Kristy Says Emma’s Friends favors have soul!

Yesterday I enjoyed a quiet morning with my mom shopping at a local craft fair. As I made my way through the aisles of vendors I came upon a lovely display of soaps and such. I am always drawn to thoughtful displays and Emma’s Friends immediately caught my eye with their simple collection of soap filled baskets, neutral color palette and perfectly appointed demo station.

Emma’s Friends soaps and lotions are truly different from others. In addition to offering hand-crafted, all natural soaps, lotions and lip balms, Lynn has created a stimulating and empowering work environment for individuals with special needs.

My words explaining this lovely company cannot even begin to describe the heartfelt passion Lynn has for her company. I chatted with Lynn for quite a while and of course purchased many of her items. After hearing about Emma, the soaps and stories I realized I was buying much more than a bar of sweet cranberry soap or jar of rich Dream Cream, I was buying a bit of happiness and supporting a company whose 1st priority is to enrich others lives.

Great thing – Lynn offers favors!

Kristy Says check out Wishpot for Weddings!

Wishpot is a super fun shopping site that allows you to create categorized wish lists of items. I am a Wishpot Wedding Expert which allows me to share Wishlists that are helpful for brides planning the big day. I have 8 lists covering everything from my fav housewares to jewelry and skincare! Once you create your Wishpot account you can install the “Add to Wishpot” button to make Wishlist building even easier as you shop and browse online.

Wishpot now has amazing registry features. You can register for items, honeymoon contributions and or donations to your favorite charity.

Be sure to check out the Wishpot Wedding Blog tomorrow for my guest post!!

Kristy Says you can tie the perfect knot!

Many of my clients incorporate a simple knot into their invitation designs. A expertly tied knot can give the invitation a clean, classic look or keep all enclosures neat and tidy within the envelope.

This is a much requested DIY at the studio. Tying the Perfect knot is not as easy as it may seem. Depending on the material and width of the ribbon, without these specific steps you could be in for an interesting time.

Follow these steps carefully and I promise you will (after a few tries) be tying your perfect knot!

1. Wrap ribbon length around item you are tying, pull tight and cross the right side over top of the left.

2. Continue to tuck right side over and behind the left.

3. Pull tightly and place your left middle finger on top of the intersection.

4 Now the left side will cross over and behind the right side.

5. Keep middle finger on intersection as you tighten your knot. This will ensure you maintain a tight finish. As you tighten slowly remove your middle finger while at the same time ensuring you tug each ribbon end straight.

6. Don’t tighten knot while ribbon ends are at an angle, you will then have a knot that is at an angle!

7. Trim know ends to desired length. Use very new or freshly sharpened scissors.

8. There you have it – a perfect knot. Trust me, the first one you try feels very awkward, but you will find your rhythm after a few!

Bouquet jewels rock!

Recently I have been using tiny jewels in a lot of my designs, specifically the Vintage Tree and Vintage Lacy Stamped Collections. I love the touch of glam and twinkle a bit of rhinestone can give a design. Now, everyone has a budget and you know that every little detail can add up in terms of cost. But adding rhinestones to your invitation is an easy DIY project that costs very little.

BouquetJewels.com has an amazing selection of self-adhesive jewels and other sparkling embellishments. I just love the quality of their stones and their ease of application. Just be sure to have a pair of tweezers ready and you will be all set!

Kristy Says

Tombow adhesive is your friend…

I know that everyone out there is trying to save a bit here and there by taking on SOME (note my strong suggestion of some) DIY projects. Let me tell you that the right combination of DIY projects within your wedding planning action plan can make for not only a lighter budget but also for many very personalized, truly memorable details.

When planning my wedding in 1999 (yes, it seems so long ago) I tried to add my personal touch to nearly every aspect of my wedding from the invitations to embellished tissue packets for the church (admittedly, I took on a bit too much). I am planning a special post soon to highlight some of the DIY details from my wedding years ago.

Please add this to your Michael’s or AC Moore shopping list….NOW – Tombow mono adhesive. These little guys dispense double sided tape at the push of a finger and are refillable. Tape is available in permanent (perfect for envelope lining, table number borders etc) and repositionable (perfect for sealing pocketfolds or assembling invitation belly bands).

And to wrap tings up today…I found this quote on www.FrugalBride.com, a Canadian Wedding Planning site:

“An already overwhelmed bride-to-be should use her DIY projects as a way to release stress, not create more.”

Kristy Says

Today I completed a lovely invitation order for Alisha. This bride was running a bit short on time and needed me to create, assemble and mail the invitations. As I painted the soft shimmer on my wavy daisy artwork and added the fuchsia shimmer border I anticipated assembling the entire set. I often do not have the chance to see the invitations entirely completed. I put so much work into the pieces that encompass an invitation set but most often the bride assembles and mails the sets herself.

I took extra time to design the envelope and make it just as pretty and sweet as the invitation itself. I go to thinking that often the look of the envelope is an afterthought. Most brides don;’t think of how a beautiful font, accent of artwork and carefully chosen stamp can make a big impact even before the guests see the invite inside.

I have worked with several brides to create custom stamp artwork. Zazzle.com does an amazing job at creating custom stamps. They offer three sizes to accommodate any size envelope and you can uplaod artwork directly to the site and preview your stamp…very nice!

I used the standard wedding stamps for this order but I have to say the soft pink stamp combined with a fun font and a touch of artwork makes for a very impressive envelope!

Kristy Says

Today I completed a funky yet elegant invitation design for a late December bride. I loved working with this bride as she had a fun approach to color. She wanted a winter feel to her invites but without being too over the top “holiday”. When she presented me with her colors I was a bit suprised….I thought to myself “how can I possibly make these typically spring shades fitting for a winter wedding?” With a creative eye and a very trusting bride I went wild and brought a blustery, cool feel to this spring motif!

I also began work on another project with a creative approach to color. We are still seeing a lot of pink and brown, but this bride wanted to introduce red into the scheme. I love this look and how edgy and fun it appears while still elegant and upscale. The finished look will feature a dark chocolate border for a nice pop of contrast!

So I say, lets not be afraid of color girls, lets think outside the box and come up with something fresh and fantastic!