Skeptickle

I was originally going to launch right into our ceremony, but I almost forgot about our programs! These were one of my favorite projects for our wedding. Mostly because they weren’t necessary so if I screwed up then they didn’t need to get distributed. I wanted to do something simple but elegant, and a little different from the usual booklets with staples. I loved the Stardream Opal cover paper at Paper Source so I decided to use that for our programs (sorry, they don’t photograph very well).

I basically designed the pages of the program on two 8.5″ by 11″ canvases in Illustrator (one for each printing side). I placed a light grey vertical line down the middle of each canvas to separate the pages. After printing them out on a laserjet printer (a must for Stardream papers), I’d use a bone folder to make a neat crease along the grey vertical line. I’d then fold it down that crease, wrap a ribbon around the fold and tie it at the top. I think they turned out pretty well.

The front of the program.

A close-up of the quote from Morrie and a Thank You to our guests.

A peek at the inside of the program.

The back of the program.

Making the following inspiration boards helped me quite a bit during the planning process. I was addicted to Snippet & Ink during that time so I finally kicked myself into gear and made my own. It’s one thing to tell people what you envision your wedding to be like, but nothing beats actually showing them.

I was going for “classy” with Asian influences for this first, general inspiration board. Of course, this was only for inspiration purposes and a lot of these weren’t actually incorporated into our wedding (especially all the pink!). But I gotta say that we did drive off after the reception in our eco-friendly blue Prius .

Sorry, I didn’t keep track of where all these images came from (I know- bad!). Most are from Martha Stewart Weddings and iStockphoto. Please let me know who to credit for the others.

This next one is a dress inspiration board, which I used to convey to the bridal stores the kind of dresses that I was drawn to.

Images from Jim Hjelm, Pronovias, and Amy Kuschel.

Both boards were made using Microsoft Powerpoint, which I found to be (surprisingly) much easier to use than Photoshop for making collages. There’s also an even easier option of using the Mosaic Maker from Big Huge Labs, but I found it to be constricting when it came to customizing the size, shape, and placement of individual images. Either way, it’s fun to get those creative juices flowing after dealing with the practical side of wedding planning. If you have an inspiration board, please do share!

It’s interesting how a little glow in the dark ink can remind me of childhood since I used to play with it all the time. Somehow it got stuck as an idea for children and no one had bothered to mess with that, until now:

Artist Dan McCarthy sure can appeal to both the adult and kid in all of us by incorporating glow-in-the-dark ink into his landscapes. His work is both whimsical and elaborate at the same time. He’s also loves to play with transitions which gives his work an interactive feel to it. It’s no wonder his art and posters get sold out so quickly. Love!

In light…

In darkness…

In light….

In darkness…

Dear J Crew,

Here we are again. I just received one of your 20% off final sale coupon codes in my inbox. For me, it’s like a shining light – full of promises and potential, compared to my other emails, which consist mostly of spam from pharmaceutical companies in Canada. You tempt me with lovely textures, gorgeous colors, and the charm and sophistication that I crave. Nevermind that you’re a company for yuppies and bourgies. They obviously have good style sense. So I noticed that you’re starting to raise your prices, which means that the sale prices are higher also. This is probably the best for the both of us. Soon I won’t be able to afford you and we will part ways. Doesn’t mean I don’t want you badly, I just…don’t think it’s right for me to go with my instincts of buying now and thinking later. Don’t you agree? I mean, that’s what screwed so many people over in this economy in the first place.

Just know that it has taken me a lot of will-power not to order this from you:

or these:

and these…

and these…

and maybe these:

Nevermind that I almost never wear heals. I’m certain that if I buy one of these magical ones from you then I’ll be just like one of your models- cute, light & breezy, and perpetually happy. Alas, I am young, and it would be irrational of me to take from the pot that will go towards a down payment, our future family, and possible emergencies. So for now, I will have to quash my urges and find satisfaction from solely drooling over your beautiful pictures. I hope you understand.

Love always,

Sophia Q.

“Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul alike.”

-John Muir (The Yosemite, 1912)

I’m so excited to see the previews to the new documentary The National Parks- America’s Best Idea by Ken Burns. I’m looking forward to seeing it when it comes out in September on PBS. I think people don’t give enough thought about our national parks and how important it is to preserve them. The purpose of the documentary isn’t just to show pretty images of the parks but also to portray them in the framework of how innately American the idea is.