Eco-Vintage Weddings

Showcase Wednesday: Our Quest for Eco-Friendly Paper

Jordan and I have spent one (seemingly endless) weekend designing the programs for our wedding ceremony. We’re really, really happy with where things are at design-wise, and while we have a (growing) list of tweaks to make, it’s time to start looking for paper to print these suckers on.

We originally wanted to go with plantable paper, but when we saw the price tag for what it would take to make 170 program booklets…we about died. SO…we started looking around the internet, and we found Eco-Paper!

We had Eco-Paper send us samples a few weeks ago, and we really liked the Lemon Paper that they had to offer. However, we wanted more of a heavier paper (i.e. cardstock), and, sadly, they happen to be out of Lemon Paper cardstock and (here’s the sucky part) they won’t have it in time for our wedding. SAD!

So, we’ve been looking around for other options. We received samples from Greener Printer awhile back, though if we go with them, we may have more overhead costs, both for the paper itself and for the printing services (we can print our programs for free if we supply the paper).

Do you have an eco-friendly paper vendor that you’ve used?
Tell us about it!

[Photo via www.wrs-uk.co.uk]

Our Wedding: The Envelope Saga

Have you ever had to wait for something? (I’m sure you have.) Nail polish to dry? Your doctor to finally enter your exam room at your check-up?

I’ve been doing A LOT of waiting this past month…waiting for one thing in particular. Waiting for ink to dry.

FOR A MONTH.

Here’s the deal: I ordered this super cute rubber stamp with our return address on it, and I used the stamp and ink* to stamp the flap of the envelopes that we’re mailing our wedding invitations in. I did said stamping about one month ago.

Yet this past weekend, THE INK WAS STILL, unbelievably, WET.

My Mom and I tried EVERYTHING from a hair dryer to a heat gun and embossing powder, and nothing was working. I was prepared to order more envelopes and chalk up the $15.00 as wasted funds. (We would have done this a lot sooner, but, well, I had spent about eight hours of my life lining the inside flap of said envelopes…and, well, the prospect of re-lining new envelopes made me want to puke.)

BUT…my Mom had the bright idea to try hair spray to see if that would dry it.

Dear readers … IT WORKED. (Thank you Herbal Essences…sometimes, it pays to purchase cheap hairspray!) The envelopes are FINALLY dry, which means A) my Mom is the hero of the week, B) my brother’s bed (which was previously the drying station for these envelopes) will actually be sleepable when he returns home from college this week, and C) NO MONEY WASTED! Yay, yay, yay.

What unexpected stressors have you encountered while planning your wedding?

*If you’re curious, I used Stampabilities Pigment Ink in silver/grey. DON’T USE THIS. Like EVER.

[Picture from www.yourbestimpression.com/blog]

Showcase Wednesday: Our Wedding Map!

When I thought about our wedding invitations, I always knew two things: 1) I wanted to include a map of locations for our guests, mostly for my own enjoyment (we don’t have many out-of-town family or friends), and 2) I wanted it to contribute to our overall vintage theme.

The result? Even better than I could have imagined.

After falling in love with the idea of a hand-drawn map, my non-artist self began the search for an artist to help me. Enter: Andrew, a friend from college.

While Andrew is CERTAINLY worth more than we could afford, he kindly spent hours and hours of his time to create a BEAUTIFUL map of the downtown Sioux Falls area for us. He drew each of the important buildings for us, and added the “legend” or “map key” idea that I so randomly threw at him. After all of the artwork was complete, Jordan and I added the text at the bottom.

We couldn’t be more pleased with the results!

Showcase Friday: Love to Create Stamps on Etsy!

A few weeks ago, I ordered a custom stamp from Love to Create Stamps on Etsy, and I couldn’t be more pleased! Love to Create Stamps is FULL of stamp templates for everything from addresses (which is what we ordered and are using for our wedding invitations) to monograms and more.

I couldn’t recommend Love to Create Stamps more; click here to view this lovely Etsy shop!

(This is not a sponsored post. Photo via Love to Create Stamps.)

Our Wedding: Invitations Preview – Envelopes!

When crafting our Save the Date cards, I fell in love with envelope liners. I love the fun surprise of opening an envelope to find a little loveliness hidden inside the envelope flap, so I knew that I would try to execute this technique for the majority of our wedding-related envelopes. So, this past weekend, I spent A LOT of time working on the packaging for our wedding invitations.

I’m a HUGE fan of Holly, blogger and DIY craft extraordinaire, so when I saw her AH-MAZ-ING wedding invitations (and her seriously lovely doily-lined envelopes!), I knew that doilies were in my future.

So, I bought out my local grocery store’s selection in glue sticks, hit up Michael’s for doilies (in the cake-baking aisle), and set to work.

Our lovely 6.5 square inch envelopes (purchased from the WONDERFUL Cards & Pockets) look so dressed up with the doilies!

Here’s a close-up:

Total price for this project: $0.17 cents per envelope (I ordered 90 envelopes); $20.00 for glue sticks; $2.99 per pack of doilies (24 in 1 pack) = $47.26!

Happy Thursday!

[Photos by me]

Green Friday: EcoPaper!

A fellow wedding blogger on Twitter introduced me to yet another source for eco-friendly paper goods – EcoPaper!

According to their web site, EcoPaper submits agricultural fiber (think: bananas, lemons, mangos, etc.) through the following process to make paper:

The mix is thrown through a sprinkling system into an endless band that acts as a sieve, letting the water pass through while keeping the pulp in suspension. Combining adequately the speed of the band and the pressure of the sprinkling system, the thickness of the paper sheet can be regulated, which in a standardized way, which can be 60g, 90g, 120g or 250g. From the endless band, the paper is threaded in a set of drums that rotate at a high temperature. Then through another endless band, made from an absorbent material, it dries as it moves along. At the end of this zigzag of rotating drums, the paper sheet will only keep 3% of water and will be rolled into a big roll.

This product then endures the following processes, again described on the EcoPaper web site:

» Rewinding: it is the process that divides a paper roll into smaller width rolls.
» Converting : The roll is cut into sheets to make paper reams.
» Paper cutting : It is a process that is usually used several times to produce an article. It can be used to make smaller pieces of paper or to clean the edges of reams or products.
» Printing press : lithography is the main method of printing used; it allows achieving finishes of one colour with text to photographic quality.
» Embossing : It is the process that allows raising a design and making it stand from the surface.
» Dies : It is a device for cutting or moulding paper into a particular shape, unlike the paper cutter that can only make straight cuts. This allows the designs to be original and alive.
» Binding : This process allows sticking the internal pages to their covers. It can be pasted with silicon for fixed pages or with water based glue to allow the pages to be pulled. There are also ring bound products, which are usually made with a double ring.
» Hand crafts : Through the skilled hands of many artisans, we achieve the details that add a touch of magic to each one of our products. The decorative on-lays on the covers, the original labels and the delicate assembly of the writing sets are all made by hand.
There are other hand-related jobs that require speed and strength like laminating a thin paper to a card board to make the covers or separate the leftovers after cutting products.
» Packing : Using strict packing standards, the products are packed to resist transport without getting damaged. We also use bar code identification which simplifies the identification in our warehouse and in our clients’ warehouses.

While J and I had our hearts set on using plantable paper for our wedding ceremony programs, EcoPaper provides another eco-friendly option for us. Plus, EcoPaper is kind to your budget, with a ream of banana paper coming in around $25.00. We’re seriously thinking about utilizing EcoPaper for our ceremony programs!

Have a great weekend!

[This is not a sponsored post.]

Showcase Wednesday: Design – Our Thank-You Notes!

Designing our thank-you notes turned out to be one of the most simple DIY stationery projects yet.

Thanks to Luzel at iDIY, J and I found this lovely silhouette font (and yes, it’s seriously a font!) and the idea for our design sprung from there.

While I loved how elegant the bride looked, Jordan wasn’t so psyched about the size of the groom’s nose. So, with a few quick PhotoShop tricks, we took the dashing silhouette of a different man and positioned him right next to the bride.

Here’s the final result (imagine a 5×3.5 white card with the silhouettes at the top):

Happy Wednesday!

Showcase Wednesday: Guest Post – “Yes, Dear”

Hello readers! Yet another witty and smart guest post from my guy, Jordan. Take it away, honey!

What’s the magical phrase that keeps marriages going across America and also was the title of a hit-and-miss sitcom on television? Of course I’m speaking of “Yes, Dear,” and while Sara and I are just under four months away from makings things official, I have had my fair shots for practicing this great phrase.

I don’t mean to throw the phrase under the bus, or make Sara to look like a monster; both are far from true. In fact, wedding planning has been a learning experience of another level. Along the way, Sara has brainstormed all of these money-saving, do-it-yourself wedding ideas, and initially, I was all for it. Saving money is saving money.

Sara knows of my (likely) above-average skills in graphic design in particular, so my first assignment was designing our Save the Date cards. A note here: I am entirely self-taught, incapable of reading computer/graphic design books, and have very little understanding of what “vintage” really means. Sara gave me some simple instruction on what she was looking for, and I went to town on designing the cards.

When I was done with work (a card that I actually was pretty proud of), Sara had several critiques (constructive of course) with tiny details, but overall, her main critique was that the card “didn’t look vintage.”

I accept criticism like the best of them, so that was not the issue here. On the contrary, I had realized that I had just entered the “Sara EM” zone. Sara was an English Major (EM!) at Augustana, and she was more than a student, she was the real deal in the class room. “Good enough” doesn’t exist, completion work is a curse phrase, and projects happen in “drafts.” When I think of “drafts,” I think of fantasy sports, not redoing the same work over and over again.

Initially, I was very scared. However, this do-it-yourself wedding has been something that has really brought Sara and I closer in our relationship. With each project we get to throw ideas on the table, and we have learned several things:

1. We are not afraid to say no, or “I don’t like it” to each other. Our opinions are known.

2. We are both great at accepting #1, even if it takes a few tries.

3. At the end of the day, the project gets done, it is (in our opinion) amazing work, and we’re both proud of it.

4. We don’t usually notice this, but we really communicate with each other very well during these times.

One thing: before being engaged, communication was never our strong point. I suppose that’s normal (my psychology background tells me that most young adults have issues communicating and compromising), but these DIY projects are proof of our teamwork and our improved communication. It’s never easy, but since we can both say “Yes, dear” to each other, we’re well on our way to building a foundation for a successful long marriage.

How are you handling the added stress of DIY projects?

Showcase Wednesday: Our (Finished) Save the Dates!

Happy Wednesday, readers! I always love it when the middle of the week arrives … it means we’re all closer to the weekend, which means that I’m closer to seeing Jordan! We’re living and working in separate cities right now, so I’m always grateful whenever Jordan comes home on the weekend.

Today I am pleased to bring you the fruits of our labor – our DIY bingo-inspired Save the Date cards!

Aren’t they cute!?

Jordan and I worked closely together on these cards, which proved to be a valuable lesson in Marriage 101: Patience is an absolutely necessary part of taking on any project, from DIY stationery to life itself.

As you may recall from this post, crafting the bingo card design came easily. It was the steps thereafter that proved to be more of a challenge.

First was the question of how to design the wrap-around vellum band. Jordan and I began concepting an asymmetrical design, but we quickly decided that we wanted to mirror the symmetry of the bingo card design on the vellum band. So, after a few long hours full of meticulous edits, we finally came to a consensus – we loved the design featuring our engagement pictures, courtesy of Creative Kindling!

After finalizing the design, I set out to find yellow vellum paper. Well, yellow vellum paper wasn’t in my future, I soon found out, which actually ended up for the better; my resourceful mother took a yellow crayon and colored on top of the clear vellum paper we found, and when she placed the vellum over the bingo card, it looked HIDEOUS! I feel very fortunate that I didn’t waste any money on yellow vellum paper.

Once the bingo cards and the vellum wraps were printed and trimmed, I spent one evening seated at my kitchen table with my Mom and two of my best gal pals (my maid of honor Kristen and my bridesmaid Serena), and we folded and glued, folded and glued. Kristen, whose super-fun handwriting is making its debut on the envelopes holding these Save the Date lovelies, spent a good portion of the evening addressing envelopes for us.

Here’s a glimpse of the front of the card:

There were two final parts to the design, the first of which is one of my favorites. The vellum paper wrapped around the back of the bingo card design, and where the two edges of the vellum paper met, my bridesmaid and gluer-extraordinaire Serena attached a button.

One note about the buttons, however:  I didn’t know this prior to crafting our Save the Date cards, but the buttons cost us an extra $0.20 cents each in postage, since they needed to be hand-stamped instead of running through a postage machine. I’m sure glad that none of our other stationery projects will utilize buttons, but at the same time, I love this feature on our Save the Date cards.

The second (and final) design element involved stamping a circle shape around the “July 17″ square on the front of the bingo card. While this should have been one of the easiest parts of the entire process, the company from which we ordered the stamp happened to be experiencing a high order volume, which therefore delayed the order significantly. However, all was well in the end, as the stamp arrived just in the knick of time!

Overall, I’m more than satisfied with our Save the Date cards. I would like to make one recommendation for you readers:  when Jordan and I were stuffing and sealing the envelopes that I had lined with decorative paper, we had trouble securing a proper seal, due to the fact that the decorative paper had covered up the waxy seal (the part of an envelope that you lick to seal it shut). So, we stuck a piece of double-stick tape to secure the envelope shut, and added a sticker seal on top of that. In the future, I will try to be more creative when lining envelopes, so that I don’t cover up the waxy seal.

I estimate the total cost of this project, including postage, to be right around $60.00. Most of the cost stems from purchasing the vellum paper.

What do you think of our Save the Date cards?

Green Monday: Green Printing Facts

Have you ever considered the environmental impact of the inks you use in your printer? If you haven’t, you certainly will after hearing statistics like this:

- Conservatree suggests that one ton of office and printing paper may require up to 24 trees.

- According to the Forest Stewardship Council, the U.S. is the largest market for paper products in the world, producing 90 million tons of paper and consuming about 100 million tons each year; about 25% of timber cut annually in the U.S. is used to make paper.

To combat the displacement of trees to make paper, many printing companies today are using as much recycled content as possible, or are utilizing paper made from sustainably harvested forests.

Here’s how the recycling process works, according to GreenerPrinter:

In the recycling process, paper is washed and deinked before being made into pulp. This pulp goes through a bleaching process (ideally processed chlorine free) and is formed into paper by removing the water, drying the paper, and cutting it into rolls or sheets for use. An important measure to look for in recycled paper is the post-consumer waste content. The difference between recycled and post-consumer waste (PCW) is that PCW refers to paper that has already been used by consumers – basically, it’s the paper that we toss into our recycle bins – whereas recycled paper might include materials that never reached the consumer, such as magazines that were printed but never sold.

Printing companies are also utilizing soy-based inks (ink that is derived from soybeans) instead of petroleum-based inks, which are made using a non-renewable resource (petroleum) and also release volatile chemicals into the environment called VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds).

For more information on green printing, or to purchase products that have been printed utilizing soy-based ink or recycled papers, click here.

NOTE: This post is not sponsored by the above company, individual, service or product line.