City Cradle Design

Handcrafted celebrations

Paper stars- a tutorial

07.29.10 Posted in 30x30, Party, diy by Vicky

I have been so blessed by your words of encouragement this week, thanks for being amazing!

To make snow for the Christmas in July shoot I used white paper stars, they looked just perfect strung from a tree above our table. I also used the stars this weekend in the wedding I styled, coming soon:)

You can purchase the stars HERE in many different sizes and colors. Their creator Lisa has been so sweet to share her tutorial- so that you can make them for your own events, YAY!

Make your own paper stars:

Take 4 strips of paper equal in length. Fold each in half and weave centers together creating 4 double strips of ‘tails’.
Take 1 strip per ‘tail’ and fold across center weave. Tuck the 4th tail under the first one.
Fold 4 tails diagonally.
Flip star over; fold each diagonally folded tail downward.

Fold each downward folded tail onto itself creating a point. Tuck each point into the top layer of center weave.

Repeat Steps 4 and 5 to remaining 3 folded tails.
Repeat Steps 3, 4 and 5 to remaining 4 straight tails.
To create top and bottom points, fold each tail towards the right and tuck into the frontward tail.
When you have done this 8 times, your star will have 8 tails that will need to be trimmed.

Trim each tail and your star is complete!

PS. Lisa is also offering the DIY kits for the stars, complete with supplies that can be purchased HERE.

blessings.

11 Comments

Christmas in July

07.27.10 Posted in 30x30, Party, design by Vicky

I am super excited to share this lovely little photo-shoot I styled as a cool oasis in the middle of our very hot summer. Christmas in July- 115 degree desert style (that was the actual temperature the day we shot)!

It all started with the idea to cool down and cheer up for the summer by bringing surprise Christmas gifts to our neighbors. I think that is just the loveliest of ideas, especially in July & especially if they are tied up with red twine and dragged behind a bike!

Although it is not a normal Christmas occurrence where we live, having snowballs seemed quite necessary. A vintage crate filled with water balloons hold the makings for a summer’s worth of fights that are sure to cool things down!

A dessert table is set up on a reclaimed, painted table filled with holiday treats! Christmas cookies are stacked high on a homemade cookie stand to elicit smiles all around.

To bring home the holiday spirit I planted mini Christmas trees that hung in red painted bird cages + more snow was a necessity! The beautiful white star snowflakes are the creation of Lisa and can be found for purchase HERE. A DIY on them is coming soon.

Peppermint pops made with candy, sticks and a bit of frosting were scrumptious additions.

It brought me great joy thinking through what desserts we could serve! Snowballs, candy & cookies, to drink peppermint shooters (aka melted red slurpees) seemed perfect.

And doughnuts with holiday flags that are super easy to make- see the tutorial HERE.

The bike basket was overfilled with cherries and flowers, a serious cheer bringer throughout the year.

I loved the idea of using cherries throughout our shoot. Perhaps because they bring me so much cheer? A bunch of them hung from the tree as a mistletoe to smooch underneath + cones of them serve as a healthy additions to our sweets display.

An ornament display of baby’s breath and ribbon is just as lovely in the summer as it would be hanging over a holiday table. Strung from a tree or carried as a bridal bouquet I believe I am equally as smitten about using one of these as a part of any upcoming celebration!

I hope this inspires you to celebrate cheer, and the holidays even amidst the HOT, HOT days of summer!

Photography credits to the very lovely- Chelsea Robbins
Star snowflakes via sponsor- Starcrosses

blessings.

2 Comments

Doughnut flags

07.26.10 Posted in Holiday, Party, food by Vicky

A sneak peak at what is coming this week…

(Photography credit Chelsea Robbins)

A delightful variation on the standard cupcake for a dessert table. Doughnuts have made their way into the sweet scene of my life quickly, leaving a trail of powdered sugar loveliness behind them! To top them off I created doughnut flags out of ribbon and string. The flags would give any dessert on your table an easy dose of celebration cheer.

Materials needed for doughnut flags:

Differing size candy sticks and toothpicks.
Ribbon and string in coordinating colors.
Liquid starch.

How to Make doughnut flags:

Cut your ribbons and strings to varying sizes.
Dredge in liquid starch.
Place around sticks to dry, lifting up portions of each ribbon to create a natural looking flow.

More to come soon from this super playful Christmas in July shoot.

blessings.

0 Comments

Blueprint.

07.23.10 Posted in inspiration by Vicky

I have a knack for loving things that are soon to disappear. From my favorite Mediterranean restaurant to my newly obsessed over perfume. I try hard these days not to get too attached…

but sometimes it happens, and then I find an old issue of Blueprint buried under a stack of papers and I mourn what was my favorite magazine that flew out of my life as quickly as it jumped in.

In the midst of the issue I came across the most lovely party- A summer backyard brunch & play date, entitled “Easy like Sunday Morning“. The perfect weekend inspiration for a relaxed celebration of summer. Find the article with the plan & recipes HERE.

Have a happy weekend:)

blessings.

6 Comments

Pretty printed ribbons, a tutorial

07.22.10 Posted in Momhood, Party, Printable, design, diy by Vicky

I designed a wedding inspiration earlier this month. I hate having to wait to share it with you! One of the projects from the shoot has become a tad of an addiction for me, so I thought I would give you a quick peek…

Printing on ribbon! You can do it & it is super easy-

Although fair warning being able to personalize your ribbon gets quite addicting.

Materials needed for ribbon printing:

An injet printer (if you don’t have one they are super cheap to pick up thrifted)
A length of ribbon (I have found flat/ matte ribbons work the best)
A small amount of double sided tape

How to print on ribbon:

Print out a copy of the words you would like to appear on the ribbon to check for spacing.
Cut your ribbon to size and double tape the ends onto your printed paper, be sure to cover the words exactly, text will print on the ribbon exactly where your words are placed.
Run the paper with ribbon attached through the printer on the heavy paper setting.
Let dry *Important, do not touch the ribbon for about 20 minutes to insure the ink has time to set.
Peal off the ribbon and enjoy your creation!

Use your ribbon to adorn a surprise gift, to personalize a birthday card, or to make a stash of exceptionally lovely party labels.

PS. I am so excited to share with you how I incorporated this into our wedding inspiration shoot, soon!

blessings.

0 Comments

Party Gallery

07.21.10 Posted in design by Vicky

I am super excited to share with you today a new feature around here! We are still working on the business website, it is coming soon… But, in the meantime we’ve had a bit of a face lift:) Yay!

My favorite new feature is our party gallery.

In the gallery is a listing of every celebration we feature, organized by event type and laid out to be easy to find, check it out. I hope you will be blessed by it.

Also, I am over the top thankful to Karrie, who has worked with me to design our beautiful new logo:) What can I say, I am a sucker for bunting!

PS. If you haven’t noticed all of our family blog information has been moved. There is a static link now to our family blog on the sidebar under find me elsewhere. We have a new little logo there as well and I promise to begin updating it soon!

blessings.

8 Comments

Knotted in love…

07.20.10 Posted in 30x30, Party, Printable, design, diy by Vicky

Knotted in love, a shower for a lovely bride to be.

The inspiration for this shower came from this article, upon seeing it I just feel in love with the idea of a yarn maze- it is amazing! Although not as long or even an actual maze, I was thrilled at how the backdrop for the shower came out. The yarn strung across our sweets table with the word LOVE tied into it was just the perfect starting point.

The backdrop quickly gave inspiration for what became the centerpiece of the room, a yarn spun chandelier. I created it using different size kids bouncy balls & bright colored yarn. I secured one end of the yarn to the ball and roped it around many… many times! I also hung ribbons with buttons to add to the homespun feel. The mid-air yarn ball chandelier really set the stage for our celebration. PLUS, I am convinced this would make the most lovely baby mobile:)

The yarn balls were repeated on the table as flowers. They provided a wonderful pop of color seated in spray painted bud-vases. See the tutorial for these by clicking HERE.

I used a whole bunch of letters in the design of this shower, LOVE spelled out in as many ways as possible around the room.

I am happy to pass on a FREE DOWNLOAD for the banners of love that were placed around the room. Simply click HERE to download your copy. Each template has a small version of knotted in love plus the larger LOVE. They can be cut and re-sized for your showering pleasure!

Along with the scrumptious panini’s, a buffet was also set with a sampling of treats. Chocolate dipped pretzels and ribbon tied cheery pops were a few favorites of the day.

To drink, I served the brunch appropriate Mimosa! Each Champagne bottle is outfitted in a custom label and custom cocktail stir sticks adorn the flutes. I am also offering these tags as a FREE DOWNLOAD for you- grab the file by clicking HERE. You will need to print them out on 8×10 label sheets or simply cut and attach each one with double sided tape.

A random stash of vintage thread spools was spotted and I quickly picked them up to be perfect accompaniment for this shower. We used them to adorn a bulk pack of white buffet napkins. A fun guest book idea- for any upcoming shower you might have, instead of using a guest book we stitched in thread, buttons and fabric swatches creating a whimsical homemade set of dinner napkins for our future bride.

I also used the vintage spools to decorate around the room, they made such lovely vases!

Cheery yellow butter dishes for favors, monkey fist knots with bright pink yarn interwoven and marriage advice flowing freely made for a very cherished afternoon. I am happy to have made a new friend in this bride and am looking forward to styling her wedding very soon!

Photography credits- Jackie Wonders

PS. I have a new flickr stream that I am going to attempt to keep fresh. Check it out by clicking HERE to see the whole gallery of Knotted in love photos.

blessings.

9 Comments

Panini’s on a barstool

07.19.10 Posted in 30x30, food by Vicky

Hello. Happy Monday, I am so glad to be back. I was hoping to share the new site design with you today but alas everything in life takes more time than planned. Soon it will be done:)

I styled a sweet bridal shower earlier this month and for brunch we decided to make panini’s. We set out fresh sourdough bread, lots of veggies & a sampling of cheeses. We cooked each on an old George Foreman grill. They made for perfectly easy + very lovely summer afternoon party food!

The rest of the shower design coming tomorrow, including all the printable labels! For today see the full shower feature post @ Style Me Pretty

blessings.

PS. Yarn flower tutorial for the shower can be found HERE

0 Comments

a little preview- The New Family Blog

07.18.10 Posted in Momhood by Vicky

Thank you all for being so sweet and patient while I have been taking a bit of a break the past two weeks. I hope you have enjoyed the guests and parties that have been up.

I am so looking forward to being back next week- I have three events done this month that are just aching to show themselves to you! Plus the our little site updates will be done soon- Yippee:)

As a preview to our updates- check out the new family blog where the twinsies will be living from here on out and see this lovely 18 month photo shoot that Jackie Wonders shot in the a weed filled field!

Click HERE to be directed to http://thecitycradlefamily.com

blessings.

0 Comments

Vacation Crush- weddings

07.18.10 Posted in Momhood by Vicky

While on vacation I have given myself a little smidgen of time to rest and relax. I have been reading, sleeping, cuddling my babies… and crushing over the gorgeous designs of weddings these days. So many of the designs correlate well for any upcoming party. I have dog eared 3 million fabulous photos to inspire future parties and DIY projects!

For instance, desperately wanting to throw a farm party, how fun- anyone have a chicken???

A chicken & egg bouquet via Green wedding shoes.

blessings.

1 Comment

Handcrafted parties- A very pretty shower

07.18.10 Posted in Momhood by Vicky

The first time I laid eyes on this shower I was stunned. It is pure beauty, handcrafted for Meg Fish by her very talented group of friends. Photographed by Christy Schuler, Every detail is so very sweet.

A chicken-wire birdcage that was used to cover a simple shower cake on the amazing dessert display was the first adornment that grabbed my attention (tutorial for this coming shortly). The girls added in Pink China, white tissue poms and beautiful bunches of flowers ensuring every touch was baby-clock inducing lovely!

(Via Greylikesbaby)

blessings.

0 Comments

Guest post- goodbye Ruffles & Stuff

07.18.10 Posted in Momhood by Vicky

This post is especially sweet to me today. One of my favorite people in this huge blog world has come to share her summer inspirations. Disney has lead the way for so many of us in crafty inspiration this year. Saturday marked her last blog post, I am very honored to be sharing one tiny little extra from her heart and life with you today.

——–

I have to admit, when Victoria asked me to write up a post about what I love about summer, I thought: “This is going to be tough!” Summer is my least favorite of the seasons, mostly because I don’t like sweating, but it was really fun to sit down and think of the reasons why I do appreciate summer!

For one thing, I absolutely love the beaches of the East coast and the Northwest. I’ll take a sand dollar and a cool breeze over blazing hot white sand any day!

And, of course, something nautical to wear to them!

During the summertime, you will almost never see me without a huge glass of iced lemon tea. If I could hook myself up to an IV with this stuff I think I’d be truly happy:)

But my absolute favorite thing about summer is waking up at 5am to see bright sunlight, already lighting up the sky! Longer days are a definite blessing.

Disney, thanks so much for sharing your inspiration today & thank you for inspiring so many of us throughout your blogging tenure, we all wish you the best as you move on.

PS. In case you missed it a few wonderful Ruffles & Stuff party tutorials can be found here.

blessings.

2 Comments

Inspired by… simple parties

07.09.10 Posted in Momhood, inspiration by Vicky

Hard wired into my DNA is the desire to- Go. All. Out. for celebrations. You love me for that:) On the flip side it can also be nice to light a few candles, make a paper hat and sign a sweet melody… The End.

Simple paper cones and stapled tissue paper create the most adorably easy hats.

A few simple red balloons and ice cream served up nice and gooey leaves lasting memories for little boys.

A simple wooden table of treats is sometimes all you really need.

& the simplest of games can make everyone giddy- A wall full of balloons to pop with confetti and goodies inside.

blessings for summer’s simpleness.

3 Comments

Guest post- Summer party fashion

07.08.10 Posted in Momhood, inspiration by Vicky

Today I am thrilled to have my very sweet friend Chelsea here to post. She also happens to be the photographer behind many of the kiddos adorable baby photos. Fashion inspiration is her thing- I just adore checking out her very lovely looks- here are a few to inspire the inner party girl in you this summer:)

Summer party fashion inspiration:

To a summer BBQ- I am wearing…
Yellow Silk Tank: vintage thrifted¬¨‚Ä† Jacket: H&M,¬¨‚Ä† Shorts: Machine Jeans

To an afternoon garden party- I am wearing…
Purple Floral Tank: Elle for Khols¬¨‚Ä† Orange Skirt: vintage thrifted

To the kid next doors birthday party- I am wearing…
Orange Button Front Shirt: Banana Republic- thrifted¬¨‚Ä† Shorts: 1955 jeans-vintage thrifted

To a rooftop cocktail soiree- I¬¨‚Ä†am wearing…

Blazer: Kasper-vitage thrifted¬¨‚Ä† Tank: H&M¬¨‚Ä† Shorts: Old Navy Heels: Victoria Secret

Chelsea.

2 Comments

Garden flower stake tutorial

07.07.10 Posted in Momhood, Party, design by Vicky

Earlier today I shared with you Susan’s lovely garden party. One of my favorite handcrafted features was the handmade flower stake, filled with the most lovely simple bouquet stuck in the ground. Susan has been so sweet to share the tutorial for these stakes.

Make your own garden flower stakes:

These would be lovely placed around a summer evening BBQ or lined up down the aisles for an afternoon garden wedding. Super easy, simple & purely gorgeous.

Use a saw or knife to sharpen the end of your stake for easier entry into the ground.
With the sharpen part of your stake facing downwards, align your glass bottle along the top of the stake. Fasten the twine where you will begin attaching the bottle.

Loop the twine around the bottle 1-2 times then reverse directions and loop the twine around the stake.
Repeat until tightly fastened and tie a knot at the end.

Repeat the process with a second line of twine to secure.

Follow Susan’s husband, the handi-man behind this project- Stick firmly in the ground, fill with flowers, sit back in an old arm chair and enjoy!

blessings.

6 Comments

Handcrafted parties- A garden 1/2 birthday

07.07.10 Posted in Hand-Crafted Parties, Momhood, design by Vicky

When I saw these photos come in from Susan last week, I squealed with joy! A garden party for her sweet daughters 1/2 birthday. In the woods- filled with a complete dinning room set, beautiful flowers and 30 feet of hand sewn bunting. This soiree has instantly become one of my most favorite.

A garden party

In her own words: I wanted to create a beautiful and sweet party that resembled the sweetness and beauty of my daughter. I thank God for her!

For ambiance, I sectioned off a small cove in the woods near my home by using furniture (leather chair, armoire, farm house table, etc) to create a room of sorts. A room surrounded by lush green and lots of beautiful cut flowers in whites, pale pinks, and some purples. We also hung white paper lanterns in the trees, as well as a wire chandelier over the farm house table.

My husband made flower stakes to stick in the ground — he made the stakes with branches, glass milk jars, and twine. (Check back in just a bit for the DIY)

A lovely afternoon spent beneath handcrafted details, great food and one very sweet baby girl to dote over.

blessings.

6 Comments

Guest post- Summer parties

07.06.10 Posted in Momhood, inspiration by Vicky

Today, I am so thrilled to be introducing you to Melanie who blogs at You are my Fave. She is one of the most inspiring gals I have gotten to know. We both love parties, bunting & photo-booths which makes us totally connected in some other dimension:)

Summer Party Inspiration:

I love that there seems to be more spontaneous parties in the summer. I guess the outdoors lure us to throw down a well worn quilt, gather up some wildflowers, cut up some watermelon, pour the lemonade, and wear something linen.

Firefly watching and sparklers earn extra points. Hooray.

Melanie.

1 Comment

Guest post- sweet summer inspiration

07.05.10 Posted in Momhood, inspiration by Vicky

Today is my first day away for two weeks as I take a quick little vacation! I leave you in good hands though and am please to share my first guest- Rachel who not only runs a fabulous blog filled with pretty little things, but also has been a great encouragement to me.

A few favorite summer inspirations:

Blackberries are all over the pacific northwest and their arrival means summer is really here! Berry picking outings are planned, followed by evenings of baking and eating. Once the berries come in no summer gathering is complete without a blackberry pie, tart or cocktail. The next town over also has a blackberry festival in July. We always make the trip for a batch of fresh blackberry ice cream!

Simple summer tanks and dresses inspire me to craft colorful summer jewelry. I love to celebrate the season by creating giftable bangles for birthdays and graduations. It’s also so much fun to bead playful vacation jewelry while daydreaming about where you’ll be traveling!

Long summer days and warm nights inspires us to take day trips to neighboring cities and parks. We get up at 5am, drive three or four hours in any direction and find ourselves in a completely different climate. I love spending summer days in a different town. There are new restaurants to eat at, outdoor music to enjoy and the all-important after dinner summer stroll. Bonus if the stroll includes a bridge over the water!

Hugs. Rachel

4 Comments

Sneak Peak & a little time away

07.02.10 Posted in Momhood, inspiration by Vicky

This weekend I have two exciting events to produce and I am writing to you hopped up on strong coffee with lots of french vanilla. I look forward to sharing soon the projects I have been busy working on- involving these amazing vintage thread spools, plums and colorful monkey fists.

Vintage thread spools

Also, I will be taking a little blog break over the next two weeks. Partly to rest on vacation and partly to prepare for the launch of our site re-design- YAY!!! I trust you will forgive me for taking a short break and I sincerely hope you will enjoy what I have prepared for you over the next two weeks- a line up of amazing guests with fresh summer inspiration, a handful of gorgeous hand-crafted parties, and even a few little DIY’s.

Thanks so much for stopping here, reading and being a part of this with me.

I am blessed by you today!

PS. Just in case you need to know, HERE is a site I cannot seem to keep myself away from this week- every picture is pure celebration inspiration at its very best.

1 Comment

Hand-crafted parties, a little squirt

07.01.10 Posted in Hand-Crafted Parties, Momhood, design by Vicky

This post goes out in honor of a dear friend who is going to have a baby very soon in a foreign land. Love you Ashley and I wish we could throw you a rocking shower for baby #3.

A summer baby shower laden with homespun details from Eden Photography for a personal friend home from Russia for the birth of a baby. Her own little squirt-

The details of the day just scream summer sweetness. The entire shower was styled to make simple decor stunningly stand out. The focal point of the shower was a gorgeous vintage drink cart with cans of squirt, to celebrate the coming baby squirt! Pops of yellow announced the theme in the most subtle of ways.

The shower host said, If I could‚Äö?Ñ?¥ve gotten a picture of a mosquito, it would be the biggest picture, it and its friends just might‚Äö?Ñ?¥ve been a huge part of our night!

Thanks Bethy for sharing such a wonderful summer shower with us, even the mosquito nets lend to the loveliness of it all!

blessings.

Welcome. I'm Victoria- This is where I chronicle my inspirations, projects & designs for handcrafted celebrations. Check out all of the event designs & submit your own handcrafted bash to be featured here!