The other week I shared my idea behind the wedding welcome hour at my wedding.  Two fun details about the welcome hour come your way today and tomorrow.  Today I’m dishing out the details behind the photo booth I had set up (well, minus the actual booth as this all took place outside).

I got the idea while browsing one of Martha Stewart’s wedding magazines.  A bride had a camera on a tripod before two wicker chairs outside near her reception.  Guests were then able to sit in the chairs and use the self timer on the camera to take pictures of themselves.  I took this idea and twisted it into something more.

I asked a girlfriend to be my photo booth photographer.  Some of my younger cousins gathered people over to the photo area and my girlfriend snapped away.  I had a table full of goodies for them to play with in front of the camera.

I purchased a chalkboard speech bubble and felt glasses, lips, and mustaches on sticks from Etsy.  My fabulous mom painted and distressed two picture frames.  It was (and still is) a blast looking back at all the photos.  Here are a few for your enjoyment

Then, after the ceremony we had a couple hours before the reception began so we could take pictures.  During that time my friend who took all the photos went hard to work on my mac.  She imported all the pictures and created an iMovie with all of them.  She handed the DVD over to the DJ who had a projector set up and played it during cocktail hour.  Everyone loved seeing the photos that had just been taken of them.

The key to making this all work is having an amazing friend to do all the work the day of.  Thanks Beth!!!!!

Ok so it feels more like summer has come. But honestly, I’ll take either. Anything but the gloom of the winter. When I think of spring, I think of bright colors and flowers. So when it came time to fancying up my mantel for spring, that’s what I went with. It’s nothing extravagant, but it’s still brighter and more colorful than it was before.

It was pretty simple, and I used a lot of things that I already had on hand. The print I bought off ETSY from the vendor Silso. It’s ironically titled “Spring Garden” and so clearly it was a good choice for my spring themed mantel. I love that it adds so much color without being too overwhelming.

I’ve had those glittery birds for ages. I think I actually got them at Michaels one year around Christmas time. I also used them this year for my Christmas mantel and other decorations. But they’re birds, and birds also are springy, so they’ve made a second appearance. I love me some glitter, so maybe that’s why I just can’t bring myself to put them away. And yes, that is an upside down ramekin under the candle stick. I needed some height variation, and so that was my solution. You can’t really see it when not standing at a weird angle to take pics.

The only things I bought specifically for the mantel were the daffodil bulbs and the moss. I planted the bulbs in two different sized white pots and got the moss at Michaels in the flower section. I do not have a green thumb at all, so who knows how long the daffodils will last, but I swear I’m going to try! I actually wanted wheat grass in a long and shallow rectangular pot for the middle of the mantel instead of flowers, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. If I end up killing the daffodils that’s what I’ll do. Because let’s be honest, grass is way harder to kill than flowers.

Complete sidenote: see that crazy nasty boob light that’s reflected in the mirror. That is one of the many things I would change if I owned this place. Boob lights are the worst!

I actually also bought these confetti filled eggs. They are real egg shells that are filled with the colorful confetti and then closed up again with tissue paper. I think as it gets closer to Easter, I’ll remove a bit of the moss and add some of the eggs. They look just like real Easter eggs, but they won’t spoil!

Anyone else do some spring sprucing and decorating?

Brian once said my direct deposit from my paycheck might as well go directly to Etsy rather than our checking account.  I can’t resist all the cute stuff!  My favorite part: almost every shop can customize anything you want.  Here are some shops I’ve purchased items from in the past that I recommend.

Shabby Mcfabby

I saw these chalkboards and fell in love!  I purchased one similar to the one below and had it customized to a color of my choice.  I also bought a distressed white shelf from this shop.  Perfect for anyone who loves Shabby Chic style.

Blueberrie

This shop has a lot of salvage items.  I saw she had white ceiling tiles and had to get my hands on one.  I asked her to finish mine in a light green color.  This is what she came up with.  I have it resting on a shelf with other misc. frames and vases.

The Sugared Plums

I love these personalized frames!  Brian and I purchased one for his parents as a thank you gift for their help with our wedding.  We chose a quote about parents to put on the frame.  You can choose your own color background, frame color, where the frame is placed, even the font!

Define Design Eleven

This shop is all custom prints.  When my friends Brad and Kendal got engaged last year I got them one of these frames with their names and the date they got engaged.  The heart was over where they got engaged, New Buffalo, MI.  You can choose any color for the backdrop, the names, and the heart.

One of  Kind Jewelry Design

I saved the best for last.  This is by far my favorite shop I’m sharing today!  After I purchased my Kendra Scott earrings for my wedding, I had a difficult time finding a bracelet to match.  I sent a photo of my earrings to Karin and she whipped up my own unique bracelet.  She even sent me pictures during the process of it being made so I could give her feedback.  She was amazing to work with.  She has so many other adorable things I have my eye on!

Here is the bracelet she made for my wedding.

Here are some other creations I have my eye on.

You need to browse her shop.  I guarantee you’ll fall in love.

I have several more Etsy shops that I’m excited to share with you, but I’ll save those for another day.  I probably already gave you 2+ hours of browsing time with these shops.  You’re welcome.

I want to hear Etsy shops you love and recommend.  Please share!