birds make your cake topper birds. Find a way to incorporate trees and birds nests into the theme. You could add the antique blue glass Ball jar votives or peatmoss would be beautiful. Your flower girl could carry a basket with a birds nest in itside the basket. There are so many options if you just open your mind to the possibilities. Below is an inspiration board created by the Wedding Paper Divas that might give you inspiration for a bird themed wedding. Here's an entire list of ways to personalize your wedding ceremony created by the Knot. Read through them. You just might find something that is totally "you!"

Happy Planning

Amazing Napkin Folds

2010-02-05T10:30:00.016-05:00

Recently I received an email from Wildflower Linens. After visiting their website I was inspired to share these beautiful napkin folds. What better way to show your guests how much effort you have put into the little details of your reception. It's easy and doesn't cost anything extra to fold a napkin other than a little extra time. Take a look at the endless possibilities.

Add a rose, an orchid, or even some seashells. It's the little details that matter. I know you will be just as inspired as I was by their table design ideas.

Your choice of chargers and linens will also set the mood for your event. A gold charger is rich and elegant. For something more casual try a wicker or glass charger. Just think about the season and your color scheme and have fun! The options are endless.

Happy Planning

How to Afford a Designer Gown on a Budget

2010-01-27T11:22:00.007-05:00

Sticking to your budget is very important. You don't want to go into a marriage in debt. And finding the perfect gown can also be a challenge. Many brides don't want to spend thousands of dollars on a dress they will only where for a couple of hours.

Why not enjoy this special time in your life. Realish every moment of the planning process. Come out to the Brides Against Breast Cancer VIP night. You won't have to worry about breaking your budget. We're having dinner and a gown show on Friday night, February 5 starting at 6 pm at the Sheraton in downtown Raleigh, NC. Dinner is $30 per person. Various wedding industry professionals will be on hand creating beautiful table decor for you to enjoy dinner. Pick your favorite table and have dinner with the professional who created the table design and pick out a beautiful dress you would like to try on at the gown show. After dinner, you get first pick at all of the gowns we'll have available at the two-day charity gown sale.

Get your dinner tickets now! VIP night is fast approaching.

Say YES to the dress! It's all for a wonderful cause.

And the color of the year is...

2010-01-26T09:44:00.014-05:00

TURQUOISE! That's right, Pantone recently announced that turquoise (15-5519) is the 2010 Color of the Year! I love turquoise....almost as much as I love chocolate! Same comforting effect. Turquoise inspires thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a comforting escape, while restoring a sense of wellbeing. Why wouldn't you love turquoise with all those great qualities.

You could use turquoise as your wedding colors whether you are having a beach/destination wedding or an outdoor/garden wedding. With both warm and cool undertones, turquoise pairs great with other colors in the spectrum. Turquoise adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, it compliments reds and pinks and creates a classic maritime look with deep blues. It can also liven up some shades of green and is especially trendsetting with yellow-greens.

When deciding your wedding colors you should always take into account the colors of your wedding location. Take into account the flooring and the walls. You don't want to clash with your ceremony and reception surroundings. Visit a local fabric store or hardware store and collect paint swatches. This will help you get a specific idea of the hue you need. Take the swatches with you when you visit venues.

Here is an incredible tool to make it even easier to pick out the hues and tones for your wedding. Have you found some images online that you love? Save them to your computer then visit this website, Big Huge Labs Color Palette Generator. Just upload the image and click CREATE. There you have it....all the different colors from the photo are generated for you into a color palette. Pick two to five colors and go with them. I hope you have fun generating your perfect wedding colors.

Happy Planning!

A Walk Down the Aisle

2010-01-25T10:20:00.014-05:00

There are so many beautiful ways you can decorate the aisle at your beach/destination wedding to make your walk truly memorable. Not only will your view down the aisle be forever in your memory but it will be talked about by your guests for months.

Here are a few beautiful ideas for your wedding aisle. Not only can you use starfish, but you can do the same thing with beautiful seashells. The above photo is a combination of sheer ribbon, palm leaves and natural starfish. This a beautiful yet economical.

This is so beautiful to me. And hot pink and orange are definitely colors that have been very popular for the past few years. A great way to add a splash of color to your wedding. Sash the chair and then wrap orange raffia around a natural starfish. Attach it to your sash or hang it over the edge of a white garden chair.

Here's another great color combo for beach weddings, aqua and coral. This is a very formal and structured look, but you could do the same by combining two colors of ribbon or raffia or even tull into something more careful and artistic.

Here's another starfish decor idea. Here they have wrapped sheer pink ribbon around the body of the starfish and it dangles from the edge of the white chairs. This is lovely. Again, you can do this same thing with shells. Although you might have to use a dremel and make a tiny hole in the shell. But won't it be beautiful?

All of these are great ideas to decorate your beach wedding aisle. Hope this has inspired you to design something wonderful for your wedding.

Happy Planning!

Having Your Wedding at the Beach?

2010-01-16T17:37:00.005-05:00

Not everyone wants to get married with sand between there toes. But for those who do, there's no place like the beaches of North Carolina....acres of white sand, beachcombers checking out the festivities from the water's edge.

The past five years North Carolina has been more and more beach/destination weddings. It has become a prime wedding destination, with hotels and venues booked months in advance from April through October and especially during the off peak season months of September through April. Brides and grooms enjoy the off season lower rates at hotels, unclogged roads, and the most dazzling sunlight this side of paradise.

There's nothing like having a wedding ceremony waterfront. Ceremonies are allowed on the beach, but depending on your location, you might be required to obtain a permit, although most beaches don't require it. There's a variety of other options, though, like renting a private home, booking space in a beachfront hotel, or reserving the hottest restaurant in town.

Welcome to your destination wedding just a couple of hours away. Contact us at Beautiful Details to get started planning your NC destination wedding.

Brides Against Breast Cancer Gown Sale

2010-01-12T08:40:00.006-05:00

During National Wedding Month, February, we are dedicated to raising $40,000 to help the Brides Against Breat Cancer / Making Memories Foundation by hosting two Charity Gown Sales. The Making Memories Foundation grants wishes to women who are terminally ill with Breast Cancer for more information please visit Making Memories.

Raleigh Brides Against Breast Cancer 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010 - Dinner and Gown Show - 6 pm - 9 pm
Saturday, February. 6, 2010 - Gown Sale - 10 am - 6 pm
Sunday, February 7, 2010 - Gown Sale - 10 am - 5 pm

Friday night we are doing a dinner and parade of gowns for the brides that sign up for VIP night - brides will have first dibs on the dresses. This event starts at 6 pm. In addition, ABC Members are going to design different reception tables for the brides to eat dinner at. Have dinner with your mother or bridesmaid while watching a fantastic wedding gown show! All dresses are provided by the Making Memories Foundation. Not only that our consultants are going to show you their design skills by designing different wedding reception tables for you to dine at!

Saturday and Sunday we are doing the gown sale which is free to all brides along with the vendor show which is also free for everyone. Free admission on Saturday and Sunday.

Congratulations!

2010-01-07T09:50:00.012-05:00

I know I have been missing in action from my blog for a number of weeks, but I'm back now. And I just wanted to take this opportunity to tell all of you who were recently engaged over the holidays.... CONGRATULATIONS!

I know you have tons on your mind, like:

Setting the date

Deciding on ceremony and reception venues

Wedding colors

Finding a wedding planner

Finding reputable vendors

Sending out Save the Dates..and the list goes on

So much to do! Beautiful Details is here to help you. We are located in Raleigh, North Carolina and can help you with your wedding locally or with a destination wedding on the coast of North Carolina. We love Topsail Beach, Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle and all those sandy beaches in between. Although we specialize in beach weddings, that doesn't mean we can't create you a beautiful garden wedding or church wedding. We'll create a wedding to reflect your vision and personality. We have great ideas and information to share.

Keep watching our blog for creative ideas for your upcoming wedding! And look for us Valentine's Day in Elite Wedding Collection magazine. Pick up a copy at Barnes & Nobles or your local newsstand.

Free Shipping on our Jewelry

2009-11-30T10:51:00.003-05:00

Today is the last day of FREE SHIPPING for our jewelry. Be sure to shop early and get the pieces you really want. This would be a great time to custom order pieces for your wedding also. Take a look at how our leaf earrings were featured on the front page of Etsy.com recently.

Christmas Ornaments for the Bride & Groom

2009-11-06T20:21:00.010-05:00

We have a fabulous new Christmas gift/bridal shower gift idea for the bride and groom. Or maybe you are reading this and you are engaged and/or newlyweds. This ornament would be perfect for your first Christmas together as an engaged couple or newlyweds.

I created these ornaments by hand etching nickel silver. The ornament was filed and buffed to a smooth finish around the edges. A slight patina was applied to show all the details. Then it was adorned with a 11mm acrylic crystal to add extra sparkle when the Christmas lights hit it. The ornament is 1 1/2 inches by 1 1/2 inches and it hangs from a sheer silver ribbon.

We also have an assortment of traditional Christmas ornaments that are also hand etched. Select from Rudolph, snowflakes, Christmas trees, peace bird, starfish, and seashells.

Below are a few pieces of jewelry that are also handmade and are available on Etsy.com.

The holidays will be here before you know it. So make sure someone else doesn't snatch up your favorite ornament or piece of jewelry. You can purchase items securely in my shop on Etsy.com.

Beach Wedding Cakes

2009-11-04T21:42:00.017-05:00

If you love the beach as much as I do, you will love the look of all of these cakes. This first cake is what inspired me to share this cake artist's creations. Her name is Gunilla Kroshus of American Dream Cakes in Jacksonville, NC. Her cakes are flawless and tasty too!

She recently told me that her inspiration to create this cake came from my one-of-a-kind handmade jewelry. She entered this cake in a local competition and won a Silver ribbon! The cakes were judged on creativity, smoothness, neatness and techniques used and overall appearance. Be sure to notice the coral topper!

Gunilla says that more and more brides are wanting minimal decorations on their cakes, but yet each cake is unique in their own way. This cake is beautiful with just a hint of sea foam green accents and the white chocolate starfish, seashells and sanddollars. And this cake has another beautiful topper.

And last but not least, what a fun cake the below is! I love how she has created the sand all over the different layers. It has lots of details like the waves and the coral reef. So beautiful and suddle, yet so elegant.

I have seen Gunilla's cakes in person. She recently created the cake for a bride of mine back in September. The cake was flawless! Make sure you give Gunilla a call and go by to sample all her wonderful sweets!

Happy Planning!

Carol

Save-the-Dates

2009-10-20T15:21:00.009-04:00

Most everyone knows that a "Save-the-Date" announcement lets your guests know the date and location of your big day. They're essential for destination weddings in order to give your guests extra time to schedule vacation time off, arrange for child care, and shop around for a competitive airfare if needed.

Below are some helpful information about Save-the-Dates:

WHEN TO ORDER:
Most paper products take four to six weeks to produce and print, so try to place your order about eight to ten months before your wedding.

WHEN TO SEND THEM:

You should mail them out just as soon as the final venue contract has been signed, or six to eight months before the wedding. If you are marrying on an extremely busy holiday weekend, consider sending them out even earlier, but never more than a year in advance.

WHO GETS THEM:

Only send a Save-the-Date to the people on your A list, meaning close friends and family who will definitely be on your final guest list. Once you send this announcement, they are officially invited. There's no taking it back.

WHAT TO INCLUDE:

Include the date and location. If you already know hotel optinos, flight information, information on the destination, your dress code, etc., feel free to also include that information.

You could create your own Save-the-Dates. Create a "message in a bottle." Roll up your invitation, tie them with a bit of raffia or twine and put them in a bottle with some sand, a few tiny seashells and attach a starfish.

If you are asking guests to travel to a luxury resort or country club, have golf balls engraved with your personal information. Cut out a tiny square of atroturf or fake grass and send each in a box with the golf ball on top.

There are so many creative options you could come up with to create your own Save-the-Dave cards. Whatever you decide, creating your own or buying them, make sure your guests know well in advance the date and location of your special day so they can make plans accordingly.

Hot Color Combinations

2009-10-15T22:55:00.020-04:00

I know I talk a lot about color but color is one of the first things your guests will notice at your wedding. So, I wanted to share some of the research I have done on the hottest color combinations.

Right now some of the most popular combos is hot pink, tangerine and green. This color combo works well for spring, summer and fall weddings.

For destination weddings, the ocean will probably be the inspiration for many weddings. People often look to nature for inspiration. The ocean is vital to life and it is so soothing and calm.

Blue and shades of blue-green are very eco-friendly and will probably continue to be popular especially for destination weddings. Use your surroundings as your color palette. For beach weddings you have the beautiful blue-green of the ocean, light blue of the sky and a lovely sandy or linen shade of the sand beneath your feet.

Another beautiful and creative idea for wedding colors is to find your favorite color and make your wedding monochromatic.

Use soft hues of the same color. That way you don’t have to worry about the individual elements because your guests won’t notice when everything is the same color.

Monochromatic can be extremely beautiful especially if you had different textures and fabrics.

The photo above is a beautiful example of a monochromatic bridal bouquet.

Photo by One Lovely Day blog by Project Wedding.

Thanks for stopping by to read my blog. I hope it has given you new inspiration for your wedding day.

A Crown for your Forest or Woodland Themed Wedding

2009-10-11T22:19:00.002-04:00

Visit Which Goose on Etsy to see her beautiful crowns.

A Forest or Woodland themed wedding

2009-10-10T19:34:00.011-04:00

Woodland themed wedding, originally uploaded by luvmypups.

Do you love the outdoors and nature? A forest or woodland themed wedding might be just perfect for you.

This inspiration board is filled with all hand made items from creative artisans on Etsy.com. We love the artisans at Etsy.

From the top, going left to right...

1. Moss Ring Bearer Pillow - $20 - Created with preserved moss and faux “hens and chicks” succulents and hypericum berries. Tie your wedding bands with the natural jute twine.

2. Love Birds Houndstooth and Orange Pumpkin - $120.00 Adorable hand sawn birds can be used as a cake topper or displayed at your sweetheart table or anywhere you desire. He is dressed for the occasion in a black and white houndstooth fabric jacket and she has on a satin gown with a stunning silk burnt orange and poppy red hat.

3. Four Wedding Signs - $55 - Don't let your guests get lost. Help them find their way to your ceremony and reception. You can also get signs personalized with your names and wedding date.

4. Blue Hanging Ball Jar Votives - $29.00
I can just visualize these timeless jars hanging from a big oak tree over the ceremony or reception. These jars are at least 72 years old jars and are in vintage condition with minor scratches and scuffs.

5. Autumn Hand-tied Bouquet - $120.00
Want to keep your wedding bouquet forever? Then this beautiful bouquet is for you. It consists of life-like deep red roses, terra cotta colored mini-callas, safari sunset and hypericum berries. Stems are wrapped in matching ribbon and decorative fabric and secured with vintage inspired buttons. Sounds beautiful doesn't it?

6. Set of 125 Love Bird Place Cards - $125.00
Ok, I have to say I LOVE LOVE LOVE these! I love this entire shop. What a cool creation! I wish I had known about this shop when I got married last year. These paper love birds perch on the rims of champagne glasses. Help guests find their spot at the table with these eye-catching, imaginative place cards — they make for great conversation-starters. These are worth the money in my opinion!

7. Set of three Groomsmen Neckties - $108.00
Can you imagine how handsome your groomsmen will be in these silk ties? You can custom order in different colors and patterns. This tie has a large oak tree printed in green on a light blue.

8. Bird Boutonierre with Velvet Leaves - $22.99
This would look great on just the groom or all of the guys in the wedding party. This cute little bird is perched on a small flower with two nice velvet leaves and finished off with a whitish ivory ribbon. This item can also be customized.

I hope you enjoyed these items and hope you will keep these talented artisans in mind for your wedding needs. Feel free to share photos with me as well! Thanks for following.

Destination Wedding Gowns

2009-10-07T19:40:00.012-04:00

Wow! I just came across these beautiful Maggie Sottero gowns. These are in her Destinations Collection. I just had to share these with you. Visit the link above to see the entire collection. But here are a few of my personal favorites that I picked out to share with you. I hope you find something you absolutely LOVE!

JD1214
One-piece, slim line gown with sweetheart neckline and corset closure. This style features pleating through the bodice cascading through the skirt. Shoulder straps enhance the sweetheart neckline while a bow placed beneath the plunging back adds a feminine flair to the detachable train.

AD1001
Pleated tulle and taffeta combine to create this extraordinary gown! Pleated tulle highlights the wrapped empire waistline, while sprinkles of crystals create a dazzling sparkle. A corset back and the pleated tulle detail at the hemline complete this great look.

SD5220
One-piece, slim A-line gown with one-shoulder neckline and corset closure. This Aria Chiffon gown features our signature asymmetrical wrap with a hint of sparkle. A detailed flower accent introduces a detachable shoulder strap that fastens across the back.

SD5211
One-piece, strapless, slim A-line gown with zipper over inner corset closure. This style features an embellished lace bodice with a ruched band and handmade flower accentuating the bustline. The Georgette Chiffon skirt features a fluted side drape and sheer illusion train.

Bridesmaids Jewelry

2009-10-06T20:10:00.007-04:00

Your bridesmaids are there beside you all the way, and they’ve been with you since the beginning--your bridesmaids. They are special to you and they deserve bridesmaid gifts that express your thanks for their deep and enduring friendship.

We offer bridesmaids jewelry made of the finest materials. We only use real freshwater pearls and high quality gemstones in almost any color you could need. We can also take custom orders. Your bridesmaids gifts will arrive packaged in a lovely gift box ready for giving. No wrapping, no worries. We'll do all that for you.

The earrings above are pink opals. The materials are all sterling. We create our earwires by hand. The pink opals are 22mm x 10mm. The sterling silver has been oxidized in this particular pair but we can also create them with shiny sterling--no oxidization.
The earrings hang to a length of 2 1/4 inches.

These earrings are elongated smoky quartz. They are stunning and would be lovely if your bridesmaids are wearing brown or orange this fall. The smoky quartz briolettes are 28mm x 9mm (1 1/4"). These earrings hang to a length of 1 3/4 inches.

If you are interested in either of these or would like to see more, you can visit my Etsy.com shop or feel free to email me.

News

2009-10-01T10:44:00.003-04:00

We are so excited to tell you that we will be featured in the February 2010 edition of Elite Wedding Collection magazine! The magazine is primarily focused towards destination weddings but also has lots of tips and information that can be used in any wedding.

In the February 2010 edition, you'll get great destination wedding ideas and helpful information to help you create a beautiful color palette for your special day. Look for the magazine on newsstands Valentine's Day 2010.

Picking Your Wedding Colors

2009-09-30T20:27:00.010-04:00

One of the first things you will want to do after you have selected your venues is to decide on your wedding colors.

Flowers and table decor by Beautiful Details

Bring color to your reception by throwing on a bold color table linen. There’s no need to go with white linens anymore with all the wonderful color choices available.

Flowers and table decor by Beautiful Details

You could also go with a linen with texture like a pintuck or embroidered linen. For a beach wedding you can never go wrong with turquoise.

Pick three colors for your wedding palette. Your favorite color should make the statement reflecting your personalities whereas the other two colors should be more subtle and add depth and texture to your décor.

Take a look at a color wheel. Pick out your favorite color, then look directly across the color wheel and use that color as your secondary color. They compliment each other. Turquoise and red is one of my favorite new combinations. Another lovely combination is turquoise and fuchsia. For a garden wedding, try apple green (or lime green) with your favorite shade of pink. Most of all let the season and your surroundings help you decide on how bold or soft your color palette should be.

Real Beach Wedding: Kristy & Andrew

2009-09-29T22:31:00.005-04:00

We would like to say a special thank you and congratulations to Kristy and Andrew for letting us be part of their special day. They were married on the beach in Emerald Isle, NC on Thursday, September 24, 2009. Kristy planned her special day and we were there to assist on the day of.

They wanted a small intimate wedding on the beach so they rented the Villa Mare, a private four-story rental house. They invited 40 of their closest friends and family and had a pool-side reception on a beautiful warm fall day.

The wedding was officiated by Rev. Penelope Morningstar and the beautiful cake was supplied by American Dream Cakes of Jacksonville, NC.

Congratulations Kristy and Andrew and best wishes for a wonderful life together.

Destination Wedding Seminar

2009-09-21T21:13:00.002-04:00

Just last weekend I attended the Association of Bridal Consultants NC State Meeting in New Bern, NC. The meeting was loaded with great information. Lisa Light of DestinationBride.com was there and gave a great talk on her experiences as a destination wedding planner. She has planned and created incredible weddings for destination brides all over the world. Lisa had her most recent book with her and many of us bought copies which she also autographed.

Also at the meeting was Mary Kurek, visibility consultant and author of "Who's Hiding In Your Address Book?" She has lots of information on how to grow your network. She also talked about social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

Eric Hause, publisher of the many NC/SC destination bride magazines spoke to the group (Crystal Coast Bride). Eric had lots of helpful information for us on positioning our websites to promote our business. He also spoke about the benefits of social media.

And last but not least, Joan Rodriquez from Sandals was there to tell us all about the incredible Sandals Honeymoons!

If you missed this seminar, you missed out on a lot of information. It was a day full of networking and information overload! That's a good thing.

Have Your Guests Bird Watching at Your Wedding

2009-09-11T14:52:00.016-04:00

Have your guests bird watching when your bridesmaids walk down the isle with these adorable bird charms by Judy Tanner of Artsyclay. The charms are handmade by Judy using polymer clay. She can create them in custom colors to match your wedding colors.

Tufted Titmouse on a burnt orange background.

I know many of you are bird lovers in one way or another. Wouldn't this be lovely at a fall outdoor or indoor wedding?

Female Cardinal on a light gray background.

Judy can create these charms for you in almost any color and any bird you need. You can also chose from silver plated to gold plated bails. Browse around her shop on Etsy.com and let her know exactly what you need for your wedding. She happily takes custom orders!

Wedding Card Boxes

2009-09-09T21:56:00.012-04:00

Ok, this is one area that I often see overlooked at weddings. Either a bride get so involved in the other details of her wedding and never buys a card box and ends up borrowing one or they use the venue's card box that has been used hundreds of times over and looks like it has. Why have a cheap looking box when you can have this lovely card box that looks like a three tiered wedding cake! How special is that?

Mackensley Designs makes these incredible boxes. She is a Houston-based Etsy seller who creates a range of beautiful wedding items such as pomanders for flowers girls, ring bearer pillows, card boxes, and also eremony and reception items. Her hand crafted items have also been featured on Bride.com!

Visit MacKensley Designs shop on Etsy.com and make your wedding extra special with hand crafted items.

Beautiful items for a fall wedding on Etsy.com

2009-09-07T23:26:00.003-04:00

Beautiful items for a fall wedding, originally uploaded by Beautiful Details.

Take a look at these beautiful items. They all came from Etsy.com. There are so many talented people on Etsy.com that it is mind boggling. Here are just a few of my favorites.

First row, left is a lovely wedding cake topper created by RedLightStudio. She will custom design these in your likeness.

First row, right is a beautiful pomander by MackensleyDesigns. This golden silk mum is perfect for the flower girl in a fall wedding.

Second row, left is a fall flowers wedding invitation created by BGDesignstudio. These ladies are moms and BFFs and will customize your invitations if you wish.

Second row, right is a beautiful personalized cake stand by vesselsandwares. How special will these cake stands be for years to come!!??

Third row, left are a set of three pretty autumn harvest hair pins created by Nomsa. These would be beautiful on the bridesmaids.

Last but not least, bottom right is an incredible card box that was created by MackensleyDesigns. I know I already added another one of her items, but I just couldn't leave out either.

I hope you will find some of these items useful for your fall wedding. And feel free to email me at anytime if you need help planning or with your day of services. We would love to be a part of your special day.

Congratulations to Nichole & Brad

2009-09-07T22:02:00.011-04:00

We recently assisted with the wedding and reception of Nichole and Brad on August 29, 2009. The day started early with rehearsal at 8:30 am followed by a breakfast for all rehearsing. The wedding was held at the Shepherd of the Sea Lutheran Church on Atlantic Beach, NC.

The reception followed with a buffet dinner for the guests. The reception site was beautifully decorated with light blue linens. The tables were lite by a cluster of candles. At each place setting was a beautiful poem that the bride and groom chose to share with their guests. Beautiful favor boxes were placed at each place setting for the guests as well.

They had a lovely cupcake tree supplied by Your Perfect Cake. Stunning cupcakes and oh so yummy.

Congratulations Nicole & Brad!

New Fall Pieces

2009-09-03T09:03:00.004-04:00

Seashell Covered Mirror

2009-08-30T18:15:00.007-04:00

Even though this is not really wedding related, I still wanted to share with you a DIY project I recently completed. After painting my bedroom a beautiful shade of turquoise blue (Valspar Well Water), I decided I wanted to create a seashell covered mirror. And even though I am referring to this mirror as "seashell covered," it is over with many treasures from the ocean. It has seaglass on it, sea urchins, starfish, coral, glass shells, and some sea sponge that I actually found on the beach. The only thing I didn't add was shark teeth. Didn't think they really fit in to my tranquille theme.

I purchased the mirror from a local antique shop for only $15. After a little minding to the mirror, it was ready to be covered. Here is the before of the mirror.

All you need is a good mirror, lots of seashells and sea creatures for your mirror and a hot glue gun. Here is my finished mirror. Hope you like it. I LOVE it!

Handmade Wedding Ideas

2009-08-19T16:25:00.004-04:00

Take a look at all of the beautiful items you could have for your wedding. The best part is they are all handmade with love. There are lots more than the items visible below. Available on Etsy.com.

Fall Wedding Colors

2009-08-14T17:26:00.008-04:00

Are you planning a fall beach wedding? How gorgeous would these colors be?

The colors for this fall are rich and vibrant. Weddings follow fashion and one of the hottest fall colors is tangerine. Tangerine and green (turquoise) are going to be a popular combo this fall for weddings. I'm not a big fan of orange but throw in some turquoise and I would be a happy camper.

A Wedding in Blue: Decorating Ideas

2009-07-25T12:48:00.002-04:00

A Wedding in Blue: Decorating Ideas

Is your favorite color BLUE? If so, take a look at this beautiful blue wedding.

DIY - Petal Toss Cones

2009-06-08T15:23:00.013-04:00

Are you having a hard time deciding what type of toss you want to use at your wedding. One option is rose petals. Having your guests toss rose petals is not only beautiful and elegant but it's also painless! I have to tell you, that new bird friendly toss they sell online is painful!

Today I wanted to show you how to make your own petal toss cones. It's fun and easy and you can add a personal touch to personalize your cones to your wedding theme. Here's what you'll need:

Decorative paper of choice (8 1/2" x 11"), you can use colored paper, textured paper or even velum.

Scissors (I like to use the decorative paper edge scissors made by Fiskars)

Glue gun

Download the template I have supplied. This is in a Word doc format. Then all you have to do is follow the directions on the bottom of the templates. You can change the font and font colors, add a special quote. Print the template and cut around the line using decorative design scissors. You can find the decorative scissors in any scrapbook section of any craft store. Glue the edge of the cones and then just fill with live rose petals. Be sure to tell your florist how many guests you will be having. He or she can recommend how many petal you'll need.

Happy Planning!

Sweetheart Table or Head Table?

2009-06-08T09:24:00.009-04:00

There's a lot of thought that goes into your seating arrangement for your wedding. You have to take all of your family and friends and decide what will be best in your personal situation, with all of the personalities and hope they will all get along and have a wonderful time. The big question is will you and your groom sit at a sweetheart table or at a head table?

The traditional way would be a head table, but if you are looking for something more intimate and not so traditional, try opting for a sweetheart table for you and your new husband.

Some of the benefits would be you would have a few minutes of along time with your new husband. And if you opted not to have a receiving line, which lots of couples are doing, your guests would know where to go to find you to congratulate you. It also lets your wedding party sit with their significant other as well.

Since you would be along with your groom, it would give you time to eat and get up and mingle with your guests, after all you and your new husband will always be the first to be served whether a seated dinner or a buffet.

Since a lot of brides and grooms are on strict budgets because of the hard times we are in, you can go all out on the decorations for your sweetheart table and still save money since you will have to decorate an entire head table. All eyes will be on you at your specially decorated sweetheart table.

Whatever you decide, it will be the right choice. It's your personal preference for your special day and whatever works best in your situation. If your goal is to be sure to speak to all of your guests to thank them for being their on your special day, then the sweetheart table would be the right choice.

Happy Planning!

Today is our anniversary

2009-06-07T16:00:00.005-04:00

Today is our one-year anniversary. We are taking today and tomorrow off to celebrate. We had a beautiful beach wedding last year on June 7, 2008. What a wonderful day and what a wonderful man I married. We are looking forward to a wonderful dinner and eating the topper of our wedding cake.

Check back next week for more blog updates!

Carol

What's in our Etsy shop?

2009-06-06T10:54:00.010-04:00

I know a lot of people have heard of Etsy but maybe you haven't? I thought I would take a few minutes this morning and tell you about Etsy. Etsy.com is a website dedicated to handmade items. Anyone can buy or sell handmade items on Etsy.com. It's a great place to showcase your handmade items. And there are LOTS of wedding related items on Etsy.com. I found my wedding garter on Etsy. You can get things personalized for your wedding.

Why not purchase your wedding jewelry on Etsy? Not only am I a wedding planner but I also design jewelry. I make a range of styles, including of course my favorite, beach themed jewelry. I use beautiful gemstones, sterling silver and also fine silver created by hand from metal clay. It is tiny particles of silver inside a clay binder. I shape the clay like you would any other clay, let it dry, fire it in my kiln and brush off the outside layer of dried clay and underneath is beautiful shiny fine silver. The photo above is an example of a piece of jewelry created with metal clay. We also will take custom orders so feel free to email us with any special requests. We will do our best to make it happen!

Just a few items from our Etsy shop.

Happy shopping!

Beautiful Wedding Cakes

2009-06-05T09:14:00.005-04:00

Have you been looking for the perfect wedding cake design. Well, I just wanted to share with you a website I just came across that has some incredibly beautiful wedding cakes. Visit the Pink Cake Box blog and take a look at their beautiful cakes. You might get inspired.

There are lots of beach themed cakes, cupcake trees, cakes with incredible color, cakes with ribbon, cakes with flower. This site will give you lots of inspiration for your cake.

One of my favorites is the cake pictured. It is pink, green and orange with lots of color and very whimsical, yet elegant.

Enjoy!

FREE Gift with Wedding Planning Services

2009-06-02T21:28:00.003-04:00

We are currently giving away a free gift for any bride who signs a contract with us for wedding planning services. Contact us for a free one-hour consultation and if you book our services, you will receive a beautiful white ceramic handcrafted ring bearer bowl.

THE ORIGINAL ring bearer dish design from Paloma's Nest that is creating a new tradition in weddings all around the globe. A new spin on the classic ring bearer pillow...See it in the fall/winter 2008 issue of BRIDES regional magazine!! Called the "biggest new idea for wedding ceremonies this year"...This little white ceramic bowl is hand crafted and stamped with the words TO HAVE & TO HOLD.

What makes it different is the two little holes near the top rim, through which silky cotton cord has been laced to hold your rings for your wedding ceremony. This cord can be easily switched out for a ribbon that matches your wedding style.

After the ceremony, the cord can be tied into a loop or a bow, and the bowl can hold jewelry, momentos or other treasures. But that's not all...my favorite part of this piece is that the tiny bowl can also be hung by the cord, on a wall in a special spot (next to your wedding photo would be nice), in a shadow box frame, or on your Christmas tree.

Each piece is handmade of fine white clay, and fired in a kiln; the bowls have a protective matte finish applied to the surface and are designed for decorative use only. Bowls measure approximately 3 to 3.5 inches in diameter...they fit nicely in the palm of your hand.

Call or email us today for your free consultation.

Favorite Summertime Places

2009-06-01T21:26:00.010-04:00

This is my favorite time of year and the time when I love going to the coast and sitting on the beach to relax for a few minutes or a few hours, whatever my day allows. I usually take my favorite book and sit under the shade of my umbrella and watch the waves roll in. This weekend I was in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina and it was a very nice weekend. We had a few spotty showers but for the most part it was gorgeous.

But I also wanted to mention what else I did this past weekend. I was down to help Pam DuVal of Promised Hearts, Inc. with one of her weddings. The wedding ceremony and the reception were both at the Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.

What a great venue to have a reception! The bride and groom were married in the Coastal Plains Gallery and then the reception flowed from one section to another until they arrived at the huge saltwater tank where they had their dinner and dance floor set up.

The bride and groom had a harpist playing during the cocktail hour and a DJ for the dinner and dancing. I only took a few pictures but you can see more pictures on Pam's blog.

Take a look at the Aquarium's rental page to see additional photos of other events they have hosted. If you are thinking of a beach wedding or a wedding somewhere on the coast, the Aquarium is a wonderful idea. Your guests will have a wonderful time. And because of all the interesting exhibits and tanks, it doesn't really require a lot of decorating. Some nice linens and a simple centerpiece and your event will be stunning.

DIY Tuesday

2009-05-26T18:22:00.007-04:00

Noble Pectin decorative lights

I love crafting so I thought I would share a beautiful and beachy craft idea I recently stumbled upon. It's decorative shell lights. I glued pretty and colorful noble pectins onto a strand of white indoor/outdoor lights. You could use these at your rehearsal dinner, wedding or reception or just use them on your deck.

Here's what you will need and how to make this project.

Supplies:

Shells, scallop shells, clam shells (I used Noble pectins)
masking tape
minature lights (UL approved)
bonding cement

Tape about a 2-foot length of your lights to a work surface that you have protected from the glue. Make sure the lights are laying flat. Apply a small amount of the glue to the shell and place the shell on the plastic base of the light. Make sure the glue doesn't get on the bulb. Let them dry about an hour and then move to the next section.

After you are done, hang the lights and enjoy the beautiful glow of your beachy treasures.

Spice it Up with Color

2009-05-24T21:25:00.008-04:00

Don't be afraid! Go ahead, spice up your wedding with beautiful bold colors. To help you decide on your wedding colors, go to your nearest hardware store or even Walmart. Go to their paint section and let your favorite colors draw you to them. Mix and match until you have the perfect colors. You'll want to incorporate your colors into your invitations, favors, flowers and the wedding party. You should get away from the over-used boring wedding colors and give your wedding a fresh upbeat look.

You could even add a splash of color to your dress. This beautiful dress by Impressionbridal.com would look stunning at a wedding of lavender and silver or lavender and green. Imagine the possibilities.

Below are a list of color combinations for summer weddings. We'd love to hear what your favorite wedding color combos are!

Two-Color Summer Wedding Combinations

Red and Bright Orange

Red and Pink

Lavender and Purple or Violet

Lavender and Sage, Light or Medium Green

Yellow and Pink

Aqua and Turquoise

Aqua and White, Off White or Cream

Turquoise and White, Off White or Cream

Three-Color Summer Wedding Combinations

Pink---Orange---Red

Pink---Orange---White or Off White

Pink---Light or Medium Green, Sage or Yellow

Purple---Lavender---White, Ivory or Cream

Hot Pink---Purple---Yellow

Hot Pink---Orange---Off White or Cream

Here are some beach wedding colors:

Two-Color Beach Wedding Color Combinations

White and Turquoise

Light Turquoise and Turquoise

Periwinkle and White

Light Green or Lime and Lavender

Off White, Ivory or Cream and Taupe or Tan

Light Blue and Ivory, Off White or Cream

Three-Color Beach Wedding Color Combinations

Light Turquoise ---Turquoise ----White

Light Turquoise ---White ---Cream or Ivory

White --- Cream or Ivory ---Mocha or Tan

Cream, Ivory or Off White--- Mocha or Tan ----Gold

Coral ---Off White, Ivory or Cream ----Mocha or Tan

Dark or Navy Blue ---Light Blue ---White

The Best Gift You Could Ever Give Yourself

2009-05-10T21:37:00.007-04:00

Wouldn't it be nice to spend time with your fiance and your family members on your special day instead of worrying about all the details of your special day? I know some of you are planning your entire wedding and trying to do it yourself on the wedding day and also recruit family members. Just think about how much easier it would be on everyone involved if you were to hire a bridal consultant (ABC member) to take care of your day of worries.

Below are some questions you might be thinking:

Why can't I do the planning myself?
You can do the planning yourself and that can be fun. But it can also be a hassle: checking out the many sources for each vendor category, making sure all the details are in place and worry about whether you're getting the best deal and whether everything will turn out ok. A bridal consultant has the training and experience to make it all come together while you relax!

What will a wedding planner charge?
The Association of Bridal Consultants discourages its consultants from charging a percentage of the wedding. Most ABC consultants charge an hourly rate or a fixed fee, or a combination of both. A wedding planner should be part of your budget, not an extra expense. Actually, you often save money because a consultant suggestions affordable alternatives that will still enhance your wedding. A professional bridal consultant will work with you to create your dream wedding, including the consultant's fee, all within your budget.

What is a Bridal Consultant?
A Bridal Consultant is a professional whose training, expertise and contacts will help make your wedding as close to perfect as it can possibly be. You can relax and be a guest at your own wedding. A bridal consultant is an advisor, coordinator, supervisor, financial planner and a mediator.

Let Beautiful Details handle the details with you. It's your big day. Make certain it turns out the way you have always invisioned--and enjoy your wedding!

Add a Splash of Color and Bowl Them Over

2009-05-06T23:58:00.007-04:00

A new trend that I have recently come across for this summer is serving fruit punch to your guests in fun glass containers in different shapes and sizes. You will make a splashy appearance at your wedding by adding fruit punches in your wedding colors made with fresh juices and high-end spirits (artisanal vodka, fancy rum) and serve them in fun and fancy vessels rather than standard bunch bowls. Just ladle the punch into your guest's glass.

Make it an entire punch bar!

The bowls/bar to the right are available for rent through Beautiful Details. They have chalkboard material right on the glass. Label your punch with fun names. Name them something romantic or do something fun and original that goes with your wedding theme. You'll have your guests talking for days about this cool and colorful new wedding trend.

Bridal Fair at the NC Museum of History

2009-04-20T13:16:00.011-04:00

We recently participated in the First Annual NC Museum of History bridal fair. It was a lovely event with lots of wonderful and experienced vendors. The event was held in the lobby of the History Museum from 6 pm until 9 pm. The NC Museum of History transforms into an elegant and romantic venue. They have a permanent marble dance floor for your use. There is a beautiful curved staircase for the wedding party and the bride and groom to enter from the second floor of the musuem. It's a grand entrance for any wedding party.

Beautiful Details created two table arrangements. One for a garden wedding complete with a green pintuck linen, pink and white roses in a cube vase with limes, and a real apple with a leaf placecard attached. Our other table was a beautiful beach themed table with an azure crushed linen over a taffeta pineapple colored linen. Carol Lasitter created the centerpiece from a pearlized Nautilus shell that was adorned with white hydrangea and white roses. Add white starfish, favors and candlelight and you have the perfect beach wedding reception decor you could dream for.

Carol Lasitter also brought along some of her beautiful handcreated wedding jewelry for display and sell. Lots of brides showed a lot of interest in ordering items for their bridesmaids for using as their gift and for wearing in the wedding. She offers a wide range of gemstones and pearls at affordable prices.

Make it Unique

2009-03-31T21:31:00.012-04:00

Beach weddings are becoming more and more popular as people opting for a less traditional, more relaxed settings for their big day. Whether you are looking for an intimate seaside ceremony or a fun and casual ceremony, make it unique, make it YOU! The most unique beach wedding ceremony and reception ideas are sparked by imagination not tradition.

To plan for your wedding, you first need to know:

What is your theme?

What time of day will you be having your wedding ceremony?

What type of atmosphere do you wish to create?

Answer those three questions and great beach wedding reception ideas will follow

Below are a couple other ways to make it unforgettable:

Have a steel drum band, reggae music or the easy sounds of island music.
Use lots of seashells and in places they aren't expected.
Use fun and funky picture frames as placecard holders and they also double as favors.
Use exotic flowers and seashells in your bouquet.
Get creative with ring bearer pillows.
Bring the sea to your ceremony, use starfish and seashells.
Decorate the reception with a nautical theme.
Use sanddollars or starfish as place card holders.
And last but not least, showcase your theme on your wedding cake.

The most important thing is to make it fun and memorable. Your guests will be talking about your wedding for months!

The Sand Ceremony

2009-03-22T19:15:00.012-04:00

One of my favorite parts of the beach wedding is the sand ceremony. The sand ceremony is a celebration that is usually three to five minutes in length and is a meaningful joining of two lives and often two families. In this timeless ritual of marriage, the couple pour various colors of sand from a container, such as a seashell, into one special container symbolizing their coming together as one. The sand usually matches the color scheme of the wedding colors.

This unique celebration was recently brought into the public eye with the marriage of Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter of the TV series, “The Bachelorette.” Rather than the time-honored ritual of the unity candle ceremony, the famous couple chose the sand ceremony. Their decision has sparked a craze in wedding ceremonies across the country.

Pouring Vessels
My favorite pouring vessels for the sand ceremony is the pearlized nautilus shell. They can be purchased at a really reasonable price on eBay. Or you can also use uniquely shaped bottles. There are many options. Whatever your choice, be sure to make it your own.

Special Containers
Be sure to pick a container that you really love and want to look at for many many years to come to remember your special day. Lead crystal is a wonderful option if your budget allows. Even a simple glass vase will look beautiful with the colored sand from your wedding. If the bride and groom have children from another marriage, they can have the children participate in the sand ceremony by having separate colors for the children. This adds to the special meaning of the moment and adds additional beauty to the sand.

Think Outside the Sandbox

2009-02-18T17:49:00.012-05:00

Are you planning a beach wedding this summer? Are you a non-traditional bride? If so, you will love this idea. Why not think outside the box for your wedding? Instead of having your ring bearer carry the traditional pillow that everyone else has and are sold all over the web, check out these cute options.

This is one of my favorites. Does your husband-to-be surf? If so, this would be perfect for your wedding. Can't you just invision your little ring bearer walking down the sandy isle with a linen suit and carrying this precious woody? The rings are attached with a ribbon that is run through the windows of the car and over the roof and little surfboard on top. But of course you have to buy two of these because your little ring bearer is going to want to keep this cute car for himself. And you know you have to have one as a special keepsake.

Here's another beautiful idea I recently stumbled upon and this ring bearer's pillow is a gift from nature. This would be perfect for any beach wedding ceremony. This conch shell has been transformed into a ring bearer's pillow with some satin fabric, foam and ribbon. So easy to make and only a couple of dollars on supplies.

So think about what you love and your personality and make your wedding all your own. Your wedding should be a reflection of who you are.

See you on the beach!

Charity Wedding Gown Sale

2009-02-04T09:57:00.004-05:00

Are you a bride on a budget? Almost everyone is during this tough economic time. Even if you aren't, I know where you can find beautiful Couture wedding gowns at budget bride prices! And the best part is you can help those who have breast cancer.

The NC branch of the Association of Bridal Consultants will be helping the Making Memories foundation host a "Brides Against Breast Cancer" Charity Gown Sale on Saturday and Sunday, February 28 and March 1, 2009. The sale will be held at the Wyndham Hotel in Durham at 4620 South Miami Boulevard, 919-941-6066.

Browse through hundreds of exquisite, name brand and designer wedding gowns. Donated by manufacturers, retailers, designers and individuals, valued up to $8,000. The Couture Collection gowns are priced 25-75% off retail!

So we hope to see you at the gown sale. Times are as follows:

Saturday, February 28

10 - Noon (Power Hours) $20 Admission
12 Noon - 7 pm - FREE Admission

First 200 Brides will receive a FREE gift bag!

Sunday, March 1
10 am - 5 pm - FREE Admission

Spring Inspiration

2009-01-13T10:07:00.002-05:00

I know it's still winter but if you are a spring bride you definitely need to be thinking about all the details for your spring nuptials! So I just wanted to share with you a beautiful idea for your bridal bouquet and also for your bridesmaids' bouquets. Personalize your bouquets by adding hand crafted one-of-kind charms. Adorable bird charms were added to these fall bouquets. What a difference it makes adding these. Wouldn't these be beautiful for spring?! Inspired by nature, my friend Judy Tanner of Artsyclay hand created these charms from polymer clay. Contact Judy by email if you would like for her to create charms for your wedding bouquets.

Off and running

2009-01-08T13:50:00.002-05:00

January has already started out with a BANG! I had the opportunity to participate in the Wedding Show at the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. I helped Tamera Davis of Cherished Moments in her booth promoting her business. It was a great experience but a lot of work. But well worth the work.

Tamera has lots of great ideas, one of which is in the photo to the right. I am standing beside her Candy Buffet creation. This is a wonderful treat for your guests and it doubles as your wedding favors. Personalize the candy and the linens to match your decor and it's a lovely and cost effective favor for your wedding.

Another beautiful creation we did at the Wedding Show was for the table top decor contest. We created this lovely three demensional cake table. It is covered with sliced limes, whole limes, ivy, white roses, spider mum, green marbles and more. Then on top goes a glass top. Your cakes sits on the glass and looks like it is floating. So three dimensional. What a beautiful and creative idea.

It was such an energizing weekend at the Wedding Show. Hope to see you all at the next show in April.

New Year, New Beginnings

2008-12-31T16:15:00.002-05:00

Another year has come and gone. Where has the time gone? I am lucky to be celebrating the New Year with my husband and family at Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. What a beautiful day it has been.

If you were engaged on New Year's eve or over the holidays, let me be one of the first to say "Congratulations!" What an exciting time for the engaged couples! I know how many decisions you have to make. I was also engaged on New Year's eve and know what you face in the decision making process for your wedding. Be sure to grab a copy of the 2009 Crystal Coast Bride magazine where you'll find an ad for Beautiful Details. Give us a call or email and let us help you plan your event.

Happy New Year and again congratulations Brides!