Etsy Wedding Street Team: Last Minute Gift Ideas from the Etsy Wedding Team!

Etsy Wedding Street Team: Last Minute Gift Ideas from the Etsy Wedding Team!

How she wore it: The Simone Comb.

This lovely was one of my favorite creations and I was so thrilled to get a note last week from Amy, the bride who wore it.  She  sent the photo below along with these kind words, "Loved it. Thank you so much, it really was perfect!"
 

If the shoe fits.

Head to toe, it's the accessories that make the girl right? Just ask Marie Antoinette. I'm considering her likeness for a Halloween costume. Speaking of Marie,  she is the inspiration for these dreamy shoes from Oxford Heaven at Etsy.

Fluttery Pink Butterflies. Ooh La La!

Love the Pearl and Pink Tassel Detail.

Velvet Roses. Pure Romance.

These shoes are ready for a high tea or a bridal shower perhaps. So frilly and full of romantic detail. Even if I'm not Marie Antoinette for Halloween I may order a pair to wear when I design my hair accessories. Who wouldn't be inspired while wearing these lovelies?

How she wore it. The Lisel Comb.

Here is one of my beautiful brides, Jill, wearing the Lisel comb.  Doesn't she look gorgeous? I am so honored that she chose one of my lovely creations.

The Lisel comb.

Fabulous!

 

Ready for Launch. Craft Show Table Top Display.

Find me here October 9th!

This weekend I'll be preparing my table top display for a Holiday Artisan Fair in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania on October 9th. I love staging and styling so I'm having a great time pulling it all together. I realized most of my display ideas would be equally well suited to decorative items for a vintage inspired event or wedding as well.

This is my favorite piece. I will use it to display hair combs. 

Perfect display for my vintage lovelies.

Love the floral detail.

I'm going to make a linen covered backing and pin the combs to it. Customers can angle the frame for a better look. This frame would be a beautiful way to display information or signage at a wedding as well. I found it at Mouse Trap Vintage at Etsy.

An antique box with wooden slanted inserts like the one below would be perfect for hair accessories as well. The combs could be placed in the rows for easy viewing. One could even use it for seating cards at a wedding. Can't you just see it sitting on an old farm table outside a rustic barn reception. Found at DefDif at Etsy.

Accordion slanted inserts.

Dovetail ends and library plate. Perfect!

 I've also had my eye on some antique sewing boxes like these from Time Passages at Etsy. Stacked or lined up they would add a nice touch for display:

I want to add a small detail to the table for a finishing touch like this recycled romance novel confetti.  Voila! Easy, beautiful, vintage display.

If you're in Pennsylvania near Chester Springs on October 9th stop by and see how it all turned out! Otherwise stay tuned for pics later on the blog.

Inside Love. Honor. Upcycle.

Today I wanted to share a little more about me, Tanna Paradis, and the inspiration behind Love.Honor.Upcycle. 

My husband TJ and I at our wedding. May 12, 2007

 

 

I’ve always been a bit “wedding” obsessed.  Maybe it’s the celebration factor combined with finding true love. And then of course the joy in creating the most amazing day of your life, filled with all your favorite people and all your favorite things.

I first dipped my toe into the wedding biz even before I was married. I started a daily e-mail newsletter and website called Hitch. The site was full of off-beat wedding tips and fabulous wedding finds. It was very Daily Candy-esque. Now of course there is a Daily Candy for weddings but back then (2005) it was just me and Miss Bee. In fact I met Miss Bee in Manhattan at an industry function. She had a little blog, called the Wedding Bee! I remember thinking, “What is a blog anyway?" Perhaps I should have paid a little more attention.

A few years later I married. I wanted to wear some of my grandmother's vintage jewelry. I had always loved the sparkling pieces she kept in the jewel box. I just never found the right place or time to wear them.  I wore her brooch and at the suggestion of the designer who made my veil I re-purposed a pair of fleur-de-lis rhinestone earrings into fabulous hair combs to place at the base of my up-do. Stunning and oh so special. These pieces have now become some of my most treasured wedding keepsakes.

My Grandmother's Vintage Brooch.

I suppose these accessories were my "Aha" moment.  The rest as they say is history.

At Love. Honor. Upcycle I hope to continue creating beautiful accessories for weddings and everyday celebration. I want to honor the beauty, glamour and artistry of times past while providing modern pieces that exude elegance, sophistication and style.

As much as I want my art to honor yesterday I also want to help preserve tomorrow.  This is why I re-purpose, re-fashion and re-style materials whenever possible. I also incorporate recycled packaging that is not only gift ready but perfect for keepsake storage.  Proof that beauty can be eco-chic?  I think so!

 

 

Best Dressed> Joan Shum.

Swoon! This lovely and amazing wedding dress by Joan Shum was found at Etsy:

The best part, it is made of separates. I would totally wear the corset/off the shoulder bodice top again. This dress has inspired me with a few new ideas for some hair combs and jewelry. In fact,  I think it would look great paired with the Caroline comb below:

Something new. Rue.

When I first got married I was an avid reader of the former Domino Magazine. Its beautiful interiors provided great inspiration to feather our new nest and the entertaining tips were always put to use when setting up for parties. When Domino stopped publishing it was like losing an old friend. What's a girl to do? Enter Rue!

Rue is an online magazine that launches this Thursday. It promises to be a new pathway to stylish living, featuring interiors and entertaining content with a strong fashion and lifestyle sensibility. The premiere issue includes spreads featuring acclaimed interiors experts, fashion designers, and of course, style bloggers, from around the world. Can't wait!

Take a look at the new Rue. I'm sure it will delight!

Fashion Flashback> Vintage Vogue.

I happened upon some amazing vintage Vogue covers from the 20's and 30's, one of my favorite fashion eras. What beautiful illustrations! Each one better than the next. Though you wouldn't see it today, the variation in typography used for the masthead is fabulous. My favorite of course has Vogue written in pearls. By the looks of this cover it must have been an accessories issue. Be still my heart!

Emmy Do's and Don'ts.

Most of the Emmy do's were dont's in my book. A few hair do's, however, were stunning and aisle-worthy.

Emily Blunt. Vintage Inspiration.

Style Goddess. Kim Kardashian.

Jenna Fischer. Down do done right.

Kiernan Shipka of Mad Men. Flower girl look perhaps?

Sweet Inspiration.

Accessories that take the cake. Delish!

Ceramic Cake Stands (Clara French)

Handcrafted Paper Cake Topper (Concarta)

Vintage Layers (Orange and Blossom)

Dogwood Cake Stand (Whitney Smith)

This & That> A Little Romance.

There's nothing like a few pops of lace to add a touch of vintage romance.

This:

Victoria Comb (Love. Honor. Upcycle.)

With This:

Jessica Garter (JL Weddings)

And That:

Ring Pillow (Grace Art and Antiques)

Fashion Flashback> Thing of Beauty.

This Friday Fashion Flashback is actually very au courant.  Stella Artois has kicked off a new ad campaign with a recreation of a 1960's cover of Vogue.  The ad uses the image above by famous photographer Bert Stern and bears the headline, "She is a thing of beauty."  I happen to adore the big hair. Not only is it retro-chic and Bardot-esque, it is a fabulous option for a wedding  up-do.

This & That> A Peacock Wedding.

Today I'm aflutter with color, especially the rich blues and greens seen in the peacock wedding themes at Etsy.  My peacock inspired creation is this vivid pair of blue and green crystal hair pins re-purposed from vintage signed Laguna baubles.  I've paired the pins below with a little "This & That" to make a perfect bridesmaid gift.

This>

Laguna Peacock Hair Pins (Love. Honor. Upcycle.)

  

And This>

Silk Clutch. (Ellen Vintage)

and That>

Thank You Note. (The Original Pear)

Best Friends Forever.

Love. Honor. Upcycle.  is now on Facebook!

Let's be friends!

Fashion Flashback.

Vogue, August 1956.

Cover girl, Jean (Jeannie) Patchett, was coined the American Goddess of Paris Couture. Pure vintage inspiration!

Timeless. (Norman Parkinson)

Iconic. (Regina Relang)

 

 

Fully accessorized for Life magazine.

Modeling with Dovima.

Pinned.

Martha Stewart Weddings once featured boutonnieres pinned with handmade beaded corsage pins.  I loved the idea and wanted something similar for my wedding. Unfortunately time got the best of me and I never ended up making them, until today.

 I made these for one of my dear friends who is making her own bouquet as well as her groom's boutonniere. I think these pins adorned with vintage pearls and swarovski crystals will be the perfect touch to her white floral theme. She can use one for the groom and the others to fasten the ribbon around the stems of her lovely white roses. I'm so enamored with the result I may add them to my Etsy store. Do you agree?