Florestry

I've recently received some photographs from the very talented and lovely Liz, who bought some of my wooden airplane charms on Etsy. Liz did a floristry course before getting married, so she could do her own flowers for her wedding in 2015. Nowadays she uses her skills to do flowers as a favour for family and friends. 

Liz sprayed the little airplane charms silver, in order to use them in floral arrangements for a retirement party. She then glued them onto skewers encased in green bamboo, so they looked like they were zooming around among the flowers. Liz received a lot of comments from guests on the subtle, fun touch the planes brought to her flower arrangements. And I thought she was brilliant to hide the skewers in bamboo! Liz was so kind to give me permission to share the photos on my blog, so be inspired!

Liz is a woman of many talents. She also sells baby gifts at craft fairs and has recently opened a little Etsy shop called OatOrganicBabyGifts. The shop is still brand new, but based on the excellent feedback from the first few customers, I think the shop is definitely worth a visit, for those of you with a baby somewhere in your life! The listings are still limited, but Liz is planning to list more items in the coming weeks, so do stop by!

Colour of the Year 2018: Ultra Violet

I just LOVE the vibrant Pantone colour of the year for 2018!

Source: https://blog.sampleboard.com/ultra-violet-pantone-color-year-2018-promises-hope/

Source: https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2018

Beautiful Invitation by Paperock and Scissors

I was so thrilled when Niki from London shared some photographs of her lovely wedding invitations with me. The design is by Paperock and Scissors, a design studio that operates from the UK and South Africa:

 

The combination of colours in the invitation immediately appealed to me, as hues of blue, purple and aqua are some of my favourite colours. I also love the combination of the travel theme with the floral graphics. It makes for a well-balanced invitation: simplicity and strong, angular lines in the shaped pieces, contrasted by the more feminine floral design. I am truly honoured to see my little wooden aeroplane charms as part of such a pretty design!

Please visit Paperock and Scissors on Instagram to see more of the designer's amazing work!

And thank you Niki for sharing your absolutely gorgeous invitations! It was so lovely to meet you through Etsy! May you and Tristan have a beautiful and blessed life together!

Airplane Pinwheels

A while ago I've received a photo of these lovely pinwheels that Lucy made for her wedding. The pinwheels had pins on the back so the guests could wear them! They've added such a festive element to the occasion! I just love Lucy's DIY project! Don't you? Thanks Lucy for sharing!

The airplanes used in Lucy's project can be purchased from the Almost Amsterdam shop here or here. Custom shapes and sizes are also possible if you don't find exactly what you need in my Etsy shop. You're welcome to contact me through Etsy, or via e-mail at almostamsterdam{at!}gmail.com.

Wooden Bird Decoration for Watercolour Invitation

I'm very excited about these little wooden bird decorations that I've just added to my Etsy shop! They measure 40 x 31 mm or approximately 1.57 x 1.2 inches, and are laser-cut from a light-coloured FSC approved laminated wood (3 mm thick), specifically chosen for the fact that it doesn't scorch as much as most types of wood during the laser-cutting process. (The reason why this is important is that the wooden edges won't make a mess of your paper, like laser-cut wood with blackened edges often does.)

I've designed the little bird embellishment to use as decoration for the watercolour wedding invitation in the picture, but the light colour of the wood makes the birdies incredibly versatile. I am sure DIY brides or anyone planning a special event will be able to use the birds on other styles of invitations and stationery too!

The little birds come with a hole, so they can be used with twine, or without a hole, so they can be glued into place. And of course they don't HAVE to be used for weddings or special events. The bird decorations will add a fun, decorative touch to gifts, gift bags, scrapbook pages and more!

You can purchase the birdies in my Etsy shop. To keep shipping costs as low as possible I have done separate listings for quantities of 10 to 50 and 60 to 100. Different quantities can be requested via Etsy or by e-mailing me directly at almostamsterdam{at!}gmail.com. I also do custom shapes for those who have something specific in mind!

Pantone Colour(s) of the Year

Although I've seen some awesome work in Marsala (the 2015 colour of the year), I must admit that it wasn't my favourite Pantone colour of the year thus far. Although I wouldn't say that it reminded me of rust or meatloaf it was a little too dramatic for my personal taste.

For 2016 Pantone has made the unusual decision to not celebrate one colour, but the blending of two, and it happens to be two of my personal favourite colors: Rose Quartz and Serenity! (Even the names are pretty, don't you think?)

Source

I have some really luxurious paper in stock that are perfect for anyone inspired by these beautiful Pantone colours. The paper is a shimmer paper from Italy and is available in 120 and 280 gsm.The colours available are rose quarts, vista blue and diamond white. I offer the paper in packs of 50 A4 or A3 sheets. Samples are available on request. It can also be die-cut, laser-cut or made into tags, paper sleeves, envelopes and more for you. Please e-mail me at almostamsterdam{at!}gmail.com. I'm looking forward to using these papers in a few creative projects of my own!

Source

Read more about the Pantone Color of The Year here.

Wedding invitations: Eva & Gary

Eva and Gary's amazing wedding invitations were truly a team effort. The invitations were designed by a friend, I made the airplanes and Eva and Gary put everything together. Their hard work definitely paid off. Eva shared these photographs with me after the wedding and I am finally sharing them with you: Don't you think these invites are absolutely stunning?

Thank you so much for incorporating my work into your design, Eva & Gary! You guys and your friend have reason to be proud! Thank you also for allowing me to share your images!