Seating Plan

I love this idea by Oh Happy Day. The candles will create loads of atmosphere at an evening garden wedding or any soft-lit venue after dark. Imagine each guest carrying a candle while looking for their table or seat - so romantic! In my opinion this project, or something similar, could be a lovely alternative for brides who are looking for an alternative to the traditional seating plan!

Source: Oh Happy Day

Unfortunately not all of us are so lucky to have a dollar store nearby and of course the idea of calligraphy on glass may also be a little daunting - especially if you don't have a very steady hand (like me)! I also know of venues where candles are not allowed because of the fire hazard or because the owners are concerned about wax dripping on the floors or furniture.

But that doesn't mean you will have to do give up on the idea altogether, as I have a few suggestions for you!

• If you can't find these prayer candles in a shop, buy votive candles in stead and simply change the direction of the calligraphy, so a guest name and table number will fit.
• You can also go green. (I always try to recycle wherever I can!) Ask family and friends to help you collect glass jars before the wedding. Simply soak off the labels and place a tealight or small pillar candle inside, if you find the idea of melting wax and adding your own candle wicks too intimidating.
• If your venue doesn't allow candles, or if you are concerned about safety issues, use LED lights in stead of wax candles. This option may be more expensive, but the candles can double as wedding favours for your guests to take home.
• If you find the idea of calligraphy on glass a little daunting print guest names and table numbers on transparent sticker sheets, cut out with a hobby knife and adhere to jars. There are loads of pretty hand-drawn fonts out there!

Dogs at Weddings

Right now I am sitting on the couch with my laptop on my lap and Jolie, my miniature pincher,  lying next to me with her head on my knee. Lying on the floor isn't something that Jolie likes to do. She prefers my lap, but if not available she will settle for the couch or bed - as long as I am on it too! When I'm working and don't have time to be doggy furniture I have to make sure that Jolie's basket is close enough for her to lie in and watch me at the same time. The floor simply isn't good enough - not even when covered by a carpet or soft rug. When I stumbled upon this photo I couldn't help but think that this is the kind of spot that Jolie would choose too!

Photo found here.

Cake

I just love the chalkboard trend, so I just had to share this fun chalkboard cake by the Artisan Cake Company.

Found it here.

Found it here.

Wedding Invitation: Alicia and Nik

A while ago I've met Deborah and Steven from Canada in Etsy cyberspace when they've placed an order for some of my handmade airplane embellishments. The little airplanes were to be used as a finishing touch on wedding invitations to a destination wedding in Cuba. (Nik, Deborah and Steven's son, will be getting married to future daughter-in-law Alicia.)

I was really thrilled when Deborah and Steven shared some pictures of how the airplanes were used on Alicia and Nik's wedding invitations. They were also kind enough to give me permission to share a picture of the invitation here on my blog and now, with the RSVP's already coming in, I can do so without spoiling the surprise for the guests.

According to Deborah the response to the invitation was really great and family and friends from all over the world will be attending the wedding in Cuba. I just love the design of the wedding invitation and the combination of the kraft paper with the more colorful airmail border. I also love how the Cuban monogram sets the invitation apart from other travel-themed invitations. It really makes the invitation unique and gives it a lovely personal touch!

Seeing my little airplanes in action on such a lovely invitation is really special to me. It always makes my heart skip a beat when someone chooses something that I've designed and made to become part of an important celebration in their lives!

Thank you to Deborah, Steven, Nik and Alicia for supporting my little venture and for sharing with us. I hope you will have loads of fun while preparing for the wedding. My wish for you is a beautiful wedding day full of dreams coming true, love and happiness. May your wedding day be the perfect beginning to an amazing happily-ever-after, Alica and Nik!

Things on Sticks

I've recently made these little aeroplanes on sticks for a bride. They are a fun way of introducing a travel or aviation theme to the floral arrangements at a wedding or other special celebration. If engraved with a table number or name, they could also be a fun way of helping your guests find their tables. The size of the aeroplanes and the size and type of stick may also be adapted to serve as place cards, cake toppers, cupcake toppers, swizzle sticks, and so forth. Of course you don't have to stick to aeroplanes and a travel or aviation theme. Other shapes to match your specific theme can also be done. Please don't hesitate to contact me to discuss your needs.

Invitation Decorations: Wooden Feathers

I am so excited about the new wooden feathers in my Etsy shop. These little invitation decorations, or feather charms, are laser-cut from FSC approved plywood and will add a unique and fun element to the most humble of invitations! I love the idea of tying some twine around an invitation suite and finishing it all off with one of these feathers to keep everything tidy, but of course the feathers will work equally well on wedding or party favours! One can also use them in scrapbooking and jewellery making!

The feathers will work well with themes such as the outdoors, nature, woodland, forest, tribal, birds, etc.

You will find more details here and here!

Catching up on Etsy treasuries

At the moment I still have a bit of catching up to do, after my holiday in September. I will share a few images from our trip to Italy in the coming days, but today I am catching up on two Etsy treasuries in which my wooden airplanes were featured.

First of all there was this lovely treasury by Imogen from Findimogenwilson, called "Fall Travel".:

I was still on holiday when Imogen published the treasury, but I loved it so much that I still wanted to include it in my blog - better late than never! Imogen Wilson, who runs her Etsy shop from New Zealand, makes colourful, fun jewellery with a Japanese theme.  I just love the originality of Imogen's jewellery pieces and I would encourage anyone to check out her Etsy shop, which you will  find over here.

My favourite piece from Imogen's shop is this ring featuring a tiny origami paper crane in a glass globe:

You can see more images of the ring over here.

The second treasury in which my airplanes were featured was this one called "Going Around" by Mademoiselle Chipotte:

Mademoiselle Chipotte is a lovely Etsy shop, based in Belgium, with a random, but very interesting collection of vintage finds, including anything from optical testing equipment to vintage buttons! There certainly is something for everyone! These Victorian paper stars for scrapbooking are my favourite from the shop:

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A sincere thank you to Valerie and Imogen for including my wooden airplanes in their treasuries. As a traveller myself, I always enjoy travel-themed treasuries!