100 Layer Cake

26 Feb

Fox Farm wedding on Vashon Island: Kate + Jordan

We have another super sweet (and very budget friendly) wedding for yous this Friday. First a bit about Kate and Jordan’s story. They met when they were both members of local bands. Kate’s band was organizing music festival and she asked Jordan if his band might wanted to take part. He said yes, and the rest is pretty much summed up in the photos below. Isn’t that so cute?

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Their whole day is filled with a light-hearted whimsy (and games!) that reflects their personalities perfectly. They knew they wanted their wedding to be sweet, playful, and eco-friendly. They chose a lavender farm on Vashon Island a small fleck in the ocean near Seattle and accessible only by ferry… which is where Jordan grew up. They knew when they saw the farm that it would be perfect, and help them stay within their $8,000 budget since the 700 lavender plants provided loads of charming decor on their own.

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The flowers came from the farmer’s market, Kate collected vintage linens from thrift stores, and friends and family rallied in the kitchen to bake blueberry pies. Plus they bought a 100 year old pipe organ on Craigslist for their ceremony music. The couple they bought it from had been married 43 years and played the same organ at their wedding. Love.

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Sno-Kone stand with organic pomegranate, grapefruit, and ginger ale flavors? We’ll take all three, please.

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Then comes the games, which make every event, especially a wedding, soooo much fun! They’re pretty self explanatory but, um bouncy house? We haven’t seen that one yet. Genius.

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And they rode off on Ruby Scoot, their red scooter decorated by friends. Congratulations you two! Thanks so much for sharing your super fun, personal day with us.

Photographer: Garrett Grove / Reception and ceremony venue: Fox Farm / Catering: Jasper’s BBQ / Flowers: Blooms and Things + the farmer’s market / Brides and maids dresses: J.Crew

We’d also like to thank Mimi of Mika 78 for guest blogging with us this past week. She’s extremely talented which is clear in all of the amazing DIY projects she shared with us…from discussing her design process to DIY menu tags and soda pop escort cards. We were blown away! Thanks, Mimi.

25 Feb

Engagement shoot: Amber + Stephen

categories Engagements

Happy Thursday everyone! We’re soooo excited today because our dearest Kristina had a baby boy yesterday, 7lbs 9oz. Mama and baby are happy and healthy.

In the name of love we thought we’d share this sweet little engagement shoot with you by Emily of Borrowed Blue Old New. It’s getting us all geared up for sunshine and daydreams.

24 Feb

Guest Blogger: Mika 78, DIY Soda Pop Escort Cards

categories DIY Wedding, Guest Blogger

I have one more do-it-yourself project for you today – Soda Pop Escort Cards (feel free to use any drink from a signature cocktail to champagne). These are especially great for spring or summer outdoor weddings – it will help your guests cool off on their way to the dinner table!

Materials:
1. Premium paper **
2. Xyron Machine – If you don’t have a Xyron, you can purchase self-adhesive paper sheets)
3. Permanent Adhesive Cartridge for the Xyron
4. Large Craft Punch (I like to use the scalloped edge)
5. Empty Soda Bottles
6. Optional: Straws

** I like to use a thicker text weight paper for these labels – sometimes the ice cold drink makes the paper bubble from condensation, so the thicker and nicer your paper, the better!).

Let’s get started:

Step 1: Print your label design (fit as many as you can on your sheet).

Step 2: Using your Craft Punch, punch your labels one by one. It helps to turn the puncher around so you see the center.

Step 3: If you’re using a Xyron Machine, run your labels through – face side up.

Step 4: Peel off your label.

Step 5: Carefully stick the label onto your bottle.

Step 6: Repeat until done – how easy is that?!

Detail (optional): I like to apply heart flags to my straws as an added detail. I purchased these heart stickers by Martha Stewart Crafts at Michael’s, but you can use any shape sticker you find. It’s a nice little touch!

Be sure to come up with a signature drink or soda you want to use on your big day. Have someone fill the bottles right before guests arrive to pick them up – you want these ice cold and refreshing! (TIP: It helps to use a funnel to fill the bottles) If you’re feeling really crafty, these labels work just as great with the fabric tutorial I showed you yesterday. The fabric labels are a bit more time consuming, so it works great for smaller, more intimate gatherings.

It’s been so much fun being with you this week. Thanks to all the 100 Layer Cake ladies for inviting me to be a guest blogger!! – xo, Mimi

23 Feb

Guest Blogger: Mika 78, DIY Menu Tags

categories DIY Wedding, Guest Blogger

I have a fun do-it-yourself project for you today that you can use for practically any occasion from weddings and bridal showers to engagement dinners and backyard barbeques.

Materials:
1. Fabric: with patterns (make sure fabric design isn’t too busy if you plan to print your graphic on it)
2. Simple cotton canvas fabric (if your fabric design is too busy, you can use this side for your graphic)
3. Fabric Spray Glue or Xyron Machine (with Permanent Adhesive)
4. Scissors (I like to use picking scissors, but straight scissors will do)
5. Ribbon/s
6. Hole Puncher
7. Optional: Eyelets & Eyelet Puncher
8. Iron-on Transfer Sheets for LIGHT fabric (at your local crafts store or Staples)
9. Dinner Napkins
10. Iron
11. Home printer

Let’s get started:
Prep: Create your menu design (there’s an Illustrator and Word template, as well as a JPG of the design I’m using, at the end of this post). Set up your printer to print as a “Mirror Image” (very important, otherwise, it will iron on backwards). Then print your design onto the iron-on transfer using your home printer.

Step 1: Cut both pattern and canvas fabric to a little larger than your desired tag size making sure there’s enough room to trim.

Step 2: Adhere the 2 pieces of fabric together with fabric spray glue. I like to use a Xyron machine (with Permanent Adhesive). Either way works!

Step 3: Iron the fabric to get wrinkles and any extra moisture out.

Step 4: While your fabric is cooling off, trim around the menu design that on the iron-on transfer.

Step 5: Then place the trimmed design (graphic side down) on the desired side of your fabric. Be sure to leave enough room around the sides and top to trim the shape of your tag later on.

Step 6: Iron the graphic for 45-55 seconds with strong pressure.

Step 7: Carefully and slowly peel off the graphic starting from one corner. Make sure to do this while it’s still hot – if it cools down, you might end up with bubbles.

Step 8: Using scissors, trim around the border. Be sure to leave extra height at the top of the Menu for the ribbon and tag shape. I like to do this by hand because I like the rustic feel, but if you want something more exact, you can make a template and trace the shape onto the fabric.

Step 9: To make the slanted sides of the tag, I gently fold the top of the tag in half and cut diagonally (this keeps both sides even).

Step 10: Cut straight across the top of the tag to desired height (if needed).

Step 11: Fold the top of the tag just like you did in “Step 9” and punch a hole about half an inch from the side (it should punch two holes since you folded the tag in half).

Step 12 (optional): I like to add eyelets to finish off the look, but it’s not necessary if you don’t have any eyelets on hand.

Step 13: Place ribbon through holes on each side.

Final Step: Tie around napkin, and Voila! You’re done!

I love using all different fabric patterns, colors, and ribbons – it brings the whole thing to life! The great thing about this project is that you can apply it to practically anything: escort cards, program covers, favor tags – just let your imagination run wild! It’s also a great alternative to expensive printing methods that you can do at home.

Enjoy and happy crafting!!!

xo, Mimi

Download Mimi’s template here.

22 Feb

Guest Blogger: Mika 78, Bespoke Save the Date

categories DIY Wedding, Guest Blogger, Pretty Paper

Hi everyone! Mimi here from invitation design studio Mika78. I’m super excited to be with all you lovely 100 Layer Cake readers! I’ve got a few posts lined up for the week and can’t wait to share them all with you. First up – I thought it would be fun to take you through a Mika78 Bespoke design process from concept to reality. Most people only see a finished design, but there’s a whole fun and creative process that we take to get there. I’m going to share a recent project I worked on for Joy + Frank, two of the sweetest people on earth (yay for awesome clients!).

The Inspiration: Joy + Frank were planning a destination wedding in Jamaica, but they didn’t want a beach or island theme. Instead, they wanted a design that was classic, chic, and elegant. For the Save the Dates, they loved the idea of something unique and really personalized that would “wow” their guests, but nothing overly ornate or overdone. They loved the idea of streamlined design with a bit of the unexpected. Their colors were beautiful shades of amethyst and silver.

The Design Phase: I always start every project with a mood board and sketches, then translate my ideas to the computer. Here I’ll take you through the sketches and digital renderings of each concept.

Concept 1: Mini-Calendar Magnet: This concept was inspired by those cute mini-calendars (you know the kind that you tear off month to month)? The calendar would have a magnet backing, so guests could hang the Save the Date reminder on their fridge. I wanted to sew colored thread to bind the pages of the months, so guests could pull off each page as they got closer to the wedding date. The calendar would then be wrapped in translucent washi paper, and then tied with a thin purple string and custom-made monogram sticker. Everything would be mailed in a clear envelope with a custom mailing label.

Concept 2: Save the Date + Custom Wrapping Paper: This design was inspired by the couple’s cute engagement story. Frank proposed under the most magnificent arch at the Arches National Park in Utah (he even asked a complete stranger to take a photo of the proposal from the distance – how romantic!). When I saw this photo, I knew I had to incorporate it into one of the concepts, so I thought it would be fun to create a modern emblem inspired by the stunning photo. The Save the Date would be printed on super thick cardstock with purple edge painting. Then the card would be wrapped with a custom designed wrap printed on Kraft paper (ties into the natural setting of the Arc) and then finished off with a custom mailing label and sticker.

Concept 3: Vintage Map and Custom Mailer: Since Joy and Frank were planning a destination wedding in Jamaica, I thought it would be nice to create one concept with a travel feel. I found these great vintage maps while at a flea market and instantly knew I wanted to incorporate it somehow. I really wanted this to “wow” their guests, so I thought the map would have more impact at a larger, more realistic size. I came across this wonderfully thick parchment paper that had a great vintage feel that was perfect for the concept. I also created a custom printed tube to mail the map in.