Wedding DIY Paper Flower Backdrop & it's Sale-a-bration Time!

Phew  -- what a few weeks it has been.  I've been MIA from my blog and it's good to be back.  What have I been up to?  Well, there was Christmas then straight into wedding prep.  My niece asked my sisters and I to help with centerpieces and some decor for her January 7 wedding.  She had a clear idea of what she wanted for the tables.  We showed her a paper flower backdrop and she LOVED it.  It is a project that I've wanted to do for sometime -- this was THE time to do it.  Here it is before we moved it to the venue.  Read to the bottom for some Stampin' Up! new catalog info!

I purchased some patterns on Etsy and decided on the paper.  One of my favorite papers is the Shimmery White Card Stock.  I would have loved to use that but I wanted a text weight and a variety of whites so I went on a search to find something similar.  I found Curious Metallic Cryogen White, and 2 Stardream Metallics -- Crystal and Opal.  All in an 80# or 81# text weight.  The crystal is white, the cryogen white is just a bit creamy, the opal should be called champagne! I purchased them all from Paper-Papers.  I will say that I experimented with inexpensive bond paper in the heaviest weight I could find and I was pleased with the look, but I really wanted the shimmer.

Here is how we put it all together.  My brother (father of the bride) made the frames -- we gave him the size (3 sections 8' tall x 30" each) and he did a beautiful job.  We covered them with an inexpensive fabric.

We stretched it as tight as possible and stapled the fabric to the frame.

Mitered the corners as neatly as possible

3 panels covered -- they were so beautiful we thought they were gorgeous on their own!

But we had many many paper flowers so we started by adding the largest then added medium then small and finally fit some more small filler flowers in the places we felt the hole was too big.  We attached the flowers with industrial strength velcro.  It worked perfectly but you do need to really burnish the part to the fabric or it wants to fall off.  Also, we put the velcro in the middle of the flower -- works great when the panels are laying flat, but stand them up right and the flowers droop, so if you do this put the velcro at the top of the flower.

Here it is again before it was transported to the venue.  My brother built a frame with slots to put in a uHaul to transport it safely from Portland to Salem.

Once at the venue we used two of the panels on either side of the podium where the bride and groom would be standing.  It was a little short so we made a makeshift stand with bins the plates arrived in and extra tablecloths and we thought it looked even better.  (There were some flowers scattered at the bottom, but they had yet to be placed in this photo)

Here is a picture of the centerpieces we did.  The greens and twigs were all gathered from our family homes by my nephews.  Added pinecones candles in clear vases and a couple of paper flowers with navy pom pom centers.  All that was layered over a simple brown paper runner.  We did about 40 of these tables!

In another area we hung these simple canvas frames with paper flowers and some flat back pearls glued on.  I think the canvases are 16x20.  I love the elegant simplicity of these.

We made 5 of these "chandeliers" -- inexpensive wreath frames covered with boxwood.  We hung crystals from wire that was added to the wreath frame in a grid pattern.  Hung them with satin ribbon in the corner where the buffet was set up.

Not sure if you can see the twig tree with crystals hanging from it but it was a last minute thought to make.  This also shows the 3rd panel that stood between the gift table and the seat assignment table til the ceremony was over.

And here is the beautiful bride and handsome bridegroom.  They loved the flower wall and that made me happiest.

We have been asked "how long did it take".  We didn't keep track, but it was countless hours.  We had a cutting party before Christmas.  My sister and I each made some smaller flowers before Christmas.  Then starting New Years Day we really buckled down.  My dad and mom cut flowers, my sister's DIL helped a lot, my brother cut flowers.  While cutting was going on some of us started putting them together.  We made some beautiful centers -- pearls, tulle, satin tiny paper flowers attached with pearl head pins.  I failed to take pictures of those centers but you might be able to seem some in this photo.

Perhaps we could have done it if the 3 of us had worked for a week and did nothing else but sleep and eat a quick bite.

We were also asked if we would loan/rent the wall out.  No -- I am taking a panel to Idaho, one sister is taking one to Canada, and the 3rd will stay with my niece.  I think I'll hang mine horizonally on a wall, or maybe lean it against a wall.  Sadly it is staying with my brother for now.  My husband and I had to rush home -- snow and ice were closing the roads between Portland and Boise. We hoped to make it through, but the highway closed.  We took a long treacherous detour, making it home safe and sound at 3 am -- normally an easy 7 hour trip took us 13 hours.

So, that's what I've been up to.  I'm hoping to get back in the swing of stamping.  THERE IS A NEW OCCASIONS CATALOG and it's Sale-a-bration time so it's the best time to shop.  You get to choose a free item from the Sale-a-bration catalog with every $50 product purchase, nope, there is NO limit on the number of free things you can get. 

Shop from my online store from the cozy comfort of your home and be sure to use Host Code TXXBGCTR.

Thanks for looking!

Debbie