Our Beer Hops Wedding Invitations, FINALLY! [My Crafts]

It's true. We're not holding our wedding until June 2012. With more than a year and a half to plan, there really is no hurry for me to get these designed and printed. I wanted to work on these now, however, because really there is no better time than the present. I only have a few more revisions to put into my dissertation (almost done, pfew!), and I don't currently have a job. Since I only have three more weeks here in the US and since I cannot work in England until after our civil ceremony on January 29, I am relying on etsy to not only provide me with a little bit of money, but also to me busy and sane.

So here they are. Our lovely beer hops wedding invitations.

It'll all be tied together with a sweet little bow

Humulus lupulus, "brewers' hops"
This old botanical drawing was the inspiration
for our invitation suite. 

A detail from the botanical drawing became the motif
of our invitation, reception card and everything else. 

Here's the full set with the exterior of the envelope.
I know it's a small touch, but I really like these mailing labels.
(I really ought to take new photos, these aren't doing it justice)

I'm so relieved to have these done, actually. Now that I have these, more ideas are brewing for my etsy store. Here are a few things that I'm working on next:

-More beer hops wedding stationery pieces, including place cards, thank you notes, table numbers, and wedding programs.

-Other vintage botanical drawing invitation suites. Right now I'm in love with the following plants and will try and do suites for them all: persimmon (aka sharon fruit), pomegranate and sweet pea (my dad's nickname for me).

Adorable Custom Wedding Maps for Save the Date Cards [My Crafts]

I just finished a really special order that I wanted to share.

This request came in a few days ago for custom wedding map postcards. These cards would serve as save the date cards for a couple that works for the US Navy. This couple has been having to cope with not only stressful work conditions (to say the least), but being apart much of the time. Since they have been stationed all over the world over the course of past years, they wanted to use their custom map to show their guests all the places the two had been.

The end product was really special. These clients were really amazing to work with, but more importantly, I am really proud to do a good job for them. I wish them nothing but the best in the future and send them my most hearty of congratulations on their engagements and upcoming wedding. Wow! What a great couple.

Here's how their maps turned out (I've changed the names and dates to protect my client).

Custom Wedding Map Postcard

by Kristin Dean

The bride said she got choked up reading this.
Yay!
I quite like the wording I chose, too. 

Invitation Inspiration: Brewer's Hops, The Perfect Symbol of Our Love [Things I Love]

Did you know that 80% of the world's hops are
grown in Oregon and Washington? 

What should we do for our wedding invitations?

I've been trying to answer this question for quite a while. At one point I thought I would do something having to do with a tree (who doesn't like trees, right? fail!), at another point I was getting ready to spend big bucks on letterpress invites (but wouldn't we all prefer that money to be spent on good food and booze?). Until now I haven't come to any sort of conclusion. Really, I couldn't make up my mind because I needed to focus on one important question:

What do we want for our invitations? 

Although I am certainly doing more wedding planning that Si, I want to see him in these updates. Correction, I want to represent us with these invites. From that I could eliminate anything too girlie. Then I had to think about the things that we both love. We play a lot of Scrabble, we love Apple products and we always enjoy a good trip to the pub. 

And that's it: beer! Beer (or alcohol in general) is perfect. Not only is it representative of something we both love, it is appropriate representation of our celebration. Ok, perfect. 

Next problem: how to incorporate this graphically in an attractive set of invitations? 

Solution: the hops plant. Hops are grown in Oregon and Washington, further representation of my family and are absolutely gorgeous. I'll certainly be incorporating these beautiful buds throughout our wedding decor. 

Ah, so pleased!

Wedding Maps to Fall in Love With [My Crafts]

Wedding Maps from Love's Leftovers by Kristin Dean

So we're having a destination wedding. Simon's mother is from Italy and we are going to have the wedding in his mom's hometown. 

Pro: My guests will get to see a part of Italy otherwise less explored by tourists and travelers. 

Con: Nobody will know anything about this place and there is virtually no information about this place in English. 

Conclusion: We need to include pretty detailed maps in our wedding invitation suite to make our guests feel more comfortable. 

These maps are my solution. This is the post card version, which I'm not sure whether I'll be including in the wedding invitation or perhaps in the welcome bags. Either way, my guests will see them. The front side has the map of Italy to illustrate where our wedding will be in relation to other major cities. The back has a detailed map of the city, indicating where we will be having our ceremony and reception, as well as other important landmarks, such as recommended hotels and restaurants. 

Wedding Map Postcard Back

I loved the other wedding maps published on etsy, but they really are just to girly for us. Simon and I are a team and as much as I might like ribbons and big loopy writing, he hates it. So I set out to design something that would be appropriate representation of us as a couple, much as I did with our save the date cards. Part vintage, part homemade, part modern minimalist. I love them and hope others will too. 

Stay tuned!!!!! I'll be releasing a fold out version of my maps soon too. These post cards are super cute, but my fold out maps are something totally different from what's out there and are really really special. I'm working on them now and am hoping to get them out soon.

Christmas Shopping FIND! Bugs on Your Walls [Things I Love]

Amazing Christmas Gift!!!!

So I am always wanting to give my family those special things for their homes for Christmas. Yes, these are slightly weird, but they are AMAZING! Gorgeous exotic butterflies and lots of other insects all mounted in pretty frames from Real Butterfly Gifts on Etsy. Don't miss out! They really are amazing!