Blog: brown paper
Charlie Charlie

TNWC Real Brides: Emma’s final blog post as a ‘Miss’ before her outdoor Cornish festival wedding this weekend

Charlie

Izzy Burton illustration

Can you believe it, two of my lovely TNWC Real Brides are getting married this week!  Nik and Chris are getting hitched today (!!!) in Wales (read all about their wedding plans here) and the lovely Emma and Chris will be tying the knot in Cornwall on Saturday.  Even though these lovely ladies are around my own age, I still feel a bit like a mother hen with them getting married.

I hope you’ve all enjoyed their journeys and creative plans, and I’m sure we are all looking forward to hearing how it went and seeing the pictures.  If you have recently got engaged or are just starting to plan your 2014 wedding, maybe you’d like to be one of my next TNWC Real Brides – full details here.

Today though, it’s over to Emma who has done one final blog post as a ‘Miss’…

I thought I would just pop by to say hello before the big day at the end of this week!  We have made a few last minute decisions, one of which is probably the best last minute decision any bride could make – we booked a videographer.  I had been toying with the idea for months but decided to take the plunge.

Brown luggage tag place cards

Our photographer Becca posted a link to Pete’s work on her Facebook page.  We didn’t have the budget for a video but I thought it would be worth a shot to ask, firstly if he was free (only weeks before the wedding) and to see if he could do reduced coverage with a reduced price.  We came up trumps as not only is he mega talented; he was free on our wedding day and did us a brilliant deal.

Read more

Charlie Charlie

Daffodils and brown paper for a pretty spring wedding

Charlie

Daffodil centrepiece

These pretty little miniature daffodils are making an appearance in local florists at the moment, so I couldn’t resist but make them the centre of attention in this month’s creative project.

There is just something so uplifting about a pot of jolly yellow daffodils after a long, cold, bleak winter.  Simply wrapped up with brown paper and tied with pale raffia they make ideal decorations or centrepieces – or just to make your home look nice.

You should be able to pick up these small pots of daffodil bulbs from most florists or garden centres.  You will find that some of the pots available have only just sprouted so will take longer before they flower – if you keep them well watered and in a warm room it should encourage them to flower.

Daffodils and brown paper

Read more

Charlie Charlie

Tiny Christmas gifts

Charlie

With Christmas fast approaching I have been busy crafting gifts for friends and family.  These tiny bundles of sugary biscuits are perfect for work colleagues, friends or neighbours – a pretty token of Christmassy giving.

I made these quite simply, using small cardboard cake boxes, brown paper, twine, and red bells.  The biscuits are designed for dunking – so quite hard and perfect for dunking into tea and other hot drinks because they don’t dissolve or go all mushy.  You can find the recipe over here on my other blog.  I used a cute bunny rabbit shaped biscuit cutter but you could use any shape you like.

Read more

Charlie Charlie

A greener guide to wrapping wedding gifts

Charlie

A wedding gift list is a lovely opportunity for family and friends to give a present that will last a lifetime.  But all that mass-produced shiny paper and glittery tags can pose a dilemma for couples planning an eco-friendly wedding.

Don’t despair!  Encourage your guests to wrap your wedding gifts in reusable or recyclable materials using some of my top tips and advice on greener ways to wrap presents.

Wrapping with fabric

Read more