Merry Christmas

I would like to thank everyone for a wonderful Christmas season. This was my first year doing the craft shows and I really did not know what to expect. It was a wonderful experience for me and I have met so many fantastic people. I would like to say Merry Christmss!

Happy Thanksgiving

Hello Everyone

I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.  This time of year I am always reminded by what's truly important in life. I am very blessed to have an amazing husband, a supportive family, health, a roof over my head and all of you. So, from my home to yours Happy Holidays!

xoxoxo
Danielle

Christmas crossroads show

A big thank you to everyone who came out today! We are hoping tomorrow will be just as successful!

If you were at the show and looking for something you saw there, those new designs will be available for purchase on our site and etsy this week and next.

If you wanted to order something for Christmas delivery please contact me via email or phone and I will make sure we get your order in.
Danielle@sugarandspiceink.com

Thanks
Xoxox

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Christmas Show this Weekend!!

Oh yeah! Who like handmade!! We do! We Do! We are going to be at the Christmas Crossroads this weekend! Come out and support the handmade nation!  When you give handmade this year for Christmas your gifts and greeting are sure to be unique and cool! Plus we have 20 new designs that we will be showing for the first time! So come on out it's sure to be a great show!

Check out the show's website for more details! www.christmascrossroads.com

show stopping

I have the most understanding husband. My whole house has been taken over in preparation for the Christmas show this weekend. I'm working like a fiend!
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tonight' project

We are making bookmarks and tags tonight.
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Show Drama

So, for this show, since it will be my first, I have no idea what is actually going to sell.  My husband is very quick to remind me that this is not an indie show and therefore I may want to stray closer to the "traditional" stuff. He may have a point, but I just want to make and owl themed Christmas card just too see if anyone will love it as much as I do.  That will be total confirmation for me that shows are the way to go. We will see. I'm also going to have my wedding portfolio there too so if you've been planing on seeing my work that would be a good time to do it. I have so much more in the portfolio then online right now and that's due to the zero amount of time I have for photographing.  More details about the show to come this weekend to get your pens ready!

holiday craft show

I'm getting the last of my holiday cards ready for this months craft show.

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Engagement Times

I was talking to one of my coworkers about how long your engagement should be.  The answer is... there is no answer. It depends on what's right for you. Some people are fortunate enough to have a wonderful support network and are able to have the wedding in a relativity short amount of time. Other's need that extra time because they may be paying for the wedding and need time to save or they might work full time and need the extra time to plan all the details.  

Our engagement was a year and a half.  We paid for the wedding ourselves, I designed and made everything I could myself, worked crazy hours, I flew around the world for work and we made it happen. I have close friends who will have a 2 year engagement.  I have another set of friends who planned in 4 months(god love them). The bottom line is that you are always going to feel like you need extra time.  The key is to to pace yourself and be sure to follow a wedding to do list timeline. Oh and most importantly don't be afraid to ask your friends and family for help.  That's what they are there for, to support you on this day. Most of us who have already been there know that you will need lots of help and we are willing to give it. 

Seven Smooches

I have to say a big thank you to all my loyal blog readers.  You guys have been so great while I was recovering(from my minor surgery).  Even though it was minor, your emails cheered me up!

Back to business, as promised I have another cool handcrafted vendor for you. I found Seven Smooches at the Renegade show in Chicago a few weekends ago.  These designs are so whimsical and delightful. Just adorable. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

This last picture is the coffee and tea cozie...brilliant. 

Dog Gone Amazing

I realize that I promised to share my Renegade findings more frequently but this week has been nuts to say the very least.  I was approached to do a craft show that I never new existed and all of a sudden I have deadlines up the ying yang! So, I am going to vow to share my findings as often as I can, and I feel like that is a much more attainable promise for me to follow through with.

Anyhow, back to the Renegade findings...I bought the cutest little clip on bag from Beantown Handmade . The clip on bag is the kinda for holding those plastic "poop bags" you have to have with you when your walking your dog.  Up until this point I have been just shoving my plastic bags in my pockets before I leave the house and I'm glad to say I feel so much more stylish with this clipped on my pants.  I should also mention that these little bags aren't just meant for the "poop bags" but they are also cute enough to stash your cell phone or house keys too. I have to say that I'm also a huge fan of the "collar sleeves." They totally can dress up your pet's collars and make them look oh so cute in flash!  Here are few pictures from the adorable website.

This is the "Great Pumpkin" dog hat and I think I have to have this for my dog for Halloween for sure. I'm in love. 

For more information on Beantown, please click on the following links. 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BeanTownHandmade

http://www.beantownhandmade.com/

Renegade Recap

The Renegade fair this weekend was by far one of the coolest events this summer from the city of Chicago. Since I was very impressed with quite a few vendors i'm going to do my best to try to cover a few each night this week.

First up is Isette. http://isette.com/
I have to say that this is some of the most interesting jewelry I have seen all summer.  It is just different and so beautiful to look at.

Yep that last image is a mustache ring. This artist is definitely worth checking out. 
You can shop Isette on etsy.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Isette?ref=seller_info

Renegade this Weekend!

We are totally going to the Renegade Craft Fair this weekend.  We should have some cool pics up next week of all our finds!

http://www.renegadehandmade.com/

Bridal Bouquet -Handmade Style

  

Hello Brides!
I just had to share this amazing bouquet I found while searching Etsy. This is handmade and designed by Marie of Emici Bridal . This stunning bouquet is completely made out of silk, embellished with either crystals, rhinestones, or freshwater pearls.  This is simply stunning. The blushing colors are so gorgeously romantic. Can you imagine walking down the isle with this stunning bouquet, all of your guests admiring your flowers and they stop to notice the unique softness to it, then they realize what your carrying is so much more then flowers! Oh if I could do it all over again....

Marie has other amazing heirloom accessories at her etsy shop for your viewing and purchasing pleasures!
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http://www.etsy.com/shop/EmiciBridal

http://emicibridal.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Emici-Bridal/185144127319
http://twitter.com/EmiciBrida

                                                                                                                            

Yep the Rumor is True!

Here at Sugar and Spice Ink, we've been super busy bringing new products to the shop! Along with our custom wedding invitations and stationary  we are now bringing every day products to you. That means personal stationary for everyday, special occasions and holidays! We have launched our new Etsy shop site.  We will be working through the rest of the year to bring brand new products in time for the holidays.  To celebrate we are offering a 25% discount to readers of this blog! To check out our new shop click the link below.

To make a purchase with the special discounted rate, email or convo(as an Etsy user) me and let me know what  item you are interested in.  I  will make a special listing just for you to purchase with the discounted rate.  You will get and email from me with the link to your requested item! Don't forget to mention "blogg" to get the special discount. Hurry because this offer will end by Friday September 10th 2010 at 11:59PM.

XOXOXOX

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sugarandspiceink

Pardon my dust

If you follow this blog you know that there have been some major changes to the design layout.  I'm in the process if editing this so please bare with me!

Thanks
Danielle

The tradition of heirloom engagement rings popular again thanks to Bella Swan.

Something interesting came from my husband the other day. Over the years he has really become a valuable asset to this company and has made himself very aware of the event and wedding industry. So to my unsuspecting delight he made a relevant comment that concerns brides today.


Yesterday we went to see Eclipse, and while walking out of the theater my husband says to me, “That ring will be the next “Big Thing” in wedding rings.” For all of you not familiar with the Twilight saga, Bella is proposed to by Edward and he presents her with a ring that belonged to his mother. It was a very unique Victorian style ring.

I think my husband was on to something. What scared me to death is that up until that very moment the thought hadn’t crossed my mind. This is probably because I always considered Twilight my guilty little pleasure. It’s a teeny bopper thing. Could smart, educated women my age actually be influenced by such a thing…the answer is yes. The current trend in engagement rings has been towards the antique style anyway and this one just forgoes the typical focal diamond. Instead goes for elegant antique design that is flattered by many smaller diamonds. It give the ring a beautiful sparkle. The most amazing this is that this world known character just made it very popular to get hand me downs. I say this is incredible because brides today are bombarded with new flashy shiny things for their wedding. The idea of slightly used wedding attire is rarely talked about but is becoming an ever popular movement. For example, consignment wedding gowns ( http://www.whitexchange.com/ for more info)

The idea of passed down rings is not new. However, in light of the this country’s economic status and the rise of the hand made movement it suddenly seems like passing down engagement rings is a smart move. And why not? These rings would be actually considered “antique”. Not to mention a totally romantic gesture from your man.

The info on Bella’s ring is that the author, Stephenie Meyer, collaborated with Infinite Jewelry Co. to design this ring. (  http://www.infinitejewelry.com/ ) There are several versions of this ring available on the internet with the genuine replica going for approximately $1979. 00 .

I’m really interested in seeing how many of you may be wearing a ring that has been passed down or if you have any thoughts on this topic. As much as we love Edward(and Jacob for that matter) please don’t post about Twilight.

Thanks for your input as always

XOXO

We're Open !!!

Hello Everybody!

I just wanted to let you all know that we are open again! We just came back from a very long R&R and we are so inspired and have tons of new ideas to share with you! We can't wait to roll up our sleeves and get to work.  We are accepting appointments again and they will be on a first come first serve basis!

Thanks!
Danielle

XOXOXO

behind the scenes

I'm often asked how do I come up with my designs? Do I actually hand draw them. The answer is mixed. For the most part I draw them either free hand or digitally. There are some times that I will out source a motif based on the request.

Typically, the brainstorming takes a while. That's because I research and immerse myself in visual content that's related to the project. I go back and forth. over different combinations of color and motif to get a sense of the direction I want to take. When I'm finally convinced that I have the right approach. Then I start to put together mock ups for us to review. The photo that you see is a sketch for a new project. I will then take this pen drawing and turn it into computer art. If you are one of my customers can you guess if its for you? You'll just have to wait and see!
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Dress Research

I'm combing thru tons of photo's trying to get an update for this years dress pics! The verdict...Yikes! Brides this year you really have your work cut out for you.  I have a few photo's that I'm going to share with you, but over all, I am not impressed. What is up with Vera Wang's dresses this year.  The models look like tulle nightmares. I get it, she was going for Romantic, but honestly it's not romantic when you can't see the brides figure (she's probably worked so hard at) under all the layer of netting...
So I'll leave you with one photo to chew on right now.  I had no idea that David Tutera had a wedding gown line.  I'm a little shocked at how much I liked his style. Shocker. (but a in a good way) This is his Eve Dress. Loving the roses.  That's romantic...
Enjoy
XOXOXOX

Engagement-Kiss the Girl

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Donna Rusin. As we were discussing her wedding details, she blew me away with her engagement story. Her fiancé, Miguel, must have been planning this for a very long time because the amount of detail is no weekend project.

While Donna was away on a trip, Miguel was busy transforming their home into a scene from the bride- to- be's favorite movie, The Little Mermaid.

When Donna arrived home from her long trip, she was greeted by Miguel and blindfolded immediately. He then picked her up and whisked her away to his boat(in their living room) under the stars and moonlight . The boat being guided by none other than her favorite Disney character Sebastian! With the blindfold removed she was in awe as she tried to take in the moment around her. Kiss the Girl was playing in the background as Miguel took her hand and proposed. She said yes and the rest is yet to be written!

Please take a moment to look at these photos because they are simply amazing. Miguel made everything you see. The boat, the fish, the tree trunks, the hearts on the floor and Sebastian are all made out foam that he hand carved and painted. The hearts have special notes written on them to Donna. The "water" that you see coming out of the mouths of the fish is rolled clear cellophane. The water on the floor is made out blue cellophane. The leaves of the trees are made out of green party streamers. I just love the way that he used two color of greens instead of one. It adds more depth and detail. He used mini lights to illuminate the sky above them with stars. And the background was a large sheet of paper that he hand painted. Also note the foresight he used when cutting out the air vent at the top. Seriously!! This is no easy task. You can really tell he put so much effort into this. For example, look at close up of Sebastian. The trees in the background have light and dark shadows.

Now, you’re probably thinking Miguel has got to have some serious skills to pull this off. Your right. He is an artist, who from what Donna tells me is an amazing illustrator. But don't be mistaken, just because he has skill, this still took a tremendous amount of planning on his part. In our book this goes down as one of the most unique proposals ever!

Donna and Miguel congratulations on you engagement and I can't wait to work with you! I'm sure you'll be inspiring me in all sorts of ways!!

Engagement Stories

Tonight I met with an amazing new bride who has the most incredible engagement story. Please be sure to check back later this week for the inside scoop.

Do you have an unique and exciting engagement story that you'd like to share! Please do because we'd love to blog about you! Email us or respond to this post with your story. 

Save the Dates Wyatt Collection

The Wyatt Collection is our newest addition to the stationary collection. The save-the-date that you see here is actually a magnet. It can made as a conventional save-the-date as well. This collection is entirely customizable like all the rest of the Sugar and Spice Ink products. That means you can change color, size and information lines to suit your event. Wyatt is available as save-the-dates, invitations, thank you's, menus, and we can even incorporate it into your favors. Please call or email for pricing.

Save the Dates

Yeah!! I'm super excited to have just finished off my latest save the dates! Magnets! Photo's to come soon.

XOXOX

Think Pink!!!

I just had to share this amazing brooch with my bride followers! I heart this! Pink I think I'm in love! This brooch has it's home at the Left Bank Jewelry boutique in Chicago. I just love the idea of pinning this on to your bouquet. It would make for a very stunning detail. I believe it goes for $29. For more info click here for the link to the Left Bank.

Late night inspiration.

I am always amazed at the inspiration I find at the bookstore. There are so many nights my husband and I sit and read sipping on coffee or tea. One thing you can be sure of, I sit ready with my pen in my hand. I record all kinds of info and websites I want to visit when I get home. It also not unusual to see me sketching an idea so I don't lose it.
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Lily Note Cards

Lily is our newest member of the note card collection. This note card is 4.5" x 5.75". Lily is a stunning pewter and yellow  which is perfect for this upcoming spring season. The wording is customizable and we can also change the colors if you'd like.


Please email us pricing and more info.

Roxi Invitations

We are proud to announce Roxi as the newest member of our invitation family. Roxi is just as hot as the bride it was designed for! This stunning invite has a  gorgeous  two inch lace wrap. Roxi is studded with genuine Swarovski Crystals. This is a triple mounted invitation has Champaign metallic cardstock which glows when it's layered on metallic black and magenta card stock. Roxi comes with 2 inserts, RSVP and Reception card. Additional inserts are available. All colors are customizable. Hope you love Roxi as much as we do! XOXOX


Please email for pricing.

DIY Up Lighting

DIY Up Lighting

I have had a few brides approach me about affordable up lighting so I have to say that shortly I will be purchasing one of the small portable LED lights that are now available at save-on-crafts.com and other bridal resources.  I have not actually used these yet so it would be unfair for me to give and accurate critique.  One of the down falls to going with this option is that it only produces a white color.  Not the lovely range of colors that you get from professional lighting.  Once I get one I will do expriments on ways to produce a colored effect using one of these canisters. I will of course make that information available here.

While I think this option might be perfect for smaller weddings, I don't believe this would give you the kind of all over lighting effects that you see on "Platinum Weddings".  Although you never know.
Any how enjoy the video and let me know your thoughts.

My Wedding Concierge

My Wedding Concierge

 My Wedding Concierge -- iPhone Wedding Planning App, Wedding Planning Website, Wedding Vendors -- Mobile Wedding Planning Powered By WedSynchttp://www.my-wedding-concierge.com/index.php
Screen clipping taken: 2/22/2010, 12:07 AM
We are so excited to part of the My Wedding Concierge, the best new online and mobile resource for planning your wedding. This amazing site is just as fabulous as it looks It's ultra chic design is so user friendly that I think it's going to be a huge asset for today's brides who are forever on the go. Right now it's compatible with I-Phones and it's app is available at the apple store for free! The really exciting part is that this new resource will allow brides to not only find vendors but also share, rank and organize them with their friends among social networks like Twitter and Facebook!


Speaking as a bride who worked more then 40 plus hours a week, traveled the world for work, constantly on the go with entrepreneurial tasks all while planning her wedding, it would have been helpful to have something like this at my finger tips. Every minute counts when your time crunching. I really did not have the time to research everything I needed because I just didn't have the time to spend in front of a computer. But having the tool available as a combo team in both formats for web and mobile makes it so appealing for busy brides. Just the idea of having everything you need right at your finger tips makes me smile for you!  You could do your homework on vendors while working out at the gym!(no more excuses to hit the weights). The future looks bright for My Wedding Concierge as they climb the ladder to be the ultimate wedding search engine. They certainly have our stamp of approval.
Have fun and happy planning XOXOXO!

Rental company

So I'm pretty excited because today ill be touring a new rental company. Can't wait to dish on all the fun party stuff we can use!
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easy appetizer

Are you stressing over what to bring for the big game today! Super Bowl parties are notorious for finger foods and this little treat is super easy and quick to make if your sweating it.

Roll Ups. (this recipe can be modified to fit whatever you want to fill the shells with)

Ingredients:
1 Package of Large soft tortilla shells
1 package of cream cheese
1 Roast Beef (I use about a 1/4 pound)
1 bunch of Green Onions
Medium bowl

Let the cream cheese sit out to soften.(or you could microwave it in a pinch. Chop your green onions. Put them in the bowl.
Chop your Roast beef. I like to cut it small but it will be in the roll up so it really doesn't matter how small you cut it. Add your roast beef to the bowl and mix with the green onion. Now add your cream cheese and mix. I just mix it up with a large spoon.

Now take 2 tortilla shells and lay them down on a CLEAN countertop. Overlap the shells about a 1/4 of each shell. Now start spreading your cream cheese mixture around leaving about an inch from the edges. Now start to roll them up so that both shells get rolled together and you have long log shape.

Cut the edges off (there's no mixture there) Now refrigerate them for an hour before you slice them. This gives the cream cheese a chance to harden again and will hold the shells better. Yeah your done! Now go enjoy the game!

Cute Cakes

We LOVE these delightful cakes from Cake Opera Co.!  I personally love the uncommon and have been surching for cake styles that tickle my creative senses and Cake Opera Co does the trick. Their website is even adorable and worth checking out! These pretty cakes are adorned with tasty little macrons.  I tried macrons for the first time a month ago and my tastebuds are in love! I realise they are in Canada but we can all use a little inspiration when looking for cake decor.

Indie Wed

Saturday I attended a very different wedding show, Indie Wed. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by all of the amazing vendors, many of whom I had the pleasure of speaking with. I’m only going to highlight people that I got a chance to speak with , but there were so many talented people there so I encourage you to click on the link and explore all who participated.

WHOVILLE DESIGNS had some gorgeous jewelry at what I thought where really affordable prices. I have to admit that I did double take after I asked how much the crystal necklace retailed for. I would highly recommend emailing Heather and asking her about her bridal collection.

For all you Green DIY brides, be sure to check out green paper company, for all of your eco friendly paper needs. Their table was so cute it was candy for my eyes! Actually, I am really glad I met them because I am in desperate need of a green supplier and I am personally going to be in touch with them for our invitation designing.

Again for you greenies, Pollen, had such pretty floral arrangements. The most dreamy bouquet laid on the table and caught your eye immediately. The only thing that was missing was a mirror so you could imagine yourself down the aisle with it. They specialize in green weddings and eco-conscious events.

For you candy lovers, (I’m talking to you Amanda!) the sweetest course, custom candy buffets, is perfect! I was talking to Christine and she said that she can work to customize the candy colors to compliment your wedding colors! Yummy!

The very first both I saw walking in to the event was, Layer Cake Shop(baking supplies). This table was excitement from the very moment I laid eyes on it. It was one of those shops were everything was packages so cute that I wanted to pick everything up and touch it. Pretty amazing for baking supplies!

We sampled pretty and yummy cakes from TipsyCake. They are custom bakeshop and can match you colors or your theme!

One of the vendors that I was so excited about is vavoom pinups! This a very different and creative type of photography. I am dying to do this and I think maybe some time in the summer I will! How cute would it be to collaborate with these ladies and do some pictures for the business!

Love, Lula Mae had amazing designs, I didn’t know where to look first. The display had fun vintage inspired designed accessories. The bridal collection is unique while the couture collection boasts eye popping colors!

There were so many tallented vendors that I can't possibly cover them in 1 little blog.  I think the best way to showcase them is too do little stories of the ones that caught my eye. So be sure to look for that in the future!