I'm Back!!! + DIY Wireless Flower Crown

Hello people! I am alive! After a 10-month hiatus, I am finally posting something on this blog. I have been so busy with work but enough excuses, I'm here! :)

For my comeback post, I am going to share with you a tutorial on how to make a wireless flower crown. My sister demonstrated this awesome DIY project and this has been put on hold since December 2014. Oops!

Also, I am not familiar with flower names, so I will just describe the flowers by shape, size and color. I might have to read more about the types flowers if all of a sudden I become interested in flower arranging.

The flowers that we used here came from the bouquet that was given to our mother for her birthday. So first, grab the small white flowers and make one long bundle by braiding the small stems.

Next, connect the two ends by tucking them inside the braid. This will be the base of your flower crown. The next steps will basically be tucking flowers in your base crown.

Cut the yellow flowers from its stem, maybe just leave about one or two inches of the stem. Then start tucking! We made sure that the yellow flowers were evenly spaced so that there's more room for the other kinds of flowers.

Tuck, tuck tuck...

Now moving on to another type of flower.

And finally, the roses.

To make the flower crown look very dainty, we added a bow at the bottom. That also came from the bouquet. Haha!

And there you have it! Technically, it will take you about 5-10 minutes to make one flower crown. But since my sisters and I were chatting while making this, it probably took us half an hour to finish.

Here it is! A lovely flower crown with no wire needed. That is my sister wearing the crown. I think it looks good on her and it fits her maroon top.

Let me know what you think of this project. :) Expect more posts from me this year. It's good to be back!

Watercolor Paper Flowers

Hello all! Today I will show you how to make watercolor paper flowers :)

You will need:

- Watercolor paint

- Watercolor paper, or Oslo paper

- Scissors

- Hot glue

Just paint the paper with watercolor. I mixed three colors for this one. The more water you use, the more it will blend. And then let it dry for about 30 minutes.

Cut out different sizes of petals with your watercolor paper, ranging from 1 to 3 inches. Slightly curl the sides of the petals with a pencil.

Starting with the smallest petal, Apply hot glue at the bottom of the petal and pinch it. Add a new petal over the previous one, layer by layer.

When you're satisfied with the size, you can stop adding petals. If you want, you can experiment with different petal shapes.

  
Then cut out leaves to complete the look. It will definitely look nicer if there are 2 or 3 more colors for the flowers. You can use these flowers as a nice table centerpiece for a party! And by the way, these will never wilt.

Happy crafting!

At The Flower Farm

During our stay in Tagaytay, we also visited a flower farm owned by Toti Faner, who is a family friend. It is only less than a kilometer away from Ilog Maria along Balite Road in Silang, Cavite. Of course the most excited person was my mom, who loves arranging flowers. Upon entering the vicinity, the first thing we saw were two ladies preparing buckets of beautiful flowers for a wedding.

They wrap newspapers around the head of the flower so that the petals won't get ruined when they're on the road. They remind me dog cones though. Haha!

Another client ordered sunflowers for her wedding. They're so beatuful! Toti said if you want to order flowers for a wedding, you should inform the flower farm at least 3 months in advance so they can schedule the planting and harvesting.

And then Toti led us to the place where they plant all the flowers. There were huge greenhouses arranged in rows, complete with irrigation system. And each greenhouse is classified according to stage. As you can see here, the flowers in this area are not yet in full bloom.

Toti went to Israel to work and to know more about the technology on flower farming. When he came home, he applied the technology that he learned and started his own flower farm.

Then this kitty showed up and followed us the whole time we were walking around! So cute.

These are some of the flowers that we saw. 

Can you imagine how fresh and sweet smelling the flower farm was? It was such a nice experience :)

Toti was happy to have us there, and he gave us 4-5 bunches of colorful flowers. After the visit to the flower farm, we went to the lettuce farm which was just across the road and I will writing about that tomorrow. :)

Downton Abbey Inspired Bedroom

So I was wondering why that show called Downton Abbey is so popular. I got curious and watched the first episode, then the next episode, and before I knew it I was already done with the second season! 

What's so appealing about this show are the juicy gossip and the scandals of an aristocratic family. I also like that it relates to the past events of Britain such as the first world war, the sinking of Titanic, and also the innovations throughout the history like having electricity, the telephone and the gramophone.

 Watching this show makes you want to have that kind of lifestyle. Aside from that, I like what the set designers did to the interiors. This show inspires me to make a mood board.

Photo from thelastcountess.livejournal.com

Photo from guardian.co.uk

Photo from fanpop.com

Photo from myaustendreamworld.com

Among all the bedrooms that I have seen in all episodes of Downton Abbey, Lady Sybil's is my favorite. Compared to Lady Mary's bedroom which is a dark, Lady Sybil's room is light and airy, which is what I like in a bedroom.

Basically the keywords for this look are feminine, fresh, pastel, and floral.

Here is the mood board that I made.

 Wallpaper

While watching I wasn't really looking at Mrs. Hughes in this shot. I was looking at the pretty wallpaper. It's not as old looking as the other bedrooms at Downton.

Choose wallpaper in damask or trellis pattern. Keep the pattern subtle by choosing light colors.  Pastels are recommended like lilac, cream and powder blue. Light colored wallpaper will catch and bounce more natural light into your bedroom.

Kelly Wearstler - Imperial Trellis Alabaster, Cole & Son - St. Petersburg Damask, Graham & Brown - Elizabeth Beige Damask

Paint Colors

Paint your doors, mouldings, ceiling, door frames and window frames white. And alternative for the wallpaper is to paint your walls in creamy neutral colors. Stick to whites and greys.

Farrow and Ball - Great White, Farrow and Ball - Off White, Farrow and Ball - Skimming Stone, Farrow and Ball - Wimborne White, Farrow and Ball - Cornforth White

Curtain Fabric

The curtains at the background are so pretty, just like Lady Sybil. I have researched through the internet and have discovered that most Edwardian interiors use "chintz" for their curtains.

Add accent colors to your room through the floral pattern for your curtains.

 Cath Kidston - Spring Bouquet, Cath Kidston - Birds and Roses, Fabrics and Papers - Lady Rose Curtain Fabric

Upholstered Seating

as for upholstered seating just what Lady Edith is sitting on...

use cream colored or white upholstered fabric. It's also nice to have tufting on your chair.

Anthropologie - Sand Linen Corrigan Chair, Williams Sonoma - White French Chair, Pottery Barn - Middleton Armchair

Dark Wood Furniture

I spot a big armoire,

and a writing table both in dark wood. To balance out the the light and airy characters of the room, use dark wood for the furniture. Contrast is key.

You can add a vanity table or a writing desk into your bedroom. Adding a canopy bed would also be lovely especially if you decorate it with sheer draping.

Bobkona Furniture - St. Croix Collection Vanity Set, Pottery Barn - Farmhouse Canopy Bed, Pottery Barn - Devon Campaign Bedside Table, Pottery Barn - Farmhouse Chifforobe

Accessories

Look at how Lady Sybil (or at least the house maid of Lady Sybil) arranged her decor on the fireplace. And I love that huge mirror, it makes the room look bigger.

I spot a nice gold frame with an oil painting in it. How about that porcelain bowl and pitcher?

Don't forget to put loosely arranged flowers on your bedside table to add color to your room.

I usually see these glass decanters in the bedroom whenever I watch some episodes. You can use glass jars and bottles to store your perfume or maybe even to stash your cookies.

from Lonny

Use shiny and gold items like candle holders and picture frames, chintz pattern on porcelain, and glass for your jewelry box.

Here are more photos for inspiration that I found through Lonny Magazine's website.

from Lonny

from Lonny

from Lonny

from Lonny

I'll be posting more Downton Abbey inspired looks probably for kitchen and living room next time :)