DIY Wedding Invitations

I know that I said I would be doing Etsy reviews, but I've been totally consumed the past couple of days by my wedding invitations! I originally planned on completely doing the invites DIY, but during the process I realized that I didn't have enough time to really dedicate to them. So, with a bit of regret, I decided to scale back to a simpler invitation and get a tiny bit of help.

I purchased all of my supplies from Cards & Pockets and ended up having them help with the invite and RSVP layouts. They also did the custom printing for me rather than having to print them myself. I can't tell you how amazing Bonnie and John were with the custom items. They were so patient and helpful during the whole process... and even though I was regretting giving up my pocketfolds, they completely won me over with the new design. I absolutely love the panel invite that we created.

You can see the mock up that I created of our invite and RSVP card. I'll also be creating an Accommodations insert and probably Directions. All of the pieces of paper (beside the invite) will be tied together with a willow colored organza satin trimmed ribbon. Let me know what you think!

Now I just need to finish cutting the cardstock mats for the RSVPs and then I can start assembly! I think I may have to do a DIY and wine night with a couple of friends. :-)

All in all, I highly recommend Cards & Pockets for any invitation/bulk paper needs. They really are fabulous and the quality is superb. http://www.cardsandpockets.com/

Building community

During my time on Etsy, I've realized how vital and important is to make connections with other people (hence the Facebook page, Twitter account and brand spanking new blog). As I was sitting here thinking about this new wave of internet self promotion, I realized that I've already been making connections in other ways.

Many of you may not know this, but I'm getting married in May. During my many months of planning, I've been scouring Etsy for various unique things that I can use for my wedding. Actually, looking for special custom wedding items was the original reason I happened upon Etsy. I have had the pleasure to interact with some truly fabulous and talented sellers... a few of which I have actually kept in touch with after I purchased items from them.

So, over the coming days, I plan to tell you all about the amazing people that I've met on Etsy and give you the opportunity to see some of the beautiful things they've made for me... gee... I guess I'll have to save the bridesmaids gifts until after the wedding in case one of them reads this. :-)

It's time for new beginnings!

With a new year comes new beginnings. Toward the end of 2009 I decided to make my passion for jewelry and jewelry making into more than just a hobby. Many family members and friends had told me that my jewelry was beautiful and that I should try to sell it, and fate seemed to present the right circumstances to make that happen. Since then I've taken the baby steps to get there. I ordered my supplies, broke out the tools, created my Etsy page http://www.etsy.com/shop/AkulaHopeDesigns and crossed my fingers.

My first lesson in the Etsy game has been how important it is to create your network. I set up my facebook fan page http://tinyurl.com/yebfnyg and created my Twitter account http://twitter.com/akulahope. I have to admit... I had been a Twitter holdout. I was utterly determined to NOT tweet. ha! I couldn't ignore the advice of fellow etsians though, and signed up. I'm not sure that I've really caught on with making Twitter a useful tool, but I'm trying!

And now we're at the present. I've had this nagging little voice in the back of my head telling me that it might actually be useful to have a blog. me! a blog! I still find it a bit surreal and amusing as I'm sitting here writing this to think that I now have my very own blog. he he he. There is, however, something kind of fun and therapeutic to typing my thoughts and feelings down on this page. Maybe a couple people will actually even read it! (I apologize now if I totally and utterly bore you to tears.) :-)