Amazing Trompe L'oeil Chocolates Cake

Cake is good.  Chocolates are good.  Cake cleverly designed in the shape of gourmet chocolates is brilliant, especially when done this well, by the amazing Rosie of Sweetapolita:

Looks like a box of chocolates, right?  NO!  They're mini cakes (each one just the right size for one or two people)!  

I know!  Jaw dropping!  So clever and fun!  I can't imagine a more fabulous cake for a Valentine's day wedding.  Check out more pictures of these amazing confections and learn more about how Rosie made them on her blog.  

Repair Work and Catching Up

I feel a little silly for saying this, but it's too bad that we at Tradewind Tiaras don't get many repeat customers.  I certainly wouldn't wish divorce on anyone, but I really love working with our brides!  It's a special treat when we hear from our brides after the wedding.  Most often it's for a request to have a tiara restrung, or a peak at their wedding pictures(which I adore):

But every once in a while, we get a special request.  Like the bride from 2002 whose Vassar comb had been claimed by her two young daughters for dress up play.  As the mom of two young daughters, I know exactly what kind of damage they can do, but we can fix even that!  Or the bridesmaid who had been given custom earrings we designed for a wedding years ago...and had lost one.  We searched out the necessary vintage Swarovski component and made a perfect new duplicate for her.

So even if your wedding is long over, keep in touch.   We love to help out if something happens to that heirloom tiara.  Send us your pictures.  Talk to us about custom work for your first child's baptism.  Or just chat.  We love to hear from you, whatever the reason!

How to Line an Envelope

One of my favorite ways to customize an invitation is with a lined envelope.  Sure, you can pay the invitation company extra money to provide you with lined envelopes, but it's a fun and easy DIY project, and you have infinite possibilities for creating exactly the look you want.

Materials for making a DIY Lined Envelope:

• Envelope of your choosing
• Pencil
• Paper for creating template
• Pretty paper for lining the envelope
• Scissors
• Glue Stick

Instructions for Lining an Envelope

1)  Use a pencil to trace the shape of the envelope on a piece of scrap paper and cut out the shape.  

Trim 1/4 inch off of the left side, and 1/4 inch off of the right side of the template.  Trim 1/2 inch off the bottom of the template.  Leave the pointed top edge of the template exactly as it is.

2)  Use the template to trace and cut the shape on a piece of pretty paper.  Scrapbook paper works well for this, but can get expensive.  High quality wrapping papers are excellent for this job, and come in a huge array of colors and designs.  Art and paper shops often have large sheets of stunning papers available for a more economical price as well.  

3)  Slip the liner in the envelope.  Use a glue stick to glue only the top (pointy) portion of the liner paper to the envelope.  Do not glue lower than the fold!  When gluing, be sure not to cover the adhesive on the envelope itself.  Trimming the 1/2 from the bottom of the template should take care of this, but it's still important to be conscious of placement when gluing the liner in place.  

That's it!  It's an incredibly simple project, but really adds such a visual difference.  I love pretty little details like these that set the tone for the event to come.  

Other Ideas for Lined Envelopes

• Having a character-themed birthday party?  Look for licensed scrapbook or wrapping paper and use that for the envelope liner.   So much more fun and interesting than a plain birthday invitation!
• Don't limit yourself to paper.  Imagine using lace, or a calico print fabric for an event with a shabby chic or vintage vibe.  
• How about this amazing idea using photos printed on paper from Martha Stewart Weddings:

Get creative!  That's the point of DIY projects like this--make your invitation yours.  

Bargain Find: Elegant Miniature Frames

As I was out shopping, plotting, and planning an event I'm working on, I came across these darling miniature frames.

They have a whimsical, Baroque style to them (at least I think "Baroque" is the word I'm looking for; I reserve the right to correct this post when I get a hold of my art-historian friend who actually knows this stuff).  They're ideal for labels on dessert tables, seating assignments, and wedding favors.  And at only $1 each at Michael's, they're a great bargain.

The fall color palette not right for your event?  A can of spray paint would take care of that in mere minutes.  I can't wait to use mine!

Real Wedding: Leslie and Patrick

I've been a fan of Arizona wedding photographer Spencer Boerup's stylish, imaginative work for a while, and when I saw Leslie and Patrick's Prescott wedding, I knew I wanted to share it with my readers.  Such beautiful, custom touches.  Such a beautiful setting.  Such gorgeous documentation of the wonderful event.  Just fabulous!  Take a look at what I mean:

So many handmade touches at this gorgeous wedding, like these signs, and the path decorations.  They really set the scene and the tone for the entire event.

I love these captured moments of pure joy!

 

What beautiful details, carrying that bright, fabulous color palette through the entire event.

I love tented weddings!  

I love the way Patrick and Leslie used the colorful tissue poms to decorate the tent.  What a marvelous and inexpensive way to make a big white space customized to fit your theme.  

To see many more (and larger!) pictures of this stunning wedding visit Spencer Boerup's blog.  And while you're there, take a look at the latest post, an amazing ABC photography book he created for his nephew.  It's the most beautiful, thoughtful baby gift I've ever seen, and now I desperately want one for my little girl (And lucky me, he's an Arizona based photographer)!   First comes love, then comes marriage...  you know you're going to want one of these eventually.  ;-)

Fabulous Product: A Sweet and Customized Return Address Stamp

Sitting down to address all of your wedding invitations is a daunting task.  I put it off until I absolutely couldn't any longer, and ended up with the most clawed, cramped hand by the end of the evening.  I can't get behind how some people print out sticker labels for their wedding invitations--that's just a little too mass-mailer-advertisement for me.  But I can completely get behind these darling return address stamps from Note Trunk Stamps + Paper to ease the burden of writing everything by hand.

So sweet, but somehow elegant at the same time.  I love these designs!  And this is an item that you'll be able to use for years to come (at least as long as you're still living at the same location), unlike most items bought for a wedding.  

Some purists insist on everything on the envelope being hand-written.  But with custom stamps that look this good?  I say stamp away.

A cupcake for You: Ice Skating!

And here's the end to my week of cupcake posts, the last design I worked on this week.  It may be in the 70s here today in the Phoenix area, but it's still January, and we like to use winter themes, even though it's warm.

Just another example of how gumpaste decorations, made well in advance, can really dress up the simplest cupcakes.