A Wedding Souvenir...
It seems like this has been the summer for weddings. Almost everyday I hear of more friends and colleagues who are planning a wedding, either their own, or for a daughter or a friend. Invitations are the easy part, they say. But favors, remembrances for guests and bridesmaids, they're another story and I've been asked for suggestions countless times.
When Lisa Vollrath sent a packet of items to the design team from Ten Two Studios which included both tags, and the Little White Things collage sheet, it got the wheels turning in my head, and it occurred to me that by combining a few of these gorgeous images with an ever-so-slightly altered tag, I could produce a wedding souvenir extraordinaire!
Above you can see what the little beauty looks like, surrounded by pearls and tied closed with a cream organza ribbon. At right, you can see it's elegant simplicity when open. See? It's a tag, with a simple 1-1/2 inch charm made from another of the Ten Two Studios collage sheet brides, strung through and tied at the top with the same 18 inch piece of organza ribbon that runs round the outside and ties in a beautiful bow at top. Placed in the middle of the bottom half of the fold, the Parisian label which I've customized with the date and the names of the bride and the groom, is another piece of ephemera included with the same collage sheet.
And there you have it! Quick, easy, elegant! All very important when you're making multiples for something as large and as important as a wedding!
Monochrome Madness...
This week, Papertake is celebrating it's 100th challenge with a "take your pick" from any of the past challenges. I chose the "monochrome madness" theme, from Monday, December 15, 2008. I whitened the tag with several thin washes of acrylic paint, and added white pearls and an off-white ribbon to stay consistent with the white wedding theme. The tag, vintage bride images, and the Parisian label are all from Ten Two Studios. I used a slide frame for the charm, but you could just as easily encase the image within squares of glass, sealing them closed with metal tape or by soldering a frame.
With a project this quick and easy, and with supplies at the click of a mouse, why not get the bridesmaids together for a lunch-and-make party! Line a large white wicker basket or a silver tray with white doilies and pile up the favors as you make them! What could be more fun and elegant?
Photoshop Solved...
This has been a week I'd never want to repeat. Filled with high-highs, low-lows, magnanimous intentions and ultimate misunderstandings. On the very good side, for those of you who have been following my Photoshop saga, the Adobe wizards finally saw fit to Fed-Ex the upgrade to my paid-for-in-2007 copy of CS3. Apparently there are lots of bright artists switching platforms from PC to Macintosh, and reportedly, there are twice as many illegal copies of Photoshop as there are legally purchased and registered ones, so Adobe requires that old software be destroyed with documentation before new software will be issued.
I was fortunate enough to get my IMac through Apple arrangements with my husband's employer in April, and thus began the process of destroying my old software for PC in order to be eligible for the upgrade to Macintosh. After countless frustrating hours spent with Adobe customer service and sales reps on the phone and online, months later and still without software, I happened upon an employee at a Best Buy store who agreed to give my card to his live and personal Adobe representative! I never heard from this rep, but within a week, CS4 for Macintosh was on my doorstep! In the meantime, an attorney friend had suggested I alert the FTC. I have great sympathy for the hundreds upon hundreds of still unresolved pleas and complaints similar to mine, and hope they are all resolved quickly and efficiently. One poor soul wrote that he was still waiting for his upgrade from CS2 to CS3! How many years is that!!
And Now On To Other Things...
An episode or two of Dr. Who to clear the brain
A glass of white wine
A long cuddle with kids and a dog who will never be too old for my heart
A short putting aside of business to rest and recoup
And heartfelt thankfulness for true and honest friends who are motivated by love instead of fear
Truly, it isn't as much how things work out in the end, as how they are lived from the heart. Truth always outs itself in the end, so be hearty, Mateys! Have a great day, Everyone!
