Not All Who Wander Are Lost

I’m a reader, a bit of a writer, a huge travel junkie and I like to think of myself as a free spirit. I’m certainly a day-dreamer and a fanatical romantic to my very core (wedding planning was quite possibly designed specifically for moi.) This impromptu personal profile does actually have a point. Here it is:

I want to design and execute a funky, bohemian, GYPSY- inspired wedding. I don’t mean an actual Gypsy/Traveler wedding a la TLC…

>>Though, do not get me wrong, I’d LOVE to participate in one of those too. Just to say I did. I also have mad respect for their, and ANY, culture. <<

…But a celebration based on romanticized visions of gypsy caravans of old. The kind I’ve read about in my books. The kind that do not, and probably never did, exist. Sure, this style has been done, but I want to do it again. So shoot me.

It may just come from my intense love of Moulin Rouge and its "Bohemian Revolution." Or just my intense love of Ewan McGregor (NAME DROP--- I saw him perform live {in the flesh} while I lived in London. He was a splendid Iago in the West End production of Othello. I was literally like 10 feet away from him. DROOL.) Who knows? Maybe I just have a gypsy soul.

In conclusion, I dare {make that a triple dog dare} someone to step forward and let me have my way with their gypsy/bohemian/romantic soiree.

Use this as inspiration: (From the film Moulin Rouge)

 Christian: I can't write for the Moulin Rouge.
Toulouse-Lautrec: But why not?
Christian: I'm not even sure I am a real bohemian revolutionary!
Toulouse-Lautrec: What? Don't you believe in freedom?
Christian: Well, of course I do...
Toulouse-Lautrec: Beauty?
Christian: Yes.
Toulouse-Lautrec: Truth?
Christian:: Yes.
Toulouse-Lautrec: Love?
Christian: Love? Above all things I believe in love! Love is like oxygen. Love is a many-splendored thing, love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love!
Toulouse-Lautrec: See? You can't fool us! We're The Children of the Revolution, we can't be fooled!

 And here is MY inspiration.

My Big Bohemian Gypsy Wedding

1. Dreamy Swing
2. Cozy Caravan Interior
3. Gypsy dress
4. Just Pretty
5. Wedding Gown
6. Gypsy Shawl
7. Wicked Headpiece
8. Wispy Streamers
9. Inviting

Cheers!

Melissa

DIY Ombre Napkins

First DIY post of the… EVER! NOLA BASH designed a Greek Island inspired table-scape for the upcoming spring issue of New Orleans Weddings Magazine. And it was SO MUCH FUN. Checkhere for a peek.

I cannot reveal much about the shoot, for obvious reasons, and because I am as eager to see the whole spread as every reader should be, but I can share with you a little décor project that I completed to complement the Greek “look.”

Ombre napkins! I hope y’all are as excited as I am about these…

When we chose the Greek Islands for our theme, the very first inspiration that came to my mind was the movie Troy. It’s one of my absolute favs and triggered design ideas not just because Brad Pitt is pure shirtless H-E-A-V-E-N for the whole 163 minutes, but because I swear by all that’s holy that one of the women in the movie wears a dip-dyed dress. I can’t for the life of me remember who it was or offer you proof- but either in my mind or in reality, Diane Kruger donned a dip-dyed dress. At any rate, I made ombre napkins, and here they are:

And here's how I made 'em:

I actually used solid white bandanas from the craft store, as I could not find actual napkins with the texture I wanted. So their functionality is questionable, but they looked simply divine! On to the process. I washed and line dried the bandanas like so: (please excuse the dead garden in this and any other photographs to follow.)

An artsier shot of a drying bandana: (thanks Instagram)

I mixed up some Rit dye in Royal blue and teal with hot water:

In picke jars:

Kept adding dye until I got the colors I wanted (tested my chemistry with paper towels):

Folded the clean, dry napkins (in the manner they would be displayed on the table) and dipped them first in to the lighter teal color:

Then in to the darker blue, allowing the dye to reach just below the line of the teal:

Back to the clothesline for drying:

A close up so you can see the color variation and how the dye wicks up the fabric:

And aside from one minor chip, my freshly-Butter Cheeky Chops-painted nails suffered little damage and there was nary a blue-dyed finger in sight:

The End.

The whole process (after the initial washing and drying) took only about 20 minutes. It was super easy and the results were impressive, if I do say so myself. I can't wait to unveil the entire table-scape in due time. I apologize for there not being super detailed photos of each and every step, as are evident in most DIY blogs. However, in my defense, this is my very first DIY post and I'm sure to improve with time. I hope y'all try it out and have as much fun with it as I did!

Cheers.

Melissa

Bienvenue.Benvenuto.Bienvenida.Willkommen.

Welcome one and all to the newest member of our NOLA BASH family—this little blog. I wanted to get this up before the New Year or very soon after, as one of my resolutions (both professionally and personally) is to blog more, but 2012 has gone off with a bang and has kept booming. Busy is an understatement. At any rate, here she is and here she’ll stay. Hopefully, this Web print stream of consciousness will help you get to know us and what we do.

I plan on sharing about all things event-related, no matter how obscure that relationship may be. Beware, I tend to be rather sporadic and so will be this blog. I also want to post glimpses of our completed events, DIY projects that go in to much of our décor, and simply the life and times of NOLA BASH.

Make yourself comfortable here. Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Add us to your reader, if you don’t mind, and invite your friends to do the same. And, as always, thank you so very much. Thank you for reading this and for supporting us!
Cheers.

Melissa

The "us" "we" and "our" I will constantly refer to.

The heart and soul of NOLA BASH.

Danielle and Melissa.