Simply Southern

Hopefully, you attended the 2nd annual Pew Decorating Competition which was at Vulcan Park this year. Vulcan Park is an amazing setting for any event and this one, put on by P.E.W.S., was no exception! We participated in the inaugural competition last year and couldn't wait to see what was in store for 2013.

Several of Birmingham's prestigious wedding professionals showed up with their A-game to embellish a pew in one of four categories: Organics Only, Luxe, Patterns & Pantones and Simply Southern.

This year, CeCe Designs partnered with us to create a 1920s-inspired vignette in the Simply Southern category. We wanted to focus on pastel pinks and greens, pearls (a Southern staple) and silver. We accomplished our winning design with gorgeous metallic vintage suitcases, silver plated tiered trays and candelabras and dainty details like rhinestone buckles and vintage gloves and hand mirrors. We decided to go with champagne, ivory and silver for the fabric palate and we're just thrilled with how it turned out.

One of the most exciting parts of the competition is that we won! We were awarded the top spot in our category, as well as the Brides Choice award, which is just such a blessing and an honor to us. 

The online voting competition is still going on, and we'd love to be the winner of this one. Please click here and vote for our decorated pew. Christy and I appreciate your support.

If you like what you see, email us and we can work with you to create your dream wedding, from a casual, family-only event to a polished affair!

Let Them Eat Cake

Ahh, the baby trends these days! My parents were pretty good at documenting my life...considering it started in 1981 and things were much different then. I'm fairly certain there aren't any pictures of my first birthday, which was likely a family lunch with a homemade cake and a balloon or two. Quite the low-key affair compared to today's elaborate themed parties! I'm certainly not saying one way is better than the other. I see merits in a quiet and stress-free family gathering, as well as a blow-out celebration to reward yourself for making it through what I hear is an extremely challenging 12 months. Most of my friends have gone the blow-out route and I have loved seeing their creativity in action and celebrating the lives of their little ones and the joy they've brought us all in just one short year. 

Another common trend these days is the cake smash photo shoot, and I think it's such a fun idea to have a professional photographer document this event in baby's life. This post was inspired by the recent use of our natural oak high chair for a cake smash shoot and, of course, I couldn't resist adding some other beautiful shots from 

Our natural oak high chair, captured by DanielleJade Photography for little baby A's first birthday.

A precious orange Jenny Lind high chair from Darci at The Good Life Blog.

This little guy is too cute! Just lounging around in a high chair and snacking. :) Courtesy of Amy Straka Photography.

And look at this happy girl! Great job capturing those gorgeous blue eyes, Laura Sanderson. 

I'm considering painting ours a bright color, or maybe something neutral. What do you think? Should I leave it natural wood, or paint it? And if so, what color? I'd love your suggestions!

Weighing Options

There are few things I adore more than vintage scales. These make such great risers and create interest when you're setting out a food table at a luncheon or event. They also look great holding programs or favors... and, of course, who can resist a newborn photo shoot with a tiny baby on one of the scales?

Here are some of my favorite pins that highlight unique ways to use vintage scales, including one of ours!

These scales make wonderful serving pieces for a touch of vintage in an otherwise polished setup. Courtesy of Patchwork Harmony.

How cute are these candy jars at this gender reveal party featured by Hostess with the Mostess?

Our pink & blue vintage baby scale is great for newborn shoots, or showers. It was precious with our pink glasses and some flowers.

This industrial-looking scale contrasts nicely with the silver bowl of pinecones for a fun touch of Christmas decor. Courtesy of The Vintage Wren.

Too. Much. Cuteness. From Alexis Hardy Photography.

And last but not least, look how adorable pies look on these bright-colored beauties! Courtesy of Frosted Petticoat.

ABC

Earlier this year, we had the opportunity to rent vintage furniture to a sweet bride for her wedding at Avondale Brewing Company. Bride Amanda created a Pinterest-worthy event complete with hand-lettered plates with each attendee's name on them as favors and table setting pieces. Genius!

If you haven't seen the upstairs space at Avondale, you should check it out for your next event. It's simply fabulous. Exposed brick walls, hardwood floors and floor-to-ceiling windows make it a gorgeous location for events of all kinds.

Amanda used one of our sofas, several chairs, a trunk and some vintage chicken carriers to create a rustic-meets-modern feel. Take a look at the stunning photos and call us if you are interested in renting any of the pieces you see here!

Check out those windows! And our wares don't look too shabby in all that natural light, either.

One of our full-sized couches, the Wyatt Sofa.

Is this table not to die for? The moss, the chargers, the candles...everything works so well together!

And one sweet one of the happy couple. :)

Magnolia Springs Manor

I posted several of these photos on our facebook page recently, but I couldn't stop myself from writing up a quick blog post about Andrea's wedding at Magnolia Springs Manor. Having been in business less than a year, the photos from last year's weddings are just starting to trickle in and I can't stop looking at them. :)

Andrea contacted me about renting some antique seating options for her guests to lounge on during her wedding at Magnolia Springs Manor in Helena. I was really excited about this wedding but I had no IDEA what an awesome fit our furniture would be at this venue. The house is gorgeous, the grounds are immaculate and Andrea had orchestrated everything down to the last detail. It really was the kind of wedding that made me want to do mine all over again!

With vintage and antique rental companies popping up all over the country, I think we can expect to continue to see a touch of old world flair in wedding blogs and magazines. If you're looking in this direction for your wedding, contact us at 205.238.6005 to get a quote or set up a time to come and poke around our warehouse. You may fall in love with items you had never thought about using before. But for now, enjoy the photos of Magnolia Springs Manor and the new Mrs.!

 Settees at Magnolia Springs Manor. Photo by NowVision Photography.

 Haywood Settee at Magnolia Springs Manor. Photo by NowVision Photography.

 Allison Settee at Magnolia Springs Manor. Photo by NowVision Photography.

The beautiful bride and handsome groom! Photo by NowVision Photography.

Detail-Oriented

My mom always decorated for Christmas in every nook and cranny of our house. Most people have a Christmas tree, garlands, wreaths and the like. Some ambitious folks have themed hand towels and soap dispensers. My mom didn't think it was too much to switch out pillows and area rugs to feature Christmas themed ones, pull out her Christmas picture frames to hold our family photos for a month, stage multiple miniature Christmas villages and nativity scenes or suspend Christmas AnnaLee dolls from our entrance hall light fixture (it was way less creepy than it sounds, I promise).

I've veered off track from vintage rental items a bit, but my point here is that people who visited us around the holidays weren't raving about our tree. It was the details that had them talking, oohing and ahhing. That's what we want for your wedding, baby shower, birthday party or other event. After all, every event is going to have some sort of table to hold the food and some chairs for people to rest. It's tough to make those things memorable without fantastic details.

Here are some of our favorite small accessories that will leave your guests with something unique to feast their eyes on no matter where they look!

Part of our collection of vintage cameras

 Adorable Westinghouse fan (still works!)

 These locker baskets would look great holding programs.

Filled with flowers or favors, this vintage picnic basket is the perfect rental piece for any event.

A quick shot we threw together at the Cameo office. Contact us for info on any accessories you see in this post.

First Impressions

They mean a lot, don't they? We always hear that first impressions are critical and if you spent hours getting gorgeous for your first date with your fiance or husband, you probably buy into this expression. :) Your wedding or event should be no exception. A fabulous gift table or guest book table at your gathering sets the tone for the rest of the event and gets people talking right away.

When it comes to putting together your guest book or gift table, we can provide interesting and beautiful desks, dressers and tables as well as the small flourishes that help catapult your event from stunning to unforgettable.

Take a look at a few inspiration shots first, then some of our inventory pieces that can be put to work on your special day.

I love the Victorian chair added to this great guest book table featured by Martha Stewart Weddings.

 Ruffled never fails to deliver inspiring photos. The rustic chalkboard, books and quilt look great with the retro typewriter, which makes a handy and updated guest book.

Wedding Chicks featured this desk with beautiful patina and bright yellow accents. 

And now for our pieces...

Volree Table. Appropriately named since this photo was taken by Volree Photography! Email us for pricing.

Meredith Desk. Looks great with a chalkboard, guest book and typewriter. Email us for pricing.

Florence Table. Dress her up with a lace runner, flowers and some vintage luggage underneath. Email us for pricing.

Peyton Table. The chippy paint on this table and its expandable leaves make it perfect for holding a pile of gifts! Throw in our rustic mailbox for cards. Email us for pricing.