Recent Posts

Get Your Craft On: Chalk it Up

Oh how I love a chalkboard. I remember I used to race to class just so I could be the first to scribble on a freshly scrubbed chalkboard "I heart whatshisface". I don't know whatever happened to "whatshisname" but I still heart chalkboards. Here are some of my favorites:



Top left: Sarah Chen Photography Top right: oncewed
Bottom left: weddingchicks  Bottom right: onewed

There are tons of neat DIY projects out there. They all pretty much require only two things. Creativity and chalkboard paint. Here are some the cooler ideas I found.



DIY project 1 : Purchase inexpensive clay pots. After painting each pot with chalkboard paint, use chalk to write your guest's names or use one on each table indicating the table number.


DIY project 2 : Purchase unfinished wood banisters. After painting each one with chalkboard paint, use chalk to write your table numbers and place one or a grouping on them on tables.



DIY project 3: Paint galvanized pails with chalkboard paint. Using chalk, number each bucket and use as a seating chart. Place small balsam wood tags ( you can buy at craft stores) painted with chalkboard paint , handwritten with guests names in the buckets. To avoid smearing write guests names in white paint pen so it looks like chalk but wont wear off. Attach pretty ribbon so they are easy to grab out of bucket.


DIY project 4:  Purchase wooden pictures frames of your choice. Remove the glass from the frame and paint with chalkboard paint. Let dry. Reinsert into frame and use chalk to write Bride and Groom. Use a staple gun to attach ribbon to back of frame. Hang from chairs! 


I loved that each on of these projects was a bit different! Do you have any more neat uses for chalkboard paint?

Fall Inspired Place Cards

Fall is such a great time of year. The explosion of colors and textures make for lots of inspiration. Here are some great ideas for unique, inexpensive and stylish place cards.



Mistress of the Dark

This Fall Seasons collections were all about luxurious furs, girly skirts, and wraps galore. What struck me most about this years Fall Collections were designers willingness to turn to the dark side. From casual vamp, to long spider web-like knits and blood red fabrics, these fall styles are meant to tap the inner goth in all of us!


images via jcrew


images via gareth pugh


Get Your Craft On: Making a Wedding Map

You see them all the time, those super cute maps enclosed in wedding invites. I just love those. Wedding maps just make me want to hop in my car and roll like a real live Dora the Explorer. I know you say Who NEEDS the map? Well dear reader I, sadly for one, have a really old car and it doesn't have GPS. Sure I could buy one but that would be like putting mag wheels on a mini van. Interesting but not really worth it.

So for those of us who are GPS deficient, offer a map especially a gorgeous hand illustrated one like this from City Sommelier



More light hearted but just as beautiful, are the maps created by amazing calligrapher Laura Hooper.
Loooove!

Then there is the straightforward but very elegant maps, like the custom maps created by Distinctive Directions. Clean lines and simple icons make getting there a snap and so worth the trip.


Wanna get your craft on and create your very own wedding map. Here's a DIY:


1. Open your web browser and go to http://www.maps.google.com/ or another online map service like http://www.mapquest.com/. Type in the address of your ceremony venue and click Search Maps.

2. A map of the area surrounding your location will appear. Zoom in, using the sliding scale navigation bar until  you get a good view of your venue and nearby major roads. Make sure you have enough detail to make the map interesting but not so much, your guests get confused. Keep it simple, within a 5 to 10 mile radius is best.

3. Click the print icon on the Google page. A small window will pop up with a printable version of the map.

4. Right click on the map and choose Copy from the menu that appears. If you are unable to copy the map, you can take a screen capture to transfer it from your screen to your document. To capture a screen in Windows, press the Print Screen on your keyboard. Next open an image editing program such as Microsoft Paint. Go to the Edit menu and select Paste. Once the image has been pasted into the editing program, you will be able to crop the image and edit out any extra objects you don't want.

5. Open Microsoft Word. From the Page Setup menu under the File tab, select Custom Page Size from the Settings options. Set the custom page size for 4.25 inches wide by 5.5 inches tall.

6. Set the margin spacing to 0.25 for all margins, left, right, top and bottom.

7. Click on the document and paste map into the document.

8. Double click on the map to select it. A black border will appear around the map to indicate it has been selected and the Format Picture dialog box will open.

9. Click on the Layout button and choose In Front of Text for the format.

10. Next, use lines and curves from the drawing toolbar to trace the streets and highways on the map. These can be found under the tab Insert. Click on Shapes. You can use dots and dashes as your lines as well as increase or decrease the line thickness and color to your liking.

11. Once the street lines are in place, add labels to the roads. To do so, click on the Text button on the Drawing Toolbar. Place your cursor on the location you would like to create a text box. Click or drag in your document window to create the text box. Now click inside the text box to add teh street or location name. Remember you can format the text box by double clicking on it. A dialog box will appear which will allow you to change the background, borders and other options.

12. Mark your ceremony location by using a cute icon or graphic. You may want to consider adding additional landmarks but not to many!

13. Delete original map. Simply click on the map and press the Delete key. You will now have your very own wedding map.

14. Print map on cardstock.

15. Create a new document with a custom size of 4.25 by 5.5 inches and 0.25 margins along all sides. Type in the written directions to your venue. Print on the back side of the map.

HANDY TIPS:
To create shapes to represent outlines of cities, bodies of water or points of interest, use the AutoShapes feature in the Drawing toolbar of Microsoft Word. If you are more confident try the Freeform feature to create your own shapes. 

For more fun, funky or retro look add cool graphics to your map like I did to create this one!




Design Sneak Peek: Vintage Air Mail Wedding Program

Just created these super cute Vintage Air Mail Wedding Programs. Available for purchase in my Etsy Shop now!





Freebie Friday: Vintage Airmail Save the Date


I am currently reading "Eat, Pray, Love." I KNOW I could just go see the movie but I am stubborn like that. I want to be absorbed by the story not Julia's - albeit brilliant- but really big teeth.

So thanks to said book, I am now obsessed with Italy and gelato - which is trully as dreamy as Italian men. But shh! don't tell Mr. Wonderful I said that - about cute Italian men - I mean, he knows about the gelato. Anyhow, I can't go to Italy right now but I have designed a cute little vintage save the date for those of you who dream of faraway places and all the gelato you can eat.

Salud!

It's all the details

I love a good wedding. It used to be the cake, then I was enamored with the flowers but I quickly moved onto the wedding dress and then I realized what I really, really love about a good wedding is all those cute dudes dressed in tuxedos. Scandalous isnt it?  A girl has a million things she can do to bring out her beauty and a guy has like three.  A little handclap for the guy over there rocking the tuxedo with nothing more than some gel and cufflinks.



source


image via wedding bee


image via snippet and ink