Nautical Invitations with Wooden Sailboat Charms

These invitations are the latest addition to my portfolio. The invitations are perfect for invitations to weddings or other celebrations with a nautical theme. The basic invitation consists of a digitally printed flat invitation card which comes with a kraft envelope. Twine is wrapped around the invitation card and a small wooden sailboat is used as decoration. Matching response cards with kraft envelopes, accommodation cards and so forth can be added at your request.

The invitation is also available as a digital design, should you prefer to do your own printing. Please contact me for pricing. The wooden sailboats are also sold separately on Etsy. 

Treasury List: A Ticket to Ride

My wooden airplane charms have been featured in this Etsy treasury by fellow Etsian, Lynne. Lynne is the owner of an Etsy shop called ClosetFull - a very interesting shop full of vintage books, antiques and ephemera. You should definitely pay her a visit!

Wedding Programs: Fans

  Just a quick post to share some ideas for wedding fan programmes in different shapes and sizes.

Shaped fan

Fan with ribbon

Madlibs fan

Bracket-shaped fan 

Peacock fan 

Pastel fans

Pretty Typography Fan

Fan shaped programme

Black and white fans

Heart-shaped fan

New in my Etsy Shop

As you may know already I am a firm believer in creativity. Yes, I am a stationery designer, but I also love to help others with their crafty adventures and DIY weddings and events. I therefore also offer some DIY supplies in my shop for those of you who would like to make your own wedding or event stationery.

Especially for my DIY clients, I have added some fun wooden craft sticks to the Almost Amsterdam shop. These are perfect for those of you who want to make anything from your own cupcake and cake toppers, to drink stirrers, table numbers and fan programmes (order of service).

I will post some inspiration of what you can do with these sticks later in the week, but for now a few pictures of the sticks themselves!

 Size: 200 x 25 mm - These large wooden sticks are what I use when I create wedding fans (fan programmes or order of service).

 Size: 140 x 5 mm. My favourite use for these sticks are to make cupcake toppers.

Size: 190 x 6 mm, perfect to make cake toppers for larger cakes and stirring sticks (swizzle sticks) for drinks.

You can find these items in my shop, or, if you prefer not to use Etsy, please send me an e-mail at almostamsterdam{at!}gmail{dot}com. Of course I can still design and make something especially for you, if you prefer not to do the work yourself!

Seating Plan

 I always love original seating plans and this one that I've found on 100 Layer Cake blog is no exception! I love the idea of little vases and jars with flowers and pretty tags. This could be a perfect DIY project for your wedding. Simply adapt the concept by using flowers, a sign and table cloth to match the style of your wedding. And, if you prefer a safer option, you can exchange the votive candles for LED lights or even a few fairy lights.

Photography: Jessica Lorren Organic Photography | Source: 100 Layer Cake

Lots and Lots of Handmade!

A few months ago I was contacted by a bride in need of some ideas for her wedding invitations. I was asked to design something romantic, but not overly feminine and with a vintage feel, and it had to have a photo of the couple and some actual lace incorporated in the design. These invitations were the end result:

In order to protect the couple's privacy I'm not posting images of the invitation card itself here, but I will mention that it was soft and feminine with pale blue flowers and some vintage ephemera to remind us of times gone by. Crochet-style lace held the cards together, but to steer away from too much femininity I've opted for hand-crafted paper sleeves made from kraft paper and wooden heart embellishments engraved with the initials of the couple. The hearts were tied around the sleeves with natural linen twine and each invitation came with a matching handmade envelope. 

With so many handmade details these invitations took quite a bit of time to make, but I loved the end result.

Books

Old books are still a major trend when it comes to wedding decor. We often see them stacked and tied with lace or pretty ribbons, but less often as part of the seating plan and table numbers. I just love the way in which old books feature at this beautiful wedding over on the Style Me Pretty blog.

Guest names and the numbers of the tables where they are to be seated are printed on bookmark-style tags with pretty lace details.

A close-up of the tags

Table number: folded book pages

Ring pillow alternative

Photographer: Clayton Austin | Planning & Design: A Good Affair | Source: Style Me Pretty

Thrifty Thursday

So you've splurged on the invitations and now the budget has become a bit tight as far as the day-of stationery is concerned? I've stumbled upon this very original seating plan that you can make for next to nothing. All you need is a permanent marker or two and some rocks!

Source: Drikus le Roux Photography

A Little Project

A while ago I've made some laser-cut paper birdcages for a bride in Italy. She was lovely to work with and even though we haven't met in person, I felt as if I had made a new friend. I was therefore thrilled when she contacted me again, this time in need of some of my little wooden pegs with the hearts on them. She was in a bit of rush, but I didn't mind. Loved making the pegs for her! I've mailed them last week, but I thought I'll share a picture:

The wedding will take place outside at a beautiful and oh-so-romantic venue, so I'm praying with my Italian friend and her fiance for some perfect weather for their special day!

Best Wedding Cake Ever?

Want a wedding cake with a difference? Then why not make your own from Rice Krispies and Marshmallows? I'm no genius in the kitchen, but I think I might just be able to manage this, if I had the right cake tins! Unfortunately I don't know who made this cake, but I found the image here.

Moody Monday: Shades of Pink and Glittery Gold

I've recently discovered The Perfect Palette, a blog by the incredibly talented Chrissy, dedicated to exploring colour palette possibilities for weddings and parties. If you're looking for some colour inspiration for your wedding or party, The Perfect Palette is the place to go. You will find loads of inspiration boards and fun and creative colour ideas, as well as colour tips. I fell in love with this beautiful inspiration boards in shades of pink and glittery gold:

Source: The Perfect Palette

Catching Up

Early evening in Salzburg.

As I've already mentioned I have some catching up to do. One of the things that I would like to mention is a wonderful week of travelling with Hubby and the Doggies. We didn't really plan the holiday. At first our intention was to stay at home and just relax, but then we realised that it would be better to take off somewhere. Working from home makes it hard to really take a break, relax and forget about e-mails, clients and everything work-related - especially when half-finished projects and your laptop haunt you from the dining room table! So, in order to forget about it all we got into the car and drove to Germany. Our next stop was Austria. From Austria we took a day trip to Liechtenstein and another to Italy and then we headed home through France, Luxembourg and Germany. 

As a South African I used to have to get on a plane and literally cross a continent to visit a European country. That is probably why I will never lose the feeling of excitement every time we cross a border to visit another European county! On the day that we went from Austria to Italy the road that we thought we would take was closed due to road works and we had to take a detour through Switzerland! Five years ago this would have been completely unreal to me! 

This was my second visit to Austria. Hubby and I aren't really city people, but we do try to always include at least one day in the city when exploring a country. This time we've been to Salzburg, which is a beautiful and friendly city full of culture, beautiful gardens and stunning architecture. The Alps however, remain my first love when it comes to Austria!

About 2 km above sea level.

Although the composition isn't perfect I love this photo. Taken from the car while Hubby was driving, I love how this photo shows how high up in the mountains we were. It really made me feel on top of the world!

Treasury List Featuring Almost Amsterdam's Wooden Airplane Charms

Etsy Treasury list by Alisha from Baby Bunny Creations on Etsy.