{Images are from SarahRhoads.com}Friday, April 23, 2010
Featured Photography: Sarah Rhoads
Today's eye candy belongs to Sarah Rhoads. Sarah and her husband are a Seattle based team and their span of work is really good from editorial to lifestyle. What really captured my eye with their work are their engagement/lifestyle photos. They are soo beautiful, honest, natural and the use of the light at dawn or dusk is timeless. Here are a few of my faves...
{Images are from SarahRhoads.com}
{Images are from SarahRhoads.com}
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Vera Wang – Always Timeless & Innovative
There is a reason why Vera Wang is one of the top, possibly even the top wedding gown designer in my eyes. She's always innovative every season, and she knows how to dress the woman in a "poofy" dress and still make her look sexy. She knows how to manipulate the materials so they are utilized to perfection as you can see in these line of bridal gowns. I would even dare to wear a black wedding dress if it's a Vera of course. And the use of the tissue organza in all these gowns are stunning, ethereal and timeless. These are only a few of all her 2010 dress collections. Every single one of her dresses are true perfection. You're one lucky girl if you are able to sport one of her dresses on your wedding day. :)
{Images are from VeraWangonWeddings.com}
{Images are from VeraWangonWeddings.com}Design w/Chon: Wedding Invitation for a Mexico Wedding
I finally just finished designing a full wedding invitation ensemble for my client with the Mexico wedding. I did her Save the Date earlier on this year (click here to see it), and it was time to get moving on her main invite and here it is. It was truly a pleasure designing for them since they were a fun and easy going client, and you can't beat it when they appreciate and love the design. :)
These are my Photoshop mock-ups on how the invite looks and how it unfolds. We are in the process of getting everything printed on an off-white, uncoated speckletone paper with letterpress and offset printing. We have some fun things going on for her printed wedding collection. First on the tri-fold that wraps around the main 5x7 card, the RSVP card is attached to the map, and it's going to be perforated so its an easy tear for the wedding guest to fill out and mail instantly.
One of my favorite parts of the wedding set is the truly customized map. The map is one of the longest things to design since I treat it like art, and it has so much detail & info on it. Plus, you don't want to mess up the map since it leads your wedding guest to your hotel and wedding location. I can't wait to see the map printed... it will feel even more vintage on the paper that we have selected.
The client was so happy with the design direction that they wanted me to work on a few more things for their wedding day – escort cards & favor tags. Obviously, it's a Mexico wedding and what is a Mexico wedding without Tequila?! For her escort table, she wanted to have shot glasses for each of her wedding guest. So I had to design a structure to somehow sit on the shot glass. I ended up creating a custom die-cut monogrammed bee that will be letterpressed, and on the reverse-side, under the wing, the names will be handwritten in along with the table number. How fun are these? The photos don't do it justice. It looks even better in person.
Also, for her mini Patron Tequila favors, we created a custom tag with a little Spanish saying on it as a "thank you" to her guests for attending their wedding. It's going to be hand tied with a light green satin ribbon.
Favor Tags on Mini 50ml Tequila Bottles
{Invitation & Print Accessories designed by Chon}
To learn more about the design direction and overall theme behind this wedding, read this older post.
These are my Photoshop mock-ups on how the invite looks and how it unfolds. We are in the process of getting everything printed on an off-white, uncoated speckletone paper with letterpress and offset printing. We have some fun things going on for her printed wedding collection. First on the tri-fold that wraps around the main 5x7 card, the RSVP card is attached to the map, and it's going to be perforated so its an easy tear for the wedding guest to fill out and mail instantly.
Main Invite Card w/ Tri-fold Wrap
Main Invite Card w/ Tri-fold opened up
One of my favorite parts of the wedding set is the truly customized map. The map is one of the longest things to design since I treat it like art, and it has so much detail & info on it. Plus, you don't want to mess up the map since it leads your wedding guest to your hotel and wedding location. I can't wait to see the map printed... it will feel even more vintage on the paper that we have selected.Close-up Detail of Map
Wedding Invitation Set
The client was so happy with the design direction that they wanted me to work on a few more things for their wedding day – escort cards & favor tags. Obviously, it's a Mexico wedding and what is a Mexico wedding without Tequila?! For her escort table, she wanted to have shot glasses for each of her wedding guest. So I had to design a structure to somehow sit on the shot glass. I ended up creating a custom die-cut monogrammed bee that will be letterpressed, and on the reverse-side, under the wing, the names will be handwritten in along with the table number. How fun are these? The photos don't do it justice. It looks even better in person.
Also, for her mini Patron Tequila favors, we created a custom tag with a little Spanish saying on it as a "thank you" to her guests for attending their wedding. It's going to be hand tied with a light green satin ribbon.
"Bee" Escort Cards on Shot Glasses
Favor Tags on Mini 50ml Tequila Bottles
{Invitation & Print Accessories designed by Chon}To learn more about the design direction and overall theme behind this wedding, read this older post.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Design w/Chon: "Princess" Birthday Invitation
This past weekend I finished designing a 1 yr. old birthday party invite, and I had a lot of fun embellishing the heck out of it. :) The client/mother only gave me the word "princess" for the invite, and as soon as I thought of crown/tiara for the graphic visual, I ran with the design, and it all came together.
I love strong typography on any design, because it always feels more unique and very personal for the person it is intended for. The soon to be 1 yr. old birthday girl is Shraya, and to her parents, she is their little princess. I created a cartoonish, yet elegant stylized crown with the #1 incorporated into the design. I then embellished the crown with real, tangible rhinestones which makes the invite card feel even more special and precious just like their daughter, Shraya.
There was a total of 35 cards and probably 5-6 different rhinestone arrangements on the crown, and they were sealed in a metallic silver A6 envelope.
Also, as a gift to remember their daughter's 1st birthday, I framed her name as art that will adorn her room. As you can see, I bedazzled the heck out of her name to make it even more girlie.
When individuals come to me for an invite design, I view and take on his/her invite as an artistic project, and it becomes very personal to me. And I hope as well, it becomes very personal to my client too and appreciate the artistry that goes into it. There is always a reason for every detail and placement that occurs in my design... it's what I do :)
{Invitation & Art designed by Chon}
I love strong typography on any design, because it always feels more unique and very personal for the person it is intended for. The soon to be 1 yr. old birthday girl is Shraya, and to her parents, she is their little princess. I created a cartoonish, yet elegant stylized crown with the #1 incorporated into the design. I then embellished the crown with real, tangible rhinestones which makes the invite card feel even more special and precious just like their daughter, Shraya.
There was a total of 35 cards and probably 5-6 different rhinestone arrangements on the crown, and they were sealed in a metallic silver A6 envelope.
Also, as a gift to remember their daughter's 1st birthday, I framed her name as art that will adorn her room. As you can see, I bedazzled the heck out of her name to make it even more girlie.When individuals come to me for an invite design, I view and take on his/her invite as an artistic project, and it becomes very personal to me. And I hope as well, it becomes very personal to my client too and appreciate the artistry that goes into it. There is always a reason for every detail and placement that occurs in my design... it's what I do :)
{Invitation & Art designed by Chon}Friday, April 16, 2010
Featured Photography: Carla Ten Eyck
This morning I was reviewing another photographer that I wanted to showcase, and then I changed my mind as soon as I started looking through Carla Ten Eyck's database of wedding photos. She had a huge selection of shots that were mesmerizing, and I am excited to share it with you guys this morning to end our week. I normally narrow it down to 5-6 photos, but I couldn't as you can see. They are all good!
Her visual eye to capture moments and think of innovative compositions such as a bridal veil blowing dramatically in the wind makes me wish I had a veil for my wedding so I could have some cool shots like these. I didn't wear a veil, because I felt it was too traditional for me. Plus, I wanted to show off my huge yellow flowers in my hair. :)
Her black and white images are beautiful especially with those bold bursts of light seen below. I hope you all know those starry rays of light aren't truly perfect like that. It's a post production addition we do on the computer, but it works and the contrast is nice.
{Images are from CarlaTenEyck.com}
Her visual eye to capture moments and think of innovative compositions such as a bridal veil blowing dramatically in the wind makes me wish I had a veil for my wedding so I could have some cool shots like these. I didn't wear a veil, because I felt it was too traditional for me. Plus, I wanted to show off my huge yellow flowers in my hair. :)
Her black and white images are beautiful especially with those bold bursts of light seen below. I hope you all know those starry rays of light aren't truly perfect like that. It's a post production addition we do on the computer, but it works and the contrast is nice.
{Images are from CarlaTenEyck.com}Thursday, April 15, 2010
My Front Entry Windows – Problem Solved!
My husband and I are loving the season of longer daylight hours, but there is one thing that irritates us with the return of nice sunshine. Around 5:00pm everyday, we get this bright, glaring light that shines through our front entry windows, and it reflects off our shiny wood floors, and it goes right into the side of our eyes as we sit on the couch to watch tv. It's not exactly a fun moment. It only lasts for a half hour as the sun begins to set for the day. This event happened last year, too, but we figured we would resolve it this year since we were so busy last year with moving in, buying furniture and having a wedding.
I didn't want to put window fabric up, it didn't fit our style. I would've loved actual frosted glass vs. the existing window, but these were already installed. We weren't trying to buy a whole new window. And I didn't want to deal with chemicals to frost it myself. So the next best solution was adhesive window film!
Emma Jeffs Adhesive Window Film has several designs, and we chose the most contemporary one, the Orba design, featured here. It's very easy to install. You just need a spray bottle, a blade and burnishing tool. The windows look brand new and the design is fun! It still allows daylight in, but not as intense as before. And it does add extra privacy compared to before. However, I was use to looking at people walk up through our window, but no longer.
I bought the decorative window film on 2Jane, a site full of modern home good products. They are having a 20% promotional sale with the code: 2NEW. The promotion was suppose to expire March 16th, but it currently still works since I just used it to buy my window film. Try it for yourself and save some money if you are shopping on their site.
I didn't want to put window fabric up, it didn't fit our style. I would've loved actual frosted glass vs. the existing window, but these were already installed. We weren't trying to buy a whole new window. And I didn't want to deal with chemicals to frost it myself. So the next best solution was adhesive window film!
Emma Jeffs Adhesive Window Film has several designs, and we chose the most contemporary one, the Orba design, featured here. It's very easy to install. You just need a spray bottle, a blade and burnishing tool. The windows look brand new and the design is fun! It still allows daylight in, but not as intense as before. And it does add extra privacy compared to before. However, I was use to looking at people walk up through our window, but no longer.I bought the decorative window film on 2Jane, a site full of modern home good products. They are having a 20% promotional sale with the code: 2NEW. The promotion was suppose to expire March 16th, but it currently still works since I just used it to buy my window film. Try it for yourself and save some money if you are shopping on their site.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Something Blue...
When I saw these hair accessories, I thought they would be the perfect "something blue" for a wedding. Naoki Jewelry, with their hair accessory designs, are bringing old glamour back into style. If you want a touch of vintage added to your wedding day, these gorgeous hair pins will do the job as you can see in these pics.
Some of these designs have a Spanish influence to them, and the last one seen here, all in white gems, is very Art Deco. To see more vintage-inspired jewelry beyond these hair pins, go to Naoki Jewelry. Their long necklaces would be breathtaking against a strapless, simple gown.
{Images are from NaokiJewelry.com}
Some of these designs have a Spanish influence to them, and the last one seen here, all in white gems, is very Art Deco. To see more vintage-inspired jewelry beyond these hair pins, go to Naoki Jewelry. Their long necklaces would be breathtaking against a strapless, simple gown.
{Images are from NaokiJewelry.com}Cake Topper Ideas
Busy, busy and that's why I am a little behind this week on posts, but I promised to myself to always squeeze at least 2 posts in every week. And I haven't failed yet! Here are some cute, personalized cake topper ideas for your wedding, or special event.
Personalized Bride & Groom cake topper – the Concarta Shop on Etsy.com produces truly custom cake toppers starting at $100. Obviously, the prices vary according to the level of detail that you are seeking for the clothing and accessories. Wedding dresses, tuxes, floral and the skin & hair can be matched to fit your personal style. Contact the Concarta Shop to get your quote today.
Customized Love cake topper – 4"x4" in size, handmade, and it can be customized to match any color, comes in a gloss or matte finish. Customized Love toppers are $75 (no shipping charges). Contact the Blue Butterfly Design Shop on Etsy.com to order yours, and check out the full shop to see the variety of customized toppers that is offered, too.
For my wedding, I went with and designed a totally custom cake topper that matched my wedding invite exactly. I took the typography of our names, created an art file, and worked with a custom letter fabricator to cut the design out of an aluminum sheet. Also, the fabricator fused two prongs to the bottom of the topper so it would prop up correctly on the cake. And of course, I spray painted the topper to get that pop of yellow on my white 3-tiered cake. They did an awesome job with the cutting of my design.
If you are looking for a totally custom cake topper like this, I can create one for you. Email me at designwithchon@gmail.com
Personalized Bride & Groom cake topper – the Concarta Shop on Etsy.com produces truly custom cake toppers starting at $100. Obviously, the prices vary according to the level of detail that you are seeking for the clothing and accessories. Wedding dresses, tuxes, floral and the skin & hair can be matched to fit your personal style. Contact the Concarta Shop to get your quote today.
Customized Love cake topper – 4"x4" in size, handmade, and it can be customized to match any color, comes in a gloss or matte finish. Customized Love toppers are $75 (no shipping charges). Contact the Blue Butterfly Design Shop on Etsy.com to order yours, and check out the full shop to see the variety of customized toppers that is offered, too.
For my wedding, I went with and designed a totally custom cake topper that matched my wedding invite exactly. I took the typography of our names, created an art file, and worked with a custom letter fabricator to cut the design out of an aluminum sheet. Also, the fabricator fused two prongs to the bottom of the topper so it would prop up correctly on the cake. And of course, I spray painted the topper to get that pop of yellow on my white 3-tiered cake. They did an awesome job with the cutting of my design.
If you are looking for a totally custom cake topper like this, I can create one for you. Email me at designwithchon@gmail.com
Friday, April 9, 2010
Featured Photography: A Nice Pair of Shoes
Girls love shoes and you gotta have nice pair of heels photographed for the day of your wedding! This week's eye candy is a variety of photographers showcasing a pair of shoes. Typically the fun, colorful heels reflect the bride's wedding color palette. A pop of contrast against her beautiful wedding dress. I almost bought yellow shoes for my wedding day, but opted for a rustic soft gold to match my vintage jewelry, and I went with a kitty heel. I can't handle a 3" heel all day long. :)
Have a good weekend all!
Have a good weekend all!
Tanja Lippert – can't forget the boys, too
Sarah Seven - Dreamy Dresses
I posted before on Sarah Seven dress designs, and today, I had to re-post another one, because she seems that she has expanded her dress line and has a new, refreshed website vs. her Etsy page.
Once again, I can't help but say I love her dresses! They are so dreamy and flowing and the draping technique is outstanding. Truly perfect for a casual outdoor wedding, or on a beach somewhere. She can custom design a dress of hers to fit your, bust, waist and hips. A true designer dress made especially for you. Click here to view her full website and line of dresses.
{Images are from SarahSeven.com}
Once again, I can't help but say I love her dresses! They are so dreamy and flowing and the draping technique is outstanding. Truly perfect for a casual outdoor wedding, or on a beach somewhere. She can custom design a dress of hers to fit your, bust, waist and hips. A true designer dress made especially for you. Click here to view her full website and line of dresses.
{Images are from SarahSeven.com}
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