Wedding Themes

Theme, Concept, Idea.... 

Do you have to have one for your event? 

YES!

Here's why. 

The first expression I get when I tell people that they should have a theme is one of shock and dislike. I mean it's like I just asked them to have all their guest dress up as the wizard of oz characters while they enter on the brick road.... this is not what I mean when I say theme. 

Theme is not a dirty word, its an understanding of the vision you have for your day. A theme could be as straight forward as 'Victorian Country' or as broad as 'Modern Elegance'. Having a concept or theme for your wedding from the beginning is crucial for a seamless event. 

That's why I believe a concept board is so important. After I sit with a client and get the general idea of their vision I go home and apply that vision to a tangible board. Something that can be taken to the florist, the venue, the ceremony... etc. 

For example, this concept board was built for a bride who wanted 'Organic Elegance'... the bride wanted the magic of the outdoors with the elegance of an indoor event. An outdoor reception with all the grandeur of the most beautiful ballroom. This bride wanted earth friendly products, recycled, reused... but amazing. 


The Concept I Created:

A concept board doesn't mean that everything on the board is going to be used... but it's a great starting point for your theme. Changes will happen. At least you can visually see exactly what your dreaming of... 

So start coming up with a .... theme!! 

Happy Theme-ing

Come visit my website at 
www.sweetromances.org

Nicole

Wedding Lust

I love weddings. 

No, really.... I LOVE weddings.

I mean if I could plan my wedding over and over and over, oh baby, I would. 

I know that a lot of people say that they wish they could re-live their wedding day but I am totally one of those nerds who wish they could start at the beginning and do it ALL again. 

I mean it's interesting, when I look back at my wedding, I loved literally every moment of planning. I loved working on every detail and the actual day was way more than anything I could have ever imagined. 

So, it's no surprise that I am now a part of the wedding event industry. Now I can actually detail as many weddings as my little hands can handle. 

Which brings up my thought for the day, 

Details... Why?

Between the catering and the venue... 

How can a bride decide on the little escort card theme... 

and does it really matter? 

YES!

It is my firm belief that the wedding ceremony should be all about the bride and groom and the reception should be about the guests... all these amazing people that have supported the bride and groom to get to this special day. 

Guests L O V E details. 

Think about some of the best weddings you've been to. 

Odds are they had good food, an open bar, good music, and great details... like a candy bar... or a photobooth...

Here is some eye candy to get your detail brain in high gear.... 

The best weddings are in the details.... trust me... 

Detail it out people.... Detail it out!

Welcome to my Blog!

Hello! 

Some of you might already know that I recently, finally, started my business. 

Sweet Romances 

Event Stationery and Design

www.sweetromances.org

I am so excited to start my new journey! It's the best of my two favorite things, paper-crafting/design and parties! 

After my wedding I just knew that somewhere in the event industry there was room for 

my talents... and now there is. 

So, this blog will change a little. It will still be the paper crafting ideas, suggestions, and advise that you all have come to know and love... but, now it will be linked with my business. After all in Sweet Romances...  this is just One Sweet Romance... there are sure to be others!

So stay tuned to see the changes and let me know what you think! 

Here's some eye candy for what the future has to bring.

Kiki Blog Hip Hop

AND THE WINNER OF THE BLOG CANDY IS.... 


KELLY!!!!


Yippee!


If you don't get an email from me Kelly put a response on here and let me know ... I want you to get your stuff A.S.A.P!

Welcome to our first KIKI ART Design Team Blog Hop... however, we'd like to call it a BLOG HOPSCOTCH!

• When? 

During National Scrapbook Day weekend.

It will run from Thursday, April 29th until Monday, May 3rd.

• How to play?

You can start wherever you want, however, make sure to visit the blogs of our talented design team members. Also, please make sure to visit the Kiki Art blogs (English, French, and Spanish) to be eligible to win.Each design team member was asked to select an organization that commits to helping others. Then, they created a 

project based on their organization featuring Kiki Art products. Make sure to take note of each organization/good cause each DT member has selected. 

When you hop from blog to blog, hopefully you will get inspired by all of the beautiful Kiki Art work. We also hope that you are inspired to do good by getting involved in an effort to create a better world through these organizations.

• How to get a prize from the Kiki Art blog?

For your chance to win, you need to leave a comment on the Kiki Art blog letting us know which one(s) was/were your favorite blog(s) during our blog hop and what organization was displayed on that blog. (Don't limit yourself! You can choose as many blogs as you want!)

• How to get a prize from a Kiki Art design team member blog?

Many members of our design team have decided to give away a project that is related to the good cause they believe in. Leave a comment on their blog hop posts, and they will pick a random winner.

On Tuesday, May 4th, all winners will be announced!

Let the BLOG HOPSCOTCH begin!!! Get inspired and enjoy!

Here's the list of names and blog addresses for all three Kiki Art blogs (English, French, and Spanish):

KIKI ART Blog in English DT members: <http://www.kiki-art.com/blog_en>

[list][*]

KIKI - Arantza Izurrategui - QC, CANADA - http://www.bykiki.ca 

Fleur Smith – BC, CANADA - http://fleursbydesign.blogspot.com 

Jillian Anger – ON, CANADA - http://www.sleepisnotrequired.blogspot.com  

Linda Shewchuk – SK, CANADA - http://awesomememories.blogspot.com 

Stephanie Hart – NS, CANADA - http://www.Stephanie-Hart.Blogspot.com 

Tammy Lever – AB, CANADA - http://tampatha.wordpress.com 

Virginia Wong – AB, CANADA - http://virginiawongmichiels.blogspot.com

Ann-Katrin – NORWAY - http://papirhobby.no

Annika Bergquist – SWEDEN - http://annikasblandning.blogspot.com

Carole Stirrat – WA, USA- http://www.carolestirrat.blogspot.com

Einat Kessler – ISRAEL  - http://scrapinit.blogspot.com 

Ellen Sosnoski – PA, USA  - http://closeyourears.blogspot.com

Katrina Hunt – MO, USA - http://www.paperscissorsandglue.blogspot.com

Keely Yowler – KY, USA - http://www.keelyy.blogspot.com

Lynda Lindley – WA, USA - http://positive-force.blogspot.com 

Meghan Epperly – FL, USA http://igiveacrop.wordpress.com

Nicole Martin – TX, USA - http://junksternm.blogspot.com

Nicole Rixon – CA, USA - http://www.onesweetromance.com

Ria Mojica – PHILIPPINES -  http://www.cakesnscraps.blogspot.com 

Sarah de Guzman – CA, USA http://redoaklines.com 

Sophia Allison – SOUTH AFRICA http://sallison.blogspot.com

Vivi Rahman – BRUNEI http://vivs.typepad.com/tyroscrapper [/list]

KIKI ART Blog in French DT members: <http://www.kiki-art.com/blog_fr>

KIKI ART Blog in Spanish DT members: <http://www.kiki-art.com/blog_es>

Hello All, 

Whew, where have I been! 

First, I am sorry to be posting a little late.... omg, I am having THE worst allergy season known to man! Of which I try to take just about every over the counter medicine to stop the sneezing... which in turn causes absolute and total sleepiness. Yuck, it's a vicious cycle. 

But!

Here I am!

I am so glad you decided to stop by! I am one of the lucky few designers that had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Kiki and she is amazing. Her passion for good causes is real and alive! I give her credit for seeing a bigger picture and encouraging us to do the same. So, if you want to get involved with a really great company with really good people running it...ask your LSS to look into Kiki-Art products!

My cause, which is very dear to my heart, is Alzheimer's. Some refer to it as the long goodbye, and I couldn't agree more. My grandfather suffers from it and unfortunately doesn't really remember who I am. He requires 24 hour care and is wheel chair bound. We need to research more about this cause! 

If you want to take a moment to look at this cause you can read about it here:

http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp

Here is my Kiki inspiration for you: 

And my blog candy... 

(which is carry over from my last blog candy because I didn't get many takers...

but those of you who were entered I will add you to this one! ) 

Thanks for visiting and checking out all of our good causes! Don't forget to ask your LSS to carry Kiki-Art! A portion of her proceeds go to some of these amazing causes!

Cheers.

Nicole

Tsukineko Spritzers vs. Glimmer Mist

Misting is the new (or not sooo new) 'it' technique. And with every fad that hits the industry there is multiple companies with similar products hoping to out do the others. Today I review two brands of misters...spritzers... color spraying thing-ies.... 

 Let the Battle of the Spritzer and Mists BEGIN... 

First, lets talk facts... 

Tsukineko Spritzers come in a package of two (different) .27 oz bottles... 

The boxes look like this...

The spritzers look like this...

I'm sure these little bottles look familiar if you ever owned the empty misting bottles...

The cost on these is around 7.00. 

However I can buy them at Joann's and this week the special was 40% off and I had an extra 20% off coupon. So, they ran me about 3.75. 

The Glimmer Mists come in a large variety of colors and are purchased in 2oz bottles singly. 

Like this....

They run $6.99 and I have only found them at my local scrapbook store, (which isn't so local... 30+ minutes away) 

So, according to my math... 

Tsukineko Spritzers are considerably more expensive per ounce than Glimmer Mists. (unless you got the deal that I got at Joann's)

And here are my spraying results. 

First the Glimmer Mists (the gold and pearl on black paper)

 

Really good coverage, that was only 3 to 4 sprays. A little blotchy and not very even. Also, if you wanted it on a specific place on your project, forget it. This mist goes everywhere, fast. It has a large spray. 

Now the Tsukineko Spritzers ( Shimmers on Black Paper)

First, I would like to add the disclaimer that the little blotchy patches you see on this one was the result of never spraying the bottles before. Once I got them going the spray was even and had a consistent fine mist. They don't have a very large spray area, as you can see... but I felt like these were really a 'mist'. 

Next: COLOR

Here are the Glimmer Mists (please ignore the paper creasing... that was operator error)

So, again this was like 2 or 3 sprays for each color. Also, the blotches are kinda something that Glimmer Mists just do. The mist isn't as fine and tends to go everywhere. Great color saturation. 

Here is the Tsukineko Spritzers ( Also called Walnut Ink ) 

Again, there is a lot more control and the misting seems to be more of an actual mist and less of a spray. The colors came out dark and bright and very true to what color was on the package. Because it was more of a mist it wasn't as wet and required less drying time. 

Final thoughts and winner:

Ok, so I really thought that the Glimmer Mist was going to kick some Tsukineko butt. 

BUT

Wow, the Tsukineko is everything I hoped a color mister would be. I feel like I have more control and the mist is a true mist. I feel like I can use it at my work space without covering everything so as to mot make a mess. 

The only downfall is the price and if you wanted to cover a large area it would take a lot. 

So, maybe for the larger projects I might stick with Glimmer Mist. But, otherwise... Tsukineko has my #1 spot. 

Thanks for reading... tell me what you think!

Cheers.

N

A Muse Glitz

It's just a really sunny and warm day and I thought I shouldn't let the light go to waste.... 

So, here is another card for this months challenge. I love adding bling to everything and the sun helps show it off!

My Minds Eye: Dreaming Big

I have participated before in the MME Challenges... and I loved this particular challenge so much

I couldn't pass it up. Not only did the lyrics inspire my layout so did simply listening to the song. From the colors to the title this layout is Dreaming Big!

Thanks for looking!




Cheers. 
N

Review: My Cute Stamps

My Cute Stamps

Nicole's Review.... 

Yes, that's right. I own stamps that are not by A Muse. I recently made a first time purchase from My Cute Stamps. If the name doesn't give it away... they are really cute stamps. When I received them I was impressed with the size of the stamps and how varied each package was. I bought 'Picnic with Little Red' and 'Eeek! A monster!'

Here they are:

Here are the cards I made with them... so far :) 

So cute, right? 

Here is my review of the stamps. 

I have owned A LOT of clear stamps and the quality of these is in my top three. It's thick acrylic but also really easy to remove from the plastic. As I mentioned before, the size variance in each package is really conducive for so many card possibilities. The little accents make it so that no two cards would or could ever look the same. I guess to sum it up... great stamp quality, really 'cute' images, and a great bang for the buck. ( I think these ran about $12.00) 

Here is the website if you care to check them out... 

http://www.mycutestamps.com

Let me know what you think!

Cheers. 

N.

Challenged

Just a challenge card for the A Muse boards... 

I like to use my stamps... makes buying more easily justified. 

Perhaps a Mother's Day card? 

Proof that I did in-fact paper piece...

The inside...

Come back soon for more :) 

Easter and More

I am so excited to finally be sharing my brothers wedding invitations I worked so hard on. 

Yippee! 

As you can see I de-bossed each piece with one of my new letterpress dies... obviously without any ink. It looks so understated and classic. Also, in the top photo you can see how the tri-fold invite was kept together, with ribbon and a gold wax seal. I was pretty happy with the end result. :) 

NEXT:

Bridal Shower invites! OMG I am so so so over making invitations :) Thank god for my Mom coming up for a week over her spring break to help me cut these out. 

I had the idea to have a kitchen themed bridal shower for my brothers fiance`, Loredana ( laura-donna)... and so I came across some really cute little favors that had a little apron with a "Queen of the Kitchen" title... couldn't be more perfect, right! So, I went home and starting drawing up the apron... and after a few tries this is what was the end product. 

and then we had to make A LOT!

Each one is a little different... I decided to use up all the extra little sheets of pink patterned paper I had. I think it actually turned out pretty cute. They stand all on their own and as you open the card the info is on the back fold. These ended up being really personalized and really fun. 

Finally, Easter... 

I thought I would share with you my cheese and meat tray I took to the Easter dinner we went to. I used my letterpress to make the little labels. It took about 10 minutes to run it through my machine... and wow, what a difference. I loved it. I think that love is found in the details... and I am the details queen! 

And last but not least.... My favorite person ever... Isn't he the cutest thing you have ever seen! I just love my husband!

I'll be back soon! 

Cheers 

N.