My Wedding Report

Remember these?

Yes, the long lost Duckling invitations. I know I have been promising the tips from the DIY process, but due to some computer crashes and general life craziness it’s been a little difficult to get everything together.

The printing of the main invitation was very basic. We basically just designed the invite using a combination of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. We used my very favorite font Feel Script from Veer, which we had also used for the Save the Dates. Graphics for the entire invitation suite were bought from Istockphoto for a few dollars. We found an image that had all 4 patterns to use so we only had to buy 1 item. Probably the hardest part of the main invitation step was figuring out how to do borderless printing so that the design went to the very edge. Once we figured that it it was a matter of printing 50 at a time until we were done.

Most of the work and labor was bundled up in our little Matchbook booklet a.k.a. “Everything you need to know about our wedding.”

Earlier in the summer Mr. Ducky and I were at my favorite store, Paper Source and found a whole bunch of these matchbooks for 50% off. We weren’t planning on using them, but who were we to pass up a good deal? So, we bought everything they had, not knowing what we were going to use them for. Well, eventually we came up with the idea to use it as the holder of all our inserts in the invitation versus doing something like a pocketfold invite.

On the base we put directions on one side and then details for our website on the other. We printed them on 8 1/2 x 11 paper and then cut them out individually. To avoid messy glue sticks and other adhesive messes I used my trusty Xyron. Or should I say Mama Duckling used the trusty Xyron?! She figured out just the right technique to not waste xyron sticky and go through each insert quickly.

Here is what they looked like after they popped out the Xyron. After that it was a matter of simply removing the sticky backing and then placing the insert evenly onto the matchbook.

Many of you loved our accept/decline stickers for the RSVP cards. (Thanks for all your sweet words!) I have to tell you that was one of the easiest parts of the whole process, which means you can incorporate this into your own DIY project without much trouble. We bought 1 1/4″ round labels from Paper Source and then it was a matter of printing and cutting. One column was “Accept” the next was “Decline” and then repeat for the next two columns.

After printing the paper was all a solid khaki color with the stickers. We carefully peeled away the background surrounding the stickers so that we were eventually left with the backing paper full of round stickers. Now you had white background and the stickers popped against that.

We found the best was to cut was first length wise after your 1st accept and decline column and then width wise so you were left with 2 stickers. For the actual RSVP card we designed it in Illustrator and used the circle shape to indicate where guests should place their answer.

I packaged everything together so it was in one unit and would look presentable when guests opened it. At the last minute I decided to stamp the outside of the matchbook because it seemed like it was missing something.

I knew I wanted to do envelope liners but I was pretty mystified on how to do them. Was I supposed to print the whole page in the print and then cut? Or make some sort of shape? Or just give up completely and do plain envelopes?  Remembering Mrs. Gloss’ beautiful invitations and envelopes, I asked her how she did it. She explained how she just printed the shape of the liner on paper and then cut it out. After her feedback, Mr. Ducky and I figured out how to get 2 liners out of one 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper. We shrunk down the depth of how far the liner would go in the envelope and lined them up on the edge. This probably doesn’t really make sense so just look at the picture below. You can see the 2 liners on the page and then the cut out version. By having the bottom of the liner on the edge of the paper it also saved some cutting time versus putting it in the middle of the page.

Here is Mr. Ducky dutifully cutting out envelope liners.

To adhere the liners to the envelope we used 3/8″ Adhesive Runner by Xyron that we had previously used for the Save the Dates. It works so well! We “drew” a triangle on the back of the liner in the upper area and then tucked it into the envelope.

And that is about it for the Duckling invitations. I hope that helped. Let me know if you have any questions.

What helped you with the DIY process? Anything seem difficult and then end up being simpler than you thought?

Well, first I must apologize for the delay of this post and my absence. I know I promised you the tutorial long ago, and I figure I should probably finish that before I show you all my invitations. In the middle of my wedding craziness my computer hard drive crashed and I lost a whole bunch of blog pictures and posts along with address spreadsheets, contracts and all sorts of other stuff that stresses you out. Not to worry, I think I’ve pieced a lot of it back together in the last few weeks.

Ready for the tutorial on the Duckling save the dates? I’m warning you ahead of time there were quite a few steps. So stay with me and let me know if I start to not make sense.

The original inspiration for our save the dates came from Martha Stewart. I happened to be having a brainstorming meeting with my month-of-coordinator, Courtney from Joyful Weddings and Events and showed her the inspiration picture and a few of the other ideas I wanted to incorporate. Courtney is fellow cricut user so I knew that she would appreciate the idea. She had the idea of adding in the mini envelope for the numbers to come out of and encouraged me to just go for it.

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I knew I wanted to use one of our engagement pictures and bring out some of our wedding colors. So with the idea of a number ribbon, a mini envelope and after making a few test samples, I decided to just go for it.

The Supplies
A7 Papersource Soft White (looks like a light cream)
A7 Lake Envelopes Paper Source
Mini Envelope Lake Paper Source
Fiskars Corner Rounder
Cricut
Opposites Cartridge
Basics Cartridge
Cuttlebug
10 mm ribbon in cream
Raspberry 12x 12 Scrapbook Heavy Paper
Blue 12×12 Scrapbook Heavy Paper
Mini Hole Punch
Mini Xyron Tape Adhesive Runner
Xacto Knife
Scotch Tape

The Graphic Design
I am definitely not a graphic designer, but with Mr. Ducky’s encouragement I decided to do our Save the Date design myself. He definitely helped along the way to help me with how to do the different Photoshop effects since I was very rusty on using the program. I inserted one of our engagement pictures and used the masking feature to create the rounded corners.

I’ve been drooling over Veer’s Feel Script font since Mrs. Lemon shared a sample in a post awhile ago. Feel Script is one of the glyph fonts that Pengy wrote about the other day. To compliment the Feel Script I used Garamont which is just a basic font that came with my computer.

The swirly design you see in the background is a photoshop brush. Pixels and Ice Cream has such a great selection of free photoshop brushes and patterns. I used the April Showers photoshop brushes for our Save the Dates, although there are lots of cute options on the website.

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We printed the Save the Dates on A7 Soft White paper from Papersource. The printer is a Canon MP830 and the quality is amazing. The color is very vibrant and saturated in person. If you are looking for a printer I really recommend this one, because it looks like we got them professionally printed. After everything was printed out we used the Fiskars corner rounder. I bought this after reading a post by Penguin on DIY essentials. It was awesome.

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The Number Strings
To cut out all the numbers and spacers I used the Cricut. The numbers were from the Opposites Attract Cartridge. To get the correct size to fit in the envelope without looking to small I set the settings to 2 inches high and on the shadow setting you see on the Cricut keyboard. After printing all the numbers we had to punch two holes with the mini hole punch so that the ribbon could be laced later. This was probably the biggest pain of the whole project.

For the spacers I selected a rounded square from the Geometrics and Shapes cartridge that already had the slots automatically cut into each square. This was a cartridge that came with my cricut when I originally bought it. This was a big time saver and my family was grateful to not use that hole punch anymore. For the settings I used 1 inch high and that seemed to work well. Also, you may have noticed that the original inspiration had bows in between each set of numbers but ours have spacers and a single bow at the end. Part of this was just the simple fact that bows take way longer, but also that bows create knots that could mean extra postage. Our were regular postage and we bought the forever stamp before pricing went up.

I had originally bought the ribbon from Paper Source but returned it after I found a much cheaper version at Michaels for $0.99 a spool. After cutting all the ribbon to the desired length we tied mini bows at each end. Then it was pretty much back to elementary school lacing the ribbon through. It was important that each number have 2 holes so that it would stay flat and not twist to be perpendicular to the ribbon.

The Mini Envelopes
Before stamping the mini envelope I used the Cuttlebug to emboss the flap so that I wouldn’t have to worry about smearing the ink. By arranging the envelopes like below I could emboss 4 envelopes at once, so it did not take too long.

After all the envelope flaps were embossed I used the Save the Date stamp from Paper Source with silver ink from Colorink. The ink took forever to dry, but showed up really well on the lake blue paper. I think it was meant for embossing. I’d recommend the Brilliance brand if you wanted to stamp without embossing. The ink dries faster. The stamp was the perfect size for the envelope and I felt like the writing tied into the font and look of the overall card. You had to line up the stamp so that it was next to flap.

On the opposite side from the stamp of each envelope I used an xacto knife to cut a tiny slot to string the ribbon through. To make sure you don’t cut through to the other side you can slide a thick piece of paper into the envelope before you make the slot.

Final Assembly!
To attach the number date string I strung the end through the little slot and used scotch tape to secure it. Yeah I know not the most beautiful thing in the world but it worked.

To fold up the numbers I basically did it accordion style with the last two numbers “09″ being on top. I tried to show this in the picture below. Then gently tuck the numbers into the envelope letting the bow stick out just enough to be slightly beyond the flap. I did not seal the flap because I worried about the ribbon sticking and creating issues when it was time to be pulled out. Instead I just made sure the the flap was staying down and flattened the crease a little bit if it wasn’t.

We used the Xyron 3/8 inch Adhesive Runner to stick the mini envelope to the cardstock. I was so impressed with the quality and durability of the “stickiness” from the xyron tape. We also tried the photo mounting squares but they just didn’t work as well. The xyron tape was so easy to roll onto the back and it just stuck. I highly recommend it.

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Last but not least we were able to slide the final product into a regular A7 envelope in lake blue that matched the mini envelope. As I mentioned they were even regular postage using the forever stamps I had bought before postage went up. Often times the post office will charge you for using ribbon, but the bow was so small that it didn’t add extra bulk. Each envelope had a slight bulge from the folded paper and mini envelope but it was still skinny enough to easily slide through the test hole they have at the post office that determines if they charge extra.

My biggest piece of advice? Make sure you have people to help you. I by no means did this by myself. My family was literally an assembly line for all of the different stages. Otherwise I’d probably still be stringing those suckers today.

And that is the long story of the Duckling Save the Dates. I hope it wasn’t entirely confusing. Does anyone have any questions I can clarify?

Up next? Duckling invitations!!

I have not been able to stop smiling since Mrs. Bee gave me a Yudu. She basically made my month or let’s be honest, more like my year! Now if you remember my obsession with my cricut, cuttlebug and craft gadgets in general you can understand my pure joy in knowing that I now have the newest addition to the Provo Craft family.

It arrived in a MASSIVE box last week and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. Which is probably why I am behind in my blog posts due to Yudu research. I even burned a chicken the first night I found out I was going to be the proud owner of a Yudu. No joke, I ran upstairs to get my computer and look up yudu demo videos and completely forgot I had a chicken on the stove until I discovered it was charred black. It’s okay, you can laugh at me and shake your head; Mr. Ducky did as well.

I’ve been drooling over gocco invitations and diy goodies in the hive since I first discovered Weddingbee. I was originally hoping that I’d be able to use the Yudu for my wedding invitations that I need to make in the next few weeks. But from what I’ve researched the 110 mesh screen that comes with the Yudu is not fine enough for small fonts and detail. A 220 fine screen for paper printing and fine detail is coming out soon but as far as I know is not available yet. I’ve been stalking the Yudu website for it to become available. Hopefully it happens really soon and I can use one for my invitations, but considering my deadline I’m not sure if that’s realistic.

I’m trying to decide what sorts of wedding DIY I can do. What would you do with a Yudu? As I’ve researched the Yudu I’ve found some pretty awesome projects. I collected a few favorites to share with hive.

Fabulous luggage tags for a destination wedding?

My jaw dropped when I saw these invitations. Amazing! She even has her own etsy shop.

Simple DIY touch with rice bags for your guests.

Cute tote for out of town guests or bridesmaids?

Has anyone else gotten the Yudu? What have you made so far? Have you printed any fine fonts? Share your Yudu resources with the hive!

Picture Sources
Luggage Tags from CreativitE Blog
Handkerchief Wedding Invitations from Yudu Forums
Rice Bags from Two Brunettes
Tote Bag from My Time blog

Thanks again Mrs. Bee for my amazing new craft machine! I can’t wait to use it!

I have finally sent out our Save the Dates and now that I’m sure everyone has received them, I can finally share them with the hive. We’ve seriously taken our sweet time getting these guys out due to delays from school, life and just general procrastination. But oh well they are out and I’ve finally uploaded the pictures to share!

Without further ado here are the Duckling Save the Dates!

The first peak

Pull the Save the Date out

One more envelope!

And ta da!

Here is a picture of how my FMIL displayed her Save the Date. Isn’t that sweet?

Please let me know if you have any questions. I will try to put together a post with pictures of how we put them together, as well as what supplies were used if you are interested. Can you already tell where my cricut and cuttlebug came in handy?

Remember way back when I posted about the perfect pair bridal shower? I know a lot of you were really inspired so I’ve kept my eye out for other amazing ideas like that one. Well last week Courtney from Joyful Weddings and Events did a whole series on some of the amazing showers that she and friends have planned. I think I seriously was ooing and ahhing over every picture. Well now all I’m thinking about is who I can throw a shower for and put some of these ideas into use.

These were made by Melody, one of the newest PROs.

She made this with my favorite Cricut machine!

This was a shower put together by her amazingly talented sister-in-law, Lindsey. (I read her blog for craft and home decoration inspiration.)

How cute is this sign from a recent baby shower?

All Pictures from Joyful Weddings and Events

This such a small taste of all the amazing pictures and ideas that Courtney shared. I love that so many of them are DIY oriented and you don’t need a crazy budget to do something special and personal. Go check out her blog if you need some shower inspiration.

Another fabulous source of shower and party inspiration is Hostess with the Mostess. I am in awe over every detail and my mouth waters every time I see a picture of one of her sweet cocktails or desserts!

Yes Please!

This would be such a cute centerpiece at a shower!!

So freaking adorable!

All pictures from Hostess Blog

You can look on the blog or at the party theme section for tons of fabulous ideas. Even if you don’t have a party to shower there are some great theme party ideas. Any Twilight readers out there? Check this out.

Now I am waiting on a few friends to get engaged so that I can throw them a shower with all these new ideas!!

What are your favorite ideas for a shower?

In order to keep up with the huge list of blogs I read I use Google Reader.  All of the newest posts are delivered straight to my reader and it’s easy to keep track of them.  I hesitated to start Google Reader, but now I love it, other than it’s harder to comment all the time now.  I’ll often “star” my favorites for inspiration, tutorials or just useful information. As I went through my “starred items” the other day I began to notice a certain theme in some of the posts. Lately I’ve just been loving any sort of wooden detail. There is just this rustic charm to using wood slices, branches and signs throughout the wedding.

Here are some of the wooden details that have caught my attention lately.

It would be such a unique detail to use wood slice platters during your cocktail hour.

Ritzy Bee

The details of this cake are so sweet with the carefully placed branches and birdies sitting atop a simple tree stump.

Green Wedding Shoes

I love bird houses.  I think their charm could make for the perfect escort card table display.

Carrie Patterson

Never can get enough hand painted wooden signs leading the way.

Snippet and Ink

I never would have guessed something as simple as branches with ribbon could be so endearing when carried by a child.

Carrie Patterson

These escort cards are simply adorable.  Even better? There is a DIY tutorial!

Oh So Beautiful Paper DIY Instructions on {scissor variations}

Even having wood in the accents of a venue adds so much personality to a wedding.

Once Wed

I would normally not say wood is appetizing, this cake looks scrumptious!

Once Wed

This picture is from one the design blogs I read.  I could see this organic wooden table being perfect for the lounge at your wedding and then being reused as your coffee table at home.

Apartment Therapy

And of course the wooden theme carries beautiful into paper, whether it be a background or graphics of trees or branches.

Hammerpress via 100 Layer Cake

I thought this was an appropriate way to sum up my wood inspiration. Doesn’t Kathryn from Snippet and Ink always have something that just goes perfectly?

Snippet and Ink

What sort of details have been standing out to you lately? Do you ever pick up on a certain theme after awhile?

Anyone know where to get some good wood slices from?

The week before I took my engagement pictures I all the sudden started worrying about my make-up. On a daily basis my make-up is pretty natural and I wasn’t sure what to do knowing that I was going to be taking pictures. I didn’t want to look washed out, shiny or so made-up that it wasn’t me. Hiring someone to do it for me was out of budget and I didn’t want to take my chances at a random make-up counter at the mall.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been loving WeddingbeePRO and all the vendor tips and insights. Laura Nadeau has been one of my favorites as I’ve been slowly accumulating a product wishlist from all of her incredible posts. Well since Laura is in New York and I’m in California it wasn’t exactly a possibility to have her do my make-up or visit her studio. So instead I left a comment on one of her posts asking for any tips and she replied with an email asking for a picture, what I wear daily and the look I wanted to get. I was thrilled when she sent her email and immediately sent her a breakdown of all the information. Check out her post here to see what my email said.

A few days later I opened my inbox and found an email from Lo, also posted on her blog telling me step by step what to buy, what to do and some general tips.

Miss Duckling,

You are a beautiful woman and I think that with a few changes in your makeup routine we can easily make you even more photogenic! If you think of your makeup like your wardrobe, then I would say you have all of the classics. Now, we just fine tune with the proper accessories and I’ll show you how to dress up your look!

1. I love tinted moisturizer, but it disappears quickly. I recommend buying the Laura Mercier oil-free foundation (unless you have dry skin) which will give you light coverage and will last longer. It can be more economical as well, because you have the option to simply mix it with an inexpensive face moisturizer. Voila, you have made your own tinted moisturizer and have the option for more coverage if you like. Always, set with a loose powder, (I love Laura Mercier’s translucent loose powder) this will add longevity, fight shine and create an even canvas for blush and bronzer.
2. Please no shimmer under your cheekbone. It is a highlight and works best on your cheekbone. Please watch my shimmer video! Bronzer can be used on and under your cheekbones for contour and warmth then add a “pop” color of blush on the apples of your cheeks.
3. Peachykeen blush is a great blush that you can apply on and under your cheekbones, but I suggest that you also add a bright “pop” color on your apples. A peachy pink blush (Bobbi Brown Nectar) would be perfect for you. Don’t do a pop color if you blush easily or turn red due to rosacea.
4. I prefer crème shimmers better than powder for the cheek. I use Nars Multiple Stick in Orgasm on everyone.
5. Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown make great creamy under eye concealers. I apply this after eye makeup to avoid having to clean up shadow that has fallen.
6. M.A.C. Fluidline liner and Shroom shadow are great for you. I would add M.A.C. Nehru to your “wardrobe”. I can tell that you like to wear blue and this is a great contrast to your blue eyes. You can wet Nehru and use it as eyeliner and then smudge it up for a smoky look. To “dress up” your look just do a slightly thicker line and you can use a M.A.C. eye shadow like Print, Shale, or Sumptuous Olive to smudge into the liner for a smoky look. You don’t have to do a full out smoky eye – that can be difficult. Just smoke up the liner and blend, blend, blend into your shadow! The bottom line should never be darker or more prominent than the eyeliner on top of your lid. The focus should be drawn to the top of your eye, not the bottom.
7. Use waterproof mascara. M.A.C.’s is good and I also really like Maybelline Define-a-Lash in black.
8. M.A.C. lipstick in Twig could be a great neutral color for you and you can top with a little bit of sheer gloss in the center of your lip for a little moisture. I recommend this for outside photos as wind blows hair into gloss.
9. To avoid the eye shadow creasing I recommend eye shadow primers (which you are already using) and then apply a neutral shadow color on top of it to set it. Shroom is good, but it is also great to have something without shimmer. For more longevity use a matte shadow first then add shimmer shadow like the shimmer brick as a final touch on top. Shimmer bricks are very light and sheer and won’t last as long as other shadows.
10. Makeup does fade with time, but the best way to slow the process is to build a look using light layers. Whether on your eyes, face or lips remember the following steps: prime, add neutral color, add desired color, and add shimmer if desired.

Makeup for the camera:

1. Apply more coverage for your skin, especially under your eyes and any pink or uneven areas. Carry a powder compact and powder your t-zone as you get shiny.
2. Apply heavier blush which will add dimension and much needed color when shooting with a flash
3. Apply thicker eyeliner. Leave it as a clean line or smudge the line out for a smoky look.
4. Fill in eyebrows to accentuate the shape.

Good luck and let me know how it goes!!

xoxo,
Lo

Here is a picture that I took with all the make-up options on the counter. I didn’t actually use all those products, but I wanted to be prepared. To you see my computer in the background? I had Lo’s email up the whole time!

Isn’t she amazing?? I was so thankful for all of her help. I went to the mall and bought the products. My new favorites are the Multiple Stick in Orgasm from NARS and the Laura Mercier concealer. I bought a Undercover Pot Trio that comes with a spot concealer, under the eye and translucent powder. Since I was in the need of all three it was a great deal.

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If you get a chance read her tips and watch her video on shimmer. I thought it was really helpful.

For the actual follow through of all her tips, it went really well. I probably could have done a little darker with smoking my eye, but I was more conservative than necessary. Next time I think I’ll be more brave and liberal with the application. However, I was really pleased with how the foundation, blush etc. worked with not looking washed out or shiny. The only downside was that there was a fair amount of time between the time I did my make-up and we actually did the pictures due to driving to LA and some other complications. I was glad (as was Mr. Ducky who doesn’t like a lot of make-up) that I still looked like myself, just enhanced so I could be me on camera.

Unfortunately I took some pictures myself but they just did not turn out well (blurry) and you can’t even see the make-up. I’m super bummed because I took some close up but I don’t think I was steady enough taking the picture. Here is what I have but keep in mind that it looked better than these pictures, and I actually added more shadow later.  I’ll be better next time, promise!

But be on the look out for my engagement pictures recap soon!!!

As I relax and recover this week, I’m hoping to get some wedding stuff done in the meantime since I don’t sit still too well. The first big thing that needs to get out are our Save the Dates. I had originally hoped to have these out in the mail in January or February, however with all the medical stuff that has just not happened. We just booked our engagement session for a few weeks from now and I want to use those pictures for the Save the Dates.

To make things a little easier on the production and save money on postage we decided we should do postcards. I want to work on our graphic design with Mr. Ducky so that once we have our pictures all we have to do is drop the image in and send off for printing. Mr. Ducky is working so I will be on my own using Photoshop during the day, which will be interesting.

Here are some Save the Date postcards I’ve seen that are inspiring me as I think about what to do.

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Did anyone else do postcards? Did you use pictures from your engagement session with your save the dates?

I’m using Cheese’s Bee-rodcast System to give an important alert!

I know after my recent posts about the Cricut and Cuddlebug many of you have been on hunt for a good deal. Erika, is a reader and just told me about Joann Fabrics who is currently selling Cricuts and Cuttlebugs at a major discount. There is also a sale on cartridges, embossing folders and other supplies. You can either look here at their sale online or look at the sales flyer. The Cricut I have is on sale for $99! Also the Storybook cartridge I used to make my bridesmaid cards is on sale.

If you are not sure which machine is best for you, MarryingtheNavy posted this great link in the comments of a post that has a critique of The Wizard, by Spellbinders, Cuttlebug, by ProvoCraft, BigShot, by Sizzix and the Cricut Expression, by ProvoCraft. Obviously this is one person’s opinion but you might find it helpful.

For me personally I have the original Cricut (the smallest of the 3 Cricuts) and a Cuttlebug. I think they compliment each other very well. I like that the Cricut has cartridges with tons of options and you just have to key in your selection and it automatically cuts out the selection. The Cuttlebug is perfect for embossing and if you just have one particular image you need to to cut out you can buy a single die cut. I’ve heard wonderful things about Big Shot, and Mrs. Eggplant has one that she uses with all her wonderful cards.

What are your reviews on the Craft machines you have? I’m always looking for new recommendations!

Remember when I posted pictures of my ring awhile back? Well I also submitted pictures to Weddingbee and sure enough one of the shots was posted. They chose one of the pictures on the bamboo plant.

Check out Weddingbee: Ring Shots Part VI…I’m MMWedding

Have you tried doing your own ring shots yet? Please share if you have!