Stillwater, OK Wedding

This weekend I had the honor of second shooting for Averi Blackmon Photography at a wedding in the Sheerar Museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The bride was beautiful, the groomsmen played with nerf guns all morning, my 5-year-old new friend watched the thunder storm with me, and the groom's reaction at the first look was so sweet. You could feel the immense love between both them, and the families who had come to celebrate their union. Congrats! http://blog.averiblackmon.com/cameron-and-coreys-stillwater-wedding/

Pinned It Tried It - Flower Crowns

So, how do you make 2 flower crowns in less than an hour?

With a good helping of luck.

I went to Wal-Mart the night before to purchase silk flowers on sale (used for the greenery) and finished my trip to Hobby Lobby for the rest.

What to Get:

• floral tape
• wire cutters
• floral wire
• silk flowers
• thick green or rustic floral wire to use as the base.

1. Using the thick green wire, measure your head for the correct size.  Give some extra wiring to adjust to the flowers, and adjust for how you want to wear it (as a headband, hippie-style across the forehead, as a halo sitting on the head, etc.)  Halo-style is my favorite, as shown in the photos below by Liz and Hannah.
2. Twist a second layer of the think green wire for base support.
3. Map where you want the flowers, greenery, and spacing.
4. Working backward on the crown, wrap the thin green wire around the silk flower stem, and attach it to the base.  Hook the green wire onto the stem, so that it doesn't fall off.
5. Cover the thin green wire with floral tape.
6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until finished!

For more tutorials and floral crown ideas, go to:

A Little Dash of Darling

Bridal Musings

Emma Dime

DDG Daily

Preparing for Baby - Easy Budgeting Tips

Since it is the season of babies, I wanted to share some tips that I learned from other mommies that worked wonderfully.

1.  Every time you go to the grocery store during your pregnancy, buy a box of diapers and wipes.  Tape the receipts to the boxes, so if you need a different brand or size once baby comes along, you can easily exchange it for the right one.  I did this for almost every grocery store visit, and I haven't had the need to buy diapers or wipes for Henry yet.  He is 9 months old next week.  (This also save the hassle of trying to budget for diapers.  You can use this extra padding in your budget to buy other baby necessities, like formula, clothing, or baby food.)

2.  Shop end-of-season clearance sales to stock up on the next year.  This can get tricky since you have to guess sizing for the following months, but it never hurts to buy bigger.  I've found that some stores have awesome deals for inventory they're trying to push.  (In-store clearances tend to have better deals than online, since they need to push the inventory for "real-estate" space in the store.)

• Old Navy Baby
• Baby Gap
• Target - Baby  (I've bought multiple shirts, jackets, and pants for $2.70 at Target sales.)
• Carter's
• Babies 'R Us

3.  Request baby books at your shower instead of cards, with  a personal note in the front cover.  Many books can be purchased for cheap prices at dollar stores, Wal-Mart, Target, used books stores, or many of the above listed stores in the baby section.  This way the cards won't be lost in storage, and your child will have a lifetime reminder of the wonderful people who loved him before he was even born.

4.  Gather all of you mom friends together (or find new ones with play date, church, or La Leche League groups) for a co-op.  Trading gently used clothing and toys for babysitting time, other needed items, homemade gifts etc.  I've used a few photography sessions to trade for baby clothes, toys, and babysitting time!  (It's a great currency.)  Items can be easily cycled to maximize its life, and you have a great built-in support group.

Congrats on your addition and may it be the beginning of your happily ever after.