Holiday Party Extraordinaire!~

It seems as though 12 months fly by quickly, every single year. The days and moments aren't always recorded or even remembered as time goes by, which is why I'm always so so thankful when our clients share photos with me following an event. Receiving the professional photos of the weddings or events that Forrester Farm provides the floral and decor for is a post event highlight for sure!~  Seeing the photos often confirms why I do what I do and inspires me to continue to learn, grow, enjoy and share more of what we love to be a part of. Beauty. Gatherings. Friendship. Love. 

Photos by: Alicia Magnuson Photography

Venue: Grand Rapids Downtown Market

Holiday Party for: FormulaFolios

A Handmade Christmas with Salt Dough Ornaments

As the last of the Christmas holiday decor is being put away, I couldn't resist sharing this fun and easy project that was great to share with friends and family this past holiday season. 

Initially inspired by a blog post by Cotton Stem on the salt dough ornaments that Erin and her daughters created at Thanksgiving time, I rolled the cinnamon infused dough and sipped on wine as Christmas tunes were playing in the background. 

As I was using the cookie cutters that I already had on hand, my only plan for the ornaments was to use them as gift tags for the holidays. It was only after they were made that the inspiration struck to incorporate them as embellishments on handcrafted candles that were given away to friends and family. 

After the ornaments were baked and cooled, a thin ribbon was added. Honestly, adding the ribbon to the ornaments was the most time consuming part of this whole project.

Frosted floral vases, that I happened to have an abundance of (benefit of being a florist), were embellished with sweet ribbon that I found at Hobby Lobby and  tied in a way to hold three star ornaments.  The vases were then filled with a layer of Epsom salt (looks like snow) and a glass votive candle was nestled inside. 

Carefully packed with tissue and tied with a bow, these gifts were fun and easy to make and were given away and shared with love. 

Salt Dough Ornament Recipe

2 cups flour

1 cup table salt

1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together. Roll to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut desired shapes with cookie cutters. Use a skewer, straw or coffee stirrer to create a hole for hanging purposes. Bake at 300 degrees for about an hour or until the ornaments are hard. After the ornaments have cooled off, add ribbon and paint if desired. 

Share, enjoy and be creative!~

Holiday Decor Inspiration

I tend to be a great collector of project parts. Ideas will inspire me.  I'll then accumulate the materials for that idea... and then, those materials sit for a bit until the act of finishing that project inspires me again. I know that this is how I work. I know that I sometimes just need to act, and then the motivation follows :). Such is the story with the sweet ornaments that I made this past Christmas for the purpose of decorating the white vintage tree that we have in our studio. 

These little round crocheted doilies were collected over time from thrift stores and antique shops. Most of them ranged from 4 - 6 inches in diameter and probably cost between .25 to $1.00 a piece (being the bargain hunter that I am). 

With the Stiffy brand fabric treatment and the finest grain white glitter from Hobby Lobby, the project was set in motion one cold and wintry day before Christmas. 

With glitter mixed into the stiffening agent, I used a paint brush to coat each side of the doily. Tin foil on a cookie sheet seemed to be the best way to keep the mess contained and also allow for an easy way to keep the doilies flat as they dried. After drying for a couple of days, during which I turned them over a time or two, they were ready to add ribbon and be hung on the tree. 

Our studio is still very much a work in progress, but the tree looked great for the holidays and made me smile every time that I entered to work.