Tea for Two (Or More!)

The days may be gone when afternoon tea parties were commonplace, but that doesn't mean there's no need for cups and saucers anymore! We recently loaned ours out to hold business cards at an event put on by P.E.W.S. and, if we do say so ourselves, they looked adorable.

Of course, you can also go the traditional route and rent these cute vintage pieces for bridal showers, baby showers, weddings or parties but there are many other creative ways to use cups and saucers if you've got a collection of your own that's gathering dust. Without further ado, some great ideas from (where else?) Pinterest. 

If you have just one or two cups, they make precious planters for herbs or handy pieces to use in small flower arrangements. One of the craftiest uses of cups and saucers we found was this nifty chandelier. Whimsical, unique and could be a great addition to a little girl's playroom. We have to imagine, though, that this project would rank pretty high on difficulty level!

Our favorite idea by a landslide is turning cups into candles. This is actually an idea we are familiar with, as we make these as gifts for clients who place large rental orders. 

If you want to tackle this project at home, you'll need: wax, wicks, dye, essential oil or other fragrance, a double boiler and a candy thermometer. (You can also buy a kit with everything you need from Michael's or another craft store. It comes with enough supplies to make two candles, so initially we went that route for the first batch. If it ended poorly, well, we weren't three pounds of soy wax into it.) It's not necessary to have a "real" double boiler. We just stuck a Pyrex measuring cup on top of a small pot and it did the trick just fine. 

The star of this project is, of course, your cute receptacle for the wax. The options are endless and, frankly, could probably warrant another post but a few ideas are tiny terra cotta pots (with the bottom hole filled in) for a fiesta or garden party, mason jars, champagne flutes or wine glasses, or even hollowed out fruits/vegetables. Most of these items can be picked up for less than a dollar each at thrift stores or garage sales, so get hunting and have fun!!

Pew Decorations

This week, we had the opportunity to participate in a pew decorating competition put on by P.E.W.S. at  the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Rebecca Hassee of P.E.W.S. did an amazing job securing food, drinks, live entertainment and, of course, some of Birmingham's most talented wedding professionals to make this a truly special event.

We were paired with Andy Boyles and Rachel Gaudel, who (let's be honest) did all of the heavy lifting when it came to our pew. We provided the vintage items but Andy and Rachel were really the magic makers. One of our favorite people, Breanna Conley, took the photos of the pew decorations, including the image to the right.

If you're planning a wedding and looking for aisle inspiration, be sure you check out the creativity featured here to get your wheels turning.