Spruce Wedding Showcase

Spruce Wedding Showcase 4 Kathleen Deery Flowers

We recently had the opportunity to collaborate with Annena & Co and Lisa Lefkowitz Photography on an event design showcase at Spruce. If you haven't checked this restaurant out, definitely stop by - the food is great and the ambiance, designed by Stephen Brady of Williams Sonoma Home, is very 1930's executive lounge -- lots of rich tones and leather!

Spruce Wedding Showcase 6

Annena Sorenson of Annena & Company worked with Kathleen Deery (one of our favorite floral designers!) and Classic Party Rentals to create rooms with different themes. The Wedding themed room is above.

Spruce Wedding Showcase 6

Spruce Wedding Showcase Placecards

We collaborated with Maybelle to create these menus and place cards.

Spruce Wedding Showcase 12

Peonies and pugs

Spruce birthday sign

Birthday party theme.

Spruce Wedding Showcase 6

Spruce Wedding Showcase 8

Spruce Wedding Showcase 6

Business anniversary theme.

Spruce Wedding Showcase 11

Gift bags!  Thanks to Lisa Leifkowitz  (and her photographer Stephanie Poole) for sharing these lovely photos!

An invitation for Mom (in-law)

An invitation for Mom Thanks to Kathy of Well Rehearsed for sharing this great event with us! Let's face it - the wedding is a big day for moms of the bride-to-be and groom-to-be, too! Enter Neiman Marcus and Well Rehearsed! Neiman's is hosting a fashion show specifically targeted at helping moms look their best. Kathy, who specializes in planning rehearsal dinners (traditionally hosted by the groom's family), will share planning tips alongside author Jane Angelich.  RSVP (and score brownie points!) here.

July Flea Market

Cake Topper July Flea The July flea was a little cold and overcast, but we still found a few gems, like this 1950's cake topper.

Cigar bands

Cigar bands - love the typefaces and colors...

Elizabeth II Tea Tin

Queen Elizabeth II commemorative tea tin.

3 Horses Birthday Card

Prancing horse vintage greeting card.

Vintage Children’s Book Plates

Adorable vintage children's book plates.

Jack Jar Match BooksClift Matchbook Hotel

Vintage matchbooks from classic San Francisco hotels. The one on the left reminds us of our Visit San Francisco wedding invitation suite and save the date cards by Lab Partners.

Hobby STationery 3

Hobby Stationery 1

Hobby Stationery 2

And finally, some funny (and slightly bossy) hobby stationery! Hilarious!  See you next month!

Tail of the Yak

Tail of the Yak Berkeley Tail of the yak bay leaf garlands

Tail of the Yak is one of our favorite stores in the Bay Area, if not the world! Lauren and Alice, the proprietors, have a beautifully curated collection of found, hand-crafted, vintage and new items that are totally inspiring. Last weekend, we spent hours there...

Flowers

Crepe paper flowers

Shells

Papier mache shell boxes.

Jewelery case

Jewelry case full of vintage finds.

Tulips

Crepe paper tulip bulbs.

Store front

Tail of the Yak 2632 Ashby Avenue (between Benvenue Ave & College Ave) Berkeley, California (510) 841-9891 Store Hours: Monday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Closed Sundays.

Top 2 photos from here; the rest by us!

Hello!Lucky: Best Wedding Invitations!

SF Weekly Best Wedding Invitations Whoa! We just got named "Best Wedding Invitations" in San Francisco Weekly's Best of San Francisco 2009!  H!L greeting card retailer The Bell Jar also won in the "Best New Gift Boutique" category - double whoa!! (Congratulations, Sasha!). Even though we create wedding invitations for brides all over the country (and world!), it's an extra-special honor to be recognized by our home town, which is so full of talented designers (many of whom we got the chance to catch up with this week at the National Stationery Show). Check out the write-up on our invitations here.

We'd like to thank the Academy, our husbands, all our dedicated, creative and talented employees and clients (you know who you are), Richard Siebert, who taught a couple of cute girls how to print way back when while regaling us with stories of Berkeley in the 70's, chain smoking and wearing a "Bianca's Smut Shack" t-shirt, and all the mentors and friends who have helped us along the way...our mom and dad...blah blah blah...(cue music!!). Thanks again, San Francisco Weekly!

Eunice & Daniel's wedding

Tim Walker Toy Soldier Eunice & Daniel's Tim Walker-inspired wedding was last weekend in a valley near Wilbur Hot Springs in Northern California! We're so excited we can barely contain ourselves - it was so amazing and wonderful!

We can't share more at the moment as will be featured in an upcoming issue of Martha Stewart Weddings, but stay tuned for behind-the-scenes blog posts on the Martha blog and look out for the article!

In the meantime, the happy couple is heading out to Europe on their honeymoon. Huzzah!

Jennifer Osner Vintage Ribbon

Satin Ribbon First of all, apologies to our readers for the infrequency of our posts of late! We've been busy preparing for Eunice's wedding (our amazingly talented creative director!), which takes place next week and is inspired by the photography of Tim Walker. Stay tuned for coverage in an upcoming issue of Martha Stewart Weddings and look for behind the scenes details of all the crazy crafting we've been up to on the Martha Stewart blog!

Satin Ribbon 2

K, so now that's out the way, we have to share on our favorite new finds: Jennifer Osner!

Vintage velvet ribbon

Jennifer started out as a ribbon sales rep years ago and has been collecting gorgeous vintage ribbons and trims for years now (sometimes buying out entire warehouses that have gone out of business!). The other week we went to her home in San Francisco to pore over bankers' boxes stacked floor-to-ceiling in her garage, each one containing spools upon spools of gorgeous vintage ribbons (and that's just the tip of the iceberg - she has more in her warehouse(s))!

Black and White ribbon

Love this black and white striped one!

Yellow striped ribbon

And how 'bout this preppy yellow stripe?

Green satin ribbons

Many of her ribbons are displayed in vintage sales books like this one - you can pick out your color and width and place an order from the book.

Colorful satin ribbons

She has just about every color and texture imaginable!

Millinery flowers

She also has lots of gorgeous millinery bits, like these red velvet flowers (perfect as embellishments in a bouquet or boutonniere!)

Antique Lace

And these gorgeous pieces of antique lace. Hello, ring pillow?!

Jennifer travels around the country selling her ribbons at craft fairs, but you can also purchase some of her items on her website. Or, make an appointment to see her next time you're in the Bay Area. Just be prepared to spend several hours -- there's a lot to see...

Operation Aisle Style

Operation Aisle Style Banner Hey all you Bay Area folk, stop by the W Hotel tonight for Operation Aisle Style! Hello!Lucky will be there!

Austin Scarlett

There will be (count'em) 2 fashion shows, one showcasing the latest work of Austin Scarlett,  Project Runway contestant and lead designer, Kenneth Pool, and the other showcasing work bu the Art Institute of California’s "rising star" fashion students.

Anti Bride

The event is co-sponsored by Anti-Bride. Should be a fabulous time!

Read all about it here!

WHEN March 12, 06:00 PM - 11:00 PM

WHERE W San Francisco, Third Floor 181 3rd Street San Francisco , CA 94103

RSVP oas@skout.com

Vera Wang 2009 Collection

Outside of buildingRunway We recently attended the preview of the Vera Wang 2009 collection hosted by San Francisco Brides magazine at the Bently Reserve - the event was fabulous, and the collection was stunning!

Split rufflesEcru ruffles

We especially loved all the ethereal detals and gorgeous romantic ruffles!

Seafoam dressSeafoam dress 2

This seafoam number was one of our favorites - very Midsummer Nights' dream (and also reminded us of some of the goregeous dresses Tim Walker has photographed)

Models backstage

Some of the models back stage. Vera Wang's gowns are available exclusively at Bridal Galleria in San Francisco.

We created the invitations for the event using the Chandelier design by EIEIO. Photography by Jade Studio Productions.

Modern Creative Bridal Fair

 Dekker Photography Magnolia Floral Design

We recently blogged about the fabulous Stacy McCain, and are thrilled to be participating in a bridal fair she's organizing with Dekker Photography on February 26th, featuring a collection of wonderful vendors, including Magnolia Floral Design, Cake Work, Best Beverage Catering, Amy KuschelGot Light?, and Papineau Calligraphy.

Cakeworks

The party will be on Thursday the 26th of February from 6-9pm and will be a low-key, intimate affair (unlike many of the large, impersonal bridal fairs out there!). There will be an open bar, delicious catering, live music and beautiful decor. So come on by, have some food and drinks with us and have fun! Tickets are available at

www.brownpapertickets.com/event/55135

Modern Creative Bridal Fair

Stacy McCain Event Planning

Mexican Fiesta 1 Our friend Stacy McCain, an event planner based in San Francisco, just pinged us to let her know about her wonderful new website!  It's so great to see Stacy's fresh, fabulous work all in one place! We especially love this Mexican fiesta she created - love the colors and the mini maracas!

Mexican Fiesta 2

These Mexican paper flowers are gorgeous, too - find similar ones here.

Alex Johnson Wedding - Burro

Love this table name and the beautiful, understated table settings...

Detail 2 - Alex Johnson

So many lovely, rustic touches!

Sasha Gulish Cake

Adorable cake and candy bar...

Anniversary Party - Blonde Tulip

Stacy does everything from weddings to anniversary parties and takes her inspiration from a range of influences, including her international travels.  Speaking of which, the anniversary party above was inspired by the couple's international travels over their 40 years of marriage (so sweet!) -- love the gorgeous Asian details.

Mike & Jeff Wedding

She also is very friendly to same-sex couples - like this ultra-modern wedding she created for Mike and Jeff at the San Jose Museum of Art. Stacy's eye for detail is simply wonderful, and she was a wonderful, energetic personality to boot!

Congratulations, Stacy! Check out more of her work here.

Photo credits (from top): Mel Barlow, Alex Johnson, Sasha Gulish, Emily Merrill

Mutant Octopi, Puppies, Giraffes!!

Eunice and Sabrina We had a great time today hosting a gaggle of hilarious second graders for a valentine making bonanza.  Here we are at the beginning of the session - all seems calm, but it soon descended into crafting chaos!

more kids!

We worked on the Fuzzy Octopus card from our book, Handmade Hellos.  Above, some very serious crafting commences...

kids

The kids were really creative - here is an octopus that ended up with 22 eyes at the final count...

cheeky pair

kids crafting

We loved how creative the kids got!  Here a little girl who decided to go with a fantastic giraffe of her own creation.

woof!

A hysterical puppy...

octo kids 3

Hilarious mutant octopus...

Aaron demonstrates

Aaron does a little printing demonstration for a rapt audience. Thanks to the kids and teachers of Leonard Flynn Elementary School for a great time! Happy Valentine's Day!

Freedom to Marry

Freedom to Marry We're thrilled to be contributing to the upcoming Freedom to Marry fundraiser at Amy Kuschel Bride benefiting Equality of California. It's going to be a great party, organized by I Do! Wedding & Event Design, catered by Joshua Charles, and featuring a show of Amy's 2009 bridal collection. Here are the details - everyone's invited!

Thursday, February 12, 2009 National Freedom to Marry Day 6 - 8 p.m. Amy Kuschel Design Studio 23 Grant Avenue, 5th Floor San Francisco, California

RSVP to Ruby@amykuschel.com (and if you can't make it, make a donation to EQCA!)

Photo credit: Photomischa

Valentine's Card Making Party

Valentine owls Last week we hosted a Valentine's card making  party at Chronicle Books' shop on Union Street in San Francisco, featuring a valentine's version of the Owl-y Friend card by Petra Boase, from our book Handmade Hellos.

Crafting Party!

We had a great turnout - so much fun!

Red Hot Owl

By the end of the night, we had a crazy number of variations on the owl, and lots of happy crafters!

Happy CrafterHappy Crafter 3

The owls (and some non-owls) were as varied as their makers...

Turquoise heart

Red hot owl

We dubbed this one the "red hot" owl - love the color combo!

Disco wings

And what about these "disco wings"!?

Two owls in process

Glitter was one of the more popular supplies...a comedian once called glitter the STD of crafting, and our party proved that out...my the end, it had spread everywhere! Hilarious!

Wood you be mine?

Some crafters were inspired by the Wood You Be Mine? project from the book, by Two Trick Pony, and made their own vignettes (this one uses some cute cardinal wrapping paper from Snow & Graham).

Alien card

Or how about this hilarious birthday card? The little alien is made from a patterned paper by EIEIO.

Wobbly owl

Owl with wings and eyes akimbo... Thanks to everyone who attended, and a special shout-out to Christina Loff for organizing. Happy Valentine's Day!!

Flea market finds!

Assorted flea market finds Sunday was the Alameda Flea Market and, as always, we were there in full treasure-hunting mode! This time we spotted some fabulous paper goods and crafting supplies..

Wall paper and favor cup

Love this vintage wall paper -- we can't wait to use it to line some envelopes! We also found these little paper cups, lined with pleated crepe paper -- such a cute idea for containing favors!

Buttons and Fabric

And these buttons and fabric would be so fabulous for crafting projects!

Paper Elephants

Paper elephants! We can imagine using them as favors or place cards for a baby shower (slip the guest's name in the elephant's trunk!)

Vintage fans

A pretty paper fan...so lovely! Ah, the flea is so satisfying!