Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Tiffany Luce, the winner of the Red shabby rose headband Giveaway.  Please email me at nanarosedesigns@gmail.com

Keep an eye out, we will be having more giveaways very soon!

Headband Giveaway Today!

This adorable red shabby rose headband is going to be given away tomorrow night, Saturday December 8th.  All you need to do to enter is 

1.  Join this blog for one entry

2.  Leave a comment  below for one entry, including your email address so I can notify the winner

3.  Share the post on Facebook that sent you to this giveaway.

This Christmas headband can be made for Newborn through adult.  I will contact the winner for size and address to ship.  

We have many other handmade holiday headbands but time is running short so check us out and order soon!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/nanarosedesigns?section_id=10475104

SOLD

Only 2 left

Contact me to place an order for these at nanarosedesigns@gmail.com

Tips on How to Stage a Christmas Card Photo Session

Are you scheduling a session with your photographer to have beautiful Christmas pictures taken for your Christmas cards?  Here are a few tips if you’d like to stage your photo shoot with some very special and popular props.

Decide on color theme

Classic Christmas red and white

Vintage Christmas red and green

Silver and pale blue

Cranberry and gold

Pale green, pink and white, just to name a few

Attire

Very popular these days for little girls from infant thru 5 years old is the pettiromper, pettiskirts, or tutus.

A string of pearls or a chunky necklace

matching hair accessory

Backdrop and flooring

also very popular is a vintage or ‘shabby chic’ looking backdrop and floor

Assorted props

These could be anything from a vintage ottoman to lay a baby on, to a stack of wrapped Christmas presents, a large basket, very fluffy throw or quilt

It seems to me that the most beautiful photos were planned well in advance and every little detail is taken care of.  I know so many moms who love to do this and are planning each holiday and birthday photo shoot months ahead.  I have had orders for headbands for a birthday photo shoot that is months away.  It's lots of fun if you plan ahead and the results are long lasting and well worth all of the effort.

  

Southern Romance and Vintage Charm

In the last several months my shop has taken on a new look.  I began to make bridal garter sets and business has exploded.  So, although I still make special occasion headbands for babies and little girls, I now do a lot of creating for weddings.  I just love to see the pictures of their wonderful weddings and I get inspired by so many of their ideas.

I will be writing about my bridal garters and add some pics in the near future but first i want to introduce you to Emilee.  She has recently been married and I asked her if I could share with you some of her pics and she graciously said yes.  She also was kind enough to tell me about her planning for the wedding.  I am going to be looking for other brides who would be kind enough to let me feature them in my blog.  if you are like me you love to see all the wonderful wedding day pictures and hear the stories of how their magical day came about.   I hope you enjoy Emilee’s story and her pics.  If you know of someone who would like to have their wedding featured please let me know.

“Ever since I can remember, I have been drawn like a moth to a light to anything shabby chic, vintage, rustic, and old. I grew up with parents that would drag me to flea markets and expose me to all the beauty in the “vintage” and “antique.” I was also, always creative and artistic, and as I got older, I discovered photography. I photographed every old barn, every rusted building, and anything chippy and tattered. When I got engaged and it was time for me to plan my wedding, my two loves intertwined and created (what I think:)) a stunning vision!

Reception Venue

My husband, (who was my fiance at the time) is a good ol’ southern boy, who also loves anything rustic and vintage- He was so wonderful in letting me plan my dream wedding. We are both born and raised in the South, so we obviously wanted a location that oozed southern romance and vintage charm. That in mind, we found the most perfect barn location. Our venue is located in Harrisburg Arkansas at this awesome little place called Parker Homestead. Not only is it a barn, but it is also an old 1800′s homestead recreated. All over the place are old buildings, sheds, cabins, and odds and ends decorations. The owners were so nice and laid-back, they allowed us access to any of their items as long as we put it back when we were done! They had enough old picnic tables, benches, and chairs that we didn’t have to rent any! That ended up saving us a bunch of money! 

Bridal Party

After choosing the venue, everything else fell into place. From the start, I knew that my dress had to have a sweetheart neckline and ruffles (which I found!!) and that I wanted my bridesmaids to wear sundresses! Everyone thought I was absolutely insane picking white bridesmaid dresses (except my maid of honor, wore a colored sundress)!! I admit, it was a little offbeat, but exactly what I had in mind. I wanted them to look feminine, and airy if that makes sense! When paired with their cardigans and sparkley gold flats, they looked exactly how I had hoped!

For the guys, I wanted them to dress fairly casual as well… my wedding was definitely not a black tie affair! We ended up going with simple kahkis, a white button up, and ties that matched the girls cardigans. Besides the clothing, I also wanted the entire atmosphere to be casual, feminine, vintage/southern and unique. I choose snapdragons, billy buttons, cabbage roses, and white lavender for my flowers… I was pretty in love with how they turned out, they may have been my favorite part!! Everyone drank from mason jars, ate BBQ off mix-matched vintage plates, and ate off a huge cupcake buffet rather than a formal cake. I spent so much time planning every last detail, from the kraft bag programs, to the buntings, to the poms, to every sign, to the flower girl in the wagon, and to the giant 32″ round pink balloons we released and wished on during the ceremony. I wanted our wedding to be more than just a traditional wedding that was generic and cookie cutter. I really wanted it to show off who we were and what we loved. I wanted our friends and family to celebrate, have fun, eat some good food, and sit back and enjoy the occasion!

Wedding Program

When I look back and close my eyes, I was beyond blessed to have been able to do everything I wanted to do for my wedding. It was absolutely the wedding of my dreams and I wouldn’t have changed a single thing! I am so flattered to be featured in this blog, and I truely hope that my wedding inspires another bride out their to plan her own dream wedding! Do not worry about what anyone else says and do not be scared to say no! They may think you are crazy in the beginning, but once it all comes together in the end, they will realize that it is perfectly you! 

Wedding Favors

Blushing Bride

Beautiful Photography by

Lindsey Turner Photography  https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/lindseyturnerphotography

Beach Glamour, made with love

Wedding Ceremony on the beach

Please welcome Cindy Rue, a new bride who graciously shared with us some beautiful pictures and her thoughts about her wedding.  I hope you will be inspired.

ABOUT OUR WEDDING – Our wedding was a mix of beach glamour with a touch of vintage sweetness. We always dreamed of a beach wedding but I am a lover of all things pretty and so had to add my touch of floral and sweetness. We had a huge wedding party , 13 of our nearest and dearest and having a small wedding of only 65 guests allot of people said we were crazy to have so many in our bridal party but we wouldn't have had it any other way. Oh and can’t forget out 5 year old dog Minna was our flower girl. The most unique part was my cousin, two brothers and my dad ALL gave me away.

Beautiful Bridal Party 

I just LOVE the Parasols!

Mini Cheesecakes

Teacup Bouquets

The personal touches to our wedding were the most important thing to us; I wanted everyone to feel welcomed and to enjoy themselves. We made and supplied all the decorations and our mums made all their own mini deserts for the desert bar. We had a welcome BBQ and a farewell Breakfast for all our guests & we had welcome bags in all the rooms with lollies, maps & a pack of UNO cards. Our all in one venue was as important as we didn’t want any of our guests to have to drive once they arrived so the ceremony, reception & accommodation were all at the one resort.

ABOUT US – We have been together for seven years and have lived together since the day we got together, we chased each other for about six months before Ben moved away and it wasn’t till then we decided we had to be together, three weeks later he turned up on my door step with his bags and the rest is history. It is cliché to say we are a perfect couple but somehow we just work we know each other so well and support each other so much. We haven’t had it easy and have fought for our relationship but every day we are happier and happier and our motto for life is ‘all you need is love’ as this is the only thing we know in our lives to be secure & real.

If you have a wedding story you’d like to share please email me at nanarosedesigns@gmail.com

How to Measure for a Bridal Garter

Most brides wear the garter anywhere from 3 to 6 inches above their knee.  You just need a soft tape measure,  one you would use in sewing and measure around the spot you would like to wear the garter. If you don’t have a soft tape measure you can use a piece of yarn or string,  measure around your thigh where you want to wear the garter and then take the string and lay it on a yardstick or ruler to find out the size.  Don’t measure too tight, you want it to be comfortable. You will need to give these measurements to whoever  is making the garter and let that person adjust for the stretch in the material they are using.    There are many different types of bridal garters and one of the newer designs is made from a wide stretch lace that is not gathered (as in the picture above).   I have found that many of my brides purchase a garter and then lose weight!!  My recommendation is to be prepared.  When I make a bridal garter I adjust for the stretch in the elastic but still sometimes it could slip.  I recommend using a body tape or adhesive as many actors or models use to prevent the dreaded WARDROBE MALFUNCTION. 

In a pinch, I have even had a bride put a dab of elmers glue on her leg in a few spots or on her pantyhose to keep the garter in place.  It peels right off when you are done but is that extra added confidence when you will be dancing the night away.

Visit my Etsy shop to see a wide variety of styles and colors

http://www.etsy.com/shop/nanarosedesigns?section_id=8026577