Luminary Giveaway

I am so excited to see all the new faces from the Blue Cricket Giveaway! Welcome, and I hope you stay for a while. Since Becca did such an amazing job organizing this huge giveaway, I thought it would be a great idea to continue the fun . . .

So, Illuminations Design Studio is planning our own little giveaway. Here is the plan - we are giving away TWO sets of luminaries worth $50 each. We will even include personalization with your monogram, photograph or favorite quote!

For those of you who are not familiar with wax luminaries they are hollow wax candles and burn with liquid votives (or LEDs.) They are great accessories to add ambiance to any room, without the worry of dripping wax!

Our wax luminaries are popular because they provide a lasting glow that creates a feeling of modern elegance or classic romance. Since they are hand made in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors, their uses are only limited by your imagination and creativity.

To enter the giveaway go to the blog link and sign-up to become a follower of Illuminations Design Studio Blog. It is that simple!! Also leave a comment on how you would incorporate them into your decor and how you would personalize it.

For additional entries please leave a comment for each additional entry but you must have done the FIRST entry requirement for any of this to count…

1. Blog about this giveaway and include a photo of the luminaries. Invite your readers to come and enter and leave a link back to this post. Make sure to leave a comment with a link back to your post!

2. Share about the giveaway on your facebook page and share the link!

*You must be a United States or Canadian resident and 18 years old to win!

The Giveaway will end in two weeks on September 1st, so good luck!

Love and Light,

Saneth

If you are interested and would like to purchase luminaries for your home, event or a gift feel free to contact us - saneth@illuminationsds.com.

Illuminations Design Studio is sponsoring this giveaway. We are boutique event, lifestyle and interior design company that specialize in creating unique and memorable spaces that leave a lasting impression. For more information please visit us at www.illuminationsds.com

Design Secret - Wall-Art Straight Pins!

I have to admit that I am totally on the band-wagon of gallery walls. Each gallery can be so unique and I think it is such a beautiful way to share memories. These gallery walls can also be a great focal area where you can inject a bit of your own personality into your home.

The only problem is how to keep all the frames straight and aligned. After dusting or when art is placed in high traffic areas it seems to be a constant chore to keep them straight. I have used Command Strips, but those can get pretty pricey if you have a ton of artwork or frames in your home and can be time consuming to apply.

So being an interior designer for the past ten years and an event stylist for the past two, I have hung my fair share of art and frames. I have also learned a few tricks-of-the-trade that I am surprised is not out in "blog-world" yet.

One of my favorite tricks to use when hanging art and frames are - Frame Straight Pins (a.k.a. Art Pins). They are little sticky-back pads with a single pin attached to it. These little pins are GREAT for straightening any wall art, and they are super easy to use.

I use to pick these up at my local frame shop, but recently found them at Michael's for $2.99. To be totally honest, I think it is a bit much for only 5 pins, but it is totally worth it if you are the tiniest bit OCD and like your wall art to hang straight!

This is what they look like up-close -

Another close-up of the pin (be careful these are sharp!) -

I have found that it is easiest to hang the art / frame first and then apply these to the bottom of the back while they are hanging on the wall. Simply pinch the pin part in between your fingers like this -

. . . then remove the little white paper exposing the sticky pad. Next place the sticky part to the back of the frame with the pin part facing towards the wall. It does not have to be perfect, just make sure the entire sticky part is behind the frame and not peeking out the bottom.

Once it is attached to the artwork / frame, place your level on the top of the art. When the artwork is straight push the pin into the drywall. It is important to push the pin in perpendicular to the wall and not at an angle. (If the pin bends, just try again with another one.)

Before -

After - Viola! It is super easy and will keep your art and picture frames nice and straight, without damaging your walls or frames!

I would love to hear your feedback and what you think about this little trick! If you would like to hear more styling tricks and design ideas make sure to subscribe to my blog.

Love and Light,

Saneth

Illuminations Design Studio - Where Bright Ideas come to Light!

Blue Cricket Design Giveaway . . . still time to enter!

There is still time to enter the fabulous giveaway at www.bluecricketdesign.net The BIG giveaway ends on Sunday! So make sure to check the website for details before then!

Blue Cricket Design Giveaway

Thanks to Becca from Blue Cricket Design for putting together an AMAZING giveaway worth over $3000. She is an amazing blogger sharing great ideas for diy projects, sewing, decor etc. to make your home a reflection of you. So make so to connect with her at - http://www.bluecricketdesign.net and join in on all the fun.

Christine Meintjes (Photographer)

I am not sure how I stumbled across her website and blog (www.christinemeintjes.co.za), but I know it was LOVE at first sight. Christine Meintjes is an amazing photographer based in South Africa (and travels world-wide) who specializes in weddings. Her images are captivating and you can see her attention to detail in every moment she captures!

Whenever I get a little homesick I visit her blog and can almost feel the South African sunshine and breeze of the Western Cape on my face. It is however her recent overseas travel to Germany and a wedding she photographed in small village just outside of Munich that made me want to jump on a plane and visit this gorgeous little place.

With my background in Interior Design and Architecture and a particular love for History & Nature she "had me at hello" with her first photo -

To be honest, I am a "details" girl myself and are fascinated by other cultures and in this particular instance how they celebrate their wedding day. So without further adieu . . .

Okay, besides the beautiful backdrop of buildings, landscape and architecture; the bride, flowers and decor were elegant, timeless yet understated . . .

I hope you enjoyed, but be sure to visit Christine's blog for the full post - www.christinemeintjes.co.za

Black, White and Pink Wedding Inspiration

Working on a fun wedding design for Monica and Zack's November wedding. Their wedding and reception will be at the beautiful Della Terra in Estes Park. We are incorporating natural elements like branches and candlelight into this contemporary color scheme of berry, black and white. Congrats to the lovely couple, and I am honored to be part of your special day.

Super Bowl XLV

At the request of the owners and event planners for the Dallas Cowboys, my luminary supplier custom designed the lighting and décor for the 2011 Super Bowl at Cowboys Stadium. Working with event designer (Joel D. Baker), the team created 36 tall candles that measured 5 feet tall and 15 inches in diameter. These were used for the high-profile VIP party at the stadium. At the private dinner for the owners of all the NFL teams, wax luminaries were provided to the floral design team at Alamo Plants & Petals to create beautiful floral arrangements which were placed throughout the room.

The designs were amazing and a job well done!

Inspiration Board - Blush Pink and Gold

Okay, this one is for the ladies. Sophistication to me is most often understated elegance. Not anything over the top. What an elegant bridal shower or ladies luncheon color scheme!

New Discovery - Japanese Masking Tape

I can honestly admit that I get a little OCD when I lose things! With that said, I also get SUPER excited when I find something I was looking for or something NEW! So here is my latest find -

Japanese Masking Tape!

It comes in so many colors, patterns and widths. My mind starts spinning on the endless possibilities of this sticky rolls of tape. Imagine decorating your own gift wrap, bags or boxes, or scrapbooking pages. Or creating stripes on the walls in different colors or a glass vase. I know these will end up on some luminaries in the near future. I even like the idea of a book wrapped in different colors. Hooray for masking tape!!

Make sure to check out happytape.com, or Etsy's - Pretty Tape for hundreds of options!

I would love to hear what you will do with it!

The Club at Pradera - Stylized Photo Shoot

The breathtaking backdrop for our photo shoot was The Club at Pradera in Parker, Colorado. I can't wait to go back - It is an event designers dream venue! Jensen Sutta Photography did a phenomenal job capturing the details and photographing this event for us.

I designed and created a monogrammed burlap table runner for the center of the table. It is one of those diy projects that can be customized for any wedding or dining table - and so easy to make. Who knew that stenciling will become part of my repertoire!

The design concept was all about contrast and I love the subtle touches, that made the overall design so beautiful.

These jute-twine wrapped wine bottles were another simple diy project. The collection of different shapes make a beautiful display and will also be a unique unity candle presentation for a wedding.

The various shapes and size luminaries added a soft glow to the fireplace mantel and tablescape.

This dessert display was SWEET! A variety of handmade Chocolate truffles, personalized chocolate bars, and brownie pops were by Sweet Nothings Chocolate Co. Yumm!

The Papery Willow designed and hand-crafted the custom stationary. The combinations of textured papers were gorgeous and each piece from the invitations to the place cards and menu cards were so unique.

It was truly a pleasure to work with Nicole Iverson from Swank Stems. She always has such a unique vision and her floral designs for this event were no exception. The six foot long centerpiece arrangement were structured around real grapevine branches. She also incorporated the most beautiful textures of flowers and foliage like Hydrangeas, Queen Anne's Lace, Succulents and Dusty Miller. Truly Exquisite!

. . . and then there was the cake! Talk about a piece of art! Intricate Icings designed it especially for our shoot. Rachael Teufel added the lace details and when I saw her unique vision for the cake, I knew I had to incorporate some antique crochet lace into some other design elements.

These soft Turkish shawls (by Splendor) added an elegant softness. Who knew a wood chair could look so sexy!

Make sure to check out the Illuminations Design Studio facebook page for more great photographs!

Here is a list of all the great vendors who participated -

Venue - The Club at Pradera

Photographer - Jensen Sutta Photography

Floral Design - Swank Stems

Shawls - Splendor for your Guest

Stationary - The Papery Willow

Chocolate - Sweet Nothings Chocolate Co.

Cake - Intricate Icings

Cinematographer - Denver Wedding Films.

Event Designer & Decor - (Me) Illuminations Design Studio

I would love to hear your thoughts. What are the design elements you like the most?