It's Cyber Monday!!!

Don't forget to check out these great sales from our Etsy Wedding Team Members. Today is your last day to take advantage of these wonderful promotions!

Artistic Edition
BOGO 1/2 OFF*: Buy any item in my shop and get a second item 1/2 Off (must be of equal or lesser value) & FREE SHIPPING* on all qualifying orders over $50.
*All qualifying orders will be refunded via PayPal.
If you have any questions please contact me before ordering.
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 27th - NOVEMBER 30th

Little Birdie Boutique
25% off any purchase made from the shop. All orders will be refunded through paypal.
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 30th

Xabia Jewels
$5 off KNOT SILK collection.
Free shipping on all custom orders placed.
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 27-30th

Purple Lemon Designs
Free Worldwide Shipping on everything in my shop. No code needed. Shipping will already be taken off.
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 27-30th

Luly612 Wedding Accessories
Free shipping (within the continental US) and 5% off purchases over $50.00.
Discount will be refunded through PayPal.
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 27-30th

Hair Bows Wonderworld
20% off any order including sale items - except clearance sale items.
Free shipping worldwide on all premade items priced $20 and up.
Qualified transactions will be partially refunded via Paypal.
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 27-30th

BEsomethingnew
Buy one item get 1/2 off the second of equal or lessor value.
Sale amount refunded in paypal.
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 27-30th

GoAgainstTheGrain
12 Days of Christmas Sale - BOGO 12% off and free shipping!

Mikiye Creations
Buy one item and get 1/2 off the second of equal or lesser value on all items over $20.00.
Price difference will be refunded though PayPal.
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 27-30th

TheSocialSeam
Free shipping worldwide

Glitzy Events
Receive 5% off of your invitation order of $400 or more purchased from our shop at http://glitzyevents.com.
Use coupon code CYBER09 at checkout.

Free shipping on all Wedding Invitation samples as http://glitzyevents.etsy.com
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 27-30th

Belcanto
Free Worldwide Shipping
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 27-30th




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Designer Jewelry: Wedding, Engagement, Gifts & more: An Interview with Laurie Sarah Designs

This weeks interview features Laurie Sarah of Laurie Sarah Designs, Laurie is located in Los Angeles, CA.

Tell us a little about yourself.
My jewelry beginnings have their start in a very humble upbringing. I learned very quickly to make little crafts to sell to buy the things I wanted (and sometimes even necessities). By the time I made it to college, I was making friendship bracelets and costume jewelry to help pay my way. I married after college and shortly thereafter was introduced to gemstones. I was immediately hooked! Now what to do with my sparklies? Someone introduced me to who they called “the best diamond setter in Los Angeles”. I worked with him over many years creating incredible handmade pieces. After 12 years of marriage, my husband died a horrible death to cancer. As I took care of him, my jewelry business faded away. But it stayed in the back of my head as my main idea to support the 3 small children that had just lost their father. After his death, I threw myself into the jewelry as a “sink or swim” situation. I began working more and more with my diamond setter. As time passed, we realized that we were doing more than making beautiful art, we were falling in love. We married last year, and have now joined forces to bring our customers the product of our love.

What special things do you create for weddings?
When you think about it, brides start dreaming of their wedding dress the minute they see Cinderella at age 3. They imagine the flowers, every detail of the colors, their hair, what suit he’ll wear… Shouldn’t the wedding rings reflect the same individual personality? Just for fun, I go into the jewelry stores at the mall and I think “how boring!” Each bride and groom deserve rings that are as individual as their love is. For example, right now I am working on an Engagement Ring that incorporates not only their birthstones, but their national heritage. Her hand is literally going to be grabbed wherever she goes with people wanting to know the story of her ring.

Who or what sparked your interest in making wedding-related items?
Actually, the Etsy community did. My original intentions when I opened my Etsy shop were to hand make intricate beaded, one of a kind necklace and earring sets. But when I started posting my first hand made Diamond and Gemstone Rings, it very quickly became apparent the people were interested in using them for Engagement Rings. I very quickly put it together that because of the downturn in the economy, people were looking to colored stones instead of diamonds to bring the cost down. Also, there is a whole group of people that just want something different.

What is a little known fact, or something unique about your work that is interesting?
I don’t think people realize that when my husband and I create a ring completely from scratch for someone that we are literally carving a tiny statue of art for them. Taking a piece of wax and carving it into something that holds the exact size stones they want, in the exact design they want, all in the perfect size for their finger – it’s statue in miniature. And honestly, we don’t charge enough for what we do. I guess I just have a big heart for people’s happiness. Being a part of it is more important to me than charging the high prices you find in retail chains.

If you are married, what’s the one thing you wish you had for your wedding that you didn’t?
More time to have incorporated all the wonderful creative things I see other people doing!

What is your favorite wedding song?
Celine Dion’s “The Power of Love”

What is your favorite part of the wedding journey?
This is the beginning of each bride and groom’s story. The story of how they first met, their first date, first kiss, first fight, that first realization that “I found The One”. The story of the proposal will last with them their whole marriage. My favorite proposal story to date was working with the fiancé to create the perfect ring with me for his love. He attached the ring to a gorgeous imported puppy that his girlfriend had fallen in love with. He brought her into the room, she saw the puppy and then the ring around its neck. He sent me the video later and I was crying watching the look on her face. I was so honored to be a part of such a precious moment.

What advice can you share for all the brides getting married this year?
Enjoy this time of your lives. So much happens so fast that I think it’s easy to get caught in a whirlwind of stress. Simple is better. Don’t forget to have fun too.

What is your perfect honeymoon spot?
Well, between my husband and I, we have 6 kids, so when we went on our Honeymoon, our biggest criteria was “anywhere quiet”

If you could pick anyone famous that would purchase your items for their wedding, who would they be?
Anyone who walks down the red carpet with it on.

If you could choose 1 item from your shop that you wish every bride could have, what would it be?
The “Custom Design Link” that starts their journey to creating the ring of their dreams.

Links where we can find out more about your work:
http://lauriesarahdesigns.etsy.com

Cyber Monday Sales from the Etsy Wedding Team!!

Artistic Edition
BOGO 1/2 OFF*: Buy any item in my shop and get a second item 1/2 Off (must be of equal or lesser value) & FREE SHIPPING* on all qualifying orders over $50.
*All qualifying orders will be refunded via PayPal.
If you have any questions please contact me before ordering.
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 27th - NOVEMBER 30th

Little Birdie Boutique
25% off any purchase made from the shop. All orders will be refunded through paypal.
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 30th

Xabia Jewels
$5 off KNOT SILK collection.
Free shipping on all custom orders placed.
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 27-30th

Purple Lemon Designs
Free Worldwide Shipping on everything in my shop. No code needed. Shipping will already be taken off.
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 27-30th

Luly612 Wedding Accessories
Free shipping (within the continental US) and 5% off purchases over $50.00.
Discount will be refunded through PayPal.
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 27-30th

Hair Bows Wonderworld
20% off any order including sale items - except clearance sale items.
Free shipping worldwide on all premade items priced $20 and up.
Qualified transactions will be partially refunded via Paypal.
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 27-30th

BEsomethingnew
Buy one item get 1/2 off the second of equal or lessor value.
Sale amount refunded in paypal.
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 27-30th

GoAgainstTheGrain
12 Days of Christmas Sale - BOGO 12% off and free shipping!

Mikiye Creations
Buy one item and get 1/2 off the second of equal or lesser value on all items over $20.00.
Price difference will be refunded though PayPal.
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 27-30th

TheSocialSeam
Free shipping worldwide

Glitzy Events
Receive 5% off of your invitation order of $400 or more purchased from our shop at http://glitzyevents.com.
Use coupon code CYBER09 at checkout.

Free shipping on all Wedding Invitation samples as http://glitzyevents.etsy.com
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 27-30th

Belcanto
Free Worldwide Shipping
VALID DATES NOVEMBER 27-30th

Don't forget to enter our giveaway! Click the photo below to be taken to the giveaway page.





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Ruby Treasury!

Thank you to Etsy Wedding Team Member Shell Scapes for creating this team treasury! Click photo to access, expires 11/22 @ 7:14pm EST.

Wedding Style Ideas for the Eclectic Bride

If you aren’t tied to the traditional, the modern or the classic, then you may be a bride with eclectic tastes, pulling design ideas from many places, styles and time periods. To make it all work together, look to unify different design styles by color, shape or texture.

Here are some handmade ideas from the Etsy Wedding Team that can easily fit in an eclectic or funky wedding design.


Hair. If you are looking for something simple, yet beautiful, flowers are a great idea for hair. {handmade by www.AmoreBride.etsy.com}


Invitations. With layered invitations you can express your tastes with contrasting patterns and motifs. Just tie it together by color or mood and you’re safe to be bold and still stylish. {handmade by www.justpeachypaperie.etsy.com}


Jewelry. In an eclectic style wedding, antique jewelry pieces work well even with a very modern decor or dress. In fact, using elements from other time periods will give your wedding more of a unique feeling. {handmade by www.handmadebydiana.etsy.com}


Reception. You don’t have to use a traditional guest book to capture the thoughts and memories of your friends and family. Think about different materials and formats. {handmade by www.cutthecakedesigns.etsy.com}


Special Touch. Highlight your signature style by using an untraditional piece for a traditional part of your wedding, such as a unique flower girl basket. {handmade by www.MackensleyDesigns.etsy.com}

Find more special touches for eclectic weddings by browsing the Etsy Wedding Team artisans on the left.

EWT Presents: Autumn of Giveaways Week 9!

Our Autumn of Giveaways is sadly nearing its end. This will be the first of our final giveaways for this season. But don't fret! We will pick up where we left off next year. So here are our new goodies which are up for grabs!








1st up from Go Against The Grain, A Custom 1 sided Wedding Map Design.



And from Cut the Cake Designs, $50.00off your invitation order of 100 sets or more.



To enter the giveaway you can complete any of the following tasks. Please leave your contact email address in your comment(s) so that we can notify you if you are a winner. Completing multiple tasks will get you multiple entries into the giveaway.

IMPORTANT
Each task must be added as separate comment in order to count as an additional entry. If you do not leave an email address your entry will be disqualified.

1. Follow the Etsy Wedding Team Blog by using the google friend connect tool.
2. Follow us on twitter http://twitter.com/etsyweddingteam
3. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the link to your tweet
4. Follow Go Against The Grain on twitter http://twitter.com/agoodbuild
5. Follow Cut The Cake Designs on twitter http://twitter.com/cutthecakeetsy
6. Post our giveaway button located on the right sidebar of this blog on your blog and leave your blog address for verification.
7. Tell us your favorite item from Go Against The Grain's Etsy shop.
8. Tell us your favorite item from Cut The Cake Design's Etsy Shop.
9. Add us as a friend on myspace http://myspace.com/etsyweddingstreetteam
9. Become a fan of the EWT on facebook http://facebook.com/etsyweddingteam

Hurry and enter, This giveaway will expire 11/24/09 @ 6:00pm EST.

Week 8 giveaway winners.......

Congrats to
fashionfrugality who said...
Following via twitter - @ktkatherine

You have won
From Izzy and the Bean Design A $50 gift certificate for an order of 100 or more save the date or invites.



Congrats to
Jenn who said...
I am a follower of luly612 on twitter

You have won
From luly612 an Ivory or White Keepsake/Toss Garter Set.


Please respond to the email that you have received within 24hrs. Thank you to everyone who entered this giveaway, and you'll have a chance to enter our next giveaway which will be posted shortly.

Designer Photo Imaging: An Interview with designerpi

This weeks interview features:
Teresa Setterlund from designerpi (soon to open appleberryink by 2010. Teresa is located North of Minneapolis, about 20 minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> Isnt't her pic just adorable!




Tell us a little about yourself:
I grew up in the small town of St. Michael, MN. I enjoyed playing volleyball, basketball and softball. Ok, maybe I didn’t enjoy basketball, but it helped keep me in shape between the other 2 sports, haha. I had an interest in art my whole life, my brother and I would draw non-stop any time we were at my grandparents home. I received an art scholarship from St. Mary’s University in Winona, MN, so I pursued degrees in Graphic Design and Studio Art. Out of college I worked for the Minneapolis Star Tribune paper for 6 years and the past 3 years I’ve worked part-time for Ad Strategies (advertising agency) until this present day. I also have a home office where I create my invitations and announcements. I’ve been married for 7 years to Greg and have 2 little girls (Ashley 6 & Courtney 4). I might as well have been a gymnast with all the balancing acts I do everyday!

What special things do you create for weddings?
Invitations, response cards, announcements, thank you cards, stationary and now I’m offering programs, place cards, table numbers and menus.

Who or what sparked your interest in making wedding-related items?
I just kind of fell into it. I had come across a wedding invitation website over a year ago and thought to myself, I can do that! I love creating feminine designs, as opposed to some of the nasty ugly car ads I had to work on at the Star Tribune, yuck!

What is a little known fact, or something unique about your work that is interesting?
I guess you could say that I have the directions printed on the back. I get a lot of response from people who are eco conscience that they like the idea of wasting less paper. I also think that it’s easier on the guests not having to keep track of multiple loose cards!

If you are married, what’s the one thing you wish you had for your wedding that you didn’t?
Maybe a more formal ride from the ceremony to the reception, or to have taken the top off of the jeep we rode in. It was a nice new Jeep Wrangler, so I’m by no means complaining, we got there didn’t we?

What is your favorite wedding song?
I love Cannon in D

What is your favorite part of the wedding journey?
The big day of course! I did enjoy going to bridal fairs too.

What advice can you share for all the brides getting married this year?
Enjoy your day, it was meant for you as a couple, not a day to cater to your guests. Delegate EVERYTHING and worry about nothing. This day will go by fast and you need to soak up every second of it. Focus on each other, everyone else will be having a good time and so should you!

What is your perfect honeymoon spot?
Ours was on the north shore of Lake Superior. We didn’t have a lot of money, so we couldn’t go to Mexico or anywhere lavish. It sufficed and was absolutely beautiful.

If you could pick anyone famous that would purchase your items for their wedding, who would they be?
Oprah Winfrey. Everyone wants what Oprah says is hot! I would be busy for life!

If you could choose 1 item from your shop that you wish every bride could have, what would it be?
I’d probably say their own personal stationary. It’s nice to have something generic that you can use to drop a note to say hi or send a thank you without having to buy specialized occasion cards. If you’re in a pinch you can even use them as a birthday card!

Links where we can find out more about your work:
Etsy and 1000 Markets are my only shops. I’ll soon be opening Appleberry Ink (appleberryink) on both Etsy and 1000 Markets. That will focus on my stationary and Designer Photo Imaging (designerpi) will have my photo art effects, collages and my baseball autograph sheets. I also have my own website that I will be converting to just have links to my Etsy shops (www.designerpi.com).

How to Choose the Right Invitations

Before guests see your dress and reception space, they see your invitation. So invitations are your chance to give guests a sneak peak of the wedding you are planning.

In addition to increasing your choices, handmade invitations signal the care and thought behind your wedding. Here are some other things to consider as you are deciding on invitations.


Wedding style and colors? One useful thing about handmade invitations is that you can usually customize the design to match your wedding colors. That frees you up to focus on style and other things. Consider the tone and your personal design sense. Are you creating a super modern, vintage or casual and fun wedding day? Choose a wedding invitation style to match. {Handmade by www.EllasPaper.etsy.com}



Lots of enclosures? Destination weddings and weddings with many out of town guests often have lots of enclosures: response, direction, accommodation and reception cards. Pocketfolders, boxes, ribbon ties and self-contained booklets are great ways to keep everything together. Invitation designs in Etsy can often be customized for the look you want. {Handmade by www.BGDesignstudio.etsy.com}



Unified look? You can think of your invitation (and even save the date) as the start of your wedding style. So if a unified look is important to you, consider re-using elements like a monogram or a motif on your reception stationery as well (placecards, table numbers, menus, etc). Or have your invitation designer create the rest of your reception pieces. {Handmade by www.taylortt2.etsy.com}


Are you making a statement? There’s so much diversity in invitations these days, that your choice can be a true reflection of you. Do you want an eco-friendly wedding? Luxe? Unique? Un-wedding? Whatever you want your wedding to say about you, look for invitation details, styles or production methods to help you say it. {Handmade by www.KembaCelebrations.etsy.com}


Is there a theme? You can develop a theme from something you love, a time period, your cultural heritage or where you are getting married. Whether it be beach, travel, winter wonderland or something else, there’s probably a handmade invitation design to help you celebrate it. {Handmade by www.anaderoux.etsy.com}

For more inviting invitations, browse the Etsy Wedding Team designers on the left.

EWT Presents: Autumn of Giveaways Week 8!

As autumn is slowly nearing its end, our giveaway spree will continue on!! This week we have some great giveaways starting with:








A $50 gift certificate for an order of 100 or more save the date or invite sets from Izzy and the Bean Design,



And from luly612 an Ivory or White Keepsake/Toss Garter Set.



To enter the giveaway you can complete any of the following tasks. Please leave your contact email address in your comment(s) so that we can notify you if you are a winner. Completing multiple tasks will get you multiple entries into the giveaway.

IMPORTANT
Each task must be added as separate comment in order to count as an additional entry. If you do not leave an email address your entry will be disqualified.

1. Follow the Etsy Wedding Team Blog by using the google friend connect tool.
2. Follow us on twitter http://twitter.com/etsyweddingteam
3. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the link to your tweet
4. Follow Izzy and the Bean Designs on twitter http://twitter.com/izzyandthebean
5. Follow luly612 on twitter http://twitter.com/luly612
6. Post our giveaway button located on the right sidebar of this blog on your blog and leave your blog address for verification.
7. Tell us your favorite item from Izzy and the Bean Designs's Etsy shop.
8. Tell us your favorite item from luly612's Etsy Shop.
9. Add us as a friend on myspace http://myspace.com/etsyweddingstreetteam
9. Become a fan of the EWT on facebook http://facebook.com/etsyweddingteam

Hurry and enter, This giveaway will expire 11/17/09 @ 6:00pm EST.