DIY REINDEER FLOWER CROWN.

Posted on March 17, 2016 by thelittlelendingco

Anyone who know’s me knows I love reindeers. Like a lot. My house is home to a huge skull in the lounge called 10 spike Mike, and at Christmas 10 spike Mike gets the full works on decor, lights, foliage, hanging ornaments….But why stop at Christmas. Skulls and antlers are HUGE for wedding decor right now and dressed with seasonal blooms they have to be the perfect Boho wedding detail.
If you fancy making a flower crown for your reindeer, this is what you need…

YOU WILL NEED:
Aluminum Wire, Thin Florists reel wire (ask your local florist), Scissors, Stag or reindeer skull (We used Roy from the range, yes he has a name!)

FRESH FLOWERS from the Swaffham and Fakenham Florists: (Note, not all of these will be in season now but talk to your florist about alternatives)

Bubblegum Rose, Cartamus, Umbrella Fern, Phlox, Purple Dahlia, Achamilla Mollis, Craspedia, Red Dahlia, Blue Delphinium, Nervine.

– Start by adding a string loop through the back of the skull for something to hang it from. Then measure the aluminum wire around the Stags head for the size of the crown. Create a hook and loop to attach the crown at back. Attach reel wire to aluminum wire by winding it around and around tightly to ensure secure.

– Cut all the flowers and foliage about 2 inches from the head. Cut umbrella fern, and pull pieces away to expose the stem. Snip small sprigs of Achamilla Mollis and Blue Delphinium to make the most of the flower throughout the crown.

– Using umbrella fern as a starting point, hold onto the aluminum wire and wind reel wire around the stem. Fern works well at the ends of a crown because of its natural point. Once you have wound the reel wire around the flowers and foliage trim down the stem and keep winding to ensure secure and continue adding in.

– Start to mix different colors and textures through with foliage with a continual winding of the thin wire. Group smaller flowers to create a focal point in 2 or 3’s. Use a decent amount of reel wire around the stems to ensure flowers are all secure.

– Push the wire into the stem and the neck until you feel resistance on the large Dahlia. This supports the flower as it is a focal point and ensures it stays in place.

– Remember to pull the flower crown straight every so often to ensure flowers don’t twist round in different directions. The crown should be thickest at the center and thin out towards the ends.

– Make a hook at the end of the aluminum wire to secure the crown and create a loop with the other end to hook on. Cut off the steel wire and wind final wire end around the crown tightly.

Ta-Dah! You’re skull is ready to rock!
If you’d love to dabble at making your own flower crown for the day you need to check out the Swaffham and Fakenham florists flower crown parties!

Huge thanks to DS Photography for the beautiful pictures.
The Little Lending Co. X

5 WAYS TO BE A THRIFTY DIY BRIDE.

Posted on June 24, 2015 by thelittlelendingco

You know that saying, ‘One mans junk is another mans treasure’ – Yep, I live my life by that, you’ll often find me bottom up in a skip. And I rarely throw anything out too (you should see my drawers and cupboards at home, it drives the OH crazy!) Because I’m sure that one day I will need all 200 jam jar lids I’ve saved or will use the 15 pots of tester paints in the garage in some way…

But really, if your planning on being a DIY bride theres a few tips that are going to keep you quids in with just a little forward planning.

YOU DON’T ASK YOU DON’T GET.

I know not all of you will have access to a Farmers yard full of goodies like myself. But I guarantee if you ask Dads, Grandads and friends of family to raid their garages and garden sheds I know there will be all manor of oddments to up-cycle and re-use for your big day. From odd planks of wood, old bike wheels and parts, ladders to flower pots and buckets. Half empty paint pots can work magic on old furniture or try hand-writing some signage of your own. Ask family to dig deep into the dustiest corners and you’re bound to find a gem or two, they’ll love that they were asked to be a part of the day too.

Oh, just because the ticket at the vintage/junk shop says £12.00 doesn’t mean you can’t get a little cheeky and go in at £10, really I do it all the time. Always ask if they can take something off the total if you’ve brought a few bits. No harm in asking right?

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX.

From the humble glass sauce bottle and jam jar, tin cans, wrapping paper and ribbons can easily be transformed into tea light holders to flower vessels or fun mini paper bunting from your old birthday cards. Theres so much you can do when you save every day items en mass and add a little imagination. Old t-shirts can be transformed into a knotted macrame plant hangers or pom poms from old holey knits. Painted wine bottles as candle holders and doubled up as table numbers, the opportunities for old tatt is endless!

PLAN AHEAD.

Save everything. Like everything. Ask you friends to save too – scraps of old material; old linen and bedspreads can be made into cool chair pads and string bunting, re-dyed napkins or use cardboard cereal boxes spray painted to make simple table numbers. Let Pinterest lead you. Getting organised with your DIY projects can save you pounds – buying supplies in the sales may mean odd colours but if you’re up-cycling then it won’t matter. Bulk buys may have big discounts too.

FINDERS KEEPERS.

Use natural treasure, from sticks to stones, wood and bark, it’s all free and easily transformed into something beautiful. Place name pebbles or turn them into favours with coloured paints. Wooden candle holders or DIY dream catchers from sticks, glitter dipped feathers…Just step outside.

UP-GRADING ORDINARY.

Take average items and basically make them great, this is where you can make big impact and get big reactions from your guests. Balloons, a bad 80’s wedding decor cliche? Yep. But add some spray paint and glitter, dip dye them or even add tassel ties and strings with fresh flowers for a really neat DIY project that will have your guests in awe of your creativity and won’t have broke the bank.

To really save money through DIY though you need to be cool enough to know your wedding isn’t going to be complete matched perfection, it will be homespun and you need to be OK with mis-matched and even mixed up colour mashes. The more you are chilled about the overall laid-back look the more you’ll save. If you’re Ok with odd containers for flowers on each table and different coloured bunting patterns, you’ll make your DIY do a doodle.

All the DIY images here are via our DIY WEDDING Pinterest board, hit the link to find more neat and thrifty ideas and credits.

Are you going to DIY in a big way? Show us what you’re making….

The Little Lending Co. X

AN A-Z OF STYLING YOUR OWN WEDDING. (PART 2)

Posted on January 28, 2015 by thelittlelendingco

Hello again Little Lenders,

I really hope the first part of this blog was useful and given you a few tips and pointers for styling your own day. Without further ado, here is part 2.

N – NOTE DOWN YOUR SUPPLIERS

Keep a list of the suppliers you’ll be using for your wedding day in one place. Also when they’ll need access to your venue so that you can let your venue know. It’s worth giving this list to someone who is on site the day before to check that everyone has been and a list of numbers in case something dosent go to plan.

0 – O.T.T

It’s OK to go a little Over The Top and add a little WOW factor (It’s only your blinking Wedding day!) Create a talking point with your decor, a big entrance or a ceremony focal point with a difference. Your photographer will love you for it too.

Image via 100 layer cake.

P – PINTEREST

Pinterest can be the greatest source of inspiration and at times the greatest curse. Once you have pinned and planned an idea you really, really love step away from the pins. There will always be more ideas than time! Go with what your gut instinct is telling you for your decor and you won’t go far wrong. And I always say simplicity can rule more often than not. A lot of the ideas you see on Pinterest have been created by teams of stylists and professional wedding hire teams with access to lots of tools and even machinery. If you think you can nail the look with your family and loved ones then go for it, if you think it’s beyond your skills set keep things a little simpler with the set-up.

Image source Ruffled Blog.

Q – QUALITY NOT QUANTITY

More is not more. Give your props, decor pieces and big ideas a space to shine.

R – READY FOR ANYTHING

Packing an essential ‘on the day Styling bag’ is a total must. You just know you’ll need to re-iron those table topper cloths again. Ours includes : Scissors, string, pins, cable ties, bulldog clips, gaffe tape and electrical tape, iron and thick towel and plenty of bin bags. Pack some glass cleaner and kitchen roll too to touch up glass wear. These are the items that you’ll definitely find yourself looking for.

S – SPACES

Make or ask for a floor plan of your venue and go to your venue to take photos from all angles. It will keep you on track when you’re planning something for a wall that actually has a door in the middle of it, or you’d like to plug some lights in but there is no socket anywhere near by. (Cue gaffa tape from your kit…)

Image via Style Me Pretty.

T – TEAM WORK

Sounds crazy, but assign a ‘set-up’ day team of friends and family to help. Delegate jobs out with rough timings for each task before you arrive at the venue; hanging the bunting, dressing the cards table (some pictures from your Pinterest boards for friends will really help make sure it’s spot on too)… Letting other people help with jobs will leave you more free to act as the head stylist make sure everything is just as you envisioned. Try to leave some time at the end of the day to do final checks so you can sleep easy knowing everything looks perfecto.

U – UNDERSTANDING SUPPLIERS

Picking suppliers that really understand you and your style is crucial and make your wedding planning heaps less daunting. Set up a meeting or go for a coffee with your photographer and florist to make sure you’re on the same page. All good suppliers will want to get to know what you’re about as a couple and what you really want. Then, really all you need to do is trust them to do what they do best.

V – VENUE

When picking your venue make sure it will compliment the styling that you have in mind. A rustic aesthetic is going to be really hard to achieve in a modern, urban building. It will save you lots of styling work and help you style simply and effectively if you choose a venue that has the feel you’re after.

Green Wedding Shoes.

W – WEATHER

If it all gets a little soggy have you thought of a back up plan? How much of your day are you reliant on being outside? Make sure you let your wedding caterer or co-ordinator know Plan B if the weather does take a U-turn and can help make the necessary changes to ensure a smooth turnaround of the day. No-one wants soggyy sandwiches or bottoms for that matter.

Rock my wedding.

X – ‘X’ MARKS THE SPOT

Sign your wedding well – Right from the roads leading to the venue. There is nothing worse than having a hidden beauty of a venue that no-one can find. It will create excitement on the drive through too.

Y – YES I CAN

Be confident that you can bring all the elements of your wedding decor together, you’ve been planning for months and it will all be totally rad. If things don’t look quite pin-worthy don’t fret, ask your florist or venue co-ordinator for their opinion as they’ll usually tell you what you could tweak with their creative eye.

Z – ZZZ

Take some time after setting up the decor to really take it all in. On the day it all goes so quickly, give your self and team a big pat on the back. Get yourself a glass of bubbles and hot bath then get a good nights sleep.

There you have it our guide to styling your own wedding day. Are you looking forward to styling your own day? Missed Part 1 – Find it here.

It’s going to be a whole lot of fun…
The Little Lending Co. x

AN A-Z OF STYLING YOUR OWN WEDDING. (PART 1)

Posted on January 27, 2015 by thelittlelendingco

So if you’re anything like me you won’t be able to contain yourself when it comes to the decor and styling of your day. I absolutely loved that part (hence setting up this little company.)
But theres quite a few things I wish I’d know before I started my wedding styling mission and so I’ve put together this A-Z guide for a quick look at just what it’s going to take.

A – ATHMOUSPHERE

Creating a brilliant, buzzing atmosphere is the ultimate achievement for any wedding day. Think about adding in lots of your personality and some good old fashioned quirk; through sentimental signage, alternative guest books or a cracking cake topper with something a little off the wall. Guests will enjoy all the fun details and really get into the spirit of your day.

B – BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS

A little bit of pretty goes a long way on a wedding day. Personally not into really girly colours and cute, twee details so adding some pretty through floral accents was the way I added my pretty. Pockets of florals on table plans and on props will make all the difference.

Artfully Wed.

C – COLOUR

Having a colour scheme in mind can really help to pull everything together. Right from sending your Save The Date cards, to bridesmaid dress colour and flower arrangements. Even if you just have a favourite object you both love at home, a pattern or print just keep it with you while planning and out shopping – you never know when inspiration may strike.

D – DETAIL

Make a list of all the areas that could be potentially styled at your venue. The Bar, Food stations, Cards/Gifts, Entrance and Ceremony aisle and work out where you’d like to make the most impact. Adding little pockets of detail to other areas like Welcome signage and order of the day boards, the dance floor and even the toilets will make your day something to shout about.

Image via Ruffled Blog.

E – EFFORT

It really will take up a lot of your free time, evenings, weekends and sometimes you can feel that the wedding decor is consuming your every thought. (And boys, this might start to craze you when every conversation is about the W-day) but just know that it’s worth every ounce of effort.

F – FAVOURS

Call in the favours, keeping in budget is all about begging, borrowing and sometimes yes even stealing what ever you can. (I remember rummaging in abandoned skips!) The same goes with skill sets crafty Carpenter friends, Aspiring artists, Budding Florists…Use who you know. Most people will love being asked to be involved in the day.

G – GRUBS UP

We’ve posted before about food displays in our Make your wedding decor Rock blog. It’s really thinking over (or having a pin session) on how you can add some interest.

Image source Green Wedding Shoes.

H – HOME-MADE

There are some AWESOME DIY tutorials on the internet, and make for personality in a truck load, but just be aware of the time it can all take. Don’t commit to too much before the big day, if the 1,000 origami paper cranes are only 100 don’t sweat it, you did your best.

Image via Ruffled Blog.

I – INDECISION

One of the hardest points of wedding styling is making those initial decisions about the day you want. Sit down with your fiancee and think about you two, your loves and style. Picking out the venue and the type of day you want your guests to have will really help things fall into place. Working out if you’re going to be walking bare foot through a meadow to a tipi ceremony or you’d much prefer an English stately house to sip Pimms in the garden can be one of the hardest decisions through all the planning. I love Coco wedding venues concept of choosing your venue through 6 of their style categories, Bohemian Beats, Rustic Romance, Costal Cool….Go for a gander, it’s great.

J – JUGGLING

Juggling wedding planning around life can be pretty tough at times. Have a look at our handy timeline and find out what really needs to be done when. Styling elements really are one of the last things to think about believe it or not (even though I know you started pinning table centres as soon as he popped the question.)

K – KICK START THE SET UP

Make the most of the whole day on the site dressing your venue. Basically, it takes longer than you think. Take a packed lunch and plenty of drinks too if you’re in the middle of no-where, nothing worse than loosing a couple of hours to search out food. Try to really think about what you’ll need on site.

L – LIGHTING

Again this is one of the key elements that will really set the mood for the day. Feature lighting displays and oodles of candle light just makes everything more magical. We can’t recommend enough adding lights outside for when the sun dips, candles in hanging jars, festoons or strings from the trees, it’s totally worth it.

Style Me Pretty.

M – MONEY

Keep a list of all the suppliers and contacts and when their payment is due, if you can pay suppliers off early it’s going to make it much less complicated than on the day payments. It’s the last thing you want to be worrying about (even if the Usher is sorting this for you, because lets face it, after a few Jagerbomb’s he’s not going to know where that cheque for the DJ is!)

So, did you find Part 1 helpful? What are you finding challenging with your decor styling details? Drop us an email at thelittlelendingcompany@gmail.com – we’d be more than happy to help with any dilemmas.

See you soon for Part 2.
The Little Lending Co. x

HOME-MADE WELCOME DRINKS.

Posted on May 23, 2014 by thelittlelendingco

Summer is in our grasp, at last! (Well ignoring this soggy weekend, it is Bank Holiday after all)

I can’t wait for my first glass of Pimms and Lemonade in the Sunshine – it always tastes so good, and if served from a jam jar and drunk from a paper straw then I’m one happy girl.

(Photography by Nick Illot.)

The Welcome drink definitely is something that you can have a little fun with – Signature cocktails for couples are becoming more and more popular, from Flavoured Vodkas to Bourbon mixes its worth thinking about what and how you want to serve your first tipple with your loved ones.

We’ve introduced lots of items in our ‘Assorted Glass’ section of hire – Our 8.5 litre drinks dispensers, Mixed jam jars (We have over 150, so if you don’t eat enough Marmelade in time we’ve got your back), Vintage Milk bottles and Mini milk bottles for the little ones add a bit difference to those drinks. Not to mention old tin baths to fill with ice and bottled beers for the boys or if you really want to get tounges talking the Metal Trough would be perfect for the bubbles to be served from. We’re also super excited about our Mini ladders and wooden plank which is the perfect alternative bar that we previewed on Facebook last week.

Here’s just a few ideas we’re thought of to fill your jars with :

– Apple, Elderflower and Sloe Gin cocktail
– Peach Punch
– Watermelon and Vodka Spritzer
– Berry Daiquiri
– Cucumber and Lime Cordial

Can you think of any others? What would be your first choice?
Take a look at out Pinterest board with lots more ideas and ways to display your drinks.

To start you off here’s our tried and tested Classic home-made lemonade recipe for you to have a try of this BH weekend :

WHAT YOU WILL NEED :

3 unwaxed lemons, roughly chopped
140g caster sugar
1l cold water

1. Tip the lemons, sugar and half the water into a food processor and blend until the lemon is finely chopped.

2. Pour the mixture into a sieve over a bowl, then press through as much juice as you can. Top up with the remaining water and serve with plain ice or frozen with slices of lemon and lime and fresh mint.

Have a great one,
The Little Lending Co. x