hot off the press: my first wedding invitation ideas.

So far I've been doing a lot of scribbling of ideas and designs for our wedding invites, but the other day I sat down and actually took the idea from a scribble to a reality. It's quite a simple design based in warm and natural colours. I bought a stamp kit with a letter set, and a beige ink pad (as the inside of the invite is brown!), a gold pen to write what I don't stamp, and some cardboard that had been recycled from beer labels! (cool huh?). What I don't use out of the materials I've bought I'll definitely be using again later for other projects so nothings going to waste.

I was going for the homemade look (hopefully without going as far as cheap and tacky). It looks like a lot of writing (since I'm going to be making these myself!), but we're having a relatively small guest list of our closest friends, so it's not so much work.

 

For a first draft I think they're pretty cute. Also, I'm not all that caught up in having hugely detailed and perfect invitations as they only get thrown away after the wedding anyway (hopefully recycled!).

x

Volunteering at a charity store equals amazing bargains!

I volunteered at a charity store today, and totally loved it!

It was a really rewarding experience for me. Volunteering somewhere like a charity store is not only environmentally conscious (encouraging the process of recycling), but giving back to the local and international community through the donations raised by the store.
Not to mention the sheer amount of goodies I got to dig through and find some gems!

See the full story over at Second Hand Jayne!

x

Back in action!

Hey everyone, it's been a while since my last post (nearly 2 months! oh my gosh!) but the last few months have been very busy!

Not only have I had end of the year uni assessments and exams, but I've also started a new blog, Second Hand Jayne, and it's dedicated to second hand fashion! There's loads of pretty goodies up there already with outfit ideas to match, plus some beautiful vintage finds. Check it out if you're interested.

Anyhow, I will be back to posting regularly now, starting with some pictures of the first few trials at handmaking my wedding invitations, and bunting for our save the dates. It's so exciting to be making things for our wedding!

xx

the new additions to our garden

from left to right: a baby chilli plant (for the man), a ready to cut and cook up basil plant, another baby basil plant (i need two because i eat so much basil! i love it!), two cherry tomato plants and a bunch of carrots, and last but not least a full sized tomato plant.

and here they are getting comfy in their new spots :) oh and some seasol fertiliser in an old milk bottle-gone-water can (who needs a fancy watering can when you can reuse old house items??) the carrots and tomatoes aren't in as yet because i'm waiting on some more good soil and sugar cane mulch to build up the garden bed since it's sunk about a foot over winter!
(don'tcha just love my daggy-but-ever-so-slightly-cute floral gardening gloves? courtesy of mum's store... love that place)

here's my beautiful basil, close up. i've already nicked some leaves for tonights dinner :) yuuuuum!!

x

saturday seconds - vintage leather boots

the first thing i did when i got home (once i had had a good cuddle session with my kitty, my puppy and my mum... and then a shower) was go second hand shopping with my mum. seems a little odd, but i'd been hanging out for a good thrift since i came across some vintage stores in a marketplace in japan (and let's be honest, i'm totally addicted to second hand stores... it's like treasure hunting!), so it was extra satisfying to start browsing the shelves of pre-loved goodies in the thrift stores i visited.
today however, i made a vintage thrifting find that i am really extra chuffed with. a lot of the time, i just go to charity stores, so the goodies i get, while being second hand, usually aren't that old. this time, however, i took myself to a vintage store near my house which is totally reasonably priced! (considering that the 'v' word is like saying the 'w' word... once it's 'vintage', or for a 'wedding', the price tags skyrocket).

and i found these babies...

 

vintage leather calf height boots! oh how i love them!!
i love the pocket detail and the buckle at the top of the back seam. and what made it so sweet was that they cost me $25...
what is amazing is that they are in perfect condition, all i had to do was put in a pair of insoles.

 **UPDATE!**

the boots first outing :)

x

my first wedding goodies purchase (from a second hand store, of course!)

i have been keeping my eye out for goodies for the wedding, things like possible table decorations (vases, port glasses to be made into votive candles, etc), practical things (plates, glasses, cutlery) and other bits and pieces (material for decorations, table cloths, etc) in second hand stores since i got engaged. here are the first ones i've found that i had to buy. i haven't actually decided what they are going to be yet (i was thinking of maybe making a cookie stand out of them for the dessert table?) but they match the colour theme i am aiming for and really have that vintage feel :)

wow, it's kind of beginning to seriously hit home that i am getting married (you'd think that the ring on my left hand would have tipped me off, but i actually think it made it all the more fairytale-esque in my head). of course i've been doing a lot of day dreaming about all the details, but now that i have something that i can physically touch that has no other purpose than to be used on the day it's making my heart jump a little!

oh, and you'll probably also notice one of my little creatures in the top left of the picture. whenever i get the camera out they seem to do their best to be everywhere i point it!


x

i'm home!