Guestbook Alternatives

Here are a few shots of the new alternative Guestbook items, now available to buy from my Etsy store.

New Forest Guest Signiture Poster

 For those Mountain or Woodland Weddings, how about going alternative to the usual thumbprint tree by getting this unique guest signiture Forest poster? Choose from three sizes to suit your guestlist.

And for those having a more intimate Wedding, this Apple Tree poster works great for a smaller guestlist than the Leafy versions.

Apple Tree Thumbprint Poster

Vanilla Retro: New 2013 Designs Now Available

 

They've finally landed! Here are a few tasters of the 2013 Spring/Summer Wedding Stationery designs now available to purchase in my Etsy shop.

 

We've been daydreaming of gorgeous, dream wedding destinations and have cooked up a tasty Tuscany themed suite; have expanded our current Capri Italia design to inlcude matching RSVP and Thank You card; have taken a trip on the Orient Express for an Alpine treat of a design; have been captivated by the serenity of Mount Fuji; and have fallen in Love with our newest Crustacean themed suite.

Remembering those we've lost

Memorials act as a venue for you to express your grief, but are increasingly becoming a celebration of the life departed too. It is not uncommon for a favourite pop song to be played during the procession, for a lighthearted poem or reading to be given, or for a joke or two to creep into the eulogy. For many of those facing the inevitable, they're concern for the grief of their friends and family after they have left has a huge impact on any arrangements they make in advance.

When it comes to funeral stationery, such as programs or portrait cards, it can be difficult to know whether it is something your loved one would have liked to include in their memorial service. There are many free downloadable templates for you to customize at home and print, but these are often solomn documents and not necessarily reflective of the personality of the departed.

 

So here at Vanillaretro, we have created our Retrospect range ideal for remembering loved ones. We have carefully designed a series of programs which are more tailored towards the modern funeral with designs injected with personality, colour and the vibrancy of life. The designs are available as printables, for you to either print at home or via a local print service.

Please do not heistate to get in touch if you have any questions.

Festive Centrepieces: Scented Cones Tutorial

Its not long now before its officially christmas and i've been busy crafting away at little projects for the home and my upcoming nuptials. This is one thing i've been promising for a while - a tutorial on scenting your own pine cones. This is a great little activity, and if you have children, they love to get involved in the "hunt" as well and the scenting process.

Firstly, take an afternoon to go foraging for cones - i recommend a dry day - and take along a little carrier of some sort (bags for life are great!). A centrepiece will need about 7-10 cones generally so collect with this is mind, but always collect extras for addional little scented favors (can be used in wardrobes, drawers or even as Christmas tree decorations)

When you've collected your cones, you'll need to clean them. Wash in warm soapy water then place in a large raosting tray. Set your oven to a low temperature (90 degrees or gas mark 1) and place them in the bottom of the oven for 20-30 minutes or so. Make sure you keep and eye on them, and after a max of 30 minutes, remove and leave to fully dry.They may smell a little sappy - don't worry this will go when you've applied your scent.

Now, for the scent, you need to use a fragranced oil. These can be purchased almost anywhere nowadays, even your local supermarket. I bought mine from the garden centre and its a Christmas Spice scent.

Take a earbud and dip it into the oil, then rub the oil over the cool cone. You will not need to apply a lot, just make sure you get into any gaps (as this will be noticable when they open up).
When you have applied your chosen scent to all your cones, place in a plastic bag and leave for several hours for the fragrance to develop.

I placed ours in a tall glass vase, and after a week or so in a warm, light environment the cones will open up. The scent will depleat over time, so just top up the scent as and when you need to.

And now you have your Christmas Scented Pine Cones.

COMPETITION: Pin it to win it

From now until December 24th, 2012, the VanillaRetro "Pin it to Win it" competition will be available to enter.
The rules are simple... you will need either a Pinterest account or Facebook account to take part.

HOW TO ENTER WITH PINTEREST:
1. take a stroll through the Wedding Suite Section of my online Etsy Store.
2. pick your favourite design (the design you wish to have for your wedding) from those featuring my "pin it to win it" orange badge.
3. using the PIN IT button, pin your chosen design to your own WEDDING Pinterest Board along with the notes #vanillaretro and #PinItToWinIt
4. then Follow VanillaRetro on Pinterest

HOW TO ENTER WITH FACEBOOK:
1. Go to the VanillaRetro Facebook Page and LIKE the facebook page.
2. Go to the "Pinterest Competition Photo Album" and LIKE your favourite design.it will not work if you Like the design directly from my Etsy shop, you must actively do it in the album on facebook.

The winner will be selected at random and revealed on 26th December 2012 - this will be announced on the VanillaRetro Facebook page.

Please note, only the Wedding Suites are available to win - whichever item it is which you have Pinned or Liked will be the design which you win (if using pinterest, ensure that the photo selected features the Pin it to win it badge - this will make the pin easy to locate on pinterest).
The Winner will be contacted by Vanillaretro for your wedding details and then the prize will be emailed over.

Please note, the prize is for a PERSONALISED DIGITAL FILE, for you to print at home.
You may only enter the competition once via pinterest and facebook. There is no purchase necessary to enter this competition.

Best of luck!
Vanilla Retro

Retro Wedding - Milkshake Stationery Suite

Here's the latest addition to the VanillaRetro online store - our new Retro Milkshake Wedding Stationery Suite, available in "Pink Milk" colourway or "Monochrome"

FREEBIE: Hallowe'en Candy Box Template

I love autumn, its my favourite time of year. It's when all my favourite Holidays occur, and in a little over a week it will be Hallowe'en...

So here is a little freebie for you all - a Printable Template for Hallowe'en Candy boxes. The template is scaled to A4 szie and will print two boxes per page. Look great filled with Jelly Worms!

Happy Hallowe'en Everyone!