• Morning Glory: A Lesson in Gratitude

    Paintings by Hand-Painted Weddings.

    Did you know that the morning glory flower lives for one day? Well, actually, it is less than a day. It blooms when the sun comes up and wilts and dies by sunset. I bought a morning glory plant this year, and it is honestly so exciting to see one of the flowers blooming in the morning.

    I know I am such a sap, but I can’t help but think what it would be like to live for one day! First of all, I have noticed that the flower won’t even open if it is raining, like it is today in Philadelphia. I get that! I wouldn’t want my only day alive to be on a rainy day either! What would you do if you only had one day to live? I know I would be grateful for every second of that day! So that is something to remember on a rainy Tuesday after a long weekend…gratitude for every second!

  • Free DIY tutorial: Apple Leaf Escort Cards

    Photos by Hand-Painted Weddings.

    Today I’m offering my first DIY tutorial with free artwork download! The apple leaf escort cards would be perfect in conjunction with the Back-to-School invitation. It would also work very nicely with any fall-themed table setting, whether at a wedding, bridal shower, or rehearsal dinner.

    Materials:

    • Cardstock. I used Epson Ultra Premium Matte paper.
    • Inkjet printer
    • Scissors
    • Apples, preferably with long stems
    • Sewing pins or hot glue gun, depending on your preferred application technique

    The first step to this tutorial is to download the artwork (see below), which I’m offering for free! Download the Word document with text boxes if you want the type to be printed. Download the PDF document if you are interested in hand-writing the names and table numbers.

    Leaves Word document

    Leaves PDF document

    The font I used is a free font named Arvo that you can download here.

    I’ve have shown two different ways to adhere the leaves to the apples. The first way is by using a sewing pin and simply pinning the stem directly into the apple near the core. Based on the size of your apples, you may need to trim the stem a bit shorter (I did). This application allows the leaves to lay more flat on the apple. The second way is by using glue (I used a hot glue gun because I’m impatient) and folding the stem in half and gluing the stem together to leaf sandwich the apple stem. This application allows the leaf to stand up off the apple a bit, which may be preferred. For this application I would recommend buying apples with long stems.

    This is a very simple project that brings a nice handmade touch to your event. This is my first tutorial, so if you choose to create this project be sure to leave some feedback in the Comments section! I’d love to hear (or see) how they turned out!

  • Hand-Painted Reception: Back-to-School Inspired

    The Back-to-School wedding theme starts out with the wedding party traveling in style in a school bus! Inexpensive and fun!

    Then there is chocolate milk with fun striped straws and paper bag guest gift bags filled with treats. There are escort card apples, customized No. 2 pencils, globes, and books used as reception decoration. There are so many fun ideas for this wedding!

    Back to School wedding invitation now available in the Hand-Painted Weddings Invitation shop.

    Photo sources left to right, top to bottom: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7