xoelle: upcycled and eco-friendly ties

{ paisley bow tie -- freestyle and blue }

xoelle (get it? kiss-hug-elle?) (ok, i didn't at first either, but i like it!) makes *great* ties by reusing and repurposing vintage neckties and fabrics into new ones.

plus she's in pensacola, which is very close to where my sister lives, and i am totally nephew-obsessed this week. gaga for nephew. nephew-o-rama.

back to the ties! check these out:





ok, ok. so that last one is an adorable baby blanket. what can i say. nephewpalooza.
more at xoelle.etsy.com!

reinked: eco-friendly invites and paper goods

{ reinked and recycled -- save the date letterpress }

as a bonus for those of you who read that long bit below, here's something i've had on deck for a while now -- have featured invitedink on here a couple of times for great design and all around outstanding invitations, and now the kind folks there have a site called reinked for their eco-friendly line.

these gorgeous rounded-edge (check!) letterpress (check!) tree-free 100% post-manufacture recycled cotton save the dates -- you customize them by using a hole-punch to punch out the date. better yet, the envelopes are made from salvaged/recycled maps and they come with labels including your return address. now that's seriously eco-friendly.

reinked makes lots of other gorgeous recycled/repurposed invitations, thank yous, and notecards -- check them out!




more at reinked.etsy.com

posting, posting: quick life catchup

oh blog friends, i realize the massive slowdown in posting is affecting not *only* my traffic and my mission for you to spend at least some of your wedding dollars on independent designers, but also both your *and* my ability to procrastinate effectively and while away happy hours. so i thought i'd at least give you some excuses idea as to why i am such a blog slacker.

"on why jennifer isn't posting as often as anyone would like, including herself"
by jennifer

1. i am so, so *happy*. i met someone and he is great. and last month, due to a host of funny and sweet circumstances, he moved in. (yes, that is the sound of hell icing up.) i have never lived with anyone before, and it's just amazing to me. i love it! now i come home each evening and there's a person in my house, and i *like* him, and he likes me. so we tend to talk and cook and laugh and clean up (were there ever two people who went through more dishes?). and then i fall asleep, and i haven't blogged.

2. work: the magazine is undergoing a major redesign -- we just shipped the november issue, and i have been working for what feels like decades keeping up with all the near-catastrophes and averting disaster. and then i leave work, and i haven't blogged.

there are other reasons (lots!) -- family, jewelry orders, friend's wedding -- but i won't bore you with details. if only i were just a blogger! like most of you i work full time, run a side business on etsy, travel frequently, and have too many things i love to do. this is one of them! my community service to etsy artists and a labor of love. i promise to try and keep up with it all better!

but please forgive me, because i am falling asleep, and i haven't (really) blogged... ;)

head case sampler: pretty things for pretty noggins

{ silk and fishnet flower hair pin by cassiopia }

yes! in honor of my week, which is turning me into... you guessed it... a head case.

(at least i've managed to resist posting etsy's freaking ridiculously cute baby stuff. a WHOLE other blog, friends)

(did i mention i have a nephew?)

ahem. head case. yes.

veils are one of those things that you go shopping for and think -- they want $200? for this piece of net? couldn't i sew this? -- which, if you're like me, you can't, and you know in your heart that if you dare try you will end up with franken-veil. and still have to spend $200 at the end of the day.

also, bridal veils in stores just seem so plain compared to the ones on etsy. you can find gorgeous, straight-up traditional veils (for *very* reasonable prices, i might add), wild fascinators and feathers, as well as my own favorite, the birdcage (first encountered here) -- something for everyone.










{each photo links to its shop}

what *has* she been doing??

good lord.
it has been BUSY. i know, we're all busy. but really, really crazy, at-work-until-11-each-night, can't-bring-yourself-to-face-vast-impenetrable- email-forests-on-weekends busy. sick.

but here's the big news!!!

{tavin brooks, born 16 sept., 5lbs 15oz }

(nugget!!!)

no, not *mine*, dears -- that would be something. my sister's! yes, the one who got married a year and a month ago, and whose wedding got me started on this blog, and now she goes and does this! my amazing sister.

something so beautiful that i've always loved in spanish: the verb meaning "to give birth" is dar a luz -- "to give to the light." my sister gave this gorgeous precious thing to the light, and i am so humbled and thankful.

thanks for your patience, everyone. am almost out of the woods, will do my best to get back on schedule. with love from auntie!

shrugs: bonzie and countessa

{ french vanilla bridal wrap by bonzie }

for you shrug fans, here are two sellers making fun couture wraps. bonzie, from waterford, ireland, makes exquisite neovictorian, steampunk, and vintage inspired clothes, often using upcycled materials. for the moment she's not currently taking on custom orders as she works through a waiting list -- popular!





countessa is a chicago-based seamstress also creating gorgeous vintage-inspired gear, with bold colors and some great alternatives for the offbeat bride:





{each photo links to its shop}