Sunrise Creations Blog

The shops are awash with red, white and pink. TV commercials are telling us to make it a gift ‘they’ll never forget’.  There’s a distinct increase in the availability of heart shaped chocolates.  It seems we must be getting close to Valentine’s Day!  Before you fall victim to the clichéd expressions of love for your special person, throw the commercialised expectations out the window and make your Valentine’s Day special according to your own personal relationship.

 

 

The definition of romantic in its simple elegance is the displaying or expressing of love or strong affection.  Nothing mentioned about hand delivered flowers, candlelit dinners or expensive jewellery.  While these things are lovely ways to express how you feel and will no doubt receive a warm welcome, you can have a truly romantic Valentine’s Day just by thinking about your own personal relationship; knowing your partner, what they love (besides you – of course) and expressing this understanding in a way that you know will connect and resonate with them.

As we know with any gift or gesture, it’s always the thought that counts.  True romance on Valentine’s Day is putting thought into your own individual relationship and doing something which you know is meaningful and personal to you both.  It can be as simple as taking them to their favourite place to tell them how you feel.  But we can’t tell you exactly what you need to do this Valentine’s Day – you already have the answer with you.  Just think about it.

Valentine’s Day is on the 14th February and this year falls on a Tuesday.

(Heart petal image by Jody Stuart)

This is a little different to my normal posts but it is so lovely that I wanted to share it with you.  This is a poem written to 'my child' and I'd like you to take a few minutes out of your busy day to read and think about it.

It arrived in my emails this morning, one of the many doing the rounds, but I felt this one was important to read.  It's the attitude shown in the poem that is the key to getting into your child's world and capturing it with your camera.

To My Child

Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and
 pick you up and take you to the park to play.

Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and l
 let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.

Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the
 computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.

Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine
 for the ice cream truck and I will buy you one if he comes by.

Just for this afternoon, I won’t worry about what you are going to be when you grow up,
or second guess every decision I have madewhere you are concerned.

Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I
 won’t stand over you trying to fix them.

Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald’s and buy us
 both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys.

Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a
 story about how you were born and how much I love you.

Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.

Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on
 the porch and count all the stars.

Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows. 

Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be
grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.

I will think about the mothers And fathers who are searching for
 their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting
 their children’s graves instead of their bedrooms, and mothers and
 fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer
 senselessly, and screaming inside that they can’t handle it anymore.

And when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a
 little longer. It is then, that I will thank God for you

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.

If you are looking for something a little bit different and a little bit special for your reception or party, why not put on a High Tea?

High Tea has a colourful history in English culture, firstly becoming popular with the working people in about the 1600’s. It was a more substantial meal than a simple cake or biscuits so it was often called “meat tea” and developed a mildly celebratory feel, as it was served at the end of the working day, shortly after 5pm.
These days, rather than the traditional heavy meat stews and vegetable dishes, High Tea has become a versatile and elegant step up from a simple afternoon tea for entertaining.

No longer limited to a few sandwiches and cakes, the spread can be as extensive and varied as you choose, with a delicious array of hors d'oeuvre and desserts, cocktail snacks and finger foods, all accompanied by traditional cups of tea.

Of course other beverages can also be served too, but tea is the essential ingredient of a High Tea.

This elegant presentation is from Amy Atlas Eventsand if you need inspiration you really need to visit her site and look at her blog.  Her work is stunning.
   
 

The atmosphere of a High Tea can be more relaxed than a formal dining setting, while still allowing for a sense of elegance.  You can choose to have a formal seating plan but the nature of the catering allows for more mingling between your guests as there are no set courses to be seated for at any particular time.
 
You might like to have your event catered for by caterers like Truffled Catering of Newcastle or restaurants that specialise in High Tea catering.

Specialist hire companies like Antiquitea can provide all of the gorgeous china tea cups and teapots and table ware that make a tea party feel so unique. They are the tea party consultants, and they even do all of the washing up.

High Tea can be an elegant and beautiful alternative to a traditional reception.  You might even find it more relaxin and enjoyable.

Aside from costing so much less than flowers and live plants, using branches and twigs to decorate a room or to make as a centerpiece is one of the easiest ways to add that rustic style and creative touch to any space. For weddings or events on a tight budget this is one way to decorate your reception in a unique way without blowing the budget.

Here are some creative ideas to inspire you.

To add some glamour and elegance to your centerpiece spray paint branches that still has leaves on them with gold paint. Then secure them on a piece of nice, clean block of wood to create your lovely table décor.

 

Create a branch and twig wall art to be placed on specific places on the walls of your reception venue. You can make it an abstract wall mount by framing it in wood or metal for added contrast. By weaving the branches in and out of the other twigs and branches you create art that’s uniquely yours. You can even thread in some large crystal beads in the branches for a touch of glam.

Create table centrepieces with small branches and decorate them with beads and crystals or even loop them with stain and sheer ribbons.

There are lots of things that you can do with simple bare branches.  On their own they have a clean architectural style to them but with added detail they can become elegant and sophisticated.

This is an instructional video that I found that will give you some more idea about how to use branches as a decorative statement.

 

 

How to make a dramatic arrangement with branches