Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well and had a pleasant last few days. I took an extended holiday vacation but am excited to be back into the swing of things again.

A few weeks ago, I took a free wedding decor class from my local Pottery Barn. A friend of mine was curious to check it out and I was equally as excited to see what they had to offer so I tagged along. The store had set up several beautiful tabletops as inspiration and a mini candy bar display. The class was brief but it was a great way to see how the simplest accessories could be used to make a stunning arrangement.

Marianne Graham of the Artful Posy, a local Seattle florist and event planner, was there as a guest speaker. She put the centerpieces together and shared some inspiring tips for how to begin the design process for a wedding. She strongly sugessted that if there is a particular flower that you’d like to incorporate into your event, that you try to schedule around the time when it’s in bloom. Though not impossible to get most flowers year round, a little foresight will save you tons of money in the long run. Another tip; ask your florist to recommend a similar flower to achieve the same look if the timing isn’t quite right.

The three tables were really stunning and my personal favorite was the rustic purple garden theme. Her mixed use of succulents, sweet pea flowers, mint and lavender was perfect! I loved the mini watering cans that could double as seating cards and the burlap table runner. The burlap table runner could be an easy DIY project like this one seen on Style Me Pretty. Above are a few pictures I was able to capture at the event but feel free to check out Marianne’s site or blog and check your local Pottery Barn for upcoming classes.

If you’re looking for that little detail to make your 4th of July event perfect, Martha Stewart obviously has you covered. The magazine has generated a ton of ideas over the years and here are a few of my favorites. All of them are just impeccably done and would make a fine addition to any party.

1.4th of July Invitations 2.Berry Cupcakes 3.American Flag Tart 4.Patriotic Ice Cream Wrapper 5.Stars & Stripes Paper Cones

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, holiday or not! I’ll be taking an extra few days to enjoy the long weekend with friends and family and I’ll see you back here next week. xoxo

I’m interrupting this weeks 4th of July theme to participate in the Pin It Forward series today. Pinterest and Victoria of SFGirlByBay have gathered various bloggers to share their Pinterest ”pinboards” on “What Home Means to Me”. Pinterest is a new, free online image bookmarking site where images can be viewed and shared by others.

Above are just a few of the images I’ve collected of homes that inspire me and if you’d like to see the rest of my pinboards than click here! Tomorrow I’ll be passing the Pin It Forward torch to Lissa Rowe of Spruce Décor so be sure to stop by and see what home means to her!