A DIY Wedding with a lot of Heart

This post is long overdue. It is a tribute to the most beautiful wedding I have had the honour of being a part of, and to the beautiful bride (my sister) who designed and orchestrated the whole show. And amazingly, the majority of this wedding was DIY! It took place in Hennebont, France.

So where to begin? Let's start with the "save the date" cards. These were designed and put together by the talented owner of Tulle Box Designs, who also happened to be the co-maid-of-honour. They set the tone for this blue and pink themed wedding...

Also out of her studio came the "Wall of Flowers" concept, and her trademark favor boxes topped with a tissue-paper peony, which some ladies used as corsages later that night! We spent many a late night puffing these tissue-paper creations, went a little nutty from fatigue, but they turned out spectacular. And a little nuttiness never hurt anyone!

And to complement the pink flowers my sister picked out a gorgeous navy blue printed fabric, which she ordered from fabric.com, which I sewed the table runners from. I think she bought out their stock because I received an entire bolt of fabric in the mail (and used it all!).

My sister is very detail-oriented and did such a great job setting up the entire reception. She had buttons made that said "All you need is love", a creative bird-cage themed seating chart, apothecary jars filled with candy, a custom monogrammed guestbook, polaroid film for guestbook pictures, and much more. SO MUCH more...

And how did Pabrika Handmade help? Well of course I custom designed a ring-pillow for the special occasion. Our friend's 15-month-old baby was the proud ring bearer. But with a tendency to drop, or fling things, we thought it best to transform the ring pillow into a backpack by adding two loops of fat ribbon to it. It worked like a charm, and the rings were delivered safely.

Also out of the Pabrika Handmade shop are the coveted Ramona Necklaces for the bridesmaids, made of large Swarovski Crystals and sterling silver. Don't look directly at them, you may hurt your eyes ;)

All in all it was a beautiful day. I am sure I have missed a ton of other details that my sister prepared (so keep an eye out for a second blog post if I happen to remember them all). The French know how to throw a party -- I thought it was just a typo when I read that the party would end at 4am...

(All photographs courtesy of One and Only Paris Photography.)

RIP Tofu

I am sad to report that Tofu, the store mascot, passed away this summer :( She was a loving hamster that amused me to no end. I will always remember the time she peed in her wheel, continued to run in it, and came out showered in urine. She was shivering cold, but happy. Here's to the memories Tofu!

RIP Tofu. 2008-2010.

After an appropriate grieving period, I have adopted a new hamster (though certainly not a replacement!). His name is Cheddar because of his fur colour, and also because I quite enjoy pets named after food. Cheddar will be taking over the store mascotting responsibilities... namely entertaining the store owner :)

100 Mile Finds

My products are now also available for purchase directly through 100 Mile Finds! It is an innovative website aimed at sourcing locally made products, just in your neighborhood. Check it out to support your local community of artisans, and be a little greener while you're at it ;)

Pearl Crazy

So I went a little pearl crazy at the bead store -- because I hate when I run out! Or when the store runs out and only has the oddly-shaped, oddly-coloured pearls. So to justify the strands upon strands of newly acquired freshwater pearls, I got busy. I actually made these a while ago and haven't gotten around to posting them until now. I guess I didn't want to cause a frenzy in my shop just before my summer vacation. Because yes, in my grand imagination, I envisioned my store to be busier than a Macy's boxing day sale. (Or Canadian equivalent to Macy's?) I mean, I just may have to hire a security guard to control the crowds!

I am pleased to present (clockwise from top left): Olivia, Elizabeth, Fatima, Jacqueline, Fiona, and Rachel. Please hold your applause ;)