DIY Centerpieces

Weddings are expensive, which is all the more reason to do as much as you can on your own. My sister is getting married in May, and even though she lives in Florida, the land of flowers, her centerpieces are going to cost about $400. I can't imagine spending that much on cut flowers that will end up dead and unappreciated, so I wanted to share an alternative for those looking for "greener" (and cheaper) options.

Last summer, my friends Coleen and Beth had a commitment ceremony at the lovely Full Moon resort in the Catskills. Though most of the details were taken care of by the planners at the resort, the ladies came up with some great, living centerpieces on their own.

First, they found small metal containers at Ikea, and baby palms at Lowe's.

Because they chose very small plants and containers, the centerpieces were able to do double duty as take-home favors for the guests.

The addition of some inexpensive vases filled with river rocks and candles (all from Ikea) emphasized the peaceful, natural atmosphere of the resort.

If you want to be both greener (ecologically-speaking) and more colorful, consider using plants from your local NYC Greenmarket.

All in all, Beth tells me they spent about $120 on centerpieces/favors for fifty guests, which is reason enough to skip the flowers (no offense to my sister, whom I love and adore).

--Ashley
nycrochet.etsy.com
nycrochet.blogspot.com

Tip of The Day For Jewelry-Makers

I'm sure that many of you have invested once or more than once for the necessary pliers needed in many jewelry-making projects by buying them directly from a bead shop or a jewelry supply store, and I'm sure that you were many times disappointed with not only the price but the quality. However, there is an alternative. Kmart's tool center!

A couple weeks ago, I was looking around the Kmart aisles, and I came across a set of pliers, which, although do not look like the ones that one is taught to work on jewelry with, are excellent for wire-wrapping and such.

If you go to Kmart's online store, the product is called "COMPANION 4 pc. Mini Pliers Set" for $9.99. However, I was able to purchase the exact same set of pliers from Kmart a couple weeks ago directly from a Kmart shop for just over $7. So, I recommend that you purchase directly from a Kmart store instead of online, which also saves on shipping costs.

The cutter of the aforementioned set is amazing! It works so well.

One just needs to get over the fact that the tools are not of the same exact look as typical jewerly-making ones. The only type of plier that is not in that set is the long round nozzle one, for which I have not seen a version outside of jewelry supply shops yet, but I will keep my eyes open for it.

If you want to order the above mentioned plier set online from Kmart, just go to: http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/search_10151_10104?storeId=10151&catalogId=10104&keyword=pliers and select the "COMPANION 4 pc. Mini Pliers Set."

Not only are those above mentioned pliers CHEAPER than what jewelry supply places offer, but they WORK BETTER. I'm thrilled about how well they work, and it has cut some time out in terms of how long it takes me to wire-wrap a pair of earrings tightly closed.

In sum, I hope that this little tip proves to be helpful to many.

Best Regards to All!

Anna (a.k.a. Ania)
(of http://www.honorata.etsy.com/ and http://www.beryluniverse.etsy.com/ and http://www.ankasupplies.etsy.com/)