all blue skies and daisies - on business, life and happiness

July 2009 update

2009-07-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed, we've stopped updating our website and blog. Brina and I have discussed and decided that after 6 years of running blue skies & daisies, it's time to say goodbye to our amazing little company and try our hands at something new.

Something new you ask?

Brina started a secondary company earlier this year, called Two Owls Collect. She offers fine stationery products, custom books and small business print and design and, since our decision, has expanded her collection to include wedding and event stationery.

You can find out what Brina's been up to at her website: www.twoowlscollect.ca and she would be happy to discuss your wedding stationery needs!

As for me, I'm still in a sea of unknown and exciting possibilities. Fear not, our very loyal friends of blue skies & daisies...you'll see me again soon. Promise.

For all our existing couples out there...we're still here for you! We'll work as hard as ever to get all your wedding stationery orders completed

Thank you to everyone for making our company so great!
love,
albertine & brina

On this day, 32 years ago...

2009-05-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Bill and Helen Schenk blessed the world with a beautiful, curly haired, blue-eyed, sassy pants named Brina Louise Schenk.

She is my friend, she is my business partner and she is my family.

I wish her a fun-filled spring day with friends, drinks, lots of friznock and birthday hugs(or slaps, whatever).

Happy Birthday buddy!!!

love you!
teen

one picture that represents my week in vancouver

2009-05-06T15:22:00.001-07:00

and, boy, are my arms tired!

2009-04-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

I'll be flying into the big city of Vancouver tomorrow for a week of blue skies and daisies working in the same room, as a team, which hasn't happened in a long long time. I tried to find a funny picture of the two of us at work...and all I could find was this picture pre Deanna and Jimmy's wedding where I was lovingly holding Teenie's hand. Ben doesn't seem to mind.

Hope you had a lovely weekend! Rod and I ended up playing outside (my mom would be happy to hear that) for many hours and wrapped up Sunday with the purchase of a 1971 tent trailer. We are so excited for summer. I'll keep you posted on the bs&d fun times.

This is pretty funny

2009-04-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

blue skies and daisies @ Got Craft? on May 3rd

2009-04-23T11:13:00.000-07:00

Albertine and I will be at Royal Canadian Legion (2205 Commercial Drive, at E. 6th Ave.), in Vancouver, BC selling limited editions of fine stationery in the form of notebooks, notepads and journals. We carefully chose 3 of our beautiful Ready2Wear designs to showcase at Got Craft? along with a few other goodies.

We'd love to see you there and personally show you our 1st collection of fine paper products. This is a new idea for blue skies and daisies so we're going to put it out there and see what kind of response we get. Of course, there are also going to be many many other talented vendors who are busy, probably at this very moment, preparing their handmade goods for you, the people of the world.

Got Craft? is organized by the lovely Lotus Events people (Andrea and Rob) who are genuinely excited about all things crafty and handmade.

show and tell #25

2009-04-21T08:05:00.000-07:00

Eri and Philip chose custom colours for their Splendid Rockies Ready2Wear wedding invitations and, instead of including a photo, they decided on using the left panel for their Japanese guests. Genius! Eri and Philip chose this particular design because they are hosting their wedding at Glacier National Park in Montana. So lucky! Rod and I drove through Glacier National Park two summers ago and it was beyond beautiful.

Grand Central Terminal

2009-04-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

I found this photo in an old 1973 book about trains "The Great Trains" of Grand Central Terminal in New York City. The photo was taken in the early 1900s when, at the time, this train station was considered one of the most majestic built in America. This photo is stunning with the intense sunbeams and clear and blurry travelers. I didn't realize a book about trains would be so interesting. Now I understand why they have all those train museums around the world. Kinda.

There is no photo credit but I see that as a challenge so I will try and find it.

show and tell #24

2009-04-14T15:06:00.000-07:00

Alexandra and Cletus ordered these adorable custom invitations for their summer wedding in Nelson, British Columbia. Damask is a popular style these days and so we drew an original damask invitation for Alexandra and Cletus.

Details: A 1-fold invitation bound with a decorative band and sealed with a monogram sticker.

Music to listen to

2009-04-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

I was inspired to post April's Music to listen to this morning while listening to The Current. There are a few goodies to sprinkle around...

1. Coconut Records - Myspace Solo work by Jason Schwartzman. I was pleasantly surprised by what I've heard.

2. The Brothers Movement - Myspace Previously known as Mainline, now the self published band with a new name and mission...

3. Melpo Mene - Myspace Sweet sounds from Sweden.

show and tell #23

2009-04-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

Lindsay and Harry decided on our Bunny Love design for their summer 2009 wedding. I believe it was a toss up between Bunny Love and Arts and Crafts. They wanted something unique, playful yet romantic to set the tone for a west coast style Cecil Green celebration. What's unique about Bunny Love is the freedom to choose your own bunny love photo combo. There are 8 in total and, I assume, fairly difficult to choose just 2.

show and tell #22

2009-04-07T06:45:00.000-07:00

Jessica and Steve mailed out the adorable Tree, Bush or Rocketship wedding invitation to their guests. Wedding colours were exchanged for the default colours and they took advantage of the real estate by inviting guests to a separate wedding event and had everyone rsvp by email. This is becoming more and more popular as it saves time and money, it's a lot more efficient and involves less paper. I can appreciate it's simplicity.

show and tell #21

2009-04-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

Melanie and Robert ordered our Little Blue Fern Thank You Cards to tie it in to their invitations, place cards, table cards and thank you tags. It's a simple design but it has a big impact. Congratulations, Melanie and Robert, on your truly west coast Whistler wedding.

featured bsd wedding : april : renee and mike

2009-04-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

THE DETAILS
Location: Mill City Museum, Minneapolis, MN USA
Photographer: Michael B Studios
Our involvement: save-the-date magnet design, custom wedding invitations, ceremony programs.

Renee and Mike took some time out of their married schedule to answer our 4 questions. We got to know them a bit over the months we worked together and even gave them their own nicknames. Thanks, Ren and Big M! Let's see what they have to say about the planning of their wedding, who they are as a couple and what they enjoyed about their wedding.

Renee and Mike's answers are...

show and tell #20

2009-03-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

Kristi and Jason ordered a complete set of custom invitations and recently they finished off the set with these beautiful thank you postcards. They were married in Whistler so a clean and modern illustrated mountain design was carried through all their pieces.

Recently, we found this photo of their program on Brian Noppe Photography's blog along with some fantastic photos from their wedding. Kristi and Jason's wedding was coordinated by Bliss Event Planning.

show and tell #19

2009-03-27T07:23:00.000-07:00

Rahanna and Bobby ordered this classic Ready2Wear invitation for their summer 2009 wedding on Vancouver Island. This invitation, To India With Love, stands the test of time...so far. Happy planning, Rahanna and Bobby!

the time has finally come....

2009-03-26T06:48:00.000-07:00

watch the trailer!

Music to listen to

2009-03-24T08:37:00.000-07:00

I'm changing it up today with a bit of music for the soul...

Deerhunter - myspace

Animal Collective - myspace

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - myspace

show and tell #18

2009-03-23T09:40:00.001-07:00

Kristin and Tobias ordered the Bunny Love wedding invitation, without the rsvp postcard, and it turned out just as adorable as ever. Kristin and Tobias supplied the German text to go in the invitation, with a few easy adjustments to the copy layout, as I didn't know what it said. We hope Kristin and Tobias have a wonderful wedding in Germany this summer.

show and tell #17

2009-03-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

Holly and Sean are getting married this summer, but not without some really cool wedding invitations! Holly and Sean are the first to use love birds from our Ready2Wear collection and we're SO happy they did. Printed on recycled paper, they turned out just fantastic.

show and tell #16

2009-03-19T06:41:00.000-07:00

Erin and Geoff made one of our most popular Ready2Wear design all their own with bright red and blue. Betty's Garden was one of our first designs and it has stayed on top ever since...no matter how hard I try. ha! I do love it's clean, simple and not overly feminine way. Erin and Geoff included a map on the "extra insert" to show guests where the ceremony and reception are taking place; a small piece to put in your purse when you're heading to the wedding events. Easy!

show and tell #15

2009-03-18T06:46:00.001-07:00

Amanda and Cameron had this funky little custom wedding invitation designed for their summer 2009 wedding. Amanda and Cameron had a pretty good idea of what they wanted, we just made it happen. They are such a great couple and we hope their wedding is as giggly and fun and they are.

show and tell #14

2009-03-17T06:30:00.001-07:00

Marilee and Doug chose a Ready2Wear wedding invitation designs called It's Not A Thistle. They loved this design and didn't change a thing, only added a map to match on the Extra Insert. Erin Norman, of Fuego Events, recommended us to the couple and it's been a delightful warm summer breeze.

show and tell #13

2009-03-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

Today we have Cristina and Steve's custom "3 cards in a band" wedding invitation. Yes. That's the technical name for it too. The 3 cards in band is a great way to show off different complimentary textures and colours. The whole thing was printed on recycled paper, so it gives it that earthy feel to it. So perfect for their Hawaii destination wedding.

Let the show and tell begin...again!

2009-03-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Albertine for sending me a HUGE box invitations we've designed and printed in the past 4 months!! Thank you, Teenie! It's nice seeing them in person. Awe. We do such great work. Every day, when I remember, I'll be posting a photo of recent work.

Hooray!

The first is a custom 2-fold wedding invitation for Dagney and Peter on recycled paper.

kittens inspired by kittens!

2009-03-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Louvens!

What I have learned in Fernie...

2009-03-10T12:38:00.000-07:00

10. The Book Exchange - I discovered the book exchange when I walked into one of my favorite places to grab a coffee in Fernie, Tea and Coffee House, and noticed a small shelf of books. There are a few shelves like this around town and the deal is, you can take a book for free as long as it's in good condition and you also contribute to the book exchange. This was a great way for me to 1. take some unnecessary weight off my own book shelf and 2. read free books. I love it!

On top of that, there is another program where you can register your book and see where it goes around the world. Once I find out what this is called, I'll post it.

11. Ski and Snowboarding videos follow you everywhere. You could be sitting down in a restaurant for dinner, browsing a store or grabbing a coffee at a local cafe and guarenteed you will see a ski and/or snowboard video on the walls of each location...just staring you down. It's unbelievable. My roommate, Mike Tonge, is a ski patrol guy at Fernie Alpine Resort and after a long 10 hour work day at the hill, he can come home and put on a ski video while he eats his McDonalds take-out dinner; never tiring of the same DVD. How do they do it?

Rod keeps saying to me "That's a ski town for you."

And then I remember: ohhh yeah. I moved to a ski town.

12. Free camping galore. Growing up in Ontario, I'm used to planning months and months ahead of time for a weekend camping trip and paying good money for it too.

In and around Fernie, there is ample amounts of camping locations and most of them are completely free and empty. Can you tell I'm excited for summer? I'm looking forward to spending my weekend, any weekend we choose, in a cool remote spot on a lake with hardly anyone around. Now that's my idea of camping!

my love for all things SF...including danny tanner.

2009-03-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

Well, what would a weekend mini-break to San Francisco be without driving by the Full House house?! Don't front, you know you wish you got to see where Uncle Joey lived.

Last Friday Ben and I, along with our friends Mike & Melinda, flew off to SF to be with our other friend Len for the weekend. It was a weekend trip discussed before Len was even seconded to SF for 6 months and eventually, planned and booked.

our view of SFMOMA from our weekend apartment

Our much owed and overdue family portrait for Len's picture frame (that we got him for his birthday...last year. :|)

Even though this wasn't my first time in SF, since the other 3 have never been before, I got to fall in love with SF all over again through their eyes. Plus! The great thing about having your own local tour guide is you get to visit those pocket neighbourhoods you wouldn't have found otherwise and eat a lot of yummy SF food (ahem...like In & Out burger that I requested in homage to Si and Almonds! YUM!).

View from the top of Lombard Street, with the whole top half of my body hanging outside the window ...ALL the way down.

Had to include this one little shout out to our TT awe!

By Brina & Rod's recommendation from their visit last year, we went into Golden Gate Park and walked around the beautiful Japanese Tea Gardens. We also checked out the Asian Art Museum and in hindsight, wished we did more than take pictures of the M.H. de Young Memorial Building.

Len, Tiffany (another expat living in SF) & me enjoying the Tea Gardens.

Asian Art Museum

M.H. de Young Memorial Building

Sunday we drove out to Sausalito for a gorgeous brunch on one of their many patios over looking the city, as well Len took us up this crazy mountainside that gave us some pretty awesome golden gate bridge photos.

A view of the bridge heading back to the city.

The classic SF postcard shot. Jealous much?

Of course we all wished we had an extra day (or five) in the city to check out the tons of other things we wanted to do on our list but, for the short amount of time we had in the city, it was planned oh-so-perfectly.

Until next time, San Francisco...

our stumbled links #10

2009-03-06T06:55:00.000-08:00

Today I'm going to post a few links on Buddhism. The Buddhist teachings are very important to me as they are good reminders as to what is real and what isn't real in our little worlds.

1. Kill the Buddha - by Zen Master Dae Kwang

" Lin Chi Zen Master said, "If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha. If you meet a Patriarch, kill the Patriarch." Zen Master Seung Sahn says that in this life we must all kill three things: First we must kill our parents. Second, we must kill the Buddha. And lastly, we must kill him! This kind of speech is sometimes perplexing to people raised in the Judaeo-Christian tradition since we would never say this about Jesus or one of the Prophets. But the meaning here is very interesting and goes far beyond the martial language of the metaphor. Buddhism is quite unique in that its founder never said, "Believe what I say." Buddhism means find out for yourself.. i.e., kill the Buddha..." read more...

2. The Teachings of the Buddha

"The Buddha taught the middle path. In the first sermon known as the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, or the Turning of the Wheel of the Dhamma, the Buddha taught that seekers of truth must avoid two extremes—that of the path of sensual pleasure, and that of extreme penance or austerity. This middle path he explained by means of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

The Four Noble Truths

There is suffering.
Suffering has a cause: craving.
If craving ceases, suffering ceases.
There is a path leading to the cessation of suffering.

... read more...

3. Daili Lama - Precious Life

"Every day, think as you wake up,
Today I am fortunate to have woken up,
I am alive, I am a precious human life,
I am not going to waste it
I am going to use it..."

read more ....

Look what Soha found yesterday!

2009-03-05T07:34:00.000-08:00

It's interesting when people send you photos of yourself from years ago (maybe only a year) that you've never seen before. Like when Soha, of CountDown Events, emailed this picture yesterday taken at a RealWedding Magazine launch party. WOW! Doesn't that little food ball on the spoon look yummy? I want to eat it again. Yes I do. I'm not sure what I'm looking at but I'm assuming it's the trays of yummy food flying by while we stand here taking this photo.

Good times. Drinking wine, stalking food tray people, catching up with industry friends and making new friends. Awe.

Thanks, Soha!

Left-Right: Brina, Albertine, Camille (Jonetsu Photography) and Lori (Sweet Pea Photography).

Look what I found today!

2009-03-04T06:56:00.000-08:00

http://gotcraft.blogspot.com/2009/01/winner.html

This made me laugh...more like giggle. I love it.

featured bsd wedding : march : sarah and erik

2009-03-02T08:04:00.000-08:00

The Details
Location: Furry Creek, BC
Photographer: Jane Photo
Our involvement: Cherry Blossom Ready2Wear wedding invitations.

Sarah and Erik ordered our cherry blossom invitations for their May 2008 wedding at Furry Creek Golf and Country Club. They were such an easy couple to work with. All Sarah wanted was a blue cherry blossom design. Easy!

Although we didn't get to spend too much time with Sarah and Erik, we enjoyed their visits and we were so happy they sent us a link of their wedding slideshow. What we found out, after looking through their wedding photos, is that they ordered a cake with the invitation design as inspiration for the chef.

How cool is that?!

To view more photos of Sarah and Erik's wedding. just clicky click right here.

Happy March, everyone!! It's gonna be a good month.

croutons seasoned with love

2009-02-23T17:34:00.000-08:00

As you can tell, by the lack of posts lately, we've been quite busy. It is the season, I believe, and we're feeling it and loving it. In a year of economic turmoil, it's surprising that we're having one of the busiest seasons of blue skies and daisies' almost 6 years of life.

I'll be posting some of the work we've been creating for couples getting married in the near future but for now you'll just have to believe my words. They are BEAUTIFUL.

Speaking of beautiful, did you know you can send someone a voice message and also video message through email? Dana showed me. It's called voicebeep from voicebeep.com

We'll chat soon.

Music to listen to

2009-02-16T06:49:00.000-08:00

Today I'm gonna post a few female singer/songwriters. They do have such lovely voices.

1. Liz Durrett - Myspace

2. Hanne Hukkelberg - Myspace

3. Rachel Goodrich - myspace

Freedom Art Therapy with REINE

2009-02-12T10:17:00.000-08:00

You may have heard a thing or two about Reine Mihlta, the extraordinary photographer/artist. If not, you should! She's quite brilliant.

Albertine forwarded me her latest venture called Freedom Art Therapy. She will bring out your inner creativity and instruct you on how to do it and do it well. If I was in Vancouver and could afford it, I'd be all about it. The best part is, you can accomplish art therapy with your friends! I love it.

New Addition to the Family

2009-02-09T14:52:00.001-08:00

Her name is Peerless Gem and she's new around these here parts. It took 18 hours to get this paper cutter settled in from Calgary to Fernie and lots of hours discussing how we're going to take this 1000 lb, 100 year old paper cutter off the back of Rod's truck.

We woke up Sunday morning to this outside our window and kinda wanted to cry...

Rod and I looked at each other absolutely baffled and confused.

"HUN!"

Finally, we called a few strong bulls over to work with us as a team. It worked flawlessly, other than the 30 minutes where we couldn't find one of the wheels that Rod had mysteriously put down somewhere. We found it though, sneaky Rod!

And that's when the real excitement began. I've never seen twenty-something year olds SO excited about a paper cutter. It was like Christmas for them and all they were doing was cutting a phone book into many many pieces and then cheering...like a dog with newspaper.

OHHH I did loved their excitement! It made all the stress worth it. It's a fairly rusty machine at the moment but I'll be putting in some elbow grease time to transform it from a 1910 to a 2010 model. People will see it and be like "ohhh is that a new Peerless Gem? I didn't think they were making them anymore"

And I will smile inside.

you gotta see this wedding dress...

2009-02-06T14:36:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how I got into regularly checking Jasmine photography's blog, which doesn't really matter, but a few days ago I was looking through her recent work and saw this dress! It's such a cool wedding dress! The beautiful wedding photography only makes it look even more sexy and beautiful. I think my mother would be proud to know that I even noticed a dress and called it beautiful.

For more of Lucia and John's wedding photos, and to check out Jasmine's other amazing photos, take this portal.

blue skies and daisies around the world

2009-02-05T10:27:00.000-08:00

Somewhat hidden on our website is a page where we post fun comments from our couples (we tend to leave the pretty rare not so nice comments extremely hidden) and a little map about where those couples are from. Most people assume we work only with couples in Vancouver but the truth is most of our couples are from all over North America and a smaller percent are international. It's pretty cool working with people living on different continents. We've even been invited to a few weddings outside of Canada. How cool would that be!? OHH to be an international wedding photographer! Now THAT would be fun.

Dwight "Slippers" Schenk

2009-02-03T08:01:00.001-08:00

My big brother recently recorded a solo album and I can't tell you how proud I am of him. His music is so inspiring to me, not just because he's my brother, but because he writes songs that are 100% Dwight. He didn't hold back or wimp out on any of the songs on this album. I know it took him a long long time to finish this, maybe close to 2 years, and you can tell that he put a lot of care into it.

Myspace - Dwight Schenk, Natural Disasters

This is a solo album but he didn't shy away from working with others. There are a lot of contributing musicians and singers on the album. Have a listen.

featured bsd wedding : february : carrie and bradley

2009-02-02T07:02:00.000-08:00

The Details
Location: The Woodlands, Texas, USA
Venue: The Woodlands Waterway Marriot Hotel
Photographer: K&C Photography
Our involvement: Custom invitations, wedding website, place card stickers, menu cards, program cards, guestbook cards, decorative craft paper.

Carrie and Bradley worked with us exclusively via email back in 2005 (wow that seemed like yesterday) and the world wide web. It worked perfectly and we wish we could have had the opportunity to meet them as they were a hoot (as my dad would say.)

The stationery order just got bigger and bigger over time, which happens often when couples get a better grasp of what we are capable of doing. What I appreciate most is working with people who believe in our work and trust us enough to know and believe in their heart that they WILL receive their order when we're done and it will look beautiful. Carrie and Bradley believe in us.

... read more here

Snowshoe Adventure to Island Lake Lodge

2009-01-31T07:41:00.000-08:00

On Friday afternoon Marie invited me on her planned snowshoe excursion with her friends. For them it's just another day, going to work at Island Lake Lodge, but for me it was an ADVENTURE.

The 2 hour trip from the Mt Fernie Provincial Park parking lot to Island Lake Lodge, approximately 9 km, was fairly easy going for the first kilometer but the 2nd half was straight uphill. I haven't keeled over in pain like that since they forced us to do long distance running in high school. The pain didn't stop me though. It was like a personal goal to be able to make it to the top...and I did. Thank you. Thank you!

The group I went with were all fun and easy going, which made showing up in jeans and no mittens or poles or snow gear a non issue (i'm pretty sure)...as I am not an experienced backcountry girl...or even a winter girl, mind you. Once we got to the lodge we enjoyed a few sips of tea, slice of watermelon and raisin bread and I was soon whisked away in a huge red snowcat back to the parking lot. I left all the girls behind to start their shift, including Chinook, and got a ride home where I went back to work. Like it never happened! But it did and it was fun. Thanks, Marie!

Putting it out there: Prestige Tours

2009-01-30T09:42:00.000-08:00

Moving to Fernie has opened a few doors for me, including a few new clients, and one of them is a snowmobile tours company. They promised me a free tour in the spring...so I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

This isn't a typical Brina design but sometimes you gotta do what the client wants...and the client wanted excitement for snowmobiling..so I tried!

If you're in the Fernie area and you're looking for a new adventure on a powerful machine that rips through the rocky mountain backcountry...Prestige Tours can show you a good time.

Picture of the day!

2009-01-28T06:21:00.000-08:00

It was a raging success!

My tooth is out, the proof is in the photo, and my recovery is speedy. To tell you the truth, I didn't even know they had taken out the tooth and it seemed within minutes I heard "ok you're done!"

20 minutes! In and out. Thanks, Dr. Amos Kahane!

Sorry if you find this gross...but at the same time it's very beautiful.

A little less wisdom...

2009-01-27T13:26:00.000-08:00

But a lot less pain!

Today, in about 35 minutes, I'll demand my dentist to remove one of my wisdom teeth. It has served me well over the past 31 years, sometimes not so well, but it's time to move on.

If you would like to send over any presents and/or get well cards, that would most certainly lift my spirits.

Thanks!

If we don't speak again. It's been fun!

We are in the future!

2009-01-26T08:21:00.000-08:00

And the future is all about video conferences!

This past Friday Albertine and I had our first experience of video conferencing (via Skype) for two meetings. I can't tell you how great it was to be able to sit in on meetings again...from Fernie! I felt a little bit like I was a fly on the wall, but at the same time, I was useful fly who could answer questions.

This was my view of our meeting with Lindsay and Harry. What a success!

best photo of the week

2009-01-22T17:46:00.000-08:00

Teenie here again! I know, 3 for 3 this week...I think I'm breaking records!

If you don't already know, I moonlight at the Justice Institute of BC (these days more than I am at home) and this week, my director sent us the coolest picture ever.

For those (MY BEANS!) that don't live in metro Vancouver, the past couple of weeks we've been promised sun but everyday see a whole lotta fog instead.

Anyway, the meterologists weren't lying...there is sun above us, you just need to know where to be to see it.

The view of the city, atop Cypress Mountain at 6am.

a little high-flying act to round out the weekend...

2009-01-18T20:08:00.000-08:00

Because it wasn't an exciting weekend enough, today, (after I blogged about the show yesterday) I met up with my girlfriend, Nancy, for an afternoon of something different, fun and totally entertaining (for everyone around me).

Ha!

Long story short, Nancy double booked herself today for two separate and totally different events, and since she couldn't cancel out of both, she asked me to sub in on one of the activities today. Her and Laurie, her girlfriend, signed themselves up for an afternoon of CIRCUS! I don't know how to explain it more than that.

on your right: circus professionals, on your left: newbies

Laurie posing for pictures instead of listening to the circus team.

I basically got to go out to this circus gym in North Vancouver and, for two hours, do some really (un)graceful circus activity with a bunch of strangers.

Suffice to say, it was a rip-roaring (more like rip-snorting) good time! Even though Laurie and I didn't even end up being in the same group (they split us up), we still equally had very much lots of fun this afternoon.

streeeetches!

activity #1: hanging on the silk ribbons. check!

activity #2: learn how to juggle.

activity #3: harness yourself in and swing from a really high swing...oh! and do flips :|

activity #4: lay around and chat with your new friends..errr, I mean, trampoline!

Thanks to Nancy for thinking of me and letting me sub in for you!! I did good, right?!

indie we did!

2009-01-18T10:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a huge success for everyone participating in the inaugural Indie I Do wedding show! Congratulations to all who came out yesterday, and the biggest congratulations must go out to Lotus Events and Blue Olive Photography for all their hard work and dedication to make this show happen. We's so proud of you!

Although Brina couldn't make it to be with me for yesterday's show, she was definitely spoken of (and praised!) all day for her beautiful work. Erin, of Fuego Events, was nice enough to be my partner in crime for the day, and was even gracious enough to lend her wicked decor skills to our table. Thank you so much Erin for making the day beautiful and fun!

Erin watching over our table, trying to ignore the camera.

The whole day went pretty darn smooth, with just one major coniption fit that I went through about 10 minutes before the doors opened. We set up our table and it looked AMAZING, and when I went to use our new camera to take pictures of the whole table...it totally DID NOT WORK! :(

Thank goodness for friends! The wonderful duo that is Marliss Productions came to my aid to try some quick troubleshooting...with no success. Reilly (one half of the Olives) also came to my aid to do a quick look, but because we only had minutes before the door opened, did some quick thinking and handed over his camera so I could snap off a few shots of our booth before the crowds came through. A heartfelt thanks to everyone who didn't look at me like a weirdo when I was running around (arms flailing) those few minutes before the show started!!

All's well that ends well. Studio Jeanie came to my rescue with her "magic hands" and some how got my camera going so I was able to snap a few shots off in the middle of the show. Schaweeeet! I'll be posting the shots from Reilly's camera as soon as I get them...that's a promise :)

Teenie capturing Jeanie, capturing a moment.

As far as the show goes, it was amazing! The venue was perfect, the booths and tables, beautiful...the burlesque show (from what I heard from behind my table) wicked fun and the people coming through all day (and I'm talking ALL DAY) were so great! Thanks to Racquel (and family), Melissa (and her girlfriend), Trish (and her also-getting-married-girlfriend), Jinesa, and the random friends (that happened to be coming to the show) for coming out! It was great to see you all there and I hope you had a great time!

random friend: Verena!

sassy burlesque cutie

Unfortunately the shots I got were mostly of our table, our neighbours and anything that I could snap from behind our area. It was really hard to get out and walk around, as we were all pretty busy for the full day.

Our neighbour's table of amazing goods: A Farmer's Daughter

I don't know if these pictures do any justice to how awesome the whole place looked but I'm sooo sure that there will be more then enough pictures floating around the information superhighway that'll definitely show Indie I Do exactly how it was meant to be seen.

A hip hip horray to Indie I Do's success!!! Thanks for coming out!

New As Is Products

2009-01-15T14:15:00.000-08:00

Here are look at some products that are new to the As Is Catalogue, but don't bother checking the As Is pages just yet because we're not posting them until after the Indie I Do show. Sneaky!

our stumbled links #9

2009-01-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

Today is all about the country I was born in, Canada.

1. Weird Canadian Restaurants - on canpages.ca

How did I miss the Salt Tasting Room when I was in Vancouver?

2. Canadian Quotes - including a few quotes by celebrities and comedians.

My favorite so far is:
"When they said Canada, I thought it was up in the mountains somewhere."
- Marilyn Monroe

3. Large Roadside Attractions - compiled by roadsideattractions.ca

Can't say the website is professionally design...but who knew there were so many roadside attractions across Canada?! And how do you pick what your town or city is going to put at the side of their road? How do you narrow down and finally decide on a giant rooster?

Offline for a bit, Online again.

2009-01-12T14:28:00.000-08:00

If you're trying to look our website right now, you may have noticed it's not working. We're pretty sure our hosting service is on top of it, but for now we have a blog full of our work and information that may be useful.

We'll be up again soon! We're hoping.

Update: We're up again. Hooray!

Now that I'm here, I could share an article I read in The Globe and Mail today. It's about brides cutting costs of their wedding. The most interesting part, for us, is about how stationery is the first thing to go when cutting down. How sad...but I understand.

Cost of a stamp goes up

2009-01-10T12:26:00.000-08:00

I just read this article and I know this affects you, me and all couples mailing out invitations in Canada. Domestic stamps are going up two cents this year from 52 to 54 cents, starting Monday. To read the complete Vancouver Sun Article, click here.

For even more information, the Canada Post website.

You might want to go out and get yourself some stamps before Monday. Lots and lots of 52 cent stamps.

What I have learned in Fernie...

2009-01-09T11:28:00.000-08:00

7. How to be "bear aware":
• when out for a nice deep in the forest walk, make noise so you don't startle a bear, bring bear mace and bring a big and strong friend.
• when you approach a bear, talk calmly to it, do not turn and run (you will be chased,) do not climb a tree (they love climbing trees too,) try very hard not to hug and cuddle one of those adorable little cubs, puff up and make it look like you're bigger than you are, and in the unlikely chance that they attack, fight back with all your might.
• don't leave your food lying around to attract unwanted attention, try not to put on lotions that smell like berries or snacks
• it's good to remember bears are not to be feared, especially since they sense fear, but are to be respected as a survivor and an important part of our environment. Respect the bear.

8. Working ALL day at a desk isn't cool.
Now this may seem like common sense to most, but I really do enjoy my job and working at a computer is what I've been doing for many years...but since moving to Fernie, I have been surrounded by people doing jobs that involve no computer at all. WEIRD.Such as: carpenters, tilers, rafting guides, snowmobile guides, ski patrol, ski instructors, servers, landscapers, mr plows and so on and so on.

I still think I'm pretty cool.

9. The Fernie Mogul Smoker
A tradition held annually at the beginning of each winter to appease the snow gods and Griz (Griz is the legendary mountain man responsible for Fernie's incredible powder), the Mogul Smoker kicks off the ski season, Fernie-style.

A fire is lit and fueled by sacrificed skis and snowboards. People dress up, dance and proceed to party all night long.

http://www.mogulsmoker.ca/

Here are the listed Rules on their website:

Bring 2 pieces of ID, You're in North America Eh!
Shuttle service only to grounds.
No BYO Alcohol
No Glass
No Fighting
Bring good vibes. With each negative complaint stated out loud, you will receive one less powder day this season (the Griz hears all.)
Dress Warm, it can be cold
The fire can get pretty hot, watch your clothes

Look what I found!

2009-01-08T08:05:00.000-08:00

I was going through my overflowing desk drawer of old samples the other day and found a few delicious memories. Here are a few pieces we did; one of them over 7 years ago. It's pretty interesting to see my work years later. We are our own worst critic but saying that, I still to this day love the Nokturnal flyer.

Music to listen to

2009-01-07T07:58:00.000-08:00

Dead Confederate - myspace

Tigers Can Bite You - myspace

Glasvegas - myspace

YouTube Video of Geraldine

As Is Stationery is putting makeup on...

2009-01-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

We're getting ready for the big Indie I Do show on the 17th at Heritage Hall. I have been mentioning it quite a bit lately because I think the show is going to be really fun and different than your average wedding show. Plus, Blue Skies and Daisies is going to be there. That's a huge plus!

On top of displaying our custom wedding stationery we are also going to provide you with the first big opportunity of purchasing our products "off the shelf." We're trying it out with just a few pieces but if you're interested in getting our work at a very good price, come on by...or just say hello. hello! We'll have table cards, place/escort cards, guestbook/note cards and thank you tags at our booth.

Have a wonderful weekend!
And we'll talk on Monday.

featured bsd wedding : january : shawna and don

2009-01-01T09:26:00.001-08:00

Location: Tofino, B.C., Canada
Venue: Long Beach Lodge
Photographer: Helene Cyr Photography
Our involvement: R2W invitations, website, thank you cards and a custom water bottle labels and guest's welcome package sticker.

Shawna and Don were married back in 2007 but we will never forget them. Shawna played a large part in making sure all her wedding stationery matched and created excitement for their classy Tofino wedding.

Shawna chose Bunny Love for all her wedding stationery, except for a few extra custom pieces that weren't included in our Ready2Wear packages. From website to invitations, she picked out exactly what Bunny Love photo she wanted where she wanted them and I loved her for it. Bunny Love will always be one of my favorite designs.

Read more about Shawna and Don's wedding here.

Alice Young • Calligrapher

2008-12-30T11:33:00.000-08:00

Alice Young is a good friend of mine, we met while working at a small Ad Agency just outside of Victoria, and has a unique artistic talent that I considered to be a peaceful art for the patient. She's an experimental calligrapher whose ambition is to modernize a very old tradition.

She's not the first, and won't be the last, who has taken on the art of calligraphy but she's got a prominent voice in the small group of practicing calligraphers and I'm proud to know her and am continuously inspired by her.

Since the beginning of Blue Skies and Daisies, we have had Alice Young listed on our website and contract out her work to anyone who is interested in a classy monogram. Her capabilities go beyond the monogram and if you're interested in seeing what she can do for your wedding design, you should contact her using any of the methods listed below. She's very nice and very helpful.

Alice Young
www.calligraphy.ca
alice@calligraphy.ca

Here are a few samples of her work...

The Pantone Colour of 2009 • Mimosa

2008-12-29T10:34:00.000-08:00

Pantone has recently, as of December 3rd, released THE COLOUR OF 2009! Yes! This is not a joke. There is a colour picked out to represent the whole 12 months of the following year. It's kind of sweet and bright...optimistic and full of hope. What do you think of it? I myself really like it. It reminds me of reduced prices, which I love.

If you want to read about why they picked this colour, you can do so here. I didn't realize they did this every year, but I'll be sure to keep you posted. So it's the year of Mimosa!! We might as well celebrate with a refreshing cup of orange juice! I know I am.

Erika and Jeremy • Wedding Invitations

2008-12-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

Erika and Jeremy are getting married in the Los Angeles Central Library and they wanted a fun invitation that represented them and their cool wedding venue. Easy! Erika and Jeremy loved our work online and wanted to let our creative juices do what they desired...and this is what we came up with (below). They were so happy and thrilled with the final product. We're just happy that they're happy. Good luck on all your wedding planning, Erika and Jeremy!!

myJones • custom soda pop orders

2008-12-22T08:40:00.000-08:00

You may have heard this already but I just found out about it so I'm telling you about it. Jones Soda has been offering custom orders of their popular soda drinks, called myJones, and included in the package: your own photo on the front, a small paragraph above the nutritional information AND choice of soda flavour. My ohhhh my.

Now Rod tells me their Cream Soda is really good.

A few details:

• You must order a minimum of 12 bottles at $29.99 (US Dollars) plus shipping costs. Canadian order totals also include shipping, taxes and brokerage costs as applicable.
• You can order multiple flavours by the case but need to use the same photo and text. New pictures and new text requires a new order.
• Orders take 2-3 weeks. Shipping only to US and Canada.
• 10-20 cases receive a 5% discount and orders above 20 cases get a whopping 10% off (before shipping costs)
• Jones Soda rotates their flavours, so make sure they have what you want at the time of ordering.
• Jones Soda has a shelf life of 2 years.
• They accept Spanish and French text.

our stumbled links #8

2008-12-21T07:27:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling a little childish today, as I do most days, and thought I'd share a few links I've found recently that will, no doubt, make you feel 5 years old again. It's such a good sensation.

Paper Toys from the Toymaker! On this site you can download (free) several cool paper toys, which you assemble yourself. You can make all sorts of wonderful toys from a race car to marble mice. Below, I have the Patrin's Frog, which will be an ornament on my Christmas tree in a few hours.

Storynory - free audio stories for kids. - I'm listening to The Golden Goose by The Brothers Grimm at this very moment. Natasha, the story teller, has captured me and won't let go. Now that I think about it, the voice sounds a lot like Lila from Dexter season 2...ohhhh boy...CRAZY LADY.

Dallas Clayton, a talented storyteller and illustrator, has a website of his beautiful stories. He's very interested in making people, including his 5 year old son, happy and he'll do all he can, at the best of his abilities, to make that happen.

Fresh and Clean Christmas...

2008-12-15T15:37:00.000-08:00

Amy and Brent • Reception Stationery

2008-12-12T08:42:00.000-08:00

In October, we couldn't wait to show off Amy and Brent's Halloween wedding invitation. It was just TOO good to just put on the shelf and collect dust. You must be excited to know we have more stationery bits and pieces to show off from their wedding.

On top of ordering their wedding invitations, Amy and Brent's wish list included: menu cards, table cards, place cards and gift tags. Santa came early this year!

Plans are meant to be broken

2008-12-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I uploaded PAGE 2 of our custom portfolio. I just didn't think there was enough of our custom work and as time goes by we work on more fun and unique wedding stationery, so there HAS to be room for more. The plan was to just show 20 custom weddings, but plans were meant to be broken. Wait. Is that how it goes? Still. There is a lot more to see. Hooray!

(from top to bottom: Sarah and Stewart's CD labels,
Ren and Big Mike's wedding invitation and Josselyn and Dan's table cards.)

What I have learned in Fernie...

2008-12-10T09:42:00.000-08:00

4. While driving along Highway 3 I noticed these strange electrical poles set up RIGHT beside an electrical pole with a big flat board at the top. This made no sense to my brain and then 2 miles down the road I saw another one with a huge nest on top. Rod then explained to me that the Hydro company sets up these poles because Eagles and Ospreys tend to build nests at the top of the electrical poles (they're so tall with 5 star views,) which makes it either hard to do repairs or is just a risk to the Eagles, so they give them a pole of their own. I thought that was really cool. Picture taken from this website.

5. Online Shopping. Although I haven't actually done this yet, when you're in Fernie, this is how most people do their shopping. The stores in Fernie are smaller and limited in stock so getting over a fear of online shopping is almost essential. The closest city is Cranbrook, an hour West, and Lethbridge, 2 hours East, which have way more options...if you can get there. This also means that every time you do go to Cranbrook, Lethbridge or Calgary, you tend to have a list of places you need to go to, so be prepared before you get on the road. Time is precious!!

6. Fernie, a town of 2,000 to 4,000 (depending on the time of year) has birthed a few names you may have heard of. Here are two Fernie celebrities...

Emily Brydon, much loved by everyone in Fernie, is on the Canadian Alpine Ski Team and a World Cup Bronze medalist. (photo from ourfernie.com)

Alex Lifeson, born in Fernie, was a guitartist for a little rock band called Rush.

Erin Wallis • Photographer

2008-12-09T08:33:00.000-08:00

The other day a friend came over and was like "oh you do wedding stationery? my cousin does wedding photography in Campbell River. She's really good. Her name is Erin Wallis. E.r.i.n. Erin Wallis. She's my cousin."

The name stuck and the next day I searched for her website. Her work is fantastic! I also found out she's not just a wedding photographer but a very talented photojournalist who has been all over the world. If you're looking for a new perspective on your wedding, maybe check out Erin Wallis' work.

www.erinwallis.com
or her blog www.erinwallis.com/blog

everything is brina schenk

2008-12-08T17:45:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share something that's exciting in my life at this moment. Ya sharing! I started a little blog of my own to build up an online portfolio of my art work. It's a big step, for me, to put my art out there for people to see. If you want to check it out, no pressure, just head on over to brinaschenk.blogspot.com.

Show and Tell #11

2008-12-04T15:56:00.001-08:00

Here are a few of the latest Ready2Wear designs to be sent out into the world...

from top to bottom: Morning In May thank you card, Go Together Like Beaches and Palm Trees wedding invitation and a Splendid Rockies save-the-date card.

Got Craft?

2008-12-03T12:07:00.000-08:00

Just a little reminder that Got Craft? is on Sunday at the Royal Canadian Legion @ 2205 Commercial Drive (at E. 6th Avenue) in Vancouver, BC

Got Craft? will be alive from 11am - 6pm.

For more information, go to gotcraft.ca

Music to listen to

2008-12-02T08:15:00.001-08:00

1. Horse Feathers - from Portland, Oregon

2. Grizzly Bear - from Brooklyn, New York

3. Elizabeth & The Catapult - Brooklyn, New York

featured bsd wedding : december : odile and patrick

2008-12-01T12:32:00.000-08:00

Location: Sooke, B.C., Canada
Venue: Sooke Harbour House
Photographer: Helene Cyr Photography
Our involvement: R2W e-vites, table chart, programmes, thank you cards

Odile and Patrick took a few minutes to share their Sooke wedding experience by answering our 4 Questions.

1. How prepared were you going into your BSD meeting?
2. What 3 words describe yourselves as a couple?
3. What was the most memorable moment of your wedding?
4. Any advice for couples planning their own wedding?

Check out what they had to say about their wedding day experience.

What I have learned in Fernie...

2008-11-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

1. There is this thing called the 20cm rule. If it snows 20cm over night, everybody gets the day off...to play at the hill. YEAH. This is real. In Fernie there are some companies don't enforce this snow law but there are some towns that literally do shut down following a good dump.

2. 0° is not cold. In Vancouver 0° is as cold as it gets and at this temperature everyone is bundled up like they're in Alaska IF they leave their home. At the same time, Fernie doesn't get as cold as Alaska either but I have to look forward to lots of snow and -20°. Hooray!

3. Just 40 minutes from Fernie there is a very interesting little town called Frank. On April 29th, 1903, 90 million tons of rocks fell from Turtle mountain burying the little town of Frank and the people in it. The aftermath is still on the ground today. It's a little morbid but they've managed to make a friendly little theme park out of it. Tragedy preserved.

* photo by Gary Hebert in 2006

The Pretty Boutique and Pamper Me Pretty

2008-11-26T08:47:00.000-08:00

Jinesa McCaw, the makeup queen, started a bridal makeup service from her home in 2001 and now she's got her own boutique just off of the booming Cambie and West 8th. Her success was inevitable. I wanted to tell you about her today, as her 2 businesses are fantastic and everyone should know about them.

First, Miss McCaw created the mobile hair and makeup company, Pamper Me Pretty, that specializes in pampering brides, wherever they might be located. Second, Jinesa owns and operates a boutique & salon, The Pretty Boutique, for brides, friends and family to have a place to be pampered. She continues to build a talented and educated team of professionals to help her out on the road and in her salon.

Since contacting us in 2007, to design and produce her corporate identity and websites, we have kept our friendship alive and kicking. When you meet good people in your life, you want to help them out as much as you can.

If you're looking to be pampered, you now know where to go...or not go since they will come to you...

The Pretty Boutique
call 778-737-3287 or
email info@theprettyboutique.com
blog http://theprettyboutiquesalon.blogspot.com

Pamper Me Pretty
call 604-377-1482 or
email info@pampermepretty.com

We're the B-Team

2008-11-25T08:43:00.000-08:00

What I love, almost more than peanut butter, is building something with someone else. In school I wasn't much of a team player but now that I'm so much more mature and wise, I see the advantages of teaming up with someone that can offer what you cannot.

Derrick and I created The Little Things back in January, Albertine and I started the prototype for a super secret product this summer and this November, just yesterday in fact, Rodney Brink and I have come together to make beautiful art.

I completed this painting a couple months ago and Rod designed a unique frame for it out of cedar wood he found around the garage. We are very proud of the final outcome and display it in our home proudly.

I encourage you to team up with someone and discover how great it can be to create something new and original. Go Team!!

Dragana and David • Wedding Photos

2008-11-21T09:54:00.000-08:00

We love it when our couples send us photos!! I'm sure we've stated this before, and it continues to be true. I posted Dragana and David's invitation design in October and on November 8th, at the US Navel Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, they wedded in style! Here are some pictures from their wedding day by the talented Brian Ray. I wish we could have met these two in person as their pictures make them look like loads of fun.

Wedding Party

BSD Place Cards

Table Arrangements with BSD Table Cards

Wedding Reception Hijinks

Indie I Do • Vancouver's Alternative Wedding Show

2008-11-20T08:56:00.000-08:00

A few good friends of ours in the wedding industry have come together to create this cool little wedding show for those couples who aren't interested in the traditional. All exhibitors are local independent companies with something different to offer and WE are one of them. Of course!

Albertine will be representing the two of us on January 17th, so come on out and see what we all have to offer. Tickets are only $15.00 or 4 for $50.00.

For more information regarding who is going to be at Indie I Do, how to purchase tickets and for update-to-date information, visit their website at www.indieido.com.

Mandy and Trevor • 4 Questions

2008-11-19T08:28:00.000-08:00

Since we're featuring my brother and his wife on our website this month, I thought it would be super sweet of them to answer our 4 Questions for our blog, so you can learn a bit more about who they are and what they thought about their wedding.

1. How prepared were you going into your BSD meeting?

Not prepared at all.
We trusted in BSD to help us figure out a design we would both loved and that would reflect on us as a couple.
Needless to say, we weren't disappointed!
Brina came through with a beautiful design, we couldn't believe how FAST she had created such perfection! We loved it so much we based everything from our guest book to wine labels around it!

2. Three words to describe yourselves as a couple.

Loving, Social, BUSY.

3. What was the most memorable moment of your wedding?

Looking into each others eyes as we said our vows and the true feeling of bliss.

4. Any advice for couples planning their own wedding?

Remember not to get wrapped up in spending too much money on materialistic things.
Weddings are supposed to be about love and commitment, not limos and decorations!

Show and Tell #10

2008-11-18T09:05:00.000-08:00

Just the other day we got an email filled with excitement from Ruby and Gus, a couple from Toronto, Ontario who hired us to design their wedding and baptism stationery and website, letting us know they are now married and loving it. These two are very special and it was a real treat (as my dad would say) to hear from them.

This has prompted me to share a few of their custom and ready2wear blue skies and daisies designs. Let the excitement build!

Ruby and Gus - August 30th, 2008

Ruby and Gus wanted to keep all their guests fully informed and in the know, so they mailed out wedding invitations and put together a full wedding website. Their invitations were designed just for them, with lots of input and feedback from Ruby and Gus. Their main concern was that the design reflected who they were as a couple...strong, lovable and goofy. Once it was finalized, Ruby had a special stock in mind for the invitations so we sent the files to print in Ontario where she would oversee final production.

A wedding website was built and slightly customized from a Ready2Wear design that Ruby and Gus chose. Included pages were: Welcome, Schedule, Travel and Accommodations, RSVP and Guestbook.

We're so happy for their marital success and wish them all the best...although I know this is not the last we'll hear from them.

WEDDING INVITATION - 1-fold design with an rsvp postcard

WEDDING WEBSITE

A Little Adventure

2008-11-17T15:36:00.000-08:00

I'm back!!

Ya, I know you missed me, although you didn't know it. Well, I was off on a bit of an adventure filled with snowy mountains, games and a moose. Oh the stories I will tell when I'm a Grandma!

This is just a quick note to tell you that life is back to normal and we'll continue entertaining you with loads of cool BSD wedding stationery, stories, photography and other things we find interesting.

My photo for today....

no...I DIDN'T forget about you yesterday...

2008-11-05T18:19:00.000-08:00

Don't be mad at me, I'm new at this. I know I'm supposed to blog everyday to say hello and tell you something fun and exciting, but yesterday was a crazy day that got me home just in time to see BARACK OBAMA'S SPEECH!

Eeeeeeeeeeek!!!!

Not wanting to go into any political discussions, I just want to congratulate all of the American people for coming out and representing last night. Your voices were heard and you want change. Good change! Last night, watching what was happening in Chicago with all the people gathered together watching intently as America's 44th president spoke, I felt like I was part of such a historic moment in time. Suffice to say, I had goosebumps.

It was almost as exciting as watching Madonna last Thursday in Vancouver.

Okay, a little better. :)

Not to be outdone...last night also was the finals night of my first indoor volleyball league. We seeded 4th, we played hard, and we finished 4th. Not as good as a t-shirt but we'll get there!

Hope y'all had an awe-inspiring Tuesday and a fantastic Wednesday...

Till we meet again,
teen

ha! you're stuck with me! (insert evil laugh)

2008-11-03T17:53:00.000-08:00

Hello friends,

Albertine here, beginning day one of my new found responsibility...keeping y'all entertained while Brina's away in Mexico for two weeks! Fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride!

So, it's been a while since I've blogged and I know, for a lot of you I'm sure, you don't really mind. Beans has done such an amazing job with our blog that I really feel like it's unnecessary for me to even participate. Frankly, there's not too much going on in my life that's deserving of public broadcast.

EITHER WAY...here we are, thrust into the spotlight with nothing on but our underpants, and can I just say, thank you to everyone for coming out to read our blog everyday (even WHILE it's ME blogging).

Tonight I wanted to share with you something I read from one of my favourite bloggers out there, only because he is one of my all time favourite authors and I'm consistently excited and happy when I hear anything David Sedaris.

The original post about David was actually about his recent piece in the New Yorker (he writes all the time for the New Yorker but also has a lot of his memoirs published in many books, all of which are lining my bookshelf) reflecting on the current US election (holy crap, one day left!) and the group of people known as "undecideds". Reading his piece reminded me of how much I love him and his writing, and made me want to share it with you, my peoples.

For those of you who are getting your first introduction to Mr. Sedaris, here's a clip from his recent visit to David Letterman's studio (another David I must say I do enjoy). If he's not your cup of tea, I totally can understand and appreciate, but for those of you who laugh outloud watching and want to read more of his work, let me know and I can recommend you all of my all time favourite books of his.

Enjoy!

featured bsd wedding : november : mandy and trevor

2008-11-02T09:30:00.001-08:00

The Details
Location: Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Venue: Club Loreley
Photographer: Walid Lodin
Our involvement: custom wedding invitations, RSVP website, wine labels, guestbook sign, CD cover and label design

I was there on that exciting December morning when Trevor and Max went to Canadian Tire and we all experienced a minor mental spasm calculating how many strands of Christmas lights you might need to write "Will you marry me" in the snow. We underestimated quite a bit but that didn't bring Trevor down or change his mind about how he was going to pop the question. She said YES and on 08.08.08 they were joined with our friends and family for a Schenk and Mcewen wedding.

Mandy and Trevor wanted us to help them right from the start, as if they had a choice, and I was more than happy to let my family know how awesome Albertine and I are. Mission accomplished. It's also a pleasure to be able to help out family when you can, especially when it's something you love to do...(read on here)

Who loves bacon??

2008-10-31T14:38:00.001-07:00

This is going to be one of our events listed in November's "putting it out there" but I think it might be too late...you need time to plan your bacon events.

Bacon with a Chef

Glenys Morgan, one of Vancouver’s most diverse chefs, will host a class featuring bacon on Saturday, November 1st at 1:00 pm. Spend one hour of your weekend learning creative and unique things to do with bacon, an ingredient all-too-often saturated with guilt rather than an appreciation for its fragrant and bold flavour. Chef Glenys will find inspiration from Sara Perry’s book Everything Tastes Better with Bacon. Cost: $35.00 (book included). Please call 604-688-6755 to register, and visit www.bookstocooks.com for more information.

When: November 1, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Where: Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks, 1740 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver
More Info: $35.00 (book included). Please call to register.

And then there's:

One Hour Easy: BREAKFAST
Saturday, November 8th, 1:00 pm

Chef Glenys Morgan shows us how to start our day off right with Breakfast at the Wolseley by A.A. Gill. Glenys will be cooking up her favourite quick breakfast delights from this elegant book.
Guests: 12 - Cost: $39.00

Breath of Light Yoga by Dawn Pittens

2008-10-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

It's not the title of a book but the name of a new company brought to life by Dawn Pittens, an old friend of mine from grade 7 band class (we played the trumpet together). Ms Pittens contacted us a little while ago to get her logo and business cards created and we took on the project like it was our own. Just yesterday Ms Pittens picked up her business cards from the printer (a company in Ontario) and we got a little feedback in our inbox this morning.

"Just picked up the business cards and they look FABULOUS!!!! I was very giddy as I handed out my first card tonight and loved the ooooohhhs and ahhhhhhhs that I was getting. Love all your hard work and will definitely recommend you to everyone!!"

I just thought that was a great email to wake up to. Thanks, Dawn.

Here's a look at what we created for Dawn...

If you're in the Oshawa, Ontario area, and you're looking for a small yoga class with a passionate teacher, Dawn Pittens is your girl. She has created a little studio in her house, which gives her the ability to offer small or one-on-one classes at her own schedule.

Breath of Light Yoga
T: 905/433-4060
E: breathoflightyoga@gmail.com

Show and Tell #9

2008-10-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

A big congratulations to Tamara and Mike on their marriage last Saturday!! I was just going through my photos and came across this one of Tamara and Mike's custom bookmark. I guess I was saving this gem for a special sunny day. Enjoy your day!

No More Annuals!!

2008-10-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

The music video for Annuals keeps auto loading, so this is my post to take it to page 2. Bye! bye!

pack, drive, unpack

2008-10-22T09:41:00.001-07:00

We did it! I am now settled in Fernie, B.C, or as settled as you can be in 2 days, and I'm just starting to breathe a little and look around me. It's so beautiful here. Today I'll tell my moving story in pictures...

1. Packing. Thanks, Dana and Rod!! We're a good team.

2. The loading. For the first 6 hours, of the 15 hour road trip, we were terrified that the truck will tip over. After 6 stops at the side of the highway in the first 7 km, we decided to get the plastic wrap out and secure the tarp like real shippers would. Rod is so smart.

3. Driving across British Columbia. No problems at all, other than a terrible accident that happened just outside of Invermere, which had us sitting at the side of the road for almost an hour. That's not so much a problem for us as for the people involved in the accident. In the picture to the right you can see the shadow of our questionably loaded truck.

4. Unpacking. I basically unpacked the whole trailer and truck on my own. I am a MACHINE!

5. Living in Fernie. Chopping wood, gorgeous sun sets, photographing Fernie and working in my new fabulous office...

CH-CH-Changes

2008-10-17T11:10:00.001-07:00

As the seasons change, so do the Days of our Lives at General Hospital...and by "change" I mean BIG changes. I, Brina L Schenk, am at this moment spending my last residential work day in Vancouver, BC. Starting Monday I will be working from my home in Fernie, BC. What impact does this have on you? Well, other than the fact that I won't be physically attending meetings (we're hoping for video conferencing though! FUN,) not much. I'll still be working full time on Blue Skies and Daisies and continuously creating cool and creative wedding stationery for those who want it. Blue Skies and Daisies will be the Blue Skies and Daisies we've always been; loving our jobs and moving full steam ahead.

What this means for Albertine and I is: less coffee dates, less hugging and more phone calls. Awe, that's sad. I'll be visiting Vancouver often to help out with production and give Albertine the support a co-owner needs, plus, I might need to get out of Fernie every so often to postpone my insanity.

What does this mean for Brina? This means I'll be living with my manfriend, Mr. Rodney Brink, who has been enduring a long distance relationship with me from it's inception (almost 2 years), I'll be living in a small mountain town (population 5000,) and getting used to snow again. It's gonna be great!

our stumbled links #7

2008-10-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

BoKlok - IKEA is producing prefabricated housing? Bizarre.

"Developed in the UK by IKEA and Live Smart @ Home, BoKlok is a radical and innovative concept in housing.

We build to satisfy our customers' real needs and desires - a great and safe environment, roominess and access to green space.

Created through a fruitful collaboration between skilled architects who know how to create stylish, modern and comfortable homes, and IKEA designers who understand how people want to live.

Utilising modern methods of construction, our homes meet or exceed all Building Regulation Standards and are designed to be very energy efficient and environmentally sustainable."

http://www.boklok.com/UK/

photo from bloklok

The Eyeballing Game - I actually enjoyed this. I know it's a bit lame but I like to think I have good eyeballing skills. I did a few perfectly but MAN oh MAN was I way off on the triangle center...

http://woodgears.ca/eyeball/

The Napbook - a pillow laptop case. Dana should put this on her Christmas wish list.

"The Napbook is a laptopcase which also happens to be a comfortable cushion. It is designed for students and commercial people of 105 Reykjavík. Whether it be a class at LHÍ, a lengthy business meeting in Borgartún or just the odd journey home the Napbook should come in handy for the restless. It is sewn by a 105 Reykjavík local sewing room and it should be available at the Apple store around the corner."

http://hafsteinnjuliusson.com/index.php?/projects/contact/

photo from the napbook people

Breaking down the As Is stationery

2008-10-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

Today I want to break down the As Is products (already printed and packaged Ready2Wear stationery) and explain a little more how they work and what they're all about. We can't just assume you know what our stationery is for.

Included in our As Is Catalogue are:

Place cards/Escort cards

placement: usually placed either by the entrance or at the guest's seat at the reception venue.

directions: all our place cards are blank, so a lucky person (with the best penmanship) will get the opportunity to fill in the names and table seating information.

format: 3.25" wide x 1.25" high (folded, tent-style)

availability: we list our inventory numbers on the As Is online catalogue and each product is labeled by quantities per package and pricing per package.

bonus: there are a few special listings in the As Is catalogue which include table numbers on the escort card. Pretty cool!

Table cards/Table numbers

placement: at each table at the reception venue.

directions: all our table cards are numbered, mostly from 1-10 and up but each listing is unique and may have more or less.

format: 5.25" wide x 5.25" high (1-sided printing)

availability: we list our inventory numbers on the As Is online catalogue and each product is labeled by quantities per package and pricing per package.

Thank you gift tags/Favour tags

placement: attached to each wedding favour by string or any item that compliments your table decor.

format: 2.75" wide x 1.5" high, with hole punch on the top left-hand corner (1-sided printing)

availability: we list our inventory numbers on the As Is online catalogue and each product is labeled by quantities per package and pricing per package.

Guestbook Cards

placement: on your designated guestbook signing table.

directions: all our guestbook cards are blank. After the wedding, common uses are: placing them throughout the wedding photos, pasting them in a scrapbook or putting them all in a large frame...of course, you can do whatever you want with them. The leftover blank cards from the wedding are fantastic for note cards, possibly even thank you note cards.

format: 5.5" wide x 3.4" high (1-sided printing)

availability: we list our inventory numbers on the As Is online catalogue and each product is labeled by quantities per package and pricing per package.

Thanks...For Everything

2008-10-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

Ken and Junko cooked up a marvelous feast last night at The Lion's Den. It was exactly what I needed. Dana Oikawa and Jason Hasselmann were decent side dishes as well. They tasted a lot like chicken.

I'm going to miss this place. I'm going to miss a lot of things...

Prettyland For Thanksgiving

2008-10-13T10:11:00.001-07:00

Dana Oikawa and I, Brina, left for Vancouver Island on Friday to spend a couple days with Karen and Werner (a 1st introduction for Dana) in their "new" house. It was a trip later titled the Farewell Tour but not because I won't be returning ever again, but because I leave for Fernie on Sunday!! HOKEY DOODLE!

We entered their new house (after 6 hours of traveling) and during the initial tour we flipped through the pictures taken pre-renovations. It's such a 70s house from the outside but it has been transformed on the inside.

All Dana and I wanted to accomplish was hanging out with Karen and Werner and that's exactly what we did. We helped them move a couch outside for pickup, took their recycling to the traveling depot, watched Werner dig up roots, watched Werner hang pictures on the wall, watched Werner cook us omelets and watched Werner check his forum. Werner is really fun to watch.

It was much better than it sounds.

We also each ate 3 donuts, drove to the salmon run (2 weeks too early,) played games and had breakfast with Alice Young.

Best. Weekend. Ever.

You are correct in observing no thanksgiving dinner in these pictures but dinner takes place tonight at the Lion's Den. Junko is preparing a traditional thanksgiving feast for anyone that comes in (not for free) and I am planning on eating a minimal lunch to make sure I'm ravishing by the time I get there.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Looking back...

2008-10-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

Teenie emailed me this picture today of us in ... what year? maybe 2004? My hair is dark brown and my eyes are sparkling blue and Teenie is just plain adorable. That's our old BSD office in the background. OH how things change so fast!

Ready2Wear Colour Changes

2008-10-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

On June 26th, 2008 I did a post about custom Ready2Wear colour changes and this morning I thought back to that great day and decided to expand on this idea. It's a remarkable idea. I know. Every month I'll try and explore various colour schemes on a different design. I'm not sure if anyone noticed but we have a few recurring posts, such as: Music to listen to, BSD Featured wedding, Our stumbled links and Show and Tell. This list will grow as we all grow together. Awe family.

The Application
Today I chose Wind In The Willows' save-the-date postcard. I applied 3 different colour schemes to show you how a design completely changes form. They really do take on a new personality.

In Conclusion
Colours are fun. Play with them.

Deb Garlick ~ A Painter & Photographer

2008-10-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

Deb Garlick is a gifted artist from Victoria that I have sadly never met but have emailed back and forth many times. It's funny how emailing can help a friendship grow...but i guess that's how pen pals used to work.

I recently worked on her new website and we both thought it came out perfectly. Deb had a vision for her website and all I did was make it come it life.

What makes her website so beautiful is the art she displays on it. Her paintings are exceptional. They are full of personal emotions; very introspective and calm.

Deb's work can be seen in several galleries so look out for her work in your home town. Until then, you can see her latest work and news at www.debgarlick.com.

(l-r: book I, bound and The Ten Year Tree)

Music To Listen To

2008-10-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

Maria Taylor - myspace - acoustic melody with Andy LeMaster

Annuals - myspace - experimental pop

"Sore"

Why? - myspace - mellow rock for your mind

WHY? - "Song of the Sad Assassin" live at Dublab

show and tell #8 - fall wedding invitations

2008-10-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

Amy and Brent
Amy and Brent had such a creative idea for their wedding invitations and, therefore, challenged me in ways I did not think I would be challenged. This invitation makes me want to be their friends! We would have so much fun together...the parties...the tomfoolery...the laughs!! It's also the perfect Halloween wedding invitation. Thanks Amy and Brent for believing in us.

Dragana and David
Dragana and David just wanted a boarding pass invitation that was simple, included their fall colours, and had some sort of tree or branch with leaves on it. Mission not impossible. It's such a pretty design and I'm so glad they loved it right from the start.

The Drift is on

2008-10-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

I didn't even know this was happening until last night!
There is a 2 day art festivifunity going on this weekend along main street.

It's called The Drift
www.thedrift.ca

"Drift along Main Street and see an eclectic variety of fine art and original handcrafts from established and emerging local artists including ceramics, painting, sculpture, photography, woodcarvings, collage, mixed media, glass works, jewelry, film, clothing design, textiles & multi-media compositions."

I don't know about you but I'm going!

So wrong but so right

2008-10-02T09:46:00.001-07:00