Handcrafted: The Cure For The Common Wedding

Final Countdown

So, you woke up this morning, looked at the calendar, and realized that in a couple of days it will be 2009. This means all those details you have been putting off unitl "next year" now have to get done. Don't panic, White Aisle is here to help.

White Aisle carries a full line of stationery, but also has a ton to offer in the way of finishing details. If you have been looking for a brooch, but just have not found the right one, give this shop a try.

This is also the home to those gorgeous handmade silk roses. I am pretty sure that every wedding needs at least one of these. I heard today that yellow has been named THE color for 2009. Yellow is my favorite color, but in all honesty no one looks good in yellow. Maybe Reese Witherspoon. What I suggest is adding in yellow touches to your bridesmaids such as one of these roses in a warm gold. This will give your ladies a fabulous accesory to use after the wedding.

The Perfect Gift

Picking out the perfect gift for someone is tricky. You have to know their hobbies, favorite colors, personal style, etc. You'd think that picking out something for your one and only would be a piece of cake, but in all honesty, I have an easier time picking out something for my MIL than I do for my husband. This is a problem that goes both ways for us. For awhile I worried about this. We are happy in our marriage, we are best friends, we spend plenty of time together so we know what the other likes, and yet when present time rolls around we both draw a blank. I started talking to other "old married couples" and found something I didn't expect. They all have trouble with this. Different ones have different solutions. Some go the cash and gift card route, others buy their own present on behalf of the spouse, and some just skip it all together. It sounds so unromantic, but actually it is more likely a sign of a certain level of security. You've passed the phase of trying to impress and prove your love and have found happiness in the simple company of each other. This year for Christmas I am getting my husband time, time to enjoy each other's company. Lucky for me it fits in the budget nicely and I know it is just what he wants.

I guess my practical tip today boils down to is this, don't get so wrapped up in expectations that you miss the gift you already have, each other.

Friends and Neighbors

One of the things I love most about this time of year is getting Christmas cards. I rarely send or receive snail mail anymore so getting a handful of card everyday thrills me to no end. Right now I am visiting family and I couldn't help myself, I had to look through their cards as well.  Today my parents got one that really stood out. I could tell right away that it must be from a handcrafted company. So, I looked up the website and found Loop De Lou.

What I didn't expect was that one of the owners of this company would turn out to also be the neighbor that sent the card. This led to a funny conversation with my mother as to why she didn't tell me about this sooner. So, for my mom and others who might not immediately see the wedding application, here are a couple of ideas for you.

Recipe Cards: Put a couple of recipe cards in with bridal shower invitations. Guests can bring in their favorite recipes and build the bride a custom cookbook.

Bag Tags: These would make excellent luggage tags. When it comes time for your honeymoon you'll want your luggage to have your new married name on it, and these bright fun designs will make it easier to spot on the luggage merry-go-round.

A Little of Everything: Put together a cute basket for your bridesmaids, or as a wedding gift for someone else. Personalized stationery is always fun to get. 

Petal Problems

So, you're not a fan of the white flower girl basket but still want a flower girl, now what do you do? You turn to Emici Bridal. In addition to traditional baskets, this shop offers two great alternative.

First is the great pomander. Believe it or not, this is in the clearance section of the Emici Etsy shop. These are great for those places that have no petal policies. (Oh yes, they are out there, be sure to ask)

Next we have custom petal pouches. The thing I love about these, aside from the custom handcrafted part, is that these make for gorgeous purses that your flower girl can treasure for years. They can be made in just about any color and are in dupioni silk, which means it won't have that shiny satin look of most flower girl accessories out there.

Coveting

I'm pretty sure that coveting falls in the "Thou shalt not" category, but with letterpress like this around it is hard not to covet just a little. Hello! Lucky has a wide range of invitations to look through.

For some reason I have been gravitating towards peacock feathers lately. A new Photoshop brush is probably to blame, but none the less, I am loving the elegance of the peacock feather.

If letter press isn't in the budget, consider the thanks you cards. The more you buy, the lower the price per card is and these are something you could use through out your marriage.

One of a kind

You know when you go to order a handcrafted product and you see that little text that says something like, "actual pattern and texture may vary, no two pieces are alike"? Those few words might be enough to make you rethink your purchase. We like to know exactly what we are getting. Nervous Systemunderstands that.

Take for example this coral inspired piece. There are 18 different patterns that were created and every one of them is pictured so that you can select the exact one you want. You don't have to worry about the variations.

The creators behind this product are smart, like went to MIT smart. They used that fancy book learnin' to create a very unique line of jewelry. Using diffusion limited aggregation algorithms and particle systems to simulate a hexagonal mesh of springs, they create amazing pieces. Also, for those of you that understand what that means, they have included the applets on their site so that you can recreate the process on your own.

Handmade

I looked at my calendar today and realized that I have at least 3 major Christmas events this week, if not more. At first I was thinking it was way too early to have this many things on my calendar, but it is no longer early. I need to finish my shopping and clean my house and make fudge and... stop stressing. Like many other house holds around the world, we are on a tight budget this year. One great way to keep to your budget and still get presents that will knock their socks off is to buy handmade.

This time of year is very hard on small businesses that focus mainly on weddings. People drop the wedding planning and jump to present shopping. They forget to look to those faithful handcrafters to provide joy to their loved ones as well as their wedding party. The people over at Buy Handmade set out to remind you with their Pledge Handmade badges. They also have wonderful links where you can find all sorts of handcrafted goodness. Make a trip over and then make the pledge.

Small box, Big thought

When I was a bridesmaid for my sister-in-law she made jewelry for all of us. Actually, that is how Redot Desings started. She wanted to package it all in a pretty box for us. Being the crafty girl that she is, she made the boxes, too, but not every bride has the time or ability to do that. When I saw these boxes on Etsy I loved them, when I saw the name of the shop I laughed out loud. It is called My Sister's Great Idea. Coinsidence, no?  Now more about the boxes. They can be customized for all your bridesmaids. You can change the color, and letter, and there is even a quote on the bottom of the box that can be changed to suit your wished. Don't you just love buying handcrafted?!

 

bonus pic - I couldn't resist

What is in a name?

Naming my posts is sometimes a challenge. I like to be creative but sometimes the creative juices just aren't flowing.I can image that designers often have the same issues with naming products. Katlem Designs stood out to me because of the product names. A girl this clever with product names has to have some creative designs to go with them.

With names like "Don't Whine" and "Treehugger", this girl could get a side job naming for OPI (the ultimate in creative naming). When you dig a little deeper to see the actual designs, she does not disappoint. It is the first time I have found myself wishing for "Scarlet Fever".

In addition to the usual paper assortment, this smarty also offers some designs with matching stamps. That is a new one on me. I know there are sites that let you make your own stamps (such as Zazzle), but I've never seen an invite shop offer them as an option. They have both invitationand RSVP rate stamps to complete your set.

A New Friend

Tonight was the first night of my church's annual Christmas Tea. Last year I about all the wonderful tables and cute ideas I gleaned from the night. This year I am blogging about the people. I met a lady tonight, actually she was the evening entertainment, and during the course of conversation I learned that her daughter is a photographer in the Nashville area. Always on the look out for new ideas and people, I jotted down the web address, and I am so glad I did. Check out Evin Photography.

She is a very talented photographer. I love that she is always trying new angles and new ideas to mix in with the classics. I'd really like to see some of the building that she uses to frame her engagement shots. There is so much character to them. They make for really great backdrops.

I found this shot on her blog. See the rings? That defiantlytook some thought and a lot of good timing. And how about this one on the stairs? The more I see of brides on stairs the more I am sure that every bride needs to have a staircase somewhere to stand on and look amazing. There is also a great shot that involves umbrellas, but you'll have to find that one for yourself.