featured on design*sponge!

It's true, it's true! I've been holding onto this nugget of exciting news for a while now (probably because I felt like it was too good to be true), but I am SO thrilled to finally share it with you! Head on over to design*sponge and show our little house some love.

Happy, happy Monday!

strike up the band!

The headband, that is!

I've had a less hectic month than most, so I had a little bit of time to work on pieces that weren't necessarily commission-based. The result? A few fancy headbands... and one sparkly necklace. All but Loretta and Shirly can be worn traditionally or over the forehead.

Feeling demure? Wear it pushed back!
Feeling like a hippy-dippy love child? Pull it down!

{Click on the name of the piece above the photo to be directed to its Etsy listing.}

. Miss Laine .


. Miss Gracie .


. Miss Darcy .


. Miss Loretta .


. Miss Ellie .


. Miss Flo .


. Miss Shirly .

bragging rights

I think it's a given that bragging on your family and dear friends is an acceptable thing to do... right?

With that as a disclaimer, I'm going to brag on my husband. He's been featured in some massive publications over the past few months, and I want to give him a little lovin'.

Without further ado, here are his images in Martha Stewart Weddings, Grace Ormonde and Wedding Style Guide. Keep an eye out for the next issue of Southern Weddings Magazine and People's Country Issue; he's got some goodies in there, too!









Much love, Husband.

REAL WEDDING: lizet & edmund

As if their names don't already tell you, Lizet and Emund seem to be just about as cool as they come. I shipped the flowers and feathers raw to Lizet, which she attached to her Stuart Weitzman shoes. Well done, pretty lady; well done.




Images by Apertura. Visit their blog for more images of Lizet and Edmund's wedding.

happy fall, y'all

Today is the first day of the year where it actually feels like Autumn. It's perfect in Music City USA today--71 and sunny. Soon we'll get to wear scarves, jackets in the morning and at night, sip cider on the front porch, and all the other things that I'm romanticizing about Fall.

This piece was one of my favorites that I was asked to make for a Seattle, October wedding. The colors and textures seem to sum up the feelings of Fall; if it were a slice of pumpkin pie, I'd eat it up.



Happy Fall, y'all.

{ happy monday }

Happy Monday.
Here's a little sunshiny love from the Petaja house.



I bought winter clothes and drank a Pumpkin Spice Latte this past weekend, pretending it was Fall, even though it was 85 degrees. Are you celebrating impending Autumn or savoring what's left of summer?

clover & bee launch!

After months and months of planning, the lovely Rebecca over at at Clover and Bee has finally launched her brand new site! Not only will she be a resource for all things Wedding in the Mid West, but she also has a daily blog that is full of goodies.



When the site is complete, my husband and I will both be vendors linked to from her site. Yay! Make sure to send her some love.

Happy-middle-of-the-week!

shoe love, vol. II

Though I normally incorporate the chiffon puffs onto my shoe embellishments, this bride wanted a slightly different twist on her feet. We reworked a variation of one of my gardenia pieces and these beauties are what we came up with. I'm in love with the end result. There's not much better than a big, creamy flower to accentuate a little toe cleavage!



Email me at ohmydeerhandmades@gmail.com or convo me through my Etsy if you'd want to work on something similar for yourself!

sound the alarm

Today is the first day of school.

We started last week, but just with faculty and staff. Today, the students arrive and the real stuff begins. This week is one of my favorites, since it's all about acclimation, showing off that you learned how to whistle over the summer, finding your way through the classroom, and reconnecting with your "best friend"... all eight of them.

In honor of today, here's a little before and after for you. I'm proud of our art space: it's cozy and clean and just right for our younger students. I travel to work in the Middle Elementary, Upper Elementary, and Middle School student's classrooms; these tables and chairs become much too small for an nine-year-old, much less a 13-year-old.







Do you remember the first days of school? Were they something you dreaded and faked a stomach ache for, or something you anticipated for weeks, picking out your outfit a week in advance and packing your backpack full of pencils and notebooks and binders, so that you resembled slow-moving tortoise?

{ darling dahlias }

One of my favorite things about owning a home with my husband is our yard.  We don't have much land, but it's a good chunk for living in the city, so we're working on making the most of it.  I picked these dahlias from our garden last night and just loved how they brightened up our living room.  Maybe they'll brighten up the mid-week-blues for you!

these bouts were made for wearin'

You'd think after typing the word boutonniere at least 100 times, I'd learn how to spell it correctly. But no. My solution is just to shorten it to bout and rely on spell-check to catch my blunders. I'm also still learning the difference between affect and effect, so maybe I grammar and spelling isn't my strong suit.

Anyway, I'm sweet on these bouts I made for a lovely, late-summer bride. I think this color combination is so fun and lighthearted. Really, it's one of those pallets that fits just about all year-round, in my opinion! Plus, who can get enough of that red-and-white Martha Stewart twine? So what if I just ordered 300 feet of it...

Happy Monday!

On another note, today is my first day back to work after a lovely summer vacation. I am thankful for these past few months off, anxious about the coming school year, grateful for a job, and looking forward to having the first few weeks under my belt.

feathered finds

If you can't tell, I'm a huge fan of OnceWed.  The reasons are endless.  Plus, it doesn't hurt that I really, really like Emily: the brains and beauty behind the scenes. 

Today, Emily featured Justin and Amanda's wedding.  The wedding was lovely, clean and classic.  Luckily, I was able to make the boutounneirs, two fabric flowers for Amanda's hair, and a miniture piece for the flower girl.  Head over to OnceWed's "Real Weddings" section to see more of this charming day!

Photographs by Ella Blue Studio

i'm about to loose a lot of business, but...

Has everyone headed over to OnceWed today to see the stunning wedding of Jordyn and Bradley, shot by the handsome Tec Petaja? I had the pleasure of meeting Jordyn and Bradley last night while they were in town to see our friends :: plug, plug :: The Civil Wars, held at Billy Reid. So of course I had to ask Jordyn if she made the lovely combo on her shoes. Well here you go ladies; here's the secret to beautiful embellishments like these...

Jordyn bought a pair of vintage clip on earrings (for $7.50), hot-glued three guinea feathers to each piece, and voilà! Now, you can clip and position the embellishments how you'd like. Easy, removable shoe goodness! As for clip-on earrings, Etsy is a great resource for this, but so is your local Goodwill, flea market, or antique shop if you feel like putting some leg work into it. Guinea feathers are at craft stores (Michael's, Hobby Lobby, etc.) and on-line.

Amazing, huh?

praise for the petajas

I married into an amazing family. I could go on for days about how gracious and funny and generous and inviting they are, but this post is dedicated to their creativity and their recent and noteworthy endeavors.

Shannon is Tec's beautiful mom, one of the best cooks I know, and hugs you and you know she means it. She's recently started a blog called Your Mother's Hands. It's going to be dedicated to all thing a mom does; all the things she loves to do: garden, bake, entertain, etc. Check it out and visit often; she's learning more and more every day about blogging and is pumped to share her goodies with you guys.

Jim is Tec's dad. He's patient and kind and slow to anger... and hilarious. I've been told that my dad describes him as one of the best men he's ever known. He's a project manager over construction sites in Michigan, and his company deals primarily with upscale renovations and buildings. They currently live in what they've said is their "last house" (since they've moved often and Jim builds each home) which Jim built with the help of family and friends.

The fun news about Jim is that a home he and his company worked on last summer is featured in the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living! Tec and I were able to tour the home when we were there last summer and though they photos are stunning, they really can't do justice to the intricacies and details of this one-of-a-kind home. Check out this link to see this dream home in all its glory. Oh wait. Did I say "home." I mean, "guest house." Yeah, that's right. I want to be their guests all year round.

McKrai is Tec's youngest sister. Is that not one of the best names you've ever heard, or what? McKrai is always up for a laugh and a good time, loves people well, and is one of the biggest animals lovers I've ever met. McKrai is taking an enormous step and moving 20 hours away, to Denver, Colorado in a few months where she'll be finishing up her studies to become a Vet Tech. We hope she loves Denver for the two years she's there, but not enough to stay much after that.

Here we are with the 5th addition to the family, McKrai's amazing dog Bebhinn.

And then there's Ms. Shea, Tec's older sister. Shea is hilarious, outgoing and super creative. She, too, is soon to become a Yankee transplanted into the South like her little bro. Shea's moving to Winston-Salem, NC in the fall! We're pumped to have her only seven hours away as opposed to 11... She also recently started a blog that showcases her work with spaces. Yeah, I know "spaces" is a broad term, but that's the point. She works with everything from event planning to interior design. Give her some love on her new blog, Certain Spaces.

And I brag enough about Tec on here to go on any more. But if all goes according to plan, I will have some fun things that are very brag-worthy to share with you about him in the coming months, so stay tuned.

Happy weekend, folks!

table trend on once wed!

I worked on a "Table Trend" for the lovely Emily over at Once Wed a few weeks ago. She is a gem, her taste is impeccable, and her content is perfect. Needless to say, it was an honor to be a part of such a fun endeavor! Mosey on over to Once Wed to see more of the table scape!

Thanks to my handsome husband for the beautiful photos.

show me a woman who doesn't love a deal...

One of the materialistic pleasures of wedding planning is accessorizing--of course accessorizing the event, but more importantly, accessorizing yourself. I kept it pretty simple; I wore my sister's veil, wore earrings and a bracelet (given to me as a wedding present by my sister) made by lillyella, and one of the best pairs of shoes I've ever seen in real life. I'd had fun looking for shoes, but hadn't had much luck. We were trying to throw an epic event for 300 people on a less-than-average wedding budget, so I'd kept myself on a strict $50 or less budget for shoes. Since our wedding would be mostly outdoors, I wanted wedges so that I wouldn't aerate the lawns with my heels and fall flat on my face. I also wanted a pair that would be fun and surprising, but that didn't distract from my gown. {After taking my shoes and gown in for my last fitting, I walked around the part of town I was in, shopping while holding my shoes in my free hand. "Ooohh, what cute shoes!" I had a woman say to me. "Thanks, they're my wedding shoes!" "Oh. But you're not going to wear them with your wedding gown, are you?" "Yeah... I am... They're my wedding shoes."} My sister found my wedding shoes while out shopping for herself at no place other than Ross: Dress for Less. I love that place. Love. Along with TJ Maxx and Marshalls, there's no where else I'd rather shop for shoes and house decor. That is, unless, I somehow fall into lots and lots of money and I can rationalize and afford buying those things at Anthropologie. So she called me, told me she'd found my shoes, bought them for me since she knew they'd be perfect... and bought a pair for herself in purple since they were only $14.99. I can't blame the girl.

Anyway, I've had tons and tons... and tons of brides contact me asking me where I got my shoes and what the brand was. (They're Dollhouse, by the way.) No only are they super cute, but the fact that they were such a steal makes them even more amazing in my book. So this post is dedicated to beautiful shoes: all fun, all statement making, all that could be worn under a wedding gown... all for under $50.

{ Click on the price of the shoe to be directed to the site it came from. }

{ $46. 17 }

ASOS is one of my favorite online shops, and these are one of my favorite pairs of shoes. ASOS is a British clothing distributor, but their prices and their shipping are pretty reasonable. I've only bought one dress off their site, but I often daydream about buying things in pounds and having a British accent like I'm sure their models have. Oh, and as a tip, you can change the currency of the site by clicking in the right hand corner of the site.

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{ $49.95 }

I can see these shoes being worn to a country-chic wedding. The stitching on the flower of this shoe is so sweet, and the color is so unexpected. They also come in yellow and turquoise.

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{ $49.99 }

The making of these shoes are classic, but the colors make them fantastic. That bright blue will knock anyone's socks off!

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{ $29.99 }

These shoes are great if you're going with a vintage vibe. Plus, the heels are low, so you won't be taking them off 2-hours into the night. They also come in turquoise.

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{ $49.00 }

I guess these are the most "wedding" shoes I've included. But they remind me so much of my shoes, aside from the heel. They also come in silver and gold.

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{ $49.95 }

Ummm, if these don't scream "Wear me to a spring or summer wedding!" I don't know what does. They also come in pink and black polka-dots.

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{ $24.99 }

I love the frills and slight platform of these shoes. Plus, they're a pair of shoes you can wear loooonnng after your wedding.

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{ $24.39 }

The detailing of the dots and zig-zag and the piping and the lining make these shoes a ten out of ten to me. Plus, the heel is thick enough to where it wouldn't get stuck in the grass if you're needing to wear them outside. They also come in tan and black.

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{ $39.50 }

Flats. Ribbon. Peep-toes. Check, check, check. Forget your wedding day; these beauties can be worn any day of the year. I opted for height on my wedding day so that I would be forced to stand up straight (and to add a couple coveted inches to my 5' 4" stature), but I applaud a bride who can get away with flats. She'll out-dance me at a wedding ten times to one. They also come in navy and black.

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{ $49.99 }

"Hi. My name is Statement Piece. I'm really, really fun. Seriously. I love long walks in the city, rhinestones, the color pink and aerosol hairspray. I also come in black."

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{ $49.99 }

OK. So I saved the best for last. Can you imagine these bad boys popping out from beneath a your gown? You'd stop 'em dead in their tracks. They just make me feel like having a good time.

lessons in typography

Growing up, I wanted so badly to have an "i" in my name so I could dot it with a heart. I even tried going by my middle name of Laine to attain the floating heart. No one bought into it. So I guess I over corrected the situation by working hard to have the best handwriting. I wanted people to oooh and ahhh over it. For the most part, I succeeded. My handwriting is one of the few things I can say I feel talented in; it's one of the few things I can accept a compliment about. Though if the truth be told, I'm a bit prideful about it, and I'd be lying if I said my feelings don't get hurt when someone can't read my handwriting.

My sister-in-law and I were working on a logo/header for her new "conceptual spaces" venture and had too much fun perusing DaFont, which inspired this post. Tec and I got all of our wedding suite fonts from DaFont, and found the perfect ones to fit our theme. If you're trying to make your wedding invites, RSVP cards, return envelopes, etc. yourself, make sure you check out these sites. You'll be amazed at how beautiful you can make these things by having the right font, spaced the right way, in the right color.

With the late obsession many of us have of typography, design and films like Helvetica, it's no surprise that free font sites like 1001FreeFonts and DaFont have become hugely popular. Below are just a few of my favorites from DaFont. What are your favorite fonts? Are you a sans serif or a serif gal or guy? Cursive versus print?

{ HANDWRITTEN }

{ CALLIGRAPHY }

Wouldn't this font, Wiegel Latein, be the perfect alternative to hand calligraphied envelopes?

{ DECORATIVE }

{ SCHOOL }

country folk mingle with yankees and the mid-west

My parents and Tec and I are vacationing in the Mitten for the next week or so--enjoying 77 degree weather, no humidity, chilly nights, and the Michigan air. I guess that's why the Michigan natives put up with 7 months of winter.

But while we're gone, I thought I'd share some pictures Tec and I took with his Holga while we were in Chicago for our anniversary. We left hot, humid Nashville for wet, chilly Chicago. But it was a nice change of pace to wear jackets, scarves, and shop at H&M. Heck, truth be told, I'd do about anything to shop there.

We also visited the MCA and saw the most amazing light exhibit by Olafur Eliasson. If you find your lucky self in Chicago before September 13th, you've got to go see this show. It pretty much blew our minds. Has anyone else seen an exhibit of his, either here or somewhere else?

I'm married to a 1950's Air Force pilot. I mean, get a load of that haircut.

{ happy fourth, dearlings }

I hope everyone is enjoying hot dogs, swimming pools, cold beer, fireworks, friends, red-white-and-blue, American flag t-shirts, sunshine and their nation today.

PS--No, Tec doesn't have a bowl-cut in this picture. But yeah yeah yeah, I know it looks like he's rockin' one hard.

:: real wedding :: mallory & phil

Mallory and Phil are quite possibly the most attractive couple I've ever seen in real life.  Right?  I mean, come on--get a load of them!  They were married last fall in Fallbrook, California at the Beverly Mansion.  Though I didn't make a lovely for Mallory, I was able to make the boutonnieres for the gents!  I don't often make boutonnieres, so it was a fun diversion and I think these sweethearts came out quite lovely.  (You might remember them from several posts I featured them in back in the day.)

Tec was lucky enough to photograph this wedding and I ventured out to the Golden State with him for this sweet ceremony.  We made a mini-vacation out of it for ourselves as well!  When can you turn down a trip to the coast of California when you live in land-locked Nashville?