Two decades of friendship

Last week my husband and I returned home after a fabulous trip to Hilo, Hawaii.  From Virginia, it took us four flights and about 24 hours to get there, but nothing could have stopped me from making the trip to celebrate with my oldest friend at her wedding.  

Just a few months shy of twenty years ago, I sat next to Tiffani on the school bus on our first day of kindergarten and we've been friends ever since.  We even joked that I could be her "something old" on her wedding day, since she already had the new, borrowed, and blue under control.

Of course as Tiffani's oldest friend and matron of honor, I couldn't let her use a generic store-bought book as her wedding guest book.  So as my gift to the couple, I made this personalized book for their wedding.  The marbled paper used for the covers perfectly matches our bridesmaid dresses, and the cover is adorned with paper cutouts of two dolphins forming a heart shape.  Dolphins have been Tiffani's favorite animal for as long as I can remember, and the other part of our wedding gift to Tiffani and Nathan was the chance to swim with dolphins on their honeymoon. 

I'm glad my husband was able to snap a few photos of guests signing the book at the wedding.  It's always nice to have some photos of my books in use.  And this is also the second guest book I've made for a wedding I attended (this was the first), so I actually had the chance to write a message in my own book. 

This particular book is designed to be both a guest book and a photo album to hold all of their gorgeous wedding photos.  In a future post I'll share some photos I took of the book in my studio before heading to Hawaii so you can see some of the details I worked into Tiffani and Nathan's book. 

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Some recent blog features

I feel so loved this week!  In the past few days, my work has been featured on two blogs:

:: April of a thoughtful life posted an interview with me on her blog.  You can learn more about why I choose to buy handmade, the awesome people I've met since starting my business, a handmade gift I made for my husband back when we were still dating, and where I'd visit if I could go back in time. 

:: Ashley, a dear friend from college, also posted about my work on her blog, The Sea's Edge.  She came to visit me at the Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa last month, and wrote about it here.  You can also see all of the lovely photos she took of my work (the two photos here were also taken by Ashley), 

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Paper samples

When it comes to placing a custom order, picking out the decorative papers for the covers of the book is one of the most important decisions.

At any given time, I have dozens of different papers in my studio.  I order small quantities of each to keep my work fresh and original, and my paper stash is always changing.  

Here I've shared a sampling of the papers I currently have in stock. Hopefully this selection can serve as a starting point if you're considering placing a custom book order.  And of course, if you don't see what you like here I can always search for something that's more to your liking. 

Please note: Due to availability from my paper suppliers, I may be unable to order more of certain papers shown here. Please e-mail me if you have any questions about available papers: linenlaidfelt {at} gmail {dot} com.

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Inspired in Athens

While I was in Athens, GA for the Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa I had the chance to meet some extremely talented and inspiring artists.  And I'm always looking for ways to improve my own booth set up, so it was also nice to see such engaging booth designs.  I've featured a few of my favorites here, ranging from fabric design to pottery, that all really appealed to my love of bright colors and bold patterns.

Sara Lee Parker

These first two images show the work of Sara Lee Parker, who designs her own patterns and handprints them in rural Georgia with the help of her husband.  I first came across her work on Design Sponge back in January, and was thrilled to see it in person at the show in Athens. Her display was absolutely gorgeous; it was eye-catching yet simple and allowed her work to shine.  Check out her website here and her visit her etsy shop to pick up some lovely handprinted notecards or textiles. 

Platypusfile

I was a huge fan of the Platypusfile booth.  Janae Easton of Tallahassee makes these amazing one-of-a-kind bird pillows from vibrant patterned fabrics and adds a vintage button as the bird's eye for a finishing touch. She also makes necklaces from small pieces of fabric, and displayed them resting on an open book.  It was such a nice experience to walk into Janae's booth and to be surrounded by her cheerful aesthetic. For a similar experience, visit her etsy shop and be sure to check out her mini bird paperweights.     

Jeanette Zeis Ceramics

Jeanette makes cupcake stands and cake stands that would be perfect for weddings or other celebrations, and she also makes some adorable berry bowls. She even has a special line of vegan pottery.  Her booth was just a few away from mine in Athens so I had the pleasure of glancing at her work often throughout the day.  For more information, visit her website and online shop. 

Liddabits Design Shop

Liz Jahn (the designer behind Liddabits) and I met while studying graphic design at the University of Georgia.  She was a semester ahead of me and I always really admired her work, especially the series of wrapping paper designs that she created as part of her senior thesis show.  Liz launched her etsy shop earlier this year and it's been refreshing to reconnect as two small business owners.  Plus, it was fun to catch up in person at the Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa in our college town.  Liz's shop features her custom banners (perfect for birthday parties and weddings), and she also designs stationary and custom invitations.  And if you still need a father's day card, she has some great options in her shop. 

Jordan Grace Owens

I really enjoyed chatting with Jordan when I stopped by her booth.  She's an illustrator based in Greensboro, NC and she was selling quirky magnets, pins, and paper dolls.  I was drawn to her work when I saw it, but it wasn't until I was back home and perusing her website that I realized that I'd come across her work before.  On a trip to Greensboro not too long ago, we stopped by a coffee shop downtown called the Green Bean where some of Jordan's work was on display.  If you'd like to pick up a paper doll for yourself (or even a personalized one!) be sure to visit her online shop. 

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