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

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

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.

show and tell #23

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

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

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.

show and tell #19

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!

show and tell #18

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

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

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 #14

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.

New As Is Products

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!

featured bsd wedding : january : shawna and don

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.

Show and Tell #11

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.

Show and Tell #10

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

Breaking down the As Is stationery

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.

Ready2Wear Colour Changes

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.

Introducing to you: 5 new Ready2Wear Designs!!

In alphabetical order::::

1. Cartesian Life

I drew this cityscape one night just after I took a few moments to look at the view from my Vancouver attic apartment. A city can be so beautiful and romantic. Cartesian Life is a mixture of type A and type B behavior; they do say that opposites attract.

See the Cartesian Life stationery suite.



2. Guiding Lights

Guiding Lights is the name of a small choir Bill and Helen (my parents) used to be a part of. As little toddlers we would go to their rehearsals in our PJs and tour around with them from church to church. It has nothing to do with this design...other than the lanterns which give off light.

See the Guiding Lights stationery suite.



3. Natural Benefits

Sometimes you find the most beautiful part of the world in the scariest part of the world. I like to find beauty in the unusual. Natural Benefits isn't typically classic or romantic but it holds mystery and growth inside it...which reminds me of love.

See the entire Natural Benefits stationery suite.



4. Plants, Wow

This design, as the colours are now, reminds me of fall. The leaves are changing colours, life is changing, rebirth, renewal...what other words come to mind...crisp air. I love fall.

See the entire Plants, Wow stationery suite.



5. Speechless

Made up of my hand-writing and a clever colour scheme, this fun and friendly invitation is not to be taken lightly. It's full of passion, understanding and adoration.

See the entire Speechless stationery suite.

Original. New. Passion.

Looking For Options

For the past week I decided I would put some time into creating a few new Ready2Wear wedding designs. I chuckle to myself (on the inside) when I look at the new wedding designs, mostly due to the fact that they're not typical wedding ideas but also because I have a pretty fun job. The fact is, we don't want all of our stationery to have flowers on them, although we are big fans of flora, but sometimes you need a break; another option.

A large percent of the couples who come to us are looking for something different, original and reflective of their uniqueness. Not every couple wants two entwined gold hearts on hand-made petal paper and wrapped in raffia (which I know can look quite charming).

Sweet Nothings In Your Ear

The difficult goal I put on myself this week was to create wedding stationery that softly whispers love in your ear but also stimulates your brain...caresses your eyeballs...we want to push the envelope in the wedding stationery world. Our catalogue already demonstrates our bona fide passion for the unconventional but I want to continue with new ways to promote love, happiness and everything in between.

And that's my rant for this weekend.

Below is sneak peek into our plans on mentioned caressing and stimulation...

Introducing to you: First Snowfall

With summer coming to an end and the forecast predicting lower and lower temperatures, we must prepare ourselves for the inevitable. I mean, not those in Vancouver, but millions of others around the world need to come to terms with it...including me as I will moving to Fernie in the next month.

I digress, we're excited to promote a new Ready2Wear design called First Snowfall. It's designed with unconventional snowflakes and pizzazz. I love how the combined snowflakes turn into a paparazzi party.


Check out all 16 wedding stationery pieces for First Snowfall. Enjoy!

Cool Cherry Blossom Cake

Sarah and Erik just sent us photos of their May 31st wedding at Furry Creek and Albertine and I took note of a really cool detail at their wedding (for us.) Their cake was decorated to look like their blue skies & daisies cherry blossom wedding invitation or at least that's what we think happened.


Whoever created the cake did an amazing job.

We want to show you all their wedding photos but you'll have to wait for that special month when we feature them on our website. So sorry. But here's the cool cherry blossom cake...

Photo by Jane Photo