District Weddings

I’m back!  Finally.  I was without Internet for 2 days, and it seemed like for-ev-ver.  So while I continue to iron out the internet kinks, let’s focus on someone much more exciting —  Cheree Berry!

If you’ve picked up the most recent issue of Martha Stewart Weddings (Summer 2009), you will have likely seen the gorgeous photos of Cheree’s wedding, held last September in St. Louis, Missouri.  Cheree Berry is one of my all-time favorite wedding vendors.  (She’s the one behind the fabulous logo of this blog!)

Cheree redefines creativity.  She mixes a fun sparkle with a hint of elegance and a taste for flair.  Check out her wedding cake…perfectly decorated with her own paper design…

Photo: Martha Stewart Weddings

So, isn’t that garland SO FUN?  I love it!  It makes the most picture-perfect backdrop against which you could display any wedding cake, or even use it as a backdrop for a Polaroid guest book station!

Here’s the How-To, straight from Cheree…

Tools and Materials
To prepare the Styrofoam balls:
Four 1 1/2-inch Styrofoam balls (Baisch & Skinner)
Two 2 1/2-inch Styrofoam balls
Two 3 1/2-inch Styrofoam balls
One 4 1/2-inch Styrofoam balls
Floral spray paint in red

To string each garland:
Soft-flex beading wire (a little less than 1 yard per strand)
Needle-nose pliers with wire cutters
2 O rings
4 crimp beads
2 1/4-inch red beads
6-inch straight upholstery needle
Fishing line and hooks for hanging

1. Spray paint the Styrofoam balls with the floral spray paint, and let dry.

2. Cut 30 inches of the beading wire. Secure an O ring at one end: Thread the end of the wire through 2 crimp beads, and then loop it through the O ring. Thread the end back through the 2 crimp beads, and pinch them with pliers to grip the wire. (This is the same process you’d use to attach a jump ring to the end of a necklace in jewelry-making.)

3. Slip a 1/4 inch bead onto the wire from the other end, and slide it next to the crimp beads; this will keep the O-ring from cutting into the Styrofoam ball.

4. Thread the free end of the wire through the eye of the upholstery needle, and begin stringing the balls, piercing the balls through the middle with the upholstery needle. Once all balls have been strung, finish off the end of the garland by adding a red bead and slipping the wire through the 2 remaining crimp beads, and then loop it through the remaining O ring and back through the crimp beads, shortening wire so crimp beads are close to the red bead. Then pinch the crimp beads to grip the wire.

5. Use fishing line to tie multiple strands together end to end. To hang, attach removable self-adhesive picture hooks to the wall, and slip O rings over the hooks.

Photos & Source: Martha Stewart Weddings

I’ll be back soon with a new batch of amazing Real Wedding photos!  In the  meantime, thanks for your patience as I slowly answer your emails.  I promise to respond very soon!