Handcrafted: The Cure For The Common Wedding

Extra! Extra!

 I am behind, WAY behind. So, in an effort to make up for all the lost time I will be posting extra Etsy finds today. The posts will be quick and simple. My goal is to find 4 different items that fall into 4 different categories to make up for the 4 days I missed this week.
Let's start with Onyx and Alabaster. This stationery shop has a cute alternative to a traditional guest book (or an addition to). These are cards for a wish bowl. Instead of signing a book, or board, or whatever, or guests can write you a note, draw you a doodle, or give you a piece of advice. After the wedding you could punch a hole in the corner of each card and loop through a ribbon. Then you'd be able to flip through the cards and not worry about them getting lost in the bottom of a box.

Roundabout

I love it when I come to a site in a roundabout way. The other day I was researching something for the photography I do odd jobs for. I can not even remember now what it was, but it took me to the site of another photographer, which led me to a blog, that had a picture of custom coat check tags. I knew right away that I had to see the shop of the person who thought to make custom coat check tags. It was Gourmet Invitations.
 
The site is great, but naturally I was drawn to the blog because there are so many untold details about custom work, and with the blog you learn their stories. Take, for example, the lovely design above. It started with a picture of a detail on part of the building that was to be the wedding venue. Sweet!

It turns out my coat check girl has a name, it is Christina, and her wedding looked amazing. I was truly amazed at the number of thing in her design  portfolio that would go under the heading of something you didn't know you needed, but now you absolutely must have. The photographer that got me to the site in the first place is The Shooting Gallery and well worth the look. Their web designer deserves two thumbs up for that one.

Metamorphosis

When I first started writing this blog I pretty much ignored pricing on sites. I have even featured one or two things that were way over the top budget wise. These days even the financially stable couples are looking twice at price tags and I have been trying to do the same. When I saw the site and samples for The Dressed Caterpillar I honestly thought I would have to dance around the price issue. I never dreamed it would end up being it's best selling feature.
 

This caterpillar has all the signs of a high end custom invitation shop. Instead of having a stock set of "the usual", each job starts from the beginning to insure that your stationery is exactly what you want. Along with that there is a very simple, very low starting price. The goal is to be competitive in price to the big book invitation companies (you know the ones you see at party supply stores that take two grown men to lift), but still have the quality and custom options of a handcrafter.

 As if I needed another reason to like this shop, Leslie is based in the Atlanta area near me. Have I mentioned that I love putting a spotlight on locals? Don't worry if you aren't near us. Thanks to the internet you can benifit from this southern designer no matter where you hail from.

Stick with me

I love stickers. When I was a kid I had a huge sticker collection. In fact, I think I still have a box somewhere filled with Lisa Frank stickers.So now when I see a company making custom stickers, the little girl of the 80's in me squeals. Little beane Boutique is just such a company, and this week's Indie Star. These are great for favors, address labels, envelope seals, or adding a quick monogram to anything. She also has some packaging for favors. The label and bag combo would be great for a candy buffet.

Giving Back

In my post yesterday on domestic violence, Sarah commented to let me know about a great way for brides to help. Brides Give Back is a win win idea that I hope spreads. It is like a really fabulous bridal show, only your ticket sales go to help Faith House, which is a domestic violence shelter in Arizona. The event is coming up soon, (2-19) so if you are anywhere near Gibert, AZ, make plans to go. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door and that includes drinks and appetizers. There is an impressive list of sponsors for the night, which is being held at the oh so chic Villa Siena. On a handcrafted note, Paper Divas and The Invitation Lady will be there, as will Jones Street Press, whose website is just getting warmed up, but looks very promising.

Image of the Villa provided by David De Dios, who will also be at the event.

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. 

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.

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.

Equally Obsessed

Erin is so obsessed with ink (and printing) that she named her company Ink Obsession Designs. I am totally convinced that thereis something for everyone in this shop.  I love this shop for the extras, especially when you don't really have extra money.

The shower invites are eye catching. It's great that you can carry through a color theme without being all matchy matchy. I think the table numbers might be my favorite, but that may have something to do with a Christmas DIY project that is looming over me.

Don't forget to look at the change of address cards. Weddings often accompany a move for one or both parties. Keep the page book marked for after the wedding. After month of planning and seeing your color scheme over and over again, you may want to pick out something completely different for you new stationery as a married couple.

Where Are We?

I love maps, so last year when I saw Laura Hooper's hand drawn maps I was smitten. Now she has combined the glory of maps with the elegance of calligraphy and put them together on a save-the-date card.

These hand illustrated beauties can include any details you need. Imagine adding in the place you met, the place he proposed, or any other location special just to you.

It would be a disservice to talk about Laura Hooper's maps without also mentioning her amazing letterpress invitations. The calligraphy in this shop is defiantly top notch. It's a great site to explore.