Wooden planes with customisation option

 

My lounge hangs full of pictures from countries that Hubby and I have visited. We have a vintage map of Africa on one of our walls (Hubby is the proud owner and he had it even before he had me!) and a collection of little treasures that we've collected on our trips to other countries. So being a bit of a traveller myself, I guess it isn't strange that I've also been bitten by the travelling theme bug when it comes to weddings, celebrations and home decor!

I'm especially in love with the idea of boarding pass and passport invitations - not to mention those old maps, vintage postcards, and other travel related treasures that are so trendy right now!

At present I am working on stationery for a wedding with a much more feminine touch, but in between everything pink and flowery I came up with a fun little item for my Etsy shop:  tiny wooden aeroplanes! 

These little aeroplanes are lasercut from thin, very lightweight wood. They will hardly add any weight to
wedding stationery and invitations (to keep mailing costs down), but they are sure to add an element of fun to any travel themed affair. I've tied one to a simple vintage map pocket/sleeve with baker's twine to show you what the planes look like:

 These little planes are available in my Etsy shop, but you can also e-mail me directly if you prefer to do so. I'm very flexible when it coms to making them. I can make them with or without a hole. The hole is big enough for baker's twine, but if you want to thread them onto something thicker I can supply you with jump rings which will alow you to use them on ribbon and thicker fibres.They can also be made without a hole so you can stick them flat onto paper projects. They come unvarnished and although lovely as they are, they are also easy to paint, stain or dye. And they are scrapbook safe, in case you were wondering.) For an additional fee they may also be engraved with initials/names and/or a date, so customisation is also an option!

To find out more, please contact me via e-mail on almostamsterdam{at}gmail.com. If you've joined Etsy you can also contact me via Etsy. The planes on Etsy can be found here.

Pucker Up!

So things have been a little crazy lately and this post should have been up much, much earlier. Please accept my apology! For those who are interested, straws with lip decorations are now available in my Etsy shop.

Initially I've listed DIY straw decorations to allow those of you living in the Netherlands to buy your own straws and just order the decorations. Unfortunately this has become a bit of an admin nightmare for me with people from abroad ordering the DIY option without realising that it might be quite painful to find the right straws to fit through the holes in my straw decorations. (As it turns out a 5 mm straw is not necessarily a 5mm straw!) To make things easier for Etsy shoppers who come from all over the world I am now including straws in all my standard listings for straw decorations.

But please note: if you have your heart set on using your own designer straws with my decorations I can still customise them for you, or do listings without straws included.

How will it work? There are two options:

You can physically mail one of the straws that you would like to use to me. I can then size it and adapt the straw decorations accordingly. Alternatively you can order a straw sizing chart from me. This  is a simple sheet of cardstock with holes in various sizes cut into it. You can then physically push your straw through the different holes to determine the right size. Once you know the right size you can let me know what it is and I can customise your straw decorations so they will fit your straws. This might sound silly, but unfortunately a hole that is too big by even a tenth of a millimetre can cause your decorations to slide to far down, while a hole that is just a fraction too small will mean that your straws won't fit!)

You can find my straw decorations in my Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AlmostAmsterdam

The straw decorations are a lot of fun. They are wonderful ice breakers at parties and they make for great photos, so go and check them out! And remember: if you're looking for something specific, please feel free to contact me and ask. Since I lasercut many of the items in my shop I offer a lot of flexibility with regard to customisation! Just e-mail me or contact me via my Etsy shop!

Mustaches

Hi Everyone!

It's been a few days, but here I am: very excited to tell you about the mustaches I've been making, right here in my little studio!

I've recently done listings for mustaches in my Etsy shop. There are mustache straw decorations as well as DIY mustache packs. The latter are ideal for decorating straight straws, cards, tags, and so forth, or you can simply add a stick and some adhesive and you have some fun photo props.  Mustaches are cut from sturdy double-sided cardstock and they come in black, dark brown or dark grey. The straws come in pink, red, green or blue. 

Lips and a few other fun items will also be available soon, as well as ready-made photo props. I will do another post once those listings are up.

You can purchase the mustaches via my Etsy shop, or you can e-mail me at almostamsterdam(at)gmail.com.

Traditional Bunting

I can't do a series of posts about garlands and bunting without including some traditional bunting! I saw these stunning photographs of tradional bunting (apparently made by the bride herself) on the website of one of my favourite photographers and I fell head over heels in love with the fresh, but romantic look created with the bunting made from fabric in shades of mainly pink and blue.



Source: http://www.nastassjaharvey.com/2011/01/iaan-christine-29-october-2010-kleinevalleij/

Ribbon chandelier

I know I'm supposed to be on a bunting and garland spree and technically speaking a ribbon chandelier does not qualify as one of the two, but I wanted to do a post on it, as it is also something that you can hang up and use to decorate space above a table, under a tree, or wherever you want to! (And because I love ribbon and lace and am totally in love with any idea that promotes the use of these materials for projects that aren't too feminine and girly! I am married to a man who will probably move to the garden shed if I decided to decorate our home with ribbons tied in bows, but I'm sure even he can live with something this pretty!) The image below comes from 100 layer cake and there are general tips on how to make your own ribbon chandelier here, but the idea can easily be adapted, if you would prefer a ribbon garland.

The image below is from a wedding in Franschoek, South Africa, and I think this combination of ribbon, crystals and paper butterflies is absolutely stunning!

Here you can see a close-up:

Source for both these images: http://www.zara-zoo.com/blog/le-franschhoek-leverger-wedding/

Pompom Garland

I've seen this Pompom Garland on Etsy. Millalove describes the garland as "possibly the happiest thing I've created"! I must agree: this garland will bring happiness to any setting. Millalove is based in the UK, which means you won't have to wait too long for shipping if you want to order one!

Source: http://www.etsy.com/listing/41969765/pom-pom-garland

Pompoms are easy to make (many of us have made them as children) so you can also make your own pompom garland if you have some time on your hands. You can find instructions for making pompoms all over the web, for example here  (movie) and here (written instructions)!

Fabric Scrap Garland 2

I came across this beautiful garland that's in the same style as those in the previous post, so I thought I'll add this picture before moving on to different styles of bunting. This time the fabric strips are longer and closer together - almost ribbon-like. If you're lazy or pressed for time you can simply rip your fabric into strips to form ribbons and then cut them to the desired length afterwards!