Something for the Men Folk - Easy Feather and Raw Silk Boutonniere Tutorial

Hello!  It's so nice to see you again!  I'm back to the land of the living, finally.  After a harrowing bout of illness over the past four days, I'm back in the saddle again.  And to celebrate, I bring you a tutorial!

(It's also to distract you from the fact that I haven't yet posted any actual pictures from the photo shoot a week ago.  Coming soon, I promise!)

Sometimes I get asked to make boutonnieres and corsages for weddings, which I love to do.  For the photo shoot we did last weekend, I made up a few of these cute little feather boutonnieres that took me about 5 minutes total.  I thought these would make a super easy DIY project that's elegant and a great way to save a few bucks at your own wedding!  And NO glue!!!  Yay!

Feather & Raw Silk Boutonniere for the Men Folk

What you need:

Feather picks
Find these at JoAnn's or your local craft store in packs of two.  There's all different kinds of feathers, colors, sizes.  Or if you're feeling extra crafty, grab your favorite feathers, strip away about a half an inch at the bottom, and bind together with florist tape to make your own pick!
A strip of raw silk 
About an inch wide, 8-12 inches long.  Make a snip at the selvage edge and tear away!  Remove any long strands that get in your way along ripped edges.
Scissors
Clean fingers
A pat on the back (for when you're done - you did a great job and saved all that money!)
Start with the feather pick.  If there is a little plastic loop at the bottom, go ahead and remove it.  If you have too many feathers or it's too long, pull out or snip and shape the feathers to the size you desire.

Then take the strip of silk and wrap tightly around the bottom of the pick a few times to hide the florist tape.  Tie in a simple knot, not too tight, not too loose.

Or make a bow if that's your thing, (or hot glue in the back to hide the ends for a simpler look.)  Trim the ends of the knot to the desired length

 And fray the ends a bit with your finger tips.  Voila!

A very handsome boutonniere that will last forever.  Very manly, but not too manly.  You could even embellish the groom's boutonniere by adding a little flower or a bit of greenery, or distinguish it by using a different shade of fabric.  I love raw silk because it comes in every color of the rainbow, and has such a shimmery, lush appeal to it.

This project would probably cost about $5 for a quarter to half yard of raw silk, and about $1-$4 per feather pick, depending on what kind you get, so if you made 6 of these for the groom's party, you could potentially get away with making these for right around $12-$15!  More money saved for honeymoon mai tai's.  ;)

The New Wedding Line

Posy - Romantic Flower Fascinator by Deeds & Petunia

Here I am.  I think back to where I was a year ago and have to smile.  I bought a sewing machine having no clue really what I was going to do with it, only knowing it was time to build a business around using my creativity.

Rose - Soft Romantic Pink Flower Fascinator by Deeds & Petunia

Bloom - White Peony Floral Fascinator by Deeds & Petunia

Last Sunday was the photo shoot with Rosemary Photography for the new Deeds & Petunia bridal hair accessory line.  It was pure magic.  Lots and lots of hard work, but lots and lots of magic.  And fun!  Here are some action shots.  :)

Amanda working hard and looking amazing!

Teresa getting ready

Teresa added the spice...

We shot from 11:30 or so until just after 5.  Thank goodness for coffee, bagels and muffins (carb fueled!)  We shot all of the new signature pieces in the bridal line (some of which are now up for sale on Etsy, the rest will be up soon.)  It was awesome.

Comfort before beauty on a day like this.  My socks made a good focal point too.

I feel so fortunate to have had the abundant generosity of friends at the shoot.  My good friend Teresa Salzman who is also a talented hair stylist agreed to do hair and to model, and she helped me find another friend/stylist named Anna Ott to help out as well, along with another beauty, Amanda Davis, who I've known since we were little little kids.  The girls were amazing!  They created the most incredible hair and makeup, and made the pieces come to life.  Thank you girls for all your time and all the hard work and ENERGY you gave!

Rosemary Wagner is a dear friend and an incredibly talented photographer from Seattle.  She is also the person who suggested I try my hand at veil/fascinator making in the first place!  And thank goodness.  :)

She is one of the most hardworking, thoughtful and patient people I've ever met.  Rose came in and set up, and immediately started making the magic happen.  She's such a pro.  These photos are above and beyond amazing.  I'm so grateful for her expertise and artist's eye.

Joli et Simple - Feather Headband Fascinator by Deeds & Petunia

Bleu - Hand Beaded Floral Fascinator by Deeds & Petunia

Joli 2 - All White Feather Headband Fascinator by Deeds & Petunia

Joli - Feather Headband Fascinator by Deeds & Petunia

I can't recommend Rose enough.  You have to visit her website to see her portfolio.  It'll knock your socks off.

A big thank you to two local shops as well - Orange on 6th and Vanity.  Laurel and Melanie were very generous in lending us the FABULOUS vintage fashions the models wore!  My two favorite shops in Tacoma (also on Etsy!), where I can never leave without spending money.

A few of the items are now up for sale in my Etsy shop.  I'm now trying to focus on made to order and custom pieces of heirloom quality.  I just love doing custom work so much.  A wedding is one of the rare occasions anymore that truly justifies the creation of a unique, one of a kind, handmade treasure.

I hope you love the bridal line as much as I do!  Have a great weekend!

Sneak Preview

I promised, so here is a sneak preview of the bridal collection I'm working on.  There's just a few pieces, but I know a few of you asked to see what I've got so far, so here it is!

It's inspired by old photos of family weddings - faded, hand-painted, worn, yet still elegant.  The pieces have a natural, carefree, casual vintage feel.  My palette includes dusty pastels, white, ivory and champagne as well as a fabulous deep blue that I just couldn't turn away from.  For materials I chose vintage jewelry findings, soft feather pads and big full bloom flowers, coordinating birdcage veils for brides AND their bridesmaids, and petite bridal cocktail hats for something a little different.

I can't wait for the upcoming photo shoot with Rosemary Photography.  Rose is an amazingly talented wedding photographer from Seattle who also crafts amazing vintage portraits.  She is a dear friend and I'm over the moon, just absolutely thrilled, to be working with her on this!  I know she'll make these pieces come to life!

Large white peony fascinator with vintage jewelry finding

Hand beaded pink and ivory fascinator

Hand beaded bobby pins with crystal or pearl glass beads

Work in progress - white bridal fascinator headband with vintage jewelry finding

Some finished bridesmaids fascinator headbands with hand beaded flowers and vintage jewelry findings

Large bridesmaid fascinator and dusty blue beaded flowers (still in progress...)

Large white peony fascinator with pearl stamen and boutique accent flowers

Large pink peony fascinator with vintage jewelry finding and gold/champagne accents

Oodles of veils in many new styles and colors - cut and ready to be sewn!

Fall Hair Decor Tutorial - Making feather pads for fascinators

So I thought I'd share a little tutorial for anyone out there who wants to try their hand at making a hair accessory lovingly referred to as a "Fascinator."  This easy project is perfect for DIY weddings - make hair pieces for your bridesmaids to wear!  They're certainly cute enough to wear again!

It's very easy, and about as time consuming as a trip to the craft store.  The total cost of materials, assuming you don't have any of these items on hand at home, would be around $10-15, with the biggest cost being the glue, which you can use again and again and again!  You'll also have materials left over, so you could ideally make at least 4 of these.

Materials needed:

• Scrap of wool felt (felt with actual wool content works the best for me.  I like National Nonwoven's, with at least 30% wool fiber content)

• 20-30 pheasant ringneck feathers (or whatever feathers you like.  Black and white dot guinea fowl also looks fantastic!  Tons of feathers for sale on Etsy - do a search under "supplies")

• small metal alligator clip

• A strong, flexible glue - hot glue works pretty good, but you might consider E6000 for long term use

The first step is to cut an oval of felt.  Really, more of an egg shape.  I usually cut mine around 2" wide and 3" inches in length.

Next, strip the feathers.  All you do is simply hold the spine of the feather in one hand, and grab the downy feathers and pull them down the spine toward the bottom.   Be somewhat gentle, or the spine might break!

Clip the spine to the desired length, and voila.  I usually start at the top of the felt egg and leave the spines a bit longer, and as I get closer to the bottom, I trim them up to where the pretty, smooth feather starts.  The feathers will vary at bit in size, and I generally start with the larger feathers at the top and graduate the size with the smallest at the bottom.  Because I do a million of these a day, I organize by feather pattern (some are more circular, some are more narrow with vertical lines) and size so I can work fast.

When you're ready, take up your glue and draw a line across the larger end of the felt egg.  Place your feathers across the top like so:

Continue layering like this, and sort of "round out the edges" - place the outside feathers at a slight angle and work toward the center and down, graduating the number of feathers in the row as you reach the bottom.  Sorry I didn't take a picture of this, but you'll get the idea from the picture of the finished product below.

When your glue dries a bit, flip it over and this is what you'll see:

So now you want to attach your small metal alligator clip.  I like the kind with two little prongs (like I always imagine there might be in an old school beauty shop when someone is having their hair done up in curls.)  You can cover the clip with a nice bit of ribbon first, or not.  Whatever you prefer.

Simply place and glue!

Oooooh, zebra surprise!

 When you're finished, you can embellish with cute buttons, vintage findings, silk flowers, or just about anything you can think of!  Here's a couple I did this afternoon:

Get creative and try different types of feathers.  You can also attach the feather pad to a headband.

If you like this tutorial, please follow my blog!  There will be more tutorials to come, including DIY wedding projects, restoring vintage hats, crafting handmade flowers, etc.

Happy crafting!

Fascinators, Bircage Veils and Hair Decor now for sale on Etsy!

This is it people!  I'm very excited to share with you my latest endeavor into the world of "hair decor."  I've made a handful of fascinators, veils, headbands and hair accessories now up for sale on my Etsy site.

These pieces came together very organically.  I picked out the materials I liked, and laid them all out on the table.  Some went well together, and as my beautiful friend (and curly-haired Deeds and Petunia model) Grace so eloquently put it, "This is what happens when birds marry flowers."

All of the pieces are painstakingly handcrafted.  I was inspired by the upcoming changing of the seasons, (which changed VERY dramatically today!  It's definitely not summer anymore!!!) and the beautiful women who dare to wear something a little different to stand out.  I certainly had you all in mind while making these.  Some of the pieces are one of a kind and have vintage findings, like this one

For the bridal pieces, I wanted to offer something very feminine, vintage-inspired and non-traditional.  I especially love the fluffy white maribou feathers on a bride. 

It reminds me of the kind of lady who years ago might've worn a pink chiffon robe with fluffy feathery slippers around the house.  I think she would appreciate where I was coming from.  But really, any of the pieces could be worn by a bride!  All of the pieces are customizable, including the veils.

Because they are customizable, the fascinators and veils are mostly made to order, which means that they can take up to two weeks before they are ready to ship.  Why so long, you ask?  Two weeks is just enough time for me to gather the right materials, hand sew everything (I judiciously use glue when appropriate, but hands down prefer to sew), and make sure it's perfect before handing it off to my wonderful customers.  :)

I hope you love what you see, and would love to see you in one of my creations!  ;)

In other great news, Deeds and Petunia items can now be found in Fly! in downtown Tacoma at 904 Broadway!  The store offers some really amazing handmade goods from local artists and crafters and I am completely honored to have been asked to have my items included.  My upcycled, hand-painted mugs, handmade cards made with the stamps I hand carved, and upcycled ruffle aprons can be found there.  I highly recommend checking the store out - there's something there for everyone and for all budgets (and bring cash, since they are brand spanking new and don't have a credit card system up and running just yet!)

I'll also be at the next Tacoma Is For Lovers craft show on September 19th at King's Books in Tacoma, so come check that out!  I'm super stoked!

Whew!  This summer has been an amazing time of change and development as an artist and crafter.  I feel really lucky that the fruits of my labor are finally starting to show.  Can't wait to see what the fall will bring!

What's new...

Boy, it's been a busy couple of weeks!  There are new items up on the Deeds and Petunia Etsy site!  Some very cute vintage button cards and a new fruity trim with strawberries, apples and cherries.

I've also been making some fascinators!  A few months ago I ordered some supplies from fancygoods and Plumule on Etsy to try my hand at a birdcage veil.  I'm VERY pleased with how it came out, and when I have a spare moment (ha!) will happily take a photo to share.  I even had a little veiling to spare and made another bridal fascinator, perhaps for someone who isn't interested in a veil.  All I can say is that baby blue feathers are my FAVORITE.