Trial Run: The Cake

Have I told you yet that I'm making all the cakes for my sisters wedding?

Yes I said ALL... as in... more than one...

We saw this picture and fell in love with idea of a cake buffet.

Doesn't that just look yummy?

We thought that it would make things a bit easier to do too.  I mean one great big cake can easily turn into one giant mess with stacking tiers and sagging and whatnot.  Besides, we couldn't decide on one cake!  There are so many choices to make... let's just have them all!

So over the last couple of weeks I've started making some practice cakes to try out recipes and frosting techniques.

Here's my latest.

 

I'm really happy with the pretty little buttons.  I made each one by hand by pressing some of my favorite vintage buttons into frosting dough.  If you don't know about frosting dough you are missing out.  It's amazing and so simple... just add powdered sugar to your frosting until it turns into a ball of dough.  Then you can work with it just like playdoh!

 

 The inside is a strawberry flavored gradient.  To make it I just mixed up a box of strawberry cake mix.   I used a 1/2 cup measuring cup and poured 4 scoops (2 cups) into a cake pan.  Then I divided the rest of the batter amongst 4 bowls.  The first bowl got 3 scoops, the second got 2 scoops, the third got 1 scoop and the last got everything that I was able to scrape out of the bowl. 

Then I mixed up a box of yellow cake mix and divided the batter amongst the 4 bowls.  The first bowl got 1 scoop, the second got 2, the third got 3 and the fourth got everything left.  I played with a little bit to make sure they were all pretty even and poured them into the cake pans.

When they were finished baking I leveled and cut each cake in half. I was worried the cake would be too tall and hard to manage.  So in the end I had two pretty cakes!

Oh and if you noticed that the frosting is about to drip off the cake you're absolutely right!  Last night when I mixed it up, I didn't have any real butter.  I knew I would make sure to have it when making the actual wedding cakes but this was just a test cake so I didn't think it would make that big of a difference.  I was dead wrong. It was runny and really hard to work with but my kiddos didn't seem to mind!

But all this practicing and I still haven't decided how to do the cakes for the wedding.  I know I'll start baking and freezing them now but when should I put them together and frost them?  The day before?  The day of?  Have you done something like this before?  Have any pointers for me?

Can you tell I'm a little scared?!

1 Hour Flower Girl Dress Knock Off

I found this adorable little dress and just about died.

So cute but at $42 ( and that's after taking 50% off!) It just wouldn't work with our budget.

So I did what anyone would do... I knocked it off!

 And the end result makes me positively giddy.

It took me about an hour to make and I just happened to have the fabric sitting on my shelf... a remnant from Hobby Lobby that I bought just because it was so cheap!

So what do you think...

$4.50

$42.00

or

How did I do it?

It's so easy you'll laugh.  

Step 1:  Make a basic skirt.

I made an elastic waist skirt but you can shirr it or even make it a drawstring!

Step 2:  Attach the tie at the front of the skirt.

I made the tie by sewing a tube of the leftover fabric but you could use ribbon too!

Step 3:  Make & attach your fabric rose.

I made my rose by ruffling on side of a tube of fabric and then just twisted it together but there are a ton of ways to make them!  Or use a button or some other embellishment or nothing at all!

Next up... bridesmaid dresses!

A Vintage Picnic Wedding

Soooo, I still can't walk in my laundry room... not even close really... it's gross.  

But I've been so excited to share my latest project with you that I just can't wait any longer!!

My sweet little sister Carissa is getting married next month and has handed the wedding planner reigns over to me.

I'm sure some of you are reading this and thinking... SUCKER!  Hey, Carissa might be thinking so to!  But I couldn't be more excited!

I mean what creative, crafty, DIY lovin' chick doesn't love a wedding?

And I know that I'm not the only one who sees wedding pictures, blogs, magazines... etc. and doesn't wish for reason to throw another one... wait... that sounds bad.  Well, you know what I mean!

I'm excited!

Excited to plan, exited to help save some money and mostly just so excited to see my sister so happy.

So wanna see some of what we're envisioning for this laid back and virtually budget free wedding?

Imagine a romantic, summer picnic...

simple understated bridesmaids...

carrying simple understated bouquets...

a cake buffet featuring over 10 unique cakes on pretty little platters...

and a vintage touch here and there.

Don't you just want to be there?!

Me too!

Well the wedding is next month and boy do I have a lot to do!

I'm making all the cakes and a couple of bridesmaids dresses.  My other sister Dani is busy learning the cords for the ceremony music and Carissa is out there shopping for all the vintage goodies that will make the wedding spectacular!

Wanna see more?

I'll share the pretty little flower girl dress I made and a super easy tutorial soon.  And before it's all over I'll share the jaw dropping budget and how we pulled it off!  

Until then feel free to drool over my pinterest board where you will find all of the photos above (and a hundred more) with links to their original source.

The Extreme Makeover Grand Finale!

The projects are up for the final week of Extreme Makeover: Fabric Edition!!  Hurry over to Wildflower's and Whimsy to check them out and cast your vote!

The 1st & 2nd Place winner will get some pretty amazing prize packs with patterns from each of our sponsors!  Here's your chance to win some patterns too!

Our sponsors for the County Fair challenge are:

This shop has a collection of patterns to make some super cute shoes for you!  That's right... patterns to sew things for yourself... what a concept huh?

I had the hardest time picking some of my favorites but here they are!

In this giveaway you can win the pattern to make the Classic Mary Janes.  So cute!

&

This shop is so much fun to snoop around in!  She's got a little bit of everything here...

A pattern to make the cutest bowling set EVER!

Adorable machine embroidery designs

Super cute girls clothing patterns

And a BUNCH of sewing patterns for mommy accessories!

You can choose any pattern you like from this shop if you win the giveaway and if you just can't wait to win something she's offered a coupon code good for 30% off all purchases!  Just enter "HOARD" when checking out and hurry... this deal expires Monday!

So how can you win?  It's simple!

Important:  You must be a public follower of both Wildflowers & Whimsy and The Extra Ordinary Bree to win this giveaway...this does not count as an entry, but we will not pick a winner that doesn't follow our blogs.  Also, please remember that the mandatory entries must be completed or the additional entries will be voided.

Mandatory Entries

Visit Shoeology and come back here and tell me what your favorite pattern is.  (1 entry)

Visit Birdiful Stitches and come back here and tell me what your favorite pattern is.  (1 entry)

Additional Entries

Create a link to this giveaway.  (Just click the "create a link button" below the comment section. (1 entry)

Post this giveaway to FB.  (1 entry)

Tweet about this giveaway.  (1 entry)

Please leave a separate comment for each entry, and make sure we are able to contact you.  Giveaway closes on Sunday at midnight! Thanks and good luck!

How to Store Your Fabric Stash

Our three final contestants are hard at work right now with their final projects.  You'll be able to see all their awesomeness & vote for your favorite on Friday! I can't wait!!

Have you've been following along and tackling your own stash throughout the competition?

I have!

Nothing like what our amazing contestants have done but I have really really tried to use my fabric and avoid buying new stuff.

So what has helped me?

By far the biggest help to me has been re-evaluating my fabric stash.  I went through everything and pulled out the fabrics I knew I'd never use.  Then I put it in a separate bin.  I realize that I could just toss these or donate to the Salvation Army but I like to keep them!  Why?  Because sometimes beautiful fabric can be hard to cut into, especially when you're not sure if a pattern is going to work or you are trying to design a new pattern!  But ugly fabric with kittens and Christmas bows are so easy to cut into that you're scissors practically work themselves! and yes I actually have fabric with Christmas cats on it

After all my ugly fabric is out of site, I can focus on the fabrics I drooled over and risked a lecture from my husband for!

The solution for me is simple... Fold it nice and neat and stack them in the cabinets that hang over my sewing machine. Here's a round up of a ton of other functional & attractive ways to store your fabric... something's bound to work for you!

Make your own miniature fabric bolts!
Find the tutorial @ The Little Green Bean!

A functional way to store your favs and it doubles as craft room decor! 
You can find the full tutorial here... p.s. it's so easy, you'll laugh.

Holly @ Holly Street is a self proclaimed Fabric Whore
She color coordinated her fabric into pretty bins  

Make a fabric swatch book like Carolyn from Homework
& store your fabrics in a dresser or in large bins

And I know that most "normal" people probably just throw their scraps away but if you're a real, authentic hoarder, like me, then you hold on to even the smallest scraps!

There's just so much you can do with them!

Display them using embroidery hoops! 
Find the tute @ The Purl Bee

Like these pretty little necklaces from Cakies

Or these bangles from Blue Cricket Design

And I'm in love with this scrap fabric table cloth
from Pocket Full of Posies!

Sara from Sara vs. Sarah
made these awesome scrap shoelaces!

Fabric covered bandaids!!
Get the tute @ The Pink Couch

Even the smallest scraps can be used as button covers
like this tufted sofa from The Found Blog

And this simple project is a necessity for every flip flop wearing 2 year old! 
Find the tutorial @ Make It & Love it.

And oh there's more... there's so much more!!  But if I don't stop, this list will be a mile long.  Seriously.

But now that I've convinced you to hold on desperately to each and every scrap larger than the size of a quarter... How in the heck do you store all of it!

Here's a couple of cute ideas that got my wheels turning and my mouth watering.

Tuck them in mason jars and display like
Rachel from Stitched in Color

The Pioneer Valley Girl stores her color coded
scraps in a clear over the door shoe holder!

I love this idea from BHG!  Wouldn't it be cute to
find a vintage hanging fruit basket?!

Another from BHG
... I knew I was saving all those formula cans for a reason!

Same concept as the mason jars only fancier
from Prudent Baby

How about hanging them from a pretty little clothesline
like Ronda from One Little Word?

So there you have it folks... if you weren't hooked on hoarding fabric and scraps you are now!  

How do you store your stash?