A Rustic Garden Wedding Guest Book

Oh well, before I get into this... Happy 2019! Though a little late for the New Year greetings (it's March now!), I still feel there's a need to greet everyone who reads my blog. 💝

For the very first project of 2019, it's probably one major project to begin with that took me about a month plus to get this done up. Planning started as early as late December. Sharing here is one special wedding guest book I've done for one of my girlfriends, who got married recently. It's also one project that I decided to use it for Graphic 45 February challenge.  

Wedding guestbook is perhaps one of the basic essentials most couples would want to have during their big day, a book that allows all their friends and families to jot down their heartfelt blessings and messages. While it's easy to get the wedding planner to get one for you, my friend Sarah actually approached me to help her with this. What really touches me is that she entrust this entirely to me, believing I'd be able to deliver the very best for her. That's the best part, but it could also mean stress to me.

Knowing her wedding was going to be of a garden theme and would be held in a colonial house restaurant with a rich history, I thought a dainty wood-grain textured cover with a touch of gold and distressing brown would be more suited. Bearing in mind of the colour scheme Sarah was using for her wedding, Graphic 45 Princess collection is the way to go...

"Once Upon A Time" is title of the guest book within where I modified and re-engineering the pocket albums into a functional book by means of bookbinding. It took me a while to figure out how to integrate the book onto it's cover. After much thinking, I decided to keep the book separate from it's cover.

To make the entire guest book an interesting one, some of the couple's pictures were made detachable using magnets where they can place their photos anywhere they want. This will add some fun to it and not making the guest book a boring one. Rather it'd be very close to heart and personal.

Nearer towards the end, I decided to do up a mini album for the couple. To house them, I made a box from scratch as well. Everything made was made with thoughts of functionality and usability. Inasmuch as I could, I try to make this guest book as durable as it can last.

I used quite a lot of gold to brighten up the entire look mainly on the diecuts, a club kit I bought from Spellbinders that I also use it for Sarah's bridal shower card!

Well, this is the whole package I made for Sarah and Jason for their wedding day, which spans more than just any other guest book. To keep it short and sweet here, I've written a brief description over at Graphic 45 blog in how I made this entire package. Over here I just wanted to share the extend of my work and some thoughts on how I created this project, in hope to provide some inspiration.

Nonetheless, should any of your is interested to know the supplies I'm using for this project, the list is below with links to where to get them for your convenience:

• Graphic 45 Princess Collection
• 12" x 12" collection pad (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• 12" x 12" patterns and solids (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• 8" x 8" paper pad (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Ephemera cards (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Tags and pockets (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Chipboards (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Stickers (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Graphic 45 Staples
• Antique brass stamped metal brads
• Square tag and album in Kraft
• Square tags in Kraft
• Clearsnap Decades Dye Pad (Venetian Lace)
• Mixed Media
• Heavy white gesso
• Soft matte gel
• Light paste
• Golden rod stickles
• Spellbinders 
• Club kit (Fancy Floral Frame set)
• Shapeabilities (Lace Heart etched dies)
• Em-bossing fold'ers Bricks and Bark (discontinued)
• Sizzix Tim Holtz Ornamental Bigz Die
• Tim Holtz Kraft Stock Metallic 8" x 8" Gold & Silver Cardstock (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Finnabair Art Alchemy Metallique Wax in white gold (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Glossy Accent (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Aleene's Always Ready Tacky Glue (Blitsy)
• Dusty Attic chipboards (upper alphas, lower alphas)
• Other supplies (pearlescent craft paint, assorted fabric and satin ribbons, golden fleur dressden, jute string, mulberry leaves, elastic band, cream paper and cardstocks)

Rustic Nature Wedding Guest Book

On 3rd March this year, I've witnessed the wedding of a lovely couple I know - Ernest and Stephanie. As part of my wedding gift to them, I did a guest book for them. It was also part of Canvas Corp July Wedding Challenge this July. A long overdue project update here. This entry was on draft mode for very long till the birth of their son Theopilus reminded me on this book. Without much talking, here is what I've made for them.

The guest book itself is a vintage ledger book from 7gypsies Architextures which I purchased it for this purpose. I merely did up a mixed media layout for them on the front cover. I used quite a number of die-cuts for this layout, mainly from Tim Holtz steel dies. I tried to match up to the "look" of the photos they provided me and decided upon a rustic, dainty nature look. As always, I love to centralize my design focus as this is one of my most preferred layout.

Loads of floral and swirls, together with touches of twine, burlap, handwritten script and woodgrain effects which I transformed bits of chipboards into. Since the front is already quite dimensional, I kept the back of the book as simple as possible.

Wedding is just only a ceremonial indication of a marriage between a man and a woman, what's really important is the marriage itself. Therefore, I didn't just stop at the front cover, and think it'd be better to have one more layout of this lovely couple right at the very first page of the book which marks as the very new beginning for them after their wedding.

I hope the guest book has been filled up! 

Below is a list of supplies I used for this project with some links included. Unfortunately, not all are available and most 7gypsies and Tattered Angels products can be purchase at Canvas Corp website itself:

• 7gypsies Architextures 
• Vintage 12" x 12" Ledger 
• Mix and Match Bee 8.5″x 11″ Book
• Mixed Media Pack
• Tattered Angels 
• High Impact Paints (Antique Gold & Platinum)
• Naturally Aged Kit – Rusty Metal (Faux Finish Paint Kit)
• Color Wash Paint Faux Finish (Verdigris)
• Glimmer Mist (Key Lime Pie)
• Sizzix Tim Holtz Dies
• Flourish and Scroll
• Tattered Floral (Sizzix, Scrapbook.com)
• Garden Greens (Sizzix, Scrapbook.com)
• Styled Labels
• Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Own stash (burlap, jute twine, mini alpha chipboards, scripted handwriting & bark grain stamps) 

A Bride-to-Be Card for the Gorgeous Bride

"Happiness blossoms where seeds of kindness have been thoughtfully planted."

I'm not sure who actually came out with that quote, nonetheless it's a thoughtfully penned phrase and I'd think it doesn't really cost that much to be kind. It's all about the thoughts that count. One of my lovely sisters-in-Christ, Sarah is getting married real soon, and in celebration of her upcoming Wedding, a group of us decided to throw her a bridal shower. I was therefore tasked to do up a card for her.

And here is what I've made for her, which was already presented to her 2 weeks ago during her bridal shower. Garden Goddess was my immediate choice of paper collection simply because ladies in general love flowers and have somehow wished we could be one of the most gorgeous ladies in a beautiful garden. I'd love to have such moment as such.  

"The flower doesn't dream of the bees. It blossoms and the bee comes."

~ Mark Nepo ~

That's the core message for Sarah. And this is how much I love to use this collection for weddings! Full of blossoms, flowers and quotes as such. For beauty blossoms from the inside, that's where happiness come within! When the flower blossoms beautifully, the bee just come. This reminds me of Proverbs 31:10-31, The Virtuous Wife which describes a woman of exceptional character and worth. This really serves as a very good guide for women in how to become like one. Likewise, a good search list for a man to seek after such woman.

To adorn and frame up those lovely messages, I pulled out one of my Spellbinders die kits and use them for the very first time. A little shout out here for Spellbinders lovers - get a 15% first for your first club kit subscription. Key in CLUB15 under promo during checkout. Don't miss it! It's only good till this month end.

Gold foil cardstock is my favourite friend now! Trust me, they are the MUST HAVE cardstock in your stash simply because they serve as very good matching base and elements for all your elegant cards. A touch of it will just sparkle the whole thing up.

A card itself is never enough to be gifted alone, and this is where the matching pattern and solids come in place to play a vital role - an envelope. I just felt "naked" for the card and perhaps some "coverings" will be good. When it was all done, I found them to be very good...

Before Graphic 45 discontinued matching alpha stickers, I've loads of them all given by them as part of my DT package previously before I make a come-back to re-join them for this year. It got so much that I just stored them in a huge box thinking it's probably one of the items that I hardly will use. Well, it came in handy at such a point that I believe it'd be good to personalize the card for Sarah. The alpha stickers came from the Time to Celebrate paper collection; the closest match I could find and it matches the whole theme seamlessly.

I've included some useful tips over at Graphic 45 blog. Do remember to hop over there to find out more. And yes! Sarah is glad to receive this! To end of this entry for today:

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy. They are charming gardeners who make our souls blossom..." 

~ Marcel Proust ~

Isn't that lovely? I just love how these quotes matches the paper collection. Below are a list of supplies I've used to do up this card which you may be interested to know where to get them:

• Graphic 45 Time to Celebrate alpha stickers
• Graphic 45 Garden Goddess Collection
• 12" x 12" collection pack (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• 12" x 12" patterns and solids (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Ephemera cards (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Chipboard (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Graphic 45 antique brass stamped metal brads 
• Spellbinders Club Kits (Fancy Floral Frame set)
• Tim Holtz Kraft Stock Metallic 8" x 8" Gold & Silver Cardstock (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Finnabair Art Alchemy Metallique Wax in white gold (Blitsy, Scrapbook.com)
• Golden trim ribbon (own stash)

That's all for today! And I know I've not been really updating as often, but I do honestly appreciate for all of you who are avid and faithful followers of my works, patient enough to wait for my works. I'll be updating really soon!