Sunrise Creations Blog

After my last post I thought I'd share some of my favourite family photos with you.  I love these.  They were taken by my son Liam.  We set up a little tripod for him and let him loose with a camera.  He directed us for every photo so the results are the ones he was after.

If you look carefully you will see that the photos are taken quite low down at Liam's eye level.  If you look closely you can see the door knob showing above my husband's head. 

We had a great time clowning around and the photos have turned out brilliantly.

Why not try this with your children?  The photos are something we will keep forever.  Despite our lovely faces!!

The focus of any dessert table is the centrepiece and more often than not, it’s a floral arrangement.   While they are beautiful to look at, they aren’t the only type of centrepiece you could choose.  I like the different and the unusual but I also like the practical, too.  That’s why the idea of edible centrepieces appeals to me so much.  They can be pretty or they can be totally wild but they are always tasty.

Fruit Bouquets

I love the look of these colourful and fresh fruit bouquets, don’t you?  They would be suitable for parties for children or adults.  In fact, it might encourage some children to try fruit they would never normally eat.  These arrangements are by Edible Blooms.

Chocolate Centrepieces

How could you go past a chocolate sculpture?  Isn’t this creation amazing?  It’s all chocolate and was created by Sisko Chocolate.  It’s elegant and textural and totally, eye-catchingly unique.  Please go to Sisko and look at their work.  It's divine.  Have a look at the wall of chocolate butterflies.  Incredible.

Macaroon Marvels

At first glance you wouldn’t realise that these displays were made of macaroons and cookies, would you?  These delicious looking arrangements use flowers as an added decoration.  (Perhaps the disguise makes them safe from little fingers for just that bit longer!)   These designs were made by Cookie Couture.

Cheese Cakes

Yes, these really are cakes of cheese – wheels, to be precise.  If you don’t have a sweet tooth, you might prefer an elegant arrangement like these ones from Wheely Cheesy Cakes.  They don’t look like wheels of cheese, do they?  What a pretty way to decorate your table.

There are lots of other styles of centrepiece you could use.  Don’t stick to the usual floral arrangements.  Add some interest and then eat it up. 

There is nothing like receiving an extraordinary envelope in the letter box, knowing that it will be something exciting and fun and not a request for money.

In today’s modern and more relaxed times engaged couples are less hesitant to let their personalities and love of life shine through, and this starts with the invitation to your special day.  This is a teaser of the theme and should reflect the mood you hope to create.

Gone are the days when wedding invitations were white, ivory, ecru, cream, alabaster etc. You get the message! Weddings and therefore invitations tended to be formal and traditional. Not anymore!  You are restricted only by your imagination, and wedding invitations can be any colour of the rainbow to tie in with your personal theme, the colour of the attendants, or even the season or the location.  Gold and Silver are always in fashion, and can be combined with just about any colour you like.

For example, show your love of the orient by selecting an oriental inspired invitation and then follow the theme with your catering, decoration and even your choice of wedding gown.

Wording and font is another design feature that allows couples to individualise, moving away from traditional phrasing. Invitations often come from the couple themselves, instead of the parents as was the case in a generation or so ago.

The ultimate personalisation is the inclusion of photographs. Maybe you invested time and money in your engagement photos, or you want another excuse for a casual photo shoot to record the early days of your relationship.  Using these special images in your wedding invitation is a special touch.

The trend is to individualism with the creation of unique and very personalised wedding invitations and stationery.  It makes your special day even more perfect because your personality shines through every part of the day.

Nothing can beat the feeling of quality paper between your fingers, and the anticipation created by pinning a gorgeous invitation to your fridge for 6 weeks.  Everyone loves a wedding!

Gone are the days of equating the word ‘party’ with garbage bins full of throw away plastic and paper rubbish at clean up time. These days when we celebrate many of us want to know that the environment isn’t going to suffer unnecessarily just so that we can have a good time.

Consider using washable and re-usable cutlery, crockery or plastic plates, table cloths and serviettes, perhaps providing only finger foods on washable platters or even cutting banana leaves into different shapes for use as individual plates.

There are many different options available for disposable party products that have been made from recycled materials such as the bamboo range from An Eco Dream .  No one wants to wash the dishes after a party and these product free you from the sink without harming the environment.  There are so many other fun ways to achieve a unique party experience without having a negative impact on the environment.

 

Make a list of items you need for your party, starting from your invitations and working your way through to pack-up time and find a fun and environmentally friendly alternative for each one.

Electronic invitations are onet way to remove paper from the invitation equation and for informal occasions they are great.  For something important, though, I still love real, paper, personalised invitations.  There is nothing like them.  If you are choosing paper invitations, make them personal and include a photo so that they become a keepsake. 

A great alternative to balloons can be paper lanterns and other decorations made from recycled paper and cardboard and materials from your garden. Decking your halls with garlands, vines, grasses and flowers gives a stunning effect in place of streamers.

Catering with organic, natural and healthy foods is not only fun and much easier these days with the ready
availability of natural food colours and dyes, you are less likely to end up with a group of manic children and you can relax, knowing that they are enjoying party food that is actually good for them too.

With a little bit of planning you can still put on just about any kind of party and give it a few eco friendly tweaks so that it sits comfortably with your own sense of environmental responsibility.

(image by Aneta Blaszczyk)

Bonbonniere are the little gifts or keepsakes you get at a wedding as a token of appreciation from the bride and groom.  Whilst they are tradition in Italy, they have become more and more popular in Australia as well over recent times.

Traditional bonbonniere contained a tulle bag holding five white sugared almonds, each almond representing health, wealth, happiness, fertility and long life.  Attached is usually a card with the date of the wedding and names of the bride and groom.

In more recent times bomboniere have taken many different forms and really creativity and imagination are the only things between you and amazing bonbonniere. 

Whilst most Australians associate bonbonniere with weddings, traditionally they are used as guest gifts for any special occasion such as engagement, anniversary, christening, communion or confirmation.

A quick google search will show you just how many options there are for bonbonniere.  You can choose from traditional or create little handmade gifts such as candles, bath salts, chocolates, cookies and more.  You could find something quirky that really represents your personality. If you are a coffee lover you could use little jars or sachets of special coffee.  You could frame the name at each seat so the frame becomes the gift while it fills a functional role at the reception.  You could use candles or plants or CD's filled with photos and your wedding vows. It's really up to you.

Use your imagination when it comes to packaging your items and tie the colours in with your wedding theme. When creating packaging make sure it can withstand being moved around and placed in handbags etc.  Noodle boxes are a definite favourite when it comes to bonbonniere packaging.  Always be sure to include a thank you message for your guests.

A relatively new bonbonniere concept is to have gingerbread cookies made with guests individual names included. These are used as place cards for the tables and then double as the bonbonniere. 

There really is no limit as to how creative you can be with your bonbonniere but keeping it tasteful is always best.

Let your creativity shine and make your thank you gift one to remember.

Every girl deserves a girls night out every now and then (or more often for the lucky ones).  Whilst going to the movies with your girlfriends or catching up for coffee and cake is always fun to do, why not create a girls night out with a difference and really show your friends what it’s like to have a girls night out?

Start by making sure everyone is available on a particular date but don’t let them in on what is happening.  Just tell them that they need to keep the date free.   Decide what you want to do for your special girls night out.  You could have a cocktail party at a local bar, a pamper party at a local beauty parlour or even a progressive dinner where you attend one restaurant for entrée, one for main and another for dessert and coffee.  Cost out the evening to ensure it is affordable for everyone.

Have a look at our range of party invitations.  We can create some stunning invitations using photos of your girlfriends on previous get togethers. Why not make it a formal style invitation to give your evening a little bit extra glamour?  Be sure to include the time, date, place and any special requirements the guests will need.  For some extra special pampering you could hire a limousine and arrange for everyone to meet at one location where the limousine will pick you up.  Be sure to include the cost of the night out in your invitations unless you are feeling extremely generous. 

If you have girls attending who don’t know each other, think about creating some tasteful name tags for the girls to wear or you could just create some fun ones that say you are on a girls night out so beware! 

The limit to how much fun you have depends on how much you enjoy organising surprise events where everyone gets to enjoy a night of friendship and fun.

Make your girls night out something to remember and don’t forget to take the camera with you – there are sure to be shots you don’t want to miss.

If you are like most people, you have taken thousands of photographs over the years but never found the time to do anything with them. 

How about this for an idea?  A fantastic way to display your photos and also create a focal point in your home is to create a wall of frames.  The frames don’t need to match; they don’t even need to be made from the same materials.  In fact, the more creative you are with the frames the better the finished project.

There is no need to rush out and purchase dozens of frames.  Take your time to think about what you want the wall to look like then begin your search for frames.  Visit opportunity shops, second hand stores, markets, discount stores and department stores to build up your collection.  In addition to buying frames you could make some yourself from sturdy cardboard. Use varying colours and layers to create eye-catching frames by cutting the sizes varying sizes larger than your image and layering the board before adding the image.

If you are feeling really creative you could scrapbook style the frames adding embellishments, paint, fabric and anything else that catches your eye.

Your imagination is the only thing you really need to get started on this project and before you know it you will have an amazing focal point that will not only bring back amazing memories but also help you to share your stories with friends and family when they visit.

(iimage from B.Splendid which has some lovely examples of grouped framings to look at.)

Today I thought we might have a little bit of fun.  Do you remember doing those puzzles that test your powers of observation by asking you to identify the differences between two images?  I used to love those and I believe that they helped me improve my powers of observation and that has helped me with my photography and design.  It also helps immensely when you are putting together a special event.  That's how you'll see what works and what doesn't.

So, how well do you pay attention?

There are 5 differences between these two images.  Can you find them all?  You'll have to look carefully!   Leave your answer as a comment.  

Good luck!

Check in tomorrow for the answers.

One of our favourite things to do is create children's birthday invitations.

It seems to release a special form of creativity in us. Perhaps we are influenced by the innocence shining out of those little faces.

Kids birthday invitations need to be special and look special because they ARE special.  You've probably kept all the special cards from your child's 1st birthday and on through the years.  They are something to treasure, aren't they?

Have a look at these cute birthday invitations.

How well they show the personality of the children and that makes them special and memorable. 

We personalise the colours and wording to suit every photo that comes in.  That's how we help capture the personality of your child. 

Don't just buy those mass produced birthday cards when the occasion is so very special.  Ask us work with you to create something that you will keep forever.

Candles are a wonderful decorating item.  They create a mood in a way that nothing else can match.  The ambience of a single candle sets the scene for a special occasion, doesn’t it?

The great thing is that candles are very affordable and make a great budget alternative to showy lighting while creating a mood that no lighting can match.

This ‘personality’ has made the candle a popular decorating tool for weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries. The dilemma is how to make it fit a theme or make it more unique and personalized. The answer?  By simply decorating a plain, store-bought votive candle with something that strikes your fancy, or matches the theme of the wedding, birthday, anniversary party you are attending.

One of the things you can do with a plain candle is to decorate it with fancy ribbons and beads. This is best for large candles as you’d have more space to tie a big bow and accent it with a string of beads. You can also glue some dried flowers around the candle to give it that dainty, elegant look.

For candles that come in a boring glass or tin container, you can turn it into a “wow” item by simply applying decoupage glue and covering it with a nice gift wrapper or strips of decorative paper and letting it dry.

Don’t forget that candles need to sit on some sort of holder or base.  You might choose to leave the candle perfectly plain and create an ornate base of flowers, greenery or even strings of shiny beads.  Sit smaller candles in a bed of sand and seashells or line them up in a row on a plain board.  The purity of the flame is often decoration enough.

Don’t forget that by adding things to the candles you will need to watch them carefully as they burn.  Try to select non-flammable decorations where possible.

Candles are beautiful when lit - decorated or not.  If your budget won't allow you to decorate them, don't worry.  Their purity will look stunning on the night.