First off… I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I have been busy starting my Holiday decorating and can’t wait to share some pics with you. I’ve tried some new tricks this year and I have to say I am quite delighted ;).

Some of you may have seen my thank you tweet to Patricia over at The Bride Counsel last Wednesday… but since it was the day before Thanksgiving and I might have missed a few of you, I wanted to share her post about our DIY date.

The Bride Counsel is a beautifully styled and photographed blog about all things wedding (food, craft, decor, art, etc.). It’s gorgeous… and so is Patricia! I was honored to be a part of it and we hope to collaborate again in the near future. But before we do… take a look at the recreation of my bridal shower parasol bouquet… with a little bit of Fall flava’… (and check back at TBC for fantastic interviews and party planning ideas!)…

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DIY: PARASOLS TO PRETTY UP YOUR TABLESCAPE

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A good, honest DIY is one that stays true to character — you can really do it yourself without breaking an arm or the bank. After I posted this bridal shower and saw the parasol that Dee had made for her tablescape, I thought hey, we have to make this together — so we did! Dee and I spent part of an afternoon in her gorgeous home with fall-toned flowers and fun peppers for this easy peasy, pretty, and versatile DIY parasol. I’m so excited to share the tutorial with you because not only are they great for weddings, but the holidays are rolling in and they’d make great additions to any party.

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Parasols have made their way into wedding decor for a long time and to be honest, they can be a hit or miss. When done well, they can add fantastic character for pictures or provide a subtle, more cohesive way for guests to find shade during outdoor ceremonies. Otherwise, well, we can talk parasols-gone-wrong some other day. But how spunky is this??

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This DIY parasol isn’t one that you or any guest will be carrying, but it’ll make a huge statement on any of the many tables you’ll have on the big day: the spa water table, guest table number table, dessert table, you name it! Start with 3 essentials …

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shop these: parasol | glue gun | curly willow (at any nearby flower shop)

…then add a mix of any flower arrangement you’d like. We used a blend of four different flowers plus some orange chili peppers for a fun pop(!), but the best part about this project is that you can play around with all kinds of colors and textures to suit your needs. Weddings of any season, Thanksgiving, Christmas — it’s yours to make!

DIY Parasol Tutorial

(1) Open your parasol and set it on the ground with the fabric side facing you. This will be your workspace. Plug your glue gun into a socket close to you and be careful! The tip will be hot.

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(2) Take out the curly willow and look for pieces that have nice bends and creases. These will help create shape and depth to the base of your design. Don’t shy away from imperfections!

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(3) Place the base of the curly willow against the middle nub of the parasol and get a good gauge of how much you’ll need to cut. You should allow yourself enough room so that the branches stick out a few inches from the edge of the parasol.

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(4) Take your hot glue gun and squeeze a generous amount of glue on the parasol, just around the nub. Immediately fasten your curly willow stem and hold for about a minute. Don’t worry about extra glue showing — they’ll be covered by flowers in no time. Repeat steps (3) and (4) until you have about 5 or 6 stems glued on the parasol. Take them in different directions for a good balance.

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(5) Unwrap your flowers. Take each stem or bundle and begin weaving them through the curly willow base. The curly willow will fasten the stems of the flowers as you weave them together. This is the fun and creative part! No need to follow a formal recipe — the process is free form and you should add colors that feel right to you.