Ombre Sprinkles Cake

We've been going ombre mad over on our wedding blog - a beautiful trend of graduated colour. But this amazing birthday cake stopped us in our tracks and we had to share. From Raspberri Cupcakes, there is a recipe and step by step so you can give it a go at your next party! Or how about layers of red sponge and green sprinkles for a fun Christmas cake this year?!

ombré cakes

To finish the month off, lets take a look at what really started the ombré trend - cakes! There are two ways to get an ombre effect cake, with a gradual change in icing colour, or surprise your guests with layers of different coloured sponge inside.

From the top: A delicious yellow buttercream cake, accented with cascading fondant ribbons by Sugar Bee Sweets via Southern Weddings. Bands of pink ombre by Cake Croquette. M&M covered cake via Martha Stewart. Another Martha masterpiece in pinks and cream. Cake by Maggie Austin. Ruffles of pink icing by Lulu Scarsdale. A floral top with layers of purple underneath, by Maggie Austin. Turquoise ribbons for the top by Bobbette and Belle. Blue buttercream via pinterest.

If you would like to try your hand at making your own ombre icing, Glorious Treats has a great step by step to follow to make a fabulous pink ombre swirl cake with layers of pink sponge!

Lovely lilac ombre cake by Kate Miller Events. Pink rainbow cake by Call me Cupcake, complete with recipe. DIY ombre layer cake by Key Lime Weddings.

rainbow doodle cake

Today we discovered a beautiful blog - Sweet Polita. Full of inspiring cake ideas and better still, instructions and recipes! How amazing is this rainbow doodle cake and what a brilliant idea for the icing?! It was decorated using gourmet writer food decorator pens. These look like loads of fun! They can write on any dried, firm food surface and come in a range of rainbow colours.

ombre lights

We've found two great little ombre DIY projects for the home that could easily be used as wedding decor. This gorgeous paper chandelier is simply made with a punch and paint swatches! Check out the whole beautiful tutorial on Hey Gorgeous.

Martha Stewart has a great step by step to make this beautiful ombre pendant lampshade, these would make fabulous decorations over a dessert table or guest book area, and then you can take them home afterwards!

free watercolour images

If you love ombre, you'll love this. We've found some great resources to download beautiful watercolour images, and best of all, they are free. Great for all sorts of DIY projects:

1. Lost and Taken has 25 very large watercolour textures to download
2. Eight lovely backgrounds from Jocosity
3. Another fab 25 textures by Sad Monkey Design

real wedding: kate and barry

We're so excited today to share these gorgeous photo booth pictures from Kate and Barry's recent wedding shot by Hot Metal Studio in Pennsylvania.

Photo booths are a fantastic adition to any weddng. Here Kate and Barry have used 'i do' it yourself's printable photo booth signs - $15 to download a set of 24 here - an empty old picture frame, hats and a feather bower. Talk to your photographer about setting up a photo booth at your wedding, or you could make your own.

To make your own wedding photobooth you will need a good backdrop, some fun props and of course a camera and tripod. Set your camera on the tripod, making sure the height is correct for your shots, and attach a remote camera trigger. Your background can be anything from the very simple but effective brick wall used here, to a piece of fabric or a handmade garland backdrop. Check out some of our previous posts for DIY photo booth backdrop ideas.

ombre banners, backdrops and bunting

There are plenty of ways to introduce a little ombre into your wedding decor. Banners, backdrops and bunting are a great place to start. Here are a few ideas we found: 

At first glance they may look like strips of fabric, but they are in fact clothes pegs! Just different shades pegged to some string for a very unique dessert bar backdrop. Via Style me Pretty. An ombré shower curtain from Anthropologie works perfectly as the backdrop for an outdoor drinks bar. Or make your own ombré garland from strips of old sheets with a great tutorial from Bump Smitten.

Try this beautiful dyed fabric ombré backdrop step by step from Green Wedding Shoes or for something really simple, just use balloons! Via Little Green Notebook. 

wedding DIY magazine

The latest issue of  Modern Wedding DIY magazine is out now and we're so pleased to see our Sixties Style mood board featured on page 28 along with our love love love order of service cover. Thanks guys! This issue is packed full of great DIY wedding projects and ideas so make sure you pick up a copy at your local newsagents. 

steal that style: ombre table cloth

Photo by Beck Hill via Green Wedding Shoes

This gorgeous pink table settings stand out feature has to be the beautiful hand dyed table cloth. And it turns out its not too difficult to recreate this look yourself at home.  Forget hiring table cloths, make your own ombre masterpieces!

All you need is water, salt, some buckets and dylon! Oh Happy Day has a great post to step you through the process.

DIY stationery: softspot

A soft spot is defined as a tender or sentimental feeling. If you have a soft spot for pretty designs then this printable wedding stationery is for you. Featuring a ombre gradient and bokeh photography effect of little sparkling lights, it's perfect for all sorts of occasions and very romantic.

Shown here in a gradient of candy pink and almond, or as with most 'i do' it yourself designs, the colours can be changed. Below are some colour change examples which as you can see make a dramatic difference to the look and feel of the invitation.

The soft spot range is available from the 'i do' it yourself online shop.

DIY beauty: ombre nails

You might have noticed ombré hair was a hot trend this year, but what about ombre nails? It's really quite simple to achieve at home, and they look fabulous! Use dark colours for a daring look like the one picture above, or for a more subtle effect great for weddings, just use softer shades. There are a few different ways to go about achieving ombré nails, here's one we like:

You will need
Two different shades of nail polish
Foundation sponge
Topcoat
Base coat
Paper plate or similar throw away surface

How to
Step 1. Apply your base coat, and wait for it to dry.
Step 2. Apply your base colour.
Step 3. Pour a small amount of the second nail polish onto your paper plate or similar and dab a little onto the foundation sponge.
Step 4. Pat the nail polish onto your nails in short quick strokes, concentrating on the ends. Before it has dried add the topcoat to blend the colours together.

Pic via Nail Art Mania

ombré fashion

Jorge Terra blush pink wedding dress and ombre gown from Versace via Fashion Bride

The slightly more daring bride may want to consider an ombre dress. I'm sure plenty of us remember Gwen Stefani's wedding dress from 2002 that looked like the ends had been dipped in a vat pink dye. Rock chic? Daring? Or just ahead of its time? Here are a few gorgeous gowns to get you thinking, and remember if its too much for YOUR dress - there's always the bridesmaids.

After Six bridesmaid dress via Weddington Way, Badgley Mischka ombre chiffon gown via Prom Advice,
ombre bridesmaids dresse by Dessy. Versace via Fashion Bride,  ruffled ombre gown by Ziolkowski, colorful ombre wedding dress by Wai Ching, hand dyed ombre ruffled tulle skirt by Onuma,  Alice + Olivia ombre rosette tube dress via Shop Style.

One of the prettiest trends in weddings this year has been the beautiful shaded tones of ombre, or ombré to be precise. It can be any colour - pink, blue even grey but what makes it ombré is the graduated colour, from light to dark.

Credits: Floral centerpiece from Martha Stewart, dyed fabric ombré backdrop via Green Wedding Shoes, pink ombre ruffled ball gown by Sherry Hill from French Novelty.

Pink omber cake with swirl icing from Glorious Cakes. Shirley Temple mocktails via Make Baby Smile. Softspot ombré wedding invitation by 'i do' it yourself. Beautiful ombre rose boquet via Elizabeth Anne Designs. Pink ombre stiletto court shoes by Anne Klein via Endless. Ombre tissue pom poms by Smile and Wave.

Colourful new craft products on our radar this month:

1. These cute little journalling vials could make lovely little wedding favours with thank you notes to guests. Each pack contains four glass vials and eight double-sided paper sayings. From Making Memories
2. i-rock LED light tweezers. Great for picking up small objects! $14.85 from Discount Scrapbooking.
3. Ranger Archival Ink Pads. A beautiful new range of colours that are acid free, non toxic and waterproof. They are even permanent on matte and gloss papers. Great for those fingerprint guest book trees! $8.75 from Lorna Blue Studio. 
4. i-rock crystal heat setting tool. Permanently affix diamonties, jewels, pearls, or mirrors to paper, fabric, or even furniture! $22.95 from Scrapbook Boutique.
5. OPALS embossing enamel. Available in 32 colours including this dazzling 'warms' set. 100% Australian made and acid free. $22 from Pipe Dream Ink.

melbourne cup picks

It's that time of year again, the Melbourne Cup! And today we have what is becoming a bit of a tradition on the 'i do' it yourself blog, our cup picks - for hats, headbands and fascinators that is. Firm favourites for the races and weddings. We love putting this collection together, partly because of all the great designs we find and partly because we just like making racing puns. Im sure you're all chomping at the bit to see what we've found this year so without any further ado...

• Tulle Bridal Birdcage veil - Blushing Petals. Made with light ivory bridal illusion tulle, and ivory silk and light ivory silk organza flowers each made by hand. €60,00 from SIBO Designs.
• Holly and birdcage veil - with a double blossom hair clip handcrafted from satin and silk organza and a bandeau style bird cage veil. $122 from Percy Handmade. 
• Hair flower fascinator and feather hairclip - MELIANA CRYSTALIA. $69 from YJ Design.
• Feathered mini bridal hat - Coco.  Made from coque feathers, vintage scalloped lace, russian veiling, strung pearls, vintage velvet millinery leaves and a pearl/rhinestone brooch. US$184 from Tessa Kim. 
• Pleated Victorian Bridal Hat - The Byrone. Made with ivory velvet, pleated moire ribbon and bleached peacock swords. US$294 from Topsy Turvy Design.

• Bead Bow hairband. With bugle beads and swarovski pearls, so simple but so pretty. US$235 from Anca Pe'elma. 
• Cluster head piece. With hand dyed silk flowers and velvet leaf accents in silvery grey attached to a gold plated wire comb. Available in blush pinks, off white and silver grey. US$125 from Twigs and Honey. 
• Bridal mini hat - Amelie. With two cabbage roses made from white silk dupion and sky blue cotton. Finished with vintage pearl tip stamens, blue candy handmade cotton leaves, and an elegant ostrich feather. US$200 from Olive Farm. 
• Ethereal floral headdress - Lothiriel. A crown of hand woven vines with curling silver wire accents and cascading drapes of antique silver chain. Decorated with delicate ivory blossoms with antique leaves and pale blue accents. US$79 from Gardens of Whimsy. 
• Five strands crystal chain headband. Grecian style crystal chain headband available in gold or silver. With five rows of crystal chains securely hand-sewn to silk ribbons. US$120 from Woomi.