{Eco-Chic Weddings} by Emily Anderson

destination weddings: superfantastico recycled invitations + ebay retro gifts

You can have a "destination" wedding without leaving town--just incorporate some fun and quirky travel themes into your wedding planning. But if you are leaving on a jet plane for your destination fiesta, think about reducing your impact in other ways--carbon offset programs, recycled invitations, online rsvps....and bon voyage!

resources:
www.publiqueliving.com  (or  make your own version to add a little travel decor)
www.superfantastico.com (recycled invitations)--Love this site!
www.ebay.com (retro  travel bag)
www.vabest.com (organic peanuts)

{pinks + yellows} eco gold + paper flowers

Pretty is as pretty does...and not only are these items pretty, they are all fair trade, eco, and ethical...

Sources from the top:
Invitation...Paperwink
Bridesmaid/or Rehearsal dinner dress...De Sentino
Bridesmaid/or Bride's shoes...Form + Fauna
Plates...Terra Keramik
Pencil favors...Remarkable
Candle stick....Terra Keramik
Wedding band...Toby Pomeroy
Handmade paper peonies...Martha Stewart

*unruly things* and emily post

i have long recommended skipping the save-the-date and save-the-paper instead. i still think a printed wedding invitation is a special and important part of the experience...but no judgment if you do send everything electronically. i know some people feel this is not proper etiquette. but i like to say that the internet wasn't around while emily post was alive, and her recommendations have always been based on good common sense as well as being selfless, rather than a selfish person.

alyson of sunali design can bring beauty to your wedding. and make your wedding more eco-friendly. and save you money too. i am giving alyson the "Eco-Chic Weddings Editor's Choice" award. i hope she approves of my own novice design skills ;)

you can read more about alyson and sunali, as well as an excerpt from my book about mindful weddings on the indie weddings guide...

and as for the great wedding-email debate, publsher's weekly wrote in a review of emily post's updated book "etiquette" this: 

"The original book was considered revolutionary in its time because it recast manners from rigid Victorian rules into behavior that was based on ethics, values and common sense."

{a little peep from me} celebrate fiber arts + learn how to make paper

Just a couple of little things from me...still buried under my book project...first...

If you happen to be in Philadelphia, maybe you can go to the Fiber Biennial at the Snyderman-Works Gallery. Artists such as (from left) Kari Birch, Susie Brandt, and Nancy Herman exhibit their work, and express the many transformations and applications possible with materials...from felt, to beads, to paint. And then...

Take a look at the lovely Montessori by Hand, and perhaps purchase one of her sweet aprons, or buy yourself a pattern and make it yourself. And, she has a fantastic tutorial about how to make your own paper...another example of how to transform fiber goods and extend their usefulness.

walk boston + new etsy friends

Well I had a whirlwind weekend in Boston at the "green" event. But mostly I enjoyed learning a bit more about Cambridge, which is where we stayed.

J'aime Colette is a Boston based  indie design label.

I also met two lovely Etsy designers at the event: Zestyb and Kiss and Tell Cards.

{Kiss and Tell Cards}

{Zestyb}

The best part of the weekend was walking the streets of Beacon Hill and Cambridge with my husband and daughter. It was windy and cold, the perfect weather for our own brisk walking tour.
If you go to Boston, you can take a guided  walking tour with Walk Boston.

I also took a fantastic yoga class at Karma Yoga, from a Baptiste trained teacher.

I'll tell you more later...

{lovely loveliness} from katrina rodabaugh

Katrina Rodabaugh has a beautiful view of the world...

go to her blog to see all of her lovely things.

{diy weddings} blue skies and daisies lets you design your invitations and more

Blue Skies and Daisies is a Vancouver-based design studio with the most delightful wedding invitation and web site designs...

                           

You can choose your colors...

                   

You can choose from an assortment of  "Ready2Wear" designs...

Or choose to have Blue Skies and Daisies create a customized design...

They will help you with your web site, invitations, menu cards, programs...you can have everything online, or or else you can opt for a print version too.

more invitation and paper ideas for you here...
Recycled and Handmade Paper
Nantaka Joy
Mel Lim

Great paper resources:
Invite Resources

{oh joy!} nantaka joy + eco-friendly thank you cards

Speaking of Philadelphia based businesses, Joy Deangdeelert Cho's Nantaka Joy line of paper items is the perfect wedding shower gift, or you can really stock up yourself so those thank you notes don't get left to the last minute.

Here's a tip: write the notes when you find out someone has given you a gift. You can easily check this information out on most retail sites. And don't forget to ask for your items to be held for pick-up at your local store--you can not imagine how much paper is wasted on wrapping, packing, and shipping wedding gifts.

{free people} free designs

I know it's not Valentine's Day anymore, but aren't these free stationery templates cute? You can find them on the Free People blog.

In case you didn't know, Free People, Urban Outfitters, and Anthropologie share the same origins. I remember wearing a lot of Free People clothes back in the day.

More paper ideas:
Lovely Design
Oblation Paper Recycled and Handmade Wedding Invitations

Brown Sugar Design

how to learn {almost} everything: expert village

Want to learn how to make your own floral arrangement? How to create the perfect chignon? Now you have a place to go...Expert Village has random how-to videos for everything from how to be a ventriloquist (might be good during those toasts...) to applying your make-up. It's a little easier to navigate than YouTube just because it's all specifically how-tos.

My personal favorite: Courtney Gray's jewelry making demos...