Vintage Indie's Wedding Guide

I was asked to guest blog at Vintage Indie for March. The original version of my first blog is below. Visit Vintage Indie's Wedding Month for more indie wedding ideas!
How to Save a Tree or Two on Your Wedding Day

A wedding needs save-the-dates, invitations, directions, thank-you cards, table envelopes, table cards, place cards, menus, confetti, and gift bags—I don’t want to know how many trees that adds up to. But there are ways to spare the Earth on your wedding day—I did it as best I could, and without sacrificing style.

First, forget save-the-dates. It’s very now, but it’s not very Zen. Instead, use that old-fashioned machine, the telephone. Get some help from your mom, dad, and future in-laws, and not only will you get the word out fast, you’ll make everyone invited feel special because their presence at your wedding warranted a personal call.

Most people want to give and get an invitation. So, the best way to go is to use recycled paper. Many paperies (such as Paper Source) offer this option, or you can purchase the paper yourself, and have a paperie print on it. A few online retailers let you DIY with recycled paper. Check out Twisted Limb CustomPaper, SealandSend and PristinePlanet .

Go online. Although some of the older generation may fuss, it’s not only better for the environment to put extra materials (such as directions, maps, local hotels, and other wedding-related event information) online, it’s also more convenient. Want to book the hotel? The link is right there. Wondering if Aunt Sally is coming? Put up an “attending” list so guests can see who will be coming. Want to print out directions? Place a link to a printable pdf. And, of course, encourage site visitors to print out their directions on recycled or scratch paper.

At the reception, rather than have a boring table of “table/escort envelopes” combine your table cards and guest gifts into one. Choose a guest gift container you can write on, such as the DIY Pillow Box from Paper Source (or a similar one from an independent vendor) , or small gift bags from Bags and Bows Bags and Bows (pictured). If you prefer the look of organdy bags, simply write names and table numbers on cards and place them inside the bag with the gift.

At each table, combine the menu with a seating chart for the table. Print two menus per table onto 4 ¼ by 5 1/2 pieces of cardstock, leaving space for the seating chart. Draw a circle (or square) table and write in people’s first names or initials. Or have open seating.

Confetti is fun, but we can all agree it’s a waste. If you want something to throw, get creative. Throw candy for the children to pick up later. Throw rose petals that will make the pathway colorful. Throw pieces of lavender that, when stepped on, will add fragrance to the air.

Using some of these tips will not only make your wedding less harmful to the Earth, but it will also add a sparkle of personal detail.

Pincushion How-to with Leftover Fabrics

I made this pincushion for my Mom with leftover fabric scraps, leftover buttons, and recycled ribbon. It's a great little gift for a seamstress, and it's easy to make--with a few tips.

First, you can use three different fabrics, all the same fabric, or two, like I did. You need two pieces of square fabric five by five inches, or four by four inches. It's easier to work with more fabric than less, but if you're an experienced seanstress, by all means, make a smaller pillow.

Ingredients:

two 5" square fabric pieces (same or different fabric)
one 2" by 10 inch piece of fabric (or several pieces sewn together to make that length)
two yards of narrow ribbon
two buttons (matching, or not)
one large-eyed needle (like a doll-maker's needle)
poly-fil
sewing machine (of course)

This is the important bit: set out your 2 x 10 inch fabric below your 5 x 5 inch square. Mark a dot 1/4 inch in from each corner (evenly) of the square. Then, place your square above the MIDDLE of the 2 x 10 fabric. Now, make dots on the 2 x 10 inch fabric that correlate to the 5 x 5 inch fabric. This will be where the corners come together, so it's important to be accurate. Work from the inside out, matching dots, so that you end up with four matching dots on each side of the long piece. Now, snip into the fabric with sharp scissors from the fabric's edge up to the dot (but not beyond) so that it can create a neat corner.

Once you have your fabric marked, you're half-way there. Sew one square to the side piece making sure to line up your dots, and leave a 1/4 inch seam allowance (or more if you like; just be consistent). Then, sew the top piece to the die, leaving a one-inch opening to turn it inside out and fill it full of poly-fil. Sew closed with a needle and thread in a matching color.

Now, take your ribbon and thread it through your large-eyed needle. Punch it straight through the center of your cushion, and pull it through, leaving a tail of about three inches or so. Now, loop the ribbon up around one side, and send it through again. You'll do this four times. Leave another little tail at the other side of the pillow. Cut your tails down to on-half inch, and fold in half. Sew them to the center of the pillow. Now experiment with a button that will look cute. You can use two different ones, or two of the same. Sew on the button, and look what a cute little pin cushion you made!

Hand-made Holiday Ornaments

Let's hope none of the recipients of these Christmas gifts read this entry... hehehe. For the rest of you, here are the results of my "Advanced How-to Hand-made Ornaments Class." As you can see, you can get pretty elaborate. The pink ornaments (nicknamed "Princess") was made using a faux pearl necklace that had fallen apart. (Invest in a good pair of metal clippers. They're invaluable for crafting.)

The purple and white (for my mother-in-law) was made entirely of recycled materials, many found on Etsy.

The pale blue was made with recycled trim from BethQuinnDesigns. The only new items in each were the pins and the styrafoam. Even the silver beads I pulled off an old necklace. Oh, how smug I can feel today.

It's hard to recycle on Halloween...

These are the things you can recycle on halloween: your costumes (a bear? No, I'm a MONKEY this year) your candy serving bowls (don't give in to those evil Crate and Barrel sales) your decorations (don't buy new ones unless something is broken; it's all the same stuff every year anyhow--but more on this later).
So, no recycling tips today yet. But, a great idea for pumpkin carving! (Don't let those poor pumpkins rot in their patches; if they're already picked, they might as well be carved!) This is an adoarable pumpkin made last year by my friend Yvonne. On it, she has carved "boo" in adorable rounded letters. Another idea is to carve your house number into your pumpkin so that local children know you're open for business.

And... remember that White Elephant Sale? Great place to get new (used) holiday decor! What's old is always new again in the holiday decoration world.

The Ultimate in Recycling

This is my baby... Sassy. She is the ultimate in recycling. I got her from the East Bay SPCA. I found her through VirtualPetAdoptions and she has been the love of my life ever since... and of my husband's as well. She was a show cat (and man, does it show). But now, she just shows off for us. Buy a recycled pet!

Business Cards... possible to recycle??

Well, like all entrepeneurs (wow, I can't belive I called myself that) I need a busness card. A fabulous crafty friend has designed an awesome card for me. I'll post her design as soon as they're printed.

But... how can you recycle AND print something new? It's a bit unprofessional to have old writing on the back of your cards... not to mention confusing. This is what we did. My friend had some 8 1/2 by 11 card stock that was cut into squares. Now, what was left was just under the height of business-cards. Ta-da! So, if you want to leave a light footprint, look for materials that otherwise would be recycled, and use them for your projects. My business cards will be a centimeter or two shorter (perhaps to match my own stature?) but, the paper will be free, and I won't have to cut down any more trees.

What is post-consumer recylcing, anyway?

There are lots of ways to recycle. You can re-use the paper bags Trader Joe's loads your groceries in as trash or recycling bags. You can re-purpose that footstool with the spilled-on upholstery and make it into a cat bed. Those things are wonderful. But, they're not post-consumer recycling.

Post-consumer recycling is when you find or buy something that someone else has purchased, then discarded. Then, you use it.

Re-use or re-purpose is when you have something that you own, and instead of throwing it out, you use it again in a different way.



There are also a few gray areas. If you are given something that someone else purchased that would otherwise have been thrown away, is that post-consumer? I say yes. If you buy fabric samples that were never purchased by a consumer, but were indeed used, is that post-consumer? Not really, but I think it counts the same.

The purse in the photo, which I made for a friend with a camping-themed wedding, is made of some post-consumer recylced materials. The bandana, the handles and the patch are re-purposed; the interior is recycled. Is it all clear now?

From Shabby to Chic

So, my whole purpose in life is to find old junk and turn it into fancy-shmancy fabulous-looking things. I started small. I found a black, wrought iron candelabra with a chain for hanging, on the sidewalk near my old apartment in the Marina District of San Francisco. I liked the look of it. It was ugly, and rusty, and clearly someone had thrown it out, but I was going to love it. When I got it home, I decided on its new look: antique white.

Now, I must insert here that this all happened before I knew that spray paint and its sisters, VOC and Cancer Paint, were bad for you. So, I found a lovely crackle-white spray paint. And boy, did it go crackle! I loved the look. Of course, it stank, and don't tell my old landlord, but I got it all over the roof. But, it graced the ceiling of my apartment for two years quite beautifully. And that's where it began: my junking habit. My husband calls it my "trash" habit, but who asked him, anyways?

Now, I have found many wonderful (and free!) items on the streets. I have found a sewing table, a set of two overstuffed chairs, a rocking chair, a set of two oversized iron-cage candle holders, a tall, beveled hallway mirror, and two side tables. Each of these has been restored, re-painted, re-purposed, and has found a place in my home. The above example is a chair I found (for free!) across the street, which has become the chair to match my sewing table.

Of course, there was the one item that got away. It was a Louis XIV chair (imitation, most likely) and when I saw it, it was sitting beside a dumpster in Golden Gate Park, right near Stowe Lake, where I was walking with my husband and my brother.

I ran to it. It was water damaged, yes, its wood was unevenly stained, sure, but it called out to me. Save me. Please, can't you see I deserve better than this metal dumpster? Better than this muddy lawn my beautifully carved feet are sinking into? I touched its arm, to reassure it that I knew exactly what to do.

And then, my brother came up behind me. "Don't touch that! Are you crazy? That's like a drug addict's chair or something."

He took my arm and steered me back to the pathway. "No, no, I want to take it home," I said.

"Don't touch that again, OK? You can get a disease," my brother said. My husband stood by mutely. He had learned to let me pick up whatever "trash" I wanted to.

"It's beautiful," I said.

"It's junk." I looked to my husband. My brother, you see, is much bigger than I am, and can stop me from doing things he doesn't want me to do. My husband usually doesn't, because I can make his life miserable. But my brother doesn't live with me anymore. He can piss me off and blissfully leave the house, then call a week later when I've forgotten all.

My husband sided with my brother. "Yeah, I don't know. You don't know where that's been."

It was a Louis XIV. I knew where it had been. In a grand hall, beside a mirror-fronted dresser and a huge bouquet of pale pink roses. It belonged in my home. I stood my ground, but they are larger than I am. They dragged me back to the path, and I tried to be cheerful as we continued our walk home.

But I was never cheerful again--at least not when I saw a Louis XIV chair. Then, I was sad. For it could have been mine.