SIMPLE:EASY:BEAUTIFUL Easter Place Settings

 

 

12 Easy Ideas for Easter Dinner

 

Oh yeah, I love me a pretty place setting... Besides some beautiful fresh flowers in the middle of your table, its really the only thing you have to even do to decorate and make your dinner table fabulous! I have come up with some super simple inspirations that you could literally run out and pick up at your local hobby lobby or even dollar store today! Some of these you may even be able to throw together from items you already have laying around the house! I know seeing a picture can sometimes make it look harder or easier than it is, so I'm going to include some tips that will assure you that YOU CAN DO IT;)!

 

 

Ok seriously so easy: You can make a nest with almost anything... by cutting strips of tissue paper or even gathering some sticks from outside, add a little Easter candy eggs and ta-da your done!

 

Clockwise from the top: Butterfly : Chick: Confetti : Twigs

 

 

You have no excuse to not to try this one....fresh flowers(that match your centerpiece flowers;)) and some ribbon... & literally its beautiful and your done!

 

Purple : Pink

 

 

This one is too cute! I know lots of grocery stores have Easter cookies which can easily make your whole place setting, or even just a chocolate bunny on everyone's plate would be adorable!

 

Cookie Cutter : Burlap : Chocolate : Cookie

 

{If you would like to get real fancy you can use my PAINTED SILVERWARE TUTORIAL too!}

 

 

I know you all are coloring eggs this weekend and making them pretty with my UNIQUE EGG INSPIRATIONS on the blog this week!

 

Metallic : Name Egg

 

Don't be afraid to try anything!! Let's shock our guest this weekend!;) Hoppy Easter! xox

 

 



Pretty DIY Lace Flowers

 

 

Often times ideas will spring off of other ideas... As I have been working my little hands off making paper flowers for an upcoming event; a light bulb went off--- OMG I SHOULD MAKE THESE WITH LACE...

 

Ummm yes & yes, I did just that... and to my surprise the lace was SO much easier to work with then paper...not to mention super feminine and soft! I love them and I can think of about 1,000,001 and ways to use these.

 

 Need: Lace, Hot Glue, Scissors

 

How To: The directions are very similar to the CUPCAKE WRAPPER FLOWER  post! It's as easy as twisting the lace in a spiral and adding hot glue! I promise ITS THAT EASY!

Outside of all the beautiful things you could do with these at an event; I also think that these would be adorable on baby or little girls headband....now.. because I'm lacking in both those areas, I had to take a picture of myself! HA! You get the point!;)

 

What a gorgeous day out!!! Does this mean Spring is really here?!?! xox



DIY {Unique} Eggs

 

 

I have scoured the DIY world looking for the most creative, unique, beautiful DIY egg coloring ideas...just in time for your Easter get together!!! I LOVE these 9 ideas, and I kind of want to try all of them!

 

Lets get your kiddos to think out side of the box this Easter, and let their little creative minds run wild with these inspirations....

 

 GOLD DIPPED DYE

 TIE-DYE EGGS

 

 MODERN EGGS

 



 NEON EGGS

 



PANTONE EGGS

RUBBER BAND EGGS

SILHOUETTE EGGS

WATERCOLOR EGGS

 GOLD MARBLED EGGS

 

BOTANICAL EGGS

 

 

 

Hope everyone has a egg-celent Easter Weekend;)! (sorry I had to) xox

 

 



Tie-Dye {Vintage} Denim By: Lauren

You may follow our MM on her INSTAGRAM (if you don't you should...and if you don't already follow me on INSTAGRAM, then you should probably do that too;))....Anyways, a few days ago she posted a pic of her new DIY tye-dye denim, which happen to be totally easy, and totally on trend right now!! I knew I needed that for a blog post right away!!!

GO MAKE THESE...

Tie dye jeans

I've been on a major tie dying kick lately! I had an old pair of jeans with a hole in them so I decided to dye them. I mean why not? So I found a couple different ways to do it on Pinterest and mixed them all together. So I grabbed hair ties (didn't have rubber bands) and just took random sections of jeans and tied them up. I filled my sink with water and a ton of bleach and threw them in. Make sure you weigh them down so they are fully submerged. After a couple hours I took the weight off so some of the jeans were above water so I'd have more variations of color. Just keep checking on them and when you see fit cut the ties off and throw them in the washer!
Xo

We may or may not be getting together to make some watermelon tye-dye shorts in near future! HA!



{PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP}

 

 

This past weekend my mom and I took a photography class from the AMAZING Josephiney Photography! I first learned about her through one of my best friends getting married this September at The Red Barn Experience who is using Joanne for her wedding photography!! I'm SO excited to have her out at the barn; her soft, romantic, rustic style is going to fit perfectly with Jess's wedding and perfect with our Red Barn!!!

 

We took this class for several reasons...not because we want to be photographers, we will leave that up to the professionals, but because..

 

A. We wanted to be able to take pictures for our boutique.

B. I wanted to be able to take better pictures for my blog.

C. I would love to take a few beautiful snap shots of our weddings each week at the barn.

D. My mom wants to be able to take great action shots of my brother & sister during sporting events.

E. (& most important) We have these awesome cameras and have no clue how to use them.

 

 

Honestly we learned all of those things and more!! We came out of there so much more confident with our cameras, and super excited to take more pictures!!

 

After taking the workshop, I 110% recommend this to any beginner!! The first part of the class we learned the fundamentals; and in a easy, understanding way! The second part of the class we went around cute little Wakarusa and took pictures with a model, to practice what we had just learned. Then the last part of the class was learning some awesome editing options! Totally worth every penny!!

 

I wanted to share a few shots that I personally took yesterday...I uploaded them to my computer and I must say, was SHOCKED at what I was now able to do!! Who knew manual could be so fun! As I said we did learn editing, but I thought one thing at a time...I actually think these raw images are pretty AWESOME! I mean, it didn't hurt that the model was GORG too!!!

 

Be nice, like I said I'm not a professional, just a girl excited to use her good camera the way it was intended to be used!!!

 

Keep scrolling down, I saved my favorite for last!!

 

 

You know I'm a sucker for shoe pics! I kind of want to frame this one!!!

 



Fun Flags

 

Everyone knows someone on any given day that needs a little 'pick me up'. I thought of this super cute(at least I think so) in-expensive five minute, barely any cost idea.... 'fun flags'! Just a little washi-tape, flag post(I used various sticks from around the house), craft paper, scissors! I thought it was cute to use different size flag post so they can plant their little flags around the house... a drinking flag, a cupcake flag, a flag to put in a flower pot...you name it, they now have a happy little flag to put in it!!! I maybe way far off the 'crazy deep-end' to think this is SO adorable, but whatever, I know this would brighten my day!;)

 

 

ok, am I crazy, or a these just the cutest little things you've ever seen...well maybe not ever...;)

Ps. I got those adorable 'Hooray' wooden flags from this cute shop Swoon Paper Studios! I can think of about a million and one reasons to use those!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! xox



Modern Momma: Tie-Dye Baby Clothes

Tie-Dye Baby Onesies by Lauren:

 

This is super easy to do and you have so much range so please don't think you can't do it!
All you really do is follow the directions on the dye and the rest is just how creative you want to be with it!
Supplies you'll need-
Rite dye
Buckets
White Onesies
Stirrer
Rubber gloves
Optional bleach pen

Follow the directions on the dye box. (I did mine in buckets) wash and dry after dying. Then I used the bleach pen to make designs. Some I let the bleach sit on a while and washed off (don't forget to put cardboard in between the front and back) and some I did really thick lines and left it on overnight so it would put the pattern on the back. (After I washed it I found a couple of holes where the bleach ate it.. Whoops! Well just rock some tie dye with jean shorts that day ;)). And if this seems too much for you don't forget you can just start out with plain onesies and go all out with sharpies!



Shower Your Bridesmaids: 8 Unique Bridesmaids Gift Ideas

 

 

Tis' the season to shower the bride...which also means time to start thinking about how you as a bride are going to shower your bridesmaids; and thank them for putting up with you and your alter ego, Bridezilla!;) After a few weddings, some of your bridesmaids may already have a few of those traditional robes, or 3 monogram glasses...why not give them something different and unique!!!

 

I have found 8 awesome options, to show your love for the girls by your side...

 

 

1. Floral Fold-Over Clutch 2.Monogram Stud Earring 3.Chevron Iphone Case

4. Urban Decay Nail Set 5.Hanky Panky Bridesmaid Thong

6.Initial Necklace 7. Dizzy Bow Sandal 8. Gold Bridesmaid Tote

 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!! Stay tuned for some fun blog post!!! xox



Easy Easter Egg Garland

 

Holidays are so fun, and the best time to get 'festive'...but who wants to spend a ton on décor that your going to use for a month. This tutorial is SO easy and SO inexpensive; 15 minutes of your time and $5 out of your pocket, and ta-da you have a fun Easter decoration!! Perfect for a fireplace mantle or over a window, or just on a wall with some washi tape!

 

 

All you need: plastic eggs, bakers twine, and a needle.

 

How to: To my surprise, plastic eggs already have tiny holes in each end; seriously that just made this project 100 times easier. Next thread your needle with bakers twine. Then feed the needle through the eggs, and that's it! SO EASY!

 

I used mostly solid eggs, but one package I switched the eggs up to make some fun two-toned colored eggs to mix in!!

As my husband and I were looking around the house for Easter 'props' to take a picture with...we weren't finding much, but then I saw the 'Bunny Bread'...we thought it was kind of hilarious, so I had to take a few pics with it! ;)

How fun and easy would this be for a Easter mini-session....but instead of you making these your self, why don't you hire me, and I'll do them for your, and more;)!!!

 

xox



ATE Presents: Monthly Craft Night

 

 

I have been toying with the idea of a 'Monthly Craft Night' for a while now; where a bunch of us DIY gals could get together work on a craft project of our choice while hanging out sipping on yummy cocktails, and fun appetizers! I got our Modern Momma to agree to help host with me, along with my talented mom!!

 

 

How it works: Once a month a group of us will suggest ideas of different DIY projects, could be household items, could be seasonal projects, or even something fashion inspired; once we all agree on the project, either I or one of our host will purchase the items needed for the entire group. We then will decided on a day/time that works for everyone! I or one of host will also provide a couple of delicious appetizers and drinks to enjoy while hanging out and creating our monthly DIY!

 

If your interested please email me at athundercarson@gmail.com or contact us on our Facebook Page!

 

And don't worry for all of you blog followers that do not live in the area...each month I will post our fun projects along with a DIY tutorial; and maybe some fun pics of our night!!!

 

I'm super excited & can't wait to get together with everyone!

 

 



Featured Photographer {Sweet Smiles: Cavite, Philippines}

 

 

I'm SOOOO excited about this blog, I can barely contain my excitement!;) My parents have always been my biggest fans... always encouraged me to be better, do more, and work harder! Well, you know how parents are... always talking and bragging about their child to random strangers; well this time it actually paid off! HA! While on a plane recently my dad met this AMAZING photographer out of the Philippines, and started talking to him about my blog... one thing led to another, and next thing you know I receive an email with tons of sample photos!!!

 

I'm excited to introduce Jeffrey Bautista from Sweet Smile Photography! He truly has a new, interesting unique take on photography, and the killer backgrounds of the beautiful Philippines don't hurt either!!! I love the way he mixes simple and beautiful concept with fantasy and futuristic vibe! Jeffrey is looking to get into the US and hoping to photograph more weddings & families! He actually is coming to La Porte soon to photograph our family and as he said " Help us re-create some of our lost memories"...WE ARE EXCITED to say the least!!!

 

I picked out some of my favorite samples he sent me, but I plan on showing some of his complete shoots soon!!! One of my favorite blogs to follow is of course Green Wedding Shoes and I have made it one of my main goals to show more styled shoots and actual real life wedding inspirations, so this is just one step closer!!

 

 

Everyone go check out Jeffrey and his BEAUTIFUL Photo Gallery!!!

 

 

LOVE LOVE LOVE, and cannot wait to meet the photographer behind Sweet Smile soon!!

 

Hope everyone is having a beautiful week!! xox