Plain And Simple Wedding Invitations

This is the wedding invitation pack I “made” for my nephews wedding this coming September.

As you can see there isn’t really any crafting to them. The bride was very specific in her desire for an invitation made up of several layers of cards, that were plain, simple and classy, which probably accounts for them taking 3 months from the first moot to my being able to finally pack them in a box (with spares in case of accidents) and posted!  It also didn’t help that I am in Evesham while the bride and groom are in Stockport and that we never actually spoke in person throughout the whole procedure other than texts and e-mails.

The band was always a requisite, and probably the fiddliest part as it needed an extra bit added in order to fit round the completed invitation pack including a hidden paper clip, with precision folds.

Before arriving at this final white linen effect band (the card used throughout the project from Papermill Direct) I sent samples in pink and grey, also making pink, grey and white stamped seals using my Melt Pot. These ideas were quickly cast aside, as were the subtle placement of the odd “posh” flatback pearls and gems and requested vellum wraps.  We also toyed with putting the name of the bride and groom on the band but Amanda also discounted this because they couldn’t be centred aesthetically, Joe having less letters than Amanda.

The rose coloured paperclips (Paperchase) were originally meant for the Save The Date cards that I had made previously, but they didn’t really go with the grey card used, but happily worked a treat under the band ….. so much attention to detail!

The font was also an important consideration, there were two in the running, but in the end it was Cochin LT that made it through, sourced by the bride and groom and then downloaded by me. I had never seen or heard of it before. 

The main headings of the invitation were set out in capital letters with a space between each letter and then the body of all the cards were in smaller italic.

To be honest the whole exercise reminded me of my working days when I used to spend a lot of my time creating forms, leaflets and work sheets in Publisher 2003.  It’s all about hidden text boxes, spacing and then centring.  The Response Card took me the longest to put together for that reason.

The final piece of the puzzle (everything came in bits over the months) was right at the end with the cover design (again sourced by Amanda), printed, after a little experimentation  on Crafters Companion printable vellum.  Then when everything was double checked and then double checked again, I was able to start printing and then cutting all the components parts to size before putting each pack together, this took me a weekend to do.

Did I enjoy the process? Perhaps not …….. but it was my wedding present to the couple.  It didn’t particularly get my creative juices flowing and to be honest could have easily been done at a printers, however, as a spin off my sister-in-law (the bridegroom’s mother) has asked if I can make her a wedding card incorporating the floral design and then a framed version for a keepsake …… so perhaps I can add my own touch of fiddle fart somewhere along the line, if not wholly endorsed by the happy couple!

To Blog Or Not To Blog …… That Is The Question !!!!!!

I know …… I have been a very long time away not posting and yes, as many of you presumed through your lovely comments (thank you) that I’ve been off and away doing lovely things, putting crafting and blogging on the back burner.

It’s been a GOOD three months or so, when I celebrated my second year in Evesham, joined Slimming World (2 stone down so far), spent a wonderful week in Crete etc. etc., oh and I made the wedding invites for my nephew’s wedding, but more of that project in my next post.

I have been very spoilt in the past having a “proper” craft room where I could just pick up a project whenever I wanted and then shut the door, now living in a small flat I have found that in order to craft two rooms get trashed. I am not a neat worker and as my mind flies here, there and everywhere box after box are opened and the contents scattered and to be honest the tidying up after a “session” got me down a little.

I admit that when I first moved I rushed getting my second bedroom done, having little ones frequently sleeping over and friends/family staying over at least once a month I really needed a bed and a few bits of furniture in there, but, if I could do it all again I think I would have taken my time in designing it as a comfy craft room which included a sofa bed that could be folded away when not in use.

However, in May I had yet another re-think, even as it was the room, for me, didn’t flow, I never really liked the Ikea drawers I had put in there, the bedside ones were too low and the unit I had built on the wall opposite the bed just jarred on me each time I went in the room (as demonstrated by Darrell) ……..

So I got the wonderful Mr Pete to come back and build new drawers either side of the bed to fit in with the shelf unit he had built last year and then, in my head, I wanted something that looked a bit like a dresser on the opposite side of the room to house all the boxes of craft stuff that were under the bed.  I tried to describe to poor Pete what was in my head and unbelievably he was able to draw a sketch, sighing at my need for crystal knobs and the rest is history.  When I got back from Crete Pete had worked his magic.

I am thrilled, there is now only one box now under the bed, everything else is neatly put away and easily assessable, although I need to start labelling some of the boxes. I can now collect stuff from the drawers and cupboards without wrecking the room.

So that’s got you up to speed. In September Iris starts school. I know, where has the time gone …. and Bertie, bless him, starts nursery, which means a bit more walking for me as Evesham doesn’t have the buses that Wolverhampton does, and my three days now increases to four days with them.  I can’t promise a post every Monday, but I have a couple of projects to post and with September heralding my busiest crafting period, I hope to follow on from these posts leading up to Christmas.

Tonertex Glitters – Flamingo Bag

When Marc and I went to Crafting Live at Malvern I treated myself to a selection of Tonertex pens, foils, glitter and glue.  I must have seen this company a million times at various shows over the years, but this was the first time I had ever been tempted to get my money out. I have always wanted to “embellish” a faux or leather jacket for Iris and or Bertie, if ever I can find a suitable one/two in a charity shop, and this seemed the way to go.

However the glue and glitters first outing was on something completely different, i.e this jute bag I found in my favourite charity shop for just 60p, flamingos are so on trend at the moment, it was a no brainer.

I started by applying the Tonertex glue on the flamingos and heart …….

…….. leaving it for about 10 to 15 minutes before applying the fuchsia coloured glitter.  I admit I was sceptical as to how it might turn out but resisted the temptation to fiddle with it until in the morning when it was dry ……….

I was thrilled with the result.  The bottom of the left hand flamingo’s neck in the picture was a bit dodgy as you can see, but I was able to remove the excess glitter and glue quite easily using a craft knife, making the edge rounder to match the other one without ruining the whole effect.

And ……. the glitter just doesn’t rub off, how brilliant is that! It does exactly what it says on the packet! All I had to do was brush off the excess glitter from the bag itself and add two black flat back gems for the eyes.

Now, the bag is double sided so I need to repeat the exercise again, but as I don’t have enough glitter left to do it, I’ve had to order another pot from the Tonertex website.  I wanted a new beach bag for my Greek Odyssey this year, and I reckon I’ve got one!

A Bits and Pieces Sort Of A Post

There was an extra bonus to Marc’s and my visit to Crafting Live at Malvern ….. while we were having a much needed cup of tea and waiting to be picked up we noticed that people were leaving the hall with large smiles and what looked like the boxes of the card/paper/kits that had been given as complimentary gifts at the start of the day. At first we just watched, we were happy with the box we had each received, both containing A4 wood patterned paper …… but then we got a little curiouser, before finally deciding that we may as well go see what was going on.

Well, what’s a poor boy and girl to do? We both came back with a pile of extra boxes, rather than take them all back to wherever the organisers were giving the packs away to anyone who wanted them.

You name it, we got it, glitter, metallic and patterned card ……….

…….. plus a couple of card making kits …….

 

…… including a “wobble” card kit.  When we got back we decided to split the contents so that we both got a bit of everything ….. and after sorting through again, I decided to give the papers that I know I won’t use to Iris’s nursery school, as they are always crying out for materials, so it was win win situation all the way round.

And …….. this is a stemmed dish Marc created marrying a small (upside down) vase with a glass bowl, gluing with E6000.  It was sitting on the sideboard at the cottage and had me completely fooled when I admired it, it was only when Marc told me what he’d done that I cottoned on.  What a brilliant idea!

As you know, I have decorated my bathroom shelves with decanters (filled with bubble bath) that I have found in the various charity shops of Evesham. If I occassionally find a prettier, more unusual shaped one I then replace it for one of the plainer ones, so long as it costs less than about £2.

In the Crafters Companion Café they used decanters that have lost their stoppers as vases with paper flowers in them.  All the plates, cup and saucers and mugs are also “found” treasures, it all looks so cute, especially against all the country style furniture.

And finally an object of desire ……… I haven't got a single spare spot in my bijoux flat, but I just love this painted, metal flamingo, believe me, if I had any where it would fit, it would  be mine!

Marc and I – Soldering Yet Again at Crafting Live, Malvern.

Following our day scrapbooking at Crafters Companion, Marc and I moved on to Crafting Live at Malvern with Create and Craft the following day.

I have to say that after my past disappointment at the Hobbycraft Show at the NEC it was a very pleasant day ……..

…… where we got to see the various Create and Craft programmes going out live which was interesting in itself.

It was also comfortable to get around, there were enough stalls with a good range of different products and you could look at things properly without being pushed and shoved and your ankles bashed!  There were an awful lot of dies and stamps, but I was still able to stock up on all the card colours I needed and treat myself to a few other bits and pieces (including some Tonerflex foils and accoutrements) and Marc could have a good look at the Screen Sensations stall, although I think he must almost have all the screens they have.  

There were also plenty of Make and Take Workshops, but in the end nothing really called our names ……

……. then we spotted Glass Garden Studio who were doing workshops that included soldering, something we have both tried so many times but with mixed results.  Well, it was a no brainer and Marc treated us both to the Bunting Workshop – their example shown below.

With an excellent tutor putting on the copper tape was a doddle …….

The soldering wasn’t as much, but we had all the proper tools to use and yes, with practice (Marc bought the soldering iron and solder for future playing) I think it’s something I could now finally master ……..

 

……. especially minus the large audience that built up around me while doing it!  Also, on the plus side, Marc did manage to sell a couple of extra workshop tickets to said audience as we were working!  What is he like?

 

It was a confidence boosting experience, just learning how to hold the soldering iron properly was so worth it.  I have the bunting safely put away, I think I could add a few little bits to it ….. and then find somewhere to hang it, most probably in my guest room.  Happy Days