Prayers For Shannon

Sometimes you think life is dealing you a low blow and then something happens and you realize how trivial your problems really are in comparison.  

Shannon is a lovely young mother of three young children and an artist on Etsy.  Stucco from a facade fell on her neck as she was shielding her baby.  Her injuries are critical and she has endured three surgeries since Saturday.  She is paralyzed from the neck down and the doctors are not sure any of it can be recovered. 

Link to the news story here: Galveston News   When you see the crushed stroller, you will get a lump in your throat.

The Promo Pros on Etsy are holding a BNR fundraiser for Shannon and her family as they will need help with childcare, etc.   The links are here:  http://www.etsy.com/treasury/OTA5MzcwOXwyNzIwNjY1Mzkx/paused-bnr-for-shannon-please-read-rules?ref=pr_treasury

and here:  http://www.etsy.com/treasury/OTA5MzcwOXwyNzIzMjMzNzky/open-too-hot-to-hold-benefit-bnr-for?index=1
Profits up to 100% are being donated by the Etsy artisans.

If you'd like to make a direct donation of $5.00, here is the link: http://www.etsy.com/listing/107958773/special-reserve-for-shannon?ref=tre-2720665391-9

If you can't donate and you want to help, prayers are free.   Please send prayers for Shannon, her husband and children and Teresa, her mom.  

Donations for Shannon, Click Here

I'm Dying For Weddings....Dying Fabrics and Laces

I've been having fun dying fabrics and laces.   Some turned out amazing, some....well, lets just say will look good if I ever decide to make a clown's costume for Halloween.   I try different techniques and a lot of trial and error.  Some days its more error!

My theory of weddings is individualize the wedding, make it personal, make it your own.   It should reflect the personalities of the couple, not mom's, not grandma's, nor your peeps.  I make wedding accessories differently than the norm because they aren't available in the mass market.  China has infiltrated the market with a lot of mass produced stuff...the same old same old that everyone and their brother has at their wedding.

Anyway, I have bolts and bolts of fabrics and laces that we used back in the day in our late great bridal salon.   One day I decided....hey, I'm going to dye some of this stuff to get some different looks.   During a manic dye session, the phone rang and I took off my gloves and forgot to put them back on.   My nails turned a murky shade of green/blue.   It creeped out my husband after he stopped laughing.  He imagined they looked like a corpse's nails.   I scrubbed, I bleached and the dye was set and wasn't coming out easily.   I had to go out, so I painted them green.   Problem solved....in a few days the dye faded and I was back to normal. 

We used to tea dye in the bridal shop, but dying with fabric and veggie dyes is way more fun.  I get excited watching them dry because the colors change.  Its way more fun than watching paint dry.   OK, truth....I never slow down enough to watch anything dry. 

Vintage tea dyed lace on the top of the chair, brightly dyed lace on the chair seat, working hard to perfect the colors.

I have a big bag of dyed lace just waiting for me to create something unique for the unique bride.   Here are a few of my creations using tie dyed white Japanese chiffon.

I've been dying feathers and its interesting how different feathers take the dye.   Only problem is when I am drying them outside, they get fluffy as they dry...and they float around.   I realized it when the post man came to deliver a package (yeah, I buy on Etsy, too) and asked me what bird has pink feathers.   I couldn't stop laughing when he said a pink bird must have been attacked in my driveway.   Oops!

Check me out on Etsy!  http://www.etsy.com/shop/Weddingzilla     You never know, I just might have a clown suit listed....

Free Stationery and Invitation Samples!

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Check them out today and remember to use the promo code 3FREESAMPLES to get them!  

Yeah, I'm On Etsy

Can you believe it's June already?  This year is just flying by and I haven't even thought about making a new years resolution.  I've been busy, yeah, I'm on Etsy.   I make wedding accessories and my shop is Weddingzilla  Original name, huh?  While I use the same name for everything I do online and sometimes even offline, the designs and ideas ARE original.

I joined Etsy last year but didn't have the courage to stock my shop until Christmas.  I didn't tell anyone what I was doing in my studio besides blasting classic rock and making a mess.  If I EVER get organized and if I EVER stop sewing long enough to take decent pictures, I'll share them with you.   I envy the people who have a workroom that looks like it should be in a home magazine. 

I'll describe my workroom. I have drawers of threads and sewing accessories,  bolts of fabric and ribbon and lace. Some are draped, some are piled up, some are where I intended them to be...in the organizer.  There are strings, threads, needles and pins and small pieces of cut off fabric on the hardwood floor.  Hey, its a workroom!

I have three mannequins, one dressed in a Bonny wedding dress, one dressed in MY wedding dress and another dressed in a dress that is a work in progress.  More on that later.   I have bakers racks with miniature detailed bride dresses, thank you Victoria's bridal.  I have my great aunt's wedding pictures from the late 1920's as well as her porcelain doll.  I have all the awards won my my late great bridal salon, Rosann's Bridal.   I won the best of the Knot bridal salon three years in a row!   Woo Hoo!

In the corner is a bed for my Annie, who helps her mommy by picking up tiny scraps of fabric and dragging them around the house and barking when she wants me to play. On the walls are my fashion Barbie drawings which graced my bridal salon. I bought them at a bridal market and I will part with my husband before I part with those drawings. 

My studio is my space and I love it.  If I had a big screen TV and a refrigerator, I'd never leave. 

You probably all know that I practically emerged from the womb sewing.  Mom was/is a dress designer.  I was sewing before I could properly pronounce the word "no".  I grew up in her sewing studio and in the family bridal salon. Yes, the girl can sew like her momma. I was trained by THE best. Mom designed for the elegant woman/bride, my designs sometimes take a flight of fancy.

I am in the process of redesigning/ remaking/redoing some traditional wedding dresses. That's upcycling in Etsy speak.  One I've been working on since last fall.  I put it on a mannequin and look at it, come up with an idea, work it and it goes back on the mannequin.  If I did it all at once, I would have quit months ago.

I also just did a group of "Not Your Grandma's Camo"  wedding accessories.  Camo is a wedding trend, maybe because of the pride in our military, maybe because there are people who love the outdoors and love to hunt.  Who knows? 

Not Your Grandma's Camo

I created a couture ring bearer pillow by combining vintage high end laces that I've collected over the years.  It was like putting together a puzzle.  I love it, I'm torn between selling it and having it grace my bedroom.  Its safely tucked away in my studio, lest I decide I have to have it!

Luxe Ring Bearer Pillow of Vintage Laces

Vintage Venise Lace Wedding Garter Set

I promise I will not be one of those Etsy gals who does fashion shoots with edgy models and work boots.  Nor will I photograph myself  daily wearing any of my creations in a meadow of flowers with my hair billowing in the wind.  Nor will I bore you with the outfit of the day.   You probably don't want to know but I'll share it with you anyway:  The hair color of the month is platinum blonde with brown low lights.  I am wearing a black Beatles tee shirt, denim shorts and shiny red flip flops with a huge gem on them.  On my left thumb is two colors of nail polish, green and bronze that I was testing and forgot to take it off.   Yeah, I'm so edgy........

 Come visit me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Weddingzilla
Please fan me...I need the fans.  ;)

I'm also on Twitter, but I never have anything interesting to say:   https://twitter.com/#!/Weddingzillas

I Don't Get Haute Couture Wedding Dresses....

I don't get haute couture wedding dresses. Yeah, I know they are made for the media and to get attention to the designer's line. Or to put the designer in the spotlight. But seriously, there is a lot of work put into these dresses....and I can't help but wonder.....Does anyone ACTUALLY wear them? 

These haute couture wedding dresses are by 

Jean Paul Gautier. 

 

She's wearing the chandelier!

One size fits all.

I can just imagine the mother of the groom's face when the bride walks down the aisle in this get up.  I recommend dress tape.  Lots of it!

Take a good look at the models face.  Is it me, or does she have a moustache?

Yes, this is my avatar.  The press nicknamed this dress Jesus bride. 

The mohawk?

The wedding dresses below are by Christian Lacroix

Is this a statue in the Vatican?

Really?  A basket on her head?  And zombie eyes....

Girls Weekend at the Beach

Happy Spring, Stop and Smell the Lilacs!

Happy Spring! Spring means that the lilacs will soon be blooming in Ohio, the bushes outside my window are budding. I am obsessed with lilacs, the aroma of lilacs is like no other. They punctuate the spring air! After a long dreary sunless winter, the lilacs are smiles from Mother Nature! There is something about a lilac, the tiny flowers all so perfectly aligned, the colors of purples, pinks, white against the green leaves. Oh, I can't wait until they bloom! If you are lucky enough to live where lilacs bloom, stop and smell the lilacs!

Lets Plan a Vintage Wedding!

Vintage is one of the hottest wedding trends.  Creamy ivory lace wedding dresses,  1940 style hairdos, birdcage veils, platform shoes, lots of flowers that look like they came out of a Victorian flower garden. Vintage can be done by eras, like the 1920's flapper era or the 1960's flower child,  or the Victorian era with their lace and corset tops.  Or wear a modern era wedding dress and add vintage accessories!  Have fun with putting the pieces together, and check out my vintage wedding boards on Pinterest for more ideas.

 A young lady in a conservatory", by Jane Maria Bowkett
From the BBC book "The Victorian Flower Garden".

 Lily of the Valley flowers with their signature scent are very vintage!  This bouquet would be very easy to duplicate yourself....just fresh pick and tie them with ribbons. 

 Vintage wedding bouquet were large and wide.  This bride's wedding flowers were wider than her dress!

 Aimee wedding dresses  Monet floral print

 Wedding dresses by Aimee

 

 Great wedding hair!

L'AMANTE - Vintage inspired bridal hat

 

Bands by Design

New vintage style wedding invitations! 

 

Vintage Magnolias by Wedding Paper Divas

 

Rustic flower garden

 

Vintage peacock plume

Vintage style wedding shoes,  I am loving them!   I would wear these shoes again and again!

 

 

OMG, I so want these shoes by Yhasminae on Etsy!   Who needs Cinderella's glass slipper when you can wear these custom shoes? 

Should Your Dog Be In Your Wedding?

If you are a dog person, like me, someone probably has jokingly mentioned having your dog in the wedding.  If you and your fiance are serious dog parents, the thought may have crossed your mind.  Or are you one of those people who just cannot fathom getting married without their best friend present?

People do include their pets in the wedding.  We once had to make a middle aged bride who brought her dog to every one of her dress fittings.  She'd say "Do you love Momma's dress?"  He wagged his tail, so we considered it a doggie thumbs up. Or paws up.   She had a garland of flowers made for the dogs neck to match her bouquet and her fiance's boutinere.  The dog followed her down the aisle and stood between her and the groom. The wedding was at a country club.  The bride and groom walked around the reception with the dog on a leash that was encircled in fresh flowers.  As screwy as it sounded, it looked very cool in the pictures.

Another couple had their daughter, the flower girl, pull their dog down the aisle in a flower draped wagon.  It was adorable watching her little face as she concentrated on her job. The dog sat still the entire time.

I attended a cousins wedding where the dog was the best man.  It was a bohemian wedding  in a church on a lake.  It was picture perfect on the outside.  On the inside...well....it was different.  The officiant was a throwback hippie with his long hair in a ponytail and a necklace with both a cross and a peace sign.   The groom was barefoot in a tux jacket over jeans.  The dog had a big bow on his neck and followed the groom around.  The bride was barefoot in a traditional wedding dress. The bride's mom, and not the dog, stole the show. She wore the top of a white bikini swimsuit with a lace shirt jacket that was open over white 1960's hip hugger polyester bell bottom pants.  She wore a crown of fresh flowers and shiny gold flip flops.  Seriously.   I thought I was going to pass out when she was escorted down the aisle. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry....I laughed, I snickered and I snorted, FYI.  So having a dog as the best man didn't seem all that unusual at this point.   The dog was well behaved.  I don't  how or if  he signed the marriage certificate as the best man.   I only wish I could find the pictures. 

So before you plan for your dog to be a part of the wedding, ask if the church, venue, etc. will allow your pet on the premises.  Some will welcome your pet, others will not.  Even if you are having an outdoor wedding, check first.

Will your pet behave?  Will your pet be scared by all the people, commotion, festivities?  Will your pet bark, run amok or, God forbid, potty during the wedding?  Will you have a pet wrangler to care for your pet during the wedding or if the dog misbehaves or is scared? 

I've never had a dog that wouldn't freak out or behave well enough to take part in a wedding.  Even thought my pets have always listened and behaved like little angels (cough, cough) at home, in public....not.  My little Annie would cling and have to be carried down the aisle while she whimpered. But she'd be so darn cute!

My Annie is a 7 pound ball of happy, but definitely not wedding attendant or guest material.

If your pet passes the tests, then you need to outfit your baby in style for the wedding.  I found these on Etsy.

What a sweet face and she's loving the look. 

Dog Flower Girl Veil by Cobrecke  on Etsy

How cute is this dog with her wedding fascinator? She sure rocks the look.   

It's by KO Couture on Etsy.

Look at that face!  Makes you want to kiss him on the nose! Burlap ring bearer bow tie by 

Occasions by Sarah on Etsy. 

 Both of these cuties have personality plus showing through their pics and they are both styling their bow ties for the wedding.   Both are by Charlie Hearts Diesel on Etsy.