Handmade Wedding Theme: Birds

Birds can be a perfect theme for weddings. Weddings do center around love birds after all. From the Etsy Wedding Team, here are five ways to incorporate birds into your wedding style.

Iconic Birds. With a bird theme you can use birds as a large graphic element, or as part of a larger design as seen in this wedding invitation. {handmade by www.DesignCircus.etsy.com}

Nests. Play off the idea of birds by incorporating nests. From alternative ring pillows to jewelry there are many ways to use nest designs during your ceremony and reception. {handmade by www.bobbijordan.etsy.com}

Feathers. Both whimsical and elegant, feathers add texture and dimension to wedding designs. {handmade by www.Mikiye.etsy.com}

Bird Seed. For the send off or as wedding favors, bird seed can carry a bird theme to the very end of your wedding. {handmade by www.2birdsinlove.etsy.com}

Peacocks. Great for vintage and elegant weddings, peacocks can be used to add high style to your wedding. {handmade by www.cutthecakedesigns.etsy.com}

For more handmade wedding style, browse the Etsy Wedding Team members on the left.

Champagne and Pink Baby Shower

I thought I would include some more pictures of my above and beyond incredibly wonderful baby shower last month.  I just couldn't resist bragging a little about how wonderful it was to spend the day with my amazing family and friends!! :)

And once again - photography by the uber talented Shelly Ivy from Ivy Studios!

Beyond the Bouquet: Modern Florals for Handmade Weddings

When most people think “wedding”, they think “flowers”. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t new, modern ways to use flowers in your wedding style. From the Etsy Wedding Team here are 5 modern floral ideas for handmade weddings that go beyond the bouquet.Try Iconic. Simple is modern. So by using one or just a few iconic flowers, you can make a design impact in a very modern way. {handmade by www.elanink.etsy.com}



Use Pattern. Not your traditional floral pattern, another take on modern floral is to use an iconic flower design repeatedly in a pattern. The key to making it modern is simple lines, and not too much detail. {handmade by www.KembaCelebrations.etsy.com}


Go Large. Flowers can be quite dramatic. To make a statement using florals, try using a few of them very large. {handmade by www.YANDEBRIDAL.etsy.com}


Mix and Match. Add in other elements, like stripes or dots, or other shapes like feathers and beads. That gives you a more fun take on modern. {handmade by www.leighannkline.etsy.com}


Color it Bold. Bold or dark colors in florals instantly read modern. For maximum statement pair dark colors with light ones and bold colors with paler ones. {handmade by www.tessakim.etsy.com}

For more style ideas for handmade weddings, browse the Etsy Wedding Team members on the left.

Save the Date: Alli and Tim!

Alli and Tim have the most awesome-tastical Save the Dates ever!!  Verve Studio read our minds and took pictures of them to post!  Their save the date included a magnet along with a booklet with a save the date section (when and where the wedding will be), a save the room section (hotels for guests to choose from), and a save the weekend section (listing different activities available for that weekend)!  Loves it!

file under clever: ellothere's LP record wedding invite

{ record and sleeve wedding invitation by ellothere }

a completely customizable wedding invite for the music lover, record-collector, d.j. -- simple and to the point.

see also my feature on ellothere. great goods!

p.s. dos gardenias announcement thursday. new giveaway friday. stay tuned!

Officially Official

So, first off when you have a baby you expect to be overwhelmed with all of the new. New baby, new bed times (or lack there of), new routine, new priorities, new, new new...



But, what I totally didn't expect was the generosity of our friends. I honestly feel like I'll never ever be able to pay our friends back for their generosity.



One of those is Erin from Lucky Designs. If you don't know Erin, or haven't been to her blog, you are totally missing out.



But, before I Uoooo and Ahhh over how amazing she is. Her work is incredible, too! She designs incredible Invitations and announcements and look what she did for us and our new addition! Seriously, perfect!!! And so, so, so, so sweet of her!



I cannot thank her enough!!!

{Ask a ??} Invitation Calligraphy

Dear Miss Kim
At our last meeting you mentioned to my mother and I that you would recommend us to use calligraphy on our envelopes instead of labels.  So I decided to do a little research and found so many different styles online.  I'm confused exactly what calligraphy is.  Can you help me?
Laura

Great question!! You are absolutely right ... there are many styles of calligraphy by many different artist. Calligraphy basically means - "Beautiful handwriting."  What I would recommend is to show your calligrapher your invitation design and have them create a complimentary style that matches your fonts.  If your invitation is modern, they will bring in a modern style.  If your invitation is very classic with script fonts, most of the time a calligrapher can create their penmanship to look very similar.  Just like each different invitation designer has their own signature style, each calligrapher has their own unique talent, so check out their portfolio first to see it's the style you are looking for.

Hope this helps!!  If you are interested in reading more about calligraphy, this is the defination I pulled up from http://en.wikipedia.org

Calligraphy (from Greek κάλλος kallos "beauty" + γραφή graphẽ "writing") is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering (Mediavilla 1996: 17). A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner" (Mediavilla 1996: 18). The story of writing is one of aesthetic evolution framed within the technical skills, transmission speed(s) and materials limitations of a person, time and place (Diringer 1968: 441). A style of writing is described as a script, hand or alphabet (Fraser and Kwiatkowski 2006; Johnston 1909: Plate 6).

Modern calligraphy ranges from functional hand-lettered inscriptions and designs to fine-art pieces where the abstract expression of the handwritten mark may or may not compromise the legibility of the letters (Mediavilla 1996). Classical calligraphy differs from typography and non-classical hand-lettering, though a calligrapher may create all of these; characters are historically disciplined yet fluid and spontaneous, improvised at the moment of writing (Pott 2006 and 2005; Zapf 2007 and 2006).

Calligraphy continues to flourish in the forms of wedding and event invitations, font design/typography, original hand-lettered logo design, religious art, announcements/graphic design/commissioned calligraphic art, cut stone inscriptions and memorial documents. It is also used for props and moving images for film and television, testimonials, birth and death certificates, maps, and other works involving writing (see for example Letter Arts Review; Propfe 2005; Geddes and Dion 2004).

Envelope Calligraphy by Roxanne at www.AZPenGraphics.com (she's awesome!!)

My Baby Shower Sneak Peek

The decor and room were more amazing than ever!!

Look at the most amazing group of friends and family!

Of course I had to have a little fun while it showed at my shower!

My shower invitations :) :) :)

All I can say is "WOW!" Yesterday was one above and beyond the most amazing baby shower celebrations a new mom-to-be could have ever asked for. I was overwhelmed by the generosity of my friends and family. Just sharing the time with them was incredibly amazing to me!! I'm actually speechless at the moment for what to say because it was better than I could have ever imagined!! So as I take the next few days to pack her room away, I'll just leave you with these few teaser pictures that I received last night from the Rockstar Shelly Ivy from Ivy Studios Photography !!!!! More to come on my wonderful details and a super funny story that put me in tears at my shower :) Good tears :) Funny tears!!

But first, I must thank the amazing vendors who participated in making this day sooooooo beautiful!!

Miss spectacular Lynn at the wonderful Firesky Resort and Spa

Miss Shawna and her amazingly talented husband Kevin at Your Event Florist

Miss creative planner Regina at Meant2Be Events

Miss glamorous Ginia with Y-Knot Party Rentals

Miss fabulous Laurie with Southwick Linens

Miss oh-so-sweet and Carol from Sugar Buzz Cakes

Miss fantastic PJ with La Dolce Pesca

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! And THANK YOU!!!!!

{Paper Love Crafts} Vellum Candle Covers

This candle cover project can take any plain candle, votive, and make it work for any season, no need to buy expensive candles for each and every occasion. This project even works as a luminary. All it takes is some basic supplies and some vellum.

Materials needed:

• Vellum paper
• Dye ink pads in two or three different coordinating colors
• Pigment Ink
• Chalk Ink
• Rubber stamps
• Embossing Powders in coordinating colors
• Double sided adhesive
• Candle or votive to be covered
• Flame Free
• Ranger Blending Tool
• Heat Gun

Assembly instructions found on BellaOnline.com - Check them out :)
Thanks for the adorable article and photos!!

{Paper Love Crafts} Fake Mustache & Lips

Michelle at My Personal Artist posted this fantastic blog today ..."Fake Moustaches are they Hair to Stay?" ... which instantly reminded me that I wanted some fake mustaches and smiles for my celebration this weekend. Ever since I fell in love with Smitten Sticks, I knew I had to find the perfect opportunity to showcase these fun lil fellas!! What's more perfect than a baby shower :) Thanks Michelle for the friendly reminder. I must try to make these beauties now. Will post pictures soon!

If you want to make your own, there are some awesome DIY Instructions on the fabulous Simply Modern Mom blog!!

Supplies:

paper
pencil
scissors
black felt (I used a large sheet of stiff felt)
glue gun
thin dowels (1/4″ or thinner)
black permanent marker

Pictures from Smitten Sticks - check them out :)

{Paper Love Crafts} Pinwheel Project

Pinwheels made from scrapbook papers can be arranged in a large vase as a whimsical "bouquet" for a party or wedding. Or use as separate escort cards for your guests of honor.

What You Need:

Newspaper
12 x 12-inch sheet each of two coordinating patterned scrapbook papers
Multipurpose spray adhesive (we used 3M Super 77)
Ruler and pencil
Scissors: large scallop-edge, wavy-edge, and small scallop-edge
1/4-inch hole punch
19-inch length of 1/4-inch-diameter wooden dowel
White florist's tape
1/4-inch nylon clamp
1-1/2-inch threaded aluminum screw post that fits clamp
1-1/2 x 4-inch rectangle of coordinating scrapbook paper
String
Crafts glue
Silver glitter

For assembly instructions and templates, please visit BHG.com

{Paper Love} Di-Cut Place Cards

Aren't these the cutest little di-cut place cards. I think they would be so fun at your next dinner party or grand celebration. Check out Cuddle Creatures design shop on etsy. They are absolutely fabulous!

A Fab at 40 Birthday Invitation designed by New York's luxury invitation designer Lela New York

Recently Lela New York designed some amazing 40th Birthday Party invitations for one of our most fabulous clients. It was a Fab at 40 theme! And WOW do the invitations reflect that.

I wanted to share some picts of this amazing invite with you guys. These luxury invitations were designed using a deep red silk and a beautiful custom Monogram. Lela New York hand drew the fun floral details inside the beautiful book invitations.

Enjoy!

nice package

Happy Friday everyone! I'm elbow deep in ribbon this afternoon, so I thought I'd post a great source for trimmings and such. Nice Package (don't you love the name?) sells gift tags, twine, ribbon, pendants, and all sorts of creative paraphenalia for making... a nice package! Check them out and have a great weekend!

nice package

Happy Friday everyone! I'm elbow deep in ribbon this afternoon, so I thought I'd post a great source for trimmings and such. Nice Package (don't you love the name?) sells gift tags, twine, ribbon, pendants, and all sorts of creative paraphenalia for making... a nice package! Check them out and have a great weekend!

Primele

Gorgeous, creative calligraphy from Primele. I love the details, it's all about the details!

Primele

Gorgeous, creative calligraphy from Primele. I love the details, it's all about the details!

DIY: Gocco Invitations

How did I not write about our invitations? Perhaps I blocked them out because they were so. much work. After they left my house I was happy to have them out of sight, out of mind.


Our invites were entirely designed and created by little ol' me (using purchased art...I'm not an artist!). P. bought me a gocco for my birthday so the invites were really my first project using the gocco. I highly recommend practicing a bit more before you create your invites. The gocco isn't hard to use once you get the hang of it, but we burned through several frames and lots o' ink before we figured out how to burn the screens to create clean, crisp pictures on the other side.

Gocco, straight out of the box, with computer tutorial.

There were papers everywhere. Everywhere.

Our invitations had four components. The actual invite, the response card, an info sheet, and the envelope.
This image is probably the closest to the actual color of the paper (which came from Paper Source). For the envelope I handwrote a screen using the gocco pen and then printed them so we wouldn't have to handwrite a return address on each envelope. As a sidenote, we no longer live at that address so good luck stalking me there :)

While I wanted to use vintage stamps, that ended up being a cost that I couldn't justify. My way of getting around using the flag stamps (the only stamps available when I was sending out invites), was to use a variety of smaller amount stamps. This involved running around to four post offices who looked at me like I was a crazy person for buying hundreds of 5cent stamps.

Our invitations were simple, using an image from Nikki McClure, one of my absolute favorite artists. The text is in a dark brown color, with gold ink for the image.

Our info cards used two screens: one for the image done in gold ink and another for the text, done in a raspberry color. We intended to have driving directions on the back of this sheet, but for some reason could not get the screen to print clearly so after several ruined screens we just scrapped the idea and stuck directions on the website.


You may notice that on our reply card we didn't really make it clear that people should still write their name if they weren't planning on attending. Several people responded with "no" responses and no names. We had to guess based on postage and process of elimination who those people were. Kind of a pain.

So all in all I really liked how they turned out. They aren't professional. They aren't letter pressed. But they were fairly cheap. For save the dates, all the gocco supplies, paper, and stamps we spent a total of $310.

And, since I'm sure someone will ask, here is our save the date. We made my sister take the pictures of us lying under my parent's apple trees holding blank pieces of paper, but wouldn't tell her why. She thought we were crazy. I added in the text after the fact. We printed them using VistaPrint, with a discount code, and I think we paid around $15 total.


Thanks for all the questions! Keep them coming!