It used to be that I could paint anything white and it would fit my décor. My sister used to make fun of me for my tiny obsession. For any of you who watch the show Portlandlia, my obsession reminds me of the hilarious skit, “We put birds on things”. I’d find an old picture frame that didn’t quite fit in my room, so I’d paint it white; a cool vintage statue of an owl, I’d paint it white!

Now I’m obsessed with gold. I love the level of sophistication it can add to any setting, but paired with the right color, and only using a hint of it, it can still be playful and fun. So, this goes out to you, Susie (my sis). You’ll no longer here me talk about white! You can also see this post on Brooklyn Bride where I guest blog from time to time.

Tablescape on The Decorista | gold flatware from West Elm | Confetti System Streamers | Foil Stamped Invitations featured on The Sweetest Occasion | gold painted chair from Anthropologie | artwork of Martin Pfeifle | Streamers from Martha Stewart | wallpaper by Verde | DIY star drink sticks | gold painted branches at Martha Stewart | gold installation by Carmody Groarke

At LS we pull inspiration for our events from anything and everything, especially art. Martin Pfeifle’s commentary on space and color translate very easily into an event setting, if you look hard enough. I love the colored paper hanging from the ceiling as a potential backdrop or partition. And, I’m a big fan of this pink spacial field turning into a table with one huge hit of color.

I just couldn’t resist re-posting this diy idea from Hostess with the Mostess. They have such great diy projects. If you haven’t noticed, LS has a mini obsession over yarn. It’s so cheap and easy to work with. This tutorial of yarn craft brings me back to the yarn partition that we designed and built for our Vessels event.It also takes me back to more of our fabulous posts infusing yarn, including the Yarn Nest, Amanda McCavour’s Art, and our Cozies for the Urban Landscape post.

This is long overdue, but we’re finally posting about the alternative wedding event we were a part of in September: Tilt. This was the first Tilt event, catering toward the alternative bride and groom. We were so excited when Swarm Gallery (the hosting venue of the event) asked us to style and participate in it. What a fantastic venue for brides and grooms to take in the overwhelming job of searching for cool/alternative wedding knowledge.

Check out a video of Tilt by Oakland North as well as more info below on the styling of the event.

For the styling of Tilt, we were inspired by a simple, sophisticated and playful palette of colors and whimsical decor. We received generous contributions for floral arrangements (provided by Clementine in Rockridge), calligraphy from Megan Cott, Air Plants for boutonnieres and decor from Air Plant Supply Co., furniture from Mignonne Decor, and decorated with these incredibly large and lofty balloons to make the space simply amazing.

Photos // Bliss Fotography or Local Social

We had so much fun coming up with creative ideas with Svea from Swarm, including a cake cutting from The Whole Cake, a casual fashion show from creations by Cara Borja, DJ’s and dancing by various artists including the group pictured below, The Solace Trio as well as DJ Extra Lars, Alex Jacobs and Tiny Home, a photo booth hosted by Magnolia Photo Booth Co., and food vendors both inside and out!

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Last week marked my first guest blogging experience with Brooklyn Bride! I had a lot of fun picking inspiration for the site. My inspiration this week was on the color Coral. I’m kind of in love with this color. The best part is, depending on what colors it is paired with, it can transcend all seasons. Look for more of my upcoming guest posts on my inspiration at Brooklyn Bride or right here at Local Social.

1. Interior by Herzog & Meuron’s | 2. Shades by Group8 | 3. beach wedding via StyleMePretty | 4. Invitation by Be True Designs | 5. Bird Confetti from BHLDN | 6. cake and coral fringe via 100LayerCake | 7. Coral House by Group8

In preparation for Tilt, the wedding event that we styled and participated in a few weeks ago, we designed and made some boutineers for our guests. It’s super simple and a great way to personalize your wedding attire.

Step 1
Begin by collecting your materials. You’ll need flowers (duh), ribbon or fabric, flower tape, wire and wire cutters. We chose to work with air plants with some accent flowers. The air plants were generously supplied by Air Supply Plant Co..

Step 2
Take a wire and poke it through your air plant, bend it halfway and cut it about 2.5 inches down.

Step 3 Arrange your other flowers next to your air plant. Begin by tapping off the flowers from the top down. At this point, you can choose to put a piece of vintage fabric or ribbon on top by wrapping it around and pinning it to secure it.

Voila!

Garland has come back around in a big way at weddings and events. But instead of those paper strips that made up the bulk of my childhood birthday party decor, people are now coming up with inventive ways to recreate mood by using ribbon, fabric, string, etc. Recently, we participated in and styled the Tilt wedding fair at Swarm Gallery. In preparation for our own booth we chronicled the making of some garland that you can design and make all on your own. Stay tuned for photos of the event to come!

Step One: Find a variation of 5-7 different types of fabrics with color palettes that compliment your event or each other. I chose to do a mix of vintage fabrics with some neutral white.

Step Two: Cut up your fabric into 1-2 inch strips. I chose to make ours as long as 3.5 feet each. You may opt for shorter or longer sections depending on coverage of the space.

Step Three: Sew or glue your strips together. Because we were crunched for time, I glues my pieces together with fabric glue. Quick, easy and seamless! As a side note: we obviously enjoyed the rough edge of our fabric for the finished product, but you can always buy some fraying glue at a fabric or craft store.

Step Four: Hang up and enjoy.

At Local Social, we are big on designing a signature cocktail for every party we create (designed by our LS mixology guru Marjan). Something about having a specially made drink for your guests really says you went the extra mile to make their time special (and delicious!). Bon Appetite has done a great job on their site of telling you exactly how you can make your own event stand out with killer cocktail recipes and interesting features (like how to make your own ice specific to each drink).

I’m in love with the cool clean classic graphics and photography, as well as the classic choices of videos and yummy concoctions. Take a look and find a way to spruce up your next party.

Bon Appetite also includes informative videos on the proper way to mix your favorite drink. In this case, we’ve included a link for a manhattan. Enjoy.

For more interesting resources for drinks, check out The Art of the Bar and the web site Liqurious.

* look for a post on Marjan and his amazing drinks soon on our blog!

This adorable baby shower was put together by the writer of the Oscar and Emma Blog. We love the muted color palette and simple yet elegant and playful decor. The handmade paper rosettes are so cute. Great job Karly!

Get ready Bay Area brides and grooms, we’ve got an event to jump start those wedding plans. Once again we’re teaming up with Svea over at Swarm Gallery as well as event planner Erica Ota from Pretty Perfect Events to plan the first bay area boutique wedding fair, Tilt. Designed to be more of a party than a typical fair, TILT is a culmination of a treasure hunt for artful and unique businesses – both from the wedding industry, and sometime providers to offer couples the experience of possibility.

Photos (clockwise) // Air Plant Supply Co. / The Whole Cake / Swarm Gallery shoot for Martha Stewart + Styling: Enjoy Events Co. + Photography: Kate Harrison / Tamra-Marie Artistry

TILT definitely promises to be the alternative wedding event and a breath of fresh air in the highly commercialized marketplace. We’ll have wedding day wares and fashion pieces from Cari Borja, DJ Extra Lars, food trucks and snow cones, raffles and many more surprises throughout the afternoon. All of this in order to provide inspiration for your special day.

The event will take place at Swarm Gallery, 560 2nd St, Oakland, 94607 on Sunday September 25th from 12 to 4pm. Purchase advance tickets through Brown Paper Tickets for $15 / At the door $20. More information can be found at www.tiltweddingfair.com.

TILT SPONSORS:
The Whole Cake
7×7 Magazine
East Bay Express
Local Social
Good Citizen Brands
Bliss Fotography
Napa Valley Linens
Air Plant Supply Co.

EXHIBITORS
(Please check the Tilt web site for a complete list!)
Pretty Perfect Events
Local Social
Bliss Fotography
Nancy Rothstein Photography
Magnolia Photo Booth Co.
Tamra-Marie Artistry
Cari Borja Clothesmaker
O’Lover Hats
The Whole Cake
Paulding & Company, a Creative Kitchen
The Vegetarian Gourmet
Ninkasi Brewing Company
The Card Lady
Napa Valley Linens
Air Plant Supply Co.
Eat Le Truc
Skylite Snowballs
Learn with Lynn Dance

Live music with…
DJ Extra Lars
Solace Trio
Alex Andrey and Himiko
Tiny Home