The Modern Fairytale

Tina Bruffet's beliefs are very strong - and one of the strongest among them is that happiness is a journey, not a destination.

I've been following Tina's work over the past few weeks. Getting a feel for what she does and how well she does it. Ask Tina what she's passionate about and she'll say, "coming up with new things. Working through the kinks. Seeing what works and what doesn't."

She went from being unable to find a suitable tutu for her one year old daughter in stores, a few years ago, to attending a 3-day show with her own creations and selling out before the first day was up.

Pixie Petals emerged as a business, and Tina was in the process of expanding into costumes (complete with hats and bows) when she realized that there was another niche.

Flower girl dresses.

And so the I DO line was born - right out of her home in Missouri.

"This year has been our coming out party for weddings. These dresses are wonderful because they serve a double purpose. The little girls look as though they are stepping out of a fairytale on the day of the wedding, and after the day is over they still have years of fun left in them. It's the perfect gift. I've been told that a lot of my creations hang on walls in little girls' rooms too - as part of the decor. I love that!"

I asked Tina about her newest creations - Victorian Shabby Chic Flowers - and here's what she had to say.

"They're appealing because they can have that vintage look of years gone by or the new chic - vogue look. The color combinations are endless, and each one is unique. No two handcrafted items can ever look completely the same."

The best thing about them, to my mind, is their versatility. They can be pinned into hair, placed on a headband, worn on a sash, used to dress up a clutch, or even turned into a brooch. And, Tina agrees, they can be worn by anyone.

Bride, bridesmaid, mother of the bride or groom.

"I can even make miniature versions for the youngest members of the bridal party."

When I asked Tina what she wishes for herself and her business, her response was immediate.

"I want that quaint little corner store with everything girly imaginable. A store with fairyland window themes. A store that little girls will beg their mom and grandmas to take them to. I want those moms and grandmas to think back to when they were little girls; to the little secret dreams and wishes they had. I want little girls to be little girls. To dream of being a fairy, princess, pirate, or whatever their hearts desire, when they look at my designs."

Now since this is a wedding blog, I had to ask the question.

What's coming up next for brides at Pixie Petals?

It turns out thatTina is very keen to expand the bridal part of her business.

"I want to start a new line of bride-to-be tutus. A novelty-type item for those bachelorettes with a little spunk. Something along the lines of brides and their girls having wedding color tutus to wear to the bachelorette parties, dress rehearsals and other fun pre-wedding photo opportunities."

Sounds like a blast to me. Can't wait to see the first ones roll out!

Now here's the exciting part.

Tina's new fabric flowers will be debuting right here at lili's corner. We'll have a white one to give away this Friday - so be sure to come back and enter to win!