Hello!Lucky
Letterpress greeting cards, thank you notes, DIY projects, free printables and craft inspiration.
Chronicle Books is celebrating Sewing Month in September with special prices on some of their crafty e-books, including our book Handmade Weddings. See all the deals at Chronicle Eye Candy or head directly over to amazon and pick up a digital copy for only $2.99! Happy crafting!
This real wedding was introduced to us by our wholesale manager, Heather. She shared these images of her friends Haley and James' California wedding and we were immediately overcome with giddy wedding bliss. From all the perfect DIY details to the pure beauty of the bride and groom, this wedding is simply magical.
We must start off with the colorful photography by multi-talented Kate Miss. Her blog is a great source of inspiration so we were excited to hear she was the photographer at this wedding. Next, how about these amazing life sized tissue flowers? It sets the perfect backdrop for an already beautiful venue (Northstar in Tahoe, CA). Full instructions can be found over at Design Sponge.
One of our favorite details has to be the yarn wrapped vases that the bride and her bridesmaids made from our Handmade Weddings book. Since Haley and James' wedding day was all about color, they fit in nicely amongst the rest of the display.
Isn't this a good looking group of women? All the bridesmaids dresses are vintage. Love how the colors of the dresses coordinate with the decor!
The brides beautiful dress was custom made by San Francisco based designer Kajan Padraig. We love the delicate lace sleeves!
This is what weddings are all about. Having fun with your loved ones.
Thanks to Heather for sharing these photos and thanks to the bride and groom for representing our yarn wrapped vases! We truly love to see our projects come to life. For more photos, head over to Kate Miss' blog For Me, For You.
Photography by Kate Miss
It's always such a treat to see projects from our Handmade Weddings book come to life in real weddings. One of our favorite wedding inspiration blogs and gorgeous rental boutiques Mrs. Vintage recently crafted the sweet tallow berry and cotton bud boutonnieres for her big day and we'd say they turned out flawlessly.
Although creating your own floral bouquet or arrangement may seem complicated at first, this three-step process is quite simple! Mrs. Vintage tells that with the right materials and some trusty hot glue your boutonnieres can be DIY'ed just like that.
We love the adorable lavender pins for her ring bearers, and the pink ribbons tie it all together just right. Props to Mrs. Vintage for mastering this DIY! To see the step-by-step tutorial along with endless bridal inspiration, click here!
Spring may be a time to get organized, but we think it's a great time to bust out the dusty craft bins and get creative! There's no better feeling than recycling something disposable and transforming it into something worth saving. We know you're left with all those leftover holiday cards and wrapping papers, so this is the perfect opportunity to put them to good use! This lovely wreath from our book Handmade Weddings (published by Chronicle Books) uses a variety of found papers, including patterned paper scraps, kraft paper, glassine, tracing paper, and graph paper. This colorful wreath is perfect as a welcome sign at a wedding or party, or to adorn your front door as a welcome sign for Spring!
Materials
Makes 1 wreath
• 15 to 20 sheets assorted scarp papers e.g., construction paper, kraft paper, graph paper, tissue paper
• 30 to 40 colorful 1/4-inch brads
• Four 18-inch pieces floral wire (optional)
• One roll floral tape (optional)
• 1/4 yard scrap fabric
• 18-inch cardboard or particleboard wreath form
• Paper clip (optional)
• 1 to 2 pieces scrap cardboard or foam core
• 1 sheet text-weight paper (optional)
Tools
• Paper Flower templates (available here)
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Small flower punches
• 1/8-inch hole punch
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• One 1 1/2-inch Styrofoam ball (optional)
• Inkjet printer, with extra ink cartridges (optional)
How to
1. Make your flowers.
For flat flowers: Cut out the Paper Flower templates. Trace them onto patterned scrap paper, and cut out with scissors. Fold the flowers along the center axis of the petals to add dimension. You can also fringe the petals or crinkle flowers made of tissue to add depth. Punch small flower shapes for the flower centers. Stack several flower designs on top of each other, and punch a hole in the center. Insert a brad into the center and flatten the ends. Repeat to make as many flowers as desired.
For cupped petal flowers: Cut out the Petal template. For each flower, trace the template four times onto graph paper or another text-weight paper. Cut the petals out. Slide a 6-inch length of floral wire into an unopened brad so that the brad grips firmly and the round end faces up. Fold the base of the petal into an M shape, position on the wire, and affix with a dab of hot glue. Place the next petal, and repeat until all four petals are in place. Wrap the petal bases with a strip of floral tape. Repeat to make as many flowers as desired.
For tissue paper flowers: For each flower, cut four 1 1/2-×-4-inch strips of tracing paper or tissue paper. Place a piece of tissue, long side facing you, on your work surface. Center the Styrofoam ball on the paper, wrap the long ends up, and twist the ends to hold them in place. Trim the twisted ends with scissors and remove the ball, creating a cupped petal. Repeat to create four petals per flower. Slide a 6-inch length of floral wire into an unopened brad so that the brad grips firmly and the round end faces up. Position a petal on the wire, and tape it in place with a strip of floral tape, wrapping it around the wire a few times. Place the next petal and repeat until all four petals are in place. Repeat to make as many flowers as desired.
2. Prepare your wreath form. Cut your fabric into 3-inch-wide strips. Hot glue one end of a strip to the wreath form, and wrap it around the wreath until you run out of fabric. Glue the fabric end down and continue with a new strip until the wreath is completely covered. Avoid covering the hole in the wreath (for hanging). If desired, flatten a paper clip into an S shape and insert it into the hole, to be used as a hook when you are ready to hang your wreath.
3. Attach your flowers. Arrange your flowers in a wreath shape on your work surface. When you are happy with their placement, begin hot-gluing them to the form. To create depth, cut out several 1/2-inch squares of cardboard or foam core and affix these to the wreath form before gluing a flower on top, so that these flowers are slightly raised.
4. Add a sign (optional). If desired, lay out a sign such as “Welcome!” or your names and wedding date using a wordprocessing program and printing on text-weight paper, or write the sign by hand. Attach to the wreath using a dab of hot glue.
For more fun DIY ideas, visit our website here!
These pretty patterned cupcake liner pom-poms featured in our book Handmade Weddings (published by Chronicle Books) are perfect for a wedding celebration or casual party at home. Just a bit of glue and string will transform your ordinary cupcake liners into festive pom-pom strands. Mix and match colors and patterns to compliment your party palette and your decor will be a huge hit. Hang them in your living room, over your reception tables, or in your cocktail area for instant DIY delight!
Materials
Makes six 12-foot strands
• 720 cupcake liners, approximately 120 per strand
• Six 12-foot lengths white kitchen string
Tools
• Bone folder (or popsicle sticks work, too!)
• Rubber bands (optional)
• Glue sticks
• Clear tape
How to
1. Flatten and fold your cupcake liners. Using a bone folder, flatten each cupcake liner into a circle. Fold in half, wrong-side out. Repeat for all of your liners. You will need 10 identical liners per pom-pom. If you are using a variety of patterns and colors, stack or rubber band them by pattern. If your cupcake liners have scalloped edges, be sure to fold them along the same axis every time. This will ensure that the segments that make up each pom-pom are all symmetrical, making for a pleasing whole.
2. Make the pom-poms. Place 10 folded cupcake liners, of the same pattern and color, on your work surface. Using a glue stick, spread glue over one-half of a cupcake liner. Align it to the corresponding half of a second cupcake liner. Press down and smooth with your bone folder (figure 1, page 29). Let dry. Continue attaching the cupcake liner halves, smoothing each segment as you go to ensure a secure bond. Do not glue the last segment. When complete, the pom-pom will form an accordion-like sphere with one open segment, which allows you to flatten the pom-pom into a circle (figure 2). Let dry completely. Continue making pom-poms.
3. Attach the pom-poms to the string. Leaving about 2 feet on either end of the garland for hanging, attach the pom-poms along the string, at 2-inch intervals (or greater if desired). To attach, lay a flattened pom-pom on your work surface and align the string along its central axis (i.e., along the crease). Secure the string with two small pieces of clear tape, one on each end of the pom-pom. Spread glue over one half of the circle, as well as on the string, and sandwich the two halves of the open segment together, trapping the string (figure 3). Let dry. When all the pom-poms are attached and dry, hang the garland. “Fluff” the pom-pom segments by hand to create full circles.
Get your own copy of Handmade Weddings here. Happy crafting!
Happy Monday everyone! It's hard to believe September is over, and with exciting changes coming soon to Hello!Lucky, we're taking deep breaths as we welcome October in anticipation for the holiday season. Although our minds are wrapped around holiday festivities and winter cheer, wedding bells are still ringing and we had to share the perfect wedding gift for any time of year. These hand-embroidered canvas portraits by Michelle Rigg are completely customizable and turn any standard wedding portrait into a work of art.
We love all the meticulous details that go into each design. From the seams in the wedding dress, to the perfect outlines of the figures, it's easy to tell this artist takes extra special care.
Any why not make it personal? Love can be found in all forms, and for a couple with a shared interest, adding a little humor never hurts.
Check out more from Michelle Rigg here!
Last weekend, we got to teach a special event decorating workshop at Pottery Barn at Stanford Mall and at Chestnut Street in San Francisco! We shared DIY craft ideas from Handmade Weddings, along with party & wedding decorating tips. I, for one, had been clueless about Pottery Barn's awesome entertaining selection before the workshop -- turns out the have fabulous glass drink dispensers, cake stands, linen-wrapped candles, and mercury glass votives -- all great accent pieces that make a table scape feel polished and stylish!
We showed the class how to decorate a table in two different styles: Romantic (left) and Happy Graphic (right), using similar projects in different palettes to show just how easy it is to create a unique look. The flowers were picked out by our friend, florist Nancy Liu Chin (we did a DIY arrangement -- Nancy, hope we did your flowers justice!).
We started with recycled glass jars, which we wrapped in linen and stretch denim and stenciled with table numbers - the same project gets a totally different look just by choice of materials.
We finished each wrap with a simple row of stitched "X"s. They slip on and off easily, and you can reuse the containers -- no special sewing skills needed! We wrapped books in papers matching each palette to use as risers, adding height to the table (helped achieve a pleasing pyramid composition. And who doesn't have some books lying around? So easy!).
The Happy Graphic side featured a palette of reds, yellows, and blues plus kraft and denim accent textures. We incorporated patterns with fabric-wrapped favors and DIY bread basket liner.
We added graphic pop with an easy fabric-covered button napkin ring and striped dollar store party favors (who knows what these things are called?! please tell us!).
Drink flags are one of our favorite party details. All you need are bamboo skewers (available at most super markets) and ribbon or paper. We did a simple satin ribbon flag for the Romantic side...
...and a paper pennant for the Happy Graphic side.
Thanks to Pottery Barn for hosting us, and to all the wonderful folks who attended the workshops - it was great meeting you!
Whew! We just wrapped up another National Stationery Show - complete with old friends, new designs and lots and lots of inspiring new work. Our own booth featured a lovely felt sign made by our staff (above) and a couple projects from Handmade Weddings, like these yarn wrapped bottles...
...and fun paper link chains!
We were super excited about our new products, like this "Treat Yourself" card from Julia Rothman....
...and our reversible journals!
Some amazing people stopped by our booth to visit, but our favorite visitor was Eunice's son Jude - he really put the rest of us to shame with his amazing sales skills!
Here's a little teaser for an exciting upcoming crafting event:
Click on this link to the Paper Source website for more details, and to register for a workshop near you!
Here is another fun diy project - fabric scrap thumbtacks. These look cute and easy - we can't wait to try them out!
From How about Orange via Mint.
Craftzine recently featured a great article about our new book, Handmade Weddings!
Click here, give it a gander, and download PDF instructions for how to make this charming cupcake stand! (It's a sweet little taste of what goodies you'll find in the book.) Enjoy!
Speaking of the Yarn Wrapped Bottles project from Handmade Weddings, it was featured the latest issue of Bride's! Woot!
If you are looking for inexpensive baby or wedding decor project, look no further than this yarn wrapped monogram from Evie S. - such a cute idea! We can easily see a couple of these spelling out a baby's name or with an ampersand as a fun wedding element...the possibilities are endless! This project reminds us of our yarn wrapped bottles from our new book, Handmade Weddings!
Full instructions here. Via Creature Comforts.
We are SUPER excited to report that our new book, Handmade Weddings, created with the extra fabulous Shana Faust, is here!!
The book includes over 50 delightful (if we do say so ourselves! ) projects designed to inspire, whether your look is modern classic or retro homespun along with lots of guidance on choosing a look, sourcing materials, and working out timelines.
Better yet, 100 Layer Cake is giving away 5 copies (as we speak!) to lucky readers as well as a discount on the book!
Here's the cute trailer for the book! Woot! (very excited!)
We're taking a few days off to enjoy the holidays - hope you do the same! Some potential activities include making these cookies:
Seeing this movie:
and working on projects from this book:
Have a great holiday!!
At Hello!Lucky we specialize in Letterpress greeting cards, as well offer DIY step by steps & free printables. Led by sisters Eunice and Sabrina Moyle, our small team of expert designers and artisan letterpress printers specialize in creating neon & foil, holiday cards, birthday cards, & thank you cards, that are full of creativity and whimsy. We've been featured in Martha Stewart Weddings, Design Sponge, Style Me Pretty, Real Simple, and many other leading publications. Please feel feel to contact us via chat, phone or e-mail - we'd be happy to assist you!
Hello!Lucky | P.O. Box 17605, San Francisco, California
